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

Most effective formation of the season -4-2-3-1

As the season reaches half way mark, 4-2-3-1 is the formation used mostly in majority of leagues. 

English premier league

West ham 

Everton

Chelsea

Leicester City

Manchester United

Wolves

Arsenal

Brighton

Laliga

Real Betis

Athletic club

Real Sociedad

Granada

Eibar

Serie a 

Napoli

Sassuolo

AC Milan

Bologna

Bundesliga

VFB Stuttgart

Bayern Munich

RB Leipzig

Shalke

Monchengladbach

Hoffenheim

Borussia Dortmund

ISL teams

Mumbai City 

Hyderabad 

ATK Mohun Bagan

East Bengal

Why? 

This formation balances team in attack and defence. And helps in covering most of the ground easily so that team can keep possession and convert possession to attack and goals. 

There are many other teams who use its variants like 3-4-1-2 or 3-4-2-1 which gives supremacy at midfield. 

In modern day football, most of the team wishes to start from back , build attack then reach in opposition box in numbers. That's why 4-2-3-1 is so much accepted. 

Teams like Real Madrid and Liverpool use long airballs to attack so use 4-3-3. Instead, 4-2-3-1 uses penetrating passes, space behind defenders, 1-2 s and off ball movements. Instead of crosses, formation uses box and area infront of goal to attack and score. 

Mourinho used this formation in 14-15 season to make Chelsea champions, with Matic and John Obi Mikel as CDM and Hazard , Oscar and Willian as attacking midfielders. Mourinho used Diego Costa as one Forward, who was strong , would hold the ball at attacking third of pitch and combine with attacking midfielder to score. 

When team loses possession, formation helps to re organise very quickly and cover danger areas as CDM always waits for ball at midfield. Formation also gives more freedom for wing backs. 

Even though , it uses front area of opposition field more to pressure, when they regain ball possession, uses wingers to take ball forward or into box and uses small ground crosses to score using AMF and FW. If the ball gets cleared, Wing backs and CDM will be ready to get it back and attack. 

In modern football, as teams try to press early and high up the opposite team pitch, 4-2-3-1 gives more chances to win ball early without running more so that players can keep their stamina. 

It is said that the formation got wide spread acceptance from Spain first. Then, with its success and changing need of speed and possession in football, formation got more users. 

How to learn/practice 4-2-3-1?

Formation based small sided game sessions are the best way to practice this formation. 

4 a side

Use 3-1 formation as lone FW and 3 midfielders. 

6 a side

Gradually add CDM into the practice with 2-3-1 into form in play. In opposition, make defenders play in 4-2 formation. 

Rondo

4v2 and 6v3 rondos are very effective for its practice as formation demands high level of coordination among players, especially attacking players, movement. 

My boys playing 4-2-3-1 and winning comfortably. 

https://youtu.be/vTQ0lG2oyng

Practicing for 4-2-3-1 in small sided game 7 a side

https://youtu.be/C0Zyymqz-QE

Vineeth

vineeth673@gmail.com

Was Christensen foul inevitable?

 Football is the most complete game. We play it with foot but also with wisdom. Football players might be using brain in field more than chess players. We calculate movement, space, speed , use awareness and mental strength in football. We play football with brain , eyes , ears, and every part of body. 

We judge situations from the very beginning of the play. When we have ball, when we don't have , while attacking defending, at start , at 89th minute, we always assess situations. Every player individually assess and decide to make a team successful. 

Am a Chelsea FC fan. I support, and wish they win every time. I try to learn from their games. From the time of Mourinho till now. Am looking forward to Lampard, who was a legend as player, now take club to heights. He took charge of club as manager in 2019. Last year, he managed to finish 4th , even with transfer ban. Now, ban lifted and new players like Kai Haverts, Thiago Silva, Timo Werner, Hakim Ziyech joining alongside Mason Mount, Kovacic, Jorginho, James, Tammy Abraham, Alonso, Giroud expectations are high. 

The Scenario

Chelsea started 20-21 season with huge expectations and positively 3-1 win over Brighton. Second match against defending champions Liverpool was observed as Clash of Titans early in the league. Also, was viewed that winners would go ahead with more psychological boost. Liverpool's first match was against Leeds who came as promoted and played well to pressure Klopp and team in 4-3 last minute goal win. So they wanted to win over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. 

Match started well, even though Chelsea had some off balance moments. Werner was distubing Liverpool defense. His 2 shots went past Pool goal, second one being a big miss. Chelsea were struggling to play up from goal kick, with Liverpool pressing high successfully. But, they managed to keep score 0-0 till Christensen foul and sent off just before half time. 

Ball came directly from Liverpool defense , over midfielders, infront of Chelsea box, splitting their centre backs. Mane was quick to reach ball , leaving Christensen behind and Kepa still approaching. Christensen put his hands across Mane and dragged him to ground. 

In second half, Chelsea were already looking to admit the fate. Kai Haverts was sacrificed to bring in Tomoro as centre back. Liverpool struck in 50th minute through Mane. They doubled their lead in 54th minute, again scored by Mane and this time mistake from goal keeper Kepa. 

Now , again back to question, was that foul and red card necessary in the first half , making team so down and leaving to losing side? 

I think he could have left him, without fouling and defend or concede to score and fight back. There was option to let him miss, or Kepa save it. Getting red left team with nothing to fight back to a formidable Liverpool side. They had chance of winning it with all team in ground.

We have seen similar fouls in the history of the game many times. 

Recently, Real Madrid's Fede Velverde fouled Morata in 115th min in Spanish supercopa final against Athletico Madrid. Real win in penalties. That was considered to be a match winning foul, because of the time, situation and the result. 

In this season, Sheffield United player John Egan conceding a silly red card in 12 th minute and team lost to Aston Villa for a 1-0 score. 

Chelsea had centre back deficiency ever since John Terry left. Rudiger, Zouma, Tomoro Christensen were used in rotation , experimentally in last season. I hope that orts out this season with experienced Thiago Silva joining team. 

Every team have a choice of letting things happen and fight back without doing un necessary fouls and getting reds. Believe in yourself and team and fortune. 

Vineeth

Kerala, India

Why England could win UEFA Nations League

 After a long corona break, football is coming back slowly to full swing in Europe. After the dramatic completion of UEFA Champions league and Europa league, now it's time for the second edition of the biennial tournament UEFA nations league. Now it's time for countries to sweat. All 55 of UEFA members will compete in 4 group leagues, from today. Group A, B and C consists of 16 teams each and 7 teams in D. Teams are divided according to current FIFA World rankings. 

START

Proposal came in UEFA for a third national competition in 2013 , after FIFA World cup  and Euro Cup. The matches were planned to be set on international friendly dates. As the tournament format was league, all teams would get chance to perform, improve quality and financial benefits. Also, media coverage helps to bring glamour of football players and tournament to low ranked countries. It is also linked to the qualifications of Euro Cup and FIFA World Cup Tournaments. 

In the first Championship, Portugal beat Netherlands 1-0 in the final to lift the cup. England and Switzerland were on 3 and 4th positions respectively. Higher teams from groups B,C and D will be promoted and lower teams will be delegated. Groups are further divided into 4 sub groups. Four groups champions will compete in the finals , which will be 2 semi finals and final.

Group A

Portugal

Netherlands

Belgium

England

Switzerland

France

Spain

Italy

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Ukraine

Denmark

Sweden

Croatia

Germany

Poland

Iceland

Group A included most of the big tough teams of Europe. Spain plays against Germany in the first match of Group A. 

England - a glorious time

The Coach

After the frustrating second round loss to Iceland in Euro 2016, England chaged to a better side. They changed playing style under coach Gareth Southgate. The result was coming and was clearly visible from their 2018 Russia World Cup 4th place finish. 

Instead of long air balls to attacking, they started using fast passes to intrude into opponents territory. 

Young England.

English team is young, but experienced from the biggest domestic club league in the world. Captain Harry Kane has played 45 international matches , and has a prolific scoring ability. Along side Kane, joins Sterling, Marcus Rashford, Delle Ali, Mason Mount. Pickford or Dean Henderson will be at goal. 

Along with Jordan Henderson, Ross Barkley, Jesse Lingard, young Players like Phil Foden, Greelish, James Maddison joins at midfield. 

UCL sucess 

In recent years, English clubs have performed well in UCL. In 2018 , it was all England Semi. Also in Europa league, it was English final. English players were key in the success of the club's. 

Also, after pandemic, many of the players and clubs were not practicing. Return of English premier league and matches at UCL and Europa league will be helpful for the team. Because of the late finish of league, players are coming with fresh legs. 

Tactical approach. 

May clubs tried 3-4-3 and 3-5-2 in recent months. But, England will be playing 4-3-3 in the tournament. 

In the absence of Maguire, Tomori and Chilwell will be Centre Backs. Danny Rose at left and Trent Arnold at Right wings. 

Jordan Henderson will be at centre as midfielder along withMason Mount and Jesse Lingaard. 

Captain Harry Kane, Marcus Rashford and Sterling would start as forwards but Jadon Sancho have more chance as right forward as he is more experienced. 

Best Activities

Ball control

1. Pull behind leg

2. Drag and push/puskas

3. Sole rolls

4. Inside feet

5. Drag and slide

6. Outside touches

7. Inside outside 

8. Scissors

9. Step over

10. Roll 8

Skill Activities

1. Scissor

2. Step over

3. Fake feints

4. Cryuff turn

5. Drag back/pull behind leg

6. Ronaldo

7. Roll

8. Maradona spin

9. The V

10. Stop n run

11. Ronaldo chop

12. Elastico

13. Roll to heel

14. Ankle drag lifts

15. Air ball catch

Speed Activities

1. High knee

2. Heel flicks/back taps

3. Squats

4. High knee jumps

5. Lunges

6. A skips one knee high 

7. Reverse lunge kee drive

8. Calf jumps / toe jumps

9. Steps

10. Slow speed ru/8/side runs

Turn Activities

1. Inside turns

2. Outside turn

3. Backward

Abs excercises

1. High knee taps

2. Russian Twist

3. Leg raises

4. Scissor kicks

5. Flutter kicks

6. Feet cross overs

7. Flank knees to elbow

8. Situps

9. Crunches

10. Backward stretch

Calf Excercise

1. Speed raises

2. Steps

3. Toe squats

4. Hops/single leg hops

5. Side lunges

Body strength

1. Static Jogging

2. Wall sit

3. Lunges

4. Squats

5. Burpies

6. Mountain climbing

7. Plank

8. Push-up

9. Crunches

10. Skipping

60th Birthday Celebrations of UEFA Euro Cup

That's what they are planning, a celebration lasting 30 days in 12 different countries/cities. Tournament which was initially planned to conduct from 12June to 12 July 2020 was postponed to 11 June to 11 July 2021 due to Corona Pandemic. Even though, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) decided to retain the name as Euro 2020 itself. 24 qualified teams from 55 participants will compete in the finals. None of the teams will be getting host entry to participate. Inauguration will be at Stadio Olympico , Rome and Semi finals and Final at Wembley. Video Assistance Referee (VAR) will be used for the first time in tournament in Euro 2020. 

So far 20 teams have qualified for the quadrennial tournament so far, Belgium being the first and Italy following them with 10/10 wins. Finland makes history by qualifying for the first time for the tournament. Former champions and most successful team Germany, England, Finland, Poland, Denmark, Holland, Spain, Portugal, Ukraine, Russia, France, Turkey, Czech Republic, Sweden, Croatia, Austria, Switzerland, Wales, Turkey are other teams qualified so far. Only former champion who didn't got qualified are Greece. 

Holland will be playing a major tournament for the first time since 2014. Even with big nae, England is still trying to win their first European tittle. World number 1 ranked Belgium, current World Cup winners France, , defending champions Portugal, three time winners Germany and Spain, giants like Italy, Netherlands will be other tittle favorites of the tournament. 

How it started....

History of the tournament goes back 1927, when Football Federation of France proposed a European championship. But, started only in 1958. But, the current Championship started from 1960, in France, and planned to conduct every 4 years. Major teams like England, West Germany, Italy and Netherlands didn't participate. It was won by Soviet Union beating Yougoslavia 2-1. Number of participants increased in following tournaments. Famous Panenka kick was from 1976 Final penalty shootout between Czeckoslovakia and West Germany and Czeckoslovakia won it. 

First and only match decided in a coin toss was also in Euro, in 1968 semi final match between Italy and West Germany and final went onto replay after 1-1 draw and Italy won it 2-0 against Yougoslavia. 

France's first major tittle was also Euro, when they won it in 1984 with current UEFA President Michel Platini scoring 9 goals from 5 matches. Their second tittle win was in 2000 , when their golden generation done it again after World Cup win under Zidane, Henry, Viera etc. 

Mighty Germans

Germany played most finals - 6 times. 3 times they were Champions. They played final consecutively 3 times from 1972,76,80. They payed final again in 1992 and 96 consecutively again but couldn't defend tittle. Only team that could defend tittle successfully were Spain in 2008 and 2012 with their tikki takka. 

Greek Saga

Greece won it in most dramatic way in 2004 beating Portugal. They reached second round with a win, draw and loss each. In the next 3 knockout matches including Final, they won for just 1-0. Thus won cup scoring just 7 goals. 

Portugal Revolution

Portugal defeated France in 2016 final for 1-0.  With a strong young line up, and experience of players like super star Christiano Ronaldo, Rui Patricio, Moutinho and Coach Fernando Santos. 

Denmark and Netherlands won it in 1992 and 1988 respectively. Holland legend Marco Van Basten was top scorer in 88 with 5 goals.Ruud Gullit was their captain. 1988 tournament is special also because there was not a single sending off or goalless draw in the tournament. 

English Dream

England have the best competitive league in the world, class players, and still they haven't been successful in big Championships. Comparing past, they have best chances this time. With players like Harry Kane, Sancho, Delle Ali, Rashford, Sterling, Mason Mount along with experienced Henderson, Danny Rose, Pickford are a team for any opponent. Their World cup performance gives more hope to fans and team. Coach Gareth Southgate has really lifted spirits and performance of the team. 

Power-packed Belgians

Another team to watch is Belgium, who missed world cup just by luck. With De Bruyne ,Lukaku, Hazard all ready for any level , controlling their clubs at the moment, are really looking kings in international level. Courtois is tough to beat at post and Alderweirald, Vermaelen taking care of defending duties, they are strong at front and back. It's their golden generation time. 

Champions in Top footballing nations (as per current FIFA Ranking)

1. Belgium - Club Brugge (16th tittle) 

(most tittles - Anderlecht -34 )

2. France - PSG (9th tittle) 

(most tittles- St Etienne -10 )

3. Brazil - Flamengo (6th tittle) 

(most Champions - Palmeiras)

4. England - Liverpool (19th tittle) 

(most Champions- Manchester United -20)

5. Uruguay - Nacional (47 tittles) 

(most tittle- Penarol/CURCC)

6. Croatia - Dinamo Zagreb (21- most tittle )

7. Portugal - Porto (29th tittle) 

(most tittles- Benefica-37)

8. Spain - Real Madrid (34th tittle-most tittles)

9. Argentina - Boca Juniors (34th tittle) (most tittles- Riverplate-36)

10. Columbia - America De Cali (14th tittle) (most tittles- Atletico Nacional - 16)

11. Mexico - Monterrey (5th tittle) 

(most tittles- America -13)

12. Switzerland - Young Boys (13th tittle) (most tittles- Grasshopper -27)

13. Italy - Juventus (36th most tittles)

14. Netherlands - Ajax (34 -most tittles)

15. Germany - Bayern Munich (29th- most tittles)

The Queen of Football Leagues at its best !

England, where it all started still continues to thrill millions. When a very interesting and dramatic season comes to an end, Liverpool came out as Champions. A season which saw corona pandemic break, and matches without audience. My favourite team Chelsea are currently 3rd (2 matches remaining) and Manchester City secured second position. City scored most number of goals and also they have best goal difference in the season, but lost few crucial games. Season had importance in the history of the game as VAR was introduced this season.

Unbeatable Liverpool

Liverpool came close to 2003-04 Arsene Wenger's Arsenal set 49 matches winning streak, with 44 wins before losing against Watford 3-0. They waited 30 years to become champions and when they did, did it in style. It is also their 19 the tittle so far. They were able to make sure the trophy with 7 matches remaining with the likes of super strickers Salah, Mane and Firmino, they had reply to almost all opponents.

Vs Man Utd 1-1
Vs Burnley 1-1
Vs Man City 0-4
Vs Everton 0-0
Vs Watford 0-3
Vs Arsenal 1-2

These are the only matches they lost points this season.

Salah is currently third in top scorer list with 19 goals and Mane scored 16 so far. Firmino has been pivotal with scoring and assist,  Captain Hernandez, Fabinho and Van Dijk also scored in important games. Alex Arnold leads the team in assists by being part of 12 goals. Experts say Firmino more potential at front for Klopp's Liverpool , who hold and make Mane and Salah score with key passes.

Sheffield making history

I first noticed Sheffield ,when they held Chelsea 2-2 draw. But, that was just a start for Chris Wilder team. Soon, they managed to break Birmingham's record of highest points by a newly promoted team in Premiere League. This season they reached Premier League with a double promotion. In 36 matches they scored only 38 goals and conceded 33, but gained points in vital matches. Sheffield Goal keeper Henderson had a superb season. His performance was a key in their success with 13 clean sheets (3 matches left). At one point , they were eyeing top 4 position.

Resurrection of Southampton

On 25 October 2019, Southampton suffered their worst ever loss at home in their history 0-9. Leicester didn't show any mercy on the Saints on that rainy day till last whistle. While I am writing this , they are 12th with 3 matches remaining, safe from bottom of table, with 13wins and 6 draws. Among those 13, 11 wins came after that horrifying match. They even avenged by defeating Leicester at their home 2-1. They also defeated Chelsea, Tottenham and Manchester City, held Arenal and Manchester United for draws. Danny Ings is currently third in top scorer. Once at bottom team is now looking to finish within first 10.

Other Notable incidents from the Season

Manchester City's Sergio Aguero is now leading goal scoring foreign player, which was Theory Henry earlier. He also equalled Alan Shearer's record of most number of hattricks. (12). Also, this would be David Silva's last season with Manchester City.

Spurs bring Mourinho back to Premier league. When he arrived, team were struggling at 15th spot. Son has scored a solo wonder goal against West Ham after dribbling the ball 65 yards from his own half.

Rashford has been phenomenal in the start of the season but his injury proved to be hard for Manchester United. Even after missing many matches , he managed to score 16 goals for the club. Martial also scored 16 so far.

"Again they played well but lost" - this became a usual comment for Norwich this season. With Pukki, and Cantwell in team, they always played really well, but lacked the winning touches. They started well with win over defending champions Manchester City 3-2. Their build up play from back was also beautiful but eventually became first team to get relegated this season after suffering 8 consecutive losses.

This was first season since 2010-11 without a Wales team as Cardiff City FC relegated last year.

Chelsea with trasfer ban used their experience and youngsters to adjust. With  legend Lampard taking charge of club from Sarri, team gained energy. He used Tammy Abraham at front most of the league matches instead of more experienced Giroud. Willian, Jorginho, Pedro had been important players for Chelsea this season.

After a disastrous start, Unai Emery was sacked from Arsenal and later Mikel Arteta took charge as manager. He surely bring some change in playing , but team is still at 9th.

I would say Portugal national team is practicing in England. Their new sensation Bruno Fernandez joined Manchester United after many of the national players playing in Wolves. Wolves were a real nut to crack this season , Adama Traore's excellence and players like Raul Gimenez, Jao Moutinho, Ruben Neves, neto, Jota playing at the club. Portugal keeper Rui Patricio is also enjoying a good season at the current 7th positioned team. Podence also recently joined Wolves. Jao Cancelo and Bernardo Silva are at Manchester City. Klopp says Traore as the "undefensible" player. Carlo Ancelotti felt pressure at Everton during the middle of the season, but Richarlison showing superman powers and Calwert Lewis finding net at times, they managed to find winning ways again.

I am hoping for a tougher next season at English premier league as Chelsea bringing new players, Manchester City scoring at will, Klopp will be trying to defend the hard earned tittle, and teams like Arsenal, Spurs, United trying to come up and regain their top spots. With new management at Newcastle, they also will dream high. Leicester , Wolves, Everton teams will be trying to get European championships.

Again I congratulate Champions Liverpool and Jorgen Klopp.

Thank you all.

Vineeth Pankajan

Royal Belgian Dominion

Do you know which team is FIFA number 1 in football ranking? Not Brazil the most favourite team, not France the current world champions, not Germany the most successful team in men's football.... it's a new team at top- Belgium.

Ever since introduction of Ranking in 1992, only 8 teams have attained that position ever - Italy, Brazil, Germany , Spain, France, Netherlands, Belgium and Argentina.  Brazil have spent longest time as number 1. Belgium and Holland are the only teams to reach that high, without winning world cup.

Out of 21 World Cup tournaments, Belgium were part of 13 , first in 1930. Their previous best was 4th place finish in 1986. They saw a decline after 2002, when they failed to qualify for 2006, 2010 world cups. 

They started showing strength at the start of this decade. Their Golden generation were getting notice then. Thibault Courtois was selected as Belgian Goal Keeper of the year in 2011, when he was just 19 years old. Eden Hazard was in French Club Lille and was key in their crowning after 54 years in Ligue 1 in 2009. He was just 20 years old and became first ever player from outside France to become Player of the year. He continued his performance in 2010 and 2011 and recieved award 2 more times. Vincent Kompany had already gained a place in Manchester City. Jan Vertonghen was an inevitable part of Tottenham Hotspur. Witsel and Lukaku were making name by then at the age of 19. Kevin De Bruyn was also in limelight. He was considered as a future great creative midfielder , by scoring and creating chances. Fellaini was another midfielder with great potential.  You must be knowing Dries Mertens for sure. Mousa Dembele, Chadli, Benteke are other prominent players of current Belgian squad.

Their plan was "Back to Basics" (India's current slogan is "learn from past") they wanted to produce quality players to lift the standard of their league and therer by improving football in the country instead of buying big players. Also, they thought those players would bring income to local Belgian clubs when they sell/transfer. It worked.

Along with their no 1 ranking, world is now discussing their swift counter attack goal against Japan in 2018 world cup, which came just in 13 seconds, after a Japan corner, at the injury time of second round.

Belgium were group leaders ahead of England in first round, scoring 9 goals and conceding just 2. But in second round, Japan looked going ahead when they took 2-0 lead. Belgium showed real strength by scoring 2 goals before 90 minutes. 94 th min winner and heart breaker for Japan was beyond words and imagination of anyone. It was a complete team goal, only possible to create with a long long time playing together experience and coordination. In quarter finals, they beat Brazil in a thriller. But, France beat them 1-0 , with a parking bus strategy. Courtois said after match "It was better to lose to Brazil, they were better opponents". In the third place match, Belgium beat England second time in the tournament.
All believe, they were a team that could have lifted the ultimate trophy of Football World.
Courtois and Hazard were awarded Golden glove and Silver ball respectively in 2018.

Royal Belgian Football Association manages football in Belgium. It was a founding member of FIFA (1904) and UEFA(1954). League system have 6 divisions, starting from First Division A to Provincial Leagues. Club Brugge are the current champions in top division. Also there are women leagues and cup tournaments.

By,
Vineeth Pankajan


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Iceland : a 3 million dream

Iceland

Iceland is an Island in North Atlantic Ocean, with a population of just 3.6 million people. Majority of the people stay near and around south west Iceland, Reykjavic, Capital city. Through out the year, weather is chilled, by polar climate, but it's heated by oceanic gulf stream.

Iceland have one of the oldest and longest running parliament- Althing. They are believed to be transcends of Vikings. Icelandians believe in unity, strength and valor. With so many changes in rules, they finally became republic in 1944. Iceland is a country which did Industrialization of Fisheries, and became rich. They joined European Union economy in 1994, it stays high in economic, democratic and social stability. It's a peaceful country with no standing army. They are very social and we'll connected to community.

Iceland is very fond of sports. People love handball, football, athletics, swimming, basketball, tennis, golf, shooting, etc. Oldest sports association in the country is Shooting association. Handball team won silver medal in 2008 Beijing Olympics. But the most famous sports person of the country is Eidur Gudjohnson, football player, who had a long good career at Chelsea and later at Barcelona. In his 22 year old career, he played in England, Spain, France, Holland, Belgium, Greece. He was able to be part of team winning Champions league, Premier League, FA Cup, La liga. He is the top scorer for the country too. His father Arnor Gudjohnson was also Iceland national team player. They played a match together in 1996, a match against Estonia, when father substituted for son, which happened for the first time ever.


Iceland Football Association

Football Association of Iceland was formed in 1947, and joined FIFA. It's based in Reykjavic. Urvalsdeild is the league of Iceland. Under KSI, there are U17, U21, Women , Futsal, and senior men's national teams. Women team have a better performance record compared to men.

The Rise

In 2012, Iceland was ranked 122 in FIFA. Since then they climbed to 34 by the time of Euro 2016. They beat Netherland twice, Czech Republic and Turkey. In Euro, they reached quarter finals. This was the first time they qualify for a world level competition. Their best ranking was 18, in 2018.

This came not as a surprise. Because of the climatic situations, registered players were very few and outdoor practice was hard. They started plan to solve this in 1990s. They started building domed football pitches, known as "Football Houses". One of them were full sized while some half sized. Now almost all schools have atleast one 5s ground . These football houses are publicly owned, making it accessible to common people. Also, they conducted coaching courses frequently, with low expense, without expecting profit from it. By this, 1 in every 500 Icelandian is a coach compared to 1 in every 10000 in England. Their main stadium is at Laugardalsvöllur , in capital city Reykjavik, with a capacity of only 15000.

Even though Iceland football hasn't been into much of International Championships, their relegation based league system was started in 1955. Before that, they started a tournament in 1912. Currently, there are 5 divisions, first and top being Icelandic Premier league. First 3 divisions have 12 teams/clubs each. Fourth have 10, fifth have 4 sub divisions with 33 clubs being part of it.

World Cup

Iceland men's national team is known as "our boys". They applied for participating in 1954 World cup, but it was rejected. In 1958, took part in qualifying round, but couldn't win any game, were last in their group conceding 26 goals. Since 1974, they have been competing in qualifiers of every World cup and Euro Cup.


They came close to getting qualified in 2014. They reached upto playoff, where they held Croatia 0-0 in home match, but lost to 2-0 in away. When they got ticket for 2018 World cup, Iceland became the smallest country ever by population to get qualified for the tournament. It was their first ever participation in the tournament. There were nationwide celebrations when they got qualified. One of the commentator said during a world cup match "it looks like almost everyone is here from Iceland to see their historic match".

Iceland were placed in along with Croatia, Nigeria and Argentina in Group, which was considered to be "group of death".  They held Argentina for a 1-1 draw. But, lost to Nigeria and Croatia. Despite high expectations from fans and media, they were out in group stage.


EURO

Their first ever participation in the tournament was in 2016. In group stages, they were with Portugal, Hungary and Austria.

They held Portugal and Hungary 1-1 draw. In the thrid match against Austria, they managed to defeat them 2-1. England was their opponents in second round. Iceland defeated England 2-1 recoding one of the biggest upset of the tournament. England manager Roy Hugdson resigned soon after the final whistle, in disgrace. They lost to France in the Quarter Finals 5-2. Their Viking clap got attention in the tournament.

Women's Team

Women Football is popular and successful in Iceland. They have never qualified for World cup, but were able to participate in European championships 3 times. They have reached quarter finals in1995 and 2013.

U17

Iceland U17 and U20 teams have never been able to qualify for World Cup. U17 took part in European championships 8 times since 1985, and U20 team 6 times, but were not able to make much impact beyond group stage performances.





The best part of the story from Iceland was their plan to make less expensive coach education. They understood the base and it will give them sure success in future. Without doubt, we will be seeing more successful campaigns an Viking claps from Iceland teams. 

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