Premier League Review - 2016/2017

The 2016/2017 Premier League season has come to an end, and it's certainly been a season to remember, for both good and bad reasons. I'm going to run through every side and evaluate their season, grading them on their performance and state what I believe they can do to improve. 

Chelsea - Final Position: 1st 

Under the watchful eye of Italian Antonio Conte, the London club secured their 6th English league title and they did it in an impressive fashion. A switch to a wing back system following a 3-0 defeat to Arsenal in September is what pushed the eventual champions to find their rhythm and put up a fight to regain the trophy they last won in the season before last. With a revitalised Diego Costa and an in form Eden Hazard leading the line, as well as PFA player of the season N'Golo Kante anchoring the midfield, Chelsea always looked a threat. Along side a defence which kept more clean sheets then any other in the league this season, from back to front Chelsea were simply the best! It's hard to say what will make this side stronger, maybe the inclusion of a few more squad players to allow them to compete both domestically and in the Champions League next season. But as a whole, they've been close to perfect. 

Final Grade: A+

Spurs - Final position: 2nd

Tottenham finished as the league's top scorers and also had the best defence. They also remained undefeated at home all season and had the leagues top goal scorer, Harry Kane, within their side. Their points tally of 86 would have been enough to win the title last season by 5 points, and it's hard to see how they didn't end the campaign as champions. Only the record breaking Chelsea side could hold the North London club back from winning their first Premier League title, throughout the season Mauricio Pochettino and his side surpassed expectations, which includes finishing ahead of closest rivals Arsenal for the first time in the Premier League era. Overall it was a great season for Spurs, and should they hit the ground running in their temporary home of Wembley as well as continuing to strengthen their squad in a similar vein to how they did last summer, they could potentially challenge for the title again next time around. 

Final Grade: A

Manchester City - Final position: 3rd

With the squad City had at their disposal, as well as one of the world's best managers in Pep Guardiola at the helm, this season has to be seen as a failure for the blue half of Manchester. Despite a 3rd place finish and automatic qualification for next season's UEFA Champions League, ending the season with no silverware and failing to put up a serious challenge for the title, City have drastically fallen short. It's no all doom and gloom however, with young start Gabriel Jesus lighting up the Premier League since his debut, and Kevin De Bruyne continuing to prove how big of a mistake Chelsea made by letting him go, a few individuals had very successful seasons. That is however just what Man City are, individuals. To regain the title they need to be a team, a much more well balanced team compared to what we saw this year. A wing back system with now real wing backs within the squad, and a huge goal keeper dilemma are two big factors that lead to City struggling this season. Heading into next season the owners are going to have to dig into their incredibly deep pockets to help build the side Pep needs. An entirely new defence is required, a long with captain Vincent Kompany managing to remain fit. Also the goalkeeper debacle needs to be resolved in order to build a sustainable back line. Holding onto Aguero is also paramount in City's success, the Argentine is simply world class.

Final Grade: C-

Liverpool - Final position: 4th

Securing Champions League football on the final day rounded out the season perfectly for the 18 time English champions. Any Liverpool fan would have taken a 4th place finish if offered to them at the start of the season, however after being 2nd at Christmas and looking set for a title challenge, has it really been a successful season for the reds? Of course it has, England's most successful European club returning to the Champions League is massive, and after a hard couple of seasons it is an achievement that Jurgen Klopp and everyone involved in the club should be proud of. However this season could be seen as a huge missed opportunity for Liverpool after starting off the campaign so brightly, which includes out playing eventual champions Chelsea and coming away with a win at Stanford Bridge. The football being played was one of a fast paced style and most teams we're being blown away. The lack of a plan b ultimately cost Klopp's side, and when player of the season Sadio Mane went away for the African Cup of Nations everything started to collapse, seeing them drop from second to fifth by the end of January. The return of Mane saw Liverpool manage to push back into top four contention and then when injury struck for the Senegalese winger, the Brazilian Philippe Coutinho stepped up to the plate and re-found the form that he had shown at the start of the season. Overall, fourth place feels deserved. On the whole most Liverpool fans seem happy with this season, but what is essential for Liverpool if they are to continue to improve and push up the table is that they must bring in 4 or 5 squad players and players who can make an impact off of the bench. Far too many times this season the opposition has simply set up with a packed defence and stopped the reds from breaking them down, catching them on the counter attack. Also with the 'heavy metal football' Jurgen Klopp plays his players do commonly pick up injuries or fatigue, so a much bigger squad is essential.

Final Grade: B

Arsenal - Final position: 5th

For the first time since Wenger took over Arsenal back in the 1990's the Gunners failed to finish inside the top four. This is huge for the club as during a decade which has seen the club win only two pieces of silverware, a Champions League place felt like the season wasn't a failure. This season however can go down as nothing but. With the top players showing a poor attitude throughout and a group of individuals not putting in the performances that their huge contracts should justify, you can not blame the fans for being outraged at this campaign. However the fans are also part of the problem, by flying 'Wenger out' banners over matches all they're doing is making themselves look bad, disrespecting a true club legend and wasting their money. Alexis Sanchez's goals may have pushed Arsenal to within one point of the top four but one man is never enough over the course of a season and that was exactly the case this year. The club needs a huge overhaul if it is to reach the expectations the fans have, an entire new squad needs to be prepared, one with the fire and the passion that so many of the current crop don't seem to posses. Arsenal also simply need to hold onto Alexis. He may at times show a poor attitude but he is a world class player and one who could be the difference maker for Arsenal next season. Of course the big decision is Wenger in or Wenger out? In my opinion it doesn't matter anymore if the Frenchman stays or goes, the whole situation is such a farce that the club is going to suffer regardless of what happens, so the sooner an announcement is made, the better.

Final Grade: D+

Manchester United - Final position: 6th

£89 Million on Paul Pogba and United finished 6th. A club record 25 game undefeated streak and United finished 6th. Jose Mourinho in charge and United finished 6th. This season's league campaign can be seen as nothing but disastrous for Manchester United. At the started of the season the talk for the title was United vs City, and much like their cross city rivals United failed to deliver. When you look at the money was spent in the summer there is really no excuse as to how they failed to challenge for the title, and the fact that they finished 6th is incredible. A Europa league final win on the 24th May could still see the red half of Manchester qualify for the Champions league but that shouldn't hide the fact of how poor they've been in the league. Zlatan Ibrahimovic was the only real stand out player this season, throughout the Swedish striker was sublime and showed the world that he really can do it everywhere. It's hard to think of what United need to do to improve for next season. After spending the money in 2016 it shows that spending doesn't guarantee success. Jose has had a year now to settle in and you imagine a performance like this next season would see the special one out of a job. I feel like, much like Arsenal, a major overhaul needs to take place. Far too many egos are apparent in this side and some players need to come in and show the passion that players of the past showed and which lead them to success. 

Final Grade: D+

Everton - Final position: 7th

Ronald Koeman's side have had a pretty successful season this time around. A 7th place finish which may as well be titled as 'the best of the rest' with Everton finishing 15 points ahead of 8th. This is largely down to Belgian striker Lukaku who, up until the last couple of games, was the league's top goal scorers. Everton managed to make Goodison Park a fortress throughout, losing just two home leagues games all season and beating sides such as Manchester City and Arsenal on home turf. The major worry from this campaign however is one which is yet to come, the transfer window. His form has seen Lukaku linked with a lot of the world's top clubs, including Spanish champions Real Madrid and his former side Chelsea. Also home grown Ross Barkley looks set to leave, with his contract running down he has refused an extension and is yet to announce his future plans. You'd imagine Everton will receive £60million+ for the two men, and how they reinvest that money will be huge in deciding how next season works out. 

Final Grade: B

Southampton - Final position: 8th

Teams from 8th down to 13th only had 2 points separating them and for most of them the same ruling applies, a position in mid table obscurity. Southampton have once again, had an acceptable season after offloading their top stars in the summer before. This has been common as of late with Claude Puel's best players leading them to a good league finish, before being signed by a bigger club for huge sums of money. After losing Sadio Mane to Liverpool last summer it was the same story, and it looks set to happen again, with centre back Vigin Van Dijk a target for both Liverpool and Chelsea. If Southampton can, once again, replace a top player successfully and maintain a lot of their spine I can see next season being more of the same. 

Final Grade: C+

Bournemouth - Final position: 9th

Eddie Howe has once again proved how he is the ready made next England manager by leading minnows Bournemouth to a 9th place top flight finish, the highest finish in the clubs history. Now referring to Bournemouth as 'minnows' is not without context. With by far the smallest ground in the league and as a whole have one of the smallest fan bases, The Cherries have continued to exceed expectations given to them from when they gained promotion during 2015. Despite the small size of the club, Eddie Howe is not short on money to spend on transfers. Owner Maxim Demin has proven he is not against throwing money into the club and this alongside the TV money the club will own from this season, strengthening the sides first team, including a stand out star, the same role Jake Wilshere failed to fill this season, will go a long way to continuing the incredible growth of Bournemouth.

Final Grade: B+

West Brom - Final position: 10th

Tony Pulis's West Brom side are guilty of downing tools this season 100%. After a very impressive first half of the season which saw them reach 8th in the table, from the start of February until the final game of the season West Brom managed only one win and only 7 points. During games the players, who knew they were safe from relegation, seemed to already 'be on the beach' and let certain games simply pass them by. It's typical of Tony Pulis to lead a team to 40+ points but never over 50, and I can see it happening again next season. West Brom have a solid team both in attack and defence, they can afford to go through this summer without many major changes and still have a strong showing next season. The addition of a new goal scorer however should be top of the agenda should Pulis be looking to improve on this seasons 10th place finish, as West Brom ended the campaign as one of the leagues lowest scorers. 

Final Grade: C-

West Ham - Final Position: 11th

This season was a weird one for West Ham. Last season was such a success that any finish below they heights they met last time out would be seen as a failure, despite out stretching expectations drastically last season. With the addition of playing in their new stadium during this campaign it was guaranteed to be an interesting year for West Ham. Sadly for the fans of the Hammers the side failed to settle in at home quickly and struggled early in the season, looking like relegation fodder throughout. With the sale of talisman Payet in January it looked as if West Ham where in for a very long end to the league season. However the team started to gel, picking up points at home, and with Payet out of the side everyone on the pitch appeared to be a part of a much more coherent squad, one without the huge ego the Frenchman developed. This season was one with huge potential that wasn't quite met, despite spending big in the summer of 2016. Hopefully for West Ham they will have the budget again to strengthen their squad, and much like plenty of other sides in mid table, a consistent goal scorer would go a long way to pushing West Ham to the heights they met last season. 

Final Grade: C

Leicester City - Final Position: 12th

Last years champions split opinions this season in regards to how they dealt with the sacking of Claudio Ranieri. I've given my opinion on this matter a lot in the past but when you look at the facts, following the departure of the Italian Leicester managed to escape relegation comfortably and secured a mid table finish. However for the champions of England to be battling relegation is nothing short of disastrous, and a late flourish of form will do nothing to hide this fact. A successful run in Europe will go a long way for a lot of people to forget Leicester's poor attempt to defend their league title. Their defence which received rave reviews last time out was this season found out. Stars Vardy and Mahrez never even got close to the form they showed in Leicester's title winning season and it was incredibly obvious how much they missed Kante. For Leicester to push on next season they have to find their style. From Ranieri to Shakespeare, the way the champions have played this time around has changed far too often and they need a style in which the club can be based around. Whether it's the same style that won them the title or one based on possession football, the players they bring in have to be in aid of that. 

Final Grade: D

Stoke City - Final Position: 13th

Stoke have became the masters of just about reaching the 40 point mark and staying in the Premier League. This season was no different, despite Mark Hughes not deploying the same philosophy of Tony Pulis during his time at the club, another very same season has gone by at the Britannia. They scored few goals but when compared to the sides around them they held a pretty solid defence. Much like many other sides the players appeared to be 'on the beach' once they were safe and there isn't much else to be said. The former Manchester United player Mark Hughes is trying desperately to pull stoke away from the defensive style of football which Pulis pushed in his time in charge and they now play a slightly more attractive game. If the Welshman is to progress Stoke then before the start of next season big moves will need to be made in order to continue to push that style. 

Final Grade: C-

Crystal Palace: Final Position: 14th

When Big Sam took the palace job what happened was inevitable. The London team were struggling down the bottom of the table and looked to be in a relegation battle. And despite this battle still going on heading towards the league's climax, Big Sam did what he always does, get his team over the line. Wilfred Zaha was the star of the show for much of the season, particularly in the show victory away at Standford Bridge. Christian Benteke found his form at Selhurst Park and his goals played a big part in Palace staying up, as did Liverpool loanee defender Sahko in the second half of the season. However on the eve of 23rd May, the Crystal Palace manager has just resigned which means once again the club will go into the Premier League season under doubts about their future. It's not a question of signing which will dictate Palace's immediate future, it's whether or not they can get the right man in and set up a long term strategy for how to take the club forward.

Final Grade: C-

Swansea City: Final Position: 15th

When Paul Clement came in following Bob Bradley's poor time in charge it looked like the Premier League's only Welsh club was destined for the drop. During Clement's time in charge Swansea picked up the 8th most points in the time flight, a very impressive accomplishment which saw them survive the drop and revitalise both the club and the fans who were equally underwhelmed during the American Bradley's reign. What is no surprise is that Icelandic Gylfi Sigurdsson was the star man for Swansea and the one key factor which will dictate the Welsh sides season next time around is simple, keeping hold of Sigurdsson. He is one of the most under rated players in the league and it's only a matter of time before someone sees that.  

Final Grade: D+

Burnley: Final Position: 16th

In a very similar vein to West Brom, Burnley's season fizzled out after a decent start. Burnley boasted the second best home form in the league coming into 2017, however their form at Turf Moor was not repeated on the road, where Burnley registered just one away win all season. Sean Dyche's side also had the worst goal scoring record in the league outside of the relegation zone, despite have the 2nd best defensive record in the bottom half, the Claret's stumbled to a 16th place finish and if the season had continued for another few games you could see them being dragged into the relegation zone. There is a very strong foundation at Burnley, if they can hold onto Micheal Keane in the summer, and talented young striker Andre Gray can fire for the entire season, there is no reason Burnley can't look for a top half finish in the 2017/2018 season. 

Final Grade: D-

Watford: Final Position: 17th

The Hornets this season simply could not get a run of form going and that is what lead to them finishing just one place ahead of the relegation zone. Now former manager Walter Mazzarri came in under dubious circumstances and never managed to win over the fans which lead to, on the last game of the season, the fans chanting 'off off off' at their gaffer while his side were being humbled by Manchester City and went on to lose 5-0 at home. Watford started the season looking like an okay side, with Etienne Capous in particular staring. However too many of the previous seasons big players failed to perform, with captain Troy Deeney under performing from the start, which lead to him being dropped and a fall out with the manager. There is a lot for Watford to do if they are to stay up next season. A team commendatory needs to be former and whoever is appointed as the Hornets new boss needs to make this number 1 on his agenda. During the summer transfer window Watford need to focus on bringing in a few game changers to shake up the side, a side which has under performed drastically this season. 

Final Grade: E+

Hull City - Final Position: 18th

At the start of the season if you told me Hull would go down I wouldn't have argued with you. No doubt the worst prepared team heading into this years Premier League, the side then led by Mike Phelan actually got off to a decent start, beating then reigning champions Leicester City on the opening day. Phelan only had the job in a caretaker capacity at the start of the season as well as a squad of only 14 fit players. However after their impressive start Phelan got the job on a permanent basis during October but from then it all went down hill which lead to him also being fired only three months after taking the job. The loss of top goal scorer Robert Snodgrass in January to West Ham was a massive blow, the Scottish international actually finished the season as Hull's top scorer despite leaving mid way through the campaign, demonstrating their lack of goals. Portuguese manager Marco Silva came in an attempted to save the club which, despite Silva's Hull ending the season with a very impressive home record, ultimately failed and Hull were relegated on match day 37. Marco looks set to take the managers job at Porto so Hull will once again have to look for a new man to take the helm heading into their season in the championship, and he has a big job on his hands. Should they manage to retain a lot of their current squad Hull should have enough to fight for promotion next season, however with the financial future of the club reportably struggling, I wouldn't be surprised if a number of players leave in the near future and Hull will have to rebuild before we see them back in the top flight. 

Final Grade: F

Middlesborough - Final Position: 19th

Boro last season finally gained promotion back to the Premier League with a team based on a solid defence. This season they demonstrated that defence to great effect, and with the signing of former man City striker Negredo up front they looked set to consolidate their place in the league. However they finished as the lowest scoring team in the league and despite having the best defence in the bottom half this wasn't enough to keep them up. Boro weren't necessarily one of the worst sides in the league throughout the season, they just simply didn't score enough goals to stay up. A lack of an attacking desire or threat is what caused their relegation. Out of the three relegated sides I'd say Middlesborough have the best chance of coming straight back up, and if they can sort out their attack I don't see why we won't see them during the 2018/2019 Premier League season. 

Final Grade: E-

Sunderland - Final Position: 20th

When your manager agrees his squad of players is 'pathetic' you know you never stood a chance. After staying up by the skin of their teeth last season, this year always looked like a unwinnable battle for the black cats. David Moyes was in charge after being fried from his last two jobs and he came into Sunderland during a very sensitive time, that was problem number one. Number two was that during both of the transfer windows in which Moyes was in charge, he failed to bring in anyone who would have an effect on the team. The Sunderland side was simply not good enough, but unlike last season where their manager believed in them and rallied the troops to keep them up, Moyes didn't even look like he wanted to try. The Scotsman seemed more occupied with threatening reported then fighting to keep his team up, the team which he said he thought had no chance of avoiding relegation from day one. Sunderland have averaged a home crowd of over 40,000 this season, incredible when you think just how poor they have been, the fans deserve better then what they've been given. While their arch rivals Newcastle won the Championship this season, Sunderland are the most likely side in years, in my opinion, to go through the divisions. If this is to be avoided big changes have to be made. On 22nd May 2017 Moyes resigned as manager to, i'm sure, the delight of the fans but top goal scorer Jermaine Defoe looks set to leave when his contract expires on July 1st. With young goal keeper Jordan Pickford the target of plenty of Premier League clubs it looks like Sunderland are going to lose plenty of their bigger players which may not be a bad thing seeing how poorly a lot of them have performed this season. It's hard to say what could prevent Sunderland from dropping into obscurity, but consistency is essential first of all. A manager who not only believes in the club but is willing to stick it out to ensure his side can grow and progress back to the Premier League.

Final Grade: F

It's been an interesting season, with plenty of sides under performing and just as money proving better then many of us thought they where. How will the remaining sides and those promoted from the EFL Championship get on next season? I'll write up my predictions closer to the time but for now we can just wait and see.

The World's Richest 'Guests' - Can Manchester City win England's first Champions League in 4 Years?

Thanks to Kevin de Bruyne's late strike against PSG in the second leg of their UEFA Champions League quarter final, Manchester City have progressed to the semi finals for the first time in the history of the club. After a 2-2 draw in the first leg in Paris, the two away goals gave Manchester City a great opportunity to progress past the French champions. The Manchester club faithful had the England number one Joe Hart to thank for producing some incredible saves throughout the game, namely keeping out a thunderous Zlatan Ibrahimovic free kick. The luck appeared to be against City however when top goal scorer and one of the world's top strikers Sergio Aguero missed from the spot in the first half. But with fifthteen minute left on the clock, the Belgian de Bruyne scored the goal which would secure the progression to the last four, with Manchester City's only shot on target over the 90 minutes of football at the Etihad! Paris Saint Germain coach and former French center back Laurent Blanc came out after the game and congratulated Manchester City for becoming the 'guests in the semi final draw' alongside Real Madrid, Barcelona and Bayern Munich. Now although the holders Barcelona and five time winners Bayern are yet to guarantee their progression to the semi final, with both teams playing their quarter final second legs tonight! The final four in Europe's elite competition has been subject to very little change in the last 5 years, with 2014 being the only year since 2011 where either Real Madrid, Bayern Munich or Barcelona did not appear in the bracket for the semi final. In 2012 the eventual winners Chelsea joined the elite group, only to fall in the group stages in the next season. In 2013, Borussia Dortmund progressed all the way to the final, knocking out Real Madrid in the semi finals! However they fell to fellow Germans Bayern Munich in the final. During the 2014 season, Athletico Madird knocked out Barcelona on their road to the final, to be toppled by cross town rivals Real Madrid late on. And finally, Italian giants Juventus progressed to the final last year after knocking off Real Madrid in the semi Finals, however they couldn't handle the 'MSN' strike force of the Catalan giants and they lost 3-1 in Berlin. History is not on the side of Manchester City, with the big guns of European football dominating the champions league in recent years, but can Manuel Pellegrini's side bring the giant trophy back to England for the first time in four years?

Well when you look at the Manchester City side, in terms of star power, they aren't too out gunned by the sides they'll have to beat if they wish to win their first Champions League. With the likes of Yaya Toure, who can be unplayable on his day! Vincent Kompany, a man who's importance to the City team is so evident by defensive performances when he is absent costing his side. David Silva, a player who is no doubt one of the most gifted play makers on the planet. But with a very impressive record of 96 goals in only 127 league starts, the Argentine front man Sergio Aguero may be the key to City's victory! Despite missing a fair period of the last couple of seasons with injury, his goal scoring rate has not diminished, and despite missing a penalty in the win over PSG 'Kun' could go toe to toe with any player the other three semi finalists have to offer. Manchester City's number 10 has certainly got the pedigree to perform against the biggest sides, with a hat-trick against Bayern Munich last season for City and goals against Real Madrid and Barcelona in his Atletico Madrid days there is no doubt he is the man to watch out for.

Sergio Aguero will certainly have the chances to make an impact, especially playing along side club record signing Kevin de Bruyne. The Belgian has made a huge splash since returning to the Barclays Premier league and has been one of the stand out performers for City this season. Now while Aguero is Manchester City's top goal scorer, when it comes to having a hand in the goal, the £55million man is neck and neck with his Argentine team mate, with de Bruyne being involved in 27 goals this term in all competitions (15 goals and 12 assists) a figure level with that of 'Kun' Aguero. Now the Belgian has been the subject of plenty of ridicule during his career, and he was written off by many after his move to Werder Bremen was made official in 2014 but he proved himself to be every bit the player he was rumored to be and in just over a years time, he had returned to England and he hasn't looked back. The incredible talent of the young midfielder could have a big impact on Manchester City's dreams!

If the remaining fixtures in the Quarter finals go as expected it is no doubt that Manchester City will be the underdogs to reach the finals and then to win it. However their potential opponents aren't invincible! A Cristiano Ronalso inspired Real Madrid progressed past Wolfsberg last night, but a 2-0 defeat in the first leg shows if a team comes at Madird, they really can be made to look poor at the back! Despite eventually rolling over Juventus 4-2 in the second leg of their round of 16 tie, Bayern Munich appeared to be asleep at the start of the game, going 2-0 down to the Italian side, and if Juventus had shown some more 'Italian like' defending, they would have knocked the German's out! Those crazy minutes against Juventus show Manchester City that when Bayern Munich aren't at 100% they can be made to look vulnerable. Now the holders Barcelona are the closest you can get to a perfect side right now. At the start of April the Catalan giants where 39 games unbeaten! However, they have followed that historic run by losing two games in a row in the league. If there's ever a chance for Manchester City to turn over Barcelona and their unstoppable front three of Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar, this is that time!

But if i'm realistic for one moment, Manchester City would need a miracle to walk away from Milan in May with the famous trophy! No matter how many points I, or anyone else make about City's chances, you can make so many more saying their going to lose their semi-final 6-0 and get dumped out of Europe! Between Real Madrid, Barcelona and Bayern Munich the most elite trophy in European football has been lifted 20 times, making them three of the four most successful teams in the competitions history (Only A.C Milan winning more then Bayern and Barcelona with 7). These sides have all the history and pedigree to back up either of them securing yet another title and in all likelihood one of them will win in Milan. However it's been done before and who's the say Manchester City wont upset the odds and turn over the biggest sides in Europe and, much like Chelsea in 2012, shock the world by winning their first Champions League title!

The resurection of Seria 'A' - the Italian job

In the middle to late 1990's Italy's top flight was seen as the pinnacle of club football, with players such as Zinadine Zidane, Ronaldo, Alessandro Del Piero, Herman Crespo and Gabriel Batistuta, Seria 'A' was seen as the hot bed for footballing talent. However, despite relatively high levels of success between 2000-2010, the top flight of Italian football was in decline, both in its domestic competition and continental success. Jose Mourinho's Inter Milan won a historic treble in 2010 however, an aging side meant that the Italian giants could no longer produce against the other European sides such as Barcelona and Manchester United, the two sides that reached the next seasons Champions League final. With other front runners AC Milan stars Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Thiago Silva jumping ship to the French champions PSG, and Juventus still feeling the backlash of the 2006 controversy which saw the old lady relegated to Seria 'B', the Italian top flight looked set to sink into insignificants on the European stage.


However last season, for the first time in five years, the Champions League final included a Italian side. Juventus. And despite the defeat to Barcelona, the old lady's performance in the competition shows that the Italian league is still showing signs of light! heading into the 2015/2016 season, Italian sides have been very active in the summer transfer window, and it looks very much like Seria 'A' is getting back to where it was. Today I will be looking at the front runners of Italian football and trying to see if those sides look like spear heading an Italian resurrection in European football.

We'll start with the champions, the old lady, the most successful domestic side in Italy, Juventus. Juventus have won the Seria 'A' title in each of the last four seasons, and have really taken advantage of the decline of the Milan giants AC and Inter. The old lady became the first Italian side in five years to reach a champions league final in 2015, eventually falling just short to Barcelona in the final, however, knocking out holders Real Madrid in the semi-finals really showed how far the club have came since one of the darkest periods in the clubs history. Following a match fixing scandal in 2006, Juventus where stripped of their 2004/2005 2005/2006 Seria 'A' titles and relegated to Seria 'B'. With the Italian giants having some of the worlds top stars signed at that point, playing in the second tier of Italian football was just not good enough, and certain top players including Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Fabio Cannovaro, Patrick Viera and Lilian Thuram all left to find success elsewhere.




 Despite claiming the Seria 'B' title at the first attempt and achieving immediate promotion back to the top flight, Juventus would feel the backlash of their relegation for many years, struggling to attract top European names to join. This lead to the berlin based side having to promote from within, which in many ways turned out to be a blessing, with current first team players such as Claudio Marchisio getting their chance to shine. Italian striker Giovinco (now playing in the MLS) also forced his way into the team and was a solid starter for Juventus for a number of seasons. Giorgio Chiellini, who now is one of the outstanding centre backs in world football also found a new role in the side during the season Juventus spend in Seria 'B'. Many factors have lead to Juventus being able to recover their once great form since the 2006 incident. The continued brilliance of Italian number one Gianluigi Buffon, and the addition of world class players such as Paul Pogba and Sami Khedira have show that Juventus are once again a force to be reckoned with in Europe and despite starting this season weaker then expected domestically, a win away at English league leaders Manchester city on match day 1 of the champions league has shown that last seasons runners up have the possibility of going one better this time round.


Now lets look at last seasons runners up, A.S Roma. Roma have spent much of the last decade as a side that wasn't quite good enough, the side from Rome had to settle for Europa League (formally the UEFA cup) as a successful season. With many top players leaving Roma over the years, it made it very difficult for them to mount a serious and consistent title challenge. With first team players such as Eric Lamela, Alberto Aquillani, Jeremy Menez and Philipe Mexes constantly leaving the club, Roma had one constant, their club captain Francesco Totti. The Italian is a club legend, and is one of the most loyal players in world football, he has stayed at Roma throughout his entire career, despite many offers from much bigger clubs, offering much more money. Totti has been putting in fantastic performances throughout his career, despite his age, he is still the outstanding player in many of Roma's matches and is at large, a big factor in their resurgence of recent seasons.


At the start of the 2013-2014 season, Roma had a major over hall of their squad, with an incredible 31 players moving in and out of the Stadio Olimpico in that summer. And it appeared to have a major effect, with Roma finishing second in Seria 'A' and spent most of the season leading the way, only for Juventus to walk out champions towards the end of the season. The same fate awaited them in the following season, after making a brilliant start to the season, a poor run of form at the turn of 2015, saw Juventus again take over the side from the capital, and Roma failed to capture the title they looked like winning for a lot of the season.


A strong squad, combining the experience of legends such as de Rossi and Totti, potential of players such as Juan Iturbe, Kevin Strootmen and Radja Nainnggolan, has seen Roma recapture the quality of football which had been missing from Rome for a while. Rome right now look like the strongest challengers for Juventus's recent dominance of Seria 'A' and they have started this season showing the same sort of form they have been for a couple of seasons. A draw with last seasons treble winners Barcelona on match day one of the champions league has shown that they have the quality to really be a force in Europe, and help boost the quality of the Seria 'A' back to where it has been in recent years.


The final side I'm going to look at is the last Italian team to win the champions league, the 2010 treble winners Inter Milan. The reason I'm choosing to look at Inter instead of city rivals AC is because Inter are my tip to end Juventus's recent dominance. As I previously mentioned, Inter won a famous treble in 2010, becoming the first Italian side to achieve the feat and knocked Barcelona off of the top of European football by beating them in the semi-finals. Since the end of the 2009-2010 season, Inter have struggled to reproduce the form shown by Jose Mourinho's side. A combination of an aging squad, a lack of stability in the managers position and failing to hold onto star players has seen the side that had been dominating Italian football fail to qualify for the Champions League in any of the previous 4 seasons.


An 8th place finish at the end of last season saw Inter Milan reach a new low, failing to qualify for any European competition for the 2015/2016 season. This caused a drastic change for the Milan club, with many new stars being brought to the San Siro, as well as a large proportion of the squad leaving the club. With 39 players moving in and out of the San Siro in the previous summer, the squad that had failed drastically in the previous campaign, saw few survivors for the upcoming season, and it appears the changes have worked!


The additions of players such as Kondogbia, Miranda, Felipe Melo and Steven Jovetic has seen Inter win each of their opening four Seria 'A' games, leading to them leading the title at this early stage of the season. Without the distraction of Europe, Inter can spend all of their attention trying to regain domestic success and reclaim the Seria 'A' title.


Overall all of the sides mentioned today appear to be rejuvenating the Italian top flight and maybe soon we could see another Italian side leading the way in world football.

Battle for bronze - Who is the third best in the world?

Football is very much an opinion based sport. Who is the best manager? The best team? The best League? The best national side? These questions and many more in the world of football are up for debate, but one thing is without any doubt, and that is who are the two best players in the world. In the last seven years these two players have won a clean sweep of Ballon D'ors, Lionel Messi (4) and Cristiano Ronaldo (3), these men are by far the two outstanding players on the planet right now, and perhaps two of the greatest of all time. Every year, these two players split opinions on who is the best in the world, both breaking incredible amount of records, and both producing stats that in any other era would be seen as unheard of, yet these two men produce them on a yearly basis.

With Messi and Ronaldo being so far ahead of the rest of the field, the right to be called the third best player in the world has become shrouded in mystery, as no one man has made a claim for that title to be 100% theirs. That is the question I will try to answer today.

 There are many players who can stake a claim to be the third best in the world, players such as Gareth Bale, Eden Hazard, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, James Rodriguez and Andres Iniesta are all players who are right up there, however I will be focusing on the three players I believe are the top contenders for the third place crown. Luis Suarez, Neymar and Manuel Neuer. I will be looking at both team and individual success for these three world stars and try to decide who deserves to be standing next to Messi and Ronaldo at this year’s Ballon D'or ceremony.

 Lets start with the 2014 FIFA World Cup winner, Manuel Neuer. In the 2014 Ballon D'or (won by Cristiano Ronaldo) Neuer placed third, which officially makes him the third best player of 2014, but with those awards being nine months ago, you have to wonder if the Bayern Munich goalkeeper can still claim to be the world’s third best player. When voting for the Ballon D'or, the voters and judges take a few things into consideration, club & country success as well as personal performances. During 2014 Manuel Neuer was a big part of the Bayern Munich side which walked to the Bundesliga title, winning it in record time. His side also reached the Champions League semi-finals (falling out the Real Madrid, the eventual winners) and they finished runners up in the DFB - Pokal (German domestic cup), so on a club level the goalkeeper had a relatively high level of success. But the main contributing factors towards Neuer’s third place finish in the 2014 Ballon D'or was his international success. He was named in the team of the tournament in the 2014, and was also one of the stars of the show in Germany's winning campaign; he also won the golden glove for the tournament. During 2014, and in the couple of seasons before, Manual Neuer has been revolutionizing what it means to be a goalkeeper at the very highest level, playing very much a 'sweeper keeper' role. The unwritten rule over the years is that a goal keeper can never be the best player in the world, but after Neuer's 2014 he was very much within a shout of winning the Ballon D'or thanks to a combination of club & country success and the way he revolutionized his role.

 The next candidate I'm going to take a look at is Luis Suarez. The Uruguayan striker has massively improved his game in the last few years, leading to masses of individual success, and success at a club & international level. At the end of the 2015 Champions League, Suarez was placed second in the UEFA best player awards (losing to Lionel Messi), beating Cristiano Ronaldo who came in at third. Over the past few seasons individual awards have been plentiful for the Barcelona striker, in the 2013/2014 season, while at Liverpool, Suarez picked up the PFA Player of the year award, football writers player of the year award,  as well as finishing joint first in the UEFA Golden boot, with 31 goals. Suarez's Premier league tally of 31 is a joint record, and he did it without taking a single penalty all season, and missing a few games at the start of the season with suspension. But that brings me on to Suarez's weakness, his reputation. Over the years Luis Suarez has been involved in a lot of controversial situations many believe has hindered his individual success in the Ballon D'or, where despite his success in 2014, he wasn't even nominated for the title of the worlds best player. Suarez has been caught biting an opposition player three times, once while at Ajax which lead to an 8 game ban, once while at Liverpool which lead to a 10 game ban, and most controversially in the World Cup game between Italy and Uruguay, which lead to a ban from all domestic football until October, as well as a 9 game international ban. Originally Suarez was not able to attend training due to his ban, as well as being unable to attend charity events, clue projects; he also received a stadium ban, meaning... he wasn't even aloud to be in the club photo! While those extreme simulations where overturned, it remains one of the most extreme bans in football history. Not long after receiving the ban, Suarez was signed by Barcelona for a reported £75,000,000, although the number tends to vary. The season following his transfer saw Suarez play a key role in a historic treble for the Catalan giants Barcelona, and at the start of the 2015/16 season, he has already helped Barcelona secure the UEFA super cup title, taking his tally at Barcelona to four trophies in under a year! At an international level Suarez has also had levels of success, guiding Uruguay to the Copa America title in 2011, in which he won the player of the tournament.  Despite his controversial career, Suarez's levels of success individually and at a club & international level over the past few years, gives him a very strong case for the title of third best player in the world.

 And finally, the third world star I will be looking at today with a claim to the title of the world’s third best player is a player who many believe is one of the most gifted players of his generation, the Brazilian star Neymar. A player who has been hyped for greatness since a very early age, Neymar is very much in with a claim for the title of the worlds third best footballer. Now while Neymar is considerably younger then the two candidates I have looked at so far, he has used his time well and is one of the fastest growing stars in football. Neymar moved from Brazilian side Santos to Barcelona at the start of the 2013/2014 season, for a transfer fee that to this day is still debated, the fee released by Barcelona was 51,100,000 euros, however reports claim that the deal was in fact a world record transfer fee of 130,200,000 euros, however whether this will be proven is a completely different question. At a club level since Barcelona, Neymar has scored 54 goals in 92 games, a very impressive strike rate for a player who spends most of his time on the wings. Like the previous candidate Luis Suarez, Neymar played a very large part in Barcelona's largely successful 2014/2015 season, scoring in the Champions League final and the Copa Del Rey (Spanish domestic cup) final, proving that he has the quality to perform in the big games, a question commonly asked to young players at the biggest stage. As well as success at a club level, Neymar's international success is perhaps the reason he is seen as one of the world’s stars. At just the age of 23, Neymar has played 65 games for his country, scoring 44 goals, placing him fifth on the all-time record of Brazilian goal scorers. Neymar has provided goals for his country at every level, as has proven he can live up to the hype on the biggest stage of them all, the FIFA world cup. In the 2014 World Cup, Neymar won the bronze boot after finishing third top goal scorer with four goals, however Neymar was injured in the quarter final victory vs Columbia, meaning he was unable to complete the competition. Neymar collected four assists in the competition as well and was named in the team of the tournament. Neymar also lead Brazil to the 2013 Confederations Cup title, winning the golden ball as player of the tournament, and winning the bronze boot. Neymar's success at both club and international level shows he is without any shadow of doubt, a world star and at such a young age, he looks set to just get better and better!

 All three of these players have a very strong argument for being the third best in the world. Manuel Neuer's incredible 2014, and the way he has revolutionized the way we look at goalkeepers means it’s impossible to leave him out of this list. Luis Suarez's genius on the ball has lead his club and country to incredible amounts of success, as well as his goal scoring and all round play leading him to the most individual success on this least. And finally the Brazilian wonder kid Neymar, a player without a doubt who was born with a gift, his international record at such a young age is unheard of and he is almost certain to just keep getting better.

 After going over all of the arguments I personally believe that Luis Suarez has the biggest claim to the third best player in the world title, I believe his incredible success at every level over the last few seasons is just too hard to ignore.