MANCHESTER CITY IS BACK

 

Image Credit – Manchester City FC.

In the last decade and a half, Manchester City has emerged as the most successful football club in England. Be it the Premier League, FA Cup or Carabao Cup, they have won it all. Moreover, in 2023 they also won the elusive UEFA Champions League title and thus completed their trophy cabinet. Manager Pep Guardiola has literally transformed Manchester City FC into a world-champion side. Yes, they won before him as well, but it is Pep who made them unstoppable. Winning 4 Premier League titles on a trot is no joke. Even in the Carabao Cup, their winning streak is simply unbelievable.

However, in the last couple of years, Manchester City have not been at their best. Though they did win silverware here and there, it was still considered a failed season because they have raised their standards incredibly high. Moreover, after getting knocked out of this year's Champions League, the critics wrote them off. But, to everyone's surprise, the men in blue are back in form. First, they defeated Arsenal in the finals of the Carabao Cup and won their first silverware of the season. Yesterday they thrashed Liverpool out of the FA Cup and marched their way forward into the semi-finals. It is pertinent to note that it is a normal win. It's a landslide. Afterall, a 4-0 win against arch-rivals is a statement of intent that they are coming to Wembley for the trophy.

Interestingly, Manchester City are 9 points behind the Gunners with one additional game in hand. Moreover, they will also be facing Arsenal in the Etihad. Can City win the league? Will Arsenal bottle it again? The answer to all of this lies in the womb of time. But one thing is for sure. The next 2 months are going to be a blockbuster because Manchester City is Back. 

THE BOTTLERS

 

Image Credit – Al Jazeera

A month ago, Arsenal FC were targeting a historic quadruple, as they were dominating every competition in which they were playing. However, in the final stages of the season, they have started the bottle game all over again. Firstly, they lost to Manchester City in the Carabao Cup finals at Wembley. Now they have been knocked out from the quarter-final round of the FA Cup. However, this time the defeat is painful; after all, the same has come against Southampton, who are not even competing in the Premier League. To be more precise, the men from Southampton are presently ranked 7 in the Second Division of English football. So losing them is definitely not acceptable.

The author fairly believes in the egalitarian nature of the game of football. But a club that is competing in the UEFA Champions League can't play like this and lose to a championship team. Moreover, with a defeat in the FA Cup, the dreams of a treble are over. The question now remains: will they win any silverware this season or not? The Champions League is an unpredictable tournament. So one cannot say anything about it. Yes, they have a big lead in the Premier League, but looking into their current performance, one cannot even say what they will do in their last 7 games wherein they have to face Manchester City and Newcastle United.

It's now more than 21 years since Arsenal last lifted the Premier League Title. Will the wait end this year, or will the disappointment go on? The answer lies in the womb of time. 

WILL TOTTENHAM SURVIVIE?

 

Image Credit – Goal

Much has been written and joked about Tottenham Hotspur. The club has a history of bottling competitions after competitions. However, in the last decade and a half they did play some good football. Even though their trophy cabinet is nearly empty, their performance under Mauricio Pochettino was wonderful. Playing in the Champions League Final is no small feat. Moreover, there were seasons in between wherein Spurs were literally title contenders apart from reaching the semi-final of the FA Cup and the final of the Carabao Cup.

Regrettably, in the past couple of years their performance has gone from bad to worse. The club is struggling to survive in the league. In the 2023-24 season they finished number 5, but for the last two seasons they were no. 17 in the league. In the previous season, despite being positioned 17th, the points were a lot more than the 18th-ranked side. Moreover, they also ended their trophy drought as they won the UEFA Europa League.

But this time the things are completely different. The change in managerial setup along with the leaving of key players has left the club struggling big time. They are positioned 17th again and are not far from the 18th-ranked side. A possibility of relegation is very much in the cards. Thus, the North London side has a lot to do in the remaining seven games of the league. They need to win now, or else playing in the Championship will become a reality. But this is not going to be an easy task. In those games they need to play an away game against rivals Chelsea and Aston Villa, who are very much in the race for a European berth.

Will Tottenham succeed, or will they perish? The answer lies in the womb of time. But one thing is certain, i.e., the last 2 months of this footballing season are going to be roller-coasters. 

END OF AN ERA

 

Image Credit – The Guardian.

It's time for the Egyptian king to "walk alone" and bid farewell to the Liverpool supporters. The lightning-fast right-winger, Mohammad Salah, is leaving Liverpool at the end of the season. It is important to remember that it is not only a player who is departing, but it also marks an end of an era that changed the club's current identity in the English Premier League. Statistically, Salah is the third-highest goal scorer in the Liverpool club's history with 255 goals in 435 games in all competitions. However, his legacy is more than just numbers. Not only did he perform on the ground and make his team win games after games and trophies after trophies, but he also generated impact off the field as well. After all, the reports show that there has been a decline in hate crimes since Salah joined Liverpool.

The man who came as a promising youngster in 2017 is leaving as a club legend after 9 years. Anfield will no longer be the same as the Egyptian king bids farewell. One would expect that he leaves the club on high with a European trophy in hand.

After all, nothing got better than Salah in a Champions League game at Anfield. 

CAN ARSENAL SCRIPT HISTORY?

 

Image Credit- The New York Times.

Arsenal FC is on a run. In the past 7 days they have defeated both Tottenham and Chelsea and have moved a step forward towards title victory. Even though they had a tight contest with Chelsea, against Tottenham it was a cakewalk. The Gunners demolished their North London rivals 4-1, and that too in their own backyard. Moreover, the men in red are also in the round of 16 of the Champions League along with the FA Cup and Carabao Cup. In the Carabao Cup they are in the finals, wherein they will be facing Manchester City.

So the next 3 months are going to be very huge for Arsenal and their fans. They have a chance to do something which has never happened before. A quadruple is very much in sight right now. But, yes, it won't be easy. Manchester City is coming closer to them in the league table. Moreover, they are also the contenders for the FA Cup and the Carabao Cup. Apart from that, FC Barcelona is their biggest hindrance to the road to the Champions League final.

Can Arsenal script history from here? The answer lies in the womb of time. They are close to greatness. They just need to clear the final frontier now. 

THE GALACTICOS MARCH FORWARD

 Image Credit- Managing Madrid.

In 2017-18, the defending champions, Real Madrid, were facing Paris Saint-Germain in the round of 16 of the UEFA Champions League. The men in white were struggling in LaLiga, and it was certain that Barcelona would win the league title. The question was whether Madrid will be able to defend their European title. It is true that no team has performed better than Real Madrid in this elite European tournament. The trophy cabinet proves the same. But a game of football is not won on the basis of history but on the basis of performance.

Yes, Real Madrid is a team of champion players, Galácticos to be more precise. But, in 2017, PSG also assembled a strong squad. The signing of Neymar, Mbappe and Dani Alves made PSG a heavy contender for this year's Champions League. In France they were literally demolishing their opponents. Even they defeated Bayern Munich in the group-stage game. As a result, the clash between the champions of Spain and the champions of France was going to be one which would be remembered for ages.

The first leg took place in Madrid. And boy! It was the PSG who scored the opening goal of the match. Adrien Rabiot scored a crucial away goal in the 33rd minute itself and gave visitors an important lead. However, just before half-time, Madrid managed to secure a penalty. Cristiano Ronaldo stepped up and scored a wonderful penalty which got Madrid back into the game. At half-time the scorecard read Real 1-1 PSG.

The second half turned out to be a fairytale as Real scripted a magnificent comeback and won the tie 3-1. Ronaldo continued his good run and scored his second goal of the game in the 83rd minute, which was soon followed by a third strike. Asensio provided a wonderful assist to Marcelo, who made it 3-1 for the hosts. Real Madrid did Real Madrid things. You might be a champion team, but when the Champions League title is at stake, the Galácticos perform their best.

Image Credit- The Guardian

A few days later Madrid outplayed PSG in the second leg as well, as they beat Paris in Paris 2-1. Ronaldo played a crucial role in this game as well, as he scored the important away goal in the 51st minute, which meant that PSG now required 4 goals to win and 3 goals to save the game. Even though PSG did hit a goal in the 71st minute, a late strike by Casemiro meant that the game and the tournament were over for the men in blue.

Paris Saint-Germain had a star-studded line-up, but they faded in front of the Galácticos. The Galacticos marched forward into the quarter-finals after blowing away the French champions.

To watch the Highlights of Leg 1, Click Here.

To watch the Highlights of Leg 2, Click Here. 

THE CLASH OF TITANS

 

Image Credit—CGTN.

The 2006 FIFA World Cup saw many greats bidding farewell to the beautiful game. However, the names of Zinedine Zidane and Luís Figo will be at the top. The two Galácticos announced retirement from their national sides at the conclusion of the mega-event. While Luis Figo was knocked out by France in the semifinal stage of the tournament, the Frenchman Zidane, on the other hand, failed to conquer the final frontier as he suffered a defeat at the hands of Italy in the final. Moreover, it is pertinent to note that it was the infamous headbutt in the final that grabbed all the headlines instead of the goal he scored in his final game.

However, in this post we will be talking about the semifinal clash that took place between the two strong European sides in Munich. Portugal was facing the 1998 champions France in this vital match. In the quarters, they knocked out the English by the barest of margins, whereas the French made it to the semis by knocking out the defending champions, Brazil. Both teams were in the best of form. So everyone was expecting an exciting clash.

And boy! The match we had was incredible. The two sides were literally going hammer and tongs. Both teams made multiple attempts to breach the defense of each other; however, the defenders and goalkeepers of both sides stood strong against every attack. It was literally a penalty, which turned out to be the difference between the two teams.

In the 31st minute of the game, a foul on Thierry Henry earned the French a penalty, which was easily converted into a goal by their charismatic captain, Zidane. However, in the 77th minute, the Portuguese came close to equalizing when a free kick by Cristiano Ronaldo was missed by the French keeper, which, on a rebound, provided Luis Figo with an opportunity to score. Unfortunately Figo missed it by the closest of margins, which eventually resulted in a Portuguese defeat.

The match was nothing short of a spectacle in which we saw heavyweights take on each other. Moreover, the match is also remembered for the fact that it turned out to be Figo's last international match, who then announced retirement from international football. Furthermore, the number 7 jersey was handed over to a young Cristiano Ronaldo, who was emerging back then as a successor to Luis Figo.

Interestingly, a decade later, Ronaldo, as one of the greats, won the UEFA Champions League title with Zidane as his manager. Moreover, Portugal also won their first international trophy in 2016 with Ronaldo as their captain and leader. Thus, it can be said that the baton was rightly passed by both Zidane and Figo that night in Munich.

To watch the Highlights of that Match, Click Here.