However, moving into 2023 it appears as though the winds of change are swirling with the success of MLS Season Pass.

In a survey conducted by ESPN in 2019, 64% of current MLS players would like to see a promotion and relegation model implemented into the league. 

Threat of relegation would increase competitiveness

One of the main sticks used to beat Major League Soccer has always been a lack of competitiveness. 

There have been exceptional teams over the years. Most notably the Atlanta United team that featured Miguel Almiron. However, those teams often break-up quite quickly after achieving success. 

Many have long believed that introducing relegation would massively bolster the competitiveness of the league. 

With teams near the bottom being forced to improve their own squads, as well as recruit better players, there is clear evidence to suggest overall improvement would come. 

The problem is that owners would be required to self-sacrifice for the greater good. There aren’t many billionaires who want to do such a thing. 

It would also take a number of years for there to be a tangible difference in the league. 

Players would start to become more attracted to the league once it appears more competitive. The more teams that are fighting for something in a season, the better a league.

Support is a problem for MLS teams

There is a burgeoning lower-level of soccer in the United States. However, it would take a lot of structural work to marry that with MLS. 

Players who believe relegation needs to be brought into the league were also surveyed on how likely it was. It was telling that there were many negative comments. 

“I just don’t think it’s feasible,” an unnamed player admitted to ESPN. 

“I don’t think an MLS team that gets relegated will be supported in the way it needs to be supported. 

“I think the fan base isn’t strong enough yet and ownership will lose too much money.” 

MLS alternatives?

Nobody knows the sport better than the players. They have a feel for the environment they’re playing in. You have to take their concerns seriously. 

However, that doesn’t mean promotion and relegation in American soccer is impossible. It just needs to be implemented gradually. 

One proposed idea would be to vastly expand the league as it currently stands, building up a strong base of teams. Then you could slowly bring in an MLS2 style structure, much like the Premier League’s under-21 league has done. 

With more established teams, you’d have a greater base of interest in the sport. This would limit the fiscal losses of relegation, as well as keeping the two products linked.

For now, it appears as though the players are not getting their wish any time soon.

Photo: IMAGO / ZUMA Wire

Klinsmann has been out of football since 2020. His ill-fated return to domestic coaching ended with dismissal at Hertha Berlin.

However, the former USMNT Head Coach remains incredibly respected within the sport.

His work in America is lauded, despite it not producing the desired end-results. He will now be entrusted with shaping the next generation of South Korean footballers.

Klinsmann will be in charge through the 2026 World Cup

South Korean football has been on a steady upward curve ever since the 2002 World Cup. They co-hosted the event and shocked the world by reaching the semi-final.

Players of an incredibly high standard have been produced since then. Heung min-Son is currently the nation’s star performer. However, the team is struggling.

In the 2022 World Cup, they scraped into the knockout stage with four points. They won just one game before being dumped out of the tournament 4-1 by Brazil.

It’s clear the team needs new direction. South Korea hope that Klinsmann can work as diligently behind the scenes as he did in America. 

His contract will run through the 2026 World Cup. He will be entrusted with taking the South Korean side to that tournament.

German coach is honored to take on the role

“I’m very happy and honored to be following in the footsteps of great coaches,” Klinsmann declared.

“From Guus Hiddink to former coach Paulo Bento. 

“I know that the Korean national team has been improving over a long period of time. I will do my best to achieve success in the Asian Cup and 2026 World Cup.” 

It’s not clear yet who will form Klinsmann’s backroom staff. In previous setups he has brought along a number of young coaches. The highest profile is probably Joachim Low. 

His first match in charge of South Korea will come on March 24. The team are scheduled to play in a friendly against Colombia. 

Despite poor results in Qatar, there is a lot of talent at Klinsmann’s immediate disposal. 

In addition to the Tottenham Hotspur forward, Woo-yeong Jeong and Min-jae Kim are in fantastic form. 

With his part in Napoli’s Scudetto charge being clear for all to see, Kim may even be subject of Premier League interest in the coming months.

Photo: IMAGO / Sven Simon

Multiple sources have told World Soccer Talk that Chelsea are likely to train in a location near the eastern coast of the United States, possibly in North Carolina, and to use that as their hub in order to minimize travel times.

Meanwhile, sources have also told World Soccer Talk that several clubs have been approached by Chelsea as potential opponents this summer including Wrexham AFC, Leeds United, Newcastle and Brighton.

Whilst early details are thin, the London club are hoping to use Todd Boehly’s connections to maximize their commercial value in the country.

Furthermore, the raft of new players that the American owner has brought into the club will be integral to bringing crowds to these aforementioned friendlies.

Chelsea, Man Utd summer tours Get your tickets before they sell out.

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Fans will be eager to get a glance at Mykhailo Mudryk, Enzo Fernandez and Benoit Badiashile as Chelsea plan on a second successive pre-season trip to the United States.

Man United and Chelsea US tours would be ideal this summer

One of the few things the Glazer family and their acolytes got right was an assessment that on-pitch performance didn’t really have an impact on Manchester United’s financial might.

Generally, this has been true, however their global popularity has somewhat slipped, especially in areas where fans aren’t necessarily born into a specific culture that a club represents.

Supporting Man United hasn’t been either fashionable or fun in recent years, but the club retains mammoth support in the United States.

The recent upturn in sporting success under Erik ten Hag has only served to rejuvenate the club’s wide fan-base, and the club are looking to take advantage of their renewed popularity with a return to the United States in 2023.

As per ESPN, Manchester United will likely have a friendly against Wrexham in July, with San Diego seen as the most likely host of the match.

Meanwhile, sources have told World Soccer Talk that Manchester United are considering a friendly match to be played in Las Vegas this summer. In related news, Barcelona and Real Madrid are also considering Las Vegas as a destination for a game this summer.

Manchester United haven’t toured America since 2018, back when Jose Mourinho was still coach.

COVID-19 had a huge impact on potential tour plans during the height of the pandemic, but the club are now able to travel freely.

Whilst there has been no official club confirmation of these tour plans from either Chelsea or Manchester United, Wrexham (owned by Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney) have released a statement on their summer plans.

“The club can confirm that our previously publicized plans to tour the US during pre-season are at an advanced stage, but are not as yet finalized,” the statement read.

“Full details of the games the club will play in and where, will be released across the club’s communication channels when they are confirmed.”

Man United ownership still ‘up in the air’

Whilst ESPN has suggested that Manchester United will be heading to Las Vegas as part of their tour, some supporters wouldn’t want to wager on who will be their owners once the tour begins.

The Glazer family remain as unpopular a family as any in the North West of England and have opened exploratory avenues with regards to new investment/a full sale.

Sources indicate that the preference is a deal is done before the end of the current season, which puts Man United’s pre-season tour to the United States as the first of a brand-new era for the club.

Photo: IMAGO / Sportimage

Strasbourg currently play in Ligue 1, although they are currently in a relegation battle after winning just two of their last 15 league games.

L’Equipe reported on Monday morning that Boehly’s interest in the French club is legitimate and advanced.

It’s unclear whether he would run the French club as a totally different entity to Chelsea, or whether it would become a spoke on the wheel of his portfolio in much the same way the City Football Group runs multiple clubs across the globe.

Is Boehly being unfairly critiqued in England?

It can’t be doubted that Boehly is a serious operator in business. He wouldn’t have built up the level of wealth and success that he has if he wasn’t smart.

However, in England he has been ridiculed at every turn since completing his Chelsea takeover.

Initially his idea of introducing an All-Star game was considered silly by the purists in Britain, whilst a rather cruel jibe from Rio Ferdinand intimated that Boehly didn’t actually know how many players were allowed on the pitch at one time.

Americans face a really difficult task in convincing British fans of their competence, through no fault of their own. Be it due to the wariness of Glazer-style ownership models, or coaches who don’t quite work out, British football has always been averse to change. Just ask Christian Gross.

It is worth asking whether Todd Boehly has been unfairly treated in the British media to this point. The suggestion of him purchasing RC Strasbourg has been met with initial derision, merely because of Chelsea’s own on-pitch struggles at this juncture.

The reality is that Boehly has been smart. His use of longer-term contracts has worked wonders for Chelsea’s balance-sheet with regards to Financial Fair Play, although it is a major gamble with regards to these players needing to be successes.

If Strasbourg fans are worried about this possible takeover, it shouldn’t be related to Boehly’s acumen.

Boehly’s consortium has spoken with the French club

L’Equipe gave more detail on the stage that talks are at with regards to Boehly completing a buyout of the Ligue 1 team.

Strasbourg’s president, Marc Keller, has spoken with Boehly and his consortium about investment into the French club, although he wants to acquire 100% of the club.

The stable finances of Strasbourg are particularly attractive to the Chelsea owner, especially at a time when French football is walking towards a financial catastrophe after the collapse of the Mediapro television deal.

An interesting subplot to this story is the fact that Boehly believes Strasbourg would be relatively easy to build up, especially if propped up by player loans, which presumably would come from Chelsea.

The London club have long been criticized for stockpiling talented players and loaning them out. However, FIFA’s rule changes will come into force from July 2023.

These changes limit the number of outbound loans a club can make in a season to seven and then this will move to six in 2024.

Boehly’s rapid recruitment drive at Stamford Bridge has already left the squad bloated, even forcing some to be left off the club’s Champions League squad list.

There is a sense that perhaps we could see a strategic partnership with Strasbourg. This would allow Chelsea to loan players, and perhaps even ‘sell’ them to the French club. Doing this would help circumvent the aforementioned changes to loan rules.

Once again, it’s clear Boehly is thinking smartly about how to best run Chelsea, even if the results on the pitch aren’t yet showing.

Photo: IMAGO / Schüler

The London club has been on a mesmeric spending spree this winter, with Todd Boehly looking to secure lots of players on long-term contracts to assist with FFP regulations.

Whether or not this proves to be a genius strategy will only be known in time, but for the moment it has left Graham Potter’s squad bloated heading into the second half of the campaign.

Prior to the transfer window there were no guarantees that the American international would be a regular starter for Potter. As we sit on Feb. 3, the chances of him playing are rather slim.

Christian Pulisic playing chances look bleak at Chelsea

Joao Felix has arrived on loan which takes up a spot through the center. Meanwhile Noni Madueke has joined from PSV Eindhoven to play from a wide position.

This is before you even take into account Mykhailo Mudryk’s arrival for over $100 million. The Ukrainian will be one of the first names on the Blues’ teamsheet.

What you have to remember is that for Boehly’s gamble to work, each of these players have to be productive members of the Chelsea team. They can’t sit on the bench.

If you were to look at Chelsea’s books, they need Madueke and Mudryk to be playing well far more than they do Pulisic.

It’s an unfortunate reality of the situation, but the former Borussia Dortmund prodigy is unlikely to get a look-in during the second-half of the season.

Hakim Ziyech has played well under Potter, but even he was deemed surplus to requirements and was almost loaned to Paris Saint-Germain on deadline day, only for the paperwork to be submitted incorrectly on three occasions.

That deal fell through, and leaves Ziyech a part of Potter’s squad, and he certainly appeared to prefer the Moroccan to the American of late.

USA fans to get a sharp wake-up call ahead of 2026 World Cup

One of the problems that has followed Pulisic throughout his career is that the burden of expectation has far outweighed his considerable talent.

Make no mistake, Pulisic is the most naturally gifted soccer player to ever come out of the United States of America. That raised expectations and hopes back home. American fans expect him to shine for the national team, but how can he do that when his domestic career is so stop-start?

The USMNT needs to prepare well for the 2026 World Cup on home soil. Pulisic is a central part of that plan.

However, if he isn’t playing regular soccer, U.S. fans will be in for a hugely disappointing return from the forward. He needs to be playing regular football in order to be at his peak for the tournament, that should be the culmination of his sporting career.

For now, he can’t get that move with an injury just before the January window opened ending his hopes of a loan. His Chelsea future is bleak, with the only positive being that there are only five months until the next transfer window opens.

Pulisic needs to be a star somewhere

Pulisic is a confidence player. He needs to feel respected and needed. He has never truly felt that at Chelsea. A move away from Stamford Bridge in the summer is of paramount importance.

Pulisic must find a club where he will play every game and also be their talisman.

That builds confidence and will allow him to get his best level before the road to the World Cup starts.

If Everton manage to stay in the Premier League, they would be the perfect club for him to join. He’s exciting, direct and would vastly improve their squad.

Unfortunately for fans, the Chelsea experiment has failed and the quicker everyone moves on, the better.

PHOTO: IMAGO / Action Plus

It is bizarre that such a global sport cannot be easily described. However, the feelings generated through the game provide its colloquial namesake. Soccer is a beautiful game.

Life, especially in the modern age, can feel frustrating and empty. We have more conveniences at our disposal than ever before. Yet, the world seems to be lurching from one chaotic disaster to the next.

For example, politics is shot. You can barely start logical debate with someone online before the vitriol arrives.

Soccer is far from immune from these downsides of the modern world, but at its core, it remains pure and beautiful.

State-owned Manchester City, Newcastle United and Paris Saint-Germain being able to spend a bottomless pit of money isn’t a great advert for the sport. But, beauty lies in the play on the pitch.

What makes soccer the greatest sport?

As enjoyable and immersive as American sports are, there is always a sense that you can know when to look at your phone, or when to go to the bathroom and not miss anything.

Soccer does not have that. The pace of the game is eye-watering. The speed at which momentum lurches from team-to-team is scary. It always has you on the edge of your seat, even if you don’t have any particular emotional attachment to the teams playing.

You can see moments that defy description on the soccer field. Thierry Henry’s magical first-touch and volley against Fabien Barthez in 2000. Lionel Messi running through an entire team before rounding the goalkeeper and announcing himself on the world stage against Getafe in 2007. These are moments which happen in the blink of an eye, but stay with you for a lifetime.

When played well, soccer can feel like an orchestra hitting all the right notes. Things that are difficult to achieve for the regular person can appear so easy to these generationally gifted athletes.

Soccer fans make the spectacle better

Whilst soccer fandom can sometimes go over the line, the presence of fans makes the game what it is.

Soccer in empty stadiums during the COVID-19 pandemic was awful. There was no feeling, no pressure, no anxiety. These feelings are the lifeblood of the game.

Who cares if Manchester United puts together more stoppage time drama if no one is there to see it? It was a travesty to see Liverpool end decades of suffering in the league when it lifted the Premier League trophy to chair backs.

Soccer can be an escape for so many. It attracts young people who suddenly get the feeling of belonging to something for perhaps the first time in their life.

They are no longer an anonymous person at school, but immediately they are part of a fan-base, all wanting, despairing for the same outcome, three points.

When you write this on paper, it doesn’t seem magical. It’s why non-soccer fans find the whole thing so bizarre. It’s difficult to explain, it just makes you feel a certain way.

Soccer connects generations

It has become somewhat of a cliché, but soccer has the potential to forge strong bonds between family members.

You will see some of the best father-son moments two people can describe coming at their soccer stadium of choice.

Again, it’s a moment of pure inconsequence in the grand scheme of things, but just think back to incidents you’ve seen with either your father or mother, and relived over and over for years. Soccer can create such longstanding bonds, and no matter how much money filters into the game and where it comes from, soccer will remain the greatest sport and experience ever invented.

PHOTO: IMAGO / Sven Simon

Given the intense quality in both teams, fans are excited about the individual battles likely to take place between England and France.

For Gareth Southgate, he simply has to find a way to limit Kylian Mbappé’s effectiveness. The Paris Saint-Germain forward is the best player in the world at this moment. You can’t necessarily stop him in his current form. But, if you can isolate him and limit his work to wide areas, you give yourself a chance.

Individual battles deciding England vs France

1. Kyle Walker vs Kylian Mbappé

England don’t have a chance of reaching the semifinal if Mbappé is allowed to dominate Saturday’s game.

He is the quickest player on the pitch and the most clinical finisher in the world. To stop that, you need your quickest defender.

Kyle Walker has been struggling for fitness of late. He missed the opening game against Iran. However, he did return later in the group stage.

At his best, Walker is physically imposing, athletic and an attacking threat. His defensive judgement can be questioned, but if positioned alongside confident central defenders, that can be accepted.

Mbappé needs to be isolated. If he is able to run Walker ragged and cut inside at John Stones/Harry Maguire, England are in trouble.

Walker needs to use his pace to shackle the French forward and force Les Bleus to create from other areas.

2. Jude Bellingham vs Adrien Rabiot

Jude Bellingham has been England’s standout performer in Qatar. His poise and balance in midfield are spectacular. What has made him even more valuable to Southgate is the balance he gives the midfield.

His complete arsenal allows Declan Rice and Jordan Henderson to focus on defensive duties. This will be needed against France.

Rabiot is the clear weak point in France’s midfield. Didier Deschamps likely does not feature the Juventus player if his squad is fully healthy.

If England are to be able to dominate the French, it will come through Bellingham. He can make Rabiot’s life miserable on Saturday.

He doesn’t have the pace to keep up with him and all the Juventus midfielder has at his disposal is either fouling the Dortmund star or passing him onto Aurelien Tchouameni.

3. Olivier Giroud vs Harry Maguire

Kylian Mbappe loves playing with Olivier Giroud. He has lobbied PSG to try copy the French system and utilize a player in Giroud’s style.

France’s attacks depend a lot on the work Giroud does off the ball and at set-pieces.

Harry Maguire has played well at the 2022 World Cup, despite losing his place at Manchester United.

The England defender does not have top-notch pace. Yet, Giroud is not exactly an F1 car, either. The pair will engage in a physical battle on Saturday.

If Maguire can bully Giroud, outmuscle him and stop him holding the ball up and bringing Mbappe into play then France’s attack will have been blunted.

Would it be worth Maguire taking up a man-marking role on Giroud and Rice slipping into a defensive position? Perhaps. Although it’s unlikely Southgate will introduce such a drastic tactical change.

Giroud is a finisher of the highest caliber. If he gets free in England’s penalty area then he will score. Maguire’s best asset is his close-quarters defending. He can be physical and stop attackers from finding space.

If Maguire can do that then it will make it all the more difficult for France to reach the semi-finals.

PHOTO: IMAGO / Xinhua

This may seem like a rather bizarre question. However, these were the exact words used by the Spanish coach to describe himself. Luis Enrique took the chance to advertise his own credentials prior to the Germany clash.

Yet, when you look at his record with both Barcelona and the national team, does he have a point?

Luis Enrique makes case as the best coach in the world

In order to fully judge Luis Enrique as a coach you have to look at his club career.

At Barcelona, he arrived at a club that was struggling for an identity. The days of Pep Guardiola’s style faded, and the game was changing to favor a more physical approach.

He brought a vertical 4-3-3 to the Camp Nou, fully utilizing the attacking talents of Luis Suarez and Neymar. They dovetailed with Lionel Messi superbly. Luis Enrique’s team won the Champions League in his first year in charge.

At international level, the former Barcelona midfielder achieved a similar transitional success. La Roja were at a low point when he arrived, having failed at tournaments with their golden generation virtually broken up. The coach made key decisions. Dropping David de Gea to focus on a keeper more adept with his feet, as well as moving the team to a vertical approach with a target man in Alvaro Morata.

He has also given more opportunities to domestic youngsters, looking to do away with ageing veterans playing away from LaLiga.

Tactically, there are few better minds than Luis Enrique. His teams are attractive to watch. However, they do not often fall short against equal opponents.

However, where the Asturian coach struggles is with his man-management. It doesn’t crop up as much as Spain’s coach due to the sheer lack of time he spends with his squad. That being said, at Barcelona, he rubbed people the wrong way.

By the end of his tenure the Camp Nou was fraught with tension and fans were ready for Luis Enrique to go.

Who is he battling against?

At the moment there are a handful of standout coaches in world soccer. It would be unfair to include club coaches in this comparison, because the job is so different.

Pep Guardiola is the best club coach in the world, albeit he has incredibly favorable conditions in which to work. International coaches are the yardstick when assessing the Spaniard.

Tite, Didier Deschamps and Gareth Southgate are the longer serving members of the fraternity. Meanwhile, Hansi Flick and Louis van Gaal boast great reputations.

Luis Enrique isn’t working with as talented a group as Deschamps and Tite have with France and Brazil, respectively. Yet, he is getting similarly impressive performances from his team.

Gareth Southgate reached a World Cup semi-final and a European final, but his soccer isn’t as attractive as the Spanish coach’s.

Hansi Flick’s team play excellent, but results as of late place him way below Luis Enrique.

“How can I doubt myself? I am the best coach on the face of the earth,” Luis Enrique explained in a press conference.

“If I have to convince my players I have to be convinced myself… there is no better coach than me. I know it’s not true, but I believe it.”

Luis Enrique was using his words as a motivational tool for his players. Deciding on the best coach in the world is a subjective topic, but he certainly qualifies to be in the conversation, especially with La Roja still alive in the 2022 World Cup.

PHOTO: IMAGO / Sports Press Photo

The USMNT failed to hold onto a priceless victory in their tournament opener. A Gareth Bale penalty kept America limited to a solitary point.

England’s dominant 6-2 victory over Iran put them to the top of Group B. It was a free-flowing performance from the Three Lions which showed they can be more expansive than people realized.

Unlike in 2010, England aren’t a soft-touch and will not present an easy game for the United States. Not for many years has the gulf between the two national teams been this significant. Gareth Southgate’s charges will look to make that show on Friday.

Harry Kane’s fitness concerns have been allayed in the 24 hours prior to kick-off. The English forward will be fit enough to face the American backline.

USA vs England TV coverage plans

Kickoff time: 2 p.m. ET / 11 a.m. PT – Friday, Nov. 25
Watch now (in USA): Live on fuboTV
Commentators: John Strong and Stu Holden
US TV: Match is on FOX network (available via fuboTV)

England look to secure qualification

Results in the opening matchday have made life considerable easier for England.

The Euro 2020 finalists racked up a strong goal difference against Iran. This will likely see them safe with a draw against the USMNT.

However, a victory would mathematically guarantee them a place in the World Cup’s last 16. America, on the other hand, are fighting for their lives after failing to defeat Wales.

Can the USA trouble England? It is difficult to see just where America will be able to penetrate the Three Lions.

Kyle Walker’s return to full fitness may well force Gareth Southgate into switching back to a 5-3-2 formation. Yet, fans will be willing the former Middlesbrough coach to maintain the attacking intent that destroyed Iran.

America’s defense isn’t spectacular. Walker Zimmerman has been the standout performer, but even he made an awful mistake in conceding the penalty to Bale.

The manner in which Gregg Berhalter’s side crumbled under the pressure on Monday was alarming. Once they needed to hold on in the final 15 minutes, they struggled and dropped back.

Doing so against England would be a grave mistake. Raheem Sterling and Bukayo Saka have such raw pace that it would cause problems for the American defense.

Predicted lineups for USA vs England

The United States of America don’t have any fitness or suspension concerns ahead of the game.

England, meanwhile, welcome Kyle Walker back into the squad. Harry Kane will retain his place in the starting XI, especially with Southgate eyeing a rest for his captain if progression is secured before an all-British affair against Wales.

USA’s predicted starting XI (4-3-3): Matt Turner, Antonee Robinson, Tim Ream, Walker Zimmerman, Sergino Dest, Tyler Adams, Weston McKennie, Gio Reyna, Christian Pulisic, Josh Sargent, Tim Weah

England’s predicted starting XI (4-3-3): Jordan Pickford, Kieran Trippier, John Stones, Harry Maguire, Luke Shaw, Declan Rice, Jude Bellingham, Mason Mount, Raheem Sterling, Harry Kane, Bukayo Saka

Photo credit: IMAGO / Action Plus

Whilst it’s not always wise to draw conclusions from one match, the 7-0 dismantling of Costa Rica was eye-opening. So dominant was La Roja’s victory, they may well start to readjust their pre-tournament aims.

Germany’s defeat to Japan earlier in the day was the first part of Spain’s turning point. Die Mannschaft were predicted to win the group, but are immediately in trouble.

Their defeat to Japan gives Spain the chance to secure qualification after just two matches.

Spain are better than people realized

Costa Rica were disappointing on Wednesday. They were weak defensively and had no attacking outlet. It was a shadow of the team that so brilliantly shocked the globe in 2014.

With that being said, Spain were magnificent. Gavi and Pedri are two stupendously talented young footballers. That was clear. However, Wednesday showed they could be the next Xavi and Iniesta.

Sergio Busquets could have played in his slippers. He was in his element. Sat just behind the two energetic prodigies, the veteran simply sprayed the ball around the pitch at will, pulling Costa Rican defenders out of position.

A fluid frontline of Ferran Torres, Marco Asensio and Dani Olmo drew criticism prior to kick-off. By half-time there wasn’t a negative word to be found.

The trio interlinked so well, inspired by Olmo’s verticality and they made chances with ease.

This was a dynamic that few envisaged within the current La Roja team. Many anticipated that Luis Enrique would stick with a no.9 in Alvaro Morata. Instead, the coach was brave and showed his team to have another dimension.

Group E has a clear road-map after dramatic opening day

La Roja’s victory puts them in a fantastic position. Their goal difference is phenomenal and they face Germany next.

Germany are low on confidence after a surprise defeat to Japan. Spain will take advantage of that when they meet on Sunday evening.

Victory in that game would guarantee progression for Spain. A draw would essentially do the same.

The problem in Group E is the fact that Costa Rica look so weak. Japan shouldn’t have any trouble against them.

On the evidence of Wednesday, the 2010 World Cup winners should have no trouble against Germany. Group E has a clear road-map which could see two teams through after two games.

Should La Roja re-evaluate their World Cup aims?

Winning 7-0 at a World Cup finals is rare. Luis Enrique’s charges need to enjoy the moment.

They should, though, ask themselves whether they are further along than they thought.

Luis Enrique’s coaching has been impressive since he resumed control of the team. Wednesday showed that the essence of tiki-taka is alive and well.

Gavi and Pedri could be the world’s best midfield duo in 1-2 years. They are already spectacular. In my pre-tournament preview of Spain’s chances for World Soccer Talk, I suggested the team didn’t have a world class player. Gavi and Pedri could prove me spectacularly wrong by the time we reach the final at the Lusail Stadium.

Photo credit: IMAGO / Agencia MexSport

Tuesday morning saw the unfancied Saudi Arabian team, coached by Herve Renard, defeat Argentina.

World Cups often throw up moments that are talked about for a lifetime. Zaire’s attempt to defend a Brazilian free-kick. Diego Maradona’s ‘Hand of God’ goal. Siphiwe Tshabalala’s ‘Goal for Africa.’ Saudi Arabia’s win over Argentina and Lionel Messi joins those ranks in outlandish World Cup moments.

The 2-1 scoreline was a result nobody saw coming. The ramifications for the rest of the group phase are significant. This result breathed life into Qatar 2022 as a sporting spectacle.

Argentina need more than Messi

Argentina’s lack of energy was the most disappointing part about the side’s performance at Lusail Stadium. Despite taking an early lead through a Lionel Messi penalty, the Albiceleste looked lethargic.

Of course, they would counter such a claim with the point that they had three goals disallowed inside the opening 45 minutes.

Renard’s offside trap worked, with the semi-automated offside detection tool working in perfect accordance with the rules. Whether the rules written are applicable in this era of modern football remains a separate debate.

Messi started the match confidently. He was leading his beloved national team into what is likely his final World Cup. Gone were the visible signs of stress from four years ago. Messi didn’t look as if he had the weight of a nation on his shoulders. He now had a band of teammates who worked as a unit.

Lionel Scaloni’s charges had the tag of pre-tournament favorites due to this unity. After years of having talented players who didn’t form a good team, the South American giants had a reliable group who could win together.

Yet, after just 45 minutes in Lusail, Messi’s supporting cast deserted him.  

Saudi Arabia surprised everyone with stunner over Argentina

Saudi Arabia’s equalizer came two minutes after half-time. Saleh Alshehri was through on goal. He placed a beautiful shot into the bottom corner of the net.

The goal shocked the South Americans. Saudi Arabia failed to register a shot in the first half of play. Suddenly, the Saudis were in the ascendency. Saudi Arabia flew into challenges, eliminating any Argentina time on the ball. Consequently, the fans’ energy, and any momentum from the first half, evaporated.

Argentina were on the ropes. After 53 minutes, an improbable draw turned into a World Cup miracle.

Salem Aldawsari etched his name into Saudi folklore with a Goal of the Tournament contender. He took advantage of a nervy Argentina defense to curl one past Emi Martínez.

From there, Argentina had a mountain to climb. All the pressure and anxiety from Russia in 2018 came flooding back. The color from Messi’s face went flushing out.

He knew he would have to step up, and he was met with a resolute Saudi backline. Nobody could have predicted how organized the 51^st ranked team in the world would be. Defensive headers kept Julian Alvarez and Lautaro Martinez off the scoresheet. Meanwhile Mohammed Al-Owais made five saves and was in inspired form.

Argentina couldn’t find a breakthrough once the pressure was on. Now, the side faces a difficult passage into the knockout phase.

“We fully respected Saudi Arabia”

Lionel Scaloni knows there is no room for error now. Tough fixtures against Mexico and Poland await. Results out of their control could influence Argentina’s fate, much like it did in 2018.

The Argentina coach comes under pressure after such a shock. Regardless, he maintained that his side played well and didn’t take the Saudis lightly.

“We fully respected Saudi Arabia,” he explained in his post-match press conference. “It’s a sad day, but as we always say, head held high, we must bounce back.

“It’s difficult to digest. In four, five minutes they scored two goals with two shots.”

PHOTO: IMAGO / Sipa USA

After the catastrophic bereavement process Luis Enrique had to go through in his personal life, the Spanish coach returned to lead La Roja into Euro 2020.

It was a tournament that didn’t start especially well. The former Barcelona coach had been absent for much of the qualification process. Many were unhappy that he retook control from Robert Moreno.

Draws with Poland and Sweden left Spain needing to defeat Slovakia to make it into the knockout stage. Spain won 5-0. Then, it beat Croatia and Switzerland to reach the semifinal. and then beat Switzerland and Croatia to reach the semi-final.

Eventual winners Italy eliminated Luis Enrique’s side at that point. But, Enrique reestablished his credibility.

Now, he is heading to Qatar with fans and players completely behind him. La Roja recognize their golden generation is gone. Nevertheless, hopes are still high for the World Cup.

Many want to know whether they can win the tournament. Perhaps that goal is too lofty for a young Spanish side.

Tempering expectations

Luis Enrique has made bold decisions with his squad selection for the World Cup. There isn’t a space for either David de Gea or Kepa Arrizabalaga.

Such a decision would have been unthinkable when he first took charge. Thiago Alcantara didn’t make the cut whilst Gavi and Pedri will lead the team in midfield.

When you look at the Spanish squad headed to Qatar you are immediately struck by something. There isn’t a world class player in it. Sergio Busquets would have been, once. Yet, he declined as he aged. There are some truly elite players on this squad. For example, Rodri, Aymeric Laporte and Pedri are world class. But, none are the best of the best.

Spanish fans were able to enjoy living through their glorious period which began in 2008. They had Iker Casillas, Gerard Pique, Xavi, Busquets and Andres Iniesta. At the same time, it would have been completely legitimate to claim Spain had the best goalkeeper, center-half and midfield trio in world soccer all in one single team.

That’s no longer there. It has been more of a return to problems the Spanish faced between 1980 and 2005. They have a lot of brilliant players, but no generationally talented ones.

This has potential to be an issue. However, Luis Enrique has a strong squad who are well drilled in playing together. Euro 2020 showed the work the coach has put in. The style of soccer from the Spanish team was attractive and they could have gone to the final.

Playing in the World Cup is much harder. There is more pressure and a wider variety of teams who can challenge you. Spain need to avoid trying to run before they can walk. Aiming for the semi-final would be realistic and a fair target.

Spain chances of winning World Cup 2022

Having been drawn in Group E alongside Costa Rica, Japan and Germany, La Roja are expected to reach the knockout phase. Playing Germany second is a blessing. It allows Luis Enrique’s side to avoid losing first and then having to play catchup for the remainder of the group. No matter where Spain finish in Group E, they will face a difficult match in the round of 16.

Both Croatia and Belgium expect to come through Group F, and will pose a challenge to Spain. Possible meetings with Brazil or Portugal could follow, both of which would be difficult. If you are to talk about individual talent, Spain don’t have enough to win the tournament. If they come up against Kylian Mbappe, Neymar or Lionel Messi their defense will struggle.

Picking a Spain win from matches against any of France, Argentina or Brazil isn’t easy. It’s difficult to see them beating any of those teams. That is, ultimately, where La Roja will fall short at the 2022 World Cup. Only a fortunate draw will allow them to win the World Cup.

PHOTO: IMAGO / ZUMA Wire

But some things are like clockwork when it comes to the World Cup every four years. There are the soccer TV commercials from Nike. The new kits. The new stadiums are ready. People know the squads. We’ve seen what the opening video looks like before World Cup games on TV. And, now the television companies have produced their adverts.

In what has become a treasure trove of soccer nostalgia, each broadcaster produces trailers for a World Cup. And this year, the world’s top television stations have released their trailers for the World Cup. However, which one is the best?

Below we rank the five best World Cup trailers from 2022

5. Telemundo (United States)

As World Cup trailers go, this isn’t the best one. Aside from producing an annoying soundtrack of various Spanish-language media personalities yelling ‘QATAR’ over and over, there wasn’t any real soccer footage.

How can you get people excited about a tournament without showing any historical moments?

Because of this, the whole concept was flawed and build around this idea that shouting ‘QATAR’ is going to somehow be memorable and catchy. The problem is that it doesn’t capture the essence of the tournament. For this reason the trailer does little to excite me.

Qatar won the tournament in controversial circumstances and their human rights record and LGBT inclusivity policies are horrific to a western audience. Why, then, would you focus your entire trailer on Qatar rather than the fútbol itself?

4. JioCinema (India)

JioCinema’s offering in India is an interesting trailer. Whilst it isn’t as egregiously ignorant as Telemundo’s trailer, it doesn’t present much in the way of content.

Firstly, famous players due to feature at the tournament are depicted as puppets playing soccer. It’s fun and the design of them is crudely enjoyable.

Furthermore the coloring of the trailer isn’t great, it won’t necessarily entice younger viewers. Nevertheless this is a fun-filled attempt at advertising the World Cup.

3. TyC Sports (Argentina)

One of the heavyweight trailers for the 2022 World Cup comes from TyC Sports in Argentina.

This production brilliantly captures the essence of what watching a World Cup is all about. It is communal.

At no other time of the year can you come together in workplaces, schools and public spaces to watch a game of football where everyone is rooting for the same team.

TyC’s effort shows the collective joy that can be found by supporting Argentina in a World Cup. Those positive feelings are instantly transmitted to the viewer. It builds anticipation for the tournament in your own mind. You want to celebrate with your work colleagues, your friends etc. As a result, TyC presents the crux of what football is about and it does it expertly well.

2. ITV Sport (England)

ITV Sport only just surpass TyC’s effort in my opinion. This is because of its use of classic tournament highlights.

Evidently, nothing gets you excited for a World Cup more than seeing historic moments.

For the soccer nerds among us, ITV offers clips of their own classic broadcasting moments from previous World Cups.

We see a young Ian Wright alongside British broadcasting treasuring Jim Rosenthal from France 98. The point of this advert is to remind people of the classic moments ITV Sport has given us in England.

1. Globo TV (Brazil)

Of course, there isn’t a more fervent footballing fanbase than Brazil’s. Globo TV’s advert encapsulates this passion perfectly.

It delivers on every checkmark that Telemundo missed. It celebrates the Selecao’s illustrious history in the World Cup.

There are clips of Pele scoring as a teenage wonderkid, there are images of Ronaldo completing his career comeback with a brace in the 2002 World Cup final. In fact, this trailer has everything.

There is even a clip of Dennis Bergkamp scoring that wonderful goal against Argentina in 1998, which definitely wasn’t included as a dig at their fierce South American rivals… honest.

As far as World Cup television trailers go, this is the benchmark for Qatar 2022. It is fantastic in its simplicity.

Julen Lopetegui has been appointed as the new coach at Wolves, replacing Bruno Lage. However, he will not be in the home dugout on Saturday. His official employment begins on November 14.

Arsenal, meanwhile, are as settled a unit as can be. Mikel Arteta has everyone pulling in the same direction and the Gunners are desperate to head into the World Cup break at the top of the table.

The Gunners have suffered just one defeat and been held to one draw in the Premier League so far. Although, they have yet to face Manchester City, who are still some way ahead of them as a team.

Wolves have been poor this term. In attack their talent has been virtually non-existent. With just eight goals, Wolverhampton are the lowest scorers in the division.

It’s difficult to see how this will change against a team as strong as Arsenal.

Wolves are at the opposite end of the table to their opponents on Saturday. They are 19th and level on points with rock-bottom club, Nottingham Forest. Only a miraculous win on Saturday could lift them out of the drop-zone ahead of the World Cup.

Wolves vs Arsenal TV coverage plans

Kickoff time: 2:45 p.m. ET / 11:45 a.m. PT – Saturday, Nov. 12
Watch now (in USA): Live on Sling Blue
Commentators: Jon Champion and Andy Townsend
US TV: Match is on USA Network (available via Sling Blue)

Comparing Arsenal and Wolves’ recent form

Wolverhampton Wanderers haven’t won in the Premier League since October 15.

In their last five games they recorded one solitary victory against Nottingham Forest, but their success ended there. Since then, Wolves have lost to Crystal Palace, Leicester City and Brighton. Their last point came in a 1-1 draw against Brentford.

In comparison, Arsenal are unbeaten in their last five Premier League matches. In those five the Gunners have only dropped points in a 1-1 draw away to Southampton.

Their four victories have been against Liverpool, Leeds United, Nottingham Forest and Chelsea.

Wins over Chelsea and Liverpool have really cemented Arsenal’s title credentials.

Predicted line-ups

Wolves have been hamstrung by a lack of attacking options this season. Summer signing Sasa Kalajdzic suffered an ACL rupture in September and has yet to make an impact. He remains out.

Pedro Neto, Raul Jimenez, Toti and Matheus Nunes are all expecting to miss the match against the Gunners through injury. However, Nunes could face a late fitness test.

Wolves’ caretaker coach Steve Davis will not be able to count on either Diego Costa or Nelson Semedo on Saturday. Both players are suspended with Semedo banned for one game and Costa having been slapped with a three-game suspension for a headbutt.

Mikel Arteta has a clean bill of health ahead of the trip to Molineux. Only Emile Smith-Rowe is expected to miss the game through injury.

Wolves’ predicted starting XI (4-2-3-1): Sa, Jonny, Collins, Kilman, Bueno, Neves, Moutinho, Traore, Podence, Guedes, Hwang

Arsenal’s predicted starting XI (4-2-3-1): Ramsdale, White, Saliba, Gabriel, Zinchenko, Partey, Xhaka, Saka, Odegaard, Martinelli, Jesus

PHOTO: IMAGO / PA Images

Jürgen Klopp has lived through a difficult period as Liverpool coach in 2022/23. The Reds haven’t been able to produce their best football. Furthermore, injuries have hit at the wrong time.

Southampton, though, provide an interesting challenge. The Saints have been awful this season. Having just one win in nine games, the club has acted. Ralph Hasenhüttl was sacked on Monday.

His replacement is Nathan Jones.

Liverpool have just 19 points from 13 Premier League games. They sit way off the pace in the title race and are in eighth place.

Conversely, Saints are seven points behind in 18th place. They are in a relegation battle and need points quickly.

Liverpool vs Southampton TV coverage plans

Kickoff time: 10 a.m. ET / 7 a.m. PT – Saturday, Nov. 12
Watch now (in USA): Live on Sling Blue
Commentators: David Stowell and Michael Bridges
US TV: Match is on USA Network (available via Sling Blue)

Comparing Liverpool and Southampton’s recent form

Liverpool have been able to play well in spurts this term. Consistency has been lacking.

Moments of high quality have arrived in victories over Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur. Although, defeats to Nottingham Forest and Leeds United have been symptomatic of their struggles.

If we look at the Reds’ last five Premier League matches, there is a pattern of inconsistency. Whilst the Merseyside club have won three of their last five, there have also been two defeats.

The fact both of those defeats came against relegation candidates in Forest and Leeds should give Southampton hope.

In contrast, Southampton’s recent form has been filled with surprising results. In truth they have only lost two of their last five, with defeats against Newcastle United and Crystal Palace.

Draws against West Ham United and Arsenal were totally unexpected, whilst they got a 1-0 win over Bournemouth.

Predicted line-ups

Liverpool’s injury list is substantial in the talent it holds. Luis Diaz, Diogo Jota and Naby Keita are all absent with long-term ailments.

Diaz did begin running again this week, but is nowhere near ready for a return to action.

Arthur Melo is also out after undergoing surgery, but he has virtually been a non-existent presence since arriving at Liverpool on loan.

Injuries haven’t been a huge factor in Southampton’s season to date. Tino Livramento has missed the entire campaign so far with an ACL rupture. This has severely weakened the team’s defense. Aside from this, Saints head to Anfield with a full squad.

Liverpool’s predicted starting XI (4-3-3): Alisson, Alexander-Arnold, Van Dijk, Gomez, Robertson, Thiago, Henderson, Fabinho, Salah, Elliott, Darwin Nunez

Southampton’s predicted starting XI (4-2-3-1): Bazunu, Walker-Peters, Kotchap, Salisu, Perraud, Ward-Prowse, Maitland-Niles, Armstrong, Adams, Elyounoussi, Walcott

PHOTO: IMAGO / Colorsport

The Premier League will host its final round of fixtures before the World Cup break. Manchester City will be hoping to head into that break as close to league-leaders Arsenal as possible.

In order to do that, Pep Guardiola’s charges must record a win over Brentford. The hosts will be boosted by the return of Erling Haaland.

The Norwegian made an appearance from the bench against Fulham on Saturday. He scored the winning goal and will start against the Bees.

Brentford are a team with the potential to shock anyone in the Premier League. Their 4-0 dismantling of Manchester United earlier in the season was proof enough.

Thomas Frank is astute enough to know he won’t be able to take the game to the defending champions.

A victory in Saturday’s early kick-off will take the Blues back to the top of the Premier League. Meanwhile, Brentford continue to outperform their limited resources and are sat in eleventh.

Manchester City vs Brentford TV coverage plans

Kickoff time: 7:30 a.m. ET / 4:30 a.m. PT – Saturday, Nov. 12
Watch now (in USA): Live on Sling Blue
Commentators: Jim Proudfoot and Jim Beglin
US TV: Match is on USA Network (available via Sling Blue)

Comparing Manchester City and Brentford’s recent form

The Blues have an almost perfect copybook from their last five matches. A 1-0 defeat at Anfield is the only blot.

City did play well against the Merseyside club though, despite the result. In their other four games they have beaten Southampton, Brighton, Leicester City and Fulham.

In contrast, Brentford have slipped in their last five outings. They have managed just one victory in five, which came all the way back on October 14 against Brighton.

Since then, the Bees drew with Chelsea, Wolves and Nottingham Forest, as well as being demolished 4-0 at Aston Villa.

Frank will undoubtedly be concerned about his team’s form, with the goals from Ivan Toney drying up. It’s unlikely that things will get any easier with a trip to the defending champions.

Predicted line-ups

Manchester City will continue to be without Kalvin Phillips and Kyle Walker through injury. Joao Cancelo was sent off against Fulham, but will be eligible to play against Brentford after serving his suspension in the Carabao Cup.

Erling Haaland will return to the starting XI after fully recovering from an injury.

Aaron Hickey is out with an ankle injury and won’t make the trip to the Etihad Stadium. Aside from this, Brentford don’t have any availability concerns.

Ivan Toney will return from suspension and be eligible for selection, irrespective of a Football Association investigation surrounding his betting.

Manchester City predicted starting XI (4-3-3): Ederson, Akanji, Laporte, Dias, Cancelo, Gundogan, De Bruyne, Rodri, Bernardo Silva, Grealish, Haaland

Brentford predicted starting XI (4-3-3): Raya, Roerslev, Mee, Pinnock, Henry, Jensen, Janelt, Dasilva, Mbeumo, Damsgaard, Toney

PHOTO: IMAGO / Focus Images

The Saints took the decision to dismiss the Austrian after a string of poor results.

Hasenhüttl had been in charge at St. Mary’s since December of 2018, following an excellent spell in charge at RB Leipzig. However, his time with Southampton has lost its spark.

Surviving two 9-0 defeats will remain a feat unlikely to be matched in the Premier League. Yet, Hasenhüttl has finally run out of rope after one win in nine games.

Nathan Jones is primary target for Southampton job

Whilst a number of supporters speculated or hoped for a possible Mauricio Pochettino return, Nathan Jones is a far more realistic target for Southampton.

In fact, the Premier League side already received permission from Luton Town to discuss a potential move to St. Mary’s Stadium.

Luton Town face Stoke City on Tuesday evening in the Championship. Jones will be in charge of the encounter. Then, he plans to speak to Southampton after the game concludes.

“We would like to place on record that the Premier League club have approached the board in the correct manner, for which we are grateful, and that the whole situation is extremely amicable with Southampton and with Nathan,” a Luton club statement read on Monday.

Jones has done remarkable work with Luton over two spells. He took charge of the team back when they were in League 2 and earned promotion. He then led Luton to second in League 1 before leaving for Stoke City.

It was a doomed appointment at Stoke. He never fully settled into life with a team recently suffering relegation from the Premier League.

In his first full season back at Luton, Jones finished sixth. He earned Manager of the Season honors for the Championship.

Southampton identified the Welsh coach as the individual to take the team clear of relegation. It is a deal that is expected to be concluded fairly quickly.

Backing Nathan Jones

Once Jones arrives, the World Cup in Qatar will be at the forefront of everyone’s mind. His first month of work will likely be getting used to a new environment and squad.

Southampton arrived back in the Premier League as the masters of finding talent and value in the market. Nicola Cortese’s work with Les Reed helped the club build a team capable of outperforming their budget.

With other Premier League clubs following suit and working in a similar way, the talent pool has dried up for Southampton. Ownership changes have limited investment and the club has been spiraling towards a real relegation fight for a while.

Jones’ best work at Luton came when he was able to rebuild a squad completely. He won’t receive the time or the backing to do this immediately at St. Mary’s. 2022/23 will have to be about survival more than anything.

Southampton have scored the fourth lowest number of goals this term and need to find a striker in January. That could give Jones enough help to organize the team and try and avoid the drop.

In the long-term, Saints fans can’t expect a similar style of football to Pochettino or Ronald Koeman. Jones prefers a system that is based far more on intense pressing from the front, and direct transitions.

It isn’t quite long-ball, but a quick turnaround from defense to attack. Think of how Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool played before he got quality passers like Fabinho and Thiago. Southampton will be far more direct and efficient with Jones.

PHOTO: IMAGO / PA Images

There were a pick of excellent matchups in either competition. Fans can now see routes to a potential final. Consequently, some of the bigger teams are worried about the difficulty of their task.

There was no repeat of the chaos which surrounded previous UEFA draws. Last year, there were mistakes over which team could play who, causing a redraw of teams.

The Europa League’s knockout stage playoff round also returns. Third-place teams in Champions League groups take on second-place teams from Europa League groups. Despite the necessary drops in form from Champions League sides, there are titanic matches in this playoff round.

UEFA Champions League draw yields great ties

Because of Monday’s draw, it’s impossible to look past a repeat of the 2022 Champions League final. Liverpool and Real Madrid are two of the most prestigious names in European football.

Carlo Ancelotti got the better of Jurgen Klopp in Paris. Given the Reds’ poor domestic form, Liverpool’s best chance of success this term is in the Champions League.

How will a struggling Trent Alexander-Arnold cope with Vinicius Jr? Will Virgil van Dijk rediscover his best form to keep Karim Benzema quiet? There are tantalizing individual battles all across the pitch.

Paris Saint-Germain will face Bayern Munich in the Round of 16. This clash between two of the pre-tournament favorites is arguably the best of the round.

Both Bayern Munich and PSG are good enough to win the competition, but as a result of the draw, one of them will fall before the quarter-final.

This is of particular interest to Manchester City, the best team in Europe. Pep Guardiola has an easy draw against RB Leipzig and knows two of Real Madrid, Liverpool, PSG and Bayern Munich will be gone by the next round.

UEFA Champions League Round of 16 Draw in full:

• AC Milan – Tottenham Hotspur
• Borussia Dortmund – Chelsea
• Eintracht Frankfurt – Napoli
• Club Brugge – Benfica
• Inter – Porto
• PSG – Bayern Munich
• Liverpool – Real Madrid
• RB Leipzig – Manchester City

Which Europa League ties have fans excited?

The Europa League play-off round housed a number of former Champions League teams, hence there are a lot of stars involved.

Manchester United are the only Premier League team involved, and they will face Barcelona.

This is the absolute pick of the ties. Consequently, there are many narratives at play.

Frenkie de Jong didn’t want to join Manchester United and drop into the Europa League, and he will now face them in that very competition after Barcelona’s awful showing in the Champions League Group Stage.

Another aspect comes with Erik ten Hag getting a chance to see just how far his Manchester United team have progressed.

Their Premier League form has been impressive, thus facing Barcelona provides a test against one of Europe’s biggest clubs.

Juventus’ showing in the Champions League was also appalling hence why they only finished level on points with Maccabi Haifa. They will face Nantes in the knockout play-off.

Ajax also dropped down after finishing third. They struggled in a group containing Napoli, Liverpool and Glasgow Rangers. Erik ten Hag’s former club have struggled since he left, and as a result will have a challenging tie against Bundesliga high-flyers Union Berlin.

UEFA Europa League Knockout Round Play-Off Draw in full:

• Barcelona – Manchester United
• Juventus – Nantes
• Sporting CP – Midtjylland
• Shakhtar Donetsk – Rennes
• Ajax – Union Berlin
• Bayer Leverkusen – Monaco
• Sevilla – PSV Eindhoven
• Red Bull Salzburg – Roma

PHOTO: IMAGO / Moritz Müller

Mikel Arteta is taking his charges to Stamford Bridge as the favorites. This is rare for the Gunners who have endured some rank humiliations against the Blues.

Arsenal sit atop the Premier League table after a tremendous start to the campaign. Gabriel Jesus has revolutionized their forward line. Meanwhile, Chelsea have changed coach already this term and sit in sixth place.

Graham Potter’s start to life at the Bridge has been positive. His brand of attacking football within a fluid 3-1-4-2 formation has translated to Chelsea’s squad, with results being generally positive.

However, a reality check was given in the form of a 4-1 hiding from Potter’s former club Brighton and this has truly shaken the confidence at Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea vs Arsenal TV coverage

Kickoff time: 7 a.m. ET / 4 a.m. PT – Sunday, Nov. 6
Watch now (in USA): Live on Sling Blue
Commentators: Conor McNamara and Andy Townsend
US TV: Match is on USA Network (available via Sling Blue)

This game is the earliest possible start time for a Premier League game. With it being so early, there is no pregame coverage on USA Network before the game. Also, the games following this London clash happen at 9 in the morning. Therefore, there is practically no time for coverage. Instead, USA Network jumps straight into the next game on its schedule, West Ham vs Crystal Palace.

Comparing Chelsea and Arsenal’s recent form

Chelsea will need to identify where things went wrong against Brighton. Defensively they made mistakes against a very motivated opponent.

Prior to that setback, their form was sensational. Since Potter’s arrival, Chelsea have lost just once. Recent victories against Crystal Palace, Wolves and Aston Villa, are helping Chelsea shoot up the table.

After this run of wins, the Blues drew back-to-back games with Brentford and Manchester United. So, the cynic would point towards the Blues failing to win in three Premier League games.

Arsenal have had to deal with their own setbacks of late. A 1-1 draw to Southampton on October 23 was a surprise. However, aside from that they have recorded impressive victories against Leeds United and Nottingham Forest. Finally, they have won five of their last six Premier League matches.

Predicted line-ups

Chelsea will be without three key players on Sunday. N’Golo Kante, Reece James and Wesley Fofana all remain on the treatment table.

The Gunners have similar concerns. Mohamed Elneny and Emile Smith-Rowe are doubts. The Egyptian returned to training on Wednesday.

Oleksandr Zinchenko has been out since late September, but will return to the pitch after training this week.

Concern over a possible World Cup-ending injury to Bukayo Saka was short-lived. The English forward is back training and will play against Chelsea. In addition, issues over his treatment have been raised by the Gunners.

Chelsea’s predicted starting XI (3-4-1-2): Arrizabalaga, Azpilicueta, Thiago Silva, Koulibaly, Jorginho, Kovacic, Cucurella, Mount, Gallagher, Aubameyang, Sterling

Arsenal’s predicted starting XI (4-2-3-1): Ramsdale, White, Saliba, Gabriel, Zinchenko, Xhaka, Partey, Odegaard, Saka, Martinelli, Jesus

PHOTO: IMAGO / Icon Sportswire

It is set to be a matchup between two of the best performing teams in the Premier League. Pep Guardiola’s charges have been sensational, despite sitting second. Erling Haaland’s goalscoring form has been staggering.

However, Fulham are quietly having a brilliant campaign. Marco Silva has steered the newly promoted team to seventh after 13 games.

Fulham are outperforming Brighton and Liverpool, and currently sit just two points behind Chelsea.

Silva’s usual brand of attacking football won’t necessarily work against Manchester City. They will have to be more pragmatic. Guardiola meanwhile will not alter his approach at all.

Manchester City vs Fulham TV coverage

Kickoff Time: 11 a.m. ET / 8 a.m. PT – Saturday, Nov. 5
Watch now (in USA): Live on Sling Blue
Commentators: Pien Meulensteen and Leon Osman
US TV: Match is on USA Network (available via Sling Blue)

This is the first game of matchday 15 in the Premier League. Therefore, Premier League Mornings with Rebecca Lowe, Robbie Earle and Robbie Mustoe comes just before on the same channel. There are three other games scheduled at the same time, so the crew will also include coverage on those games.

Comparing Manchester City and Fulham’s recent form

Manchester City expect to eventually overhaul Arsenal at the top of the table. However, their recent form hasn’t been flawless.

After a 1-0 defeat at Anfield on October 16, Manchester City have won back-to-back Premier League games.

They were at their blistering best in a 3-1 home triumph over Brighton. All before grinding out a 1-0 win away to Leicester City without Haaland.

Fulham’s last defeat came way back on October 9 in a 3-1 slump away to rivals West Ham. Although, the Cottagers have since been unbeaten in four.

A 2-2 draw with Bournemouth was followed by two successive wins against Aston Villa and Leeds United.

In their most recent outing, Silva’s charges drew 0-0 at home to Everton.

Predicted line-ups

Manchester City don’t have any fresh absentees ahead of Fulham’s arrival. Kalvin Phillips and Kyle Walker are both out injured, whilst Haaland will return to action.

Meanwhile, Fulham are still without Manor Solomon and Layvin Kurzawa. The pair continue to be long-term injury doubts. Bobby Reid will also miss out due to suspension.

Manchester City’s predicted starting XI (4-3-3): Ederson, Akanji, Stones, Laporte, Cancelo, Rodri, Gundogan, De Bruyne, Bernardo Silva, Mahrez, Haaland

Fulham’s predicted starting XI (4-2-3-1): Leno, Mbabu, Diop, Ream, Robinson, Palhinha, Reed, Kebano, Pereira, Willian, Mitrovic

PHOTO: IMAGO / Action Plus

The Premier League’s newly signed mammoth television deal was always going to have a knock-on impact for the rest of Europe’s top footballing leagues. However, nobody has felt it more than the French Ligue 1 with a huge number of stars opting to move to England this summer.

The likes of the Ayew brothers, Jordan Veretout, Dmitri Payet and Max Gradel are just a handful of players to have made the switch to the promised land of the Premier League this past summer.

The French league is an a difficult position at the moment with Paris Saint-Germain so far in front of the chasing pack both in financial and footballing terms. The rest of Ligue 1 are essentially sitting ducks in the transfer market with the quality of the league vastly decreased this summer.

That said, we are still in for an interesting season in the French top-flight with a number of young players and clubs ready to make their mark in the chase to finish closest to the Parisian giants. Plus, many of the games will be shown on beIN SPORTS for readers in the US (see the latest TV schedule).

Laurent Blanc’s team will win the title again barring something extraordinary. The addition of Angel Di Maria will provide an injection of truly elite quality which could take PSG to the next level in the Champions League whilst it will serve to only further the gap between themselves and the rest of the French clubs.

Programming note: Even if you don’t have a TV subscription to beIN SPORTS, you can watch Ligue Un live on fuboTV for just $6.99 per month. The service streams the beIN broadcast to your computer, tablet or smartphone (plus, it supports Chromecast). And set-up just takes minutes. sign up for a free trial to fuboTV via their website.

Lyon and Marseille are seen as the closest teams to challenge PSG this although neither clubs have enjoyed stable summers.

Lyon have done well to keep their best players. It seemed certain that both Nabil Fekir and Alex Lacazette would both move to elite clubs in Europe this summer, however, Fekir has penned a new deal, while Lacazette appears to be willing to remain at the Stade de Gerland for one more season.

The club has bought well with Rafael da Silva arriving from Manchester United to bring a significant increase in energy to Lyon’s defense.  Injuries have disrupted their preparations with Clement Grenier going down with a serious hip issue at the Emirates Cup little over a week ago. Lyon are working to bring Mathieu Valbuena back on loan, which could be a stroke of genius given his ability.

Marseille’s pre-season has been hugely disrupted with question marks over the future of Coach Marcelo Bielsa still hanging over the newly refurbished Stade Velodrome. The club has lost quality with Giannelli Imbula, Payet, Andre Ayer and Andre-Pierre Gignac all leaving the club.

Abou Diaby has arrived as a midfield addition however his fitness remains a subject of concern particularly with Bielsa’s high-octane style on the training pitch. Lassana Diarra is another free-transfer who brings a wealth of experience to the team, while the £3.5million arrival of Karim Rekik from Manchester City adds a defender who has the potential to reach the highest level. 

There remain question marks over the discipline of the team and whether or not they have the mental edge to sustain a challenge to PSG, following their collapse last season.

After finishing fifth last season, don’t rule out St.Etienne being the season’s surprise challengers to PSG. The club may have lost two stars in Max Gradel and Franck Tabanou, both to the Premier League, however the recruitment has been strong with talented forward Nolan Roux signing from Lille, while Benoit Assou-Ekotto and Kevin Theophile-Catherine add quality in the full-back positions on either side.

With a strong defensive unit, expect another impressive season from playmaker Romain Hamouma who contributed eight assists last term.

At the other end of the table things are likely to be a lot closer. Newly promoted team GFC Ajaccio will find things difficult despite adding the talented Alexandre Coeff in the off-season.

The two other promoted teams, Angers and Troyes are both likely to struggle, although Angers have been busy in the transfer market this summer signing no less than eleven players this summer. If the new additions can gel together then the club may well stand a chance.

Diego Rolan is expected to have another fantastic season with Bordeaux should he remain with the club. Newcastle United and West Ham United both retain an interest in the Uruguayan forward, who netted 15 goals last season. If he remains, Bordeaux should be able to match last season’s sixth placed finish.

After signing with OGC Nice in January, Hatem Ben Arfa was unable to play due to FIFA regulations surrounding representing more than two teams in one calendar year. Ben Arfa is free to begin this campaign with Nice and at just 28, he could be a potential star this season.

Injuries curtailed his time in the Premier League but on his day there are few better creative players with the ball at their feet. Ben Arfa has Ligue 1 experience and if he can stay fit could drag Nice into the top 10 this season.

While a lot of players have left the league this summer, a lot of quality remains. The title will head to Paris yet there is a lot of competition for places around them and at the bottom of the table as teams scrap to avoid relegation and we are in for another exciting season in France, even if England is poaching the league’s better players.

Popular UK-based sports radio station talkSPORT is planning on expanding its coverage with the launch of a second sports channel.

talkSPORT has confirmed it is involved in one of the bids for a new UK digital radio license. Ofcom, the UK government-approved regulatory and competition authority for the broadcasting, telecommunications and postal industries, has asked the public for their feedback before making a decision on the outcome of talkSPORT’s application.

talkSPORT is currently one of the United Kingdom’s premier sport broadcasters with the station holding the rights to live Premier League commentaries as well as extensive coverage of rugby union, rugby league, cricket and more. For listeners outside the United Kingdom, talkSPORT provides live coverage of all Premier League matches via its website and apps, with commentary provided by its own announcers.

Since 2012, when the station became solely sports-focused, the number of live commentaries has further increased with talkSPORT also covering the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League and FA Cup.

A second channel would mean even further sports coverage for listeners, with the channel hoping to include soccer, cricket, rugby, horse racing and athletics.

Should the plans to launch talkSPORT2 go through, it would be fair to expect that the original talkSPORT station would become more heavily soccer focused whilst the second channel would be able to broadcast simultaneous soccer coverage or other sports simultaneously.

In addition to the plan to launch talkSPORT2, talkSPORT is considering adding another station named talkRADIO to focus on news, politics and discussion.

Furthermore a fourth channel would then be launched with a focus on business and finance. talkBUSINESS would be the first dedicated channel of its kind in the UK.

talkSPORT’s growth over the past decade has been quite astonishing and it is little surprise that there is a call for an expansion of the station to cover even more sporting content. Of course, the final decision depends on listeners contacting Ofcom in support of talkSPORT but given how popular the brand is and how widespread said popularity is, it would be a surprise if the proposed talkSPORT expansion didn’t go through.

Fans of the station can look forward to an even broader level of sporting coverage in the near future.

Despite the public display of opposition to the television model used by the Premier League by supporters of FC Bayern Munich this past weekend (see below), it now appears that the German Bundesliga is contemplating a scheduling change to compete with England’s top flight.

According to a report published by ESPN FC, the Bundesliga are looking at ways they can maximize the value of the league and thus negotiate a lucrative new contract with television companies. The new comes following last week’s announcement that the brand new domestic television contract for the Premier League would cost in the region of $8billion for 2016-19.

One of the main criticisms of the modern day Sky Sports era of Premier League soccer is the perceived lack of consideration for supporters.

Often match times are moved to fit the televised schedule and you could see for example fans of Southampton, the league’s most southerly team travel to Newcastle, the league’s most northerly team, on a Monday evening for an 8pm GMT kick-off time with visiting supporters simply having no way of getting back home via public transport that evening.

In the Bundesliga, that is not a problem with supporters having been paramount in the league’s thinking for a number of years now. Currently, the Bundesliga has a fixture schedule that clubs and fans have become accustomed to. However, plans to stagger that schedule across weekends as well as potentially shortening the winter break are likely to meet vehement opposition.

The current Bundesliga deal is rumored to be around four times smaller than the deal just signed to broadcast the Premier League — with the shocking statistic that the last placed Premier League team is set to earn a higher amount of domestic television revenue than Bayern Munich, German’s behemoth club.

There’s still a lot of time for the German soccer authorities to change their strategy with the Bundesliga set to negotiate a new television deal next year, which will then come into force for the 2017-18 season.

Programming note: For viewers in the United States, you can watch Bundesliga matches live online with fuboTV PRO’s 14-day free trial. More details here.

Despite opposition from several clubs and fan groups already, it appears as though this is a train which is going to be very difficult to stop. The German Bundesliga will cite the examples of not only the Premier League but also La Liga and Serie A who have adopted more staggered fixture schedules to vastly increase the amount of money generated by television revenue.

Bundesliga CEO Christian Seifert was quoted as saying, “We need an honest discussion in the league: Are we ready, looking at the new television contract, to take unpopular measures, if necessary, to be able to keep the best players in the world in the Bundesliga?”

This was then echoed by Borussia Monchengladbach Director of Sport Max Eberl. “Traditions may have to be broken,” he said, when asked about German soccer staying competitive financially.

Clubs and supporters in Germany share a very close bond with a number of teams having fan groups and members as part of the board. It is likely the changes will not be as vast as speculated at this moment. However it seems unlikely that there will not be some level of compromise.

You can’t stand in the way of progress especially with Europe’s other elite leagues all bringing in vast sums of money through television revenue. German soccer is currently enjoying a rise in success following the total remodel of the country’s soccer structure at the turn of the millennium. However, it is only a matter of time before they fall behind too far financially and have to lose their best players to the likes of Manchester, London, Madrid and so on.

Unfortunate so this is, it is unlikely to change unless the Bundesliga becomes a wealthier unit as a whole and that is why next year it is very likely there will be sizable change to the Bundesliga fixture schedule.

Liverpool Football Club have today announced that the club will take its annual pre-season tour to Australia this summer with matches set in July in both Adelaide and Brisbane, which is the Reds’ very first visits to each of these cities.

It will be the first chance to see what is likely to be a new-look Liverpool team with captain Steven Gerrard having left the club by that point, as well as several new faces likely to be included in Brendan Rodgers’ pre-season plans.

Liverpool visited Australia two years ago for a pre-season tour and Liverpool’s chief executive officer, Ian Ayre spoke of the positive vibe created by the first tour and how it paved the way for this summer’s excursion, “We visited Australia for the first time two years ago and the support we received from our Australian fans was incredible”.

Liverpool have officially announced two dates for fixtures in July including a clash with Brisbane Roar in Queensland at the Suncorp Stadium on July 17th, followed by a meeting with Adelaide United at the Adelaide Oval on July 20th.

The match against Brisbane Roar in Queensland will be a part of the high profile ‘It’s Live! in Queensland’ campaign which is running at the same time.

Liverpool spent the pre-season of 2014 in the United States with the club taking part in the Guinness International Champions Cup. The Merseysiders managed to reach the final of the competition, playing some excellent football before they were beaten by fierce rivals Manchester United in the final.

With the International Champions Cup being spread across both America and Australia this summer there has been increased speculation that Liverpool would take part in the tournament, however today’s announcement of an individual tour to Australia makes that unlikely.

There are three scheduled dates for fixtures in the Asian leg of the International Champions Cup, with all three fixtures set to be played at the MCG in Melbourne. Two of these fixtures occur on July 18th and July 21st which makes Liverpool’s participation simply not possible.

Liverpool estimate to have up to 600,000 supporters in Australia and ticket sales for the games in Queensland and Adelaide are set to be impressive with the club hoping to kick-start the 2015-16 season in the right manner, especially after the club’s disappointing performance in this season’s UEFA Champions League.

As per the club’s official announcement, tickets will be supplied as a priority to those whom are both LFC Official Members and attended the last fixture Liverpool had in Australia at the MCG.

With Manchester City, AS Roma and Real Madrid all set to be in Australia at the same time as Liverpool it is not yet confirmed if Liverpool will meet one of those clubs in a one-off friendly match in Australia, with details of any such fixtures likely to be released closer to the time.

Manchester United’s 0-0 draw with Cambridge United of League 2 was the latest in a string of disappointing performances which have plagued Louis van Gaal’s team since the Christmas period. Fans are outwardly displaying their discontent at Van Gaal’s use of a 5-3-2 formation with the players still not looking entirely comfortable in the new system.

There is the suggestion that Van Gaal is still not fully aware of what is his optimum lineup, with the Dutch coach himself citing the lack of time in pre-season to get to know his players is hampering results now. With this in mind, what would United’s best lineup be without any additions in the transfer market?

Manchester United supporters will tell you that the best period of this season came when Van Gaal utilized a 4-4-2 diamond system. The system totally freed the fantastic attacking talents of Angel Di Maria, Juan Mata and Wayne Rooney with even a not yet fully fit Radamel Falcao enjoying the vast amounts of creative service he received.

Of course there was a problem with this system, balance. Due to United’s lack of confidence and quality in defense the use of one sole holding midfielder in Daley Blind provided little protection for United’s struggling back line. United could quite easily create and convert chances but often David de Gea’s brilliance alone would keep United in the lead in matches.

United fans brought up on the lightning quick, zippy soccer of Sir Alex Ferguson were truly in their element during this part of the season, however it wasn’t a sustainable model with United’s defense under so much pressure. Van Gaal wanted his teams to control and dominate matches for large periods, and understandably so.

Injuries to Blind and Falcao then saw Van Gaal look for a system with even more balance to help out his ailing defense. The result was a 4-5-1 system which saw United win six straight Premier League matches including 2-1 and 3-0 victories against Arsenal and Liverpool respectively.

The introduction of Marouane Fellaini was the key element. The Belgian added a level of physicality to United’s play that had been missing in the opening stages of the season. United weren’t being bullied in midfield anymore and the attacking players had slightly more freedom to play. United were also helped by the fantastic form of Ashley Young at left-back during Luke Shaw’s absence with the former Villa man being integral to the new system.

Make no mistake, United weren’t as blisteringly brilliant going forward as with the 4-4-2 diamond, however, there was greater team strength, matches were being won at a canter and the club looked set for a return to the famous top four in third place.

Van Gaal is still lacking players in certain positions to really build a dominant team, but of course this process does take a bit of time, just ask Jose Mourinho at Chelsea last season, although he didn’t spend nearly the amount of money United did last summer. However, such was the scale of rebuilding needed at Old Trafford following years of transfer market complacency.

There is the feeling that Van Gaal would love to set up in a 4-4-2 diamond each week and have his stars rip teams to shreds and the addition of a world class centre-half and a very powerful box-to-box midfielder would prevent pressure from building on his defense. The system would then be balanced and sustainable, however, his two main targets, Mats Hummels and Kevin Strootman are not available until at least the summer.

Until then I feel the best line-up United have is the 4-5-1 simply because it has balance and it is proven to work.

It keeps pressure off United’s defense through the inclusion of Michael Carrick and Marouane Fellaini in central midfield whilst there are the attacking talents of Di Maria, Rooney, Ander Herrera and Robin Van Persie all present.

With United struggling for form and confidence at this point it is a remarkably similar situation to the one the club found themselves in just after the defeat at Manchester City and prior to the six match winning run. United need to build momentum yet again and the 4-5-1 is probably the best option in doing so.

In a report published by the Manchester Evening News, former Manchester United winger Andrei Kanchelskis blasted Louis van Gaal and his style of football and even went as far to suggest the Premier League title will not return to Old Trafford as long as the 63-year-old Dutchman is in charge at the club.

Kanchelskis was quoted as saying, “With Louis van Gaal in charge they will not become champions for another 10 years. I don’t understand the type of football he is instilling into his players. I don’t fancy their chances with him in charge – they aren’t going to compete with Chelsea and Manchester City.”

The former Russian winger, who played at Manchester United between 1991 and 1995 before he left for Everton under acrimonious circumstances, was alarmed at the lack of entertainment within United’s football following his visit to Old Trafford to witness the club’s 1-0 defeat to Southampton almost a fortnight ago.

Kanchelskis also pointed to several former Manchester United colleagues of his including Peter Schmeichel, Paul Ince and Eric Cantona, suggesting they would be ‘pulling their hair out’ at such a performance.

Firstly, Kanchelskis is correct in his description of Manchester United’s performance against Southampton with the club unable to muster a single shot on target throughout the entire ninety minutes of play. However this is as far as Kanchelskis’ comments can be taken fully on board, at least in my mind.

If Manchester United had a fully assembled team as Chelsea do at this moment and performances like the one against Southampton were a regular occurrence then the concern would be understandable however there are such clear defined reasons as to why United are currently struggling it is difficult to place such a timeframe on United not enjoying success.

United have yet to address their issues in defence. The trio of Phil Jones, Jonny Evans and Chris Smalling are all still under scrutiny by Van Gaal with the Dutchman determined to improve his defensive options in the transfer market either this month or in the summer with the latter being more likely.

The lack of confidence within United’s defence hinders attacking play with the likes of Angel Di Maria, Juan Mata and Wayne Rooney especially unable to truly let the handbrake off in attack as there is an understanding how vulnerable United are at the back.

There is also the question of balance. Louis van Gaal is not a 3-5-2 favouring manager, he has utilised the system with both the Netherlands and Manchester United due to deficiencies in both defence and midfield. Manchester United’s best performances in attack this season came using a 4-4-2 diamond system however there was simply no protection for United’s defence with Daley Blind the only deep midfielder and United often ended up hanging on in matches due to the pressure put on a fragile back line.

Van Gaal is still a few players short of where Manchester United need to be in order to play consistently with freedom and dominate matches with entertaining attacking player. There needs to be a commanding force at the heart of defence who can breed confidence throughout the defensive zone as well as a powerful midfielder who can add a real element of steel to United’s football, a Kevin Strootman or Paul Pogba to name but two.

It cannot be ignored that United have spent around £150million under Van Gaal yet are still multiple players short of a title challenging team, however in truth this says more about the state of Manchester United’s financial model and the mistakes of previous administrations.

Sir Alex Ferguson played the transfer market to his own expectations for years, I still wonder myself whether had he still been in charge now United would have spent over £30million on one player. The central midfield position was ignored for multiple transfer windows, Manchester United wouldn’t negotiate with Tottenham for Luka Modric nor would they push out slightly more money for Wesley Sneijder. Meanwhile the likes of Chelsea and Manchester City spent and spent well.

United have been left to play catch-up and that is exactly what happened in Van Gaal’s first summer in charge. The attacking elements were put in place with the signings of Di Maria and Ander Herrera whilst the defence was ignored barring the deal for Marcos Rojo.

You also have to look at Van Gaal’s history as a coach having won the top domestic title with every club he has managed, of course English football has different tactical and physical elements but Van Gaal has shown he is willing to change his team to suit such elements thus far this season by his inclusion of Marouane Fellaini when it became clear his side were being bullied in matches.

Kanchelskis is entitled to his opinions but given Manchester United’s comparable spending power to their nearest rivals in these times of Financial Fair Play as well as the brief glimpses of quality from Van Gaal’s unfinished side this season, I feel it is incredibly premature to say the club won’t win a title for 10 years.

The deal to take Jermain Defoe to Sunderland in exchange for Jozy Altidore is nearing completion with the agreement of terms that will take Altidore to Toronto the only thing holding up official confirmation from the Wearside club. Defoe is expected to sign a two-and-a-half year deal at the Stadium of Light.

With Sunderland in yet another relegation dogfight it appears this transfer is a course of direct action to help steer the club away from the trapdoor to the Championship with Defoe being a proven goalscorer at Premier League level with all the clubs he has played for.

The signing of Altidore has been an unmitigated disaster with the American international having scored just one league goal in 40 appearances over his one-and-a-half season spell in England. There is little to question with regards to Altidore’s natural ability as we saw throughout his time in Holland with AZ Alkmaar however it seems as though the Premier League just has a rhythm and style which Altidore finds it impossible to tune into.

Defoe has been unhappy at Toronto ever since last summer. The former Spurs forward made the move to the MLS last February with Toronto spending around £6 million for his services. Defoe has struggled to settle in Canada and was looking for a way out of the club last summer with QPR very strong suitors although an eleventh hour deal on deadline day could not be completed in time.

This month it seems as though Sunderland have won the race to secure Defoe’s signature with the Black Cats in desperate need of goals. Steven Fletcher is perennially struggling for fitness whilst Altidore has failed to contribute as many had hoped. There is the threat of goals from midfield through Adam Johnson and Emanuele Giaccherini however it is little surprise that Sunderland have the second worst attacking record in the league with just 18 goals scored.

Despite how important defensive solidity is, it often happens that goals keep teams up. We have seen it countless times before, not least at Aston Villa where the January purchase of Darren Bent for a club record £24 million fee from Sunderland in 2011 helped keep the club in the Premier League with the English forward netting nine league goals.

Gus Poyet will hope Defoe can have a similar impact with many parts of Sunderland’s creative play impressing however there is just a real lack of a killer instinct in front of goal.

Defoe passed a medical on the North East this afternoon and the deal is expected to be completed sooner rather than later. The deal itself is a rather straight forward one with no transfer fees expected to change hands between the clubs. It is a straight player swap with Sunderland taking on Defoe’s reported £70,000 a week wage.

What makes Defoe so unique is that he can spend much of a match having very little influence on proceedings yet he only needs one chance to score, rather like Darren Bent used to during his time at Sunderland. This is an invaluable trait in a relegation battle with games often decided by the one goal, particularly when facing teams in and around the same spots.

Poyet and Defoe are known to have a good relationship with the pair having both been at Spurs during the Juande Ramos era with Poyet a first-team coach. It is believed this relationship has played a huge part in Defoe rejecting the advances of clubs closer to his London roots.

Sunderland fans will be excited that their club appears to be on the receiving end of an excellent deal both in football and financial terms. There is slightly more of a spend on wages but in Premier League terms it is unsubstantial whilst Sunderland are taking on a player who has a proven track record of scoring goals. Defoe has netted 123 Premier League goals over the course of his career and has in actual fact been in good form for Toronto, having scored eleven goals in sixteen appearances.

At 32, there are few signs of Defoe slowing down and when you consider the lack of true goalscoring talent around the teams embroiled in the relegation fight, this could well be a transfer that gives Sunderland a much needed edge heading into the second half of the campaign.

With Manchester City’s £25million signing of Wilfried Bony now complete, the transfer window is finally beginning to excite as we head into the month’s 15th day. Many expected Manchester United to be up there with the busiest of teams this month. However, as yet, Louis van Gaal’s side have added just one player to their squad — 32-year-old free-agent goalkeeper Victor Valdes following the Spaniard’s rehabilitation spell with the club.

With just half of the January transfer window left, time is running out for United to make significant additions with the mid-season window having long been known as a period not exactly conducive to sensible negotiations particularly where elite players are concerned.

Irrespective of this, United’s performances so far this season have shown a vast improvement on the 2013-14 campaign, despite what certain statistics would have you believe, although the club is still a couple of signings away from being able to operate at a consistently high level.

The club have acknowledged that defensively there needs to be an improvement. This was clear in the summer following the departures of stalwarts Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic with no replacements being found for either.

Marcos Rojo has come in from Sporting Lisbon and impressed. However the trio of Jonny Evans, Chris Smalling and Phil Jones have all struggled with fitness and injuries, which has made their transition into Van Gaal’s system difficult. It is believed that Van Gaal remains unconvinced by all three, as told by the Guardian’s Jamie Jackson and that a defensive signing is his priority this month.

Van Gaal’s first-choice target in this area remains Mats Hummels. The graceful center-half is in the prime of his career having just won a World Cup and been named Dortmund’s club captain aged just 26. However, with Dortmund’s faltering domestic form and United’s obvious allure, there is every chance this is a deal that could happen, although it is unlikely to be this month.

Having said that, Borussia Dortmund would be creating a catastrophically troubling situation for themselves if Hummels was allowed to leave in January.

For supporters, seeing their club in the relegation zone halfway through the season is painful enough but if the acrimonious departure of their captain was piled on top of that, the club would have a lot of very difficult and possibly quite discourteous questions to answer.

Aymeric Laporte and Raphael Varane are other possible targets with the two Frenchman believed to be on United’s radar. Varane recently signed a contract extension with Madrid in September yet rhetoric around his future continues with neither party seeming to be on the same page.

At just 21-years-old, Varane would be the perfect long-term addition to United’s defensive line, even more so when you consider Varane’s performances for Madrid have often just teetered around what you would expect from an experienced, world class defender.

Laporte would seem the most likely January arrival. However Athletic Club’s business model would put paid to any possible deal.  Laporte’s buy-out clause was increased to 42million euros last summer, which roughly translates to £32million. Athletic are in a position where their hand can’t be forced, Laporte is under contract until 2018 and the club will reject any offer forcing a buying club to meet the player’s buy-out clause, thus giving the Basque giants a level of innocence in the eyes of their supporters.

Given United’s rumored interest in Mats Hummels is at a similar price according to the Mirror’s David McDonnell, it seems unlikely the club will part with the same figure for a defender aged just 20 with the club needing a figure of leadership at the back.

Whilst center-defense is United’s priority this month, there is also a desire on Van Gaal’s part to recruit a central midfielder and a right-back, neither of which being as important this month as a central defender.

Kevin Strootman continues to be Van Gaal’s primary target for midfield with the Dutchman showing everyone just what he is still capable of following his knee injury in the recent Rome derby against Lazio. Roma again are under no pressure to sell and it is unlikely a deal will be struck this window, although Van Gaal is believed to be determined to test Roma’s resolve on this matter.

United’s midfield has impressed in parts this season with Marouane Fellaini’s return to the side coinciding with the club’s 10-match unbeaten run. The Belgian has been excellent in utilizing his best attributes. However there is still a lack of leadership in midfield which sees United struggle when matches begin to run away from them.

The right-back issue is a contentious one amongst supporters with half believing Rafael is capable of claiming the starting spot and the other half disgruntled with the Brazilian’s lack of defensive nous and inability to stay fit for long periods of a season. It seems Van Gaal is a member of the latter camp with Seamus Coleman, Nathaniel Clyne and Dani Alves all being reported as United targets.

At present, it would be fair to say the pressing concern for United is the center of defense. If there is one position where not buying a player this month could cost the club a top four finish, it is there. There is no confidence amongst United’s defenders at the moment and as a result the rest of the team appears at times awkward and unsure whether they can truly attack with freedom.

United’s best football has come using the 4-4-2 diamond this year. However, the lack of defensive protection it provided caused United real problems. The perfect scenario for Louis van Gaal would be to sign Mats Hummels this month and return to the diamond system.

Whilst that is unlikely, it is certain that the Dutchman will try and sign a defender this month and it appears to have got to a point where United’s season may very well depend on it.

If you ever wanted to see how different the game of soccer is on and off the field compared to yesteryear, the following video (entitled Saturday Fever from The Rank Organization) is a prime example.

Featuring footage of Tottenham against Manchester City in the 1960 season, as well as clips of fans at Manchester United, Cardiff City, Wolves and Celtic, the 9-minute film is fascinating to watch.

Immediately the video illustrates notable differences between the game then and now with grounds packed to the rafters with fans stood on the terraces rather than the all-seater arenas that we see today, an issue which is still hotly debated to this day. However the public appetite for the game has not diminished in the 50 or so years which separate the video to the current day with supporters shown traveling in their thousands to support their team.

We are given a glimpse into the day-to-day lives of the elite professional footballers of the time with the narrator rather proudly claiming them to be worth “tens of thousands of pounds” if only he knew what was to come years later with players costing clubs tens of millions of pounds.

The players are only idols one day a week, Saturday, with the footballers of the 1960s able to walk around in public freely without fear of harassment, a luxury not afforded to many top level footballers today. Training sessions take place in around the club’s home stadium with the sheer lack of finance not allowing purpose built training facilities.

It’s interesting that the facilities used by the elite Tottenham Hotspur players in the video are now actually rather reminiscent of what school students would use for Physical Education lessons today, a far cry from the sport science driven Premier League regimes we have today.

Tottenham boss Bill Nicholson is shown introducing his players to a newly created tactical plan for throw-ins on a small chalkboard in the middle of the pitch. Whilst the idea in principle is similar the execution of such a tactic in 2015 would occur over the course of several hours in meeting rooms aided by electronic diagrams and fully immersive apps. It is a completely different world.

Even the action of the pitch is different with the poor state of pitches dictating the style of football played across the land. The sandy dust-bowl goalmouths are present across the country rather than the pristine synthetic grass surfaces we see across the Premier League today. As a result the play is much slower in tempo with crosses into the penalty area the main source of goalscoring chances.

Finally the importance on a single match is illustrated as supporters charge onto the pitch in search of autographs at the end of a regulation league match, not a cup final or a win over a rival team but a mere regular match. Scenes like that are far less common today with security ramped up inside football grounds and supporters only hope of autographs occur in an orderly manner outside the ground hours after the full-time whistle.

The video shows a quick look back at a niche time in English football, the historic World Cup win is still six years away and there has not yet been a British winner of the European Cup, which would come seven years later with Celtic in Lisbon.

In 1960, English football is not yet the global phenomenon that it is today however the narrator ends the video with a saying which is exactly the same in 2015, “Fans could hardly exist without their football and football could hardly exist without the fans.” Showing that however far forward football will move, the fans are still the cornerstone of the game we all love.

Mobile app users, watch the video here.

It appears we are now awaiting only official confirmation from Leicester City that the club have completed the signing of highly rated 23-year-old forward Andrej Kramaric from Croatian club Rijeka, following various reports that he has signed a deal with the club.

These reports were then substantiated by a leaking of a picture of Kramaric with his representatives at Leicester City’s head offices this afternoon uploaded on the website of Italian journalist Gianluca Di Marzio.

With this rumored £8million transfer set to be concluded later this week depending on a decision regarding a work permit for Kramaric it could well be a major boost for Nigel Pearson’s side in their fight against relegation back to the Championship.

After an excellent start to the season, epitomised by the team’s high octane 5-3 victory over Manchester United, Leicester City have since struggled to find any sort of domestic form having recorded just one Premier League victory since September.

Both defensively and in attack, Leicester have struggled to find consistency and the club’s struggles looked to be approaching crisis point earlier this month following a verbal altercation between manager Nigel Pearson and a supporter. Nigel Pearson refused to back down in the row suggesting he was ‘very keen’ to both protect his players and stand up for himself.

In the past two league matches, Leicester have gained four points from a victory over Hull City and a hugely impressive 2-2 draw at Anfield, after finding themselves two goals down at half-time. This recent run of good form was used as a building block as Leicester beat Newcastle United 1-0 to progress to the fourth round of the FA Cup.

Leicester have to build on this momentum and the signing of Kramaric could do just that. The Croatian forward has been heavily sought after in recent months, following an excellent run of goalscoring form with both Chelsea and Juventus having looked to secure his signing ahead of this month’s transfer window.

It appeared as though Chelsea had won the race for Kramaric little more than a week ago with the plan being to loan him to Leicester for the remainder of the 2014-15 campaign. However, it is believed that the player himself wanted first-team guarantees ahead of next season from the London club which could not be given.

Furthermore there is the fact that Premier League rules would have prevented Kramaric from being signed by Chelsea and loaned out to another Premier League team in the same transfer window, as reported by the Mirror’s Darren Lewis.

As a result Leicester will sign the player on a permanent basis this month although the links with Chelsea in the future are unlikely to disappear. In footballing terms this could be a pivotal moment in Leicester’s season.

Leicester have the joint fourth lowest number of goals scored in the Premier League this year and have lacked a sharpness in front of goal which could have helped the club gain more than the 14 points they currently hold. Kramaric would provide this natural goalscoring instinct.

The Croatian burst onto the scene this season following a number of excellent displays for Rijeka, the highlight coming in a 3-1 victory over Dutch giants Feyenoord in which Kramaric netted a 13 minute hat-trick.

After a difficult spell with Dinamo Zagreb where he could never truly find his feet, Kramaric has registered a mightily impressive 55 goals in all competitions during his one- and-a-half seasons with the club. This form earned him his international debut in August 2014 and in the four appearances made for Niko Kovac’s Croatian team, Kramaric has scored twice.

Kramaric is a wonderfully versatile centre-forward. Standing at 180cm he has the ability to play as a target man or a forward able to manoeuvre with the ball at his feet and fashion chances out for himself. He much prefers utilising the technical aspects of his game, often succeeding when asked to play from wider areas of an attacking system at Rijeka.

Leicester City’s four recognised forwards, Jamie Vardy, David Nugent, Leonardo Ulloa and Chris Wood have just 11 Premier League goals between them this year. When you consider that seven have been courtesy of Ulloa alone it is unsurprising the club have looked to recruit someone of Kramaric’s acumen.

The Croatian is as yet untested at the top level however with there being concerns over whether or not he can handle the pressures of leading the line for a high profile club. Whilst Leicester are not in the upper echelons of the Premier League they are a considerable step up from Rijeka in the Croatian First Division with all due respect to the current Croatian Cup holders.

One of the key aspects of this transfer could well be the potential positive impact on the rest of Leicester’s squad. As we saw with West Ham United in 2007, Carlos Tevez’s outstanding individual performances galvanised those players around him and as such the team’s performances as a whole improved as the Hammers were able to avoid relegation on the final day of the season.

Kramaric can provide a similar level of individual quality which could galvanise his teammates and supporters will hope for the same outcome as that of West Ham. Of course the settling in period for the Croatian could be difficult as is the case with any transfer from abroad, however, if he can get past the initial struggle or score a few goals early on there is every chance this is a transfer which could spark Leicester’s revival.

Should he steer Leicester away from relegation there could be even more similarities to Tevez in that he may well be on his way to one of England’s top clubs next summer.

Despite a laboured performance in parts, Manchester United will come away from the trip to Huish Park on Sunday buoyed not just by the result but also the return of the club’s superstar, club record signing Angel Di Maria who marked his return to the first-team with a well taken goal in injury time.

Di Maria had been suffering with a groin injury since the fixture against Hull City in late November, making just one substitute appearance since.

In that time United have impressed on a run of nine matches unbeaten in all competitions, despite struggling for form away from home with Louis Van Gaal’s side drawing three consecutive away matches since facing Aston Villa on December 20th.

One of the hallmarks of United’s recent unbeaten run has been the use of the 5-3-2 formation which has seen Wayne Rooney drop into midfield with Radamel Falcao and Robin van Persie leading the line up front. The midfield however has lacked an element of balance with Juan Mata and Wayne Rooney preferring to occupy similar positions.

As the matches have progressed Rooney and Mata have formed a partnership and have impressed with their link up play, however away from Old Trafford United struggle to take matches by the scruff of the neck and without Di Maria cannot execute the famed quick counter-attacks which proved so devastating against Arsenal earlier this season.

It is often a fruitless task attempting to play counter-attacking football without any real speed in a team, particularly in midfield. As gifted as Mata is technically, the physical aspect of his game is one which isn’t best suited to a counter-attacking game plan. As such Manchester United have been heavily reliant on Ashley Young to provide attacking impetus from the left wing-back position in recent weeks.

This has proved moderately successful with the former Aston Villa winger having enjoyed arguably his best run of form in a Manchester United shirt before getting injured against Stoke City on New Year’s Day. That being said, opposing teams, particularly Tottenham Hotspur through the use of Andros Townsend as a defensive winger, managed to stifle Young’s effectiveness leaving United little cutting edge on the break.

A result of having little pace on the counter-attack is that United have often found themselves with a significant amount of possession in midfield and in their own defensive zone but with few creative options from that point.

In turn this creates a scenario within which Jonny Evans has to play a risky pass over a distance of 10 to 15 yards longer than he would normally be comfortable with. The pass would require one of Falcao or Van Persie to drop into a deeper position to receive this pass, the problem then is that the forward has his back to goal and is nowhere near a position where he can have an impact on play after moving the ball on.

Matches away from Old Trafford have become particularly difficult for United because of this with teams preferring to sit back, soak up pressure and then look to score from a set-piece or a break once United’s defence become increasingly tired, something illustrated throughout the busy festive season. With United’s opponents sitting back, the process of slow build-up play starting with Jonny Evans often leads to the ball being stuck in a vacuum like area in the middle of midfield with the match at times grinding to a walking pace.

With Di Maria in the side this situation rarely occurs, Evans can simply pass the ball over a significantly shorter distance to Di Maria who then makes up the ground with a piercing forward run. United’s options are then increased in the final third as Di Maria can either keep running towards goal or find one of Falcao or Van Persie in a much better position near the opponent’s goal.

It is no coincidence that United’s most important player happens to be the most expensive. Di Maria is the genuine world-class addition that United have been crying out for and seemingly the Argentine’s best attribute is his consistency.

Whenever he has started matches this season he has been a key component of United’s attacking play and his performance against Yeovil Town after coming off the bench suggests he is ready to return to the starting XI.

With the matches now coming thick and fast, especially with United progressing in the FA Cup, it may well be time for United to rotate the likes of Mata and Michael Carrick in order to keep the squad fresh, Di Maria’s return allows Van Gaal to do just that as well as giving the Dutch coach an extremely effective weapon in attack.

Alan Irvine’s near 7 month long spell in charge at West Bromwich Albion has reached its ugly end, and in truth it always did seem destined to end this way given the completely left-field nature of the appointment by chairman Jeremy Peace last summer.

The Scotsman, who has become increasingly unpopular amongst the Albion fan base in recent weeks, has overseen a difficult winter period within which West Brom have lost seven of nine matches, which has directly led to his departure.

The club’s ongoing slide down the Premier League table set alarm bells off inside the Albion boardroom and according to the Telegraph’s John Percy it was a board meeting early on Monday morning that ended with the conclusion that Irvine was to be dismissed.

West Bromwich’s season has struggled to ever really get off the ground despite positive signs emanating from the club in the summer. The signature of the promising Brown Ideye from Dynamo Kiev for a club record fee was the big signing fans had long hoped for at the Hawthorns. However it is the situation surrounding the Nigerian that has rather poetically characterized the season for the Midlands club.

Ideye has scored just one league goal in only nine appearances since the summer with Albion heavily over reliant on Saido Berahino who has been unable to sustain his excellent start to the campaign.

Supporters will welcome the news of Irvine’s departure however the question of where West Brom go next is an interesting one.

Former Tottenham Hotspur manager Tim Sherwood was interviewed in the summer but an agreement could not be reached with Sherwood rumored to have reservations about the setup behind the scenes at the club. Sherwood is still a free agent within the coaching market and West Brom could yet make another play for him.

Interestingly enough in the official club statement confirming Irvine’s departure, the club declare they expect to be able to appoint a successor before the weekend which fuels the flames of speculation that another manager may have already been sounded out prior to this evening’s events.

Albion head to Upton Park for a clash with high flying West Ham on New Year’s Day with assistant head coach Rob Kelly taking charge of the first-team.

West Brom may well face competition from Newcastle United for the services of Tim Sherwood following Crystal Palace’s ongoing pursuit of Alan Pardew whilst Tony Pulis remains an available figure following his heroics with Palace last term.

West Brom do now face the difficulty of appointing a new manager quickly with the January transfer window rapidly approaching within which Albion will have to strengthen. It is an oddly similar situation to last term following Steve Clarke’s dismissal when the club took just under a month to appoint Pepe Mel as his replacement.

Supporters will be hoping for a much quicker appointment this time around as well as one who is significantly more popular than Irvine was amongst the Albion fan base.

2014 has seen a whole host of managerial comings and goings despite the Premier League having a rather uncharacteristically quiet first half of the 2014-15 campaign in that regard. That being said, here are the top five managerial appointments of the calendar year.

5. Massimiliano Allegri: Juventus (Appointed July 2014)

Whilst Allegri walked into the Italian champions, he walked into a very troubled camp at Juventus and has done an excellent job in keeping the team’s fortunes positive on all fronts. Arturo Vidal was a feature in the back-pages of every newspaper, every day with regards to a possible move to Manchester United whilst Juventus’ own work in the market was disrupted by Antonio Conte’s sudden departure as well as financial issues.

Allegri has since steadied the ship and has guided Juventus to the knockout-phase of the UEFA Champions League, something which Conte failed to do last year costing the club significant financial benefits.

The appointment of Allegri was by no means a popular one at the time with the Juventus faithful almost in a period of initial mourning following Conte’s departure. The 47-year-old Italian was last seen being dismissed by AC Milan the previous season where his methods had gone stale.

After some initial tricky starts and the odd bad result, Allegri’s Juventus appear to be a fine-tuned machine that perhaps may be lacking the spark of intensity that Conte brought to the table but the calm approach of Allegri seems to be better suited to the Champions League.

Despite being a controversial appointment at the time it appears as though Juventus’ quick decision to recruit Allegri was a smart one given how Juventus’ fortunes have continued along an upward trajectory.

4. Garry Monk: Swansea City (Appointed February 2014)

Michael Laudrup’s shock departure from Swansea in February last year looked as if it could be the first stage of the Welsh club’s decline in the Premier League with many supporters shocked when it was announced former club captain Garry Monk would take charge of the team with no notable experience in the field of management.

Since then Monk has gone on to prove all of his detractors wrong with a stellar performance at the helm of the Swans, guiding the club to 8th place in the table at Christmas.

There has also been an excellent level of continuity with regards to the club’s impressive playing style. Monk has encouraged all the aspects of both Brendan Rodgers’ and Michael Laudrup’s playing styles whilst at the club as well as introducing some of his own defensive preferences. As a result Swansea are arguably a more complete team than they have been over the course of the past three seasons.

Having recorded some excellent results in 2014 including a 2-1 victory over Louis van Gaal’s Manchester United side on the opening day of the season, Monk’s team looks well set for a top 10 finish this year.

3. Nuno Espírito Santo: Valencia (Appointed July 2014)

After being handed a one-year contract with Valencia, Nuno Santo has gone on to enjoy an excellent first six months in charge of the club overseeing a rapid upturn in the club’s fortunes over the course of this period.

Backed by the finance of Peter Lim, Valencia have once again been able to be competitive in the transfer market, securing the services of Alvaro Negredo on a lucrative obligation-loan with the club guaranteed to purchase the player fully for around £23 million next summer.

Other arrivals have included Nicolas Otamendi, Rodrigo Moreno as well as one of the unsung stars of Germany’s World Cup campaign, Shkodran Mustafi. These high-profile signings have certainly given Nuno Santo an advantage in La Liga, however, his style of coaching has had a positive influence as well.

The former Portuguese international has seen his Valencia side become efficient in both phases of the game. In attack there is such high individual quality that it is impossible for them not to create chances whilst in defence the organisation and natural ability of the personnel has shone through in performances.

Whilst there is still not a lot between the teams vying for a fourth place finish in La Liga this season, Valencia look well set to challenge for the entire season rather than falling away as they have done in recent years. Nuno Santo has assembled a strong group of players who are all performing well as a unit for him, it looks very likely the Portuguese coach will be handed a contract extension sooner rather than later.

2. Louis van Gaal: Manchester United (Appointed July 2014)

After a disastrous 12 months which saw Manchester United not just concede their Premier League crown without so much as a fight but also slip out of the top four for the first time in Premier League history, the club turned to a proven winner on the biggest stage to help restore the club to the top table of English football.

An unprecedented record spend of over £100 million followed with the Dutchman bringing in Angel Di Maria, Daley Blind, Marcos Rojo, Luke Shaw, Ander Herrera and Radamel Falcao in order to give United’s squad the boost in quality in so desperately required.

Van Gaal has spoken about his ‘philosophy’ right from his first press-conference in July yet it took a few months for his players to fully grasp their coach’s ideology. The early months were littered with both defensive frailties and injuries however since early November, United have looked like their former selves with the club recording a six-match winning run ended by a draw with Aston Villa at Villa Park last Saturday.

It is not just the performances that have impressed because given the money spent assembling the team, as well as the individual quality already at the club, you would expect United to succeed this season. What Van Gaal has done excellently is restore a sense of belief around Old Trafford, there is a feeling of the club being back in the control of a suitable manager, somebody who knows how to not just approach, but win big matches and this confidence has certainly transmitted itself to the players.

There are still weaknesses which have to be addressed but Van Gaal certainly looks to have steadied the ship at Old Trafford as well as beginning to steer it in a positive direction.

1. Ronald Koeman: Southampton (Appointed June 2014)

Ronald Koeman arrived at St Mary’s this summer with the club in dire straits. Liverpool and Manchester United were successfully targeting their most important players whilst Tottenham Hotspur had managed to unsettle Morgan Schneiderlin. Amidst talk of training ground bills and unpaid transfer fees, it also appeared as if Koeman would not be given nearly enough funds to replace the players lost.

The job Koeman has done since is nothing short of outstanding. The Dutch coach arrived in England with an excellent reputation following a fine spell in charge of Ajax’s fierce rivals Feyenoord, almost guiding them to the league title in 2013 and has only improved on that.

Nobody expected Southampton to be challenging for a top four finish however the arrivals of Graziano Pelle, Sadio Mane, Dusan Tadic and Shane Long have all helped ease the club’s worries after several high profile departures. The individual quality of players is shining through as is the excellence of Koeman’s system.

Former Saints boss Mauricio Pochettino was heralded for his work with Southampton in terms of their pressing game. Koeman has continued this but has added a level of technical brilliance to the team’s attacks. Southampton now dominate matches from start to finish, particularly at home and have recorded several impressive results.

The Saints are very much in the race for Champions League qualification, in truth the lack of depth in the squad may cost them once Arsenal return to a consistent level of form, however, the job Koeman has done in improving Southampton under such difficult circumstances is one the highlights of 2014.

With 2014 now approaching its climax, it is time to assess the signings who have excelled after making a move in 2014. Not every signing will be a hit, as we have seen with great regularity in the Premier League over recent seasons however here five of the best signings of the calendar year.

5. Frank Lampard: Manchester City (Joined August 2014)

Much was said about Chelsea legend Frank Lampard not being handed a new deal by the club he had been with since 2001 however it was the general consensus that his time at the very top level of English football may well have been up, particularly when Lampard agreed to join Manchester City’s MLS-bound New York City FC.

However given Manchester City’s Financial Fair Play restrictions adding to their already excellent squad would prove to be difficult and thus Lampard shocked English football by agreeing to join City on a six-month loan. Neither party has ever looked back.

Lampard has been one of City’s key performers in the first-half of the campaign contributing six goals in 14 appearances in all competitions. This doesn’t tell the whole story however, with Lampard’s presence coming off the bench often galvanising a City team chasing a game with the perfect example being the 1-1 draw with title rivals Chelsea in September.

Jose Mourinho has defended his club’s decision to allow Lampard to leave, but with City frantically trying to extend Lampard’s loan deal the 36-year-old has certainly shown he still has a lot to give at the top level and could be a decisive part of the title race should he remain in the North West.

4. Jeremy Menez: AC Milan (Joined June 2014)

Jeremy Menez made his return to Italian football this summer following a largely disappointing spell with Paris Saint-Germain where the vast investment in the playing squad at the Parc des Princes simply saw the former AS Roma starlet fall by the wayside in the French capital.

However, back in Serie A, Menez has started what looks like being a wonderful spell with the Milanese giants contributing eight goals in 14 league appearances. Apart from his excellent goalscoring record from midfield, Menez also seems happy playing football again and is producing moments of magic that are only even considered by individuals at the very peak of their powers.

The prime example of this came in Milan’s 5-4 victory over Parma back in September when Menez took the ball round an outstretched keeper before sensationally back-heeling the ball into the net.

At 27, Menez is approaching what should be the peak years of his career and he is certainly back in a good place with Milan. He has been one of the few plus points of the Rossoneri’s campaign so far and Filippo Inzaghi will be hoping his French star can continue his good form into 2015.

3. Nicolas Otamendi: Valencia CF (Joined February 2014)

Having been purchased by Valencia in February 2014 with his contract due to start in July 2014 Otamendi had to wait before making his mark on La Liga. However, ever since the Argentine made his debut at the start of this season he has looked every bit the elite centre-half Valencia believed they were getting for their rumored £9.5million investment.

A long-time target of Manchester United, Otamendi at just 26 has the potential to move to an even more reputable club than Valencia in the future, but at this point the defender has found a rhythm to his football and is part of a team on the verge of a successful period.

Backed by Peter Lim’s finance the future looks bright for Valencia with work expected to restart on the Nou Mestalla as well as significant improvements being made to the playing squad.

Otamendi is just a small part of the project at Valencia at the moment and his fantastic form has seen him earn an unexpected recall to the Argentinean national setup.  His play in 2014 having really stood out not least by the fact Valencia sit in fourth place in La Liga with the joint second best defensive record in terms of goals conceded.

2. Angel Di Maria: Manchester United (Joined August 2014)

Arguably Real Madrid’s most important player in the 2013-14 season, Angel Di Maria found himself in a difficult position with the Rosario-born midfielder unconvinced of President Florentino Perez’s commitment to him.

Having narrowly avoided being sold to Arsenal the previous summer at the request of Cristiano Ronaldo, Di Maria left the Bernabeu this summer in order to try and kick-start Manchester United’s domestic revival after a disastrous campaign under the stewardship of David Moyes.

The results have been spectacular with Di Maria being arguably one of the very few truly world-class players United have had at their disposal since Ronaldo left for Madrid in 2009. The Argentine has instantly slotted into life at Old Trafford, settling with his family as well as becoming a fan-favorite for his energetic, attacking style of play.

United’s record signing has added a real sense of urgency to the team’s attacking play and has often been the catalyst for United’s positive results so far this season. It really has been noticeable during Di Maria’s recent absence that the club struggles to counter-attack with any conviction without the Argentine.

As United look set to continue their return to the top four, Di Maria is only going to have more of an impact, fitness permitting, and his contribution to United’s revival to this point has been staggering.

1. Nemanja Matic: Chelsea (Joined January 2014)

Eyebrows were raised when Chelsea paid £21 million for a player they let go for nothing just three years earlier, but the investment looks to have paid off already with Matic having been right up there as one of Europe’s truly elite footballers since his return to Stamford Bridge last January.

The Serbian has missed just one Premier League match since January and has been a pivotal point of reference at the heart of Jose Mourinho’s carefully constructed midfield. Matic initially sits just in front of the back-four acting almost as a defensive shield coving the entirety of the width of his zone, rather like Gilberto Silva did at Arsenal during the 2003-04 season, however more recently Matic has shown his technical development as a footballer acting as a box-to-box operator, even getting on the scoresheet with a little more regularity.

A truly effective, natural holding midfield player is very difficult to find. Arsene Wenger has been looking since Gilberto left Arsenal in 2008 whilst Manchester United too have failed to properly replace Roy Keane.

Matic has given Chelsea such an outstanding array of options. One of the things Mourinho spoke about in his early days at the club was the vast amount of talent in the attacking midfield position he had with Andre Schurrle, Willian, Oscar and Eden Hazard all excellent in that role. It didn’t seem to fit with how Mourinho likes his teams to operate with all members of the team working extremely hard in their defensive duties.

Whilst individual players have improved their work ethic in both phases of the game, it must be said that the presence of Matic in the defensive midfield role does allow a certain amount of freedom for Chelsea’s attacking stars. Quite often you see teams being countered after an attack, for example Arsenal, with sizeable gaps in their midfield due to players moving forward in attack. At Chelsea the transitions are so much smoother simply due to Matic being an efficient ball-winner in a key position.

In transforming the fluidity of an entire Chelsea team, Matic has taken Mourinho’s side to the next level and there really are few other candidates to rival the Serbian for the title of 2014’s best signing.

If anything was to sum up Jozy Altidore’s one-and-a-half year spell with Sunderland then it is the embarrassing moment when the United States forward failed to connect with the ball just yards away from an open goal against West Ham United last weekend.

The former Villarreal starlet has managed to register just one single goal in forty one appearances for the Black Cats since his move in the summer of 2013. Despite the reasonable quality of his build-up play this goalscoring record for a forward in the Premier League is simply unacceptable and is one of the reasons for Sunderland’s poor statistics as a team in front of goal.

People are all too quick to launch the age old ‘I told you so’ routine with regards to Altidore with many having seen the American struggle in his first spell in England with Hull City where he also only managed one goal in his season long spell at the club. Altidore then ended up with AZ Alkmaar in Holland following a brief loan spell in Turkey with Bursaspor.

This was a period of great rejuvenation for the New Jersey born forward with Altidore regaining his confidence and composure in front of goal scoring thirty eight Eredivisie goals in just two seasons. When Sunderland registered their interest in 2013, it came as little surprise to many and there was a genuine feeling that this was a totally different Altidore to the one whom had struggled with Hull City.

Every so often there are players who simply do not adapt to certain footballing cultures and it certainly seems as if Altidore and the English Premier League are never going to harmoniously co-exist. It is difficult to understand given Altidore’s hugely impressive physical attributes, theoretically he should be able to bully Premier League defences yet that is merely not the case.

Of course it must be mentioned that in his two spells in England’s top flight he has been stationed with teams fighting against relegation, but there is no excuse for such a poor goal return from an individual highly thought of during his formative years.

We get given glimpses of Altidore’s ability off the ball often as well as when watching him for the US National team however for whatever reason in the Premier League all elements of his game just fail to come together.

With Sunderland a club reliant of selling players before re-investing money into the playing squad it is likely Altidore will have to make way if Gus Poyet wants to inject goals into his forward line. Unsurprisingly there is interest in Altidore from both the Bundesliga and Eredivisie, you don’t become a poor footballer over night, rather sometimes you just cannot settle and adapt to one particular league.

Interestingly enough, the Premier League is widely considered the league within which you have to have the widest skill set to succeed. You cannot simply be successful by having great speed or great power you must also be technically proficient to a certain level dependent on your individual position.

This is not the case in other leagues, often players can get by with one outstanding attribute and perhaps this is why Altidore was so impressive in Holland, he has by no means been prolific in front of goal throughout his career to the levels of say a Michael Owen or a Thierry Henry but such a lowly contribution during his time at Sunderland is not a true representation of Altidore’s ability.

I feel a certain amount of sympathy for the 25-year-old, he has tried twice in the Premier League to succeed and neither chance has worked out. It is doubtful he will play in the Premier League again after his spell with Sunderland, however there is still a great opportunity at his current age for Altidore to find his comfort zone succeed in another league, and I for one hope he does.

Manchester City secured their spot in the last sixteen of this season’s UEFA Champions League with a 2-0 victory away from home at the Stadio Olimpico this evening as AS Roma failed to make best use of their home advantage, despite having arguably the best chances of the match inside the first-half.

AS Roma

Morgan De Sanctis – 6

The Italian goalkeeper actually had fairly little to do with Roma controlling the majority of the opening exchanges and City looking to play on the counter-attack. De Sanctis did look shaky with the ball at his feet with a lack of confidence stemming from his error at the weekend. Was eventually beaten by a fantastic strike from Samir Nasri.

Maicon – 6

The Brazilian full-back formerly of Manchester City was unable to have the same impact going forward he did in the previous encounter at the Etihad. Was restricted to playing inside his own half and added little to the match.

Kostas Manolas – 7

The Greek international played well putting in a number of key interceptions and blocks to halt Manchester City’s attacks, particularly in the first-half. Didn’t really deserve to be on the losing side but this continues a long line of impressive performances for the Greek in his debut season in Italy’s capital.

Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa – 6

The on-loan Newcastle defender had a quiet evening with no real mistakes made, was caught out positionally for Pablo Zabaleta’s goal late on but by then the game was almost certainly out of Roma’s reach.

Jose Holebas – 6

Beat Ashley Cole to selection but again couldn’t venture forward as he would have liked with City very compact in midfield.

Radja Nainggolan – 7

The Belgian put in another impressive performance at the heart of Roma’s midfield in the absence of both Daniele de Rossi and Kevin Strootman. Would have liked to have more of an impact going forward but was disciplined in his defensive duties.

Seydou Keita – 5

A bold choice given the nature of the match but understandable with Roma needing to avoid conceding a goal to assure qualification. Keita struggled to pick up the rhythm of the game with large portions of the evening passing him by.

Miralem Pjanic – 5

The Bosnian, normally a creative hub for Rudi Garcia’s side was largely disappointing with the physically domineering double-pivot of Fernando and Fernandinho snuffing out the petite playmaker.

Gervinho – 7

The Ivorian was Roma’s main attacking threat, particularly in the first-half with the former Arsenal winger causing both Gael Clichy and Pablo Zabaleta all sorts of problems with his speed and trickery. Unfortunately the final ball and finish again let Gervinho down.

Francesco Totti – 6

Totti will be disappointed his Champions League season ended having not made much of an impact on the match itself, Roma’s tactics were never really set up to bring Totti into play and having the quicker Florenzi through the middle may have been the smarter option given City’s lack of pace through the center.

Adem Ljajic – 4

Ljajic’s performance was epitomised by the Serbian’s tears once he was substituted in the second-half. The one-time Manchester United target was barely visible throughout, having very few attempts at beating a defender.

Subs:

Juan Iturbe – 4 (On 67min)

The Argentine struggled to have an impact once he was brought on although did cause City some minor panic with his speed.

Mattia Destro – 4 (On 70min)

The Italian, like Totti, found service limited and struggled to make any sort of impact.

Alessandro Florenzi – N/A (On 80min)

Manchester City

Joe Hart – 7

Joe Hart was excellent in keeping Roma at bay making a number of important saves, most notably from Gervinho in the first-half and Manolas late on.

Pablo Zabaleta – 7

Zabaleta was solid defensively despite being given the run-around by Gervinho early on. Secured City’s victory with a cool finish just before injury time.

Martin Demichelis – 7

The Argentine organised the City defence in the absence of captain Vincent Kompany.

Eliaquim Mangala – 6

The French defender had a less calamitous evening that we have come to expect from Mangala and defended well when asked.

Gael Clichy – 6

The French full-back had a quiet evening with some neat touches, was pinned back by Gervinho early on but recovered.

Fernandinho – 8

Was fantastic in the middle of midfield with his energy causing Roma problems all evening. Manchester City looked much more solid through the middle with the pairing of Fernandinho and Fernando.

Fernando – 8

Likely to go unheralded but Fernando’s performance was quietly excellent. The former Porto man kept position well and despite Roma having a lot of chances early on, Fernando was key in keeping City in the game.

James Milner – 6

Made a clever run to take a defender away for Nasri’s goal but added little else to proceedings.

Jesus Navas – 6

Jesus Navas had little impact on the game with City setup to be solid defensively first rather than to try and blow their opposition away with attacking football. Delivered a number of testing crosses to no avail.

Samir Nasri – 8

Entrusted with the responsibility of being City’s main creative spark, Nasri delivered when his team needed it most. The Frenchman cut inside well and fired an inch-perfect strike past Morgan de Sanctis.

Edin Dzeko – 6

Rather like Totti for Roma, the match passed Dzeko by with the Bosnian having little to do in the final third.

Subs:

David Silva – 4 (On 67min)

The Spaniard made his long awaited first-team return shortly after Nasri opened the scoring. With City in a qualifying position the onus wasn’t on the visitors to attack and thus Silva had little to do.

Steven Jovetic – 4 (On 79min)

Was brought on for the last ten minutes and held the ball up well.

Aleksandar Kolarov – N/A (On 89min)

In a match between two teams managed by Dutchmen, Manchester United took the spoils as Robin van Persie’s brace took United to a rather fortuitous win in a match littered with errors from both sides.

Southampton

Fraser Forster – 4

The summer signing had little to do all evening but was at fault for both goals. The first there were questions over his indecisiveness with regards to closing down the shot whilst for the second goal Forster missed the opportunity to come and punch the ball clear.

Nathaniel Clyne – 8

One of the few bright spots of the evening, Clyne was excellent defensively preventing Ashley Young and Wayne Rooney from building any attacking momentum all evening long.

Jose Fonte – 5

Fonte made the mistake for the opening goal with a sloppy backpass which fell to Van Persie.

Maya Yoshida – 6

Yoshida had a quiet evening due to the fact he was rarely required to defend against an attack.

Ryan Bertrand – 6

Bertand was another player with little to do but made a mistake for Van Persie’s second goal by not tracking the Dutchman’s run to the back-post.

Victor Wanyama – 6

Wanyama impressed in part but the Kenyan will be disappointed he didn’t impose his will on a Manchester United midfield bereft of confidence. Tonight really was a missed opportunity for Wanyama to dominate against a top-team.

Steven Davis – 6

Davis had a quiet evening with the majority of the match passing him by. A lot of Southampton’s chances came from United mistakes so there was often very little build-up play for Davis to become involved with.

Dusan Tadic – 6

Tadic was another player who was not fully up to standard this evening. The Serbian had one opportunity to play in a centre-forward but got the weight of his pass totally wrong.

Sadio Mane – 7

Mane was a real threat for Southampton going forward. Antonio Valencia struggled to keep tabs on the elusive former Red Bull Salzburg winger and Southampton really should have got the ball to him more often. Was lucky to avoid a red-card for a very poor foul on Van Persie in injury time.

Shane Long- 6

Long will be disappointed at not taking the chances he was given tonight.

Graziano Pelle – 7

The Italian forward showed signs of a return to form and he took his goal well after some poor United defending.

Subs:

Jake Hesketh – 5 (On 70min)

The youngster had little impact on the game after his introduction.

Emmanuel Mayuka – N/A (On 80min)

Manchester United

David de Gea – 7

Despite all Southampton’s chances, De Gea actually had very little to do with his save from Shane Long’s second-half header the only one of note he had to make.

Antonio Valencia – 6

Valencia worked hard in an unnatural position. The Ecuadorian was targeted by the pace of Mane but defended well in parts.

Chris Smalling – N/A

Smalling was taken off before the 20th minute due to a groin injury.

Marcos Rojo – 7

After a difficult start in which he had to play with two different central defensive partners, Marcos Rojo settled into the match and was arguably United’s most reliable defender on the night.

Ashley Young – 7

Young continued his impressive form at left-back despite not being truly tested defensively by Southampton.

Marouane Fellaini – 5

Fellaini struggled to retain possession this evening despite being in his best run of form since he joined United last season. His lack of pace was also highlighted when United continued to lose the ball in transitional fazes.

Michael Carrick – 5

Carrick endured a difficult evening and was asked to keep switching between centre-half and defensive-midfield on numerous occasions during the evening. Ball retention was again a problem for Carrick.

Juan Mata – 6

Juan Mata had a quiet evening with the match not really suited to a player of his skill set. The Spaniard did however put in a welcome pressing effort once United had retaken the lead with twenty minutes to play.

Wayne Rooney -5

A poor performance from United’s captain littered with wayward passes. His night was epitomised by a corner which ballooned straight out of play upon contact with Rooney’s foot. Did however provide the assist for United’s winning goal from a free-kick.

Robin van Persie – 10

Van Persie had three shots with two ending up as goals, you can’t really ask any more of a centre-forward. The style of the match was not truly conducive to attacking build-up play and Van Persie took the chances presented out of nothing to him with aplomb.

Subs:

Jonny Evans – 6 (On 18min)

Evans struggled at the beginning of his return to first-team action but later settled into the match and was a key defensive component in United keeping Southampton at bay in the last ten minutes.

Ander Herrera – 5 (On 39min)

The Spaniard was introduced as part of Van Gaal’s reshuffle following Smalling’s injury. Herrera, despite having performed excellently in recent weeks, was poor in keeping possession and didn’t have any impact going forward.

Darren Fletcher – N/A (On 89min)

Manchester United finally appear to have shaken off the lingering cobwebs from Sir Alex Ferguson’s departure and have begun to find form on a regular basis with Louis van Gaal’s side recording four straight league victories for the first time since Sir Alex’s time at the club.

Having commissioned a record club spend of around £150million last summer the club looks set to continue on their mission to rebuild the first-team squad with van Gaal reportedly set to be handed a war chest of a similar amount over the next two transfer windows.

The arrivals of Angel di Maria, Ander Herrera, Luke Shaw, Radamel Falcao, Daley Blind and Marcos Rojo have all given United’s squad a much needed facelift however there are still a number of areas of concern for van Gaal with his intention very much to challenge for the Premier League title next term.

For years United supporters have bemoaned the lack of investment into the heart of midfield however following the summer’s transfer business there is only really one space left to fill before it is a unit of the highest quality.

There is still a lack of power and leadership in the middle of midfield despite Marouane Fellaini finding form in recent weeks. V Gaal is a great admirer of Roma’s Kevin Strootman with sources close to the Dutch coach suggesting he sees the former PSV star as the complete midfielder.

Such is the high esteem in which Strootman is held by van Gaal, when the 24-year-old was ruled out of the World Cup through injury, the United boss totally changed his tactical system to a 5-3-2 simply due to the fact he deemed his four-man defence to weak to work without Strootman’s protection.

Strootman fits what United need in midfield perfectly, his game has come on leaps and bounds since his transfer to Roma in the summer of 2013 and he is now capable of leading United’s midfield. He has the physical power of Nemanja Matic who has been one of the key elements to Chelsea’s successes over the past ten months, as well as the technical ability to keep possession ticking over in good areas.

It is my understanding that Strootman remains one of van Gaal’s major targets with the player himself even having initiated a change of agent at the beginning of last September in the hope a move could be pushed through in the next window. The author of van Gaal’s biography Hugo Borst has even intimated that the pair have shaken hands on a deal to take Strootman to Old Trafford next summer.

It is highly unlikely United will push ahead with this move in January given the concerns about Strootman’s fitness as well as Roma’s unwillingness to sell. United will almost certainly target Strootman heavily in the summer unless something out of expectation occurs this January, i.e. Daley Blind or Michael Carrick picking up long-term injuries.

In defence there is the obvious need for an experienced world class defender, a player to lead United’s young defenders through matches in a composed manner. Last summer the main target was Borussia Dortmund’s Mats Hummels but United were unable to find an agreement with the German giants, especially after Hummels was publically named as the club’s new captain which made negotiations all but impossible.

Dortmund’s poor start to the season which sees Jurgen Klopp’s side rooted to the bottom of the Bundesliga has seen speculation that United will target Hummels in January, but again this is very unlikely.

Hummels does have a history of injury problems and given United’s current woes with player fitness, it may well be the case that Hummels is avoided altogether. Atletico Madrid’s Diego Godin is believed to be another target for the summer. Godin is believed to have a buy-out clause of around £29million which wouldn’t be too much of an obstacle for United next summer.

I expect the January window to be quieter than people expect. Chief Executive Ed Woodward has already briefed that the club will not target short-term fixes in the upcoming window and that is sensible.

United do need a backup right-back with Antonio Valencia not the most adept at defending, although the Ecuadorian is in a good run of form at present. Shakhtar’s 32-year-old Darijo Srna is a name which has been linked with United in January and given the player’s age it would be such an expensive deal.

This arrival would give United a high quality reserve in an important position, especially when you consider Rafael’s history of injuries. It would also buy United time to fully develop the promising Saidy Janko.

Next summer will be an altogether different story with United, as previously mentioned, ready to splash the cash again. Depending on the outcome regarding Radamel Falcao’s loan deal, the Telegraph’s Mark Ogden believes United will target another forward.

At the moment very little is clear, however I expect January to be rather quiet unless something remarkable turns up in United’s crosshairs rather like Falcao did in late August. In the summer however Kevin Strootman will be the club’s number one target along with an elite defender, whether the club will get them however may depend on United finishing inside the top-four this term.

Two of the world’s biggest sports leagues, here is the NFL season ticket comparison to the Premier League.

While many soccer fans in England and Wales complain that season ticket prices at Premier League clubs are ridiculously high, the prices seem like bargains when compared to how NFL teams in the United States are fleecing fans.

In a special report by World Soccer Talk, we’ve researched season ticket prices for NFL teams and have compared it against Premier League season ticket prices provided by SportingIntelligence. The differences are eyeopening.

NFL season ticket comparison to the Premier League

First, here are the ticket prices in the Premier League for the 2014-15 season, which can be seen below.

As we can see, rather strangely, Manchester City, the current Premier League champions, have the lowest priced season ticket. Of course City’s wealth courtesy of Sheikh Mansour ensures there isn’t a great need to recoup significant revenue through ticket sales.

If you look to the other end of the scale with Arsene Wenger’s Arsenal side charging just over £1000 for their lowest priced season ticket, the difference is staggering. The general conception is the cost of living in London is much more expensive than in other areas of the country. This can be seen by house prices and is reflected, although not as significant as perhaps necessary in the average person’s working wage.

Therefore it is no surprise Arsenal’s cheapest tickets are the most expensive. However the difference of over £200 from the next most expensive cheapest ticket, which is at Arsenal’s fierce local rivals Tottenham Hotspur is quite interesting.

Arsenal’s business model since 2005 has been focused around financing the move to and construction of the Emirates Stadium as Jeremy Wilson from the Telegraph details here. One of the reasons for such high ticket prices has been to contribute to that cause, now with the stadium believed to have been almost, if not fully, paid for, it is a surprise to see Arsenal still charging such high prices.

It is interesting that there is only one Premier League team who have reduced the price of their lowest season ticket from last season, and that is Sunderland who have committed to a 6% decrease.

But how do expensive Premier League season ticket prices compare to the NFL? The differences are staggering.

First, some NFL teams, depending on where the seats are, require the purchase of a Permanent Seat License (PSL), the right to “own” a seat, which can run anywhere from $500 to $150,000. That cost doesn’t even include the price of buying a season ticket.

Second, most NFL teams have a waiting list for season tickets. So for most NFL teams, the application fee is $100 per person to be added to the waiting list in order to be notified when a season ticket becomes available. As one example, the waiting list is currently 5-10 years for the Seattle Seahawks football team. That’s nothing compared to the Green Bay Packers, where the waiting list is estimated to be as many as 955 years.

Having said that, there are waiting lists for many Premier League clubs too.

Third, while an average match ticket (not season ticket) for a Premier League game is £59 ($91), the average ticket for a NFL game is £52 ($84) (source), which seems quite competitive until you remember that season ticket holders in the Premier League get a minimum of 19 home league games (not including FA Cup matches, League Cup matches, friendlies and possible European competition) while season ticket holders at NFL teams get 8 league games (and some only get 7 games because of NFL games played in London, but exhibition games are sometimes included).

So let’s take a look at the 2014 prices for season tickets at NFL teams:

• Arizona Cardinals — Cheapest season ticket: $250; Most expensive season ticket: $1,185 (source)
• Atlanta Falcons — Cheapest season ticket: $385; Most expensive season ticket: $1,463 or more (source)
• Baltimore Ravens — Cheapest season ticket: $620; Most expensive: $3,650 (source)
• Buffalo Bills — Cheapest season ticket: $260; Most expensive season ticket: $2,470 (source)
• Carolina Panthers — Cheapest season ticket: $420; Most expensive: $4,300 (source)
• Chicago Bears — Cheapest season ticket: $810; Most expensive season ticket: $4,050 (source)
• Cincinnati Bengals — Cheapest season ticket: $400; Most expensive season ticket: $2,700 (source)
• Cleveland Browns — Cheapest season ticket: $190; Most expensive season ticket: $4,350 (source)
• Dallas Cowboys — Price for an average premium seat per season is $3,400 (source); Prices for cheapest and most expensive season tickets are not publicly available
• Denver Broncos — Cheapest season ticket: $480; Most expensive season ticket: $1,700 (source)
• Detroit Lions — Cheapest season ticket: $380; Most expensive season ticket: $1,092 (source)
• Green Bay Packers — Cheapest season ticket: $770 (approximately); Most expensive season ticket: $1,000; approximately (source)
• Houston Texans — Cheapest season ticket: $660; Most expensive season ticket: in excess of $3,000 (source)
• Indianapolis Colts — Cheapest season ticket: $400; Most expensive season ticket: $1,260 (source)
• Jacksonville Jaguars — (Note, this is for a 9 game season this year); Cheapest season ticket: $171; Most expensive: $3,375 (source)
• Kansas City Chiefs — Cheapest season ticket: $250; Most expensive season ticket: $1,350 (source)
• Miami Dolphins — Cheapest season ticket: $420; Most expensive season ticket: $1,250 (source)
• Minnesota Vikings — Cheapest season ticket: $350; Most expensive season ticket: $1,390 (source)
• New England Patriots — Cheapest season ticket: $650; Most expensive season ticket: $1,950 (source)
• New Orleans Saints — Cheapest season ticket: $350; Most expensive season ticket: $3,080 (source)
• New York Giants — Cheapest season ticket: $850; Most expensive season ticket: $7,000 (source)
• New York Jets — Cheapest season ticket: $500; Most expensive: $7,000 (source)
• Oakland Raiders — (Note, this is for a 9 game season this year); Cheapest season ticket: $225; Most expensive: $1,350 (source)
• Philadelphia Eagles — Cheapest season ticket: $700; Most expensive: $1,050 or more; although exact pricing is not available publicly
• Pittsburgh Steelers — Cheapest season ticket: $770; Most expensive: $2,600; based on 2013 prices (source)
• San Diego Chargers — Cheapest season ticket: $390; Most expensive: $2,650 (source)
• San Francisco 49ers — Cheapest season ticket: $850; Most expensive: $2,000 (source)
• Seattle Seahawks — Cheapest season ticket: $580; Most expensive season ticket: $4,050 (source)
• St Louis Rams — Cheapest season ticket: $300; Most expensive season ticket: $1,750 (source)
• Tampa Bay Buccaneers — Cheapest season ticket: $300; Most expensive season ticket: $3,950 (source)
• Tennessee Titans — Cheapest season ticket: $360; Most expensive: $2,580 (source)
• Washington Redskins — Cheapest season ticket: $340; Most expensive: $1,390 or more (source)

Based on the above information, the average price for the cheapest season tickets across NFL is $463 (not including the price for a PSL), while the average for most expensive season tickets (not including PSL) is $2,668.

The $2,668 number is in stark contrast to the Premier League’s highest average season ticket price of $1,361. And that’s based on 19 Premier League home games compared to 8 (or sometimes 7) home games in NFL.

If we take the 19 guaranteed home league matches for each Premier League club and compare that to the 10 not-guaranteed home games (including 2 preseason games) for each NFL club, the average price per game based on season ticket prices is as follows:

Cheapest season ticket prices (averaged on a per-league game basis):

Premier League: $27 per game
NFL: $46 per game

Most expensive season ticket prices (averaged on a per-league game basis):

Premier League: $73 per game
NFL: $266 per game

Remember that not all season tickets are equal. For example, some season tickets to Premier League clubs will include friendlies, cup games and European competition with them, others don’t. Vice-versa, some season ticket packages for NFL teams will include exhibition games too.

As a side note, NFL teams don’t make it easy to find season ticket pricing. Oftentimes, team websites force website visitors into either calling or completing an application in order to find out pricing details. It took us several days of research, phone calls and patience to compile the season ticket information above for NFL teams. And even then, we were unable to obtain season ticket pricing for a few high-profile NFL teams.

While tickets to Premier League matches in England have increased at a steady pace, they seem like a relative bargain compared to how expensive seats are in the NFL. And that doesn’t take into consideration the cost of Permanent Seat Licenses. Based on the above data, we wouldn’t be surprised if Premier League ticket prices continue to skyrocket year over year.

The Football League have this morning announced that Leeds United’s flamboyant Italian owner Massimo Cellino has been disqualified from owning the Yorkshire club due to falling short of the expectations set out within the League’s much discussed ‘Owners’ and Directors’ Test’.

The 58-year-old Italian had actually been denied initial permission to take over the club in April only for an appeal to see the block removed. Cellino took over Leeds United as planned and set about his plans to restructure the club in a way he saw fit.

Since that time, there has been rather a lot of unwanted publicity for the club with the Italian continuing his trend of dismissing managers after short periods of time in the job with Cellino having already appointed three different managers already this season.

This in itself had cast widespread doubt on Cellino’s eligibility as a fit and proper owner of a Football League club. However it is the findings of the Italian court that has finally sealed Cellino’s fate.

The court has passed detailed evidence from a trial that convicted Cellino of Tax Evasion onto the Football League with the governing body having been left with no alternative but to rule Cellino unfit to continue running Leeds United.

The Football League’s statement on the matter read as follows,

“The Board considered detailed advice and agreed unanimously that Mr. Cellino is subject to a disqualifying condition under the terms of the Test. Mr. Cellino is entitled to appeal the Board’s decision to PCC within 14 days”

According to a report by Sky News, Cellino’s tax evasion conviction was brought about due to a failure to pay tax on his yacht and thus the Football League now have the regulatory means to disqualify the Italian.

Cellino, who owns a home in Miami, has been informed he must resign from his position immediately although the Italian is not obliged to sell the club. Cellino has 28 days to prove he is no longer a ‘relevant person’ in the running of Leeds United affairs with the ban running until March 18th 2015, by which time Cellino would again be permitted to hold a position of note at the club.

Cellino has been given 14 days to appeal the decision with a verdict upon appeal guaranteed to be given within the period of 28 days allotted for Cellino to prove his official disassociation with a position of power at the club.

Today’s announcement is yet another unwanted scenario in which Leeds United’s dirty laundry has been aired in public for all to see and it is unclear where the club will go next in relation to ownership. It is believed at this time that Cellino will resume his position as soon as the ban is either lifted or served in March 2015.

Furthermore as Phil Hay of the Yorkshire Evening Post has pointed out via Twitter, Cellino’s next payment to former Leeds United owners GFH is due in thirteen days. The figure is believed to be around £6million.

New MLS team Los Angeles Football Club, scheduled to launch in 2017, have finally gone ahead and registered trademarks for two crests — one of which could be adorned on club jerseys, merchandise and anything and everything LAFC.

Headed by film producer Peter Guber, former NBA executive Tom Penn, investor Henry Nguyen, tycoon Vincent Tan and a string of minority investors too many to name, LAFC will let their fans decide in December which crest they’ll use — presumably from the two featured below that the club and MLS has proceeded to get trademarked.

Los Angeles Football Club — Logo 1

Los Angeles Football Club — Logo 2

The two crests themselves differ greatly in style and appearance, although both do make use of the franchise’s set color scheme of red and black.

Rather interestingly, the two crests differ on the franchise name abbreviation embedded into the design. For example the first trademarked design has Los Angeles FC embedded into the crest whilst the second design has Los Angeles SC. It seems as if the franchise are as yet undecided on the direction they want to go in, at least in terms of calling themselves a football club or a soccer club.

In terms of appearance, logo #1 is a much more soccer-specific logo in that it replicates the general idea of what you would see from a team crest in Europe’s leagues. The black and red color scheme is fully utilized with a gold border going around the outside of the crest, almost to form a shield shape. The text ‘Los Angeles’ is centered in bold white typeface, which draws the eye straight to it.

There is also the inclusion of three separate animals in the crest. There is a lion, a bear and an eagle all positioned in front of a castle. The bear has been taken from the flag of California. The crest, I can liken it to most is that of Le Mans FC in France, which utilizes a similar shape and color scheme.

One final point to make on Logo #1 is the inclusion of a clip-art soccer ball right at the bottom. This is an issue that came up in a number of fan comments when discussing logos for the new franchise online. There is a feeling that such clip-art is no longer necessary and that the logo itself should be recognizable enough with the need to include a soccer ball image.

The second crest is much more generic and simple in its design. The black, red and gold color scheme is again used in a shield-like shape. However, there is the inclusion of a red cross as the main design feature of the crest.

The different quadrants created by the centered cross are each filled with a different emblem. The top left has a star, the top right a castle tower with a bear in the bottom right and a lion in the lower left. This is slightly similar to Logo #1 but in a different design.

The fans will probably have the final say on the choice of crest but personally both have their merits. Logo #2 is more generic but rather more modern in its design. It does however seem less of a soccer crest and more of a generic logo.

Logo #1 is much more centric to the sport itself and likely to be the more popular choice. Its connection with European soccer is something that supporters may be in favor of, and it is certainly something that would instantly make you think of LAFC upon first glance.

During the international break, Arsene Wenger has been asked a whole host of questions ranging from Arsenal’s current form, possible transfer targets in January and just why his players seem unable to focus solely on defending when in a winning position.

However, one of the comments made by Arsene Wenger may well have slipped under the radar yet it is this comment that will perhaps once again split the Arsenal fan base. As reported by the Guardian, Wenger was asked in an interview with beIN Sport about Abou Diaby and the Frenchman’s fitness given the fact the 28-year-old has only featured in one match this season.

Wenger responded, “Diaby hasn’t a mental problem but a problem of injury. He is a player for whom I have great respect. If he comes back, I will keep him. I always believed in him. In football, the most important thing is health.”

The key point to take from that quote is that if Abou Diaby can prove his fitness this season, he will be handed a new deal by Arsenal.

It is this loyalty to one individual that characterizes Arsene Wenger, not just as a football manager, but also as a human being, as Amy Lawrence further delved into in her book Invincible: Inside Arsenal’s Unbeaten 2003-2004 Season when detailing how Wenger treated Edu who suffered a mass of personal problems upon completing his move to England in 2001. However, in more recent times, it also can quite neatly characterize the splits within the Arsenal fan base.

Many Arsenal supporters have been left frustrated by issues within the squad and how there is a rather repetitive occurrence of always being a couple of players short of a true title challenge only for the club to then lose another star. In fairness, the days of austerity at the Emirates, in terms of the transfer market, are at an end.

No longer is there the perennial fear that a financial powerhouse will come and target Arsenal’s best players when their contracts are approaching an end and thus leave Arsenal’s squad weaker every season. However, there is still the unresolved issue of the right players not being brought into the club.

Arsenal have never replaced Gilberto Silva, that is clear. The Brazilian was arguably the most important member of the 2003-04 Invincibles team, despite not offering any of the panache that made that team so wonderful to watch. Alas, that wasn’t his job. Gilberto was positioned to just sit in front of the back-four and cover the players around him.

It is no coincidence that during that period, Patrick Vieira had the freedom to venture up field far more often and support attacks due to the confidence he had in Gilberto just behind him.

Arsenal have lacked that player since Gilberto departed in 2008. Abou Diaby was long seen as the successor to Patrick Vieira given his physical attributes and playing style, however as injuries have taken their toll on Diaby, the Frenchman is now seen as Arsenal’s best option as a holding midfielder.

This is what has frustrated supporters. Diaby in full fairness has not been a reliable option since the 2009-10 season due to his many injury struggles. In the past three full seasons, Diaby has managed just 16 Premier League appearances, which to put it into context, is as many as he registered in the 2010-11 campaign on its own.

Arsene Wenger’s refusal to bring a holding midfield into the club because he already has Diaby has been a troubling decision for many, and one which has cost the club dearly across numerous seasons.

This aside, Arsene Wenger is absolutely correct to offer Diaby a new contract given the players unique and hugely impressive skill set.

The Frenchman’s sole appearance this season came against Southampton in the League Cup. Sat in the holding midfield role, Diaby excelled and looked every bit the player Arsenal have needed, despite having only played once in the previous year.

People forget Diaby is such a domineering midfielder when in possession. The European Cup quarter-final against Liverpool in 2008 at Anfield was arguably Diaby’s finest hour. Not only did he open the scoring but he dominated the midfield battle throughout. It was no coincidence that Arsenal completely lost their grip on the match after he was substituted in the 70th minute.

These performances have been few and far between for Diaby, not through talent but through fitness. It has been proven that when the former Auxerre man can string a run of games together he can be an outstanding footballer for Arsenal and this alone is surely enough to keep him at the club.

Arsene Wenger’s loyalty to Diaby has been admirable, and to the pro-Wenger side of Arsenal’s support an example of one of Le Professeur’s great attributes, however whilst offering him a new deal is in the best interest in the club, Arsene Wenger must stop seeing Diaby on his own as enough of an option.

Even with a regular starter in one position, clubs looking to challenge on multiple fronts need to have two players for most positions, especially a key area like the middle of midfield. Arsenal need to go and sign another defensive minded midfielder, not to replace Diaby per se, but to give the squad depth and an injection of further quality.

This additional option of a physical, defensive minded double-pivot including Diaby and another player could perhaps help Arsenal’s resolve in matches against teams like Chelsea and Manchester City where the lack of help for the defence has seen the team ship goals.

Perhaps the pressure on Diaby to impress upon every return doesn’t help his fitness, who knows? The introduction of another player in that position could see Diaby thrive by playing in less pressurised scenarios and would undoubtedly give Arsenal the best options they have had in defensive midfield for years.

Swansea City Chairman Huw Jenkins has spoken for the first time with regards to speculation that Swansea City Football Club were inviting US investment proposals in order to further the club’s ambition and remain competitive financially with other Premier League clubs.

Jenkins revealed in his programme notes for yesterday’s visit of Arsenal that the club were indeed considering going ahead with the idea of foreign investment into the club,

“There has been a lot of talk recently about potential new investment coming into the club. This needs to be considered in more detail before any of our supporters can decide if the thought of a new person or people sitting on our current board of directors to offer help and opinions on the future running of our football club is a good move or not.”

Chris Wathan detailed in a Wales Online story the percentages which could be purchased by foreign investors. The scenario could see a foreign investor purchase up to 30% of the club’s total shares with the Swansea City Supporters Trust continuing to retain 21% themselves.

Whilst it may not be an idea move for members of the Swansea City Supporters Trust, given the monumental success the current ownership structure of the club has enjoyed it is important to look to the future, something which Jenkins again mentioned further on in his programme notes, “Will standing still and protecting what we already have be enough for us to compete in the future?”

With the latest television deals ensuring each Premier League club is given a minimum payment of £52.2million, the level of competition within the English top division has skyrocketed. Of course teams are still affected by their own sponsorship deals and worldwide support base, but there is an equal playing field in terms of revenue from TV deals, something which the vast majority of teams in La Liga, for example, can only dream of.

This is the difficultly for Swansea City as a football club. The money brought in by global TV deals is significant but with every club around them receiving that money, is it enough to propel the club forward into the upper echelons of the Premier League on a regular basis?

That is the question being pondered by Swansea City’s hierarchy. The introduction of US businessmen to the club would vastly improve finances and thus the club’s ability to maneuver in the transfer-market, particularly in a time when the market is so saturated with a large number of similarly positioned Premier League clubs often targeting the same group of players.

Plus the funding would help Swansea City expand their Liberty Stadium from a capacity of 20,532 to 30,000, as well as revamping the club’s commercial department in order to sign lucrative sponsorship deals with businesses worldwide.

With Arsenal fully in the knowledge that the expenditure on the Emirates Stadium would damage activity in the transfer market, David Dein, the club’s then Vice-Chairman could see the need for further investment to secure the fortunes of the club on the pitch.

Dein looked to bring both Stan Kroenke and Alisher Usmanov to the club in order for Arsenal to remain competitive with Chelsea.  To a degree this is what Huw Jenkins is trying to achieve with US Businessmen John Jay Moores and Charles Noell and their potential introduction to Swansea City.

If we look at how Southampton fully utilized their injection of cash earned through player sales into their squad this summer, it would be fair to say that the club is reaping the rewards. However for other clubs a vast sale simply to finance a team rejuvenation is not possible, nor is it a sustainable way of building a successful football club in the long-term.

This is the plan for foreign investment into Swansea City. The injection of finance into the club will in theory give Swansea a financial advantage over their rivals in the transfer market as well as making it possible to improve training facilities and secure the long-term development of the club, but in a sustainable manner.

There is still a long road ahead in the process with Huw Jenkins vowing to work closely with the Swansea City Supporters Trust before making any decisions but the signs are pointing towards foreign investment in Swansea City occurring sooner rather than later.

Brendan Rodgers surprised many with what appeared to be a weakened team selection in the Bernabeu this evening. However due to a mixture of Madrid complacency and excellent Liverpool defending, the scoreline was kept to a mere 1-0 defeat for the English visitors.

Many of Liverpool’s surprise selections impressed and have certainly given their manager something to think about ahead of the weekend’s clash with Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea.

Real Madrid

Iker Casillas-6

Casillas had very little to do throughout the evening but was comfortable in claiming the ball when required. Liverpool recorded just one shot on target did little to change Casillas’ minor workload.

Alvaro Arbeloa-6

The former Liverpool defender was hardworking throughout but again like his goalkeeper had little to do. The only real threat for Liverpool came through Adam Lallana and Lazar Markovic through the middle and on the right respectively. Alberto Moreno seemed reluctant to take Arbeloa on.

Raphael Varane-9

Varane was outstanding and arguably Madrid’s best performer. The French defender was often the host’s last line of defence, almost dropping in as a sweeper to fully defend against the counter-attacks of Liverpool. Varane showed an impressive level of composure on the ball and looks for all the world a defender who with a run of matches will become one of the elite in that position.

Sergio Ramos-8

Ramos, aided by Varane’s pace in behind him was able to defend a flat position strongly. He monitored Borini when the forward tried to manoeuvre through the middle. Was on the receiving end of a harsh booking in the latter stages for what appeared to be a fine challenge on Lallana.

Marcelo-8

Was a real threat in an attacking sense for Madrid. The Brazilian continued his burgeoning partnership with Isco with the pair linking up in the build-up to the host’s only goal.

Toni Kroos-6

The German international added very little to the Madrid performance, kept the ball tidily in parts but the match passed him by. Was fortunate to have such a hard worker in Luka Modric alongside him.

Luka Modric-7

Modric was Madrid’s engine in midfield. in the opening stages of the match the Croatian controlled possession and looked to drive Madrid forward. It was only as the match wore on and Liverpool grew in confidence that Modric’s effect on the match became limited.

James Rodriguez-7

Rodriguez again impressed with a number of neat touches and illustrations of individual skill but too often his final pass let him and the team move down. The Colombian is facing a difficult period with Gareth Bale now fit and Isco in such fine fettle.

Isco-8

The Spaniard again worked tremendously hard in covering the entire left-flank be that supporting Marcelo in attack or just dropping into midfield when Liverpool had the ball. Showed his instinct for attack as well with a number of clever touches and passes with the first signs of a partnership between him and Ronaldo forming.

Cristiano Ronaldo-6

An uncharacteristically quiet evening for the reigning Ballon d’Or winner with the Portuguese international simply having one of those evenings where not a thing went right for him. Ronaldo missed a whole host of chances and by the end grew frustrated at his own poor production.

Karim Benzema-7

The Frenchman scored the decisive goal and worked hard for his team when not in possession. Whilst not a vintage display, the former Lyon striker continues to show why Madrid did not push the financial boat out for a certain second Colombian this past summer.

Substitutes

Gareth Bale-7

The Welshman returned to football following an injury layoff and eased himself back in. Threatened with forward runs on a couple of occasions and even rattled Liverpool’s crossbar with an effort. Showed just what an asset Madrid have in him.

Nacho – N/A

Javier Hernandez – N/A

Liverpool

Simon Mignolet-8

The Belgian was expected to have a busy evening and that he did however more often than not it was the former Sunderland goalkeeper who came out on top. Mignolet made a number of high quality saves to keep the deficit between the two teams at one goal.

Javier Manquillo-6

The Spanish full-back was on the back foot all evening with Isco and Marcelo running rings around him. The 20-year-old defender made very mistakes throughout with some positive defending in patches, however the task was perhaps too big for him.

Martin Skrtel-7

Skrtel defended well all evening long despite an early mistake which gifted Ronaldo a shot on Mignolet’s goal, The Slovakian worked well in tandem with Kolo Toure to make Liverpool difficult to cut open even if Mignolet had to make a number of saves.

Kolo Toure-7

The player whom Liverpool fans were most fearful for ahead of kick-off actually proved to be the team’s best defender on the night. Toure rolled back the years to his time at Arsenal and was more than a match for Benzema and Ronaldo on a number of occasion. He even managed to go on one skilful marauding run down the left-wing in the first-half.

Alberto Moreno-6

Moreno, like Manquillo, had a difficult evening against Ronaldo and later Gareth Bale but the young full-back played well in patches. Utilised his speed very well.

Joe Allen-6

The Welshman was tidy in possession throughout but did little else, struggled to keep pace with Madrid’s midfield.

Lucas Leiva-7

Lucas provided a good service sitting just in front of Liverpool’s back-four but was found wanting in a few instances particularly when Madrid worked on the counter-attack at speed.

Emre Can-7

Was one of the few Liverpool players to look to make something happen with the ball. Can looked to play the ball forward into Borini as early as possible which in the early stages caused Madrid a number of problems.

Adam Lallana-6

Lallana looked confident on the ball with flashes of the fantastic feet we have grown accustomed to from the former Southampton playmaker however his final decision was often poor and lack of strength was highlighted against Ramos and Varane.

Lazar Markovic-7

The Serbian was a real threat due to his pace, the only downside being the performance of Varane was simply superb. On another evening Markovic’s effort with the ball would probably have been rewarded with at least one chance.

Fabio Borini-6

The Italian held the ball up well in parts but never really tested Madrid’s defense until one instance late on in proceedings when he challenged Ramos inside the Madrid penalty area and went on to put the ball into the net only for the referee to have called a foul seconds earlier.

Substitutes:

Steven Gerrard-6

Gerrard came into the match and gave Liverpool a bit of impetus going forward, illustrating his passing ability on more than one occasion.

Raheem Sterling-6

Sterling came on and worked hard up and down the right flank. Was afforded very few opportunities to run with the ball and his main contributions were two excellent defensive challenges on Cristiano Ronaldo.

Coutinho-N/A

European champions Real Madrid welcome Liverpool to the historic Santiago Bernabeu stadium tomorrow evening in the knowledge that the Spanish giants will secure their place in the knockout-phase of the competition with a victory.

Liverpool will have the memory of the recent 3-0 defeat at Anfield at the hands of Madrid fresh in their minds and will be determined to avoid a repeat, hence we can expect a much more defensive minded Liverpool setup this time around.

Here are the two line-ups I expect to see tomorrow evening

Real Madrid: 4-3-3

I expect Carlo Ancelotti to field a team with few surprises. The injury sustained by Dani Carvajal in the weekend’s victory over Granada will be enough to keep the Spaniard out allowing former Liverpool defender Alvaro Arbeloa to start the match.

The Madrid midfield is likely to be unchanged with the trio of Toni Kroos, Luka Modric and James Rodriguez eager to dominate proceedings once more. Liverpool will have to do a much better job of controlling Rodriguez’s movement in between the lines of midfield and defense if the visitors are to improve on the 3-0 scoreline recorded a fortnight ago.

In the forward line Ancelotti has a decision to make. Gareth Bale has returned to full training over the past days and the Welshman is ready to play, according to Ancelotti who didn’t confirm whether or not Bale would return to the starting XI. The experienced Italian coach said he “had yet to make a decision” on the matter before pointing out that a number of players could be rested to make room for the club’s record signing.

I expect Bale will not start, simply because of the nature of his injury and the lack of real importance to the game for Madrid, the Spanish side will progress and there is no distinct need to risk Bale tomorrow. Furthermore, it would be unfair to drop Isco given the fact the playmaker, positioned in an unfamiliar role, is having the best period of his short career with Los Blancos.

Liverpool: 4-5-1

Liverpool will in all likelihood abandon their attacking philosophy in order to play a tight, defensive game at the Bernabeu with the intention of taking a point away from the European champions.

I expect Brendan Rodgers to utilise a five-man midfield with Lucas Leiva sitting in a holding role. Steven Gerrard and Jordan Henderson will play just in front of him, despite talk in the Spanish press suggesting Liverpool’s captain will be rested tomorrow evening.

One of the key problems for Liverpool in the tie at Anfield against Madrid was the porous nature of the host’s midfield. Rodriguez was given freedom to drift wherever he liked, whilst Kroos and Modric had little pressure on them when in possession. It was neither a pressing game, nor a defensive approach, it was somewhere in the middle unfortunately for Liverpool.

Philippe Coutinho and Raheem Sterling will play just in front with the hope being that the pair can be influential on the counter-attack, and it is worth noting that Coutinho did cause Madrid some problems a fortnight ago – the Brazilian found pockets of space in behind Kroos due to the German’s lack of mobility.

Despite Daniel Sturridge having flown to Madrid with the Liverpool squad, there is very little chance of him making his return. Mario Balotelli will again be trusted as a lone striker and it may well be the case that tomorrow is the perfect scenario for him. He will not be expected to take part in Liverpool’s linkup play, his role will be to hold up possession and be in and around the penalty area when any chances arrive.

It will certainly be interesting to see if Liverpool can find a way of frustrating Madrid’s attack and succeeding in the final third by utilizing Balotelli’s individual strengths.

Manchester City ran out 1-0 winners in the first Manchester derby of the campaign after Sergio Aguero capitalized on the visitors going down to ten men by scoring a second-half goal. United were spirited in their play but following Chris Smalling’s dismissal, City were in the ascendency.

Manchester City

Joe Hart- 7

The England goalkeeper made an important contribution. He was often first to crosses and set-pieces as well as making an important save from a Van Persie strike in the second-half.

Pablo Zabaleta- 7

The Argentine had a comfortable afternoon, mainly because Angel Di Maria was moved to the right flank following Smalling’s red-card. Zabaleta defended well when needs be late on but didn’t get forward with any regularity.

Vincent Kompany-7

City’s captain was again a rock at the back for the hosts despite making an error to allow Wayne Rooney through on goal in the latter stages of the second-half. Was commanding in the air against Fellaini.

Martin Demichelis-6

Again not truly tested but picked up a cheap yellow card fort a foul on Di Maria

Gael Clichy-6

Was a last minute call-up courtesy of Kolarov’s injury in the warm-up and made a few mistakes. United will rue the face they never managed to test him when they had 11 on the field.

Yaya Toure-9

Probably the difference maker. Despite not stamping his authority on the first-half, Toure was methodical in the second making a number of key passes and physical contributions.

Fernando-6

Struggled to keep with the pace of the match and didn’t really contribute in the first-half when United’s midfield bossed possession.

Jesus Navas-7

Was a handful early on with his pace and was a real threat. However his impact on the game waned as Luke Shaw gained confidence.

James Milner-7

Worked hard and caused United all sorts of problems on the right. Made a clever run to get in behind United’s back four to force Smalling’s red card.

Stevan Jovetic-6

Showed good movement at times but was limited in his effectiveness.

Sergio Aguero-10

Aguero again was United’s main worry. The Argentine’s movement was absolutely wonderful and he deserved the goal in the second-half. Forced a couple of important saves out of De Gea in the first-half and was again a credit to his club.

Fernandinho-N/A

Came on too late to really make an impact.

Samir Nasri-5

Added very little to the game once brought on. His arrival coincided with United’s best period of the half.

Dzeko-6

Was isolated and didn’t receive many opportunities. Was a handful in the air.

Manchester United

David De Gea-9

Again United’s best player. Made three really important saves to keep the match level and was let down by his defence.

Antonio Valencia-5

Playing out of position, it is perhaps unfair to criticise Valencia but the Ecuadorian struggles with defensive aspects. Was out of position for Smalling’s red and again reinforces the belief United need a natural right-back as back-up to Rafael.

Chris Smalling-5

Actually started the match well until he picked up a senseless booking for blocking a Joe Hart goal-kick. Was always a worry after that and flew into a challenge on Milner, which rightly earned him a red.

Marcos Rojo-7

Was United’s best defender until injury curtailed his afternoon early in the second-half. Perhaps was fortunate not to give a penalty away for a challenge on Toure right on the cusp of half-time.

Luke Shaw-7

Endured a difficult start to the afternoon but grew into the game significantly and was a really impressive performer for United.

Marouane Fellaini-7

Fellaini continued his good run of form and looked a comfortable figure in United’s midfield. Tired as the game wore on and should have really done better which a number of headed chances but overall a good performer.

Daley Blind-7

Blind again held United’s midfield together well and dictated possession in the first half-hour.

Wayne Rooney-6

Rooney returned from a three-match suspension and started slowly as he readjusted to first-team football. Grew into the game and provided United’s best moment when he ran through four City players and into the penalty area before a challenge came in.

Angel Di Maria-6

Was United’s great hope when in possession of the ball but double coverage from City’s defenders limited his impact. Delivered a number of high quality crosses, which teammates failed to get on the end of.

Adnan Januzaj-5

Struggled early on as City targeted United’s right-hand side but showed glimpses of ability going forward. His afternoon was cut short when he was substituted for Michael Carrick after Smalling’s dismissal.

Robin van Persie-6

Again, Van Persie worked hard as a lone forward with little reward. Forced a good save out of Hart in the second-half and the Dutchman looks to be getting close to full fitness.

Michael Carrick-6

Defended well at a difficult time for United and was key in the visitor’s keeping the difference to just one goal.

Paddy McNair-6

McNair impressed again and defended well after being introduced. The game situation was always against United at that time but the 19-year-old impressed.

James Wilson-6

Brought on to replace the tiring Van Persie, Wilson made a couple of impressive surging runs but never really had a clear-cut chance per se.

FIFA’s annual Ballon d’Or shortlist inevitably divides opinion. From the widespread disgust that Wesley Sneijder didn’t receive the award for his outstanding 2010 campaign, where he led his club side, Internazionale, to Champions League glory and then his national side, the Netherlands, to the World Cup final, right through to the annual battle for the award between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, there have been a lot of controversial choices down the years.

This year is no different with several key names not even making the 23-man shortlist, with some of them inexplicably missing out. I have produced an alternative 23-man list which I hope captures the 23 players in contention for the award in a rather more realistic manner.

FIFA’s 23-man shortlist

Gareth Bale (Real Madrid), Karim Benzema (Real Madrid), Diego Costa (Atlético Madrid/Chelsea), Thibaut Courtois (Atlético Madrid/Chelsea), Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid), Ángel Di María (Real Madrid/Manchester United), Mario Götze (Bayern Munich), Eden Hazard (Chelsea), Zlatan Ibrahimovic (PSG), Andrés Iniesta (Barcelona), Toni Kroos (Bayern Munich/Real Madrid), Philipp Lahm (Bayern Munich), Javier Mascherano (Barcelona), Lionel Messi (Barcelona), Thomas Müller (Bayern Munich), Manuel Neuer (Bayern Munich), Neymar (Barcelona), Paul Pogba (Juventus), Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid), Arjen Robben (Bayern Munich), James Rodríguez (Monaco/Real Madrid), Bastian Schweinsteiger (Bayern Munich), Yaya Touré (Manchester City).

My amended 23-man shortlist

Gareth Bale (Real Madrid), Karim Benzema (Real Madrid), Diego Costa (Atlético Madrid/Chelsea), Thibaut Courtois (Atlético Madrid/Chelsea), Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid), Ángel Di María (Real Madrid/Manchester United), Mario Götze (Bayern Munich), Eden Hazard (Chelsea), Filipe Luis (Atlético Madrid), Sergio Aguero (Manchester City), Toni Kroos (Bayern Munich/Real Madrid), Philipp Lahm (Bayern Munich), Arturo Vidal (Juventus), Lionel Messi (Barcelona), Thomas Müller (Bayern Munich), Manuel Neuer (Bayern Munich), Neymar (Barcelona), Paul Pogba (Juventus), Diego Godin (Atlético Madrid), Arjen Robben (Bayern Munich), James Rodríguez (Monaco/Real Madrid), Bastian Schweinsteiger (Bayern Munich), Yaya Touré (Manchester City).

As you can see there are only four changes from the official list to my own. In fairness to FIFA, this year’s list has been a widely impressive and realistic selection of the real elite players in world football, however there have been just a couple of selections I cannot agree with, or at the very least cannot justify placing in the shortlist ahead of other names.

First of all I have replaced Andres Iniesta with Manchester City’s Sergio Aguero. There can be absolutely no doubt that Iniesta is a superstar, a world-class footballer, however his 2014 has not been especially impressive.

His club team FC Barcelona struggled both domestically and on the continent, failing to reach the semi-final of the Champions League for the first time since the 2006-07 season. Conversely, Aguero played a huge part in City’s Premier League title triumph, scoring 17 league goals as well as 10 others in separate competitions. Aguero also impressed at the World Cup, despite struggling with injuries throughout the tournament. I just feel as if on an individual basis taking achievement and stats into account, Aguero deserved to be on the list for 2014 more than Iniesta.

Atletico Madrid had undoubtedly their finest season of the Millennium, perhaps even in the club’s history with Diego Simeone’s fantastically unique style of management guiding Atleti to a La Liga title and the Champions League final. Key to those successes was Atletico’s outstanding defence, however only goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois makes the shortlist.

This I feel is quite perplexing. Atletico’s two most important players in defence were central-defender Diego Godin and left-back Filipe Luis, now at Chelsea. Godin was a rock at the heart of Simeone’s defensive line. The experienced Uruguayan formed a strong partnership with Miranda and even scored the goal which secured Atletico the domestic title.

I have replaced Godin with Ramos due to the fact that their achievements with their respective teams probably balance out, with either side winning a major crown. However, Godin’s individual contributions were far more important and impressive over the course of 2014.

In the case of Filipe Luis, there are few arguments that suggest the Brazilian was not the best left-back in Europe last season. Of course David Alaba was right up alongside him but Filipe’s defensive play mixed with his ability to get forward was quite the asset to his team. His performances were so consistently at a high level that he earned himself a £15.8million transfer to Chelsea.

I have chosen to replace Zlatan Ibrahimovic with Filipe as I feel that whilst Ibrahimovic’s play exhibits outstanding individual skill and technique, the like of which we have seldom seen before, Filipe simply added more to his team’s success as well as looking to rectify the bias between offence and defence within the official shortlist.

Finally, I felt it a crime not to include Arturo Vidal on the list. The general consensus amongst Juventus supporters is that their Chilean midfielder has been the real catalyst for the club’s resurgence in recent years and 2014 has been no different. The troubling question for me was just who to replace?

Javier Mascherano had an excellent World Cup with Argentina, he was the holding midfield presence which gave the attacking talents of Di Maria, Messi and Aguero so much freedom to play their natural games. Mascherano was a leader of the team and put in an excellent display in the final, even if he did end up, rather undeservingly, on the losing side.

However I simply felt as though he hadn’t done nearly enough in the colours of the Blaugrana to remain on the list. Vidal on the other hand contributed in the World Cup, despite injury, but was a hugely important figure in Juventus winning their third consecutive Scudetto, providing assists and goals from a deeper midfield position. Vidal has certainly cemented himself as one of the globe’s premier box-to-box midfielders and deserves to be on the list.

Finally, the continued omission of Luis Suarez. Not included by FIFA in the official shortlist and I too have left the Uruguayan forward out. In terms of Suarez’s performances on the pitch in 2014, it is difficult to not select him, he almost dragged Liverpool to the Premier League title with his outstanding 31 goal tally and contributed to Uruguay qualifying out of a difficult World Cup group, however it is his troubling behaviour on the pitch which has put paid to his chances.

Suarez’s bite on Giorgio Chiellini at the World Cup has cost him his place on the shortlist, the general criteria for selection is noted in FIFA’s guidebook and it states, ‘The selection criteria for the players of the year (men’s and women’s) are: sporting performance as well as general behaviour on and off the pitch from 30 November 2013 until 21 November 2014.’

Suarez’s bite certainly doesn’t represent good general behaviour and as such I would feel it unfair to place him on the shortlist when he cannot be considered according to the regulations.

Saturday marks the first Clásico of the 2014-15 campaign with the match perfectly set up to provide us with many moments of controversy, entertainment and downright footballing artistry. The main talking point prior to kick-off is just how FC Barcelona will fit the returning Luis Suarez into their starting line-up whilst the hosts Real Madrid will look to build on their emphatic victory over Liverpool at Anfield in the week.

Programming note: If you live in the United States, the game is being televised on beIN SPORTS and beIN SPORTS Español as well as being streamed live on DishWorld. If you don’t have a TV subscription to beIN SPORTS, you can watch Real Madrid versus Barcelona live on fuboTV for just $10 per month. The service streams the beIN broadcast in HD to your computer, tablet or smartphone. And set-up just takes minutes. Read our review of DishWorld. And sign up for DishWorld via their website.

Match: Barcelona vs. Real Madrid

Kickoff: Sunday, April 23rd 2:45pm ET

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Here are predicted line-ups for both teams ahead of tomorrow’s clash.

Real Madrid: 4-3-3

Carlo Ancelotti will in all likelihood stick with the 4-3-3 system which his Real Madrid side have used since last term. The double-pivot of Kroos and Modric will have an awful lot of pressure put upon them and it could well be a problem when Madrid are forced to defend a counter attack.

Rodriguez has come in for some criticism since his move to Madrid, but he has the faith of Ancelotti. And the Colombian’s performance against Liverpool on Wednesday was one right out of the top drawer. He is in great form heading into Saturday’s clash and will look to help Madrid overload when attacking Barcelona’s backline.

Sergio Ramos was today deemed fit enough to make his return. Whilst Raphael Varane has really impressed during Ramos’ absence, it is unlikely the Frenchman will retain his place. Pepe and Ramos have built up a notably chemistry whilst playing together, although both have dismal records when facing Lionel Messi. But then again, who doesn’t?

With Gareth Bale still injured, there is a big opportunity for Isco. After joining Madrid from Malaga last summer, much to the dismay of Manchester City, Isco has been on the periphery of Real’s success. Given the cut-throat nature of business at the Bernabeu, you often only get a handful of chances to impress and Isco simply must deliver in this period. He was excellent at Anfield with his high work-rate creating a lot of discomfort for the hosts as well as chances for Ronaldo and given Dani Alves’ horrendous spell of form heading into tomorrow, there is certainly a chance for Isco to illustrate his full capabilities on Saturday.

FC Barcelona: 4-3-3

I expect Barcelona to keep with the majority of the team that has worked for them this season. The burgeoning partnership between Neymar and Messi will be ably supported by Suarez who will take the place of Pedro, who has struggled in recent matches.

The midfield is difficult to call given how well Xavi performed against Eibar last weekend. However given Madrid’s energy in midfield with Modric and James Rodriguez, I feel Luis Enrique will opt for Ivan Rakitic for a more fitness based box-to-box presence in the midfield three.

One thing to note is that both Iniesta and Rakitic provide a forward threat at pace. Given the fact Toni Kroos, when isolated, can have real problems defending against a counter-attack, as we saw when Bayern Munich faced Madrid in last season’s Champions League semi-final, this could be an area of real joy for Barcelona on the attack.

The defense, with the addition of Jeremy Mathieu, now picks itself and the addition of a natural defender rather than a makeshift defensive midfielder filling in will be a huge plus when facing the likes of Ronaldo, Benzema and Isco.

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NOTE TO FOOTBALL FANS IN THE UK:

If you live in England or the United Kingdom, the Barcelona vs. Real Madrid match will not be shown live on TV or online. But you can watch it live online via fuboTV. More details below:

Match: Barcelona vs. Real Madrid

Kickoff: Saturday, 3:15pm GMT

Stream el Clasico from the UK by signing up with a VPN service and fuboTV.

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With el Clásico kicking off this Saturday at Noon ET, speculation is rife as to team selections, tactical tweaks and possible individual brilliance that could determine who will take the spoils in the first meeting of Spain’s big two of the 2014-15 campaign.

It is one of the few matches in world soccer which engages the masses. The age old Messi vs Ronaldo debate happening directly on the pitch rather than in the media, just how the midfield battle will play out given Barcelona’s relatively new look middle three incorporating Ivan Rakitic as well as Real Madrid’s new midfield bereft of the infectious energy provided by the widely revered ‘noodle’ Angel Di Maria.

Programming note: For viewers in the United States, this Saturday’s el Clasico between Real Madrid and Barcelona will be shown live on beIN SPORTS, beIN SPORTS Espanol and DishWorld (with coverage beginning at 11am ET). Even if you don’t have a TV subscription to beIN SPORTS, you can access those channels via online streaming service fuboTV for $10/month. Read our review of DishWorld. And sign up for fuboTV via their website.

Match: Barcelona vs. Real Madrid

Kickoff: Sunday, April 23rd 2:45pm ET

Looking to watch Barcelona vs. Real Madrid online from your work, home or on the go? If you live in the USA, you can get a free 7-day trial to fuboTV.

We Recommend:

US Only.

The first point of interest will be whether or not Luis Suarez makes his competitive debut for Barcelona. Ever since fate rather mischievously drew the pair together for the first Matchday weekend where Suarez would be free from his suspension, the talk has been whether the former Liverpool star will play.

He is Barcelona’s record signing. Of course he has to play, right? Not necessarily. Luis Enrique has been very methodical with his team selection this season and has brought a freshness to Barcelona. Now very few players are guaranteed their shirt and as such we have seen a real upward surge in the performances of certain players.

In terms of the spectacle, it would be fantastic to see Suarez play a part. The front three of Neymar, Messi and Suarez is one almost out of the reach of dream team’s realms of possibility, let alone the ones set in reality. Yet here we are with three of the best forwards in world soccer, on the same team.

Real Madrid’s defenders will be in for a difficult evening but Ancelotti’s side are the hosts and will be expected to attack as such. Revenge will be at the forefront of Madrid’s minds with Barcelona having recorded a domestic double over the reigning European Champions last season, although Los Blancos did have the last laugh by beating Barcelona in the Spanish Cup final.

On that day however the difference maker was none other than Di Maria. The Argentine who gave Real Madrid their tempo is now no longer present and the midfield pairing of Luka Modric and Toni Kroos will have to get through a lot of work to make up for such a loss.

It may well turn out a benefit to Madrid. Kroos’ ability to retain possession for long periods and slow the game down could frustrate Barcelona and allow Madrid to be effective on the break. This isn’t what we have become used to in the times of Ronaldo and Bale but in a league of fine margins, the result trumps all.

The match itself will carry the usual spice and flair we have come to expect despite the teams being rather different to those that contested the wars of 2009-2012. Yet with all the combustible elements on show, on either side, who knows what we may seen.

Who do you think will emerge victorious from the first Clásico of the season?

Vote in the poll below!

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The graph below shows the ten clubs who have amassed the most goals in the history of English football’s top division, ranging from the pre-Premier League era (First Division) right through to the present day.

Rather surprisingly, particularly to those of a younger generation, Everton and Aston Villa head the list, beating the modern day behemoths of Manchester United, Arsenal and Chelsea. Partly this is because Everton have had the most top flight matches but also it must be remembered that the Toffees have produced some excellent football teams over the years.

Arsenal run third in the list, again due to a long affiliation with the English top flight having not been relegated once since the year 1919. Liverpool and Manchester United follow close behind in fourth and fifth place respectively, again with a history of phenomenal success in the top division.

Rather curiously we then have a drop of around just under 1000 goals between United and fierce local rivals Manchester City. Despite Manchester City currently sitting at the summit of English football, as well as having had very successful teams in the past, it is the numerous relegations the club has endured which has seen them play significantly less top division matches than United, and thus amasses such a lower number of goals.

One of the notable patterns of this list is that the teams are all currently in the Premier League, they are all clubs with varying, but significant amounts of success throughout their history and it shows that over time the select group of elite clubs in the top flight largely stays the same. It also shows clubs who have been able to stand the test of time and remain financial stable, at least in the long term.

Of course we know the financial problems suffered by Chelsea throughout the years but this list is testament to the club’s resolve in staying in the top flight, and whilst it doesn’t give us an analysis of the most successful clubs, it may well give us an insight into the most sustainable.

H/T Reddit