Who should start in the World Cup? - Marcus Rashford

The cycle of English football fans:

Step 1: Get let down and knocked out of a major tournament early.

Step 2: Realise just how average the side is and how far behind the Three Lions are from the worlds elite.

Step 3: Draw the easiest qualification group for the next competition.

Step 4: Qualify with ease.

Step 5: Regain confidence.

Step 6: Learn all the words to 'World in Motion' for the tenth time.

Step 7: "We're gonna win the World Cup!"

Step 8: Draw the opening game.

Step 9: "Quarter finals would be an decent finish."

Step 10: Scrape through the group in 2nd place and draw an average side in the next round.

Andddd repeat.

For English football fans it's becoming harder and harder to watch the national side. Many people will admit to not watching the qualifiers, not caring about the friendlies, or showing no interest in the side at all. The Three Lions have became the laughing stock of the international set up. Not because Southgate's side are losing game after game. But more because of the style of our football and the incredibly miss placed over expectation of our fans. We're boring. We're repetitive. We're generations behind the elite of world football.

I am not immune from this. I will be, like millions of others, watching the World Cup wearing the new shirt I've spent £50 on (That is a completely separate issue.) Singing God Save The Queen at the top of my lungs everywhere I go. Convincing myself that this tournament will be different to all the rest. And then, finally, I'll be writing on this blog about what exactly went wrong when we're knocked out in the second round.

In the 90's we had a wealth of the best strikers in Europe. Shearer, Fowler, Cole, Ferdinand and Sheringham. Surely success was a given? A 1996 European Championship semi-final defeat was the best we could manage. Then came the 'Golden Generation.' Gerrard, Lampard, Beckham, Terry, Owen and Rooney just to name a few. A catalogue of the best the Premier League had to offer in one side. Quarter final defeats in the 2002 and 2006 World Cups. The same fate in Euro 2004. Total failure to qualify for the European Championships in 2008 and the Golden Generation failed. Now we have the current generation. Perhaps the most underwhelming England squad in mine, and most fans lifetimes. Now that is doing a disservice to the likes of Harry Kane and Raheem Sterling who are currently ripping up the Premier League. But with the likes of Jake Livermore making the squad, Harry Winks earning a cap after a handful of good games for Spurs. Nathaniel Chalobah and Ruben Loftus-Cheek touted for the plane despite both being judged as 'not good enough' by Antonio Conte at Chelsea. I mean... it's not exactly the debate of the early 2000's when Sven had to pick between Lampard, Gerrard and Scholes in the heart of his midfield is it?

Now I do have a point and I'm getting to it.

I was listening to talkSPORT the other day and the question was who will be on the plane to the World Cup. Talking about attackers, Harry Kane is a certainty. You'd imagine Jamie Vardy would be also. This was what the presenters were suggesting. England usually take three or four out and out strikers on the plane with them, and the options for those slots were being suggested. Glenn Murray at Brighton. Andy Carroll from West Ham. Daniel Sturridge, currently on loan at West Brom. Jermain Defoe at Bournemouth. No disrespect to any of these players, I would celebrate a goal scored by any and all of them with everything I have. But they seem to pale in comparison when compared to the previously mentioned shoe ins. But one man was left from the list, and that man was Marcus Rashford. If you ask me, the youngster is an essential part of not only the squad, but the starting eleven.

Why exactly?

Well if I had published this piece last week you might need some more convincing. 'Rashford hasn't started since Christmas' would be most peoples response. That is very true, the influx of star power at Manchester United has seen Rashford's game time drop like a rock in the ocean. This isn't a knock on the speedy forward however. Jesse Lingard was turning heads in the first half of the season. With his brilliant goals and his shocking dance moves. He also is struggling to get a start. Jose has such a vast supply of attacking brilliance in his squad, that it's only natural that the youngsters would miss out. That brings me to Saturday 10th March. Manchester United vs Liverpool.

Perhaps the biggest game of the season on our shores. And Jose made the big decision to start the local boy. He came on against Palace the Monday before and was a catalyst in his sides comeback, from 2-0 down to win 3-2. Rashford was fronting up against fellow English youngster, Trent Alexander-Arnold. Playing left of a front three, besides Lukaku and Alexis Sanchez. Despite not being a natural winger, Rashford is gifted with such pace, and an ability to read the game players 10 years his senior would dream of having. So it came as no surprise that, despite his lack of starts, he came flying out the blocks. The greats take their opportunity when it is given to them, and that is exactly what happens from the first whistle. Two goal kicks from David De Gea; followed by two flick on headers from Lukaku. Pretty basic up to this point. Twice Trent A.A allowed Rashford to cut onto his right, and twice he was punished. Two clinical finishes gave United a 2-0 lead over their biggest rivals, and it was the local boy who had done it. Rashford was, and is a match winner. And that is what Garath Southgate NEEDS in Russia.

Harry Kane scores goals. But at Spurs he plays ahead of Christan Eriksen, a midfielder who can pick a pass as good as anyone in the world. Add Son Heung-Min and Dele Ali to the mix and Kane has constant supply. It's not like that with England. Put Southgate's men against Germany and Kane won't get a sniff. Do you know who just might? Rashford. At just 20 years old (1 day older then me... I'm not jealous at all!) The United man is still filled with such hunger that seems to die down as players get older. But despite his youth, he's made 70 first team appearances for one of England biggest clubs; as well as 15 England caps. Vastly experienced when compared to many his age, combined with the hunger of youth, he has a unique advantage. Drifting onto Alexander-Arnold against Liverpool was no accident. He knew the 19 year old would have a rick in him, he's still learning after all. He knew if he came at the full back, he might just be allowed to cut inside and from that point on it was curtains. As a natural striker you'd almost expect Rashford to come inside, into the channels between the centre back and full back, playing off the through balls from midfield. But he saw an opportunity and took advantage of it, it may seem so slight but it proved huge.

Over the past two seasons in particular, Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool have proven just how scary pace down the flanks can be. And this time around Salah and Mane have been terrorising defences, but also exciting the fans. Nothing quiet gets a crown to come alive like seeing your winger in full flight, burning past defenders. Raheem Sterling's incredible growth under Pep at Manchester City this season makes him a certainty for Southgate's team you'd imagine, and down the opposite side, Rashford is the only option in my eyes. No one who is even being considered for the squad is as direct as Rashford. He will just as easily get his head down and leave a full back in his dust as he will drill the ball into the bottom corner.

This brings me back to my point earlier about Harry Kane. Spurs' number 10 needs the supply, an excellent finisher no doubt but without support he can be snuffed out. Any defender will tell you they HATE dealing with a player with pace who knows how to use it. Rashford can create chances for himself. His raw physical abilities, pace, size and strength. When combined with the knowledge and know how to read the game and take advantage (proven against Liverpool) makes for a match winner. A game changer.  Now I hate to do this to you, but cast your mind back to the summer of 2016. England vs Iceland. Perhaps the lowest point for England in the last two decades, yes I'm including 2008. Marcus Rashford was introduced in the 86th minute, and created more danger in four minutes then any other player in white did in the whole 90. He instantly showed drive, and a desire to get in behind, which was non existent leading up to the change. Now, two years on, the desire remains but his knowledge of the game has grown substantially.

In the summer of 2018 Marcus Rashford will no longer be the 'new kid on the block'. But the proven goalscorer, constant threat, and injection of life England need. A world class attitude, after not starting since Christmas 2017, shows a maturity beyond his years. A fan favourite no doubt, and a player who will just continue to get better. With a run of games on his back, heading into the world cup, Rashford will be flying long before he gets on the plane. After his performance against Liverpool, how can Jose leave him out? Answer, he can't.

Kane might be the star of the show come Russia, but my money is on Rashford stealing it.

Arsenal's 'Invincibles' - Why they weren't as great as you remember.

During the 20 seasons of Premier League awards back in 2012, Arsenal’s famous 2003/2004 side, more commonly known as the ‘Invincibles’, were voted as the best Premier League side in history.

It’s easy to see why, with top scorer Thierry Henry at the peak of his powers, Sol Campbell bossing proceedings from the back, and the pairing of Patrick Vieira and Gilberto Silva dominating midfield, the spine of the team was unparalleled. Frenchman Robert Pires and maverick Freddie Ljungberg tormenting full backs across the country, no one could stop the Gunners.

This is how they are remembered by the vast masses, but not quite how they should be remembered.

Arsenal ended their 2003/2004 campaign with 90 points, which is no doubt a very impressive points haul for the season. Just 12 months later, however, Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea side finished their title-winning season with 95 points – five more than the Gunners.

So, if just 12 months after Wenger’s side finished with 90 points, Chelsea racked up more points then Arsenal, over the same amount of games, playing a lot of the same sides, Arsenal’s ‘Invincibles’ side were not as good as the champions that followed them.

In fact, Arsenal’s total of 90 points during their famous season is only the sixth-highest points total in Premier League history. With Chelsea ending the league season with more the 90 points on three separate occasions, and Manchester United doing it twice.

Now, moving away from points and onto goals, to be precise, how few goals Arsenal scored during the season. During the 2003/2004 season the North London club had, at their disposal, one of the greatest striking partnerships in the league’s history: Thierry Henry and Dennis Bergkamp.

Henry finished the season as Golden Boot winner with 30 league goals, and with the Frenchman leading the line Arsenal ended the campaign with 73 goals which, when put into context, is incredibly low for a title-winning side. In fact, in the 13 seasons that have followed the ‘Invincibles’, only on four occasions have the champions failed to score less then 73 league goals, and only twice in the last decade.

With such attacking power how did Arsenal only manage 73 goals?

Wenger and his side played out the end of the season to avoid defeat. Now, throughout most of the season, Arsenal went out to play and they went out to win. But it was later on in the season where this point comes into play.

Four draws from their last six games shows two things: going unbeaten was firmly on the minds of the players, the coaching staff, everyone who was involved with the club – going unbeaten was the priority. It also shows that playing entertaining football and sending the fans home happy was not at the forefront of the thinking for the men in charge.

In fact, in the last six games of the campaign Arsenal, with Thierry Henry leading the line, only managed six goals. That’s an average of one goal-per-game; to put that into context only one side in the ENTIRE division had an average of one goal-per-game that season. That side was Wolverhampton Wanderers and they finished bottom.

Invincible means, too powerful to be defeated or overcome. Despite playing our their league season unbeaten, in all competitions Arsenal found themselves on the losing side in some of their biggest games.

During the course of the campaign, Arsenal actually lost to three Premier League sides. Starting with defeats home and away to Middlesbrough in the Carling Cup semi-finals – Arsenal came into the game with their eyes on the first piece of silverware of the domestic season.

The opportunity was there for Arsenal to send out a message to the other top sides in England; that the Gunners meant business. It was clear that Arsenal were looking past Steve McClaren’s side, and the underdogs walked away 3-1 victors on aggregate.

FA Cup semi final vs Manchester United, another massive game for Arsenal. But unlike in their league fixtures, the game had to have an outright winner. Arsenal really went for broke during this encounter with their old rivals. But without frontman Thierry Henry the red half of North London lacked that cutting edge. That same cutting edge their opponents had in abundance and Paul Scholes scored the only goal of the game to send United to the final.

What was to follow was Arsenal’s biggest game of the season; a Champions League quarter-final against Chelsea. After a 1-1 draw at the Bridge, Arsenal welcomed Chelsea to Highbury – firmly in the driver’s seat with an away goal to their name.

Wenger’s men faced their biggest task of the campaign on the biggest stage, and only days after falling out of the FA Cup to Manchester United the chance was there for Arsenal to really show their class. And a victory against Chelsea would have given them a huge opportunity to capture their first ever European Cup.

On the night, however, everything that had come before in the league meant nothing. Wayne Bridge scored the winner for Chelsea as Arsenal exited their second competition in the space of a week; when push came to shove, Arsenal lacked something.

Arsenal did manage to go the entire league season without suffering defeat, an incredibly accomplishment; this was achieved with some rather dubious methods. Portsmouth travelled to Highbury in September 2003, and took an early lead against the Gunners.

While driving into the box, Robert Pires dived to win a penalty, which Henry slotted away to equalise. In the years that followed the manager himself openly admitted to Pires’ dive, whereas after the game the man involved came out and denied the dive. The French wide man said it was:

“…not the way he played and that he was not a cheat.”

Because they did not lose a game, the Arsenal Invincibles are seen as the greatest Premier League side in history. They went unbeaten, that fact is not debatable – but do the maths for one moment. You could go an entire season unbeaten, and still go down, finishing on 38 points – two off the magic 40-point target sides battling the drop aim for. Football is about winning, not avoiding defeat and the 2003/2004 Arsenal side played to avoid defeat throughout much of the key stages of their season.

Arsenal and Arsene Wenger simply took advantage of what was a poor season in terms of standard of football to achieve what they did. Much like Leicester City in 2016, they won the title without being a truly remarkable team.

It’s unlikely that another side will ever go an entire Premier League season unbeaten. This is not because no side could ever do it, but because the very best sides don’t need to go unbeaten to be seen as the very best.

First weekend of the Premier League season - The Talking Points

The Premier League is back and wow was it come back with a bang! 31 goals scored across the ten opening games, a handful of questions answered and a lot more asked. The champions flopped, the favourites flourished, and more then a few surprises were thrown up. So let's look at the talking points from the opening weekend of the new Premier League season and the highlights so far.  

Arsenal 4-3 Leicester City - Wenger in? Wenger out? Wenger in? Wenger out? Rinse, repeat.

It took Alexandre Lacazette less then 120 seconds to announce himself to English football, planting a header beautifully into the bottom left hand corner and waking up the Arsenal fans at the start of the new season. For just over two minutes the Gunners looked to have everything in place, they looked as if they could take on the world and compete for the title, Arsenal Fan TV was set for a positive season premier. And then, a deep ball into the Arsenal box, from a short corner which was completed missed by the Arsenal defence, Cech in no mans land, Okazaki nods in, 1-1, more of the same from the gunners. In one of the most incredible season openers in Premier League history, the champions from two years ago In Leicester looked like upsetting the home side, leading 3-2 with just 7 minutes to go. Jamie Vardy's brace following Okazaki's early equaliser, and the Englishman looked back to his best. But then a brilliantly taken finish from Welshman Aaron Ramsey, followed quickly by a sublime Giroud header, bouncing in off of the bar, gave Arsenal all three points on the opening day. Despite a victory, and a very good attacking display, questions have to be asked about Arsenal. I pointed it out in my season preview, that Arsenal have done NOTHING this transfer window to deal with their immediate problems. Yes, the signing of Lacazette will go a long way to hide those problems, he looked very sharp and he will score you 20+ goals, but even with the £60 million striker, Arsenal looked exactly the same side as they did last year. Going forward they always looked a threat, Jamie Carragher on commentary summarised it perfectly, Leicester (despite conceding 4) didn't look awful at the back, Arsenal just showed the class to create the chances. This was the same last season, and the season before that, and the season before that, and the season... you get the picture. So why did they not splash the cash on a defender or two? This game told Arsenal fans exactly what I told everyone in my preview last week. Expect more of the same from Arsenal, going forward they're world class, defensively they'er poor. Their season will ultimately come down to the same question it always does in North London. Wenger in? Or Wenger out?

Watford 3-3 Liverpool - Corners... Ever thought about defending them Liverpool?

Now... as a Liverpool fan, I can be accused of being biased towards the red men. But my god, I've never seen such a contrast on a football pitch in my life, let alone between an attack and defence from the side team. The first set piece of the season... let me say that again. THE FIRST SET PIECE OF THE SEASON... that Liverpool had to defend, and it lead to a goal. Stefano Okaka, a 6ft something striker, with a huge presence and a massive build, was given a free run into the 6 yard box, to head in from a corner with no challenge from anyone. The Watford striker's performance will have Dejan Lovren having nightmares until they meet again, the Croatian centre back looked like a child trying to keep him out. It's gotten to the point that a corner is as good as a penalty against Liverpool, in fact, Mignolet has a better rate of saving spot kicks then corners if you ask me. And then, just like that, we saw the other side of Liverpool. A lovely passing move, capped off by a perfectly weighted ball through by Emre Can and an even better finish by Sadio Mane, and the 5 time European champions were level. Now remember what I said about Arsenal after Lacazette scored? That everything looked brilliant for all of two minutes? Well... Another ball into the box was poorly dealt with, and Doucoure stabbed the ball into the net to give the home side the lead again heading into the break. Again the Liverpool defence was found wanting, and again they had gone behind to a Watford side that hadn't really posed a threat, making the two goals conceded even worse. Then for 40 minutes we were reminded just how good Liverpool could be. Mo Salah gave us the first real showing of his incredible pace, beating Gomes to a through ball which looked impossible to reach, going down under the challenge and winning a penalty. Firmino calmly slotted into the bottom left corner to equalise, before just three minutes later, the Brazilian lifted the ball over the advancing Watford keeper, for Mo Salah to latch onto and knock in his debut goal, giving his new side the lead for the first time on the day. What followed was 30 minutes of smooth sailing for the leaders, before... you guessed it... another poorly defended set piece. In the 94th minute another corner was whipped in, Liverpool failed to deal with it after a poor header from Wijnaldum, and eventually Miguel Britos bundled the ball over the line to snatch a point for the Hornets. I don't really know what to say about this game to be honest, it's all been said before, not just over the last 24 hours but over the last few years, Liverpool simply look poor at the back. You could take the review of Arsenal's opening day, replace the name Arsenal with Liverpool and you'd have a pretty accurate overview of the state of the club. Going forward last season, Liverpool looked brilliant, and this summer they've strengthened in that area. Bringing in Salah who scored on his league debut, and looked very impressive in doing so. But the priority for Liverpool coming into the summer was to strengthen their back line, their defence, it simply wasn't strong enough, and the new season has started with no change being made! It's almost laughable how poor the red's were defensively against Watford, which is an even bigger shame when you consider how good their front three performed. Salah, Mane and Firmino looked great going forward, and if they hold onto Coutinho, they'll have perhaps the most potent attack in the league. But all of this is wasted because defensively, Jurgen Klopp's side is shocking defensively. A Champions League attack, with a relegation standard defence. It doesn't quite add up.

Chelsea 2-3 Burnley - 5 goals, 2 red cards, 8 yellow cards, 1 huge shock.

Chelsea became only the seconds defending champions to lose the first game of the following season. (For all you trivia lovers, Leicester City last season became the first) But the game wasn't all cut and dry, like the first two I have spoke about so far, it was an action packed 90 minutes. Chelsea's new full time captain Gary Cahill followed were John Terry left off, leaving games at Stanford Bridge early. A horrible tackle saw the Englishman given his marching orders just 14 minutes in, and the red card was the beginning of perhaps the worst half in Chelsea's Premier League history, and that isn't an over estimation. A Sam Vokes Brace, either side of a Stephen Ward goal, saw the champions going into half time, at home, with ten men, 3-0 down to a side highly tipped to be relegated! Changed were quickly made and record signing Alvaro Morata was given his debut and it didn't take the former Real Madrid striker long to continue the trend of debut goals this weekend. The ball was whipped in from Willian and Morata turned the ball in with a diving header to start the comeback. Mortata then went from hero to zero, turning a goal bound effort over the line from an offside position, ruling it out. Before Chelsea had the chance to add to their tally, Cesc Fabregas but in a late contender for worse tackle of the game, earning himself a red card and Chelsea we're reduced to 9! Despite this the final 10 minutes were all Chelsea, and David Luiz added a second for the champions, leading to a very nervy last few minutes. But Sean Dyche's side held on for a famous three points. So... what now? Antonio Conte has openly said he isn't happy with the lack of funds being made available to him in order to boost his squad, the Italian stated he simply doesn't not have enough players to fight on all front this season. And obviously, the early red card to Cahill didn't help things, as a senior figure of the side, the centre back should know better. But that doesn't change the fact that, for the first 45 minutes, Chelsea were second best against Burnley, a side set to battle relegation. All over the park they looked a yard off the pace, it took Mortata coming on in the second half for the champions to have any attacking threat. With Hazard out, Pedro out, and Morata still not deemed fit enough to start, Chelsea's attack looks very thin and it showed on the opening day.  As I previously mentioned only Leicester City had lost on match day one after winning the title the season before, now I am in no way suggesting Chelsea will end up having a season similar to the midlands club from last season, but you have to think how unprepared are Chelsea coming into this campaign. With a full strength starting eleven, they can compete with the best, but beyond that, there simply isn't enough for the London club to compete on all fronts. I would expect Roman Abramovic to get him check book out between now and August 31st, if not, what are the odds on Conte walking out before the end of the season? Think about it.

Brighton and Hove Albion 0-2 Manchester City - Pep's men spoil the party on the coast.

Despite rugged resistance from the home side, the early favourites started their campaign with what was expected from them, a win. When it was announced that Brighton's first ever Premier League game would be against Manchester City you couldn't help but feel sorry for the newly promoted side. And the 22% possession the home side saw made their first outing a lot of hard work, but they truly put up a fight. As expected however, the blue half of Manchester were the better side throughout, Gabriel Jesus coming close early on, forcing a sublime save from Brighton keeper Mathew Ryan, this was followed by the Brazilian having the ball in the net, but disallowed for hand ball. Other then Gabriel's bright spark, Pep's side never quite clicked into gear, which saw half time arrive, with the score still at 0-0. The second half saw more of the same to begin with, all the possession, but few clear chance for City. The best falling to Aguero, who intercepted an under hit back pass, only to put the ball wide of the post. However as I'm sure you could guess, the Argentinian wouldn't waste another chance, picking up the ball to the right hand side of the box, and firing expertly into the far left hand corner, giving City the lead. Once ahead, City started to play themselves more into the game, Kyle Walker impressing on his debut and drawing a free kick. This free kick lead to a corner, which lead to Manchester City's second, and an own goal off of Lewis Dunk, to seal all three points of the blues. Despite not quick clicking into gear fully, City picked up all three points and a clean sheet on the opening day, the same of which can not be said about many sides. What was interesting about this game was, as a unit, they looked a lot more drilled, the side seemed to have a much clearer idea of what their managed wanted from them. The new signings at full back of Danilo and Kyle walker slotted in seamlessly, and the rest of the side seemed to follow suit. The massive possession figure is very reminiscent of Pep's former sides in Barcelona and Bayern Munich, all over the pitch City dictated the play, meaning that despite their attacking ventures not all coming off, they never looked in doubt. Then when you think, with the likes of Jesus and Aguero leading the line, City won't need too many chances to find the back of the net throughout the season. The biggest talking point from this game however is how much room this side still has to grow. At no point during the game did they look like the finished product, and this is what it going to be a sight for sore eyes for City fans. They didn't look like the finished product, and they registered a comfortable win. Now yes it was against Brighton, but last season, that was the kind of game City could have easily slipped up in, but they registered their first win of the season, and left room to grow. Watch this space.

The best of the rest -

Now, before I go over the final game of the weekend lets look at the remaining games from match week one. Huddesfield Town are currently top of the league after beating Crystal Palace 3-0 in their first every Premier League game! Historic. Spurs started their campaign with a 2-0 away win at Newcastle, a game which was perfectly balanced until Jonjo Shelvey stood on Dele Ali's ankle and the Newcastle captain for the day was given his marching orders. Stupid. Wayne Rooney scored the only goal of the game on his return to Goodison Park, breaking the record for longest period between two goals for the same club. 13 years. Despite having less then 30% possession at home, West Brom turned over Bournemouth 1-0. Stats aren't everything. And the only 0-0 draw of the weekend saw Southampton and Swansea play out an even game, a steady start for two sides with potentially tough seasons ahead of them. Stale mate.

Manchester United 4-0 West Ham United - Saved the best for last.

The best performance by any side on the opening weekend, and it was the last game to be played. Drawing match day one to a close was Jose Mourinho's Manchester United and to put it simply, they were sublime. From the first whistle the red devils looks dangerous, and Lukaku was appearing to be a handful for the West Ham defence, so when he ended a sweeping counter attack, by firing the ball in off of the post, it had been coming, The Belgian always looked to find the space behind the defence and with the home side seemingly always on the front foot, it played right into Lukaku's hands. After conceding West Ham did an okay job keeping United out for the remaining 10 minutes of the first half, but as soon as the second 45 minutes began, Jose's men went up a gear. Again it was the new boy Lukaku, heading in a free kick, out jumping the entire West Ham defence and continuing his near perfect debut! However for the remainder of the game, the striker turned provider, bringing the likes of Rashford and Pogba into the game any chance he got. Speaking of Rashford, the young Englishman look incredibly sharp, opening up his body and steering a shot just wide on the counter attack. This was just before he fired a beautiful curling shot onto the inside of the post, Rashford looked back to his best. Next to create nightmares for the Hammers was Anthony Martial. The Frenchman showed his incredible pace to burst through a weak West Ham back line and provide a smart finish past an on rushing Joe Hart. And last but certainly not least we saw the man who is now formerly, the world most expensive player, Paul Pogba, firing home from outside the box. A very good finish to cap off a very impressive performance from the Frenchman. From start to Finish United were a class above their opponents on the day, and from back to front, man for man, they were the better team. Nemanja Matic anchoring the midfield was a revelation for United, giving Pogba the freedom to roam he was missing last season, suddenly his £40 million price tag from Chelsea looks like a steal. Then as I mentioned we have Pogba himself. He looked like a different player from least season, strong on the ball, involved in every attack, which is what we didn't see from him last time out. With Matic behind him, Pogba isn't required to do the 'dirty work' and he can play in a role he suits. Henrikh Mkhitaryan's involvement seems to have gone very much under the radar so far, the Armenian however was perhaps the stand out performer on the day! Creating two goals and providing that bit of creativity when it was needed, the former Dortmund midfielder had the 'it factor' which lead to so many of the home side's chances. And then of course, last but not least, the man of the hour, the new boy, Lukaku. I was very doubtful of the Belgian striker and his huge price tag, I didn't feel like he was worth anywhere near the £72 million spent on him, with so much of his game yet to be up to standard. But in this game, he proved me wrong. We all know how good he is one on one, and we all know how much of an impact his presence has on his opposition, but for me, he played the perfect game. Moving constantly, splitting the centre backs every chance he got, holding the ball up and bringing the likes of Rashford and Pogba into play, and he was just simply, too much for West Ham to handle. All in all, Manchester United stole the show during an excellent opening weekend, and firmly staked an early claim to be one of the front runners this season.

So match day one has been brought to a close and the Premier League 2017/2018 season is underway, and what a way to start! Over the course of the 10 games we had everything, early goals to late drama, goal fests to tightly contested fixtures, even games to one sides routes. I think it's safe to say, we're all very much glad it's back!

Summer 2017 - Highlights so far of the craziest transfer window in history.

This years summer transfer window has seen an incredible amount of money spent so far. In the Premier League alone over half a billion pounds has been spent by the time of writing this, with last summers total finishing at £1.165 billion on 31st August 2016, it is looking incredibly likely we will have a new record for a transfer window in terms of spending. Now with the likes of Jordan Pickford signing for Everton for £30 million and Kyle Walker signing for Manchester City for upwards of £50 million it is easy to see how the figure has grown to such a large amount. But what are the highlights? We've seen some questionable spending so far, as well as some head turning deals including Dani Alves snubbing Manchester City in favour of a move to PSG. I'm now going to look into the main talking points from the summer transfer window 2017 so far.

James Rodriguez to Bayern Munich. (2 year loan with an option to buy.)

Perhaps a bit controversially I'm starting this piece on the summer transfer window with a loan move. However it isn't your typical loan, this isn't the young English striker going to the Championship to get some game time, this is the young man who won the 2014 World Cup golden boot despite being knocked out in the Quarter finals. The winner of the FIFA Puskas award from the same year. The man who Real Madrid paid approximately 80 million Euros to bring in. James Rodriguez. Now, the Columbia captain has been in and out of the Real Madrid side for the past couple of seasons, and has slipped behind Isco in the pecking order of the European champions. James only started 13 league games last season, coming off of the bench on 9 occasions. Despite this he managed to be involve in 14 league goals, scoring 8 goals and providing 6 assists, an example of the impact he can have when given the time. What makes this deal so ludicrous is the fact, that after paying a 5 million euro loan fee, Bayern have the option to sign Rodriguez for just £35 million. Less then half what was paid for him by Madrid just three years ago. And despite falling from the first team in the Spanish capital the Colombian attacking midfielder still has bags of potential. At just 26, he is coming into his prime, and under the coaching of Carlo Ancelotti I can see James proving to be the player we all know he can be. He was tipped as a future Balon D'or winner three years ago, the man is world class and a steal for Bayern Munich! Bayern already walk to the German title every year but where they want and need to be is competing for the title of champions of Europe. Since winning the Champions League in 2013, they have been unsuccessful at the Semi-Final stage every year since. Rodriguez has now been a part of two Champions League winning campaigns with parent club Real Madrid and that winning pedigree in Europe could be what Bayern need to prove that they are the best club side on the planet. Bayern's new number eleven is a truly world class player and I say with 100% certainty that he is going to set the world alight in Germany, Go back and watch his volley from the 2014 World Cup against Uruguay and remember the commentary. My word this boy's a star.

Romelu Lukaku to Manchester United. (£75 million + add ons)

From a deal which has cost virtually nothing to one which is the fifth largest in football history. The Belgian striker's move from Everton was pretty much a certainty when the Premier League season ended, but not many people would have predicted Lukaku returning to former manager Jose Mourinho. The Portuguese man was in charge of Chelsea during Lukaku's spell at the club, and it was Jose himself that saw him as surplus to requirements. However after impressing for the blue half of Merseyside during his time there, the big Belgian is Manchester United's newest number 9. With reported add ons and Wayne Rooney moving in the other direction also being part of the deal, the total transfer cost reaches an incredible £100million, and as it looks unlikely any club will spend more on one player this summer, for the second year in a row Jose will have out spent the rest of his challengers. However £75million on any player would always come under scrutiny, and with a lot of people claiming that the Belgian forward is not the finished article yet, maybe you have to question the decision making. When put one on one with any keeper, Lukaku is always the clear favourite and with his incredible strength and speed he is a constant threat. However his big criticism for years has been his first touch, and his ability to hold up the play. In a recent piece with former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher, the Englishman said that if he was to defend against Lukaku, he'd just give him a yard of space, banking on a loose touch from the attacker and then clear. This rings remarkably true with Romelu who was guilty on plenty of occasions last season of giving the ball away cheaply. His ability, or lack of, to hold up the play rarely effected situations at Everton last season. In the league he scored 20 more goals then his side's second top scorer, he was the constant and only real outlet. But United have the likes of Paul Pogba, Anthony Martial, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Juan Mata and Jesse Lingard, all of which who will be expecting Lukaku to use his size to hold up the ball and to bring them into the game, in a similar vain to how Zlatan did last season. Is it right to spend so much money on a player who may limit your style of play? Only time will tell how this deal will work out, Lukaku has been tipped for greatness from a very young age, everyone knows just how good he can be, and very importantly so does he. The Belgian knows he belongs in a top side, and being in Europe with Manchester United is a real opportunity to show the world what he can really do.

Leonardo Bonucci to AC Milan. (£35 million)

Now this one caught me, you and the entire footballing world off guard. The Italian defender is arguably the best in world football. Playing in arguably the best defence in world football at Italian champions Juventus and is being heavily tipped for a move to English champions Chelsea and former Italian National team coach Antonio Conte. So where on earth did this come from? Bonucci has officially signed for AC Milan, a side which isn't even featuring in Europe's top competition for the upcoming season. Now it is known that Bonucci and Juventus manager Allegri had a major falling out last season, which saw the Italian being dropped for a league game against Palmero, so it is understandable as to why he would leave. But to AC Milan? The 7 time European champions have been on an incredible decline for much of this decade and I'm sure would not even be considered by many of the worlds top players at this point in time. However, with the signing of Bonucci, Milan have taken their summer spending over the £100million mark, with the likes of Ricardo Rodriguez and Hakan Calhanoglu both coming in from Germany. The contract will keep Leonardo at the Milan club for 5 years, and alongside the other new recruits coming to the San Siro, maybe we could see the resurrection of AC Milan in the coming years. Not much more is known about the deal as it all came out of no where, but one thing is for sure, what a move by AC Milan. He is set to have his medical over the coming weekend but it all seems like a formality now. Coming from a Liverpool fan, a club with a big history involving AC Milan it would be a welcomed return to the top table of world football for the club, who last won the Champions League in 2007 and are still the second most successful side in the history of top level European competition.

Mohamed Salah to Liverpool. (£36 million)

The Egyptian Mo Salah is getting his second opportunity to show the Premier League what he can do after a poor showing during his all too brief time at Chelsea. However since becoming Liverpool's record signing, the potential of things to come is getting the fans excited. His stats from last season speak for themselves, the winger scored 15 and created 11 in 31 league games while playing in Italy's Calcio 'A' for Roma, beating massively hyped Argentine and Juventus youngster Paulo Dybala on both counts while he played for champions Juventus. His lighting pace and play style is very similar to that of Sadio Mane, the Senegalese winger proved to be an incredible signing for the red's last season and I'm sure they're hoping for more of the same from their newest addition. However, bringing Salah into the team is only half the story, the other being how it will effect the rest of the side. Salah has been given the number 11 shirt, with it's former owner Roberto Firmino made Liverpool's newest number 9, making it more clear that he will be the number one striker for the club in the coming season. Firmino impressed massively last season but only managed 11 league goals, a fact which was made more telling whenever either Mane or Philippe Coutinho didn't play, both of whom out scored the Brazilian, with 13 league goals each. The pressure was on Firmino to be an out and out striker which he simply isn't, he is no slouch in front of goal but will never be a 20 goal a season centre forward. This is where Salah comes into play. What Firmino does better then any other striker in the league in my opinion is the 'dirty work', closing down defenders, forcing mistakes and creating opportunities for his team mates. Liverpool looked unplayable with Mane, Coutinho and Firmino all playing, and with Salah in there as another outlet it takes more pressure off of Firmino to be the star striker, and he can focus on the main plus points of his game. Roberto will still score goals, but his running, chances created and assists will be where his quality is shown next season. Also with the addition of Salah into the side, Jurgen Klopp no longer has to restrict Coutinho to a wide position and he can instead play the Brazilian midfielder in his preferred number 10 role, one he plays as good as anyone in the world. In the last two games of the previous season the little magician returned to the position and put in a man of the match performances in both, scoring three goals. Inside he is given more space to roam, and more of the pitch to work with. Also with the additional movement coming from Salah, he can fully utilise his incredible range of passing. And finally just imagine the look of fear on a defenders face when they're closing down a loose ball against either Sadio Mane or Mo Salah. The pace of both men is frightening and Liverpool will have it coming from both flanks, the options going forward for the club is endless. If they play the rest of this window smart, improve at the back and add much needed squad depth, we could see potential title challengers.

Alexandre Lacazette to Arsenal (£52 million + add ons)

Much like Bonucci this is a signing I didn't see coming, not because I didn't think the Frenchman would leave Lyon, but because of his choice of clubs. Lacazette fired in 28 league goals in 28 league games last season, and he almost single handedly got Lyon to the Europa League Semi-Finals. Before Atletico Madrid were handed a transfer ban at the start of the summer it looked as if the striker was on his way to Spain, however that deal obviously never came to be, but why Arsenal? The London club aren't even in the Champions League next season, and you'd think as Alexandre is one of Europe's top strikers he'd want to play amongst Europe's best sides and I'm sure very few teams would have turned him down. Lacazette has however said on record how long he's relished the idea of playing in England for, and living in London may have played a big part in his decision making as it does with many other players. What is also very big about this deal is it shows intent from Arsenal and Arsene Wenger. With star Alexis Sanchez reportedly on his way out as he is unhappy with the direction of the club, maybe this move might persuade him, and team mate Mesut Ozil, to stay for a while longer. On the flip side however, where does this move leave Alexis? Over the last twelve months the Chilean attacker has been moving in and out of the centre forward position, a position he claims to prefer. Lacazette will have been brought in to add goals to Arsenal and to fire them back into the Champions League, meaning Sanchez is likely to be back playing out wide, will he be happy about that? Especially after 'carrying' the side through a lot of last season. It is however no doubt a brilliant bit of business by Arsenal, bringing in a world class striker, something the fans have been crying out for, for years! It shows intent to not only the fans and the players, but also to the other Premier League sides, Lacazette is a big threat, and much like Liverpool, if the rest of the window goes in their favour, Arsenal could be in a very strong position for next season.

Antonio Rudiger to Chelsea (£34 million)

Shocking announcement video aside (Look it up, it really is that bad! So bad I'm asking you to go and watch it before reading on!) Rudiger signing could be the best 'under the radar' deal we will see in the Premier League this summer. Antonio Conte's Chelsea won the title last season based on a solid defence, and the adjective solid is perfect to describe his new German centre back. The now former Roma defender featured in 4 of Germany's 5 Confederation cup games, including the 1-0 win in the final, a game in which he kept Alexis Sanchez very quiet. After Chelsea had been linked with Bonucci for such a long time, the deal to bring in Rudiger came sort of out of no where, but one that makes perfect sense. The German played in 41 games in all competitions last season for Roma and Germany, demonstrating his incredible resilience, and throughout those games he stared as he played a key part in 14 league clean sheets. With Chelsea back in the Champions League next season the games are going to be coming thick and fast, and having a player like Rudiger who you can rely on to play each and every game you need him to play without signing signs of fatigue is invaluable. Possibly the least exciting of the signings I have mentioned so far today but also possibly the most effective. Just when you thought Chelsea's incredible defence couldn't get any stronger, they go an sign one of the best young defenders in Europe. At just 24 years old he has so much more room to grow, and under the guidance of his name sake Antonio Conte I feel the German centre back will prove his transfer fee to be pennies!

With over a month and a half of the transfer window yet to take place, there are a lot more potentially big deals to happen, including the rumoured signing of Naby Keita from RB Leipzig to Liverpool for an incredible £70 million. Juventus potentially losing another incredible defender in the form of Alex Sandro to Chelsea, and with Pierre Emerick Aubameyang's future still very much up in the air, there is still a lot of news to be made and a lot of money to be spent. It's getting to the point where money in football is meaningless, with every transfer a bit more crazy then the last, it should make for a pretty incredible upcoming season and I for one can't wait!

Cristiano Ronaldo - What's next?

A source close to the Portuguese captain has reported that he is 'upset' after being accused of tax evasion and that he no longer wants to play his football in Spain, meaning leaving Real Madrid. Cristiano was accused of defrauding the authorities of millions of euros in tax, an accusation he has denied. The same source who reported on Ronaldo's comments has also said that the Madrid forward, "feels he is honest, has a good character and did everything okay." The current holder of the Ballon D'or has recently signed a new contract with the Spanish champions, running until 2021. As well as this, Ronaldo's buy out clause is an incredible 1 billion euros, (£874.88 million) making it highly unlikely CR7 will leave the Spanish capital without the blessing of the club. The accusations were made on the 14th June 2017, Real Madrid quickly released a statement backing their record goal scorer and saying they believe he will 'prove his innocence'. Despite the backing from his club the news today suggests Cristiano is set on leaving the club and his decision will not change, so if this does come to pass, what happens next? Even if you take the ludicrous buy out clause out of the equation, there is still a very select few teams on the planet who could afford Ronaldo's wages, and an even smaller selection who could secure his signature. So lets have a look, where could be the next home of Portugal's finest.

Bayern Munich -

I feel this is the most unlikely option but one certainly which holds merit. One aspect of Ronaldo's character is that he wants to be the best, and from what his career has shown us so far, he only wants to play for the best and Bayern certainly fit the bill. The German champions are one of few teams who would be willing to shill out an incredible amount of money on Cristiano's wages with Polish striker Robert Lewandowski making over 200,000 euros a week at the time of writing this. On top of that, five members of the first team no including Lewandowski are earning over 150,000 euros at the moment, showing that they are not shy about paying their players what they deserve. Now Ronaldo's wage bill would arguably double that of Lewandowski's, but the current combined wage bill at the Allianz Arena indicates the money is their to be spent. Then there is of course, image. As I previously mentioned, Cristiano appears to want nothing more in football than to be the best, the be more specific, better then Lionel Messi. One argument Ronaldo supporters love to use if the fact that he has proven his quality in two different countries (England and Spain,) winning the Ballonparis  D'or in both, where as Messi has never played domestic football outside of Spain. So the draw to turn that tally of two countries into three is one that could be potentially very tempting for Ronaldo. and as he looks nailed on to win his 5th Ballon D'or this year, tying Messi's tally of five, we could potentially see CR7 winning the famous award while representing a club in his third different country.

Paris Saint Germain (PSG) -

Once again, the chance for Ronaldo to take ANOTHER country by storm. Now as a club PSG do not hold the same drawing power of Bayern Munich, the Paris side have a history of underachieving outside of their domestic competitions, and this year even failed to win the league title. However one thing PSG have over Bayern is their bank account. The company which owns Paris SG are Oryx Qatar Sports Investments, ran by Nasser Al-Khelaifi, the chief executive of the club, also with a lot of investments coming from the Qatari Royal Family. PSG are very familiar with spending huge sums of money on a player, Edison Cavini's signing from Napoli in 2013 is the national record in France and much like Bayern before, the wage bill coming from Paris more then indicates they could afford to pay Ronaldo. Unlike Bayern however who I realistically couldn't see paying the money Ronaldo would demand, I wouldn't be surprised to see PSG offering exactly what Cristiano wants. It was also reported that two years ago, the then French champions offer £125 million for the services of the Madrid forward, which would still stand as a world record transfer, so the interest is most definitely there. This would then just leave the decision of whether or not the Ronaldo would be happy taking a step down in quality to get away from Spain, this move could also be what is needed in Paris for PSG to really become the powerhouse in European football everyone expected them to become three years ago.


ANY Chinese team -

In December of last year an unnamed Chinese side offered a staggering £250 million to Real Madrid for Cristiano Ronaldo. The club were prepared to pay an annual salary of £85million, which would have made his by far the highest paid player in the world. Money is all that China has to Offer Cristiano really, with the standard of football being incredibly low compared to what he will be used to, the attention on him will diminish and it could potentially lead to him falling behind in the running for the mantel of 'best in the world'. But money s a strange thing in football, surely there is only so much you can spend, and with well over £1million a week going into his bank account, how many Chinese cars could Ronaldo buy before getting bored. But we'd have said the same about Carlos Tevez, about Oscar, about Ramires, about Ezequiel Levezzi, and Hulk, and Alex Teixeira, all would class players who threw away a career in the top leagues for the top wage bills. Could I see Ronaldo every going to China when he fired in a brace during the Champions League final? Of course not. But Now? When it appears his head has been turned? Who knows.

Manchester United -

You know the second any United fan caught wind that Ronaldo might be leaving Madrid they all jumped to the conclusion that he would be 'coming home'. Cristiano Ronaldo to Manchester United seems to pop up in every transfer window, and 99% of the time it is wishful thinking on the part of the reporters and the fans of the Manchester club. Yes, it is a very big possibility that Ronaldo could return to Old Trafford one day, but when he has been in the peak of his career, breaking records and making history. His former club have been struggling, failing to quality for the Champions League in their last three seasons. However, after winning the Europa league this year and guaranteed progress to the group stages, maybe the 'stage' is set for Ronaldo to come back. United manager Jose Mourinho knows the Spanish press very well, and will understand exactly what his countryman is going through. After managing Cristano at the Bernabeu during the early 2010's, you'd imagine it wouldn't be beyond the reach of the special one to convince Ronaldo of his next move. Then, once again, we come back to money. Let's just look at it this way, by signing Paul Pogba last summer for 105 million euros, they broke the world record transfer fee, proving they have no problem what so every spending big to get their man. Five, I repeat, five players were being paid over £200,000 a week at the start of the 2016/2017 season, with Pogba's wages pushing very close to £300,000, so it is very clear that they also have no problem paying huge wages either. In reality, if Ronaldo is to move, Manchester United seems like the best bet. He clearly loves the club, thanks to the Europa League win he wont be missing out on the champions league. He can reunite with Jose Mourinho and help to rebuild United back to where they belong (This would go a long way in proving Ronaldo is the best of all time). The wage demands are no problem, and despite the incredible buyout clause I'm sure the Red Devils board could offer a sum which would force the men in charge of Los Blancos to listen. Will it happen? It is still very early days (The news was leaked only earlier today) But it certainly isn't impossible.

Real Madrid -

Then there's the possibility that this is all just Cristiano trying to make the authorities forget what he's being accused on and make the entire country focus on the possibility of him leaving. Okay maybe this is reading a little to far into it, it's highly likely that Ronaldo is very hurt by the accusations if they are indeed false and he made the statements in the 'heat of the moment'. You'd expect Ronaldo to handle the situation a little better, especially after spending the entirety of the last decade in the limelight, but it is human at the end of that day. Real Madrid are the biggest club on the planet, are on the back of making history in the Champions League and winning their first Spanish league title since 2012. They also are paying CR7 an amount of money very few teams on the planet can match and you'd imagine offer him all of the perks that come with being the best player in the world. Possibly biggest of all is that by being a 'galactico' their is no bigger stage for Ronaldo so show his quality and continue to grow as a player. Since signing in 2009, Madrid's number 7 has evolved his game from a tricky winger to a clinical goalscorer, and the world has taken note. From 2009 until 2012 Lionel Messi was by far and away the world's best, and four straight Ballon Do'rs prove that fact. But since he started to adjust his game, Ronaldo has made it a much more level playing field, it's neck and neck. The change in his game could see Portugal's captain playing at the top level for another 5 years, his intensity of play has slowed and he appears to be in the shape of his life. Also you'd imagine almost EVERY goal scoring record in Europe would have been broken by then, because that's just what he does. To be honest, I can't see Cristiano ever leaving the Bernabeu, the biggest club in the world and the man who wants to be the best player in the world, it's a perfect fit.

England Is Blue Again - Chelsea Are Champions.

The former Italian national team manager Antonio Conte came to England last summer to take over Chelsea, following their worst season in well over a decade and a tenth place finish. Less than 12 months later the London club are lifting the famous Premier League trophy again after a great season, a "great season" which could be a "fantastic season" should Chelsea complete the domestic double by beating Arsenal in the FA Cup final, says the Italian manager.

The Blues became champions on Friday 12th May after a 1-0 away win against West Brom, making them the first champions the be crowned on a Friday. They secured the title with two games to spare, after closest challengers Spurs lost to West Ham at the London Stadium earlier in the week. The goal scored by young Belgian Michy Batshuayi, the striker has been on the fridges at Stanford Bridge for most of the season but his goal that secured a 6th league title for Chelsea will be one that puts his name history.

It's been a very successful season season for Conte's men, one which did not get off to the best of starts. Following a relatively convincing opening to the campaign, Chelsea failed to register a win in the month of September, losing games to both Arsenal and Liverpool comfortably, as well as a draw to Swansea. However it was the loss to the former which lead to, in the eyes of many, the change in direction for the London club which has taken them to the title. Chelsea then went on a 13 game win streak, not conceding a goal in the first 6, and registered a 4-0 win against former manager Jose Mourinho's Manchester United, and a 3-0 win against now former champions Leicester City in the process. In total Chelsea have since lost just three times in 26 league games following their defeat to Arsenal, going from 6th in the table to holding a commanding lead at the top and a ten point lead over rivals Spurs with two games to play.

The stars of Chelsea, who last season struggle to find any form have this season flourished. With Diego Costa and Eden Hazard both hitting double figures in terms of goals this campaign, scoring 20 and 15 respectively. Winger Pedro has found a new role throughout the season at wing back, but that hasn't hindered the former Barcelona player one bit, with the Spanish native reaching both 8 goals and assists, being involved in more goals then anyone outside of Costa and Hazard for the champions. The switch to a three centre back system following their defeat to Arsenal is one which truly allowed the Chelsea back line to flourish. David Luiz and Gary Cahill both came under criticism early in the season, especially the Brazilian with many people wondering what caused Chelsea to re-sign him from PSG. However when full back Cesar Azpilicueta moved inside and joined centre of defence, all three men upped their performances, which lead to the 6 match clean sheet run which really kick started the season. One signing however that really shocked was Marcus Alonso. The Spaniard, who failed to nail down a place in the Bolton side all those years ago joined Chelsea and slid perfectly into the left wing back position and has consistently put in quality displays down that left side. Alonso registers 3rd for the club in terms of tackles won and aerial battles won, the man bought in from Italy also finished as the clubs 5th top goal scorer, contributing 6 league goals so far.

The man I'm yet to comment on however is the PFA Player of the Year, becoming only the second man in history to win back to back Premier League titles at two different clubs, with the other being Aussie stopper Mark Schwarzer, N'golo Kante. The Frenchman has been the anchor in Chelsea's midfield that has allowed their attacking players the freedom they need. After an 'un-sung hero' season at Leicester last year, Kante has been at the forefront this time around, as everyone has been able to see what an incredible job he does. Chelsea have a history of brilliant holding midfielders, with Claude Makelele inventing the 'Makelele' role, and being closely followed by fan favourite Michael Essien. Kante is the latest in this list and perhaps the quickest to get the credit that all of the great players playing this role deserved. Kante registered first in both tackles and interceptions for the champions, underlining just how effective he has been for Conte's side. And, unlike last season, Kante's impressive performances were acknowledged by his peers, being awarded the PFA Player of the Year award, and rightly so.

Congratulations to Chelsea and everyone who is involved in the club for a very successful league campaign. As I previously mentioned the champions will now be chasing the domestic double, with an FA Final against Arsenal on May 29th. It is fitting that the fixture that really turned Chelsea's season around will also close the season. They will next season return to the Champions League after a rare absence during this campaign, and we'll be able to see if Conte's side can translate their domestic success across the continent.

The Title Race - Can Spurs catch champions elect Chelsea?

Since Liverpool's January from hell it has been common knowledge that Chelsea have been odds on to be crowned Premier League champions this upcoming May. With Hazard finding his best form again, Kante proving to be the signing of the season for the second year running and a defensive unit looking unbreakable at times the title has been Chelsea's to lose. Coming into April Chelsea had a comfortable 11 point advantage over closest challengers Spurs and looked to be strolling to the title. 16 days later however the title race could be back on. After a 2-1 home defeat to Crystal Palace and a convincing 2-0 defeat at Old Trafford against Manchester United, lead by former manager Jose Mourinho, Mauricio Pochettinio's Spurs side are breathing down the neck of the league leaders. Suffering only one defeat in their last 17 league games it looks like the side from White Hart Lane will not only finally finish ahead of North London rivals Arsenal but their form could be causing Chelsea to have to look over their shoulder.

One thing Chelsea can be happy about is their remaining league games. Minus a tricky away trip to Goodison Park and the home of the league's top scorer Lukaku, Chelsea's run in shouldn't be causing fans to cash out on their bets to win the title too soon. When compared to the run in for Spurs, who have still got the North London derby against Arsenal to play as well as an away trip to the champions Leicester City and welcoming Manchester United to White Hart Lane, Chelsea can rest easy knowing the fixtures have been much more kind to them. However this run of games won't faze Spurs, who have hit such a rich vain of form they will feel like they can take on anyone. With Harry Kane once again hitting over 20 goals this season and Dele Ali continuing to prove he is one of the stand out young talents in Europe, they have more than enough fire power to cause problems for anyone going forward. And then when you look at the defence you realise how well built this side is. Spurs have the best defensive record in the league, conceding only 22 goals so far this term, 5 less then Chelsea, and even if their defence is ever found wanting, with Hugo Lloris between the sticks a goal is never a guarantee. 

Coming off the back of their second defeat in four games against Jose's United side, Conte and his team will be hoping none of their upcoming opponents were watching the way Ander Herrera man marked Eden Hazard out of the game. The Belgian attacker has been on fire this season, with 14 goals and 5 assists in the league this season he really has rediscovered his PFA Player of the Season winning form from two years ago. However on Sunday he didn't get a sniff, with the Spanish midfielder Herrera keeping him well and truly in his back pocket throughout. This method of man marking the tricky winger is one we haven't really seen adopted this season by many sides and possibly Jose's tactics this weekend could convince a few of the sides in Chelsea's run in to attempt a similar system to nullify the number 10.

Diego Costa is another big name who had re-found his form from Chelsea's title winning side of two years ago and he came flying out the blocks this season with 5 goals in his first 5 Premier League games this season. However before Chelsea started to stutter in recent weeks, the Brazilian born Spanish national team striker, has looked a lot closer to the man who was only a shadow of his former self last season. With no goals in his last 6 league games on only four in the entirety of 2017 so far, that is not the form of a striker leading his side to a league title. One of Costa's main criticisms has always been his temper and his tendency to get involved physically with opposing defenders. This vice was ever present lasts season and it seems to have reared it's head again during this poor run of form. With four yellow cards since his last league goal, the striker has been more of a danger then a help for the side lead by Antonio Conte. When compared to the talisman for challengers Spurs, in Harry Kane, Costa really is struggling. Kane has scored 12 league goals so far in 2017, triple what Costa has hit and that is with the English striker missing several games with an ankles injury. Harry Kane has scored more than 20 goals for the third successive season, becoming only the fourth player in the Premier League era to do so and the Englishman really is firing his side back in contention for the title. 

The FA Cup has undergone a rejuvenation this season and the semi finals are coming up, where the top two sides in the Premier League will meet at Wembley for a spot in the final. With Chelsea vs Spurs in the FA Cup being the first game for Chelsea since their humbling against United, should they now lose to their closest rivals who knows what damage that will cause mentally to Conte's men and on the flip side, the confidence coming from a potential win against the side their trying to catch in the race for the title could be huge for Tottenham and could be the final push needed to secure maximum point from their final 6 league games. 

A month ago the title race was all but over, and most people had declared Chelsea champions, including me. However if we have learnt nothing else from the Premier League over the years, it's never over until the final whistle is blown. Manchester United, Liverpool, Newcastle United and a host of other sides have all been guilty of throwing away the title when they looked all but guaranteed to win it. Could Chelsea be the next? The current leaders had looked so well drilled and professional coming into the final stretch of the season anyone else being crowned champions had been written off, however with only four points separating the two sides at the top, the Premier League trophy could still have a new first time home in the form of White Hart Lane.

The Not So Special One - What Caused The Fall Of Portugal's Favourite Son?

"Please don't call me arrogant, but I'm European champion and I think I'm a special one." During his first interview with the English media, Jose Mourinho went from a newly established young Portuguese man looking to cement his legacy, to a must see commodity of the English game. When Jose, who still to this day is dubbed as the special one, won the Champions League with FC Porto, he caught the eye of Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich, which led to Mourinho being appointed by the Russian as the new manager of London club Chelsea in 2004. What followed was Chelsea’s first league title in fifty years, capped off with records for the least goal conceded in history for the English top flight and the most points ever recorded in a thirty eight game season. When you pair these records with a Carling Cup victory and an impressive run in the UEFA Champions League, the football fans of England and around the world, where instantly in awe of the special one. His tenure at Chelsea lasted until 2007 when he departed the club, under mutual consent with the owner. 

However this did not harm his stance as perhaps the best manager in the world and before long was the new boss of Italian giants Inter Milan. Here he continued his eye catching personality, in Italian! Speaking the language fluently in his first interview, claiming to have learnt it in less than three weeks. It was acts like this which kept the world media attracted, and it didn’t take long for the Italians to fall for Jose just as the English media had in the years prior. By the end of 2010 Jose had won all there was to with the Italians, securing a historic treble in his final game! His players had truly came to love their boss, with long standing Inter defender Marco Materazzi sobbing on camera when told of Mourinho’s departure to perhaps the biggest club side in the world. Real Madrid.

Real Madrid, Los Blancos, the galacticos, the team from the Spanish capital are perhaps the biggest in the world, but over the years there is one position where they have struggled to fill with a name deserving of the title, the manager of Real Madrid. During his first season at the Santiago Bernebeau (Real Madrid’s home stadium) Jose led his new side to a points record for the club, however despite this he could only manage his side to second place, with Catalan giants Barcelona winning the Spanish Premier Division title. For the first time in his career, the media did not instantly swoon to the special one upon his arrival in Spain, and instead they questioned his methods. However those methods next season led to Los Blancos secured the league title, finishing 9 points clear of last season’s winners Barcelona. This results led to the Madrid players actually bowing to Jose in the celebrations, showing just how strong Jose’s bond is with his players! Just as much as a group of his players adored him, the media in Spain came to hate the Portuguese manager. In the following season, the relationship between Jose and his captain Iker Casillas soured, which caused major backlash in the media.  "I am loved by some clubs, especially one. In Spain it is different; some people hate me, many of you in this (press) room." This quote was not long before Mourinho said how this season, which turned out to be his last with the club, was the worst of his career!

In the summer of 2013, Mourinho returned to Chelsea, the move the world of football had been expecting since his departure 6 years prior.  He returned to where he was adored by both the fans and the media, and all of the controversial language he had used in his first tenor came with him upon his return to the Premier League.  In his first season back in London, he moulded the current team into one which appeared to be as will to play for him as any before, and by the end of his second year back, his Chelsea team had effectively walked to the title, losing only three games all season and winning manager of the year in the process. Mourinho was as indestructible as ever, which is why what happened next makes no sense.

Just seven months after Chelsea secured the title in impressive fashion, they were placed 16^th and in the midst of a potential relegation battle! This incredible decline lead to Jose Mourinho being released from his contract, the question is what caused this?

Many miniature incidents during the beginning of their season could be the fault of Chelsea’s downfall, the poor form of star men Eden Hazard, Diego Costa and Cesc Fabregas? The spine of José’s title winning team looked a shadow of their former selves. The Portuguese manager has always been controversial but the many derogatory comments made about FA representatives during his final season point to a man under pressure, and lacking support. This backlash from the English media can be pointed to something other than Chelsea’s form. The handling of Eva Carnerio, the former Chelsea physio who has since been fired.  Carnerio rushed onto the pitch during the first game of Jose’s final season at Chelsea to attend to an injury for Eden Hazard after twice being summoned by the referee. Mourinho slammed her actions as unprofessional and banned her from the dugout for the remainder of his tenor as manager.

The actions of the manager appeared to be the actions of a man trying to make an example, and this opinion of his actions where broadcast in the media, meaning for the first time since his first interview in England, Jose did not have the backing of the media.  The backlash was extraordinary and even the players, who has spent the last 24 months falling in love with their boss, had appeared to turn their back on his.  This lead to a side of Mourinho we haven’t seen before in England, a nervous, under pressure man trying to shift the attention from himself. This side of Mourinho drove his players further away from him and before long they players did not appear to want to play for the man. A combination of a barrage from the media and his own players turning a cold shoulder led to Mourinho losing his job in December of 2015.

 If you ask me, it wasn’t Chelsea’s form which led to the changing attitude of the special one. It was the changing attitude of Mourinho, the insistence on shifting the blame, the determination to make himself seem indestructible which eventually led to his destruction and to Chelsea’s incredible fall from grace.