Is the change incoming at Arsenal?

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Last two weeks have been terrible for Arsenal fans. First, they lost to Swedish minnows Ostersunds in an embarrassing manner in a home game in Europa League.

Then on Sunday, the Gunners came undone in the Carabao Cup final against Manchester City. The North London side had won three cup finals at Wembley in last four years, and they were hoping to add another trophy on the weekend. Continue reading

Neymar’s injury a huge blow for PSG’s European hopes

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French giants Paris Saint-Germain are sweating over the fitness of their star player Neymar.

The most-expensive football player has injured his metatarsal, and now he is set to miss the all-important Champions League fixture against Real Madrid.

The Paris side lost the first leg of their last-16 3-1 at Santiago Bernabeu on February 14, and now they are left with a huge task to do in the second leg at Paris on March 6. Continue reading

VIDEO PREVIEW: Hat-trick heroes go head-to-head: Suarez v Griezmann

This weekend’s football fixtures are headlined by a top of the table clash in La Liga and the Milan Derby in Serie A.

Both Luis Suarez and Antoine Griezmann scored hat-tricks last weekend in big wins for Barcelona and Atletico Madrid respectively, while young star, Patrick Cutrone, continues to shine for AC Milan.

In the Premier League, reigning Champions Chelsea will face this season’s leaders, and newly crowned Carabao Cup winners, Manchester City, while Arsenal will looking for improvement away to Brighton. Continue reading

Our picks for the Premier League action this weekend

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Some tough, potentially season defining fixtures await us over the next few months as we approach the last ten rounds of fixtures of the season.

With Manchester City visiting the Emirates and then hosting Chelsea at the Etihad, there could be some absolute fireworks – here are our the players we think could be the difference makers!

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Allan and Jorginho giving spine to Napoli’s title charge

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Serie A continues to play host to the most intriguing title race across Europe’s major leagues, with defending champions Juventus going toe-to-toe with Napoli.

Juventus broke the record for successive Scudetto titles last season, winning their sixth straight title to overtake Inter Milan’s five-in-a-row from 2005-2010, and they are chasing a seventh.

Napoli have finished second twice and third twice during Juventus’ run, and there is the sense that this season they could break the Old Lady’s strangle on Italian football and win their first title since 1990.

Manager Maurizio Sarri has been at the helm since the beginning of the 2015-16 season, and now he looks to have the settled side he has craved, that is crucially fully tuned into his tactics.

Under his tenure, the club has received more attention for exits than for arrivals, with both Gonzalo Higuain and Manolo Gabbiadini both leaving Naples since 2015 – with Higuain joining rivals Juventus.

Big money moves are not Sarri’s style, preferring to scout and source players that are flexible to his tactics and ready for the challenge of restoring Napoli to their former glories.

Despite performing strongly in both Serie A and the Champions League under Sarri, the Nepalese native has only broken the €20m mark once, for Arkadiuz Milik back in 2016.

However it is one of his first ever signings, Allan, that is playing a key role in Napoli’s title push this season.

Sarri convinced the former Brazilian U20 international to swap Udinese, where he had been a regular starter, for Napoli, within weeks of taking over at the Stadio San Paolo.

He immediately established himself as a key man in Sarri’s midfield alongside Jorginho, with captain Marek Hamsik granted greater attacking licence.

Last season was disrupted by injury for both Allan and Jorginho, and Napoli’s struggled to generate season-long level of consistency, with Juventus eventually having too much for them.

2017-18 has seen both players playing regularly at the base of the Napoli midfield, in support of Hamsik, Jose Callejon, Dries Mertens and Lorenzo Insigne as Napoli have opened up a four point lead at the top of Serie A.

Deployed primarily as a defensive shield in front of the Napoli back four this season, both players have taken on greater playmaking responsibilities, easing the central attacking burden on Hamsik.

When defending against Napoli, Serie A sides have looked to smother the front three and limit Hamsik’s impact to long range shots and set pieces, however with the greater forward impetus from the pair, Napoli have a new string to their bow.

Alongside keeping possession and dictating the flow of games for Napoli, both players are now making runs into the opposition box and scoring key goals.

Allan’s early goal against SPAL in February, his fourth of the season, sealed a key 1-0 win, with a new trademark late run into the box the source of the goal.

Jorginho has netted two winners this season, and has shared penalty duties with the inconsistent Mertens, as he continues to prove his importance.

Much of the attention at Napoli is focused on the trio of Hamsik, Mertens and Insigne and their brilliant interchanges in attack, but this season has seen a stiffening of their midfield and more diverse threat.

Diego Costa return blows open title race

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With 11 victories from their last 13 league outings and just one defeat in La Liga all season, Atletico Madrid have their eyes set on a sparking a title race. In any normal season, their return of 58 points from 25 games would be enough to be leading the league yet as Barcelona have dropped only 10 points all season long, they remain seven points off the pace.

Since the turn of the year, Diego Simeone’s side have gathered 22 points from their eight matches and shaved four points off Barca’s lead at the top. It is no coincidence that such a run-in form has coincided with Diego Costa becoming available for selection again, with the Spain international striker returning to top form almost instantly. Continue reading

Neymar’s injury presents opportunity for others to shine

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Paris Saint-Germain’s 3-0 victory over Marseille in Le Classique was soured by a metatarsal injury that has put an abrupt halt to Neymar’s season.

Whilst the club’s fans may mourn the loss of such a phenomenal talent, his injury presents an opportunity for others to stake a claim at the club. We explore how opportunity could be born from this episode of adversity.

The injury to the Brazilian means that he is likely to experience an extended period on the sidelines as he seeks to rehabilitate, something that will put a significant dampener on what had otherwise promised to be an exceptional point scoring tally for the Parisians come the end of the season. Continue reading

Game of the Week – Manchester United see off Chelsea at Old Trafford

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The past week was an important one in the top-four race in Premier League as Manchester United and Chelsea faced each other at Old Trafford on Sunday.

The Red Devils came into this game following a 1-0 defeat at Newcastle United and a lacklustre performance against Sevilla in Champions League.

It was crucial for them to pick up a win to keep hold of their second spot as Liverpool had won on Saturday. Continue reading

Could Robert Lewandowski have pushed himself more at Bayern Munich?

It’s one of German football’s worst kept secrets that Robert Lewandowski has always had his eye on one last move. The Polish striker has defined an era for Bayern Munich, scoring 97 times in just 119 appearances in three-and-a-half seasons for the Bavarians, but speculation over a switch to Real Madrid has bubbled away for years.

Rumours continue to swirl over Lewandowski’s future, with recent reports claiming Bayern Munich are preparing themselves for the striker’s departure at the end of the season. Now 29 years old, the Pole seems to be pushing through the transfer he has wanted for quite some time. Lewandowski has even switched agents, becoming a client of Pina Zahavi, in order to give himself a better chance of sealing a move to Real Madrid. Continue reading