Champions League Quarter Finals - Predictions

Europe's top competition is reaching boiling point. With only eight sides left battling it out for the mantel of European Champions. Out of the remaining sides three of them are hunting for their first European crown. Roma, Manchester City and Sevilla. All three sides in history with five titles also remain, in Liverpool, Barcelona and Bayern Munich. And of course, a repeat of last years final with Juventus and Real Madrid.

There are obvious favorites, dark horses, and massive underdogs. This stage of the competition always throws up interesting match ups, so lets see what this years has to offer.

Sevilla vs Bayern Munich.

Spanish side Sevilla already have their best ever placement in the Champions League to boast about. The Europa League specialists have never progressed past the last 16 in Europe's elite competition before. Achieving this by upsetting Jose's Manchester United in the last round, winning 2-1 away at Old Trafford.

But blocking their path to the semi-finals are soon to be German champions (again) Bayern Munich. Since Carlo Ancelotti's departure last October, the five time European champions have put their early season poor form behind them and are currently on a roll both domestically and in continental competition. This was shown when they easily swept past their Turkish opponents in the last round, winning 5-0 in the first leg to kill off the tie.

Despite Sevilla's heroics in reaching this round by toppling Manchester United, I feel like this is the end of the road for them. Wissam Ben Yedder's sublime form has earned him his first call up to the French national team, so Sevilla will have fire power going forward.

But if there is one thing Bayern Munich are known for (Other than making their league look like a cake walk.) It's turning on the style when the lights are at their brightest. With a front three of Muller, Lewandowski and Robben, I just don't see a way of the Spanish side's defense keeping them out. And that's what i'm going with a Bayern Munich win, 5-2 over two legs. Potentially with another Besiktas-style blow over in the second leg in Germany.

Juventus vs Real Madrid.

In a repeat of last years final, we have 12 time champions Real Madrid taking on the side with a record number of runners up medals in Juventus. Massimiliano Allergri got the better of Spurs in the last round, to see his side progress. Paulo Dybala and Gonzalo Higuain being the main attractions across both legs. Back in 2017 the game between these two sides was a lot more even then the 4-1 scoreline represents. Juve had put in a very admirable performance until the 80th minute where Madrid changed up a gear and killed off the final. In a one off game, late on especially, tactics go out the window and it comes down to who can force one final chance. And in Cardiff that was Zidane's side. However in a two legged affair, Allergri may have an advantage over Zidane when tactics are concerned. The Frenchman has came under fire for his lack of tactical knowledge in the League, and maybe the Italian Allegri could use this to his advantage in this tie. Finding a way to keep out the back-to back champions.

On the other hand. It's Real Madrid in a Champions League knockout match. Cristiano Ronaldo is breaking records left right and centre, becoming the first man in the history of the competition to score in the first eight games consecutively. Despite their worst league form in a decade, and a lack lustre group stage, Zidane's side blew past PSG in the last round. The French side many peoples favourites to go all the way. Almost in the vein of a local derby, form doesn't appear to matter when it comes to Real Madrid in the Champions League. Like any true world beater, Los Blancos know how to handle the pressure of a big game, and it has seen them collect accolade after accolade.

When comparing the two sides, my heart is telling me to go with Juventus. The Italian league leaders will be out for revenge after last years final, and Allergri will relish the opportunity to prove his tactical knowledge by knocking out the record breaking Real Madrid. Also hitting form at exactly the right time, in recent weeks Juventus have finally reclaimed top spot in Italy from Napoli, and seem to be in cruise control domestically. Meaning that their focus can be solely aimed towards ending their string of poor luck in the European cup and finally win the big one. Finally the idea of Gainluigi Buffon finally getting his hands on the one trophy that has eluded him is a story written in the heavens.

But then, my head is telling me to never back against Los Blanco. 12 time European champions. Back-to-back winners of the competition, the first time that has ever been achieved. A record breaking Cristiano Ronaldo who is flying at just the right time. Real Madrid are out of the title race in Spain, and therefore need a good showing in Europe to save their season. Perhaps even to save Zidane's job. I can think of more reasons why I believe Juve could upset the odds and knock out the holders. And yet, I'm going with a Real Madrid win. 4-2 on aggregate, but much like last years final, it will be a lot closer then the scoreline suggests.

Barcelona vs Roma.

Perhaps the tie which is easiest to call on paper sees Spanish league leaders Barcelona take on Roma. The second of the two Spanish vs Italian ties of the quarter final. Barcelona come into the game as heavy favourites, and rightfully so. With only one loss to their name in all competitions this season, that makes them the in form side left in the last eight. With the La Liga title all but won, and a Copa del rey final to take place in April, Catalonia's crowing jewel could be on their way to an historic treble. The first since Pep's great side of 2009. And only the second treble of the decade (Inter Milan under Jose in 2010.) To get to this stage Barcelona knocked out a resilient Chelsea side, 4-1 over two legs. Lionel Messi staring, scoring three of the goals across the games, and passing the 100 Champions League goal mark in record time. You can never over analyse Barcelona's attacking threat. With the likes of Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and the recently fit Dembele, you'd imagine they wouldn't even notice a lack of Philipe Coutinho in their side. The Brazilian of course cup tied after featuring for Liverpool in the group stage. Their only real criticism over the years has been a leaky defence. Which this season simply isn't the case. Having only conceded 13 league goals all season, one less then the praised defensive unit of Atletico Madrid. Good luck Roma.

Perhaps however, that isn't a bad thing. Roma come into this game with zero expectations. After drawing the favourites the pressure is 100% on their opponents, win or lose, Roma have over achieved in this years competition. Topping a group with Chelsea and Atleti in, as well as over coming a first leg defeat in Ukraine against Shakhtar to reach the last eight. But the Italians will not just be happy to make up the numbers, and they do have the quality to do something special. Brazilian number one Alisson between the sticks is as good as any keeper on the planet right now, and in front of him is a defence which will take some beating. But getting past Barca will ultimately come down to if Dzeko & CO can take their chances, few as they will be. As I mentioned, Barca's defence is solid, so chances will be few and far between but as Chelsea proved, they aren't unbreakable. The Bosnian in particular will have to be on top form to keep the European dream alive.

Despite everything I've just said, it doesn't look good for Roma. Maybe in Rome, with the Stadio Olympico bouncing, Roma may have a chance. But in Barcelona, I can only see one outcome. Their is only so much you can do when your opposition 's best player is perhaps the best in the history of the Game.

Lionel Messi appears to be on a personal quest to regain his lead over Cristiano Ronaldo in the number of Ballon D'or wins to their names. And a Champions League win will go a big way to securing the accolade for the Argentine. Over two legs I'm going for a Barcelona win, 6-2. Lionel Messi to steal the show again.

Liverpool vs Manchester City.

By far, the most interesting tie the quarter finals have thrown up is the one I've left until last. English champions elect Manchester City vs Five time European champions Liverpool. This one really is a coin flip, lets start with City. Pep's side have strolled to the League title, only losing one league game all season (we'll get to that.) And with a league cup already in the bag, a treble is well within reach for the blue half of Manchester. Despite a shocking home defeat to Basel in the last round, the work was done in the first leg, winning 4-0 away from home. That defeat is one of only four in all competitions, Pep's side have been closer to perfect. Many people, including me, consider this side to be the best the Premier League has ever seen. From back-to-front the team is perfectly balanced. A goal keeper who is up for pass of the season, and a striker willing to track back and do the work for his team. They all play for each other, and seem to have a togetherness that resonates when they step over the white lines. Sergio Aguero, flanked either side by Leroy Sane and Raheem Sterling. With Gabriel Jesus waiting in the wings, makes up for perhaps the most intimidating striker force outside of Catalonia. Also with David Silva and Kevin De Bruyne both having the best seasons of their careers just behind the front three, it's hard to see any side stopping City.

But Liverpool already have. Manchester City's one league defeat came at Anfield, under the lights, four goals to three. In typical Liverpool style they conceded two late on to make it appear much closer then it was, but Liverpool bossed the league leaders. Mentally that must be huge for the reds, they known they can beat City. Plus when you have Euorpe's top goal scorer in Mo Salah, you can beat anyone! The Egyptian wide man has broken the following records this season: Most goals scored in a debut season for a foreigner in Premier League history. Most left footed goals scored in Premier League history. Most goals scored in a debut season in Liverpool history. Most goals scored in a season for Liverpool in the Premier League era. And we're still only in March, he is only three goals off scoring more then ANYONE in a single season in a 38 game Premier League season. Despite Salah's brilliance, he isn't a one man team. The Kop named 'Bobby' Firmino is enjoying the highest goal scoring season of his career, and Sadio Mane has already topped last seasons tally for both goals and assists. I mentioned City's front three being terrifying, Liverpool's could arguably be better. The heavy metal football of Klopp's side can put away any team in minutes, I don't care who you are, with Salah, Firmino and Mane in full flight, you can't stop them. Liverpool's biggest flaw is their defence, which despite appearing faulty at times away to Manchester United, have kept eight clean sheets in their last eleven. Lloris Karius showing great form between the sticks, and new signing Virgil Van Dijk leading the back four.

This really could go either way. I feel like both sides will win their home fixture, but I'm really struggling to pick a winner over two legs. City's advantage is that they not only have the squad to rotate and keep fresh, but they can do so knowing the league is virtually done. Where as Liverpool are in the middle of a battle for a Champions League position for next season.

By the time the second leg comes around their is a possibility that City could be Champions of England, and the treble will be that much closer. But as anyone will tell you, Anfield on a European night is something special. Liverpool have a love affair with the European cup, and I'm going to say... it will continue into the semi-finals. Over two legs Liverpool to win, 6-4. Crazy aggregate scoreline, for what I imagine to be two crazy games.

So there is my prediction for the quarter finals of the Champions League. Two made with relative ease and two that took real thinking. I like to think I know my stuff, we'll see if that still stands in a few weeks time.

I predict Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, Barcelona and Liverpool to progress.

The Future of the Five Time World Champions - Brazil

Brazil as a nation are known for, above all, it's football. From the beaches of Rio to the skyscrapers of Brasilia, football is seen as a matter of life and death and the success of their national team more then shows that fact. With five FIFA World Cups to their name, three in the space of four tournaments between 1958 and 1970 Brazil has staked their claim to being the best national team in the world! With two more titles following in 1994 and 2002 a second golden age for the Canariho (little canary) was born and unlike in the past, these stars came across to Europe and allowed us to truly understand how good the boys from Brazil where! With the likes of Cafu, Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, Rivaldo and many many more world class players joining Europe's elite club sides and making waves, this golden age of Brazilian football left a long lasting impact on the rest of the world. As this squad of players have slowly moved on to lives beyond football a new batch of youngsters have came from the shores of Brazil and made their mark in the biggest leagues in the world, spear headed by superstar Neymar. Other big names such as Coutinho, Thiago Silva, Oscar, Marcelo have continued the trend of exports from Brazil making a splash in Europe, however they have struggled to make the same impact and find the success on the international stage that their predecessors did before them. With a failed attempt to win the World Cup in their own backyard in 2014 and a quarter final exit from the 2015 Copa America the current Brazilian first team has struggled to set the world alight. But one thing the leagues of Brazil is never short of is potential, potential world beaters just waiting to show the rest of us how good they can be. With Brazil winning the gold medal at the 2016 Olympics, a tournament of an under 23 structure, the future looks bright and now is the time to focus on the next generation of talent coming from the most successful nation in football.

'The next Neymar'. That is what young striker Gabriel Barbosa was dubbed when he caught the public eye after breaking into the same Santos side as the Barcelona star at the ripe old age of 16, making his debut in Neymar's farewell to his boyhood club. After being part of the youth set up at Santos from the age of 8, and signing his first professional contract only a month after his 16th birthday with an incredible 50 million euro buyout clause attached, Barbosa has been tipped for greatness for a long time. He will forever go down in history of the Sao Paulo based club after scoring the clubs 12,000th goal, he finished his first full professional season at the club with a tally of 21 league goals which instantly saw the youngster handed a new five year deal as the strikers stock continued to grow. The following season saw Barbosa have to fight for his place as Brazilian international Robinho resigned for his former club, and although this reduced the number of first team opportunities Gabriel received, he continued to improve and after returning to a full time member of the first team he completed another very successful season, which included finishing as the top goalscorer in the Copa Do Brazil with 8 goals, which lead Santos to the final in a losing effort against Palmeiras. As the 2016 season started Gabriel was officially one of the top stars in the Brasileiro Seria A and with that status, the interest from Europe was inevitable and on the 27th August 2016 Barbosa signed a five year deal with Italian giants Inter Milan, the same European side where Ronaldo thrived from a young age, the deal was reportedly worth just south of 30 million euros. Since signing however Barbosa has only made one first team appearance as he tries to get a grip on the Italian style of football. But with the hype surrounding the striker from such a young age, and the attention on the youngster never wavering, Barbosa is 100% one to watch.

Scoring a brace in your International debut, now that's a way to make sure everybody watches out for you! Gabriel Jesus (Yes another Gabriel) has been regarded as one of the most promising young players on the planet since coming through the youth system at Brazilian side Palmeiras and has earned comparisons to 'el phenomenon' Ronaldo. Jesus signed his first development contact with the club at the age of 16 and featured for Palmeiras in the under 17s state championship but within 9 months, with 22 games played and an incredible 37 goals scored, the teenager was offered his first professional deal with the club. He finished the calendar year with 54 goals in 48 matches, making him the club's top goalscorer at any level, and the interest from abroad was already evident, with English side Arsenal reportedly monitoring the strikers development very closely. The striker from Sao Paulo was subject to a petition coming towards the end of the 2014 season. With Palmeiras struggling in the league and risking relegation, the fans where outraged that the young Brazilian wasn't getting a chance in the first team despite his major success in the youth system, and a petition was created to force the hand of the manager. Despite the fans best efforts Gabriel didn't get to make his first team debut until March 2015 and his first start came in April, just days before his 18th birthday, where his quick feet, speed and dribbling ability instantly attracted yet more attention from the world of football. His first professional goal for the club came in July, scoring the only goal in 1-0 Copa Do Brazil win against ASA, Jesus scored two more goals on route to Palmeiras winning the Copa Do Brazil, although he was forced off during the second leg of the final due to a shoulder injury. During his first full professional year Jesus has currently scored 21 league goals, and averaging a goal every other game in all competitions. He has also however earn his first red card of his career during the 2016 season, as he was involved in a fight with Damian Musto, Jesus apologised instantly after the game for the misconduct and it remains the only sending off of Jesus's career. Despite the red card the young striker continued to gather more and more momentum and the attention surrounding him grew until August 2016, when a pre contract was signed with Manchester City which totalled at 32 million euros which will see the youngster joining the English club in January 2017 once the Brazilian league season has finished.  After the deal was completed Jesus stared in the gold medal winning Brazilian side at the 2016 Rio Olympics, this was perhaps the first glimpse for most people of the future Manchester City player and he did not disappoint, scoring 3 goals on the road to Brazil's first ever football Olympic gold. Once Jesus officially becomes a Manchester City player all of Europe will find out what many people already know, that we have a future world beater on our hands! When Ronaldo officially agrees to mentor a young striker, you know we could be in for something special. Watch this space.


Unlike the previous two mentions, this Brazilian youngster is yet to agree a multi-million pound move to Europe, but that does not mean he hasn't been on the radar of the top clubs. Rodrigo Ciao has came through the ranks at Sao Paulo and from the very beginning he was tipped for greatest! First creating a buzz in 2012, Ciao was asked to play as a right back, despite playing the early stages of his career in the centre of defence. The reason for this was their opposition, Santos, and more notably, Neymar. His inexperience in this role didn't show and instead Rodrigo was able to hold off Neymar throughout the State Championship fixture and received rave reviews from the media for his performance. Noted by the people reporting on the match was Ciao's footwork, known in Brazil as movimento do escorpiao, it is a style used in indoor football to hold off attacking players, a style rarely seen in full size games. At the age of 19 Rodrigo Ciao was one of the first names on the team sheet at Sao Paulo playing at right back, but injuries lead to him returning to the centre of defence and much like he did before he impressed instantly with manager Paulo Autuori highlighting his quality of performances by promoting Ciao to become his sides number one central defender. Rodrigo continued to impress game in game out for the remainder of the year, and was beginning to force his way into the Brazilian national team picture where he played for both the U21 and U23 sides, once again impressing. Sadly for the Brazilian however, in August 2014 Ciao picked up an ACL injury, ruling him out of action for 7 months, returning in March 2015. A mere three months after returning to action Rodrigo was subject to a 16 million euro deal being agree between Sao Paulo and Spanish giants Valencia. Sadly for the returning defender, his knee injury caused him to fail two medicals and the deal fell through. In response to this his business relationship with 'super agent' Jorge Mendes was ended by the youngster due to frustration of the deal collapsing. Since his injury Ciao has continued to improve at Sao Paulo and due to club captain and legend Rogerio Ceni retiring in December 2015 it has been reported and seen that Ciao has taken on responsibility and now is the main voice and leader in the dressing room. A Brazilian centre back with the potential to be up there with the great defenders in the countries history, his horrible injury has prevented him from completing his move to Europe already, but don't be surprised if it happens very soon. This defender is mature beyond his years, incredibly versatile and just keeps getting better and better! A future Brazilian captain, mark my words.

Brazil has, is and will always produce top footballing talent! Whether they can translate that talent into success on the biggest stage is always another question, but the future of the five time world champions looks bright. The players mentioned are just a few of the men from the Liga Do Brazil that can take the European leagues by storm. Once again, watch this space.

The next generation - Which teenage stars will set the world alight.

Lionel Messi replaced Ronaldinho. Cristiano Ronaldo replaced Luis Figo. Garath Bale replaced Ryan Giggs. Neymar replaced Ronaldo. Paul Pogba replaced Patrick Viera. Manuel Neuer replaced Oliver Kahn. Over the last decade we have seen some of the world best players hang up their boots, and standing in wait was the next batch of players ready to set the world of football alight! Whether the batch of talent showed promise from a young age, or worked harder then everyone in the club day in day out, the current crop of world beaters could compete with any that has graced a football pitch. No one thought Barcelona could follow Ronaldinho's success, and then a young Argentine forward came and revolutionized modern football. No one though Portugal would ever produce a better player the Figo, and the Cristiano Ronaldo followed in his footsteps and because one of the greatest players of this generation, surpassing Figo and inheriting the captains armband and the iconic number seven shirt. Ryan Giggs looked to be a once in a lifetime player produced on the British Isles, then Garath Bale showed the world what he could do before a world record transfer to the Santiago Bernabeu. When a top player passes their prime there is always a young talent itching to call themselves the best, but the question is. Who's next?

One of the most talked about talents in world football now is Martin Ødegaard, so it only seems fitting to start with him. In January of 2015 the Norwegian international signed for Real Madrid, less than a month after his SIXTEENTH BIRTHDAY! Yes, this wonder kid is 17, turning 17 on the 17th December last year. At the age of 15 Ødegaard made his international debut, becoming the youngest player to play for Norway at senior level, at 15 years and 253 days. This is just one of the incredible records the youngster set before his move to Madrid. Martin became both the youngest player ever to feature in the Tippeligaen, the Norwegian top tier, and then just over a month later became the youngest goal scorer in the leagues history. These remarkable accomplishments have lead to the young midfielder attracting the interest of some of Europe's top teams, which lead to Ødegaard training with Liverpool, Bayern Munich, Manchester City, Manchester United and the Norwegian also visited Arsenal, this was all before he eventually signed with Los Blancos. Upon arrival the 16 year old was moved into the second team, managed by Zinadine Zidane, to continue his development by gaining more game time. However Ødegaard trained with the first team, and top stars such as Ronaldo and Bale have commented on how impressed they are with the youngster! On 23 May, in the final fixture of the first teams season, he made his debut for Real Madrid, coming-on as a 58th-minute substitute for hat-trick scorer Cristiano Ronaldo in an eventual 7–3 home win over Getafe CF. He became the youngest debutant in the history of the club at 16 years and 157 days old. Martin Ødegaard has showed during his time at Madrid that he has what it takes to be a big star in the future, if he continue to sky rocket to the top at the speed he has so far, it’s almost inevitable that he will be seen as one of the best in the world in the coming years. 

The second player I back to be a future world beater is one who has came in and out of popular media in the last few years, due to some of the incredible goals he scored during youth teams games for AC Milan and Italy. Hachim Mastour. Much less is known about the 17 year old compared to Martin Ødegaard, but this could be a good thing, as it could avoid over confidence and arrogance developing which tends to be common in young super stars. Mastour signed for AC Milan for £400,000 at the young age of 14 after showing incredible potential. Hachim appeared for Italy under 16's 6 times, scoring one goal, making his debut in 2013 at the age of 15. He has since decided to play his full international football with Morrocco after being eligable for both nations. He made his full international debut in a 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualification Group F match against Libya at the Stade Adrar in Agadir, replacing Nordin Amrabat for the final two minutes of the 1–0 victory. In doing so, he became Morocco's youngest ever senior international player, aged 16 years old and 363 days. Mastour has appeared for AC Milan's first team only in friendly matches, and is currently on loan to Spanish side Malaga, where he made his first team professional debut on the 7th November 2015 against Real Betis. Hachim's style of play has earned him early comparisons to Cristiano Ronaldo, which is big praise for such a raw talent. Unlike Martin Ødegaard, not much is known of Mastour, which makes him a much more interesting prospect for the future. One thing that is certain is that Mastour has bags of potential and if handled correctly, we could be witnesses of the development of a future star in the making. 


The third and final player I will be looking at as the future of world football has caused a lot of debate recently, a player with obvious talent and potential, but the question is if he can handle it. Im talking about the Belgian, Adnan Januzaj. Adnan is the eldest out of the three players I have looked at today, after turning 20 last year, however the young winger has been performing to a very high standard in the Premier League since the age of 18. Januzaj made his competitive debut for Manchester United against Wigan Athletic on 11 August 2013 in the Community Shield, he then made his Premier League debut a month later, coming on as a 68th-minute substitute in a 2–0 home win over Crystal Palace on 14 September. On 5 October 2013, in what was his first start for the club, Januzaj scored twice as United came from behind to claim a 2–1 victory away to Sunderland. Despite showing signs of class in every performance up into this point, Adnan's brace against Sunderland really did shot the young Belgian into the spot light, particularly the technique shown in the volley he scored for his second. Januzaj continued to show class throughout the season but also started to receive some criticism regarding simulation, and he picked up several yellow cards throughout the rest of the campaign which hindered the growth he made that season in the eyes of the media and the footballing world. As well as diving, Adnan Januzaj has had his personal life questioned, with suggestions that he has been letting his success get to his head, something which has stopped the growth of so many top young players. In the following season at United the winger struggled under Van Gaal and despite several top performances, has been loaded out the German giants Borissia Dortmund where he has struggled for starts behind German star Marco Reus. Unlike Mastour and Odergaard, Januzaj has showed his class on the big stage and now has to prove to the world that he has the ability to get to the top and stay there! 

The currently generation of footballing giants will be a tough one to top, with the likes of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo ruling the football world you have to wonder if the newest bacth of young stars can ever reach those levels. Odergaard, Mastour and Januzaj may be the best chance football has to continue to level of quality at the top, and despite all three players having their weaknesses, they all have the potential to do it. 

Brazil - Whats next for the five time champions of the world?

Football may have been invented in England, but it was given a soul on the sunny shores of Brazil. The Brazilian people changed the way everyone on the planet looks at the beautiful game, and it developed into the most successful national side in the world. 1958, 1962,1970,1994 and 2002, these dates are the five times Canarinho 'the little canary' have been crowned world champions, more then any other side in history. From Pele to Ronaldo, from Zico to Ronaldinho, from Garincha to Rivaldo, from Carlos Alberto to Cafu, the five time world champions have always produced some of the very best the world of football can offer, which has lead to the unmatched success the Brazilians have had over the years. The team from 1970, lead by the genius Pele, is seen as perhaps the best football team in history, club or national side, considering the time period and how much the game has developed since those years, the fact the side is still seen in the same light today only begins to explain how far ahead of their time the national team was. The selecao is also the most successful national team in the FIFA confederations cup, with four titles, 1997, 2005, 2009 and 2013. They are also the holders of the current title. Brazil have won a total of 62 official international titles from professional to grassroots level, which is an unparalleled world record. 

However, since their last title in 2002, the worlds most successful side seems to have struggled on the world stage, which includes being humbled on their own turf by Germany in the 2014 World Cup semi-finals, losing 7-1, the biggest defeat in Brazil's history.
So the question is... what's next for the five time champions of the world? Will we see a Brazilian resurrection, or will the most successful side on the planet plummet into almost insignificance on the big stage.


Heading into last summers World Cup, the hosts Brazil where strong favorites to end their drought on home soil. And despite mainly average performances, they topped their group and overcame Chile in the second round on penalties. The home side then took on another fellow South American side in Columbia, a team many had backed to be the dark horses for the tournament, and with the eventual golden boot winner James Rodriguez, it was possible Columbia could surprise Brazil. However for the first time in the tournament we appeared to be seeing the side many backed to win a sixth world title, with goal from David Luiz and Thiago Silva, the hosts overcame Columbia. However this performance did not come without its prices. Thiago Silva earned a suspension, meaning Brazil would be without their captain for the semi-finals. And even worse, the star of the show, Neymar was stretchered off late on and would miss the rest of the tournament. These absences played a big part in the Brazilians collapse in the semi-final, without their captain or top scorer, they looked out of sync at the back and no threat in attack, eventually being turned over with an incredible 7-1 score line! The aftermath of the crushing at the hands of the eventual champions Germany shows that the five time champions rely far to heavily on a select group of players, and no longer have to depth of class like we're use to seeing come from the country. A loss of just two players had an evidently massive effect on the side, and the Brazilian players did not look capable of competing with the Germans. This correlation continued into the third place play off, still without top scorer Neymar, the hosts had no creativity and no threat, eventually falling out 3-0 losers, ending their tournament by conceding 10 goals in two games, and ending the competition with the worst defensive record out of all 32 nations that competed.

The famous Brazilian teams of old make this newest crop of players seem mediocre, and despite a few stand out stars, such as Neymar and Thiago Silva, it is getting much more evident that this side needs a drastic change if it is to return to where it should be, at the summit of world football.

However it isn't all doom and gloom for the natives of the most successful side in world football history.One player in particular looks set to become one of the most iconic players in Brazilian football history, and perhaps one of the best in the world. This is the man currently holding the famous Brazil number 10, their current highest goal scorer, and a player who has the chance to become the national sides all time leading goal scorer. he may just be 23, but he's been turning heads for years and he could be the player they need to help push the five time champions back to the very top. I'm talking of course about Barcelona striker Neymar! The Barcelona star has really showed the world what he can do, but he has been a prospect on the shores of Brazil for years! Between 2009 - 2013, while playing for Santos in the Liga do Brazil, Neymar scorer 54 goals in 103 games, averaging 0.52 goals a game, an incredible record for someone who started at the age of 16. Neymar also had brilliant success at youth level, especially for the national side. Working his way from the under 17's side to the first team in the space of a year! And his success internationally hasn't stopped in the first team, the current number 10 has scored 46 goals in 67 games which is 0.67 goals a game, another incredible record especially on the national stage. This record makes Neymar the fifth all time goal scorer in the countries history, and gives him the fourth best goal to game ratio, an incredible feat considering the Barcelona front man could have up to 10 years left representing the national side. Neymar is also currently setting the world alight for Barcelona, with 34 goals in 64 games, a amazing record considering he plays out wide, mainly providing for Lionel Messi. There is no doubt that Neymar is a world beater, a future Brazilian footballing legend, and the man to help save the national side.

For the last decade, the Brazilian national side have mainly been relying on the same group of players who, despite their class, have ages and became unable to perform at the level needed for the South American's to compete with the world's elite at the level they should be. However recently the new manager, former player Dunga, has started to integrate a handful of new players into the squad, players who have the potential to help grow the national side and possibly see the Brazilian squad get back to the  pool of exceptional talent we have became accustom to in the last 70 years. Liverpool midfielder Philipe Coutinho is a player who has really gained a lot of attention in the football world recently. With a combination of incredible goals, amazing assists, jaw dropping pieces of skill and an exceptional show of passion, the Liverpool number 10 has earned the majority of his 13 international caps in the last couple of seasons, and the increase in attention has even earned him a nomination for the European golden boy award (eventually won by Paul Pogba). Throughout his career, Coutinho has earned much acclaim from top figures in Brazilian football and has been spotlighted as a future world beater, and at the young age of 23 the Liverpool play maker looks set to represent his country for many years and perhaps help get Brazil back to the glory days in a big way!

One thing Brazil have always had is a ball playing defender, you can go as far back as world cup winning captain Carlos Alberto, scoring one of the best goals in world cup history in 1970 to show how Brazilian defenders play a big part in the sides offence! The most recent member of the squad to adapt this role is David Luiz, but although the PSG defender is loved in his homeland, to fans who aren't natives of Brazil can see he really doesn't fit the bill. One up and coming defender who could fill those shoes is another PSG man, Marquinhos. The former Roma centre back was the most expensive teenager in the world until this summer just gone, and it is easy to see why. He looks incredibly comfortable on the ball, and is able to put in a very strong challenge and fill certain old fashioned defender responsibilities. Marquinhos is a player with tons of potential, and former Brazil captain Thiago captain has taken him under his wing, saying he may be the national teams future captain. This young defender could go a long way to helping the current Brazil side get back to the top.

Recent history makes mostly grim reading for fans of Brazilian football. With their sides consistently struggling to compete with the worlds elite it looked like Brazil could be right in the middle of a baron period for the five time champions. But signs of improvement have started to show recently, Barcelona star Neymar is improving every day and is looking like a possible future Balon D'or is on the cards. The squad is finally getting an injection of life that its needed for years, with players such as Philipe Coutinho leading the new look national team. And the famous ball playing Brazilian centre back looks to have finally returned in younger Marquinhos. Now no one can tell for sure if we will see the same sort of side that Pele lead to immortality in the 1950's,60's and 70's ever again, but one thing we do know is the potential is certainly there. The five time world champions are on their way back to the top table of world football!

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.