Premier league Summary 20-21

 Premier league Summary 20-21

We have witnessed a thrilling end for the season with all foots going out and trying their best to clinch valuable points. Here are some interesting facts and figures from the season. . . 

CHAMPIONS

Manchester City took back title from Liverpool with 27 wins from 38 matches, they scored 83 goals in total and bagged 86 points in the process, with a goal difference of 51. 

Under Guardiola, City have become a formidable side, strong in all areas, on and off the ball. Goalkeeper Ederson has won golden gloves with 19 clean sheets, thanks to their brilliant defense, Ruben Diaz, Fernandinho and others. 

Manchester United, at a point, looked very weak and slow. . But eventually found rhythm and came up the table with some scintillating come back wins. With Bruno Fernandes was key to their successful chase, well supported by Cavani, Fred, Rashford and captain Maguire. 

Liverpool were going strong until Van Dijk injury. Klopp said this was the reason, otherwise they were going to repeat their last season success. Mane looked down and lost confidence but Salah fought well till the last day for the top scorer spot with 22 goals. 

Aston Villa were on top, surprising all, until Jack Grealish got injured on February 21. Without his presence , Villa got only 10 points from 10 matches, which clearly shows his value. 

Under Ancelotti, everton have reformed and found its way up the table but lacked consistency. Calvert Lewin, brilliant Brazilian Richarlison and James Rodrigues were taking them to new heights. 

Arsenal never came close to top four this season. Arteta had so many worries to handle, and Aubemeyangs form added to them. 

Season saw Spurs bringing and sacking Jose Mourinho. He brought the team upto 5 at a point, but eventually started losing shine. Son-Kane combo worked brilliantly , both netting a total of 50 goals out of their 68 goals. They created a record for combination goals with 34 goals in total. Not only in scoring and assisting, spurs forwards hit the target woodwork the most, 23 times. 

Other teams which need special mention are West Ham and NewCastle. New Castle were on the verge of getting relegated and some high spirited performances in the last 10 games brought them up to 12 spots. On the other hand, with the heroic play by Jesse Lingard, it looked like they were going for European championship. They both deserve some applause and respect. 

Season also saw dramas related to European super league which led to fans invading the pitch before Liverpool's match against Manchester United. Fans forced English teams to withdraw from the league which aimed for nothing else but money. 

Many heroes were leaving the league playing their last matches like Aguero. He wrote a fairytale with 2 awesome goals in his last match. He also broke Wayne Rooney's record of 183 goals for a single team (184).

Now it's time for European leagues finals before Euro kick off. Football is going to be in the skies all along. 

Source : Premier league

Vineeth Pankajan

Some update about Indian football

 

Image sourse : Anandabazar.com

India will be playing their next stage World Cup qualifier on June 3 against Qatar, June 7 against Bangladesh and against Afghanistan on June 15.  Team is currently at Doha Qatar. 

105 FIFA ranked team's captain is Sunil Chhetri and coach is Igor Stimac from Croatia, who played semi final in 1998 World Cup. 

Team is working hard to regain their 1950s glory by winning qualifiers and reach World Cup. Currently , they are 4th in the group behind Qatar, Oman and Afghanistan with draws against Asians champions Qatar, Bangladesh and Afghanistan. But , they got thrashed by UAE in a friendly on 29 March. 

With increasing quality in Indian Super league and FC Goa reaching AFC league, team is in good hope. Team will be playing 4-5-1 against Qatar. 

Debutants in Euro 2020

 1. Finland

2. North Macedonia

FINLAND

Image source: 90min.com

UEFA came into existence in 1954 and Finland are member since 1 no957. Still, it is the first time they are qualifying for the tournament. Football Association of Finland controls football in Finland. Their current FIFA ranking is 54, best being 33 in 2007. 

In 2008, team came close to qualifying, with last match in a must win situation, settled in a draw with Portugal, ending up second to them (27 points, Finland 24). They have seen many misfortunes over the years and ofcourse lack of quality in team. 

In 2019 team secured a spot in Euro for the first time in their history. Eventhough they have participated in 4 Olympics, qualified campaign was first for them. Thanks to Teemu Pukki of Norwich City for his excellent finishing skills and scoring 10 goals in Qualifying campaigns. 

They played 3-5-2 in their last match against Switzerland , and 5-3-2 against Ukraine before. 

Players to watch in EURO 

Pukki (Norwich City England) 

Jenson (Augsburg Germany)

Kamara (Rangers FC Skotland)

Tuominen(BK Hacken , Sweden) 

Lod (Minnesota FC USA) 

Head Coach

Markku Kanerva

Captain 

Tim Sparv

North Macedonia 

Image source :youngpioneertours.com

Football Federation of Macedonia regulates the game at North Macedonia. Their current FIFA   ranking is 62. Ever since their independence from Yugoslavia, their team have played some impressive matches, they have defeated Germany in Germany, draws with England, Holland, Croatia, Italy and Serbia. In their European qualifiers, won 4, lost 4 and 2 went into draw. They finished third behind Poland and Austria, before defeating Georgia 1-0 in play offs. 

 Eljif Elmas was top scorer in qualifiers with 4 goals. 

Players to watch in EURO

Goran Pandev (Genova Italy)

Ezgjan Alioski (Leeds United England) 

Eljif Elmas (SSC Napoli Italy)

Enis Bardhi (Levante Spain)

Dimitrieski (Rayo Vallecano Spain)

Head Coach

Igor Angelovski

Captain

Goran Pandev

Goran Pandev has played most matches for the team (117)and also he is the top scorer (37). They play 4-4-2 formation mostly. I am sure they are a full surprise package in EURO 2020, in interesting group C with Austria, Netherland and Ukraine. 

Finland plays in Group B and North Macedonia in Group C. 

Here are some additional information about the EURO :

Most appearance

Germany 12

Most successful 

Germany - 3 (1972,1980,1996)

Spain -3 (1964,2008,2012)

Most Matches played 

Christiano Ronaldo (21)

Most Minutes played

Christiano Ronaldo (1793) Portugal

Most matches won 

Cesc Fabregas

Iker Casillas (Spain) 

Christiano Ronaldo (11)

Youngest Player in Final 

Renato Sanches (18 years) 2018

Portugal

Oldest player

Gabor Kiraly (40 years) 

Hungary

Most goals scored 

Christiano Ronaldo (9 in four Competitions)

Michel Platini (9 in one competition) 

France

Most goals scored in Qualifying

Christiano Ronaldo (31) 

Most Hatricks 

Michel Platini (2 )

France

Biggest final match margin

2012

Spain vs Italy

4-0

Best Goal Keeper In English Premier league

 Even though Manchester City's Ederson got the Golden Glove for the season, I strongly believe Edourd Mendy was great in his first sesson with Chelsea. 

Source : Fourfourtwo

29 year old Senegal player reached Chelsea from french club Rennes, with a strong recommendation by Petre Chek, former Chelsea legend. He kept that belief with three consecutive clean sheets, first time after Petre Chek himself. He made it 5 consecutive, a historical first in decade. 

He finished second in clean sheets behind Ederson in league, which was crucial in Chelsea's performance in season after a bad start. 

Mendy 

Ederson

Mage source : Premierleague.com

Mendy has played only 2700 minutes in league this season, conceding 24 goals, least in league by any keeper. If you compare to other keeper with similar time spend at field, Alison has conceded 32 in 2790 minutes of keeping. He has saved 70% of the shots to the target. He was phenomenal in Chelsea's champions league performance by keeping 8 of their 11 matches clean, conceding only 3 goals so far. 

English Premier league is most competitive league in world , with all the big names there. There are many quality keepers like Shmeichel, Pickford, Pope, Ederson, De Gea. . Its a very competitive platform. Defense is a collective effort including Defenders. Even though, keepers play a vital role in teams performance and wins. 

Mendy has also played an important role in Senegal becoming runners up in the African Nations Cup. He is the only african goal keeper in the league. His cousing Ferdinand Mendy plays for Real Madrid. 

Mendy has got a 5 year contract with Chelsea. It is sure that his stay will be crucial and good for the club. I even believe he was the Player of the Season for Chelsea for the season even though it was awarded to Mason Mount. 

Data sourse : Premier League

UCL official

Wiki

Thanks

Vineeth

vineeth673@gmail.com