TheTotalFootball

Author: Declan Harte

Wednesday, May 8 2013. That was the day Sir Alex Ferguson announced his retirement from management. Ever since then Manchester United and Everton have been intrinsically linked. Then Everton manager David Moyes was quickly put forward by Ferguson as his heir to the throne. Neither club has looked forward since. 

In the six years following Moyes’ appointment as “the chosen one” neither club has been able to sustain any level of consistency resembling that of a top club. 

Everton replaced Moyes with Roberto Martinez. In his first season in charge Everton finished fifth. In the proceeding years Everton have finished 11th, 11th, 7th, 8th, 8th and now sit in 14th place in the current league standings. Consistently mediocre. 

Three failed managers later and now Duncan Ferguson has been placed in temporary charge after the sacking of Marco Silva. Ferguson won his first game in charge with an impressive, energetic and intense 3-1 display against Chelsea.

But looking at the squad, it’s no wonder this side has been so stagnant over the years. Of the 18-man squad, players have debuted at the club from five different managers. This is a squad built by five different men. Five different minds, five different ideas, five different philosophies. And 500 million pounds down the drain. 

Their opponents this Sunday have a similar story to tell. Manchester United, once the Premier League’s dominant side, have completely failed to adapt to the post-Fergie world. Much like Everton’s matchday squad last weekend, Manchester United’s squad, for their 2-1 victory over local rivals Manchester City, was made up of players who were debuted by five different managers. 500 million pounds down the drain. 

And what of the respective managers that will take to the touchline this Sunday? Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Duncan Ferguson. Two managers not considered to be at the top of the game, not at the forefront of tactical innovation or even really anywhere close. 

“But they get the club.”

Why does that suddenly make someone qualified to manage a club? Would any of the other 18 clubs in the Premier League want Solskjaer or Ferguson in charge of their teams? Absolutely not. 

Yet here we are. Despite being under pressure in recent weeks, Solskjaer’s position at the club remains relatively safe, according to reports. Victories over Tottenham and Man City last week have helped ease the pressure off the Norweigan. But every step forward at Man United is immediately followed by two giant leaps backwards. Progress is the enemy. 

To give Solskjaer some credit, his new signings have improved the squad in a way that previous managers’ signings haven’t. Aaron Wan Bissaka last week put in a man of the match performance against the champions that showed why he is worth 50 million pounds, and Daniel James has proven to be an uncharacteristic gem to make rivals jealous. 

But is Solskjaer the man to bring Man United forward? When quality options like Mauricio Pochettino exist in the market, that question is one Ed Woodward should be asking himself every waking minute. 

And is Duncan Ferguson the man to bring Everton forward, out from the darkness? Even Ferguson himself doubts this. The Scot has been very quick to dismiss his chances of taking charge full time. 

So, who's next for Everton? Silva was supposed to be the saviour. Lured away from Watford in the most protracted process possible, the Portuguese was given the funds to build a squad in his image, but now the Everton painting looks too abstract even for Jackson Pollock. 

This form of nostalgia as a means of trying to move forward is not the way big clubs should be carrying themselves. This short-termist pursuit of happiness, this spark of joy that was previously lacking under other managers is a temporary fix to a problem that needs long-term solutions. 

This realisation was made by a club not too far away from either Everton or Man United. In 2012 club legend Kenny Dalglish was relieved of his duties as Liverpool manager, replaced by Brendan Rodgers. 

Liverpool backed Rodgers’ vision and playing-style. His appointment was a progressive decision by the club to bring in a young, exciting manager and to give him the resources to build a team to gradually compete with the top sides. 

But when the Rodgers experiment came to a natural end during a tepid 1-1 draw - against Everton in fact - the club quickly moved on. They brought in the natural evolution of Rodgers’ style. They didn’t rip up his template and hit reset immediately, they built on it. 

Jurgen Klopp was not appointed through blind luck. A plan was put in place to give the club a vision of how they wanted to play. Four years later and Liverpool have won the Champions League and have an 8-point lead at the top of the Premier League. 

There is no evidence to suggest that Everton or Man United have learned from Liverpool’s blueprint, or even their own errors. 

These two clubs remain linked. Destined to keep making the same mistakes, forever stuck in the same patterns. Three points on Sunday would be massive for either manager, but ultimately meaningless for the club’s future prospects. Until they decide to get their respective houses in order, these matches will remain a stark reminder of both club’s recent failures that bind them together.

Author: Declan Harte

Ahead of the UEFA Champions League quarter final draw that is set to take place Friday afternoon, it is time to see how the remaining teams square up against each other. 32 clubs have been dramatically whittled down to 8.

The round of 16 produced yet another season of incredible comebacks and astonishing results. Ajax, Manchester United, Porto and Juventus all overturned first leg deficits that many thought wouldn’t, or couldn’t, be reversed.

Meanwhile Manchester City were incredibly dominant against an admittedly poor Schalke, as well as Tottenham and Liverpool qualifying in comfortable fashion. And finally, Barcelona ran out 5-1 victors to eliminate world champions France’s last remaining Champions League prospects.

For the first time since 2007 there will also be no German competitors fighting out in the final 8. In fact, of the last three World Cup winning nations, there is only one representative: Barcelona. However, the prospects of the last European Championship winners is a little brighter. Porto have reached the quarter finals for the first time since 2015, when they gave Pep Guardiola’s Bayern Munich a serious scare before ultimately losing 7-4 on aggregate.

So, if this hasn’t quite whet your appetite thus far for the ante-penultimate round of Europe’s elite competition, then how about some definitive* ranking (as well as some ‘ideal draws’ for what would be the juiciest stories) of the remaining sides left in this year’s edition of the Champions League:

*rankings may not be definitive

8. Porto

It seemed inevitable that whoever came through from the tie between Porto and Roma were destined to be labelled the ‘worst’ team left in the competition. Neither side did much in their second round encounter to disprove that idea. Porto landed themselves in a very kind group. They competed against the weakest pot 1 team, Spartak Moscow, as well as Schalke, who Man City proved to be not very good, and Galatasaray, who were knocked out of the Europa League round of 32 by an uninspiring Benfica side.

Their round of 16 draw also ended up being quite favourable. While Roma were semi-finalists last season, they have done little this season to suggest that that kind of form was going to continue. Most tellingly, Roma manager Eusebio di Francesco has since been sacked following his club’s exit from Europe. It is fair to say that whoever draws Porto will fancy themselves to have a very good chance of progression to the semi-finals.

Ideal draw: Ajax (they’ve earned an ‘easier’ draw)

7. Tottenham Hotspur

This is where the remaining clubs can all reasonably believe that this season could be ‘their year’. Tottenham were incredibly impressive in their 4-0 aggregate defeat of Borussia Dortmund, a side who were leading the Bundesliga when the teams met in the first leg. While their progression from the group was fortuitous. A collapse from Inter Milan, potentially the only club who could out-Spurs Spurs, gifted Mauricio Pochettino’s side an unlikely chance to snag second place in what was a very difficult group.

But their last 16 performance should be enough to convince people that Tottenham are now finally ready for the biggest stage. While the club will have to do a hell of a lot to shake its perception as a team that easily collapses under the highest pressure, or as Giorgio Chiellini calls it “the history of the Tottenham”. The impressive nature of the victory of Dortmund shows how much Pochettino and his side have learned from their previous experiences in the competition.

Ideal draw: Juventus (chance at revenge on Chiellini)

6. Manchester United

Having qualified under the most dramatic circumstances of any of the remaining sides, there must be a feeling surrounding Old Trafford that a Manchester United Champions League victory is ‘destiny’. The turnaround of the 2-0 first leg home defeat to Paris Saint-Germain was unprecedented in the Champions League. In fact, the last, and only other, time a side pulled off such a comeback was Ajax in 1969. Having lost the first leg at home 3-1, the Dutch side won the reverse match 3-1 to force the tie into a play-off match, which they won 3-0.

While Ajax did reach the final of that season’s European Cup, they failed to win the competition. With this United side, they have become transformed under club legend Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. Ever since the dismissal of previous manager Jose Mourinho, the Red Devils have only lost 2 matches in 18 under the Norwegian, winning 14.

However, it does seem like there are only two possible outcomes of United’s Champions League campaign. Either the club ultimately is eliminated against the first good team they play (considering PSG’s recent record in the competition they have been stripped of their status as one of these) or Solskjaer proves he actually has magical powers and has a Zinedine Zidane-like effect on the competition that sees United victorious on June 1 in the Wanda Metropolitano.

Ideal draw: Barcelona (rematch of the 2009 and 2011 finals)

5. Ajax

Despite playing Real Madrid off the park in the first leg of their second round tie, their 2-1 defeat at home left them looking like they’d squandered a fantastic opportunity to knock out the three-time defending champions. But a sensational performance from Erik ten Hag’s side, the kind to mark the end of one era and the start of something special, saw Ajax turnaround a 2-1 defeat into a 5-3 aggregate victory.

In particular, the performances of Matthijs de Ligt, Frenkie de Jong and especially Dusan Tadic were incredible. This was summed up in their third goal, scored by Tadic, which emphasised the performance overall, as well as the individuals who created the stunning passage of play.

The group stages showed that Ajax had the potential to pull off such a result, but it also showed that they had the potential to play spectacularly and still not find the required result to progress. The games against Bayern Munich were very much a testing ground for this exact kind of tie. Their 1-1 draw at the Allianz Arena was a precursor to their 2-1 defeat in the first leg, where they similarly played the Bavarian side off the park but were unable to convert their chances into a deserved victory. But this 4-1 win at the Bernabeu now shows that Ajax can convert their chances and really punish a side ill prepared for the task of putting up with this courageous Ajax side.

4. Manchester City

The 10-2 victory over Schalke was as comfortable as will be seen in this season’s edition of the competition. It is unlikely that Manchester City’s quarter final draw will be so favourable. At this stage of the competition, the teams can only be getting better and better. Although, whoever City draw, it could easily end up the most interesting ties of the round. This is due to how Guardiola’s recent Champions League record has regressed ever since leaving Barcelona in 2012.

Having won the competition twice, in 2009 and 2011, with arguably the greatest side to ever grace the sport, failure to reach the final with Bayern Munich, or even the semi-final with Manchester City, has seen a weakness suddenly develop on the Catalan’s managerial CV.

The 6-6 away goals defeat to Monaco was perhaps a freak result, as no side had ever been knocked out of the Champions League on away goals having scored 6 goals before, but to lose the tie from a 5-3 leading position was poor. Last season’s elimination to Liverpool was also unfortunate considering the controversial refereeing decision that changed the course of the second leg, but it didn’t change it enough that their elimination was unjust. The 3-0 loss at Anfield was similarly poor to the Monaco defeat.

While City hunt for an unprecedented quadruple, it is the Champions League that should be Guardiola’s ultimate goal. He’s built an absolutely incredible side through both spending a lot of money and by improving the players that were already at his disposal. Now he must prove that he can win the European Cup without one of the greatest players to grace sport, Lionel Messi.

Ideal draw: Liverpool (the title challengers and a repeat of last season’s quarter-final)

3. Liverpool

No club left in the competition has won more European Cups than Liverpool, but last season’s finalists are now also fighting on two fronts. While last year Liverpool could easily afford to sacrifice league performance in order to aid their run to the final, this season it will not be so easily understood. The Reds, as if they need reminding, have not won a league title for 29 years and it is the trophy with which supporters crave most.

Their dramatic 2005 victory in Istanbul is forever ingrained in the annals of the You’ll Never Walk Alone crowd and is a night many fans can still remember very fondly. However, there is a whole generation of Liverpool fans who are yet to experience the magic of lifting a league title. Instead, they’ve had to suffer the ignominy of seeing fierce rivals Manchester United win 13 Premier League titles and overtake Liverpool’s haul as the most successful club in English football.

But, Jurgen Klopp’s side now find themselves 1 point off leaders Man City with only 8 games remaining. Considering City’s current form, re-overtaking them will prove difficult. Meanwhile, Liverpool’s dominant 3-1 victory over Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich has shown that their hunger to be champions of Europe very much remains from last season. Their European performances under Klopp remain impeccable, having reached two finals in their two seasons in European competition under the German. No team will want to draw the five time champions.

2. Barcelona

Last season, when asked who were the favourites for the Champions League, Pep Guardiola responded by asking “Who does Messi play for?” when the reporter responded by saying “Barcelona,” the Man City manager replied “So they’re the favourites.” While Barcelona ultimately crashed out in the quarter final in dramatic fashion, losing 4-4 on away goals to Roma, that sentiment remains the same.

The Argentinian is reported to be “obsessed” by winning the Champions League. Whether those reports are true or not, his performances this season lean towards it being very believably true. In Barcelona’s 5-1 victory over French side Lyon, Messi proved the difference. His two goals and two assists were enough to make Barcelona comfortable victors. Messi’s performances in the group stage were similarly incredible. In particular against Tottenham, at Wembley Stadium, he was simply unstoppable.

While the rest of this Barcelona side, along with manager Ernesto Valverde, don’t seem quite up to the very high standard set by the club over the last decade, it is hard to envisage a scenario where the Catalan side go out as meekly as they have in the last few seasons. Of course, since winning the competition in 2015, Barcelona are yet to progress past the quarter final stage of the competition. In fact, Messi is yet to score in the quarter final stages since 2012.

Unfortunately, or fortunately depending on your disposition, their is now a decent chance that Messi will have to square up against Cristiano Ronaldo and thus causing the most tedious debate in sport to heat up like never before. They have, somehow, only met on three occasions in the competition with advantage Messi at 2-1. Will Messi get the chance to end Ronaldo’s recent Champions League dominance, or will they somehow avoid each other once more?

1. Juventus

The signing of Ronaldo for £100 million last Summer from Real Madrid was more than just a statement of intent. It was a statement that Juventus will do whatever it takes to ensure a third European Cup. For such a historic and successful side, the Old Lady has won Europe’s elite competition as many times as Nottingham Forest, who haven’t competed in the Premier League for nearly twenty years, let alone competing in Europe.

When Juventus lost the round of 16 first leg 2-0 to Atletico Madrid, many didn’t believe a comeback was possible. Despite recent Champions League seasons being filled with incredulous comeback after comeback, there is something different about attempting to wrangle victory away from Diego Simeone’s side.

That was where Max Allegri’s Ronaldo gamble paid for itself. A hat trick in the second leg put the Portuguese back on the map after a disappointing first half of the Champions League season. Having only scored 1 goal in his previous 9 games in Europe, the 5 time winner pulled off one of his all-time great performances to seal a 3-2 comeback.

This result reminded everyone that the Champions League is Ronaldo’s competition and it will take something special to stop him. His Juve side are now firmly the favourites to finally win a long-awaited third European Cup. While their first leg performance showed this team is by no means perfect, the second leg proved they cannot be written off and neither can Ronaldo.

Author: Declan Harte

Currently, Chelsea sit in fourth spot in the Premier League table, have the third best defence, are still in both the Europa League and the FA Cup and have a League Cup final to look forward to. Yet, Maurizio Sarri’s position as manager is by no means comfortable. How does that work?

Well, Chelsea aren’t like most clubs. Time is not a commonly traded commodity. Rarer than gold, Sarri’s doomsday timer is ticking. The timekeeper of Stamford Bridge, Guus Hiddink, forever in the shadows. Roman Abramovich, the all seeing, somewhat knowing towering figure looming over the touchline.

To think it started all so well for Sarri. After 11 league games, Chelsea were on 27 points, having scored 27 goals along the way, and were sitting pretty in 2nd place - albeit on goal difference ahead of Liverpool. Victory at home to Arsenal, as well as a draw with title contenders Liverpool, were two impressive results in a string of great performances from the high-flying Blues.

Fast forward three months and things aren’t looking so bright. After 11 games, Manchester United were sat in 7th and 7 points off Chelsea. Now only 2 points separate the sides, 2 points the difference between Champions League and Europa League next season. Not only have Chelsea fallen down the table and out of the title race, they’ve also dropped off dramatically in the goals department.

Chelsea had a goals per game ratio of 2.45 after the first 11 games. In the next 14, that average has declined to 1.64. The 1.64 even now looking a lot more generous off the back of a 5-0 home victory over Huddersfield, a team already resigned to relegation. Before that game, over the 13 game period, the goals per game ratio was 1.38.

While the sample size is small, that is still a dramatic fall from a rampant start to the season. Even accounting for it possibly being a honeymoon period off the back of a new managerial appointment, the difference is stark. This is by no means a regression to the mean.

This is also especially concerning for Sarri as he was brought into the club with the expectation that he would bring an attacking, free-flowing form of high-scoring football. His Napoli side that came very close to winning Serie A were averaging 2.11, 2.47 and 2.03 goals per game in his three seasons at the club.

These kind of failings have gotten managers sacked at Chelsea many times before. Saturday will mark 10 years to the day that Luiz Felipe Scolari was sacked by the club. By the time Chelsea step out onto the Etihad pitch on Sunday they could already have slipped down to 6th place. While Sarri probably won’t be getting sacked quite so soon, it will only increase the pressure on his position at the club tenfold. Victory at the Etihad, however, would be an invaluable scalp. Having already beaten Pep Guardiola’s side at home earlier in the season, Chelsea will be hoping to find that level of performance once again.

Previous performances point to that being unlikely. Chelsea’s last away game, after all, was a 4-0 defeat to 10th place Bournemouth. Sarri’s comments after that game about being unable to motivate his side were incredible. Although his side did react by winning their next game 5-0, it was against the aforementioned Huddersfield - poor Huddersfield - this fixture against City will be the true test of Chelsea’s mettle.

Despite all of this, Sarri should take solace from his managerial opposition this weekend. Guardiola’s first season in English football was very similar to that of the Italian. After a blistering start that saw his Manchester City side top of the table after 10 games, with a 100% winning start, they fell apart and ultimately finished in 3rd place and 15 points off the title. For the first time in his managerial career, Pep was trophy-less.

During this period, Guardiola was often criticised for not adapting to the English game - whatever that is supposed to actually mean. This particularly came to the fore after a terrible performance saw his side lose 4-2 to the then relegation-threatened champions Leicester City. This was the birth of his famous “I don’t coach tackles” outburst. This saw the Catalan mocked mercilessly by the media.

Guardiola’s struggles wouldn’t end there. A 4-0 defeat at Goodison Park was ultimately the nadir in an awful season. But instead of ‘adapting,’ Guardiola doubled down on his belief that his way of playing football was the best. After a busy Summer that saw many players come and go, Guardiola led his side to a points record finish of 100 and a Premier League title in hand.

Sarri can also look to the other side competing for the title, Liverpool, for some hope. In Jürgen Klopp’s first season as manager of the Merseyside club, his side finished in 8th place and 21 points off the title. In his first full season, they were still only 4th and 17 points off the champions.

These two managers offer irrefutable proof that giving managers time can work out. If Manchester City and Liverpool didn’t stick by their managers when things weren’t going so well, would they now be locked into the fiercest title race the Premier League has seen in years?

So, when Chelsea take to the field on Sunday they may be in 6th place, but the short-term pain of missing out on Champions League football could be worth it for the long-term gain that Sarri may ultimately bring.

But are Chelsea capable of changing their ways and giving their manager the time necessary to make things work, or will the timekeeper be reeling in the years soon once more?

Author: Declan Harte

We started with 32, but now there are only 8. We’ve finally reached the most exciting point in the Champions League season, the quarter finals. Eight teams all with the belief now that this could be their season. But whose season will it ultimately be?

Before the quarter final draw takes place this Friday at the UEFA headquarters in Nyon at 11am GMT, we must first look back at what each side has accomplished this season - both in the Europe and domestically - to figure out which teams are the favourites and which teams are the plucky underdogs.

So, who will win the coveted prize? Ranked from least likely to most likely, here are the power rankings for the Champions League quarter finals:

8. Sevilla

Sevilla have qualified for the quarter finals of the Champions League for the first time, they got here via a 2-1 aggregate victory against an insipid Manchester United. Sevilla weren’t particularly impressive against the Red Devils, but they showed the composure to see the tie through.

However, in La Liga, Sevilla have shown themselves to be weak defensively and their away record has been poor. They’ve lost matches 5-0 and 5-1 in La Liga this season to Real Madrid and Eibar, they also lost 5-1 to Spartak Moscow in the group stages.

Whoever draws Sevilla will fancy themselves to have a very good chance of making it to the semi finals.

7. AS Roma

Roma are having their most impressive European campaign in a long time. They topped a group containing 2012 winners Chelsea and 2014 and 2016 finalists Atletico Madrid along with impressive performances, including a comfortable 3-0 win against the current Premier League champions.

However, historically, Roma have always fallen just short in Europe. Everyone will remember the 7-1 defeat to Manchester United in 2007, but they’ve had similarly embarrassing defeats against Bayern Munich and Barcelona in more recent seasons.

They do also still need to focus on Serie A to ensure they qualify for next season’s Champions League as there is a tight race between four sides for the final two positions in the league.

For most teams, drawing Roma will prove a challenge, but a challenge in which they will likely progress from.

6. Liverpool

Jürgen Klopp’s side being so high up on this list is in no way meant to denigrate this fine, fierce, attacking side. It more speaks to the quality of the sides remaining in the competition.

As things stand, there is a kind of cut off between the worst two sides remaining and the other six. Picking a winner between the top 6 sides is a difficult task and Liverpool are certainly not to be underestimated.

Klopp has already brought Liverpool to a Europa League final, but more importantly he brought his incredible Borussia Dortmund side to the Champions League final in 2013. He knows how to weather a knockout competition and on their day Liverpool could easily dominate any big team.

Having said that, Liverpool have the most problems of the top sides remaining and for them to win this competition they will need to bring their A-game each and every match.

5. Juventus

Last year’s runners-up have had a rough path to this season’s quarter-finals. Being dominated by Barcelona in the group stages, as well as experience only just seeing them over the line against Tottenham in the second round, but this tough run could be just what they need to finally see them win their first European Cup since 1996.

Juventus have come into form, as they seemingly always do under Max Allegri, at the right time. Last season’s run to the final saw some of Juve’s best performances in Europe in a long time, and if they can repeat those performances again then finding a way through that steely defence will prove a challenge for any side.

Though as good as Juventus are, it speaks volumes to the talent of the other sides that they are still only considered a dark horse in this competition.

4. Real Madrid

It would be easy to say that the current champions should be both higher and lower on this list. They were always comfortable against Paris Saint-Germain in the second round, they’ve won three of the last four Champions League titles and Cristiano Ronaldo’s knockout round scoring record has been second to none.

Yet, their terrible league form this season cannot be overlooked. The pressure Zinedine Zidane is under is massive, winning this competition might be his only hope of retaining his job in Madrid - which is crazy to consider, but that’s the expectation the club has of its coaches.

In the end, no matter who they draw, Real Madrid will be up for the task like no other team. No side has shown the drive, determination and attitude that this Madrid team have in the last few years in the competition. You get the feeling that no matter how poor their domestic form is, when the Champions League stage is presented to them there is no stopping them.

3. Barcelona

Unbeaten still in La Liga, Lionel Messi having another Ballon D’or worthy season, a mean defence that only a few teams can crack. These are just three of many reasons why Barcelona are among the favourites for this season’s competition.

Yet, as good as Lionel Messi is - and in case you somehow haven’t figured it out by now, he is very good - it is the midfield that does not strike fear into the eyes of their potential opponents. An ageing Andres Iniesta, a post-prime Ivan Rakitic or Sergio Busquets and either Paulinho or Andre Gomes, is not quite up to the standard of Barcelona’s previous midfields of even just the last decade. It is a weakness in this side, though admittedly we’re at a level of football that anything other than perfection could easily be considered a weakness.

If a team can find a way to keep Messi quiet for an entire 180 minutes, Barcelona can be stopped, but doing that is a rare feat. Only Manchester United in 2008 and Juventus in 2017 have been able to really keep him quiet in a Champions League tie, so as long as Messi is around Barcelona must always immediately be considered one of the favourites.

2. Manchester City

Manchester City are reaching a point where they are running out of records to break in the Premier League. Pep Guardiola’s got his side purring. The football that City have played at times this season has been some of the most scintillating football that England has ever seen.

However, Pep’s recent record in the Champions League has been subpar and City are yet to even reach a European Cup final. So, to say that they must be considered favourites is a bit of a jump from one meek semi-final appearance out of this run of 8 consecutive Champions League runs.

As good as they’ve been this season, that lack of experience could be their downfall because really it is the only weakness that you could pick out in this squad.

1. Bayern Munich

Jupp Heynckes record this season at Bayern Munich: 26 games, 23 wins, 2 draws and 1 loss. Scoring 68, conceding 16.

Sure, you can argue that the standard of the Bundesliga isn’t as good as other top European leagues. Yet, the level of dominance and the level of focus shown by this Bayern Munich side is comparable to the side that won the treble in 2013.

This is only Heynckes’ fourth season in charge of a side in the Champions League, but his record in the competition is outstanding. He has now broken the record for consecutive wins for a manager with 11 straight wins, dating back from 2013 to when he joined Bayern again midway through this season.

In his previous three seasons in the competition, Heynckes has won the Champions League twice and finished as runner up the other time, losing on penalties to a Chelsea side that was possessed.

Author: Declan Harte

When the draw for the round of 16 of this year’s Champions League was made, reigning European Champions Real Madrid getting drawn against the record-spending Paris Saint Germain was by far the most glamorous tie.

This is not to denigrate the rest of the matches drawn because there are some lovely ties to look forward to - Juventus against Tottenham and Barcelona against Chelsea are both mouth-watering ties - there is just so much more on the line in this match-up. It simply emphasises how big of a draw this is.

Both Paris and Madrid have had an interesting nine months since Los Blancos lifted the famous European Cup trophy for a 13th time. These two sides being drawn against each other feels like it was written in the stars.

Paris Saint Germain spent a record sum on a single player - doubling the world record set only a year ago - last Summer bringing in Neymar from Barcelona. Wonderkid Kylian Mbappe and veteran Dani Alves have come in to strengthen the side.

At the time, it felt like it was a reaction to losing the Ligue 1 title to Monaco, but looking at it now it was obviously a reaction to their embarrassing 6-1 defeat at the Nou Camp at this stage of last season’s Champions League.

Going into the match against Madrid, this will be Paris’ first real chance to really prove to everyone that they’ve put that dreadful night behind them. There is a lot of pressure to see through a massive result, otherwise an already mentally fragile side will have even more baggage to put behind them.

In Ligue 1, they simply haven’t been tested this season. Monaco aren’t up to the standard they were last year - selling all your best players will do that to any side - and the likes of Marseille, Lyon and Bordeaux just can’t keep up. The challenge of the reigning champions is a proper test to show that this team can be a European super-club.

The role of Neymar is an incredibly interesting aspect to this tie. This time last year it was Neymar who was key in that famous 6-1 victory for Barcelona, scoring twice. Going into that second leg, it was Neymar that told his teammates not to worry because he was definitely going to score two goals so they only needed two as a team - even though it would turn out to be four that they would need.

That confidence in his own ability, that strength to lead, is something Paris desperately needed then and will be hoping to have now.

Elsewhere, Mbappe and Alves are also crucial in that both of them have much better experience in the Champions League than some of the players at the club - Alves especially - which says a lot about Paris Saint Germain considering Mbappe is only 19 years old. Mbappe was a crucial factor in Monaco’s amazing semi final run last season and if Paris are to beat Madrid, he’ll have to step up again this season.

Of course, this is only one half of the incredible story to this tie. What has happened to Real Madrid since that magical night in Cardiff all the way back in June 2017 has been nothing short of catastrophic - well by Madrid’s ridiculously high standards anyway.

There are numerous factors as to why Madrid have collapsed in the manner in which they have this season. But despite numerous poor results and dire performances, you still feel that they should be considered favourites in the tie.

Madrid were perhaps naive to think they could sell off the likes of Pepe, James Rodriguez and Alvaro Morata with no actual replacements without suffering any consequences.

It all looked so good for Zinedine Zidane last August when Madrid blew away Barcelona in the Spanish Super cup, but since then his job has continuously been in question. It is absurd to think that a manager who won back to back Champions League titles might be out of a job just 9 months later, but this is the way Real Madrid operate.

The only thing that has seemingly kept Zidane in the job is his Champions League record, but failure to progress to the quarter finals would surely be the final nail in the coffin of his tenure as manager.

Similarly, Paris Saint Germain manager Unai Emery is under just as much pressure. Failure for his side to progress would surely be the final nail in the coffin of his tenure.

It really is all to play for in this tie. This match does not only just affect these two sides either, it also has a huge role to play in a potential power-shift of Europe’s elite clubs.

Over the last five years, there has been a tight stranglehold on Europe’s pinnacle held by Real Madrid, Barcelona and Bayern Munich, each of the three sides winning all of the last five Champions League titles.

Author: Declan Harte

After the protracted transfer saga of Virgil Van Dijk last Summer was ultimately unresolved, it is a relief to hear that Liverpool have secured the defender’s services before the January transfer window even opens. No 30-day will they or won’t they ahead of us.

The deal itself, though, has many implications and many interesting aspects to it. Obviously, the price Liverpool are paying is what jumps out at you. 75 million pounds is a lot of money, in fact it’s a world record fee for a defender, but it is just one of many interesting facets to this deal.

The significance of the fee itself is important because it shows the financial clout that Liverpool have. 75 million is by far the biggest fee Liverpool have ever paid for a single player, the previous record was the 48 million pound fee agreed for Naby Keita to join next Summer. This is a fee higher than Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City’s record signings. It is also 25 million pounds more than the previous record fee for a defender.

It shows Liverpool can compete with their rivals for players in the market. According to reports from Liverpool-based journalists, this is only the beginning of further plans to spend. Thomas Lemar is seemingly their next big target and he could easily prove to be more expensive than Van Dijk, at an estimated cost of upwards of 90 million pounds.

It could be pointed out that Lemar coming in would be a replacement for Philippe Coutinho and that the money used to bring him in would come from that sale, but regardless of that, 90 million is a lot of money to spend on one player. With Van Dijk on his way, it now means that Liverpool have spent 200 million since the Summer transfer window opened. This is more than Manchester United, Arsenal and Chelsea have spent in that same time period.

Onto the player himself and on the surface of it, this is a great signing for Liverpool. They are considered to be poor defensively and bringing in a defender must be the solution to conceding a lot of goals.

However, Van Dijk isn’t necessarily what Liverpool actually need. Sure, another defender couldn’t go amiss, but when you’re spending 75 million pounds on one player, it shouldn’t be about just having one more player in a position. Liverpool’s defensive problems have come from poor goalkeeping in Simon Mignolet and the defence being exposed by the lack of a true holding midfielder to sit in front of the two centre backs - and playing two full backs who go so far up the pitch only compounds that issue.

In Liverpool’s most recent high-profile defensive calamity against rivals Arsenal, Liverpool drew 3-3 but only actually conceded 4 shots on target. Compare that to when Manchester United played in the Emirates earlier in the season where they won 3-1, but Jose Mourinho’s team conceded 16 shots on target. The difference between these two sides is one team had an exceptional goalkeeper and one had Simon Mignolet.

Liverpool should be scouting for a new goalkeeper because to only concede 4 shots on target at the Emirates is actually impressive and a good display from the defence, but to concede 3 goals from that is a poor showing from the goalkeeper and it throws the defenders under the bus and makes them look poor as well.

Then there is the fact that Jordan Henderson plays the deepest of the three midfielders. This is less a problem of Henderson as a player, but more so the system in place by Jurgen Klopp. Henderson offers the defence little to no protection, which exposes them on the counter-attack. What Liverpool need is a true holding midfielder to offer the defence some protection, someone who can tackle and win the ball.

Obviously Keita is coming into the club in July, which will help with that issue, but that won’t solve the problem for another 6 months. The defence is being blamed for problems that they can’t solve themselves.

In the short term, bringing in Van Dijk isn’t a solution to their defensive problems. While he is a good player, Liverpool have conceded 1.15 goals a game this season, having Van Dijk won’t lower that amount significantly.

This is not to say that Klopp is a poor defensive coach, something that he’s been labelled as since joining Liverpool. During Borussia Dortmund’s two league winning campaigns under Klopp, they conceded only .69 goals a game.

Author: Declan Harte

Group A:

Teams: Russia, Uruguay, Egypt, Saudi Arabia

Russia, the hosts, are the weakest team from pot 1 by some margin and Uruguay will be happy to draw them.

Uruguay will be one of the happier teams throughout this draw, however Egypt will pose their biggest threat to topping the group. Saudi Arabia and Russia the two lowest ranked teams in the FIFA World Rankings in the tournament.

Egypt will feel like they can get something from this group, Mo Salah has lit up the Premier League so far this season and Egypt will be hoping he can carry some of that form into the World Cup.

Group B:

Teams: Portugal, Spain, Iran, Morocco

This group immediately jumps out as significant. Spain drawing fierce local rivals Portugal, in what will be the opening game of the group, is one of the highest profile matches made in the draw.

Unfortunately, the other two teams in the group aren’t as exciting. Morocco against Spain could be fun, but otherwise it looks like a fairly straightforward group where Spain will play Portugal to decide who wins the group.

Group C:

Teams: France, Peru, Denmark, Australia

A favourable draw for France, Peru are considered the weakest team from pot 2. Denmark and Australia will give France interesting matches, but France will be expected to top this group with considerable ease.

Denmark will be happy with this draw, Peru will pose a threat but Australia are weaker than they have been at previous World Cups.

It will likely come down to Peru and Denmark for who comes second in this group, but Australia can’t be underestimated no matter how out of form they are. 

Group D:

Teams: Argentina, Croatia, Iceland, Nigeria

Croatia’s golden generation have one last chance to live up to their high expectations, but to do so they will have to get through a Messi-led Argentina. They also came second to Iceland in qualifying, but playing at the World Cup itself is another beast entirely.

Argentina would’ve preferred an easier draw, this group could easily be considered the most difficult group, though they know Nigeria well having played them in 4 of the last 5 previous World Cups.

Iceland have qualified for their first World Cup and will relish the tough task of Argentina. Qualifying from the group is still a possibility if they can repeat their heroic Euro 2016 performances.

Group E:

Teams: Brazil, Switzerland, Costa Rica, Serbia

This is also a well balanced group. Brazil are one of the favourites, as ever, for the World Cup, but getting out of the group will be no easy task.

Switzerland won 9 out of their 10 qualifying matches and if they can fix their issues with finishing, they could be one of the dark horses in this competition.

Costa Rica were the surprise team of the 2014 World Cup, but a repeat performance is seemingly unlikely, however Serbia could provide an upset to the top 2 seeds in the group.

Group F:

Teams: Germany, Mexico, Sweden, South Korea

Reigning world champions Germany will begin their defence against Mexico. Germany will be happy with the draw, though memories of a 4-4 draw against Sweden before the 2014 World Cup will surface before they meet in Russia.

Mexico and Sweden will most likely be battling for second in this group, an upset from South Korea is unlikely and it’s also just as unlikely that Germany doesn't progress as group winners. Sweden are a much improved side from their poor performance at Euro 2016, but Mexico are a good team and will prove hard to get past.

Group G:

Teams: Belgium, England, Tunisia, Panama

Belgium’s golden generation need to live up to expectation at this World Cup if they are to ever do anything. England will know the team well through so many Belgian players playing in the Premier League, but Belgium should be good enough to top this group.

England will also be happy with this draw. Tunisia and Panama are two of the weaker teams in the competition and even with England’s propensity to embarrass themselves against weaker sides at International competitions, they should still progress.

Group H:

Teams: Poland, Colombia, Senegal, Japan

This is the only group in the competition to not feature a former winner and that instantly makes it more intriguing than others. It is arguably the most balanced group, with the skill level between the top seeds and the lowest seeds being the smallest of all the groups.

Poland have an impressive team that works well together. Robert Lewandowski is a world class striker and could be the difference between topping the group and not even qualifying for the second round.

Author: Declan Harte

For a nation that have only competed in the World Cup three times, the Republic of Ireland have made their mark on the competition in a big way over the course of those three participations. Between getting to the quarter-finals without actually winning a game, beating eventual runners-up Italy in a packed Giant’s Stadium in New Jersey and Roy Keane walking out - or was he sent home? - of the Ireland squad in Saipan Ireland have created a unique legacy on the World stage.

However, Ireland haven’t competed in the competition since 2002 and only once did they ever look like they might make it back in three attempts. Now, Martin O’Neill have the chance to do what Brian Kerr and Giovanni Trapattoni could not: steer Ireland to a fourth World Cup participation.

Under O’Neill, Ireland have had multiple big game performances, and to qualify for the 2018 World Cup in Russia another two big performances will be needed. Denmark are no pushovers, especially with a player of the calibre of Christian Eriksen. Eriksen has been lighting up the Premier League and the Champions League this season with Tottenham Hotspur.

Denmark finished second in Group E, five points off Poland in first. Their most impressive display in the group phase was a 4-0 victory over Poland in Denmark that sealed second place. Such a repeat performance would be disastrous for Ireland - a side who know Poland all too well after failing to beat them in qualification for Euro 2016.

The 4-0 victory over Poland, though, was perhaps an illusion of how good this Danish side really is. At that point in the group Poland were already 6 points clear of Denmark and Montenegro in second and third as they looked to have qualification already secure, bar a catastrophic collapse.

Other performances that might inspire the Irish camp, looking at Denmark’s group, would be the Dane’s 1-0 defeat at home to Montenegro and their 1-1 draw at home to Romania. This suggests that their home form is something that Ireland could possibly capitalise on, especially considering Ireland’s impressive away form as it is - such as the 1-0 victories in Austria and Wales during the qualifying campaign.

The reliance on playmaker Eriksen was also very evident through qualifying. Eriksen was Denmark’s top scorer with a total of eight goals, the next best was Thomas Delaney with four - three of which came in a 4-1 win against Armenia.

This won’t be the first time under O’Neill that Ireland will be going up against a team who is heavily influenced by a star player, which could be a huge advantage in preparation for the match. Ireland dealt very well with both Gareth Bale and Zlatan Ibrahimovic when playing Wales and Sweden. Drawing these matches and keeping the big players quiet for the entirety of both matches.

This also won’t be the first play-off that O’Neill will have managed with Ireland. In qualifying for Euro 2016 in France, O’Neill’s men took on Bosnia Herzegovina. Similarly, Ireland were away in the first leg, where they managed a 1-1 draw in a very foggy night in Zenica. Also similarly, the build-up to that Bosnia match was heavily centred around their midfield maestro in Miralem Pjanic, but Pjanic was kept fairly quiet over the course of both legs and Ireland brought the good away performance back to Dublin where they were 2-0 victors in what was one of Ireland’s most comfortable victories of O’Neill’s reign.

However, a problem for Ireland going into the first leg is a matter of discipline. Of the eleven players expected to start, ten of those players are going into the game a yellow card away from suspension - Stephen Ward the only exception. This has been a problem throughout the campaign, which is highlighted by David Meyler’s absence through suspension for this match in Copenhagen.

Meyler’s rise in importance in this Irish team has been rapid. Ever since the victory in Austria, he has gone from strength to strength and looks to be just as crucial to the team as someone like Robbie Brady or Wes Hoolahan. He provides a cover for the midfield that Glenn Whelan just can’t and his absence from the first leg could be decisive. However, if Ireland can take a good result back to the Aviva, his return will be vital to Ireland progressing.

It will be interesting to see if it is Whelan chosen to replace Meyler in the side on Saturday. Whelan has been heavily criticised throughout the qualifying campaign. The other option for O’Neill would be to play Harry Arter deeper and instead opting to start Hoolahan behind the striker. O’Neill has been reluctant to start Hoolahan in away matches while manager, fearing he doesn’t perform as well away and that he can’t play two matches in the space of four days. Starting Hoolahan would effectively rule him out of more than a cameo role in the return leg on Tuesday.

Another choice that O’Neill will have to make is whether Shane Long or Daryl Murphy starts up front. Daryl Murphy has proven to be useful for Ireland during the campaign, scoring the equaliser in Serbia and getting both goals in a 2-0 win over Moldova. Whereas Long has struggled to score a goal both at international and club level. His last goal came in February and he looks like he could good go another while yet without scoring.

Throughout the team there has been a lack of goals. Only 12 goals from 10 games as opposed to Denmark scoring 20 goals in their group. However, this has been balanced by the fact that Ireland are incredibly difficult to break down. Having only conceded 6 goals in 10 games it means that this is likely to be a low scoring affair.

The rise to prominence of Shane Duffy since Euro 2016 has been crucial in steadying the Irish backline. This, coupled with James McClean’s unlikely scoring prowess means these two will be critical to Ireland’s qualification. If either were to pick up a yellow card in the first leg it could be very problematic in the second. Injuries to Seamus Coleman, Jonathan Walters and James McCarthy means any suspensions for the second leg will leave O’Neill with a selection headache for Tuesday.

Overall, there is reason for optimism from both camps. Of all the play-off matches set to be played, this one is the toughest to call. The gulf in class between Eriksen and every other player from both sides could be what settles the tie. Being the slight underdogs will however suit Ireland, who have a propensity to show up in the big games.

Victories over Germany, Italy, Austria and most recently Wales could be enough to spur on Ireland to a famous victory, but getting past this Danish team will take some doing. It is make or break for O’Neill, qualification could cast aside the doubts from Irish fans over his ability to lead this Irish team to great things.

Author: Declan Harte

As teams start qualifying and groups take shape, we can start to look forward to potential knockout match-ups. While last year's’ knockout rounds contained some of the most memorable in years, the tournament petered out by the time the semi-finals came around, leading to two very predictable finalists and a disappointing final.

However, this year’s campaign has been building on last season’s momentum and giving us a taste of what is potentially to come. Between the new seeding of the group stages and the re-strengthening of the Premier League and Serie A, we are seeing a thriving, unpredictable and fresh Champions League.

What has harmed the Champions League in the last few seasons has been the predictable nature of the competition. It had become boring and repetitive to see the same three or four teams getting far into the competition - Real Madrid winning 3 of the last 4 titles hasn’t helped in that regard either.

This season, though, it feels like it’s anyone’s to win. With the poor form of Real Madrid, the waning Juventus, the collapsing Atletico Madrid and a Barcelona team that is being carried by Lionel Messi, it feels like the trophy is up for grabs.

Up has stepped Unai Emery’s Paris Saint-Germain and Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City, but their early season form looks like it is unsustainable and their lack of experience in the latter stages of the competition could be their undoing. Especially when it comes to PSG, who were completely embarrassed last season after their 6-1 defeat at the Nou Camp. At least Manchester City have the advantage of having a two-time winning manager at the helm.

The group stages themselves have already shown us what could lie ahead. With groups such as groups C and H, containing three top quality teams in each group, it means that we are losing two fantastic teams in Atletico Madrid and Borussia Dortmund, both of which have reached 3 of the last 5 finals. And even the significance of Tottenham’s victory over Real Madrid could be something we look back on in a few years and only then understand how important that victory was for the tournament itself.

Fixtures also such as Manchester City against Napoli have shown us just how good some of these teams are. Both of their matches in the group stage were fantastic advertisements for the sport and were reminiscent of when City took on Monaco last season.

It is these fixtures, such as Manchester City against Napoli or Tottenham against Real Madrid, that are so fresh, they’ve not been done to death like Real Madrid against Atletico Madrid to the point of apathy. It’s reinvigorated the competition and has given it a new lease of life at a time when it seemed like a major overhaul was desperately needed.

This is helped by the fact that teams like Atletico and Dortmund won’t be in the knockout rounds at all, they are both teams that have consistently made the quarter-finals for the last 5 years or so. Instead this season, we are seeing teams such as Tottenham, Besiktas, Basel, Roma and Shakhtar all have impressive displays on their way to potentially qualifying.

Even teams such as Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester United who were constantly progressing to the latter stages ten years ago have all had breaks from the competition and are much different sides since their last respective peaks in the tournament.

The dominating teams of the Champions League have always been cyclical, with Italian teams dominating the 90’s, English teams dominating the 00’s and Spanish team’s dominating this decade but it appears that the English teams could be in for another period of domination in the coming years.

It’s been surprising that it has taken this long because of just how much money there is in England, added with the majority of top quality managers being based in England, such as Guardiola, Jürgen Klopp, Antonio Conte and Mauricio Pochettino. Though the potential is certainly there for Premier League clubs to go through another golden era of European football, nothing is for certain yet.

In Italy, Serie A is constantly on the rise. Despite Juventus winning the last 6 titles in a row, it is now the closest title race of all the top 5 leagues and Napoli appear to be the early favourites. Teams such as Inter Milan - who while not in Europe this season will likely be back in the Champions League next season - as well as Roma, Napoli, AC Milan and Lazio are all on the rise and have exciting managers that could bring Italy back to the forefront of Europe once again.

In terms of this season’s knockout rounds though, it is entirely unpredictable. While it wouldn’t be surprising to see one of the supposed ‘superclubs,’ such as Barcelona or Bayern Munich, go ahead and win the competition this season, this could be their last chance for another while yet. Either way, of the last 16 quarter-finalists, 7 have already been eliminated from this season’s competition, 4 of which were from last season.

Usually the last 16 will have the most exciting match-ups, as we saw last season in abundance, but will also feature the most random of teams that show no consistency in making the second round, it is once the quarter-finals come around that we will really see what the Champions League could look like in the coming years.

Author: Declan Harte

Slaven Bilic’s reign at West Ham United has been one of the most unique managerial reigns in recent memory. Appointed in the Summer of 2015, Bilic was equipped with the task of transitioning the Hammers from their historic Boleyn Ground - or Upton Park, depending on who you ask - into the London Olympic Stadium. Moving from a 35,000 seater stadium to a 60,000 seater is a massive jump and shows how the ambition of the clubs chairmen, David Gold and David Sullivan.

The biggest problem with moving stadiums is acclimatisation. As we saw with Arsenal in 2006 - and are still seeing over a decade later - re-creating the famous atmosphere of the former ground will be a formidable task. With the Olympic Stadium, the fans are at an even further disadvantage due to the amusingly large gap between them and the pitch. The Boleyn Ground was a very tight stadium, the fans were almost on the pitch, and the atmosphere was generally quite impressive. The only time they really re-created that atmosphere in the league last season was in their 1-0 win over rivals Tottenham Hotspur, and the atmosphere was incredible.

How this affected Bilic is what makes his time at West Ham so unique. In his first season, Bilic looked to have brought West Ham to the next level and who is to say that he wouldn’t have if not for the difficulty of transitioning stadiums? Moving to the Olympic Stadium put Bilic under immense pressure. Credit must be given to Bilic as he has come out the other side of it with an impressive finish to last season and a positive Summer that could see them improve greatly.

Now that they have had a full season to adjust to the massive difference between the two grounds, West Ham should be looking to push for a European place - or maybe even focus on a cup run as a way into Europe. It is make or break time for Bilic, after a Summer spend that has seen West Ham bring in two new star players in Marko Arnautovic and Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez for a combined fee of approximately £40 million.

A right back, in Pablo Zabaleta, was also secured as well as English goalkeeper Joe Hart on loan. These four signings should be the key for Bilic to threaten high-spending Everton’s seventh place. While breaking into the top 6 may be too far out of reach, an Everton side who will be trying to adjust a whole new team may be there for the taking.

The new signings that have come in are crucial for West Ham. They really should complete the team and add depth in midfield. Arnautovic, while inconsistent, may thrive in a team that is not depending on him. Being able to play off other players, such as Manuel Lanzini or Michail Antonio, will take the pressure off of him and will give him far more options than he had at Stoke City. Joe Hart in goals may prove to be a risk, his loan spell at Torino did not end well for England’s number one, but being back in the Premier League will suit Hart and West Ham seem an ideal club for him to regain some confidence.

Hernandez and Zabaleta are proven Premier League winning players, and while Hernandez had a poor season last year as well as Zabaleta about to turn 33-years old during the season, both players could go either way. West Ham have an unfortunate record with strikers, whether they be injured or not capable enough for the Premier League, but Hernandez has done it at this level before and will be raring to go for his debut at his former club. While Zabaleta will be coming to the end of his career in the next couple years, there will be less of a physical demand from him at West Ham which will suit him much more than the high-intensity of Pep Guardiola.

Ultimately, West Ham should improve greatly from last season now that they have had a season in the Olympic Stadium. All four new signings are promising and West Ham fans should be looking forward to some more exciting displays than last season. Dimitri Payet is in the past and a new West Ham should emerge from the ashes of his Marseille move last January. Europa League should be the aim and maybe they can just get there.

Author: Declan Harte

There was a point last season, around early February, when the conversation around the European places featured an unlikely side. Tony Pulis and his West Bromwich Albion side were as high as eighth place and on their way to a record points total. However, a 2-1 victory over Eddie Howe’s Bournemouth left West Brom with 41 points and sitting comfortably in eighth - where they had been for the majority of the season.

In the next three months of Premier League football that followed, West Brom could only manage 1 win - an impressive 3-1 win against Arsenal - 1 draw - a dull 0-0 at Old Trafford - and 10 defeats from 12 games, ending the season with a 2-1 defeat to Swansea City. In the end, a tenth place finish would be the result for the Baggies, ironically finishing directly behind that Bournemouth side.

So, what caused this sudden free fall? Throughout the years, Premier League managers have been singing the praises of a “40-point season”. Seen as the threshold to safety in the top division, in recent years Claudio Ranieri has made the mark even more famous during Leicester City’s surprising run to title in the 2015/16 season. Even Chelsea fans, in that same year, ironically sang “we are staying up” once the 40-point mark was reached in what was an unusually difficult season for the London side.

The Tony Pulis specialty since gaining promotion with Stoke City a decade ago has been reaching 40 points come May. After this achievement, however, his teams will “head to the beach” mentally, as the cliché goes. Alan Pardew and Sam Allardyce have also been known for this style of management - or lack of further ambition depending on who you ask.

Despite this terrible end-of-season form, West Brom were still one of the best sides in the league for the first half of the season and eighth place was a fair reflection of how well they had been playing. One factor that led to their success was their ability at set pieces. Last season, West Brom scored the second highest amount of goals from set pieces at 20 - only 2 behind champions Chelsea.

This is an impressive feat but, looking closer at the numbers, you will see that Chelsea scored a total of 85 goals on their way to the title. However, West Brom only scored 45 goals in total. As a percentage, the numbers may be more worrying for Tony Pulis. Chelsea’s set piece goals only contributed to 25% of their goals, whereas West Brom’s 20 goals contributed to 47% of their goals. The question that West Brom have to answer this season: is this sustainable?

While being a threat on set pieces is crucial and can make a massive difference to how well sides do, relying on them for almost half of your goals makes it a crutch that is propping you up. Set pieces are also something that managers can easily analyse as a successful pattern arises as a sample size gets larger. Once managers are able to figure out what West Brom’s tactics are at corners and free-kicks, they become easier to defend and all of a sudden West Brom are struggling for goals.

Before Pulis was appointed as manager in early 2015, he was Crystal Palace manager where he saw over the club for only 10 months before being sacked just days before the opening day of the new Premier League season. The reported reason for his departure was due to an inability to attract new players to the club. Palace still had three weeks to bring in new signings once Pulis had left after a failure to bring in any targets while he was still manager.

At West Brom, Pulis may be having a similar problem. This Summer, West Brom have only brought in one new player. In has come Jay Rodriguez from Southampton for a reported £10 million fee. Rodriguez’s career has seemingly stalled after a cruciate ligament in 2014 ended what was supposed to be his breakthrough season early. Rodriguez has since failed to re-find his form from before this horrible injury and has been in-and-out of the Southampton side with minor injuries ever since. It is a risky signing for West Brom but if Pulis can get the best out of the Englishman then the 28-year old could prove to be one of the smartest signings of the season.

However, West Brom have lost pivotal midfielder and leader Darren Fletcher who has joined Stoke City on a free transfer. Fletcher proved to be one of West Brom’s most important figures both on and off the pitch. His calmness on the pitch, as well the Champions League winning experience he brings to the side, was one of the key factors to West Brom’s great first half to the season. How they cope with the loss of the Scot will be a deciding factor in whether West Brom can re-capture their early season form from last year.

Author: Declan Harte

It’s an unprecedented third season in the Premier League for Watford. However, in those three years, Watford are now on their third manager. First Quique Sanchez Flores was appointed at the start of the 2015/16 season, but a 13th place finish and an FA Cup semi-final weren’t enough for him to keep his job. Next up to the plate was Walter Mazzarri, who was brought in in an attempt to improve the play-style at Vicarage Road. It would be a strike two for Watford as Mazzarri failed to live up to expectations. A 17th placed finish was clearly not good enough and in May the Italian was sacked. A third strike, and they’ll be out.

So, who was brought in to turn the ship around? None other than Hull City’s Marco Silva. While he was unable to save the sinking ship of Hull, turning around Watford should prove to be an easier task. For starters, Watford have more than 14 first-team players available and they haven’t spent the last 5 months under the management of Mike Phelan. His record at Hull was impressive considering their ultimate demise back to the Championship. The deck was fully stacked against Silva but he almost came up with trumps anyway. A 2-0 win against Liverpool was, in particular, a highlight of his 6-month spell at the Tigers.

What can Silva achieve at Watford? Realistically, the top half of the table is about as high as Watford can expect this season - though this is something Watford have not achieved since the birth of the Premier League 25 years ago. A cup run should also be seen as important for Silva. Watford are a perfect side for a run in the League or FA Cup. Mid-table, shouldn’t be in danger of relegation and won’t be a big enough target that lower league sides give it everything to take down the Premier League giant. The semi-final run in 2015/16 season was a highlight for Watford fans and something they will want to repeat.

It’s been a relatively busy Summer for Watford. Between bringing in a new manager and making four signings, Watford fans have had plenty to talk about. There have also been no significant outgoings this year, so the side can only be stronger than it was last season. In has come highly touted prospects Will Hughes from Derby County and Nathaniel Chalobah from Chelsea for a combined approximate £12 million. Premier League winning midfielder Tom Cleverley has also been signed on a permanent basis for a reported £8 million fee after a successful loan during the second half of last season. Full back Kiki Femenía has also been signed on a free transfer, who could prove to be one of the smartest signings of the Summer.

The potential of Hughes and Chalobah is very high and both players could turn out to be key to Watford’s success this season. At such relatively low prices, Watford have done well to secure these two 22-year olds who have bright futures ahead of them. While it is likely that both players will be using Watford as stepping-stones to a bigger move somewhere down the line, being able to enjoy their services for the next two or three years will be a great experience for all parties involved.

Ultimately, Watford don’t have a high ceiling in the coming season. However, establishing themselves in the Premier League for a fourth season will be essential to any potential growth over the next five years. Marco Silva could provide stability that is sorely needed at Watford. Before his appointment, relegation seemed a certainty, but with Silva at the helm maybe Watford have a bright future ahead for themselves too.

Author: Declan Harte

What Mauricio Pochettino has achieved at Tottenham Hotspur is nothing short of incredible. However, it’s a funny thing to say because what have they actually achieved? Since taking over the club from recently sacked Tim Sherwood in 2014, Pochettino hasn’t actually won anything. That is a very surface level observation though.

What Pochettino has actually achieved is turning Tottenham into an actual contender for the Premier League title, something that even Harry Redknapp could have dreamed of as manager. In the last two seasons, Tottenham have finished 3rd and 2nd and earning a club record points total in the Premier League of 86. They were also the most defensively solid team last season, as well as the best attacking team. With a goal difference 60 - scoring 86 and conceding 26 - Pochettino has turned Tottenham into a side perfectly balanced between attack and defence.

Where Spurs go from here is the next big step for Pochettino. He has proven himself to be an intelligent manager, but has failed to bring Spurs to the next level in cup competition and in Europe. Tottenham’s record in Wembley - where they will be playing home games this season - has been dreadful. In their ten appearances at the new Wembley, they have only won there twice and have lost 7 times - 6 of which came in a row. Failure to overcome this poor record and Spurs will struggle to keep up with the rest of the title challengers.

Why is it that they struggle in Wembley though? While there may not be one specific reason, but many smaller reasons, the most obvious reason is the size of the pitch. White Hart Lane - which Tottenham turned into a fortress last season, remaining unbeaten and only drawing two matches - was measured at 100 x 67 metres before it was torn down. Wembley measures at 105 x 69 metres, which makes a significant difference for Tottenham’s play-style. Though Tottenham asked the FA to reduce the size of the Wembley pitch, they were denied permission to do so. This was a sign that even Tottenham themselves may be worried about the Wembley pitch.

If they’re to push for the title this season, they need to get over their Wembley form and they need to do it quickly. Their first match at this temporary home will be their last opponent at the home of English football and current league champions Chelsea. The 4-2 defeat last April in the FA Cup semi-final will be a key talking point in the lead up to that match. If ever there was a way to put that old form behind them and make a statement, victory over league rivals Chelsea would be the perfect opportunity.

Included in their poor record in Wembley are the four matches that Tottenham played there last season. While they managed a victory over CSKA Moscow, they were already out of the Champions League at this point. Defeats to Bayer Leverkusen and AS Monaco would be the cause of their demise in the Champions League. In the Europa League it wasn’t much better. A 2-2 draw with Belgian side Gent meant they were unable to overturn an embarrassing 1-0 defeat from the away leg.

This poor European performance, along with poor performances in previous seasons, leaves serious question marks over Tottenham’s ability to perform on the big nights under the floodlights. This also raises concerns over Pochettino’s ability to manage a busy fixture list. Failure to manage two matches a week last season cause Tottenham’s form to dip not only in the Champions League but it also affected their league form, which didn’t pick up again until after the group stages had ended.

Tottenham’s Summer has been by far the quietest of the top 7 teams. Yet to make a signing and having only sold one player - Kyle Walker in a £50 million exchange with Manchester City. While there is still 3 weeks left in the transfer window, Spurs are leaving it last minute if they are to buy anyone - and we saw how that went for them last Summer, the signing of Moussa Sissoko for £30 million remains one of the worst panic-buys in recent memory.

It has been said that chairman Daniel Levy prefers to leave it late in the Summer as he feels he can get a better deal then, however a lot has to be said about the cost of the new stadium. As we saw with Arsenal when they moved into the Emirates Stadium in 2006, spending big while financing a new stadium is very difficult and perhaps this is something we will see more of from Tottenham in the coming years. If, like neighbours Arsenal, Spurs are forced to sell key players over the next few years to keep business running smoothly, then what will Pochettino’s work all be for? It has potentially already begun with that sale of Walker to rivals Man City. Failure to recruit could be Tottenham’s downfall if they are to manage the Champions League more shrewdly this season. A lack of depth when the fixtures pile up at the end of the season will prove costly if they’re not careful.

While it may be admirable to see Tottenham not willingly splash the cash like everyone else, that unwillingness along with their poor Wembley form could be the cause of a disappointing season for Tottenham. Though Pochettino’s job should be safe if they fail to make the Champions League places, it isn’t out of the realm of possibility that they fail do so.

Author: Declan Harte

Last season was the ultimate test for Swansea City. When most clubs go through three managers over the course of one season, relegation is simply inevitable. Even at times when it looked like Swansea might go down, they didn’t give up and always pushed to the end. Results such as their 1-1 draw at Old Trafford and a 1-0 victory over Everton were signs of the never-say-die attitude that kept the Swans up. Complete resilience. Backed by the immense home support, Swansea achieved survival.

Since gaining promotion in 2011, the Welsh side has taken the English Premier League by storm - who could forget the bargain-priced Michu? - and to see them go down with this side would have been unfortunate. While the sacking of Francesco Guidolin in early October seemed harsh - they had started poorly but had shown promising signs and were just off the back of a difficult set of fixtures - the sacking of American Bob Bradley was entirely justified. No managerial replacement in recent memory has ever been as poorly appointed as Bradley proved to be.

Bradley’s destructive reign at the club looked to have doomed the club to relegation. However, the appointment of then Bayern Munich assistant coach Paul Clement proved to be one of the smarter managerial replacements in recent memory. The first big milestone for Clement would ironically be what ultimately ended Guidolin’s time at the club. A 3-1 loss to Liverpool at the Liberty Stadium in early October proved to be the final straw for Swansea’s new American owners, whereas a 3-2 victory over Liverpool at Anfield in late January was the first turning point for Clement as he began their march to safety.

Now Clement has had eight months with the club to assess the squad for the coming campaign. While Clement’s last foray as head coach didn’t turn out as he had hoped, the experience of going back to working under Carlo Ancelotti is invaluable. It is an experience that not that many coaches have had in the Premier League and could give him an advantage over the likes of Tony Pulis, Mark Hughes and Craig Shakespeare. In his short time as coach at Swansea he has proven himself at this level and fears of relegation - while still relevant - shouldn’t be too much of a problem this season.

The potential sale of star player Gylfi Sigurðsson has been a massive talking point for Swansea throughout the Summer. Reportedly multiple bids have been rejected from a number of clubs, most prominently Everton, of up to £40 million. While Sigurðsson refused to go to Swansea’s pre-season tour of the United States due to the uncertainty over his future, a deal has yet to be agreed. Sigurðsson was critical to Swansea’s survival last season, having a direct hand in 22 of Swansea’s 45 goals throughout the campaign.

On the other side of the transfer window spectrum, Swansea have had a much quieter Summer. The only signings so far have been midfielder Roque Mesa for an approximate £10 million and highly touted forward Tammy Abraham from Chelsea on a season-long loan. The capture of Roque Mesa could prove pivotal to the future of Swansea City. When making their final push for safety last season, veteran midfielder Leon Britton was brought back into the starting line-up and the soon to be 35-year old cannot be relied upon to control the midfield anymore. Mesa could be the replacement that Swansea need and at 28-years old will be heading into his supposed “peak years” at the club.

Tammy Abraham will also provide another dimension up front. While Fernando Llorente has proven to be quite the capture for Swansea, his slower play-style leaves Swansea’s attack very one-dimensional. With Abraham, Swansea will have more pace up front which will give them options on how they choose to attack. While replacing Sigurðsson will be a crucial move for the club - if indeed he does go at all - these two new players will be great additions to the squad.

While many may have Swansea to be battling for relegation again this season, the stability that having Paul Clement will afford - bar any total mess-ups - will be a huge factor in Swansea’s improved consistency this season. Though the mid-table battle will be tough, avoiding relegation shouldn’t be as difficult.

Author: Declan Harte

When Stoke City were promoted in 2008, there weren’t many people who expected the Potters to become a mainstay in the top division for the next decade. The mastermind behind this promotion was Welshman Tony Pulis. However, after five successful seasons in the top flight, Pulis left via mutual consent. In his place was fellow Welshman Mark Hughes, who is now preparing for his fifth season at the club. After five seasons, Pulis was beginning to stagnate. Is the same happening to Hughes?

After three successive ninth-place finishes, Hughes could only guide Stoke to 13th place last season. Will he be able to turn the ship around or is Stoke on its way further down the table? It’s an unprecedented fifth season at a single club for Hughes, how much longer he stays at the club will be interesting to see. In the Summer of 2011, Hughes left Fulham after an eighth-place finish due to a perceived lack of ambition. While he later admitted this to be a mistake, it is still intriguing how his career has landed in a holding pattern of managing Stoke to a comfortable mid-table finish.

It won’t help Hughes that Stoke’s opening fixtures are not easy. Opening weekend Stoke face a re-built Everton side at Goodison Park. In the subsequent seven matches, they face the likes of Arsenal, Manchester United, Newcastle United, champions Chelsea and Manchester City. Hughes would have been hoping for a good start to the season to set a solid base that they could build on as the months go by. However, now Stoke must plan for the worst and hope that they can come out the other side of this run of fixtures with their heads held high.

The Britannia Stadium - now known as the bet365 Stadium - is not the fortress it once was. In the last two seasons, they have managed just 55 points at home from a possible 114, down from the 69 points earned the previous two. Top teams no longer fear going to Stoke. Under Pulis there was an aura that on their day they could take on any team. Now, under Hughes, Stoke can barely put up a fight against most top teams. Against top 7 sides at home last season, they could only manage two points. The previous year, they managed ten points. This kind of regression is a major point of concern for Stoke in the coming season.

Another reason that this difficult fixture list is so important is because last season Stoke started the season off terribly. After seven games, Stoke were left in 19th with only 3 points and winless. A similar result this season is certainly possible, if not altogether likely. While last season there were more obvious “worse” teams than Stoke - the likes of Hull and Sunderland were clear relegation favourites from the start - this season however, those teams are less obvious. If Stoke find themselves bottom come October, then Hughes’ tenure at the club will have to be put into question.

During the Summer, the board haven’t exactly shown financial support for Hughes. In fact, the squad has lost three key starting members from last season. Jonathan Walters and Glenn Whelan have been mainstays in the Stoke starting XI for half a decade. When you think of Glenn Whelan, you think of Stoke City. More crucially, play-maker Marko Arnautovic has been sold to West Ham United for a reported £24 million. Since joining Stoke in 2013, Arnautovic has been critical to Stoke’s play, acting as the creative outlet to be relied up on for the last 3 seasons. Without him, Stoke aren’t nearly as threatening in attack.

The only players to come in this Summer have been 33-year-old Darren Fletcher and Chelsea loanee Kurt Zouma. While Fletcher brings with him Premier League and Champions League winning experience and Kurt Zouma has shown plenty of promise when given a chance at Chelsea, these signings are not replacements in key areas. Sure, Stoke’s back-line is ageing, but replacing Arnautovic must be the number one priority for Stoke in the remaining weeks of the transfer market. Fletcher is an upgrade on Whelan, but even replacing Walters will be crucial to Stoke’s season. There are few players as versatile and proficient as Walters has been for Stoke over the last seven years.

Ultimately, while Stoke have enjoyed a very successful tenure in the Premier League, they are likely to struggle this season. The loss of Arnautovic could prove to be the moment that has sealed Stoke’s fate. Regression over the course of the last few seasons has been culminating in a relegation battle and that is what Stoke will have ahead of them this season. 

Author: Declan Harte

On the surface, Southampton’s 2016/17 season looked successful. A League Cup run culminating in an unfortunate 3-2 defeat to Manchester United and a comfortable 8th place finish. However, Southampton fans were largely unimpressed. While they enjoyed the cup run, the defeat may have been the end for manager Claude Puel. It seems harsh, especially considering The Saints haven’t won a major trophy since 1976, but it is a statement of intent for Southampton. Puel’s sacking tells us that Southampton don’t just want results, they want a team that plays well too.

Many Southampton fans were frustrated with Puel’s boring play-style and that was enough to see him leave the club. In his place, from La Liga side Alaves, comes Mauricio Pellegrino. His managerial career up to this point has been far from fantastic, his highest profile gig lasting only seven months as first-team coach at Valencia.

However, as manager of Alaves last season, Pellegrino guided the Spanish outfit to their first ever Copa Del Rey final - where they were beaten by giants Barcelona 3-1. He also led financially constraint Alaves to an impressive ninth-place finish in La Liga. Ironically, it was an incredibly similar season to that of Claude Puel’s, the difference being Alaves played a much more attractive style of play as opposed to the slower, conservative play-style of Puel.

It has been a tough pre-season for Pellegrino. A lot of the focus has been directed towards the want-away defender Virgil van Dijk. There have been many rumours linking the player with league champions Chelsea, Manchester City and Liverpool – with the latter being the being most prominently linked suitor. Several fees have been thrown around between the various papers, but as the saga drags on, the price of the player only has seemed to rise. Latest figures have van Dijk’s valuation at upwards of £60 million, which would make him the most expensive defender of all time. While questions remain as to whether van Dijk is actually worth this money, the board at Southampton certainly believe he is.

Since gaining promotion in 2012, Southampton have sold a key starter every Summer - most of them to Liverpool - with players such as Rickie Lambert, Adam Lallana, Luke Shaw and most recently Sadio Mané all having left the club. If van Dijk leaves the club in this window, then it will go against the ambition shown in May with the sacking of Claude Puel. Will they go back against that ambition or will Southampton stay true to their fans?

To cave into Liverpool, in particular, would be a poor look for the club. Having already sold five players to Liverpool since 2014, selling a sixth player may be a step too far. It has been reported that the board are against selling to Liverpool but if a big enough offer comes in - and Liverpool seem prepared to do so - then will the board be able to decline that much money?

On the flip side, the incoming players to St. Mary’s have been few and far between. With just under a month left in the window, the only signing Southampton have completed has been the capture of young defender Jan Bednarek from Lech Poznan for a reported fee of £5.1 million. There have been rumours that Southampton may be close to completing the move for Atletico Madrid forward Luciano Vietto, but the exciting young forward has also been linked with moves to Sampdoria and even Barcelona. If Southampton can actually pull off this transfer remains to be seen.

So, why is it so quiet on this front at Southampton? It would have been easy to assume that with a new manager coming in this Summer, Pellegrino would like to make his mark on the current squad. While additions may not be completely needed, it is surprising to see a club like Southampton not spend. Does this mean that Pellegrino will be promoting players from the youth team or are Southampton simply not so keen to go out and splash the cash in the event that this kind of spending is unsustainable - something that Tottenham Hotspur chairman Daniel Levy has been talking about in recent weeks.

All roads lead back to the sacking of Claude Puel last May. It appeared as though Southampton were not content with a mid-table finish and wanted to strive for more. Pellegrino could prove a shrewd appointment but the jury is still out on his ability. Perhaps Southampton are now reluctant to spend for a new manager’s first Summer due to a lack of confidence in their long-term standing at the club. In the end, it will be another season defined by a mid-table finish. Whether Pellegrino can improve the play-style and bring back some excitement to St. Mary’s will the best way to judge if his first season has truly been a success.