October 2015 – Bbc-football.com

Saturday Premier League Round-up

Arsenal, Chelsea, Crystal Palace, Leicester City, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Newcastle United, Premier league, West Ham No Responses »

Oct 312015

This weekend was nervy as the first match was a vital one for the teams involved. It was the staggering Chelsea FC vs Rejuvenating Liverpool. As much as the crucial match was a vital time for Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea to turn things around for themselves, it was also Liverpoool’s chance to show that their new coach was making progress with the team.

Chelsea vs Liverpool

With just four minutes into the match, Brazilian midfielder Ramires headed Chelsea into the lead following a cross from left back Azplicueta. Liverpool didn’t back down from this, they kept pushing for a goal which finally came in the dying period of the first half from Coutinho. He added to his tally to make it 2-1 in the second half before Benteke ended any hopes for Chelsea with a third goal.

Crystal Palace vs Manchester United

United headed into this fixture with two draws in their last two fixtures without goals. The red devils were hoping to change their fortune with this game but it was Crystal Palace who had the better chances of the game and United were sure lucky to have escape with a draw.

Swansea City vs Arsenal.

Although beaten in the midweek by Sheffield United, Arsene Wenger so men showed their title race wasn’t affected by their cup loss. The game started out quite balanced with both teams having equal shares of the ball but the swans were lacking in their final touches. Oliver Giroud broke the deadlock for the gunners in the 49th minute of the game and then a controversial Koscielny goal and one from Campbell gave them a deserved 3-0 victory.

Elsewhere, Manchester City needed a penalty to restore their lead in the 86th minute of the game after Norwich City had drawn level. Leicester City came from behind to beat West Bromwich 3-2 while Newcastle had a goalless draw with Stoke City. Newly promoted side, Watford got a 2-0 victory over West Ham and that ended the day in the Premier League today.

Chelsea vs Liverpool; A Battle for Stability

Chelsea, Liverpool, Premier league No Responses »

Oct 302015

This Premier League star match this weekend is non other than the match between struggling title holders Chelsea and Liverpool who are on their way to redeeming themselves under the guidance of new coach Jurgen Klopp. Chelsea coach, Jose Mourinho is confident that his team can overturn their recent bad form with a victory against Liverpool this weekend. The currently Premier League holders have had it very rough in their title defense this season securing just 11 out of a possible 30 points. They have also won just one of their last seven matches in all competitions. There has been rumors within the week that the board is already lining up replacement for the Chelsea manager with former Real Madrid and Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelloti a possible option.

Meanwhile, Liverpool’s new coach Jurgen Klopp would be looking to make a strong statement in the Premier League and nothing would say that more than a win against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. The reds have not lost a match since the German took over the club and there has been positives changes since he took over. Even though the team has not been scoring a lot of goals lately, their pace and runs have improved according to statistics. Liverpool currently seat at the ninth position on the table win 14 points while Chelsea are at the fifteenth position with 11 points as earlier stated. a win would go a long way in changing any of the teams fortune and the players mindset, so that makes this game a crucial one for both teams. the question now is, “who would go home smiling after the match?”

Lionel Messi Topples Cristiano Ronaldo in Brazil

Barcelona, La Liga, Lionel Messi, Real Madrid 1 Response »

Oct 292015

In a recent poll carried out in Brazil where 25 top coaches where asked ho they would prefer to sign if given the chance between the two players, Lionel Messi got an amazing 20 out of 25 votes. the four time Ballon D’Or winner who is most likely to lift a fifth one in his career if he wins the next one was the favorite to also win the best player award if only Brazilian coaches had to vote. The remaining five coaches picked Ronaldo over Lionel Messi, according to them they prefer him because he was more goal oriented than his rival.

Lionel Messi has been on the sidelines since for the past three weeks due to an injury he sustained and is poised to return on time for his team’s clash against Real Madrid in November. Himself and his father are also facing tax charges by the Spanish football federation for tax evasion, although it seems that he is off the hook but his father is not. while all these has been happening with the Argentine ace, his rival Cristiano Ronaldo was recently awarded the European golden boot award for his goal scoring exploits in the last season. He also went on to become Real Madrid’s all time highest goal scorer toppling Raul’s 323 goals for the club and doing so with even fewer matches.

Manchester United Crash Out at Old Trafford

Crystal Palace, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United No Responses »

Oct 282015

Manchester United were the next big team in England to be eliminated from the league cup after their game against second division Middlesbrough ended in a goalless draw. Louis van Gaal’s men were left to rue missed chances in the game were they should have scored and won the game. After ending up in a draw, the game proceeded to a penalty shoot out as is customary in the competition. Sensational signing Anthony Martial and Maroune Fellaini had the chance to win the game for red devils in the extra time of the game but we’re not able to convert their chances to goals for the team.

It’s seemed like Middlesbrough had United in their web as they were very clinical in the shoot out. United captain and fellow England team mates Ashley Young and Michael Carrick failed all failed to convert from the penalty spot. While Manchester United were having a bad night out, city rivals Manchester City who have not had any scarce supply of goals so far this season were at it again in a six goals thriller that saw them win 5-1. Liverpool also won their game, holding onto a first half goal from Nathaniel Clyne. Brazilian summer signing Roberto Firminho put up a stunning performance for the reds and his coach was full of praise for the midfielder during the post match conference.

Arsene Wenger’s Gamble Backfires as Gunners Suffer Shock Defeat at Sheffield

Arsenal, Everton No Responses »

Oct 272015

Prior to this game, Arsenal were viewed as potential Premier League winners given their current run of form but the mangers decision to rest some of his key players didn’t work out well. Arsenal went into their fourth round match against Sheffield with eight changes to the team that beat Everton during the weekend. With just five minutes of the game played, Oxlade-Chamberlain signalled the bench for a change due to a hamstring problem and in the nineteenth minute, his substitute Theo Walcott who has been in fantastic form for the club was taken off too due a calf injury.

Sheffield on the other hand continued their unbeaten run with a 3-0 victory over the gunners. Prior to this game the club’s manager said his team had a 10% chance of beating the Premier League side but I guess he never anticipated this victory even though he fielded a strong side. The victory could well serve as a revenge for their 1993 League cup defeat to Arsenal at the Wembley.

Arsene Wenger would have to await medical reports to determine the position of his two offensive players. He would be more worried about his injured players than the fact that he has been eliminated from the competition. The Gunners would be hoping that both players would not be sidelined for too long as this could have a drastic effect to their title push which has so far been quite motivating.

Missfiring Rooney under the spotlight as derby ends in stalemate

Manchester City, Manchester United, Premier league No Responses »

Oct 262015

Manchester United skipper Wayne Rooney has come under the spotlight again as the team drew at home to city on Sunday. Rooney has been picked out by the fans and media for his failing performances this season. he has failed to consistently find the net even when presented with such opportunities. Against former team Everton last weekend it took three one-on-one chances before the striker could convert, giving him a conversion rate of 33% and that’s very low for a player like Rooney. United manager, Louis van Gaal has always backed the player stating that he believes the striker would hit form soon enough but the case was different after the derby yesterday. when asked about Rooney’s performances on the pitch, the manager said he was tired of answering questions concerning the English captain.

While Rooney has been finding it difficult to find the net, the exact opposite could be said about 19 year old summer spending Anthony Martial. Even though the player has been subjected to supporting roles for United so far he has never failed to deliver and that showed against city yesterday. It could be said that Martial is the only Manchester United player that was a constant threat in the match. City on the other hand had their own fault as their most creative player on the pitch was made to attack from the wing.

Considering Rooney’s performance, it is only fair that Anthony Martial be given a chance at the striking role because of his high conversion rates as we have seen. It is still unknown whether that is an option the dutch coach would be willing to accept but United’s inability to finish off games would go a long way in affecting their title campaign if not handled earl enough.

Luis Suarez Leads Barcelona Comeback with a Hat-trick

Premier league No Responses »

Oct 252015

Barcelona were without their talisman Lionel Messi as they walked out the turf in the match against Eibar at Camp Nou. It was supposed to be a stroll at the park for Barcelona but the visitors took a shock lead just 10 minutes into the match with a superb strike from Borja. There lead was short lived and Lius Suarez brought Barcelona back on level terms with a header just a minute later and the first half ended in a 1-1 draw. Three minutes into the second half, Suarez added to his tally before rounding of five minutes from time to complete his hat-trick. The highlight in the final minutes of the game was the sending off of Javier Mascherano making the defender liable to a suspension that could see him miss the El Clasico against Madrid on November 21.

Else where in the La Liga, Cristiano Ronaldo opened the scoring for Madrid in their 3-1 win over celta vigo. Athletico Madrid also defeated Valencia to go third in the La Liga table. Former Manchester United’s manager, David Moyes led Real Soceidad to an outstanding 4-0 victory to take them away from the relegation zone. Meanwhile La Pampas let frogged into the 18 position after they managed a goalless draw against Villareal.

Weekend Premier League Round-Up

Arsenal, Aston Villa, Chelsea, Crystal Palace, Everton, Leicester City, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Newcastle United, Premier league, Southampton, Sunderland, Tottenham, West Ham No Responses »

Oct 252015

The Barclays Premier League resumed this weekend with so much to look forward to. Would Chelsea continue their path to redemption, would arsenal top the league for a few hours and who would win the Manchester derby, those were questions we all wanted to be answered this weekend. Well we got the all the answers just in time.

Arsenal continued their winning streak in the Premier League with a 2-1 win over Everton at the Emirates stadium on Saturday while Liverpool and Southampton shared the spoils in a 1-1 draw. Vardy was the man again as he scored the only goal for Leicester City in their win over Crystal Palace, the goal makes him the top scorer in the Premier League with 10 goals in 10 matches for Leicester City. Andrew Ayew completed Swansea’s comeback against Aston Villa after going down by one goal thanks to a goal from his brother Jordan Ayew.

Tottenham Hotspur were the highest winners in the Premier League in match day 10 with a 5-1 victory over newly promoted side Bournemouth. Sunderland also got a 3-0 victory over Newcastle United while new promoted side Watford got a sweet 2-0 victory over Stoke City.

The Manchester derby which was scheduled for sunday ended up in goalless stalemate and there has been suggestions that this has been the worst ever derby in a long time.

Following the results, there is a lot to be said about the Premier League, just stay glued on here for updates as they roll out.

Lionel Messi Considering Barcelona Exit

Barcelona, Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez No Responses »

Oct 232015

Four times Ballon D’Or winner Lionel Messi seems to be considering leaving his long time club FC Barcelona. Messi has been with Barcelona for 14 years now and currently has a current that runs till 2019. his intended move away from the Spanish La Liga is not unconnected to the fact that he and his father Jorge are facing charges of tax evasion from the Cataluyna government. Fellow Barcelona team mate Neymar Jr is also being investigated for the same reason and some people are beginning to suggest that this might be a witch hunting.

While the rumors might not be true, it is not far fetched. Imagine the amount of money that would be made by any Premier League club capable of landing this Argentine superstar from TV rights, shirts sales and all. The Premier League currently makes the highest revenue compared to other leagues around the world when it comes to TV rights and that is why clubs like Stoke City can afford to buy youth players from Europe’s elite team like Barcelona. A move to the Premier League by the Argentine international is sure to make him and the club richer by the numbers.

we have seen in recent times how much the team needs a player like Lionel Messi given their performances since he went on injury last month. The likes of Neymar and Suarez have not been able to make the Argentine’s absence less felt. The thoughts of losing their talisman would surely not go down well with the president of the club and the fans, so as is their usual, Barcelona is expected to offer Lionel Messi a contract extension soon.

UEFA Champions League Round-Up

Arsenal, Barcelona, Bayern Leverkusen, Bayern Munich, Champions league, Chelsea, Manchester City, Manchester United, Premier league, Real Madrid, West Ham No Responses »

Oct 222015

The European Champions League was back in action with a lot of expectations from fans around the world. With lots of Europe’s elite teams going head to head it was sure to be an eye catching encounter in the match day 3 of the competition.

Barcelona were away against BATE club and it required the magic of croatian midfielder Ivan Rakitic to break the deadlock for the team. He was in terrific form scoring two goals as they ran out winners in the game that ended 2-0. Bayern Leverkusen goalkeeper Bernd Leno was to blame as the team drew 4-4. Arsenal hosted Bayern Munich at the Emirates stadium and although they did go into the match as the underdogs they came on top with goals from Oliver Giroud and Mesut Ozil. Elsewhere in group F Olympiakos got a goal over Dinamo Zagreb which meant Arsene Wenger’s team remain bottom of the table.

After a 2-0 win over West Ham this weekend, Chelsea couldn’t muster much against Dynamo Kiev in Sweden and they shared the spoils in a goalless draw. Hulk continued his scintillating form for Zenit as they trashed Olympique Lyon 3-1, this means the Russian team has now won all three of their Champions League matches. PSG stars were below par against a weak Madrid team with the later having the better chances of the game though they couldn’t covert it to goals. Anthony Martial scored his first Champions League goal sparing the blushes for team captain Wayne Rooney who had missed a couple of chances to put the team ahead. The young french striker made up for his errors that gave CSKA Moscow the lead after conceding a penalty with a hand ball. Athletico Madrid were the highest winners beating Astana 4-0 while Manchester City got a 2-1 victory over Sevilla. This match day made a change to the fact that the big teams smash their way past through the group stages, now they have to work to earn it.

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