Monthly Archives: April 2021

Mikel Arteta the unmoved manager whose job at Arsenal may rest on winning the Europa League

Posted on by
Reply

For some it will feel ironic that Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has survived two managers careers at the clubs biggest rivals Tottenham. Both Mauricio Pochettino and Jose Mourinho have been sacked under Arteta’s mindful watch over at the Emirates Stadium. Yet one would have to wonder has Arteta really been that much better than the two coaches to justify his stay at the Gunners?

Straight away of course we have to remind ourselves that Arteta won the FA Cup with Arsenal and it was an unexpected one. Having to beat Manchester City in the semi-finals and then Chelsea in the final was a brilliant achievement. Winning the FA Cup for clubs is still important but Arsenal had reached a level well before where finishing the season with just a cup win wasn’t good enough. Imagine for example Manchester City winning only the FA Cup in the season, to most clubs that would be glory beyond glories, for City it would gloss over that they had failed elsewhere.

At the same time no one was expecting Arteta to come into a team that had fallen out of the Champions League under Wenger in his final often lethargic years and win the title. But could one not have presumed Arsenal to be challenging for a top four place? In the past 18 months Arsenal have become a team who have flirted with 10th position. Tenth position? The Gunners are a proud team, a fantastic history, and they still have quality amongst their ranks. Three years ago you would have been laughed out of every football stadium in the country if you had suggested that Arsenal would become a mid-table team who would spend the majority of the season battling between 9th and 10th. This is no joke, but a reality.

Of course this season only marks Arteta’s first full one in charge. When he first came in it was already halfway through the season. It was never going to be easy to steer the club to instant victories, the Gunners had become shadows of their former brilliance under Unai Emery. Let’s not blame Emery for everything because in truth the rot had set in for Wenger’s final two years in charge. When Arsenal managed to finish in 8th place last season again after flirting with 10th it seemed like some sort of jaded victory, the FA Cup win propelled hopes way too high for the die hard Gunner but of course it was welcomed.

Arteta of course will be judged on results and week in and week out Arsenal are not justifying their grand name. With 5 games left to go for the Premier League season they are in 10th place. Newly promoted Leeds United are a point in front and West Ham for three decades well in the shadow of Arsenal are 9 points clear of them. Arteta’s former boss Pep Guardiola is enjoying a 31 point gap to Arsenal. On league terms alone Arteta is surely lucky to still be in a job, but he is and the pressure from the media hasn’t even begun yet, why is this?

The answer is quite simple, Arsenal have reached the Europa League semi-finals and they have looked assured and confident in the campaign. They will play Spanish side Villarreal this week in the 1st leg and will start as the favourites. Ironically Villarreal were the team the Gunners had to face in the Champions League semi-finals 15 years ago. If script goes to hand Arsenal could well reach the final, they could face Manchester United in it, and they could win it. If so a season has turned around within 3 games. Not only would Arteta have the prestige of winning Arsenal’s first European trophy in 27 years but the club would automatically qualify for next seasons Champions League, not bad for a business unit who wanted to jump ship to the Super League’s riches last week.

Of course that version of events is the glory one, the other version is Arsenal being knocked out to Villarreal who currently sit in seventh place in La Liga and have lost 3 of their last four games. Arteta should heed the warning signs if the Europa League dreams crashes down before the club just like it did with their rivals Tottenham, who were outplayed in a 2nd leg, chewed and spat out by Slavia Prague and Mourinho was out of a job less than a month later.

Let’s remember that Unai Emery was sacked after a win rate of 55% currently Arteta has 50% and that doesn’t look like rising anytime soon. Everything now is for the Europa League, and so much depends on it for Arsenal and Arteta going forward.

Challenge the best EPL Fantasy Managers at www.fantasy-premier.com

Premier League Game of the Week: Arsenal 0-1 Everton

Posted on by
Reply

This season has been the one to banish old unwanted records for Everton. Earlier in the campaign they went to Liverpool and won at Anfield for the first time since 1999. This past weekend they beat Arsenal in London for the first time since 1996. Everton won 1-0 ultimately through an error by goalkeeper Bernd Leno but they will take it.

It’s been 25 years since Everton beat Arsenal away from home and we should take this into perspective. The last time Everton won Arsenal were not even playing at the Emirates Stadium. No Arsenal fan had heard of Arsene Wenger, he wouldn’t become manager until later in the year and the Gunners had Glenn Helder as a striker. For Everton, Duncan Ferguson was up front and he was on the side lines for this game as the clubs assistant now.

As for this match a quarter of a century on without the services up front of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette the Gunners were expected to struggle for goals and so that turned out. However Mikel Arteta’s team were asking all the questions, and were bullish and attack minded on the ball.

There was a certain amount of drive subtracted from Arsenal’s midfield as Martin Odegaard was deemed only fit enough to be on the bench after his return from injury. Odegaard is the new boy in town but has already proven his worth to the club and could be one of the greats for the Gunners over the next few seasons.

The teams only managed 1 shot on target each in the first half but in a sense you had to be disappointed if you are a fan of Everton. With some key players out it seemed to make little difference for Arsenal in the overall structure of the game and Everton looked fairly uninspired and that continued into the 2nd half. There was much hype over the return of their forward Dominic Calvert-Lewin but he did next to nothing, and indeed take out the first half of the campaign and there has to be question marks over him even if he has scored 14 goals so far this season. That consistency seems to have left the forward.

In the second half Arsenal thought they had a penalty when Richarlison conceded it, it looked fairly soft but the referee thought so too. But VAR had noticed an offside in the build up. Sure enough Nicolas Pepe’s shirt thread was offside and the penalty couldn’t be given. One does hope that this insane offside rule is abolished for the new season, not before, one suspects, that it causes havoc in the upcoming European Championships.

The game had changed and then Leno made his embarrassing error and Everton who offered a total of zero shots on target in the 2nd half went back home with the points and a very rare win away to the Gunners.

The victory for Everton means that there is a very small hope for a top four finish. They are on 52 points but have a game in hand, win that and they would only be 3 points behind 4th placed Chelsea. As for Arsenal all roads to a return to the Champions League have ended league wise and everything is now geared towards their Europa League semi-final which they will play this week against Villarreal.

Challenge the best EPL Fantasy Managers at www.fantasy-premier.com

 

La Liga: Best 11 Players of Week 33

Posted on by
Reply

The top 4 in La Liga almost couldn’t be closer and just 3 points separates 1st placed Atletico Madrid from 4th placed Sevilla. Though the weekend has given advantage to Barcelona who are 2 points behind Atletico in 3rd place but have a game in hand over them and Real Madrid.

Atletico lost at the weekend and Real Madrid drew against Real Betis. There were wins for Barcelona and Sevilla, and though they will be the underdogs Sevilla can’t be ruled out of winning the title. It has at least been a very exciting season in Spain and this league title could well go down to the wire.

Let’s take a look at the players who made the fantasy team for La Liga this past week and you can check if any of your players have made the selection.

Goalkeeper: Thibaut Courtois- Real Madrid 7pts

Courtois was the only goalkeeper in La Liga to earn the full 7 points. It’s not that other keepers didn’t keep a clean sheet but yellow cards can take points away. Courtois’s club Real Madrid had a poor result from their point of view at the weekend though as they could only draw 0-0 at home to Real Betis.

Defender: Stefan Savic- Atletico Madrid 8pts

This is a team full of Atletico Madrid players and we start with Stefan Savic who was able to earn 8 points this week. Earlier in the week Savic was part of a defence that kept a clean sheet as Atletico beat Huesca. At the weekend the club lost to Athletic Bilbao however Savic did score a goal as they went down 2-1. Despite giving the club hope, it wasn’t to be. That was Savic’s first goal of the season.

Defender: Raphael Varane- Real Madrid 5pts

Raphael Varane helped to keep a 13th clean sheet as Real Madrid drew 0-0 with Real Betis. Varane is the leading defender at the club with a total of 65 points this season.

Defender: Victor Ruiz- Real Betis 5pts

Victor Ruiz has helped to keep seven clean sheets so far for Betis and has 17 points so far for the season. He was solid in defence as Betis pulled off a terrific draw which finished 0-0.

Defender: Nacho- Real Madrid 5pts

Nacho is certainly one of the unsung heroes at Real Madrid and he is always the professional. He earned another 5 points as Madrid kept a clean sheet but not the desired result against Real Betis.

Midfielder: Yannick Carrasco- Atletico Madrid 8pts

Atletico played two games in a week and their first match against Huesca ended with victory. It was also a good game for Yannick Carrasco who scored his 5th goal of the season and kept a clean sheet. The midfielder now has 55 points and has been brilliant value at 6.5m.

Midfielder: Angel Correa- Atletico Madrid 6pts

Angel Correa has been solid this season for Atletico and he made a starring role in their victory over Huesca by scoring a goal. With 73 points Correa is the 2nd best midfielder for Diego Simeone’s team.

Midfielder: Marcos Llorente- Atletico Madrid 5pts

Marcos Llorente was brilliant against Huesca earlier last week as Atletico won 2-0. Llorente assisted in both goals. He has scored 11 goals and made a fantastic 10 assists so far and he is ranked as the best midfield player for the side with 90 points so far.

Midfielder: Portu- Real Sociedad 4pts

Portu scored as Real Sociedad beat Celta Vigo 2-1 earlier last week. Portu picked up another four points to add to his already 59 points for his club. Currently Portu is the best ranked player for his club and is 1 point ahead of Remiro.

Striker: Roberto Soldado- Granada 12pts

Roberto Soldado earned a fantastic 12 points over the week as Granada hammered Eibar 4-1 and he grabbed 2 of those goals. He also scored at the weekend although his side lost 2-1 to Sevilla. Soldado now has 9 goals so far and has acquired 31 points.

Striker: Antoine Griezmann- Barcelona 11pts

It’s not always been an easy time for Griezmann at Barcelona but he has had a good week. Griezmann scored both of Barcelona’s goals at the weekend as they won a very important fixture 2-1 away to Villarreal. Griezmann has now scored 11 goals so far this season in the league.

Think you know Spanish football? Play https://liga-fantasy.com now!

 

Serie A Best Fantasy XI – Round 33

Posted on by
Reply

Pierluigi Gollini (7 points): Atalanta ended up routing Bologna, but the opponents actually came off the blocks better, challenging the Italian goalkeeper a couple of times when the score was still nil-nil. The game could have perhaps gone differently if he had not brilliantly denied two wicked strikes by Andreas Skov Olsen.

Matteo Darmian (9 points): he has become the face of Inter’s final push for the title as he has decided two of the last three close matches. Versus Verona, he kept his aplomb in front of the goalie, perfectly capping off with a low-driven shot a quick two-man counter that caught the opponents by surprise. Continue reading →

Granada game the turning point for Barcelona?

Posted on by
Reply

A few days before any of the other La Liga teams play again, Barcelona go into battle at the Camp Nou against Granada.

The Andalusians have shown themselves to be no pushovers in the past, and even with home advantage, the Catalans can’t afford to be complacent.

It’s a game in hand of huge significance to Ronald Koeman’s men too.

If they were to emerge with the three points on Thursday night, they will sit atop the table for the first time this season, and with the destiny of the title absolutely in their own hands. Continue reading →

Premier League: Best 11 Players of Week 33

Posted on by
Reply

League leaders Manchester City had the weekend off from Premier League duties as they played in the final of the Carabao Cup which they won. So the focus was on the race for the top four.

Leicester and Chelsea emerged as the victors for this week as West Ham and Liverpool both dropped points. Leicester look like they will secure a top four spot more than most given their point advantage over Chelsea but also because they have a game in hand over their direct rivals.

One could argue that Everton remain dark horses for a top four finish, Carlo Ancelotti’s team beat Arsenal away from home for the first time since 1996 and they have a game in hand and shouldn’t be ruled out for a challenge.

Let’s take a look at the players who made the team of the week in a formation of 4-4-2.

Goalkeeper: Illan Meslier- Leeds United 7pts

It’s not always been a great season for Illan Meslier because even though he has kept 10 clean sheets Leeds are very good at conceding goals that is why Meslier only has 16 points so far. He made some great saves though in denying Manchester United a win and that game ended 0-0.

Defender: Ben Chilwell- Chelsea 7pts

Ben Chilwell has been an outstanding defender this season for Chelsea and he was able to hold firm and keep a clean sheet as Chelsea beat West Ham 1-0 in an very important top four battle. Chilwell along with keeping a clean sheet also assisted for the goal his 5th this season.

Defender: Jonathan Evans- Leicester 9pts

Jonathan Evans kept a clean sheet as Leicester beat West Bromwich Albion and he also scored the Foxes 2nd goal in a fantastic game for the defender as his side won 3-0. That was Evans first goal of the season.

Defender: Ashley Westwood- Burnley 9pts

Ashley Westwood scored his 2nd goal of the season as Burnley thumped Wolves 4-0 away from home which should seal their safety this season. Westwood’s value is just 1.5m and he had a fantastic game.

Defender: Timothy Castagne- Leicester 7pts

Castagne kept his 7th clean sheet of the season as Leicester eased to an easy 3-0 win over West Bromwich Albion. To cap off the day Castagne also assisted for the clubs first goal.

Midfielder: Jack Harrison- Leeds United 2pts

Along with the majority of midfielders there was no real star billing for any Premier League player. But Jack Harrison did well to keep a clean sheet against Manchester United who are unbeaten away from home.

Midfielder: Youri Tielemans- Leicester 2pts

Youri Tielemans is arguably the unsung hero of Leicester and he was controlling and solid in midfield as he picked up points because the Foxes kept another clean sheet as they beat West Bromwich Albion 3-0 to help their cause to qualify for next seasons Champions League.

Midfielder: Paul Pogba- Manchester United 2pts

Many midfielders picked up 2 points at the weekend but it has to be said just because Paul Pogba is not scoring goals lately or assisting as much as he would like he has really upped his game and his playing good football. Very hard to play against when he is on form, and he kept the Leeds United midfield very alert as his club drew 0-0 with them at the weekend.

Midfielder: Mohamed Salah- Liverpool 4pts

Mohamed Salah scored his 20th goal of the season for Liverpool as they drew 1-1 with Newcastle. Salah is just one goal behind Harry Kane now. Salah would have been pleased to score but wouldn’t have been pleased with the final result as Liverpool were pegged back for the second time in under a week.

Striker: Chris Wood- Burnley 16pts

Chris Wood had the weekend of his season as he earned a fantastic 16 points in one game. His side, Burnley beat Wolves away from home 4-0. Wood scored a hat-trick and then assisted for the 4th goal. He now has 10 goals so far and has 48 points in total now.

Striker: Jamie Vardy- Leicester 6pts

Jamie Vardy has been very quiet in 2021 and the Foxes striker will be hoping that his goal last week against West Bromwich Albion could kick start his season once again as Leicester try to finish in the top four. Vardy has 14 goals now.

Challenge the best EPL Fantasy Managers at www.fantasy-premier.com

Lazio vs. AC Milan: Serie A Round 33 – Team news, stats and prediction

Posted on by
Reply

Despite the defeat to Sassuolo, Milan got a bit lucky last round as Atalanta were held to a draw against Roma at Stadio Olimpico. Nevertheless, the Champions League race is extremely tight and the Rossoneri need to claim all three points against Lazio this evening. 

Milan are currently in third place with 66 points, two points behind Atalanta who won their game against Bologna yesterday. On a positive note, though, Juventus got just one point from their away trip to Fiorentina. With a win tonight, the Rossoneri could thus redeem themselves a bit from the fiasco against Sassuolo. Continue reading →

Serie A Fantasy Recap – Round 33

Posted on by
Reply

Standing’s implications: Inter took another step towards Scudetto by squeezing past Verona. Atalanta are momentarily in second place as they pummeled Bologna. Juventus was again subpar on the road as they were held to a tie by Fiorentina. After besting Torino, Napoli are on a par with the Bianconeri and Milan, as the Rossoneri were play off the park by Lazio, which are right there too. Sassuolo continued their push for the seventh spot by downing Sampdoria. Genoa basically wrapped up their bid to avoid relegation by besting Spezia, Udinese by blitzing Benevento away. The Sanniti have been caught by Cagliari, as the Sardinian knocked down a dejected Roma. Crotone delayed the inevitable by outdueling Parma in a very entertaining match.

Continue reading →

Juventus Top Perfomers – Round 33 vs Fiorentina

Posted on by
Reply

It was a tale of two halves for Juventus at the Artemio Franchi, as the Bianconeri came out very flat and got pinned back by Fiorentina in the first 45 minutes. They were more spirited after intermission and tied right away but did not manage to find a game-winner that would have been very handy as far as the Champions League race is concerned.

Alvaro Morata (4 points): he made things a little eerie a few seconds upon subbing in, hitting the net with a tremendous lefty curled shot and outperforming Paulo Dybala and Cristiano Ronaldo within a pair of touches. He attacked the space behind the back-line well, but the teammates did not find him with enough regularity to allow him to have an even bigger day. Dybala had just a couple of good runs through the middle, particularly ahead of Ramsey’s big chance, but was mostly engulfed. The Portuguese ace ripped off some vintage sprints down the left wing that led to interesting actions but, clearly, the whiff on the point-blank header that would have almost certainly decided the match is one of the worst mistakes since he moved Turin, especially because he did not have time to redeem himself, differently from other circumstances.

Continue reading →