If you haven’t already, we recommend you read part one of this segment: In Arteta We Trust - Part One: The Making of a Modern Day Head Coach. In the previous article we looked into the early days of Mikel Arteta’s career right up to his big breakthrough at Everton and FA Cup successes with Arsenal. We also touched on how his knowledge and experiences led him to become Pep Guardiola’s No. 2 at Manchester City. All of this helped…
On 31st August 2011, Arsenal completed a surprising FOUR deadline day signings. It was a busy day for the North London club, with many pundits and fans claiming that these were ‘panic buys’ as Arsene Wenger frantically looked for reinforcements. It was a summer of change at The Emirates stadium. There were notable departures including club icon Cesc Fàbregas, who returned home to Barcelona, and both Gael Clichy and Samir Nasri moving up north to Manchester City. Cesc Fabregas carried…
After a hectic Christmas schedule in the Premier League, things are slowly returning back to normal. A weekend off from league football for the FA Cup provided a chance for rest and rotation for some of the league's key players. The English league showcased another exciting weekend, with Liverpool keeping their unbeaten run against Jose Mourinho's Spurs, and Southampton getting their own back on a Leicester side that thrashed them 9-0 back in October. Here are the key influential players…
In 2019 the Premier League has had an interesting year in review. Although largely dominated by Manchester City, Liverpool have shown that they are willing to go toe-to-toe with the Champions, and fight for their first league title in 29 years. What was the big 4, has progressed to the big 6, but 2019 marks a year where anyone can beat anyone. 1 - Liverpool Looking at the 2019 Premier League calendar year table, the most obvious place to start…
2019 has been a great year for football, and the top scorers in Europe have fought hard to reach the top. From the experienced, to the youngsters making a name for themselves, big transfer fees have been demanded and paid for to get the very best. The usual suspects have proved their dominance again after Lionel Messi picked up the Balon D'Or for the best player of the year, and Cristiano Ronaldo held the Scudetto after his first season at…
Last Sunday’s Supercoppa Italiana marked the half way point of the Serie A season, with last years league winners Juventus facing Lazio, the current holders of the Coppa Italia. After 17 rounds of scintillating football, the Serie A season comes to a halt as we enter the winter break. There was plenty of anticipation at the start of the season, with new coaches at Juventus, Inter Milan, Roma and AC Milan respectively. Despite a disappointing season by their standards in…
Swedish football is in a good place right now. After knocking Germany out of the World Cup group stages, they managed to progress through the final 8 where they were beaten by England. Easy qualification, however, for the 2020 Euro Championships show the country are dragging themselves to be a staple in major championships. One player that looks to carry his team to victory is Dejan Kulusevski. The young midfielder is having the season of his life in Italy. This…
On Sunday afternoon, Manchester City will cross over to Merseyside and visit Anfield. Many are calling this the biggest game of the season and its difficult to argue! Here is a preview of the game that shows the history, stats, and key players that will define the game. Form Both sides head into the game in pretty impressive form. Liverpool are still unbeaten in the Premier League this season, having won all but one of their games after the hard-fought…
Wayne Rooney celebrates his 34th birthday today, so let’s look at some of the numbers the defined the career of a Premier League legend 16 - Rooney was just 16 years old when he made his debut for Everton back in 2002. 67 appearances later and 15 goals, the youngster moved Manchester United, a transfer that would see him stay there for 13 years 5 - Incidentally, Rooney won 16 trophies at Manchester United, and included in that is 5…
The first Madrid Derby is upon us, and what a cracker it is looking to be! Just one point separates the teams and tonight's result will affect the top of the table, bringing Atletico back to the top, or extending Real's lead. Madrid Derby - Form Despite being unbeaten this season, many believed that Real Madrid would be in trouble at the start. 5 points from a possible 9 left them slightly adrift of the top of the table. Then…