Monday Night
Football this week has the Biggest Club Game in the English Premier League.
Its
Liverpool V Manchester United.
Some people
have been asking me "What is all this fuss about? Liverpool has not won
The Premier League at all. And they have not been Champions for 26 years
now."
The Answer
to this lies in many reasons.
The First
and the foremost reason is the proximity.
The cities of Liverpool and Manchester are
located in the north west of England, 35 miles (56 km) apart. Since
the industrial revolution there has been a consistent theme of rivalry between
the two cities based around economic and industrial competition. Manchester
through to the 18th century was the far more populous city, and held a position
of significance and notability as representative of the north. By the late 18th
century, Liverpool had grown as a major sea port – critical to the growth and
success of the northern cotton mills. Over the next century, Liverpool grew to
supersede Manchester and throughout the late 19th and early 20th century was often
described as the British Empire's second city.
Liverpool
was the dominant club in 70’s & 80’s winning 11 League titles & 4
European Cups between 1970 to 1990, while Manchester United drew blanks in that
period. Still much to the discord of the Liverpool fans United was considered “The
Glam Team” & Liverpool was considered
“A Workman like Team.”
All that
changed in the Premier League Era under Sir Alex Fergusson when United won a
record 13 Premier League Titles & 2 Champions League Trophies. While
Liverpool have not been champions of England now for 26 years.
Indeed when
United Over took Liverpool to the English Champions for the record 19 th time in
2011, entire Manchester celebrated.
United now
claims to be the most successful English Club with 20 league titles to
Liverpool’s 18. Liverpool though claims to be more successful as they have won
5 European Cups to United’s 3.
Indeed so
intense is the rivalry between the 2 clubs that in 2014 when Liverpool were
edged out by Manchester City to be the Champions even the United Fans
celebrated.
In the
Fergusson Era United Fans often used to ridicule Liverpool due to their lack of
trophies, now United fans fear they will go through the same period.
And from
this season there is an added dimension to the rivalry as the managers Klopp
& Mourinho have had famous battles in Champions League managing Borussia
Dortmond & Real Madrid.
Indeed this rivalry
is in for some exciting times.
Football like in any other sport thrives on rivalries. Rivalries ignite the passions out the players, the coaching staff and of course most of all among the fans.
But nothing ignites more passion among the players, coaching staff and the fans as a Derby does. Simply because in a Derby game, the rival fan is not someone of the other town. He could be someone you know, he could be your neighbour, your friend, even your family member.
Many Derby games ignite passion as one team is David and other team the Goliath(The Turin Derby). Or simply because, one team was formed by the break way fans (The Milan Derby) or because one of them is super rich club (The Madrid Derby).
In 1990's & early 2000,s till the Calciopoli Scandal, the biggest Derby used to be the Milan Derby, between AC Milan & Internazionale Milan.
After the take over of Manchester City by Sheikh Mansur for a brief period, till Sir Alex Ferguson retired the Manchester Derby was the biggest Derby game, till the two Madrid Clubs played in two of the last three Champions League Finals.
But now Manchester Derby is THE DERBY GAME in the FOOTBALL WORLD.
Why?
Is it due to the fact that Manchester United who dominated English football for almost 2 decades, is over taken by City in the last few seasons? Or is it due to the fact that United are still considered one of the biggest clubs in the world while City are not. Or is it due to the fact that these two clubs have been the biggest spenders in last few seasons?
Sir Alex Ferguson once famously called City the "Noisy Neighbours". But the Blue half of Manchester have had the last laugh over the Red Devils for last 3 seasons.
But this season has added spice in the Manchester Derby.
Two of the biggest managers currently are in charge of the Manchester Clubs.
Between the two they have won League titles in 5 countries & have won 4 champions league.
Add to it their Past in Spain where they crossed swords as managers for the two biggest clubs in the world Real Madrid & Barcelona.
With Jose Mourinho & Pep Guardiola in charge of United & City, suddenly the rivalry of the two clubs has been taken to a different level.
For a simple reason that though both are successful, both are as different as Chalk & Cheese.
While Mourinho has had his success based on defense, Pep believes in attack, Jose always looks for individual players, Guardiola is all about team work.
It is a Clash of Footballing Philosophy.
For Mourinho winning is important, does matter how ugly it is, for Pep "How you win" is the only thing that matters.
Jose will park the bus & win all the games 1-0 if he thinks it will get him the League, for Pep winning in the free flowing style is important.
Pragmatism V Free Flowing Attack - that is what is expected in the now Biggest Derby game..........
There are some interesting tie ups, especially in Group C where Pep Guardiola's Manchester City meets his former team FC Barcelona.
Group A
It should be a fight between PSG & Arsenal for the Top 2 Spots.
Group B
This is a Group of Death for me. Benifica & Napoli are favorites for me but count out Dyanamo Kyiv & Besiktas at your own Peril
Group C
Interesting tie between Barcelona & Man City. Pep's earlier return to Barcelona with Bayern Munich was not a success. It will be the same again as Barcelona is expected to top the group followed by Man City
Group D
Expect Bayern Munich to top the group followed by Atletico, though Deigo Simeone's men can pull an upset like they did in last season's semi finals
Group E
Thanks to change in UEFA's seeding policy where in they seed the League winner as Top 8 seeds we find CSKA Moskva as Top seeds in this group, another tight group were all 4 teams can go thru as the balance teams are Leverkesun, Tottenham & Monaco
Group F
Defending Champions Real Madrid expected to top the group. A fight for second position between Dortmund & Sporting Lisbon.
Group G
If a year ago someone had predicted that Leicester City will be top seeded in UCL group as English Champions people would have told him to check a psychiatrist. But they are the Top seeds.
Expect Porto to qualify for the next round. For the second place a fight between The Foxes & the Belgian team Club Brugge.
And finally Group H
Expect the Italian Champions Juventus & Europa Cup winners Sevilla to go thru.
With the Major Leagues of Europe starting this month lets have a look at the Potential Contenders in France, Italy, Germany, Spain & England - The Top 5 Leagues of Europe.
French Ligue 1
It should be a One Horse Race.
Paris Saint-Germain
It is for PSG's to loose, But to whom is the question. With no proper challenger, even the loss of talisman Zaltan Ibrahimovic should not affect the Parisan's title defence.
And in the new Manager Unai Emery, they have an experienced campaigner who has taken Sevilla to 3 consecutive Europa Cup titles.
Italian Serie A
Juventus is the favourite to defend their title once again with Napoli a weak challenger.
Juventus
The Old Lady from Turin is expected to defend their title successfully & win the Serie A for the sixth consecutive time.
The World record transfer of Paul Pogba to Manchester United will not have a negative effect on the Turin club's title defense. In fact they have already invested part of the money astutely in the form of the Argentine striker Gonzalo Higuain whom they bought from direct title rivals Napoli.
Add to it Juve has the meanest back 5 in Italy in the form of Goal Keeper Buffon & defender Chiellini, Barzagli, Bonucci & Lichtsteiner.
Napoli
The closest challengers to Juve should be Napoli as they were in last few seasons, but the sale of Higuain to Juve will certainly dampen their title challange.
German Bundesliga
As usual it will be a two horse race between Bayern Munich & Borussia Dortmund
Bayern Munich
With the deadliest Number 9 in Europe in form the Pole Robert Lewandowski & the signing of defender Mats Hummels from rivals Dortmund the Munich team is the favourite to win the league title for the 5th time.
And in Carlo Ancelotti they have an experienced campaigner who has won titles in Italy, England & France. Though the main target of the German Giants will be the Champions League.
Borussia Dortmund
The transfer of Hummels to Bayern has weakened the Ruhr clubs title challenge. But Die Borussen has proved in the past that such sales do not affect them much as they play with a high pressing tactics & the return of Mario Gotze will certainly help them to mount a challange.
Spainish La Liga
It will be a 3 horse race between the Catalan Giants & the 2 Madrid Clubs
Barcelona
With the most potent attacking Trio in the world in the form of MNS attack has never been Barcelona's problem. The trouble for the Catalans has been the defence which they are yet to strengthen.
Also the predictability of the passing game is an issue which manager Luiz Enrique will have to address, which was very evident in the later half the domestic season & the Champions League Quarter Finals where they got knocked out by Atletico Madrid & the demise of Spain the Round of 16 in the Euros.
Real Madrid
The Domestic title will certainly be the top priority for the Galacticos which they last won Four seasons ago in 2012.
The return of Morata from Juventus will certainly boost Zinadine Zidane's challange in his First full season as the manager of Los Blancos
Atletico Madrid
In the last few seasons the other Madrid Club has made La Liga a 3 horse race.
Diego Simeone's team has managed to challenge for the title & indeed win it 2 seasons ago in spite of them being a selling club.
But this time around they have held on to their priced asset Antoine Griezmann & with Torres having a new lease of life count Atletico out at your own peril
English Premier League
EPL is the toughest & most challenging League in the World, One look at the defending champions will prove it.
Leicester City, yes Leicester City.
The top contenders are
Manchester City
City are the favourites to win the title along with neighbours United, if not for anything than for the manager Pep Guardiola.
Also the addition of Leroy Sane, Nolito & Gundogan will certainly help the title challange.
Manchester United
Like neighbours City the manager of United will certainly make them title favourites as Jose Mourinho is back in the EPL.
After a disappointing 3 season after the stepping down of Sir ALex Ferguson, the United fans can hope & dream for the title this season with the "Special One" at helm.
By signing of Paul Pogba in a World Record transfer fees, United have made their intentions clear.
While the 2 Manchester Clubs are the favourites to win the title Chelsea & Liverpool have to be counted in as they do not have any European Competitions to think off.
Defending Champions Leicester City will certainly not defend their titles - Miracles happen once in a life time though they can finish in the top half.
Arsenal will find it difficult to finish in Top 4 thanks to Wenger's stubbornness in signing a Striker, while Spurs may find it hard to be consistent.
For the Portuguese, all the tactics are around their Talisman Cristano Ronaldo, for the French it is team tactics. Their Talisman Antoine Griezman was even dropped from the starting line up in the 2nd game against Albania & came on only as a Substitute.
Subsequently though he has taken the game by the scruff of his neck. He has taken the scoring at crucial moments as against Ireland & Germany.
But the same time it will be a tactical battle between the two coaches.
The Portuguese have scored from wide play and crosses & thru Ronaldo. The French depend a lot on moving the ball and counter attacking. The link up play of Oliver Giroud will be critical.
All in all the Final is indeed a battle between One Man Super Star & Team Work.
The Big Guns are finally Blazing in the Knockout Stage.
Portugal, Germany & Belgium have come to the party.
While the Portuguese scarped thru against Croatia 1-0, Germany & Belgium won by huge margins 3-0 & 4-0 respectively & more importantly their key players have shined.
Kroos was brilliant for Germany while the irreplaceable Eden Hazard showed his class much to the delight of Belgian & Chelsea.
The Germans finally played with a Proper no. 9 in form of Mario Gomes which gave them the rewards.
The Belgians meanwhile cannot do anything wrong after the 1st game loss to Italy.
The Big Guns are shooting & it is certainly not blanks.
With the group stages of the Euro's getting over, there were a lots of Hits & a few Flops.
Here is a look at some of them.
The Flops.
Let us consider a few flops of the group stage.
Harry Kane
A lot was expected from the
Spurs & England striker, But Kane looked as if the long season at White
Hart Lane has taken its toll on him. Also what was baffling was the fact that
Kane took most of the corners against Russia, when he hardly used to take any
corners for Spurs.
It seems as coach Roy Hodgson’s
tactics & strategy also did not suit Kane. But we hope that Kane shines in
the knock out stage.
Ronaldo
It may feel strange to some that Ronaldo flopped in the Group Stage as he scored 2 games in the final game against Hungary. But lets face it only 2 goals scored with more than 25 shots at goal (including a crucial penalty miss) is not exactly a good show especially for player of Ronaldo's talent & stature.
The fate of his country totally depends on his performance & unfortunately, Ronaldo is aware of this. In the First two games he was trying to win the games for Portugal all by himself & his post match jibe against Iceland was certainly not one of his finest moments.
False Number 9 strategy of Germany.
Playing without a proper striker & winning games & Trophies........
Sounds familiar?
Yes we think about False No. 9 & we think of Spain.
Well, Germany is no Spain,
Loew surprised one & all by playing Mario Gotze as the false No. 9. The strategy has back fired & how. Only 3 goals in 3 games by the World Champions which includes a goal less draw & a last minute goal is not exactly Cup winning form.
The faster Loew understands this & changes his False No.9 policy the better it will be for the Germans if they hope the emmulate France & Spain by winning the Euro after the World Cup.
Zaltan Ibrahimovic
In world football if there is one player who has a bigger ego than Ronaldo, it is Zaltan Ibrahimovic. And if there is one player who flopped more than Ronaldo, it is the Swede.
So much was expected from Ibra in his last appearance for Sweden, but he failed miserably & so did Sweden.
Hits
Now let us take a look at some of the Hits of the group stage which set the stage ablaze.
Dimitri Payet
The French play maker is a late starter for his country, but at the age of 29 he is making up for the lost time.
As if scoring two late winners was not enough, he was the Orchestrator who pulled all the strings of the French attack. That Payet is the Heart Beat of this French side was quite evident in the last game against the Swiss were Payet was rested & was brought on as a late substitute. Th game was a dour draw.
Gareth Bale
"Wales is not a one-man team" - Gareth Bale
Bale said that their is much more than himself in his Wales team. While that may be true, he was certainly the most important Cog in Wales's wheel.
This is quite evident by the three goals Bale scored to help his country top Group B.
Maybe Ronaldo should learn some team spirit from his Club team mate.
Croatia
How good is this Croatia team?
Well Spain will reply to it.
Always expected to be finishing group at second position, this Dark Horse certainly stirred a few feathers & raised few eye brows with its performance against the defending champions.
To defeat Spain is not easy, to do so after going behind by a goal is admirable, but to do if with out Luka Modric is unthinkable.
This is how good this Croatian team can be.
Minnows
Who are the biggest hits of Euro 2016 group stage??
Unanimously, football fans around the world will say just one word "Minnows".
When UEFA decided to increase the participants from 16 to 24 it was for the so called lesser teams to be a success. And Success they are.
Right from Albania winning for the first time, to the two Irish teams going through to the next stage of the Hungarian defeating Austria to top the group, the minnows have made Headlines.
But the biggest Healiner has to be ICELAND.
A country of 330000 population clashing & winning against the best teams of Europe is like a dream.........
A dream which Iceland is living. A gritty performance against the Portuguese and a good display against Hungary was followed by a brilliant team effort against Austria which was rewarded duly by a win.
Iceland & the other minnows were certainly the biggest hits of the Euros till date. And their performance is certainly bring smile on the lips of a one Certain Monsieur Michel Platini.
With the First Round of Euro 2016 over tonight after the Portugal - Iceland game it seems that there are no Minnows in Euro 2016.
When UEFA has increased the number of teams from 16 to 24 for Euro 2016 many feared that the competitive nature of the Euro's will be lessened, as unlike the FIFA World Cup generally Euro's tended to have very tight games & no weak teams.
The First round of Group stage has proved all the critics wrong.
Right from the opener between France v Romania, where it was excepted that the Romanians will play defensive,to the Germany- Ukraine game were the World Champions were given a run for their money. Though Germany won 2-0 that scoreline does not tell the story.
Even the First timers Albania played well against the Swiss.
But the biggest news has to be Portugal drawing 1-1 to Iceland. No one in their wildest dreams expected the island nation of a population of 330,000 to score against the Portuguese. Infact most of the pundits predicated a massacre by Ronaldo, Nani & Co.
But the so called minnow or weak teams who are lacking superstars are showing discipline, fitness, team spirit & tactical astuteness.
We already had a minor upset with Hungary beating Austria 2-0, but we can surely expect a major upset or two in the remaining group stage games.
In the opening game of the Euro 2016, Pogba was suppose to be the new leader for France. It was expected that the Juventus midfielder will take place of the Legendary Zidane.
Instead it was Dimitri Payet who took charge. Through the game it was Payet who pulled the strings of all the attacks. Infact it was Payet the Orchestrator who was pivotal in each & every attack by the French. It was his assist to Giroud which was the opener.
So influential was the Palace Mid fielder that the French Coach Dider Deschamp substituted Pogba rather than Payet. And his faith was paid off as Payet scored an absolute stunner to give France the win.
A late starter in the Les Blues team Payet - 29 is certainly the man to look out in the French team as he is bound to pull the strings for France in the Euro & increase his value as a player.
Saturday's Champions League final pits Zinedine Zidane, a rookie manager, against Diego Simeone, who has created the best-organised team in Europe.
Real Madrid have the superstars, but Atletico Madrid are a superior unit, which should make this a fascinating tactical battle. Here are five key areas where the final will be decided:
1. Real switching play
Atletico are compact not just vertically (from defence to attack) but also horizontally (from left to right). They encourage opposition teams to play passes towards the wings, before shutting them down quickly and efficiently, boxing in opponents towards the touchline. To prevent gaps forming between midfielders to guard against penetrative passes, Atletico's wide midfielder on the opposite flank moves towards the ball.
Inevitably, the only way around this compact block is to switch play towards the opposite flank, although this is easier said than done as Barcelona found in the Quarter Finals . Atletico crowd opposition wide players so effectively when they have possession that a square pass is often extremely risky.
Nevertheless, in Luka Modric and Toni Kroos, Real have two of the most composed, intelligent central midfielders in the business, and two footballers who appreciate the importance and value of a reliable lateral pass. Though the German has had a inconsistent season he can always perform on the bigger stage.Quick switches towards full-backs Marcelo and Dani Carvajal, both keen to get forward, could be their best route of attack, especially if they overlap to allow Gareth Bale and Cristiano Ronaldo inside to shoot.
Besides, frequently switching the play forces Atletico to move laterally across the pitch constantly, which is tiring and difficult to perform without leaving gaps. The further Atletico's midfield has to run from side to side, the more they'll lose compactness and Real will be able to penetrate.
2. Cristiano Ronaldo v Juanfran
When Real Madrid produced a storming extra-time period to triumph 4-1 over Atletico two years ago, Juanfran was the fall guy. The Spanish right-back had picked up an injury and spent the entire half-hour hobbling, with Simeone unable to replace him having already made all three substitutions. Inevitably, Real's three extra-time goals originated from the right flank. It was an unfair way for Juanfran to end a magnificent individual campaign, especially as he'd proved extremely effective at nullifying Ronaldo.
Ronaldo has scored just once from open play in his 10 appearances against Atletico since that Champions League final, and Juanfran can feel confident he's worked out a way to cause Ronaldo problems. Juanfran tends to stick extremely tight during the opening period, often with a midfielder dropping back into Atletico's defence to guard the right-back zone. Juanfran positions himself well and shows Ronaldo down the line effectively, and while he has a habit of diving into tackles in unnecessary positions against the Portuguese attacker, he largely performs well in the derby.
His greater problem comes when the ball is on the opposite flank. Ronaldo is excellent at moving inside to become a second centre-forward, and aerially he has the beating of Juanfran. A couple of early, diagonal balls to use Ronaldo's aerial power might be a useful strategy for Real.
3. Casemiro stopping Atletico's counters
Arguably the least talented player in Real's starting XI could be their key man in their biggest game of the season. Real's tactical performance throughout 2015-16 has largely depended upon whether the functional, no-nonsense Brazilian plays the holding role. They were ripped apart by Barcelona when attempting to play without him in November, but have largely competed well in big games since, after Zidane made him a key part of the side, which was evident in the El - Classico in March.
Casemiro will be pressed in the opening stages as Atletico attempt to stamp their authority upon the game, and he must demonstrate his confidence and calmness in possession to help put Real on the front foot.
From there, his role will be extremely important. Although he must help Real's possession play, Modric and Kroos will be the players charged with playing dangerous passes into attack. Casemiro must ensure he's always alert to the threat of a counter-attack, positioning himself to deny easy balls into Antoine Griezmann, while keeping an eye upon Koke and Saul making runs from wide positions into the centre.
There will be a couple of moments, as Atletico break, when Casemiro will be forced to make major decisions: who to track, when to commit to challenges, whether a tactical foul and a yellow card is better than the risk of being dribbled past. Real lack shape without the ball, and therefore their only defensive midfielder will be pivotal.
4. Fernando Torres vs. Sergio Ramos
Griezmann is unquestionably Atletico Madrid's greatest attacking threat, but we roughly know what to expect from the Frenchman: powerful runs from deep, clever movement into the channels, a key player in Atletico's lightning-fast transitions. Fernando Torres, however, is more of a mystery.
In recent months, Torres has returned to something approaching the Torres of old: feisty, lively, powerful and a genuine goal threat. He's changed his game, however; no longer able to rely upon searing acceleration, but instead using his body effectively, battling against opponents, holding up the ball and waiting for midfield support. He's a determined, selfless and reliable centre-forward, whether playing in a duo alongside Griezmann, or upfront alone in more of a 4-5-1. He will spearhead Atletico's charge, but it's a tough role to play in such a big game.
His contest against old international teammate Ramos will be particularly of intrigue. A couple of years ago it seemed Ramos had matured and become one of the most reliable centre-backs around, but recently errors have crept back into his game. He dives in too much, conceding fouls or allowing space in behind for opposition runners to exploit.
Torres will know how to tempt Ramos out of position, how to lure him into challenges he doesn't need to make. The Atletico striker would love a goal to confirm his re-emergence as a top-class footballer, but he'll likely play as a permanent decoy, helping other Atletico players into goalscoring positions.
5. Set-pieces
In the 2014 final, both goals in regular time came from set-pieces -- Diego Godin nodded Atletico into the lead to punish Iker Casillas' error, while Ramos powered home a last-gasp equaliser to take the contest into extra-time.
This is likely to be another tight, tense contest with few clear-cut chances in open play -- and therefore set-pieces should be crucial once again. Both teams have various aerial threats, with Real's centre-back pairing and front trio all adept in the air, while Atletico are also a tall, physical side.
Godin is a particular threat, and seemingly the main target whenever Atletico have a corner. Simeone will be encouraged by the fact Real's goalkeeper Keylor Navas, while an excellent shot-stopper, isn't particularly good at commanding his box.
Atletico are also clever at getting their players into dangerous goalscoring positions with sneaky block-offs. Referee Mark Clattenburg, who had an eventful FA Cup final at Wembley last weekend, will be forced to police the penalty areas particularly keenly. Especially given the diving antics of Ronaldo.
Atletico would be happy for the game to be 0-0 in open play, and decided solely according to set-pieces. With their title charge ending on the penultimate weekend, making their final day match against Celta Vigo irrelevant, Simeone will have spent the past three weeks preparing his players for this game -- a couple of set-piece routines will surely have featured heavily.
Only for the Second Time in the History Of Champions League We have a City Derby as Finals!!!! For the Second time in 3 years The 2 Madrid Clubs meet in the Finals. Will Simeone have his revenge? Watch The Final Live on Saturday 28th May from San Siro - Milan.
