Arsenal vs West Ham: Adventure of a First- Timer

On the 9^th of August, a close friend of mine invited me over to his place to watch a football (or soccer, whichever is appropriate for you) game with him. The match is between the teams Arsenal, which my friend is a huge fan of, and West Ham United. 

Now I am not a big fan of football, usually being the “defender” that never gets the ball whenever I do play with my friends, let alone watching football. Usually from what I recall here in Malaysia most games start past midnight which means I am either asleep or too tired to watch 22 men running around after a ball. But for this specific game it starts at 8.30pm as it is one of the first games being played of the night. Against my better judgement and with a slight bit of curiosity, I took my friend’s offer and went over to his house at 7pm to watch the game. We had our dinner beforehand and then made ourselves comfortable for the game. During the start of the match where the players from both teams lined up and started shaking hands with people, my friend explained to me the details of the game. The match is being held in the Emirates Stadium which is the home of Arsenal, giving them the ‘Home advantage’ of having the crowd support whereas West Ham is the Away team. He also told me that Arsenal had recently bought a goalkeeper from Chelsea (Hey! Another team name that I'm familiar with) named Petr Cech and this will be his first match playing for his new team.

And with the start of the first half of the match, I realised that there is a whole different side of my friend that I have never seen before. Within 5 minutes of the game, a West Ham player gets a yellow card and is followed suit with another yellow card to yet another West Ham player a few minutes later. My friend got mouthy and making jokes about them. Wasn't very funny but I laughed all the same. Nothing really happened from then on till the 30th minute. Arsenal went on the offensive and got close to scoring some goals against West Ham. During this time, my friend was sitting at the edge of the sofa, screaming encouragements to the Arsenal players and then proceeded to scream obscenities at them when it didn't work out. At this point, I found it more entertaining to watch my friend watch football instead of the game itself.

(Image credits: Perform Group)

And so comes my favorite part: 40 minutes in the game. After so much talking about Arsenal and about other things I can't remember anymore, he out of nowhere said "stupid Arsenal, can't score goals. It's just gonna be 0 - 0 the whole game" right as it was nearly going to be 42 minutes into the game. The timing was perfect. As he uttered those last words of the sentence, the West Ham player Kouyate (I had to look up his name online) made a header and scored against Arsenal making it the first goal of the match. 

Header from Kouyate past Petr Cech (Image credits: BBC Sports)

There was a 30 second silence where me and my friend just stared at the screen stunned. The sheer irony (if you can't tell already, I really do enjoy the suffering of my friend here) of the situation is just simply amazing. After recovering from his shock, my friend just turns to me and says the words "I give up." I couldn't help but burst out laughing. And the first half of the match ends with Arsenal getting another failed shot at a goal.

The obligatory celebration (Image credits: Dailymail)

From then on, it was downhill for Arsenal and my friend's hopes. Every attempt to score by Arsenal doesn't connect and my friend gets more flustered with more screaming at the screen.

Arsenal's manager defeated, just like my friend. (Image credits: Telegraph UK)

10 minutes after the second half of the game started, another goal by West Ham this time by Mauro Zarate. At this point, my friend just cupped his face in both his hands and made sad sounds (much like a whale). I tried to hide the smile that was breaking out to no avail. Nothing more interesting than that happened, for me anyways, after that since my friend already lost interest in the game. What a way to start a football season. There was the headbutt between two players that made the game stop for a moment while medical personnel checked on them to see if they are alright but like I said, nothing else interesting.

With the game wrapping up 5 minutes past the 90 minute mark, my friend gave his opinion on the game. He said that the reason for the goals against the team was that the defenders and the new goalkeeper were not well coordinated together and he admitted that West Ham played well against Arsenal.

What I have experienced here in watching a live football match with a friend really opened my eyes to what a game of football really is. The way I see it, its not really just about the game where you watch 22 men run around chasing a ball to score points but its more about the emotions that fans have when they see their favorite teams play the game. The joy and exhilaration when they win or the disappointment and frustration when they lose. Maybe that is what makes football what the fans call The Beautiful Game.

I do apologise for such a long post. As people who watch more than 90 minutes of football, I'm sure this shouldn't be much of a hassle. I hope you all enjoy reading about my experience watching a match of football with my friend as I enjoyed watching said game.

West Ham the Giant Slayer.

Image credits : goal.com


Having won 1-2 against Manchester City in the Etihad stadium last night, it is fair to say that it looks like that this West Ham this season is the giant slayer. The win propelled them into the second of the league table at the moment and if they are able to keep up playing at this level as well as staying on top of their game against the smaller clubs, they could have a real chance at finishing high. It is still a long way to go for them and they have yet to face Manchester United, Tottenham or Everton. They have won away against Liverpool and Arsenal during the first few weeks of the league. My prediction is that they will keep on being the surprise of the season.

Chelsea emerged the only English winning side as Arsenal lost.

Mourinho's Chelsea won a comfortable 4-0 win at home against the Israeli team Maccabi Tel Aviv. They might not be the toughest adversary for Chelsea but they still won. Instead, Arsenal who are playing against Dynamo Zagreb, a croatian side, lost. I think it was no doubt Arsene Wenger's fault as the frenchman decided to not play many first team players. It could be argued that he did so because he wanted to rest the important players as he is going to come up against Chelsea in the premier league or that he simply wanted to avoid injuring Arsenal's key players such as Theo Walcott or Alexis Sanchez.

SECOND BOOOKING : Olivier Giroud must have seen it coming as he commited a ridiculous foul.

To top it all off, it was none other than Giroud that was sent off at the match. It's as if he wanted people to criticize him more. I feel like this man keeps on finding new ways to make me write bad things about him! Olivier Giroud, sort yourself out son!

James Rodriguez is a pivotal player for RM.

Image credits : mmcnews

When the Colombian midfielder first signed for Real Madrid, he had a lot of doubters going his way. I have to admit, I used to be one of them. He was incredible during the world cup but I don't think that this man will actually be the a key player for the team. He had a lot of burden especially when fans blamed his arrival as the cause of Angel Di Maria's departure to Manchester United. But I have to say that James proved me wrong! He was actually very talented. He had the body balance, the technique and certainly the eye of a maestro. I would say he is like a mixture of Frank Lampard and Paul Scholes.

This season I am fully confident of his roles in the upcoming campaign of Real Madrid and as their fan I do as well hope that this season we are going to witness James lifting some silverware.

Di Maria and Cavani scores against Malmo.

Image credits : goal.com

PSG had the honor of hosting FC Malmo for their quest of getting their first Champions League trophy. Much to the liking of their main man Zlatan Ibrahimovic, since FC Malmo was his first club. He said that it wasn't simply coincidence, he felt like it was fate that he had to face his former club. At the game last night, the Argentinian, Angel Di Maria scored the first goal just in the fourth minute of the game. Manchester United would have been bitter to see Di Maria performing so well at his new club. The second one was scored by Edinson Cavani after a few minutes of the second half.  Cavani wasn't looking very lively at the game, but his headed goal surely sealed the three points for the host.

UNLUCKY NOT TO SCORE : Ibrahimovic was running rampant the whole game yet fails to bag one himself.

The swedish striker seems to be disappointed after the match. It seems that he wasn't quite satisfied with his performance because he fails to score a goal. He had some chances to finish himself, but he wasn't fortunate enough to be putting the balls in the back of the net. I believe that this season PSG has the potential to go far in the competition, they have a solid team and they are certainly not to be written off. The only thing is, I don't feel like the French league is cut-out enough for them to be performing great in the later stages of the Champions League. The transition between playing against a Ligue 1 club to another European powerhouse will be hard for them. I guess we'll see for ourselves how will they fare against the big boys.

PSV shocks Manchester United.

Image credits : goal.com

Manchester United fans are seem to be shocked from the comeback last night at Eindhoven. The former PSV man, Memphis Depay scored the first goal of the game. The goal was quickly responded by PSV just before half-time and eventually they managed to turn things around Manchester United. To be fair, Manchester United has their chances but they just simply did not deliver. Not surprising really, since they don't have a great player up front. The only players they have is Wayne Rooney who is probably past his prime and the new boy Anthony Martial.

AND TO MAKE IT WORSE : Luke Shaw is forced to leave the pitch as he was injured.

Realistically speaking, there is a very slim chance for Manchester United to win the Champions League. Yes, football has a few surprises but I just don't see it with the way Manchester United is really playing. Certainly not with this squad, and not with this coach. In my opinion, they should let go of Louis Van Gaal and appoint the currently unemployed italian, Carlo Ancelotti.

Alvaro Morata the man for the big occasion yet again.

Image credits : telegraph.co.uk

Scoring crucial goals at the big stages seems to be a new habit picked up by the youngster. The spaniard scored the winning goal of the game from outside the box in the 2-1 away game against the Manchester City team, who are looking very promising in their domestic competition. On the last season of the Champions League, Morata scored in both legs in the semi-finals against former club Real Madrid and scored a goal in the Final against the current champions FC Barcelona.

NOT A GREAT NIGHT : Raheem Sterling failed to turn up against Juventus.

It is Juventus' first win in England since 1996. The first goal of the game was an own goal by Chiellini but the team certainly bounced back and succeeded at turning things around. The equalizer was scored by the Croatian striker, Mario Mandzukic. Alvaro Morata will certainly find increasing interest from other clubs, and if he keeps on performing at this rate, Real Madrid will certainly come back at him and snatch him back with the inserted buy-back clause in the player's contract. Who knows? Maybe some other big European clubs will be keeping an eye on him. 

Messi shows Barcelona why he is way too good for the bench.

Image credits : goal.com

Some people thought that Luis Enrique might lose the plot by not starting Lionel Messi against Atletico Madrid, a team that is very famously known for being so impressive at playing defensively. Barcelona has been a bit fortunate to be able to equalize from a Neymar freekick. Just in the nick of time, Enrique made the sub that changes the outcome of the game and thus Lionel Messi delivers yet again.

If I were Luis Enrique however, I would have started him right from the get-go. As he is the most talented dribbler in the club, I see him as the key into unlocking the defense of Atletico Madrid. Perhaps Enrique has certain considerations into putting Lionel Messi at the bench. It could be that he is not 100 percent fit at the time and Enrique doesn't want to risk his best player into being injured.

Anthony Martial scores in his debut against Liverpool, still overrated?

 Image credits : skysports

According to some people by having scored the last goal in the game, Manchester United's recent acquisition, Anthony Martial has justified his price tag. Having already in the lead, I don't think his goal is of much importance at that stage of the match. Many people, especially the Manchester United fans starts hyping him up right after the match. I feel like that will get into his head and English media will do what they do best which is blowing out young talents out of proportion and making them feel nervous. It's still too early for us to tell whether he will be a good signing for the red devils.

Ronaldo is now Real Madrid leading scorer

Image credit: realmadrid.com

              Cristiano Ronaldo had made his history with five goals against Espanyol and became leading goalscorer in the history of La Liga. Ronaldo had reached total 231 goals in his history and overtaken Raúl record which in 228 goals. His record in goalscoring average was spectacular as he was only attend 203 games for reaching this scores, while Raúl attend 503 games to reach 228 goals.

               Current, his spectacular goalscoring have allowed him to become leading scorer in the same league and enable him to win the Golden Shoe award in the 2010-11, 2013-14 and 2014-15 season. His goalscoring are split into two parts which 127 goals at home and 104 on the road. The goalscoring rate had squeeze him towards top four in the history of the league.

Everton outclassed Chelsea in a 3-1 win.

Image credits : goal.com


HATTRICK HERO : Kevin Naismith as he celebrates with his teammate.

What is wrong with Chelsea? During the match it was really painful for me to watch. I feel like watching a team that hasn't had a time to practice, they had zero chemistry on the pitch. Everton is simply better in this match, constantly ripping their defense apart. It is quite unbelievable to me to be witnessing the Everton attack to tear Chelsea's defense. I was expecting Chelsea to be very solid in the back but this match proves me otherwise. It's either Everton's attacking play is absolutely brilliant or Chelsea is very terrible that it made Everton look so good. One thing for sure, Jose Mourinho needs to sort his team out or Chelsea will be in serious trouble.

Bayern gets away with an unconvincing win.

Image credits : goal.com


Bayern won 2-1 against Augsburg. The bavarian side are used to winning with more comfortable scoreline but instead they have to struggle to win this one. Their spanish coach, Pep Guardiola even admitted himself that his side win isn't very convincing.

NOT HAVING A GOOD GAME : Arturo Vidal as he struggles in this game.

 Fingers have been pointed towards the Chilean. Having to score two late goals from Thomas Mueller and Robert Lewandowski to clench the win is definitely not something that is expected of Bayern Munchen. To be frank, since Pep Guardiola took over as the boss for Bayern, to me they have been going downhill. The spaniard tries to implement his Tiki-Taka gameplans to the German team who are already used to having played a more direct style of football. I don't really see Bayern Munchen to be winning the Champions League any time soon with Pep Guardiola in charge. 

Ronaldo ends his goal drought with a stellar performance.

Image credits : goal.com

Cristiano Ronaldo has added his number of goals in this match by five goals at Real Madrid's game away against Espanyol. Not only scoring 5 goals, he also assisted the other goal that was scored by the French, Karim Benzema.

I don't see this man to be seeing a dip in form just yet. His fitness level may keep him to perform in this level for quite some more time I believe. He is already in his thirties but is still consistent in scoring goals. Hopefully this season his goals won't be meaningless for the team and will actually have part in winning trophies.

Gerard Pique denies spouting curses to the assistant referee.

Image credits : ESPNFC

In the return leg of the spanish super cup. Barcelona needs to at least score 5 goals in order to secure the trophy after the 4-0 battering away at the grounds of San Mamés Stadium. Having scored a goal in the 43rd minute, he let his teammates down by being sent off. The reason that he was sent off was because the officials states that he mocks the assistant referee with curse words.

He claims that he wasn't saying those curse words to the official and that he was innocent of the things he was accused of. He posted on his official twitter account in spanish as follows "I want to apologise as the as the attitude with which I protested to the linesman wasn't right. The game was very tense especially when we had a lot on the line. However, I did not use any type of insult towards him."

It could be argued that he wasn't telling the truth, but in my opinion he still deserved the red card as a ramification of his conducts whether he cursed or not.

Jose Mourinho is looking to make amends against Everton.

Image credits : BBC Sports UK

After a shock loss against Crystal Palace, Chelsea has descended their league table position to 13. Having lost 2 games and drawn once in four games, it can be said that Chelsea hasn't been starting off well in the Premier League title race. It has been a surprise for everyone that Jose Mourinho has started off so poorly. For a man that is arguably the best manager of all time, it is a very poor start to the season and is one he is clearly looking to forget. The thing is, he had the same exact problem while he was coaching the spanish team Real Madrid.

His team is very convincing against stronger oppositions while losing to small teams in the league which costs them the league title. He even finished a season with Real Madrid without losing any match against Barcelona and even managed to do it with a weaker team. Having won against Barcelona with Inter Milan on aggregate and defeating Manchester United with Porto in the Champions League finals just to name a few. The portuguese is a famously known for approaching the opposition with the right tactics. While Everton may not be better than Chelsea, it is one of the stronger teams in the league which means that it is very important for Chelsea to secure a win in order to avoid more hiccups.

This time around I think Mourinho will deliver yet again, and if not, the team might be in very much doubt for challenging the title.

PREVIEW : Angel Di Maria's home debut for PSG.

Image credits : Goal.com


PSG's fans will be eager to see their new man Angel Di Maria on their homeground. Judging by his debut performance for his new club, he doesn't seem to lose his footballing qualities. Having involved  in some of the goals after he came on to the pitch, the fans will be expecting a great performance from the Argentinian winger.

To me, the reason for his decreasing performance in Manchester United is simply because he lacks the similar teammate qualities as he used to have in Real Madrid. Back in Real Madrid, he had Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale or Karim Benzema to pass the ball to which would result in assists. It is not difficult to see that Manchester United's squad is inferior to Real Madrid's. Just like Mesut Oezil, Di Maria isn't the type of player who is supposed to be scoring goals. Instead, they are playmakers, and playmakers need quality players around them in order to shine.

Now it's a whole different story and Angel Di Maria is once again is given the opportunity to play with quality players such as Edinson Cavani, Ibrahimovic and national teammate Ezequiel Lavezzi. I believe that Angel Di Maria will deliver in his new French Club and I think we are about to witness Di Maria's greatness yet again.

Who is World's Best Top Division Goalscorer of 2014?

 Image credit: realmadrid.com
              
               Of course. Obviously is Cristiano Ronaldo. He was certify his current status as the World's Top Scorer and the World's Best Top Division Goalscorer in 2014 which presented with International Federation of Football History and Statistics (IFFHS) trophies. The Real Madrid front man Ronaldo had led the ranking that took the number of goals he scored in European competition with his club and national team with numer of 20 into account, beating of his best competitor Neymar with 19 and Messi with 18 score.

Ronaldo notched up 15 goals with Real Madrid which 13 in the Champions League and 2 in the European Super Cup and five more with Portugal. While in the World's Best Top Division Goalscorer award ceremony, Cristiano Ronaldo shares the great honour with Luis Suárez. I think that Cristiano Ronaldo is absolutely fit for the award as he has immense physical strength, lightning speed, powerful shot with either feet which also make him a threat towards competitors team defenders.

Sergio Ramos 10 years in Real Madrid

               Ten years have been passed since Sergio Ramos has made his debut in Real Madrid. The debut match was at 10 September 2005 in La Liga season which against Celta Vigo in Bernabéu. He had been written his legend into the Real Madrid history books with the age of 19 only. Since he had arrived in Real Madrid, he has been one of the key role player in defense and played as a central and right back defender. After these ten years elapsed, he had played total of 447 games and amazingly scored for 55 goals. He also lifted 1 Champions League title, 1 Club World Cup, 1 European Super Cup, 3 La Liga trophies, 2 Copa del Rey titles and 2 Spanish Super Cups as a Real Madrid defensive player.

                                 Image credit: realmadrid.com

               The current captain of the team had extended his contract until 2020 so he could continue to add legend to Real Madrid history books. He had earned his a place of honour in the Champion League final by playing as a crucial role. He also earned himself a Golden Ball award in the Club World Cup semi-final and final which held in Morocco.

              

Classless Pique disses Real Madrid in his latest statement.

Image credits : Goal.com

In his recent press, Gerard Pique stated that "I think they [the Spain fans] whistle me because of the Barca-Madrid rivalry, but I won't change. The rivalry is passionate and when one is doing well, the other is doing badly. So let's hope things go as badly as possible for Real Madrid. And those who don't like it will have to put up with me until I retire!"

NO SURPRISE : Pique wishes Real Madrid the worst.

I understand that as a Barcelona player he would want their direct rivals, Real Madrid to do worse than them. But stating it in a formal conference just shows the lack of professionalism. Personally, I think it isn't a positive thing to discourage players on the pitch as it could potentially demotivate a player and affect their performance. But that being said, it doesn't mean that he has to dwell on it. For a professional player, it's like a water off a duck's back. It could happen to anyone in the footballing world. Wayne Rooney has been booed by the English supporters a few years back and he seems to be quite upset about it but the thing is that he does not make ludicrous statements afterwards. I think the right thing for him to do is to work hard in training to try and improve his performance. It is pretty clear that his performance in the national team isn't up to it, so he needs to work on his performance first to silence the pitch critiques. 

Manchester United vs Liverpool (EL CLASSICO of ENGLAND) preview

Photo credits: ESPN

This weekend in the EPL, football fans are in for a treat, as one of the biggest rivalries in world football takes center stage at Old Trafford. Two of Englands most successful clubs go head-to-head, with no team looking to slip up points against their bitter rivals.

Both teams go into the game with the same amount of form, as they both have only picked up 7 points from a possible 12 so far, with both losing their previous games. With many players returning from international commitments, this game is sure to be a blockbuster affair.

This match is never just about winning, it is about pride and prestige that these two clubs have, and both managers will know this, and will do their best to tilt the odds in their favor.

On paper, Manchester United has the upper hand. With their recent acquisition of Bastian Schweinsteiger, their defense will be more uptight and I believe Liverpool's attack will find it hard to get past Man U's midfield. However, if we are taking team forms into account, Manchester United haven't been looking quite promising with their games. To be fair, the same can be said for Liverpool. I guess we'll just have to wait it out to see how it all turns out. 

Rooney becomes All-Time Top scorer for England

Photo credits: BBC. co.uk

 

England and Manchester United Skipper, who has been of form for the first part of the season, has been under a few critics, but managed to release some of the tension on his shoulders after he managed to beat Sir Bobby Charlton record of most goals for any England international taking his tally to a remarkable 50 goals.

The England skipper has been getting a lot of praise lately from the fans and many football experts on this landmark, as even Lionel Messi was exceptional to the performance describing Rooney as “one of the strongest players he has even played against”

Rooney’s good form for his country has come at the right time for them heading to the final stages of the Euro 2016 qualifies, but the main target for Rooney now is making sure he can continue his good form for his club, and also try beat Sir Bobby Charlton’s record for the club.

Real Madrid key role player Luka Modric important day!

Image credits : telegraph.co.uk

Luka Modric had turn 30 today. He was born in 9 September 1985 in Zadar which in Croatia. He had joined Real Madrid during the summer of 2012 from Tottenham as a midfielder in the team. Since he joined the team, he has played 131 games and even scored seven goals for the team. In this season, the midfielder continued to play as a key role player for Real Madrid and Rafa Benítez has put him for the first two games of the season.

His trophy cabinet that in Real Madrid contains of one Champions League title, one Club World Cup, a UEFA Super Cup, a Copa del Rey and the Spanish Super Cup. In addition, he is also a Croatian with the most appearances in Real Madrid's history. With all these trophies and contributions, these had made him as an important key role midfielder in Real Madrid. 

Olivier Giroud will never be the main man for Arsenal.

Image credits : standard.co.uk

Olivier Giroud was jeered by the crowds of France because he failed to step up in the international games right before he was subbed by Karim Benzema. He was critisized before by the Arsenal and French legend Thierry Henry, that Arsenal won't win anything as long as he is the main man up front. It is a very harsh statement from the former striker, but I have to admit that he has a point. I have seen Olivier Giroud play, and he is absolutely horrible in front of goal. Karim Benzema is much better in terms of finishing and I would rather France start him everytime instead of Giroud. I'm sorry to say, but to me Olivier Giroud is just a pretty face and not a proper footballer. He can't even shoot the ball properly, and most of his goals came from his head. If not for his tall stature, he wouldn't have been the top scorer back in Ligue 1 and Arsene Wenger wouldn't have brought him to Arsenal in the first place.

I've said this before and I'll say it again, Arsenal will not win the Premier League without a proper goalscorer.

Gareth Bale is a Welsh hero once again.

Image credits : goal.com

Once again, Real Madrid's Gareth Bale has become the man of the hour as he scored the winning goal for his national side. Gareth Bale has been able to carry his team on his back as he is always seems to be there when his teammates need him the most! I wasn't actually surprised that it was him that scored the goal, because if not him, who else is going to score it for Wales? Aaron Ramsey? Well, maybe...

Thanks to Bale's heroics, Wales have secured a place in the Euro Cup next year and they will be on the competition. Congratulations Wales! They certainly deserved it!

Is Pedro right to snub Manchester United?

Image credits : independent.co.uk

Former Barcelona's winger Pedro rejected the chance to join the devils of Manchester. He said that he was told by Victor Valdes, his former club teammate, that Manchester United was a big and a great club eventhough the coach is not so great. Louis Van Gaal, with his shaky start to the season is also under pressure from both the club's fans and the critics. Many thinks that his so called 'philosophy' is just a bunch of baloney, and he is actually clueless about what he was doing. He has done questionable things like playing players out of their natural position. He made a statement that he will utilise Maroune Fellaini as a forward, which is a complete joke to put it bluntly. He threatened to bench David De Gea, United's current best player for the remaining of his contract should he decided not to renew his current contract.

LVG will destroy David De Gea's career.

Image credits : express.co.uk

According to recent news, current Manchester United goalkeeper David De Gea's transfer to Real Madrid has fallen through. Both clubs claims that the other is to blame for the transfer failure. To me, the real losers of this transfer drama is none other but the player himself David De Gea. De Gea has shown that he wants to join Real Madrid and he tried to force a move by not signing a new contract. Unfortunately, Louis Van Gaal doesn't like that and he would rather bench David De Gea than to see him go out with a small amount of fee. Maybe Manchester United doesn't want to seem like they are Real Madrid's feeder club, hence why they are playing hard to get.

Exciting weekend ahead in this weeks EPL

Photo Credits: goal.com

With the season finally taking some shape, and big teams regaining some form after shaky starts to the season, week 4 in the EPL looks to have some interesting encounters. Its starts of with a cracker at Nexcastle as they host the rejuvinated Arsenal, with champions Chelsea facing the inform Crystal Palace. While top of the table Manchester city host newly promoted Watford in the pick of Saturday nights fixtures.

Sunday is a blockbuster with the pick of the weekends matches as Tottenham host Everton. While Van Gaal’s improved Manchester United make the tricky trip to Wales to face Swansea.

Lets see after this weekends matches, what effect it will have on the table and the confidence of the teams, in the early stages of the season.   

Pedro Shines on Debut for the Blues

Photo Credits: Dailymail.com

After Moving from his successful career  spell in Barcelona, Pedro shined exceptionally in his Chelsea Debut against West Bromwich albion. Pedro opened his Chelsea account after just 20 mins on the field, before giving a magnificent assist to Diego Costa. Chelsea won the game 3-2 to record their first win of the season after a disappointing start to the season.

According to most football specialists, they predict Pedro to bring the much needed spark to the chelsea lineup this season. Lets’s all wait and see what pedro has in store for them, only time will tell.

AC Milan might be Mario Balotelli's last chance to prove his worth.

Image credits : tribalfootball.com

Both AC Milan and Liverpool has confirmed that they have agreed on a deal for Mario Balotelli. The italian striker is struggling to find his form at his former club. During his stay at Liverpool, he is often benched and scoring only 4 goals in all competition. It is considered to be quite a terrible statistics, not to mention that he is a striker.


Make no mistake, I still rate Mario Balotelli as a quality player. Aside from his crazy antics both on and off the pitch, he is a great footballer. He's got the strength, body balance, technique and the shooting power needed for a good striker. Perhaps his failure to shine in Liverpool is due to the fact that he does not have a strike partnership. His fellow Liverpool striker, Daniel Sturridge is not very fortunate because of all the injuries that he had. While Balotelli was playing in Manchester City, the team implements a 2 striker formation which seems to suit Mario Balotelli's playing style. Sadly, Liverpool does not give Mario Balotelli the opportunity to do that, and instead he was sidelined after Daniel Sturridge was available to play.

I sincerely hope that Mario Balotelli will find his confidence to bang goals yet again. As he is one of my favorite players to watch. Hopefully this time he will dedicate himself more to playing football and took less time hanging about posting silly things on social media.

Neymar to Manchester United, Fantasy or Reality?

Image credits : The Guardian

The current Barcelona number 11 is rumored to be leaving for Manchester United. Some sources indicate that the Brazilian is willing to star in the English Premier League. Personally, I wouldn't wonder why he would be keen on leaving the club especially after he already won the treble with Barcelona. Aside of already achieving almost every trophy a player could get in a year, he maybe wouldn't want to play second fiddle in Barcelona with Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez. Manchester United now is desperate to look for a consistent goalscorer and after they failed to bring Pedro to Old Trafford. But if I were Neymar, I wouldn't want to transfer to Manchester United. While it might be nice that Neymar could be the best player on the team, I don't think Manchester United is a top contender for the title or the champions league.

Mateo Kovacic Madrid's future star?

Image credits : ESPNFC

The recent Real Madrid's acquisition of the young croatian midfielder Mateo Kovacic has been a thing up for debate. Will he shine in his new team? Is he going to be able to break to the star studded starting XI of Madrid? Mateo Kovacic in his former club has became one of the fan favourites due to his contributions to Inter Milan. Despite all this, he will not have a guaranteed starting position in Real Madrid since there are already a lot of talented midfielders such as the experienced Luka Modric, James Rodriguez, Toni Kroos and the spanish prodigy Isco. There is no denying that he will struggle to have more game time and perhaps he will only be starting in the smaller games such as the early stages of the Copa del rey or the league games against the newly promoted sides.

However, the 21 year old can be put under the wings of Luka Modric who is playing in the same position as him. Modric himself speaks highly of his fellow Croatian teammate and he already backs him into winning the Ballon D'or in two years time, which I as a Madrid fan myself finds it to be rather unlikely. Not while Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo is still in the game anyways. As long as those two players are still banging goals, the Ballon D'or will remain as a two horse race. But the real question is, is he going to grow into one of the key players of Real Madrid? I believe so, judging by his performance in his Inter Milan days he is more than capable to be a pivotal player in the future. 

Manchester United’s New Signing stars in Champions league Qualifier

 Image Credits: ESPNFC.com

After going one goal down early in the game, through a Michael Carrick own goal, Manchester United’s new young signing Memphis Depay stepped up in magnificent fashion to score two amazing first half goals, and also provide an assist late on in the game for Fallaini to ensure the three points for Van Gaal’s team.

Van Gaal was full of praise for the young winger as the exciting new signing impressed throughout the game and created a hand full of chances for the Red Devils.