As Jamie Vardy skipped past Chancel Mbemba’s sliding challenge to slot past Rob Elliot, Vardy equalled the Premier League record of scoring in ten consecutive matches. The record is especially astonishing considering that Vardy was playing non-league football just three seasons ago.

Now, to sit atop the Premier League goalscoring charts with thirteen league goals is an amazing accomplishment. Vardy has elevated the entire Leicester City team, as last season they were sitting at the bottom of the Premier League table at this time. With a tough run of fixtures coming up, it is easy to envision Leicester dropping out of the Premier League top four. Also, eventually, Vardy’s hot scoring streak will come to an end. Despite this, to be mentioned with the likes of Ruud Van Nistelrooy is more than a fairytale for Vardy.

At the age of sixteen, Vardy was released by Sheffield Wednesday. With a football career seeming unlikely, Vardy started working in a carbon fiber factory to earn a living. Eventually, Vardy pursued his dream and signed for Stocksbridge Park Steels, in the eighth division of English football. From there, Vardy earned a move to Halifax Town. At that time, Vardy’s manager Neil Aspin claimed that Vardy showed up to training without proper boots. Despite this, in a pre-season friendly, Vardy displayed the same type of play he is becoming known for. His solid touch, rapid pace, and his tenacity in chasing the ball were visible.

Vardy almost single-handedly led Halifax to promotion and earned a move to Fleetwood Town, still a non-league side. After one season at Fleetwood, Vardy earned a move to Leicester.

The rest is history.

Vardy has a fearless attitude on the pitch, shows aggression, and most importantly puts a shift in for his team. He always tries to find space in behind and chases every single clearance, a method which has played a large role in him scoring goals this season. He plays right off the shoulder of defenders and waits for his moment to charge. Defenders find him tough to play against because he constantly turns and changes the entire defense’s shape. Vardy epitomizes the working-class footballer. He plays through the pain, and unlike prima donna footballers, has carried this Leicester team forward.

While Vardy’s discipline record is not perfect, as shown by a casino incident over the summer, his effort on the football pitch cannot be questioned. As a player who has had to earn his chance in the Premier League, he shows just how much every match means to him.

On the other hand, there are so many players who have wasted their talents, despite having many opportunities. Two examples of these types of players are Mario Balotelli and Hatem Ben Arfa. Balotelli might be considered the exact opposite of Vardy. As a teenager, Balotelli earned his chance to play at Inter Milan. Despite this brilliant opportunity, which so many talented people throughout the world can only dream of, Balotelli failed to take it seriously. He showed up in public wearing A.C. Milan attire, a move which caused controversy. Jose Mourinho described Balotelli as unmanageable. Nevertheless, Balotelli earned a chance at Manchester City. At Manchester City, Balotelli initially started off well. He played well with a striking partner, but his off-the-field antics played a larger role than his on-field performances. A striking situation involved Balotelli accidentally destroying his bathroom with fireworks. As time passed on, Balotelli fell out with his manager, Roberto Mancini. Nevertheless, Balotelli earned another chance, this time at a club he liked, A.C. Milan. His time at Milan started off well, but eventually dropped off. Balotelli moved to Liverpool, where he failed to perform at all. His lack of effort comes as a complete contrast to Jamie Vardy’s hard work. Balotelli never helps his team defensively and has shown a bad disciplinary record in the past. Now, at the age of twenty-five, Balotelli cannot be considered a “young talent”. By now, Balotelli should be maturing into a great striker. Instead, he has spent time at four different clubs since 2010. Apart from his two-goal performance in the Euro 2012 semi-final against Germany, Balotelli’s antics have started to get old and his potential is decreasing.

Contrast this to Vardy, who’s career has progressed and improved over the past few years. Vardy does not have as much talent as Balotelli, but Vardy makes the most of what he can. Do you see Balotelli charging down clearances and chasing every long ball possible? No.

A greater example of talent being wasted comes from Hatem Ben Arfa. Ben Arfa has shown throughout his career that he is capable of producing dazzling moments of insane skill and has scored some fantastic solo goals. When on form, Ben Arfa can single-handedly win games for his team. Some of the goals he scored in the 2011-2012 season for Newcastle, as they finished fifth in the league, showcased his ability. He left players for dead and rampaged past defenders to score. Unfortunately, his inconsistency, as well as his selfishness often cost his side.

Some may blame Alan Pardew for failing to play Ben Arfa during the 2013-2014 season, but Lyon and Marseille’s willingness to sell Ben Arfa in the past speaks volumes about his attitude. For Newcastle, Ben Arfa’s fitness became an issue. He put on extra weight and seemed a yard off the pace. As a maverick player who expects to wants license to roam, Ben Arfa became difficult to manage. He moved to Hull City on loan to rejuvenate his career. Steve Bruce was shocked at his fitness and attitude and the loan ended prematurely. Ben Arfa returned to Newcastle, where he was released.

Now, he is doing well at Nice in France. He has earned a place back in the France national team. Despite this success, it is easy to wonder where Ben Arfa’s career could have gone. A few years ago, Ben Arfa stated that his dream was to win the Ballon D’or. While it is easy to see that his dream was far-fetched, great performances could have seen him move to a team competing for titles in the Premier League. There, he could earned the chance to represent his national side and earn a possible nomination. Instead, he is far away from his goal.

There are many other examples of players like Balotelli and Ben Arfa, such as Adel Taarabt. Small moments of brilliance cannot hide his lack of success. Both QPR and Benfica have considered him overweight. Taarabt’s selfishness, combined with his laziness on the pitch, have led him to a dead end in his career. He will surely make a lot of money before his career finishes, but his career has been ultimately unfulfilling.

Jamie Vardy depicts all the characteristics of a player who has completed the impossible. He played non-league football just three seasons ago. Now, he sits at atop of the Premier League and has started to represent the English national team. On the other hand, players with so much talent have wasted their careers due to behavioral problems and lack of discipline and effort. Jamie Vardy is a prime example of how players, with hard work and determination, can have successful careers. These types of players show the sadness at how some players, with all the talent possible, fail to flourish in great environments.

Throughout various lists mentioning the greatest forwards in the world, the likes of Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar, Luis Suarez, Sergio Aguero, and Zlatan Ibrahimovic are always mentioned. Sure, Messi and Ronaldo play at a level above the rest, but the rest of these forwards are no better than Thomas Müller. In fact, Müller has scored 10 World Cup goals in just 13 matches, which is two more than Ronaldo and Messi combined. Obviously, Germany have a better team than Portugal and Argentina, but this comparison shows how good Müller truly is. In a generation of flashy, quick players like Neymar, Müller’s style of play is certainly different from the rest of the forwards in the highest caliber of the game.

Compared to speed demons like Gareth Bale and pure tricksters like Neymar, Thomas Müller often looks ungainly and his build is rather lanky. Overall, he may be the best player in the world in terms of finding and exploiting space, which has seen him consistently tally around 20 goals and 15 assists for Bayern Munich for the past four seasons. In fact, people in Germany have even named a position after him, “the raumdeuter”, which means space interpreter. The name makes sense because Müller’s biggest asset is his football IQ. Müller always provides a superb outlet for the ball and creates chances from either flank he plays on, which is usually the right side. Müller confuses defenses with his runs, which opens up the space for the players near him. Often times, he drifts out of the game, only to pop up in the right space, unnoticed, and either score or assist on a goal. His style does not seek attention from others, but definitely gets the job done.

While Müller has often played off of the right side, another one of his key assets is his versatility. When he first broke into the Bayern Munich first team in the 2009-2010 season, Müller operated in the No. 10 role behind Ivica Olic in Bayern’s 4-2-3-1 formation. He became a starter in his first season, beating competition from both Mario Gomez and Miroslav Klose to keep his place in the team. The very next season, Müller started getting deployed on the right side, where he played during the 2010 World Cup. In Bayern’s treble-winning season, Müller started the season on the right side, and his incredible form saw Arjen Robben sit on the bench. In the second half of the season, Toni Kroos sustained an injury. Müller shifted back into the No. 10 position, and was flanked by Robben and Franck Ribery – a trio which led Bayern to the treble. Over the past season, under Pep Guardiola, Müller has often played as the lone striker. He has often played as a sort of false nine, linking up plays together and finding space to score goals.

SEE MORE: View the Bundesliga TV schedule for USA.

All in all, Thomas Müller has achieved so much so far in his career. He recently turned 26, and has won every trophy possible at club level for Bayern Munich, as well as the World Cup. The European Championship is missing, but Germany are favorites for the 2016 title. He won the Golden Boot and the Best Young Player Award at the 2010 World Cup. He’s certainly a big-game player, as shown by his goal in a Champions League final. Even though he will never be recognized as the best player in the world, he would certainly make it into any starting XI in the world.

Thomas Müller may lack skill, but he makes up for that with heart, determination, passion, and intelligence. At the end of the day, Müller fulfills his job on the pitch. He may not have the most style, but he’s the best at what he does.

As Bastian Schweinsteiger rejoiced alongside his teammates at the Maracanã Stadium in Rio di Janeiro on July 13, 2014, he had put in arguably his best ever performance. While Philipp Lahm held the captaincy on that night, Schweinsteiger was the true leader out on the pitch for the German juggernaut. On that night in Rio, Schweinsteiger put in a tremendous performance, as he pressed, tackled, and marked so well that even Lionel Messi could not influence the game. For over 90 minutes of the match, Schweinsteiger was on a yellow card, yet he battled bravely to lead the Germans to victory. Without either Christoph Kramer or Sami Khedira, both of whom were injured, Schweinsteiger had to play deep alongside Toni Kroos. Schweinsteiger had more of a responsibility to win the ball back and he did so brilliantly. Sergio Aguero’s elbow meant Schweinsteiger suffered a cut just below his eye, yet he battled on. Schweinsteiger’s physical nature alongside his ball-playing ability (he completed the most passes of anyone on the pitch) showed a complete performance. Simply put, Schweinsteiger had put in the perfect match as a holding midfielder. He was complete, as he tackled as well as he controlled the game for Germany. We’ve seen players like Xavi and Andrea Pirlo control games, but neither put in such a complete performance both defensively and offensively in a game bigger than any other. 

To think that Schweinsteiger would put in this type of performance just five years before this night would have been wishful thinking. Back in 2009, Schweinsteiger was a good, but inconsistent inverted left winger. He had shown glimpses of fantastic quality, such as his two goals in the 2006 World Cup’s Third Place Playoff match. Germany manager Joachim Löw gave Schweinsteiger his debut in a deeper midfield role in 2007, but it was Louis Van Gaal who truly established him in the deep-lying position. When Van Gaal took over as Bayern München manager ahead of the 2009-2010 season, he saw Franck Ribery and Arjen Robben as his preferred wingers, with both playing inverted wide roles in a 4-2-3-1 formation. Ivica Olic, Miroslav Klose, and Mario Gomez were the three strikers, while Thomas Muller was Van Gaal’s preferred Number 10 position. Where did this leave Schweinsteiger? Louis van Gaal envisioned Schweinsteiger playing deeper, where he could see more of the ball and having more of an influence on games. After a poor start to the season for Bayern, Schweinsteiger excelled in his new role alongside Mark van Bommel, who broke up play as the more defensive-minded of the two players. By the end of the season, Bayern had won a domestic double and had lost to Inter in the Champions League final. 

The 2010 World Cup showcased both sides of the “new” Schweinsteiger. In a new look German side featuring players like Sami Khedira, Thomas Muller, and Mesut Ozil, there was more responsibility placed upon Schweinsteiger to lead his team. Germany played well, especially against Argentina in the 4-0 victory in the World Cup quarter final. The next two matches would prove to be lessons for Schweinsteiger. In the semi-final against Spain, the likes of Xavi and Andres Iniesta completely out-passed and out-pressed Germany. While the passing was expected, the pressing showed Schweinsteiger still had some learning to do in his deep role. Whenever he got on the ball, he lacked time to pick out his passes and struggled. In the third place playoff, Schweinsteiger was once again pressed, and this time he lost possession of the ball to Diego Perez, which allowed Edinson Cavani to score an equalizer. Schweinsteiger’s next two seasons at club level for Bayern München lacked trophies. The 2010-2011 season saw Van Gaal’s side suffer lots of injuries and they barely scraped a Champions League spot. The following season saw Bayern München complete the “unwanted treble”, as they finished second in the Bundesliga, Deutscher Pokal, and the Champions League. Across these two seasons, Schweinsteiger’s name continued to rise among the top midfielders in Europe. There were still some doubts over Schweinsteiger’s big game prowess, as he lost out on all honors in the 2011-2012 season and missed the penalty which allowed Chelsea to win the Champions League. For Germany, Schweinsteiger was part of the team which lost in the Euro 2008 final, the 2010 World Cup semi-final, and the Euro 2012 semi-final. Schweinsteiger learned lessons from some games, such as against Dortmund in 2011. In this match, Schweinsteiger was instructed to play in a very deep role, almost as the third center-back or a sweeper. The performance saw Schweinsteiger struggle playing so deep. 

The 2012-2013 season changed these doubts some may have had and Schweinsteiger had his greatest season. As Bayern marched to the treble, Schweinsteiger excelled alongside Javi Martinez, who played as the more defensive of the two. By the end of this season, Schweinsteiger had established himself as the most complete deep-lying midfielder in Europe. The 7-0 victory over Barcelona in the Champions League semi-final showed Schweinsteiger managing to help keep Bayern in control, despite Barca having more possession of the ball. Xavi and Iniesta, who had dominated against Germany in the 2010 World Cup, were now being dominated. The last two seasons at club level have seen Schweinsteiger struggle with injuries, but he has still played a role as a leader at Bayern. All the experiences Schweinsteiger gained lead up to the 2014 World Cup, where Germany were one of the favorites. The start of the tournament saw Schweinsteiger injured, but it was his return that saw Germany start to play well in the tournament. His performance in the final showed everything he had learned in the past. He had struggled at times in the past without a more defensive midfielder alongside him. In the final, he played around 90 minutes alongside Toni Kroos, who is far from a great tackler and unlike Schweinsteiger, has often excelled playing further forward. The performance showed what Schweinsteiger could do at his best, putting all the misery he had reeled in with Germany behind him. As he embarks on a new journey at Manchester United, he will have the experience gained from losses and performances in the past, as he has adapted and improved his game across his career. 

In the next few weeks, the likes of FOX Sports, NBC Sports, and ESPN will be bidding for the rights starting from the 2016-2017 season. NBC Sports has held the rights for the past two seasons, before which FOX Sports held the rights. Currently, FOX carries the rights for the UEFA Champions League and Europa League, FA Cup, and Bundesliga games, among others. ESPN carries the rights for Euro 2016 Qualifying, select MLS games, and World 2018 Qualifying, among others. NBC, on the other hand, only really holds the rights to English Premier League coverage, so the pressure is on them to put in a serious bid for the upcoming 2016-2019 rights. 

For viewers, NBC’s coverage is as close to perfection as can be. While FOX Sports has declined in quality, especially since their main channel shut down and has subsequently been replaced by Fox Sports 1 and Fox Sports 2. As NBC have moved forward, they have tried to implement new, creative ideas to improve coverage. NBC Sports Live Extra, the app which lets you stream every single Premier League live through your TV provider at no additional cost was a great idea, allowing viewers to choose which matches to watch (if their selected match was not televised). Other innovative ideas include the Premier League Breakaway, with Rebecca Lowe guiding the program as they cut from match to match, showing the best action. Overall, it truly felt that NBC were putting in lots of effort to truly improve their Premier League coverage. The panel, the likes of Kyle Martino, Robbie Mustoe, Robbie Earle and Rebecca Lowe provided solid matchday coverage with good analysis. Furthermore, actual match commentary has been quality, with lead commentator Arlo White providing a far cry from the likes of Gus Johnson taking big matches during Fox’s Premier League run. Other commentators, such as Graeme Le Saux and Lee Dixon have provided experience to nicely compliment White. With these improvements, among others, to Premier League coverage helped NBC’s numbers across the two years they have had coverage. NBC’s coverage has been successful, as shown by the viewing numbers increasing by 9% during the 2014-2015 season as compared to the 2013-2014 season. All in all, NBC’s coverage seems so much more polished than Fox and ESPN in the past. 

NBC’s coverage has played a role in the success of the Premier League in the United States. The average TV viewing audience for a Premier League game on NBC Sports is around 470,000 viewers. NBC has also helped increase viewers by showing some matches on their regular (non-sports) channel. NBC hit lots of milestones across the past season, such as the match Manchester United vs. Arsenal, which raked in over 1.4 million viewers on November 22nd. In a similar way, the Live Extra app has also been successful, showcasing just why NBC deserve Premier League rights. At the end of the day, fans do not have complete control over broadcasting rights. Fans, however, do play a key role in the success of TV channels. Just about anyone will tell you that NBC has provided a huge improvement over past Premier League coverage. The coverage has helped expand the Premier League’s name in the United States, helping more and more people appreciate and enjoy the sport of soccer. NBC Sports deserve credit for the effort they have put in, for the work they have done. For soccer fans, NBC Sports is the best option moving forward in terms of Premier League rights. 

Under Tony Pulis, Crystal Palace became a difficult, resilient team to play against. After Pulis came to the club, Palace not only survived relegation but instead comfortably finished in mid-table. Therefore, it was a huge surprise to see Pulis depart the club ahead of the 2014-2015 season. Palace did not trust Pulis with transfers, which was fair given many of his transfer decisions at Stoke City. In came Neil Warnock, such an experienced manager in the Championship, but like Ian Holloway, a manager who has struggled in the English top-flight. With Warnock, the enjoyment soon dried out. And as Palace headed for another relegation battle, they decided to sack Warnock. They brought in Alan Pardew from Newcastle and their fortunes changed. The happiness was back at Selhurst Park, one of the best (if not the best) stadiums in terms of fan support in the Premier League. The results returned too, and Palace finished a respectable tenth in the league, far from the relegation spots.

This summer, Pardew is in charge and the goal for Palace should be upwards. The team contains a fantastic core of hardworking players, especially defensively, who can succeed at the top level. In midfield, Mile Jedinak has gone from strength to strength, and Palace’s captain could see a new face next to him in holding midfield this upcoming season. Palace have usually played in a 4-2-3-1 formation under Pardew, with Jason Puncheon playing in the hole as the No. 10 behind a striker (usually Glenn Murray). At the moment, the two defensive midfield spots have been covered by two of Jedinak, James McArthur, and Joe Ledley. Now they have made one of the biggest signings of the summer in Yohan Cabaye. The French international midfielder has played at his best under Pardew at Newcastle, and his great form for Newcastle saw him earn a move to Paris Saint Germain. Ultimately, he could not get consistent game time in an established midfield and has returned to the Premier League.

Cabaye played two different positions under Pardew at Newcastle. Against teams in the bottom half of the table, where Newcastle were ready to play proactively, Cabaye played as part of two central midfielders in a 4-4-2 formation. In tougher games, Cabaye was pushed upfield behind one of Demba Ba or Papiss Cisse in the Number 10 position. At Palace, Cabaye can expect the same. He can control midfield alongside Jedinak in games where Palace play proactively, linking up play and creating chances. The setup would be similar in style to Chelsea’s duo of Cesc Fabregas and Nemanja Matic, with one creator and one destroyer. Against the top teams, Cabaye can move further upfield and compete for a spot with Jason Puncheon. Puncheon is an underrated player, and he has put in some great performances for Palace under Pardew. For example, Puncheon scored two goals from direct free-kicks against Manchester City and Liverpool. Cabaye brings a similar threat, as he too is good from set-pieces. Jedinak is also a good free-kick taker, so Palace will be an even bigger threat from set-pieces next season.

The second position Crystal Palace lacked a bit of punch last season was up top. The likes of Shola Ameobi, Fraizer Campbell, Marouane Chamakh and Yaya Sanogo are not the type of quality required to compete for a European place. Sanogo and Ameobi have left, while Chamakh can still be a useful backup who works very hard. Glenn Murray played well last season, while Dwight Gayle is a good option off the bench, bringing speed to run in behind defences when they get tired. The addition of Patrick Bamford on loan could turn to be brilliant. He has been consistently superb in the lower divisions in England, and is coming off of two successful spells in the Championship. He even scored for Middlesborough last season in the FA Cup against Manchester City at the Etihad. Bamford will be keen to take this chance to put himself in Jose Mourinho’s plans for upcoming seasons. To establish himself at Chelsea, Bamford needs a good loan spell. For both parties, Bamford and Palace, the loan spell could well be a successful one. There has been talk of signing Charlie Austin from Queens Park Rangers, and if Palace can pull off a signing of this magnitude, they could be competing for European spots come the end of the season.

Palace have the hallmarks of a side ready to compete. They have quality goalkeepers in Julian Speroni, Alex McCarthy, and Wayne Hennessey, a solid defence and quality going forward in the likes of Wilfried Zaha and especially Yannick Bolasie. These two wingers have proven to be a threat to just about every top side in the league, helping Palace to a number of upsets across these last two seasons in England’s top flight. Add in an established Premier League midfielder in Cabaye and a young striker eager to impress in Bamford and you have a quality team. Considering what Palace did in the second half of last season, they are the team to watch out for in this upcoming Premier League season.

The Atletico Madrid side which won the La Liga title in the 2013-2014 season has truly been broken apart. The side had a commanding goalkeeper in Thibaut Courtois, a solid center-back combination of Diego Godin and Miranda, and one of the best left-backs in Europe in Filipe Luis. Further forward, Atletico had two quality playmakers in Arda Turan and Diego Ribas, and a brilliant striker in Diego Costa. Just two seasons on, it looks like the entire core of the title-winning squad has vanished. Despite that, there is much to look forward to for Atletico Madrid fans in this upcoming season. As the team still contain lots of experience and character through players like Gabi, Juanfran, and Godin, and now have lots of young players with potential ready to impress, like Oliver Torres. Gimenez, and Angel Correa, among others.

Last season definitely felt like a step back for Atletico. They scored less goals, conceded more goals, as they finished third in La Liga. Diego Simeone had to change his side’s system to cope with the departure of Costa and the arrival of Atletico’s newest big striker, Mario Mandzukic. As Mandzukic is less mobile than Costa, who ran the channels for Atletico, Simeone decided to change his side’s defensive high line. Now, Atletico were playing extremely deep with two banks of four in their 4-4-2 system. Simeone also postponed his switch of Koke from a wide midfielder to the center of the pitch, where Koke could see more of the ball and control games from deep. The result of this was football of a lower quality than the previous season. Early in the season, Atletico were scoring set-pieces at an astonishingly high rate, but as the season went on, goals dried up. Mandzukic’s form fell with injury and a lack of trust with Simeone. Atletico struggled to score goals and their physical battles on the pitch became all too common. 

But now change has come. Just one season on, and Atletico have sold big stars in Miranda and Arda Turan. In truth, these departures aren’t as game-breaking as some might think. Miranda has been a fantastic servant for Atletico, but considering he was in the last year of his contract and has now passed the age of 30, Atletico have done well to earn 15 million euros from his sale. In truth, Miranda struggled with form last season, which coincided with the emergence of Jose Gimenez. Gimenez, the young Uruguayan center-back, plays alongside Godin at international level and the two have struck a good partnership. He will surely be a key starting member this upcoming season. For cover, Atletico have Lucas Hernandez returning from a successful loan spell at Getafe this upcoming season. He can cover for Gimenez and Godin. Another great option, obviously, would’ve been Toby Alderweireld, who was recently sold to Tottenham. As it is, Atletico and Simeone have never truly looked confident with Alderweireld, and Atletico’s financial situation requires such sales. Juanfran continues to be brilliant as a right-back, bombing up and down the flank. At left-back, Atletico may need to strengthen. Neither Siqueira nor Cristian Ansaldi truly convinced in the spot last season. Jesus Gamez, who was bought as cover for right-back, played there towards the end of the season, but he was surely a stop-gap replacement. Atletico have strongly been linked with re-signing Filipe Luis, who has failed to make the left-back berth at Chelsea his own. With a new left-back coming in, Atletico’s defense would be ready for the upcoming season.

In terms of Atletico’s midfield, the experienced players are still there in the shape of Gabi, Tiago, and Mario Suarez. Koke is likely to make the transition to central midfield too, as part of a more proactive style of football (rather than reactive). As for the wide options, Atletico have lots to choose from. Saul Niguez came back from a loan spell last season and generally played well on the left hand side of Atletico’s 4-4-2. Another season worth of experience should see him improve this season. Oliver Torres is returning from a good loan spell at Porto, where he played Champions League football and competed for the Liga Portuguesa. Correa is currently injured, but he can play as an attacking midfielder or as a striker for the club. He has pace to burn, which combined with his trickery, makes for a very talented young player. Another player capable of playing a role is Raúl Garcia. He is one of the most experienced players at the club and understands the role Simeone wants him to play clearly. At times, he is asked to play down the right-hand side, other times he is asked to play as the second striker up top and win aerial battles. Lastly, Atletico have signed Belgium international Yannick Ferreira Carrasco from Monaco. Under Leonardo Jardim last season, Monaco played a very disciplined style of football. Ferreira Carrasco will fit right in at Atletico with his tracking back, ability to play well on the counter, and ability to fit right in to the system. He is definitely one to look out for. 

Just three months ago, Atletico’s options up top were Mario Mandzukic, Antoine Griezmann, and Fernando Torres. Now, the options are Griezmann, Torres, Jackson Martinez and Luciano Vietto. Atletico have seriously spent to improve their attacking options this summer. Raúl Jiménez will surely go out on loan, and it will be expected that Martinez and Griezmann will start up top for Atletico. Martinez has a good combination of speed and strength and he will allow Atletico to once again have a mobile striker to play quick, counter-attacking football with. Griezmann doesn’t need any explanation. Luciano Vietto is still a bit raw, but he will surely come on as a substitute as a player with fresh legs ready to change a game. Torres played a similar role last season, coming on in the second half when the opposition got tired, using his pace to get in behind defenses. Torres will surely fall down the pecking order, but can still be a useful player for Atletico, as he sometimes showed this past season. 

All in all, Atletico are ready to shine across the next few seasons. The attacking talents of Ferreira Carrasco, Griezmann, Martinez, Vietto, Correa, among more, will bring back the power up top which was lacking last season. A more established defense and a midfield which will become younger with Koke, Saúl, and Torres, will set a good core for this Atletico side. The big game experience and the character in the dressing room is still present at the club despite the departures, in the forms of Gabi, Tiago, Diego Godin, Juanfran, and Raúl Garcia. Make no mistake, Atletico Madrid will be ready for an assault on the title this upcoming season.  

Throughout the history of soccer, there have been many shocks. Despite this, no underdog side has ever pulled off such an upset at an international tournament. Greece pulled off the impossible in 2004, winning a competition in which they were completely unfancied. Forget about being the football betting favourites for the tournament – they were odds-on favourites to be knocked out in the group stages, and went into every single game with all odds up against them. Over a decade later, they are still well-remembered.

Many people undervalue Greece winning Euro 2004 due to their defensive tactics in the latter stages. In truth, Greece adapted brilliantly to each game, changing styles effortlessly to win. If winning defensively was so easy, there would be more teams pulling upsets like Greece did. They were extremely resilient in the knockout stages of the tournament, as shown by three consecutive 1-0 victories in the knockout stages to win the tournament. Against France, in the quarter-finals, Greece won 1-0 with a headed goal. In the semi-finals, they won 1-0 from a headed goal. In the final against Portugal, they won 1-0 with a headed goal.

Otto Rehhagel did a brilliant job as Greece manager throughout the tournament. In the group stages, Greece beat Portugal 1-0 playing some good soccer. When the knockout stages came, however, Greece changed to a more defensive style. Against France in the quarter-finals, Greece played man-to-man defense. Another tactician who has employed this recently is Marcelo Bielsa, who did this with Athletic Bilbao against Barcelona, and with Marseille against PSG. France played a lopsided formation in this tournament, with Zinedine Zidane playing on the right side of midfield in a 4-4-2, with Thierry Henry and David Trezeguet up top as strikers. To cover this, Greece played two man-marking defenders and one player sweeping up. Trezeguet generally played centrally, so one center-back (Kapsis) marshaled him. Just as he did at Arsenal, Henry naturally dropped off to the left, allowing Greece to mark him with the right-back, Seitaridis. The left-back, Fyssas dropped back when having to cover Zidane. With Zidane moving centrally at times, Fyssas often had lots of space to go forward. Dellas, the second-center back, played as the sweeper. Greece virtually had three central midfielders covering this backline, with Karagounis playing just ahead. The formation played partly as a 4-3-1-2, but due to the man-marking, became lopsided when France’s formation was lopsided. With Czech Republic, who were quite probably the best side in the tournament, also playing a 4-4-2 formation (thereby two up top), Greece employed a similar formation.

In the final, Greece switched tactics due to Portugal’s 4-2-3-1 formation. Portugal were a formidable side, with the likes of Ricardo Carvalho, Deco, Ronaldo, Figo, and Pauleta all starting. Pauleta played as the lone striker, and was a brilliant goalscorer, as shown by his 47 goals in 88 appearances for the national team. If Greece had stuck to the man-marking three man defence, they would have an extra man in defense, causing them to have one less man in midfield. To combat Portugal’s threat, Rehhagel switched to a natural four-man back line for the final. The fullbacks marked Ronaldo and Figo, while Greece equalled Portugal with three midfielders in the center of the pitch. On paper, Greece played a 4-4-2 formation, but Giannakopoulas played higher up on the left, while Zagorakis on the right played more centrally. Greece missed star midfielder Karagounis, who played as the central midfielder furthest forward, allowing more quality going forward. He missed the final through suspension. Up front, Vryzas played as the main striker, with Ginnakopoulas playing high up the pitch supporting him and thereby pushing the usually attack-minded Miguel (right-back) to stay back. Charisteas played in support, shifting into right-sided midfield out of possession. When Greece were in possession, Charisteas shifted to a more familiar central position, with the right-back Seitaridis providing the width going forward. After Greece went up 1-0 due to Charisteas’s goal, Giannakoupoulous came off for Venitidis. Venitidis allowed Greece to play with two lines of four, virtually creating a line of eight defenders, with two forwards ahead.

All in all, Greece brilliantly won Euro 2004 and are not given enough credit. Even if the usual top teams weren’t at their best in the tournament, Greece deservedly won the tournament. They beat Portugal twice, they beat the Czech Republic, and they beat the defending champions, France. This Greece side changed according to the opposition, instead of not changing a winning side game after game. Rehhagel used the strengths of his side to the fullest. Knowing he had a hard-working side with a solid defense, he naturally played defensively. Greece did not have a lot of attacking talent, so to play attacking football in knockout football could have been tactical suicide. They were superb from set-pieces, a quality often seen in overachieving underdog sides. They switched to nullify the opposition, which they did to perfection against France. In the end, Greece managed to pull off the greatest upset in international soccer history.

From 2005 to 2007, Sevilla went through the most successful period in their history, winning the UEFA Cup twice in a row. In this period, they also won the Copa del Rey, the Spanish Super Cup, and the European Super Cup. Despite the fall of manager Juande Ramos after leaving the club, he was considered one of Europe’s up-and-coming managers with his success at Sevilla.

The tactics behind this Sevilla side were far from complicated. They played in a rather basic 4-4-2 formation, a formation which has just now started to make a comeback with the success of Atletico Madrid. While the 4-3-3 and especially the 4-2-3-1 formations have seen success in the past decade, Sevilla proved that the classic 4-4-2 could still compete at the top level. They played with attacking full-backs, one true defensive midfielder, and one striker dropping deeper into space to link up play.

Much of Sevilla’s success can be owed to the good signings made during this time period.   Two of their main strikers, Luis Fabiano and Frederic Kanoute, were signed after disappointing at Porto and Tottenham respectively. Fabiano only scored two goals in 22 league appearances for FC Porto in the 2004-2005 season and Porto were happy to recoup the money they spent on the forward. Fabiano went on to score 72 goals in 149 league appearances for the club. Kanoute fared better at Tottenham Hotspur, scoring 15 league goals in 60 appearances. Even though he did not score that many goals for Spurs, he filled in as a good striking partner alongside Jermain Defoe. Dani Alves – who is expected to depart Barcelona this summer – was signed on the cheap, and in his time at Sevilla, he became one of the best right-backs in the world, showing exceptional talent going forward. Lastly, Enzo Maresca was signed from Juventus as a box-to-box midfielder. While Jose Luis Marti sat deep in midfield as a defensive shield, Enzo Maresca had the freedom to go forward.

Sevilla also benefited from two quick wingers out wide, Antonio Puerta and Jesus Navas. Navas has always provided the Spanish national team with a different outlet – superb speed, capable of direct football by running at the left-back and crossing the ball in. Both wingers emerged from Sevilla’s youth team, and while Navas has gone on to have a very good career, Puerta passed away due to a heart attack in 2007 at the age of 22. Puerta could also play left-back and left wing-back, showing his versatility. He scored the penalty which won Sevilla the UEFA Cup in 2007, months before his death. When Puerta did not play, Adriano played on the left-hand side. Since then, Adriano has moved to Barcelona where he has played left-back, but his attacking qualities have always shown. He is good with both feet, and certainly can provide enough attacking impetus going forward whilst helping his side defensively.

The side’s finest moments certainly came in the UEFA Cup. They won the trophy with a 4-0 win over Middlesbrough in 2006, with Fabiano, Maresca, and Kanoute all scoring goals. In 2007, they defended the trophy by winning on penalties after drawing 2-2 with Espanyol. Under Unai Emery, Sevilla have achieved success, winning the Europa League on penalties last season. They are fighting for a Champions League spot this season in La Liga, and are one of the favorites to win the Europa League this season. Despite this success, they will find it difficult to better the side from 2005 to 2007.

Sevilla (4-4-2): Palop, Dani Alves, Javi Navarro, Escude, Castedo, Navas, Marti, Maresca, Adriano/Puerta, Kanoute/Saviola, Luis Fabiano.

Bayer Leverkusen (4-1-4-1): Butt, Sebescen, Nowotny, Lucio, Placente, Ramelow, Schneider, Basturk, Ballack, Ze Roberto, Neuville.

For a team of so much quality, this Leverkusen side ended the 2001-2002 season without a trophy. They completed the treble of second-place finishes, losing to Real Madrid in the Champions League final, losing the German Cup final to Schalke, and losing the league title on the last day of the season. Due to these failures, many labeled this side as “Bayer Neverkusen”, yet despite the ultimate lack of success, this side did very well throughout the season. This Leverkusen side put on a brilliant Champions League run, defeating Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester United in successive rounds to reach the final. The lineup contained some great players, including Lucio, Ze Roberto and Michael Ballack.

Leverkusen’s manager, Klaus Topmoller did a fantastic job at the club, employing a 4-1-4-1 formation in the 01-02 season. Up front, Oliver Neuville did a superb job. At the time when many sides played with two strikers up front (one target man and one second striker making runs), or a lone target man, Neuville managed to do well despite his lack of height. At 170cm, his movement drew defenders out of position, opening space for the runs of the oncoming midfielders. Michael Ballack benefited from this, as he scored 17 goals in 29 league games and seven in 15 Champions League games. Alongside Ballack in midfield was Yildiray Basturk, who sat and composed play with intelligent passing whilst also going forward. The two wingers, Bernd Schneider and especially Ze Roberto, crossed from wide positions and tracked back to cover Diego Placente and Zoltan Sebescen respectively. The defensive midfielder in the side, Carsten Ramelow played more as an extra center-back or sweeper. He, in truth, was a tall center-back, and played just ahead of Lucio and Jens Nowotny at center-back. Ramelov often dropped deep alongside the center-backs, forming a three-man defense. This allowed the fullbacks Placente and Sebescen freedom to go forward. Also, if only one of the two fullbacks was forward, the fullback on the opposite side could tuck in to form a four-man defense to keep the side organized.

In the end, Leverkusen lost the Champions League final to arguably the most memorable goal in the competition’s history – Zinedine Zidane’s left-footed volley. In the run-in to the final, captain Nowotny suffered a knee injury, missing the final, as did Ze Roberto. Despite Ballack’s heroics, the side were still rather balanced in their goalscoring. A good example of this is the scoring of penalties. Across the league season, Hans-Jorg Butt (the goalkeeper), Ulf Kirsten, Neuville, Ballack, and Thomas Meggle all scored penalties. Apart from Ballack’s goals, both Neuville and Dimitar Berbatov scored goals to lead the charge. Overall, this side displayed many characteristics often seen in soccer today. A not-so-tall forward playing up front as a lone striker, players making forward runs from midfield to score goals, fullbacks pushing forward, and a defensive midfielder who had no purpose to go forward, but instead to cover the center-backs.

Sadly for this Leverkusen side, both Ballack and Ze Roberto were sold to Bayern Munich in the summer of 2002, and subsequently, the side struggled. They finished 15th in the Bundesliga, barely escaping relegation, and went out of the Champions League in the second group stage, failing to clinch a single point. Despite the failures in the following season which saw Topmoller sacked, this Leverkusen side were a team who had never won the Bundesliga in their history and he took them as close to success as possible.

Chelsea FC (4-3-3) Cech, Ferreira, Carvalho, Terry, Gallas, Makelele, Essien/Tiago, Lampard, Robben, Duff, Drogba/Gudjohnsen

Jose Mourinho made his name by winning the 2004 Champions League with FC Porto. The next step in his career would come at Chelsea, where he would win various domestic crowns, creating the greatest team in the club’s history.

In Mourinho’s first season at the club, Chelsea won the Premier League title with a record total of 95 points. While Arsenal’s Invincibles side of 2003-2004 are often considered the greatest Premier League side of all time, it must be remembered that Chelsea only lost one game in the 2004-2005 season. This sole defeat came away at Manchester City, a 1-0 loss in which Nicolas Anelka converted a controversial penalty. And although it may be argued that this side played defensive soccer and that Mourinho had a fantastic side, this Chelsea outfit were the ultimate results-based team. They conceded just 15 goals in 38 games that season, which remains the Premier League record. Nowadays, most teams are unable to go through the first half of the season conceding this many. In the 2005-2006, Chelsea arguably had a better team, and defended the Premier League title. While their points total was lower than the previous season and they lost three more games, they still won 18 out of their 19 games at Stamford Bridge. Here are some key features of the side.

The importance of the 4-3-3

At this time, most teams in the Premier League played the classic 4-4-2 formation. By playing a 4-3-3, Mourinho always had an extra man in midfield. Here are Mourinho’s words on the midfield advantage:

“Look, if I have a triangle in midfield – Claude Makelele behind and two others just in front – I will always have an advantage against a pure 4-4-2 where the central midfielders are side by side. That’s because I will always have an extra man. It starts with Makelele, who is between the lines. If nobody comes to him he can see the whole pitch and has time. If he gets closed down it means one of the two other central midfielders is open. If they are closed down and the other team’s wingers come inside to help, it means there is space now for us on the flank, either for our own wingers or for our full-backs. There is nothing a pure 4-4-2 can do to stop things,” said the Portuguese tactician.

Furthermore, Chelsea had two strikers who assisted the attacking runs of Frank Lampard in rather different ways. Didier Drogba, who was still a bit raw at the time, was able to hold the ball up and feed layoffs to on-running midfielders. Drogba would carry the attention of the two center-backs, providing space for the extra man in midfield to come forward. Chelsea also had Eidur Gudjohnsen who almost played as an extra midfielder, as he dropped deep and linked play. This also allowed Chelsea’s midfielders to push forward, and often created a 4-3-1-2 formation. Other times, Gudjohnsen played in midfield alongside Lampard, creating a sort of 4-1-4-1 formation. This also worked well, with Lampard performing very well, being the club’s top scorer in Mourinho’s first two seasons at the club.

Chelsea’s wingers           

Another key feature of Chelsea’s play was the wing play of Arjen Robben and Damien Duff. They played as inverted wingers (Duff from the left, Robben from the right), and with their lung-busting energy, played a key role in Chelsea’s lightning-quick counter-attacks. By cutting inside, the wingers created space for the fullbacks to come forward on the overlap.

Tiago vs Essien 

One of the key differences between the Chelsea side of 2004-2005 and 2005-2006 was of the difference between Tiago and Michael Essien. In Mourinho’s first season, Tiago arrived from Benfica. He played as a superb link in the midfield, scoring a memorable goal against Manchester United from long range. The following season, Chelsea splashed 26 million euros on Michael Essien to strengthen the midfield. With Makelele and Lampard established in Chelsea’s midfield, Essien took Tiago’s spot. “The Bison” was at his best back then, as a superb box-to-box midfielder, capable of fulfilling defensive responsibilities and smashing shots in from long range. Later, Mourinho admitted that letting Tiago leave was one of his biggest mistakes.

Joe Cole

Chelsea’s squad did not have the most numbers, but in terms of quality in positions, the side excelled. Carlo Cudicini provided competition to Petr Cech in goal, Wayne Bridge to William Gallas for fullback slots, and the most intriguing battle was for the two wide spots. Damien Duff, Arjen Robben, Joe Cole, and Shaun Wright-Phillips all competed for these spots. Robben, at his best, was a firm starter. Often, Duff and Cole competed for spots in the side. Cole was an interesting player. Once thought as the “English Messi”, much of the country’s hope in the future rested upon him. He was more highly-rated than Lampard, yet Lampard went on to achieve a lot more. As a tricky attacking player, many accuse Mourinho of taking away Cole’s freedom through the defensive work he had to do in the side. Others will say that Cole played his best football under Mourinho (which is also true). He ended up scoring a superb goal in the 3-0 victory over Manchester United, which saw Chelsea defend their title in 2005-2006.

The strength at the back 

At the heart of this Chelsea team were two of the greatest center-backs in the world – John Terry and Ricardo Carvalho. Terry, at the time, was in a better peak physical condition, with more pace. His reading of the game has improved over time, however, and Carvalho often covered for Terry. Carvalho was essentially a much better version of David Luiz – a rather quick center-back at the time, who had no problems with pushing forward. He was superb defensively too, as were the two fullbacks. Gallas was solid at left-back, while Paulo Ferreira epitomized ‘solidity’. Far from the showy attacking fullbacks on show today, Ferreira was solid defensively, and in the words of Mourinho, “always put in a 7/10 performance”. Cech was arguably at his best in this time, as many say he has not been the same goalkeeper ever since his head injury. With the covering of Makelele, sitting deep and giving freedom to the rest of the side, the Chelsea defense prospered.

All in all, this Chelsea side contained many brilliant players, many of which spent many glorious seasons at the club. The likes of Carvalho, Lampard, Ferreira and Essien were all fantastic servants of the club. Cech, Terry and Drogba remain today – showing the strength in leadership of the side. From 2004-2006, Chelsea won two Premier League titles and the League Cup. In 2006-2007, the side won a domestic cup double. While they narrowly failed to reach the Champions League final, this side contained many of the players seen in the 2012 winning side. The current Chelsea side have received much praise for their results this season, but they must do a lot more to be considered better than the Chelsea team from a decade ago.

Jose Mourinho, Pep Guardiola, and Carlo Ancelotti are considered to be some of the best managers in the world. At the Ballon D’or this year, Joachim Loew won the Coach of the Year Award after leading Germany to the World Cup title. Yet, despite this, it must be remembered that these managers are in control of some of Europe’s top clubs with resources available to compete at the very top. While Chelsea have restricted their spending to comply with Financial Fair Play, they can comfortably compete at the top of the Premier League. Bayern Munich are by far the best team in Germany, while Real Madrid have made some of the biggest purchases across the past decade. These include Cristiano Ronaldo, Kaka, and Gareth Bale. Loew managed one of the pre-tournament favorites, as Germany lied just behind Brazil and Spain as favorites for the World Cup. One manager has achieved success in the past three seasons without a multitude of resources, breaking the Spanish duopoly of Real Madrid and Barcelona. Step forward, Diego Simeone.

In terms of the TV deals in Spain, Real Madrid and Barcelona receive about 70% of the total money distributed. Atletico Madrid are fourth, behind Real Madrid, Barcelona, and Valencia. While Barcelona and Real Madrid receive 140 million euros each year, Atletico receive just 42 million euros. With the amount of debt the club hold, they cannot spend beyond their means. Also, they were unable to keep hold of two stars in Diego Costa and Filipe Luis when offers came from abroad. Just two seasons ago it was unfathomable for a team like Atletico to win La Liga, but it became a reality last season.

When Simeone took over at Atletico in December of 2011, the side were truly struggling. By the end of the season, Simeone had won the Europa League and also helped the team to a fifth placed finish in La Liga. The side contained players who would become a vital part of the team for the next few seasons. Diego Godin, Miranda, Tiago, Arda Turan, Gabi, Koke and Juanfran were all part of this team. Simeone brought the best out of these players. Before their time at Atletico, few saw the best of Miranda, Gabi, and Juanfran. Even now, Filipe Luis has had to settle for second choice at left-back for Chelsea. While he is still a great player, his defensive performances have not been as good as Cesar Azpilicueta for Chelsea in the chances he has been given. In the 2014 Champions League final, Atletico collapsed when Luis got injured. He was the best left-back in Europe during the 13-14 season, combining superb defending with a great ability to get forward and cross the ball.

In the 2012-2013 season, Atletico qualified for the Champions League with a third placed finish in La Liga. They defeated Chelsea 4-1 in the UEFA Super Cup and showed glimpses their great promise by defeating Real Madrid 2-1 in the Copa del Rey final (even if they had some luck).

And that brings us to Atletico’s greatest accomplishment under Simeone. Radamel Falcao left for Monaco in the summer of 2013 and many questioned who would step up as Atletico’s next great striker. A player who had performed well as a second striker behind Falcao stepped up to carry Atletico – Diego Costa. If anything, Costa did better than Falcao did for Atletico, harassing defenders and contributing more to the team as a whole. Simeone led his side to the Champions League final and won La Liga for his side. Jurgen Klopp is a manager often compared to Simeone, yet Klopp has struggled this season after the departure of Robert Lewandowski. On the other hand, Simeone lost three vital cogs of his team in Thibaut Courtois, Luis, and Costa in one transfer window. Despite this setback, Atletico are still competing.

Teams such as Liverpool and Tottenham have struggled to “replace” the likes of Luis Suarez and Gareth Bale respectively, but Atletico’s transition has almost been seamless. Even though Atletico may not win La Liga this season, their ability to compete at the very top, shown by their four victories over Real Madrid this season exemplify this. Simeone’s side have shown passion and resilience which few other teams have. In the past, it was thought that a team like this could not compete at the very top, but under Simeone’s guidance Atletico have become a quality European outfit.

Fans of the game may respect Simeone, but some complain about the style of soccer his team plays. Nevertheless, a manager has to make the best of his resources and Simeone has done just that. While it is indefensible for a manager to spend hundreds of millions of pounds and to not play attractive football, Simeone’s side are certainly an underdog and do what it takes to win. At the end of the day, the most important thing in soccer is to win. Yes, that may sound simple, but managers such as Arsene Wenger at Arsenal have often shown style over substance does not always translate to trophies. While their rough brutal, soccer against Barcelona a month ago showed a bit of an ugly side to their game, every team has flaws. This Atletico side are able to adapt themselves to each game, as shown by their superb display in their 4-0 victory over Real Madrid.

Simeone has accomplished a feat which few would have imagined just two seasons ago – breaking the Real Madrid and Barcelona duopoly in Spain. Nowadays, Spain have three top teams competing for La Liga and the Champions League. This Atletico side’s accomplishments have been superb, considering the financial gap between themselves and Real Madrid and Barcelona. This could not have been possible without the passionate man on the touchline, Diego “El Cholo” Simeone.

FC Barcelona (4-3-3) Valdes, Alves, Puyol, Pique, Abidal, Toure, Xavi, Iniesta, Messi, Eto’o, Henry

In Pep Guardiola’s first season in charge of Barcelona, they claimed a treble by winning La Liga, the Copa del Rey and the UEFA Champions League. What separates them from many others is the style they played in. At their best, this was as close to footballing utopia as possible. Guardiola came in and did a superb job, selling key players such as Deco and Ronaldinho whilst signing players like Dani Alves and Gerard Pique. The trio of Lionel Messi, Samuel Eto’o and Thierry Henry were clinical, netting one 100 goals between them across the season.

Tactically, Barcelona stuck with the 4-3-3 formation throughout the season. Playing with a very high-line in defense, they played very high up the pitch. The team was superb with its pressing, as they pressed in a harassing-like manner when they lost the ball. The pressing started very high up the pitch, and with multiple players closing down the ball when out of possession, they won the ball back very effectively. Another key idea is the positioning of the fullbacks. Alves played much higher up the pitch than Eric Abidal on the opposite side. Alves provided width down the right, which allowed Messi to cut inside onto his favored left foot from his right-wing position. Henry, on the left, played more like a natural winger, staying wider than Messi. Yaya Toure played deepest in midfield, acting as a defensive shield for the center-backs. This is particularly interesting due to his effectiveness at Manchester City playing in a box-to-box role and scoring goals from midfield. Here, he played a disciplined role in midfield. For example, when both Abidal and Alves pushed forward, Toure dropped into defense as a third center-back. Xavi Hernandez played as a metronome and Andres Iniesta played the furthest forward in the midfield trio. There were some variations to the system, but not many. With Messi’s superb goal output, he was given a chance later into the season to play in the center. In this 4-3-1-2 formation, Messi played as the “False 9”with Henry and Eto’o taking up the left and right wing positions respectively.

Admittedly, Barcelona were lucky to win the Champions League. In the semi-final second leg against Chelsea, Barcelona were fortunate to progress with a late goal from Iniesta, after Chelsea were denied several penalties. On the other hand, Abidal was wrongly sent-off in that match and Barcelona’s performance in the final was superb. In the 2009 Champions League final, Barcelona were truly dominant against Manchester United. At this time, United had Cristiano Ronaldo (in his final season before joining Real Madrid) who was considered the best player in the world. Barcelona played the game without Abidal and Alves in defense. This resulted in Sylvinho playing at left-back and Carlos Puyol playing at right-back (where he started his career). A third position was also affected, as Toure played at center-back, with Sergio Busquets playing the defensive midfield role. These defensive changes were against a strong United side, including the likes of Wayne Rooney, Carlos Tevez, Dimitar Berbatov and Ronaldo in attack. Yet, in the game, Messi tore his opponents to shreds and scored a superb header to help his side to victory. Ronaldo fed off scraps for most of the game. Most of his chances were shots which never truly looked like they would trouble Victor Valdes in the Barcelona goal.

On the other hand, Barcelona thoroughly deserved to win the La Liga title. In the previous season, they had finished 18 points behind Real Madrid, who were champions. One of this side’s most famous performances came at the Bernabeu, in May of 2009, where they beat Madrid 6-2. Other notable victories included a 6-1 victory against Atletico Madrid, and 4-0 victories  over both Valencia and Sevilla. They were dominant in La Liga, defeating top sides by huge margins.

Barcelona’s dominance continued through the next few seasons. While they failed to defend their Champions League title (as is customary), they won a La Liga and Copa del Rey double in the 2009-2010 season. In the 2010-2011 season, they were back to their best, winning a La Liga and Champions League double. By this time, there were some differences. The back four and goalkeeper stayed the same, but Busquets had overtaken Toure in the pecking order to play behind Xavi and Iniesta in midfield. In the 2011 Champions League final, Busquets and Xavi controlled the midfield. Sir Alex Ferguson could only praise the opposition after the final whistle, admitting that United had been beaten by a better side.

Guardiola’s first season was the start of a special period for Barcelona. This side simply played teams off the park. Possessing two of the most talented midfielders of this generation (and of all-time) in Xavi and Iniesta, they controlled games in a way never seen before. Barcelona won the treble in style, earning the respect of football fans all around the world.

In hindsight, seeing the success of FC Porto under Jose Mourinho doesn’t seem as great as it should, looking at the likes of Deco, Ricardo Carvalho and Maniche in the side. Yet when Mourinho took over at FC Porto in January of 2002, the team was going through a tough period. Porto was fifth in the Liga Portuguesa, was in last place in the second stage group of the Champions League, and had been eliminated from the Portuguese Cup. By the time the season had ended, Mourinho’s side had finished in third place and the manager made the promise of making Porto champions the following season. He signed players from clubs in the Portuguesa Liga, including Paulo Ferreira from Vitoria de Setubal and Nuno Valente from Leiria. Across the next two seasons, Porto won two league titles, a Portuguese Cup, one UEFA Cup and the UEFA Champions League.

Credit must be given to Mourinho for getting the best out of his players, as the likes of Paulo Ferreira, Nuno Valente, and Jose Bosingwa looked like some of the best defenders in the world, attacking and defending very well. As all three full backs later came to play in the Premier League, none were able to truly make their mark, with Ferreira the most successful of them all. The fullbacks had the freedom to attack at will due to the part the three central midfielders played in Mourinho’s 4-3-1-2 system. At times, the three midfielders would play almost as if they were three defensive midfielders, covering space in which the absence of a full back may seem dangerous.

Tactically, this side was rather simple. What made them brilliant was the well-drilled nature of the side, something seen in many Mourinho teams, especially in the treble-winning Inter Milan side of 2010. Porto had a rock-solid defense and played a superb offside trap. Porto’s defense played in a rather high line and the whole team worked as a unit. Another key aspect of the side was the ability to shift tactically depending on the opposition, with Mourinho often picking two out of the likes of Carlos Alberto, Benni McCarthy, and Derlei up front for the side, depending on the opposition. For example, in the 2004 Champions League final, Benni McCarthy was dropped to the bench, despite being his side’s top scorer throughout the season with 20 goals. Also, the side pressed superbly, starting from the forward line. This forced opponents to either concede the ball or try longer passes.

A common misconception of the side was of their ultra-defensive nature. In truth, they were a highly adaptable side and both sides of their game could be seen. The most famous victory for the side was in the 2004 Champions League Final. Early into that final, Monaco captain Ludovic Giuly came off with an injury and Monaco shifted into a 4-4-2 formation. With three men in midfield, Mourinho’s side had the advantage of an extra man in midfield. They made the advantage count and after scoring in the first half, played rather defensively in the second half. With Monaco attacking, Porto counter-attacked with their front three (Deco, Derlei, and Carlos Alberto/Alenichev). By finding lots of space on the break, two goals in four second half minutes from Deco and Alenichev saw Porto run 3-0 winners on the night. Their famous Champions League run also saw them play rather defensively against Manchester United, and even better against Deportivo La Coruna in the semi-final, where they sat back and defended superbly over two legs, progressing 1-0 on aggregate. They were also able to play attacking football though, as they showed by defeating a Lyon side containing the likes of Peguy Luyindula, Juninho, and Giovane Elber. They won 4-2 on aggregate in that quarter-final tie.

In terms of underdog success, this side’s Champions League win goes down as one of the last true underdog wins in history. The 2004 Champions League final pitted two rather unfancied sides against one another in Porto and Monaco. In the European Championships that summer, Greece would emerge as champions, completely upsetting the odds. Since then, seeing sides like Porto and Greece in finals has not been seen in big international tournaments or in the Champions League. Nowadays, the likes of Real Madrid, Barcelona, and Bayern Munich have consistently made the semi-finals of the Champions League multiple seasons in a row. Whether we will see another dogged side like Porto, with their success, is a rather good question. Until then, we can pay respects to the side which gave rise to Jose Mourinho.

More than a few eyebrows were raised as David Luiz was selected at center-back as part of the FIFPro World XI at the Balon d’Or event last week. People were shocked to see Luiz ahead of better center-backs, including the likes of Mats Hummels, Thiago Silva, and Diego Godin. In truth, this shouldn’t even be a question. Hummels is still inconsistent at times, Silva has seen a drop in form since the start of the 2014-2015 season, while Godin is arguably playing at his very best. Just seeing a center-back like Luiz as part of the World XI shows the decrease in quality center-backs in this day and age. Looking back a decade ago, to 2005, there were so many superb center-backs on show. The likes of Alessandro Nesta, John Terry, Carles Puyol and Fabio Cannavaro were all superb leaders at the back. In this day and age, these leaders are becoming a rarity.

Yet, if there is one defender who is no-nonsense and defends like those in the past, it is Diego Godin. Godin epitomizes Atletico: a major part of a tough, structured and organized side, both with and without possession of the ball. Godin has truly shown the traits of the successful Atletico side as a superb defender, as he is ready to defend at all costs and ready to play dirty, fighting at all costs for victory. Some might say that he is “nasty”. In truth, defenders may need to be a bit nasty. Players like Carlos Puyol were hardly the softest of players. While Puyol was not a brute to play against, he could be rough when needed to. This fighting spirit, a never-say-die attitude made defenders like Puyol who they were. They were warriors ready to win at any cost. On the other hand, David Luiz failed to inspire his team and saw capitulation in the famous 7-1 loss against Germany in the summer’s World Cup. Luiz’s selection shows how much more worth is given to a player who can score a 30-yard free-kick as compared to a game-winning tackle. A center-back’s first job is to defend, and that is what Godin does. While he is not perfect (as Luciano Vietto showed earlier this season), mistakes from him are few and far between. His consistency in the past two seasons has shown why he is the best in the world at this moment.

Generally playing as the left-sided center-back at Atletico, Godin has played in a high-line of defense for Atletico. When playing deeper, when Atletico defend deep, Godin has been equally as superb for his side. For Uruguay at the World Cup, Godin played as part of three center-backs and still looked solid. Alongside Suarez, Godin led his side into the Round of 16. And with the departure of the likes of Filipe Luis, Thibaut Courtois and Diego Costa, Godin has become even more important for Atletico. He has even played a role in replacing goals, as the Uruguayan defender has been superb at attacking set-pieces for his side, proving to be a menace for opponents in La Liga. His superb form this season has already showed why he should, in all likelihood, be part of next year’s FIFPro XI.

After scoring the vital goal which saw Real Madrid finally capture La Decima, Sergio Ramos was thrown into the pot for winning the Balon d’Or. Ramos’ goals and attacking play overshadowed his defending, as the Netherlands (and more specifically, Arjen Robben) showed at the World Cup. This is not to say that Ramos is not a great defender. He is, but it must also be remembered that Godin has also scored a number of important goals in the past year. Godin’s goals have also shown how key he is for Atletico and Uruguay. Godin scored the header that saw Uruguay beat Italy 1-0 and send them to the second round of the World Cup. He also scored the goal that won Atletico the La Liga title. Also, Godin’s goal in the Champions League final was three minutes away from clinching a European triumph.

To omit a player like Godin from a list of the two best center-backs in Europe is truly a disgrace. In an age lacking true, superb center-backs, Godin remains an exception. Whether leading his side defensively or scoring important goals, Godin has shown exactly the type of defenders the world needs. His leadership skills cannot be denied either, as he has helped shape Gimenez, his Uruguay and Atletico young, center-back partner, and has also worn the captain’s armband for Atletico in Gabi’s absences this season. While the footballing world 20 years from now may not remember Godin as the best center-back of 2014 due to his omission, the true community of football lovers today must pay him credit. He has been fantastic for Atletico and in an age of few fantastic center-backs on show, Godin is currently the best.

As part of a series of the greatest team of the 2000s, the first team to start the list will be the Scudetto winning AS Roma side of the 2000-2001 season. As the last Roma side to win the Scudetto, they had a superb tactician in Fabio Capello leading the side and had players hitting their highest form.

To start the season, Capello was given funds to spend, and he spent over 50 million euros on proven players in Walter Samuel, Emerson, and Gabriel Batistuta. In signing a center-back, a central midfielder and a striker, Capello essentially instilled a new spine into the side. Yet, despite this, Emerson missed the first half of the season due to a serious injury. In this season, many players truly stepped up and performed at a level never seen from them before. This was the first true world-class season from Francesco Totti, while Vincent Candela stepped up as a quality left wing-back for the side. Here are some of the interesting tactical features of the Roma side.

1. The central midfielders

The injury to Emerson meant Tomassi and Christian Zanetti were Roma’s first choice central midfield pairing in a 3-4-1-2 formation. Both, in truth, were far from spectacular players. They did their defensive jobs without much fuss as highly disciplined central midfielders. As none of the front three in Totti, Batistuta and one of Marco Delvecchio or Vincenzo Montella tracked back, the two central midfielders prevented space in the center of the pitch for the opposition to attack.

2. The wing-backs

Vincent Candela and Cafu performed admirably as wing-backs during Roma’s Scudetto winning season. By this time, Cafu was a superb right-back, having captained Brazil to a World Cup in 1994 and leading them to another final in 1998. Cafu was Roma’s assist leader in Serie A, amassing 10 assists during this season. Cafu was what you would expect in a Brazilian full-back, good defensively and very good going forward. Cafu and Roberto Carlos were the true start of attacking full-backs as we see now, including the likes of Dani Alves and Marcelo, among others in recent seasons. Candela, obviously, was not as well-known. While Cafu performed admirably offensively and defensively, Candela did more of an unspectacular job. Despite this, he still managed to score three goals during the season.

3. Strikers

Batistuta was an inspired signing, as his 20 goals led Roma to the Scudetto. In truth, this was his last great season as a striker, as his next season saw him score just six goals. One of the main problems of the side was choosing Batistuta’s strike partner, between Montella and Delvecchio. Delvecchio started the season, as the classic tall targetman holding play up and performing well for the team. As the season went on, however, Montella’s scoring record off the bench meant he started games. Montella was a completely different type of player, as a fast poacher. Delvecchio only scored three goals in the entirety of the Serie A season, while Montella was Roma’s second top scorer, with 14 goals in the league.

4. The Defense

Looking across the great teams throughout the 2000s, there haven’t been many which featured a three-man defense. This Roma side played with three center-backs, and probably succeeded due to the suitability of the players at the side’s disposal. Walter Samuel, who was signed in the summer, slotted into the left-sided role (as he was left-footed) and quite strong. On the right side, Zebina was also strong and played on his natural side. One of Aldair and Antonio Zago played in the center. Aldair or Zago played the role of the extra man when against a two-man attack (as was common at the time, such as a 4-4-2) and carried the ball out from the back. Defensively, the side was superb in its organization. If one wing-back was passed on the flank, that side’s center-back would move out and become a right or left-back. The other two center-backs would almost become natural center-backs and the opposite sided wing-back would come back to play as a natural fullback. For example, if Candela was beaten down the left, Samuel would move out left, Zago and Zebina would function as regular center-backs, and Cafu would tuck in to play as a right-back, forming a back four.

5. Il Capitano

Lastly, how would a Roma side be complete without a mention of their captain, Totti? At 24, Totti had a very good season, even though it was not his best in a Roma shirt. The captain was superb in terms of both supplying goals and scoring them throughout the season. With the defensive cover provided by Javier Zanetti and Damiano Tommasi, Totti performed his trequartista role behind the forwards superbly.

The only regrets in this superb season for the side may come in the cup competitions. Roma were dumped out of the UEFA Cup and the Coppa Italia in the Round of 16. This season was the best from this squad, as they finished second in the following season, before a disappointing season in the 2002-2003 season, finishing in eighth place. Nevertheless, the likes of Batistuta, Montella, and Totti epitomized one of the greatest attacking tridents seen, as they all scored in the penultimate game of the season against Parma, to win Roma the Serie A.

The Copa del Rey has provided some intense moments in recent times, including Gareth Bale’s last gasp winner in the 2014 final, and Miranda’s header in extra time in the 2013 final. Despite the quality of the latter stages of the competition, a trend has repeated itself over and over again in the competition. The trend is of the strongest teams reaching the latter stages of the competition, with underdogs and second Spanish sides failing to cause upsets and reach far into the competition.

Admittedly, once every few years, upsets are seen. The last great upset was Manuel Pellegrini’s Real Madrid losing 4-1 over two legs to Alcorcon of the Segunda Division in the 2009-2010 season. A 4-0 loss away left Madrid’s hopes of reaching the round of 16 in tatters, and a 1-0 win at the Bernabeu could not mask a disappointing defeat in the competition. This victory stands out due to the rarity of upsets in the Copa del Rey. Although it may be argued that better sides remaining in the competition result in a better quality competition, the whole competition seems to be against the idea of helping underdogs provide excitement in the competition.

The format of the competition itself needs change. The current setup means that the teams currently playing in Europe (the top seven sides in La Liga) will face the worst teams in the competition (the teams from the Segunda B) in the first round. Due to this, very little excitement is earned until the round of 16, when almost only La Liga sides are left in the competition. Further limiting the idea of upsets is the two-legged nature of all ties until the final itself. While teams may pull off the occasional upset, to carry out a high level of performance, which often requires some luck, fails to come off across two matches. Often, the “big”teams may rest starters in the early rounds, yet if they suffer a defeat in the first leg of a tie, they can play their strongest team in the second leg. The result is a low number of dream cup runs, seeing an underdog go far into the competition, carrying the support of neutrals. Another advantage the La Liga teams carry is having the second leg at home. If mistakes are made in the away leg, the second leg gives a chance to correct mistakes. In other words, the format virtually guarantees progression for the La Liga sides.

While it may be said that top seven sides are likely to win against most other teams, the format results in the Segunda B sides fielding weakened teams. Due to the stiff competition in the league, wasting valuable fitness is not worth it for these teams. The end result is a competition not worth watching until the big sides play each other in the latter stages. The lack of any Segunda Division side in the quarter-finals of the 2013-2014 edition shows a problem. For example, in the round of 16 last season, Alcorcon defeated Espanyol 1-0 at home. In the second leg, however, they lost 4-2, resulting in elimination. Examples like these repeat consistently in the competition. A better idea may be to play one-legged fixtures until late into the competition. With no “safety”match, both top sides and Segunda Division sides may take the competition more seriously. The chances for the Segunda Division side to progress would significantly increase and there is honestly no need for two legs in early rounds of a cup competition. In recent years, the Champions League has become the true one-and-only cup competition viewers want to watch for quality. Yet, national cup competitions still provide excitement to viewers. While other cup competitions may have their own flaws, the Copa del Rey has many issues, which, if resolved, would certainly boost the excitement and interest of the competition. A more balanced competition would help the competition’s pedigree and make the competition better for true fans of the game.

As the Ballon d’Or announcement comes closer and closer, many have debated between Cristiano Ronaldo and Manuel Neuer for the prestigious award. Looking further back, however, and the 23-man shortlist for the award seems to have its own flaws. A player many felt was unfairly left off the shortlist was Luis Suarez, after his scintillating season with Liverpool, in which he almost single-handedly guided them to the Premier League title. He also guided Uruguay to the round of 16 in the World Cup. His lack of discipline, as he bit Giorgio Chiellini was thought to be the main factor for his omission.

Looking away from Suarez, a notable omission is Luka Modric. The Crotian midfielder may not have achieved World Cup success, yet was one of the most important players in leading Real Madrid to Champions League and Copa del Rey titles last season, as well as winning the UEFA Super Cup this season. While he has spent the last few months injured, his impact was surely greater than Andres Iniesta. Last season, Barcelona failed to win a single trophy, while Spain suffered a group stage exit at the World Cup. Apart from the Clasico in March at the Bernabeu, Iniesta failed to replicate his form of the past. As the FIFA Team of the Year has shown in the past few years, players often seem to be chosen based on reputation, rather than actual performances. For example, in the latest team, Dani Alves has been selected, despite showing a drastic decline in his performances from three seasons ago.

While Modric cannot be called underrated due to the amount of praise he has received over the past year, he has faced similar circumstances. Failing to make both the 23-man shortlist for the Ballon d’Or and the FifPro Team of the Year is unfair, as he was beaten to the position by Xavi, who truly decline last season. It took a long time before he was actually recognized in England and suffered a rather disappointing first half season in Spain. At Tottenham Hotspur, Harry Redknapp often played Modric out on the left in a 4-4-2 during 2010-2011 season in the absence of Gareth Bale. Many questioned the impact of Modric on the left, and while they were not wrong, he allowed Spurs to have tighter control defensively in midfield and still provided a metronome to link play cutting inside from the left, as Spurs were able to play two defensive midfielders in the center, such as Tom Huddlestone and Jermaine Jenas. On the right side, Aaron Lennon provided pace to support two players further forward.

When Modric initially joined the club, he played as an attacking midfielder. Similarly to many quality deep-lying playmakers, Modric made the step further deeper after playing forward. Another player who made this transition was Andrea Pirlo. While Modric had a lack of physicality in midfield, his pairing with Tom Huddlestone allowed Spurs to attack quickly after winning the ball. His role was to move forward at pace with the ball, finding the likes of Bale, Lennon, and Rafael van der Vaart in a rather simple system. Despite his important role, many questioned his importance, saying how his sideways passes and long diagonals did not truly add to the game, while he did not score many and did not provide enough assists to be thought of as a fantastic midfielder. In truth, this problem may lie within the English system. Players in the mold of a Frank Lampard or a Steven Gerrard are more appreciated, as they score more and play as the “main men”. Modric influenced the team in a unique way, without having to score goals for his side.

At Madrid, Modric was rather unfairly awarded the worst signing of 2012 in La Liga by the Marca. Although Marca is hardly a credible source, Modric had failed to establish himself as a regular in the Madrid side. In truth, he had no identity in the team at that time. He could not replace Xabi Alonso as the deep-lying playmaker and could not replace Mesut Ozil as the No. 10 playmaker. As the season progressed, Modric started to play a more vital role. A key example of the impact Modric made was in the second leg of the round of 16 tie at Old Trafford against Manchester United. With Madrid 1-0 down and Nani sent-off, Modric came on and scored a superb strike from outside the box. He also played a role in the second goal. In this game, Modric played at the same time as Ozil, suggesting a deeper role truly suited him.

Fast forward one season, and Modric had his greatest season yet. In a team struggling for balance in the early part of the season, manager Carlo Ancelotti switched to a 4-3-3 formation. Xabi Alonso played deepest, winning tackles and keeping possession. Di Maria provided the link between defense and attack, picking the ball up and launching forward at pace with his directness, suggesting his impact was greater through the center than out wide, where he played under Jose Mourinho. Modric played in between the two, as a sort of mediator. His energy in helping win the ball back and providing stability in midfield was key to Madrid. A key importance of Modric was in the first leg of the Champions League semi-final against Bayern Munich at the Bernabeu, which Madrid won 1-0. With Madrid playing on the counter, they played a fast, free-flowing game. Up against a midfield containing the likes of Philipp Lahm, Bastian Schweinsteiger and Toni Kroos, Modric managed to complete 97% of his passes, despite his side only having 38% of the possession and attacking in quick transitions. In the second half, Modric failed to displace a single one of his 24 passes. Modric’s ability to read a game has always been a key asset, and three vital interceptions in this game showed that. Also, Modric made four clearances, showing his key impact defensively and in supporting the attack.

With the increased awareness to the importance of players like Xavi and Pirlo over the past few seasons, few would have envisioned a player of the calibre of Luka Modric to miss out on nominations for the Ballon d’Or. Unfortunately, the selection process showed its flaws with his lack of selection, as it has done in the past. In truth, the Ballon d’Or has failed to truly recognize the world’s top players since its inception, with national team captains and coaches votes, meaning the whole process has become a popularity contest and in many ways, a mini political campaign.

While Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have both been worthy of the award as a reward for their tremendous seasons, injustices have also resulted. The biggest case occurred in 2010. Diego Milito, who scored 30 goals to lead Inter Milan to an unprecedented treble, scoring the goals that won Inter the Coppa Italia, the Serie A title and in the Champions League final, failed to even make the final 23-man shortlist. Wesley Sneijder, another key player in the Inter side, as well as leading the Netherlands to the World Cup final, scoring five goals on route to the final, failed to ever make the top three. And even though the nomination may not be the end of the world, the whole idea of the award surely needs a revamp. Even though players like Paolo Maldini did not need a World Player of the Year award to celebrate their greateness, an injustice is not justified. Modric deserves credit for the way he played across 2014, and despite the snub of the Ballon d’Or, football followers will appreciate his impact on the game as a quality playmaker with a unique combination of traits.

Jose Mourinho displayed his anger with the performance of his Chelsea team against QPR on Saturday. According to Mourinho, only one player had played well on the day – Oscar. The Brazilian scored an absolutely brilliant goal with the outside of his right foot, but his contributions to the game are greater than that. The goal showed what Oscar can do at his very best going forward, and he’s shown glimpses in the past, including his spectacular goal against Juventus at Stamford Bridge on his Champions League debut.

In the past, when 4-4-2 and 4-4-1-1 were the most common formations throughout Europe, most players playing off of the main striker were a “second striker”or a “withdrawn forward”. While they played an important role in the creation of goals, they scored lots of goals, usually in double figures. Examples of players like this are Roberto Baggio, Del Piero, and Francesco Totti. Over time, the 4-2-3-1 has become quite common in Europe. The formation allows for a true “No. 10”to be played behind a lone striker, and while the goal input from these playmakers has been heavily reduced, their assist count has rocketed. A great example of the modern playmaker is Mesut Ozil, who created a whopping 492 chances for his teammates from 2008-2013. Ozil has never been known as a great goalscorer, as he not very good with his weaker right foot, and often poor with his finishing. Nevertheless, he has tallied a very high assist rate, reaching extraordinary levels during his time at Real Madrid.

Oscar, however is a very different player to the average playmaker nowadays. While the likes of Wesley Sneijder have balanced scoring with assisting, few playmakers work as hard as Oscar defensively. Leading up to the 2014 World Cup final, Oscar had completed the most successful tackles of any player in the tournament. His immense work rate does not stand out against average Premier League teams, but in the big games, he is key to Chelsea’s hopes of winning trophies. Last season, he was the first defensive line for Mourinho’s Chelsea. Jose Mourinho believed in Oscar to be his No. 10 ahead of Juan Mata, a superb playmaker, but one who offers little defensively. With hard-working wingers on each side, Chelsea were able to keep a superb defensive record in the Premier League. Recently, in Chelsea’s 2-0 win over Arsenal, Eden Hazard, Cesc Fabregas, and Diego Costa were praised. Hazard had embarked on a fantastic run to win a penalty, Fabregas had played a delicious ball over-the-top for Costa to run into, and he superbly finished past Szczesny. The Arsenal game was just one example of the attention the likes of Costa, Hazard, Fabregas, and even Nemanja Matic have received this season. On that day, Oscar was the key player for Chelsea, superbly pressing and winning the ball back, even defending in his own box at times. His stamina and commitment are brilliant, especially for a player who has played nonstop ever since joining Chelsea in the summer of 2012, as he is yet to spend a summer on vacation due to various international commitments.

As mentioned, Oscar’s superb tackling and pressing abilities are key for Chelsea in the big games. The importance cannot be devalued, especially due to Fabregas playing in the pivot (as part of the two in defensive midfield) in Chelsea’s 4-2-3-1 formation. Fabregas has never been known for his defensive ability and does not have the greatest pace, often leaving the Chelsea defense exposed. Against the teams in the bottom half of the Premier League table, he is exactly what Chelsea needed. He is a player who can control the tempo of a game, picks out passes for players in tight situations, and has the ability to score goals. Playing further forward, often as a No. 10 at Arsenal, Fabregas did not have any defensive responsibility. At Chelsea, Fabregas has had to adapt, and he has done fairly well, making more challenges than seen in the past. Nevertheless, his defensive ability is a weakness, which can be exploited. There is no questioning his impact at the club, as seen by his chance creation and 10 assists, but there is a reason he has performed poorly in the two biggest games of Chelsea’s season thus far, against Manchester City and against Manchester United. Oscar is key in those games, providing a line of defense ahead of Chelsea’s pivot, so that Fabregas’defensive deficiencies and Matic’s lack of pace (although he has been absolutely superb for Chelsea this season), can be covered. Oscar’s interchanging of positions with Fabregas has also been successful, bringing an element of unpredictability to the team going forward, as well as making it tougher for opponents to mark Fabregas.

Mourinho clearly had a vision when he entrusted Oscar as the No. 10 in his new Chelsea team upon his return to Stamford Bridge. To oust fan-favorite Mata was a bold decision, but Oscar has shown that he is ready to fill the boots. At the tender age of 23, Oscar still has a long way to go, and time is on his side to truly fulfill his potential. His finishing can be superb, but at times, his final pass as a playmaker is lacking. For a man with a light frame, Oscar is certainly not light going into challenges. With a World Cup on the horizon, Oscar’s form dipped towards the end of last season. Now, with no distractions in front of him, Oscar is ready to step up for Chelsea and become the player he can become, spearheading a young, energetic Chelsea side for years to come.

Although Borussia Dortmund’s win over St Pauli in the DFB-Pokal eased some tensions, problems still remain, as Dortmund have made a terrible start to the Bundesliga season. Already 14 points behind league-leading Bayern Munich, Dortmund have only won two out of their opening nine games of the season. On the other hand, they are sitting top of their Champions League group, including a superb performance at the Westfalenstadion against Arsenal. It is easy to blame a multitude of injuries and the loss of Robert Lewandowski for their struggles. However, there are other problems which need addressing if they are to recover and gain a place in next season’s UEFA Champions League.

Admittedly, injuries are the quick scapegoat as to why Dortmund have been so poor domestically. Having seen deep-lying playmaker Ilkay Gundogan out for almost all of last season affected Dortmund, but Nuri Sahin has filled in quite well, showing the type of form which saw Real Madrid sign him. Injuries to Neven Subotic and Lukasz Piszczek have weakened the Dortmund backline. Piszczek has only recently started to show the type of quality form expected of him – excellent going forward and solid defensively. Subotic, on the other hand, is struggling. Mats Hummels has been a target for the likes of Manchester United and Barcelona in the past few seasons, but Dortmund fans will tell you that Subotic has also been excellent in Dortmund’s rise. Two seasons ago, as Hummels passed through a poor run of form, Subotic put in solid displays. Unfortunately, not as many people noticed. Now, Dortmund is suffering due to his performances.

Another problem exaggerated by many are the arrivals of Ciro Immobile and Adrian Ramos. Robert Lewandowski was exceptional for Dortmund, and at times last season, single-handedly carried the team with his goalscoring ability. Lewandowski fit the style of the team, and even though in his first season at the club, he was behind Lucas Barrios in the pecking order, Lewandowski made an impact off the bench. The very next season, he was starting for the club. His running ability and link up play was admired by many.

His “replacement”, Serie A top scorer Immobile is a different type of player. First of all, Immobile must be applauded for his stunning season last year with Torino, against the likes of Carlos Tevez and Gonzalo Higuain, who play for Juventus and Napoli respectively. A classic ‘in-the-box’ striker, his ability in the penalty box is second to none. Nevertheless, his goal against Arsenal in the Champions League showcased his ability – quick in acceleration and superb in finishing. Naturally, it will take time for him to completely settle into the team and his goalscoring record for Dortmund is hardly bad.

On a side note, it could easily be argued that Dortmund miss the influence of Mario Gotze more than Lewandowski, a player who led the team forward, playing in the No. 10 role.

A real difference between Dortmund’s Champions League and Bundesliga opposition is the style of play. In the Champions League, football is usually played at a slower tempo and a greater number of teams play a rather attack-minded, if not expansive, type of football.

In the Bundesliga, teams are starting to understand Dortmund’s deficiencies. Leaving no gaps, they are committed in shutting off Dortmund by sitting deep. With the high-tempo style of Dortmund’s play, errors naturally occur and opposition teams in the Bundesliga have taken full advantage. At times, Dortmund’s finishing has let them down, but the same excuse cannot be used every time.

In contrast, the Champions League has shown the best out of Dortmund. Arsenal visited Signal Iduna Park and tried playing their style – a possession game in which the defensive midfielders are central midfielders trying to link play with the attacking three behind the striker. The space between the back four and the defensive midfield was exploited by Dortmund and they could have won by a larger 2-0 scoreline.

If given space, Dortmund will still punish you. The display they showed at their peak, defeating Mourinho’s Real Madrid 4-1 at the same stadium back in 2013 showed Dortmund at their best. On that night, they were relentless, fearless, playing with absolute passion.

Dortmund’s poor defending has also been a cause for concern this season. Matthias Ginter was signed from SC Freiburg as a young center-back who could gain experience, leading the defense in the future. Having been part of Germany’s World Cup winning squad (although he did not play a single minute) the future looks bright for Ginter. So far, this has not been the case. His worst performance came against Bayer Leverkusen at home, where Dortmund lost 2-0. This is not something unusual, as the pressure of playing for a big team can be overwhelming for a young player, with Ginter only 20.

Unfortunately for Dortmund, they need players to be able to perform at this time. Subotic’s return from injury has seen him struggle to retain his best form. This leaves Sokratis Papastathapoulos, who has often played at right-back in the absence of Piszczek. Dortmund’s style of football also sees them leave gaps in their defense. Playing at a rigorous tempo with a high-line can be exploited on the counter, as teams have done. A possible solution for Jurgen Klopp is to slightly change his team’s playing style at periods of games, possibly recuperating energy and controlling the tempo.

Dortmund have the mettle to recover and a coach who can help guide his team back to form. However, injuries to key player such as Kuba Blaszczykowski and Marco Reus have affected the team, but they still have enough quality in their ranks to do better. Klopp must be open to changing his team’s style of play to ensure every type of opposition doesn’t know exactly how to set up against Dortmund.

A key element to their play is the ability to drag opposition players towards one side of the pitch, and then to quickly switch play to the opposite side of the pitch and open up the field. With tight defenses, this sort of play is not possible. Dortmund have sufficient time to rescue their season, a failure to do so could see star players moving to other clubs.

One thing is for sure though – write Dortmund off at your peril.

A square-off between the mentor and his protege occurs at Old Trafford on Sunday (Noon ET on free-to-air NBC in the United States) when Manchester United host Chelsea.

In the past decade, these two teams have competed with one another for the Premier League title on multiple occasions, from the start of Jose Mourinho’s first spell at Chelsea to Carlo Ancelotti’s two seasons at the club. Leading up to last season, Manchester United had become favorites in the match-up, as they won the title in the 10/11 and 12/13 seasons, while Chelsea won their last league title in 2010. However, the retirement of Sir Alex Ferguson saw a decline in the power of Manchester United, and with the subsequent return of Mourinho, Chelsea are the favorites going into the game following their unbeaten start to the season.

Last season, these two teams played out a rather boring 0-0 draw. Jose Mourinho seemed satisfied with the point and for David Moyes, it was a decent result in a difficult period of games to start his tenure at the club. On that night, Mourinho raised some eyebrows by playing Andre Schurrle as the “False 9”, dropping Fernando Torres to the bench. Schurrle, like many of his teammates, failed to perform on the night. Despite this, an interesting match should result this time around.

While Louis van Gaal’s side have not made a great start to the season, he tries to deliver attacking football. Mourinho will definitely not try to “park the bus”as he did last season. Seeing Manchester United’s high-line against West Brom, it would not be surprising to see Mourinho tell his side to play effectively on the counter-attack. Manchester United will be happy to keep possession, while Chelsea are able to play in a multitude of ways. They won’t play as defensively as they did at City, as they will be chasing three points against a United side still attempting to reach its potential.

Luckily for United, they are facing Chelsea at a time where the club has been struck by injuries. Chelsea, usually fantastic at keeping players injury-free, have suffered from injuries to Diego Costa, John Obi Mikel, Ramires, and Andre Schurrle in recent weeks. Mourinho has hinted at the return of Costa and Mikel, while Schurrle will be back. However, Cesar Azpilicueta’s suspension and Loic Remy’s groin injury in midweek has resulted in the depth of Mourinho’s squad being tested. Filipe Luis should make his first Premier League start at left-back in the absence of Azpilicueta, while Didier Drogba could get the nod up front ahead of Schurrle if Costa is unfit. Willian, usually chosen for the big games due to his fantastic work-rate, in all likelihood, will start on the right.

Manchester United will be happy that Angel di Maria will be fit for the game, despite being taken off against West Brom.  Michael Carrick will be returning from injury. Antonio Valencia and Paddy McNair, however, will miss the game due to hamstring injuries, while Jonny Evans is also out. Wayne Rooney finishes his three-game suspension following his red card against West Ham United.

Form-wise, Chelsea are topping the league by 5 points eight games into the season. They are carrying a record of 7 wins and 1 draw so far this season. United’s season started with a host of injuries, while late signings in the transfer window have also disrupted the settling of players. Van Gaal’s attempt to play three at the back has already been repealed, as they have have won only 3 out of their opening eight fixtures. Historically, van Gaal’s sides start out seasons poorly and usually get into form during October-November, as shown by his double-winning season at Bayern Munich in the 2009-2010 season, where his side also reached the Champions League Final, coincidentally losing to Mourinho’s Inter Milan side.

Predicted Line-ups:

Manchester United (4-3-1-2) De Gea, Rafael, Jones, Rojo, Shaw, Herrera, Blind, Di Maria, Mata, Falcao, Van Persie.

Who to look out for: Di Maria; He has made a seamless transition into the Premier League, using his direct running at pace in midfield to lead Manchester United. Has scored 3 goals in 5 Premier League games, and is already looking like one of the signings of the season.

Chelsea (4-2-3-1) Courtois, Ivanovic, Cahill, Terry, Luis, Matic, Fabregas, Hazard, Oscar, Willian, Drogba.

Who to look out for: Eden Hazard; In truth, many players could have been chosen for Chelsea. Oscar is the first line of true defense, while both Matic and Fabregas are key for the team. If Diego Costa is unfit, however, Hazard might have to step up and produce for Chelsea. He carried the team at times last season, and after a superb performance against Maribor in the Champions League, the stage is set for Hazard to showcase his talents at Old Trafford.

Prediction: Manchester United 1-3 Chelsea

Chelsea’s defense has not been at its best this season, partly due to more focus on attacking play. With Di Maria in form and quality up front in the likes of Falcao and Mata, it wouldn’t be surprising to see United score. Chelsea should be able to win though. Despite injuries to strikers, they still have enough quality to score on a United defense which has looked poor so far this season. If Diego Costa is fit, Chelsea could find themselves continuing their good start to the season.

League leaders Chelsea came to Selhurst Park attempting to keep their lead at the top of the Premier League at 5 points. Having suffered a defeat there last season, Chelsea made sure they were better equipped for Crystal Palace’s pressure. They emerged victorious 2-1, with goals from Oscar and Cesc Fabregas. Frazier Campbell replied late on with a goal from Wilfried Zaha’s ball across the box, but the Eagles were unable to score an equalizer.

Here are the player ratings:

Crystal Palace

Julian Speroni –6.5/10

The fan-favorite around Selhurst Park could not be blamed for either of Chelsea’s two goals. Apart from the two goals, he was hardly tested.

Martin Kelly–6/10

Faced the tough assignment of limiting the influence of Eden Hazard. Put in a decent performance, without really standing out.

Brede Hangeland –5.5/10

The former Fulham captain did not have a true player to mark, as Loic Remy felt more inclined to drop deep and link up play.

Damien Delaney –3/10

Lunged in when he did not need to early on against Willian, which resulted in Chelsea scoring in a free-kick. Another poor challenge, this time on Remy, resulted in a yellow card. Showed stupidity in holding back Remy when his team were up a man to get himself sent off in a poor performance.

Joel Ward –6.5/10

Played a nice ball early in the game to Bolasie and generally performed well. Had a great block on a Hazard strike in the first half. Whenever he cut back on his right foot to cross, however, there was no end product.

Mile Jedinak–6/10

Played in his usual role deep in midfield, where he passes the ball and makes tackles. Gave too much space to the likes of Fabregas and Matic in the second half, after Delaney had been sent off.

Joe Ledley–5.5/10

Put in a shift for his team, passing with accuracy, and ran as much as he could. Taken off for Mariappa in the second half when his side were two goals down.

James McArthur–6/10

Pressed very well early on against Chelsea’s midfield/attack, as he exerted as much energy as possible.  Cleared John Terry’s header off of the line. After a clearance in the second half, he had to be taken off with an apparent thigh injury.

Jason Puncheon –6/10

Was far from his best on the night, as he was unable to cut inside on his left foot. The one time he did, he forced a good save from Courtois. Never really tested Azpilicueta or Filipe Luis.

Yannick Bolasie –7/10

Tested Ivanovic with his pace and trickery, and almost scored late on, if not for a brilliant sliding challenge from Gary Cahill.

Frazier Campbell –8/10

A constant thorn in the first half for Gary Cahill, as he used his pace to beat the English center-back twice, once forcing a save from Courtois. Caused problems for the defense, and was rewarded with a goal late on.

Subs

Adrian Mariappa –5.5/10

Slotted into Delaney’s center-back position and did not make any great contribution of note.

Wilfried Zaha –7/10

Came on and made a real difference for Crystal Palace. Tested Ivanovic with his skill and beat Filipe Luis on the right hand side to set up Campbell’s late goal.

Guedioura–5/10

The Moroccan international came on in the second half, but did inspire confidence. His passing was poor, and did not really offer Palace an attacking threat.

Chelsea

Thibaut Courtois  –7

Was tested early on from Frazier Campbell strike, which he duly saved and also had a good save from a Puncheon strike. His fast distribution was a good asset for Chelsea, as it allowed the team to start counter-attacks. Was caught in no man’s land from a corner, however. Will be disappointed not to keep a clean sheet.

Branislav Ivanovic–6.5/10

Had a difficult opponent in Bolasie early on, but still kept the Palace man in check. Faced Zaha in the second half, and once again, the Serbian captain adapted well. Showed great strength to keep the ball in the build-up to Chelsea’s second goal.

Gary Cahill –5.5/10

Had one of his toughest nights in a long time up against Campbell. Was beaten too easily on more than one occasion. Saved his team with a brilliant sliding challenge to deny Bolasie from scoring late on.

John Terry –6.5/10

The Chelsea captain put in a solid performance. Almost scored with a flicked header from a corner, and set up a chance for Matic with a good header. Beaten by Campbell’s pace in the first half, for which he was possibly lucky to receive no yellow card.

Cesar Azpilicueta–4

Chelsea Mr. Reliable was sent-off for a poor two-footed challenge on Jedinak, which could have cost his team. Had a good clearing header in the first half to put the ball out for a corner.

Nemanja Matic –7.5/10

He dropped deep between his center-backs to start attacks, and found lots of space in the second half to keep possession of the ball. At times, he was overrun in the first half on the counter-attack, due to his lack of pace. Had two poor shots which failed to test Speroni, but came close with a header in the first half.

Cesc Fabregas–8/10

Kept possession with ease throughout the game, especially in the second half. Could have been sent off for a scuffle with Campbell when Azpilicueta was sent-off. Scored a brilliant team move by giving Speroni the eyes and finishing inside the near post.

Eden Hazard–7

Was not at his best, but still put in a good performance. Drew fouls from Kelly and buzzed around with ease. Came close with a strike wide of Speroni’s goal in the second half. A dreadful pass almost led to a goal for Palace midway throughout the second half.

Oscar –8.5/10

Man of the Match. Scored a free-kick across Speroni and into the far post early on, a carbon copy of the one he scored against Stoke in January. Tackled very well, as he always does, putting in a shift for the team. Set up Fabregas’s goal for good measure.

Willian –6.5/10

Drew a foul from Delaney, which resulted in a Chelsea goal. Showed the type of energy Chelsea needed in this sort of game. Unlucky to be taken off when Azpilicueta was sent off.

Loic Remy –6.5/10

Usually a player who runs in behind, Remy played well by dropping deep and linking up play. Did not really have any chances to score.

Subs

Filipe Luis – 7/10

Brought on to fill in at left-back following Azpilicueta’s dismissal. A poor challenge on Puncheon resulted in a free-kick for Palace. In the second half, he was superb, making a number of interceptions, going forward at ease. Beaten too easily by Zaha for Palace’s goal, however.

Mohamed Salah –N/A

Did not really receive the ball enough to make an impact after coming on. Had one good run, and in the next few weeks, he will probably be playing more games.

Didier Drogba – N/A

Came on to hold out the game and showed strength against the Palace defenSe.

Follow me on Twitter for football discussion @PrezunesRashid 

On August 15, 2011, FC Barcelona had finally agreed a deal to sign Cesc Fabregas from Arsenal. The move occurred after one of the longest transfer sagas in history, and there was much hype surrounding the move. Just three days later, Fabregas made his debut in the Spanish Super Cup second-leg as a substitute, as Barcelona lifted the trophy against Real Madrid. Fast forward eight days later, and Fabregas scored as Barcelona lifted the UEFA Super Cup, beating FC Porto 2-0.

Fabregas had started off well. He fit in perfectly with the team, and just as everyone imagined, it felt like a marriage made in heaven. Fabregas was supposed to be the heir to Xavi, to pull the strings in midfield when Xavi stepped down, and lead Barcelona into the future.

However, as time passed, Fabregas did not play in the Barcelona midfield, and instead, played further forward. Often playing as a “False 9” whenever Lionel Messi was absent, Fabregas scored and assisted many goals in the first half of the season, as he still made an impact. Come the end of the season, Barcelona lifted the Copa del Rey, which for a team of their expectations, was certainly a letdown. Euro 2012 came, and this gave the Spanish contingent a chance of defending their European crown. With the likes of Roberto Soldado, Fernando Torres, and Fernando Llorente among the striking ranks, Spain boss Vicente del Bosque decided to play Fabregas as the “False 9”. Spain defended their trophy, but once again Fabregas was played out of position.

Skipping forward two years, Fabregas was sold to Chelsea, while Barcelona replaced him with Ivan Rakitic (the Croat captained Sevilla to a Europa League victory in his final season).

The whole Fabregas affair left both the player and Barcelona with a wry taste in their mouths, as the expected outcome had not taken place. Instead of replacing Xavi, Fabregas had left the club before the Barcelona legend, and Fabregas never really fit into the team. This came as a shock, as Fabregas was a player who came through the famous La Masia Barcelona youth academy. Raised and taught to play tiki-taka, Fabregas played like he was restricted by the style of football. The reason for this comes from his true footballing education, Arsenal.

When he signed for Barcelona, Fabregas thanked Arsene Wenger, saying that he was like a “second father” to him. Wenger developed Fabregas into the player he became, giving the player his debut at the tender age of 16, and entrusting him with the club’s captaincy at the age of 21. Wenger believed in Fabregas, and Fabregas paid back his manager. In the second half of the 2010-2011 season, Fabregas played in the number 10 role behind Robin Van Persie. With little defensive responsibility, Fabregas pulled the strings as the playmaker behind a striker in great form, with Jack Wilshere and Alex Song sitting deeper, and Theo Walcott making inside-forward runs from the right. Fabregas performed at a very high level in this position, and a great example of his role was shown in the 2-0 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers at the Emirates. While Wolves are hardly the best of competitors, the game personified Fabregas’s progression into the number 10 role, playing through balls in behind. For the first goal, Fabregas sent in a lovely cross, which Van Persie volleyed into the back of the net. The second goal was a counter-attacking goal, which saw Fabregas play a brilliant through-ball on the turn into Theo Walcott, who squared for Van Persie to score.

At this point, in early February, Arsenal were riding high, and were still in the race for all of the four competitions they were involved in. In typical Arsenal fashion, injuries came and they ended the season without a single trophy. That season, Arsenal scored the most goals from counter-attacks in the Premier League.

Arsenal’s style of football is said to be the closest to that of Barcelona. Both teams always like to keep possession. However, Arsenal are much more direct than Barcelona. Fabregas always tried playing through-balls behind opposition defenses at Arsenal, and this continued trend did him no favors at Barcelona. At Barcelona, the players pass the ball until they find a true opening in the opposition defense to exploit, and then the ball is played in to that player. Fabregas, in his time at Barcelona, was often accused of giving away possession all too often. He tried playing the ball in behind too many times, often resulting in the opposition gaining possession of the ball. This continued trend has shown at Chelsea. Against Manchester City at the Etihad, in the second half, Fabregas tried playing Costa in behind Mangala and Kompany. Every time he did, Manchester City regained possession of the ball and gained the chance to counter-attack Chelsea. The difference is that Mourinho signed Fabregas to play a striker in behind, to provide through-balls so that Chelsea could break down teams. Barcelona, on the other hand, are required to break down teams weekly, and do not necessarily need a Fabregas to expertise in the role.

Despite everything said, there were other key factors as to why Fabregas did not completely succeed at Barcelona. When he came to the club, Barcelona had a midfield three of Busquets, Xavi, and Iniesta, a trio at the top of their game. There was no way any one of them would lose their position to Fabregas immediately. Fabregas was and never will be a Busquets type of player, and his role is also different than that of Xavi’s. Xavi dictates play, keeps the tempo of the game, while Fabregas is more of a true playmaker. However, by the 2013-2014 season, Xavi’s steady decline started to show. While still a great player, Xavi did not perform at the same levels of past seasons. Fabregas must also take the blame for not performing well in the second half of seasons. In his time at Barcelona, no other player tallied as many assists as him. A majority of these came in the first half of each season. When he left for Chelsea, the official FC Barcelona website shot a parting blow at the player, stating that he did not perform at the level required in the second half of each season he was there.

Fabregas’s form so far at Chelsea has earned him many plaudits. However, his form is hardly a surprise. Fabregas has always been known as a fantastic midfielder, which is why he has attained 92 caps for the Spanish National Team, not an easy accomplishment in a stacked side. Despite this, he has often come off the bench and not started in many of his appearances. His impact has often been vital, as Fabregas scored the winning penalty to put Spain into the Euro 2008 Final, set up the winning goal in the 2010 World Cup Final, and played an important role in Spain’s capturing of Euro 2012. Jose Mourinho has provided Fabregas with the freedom of playing where he feels best, in midfield, and not fitting him onto the pitch in positions where he is a square peg in a round hole. Mourinho calls his position as the “Number 8”, where Fabregas is in charge of helping his side control the game, but to also take up the Number 10 role, often switching positions with Oscar. Fabregas’s passing ability has never been in question, and his passes to Andre Schurrle and Diego Costa against Burnley and Arsenal respectively have earned him lots of praise. Mourinho, by placing Fabregas a bit deeper, has required him to improve defensively, putting in more tackles than before. At Arsenal, Fabregas was the focal point of the team in his later years there. As the Number 10, he was the main man. At Chelsea, the team is filled with stars, including Eden Hazard and Diego Costa ahead of him. However, Jose Mourinho has made the importance of Fabregas clear, and the player has put in superb performances all season.

Performing well again, Fabregas is a key cog in Chelsea’s rank, as they aspire to win the Premier League and conquer Europe. Come the end of the season, he will be truly judged, but for now, Cesc Fabregas is hitting all the right notes, and so are Chelsea.

Follow Saad on Twitter @PrezunesRashid.

When thinking of the two main companies for sports, whether it may be footwear or kits, the names that immediately come to everyone’s mouths are Nike and Adidas. A good example of this is two of the biggest football/soccer clubs in Europe, Real Madrid and FC Barcelona. Madrid is sponsored by Adidas, while FC Barcelona is sponsored by Nike. Nike, as you would expect, has a healthy lead over its competitors, with the company’s appeal across the globe being unmatched. Unlike the past, however, Adidas’ sales are falling short. While the brand still holds second position in sportswear-making globally, the decrease in sales in the United States are holding the company back.

Adidas’ sales of athletic footwear and apparel have fallen 23% from a year ago to $1.1 billion. This revenue is only enough for the company to take third position in the United States, behind Nike and Under Armour. Nike is a mainstay, with sales reaching a magnificent $8.9 billion. However, Under Armour has made leaps and bounds to reach second place, with a 20% increase in the past year, to take the sales up to $1.2 billion. While Adidas still has a huge following in Europe, its failure to hold down the U.S. market is a problem, as Nike is making advancements in the European market. While Adidas’s footwear sales are still relatively good, they are sorely lacking in apparel sales, which Under Armour is succeeding in through sporting goods and athletic specialty retailers.

The importance of sales in the United States cannot be underestimated, as the world’s largest economy usually provides Adidas with a quarter of the company’s yearly revenue. One of the main problems with the company is that it is suffering from a “too-European” image, as many people do not think of Adidas when buying sporting items such as basketball shoes. The company’s ailing golf sales are also contributing to their losses. Adidas is targeting soccer to increase revenue in the United States. Despite the success in the summer’s World Cup, through the official World Cup Ball, the Brazuca, soccer is a sport which is still gaining popularity in North America Their competitors, Nike, have upped their game through increased sponsorship deals, including deals with Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar. Adidas’ problems do not just end there. In basketball, their main sponsored star, Derrick Rose of the Chicago Bulls, has suffered from a string of injuries in the past two years. This has limited the positive influence expected through advertising from such a big name. Nike is said to control 95% of the American basketball market at this time. Adidas’s acquisition of Reebok back in 2006 was supposed to help the company compete with Nike, but the expensive purchase at $3.8 billion has not helped. Reebok has been in decline for quite some time now, and the brand has had to cut its sales forecast. After being replaced by Nike as the National Football League’s apparel supplier in 2012, the brand has tried to reposition itself as a fitness gear seller.

Nike has already stepped out of Adidas’s league, but the bigger question is if Under Armour can surpass Adidas. The Baltimore-based company has recently branched its apparel into yoga clothes as well as soccer/football footwear. The company also penned a deal with the supermodel Gisele Bundchen, further increasing the brand’s appeal towards women. The shares of Under Armour have surged up 60% this year, showing that the company is definitely putting a foothold in the North American market.

Many factors have seen the decline of Adidas in the North American market. A recent decline in golf sales, the constant injuries of basketball star Derrick Rose, and the underwhelming performances of Reebok have all helped this cause. The company’s decline in sales has seen Under Armour rack up more revenue in the United States over the past year. Under Armour’s increase of apparel sales and expansion into the women’s market have seen the company gain leaps and bounds on its competitors in the past year. Adding in the decline in sales in Russia makes for grim reading. Despite all of these failures, Adidas is still ranked second globally in sales, and still holds a huge image in Europe. The benefits through the World Cup’s replica ball sales will soften the blow, but the company is not looking at a bright future without reforms. Whatever may occur in the future, Adidas will always be remembered as a giant in sportswear-making, one which carries a name filled with significance.

Follow Saad on Twitter @PrezunesRashid.