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.

Hooliganism - Why do English football fans continue to embarrass themselves?

During the 2016 European Championships in France the one thing more embarrassing for England than the performances on the pitch was the actions of the travelling fans off of it. Violent out bursts occurred frequently during the tournament with dozens of arrests made particularly after the opening game vs Russia. Similar scenes took place this week when England's solitary side left in the Champions League, Leicester City, travelled to Madrid.

Four thousand plus fans of the English champions followed their side to the Spanish capital to witness their sides incredible run in Europe's elite competition but it appears that the game was the last thing on the minds of many of the fans. A minority of the group managed to embarrass themselves with an extremely inappropriate rendition of 'German bombers' less than 24 hours after the Dortmund team bus was attacked before their first-leg tie against Monaco. As well as screaming 'You Spanish b******s Gibraltar is ours' at the top of their lungs. All of this appears satire when compared to the fights breaking out with Spanish riot police, with many videos appearing on social media of beer bottles and other dangerous objects being thrown in the direction of the police who were drastically outnumbered by the English fans.

Eight Leicester fans were arrested for public disorder and vandalism a police spokesperson confirmed and have since been given a four month suspended sentence following their actions. A group of 70 hooligans gathered in the Plaza Mayor, a common spot for travelling fans in Madrid, and when the police approached, these 'fans' started attacking the Spaniards seemingly unprovoked, one video capturing a member of the group throwing a concrete cafe table in the direction of the riot police, he like many others appeared to be strongly under the influence. All of the fans held by police had been drinking heavily the court heard. Three officers and two Leicester fans were treated for cuts and bruises on the ground but luckily no one was taken to hospital.

What is perhaps worse than the actions of the fans is the image that is being portrayed to the rest of the world. English fans in the future will complain when they can't travel to follow their team without interruption of the authorities but it is all down to a reputation built up by a group of idiots who continue to give English football fans a bad name. The incredible lack of respect shown by the Leicester fans to the locals in Madrid is far too similar to that of the England fans in France during last years competition. Their are idiots in every walk of life and it is always a minority of people, much like it is here. But what it is doing is painting every English fan as a hooligan, as a threat and as a person you do not want visiting your country. Due to the actions of a select few idiots English fans can no longer travel in numbers to anywhere in Europe without being under the constant watchful eye of the local authorities and rightfully so to maintain peace and safety for the local people.

The difference between the Leicester fans and the Monaco/Dortmund fans on Tuesday night is laughable. During a time of peril and with numbers of fans stranded and people scared for their lives the fans on the German and French clubs came together to show the world they were not afraid, they stood united and helped each other out in every way they could. Commendable. Where as the Leicester fans spent the same evening chanting racial slurs at the locals, inappropriate comments regarding the war and Gibraltar as well as of course engaging in a drunken fight with the local police which lead to the trip being cut short for a select group of these 'fans' that due to the amount of alcohol consumed might not even be able to remember their stupid actions. Embarrassing.

I would like to stress that these actions were carried out by a minority of the Leicester fans in Madrid. Not every fan of the English champions wants to travel abroad simply to start fights and to give English fans a bad name. The select few that do however travel with this intentions might not have the same attitude towards it when their actions lead to the abroad 'away day' experience being drastically changed due to increasing numbers of these incidents taking place when English hooligans travel abroad.

The actions that took place the night before the game will be what's remembered in a years time. And with the home side beating Leicester 1-0 it could be seen as justice for the locals who were caught up in the horrendous scenes in the city centre.

Champions League Quarter Final Predictions: Who will progress to the final four?

Barcelona, Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid, Dortmund, Monaco, Leicester City, Bayern Munich and Juventus. The quarter finals of the 2016/2017 Champion League season sees a lot of the same sides we're accustomed to seeing at this stage, as well as one or two shocks. I am going to go over each of the four ties and predict this seasons final four!

Game one: Bayern Munich vs Real Madrid.

Between these two sides are 16 European cups. They have competed in 24 finals. And have won 3 of the last 4 competitions. This is what the Champions League is all about, two heavyweights from different countries colliding to see who is the better side! In 2014 Real Madrid completed La Decima, and knocked out Bayern Munich 4-0 on aggregate on their way to the final so the German side will be out for revenge! The German champions are currently flying in Europe after a 10-2 aggregate humiliation of Arsenal in the round of 16. Bayern are also currently 13 points clear at the top of the Bundesliga and look set to walk to another title. Where as Real only have a two point cushion over Barcelona in their battle to reclaim the league title. This could give the German side a huge advantage going into the tie against Real Madrid, as they have the opportunity to rest certain key players during league games, knowing the title is all but secured! On the other hand, Madrid can't afford to drop many points if they want to win the title, and therefore must play their strongest side week in, week out to ensure that fact. During these matches anything could happen, injuries, key players could become fatigued or struggle to maintain full fitness then it comes time to face Real Madrid. In terms of pure star power this tie will attract more intrigue then almost any other, and rightfully so. Two of Europe's elite, only one winner. I think that, on Tuesday 18th April, Real's goal to become the first team in the Champions League era to retain the European cup will come to an end. Bayern Munich will get their revenge for 2014 and progress to the semi-finals.

Game two: Barcelona vs Juventus.

For the first time since the 2015 Champions League final these two sides face off in the tie which will challenge Bayern vs Madrid for the biggest attraction of the quarter finals. Since Paul Pogba's exit in the summer, Juventus has found a new talisman in the form of Argentine Paulo Dybala, and has got the eyes of the entire world on him! The young attacker has adopted a more creative role in the side with club record signing Gonzalo Higuain occupying the position of top scorer and he has taken to it like second nature. The comparisons drawn between him and national team mate Lionel Messi has been more evident then ever this season and compliments don't come much bigger then that for a young attacker! As for Barcelona, they must still be in shock after their incredible comeback to knock out PSG in the round of 16. Sergi Roberto's late late volley ensured that the 5 time champions stayed in the competition and despite a lot of controversy coming from the referee's decision making during the game at the Nou Camp, it will go down as one of the great comebacks in European football history. With Lionel Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez leading the line Barcelona can beat any side in world football, and with the added grit and determination coming from their incredible comeback last time out I can see history repeating itself and Barcelona proving to be too good for their Italian opposition.

Game three: Dortmund vs Monaco.

The highest scoring team in Europe's top five divisions against the highest scoring team in this years Champions league. This year is likely to be the best opportunity either of these teams will have for the foreseeable future to achieve European glory with a lot of the bigger European sides sniffing around at their top players. Monaco came through an incredible round of 16 tie against Manchester City, coming back from a 5-3 deficit after the first leg to win 3-1 at home and to seal their place in the quarter final. Kilian Mbappe scored a brace in the second leg against Man City and has stood out as one of the most promising young players in Europe this season, a repeat performance from him could be a big factor in Monaco reaching the Semi-finals. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has scored an incredible 34 goals in 37 games in all competitions this season and with 7 in 6 champions league games so far he will be a definite factor in the tie! 19 year old Ousmane Dembele has shot to provenance this year and will challenge Mbappe as the most impressive youngster in this seasons competition, whichever one of the two live up to expectations the most could push their side towards the next round. In the battle between two of the hottest attacks in Europe it is game with guaranteed goals, when 180 minutes plus of football has passed I think Monaco will be the solo French side in the semi-finals.

Game four: Atletico Madrid vs Leicester City. 

Diego Simeone might be one of the most unlucky managers in the world, but he is almost certainly one of the best! His Atletico side have twice in the last three years been within seconds of winning the Champions League only to have it snatched away from them at the death, this year they won't be taking any chances. Antoine Griezmann is the latest in a long line of Atleti strikers who are considered one of the best in the world, and with over 20 goals this season he is backing up his third place finish in 2016's Ballon D'or. The Frenchman is rumoured to be on his way to England in the coming transfer window so this really could be his last chance to make up for his penalty miss in last seasons final. Leicester City continue to cause shock after shock and their appearance in this stage of the competition is worth plaudits in itself. Craig Shakespeare seems to have rediscovered the form Claudio Ranieri dragged out of the foxes on their way to the Premier League title last season and by knocking out Sevilla in the round of 16 the English champions have shown they can compete with the biggest and brightest. Whatever your opinion on Leicester City with all that has been going on this season in the midlands you have to applaud their performance in Europe this season, however despite avoiding the likes of Barcelona and Bayern Munich in the draw again I feel Atletico could be the worst draw Leicester could have gotten. You can say with certainty that Simeone will set up his side to counter Leicester's style of play where as many of Europe's elite may have just attempted to play their own game, which in turn plays right into Leicester's hands. And with how much success the Madrid club seem to have in games such as this one, Leicester could be out of their depth at last. I think that it will be Atletico representing Madrid in this years final four of the Champions League.

Prediction for the Semi-Finals of the 2016/2017 Champions League;
Bayern Munich, Barcelona, Monaco, Atletico Madrid.

International Football - Is the referee responsible for Coleman's season ending injury?

The Republic of Ireland hosted Wales in a World Cup qualifier last Friday, a game which was instantly forgettable from a footballing aspect, a drawn out 0-0 draw. However the reason the game will live on in the memory was Seamus Coleman's horrific leg injury which will see him out of action potentially until 2018. Breaking his leg in two places, the Everton full back is set to miss around 8 months of action, and despite FIFA covering his wages, it will be of little condolence to the man who was part of an Everton side on the up. Swansea defender Neil Taylor was the man who committed the foul and the incident is currently undergoing examination by FIFA to see if a retrospective increase in suspension would be appropriate. Taylor wasn't the only Welsh player however guilty of a horror challenge, with Real Madrid forward Gareth Bale escaping a deserved red card after lunging into John O'Shea with his studs showing, the Sunderland defender perhaps lucky not to face the same fate his team mate did in the second half. Bale was awarded a yellow card for his tackle, despite deserving a red in the eyes of a lot of people! However if Bale had been awarded a red for his horrible challenge, would Coleman still be on the end of the horror tackle by Taylor?

It is the job for the referee to make sure the players know exactly what they can and can't get away with on the football pitch. A reason a lot of officials will award an early free kick or yellow card is to show the players that they are not willing to take any trouble. The same can be said to the other extreme as well, for example in big local derbies. The tackles are likely to be flying in more then your average game, but to allow the game to flow the referee may choose to let a few more challenges go then he normally would, it is all about consistency within the game. If a player knows the referee is going to award him with a yellow, or red card for a rash or dangerous tackle he may be more inclined to stand his man up rather then diving in. Going back to Friday nights game, Bale lunged in at O'Shea studs up and with no control over the tackle and was given a yellow card by the match official. Even if he had no intention of doing this, that decision may have said to the rest of the players on the pitch that they can get away with a more dangerous tackle tonight, leading to Taylor's tackle. Taylor, much like Bale before, lunged in on Coleman, completely out of control which lead to the double leg break. Had Bale been rightfully sent off for his first half challenge it may have acted as a warning to the other players on the pitch and Taylor instead of diving in may have taken a step back and challenged Coleman on his feet, taking away the risk of a red card. 

Ireland manager Marin O'Neil seemed to agree with this point when during a press conference following the game he was asked if he believes broken leg could have been avoided with a red card for Gareth Bale. He replied: "He may have done. That's true. The referee is in charge of the game." "I thought both challenges when I have seen them back have been very, very poor. very poor indeed." This opinion is one with a lot of merit, the flow of the game would have drastically changed if Bale was sent off and the players would have perhaps felt less inclined to commit such a risky and dangerous tackle. 

With Seamus Coleman set to spend a lengthy period of time on he sidelines, the thoughts of all football fans are with him and I'm sure I speak for everyone when I wish him a speedy recovery and hope he returns as good as ever!

The Magic of the Cup - FA Cup 2017 so far.

The FA Cup, the oldest cup competition in Professional football, the competition where the phrase 'giant killing' was really put into practice and this year, after a few years in the wilderness, it's back with a bang! With the biggest sides in the country using this competition to field weaker sides and for youngsters to gain experience the importance of this competition has dwindled, with the prize money for winning the competition being nothing compared to a respectable finish in the top flight of English football. With last season's FA Cup winners Manchester United pocketing south of £2million, and Aston Villa who placed last in the Premier League receiving over £62million, the long, drawn out cup run was treated as a non priority by a lot of sides, this year however you would have to think otherwise. 

With Chelsea beating the holders Man United 1-0 at Stanford Bridge tonight the semi finals were set, Chelsea vs Spurs, and Manchester City vs Arsenal. Four of the big teams in the country and four of the bookies favourites before a ball was kicked but it has not been as clean cut as it seems. 

This Year's FA Cup has seen history made, in the form of Sutton United and Lincoln Town. For the first time in over a century two non-league sides made their way to the FA Cup fifth round, beating championship sides Leeds and Brighton. It would take 12 time FA Cup winners Arsenal to knock out Sutton in a much more even match then many would expect, the heart of the non-league side shown throughout. For Lincoln however, the incredible run continued! A late, late goal secured a 1-0 win away from home against Burnley, a side with the third best home record in the premier league. Lincoln became the first non-league side in English football since 1914 to reach the quarter finals of the FA Cup and one game away from a Wembley Semi Final! However, much like Sutton the round before, Lincoln fell to Arsenal but the Lincoln players have written their names into the history books. 

It wasn't just teams from outside the football league causing upsets throughout this years FA Cup, there have been more than anyone would expect. During the fourth round we saw Wolves outplay Liverpool at Anfield and pick up a 2-1 against the reds. Oxford shocked high flying championship side Newcastle with a comfortable 3-0 at home. We also saw Premier League sides Hull and Watford fall to Championship outfit Fulham, and League one's representative in this stage of the cup Millwall. The Fifth round was a lot more run of the mill with the majority of the bigger sides advancing, however Millwall once again gained the scalp of high profile opposition, in the form of Premier League Champions Leicester City! The 1-0 home win saw them progress to the quarter finals for a date with cross city rivals Spurs, where sadly the the League one side. the home team proved far too good on the day and strolled to a 6-0 win! 

Between the final four sides in the competition they scored 14 goals in their quarter final ties and conceded none, showing their class to progress to the semi-finals at the home of football, Wembley stadium. Chelsea have local rivals Spurs on route to the final and a chance to complete a potential domestic double with the London club flying high at the top of the league and with Kante in their midfield it will feel like having an extra man on the pitch for the blues. Where as Spurs will have to handle a second consecutive derby in the FA Cup, and with Harry Kane currently nursing a potentially re-injured ankle it could be a tough ask Pochettino's men. Arsenal seemingly have nothing left to play for this campaign, and in what could be Wenger's last they'll want to end the season with some silverware. Their opponents however are still chasing European glory, leading 5-3 from the first leg of their round of 16 tie against Monaco making the FA Cup play second priority. However, City, along side Chelsea, are perhaps the only side in the Premier League with a squad strong enough to make wholesale changes without losing out in terms of ability. Also, you know Pep will be desperate to remember his first season in charge of the Citizans as a trophy winning one. 

This is what the FA Cup is all about, giant killing throughout from surprise outfits, but the trophy comes down to some of the best the country has to offer. There's a reason the tournament has lasted well over 140 years ago, nothing can replace the magic of the cup. 

Semi Final predictions: 

Chelsea 2-1 Spurs 

Arsenal 0-2 Manchester City. 

Final Prediction:

 

Chelsea 2-2 Manchester City (Manchester City to win on penalties) 

What Just Happened? - Leicester City 3-1 Liverpool But why BOTH sets of players should be ashamed of themselves.

On Monday 27th Febuary at the King Power stadium, Leicester City welcomed Liverpool in their first game in the post Ranieri era, and they put on their best performance of the season. A Danny Drinkwater wonder strike, in between a brace from Jamie Vardy put the reds away 3 goals to 1, with Coutinho scoring a late consolation goal. Jurgen Klopp's men played right into the hands of the Premier League champions, with an almost disrespectful approach shown by Liverpool, they played such a high line allowing Jamie Vardy and Leicester City to play the brand of football we haven't seen since they lifted the trophy last many, which asks the question. Why haven't we seen it?

The Leicester City players showed something on Monday night we haven't seen from them in months, effort. A side which seemingly was heading for relegation turned up to the KP with a caretaker manager in charge and after two days in the job the football world watched his side make a complete turn around and play a style of football which has brought them so much success in the past. That sort of turn around doesn't happen, what we saw was the players putting in a shift, making an effort, showing the passion and dedication that won them the title under Claudio. With this sort of performance under their belts you have to wonder how they got into this position. Simple. The players downed tools under their previous boss, the man who lead an average Leicester side to success, and they forced him out when things weren't gong their way. At the start of this years Premier League season teams had seemingly 'found out' Leicester City, and could now counter their style. Not giving Vardy the space to run into the channels, not pressing high to give Drinkwater the option to clip the ball in behind, and testing the back line of Morgan and Huth in a very different way to last season. This change in approach was made more apparent by the lose of N'Golo Kante, the Frenchman who is set to perhaps be named as the signing of the season two seasons in a row, without his legs in midfield Leicester struggled to play at the pace they did last season, and without his protection, the back line was put under fire in a way they weren't last season. As the opposition found a way to counter Leicester City, Claudio Ranieri tried to enforce a new style of football within his team. The signings of more forward thinking players and by throwing more men forward, Claudio tried to make his team play in a way similar to the other top sides in the league. However as history has told us, it didn't work. Leicester simply did not have the players to fit the system, or the quality to make it work. Leicester, despite success in Europe against teams which had not seem their original style of play, started to plummet down the table to the point that, before Monday, they fell into the relegation zone.

What the Leicester City players have to be ashamed for is that they simply had no intention of making Claudio's tactics work. They didn't receive instant success, and all of a sudden the players who had received such plaudits last season, the players who worked their bodies into the ground under Ranieri, turned their back on the man that brought them the greatest year of their careers. These where all just rumours, until a story broke and was plastered across the entire country of a meeting being held between the Leicester squad and their owners regarding the future of their manager. What's worse is this meeting took place in Seville, hours before their Champions league last 16 clash with Sevilla, which saw Leicester put it a commendable performance and walk away win an away goal in a 2-1 defeat. What hurts even more is that potentially, the Leicester players knew their bosses future before he did, as once the team landed and made their wait to a hotel next to the airport. Claudio Ranieri was sacked. And then, on the following Monday, after two days under Craig Shakespeare, the Leicester players started running again, showing heart again. Jamie Vardy completed more sprints then he has all season, and after not scoring a league goal in 2017, the champions scored three. As a football fan it hurts me to see player power abused to this extent, to cost such a well respected man his job. I personally hope Claudio Ranieri retires now, so he can retire as champion, and no one, not even a group of overexposed players can take that away from him.

There was two sides to this match however, the other being the worst performance from Liverpool I have witnessed in recent memory. In the first half Wes Morgan made a good interception from a Sadio Mane ball across the bow and in the second half Coutinho slotted the ball into the bottom left corner. These are the only two examples of Liverpool attempting to play progressive football, despite having over 60% possession throughout the game. What looked like a lack of desire from a fans point of view, the Liverpool players seemed to expect the Leicester players to just roll over for them and hand over the three points. Liverpool were second to every ball, lost every header, out thought and out played for 90 minutes. Liverpool made this Leicester side look world class, Christan Fuchs, the Leicester left back who has really been found out this season made his way down the Liverpool right earl in the second half, unchallenged, turn Clyne with ease and whipped in a cross onto Vardy's head for the third goal, again completely unchallenged. The same in the channels during the first has was embarrassing to watch, Jamie Vardy may have not scored in closing in on 10 Premier League games but everyone knows his game, one ball in down his right hand side, one touch, bottom corner. The defensive display for Liverpool was nothing short of laughable, and when you take into account the Liverpool defence on Monday night, you can see why! Left to right, James Milner. He's undoubtedly had a good season in his new role, but he is still a midfielder, a right sided midfielder at that. Lucas. Again a midfielder, the Brazilian has never had the legs needed to keep up with fast attackers so why is he playing at centre back? Joel Matip. The only exception, a well rounded defender but on his own there was nothing he could do! And Nathaniel Clyne. Who has really struggled defensively this season, much like Glen Johnson before him.

With the defence as open as it was Liverpool never had the chance to do anything in this game, and when they did a lack of desire and an arrogance on display resulted in one of the world performances of the season. Coutinho as usual, looked by far and away Liverpool's star man, and Origi off the bench at least was a handful, but I can't think of a single other outfield player who can take anything positive away form this game. The pressure is know heavily being piled onto Jurgen Klopp, the German is started to come under criticism which his way with words can't cover up. Is it a poor team selection? Are the owner, FSG not backing Klopp in the way Liverpool need them to? Are the players simply not up to standard? A lot of questions are being asked right now, and they need to be answered soon if Liverpool are to have any chance of qualifying for the Champions League.

So it was a rare game to say the least. How often can both sides come off as an embarrassment. In all honesty, I can't wait to see just how Leicester progress throughout the rest of the season, will they continue to be found out with a system that, although tried and tested, is common knowledge now. And can the self proclaimed 'normal one' rescue Liverpool's season before it is just another wasted year?

Leicester City - A quick point

I find it very strange that a number of top Leicester City players have today written tributes to their now former manager Claudio Ranieri. The same day that almost every sports media outlet in the country reported on the several meetings held between the Leicester board and players, one of which taking place hours apart from their 2-1 defeat and commendable performance against Sevilla. The few players who have the power within the club to force the hand of the board to make this announcement are the ones who today, two days after the decision was made, have finally shown respect to the man who showed nothing but passion and gave his all to the cause, a man whos image is plastered across the city of Leicester, a man who has been shown zero respect after having his future promised to him by the club only a fortnight ago. These tribute are an insult in my opinion when it is blatantly obvious was really has gone on.I'm sure these few individuals were perfectly happy to sign their new bumper contracts and take the free sports cars that came with the success of last season, the same success masterminded by the same man who has been so unceremoniously forced out of a club he clearly loves. Embarrassing. I really hope I'm wrong, because if not I weep for modern football. The beautiful game is becoming more and more corporate and their is seemingly no place for passion, for loyalty, for the love of the game. Nothing else matters in the eyes of the men who have the power.