Tag Archives: champions

Inter Milan are champions of Serie A for the first time in 11 years

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Finally Juventus’ domination of the Serie A championship has ended and Inter are the new champions! It has been a deserved title and Antonio Conte’s team have been far the best side in the league especially since January. Before then they were neck and neck with Milan but they faded and Inter roared on to win their first scudetto since 2010.

The title officially became Inter’s on Sunday when 2nd placed Atalanta failed to beat Sassuolo with that game ending in a draw. This is Inter’s first title since the glory days of Jose Mourinho 11 years ago.

This is Inter’s 19th league title and in fairness to the other teams they were head and shoulders above them. Since March it became a question of when Inter would win the title and not if. In the end just minutes after securing the title Juventus who had won 9 in a row congratulated their rivals. It would have been painful for Juve not to make it 10 in a row but then again they have had time to contemplate that not happening this season since they were so far behind. The Old Lady may not qualify for next season’s Champions League, though they are in 3rd place now it is still very close.

Antonio Conte explained Inter’s philosophy in winning the title, “The team really developed in that sense, and in a season you must be able to take different approaches to be unpredictable. You cannot always just attack or always defend, it’s about knowing when to push. That’s where we improved, in reading the game and knowing those moments. A team cannot press for 90 minutes non-stop. The opponents in Italy study you and find ways to neutralise your strengths. If you are patient and wait for the right moment to strike, and have a team that is in good shape physically, you know that sooner or later the opposition will lose intensity.”

The player who is arguably Inter’s best of this title winning season Romelu Lukaku had this to say about winning the league. “I am so happy for all the Inter fans in the world, for the team, the staff, the President and everyone. It was a wonderful year for us, I am truly proud to play for Inter. I wanted to come out here and celebrate along with the people. I told my friend this was the best way to experience it, to be there with the fans. For me and many of my teammates, this is our first league title, so it’s a moment we wanted to share with them.”

Let’s take a look at the 3 key players who did that bit extra in ensuring Inter became champions of Italy.

-Milan Skriniar

Milan Skriniar hasn’t always got the plaudits this season but the defender has remained consistent and very solid throughout the title winning campaign. He has amassed an impressive 71 points and been part of a defence that has helped to keep 13 clean sheets. On top of that he has been dangerous at set-pieces and has scored 3 goals this season- all important ones that changed the game.

-Achraf Hakimi

Achraf Hakimi really came into his own in the middle of the season and the latter stages when it really mattered. Hakimi reminds one of Roberto Carlos in that his defending was swashbuckling and determined overlayered with intelligence but he wasn’t afraid to attack either to score goals and set them up. Hakimi has been one of the best defenders in Europe this season no doubt. He has contributed to an incredible 13 goals in Serie A alone, scoring seven of them.

-Romelu Lukaku

And of course there is Romelu Lukaku who has had a glittered career and yet this is his first league title with a club. Lukaku will be a legend now with Inter fans. His runs into the opponents half, his fantastic goals and his overall contribution will live long in the memory banks. Lukaku will probably finish as runner up to Cristiano Ronaldo in the goal scorers charts but he has still won the most important title for sure. Lukaku has scored 21 goals and assisted in another 10 in an incredible season for him and it is fitting that he has picked up 100 points in the fantasy rankings just as Inter have won the league title.

This was a title much like Manchester City’s in the Premier League which was won in truth by the brilliant defence. Attack has been the key of course to each teams titles but the overriding factor has been how the defence has played. In the rankings for example just for Inter we can see that 5 from the top ranked 8 players are defenders and that doesn’t include goalkeeper Samir Handanovic who is currently the 3rd best ranked player in the team.

Congratulations then to Inter for a fantastic title. The season isn’t over yet though and the clubs next game will be at home to Sampdoria on Saturday.

Do you have what it takes to challenge the best Serie A Fantasy Managers? If you’re for it, play fantasyseriea.com!

 

 

 

Liverpool are Premier League champions but who were their best players this season?

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Finally after 30 years Liverpool are the champions of England after Chelsea beat Manchester City 2-1 last night. It meant that City could no longer catch Liverpool. Of course in reality with such a huge lead in the league it was always going to be a matter of time before Liverpool won the title, but the joy has been immense in and around the city of Liverpool.

The players and manager Jurgen Klopp have been stunned and emotional and who could blame them after the club have had to wait so long to see a league title. So far Liverpool have lost just 1 game this season and one game in the last 18 months in the league. It has been simply incredible and they could still beat Manchester City’s record haul of 100 points also.

As it stands Liverpool are the World, European and domestic champions, and not even Covid-19 which threatened to ruin their title run in could stop them. Congratulations to Liverpool and with Klopp as manager one could think that this could be the beginning of a dominating era for the club.

But who has stood out for them this season? Who has made that all important difference? Below we look at the 5 best players according to euro fantasy league’s rankings:

5) Andrew Robertson 80pts

Robertson is probably seen as the unsung hero, but he has been superb in defence for the last two seasons now and is indispensable for the club. He has been a part of a team that has kept 13 clean sheets and he has also assisted in 8 goals.

4) Virgil van Dijk 83pts

One of the truly best defenders in the world and only Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo stopped him from capturing the best player awards. Confident, commanding he is like a rock and has really rose to his challenge in the back four. He has been involved in 5 goals and has helped keep 14 clean sheets. A towering presence.

3) Sadio Mane 94pts

Sadio Mane is a perfect example of a player that just gets better and better with every passing season. He is so competitive and always seems to be in the right place at the right time. Not only has he scored 15 goals this season but has also assisted in another 7. A growing legend at the club.

2) Trent Alexander-Arnold 98pts

Proven to be perhaps the best defender this season for Liverpool, Still so young his best years are in front of him and yet he is a champion everywhere. He has kept 14 clean sheets and assisted in an incredible 12 goals- the most of any Liverpool player so far this season.

1) Mohamed Salah 107pts

Out in front is the Egyptian international. If some players are said to get better like a fine wine, then Salah is like the most expensive and elegant Champagne on the market. The striker is full of speed and his goals are simply magnificent, a world class player who has gotten better under Klopp. He has scored 17 goals this season and assisted in 7. That means he has been involved in 24 league goals for Liverpool from the 70 they have scored. That works out at almost a 35% contribution. Impressive.

How well do you know English football? Want to challenge the best English Fantasy Managers? Play www.epl-fantasy.com now.

¿Doble o nada?

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ramos

El camino del Madrid se va allanado, levantar la Champions y la Liga es factible y, lo mejor es que para ello depende de sí mismo. Está a 6 partidos de lograrlo, pero… ¿lo conseguirá?

Liga
Quedan 4 partidos. 3 fuera y 1 en el Bernabéu. Este fin de semana visita Granada, pero también tendrá que ir a Vigo y a Málaga. Ninguno de estos tres equipos se juega ya nada, lo cual puede ser una ventaja para los blancos… o un problema porque los rivales no tendrán tanta presión. En cambio, el encuentro ante el Sevilla es un partido vital. Los andaluces podrían jugarse la tercera plaza que da acceso directo a la Champions y ya ganaron al Madrid en la idea (de hecho, rompiendo su racha de récord).

Necesita al menos 10 puntos de 12 para ganar la Liga. Si pierde alguno más, tendrá que tirar de calculadora o mirar de reojo al Barça. ¿Cuál es el problema? El problema, o mejor dicho, el bendito problema, es la Champions. Zidane tiene que dosificar porque son partidos de máximo nivel. De momento, todo apunta a que este fin de semana Ronaldo o Benzema no jugarán. En cambio, su rival para el título, el Barça, no tiene que rotar.

Champions
El 3-0 de la ida ante el Atlético de Madrid es un colchón bueno, pero tampoco se pueden confiar porque esta temporada ya hemos visto remontadas mayores, como la del Barça ante el PSG.

Aunque si se cumple la lógica, dentro de un mes estará en Cardiff. Y su rival apunta a ser la Juventus. La vecchia signora tiene la mejor defensa del torneo, solo ha encajado 2 goles en toda la competición y ninguno en las eliminatorias a doble partido. Por tanto, podría tener medio pie en la final, pero ninguna garantía de ganarla. El rival sería, desde luego, el más temido de todos. Para ganar una Champions hace falta algo más que los cabezazos de Ramos; hay que jugar muy bien y saber cómo plantar cara al rival.

En otras palabras, el Madrid no ha ganado aún nada, pero puede hacer un doblete. La cara o la cruz, el doble o nada. Depende de sí mismo, lo cual es algo positivo… pero también puede convertirse en su peor enemigo.

¿A la tercera irá la vencida?

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Fernando Torres y Sergio Ramos

La final de la Champions despliega la alfombra roja. Todo está listo para que la competición de clubes más importantes del planeta llegue a su último escalafón. Real Madrid y Atlético, dos equipos del mismo país y de la misma ciudad, vuelven a verse las caras. Reeditarán aquel encuentro de hace dos años que quedará grabado en la memoria de unos y de otros, ya sea para bien o para mal, con aquel con en el descuento de Sergio Ramos para los blancos.

Los merengues buscan su Undécima apenas un par de años después de alcanzar la friolera de diez copas. Ronaldo será el máximo goleador de la competición, lleva 16 tantos y ansía marcar más (el segundo que es Lewandowski se mantiene en 9 y Griezmann, con 7, es impensable que se lo pueda arrebatar), mientras que Keylor Navas pretende seguir echando el cerrojo a su portería en Europa. Las bajas de los blancos son Varane, lo que hace augurar una defensa central formada por Ramos y Pepe, y Arbeloa, que ya se ha despedido del equipo.

Por su parte, el Atlético de Madrid quiere formar parte de los grandes del continente. Aún le falta una Champions en sus vitrinas, y eso que ya ha jugado dos finales. ¿A la tercera irá la vencida? Al menos eso es lo que esperan en el Calderón. Este Atlético es mucho mejor que el de hace dos temporadas, sobre todo porque cuenta con más experiencia y viene con la lección bien aprendida. Griezmann está en estado de gracia y Saúl, la revelación de la temporada, quiere darle más motivos a del Bosque para que le lleve a la Eurocopa. La férrea defensa colchonera cuenta con grandes jugadores y con un Oblak que lo para todo.

¿Qué pasará? El Atlético viene con sed de venganza, mientras que el Madrid quiere salvar la temporada con un título que le corone en lo más alto. La respuesta, este sábado. ¡Qué viva el espectáculo!