REVIEW: MANCHESTER UNITED VS EVERTON 

October 2nd, 2021:  Manchester United welcomed Everton at Old Trafford for their premier league match, Manchester United were looking to bounce back from their defeat to Aston Villa at home. During mid-week, Manchester United won against Villarreal where David De Gea and Cristiano Ronaldo saved further embarrassment for the home side. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side welcome Everton who are without several of their key players.

Ole rested some of his key players, Cavani made his first start of the season while Shaw returned from the minor injury he suffered. This was relatively an easy game for United as Everton were without their two best players Domin Calver-Lewin and Richarlison, with defeat against Aston Villa in mind this was a must-win for Manchester United.

With Cavani leading the line with Greenwood and Martial being either side of him, Manchester United started on a positive note but didn't had a goal to show for it. As the game grew it was clear we lacked some cutting edge, ball progression wasn't good as the Mcfred partnership was just playing side to side passes rather than playing defense splitting pass. We do lack a proper defensive midfielder, but that's not an excuse for this abysmal result. When playing at Old Trafford teams usually sit back and play counter-attacking football, playing both Fred and Mctominay doesn't make sense as they can't play those passes into the final third.

In my eyes when playing against low block Donny is your guy as he plays that sweet one-touch football which helps to split those defenses quickly. We had possession but not in the area where it mattered, it was in and around the center circle where we just passed from one side to the other. The same mistake keeps on happening we need to learn to make tactical foul like city do, Fred needs to learn when to stop the game and take one for the team. We have the player to win the league but I seriously do believe that we do not have a proper manager to take us back to the very top. 

Stay tuned for the full review of this game!

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BIG GAME REVIEW : MANCHESTER UNITED VS CHELSEA!

DID MANCHESTER UNITED DO ENOUGH TO WIN? DID SOLSKJAER GOT HIS TEAM SELECTION WRONG?

This was one of those games where we should have won easily, Chelsea came for a point and got their point. Solskjaer definitely had the previous home game on his mind, where we lost both of the games by an aggregate score of 2-9. Losing this game might have put Solskjaer again under scrutiny, despite that result against PSG. He set up a team to not lose, James and Mata were as effective as they were in the Newcastle game. It was the perfect opportunity to build on that win against PSG, well a draw isn't the end of the world but it feels like we dropped two points. The only highlight from the game was the penalty, YES! it was a penalty. 

Starting 11 wasn't good but the bench was much stronger than the actual lineup. Solskjær and Lampard are playing a game of chess; neither of them wants an open game. The difference is that Lampard wants to attack with positional play whilst Solskjær prefers to draw that in and counter. Mata would have been effective against a low block team, Dan James was horrendous his decision making was atrocious. McTominay and Fred were given a place in the lineup due to their industries they would provide. Ole got the starting lineup wrong, but he got this substitute right. When Pogba and Cavani came on we looked much different, Cavani nearly scored with his first touch.

It still seems like he looks a little rusty, this was his first game in 7-8 months and still was effective. He was making those runs, Both of Cavani's shots came from him running in front of his defender. That movement is something we miss especially with crosses as Martial isn't used to that. Non the less the signs were promising.

Fred and Wan-Bissaka were good tonight. Fred was the central piece in the team as everything was going through him, and he did a good job on the ball. Fred has become much calmer on the ball, he was marked tightly by Kante - one of the best baller winners in Europe, he dealt with that comfortably. Wan-Bissaka was good defensively, his decision making on the final third let him down today.

When Bruno was double-teamed down the left he told Shaw to overlap him and Shaw refused. The LB never has authority in that situation. Shaw has a tendency to first think about himself defensively rather than the team offensively. Telles will much better option than Shaw. He can cross better, and his attacking game is well above Shaw's. He isn't that bad defensively, his attacking quality outshines his defensive work.

FT Stats: MUN 0-0 CHE

Goals: 0 – 0

xGoals: 0.68 – 0.21

Shots (OT): 14 (4) – 6 (1)

Chances: 12 – 3

Possession: 50.5% – 49.5%

Territory: 58.1% – 41.9%

Total Touches

779 – MUN

762 – CHE

Opponent's Half Touches

395 – MUN (50.7%)

273 – CHE (35.8%)

Final Third Touches

215 – MUN (27.6%)

146 – CHE (19.2%)

Penalty Box Touches

19 – MUN (2.42%)

11 – CHE (1.44%)

We were definitely the better team as the game progressed. But I don't think we did enough to win. Ultimately, this was a boring game. Both teams didn't want to lose whilst we were willing to attack more as the game wore out. Nevertheless, a draw seems the fairest result.

GK: De Gea – 6 RB: AWB – 6.5 CB: Lindelöf – 7.5 CB: Maguire – 6.5    LB: Shaw – 6 CM: McTominay – 6 CM: Fred – 7 RM: Mata – 5 AM: Fernandes – 6.5 LM: James – 5 ST: Rashford – 6 Cavani – 6.5 Pogba – 6 Greenwood –5

MAN OF THE MATCH - Lindelöf

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MANCHESTER UNITED VS CHELSEA: BIG MATCH PREVIEW

 Will  Ole get one over Frank again?

After midweek's win over PSG, Manchester United's Premier League campaign resumes with a mouthwatering clash against Chelsea at Old Trafford. Like United, The Blues, finished in the top four last season, and are looking to mount a title challenge this time around. Meanwhile, Ole and United are looking to build on the recent impressive victories over Newcastle and PSG. United looks like a team that has finally woken up from an early-season slump.

Manchester United VS Chelsea: Key Facts and Stats

Only once in their entire history have Man United lost each of their opening three home league games of a campaign, with that coming in 1930-31 as they went on to finish bottom of the table. Indeed, you have to go back to February 1979 for the last time the Red Devils lost three consecutive league games at Old Trafford at any stage of a season, while their winless home run stretches back even further. United have only picked up two points from the last 12 on offer on their own patch and could go five consecutive matches without a home league win for the first time since February 1990.

Home and away, Chelsea are conceding an average of 1.5 goals per game under Frank Lampard in the Premier League, which is the worst rate of any of their managers to have taken charge of more than one game in the competition. That failure to hold on to leads could come back to bite them against Manchester United; only Arsenal have dropped more points from winning positions than the Blues so far in 2020, while no team has gained more points from losing positions than Saturday's hosts in that period.

Team News

Manchester United's win over PSG was made all the more impressive by the fact that they were missing captain Harry Maguire and his first-choice back-up Eric Bailly to injury. Bailly will miss up to four weeks and so this game comes far too soon for him, but Solskjaer was more hopeful about the prospect of Maguire returning in time for this match. Anthony Martial serves the second of his three-game ban following his red card against Spurs, which could open the door for deadline-day arrival Edinson Cavani to make his debut after being left at home for the trip to his former club PSG. Mason Greenwood is also a doubt after being left out of the last two squads - an absence Solskjaer insists is down to injury despite speculation that he has been warned about indiscipline by club chiefs. Jesse Lingard may be back available for the hosts, but he is unlikely to be included regardless while Paul Pogba may again have to settle for a place on the bench.

Chelsea now have close to a full-strength squad to choose from, with Billy Gilmour the only remaining absentee after Mendy returned ahead of schedule against Sevilla. Lampard played down concerns over the fitness of Thiago Silva after he fell awkwardly against Sevilla, while fellow summer signing Hakim Ziyech is pushing for his first start.

Manchester United form (all competitions): WWWLWW
Chelsea form (all competitions): WDLWDD

Head To Head

Chelsea won the most recent showdown between these two sides - an FA Cup semi-final triumph in July - but their last three wins in this fixture have all come in that competition, stretching back to their last Premier League triumph in 2016. Man United won both meetings by a 6-0 aggregate scoreline last season, in addition to beating the Blues in the EFL Cup, and could win three consecutive top-flight games against Chelsea for the first time since Sir Matt Busby's team achieved the feat in September 1965. Lampard, on the other hand, would become the first Chelsea boss ever to lose his first three games against Man United if Saturday's showdown also ends in defeat, including a 4-0 loss in his very first match at the helm last August. Chelsea have not won at Old Trafford since 2013 - a seven-game streak which makes for their longest run without a top-flight victory away to Man United since a 16-game spell which stretched from 1920 to 1957.

Manchester United possible starting lineup:

This back five was flawless against PSG, They kept the likes of Mbappe and Neymar are bay. They fully deserve to keep their places. With Maguire not being fully fit and clearly needs rest. After the substitute appearance against both Newcastle and PSG, Both Pogba and Van De Beek deserves to start with fixtures coming thick and fast. It seems this might be the perfect match to give Bruno a breather. With Chelsea's defense looking shambolic, Van de Beek might be the player to exploit that weakness. With Kante out of form and Jorginho being Jorginho, they don't track runners from midfield. With Pogba's passing range there is no better person to find those runs made by Van De Beek. Last game against PSG, Telles showed he has a great delivery. Cavani is one of the best headers of the ball, he'll have aerial prowess to unsettle that Chelsea defense.

Mendy; James, Silva, Zouma, Chilwell; Jorginho, Kante; Mount, Havertz, Pulisic; Werner

Prediction: Man United 2-2 Chelsea

Given neither sides' defense has been particularly impressive this season, it wouldn't be a surprise to see both managers look to keep things tight in the early stages. If an early goal does go in, the game could open up with two of the most promising attacks in the top flight - but a battling draw is more likely at this point.

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PSG VS MANCHESTER UNITED : CHAMPIONS LEAGUE

CAN MANCHESTER UNITED REPEAT THEIR HEROICS AT PARC DES PRINCES?

Manchester United face their toughest Champions League group stage test, as they travel to parc des princes for their first outing in the Champions League. United face last season's runner-up Paris Saint-Germain, who are favorites for this game. Eighteen months ago these two sides meet for the first time, with the Psg taking the first leg comfortably with goals from Kimpembe and Mbappe. United came to Paris with several key first-team players missing, and they did the unexpected and won the tie as a last-minute Marcus Rashford penalty secured a spot for the red devils in the last-8.

Paris Saint-Germain vs Manchester United: Key facts & stats

Manchester United have only lost twice in 22 Champions League openers, Juventus in 1996 and PSV in 2015, While winning 13 and 7 resulted in draws. United can become the first team to win twice at Parc des Princes, the Parsian side has only lost 7 times in 53 games at Parc des princes. Manchester United have to improve their record against the French side in the UCL group stage, having failed to win any but one of their six games played. The last time they won against the French was in 2000, beating Bordeaux 2-1. This the first time Manchester United is facing French opposition in the group stage, Since 2005/06 when they faced Lille: lost one and drew the other one. Since the defeat by Manchester United at Parc des princes, Psg hasn't lost in 4 home games. Not since December 2004 have they lost a group game on home turf either: a 24-match run which includes 19 wins.

Team News

Captain Harry Maguire has also been left out of the squad due to a slight hamstring injury. Mason Greenwood is a major doubt, however, having been left out of the squad to face Newcastle due to an unspecified fitness issue. While Cavani and Bailly are also unavailable.

PSG are some way off full strength elsewhere, though, with Tuchel claiming that he may only have 11 fit players for United's visit. Mauro Icardi, Juan Bernat, Thilo Kehrer, Leandro Paredes, and Marco Verratti will all miss the match through injury, while Marquinhos, Julian Draxler, and Danilo Pereira are major doubts after sitting out at the weekend.

Paris Saint-Germain form (all competitions): LWWWWW

Manchester United form (all competitions): LWWWLW

Manchester United possible starting lineup:

Paul Pogba will be hopeful of a recall to the starting XI after being dropped at the weekend, adding another subplot to the story given the speculation that PSG are interested in the Frenchman. There could also be a debut for another deadline-day arrival in Alex Telles, while Solskjaer may consider handing Dean Henderson the gloves in the Champions League in order to keep him happy with more first-team football.

Scott McTominay can play at center-back as he has usually done it for Scotland. Last game against Newcastle when Mata drifted inside and Wan-Bissaka was told to hold the width. It was Mctominay that dropped in Wan-Bissaka's position and did a pretty good job. Not only Scott can play in this position his passing ability will also play a pivotal part.

McTominay playing in a deeper role and helping in the build-up.

Martial has been suspended for the league games and is available for the Champions League, he might be given the role over Ighalo.

Don't be surprised if Fred or even Van de Beek starts in place of Pogba.

Paris Saint-Germain possible starting lineup:

Navas; Florenzi, Diallo, Kimpembe, Kurzawa; Herrera, Marquinhos, Rafinha; Di Maria, Neymar, Mbappe

Prediction: PSG 2-2 Manchester United

Ole's Manchester United have a terrific record against a team that doesn't play low block. PSG will come into this match looking to get revenge against the English side. Despite PSG stellar attacking qualities, it's their defense that might hold them back. Don't be surprised if Manchester United snatch a win. 

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Is João Félix next superstar for Portuguese National Team?

Eusébio, Luís Figo, Cristiano Ronaldo -- João Félix heir to Portugese throne!

PROFILE

João Félix 4th most expensive player of all time. Felix was the youngest player to score a hattrick in the Europa League in a 4-2 win victory over Eintracht Frankfurt while playing for Benfica. Felix isn't a physically dominant player, So physical presence is not his strength. Thanks to his agility and dribbling skills, he can keep the ball against physical opponents too.

POSITION

His best position is to play the second striker in a 4-4-2. He can also play comfortably as a 10 in 4-2-3-1. He is a perfect player for Simeone's system at Atletico and a worthy replacement for Griezmann. He can also play at right-wing during the build-up he drifts inside which leaves space for RB to attack.

CONTRIBUTING TO BUILD UP

Off the ball, he always occupies the space in between the opposition's midfield's and just in front of the defense. When in possession he can drop deep to help, but it's not his best zone of influence which is slightly further up the pitch. He can receive the ball at tight spaces, before finding his teammates or dribbling past the opposition. He is impressive in the building of transition and can free himself and the team with his first touch. Blended with his speed and his ability to spot a pass, he is lethal on the counter. 

Here Felix is just behind the opposition's midfield, which allows his team to easily break the first line of defense. This is where Felix is at his devastating best, he influences the game from this position.

PASSING IN THE FINAL THIRD

When playing as the second striker, passing to the team's target man or wingers us an important attribute. Whenever he receives the ball, he looks up immediately to thread a defense splitting pass to his wingers or strikers. If he can't make the pass, he takes on his marker before laying it for his teammates or taking the shot himself. The central role is undoubtedly where Félix is most comfortable. This is reflected in his dribbles and progressive runs, 4.2 per game, and 1.8 per game respectively, compared to 3.07 per game and 1.02 per game when fielded elsewhere on the field. This central role gives him greater freedom to roam and allows him to put his technical ability to good work.

 After receiving the ball he immediately finds his teammates run and makes a beautiful pass to his teammate.

Here he receives the ball and starts to exploit the space in front of him, before finding his teammate.

Again receives the ball in a tight space uses the space in front of him to take a shot.

DRIBBLING AND POSITION

Felix is dangerous when he gets the space to dribble. When he has players running in front of him, he hardly fails to play them perfectly timed through ball. About his position, he has a tendency to get into the box and step out a little bit, to find the space to take a shot or thread a beautiful pass to his teammate. He can lose defenders with his movement too and he is willing to shoot off his weaker left foot, which unsettles defenders - this is an area he could do with improving though.

Here Felix gets into the box where he finds himself in plenty of space to receive the ball.

Here he finds himself tightly marked and uses his speed and dribbling ability, to get past through the defender.

Hangs back to take advantage of defenders watching the ball.

THE DEFENSIVE ASPECT

Despite his natural talent and explosiveness in the attack, he is currently in the process of learning how to position himself to be most effective as a defender. He is good at pressing and is naturally sticky and hard to get rid of but he often loses his man and doesn't know how to position himself to prevent attacks. When he plays on the wing, he tends to neglect his defensive duties and only has two recoveries per game.

CONCLUSION

It is still far too early to even consider writing off Félix as a success at Atlético Madrid. Indeed, the early flashes of brilliance that he showed proof that he does have what it takes to bring something to Atlético Madrid that nobody else can. Out wide is a role that clearly does not support him and has frustrated his movement, with the consequent impact on his confidence affecting his finishing. There are still plenty of reasons to be optimistic regarding Félix’s future at the Estadio Wanda Metropolitano given his impressive technical quality, but in his early months, it does not seem a clear tactical fit to put him into this side. With Suarez as a new number nine, he will help to get the best out of Felix.

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PREMIER LEAGUE TEAM OF THE WEEK 2020/21

 TEAM OF THE WEEK GAME WEEK - 3 ( 26 SEPTEMBER 2020 - 28 SEPTEMBER 2020)

Another week of football has come to an end, It has rained goals in the opening weeks of the new season. The headline result of the week was Leicester's stunning victory over title favorites Manchester City at the Etihad. Champions Liverpool looked back to their best with a dominant victory over Arsenal at Anfield. Despite all that, the main drama came elsewhere as Manchester United secured the win over Brighton by scoring a 100th-minute penalty. The same match where Brighton hit the woodwork five times. Indeed the new handball rule has had its fair share of controversies, As Newcastle secured a late equalizer against Tottenham. Crystal Palace was also stung by a contentious call as Everton won at Selhurst Park. West ham secured the weekend's biggest win as they thrashed Wolves at the London stadium. The away team securing the win also continued as Aston Villa crushed past Fulham, Leeds won their first Yorkshire derby since 2001 at the expense of Sheffield United. Southampton edged past Burnley to record their first win of the season.

Gameweek 3 Results

• Brighton 2-3 Manchester United
• Crystal Palace 1-2 Everton
• West Brom 3-3 Chelsea
• Burnley 0-1 Southampton
• Sheffield United 0-1 Leeds United
• Tottenham 1-1 Newcastle
• Manchester City 2-5 Leicester City
• West Ham 4-0 Wolves
• Fulham 0-3 Aston Villa 
•  Liverpool 3-1 Arsenal

Leed's goalkeeper IIIan Meslier has come under fire after conceding seven goals to date, but was central to his team's win and recorded a clean sheet along the way. It was a brilliant performance form the 20-year-old. At Bramall Lane, he demonstrated he has the talent to thrive at the very highest level. He made a stunning stop to deny Lundstram from close range and another effort to keep out Baldock's fiercely struck drive. 

Cheikhou Kouyate has been filling in for Crystal Palace at center back due to injuries, but gigantic in both appearances. He won the most duel and had more recoveries than any other player on the field. He scored his first goal of the season and was close to second as the woodwork denied him.

Southampton's Jan Bednarek, who made more clearances and interceptions than any other player in their narrow win over Burnley. He gave a monumental performance to help Saints record their first three points of the season.

Leader of the backline for an Aston Villa side that has made a positive start to the season. Back to back win with a successive clean sheet against Sheffield United and Fulham. Mings at the heart of the backline was a vocal presence. He capped off a great display by scoring Villa's third goal.

West ham recorded their first win of the season by thumping Wolves at the London Stadium. David Moyes' side ran riot to secure their first three-point of the season. Amongst the star of the show was Masuaku, who produced an all-action performance to nullifying the threat of both Traore and Semedo and contributing plenty in attack as he created 4 chances and recorded an assist in the win.

Bowen opened the scoring for Hammers with an excellent finish. He went on to grab another goal, it was his movement and awareness to pop up at the right place caused troubles for the Wolves defense as he recorded his second goal due to his awareness and intelligent movement.

A certain Belgian midfielder stole the show it wasn't De Bruyne, it was his counterpart Tielemans. He ran the show for Leicester. Tielemans was outstanding in a complete midfield performance for Brendan Rodgers's side, his passing through the lines exceptional as he completed 100% of his passes in the final third, including a brilliantly weighted pass for Timothy Castagne in the build-up to Jamie Vardy’s second goal of the game. Capped off by scoring his sides' fifth goal.

Mount was instrumental in his side's comeback. He led the comeback as he scored Chelsea's first goal. He created further 4 chances for his teammate. His shot led to Abraham scoring the all-important third goal for Chelsea. He was monumental in the second half, As soared back from a three-goal deficit.

Robinson was trusted in alone attacking role and responded with two well-taken finishes, first firing low past Willy Caballero before capitalizing on a blunder from Thiago Silva to double West Brom’s advantage. It was an encouraging display from the 25-year-old who will hope to make that role his own for the coming campaign, West Brom in desperate need of a reliable goalscorer given their defensive struggles to date.

The fine wine that continues to get better and better with age, Jamie Vardy once again demonstrated why he is amongst the most ruthless finishers in the Premier League this weekend. The 33-year-old had the fewest touches of any outfield player during Leicester’s 5-2 win at the Etihad, but left with the match ball after emphatically converting two penalties in addition to a sublime flicked finish. Both penalties were won by the forward himself who has perfected the dart behind opposition defenses, whilst his clinical finishing sees the veteran continue to rise amongst the Premier League’s all-time leading goalscorers.

Richarlison worked tirelessly as his side recorded their third win in a row to start their campaign. He was constant trouble for the Palace defense, he capped off his superb performance by scoring an all-important penalty for Everton. This resulted in three points for the toffees as won the first three-game since the 1993/94 season.

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FPL MUST HAVE FOR GAME WEEK-3!

CAPTAIN, GAME WEEK BARGAIN?

With two game weeks of FantasyPremier League finished and FPL manager wondering whom to captain and who'll be the budget differential for the week. Here we have our picks for the week!!

DIFFERENTIAL PICKS!

LEANDRO TROSSARD

THE BRIGHTON MAN HAS STARTED THE CAMPAIGN IN HOT FORM. HE WAS INVOLVED IN 44% OF BRIGHTON'S TOTAL GOALS IN LAST CAMPAIGN. WITH MAN UTD'S DEFENSE STILL LOOKING WOBBLY, BRIGHTON MIGHT SNEAK A GOAL OR TWO AGAINST THE SIDE FROM OLD TRAFFORD. PRICE - £ 6.0 M, SELECTED BY - 1.0%, POTENTIAL RETURN CHANCES - 6.5/10

PHIL FODEN

WITH AGUERO STILL OUT INJURED, STERLING LOOKS SET TO JOIN GABRIEL JESUS UPFRONT. WITH PEP GUARDIOLA GIVING FODEN PLENTY OF GAME TIME, HE'S AN ECONOMICAL ROUTE TO GOAL-SCORING MACHINE MANCHESTER CITY. HE HAS ALSO RACKED UP FIVE GOALS AND ONE ASSIST, SINCE PROJECT RESTART. PRICE -£6.5M, SELECTED BY - 6.6%, POTENTIAL RETURN CHANCES -7.5/10

OLLIE WATKINS

FULHAM'S DEFENSE HAS ALREADY CONCEDED SEVEN GOALS THIS SEASON. WITH HIM PLAYING JUST 20 MINUTES IN THE EFL GAME AGAINST BRISTOL, HE DID GRAB HIS FIRST GOAL FOR THE CLUB. HE DID PLAY 90 MINUTES AGAINST SHEFFIELD UNITED, BUT HE DID RETURN A GOAL OR AN ASSIST. WITH THE FULHAM DEFENSE NOT LOOKING CONVINCING THIS MIGHT BE THE MATCH WHERE HE IS BOUND TO HAVE A SAY. PRICE - £6.0M, SELECTED BY - 1.5%, POTENTIAL RETURN - 7.5/10

CHRIS WOOD

WOOD WAS A POPULAR FPL PICK LAST SEASON AND SCORED 14 GOALS. HE WAS THE ONLY STRIKER WITH THAT RETURN IN THIS PRICE MARGIN(£6.0M). BURNLEY'S LATE START HAS MEANT HE HAS BEEN OVERLOOKED THIS SEASON. HE DID MANAGE TO GET A GOAL DESPITE HIS TEAM LOSING AGAINST LEICESTER. HE IS UP AGAINST SOUTHAMPTON WHO SHIPPED IN 5 GOALS IN THE PREVIOUS ROUND. WOOD COULD BE THE DIFFERENCE MAKER FOR FPL TEAMS. PRICE - £6.5M, SELECTED BY - 2.2% POTENTIAL RETURN CHANCES - 8/10

 
THE CAPTAINCY CONUNDRUM

THE MOST IMPORTANT DECISION AHEAD OF EVERY FPL GAME WEEK. LAST WEEK MANY MANAGERS DIDN'T GET IT RIGHT WITH AUBAMEYANG AND THIS WEEK IS EVEN TRICKIER. SON AND KANE ARE BIG CANDIDATES, SON MIGHT HAVE THE EDGE OVER KANE. WITH KANE DROPPING IN MIDFIELD TO PROVIDE SPACE FOR SON TO MAKE HIS RUNS. SALAH THANKS TO HIS ANFIELD RECORD IS ALWAYS A GOOD CANDIDATE. WITH EGYPTIAN ALSO ON PENALTIES AND THE NEW HANDBALL RULE KICKING IN, BANKING ON A PENALTY TAKER COULD BE A SAFE OPTION. JIMENEZ IS ALSO A BET THIS WEEKEND. KEVIN DE BRUYNE DOES NOT NEED ANY INTRODUCTION WHEN IT COMES TO FPL MANAGER.

AS FOR DIFFERENTIAL CAPTAINS THIS GAME WEEK, GABRIEL JESUS MIGHT BE THE ONE. BRUNO FERNANDES IS ANOTHER ONE AS HE IS SHOWN DOOR BY 303186 FPL MANAGERS. IF YOU WANNA GO TO FAR AND TAKE A RISK TIMO WERNER MIGHT BE THE ONE FOR YOU!

TEAM OF THE WEEK  GAME WEEK -2 (19 SEPTEMBER 2020 - 21 SEPTEMBER 2020)

Erling Haaland is so good, he might be the greatest striker by the time he retires!

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WHY ERLING HAALAND IS THE NEXT GREAT STRIKER?

 Erling Haaland is so good, he might be the greatest striker by the time he retires!

Why is Erling Haaland so good? Does this question always come to your mind, whenever you see Haaland score another goal? Well, it must! 

Before answering your questions let me just amaze you a little more with some crazy Erling Haaland stats - just take a look.

Now that you have seen how incredible Haaland has been, let's find out what makes the Norwegian Wonderkid so good.

1. Physicality 

With a tall frame of 6'4", Haaland makes a great marker to hit on long balls unlike Reus, Gotze, or previous striker Alcacer who had been previously used by Dortmund as strikers. 

Whenever Dortmund is under pressure they can always look to play long with Haaland up top. This would give them a chance to quickly changing defense into attacks without losing possession too often.

2. Pace

It's not a surprise that the first thing we talk about is his pace. Erling Haaland is fast, seriously fast which makes the life of defenders that much more difficult when they want to mark him. One thing that Klopp's Liverpool taught us that, the pace can be the most lethal weapon to open up the opposition's defense. You don't need to be skillful but you should know when to use your pace to get the better of the opposition.

Haaland uses his pace to exploit the space behind the defenses also it allows him to drop deep while build-up without worrying about getting back to Position.

3. Clever Movements.

Before we talk about Haaland's fantastic finishing we must first know how he gets into those positions to finish. 

His movements without the ball are deceptive. He always tends to confuse the defenders. Let us take this goal for an instance -

Here he was first moving towards the far post giving the defender the impression that he has to mark the far post but then he cleverly changes his direction towards the near post, becoming unmarked.

Here Haaland is waiting for the through ball but to keep himself onside he chooses to go for a curved run, the defender was unable to understand whether he wants to run beyond him or in front of him which in turn delays his reactions.

4. Attacking the Space.

"Football is all about finding space when attacking and reducing it while defending."

         — Jurgen Klopp.

Probably Haaland's most destructive weapon is his ability to find and attack the space. He searches for space everywhere including space between and also behind the defense.

Football has changed a lot, and nowadays it has become a norm to keep a high backline, thus leaving huge spaces between the last defenders and goalkeepers to exploit. Great goalscorers can make perfectly timed run behind the defense and scoring goals. Erling Haaland is no different. 

These images show us how Haaland places himself between the defenders and waits for his teammate to release the ball and then he makes use of his pace.

Here Haaland cleverly placed himself in an open space, when the ball came in he attacked it and Koulibaly couldn't win the header, result -Haaland scored.

5. Link-Up plays

It doesn't matter how good you are if you aren't a team player, football is of course a team game. Thus understanding teammate's movements their passing styles and linking up with them to create chances is an important attribute of a good attacker.

In this instance, Haaland plays a pass to a teammate and then attacks the space to receive the return pass, and then scores a brilliant goal.

Here is another brilliant example of how Haaland has a great understanding of his teammate's movement. Haaland changes his direction of run once he recognizes that his teammate is going wide to create space, he then attacks that space.

6. Passing to teammates in spaces.

Haaland wouldn't have succeeded so much if he only looked to score himself. He understands the need to play in teammates who are in space.

7. Dropping deep to help in the build-up.

Haaland constantly drops deep in games to provide himself as an extra passing option in midfield. This helps the team as he gives a numerical advantage in the midfield during build-ups without compromising in attack as he is lightning fast to get back into Position.

8. Pressing

Every manager dreams of having a forward who does more than just attack, they love those who work hard without the ball too. 

Erling Haaland is one such striker who just doesn't only look to score goals but he works hard to win the ball back.

Talking to BVB tv Alex Witsel said "Erling's working hard defensively, against Bremer, he was dropping back and winning the ball in the midfield, its a fighting spirit we perhaps didn't have so much in the first half of the season."

9. Long Range shooting.

Shooting from a long-range isn't a compulsory trait for a striker. A striker should be clinical from inside the box but its always an advantage if you can score from outside the box as well. 

Haaland's second goal against PSG in Champions League 2019/20 is a perfect example, how long Range shooting can add to his goal tally in the future.

10. Poacher.

How often do we talk about strikers who score tap-ins into open goals or goals from close ranges? Well, those players are poachers, it is an art to be present in the right position at the right time. Poachers are the most optimistic creatures present on a Football pitch, they smell goal, they anticipate where to be to receive the ball and score.

Haaland too, along with all other exceptional abilities, has the ability of a perfect poacher just like Mo Salah or Cristiano Ronaldo. He is always the first to react to any opportunity. Thus scoring a huge number of goals from close ranges but don't consider that to be luck, its persistence, and anticipation that leads to the goal.

12. Ice Cool Finishing.

Most of you readers must be wondering why didn't I mention this at the top? Surely the one thing that is most exceptional about Haaland is his FINISHING.

Well before, he uses his calm cool head to slot the ball past the goalkeeper, he uses all the above-mentioned traits to get into this situation.

Nothing is more important than finishing, every team needs one to score the goals and Dortmund has probably got the best young finisher in the world.

If you have watched Erling Haaland play for Dortmund or Rb Salzburg you will find out how Haaland doesn't just follow one technique to score goals. Sometimes he uses powers to give the keeper no chance and other times he just gently lifts it over him. He even uses cheeky back-heels or curls in his shots. He has a wide range of finishing which is again another brilliant attribute to have.

Conclusion - A Complete Forward

With Football being so tactically advanced, you can find several different types of forward ranging from Target Man to the poacher, Deep-lying forwards to advanced forwards to False 9.

But Erling Haaland is a mixture, he is everything, he is a complete Forward for the modern game. He uses Physicality like a target man, has goal-scoring instincts like a poacher and he even drops between the lines to link up with wingers and play as a deep-lying forward.

He is as deadly a striker can be.

What makes Erling Haaland so good?

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PREMIER LEAGUE TEAM OF THE WEEK 2020/21

 TEAM OF THE WEEK  GAME WEEK -2 (19 SEPTEMBER 2020 - 21 SEPTEMBER 2020)

An enthralling game week that recorded 44 goals, most scored in the history of the premier league over a single game week. Premier League saw some goal packed games, with three seven-goals thrillers. Manchester United won lost their opening game at Old Trafford against Crystal Palace. Tottenham put five past Southampton, Champions Liverpool saw off Chelsea with ease after a red card to Christensen just before half-time. Manchester City sent a warning to their Merseyside title rival with their win against  Wolves. Sheffield United might be having a second season syndrome, top 10 finish already looks a tall order for the Blades. This might be the season, Where Everton finally have a say on the top 4. This team has the potential to challenge for a Top 4 finish. Leicester City brushed off a resilient Burnley with goals from Barnes, Justin, Praet, and an own goal from Pieters.

Gameweek 2 Results:

• Everton 5-2 West Brom

•  Leeds United 4-3 Fulham

• Manchester United 1-3

• Crystal PalaceArsenal 2-1 West Ham United

• Southampton 2-5 Spurs 

• Newcastle United 0-3 Brighton

•  Chelsea 0-2 Liverpool

• Leicester City 4-2 Burnley

• Aston Villa 1-0 Sheffield United

• Wolves 1-3 Manchester City 

TEAM OF THE WEEK 

Everton scored five past West Brom with DominicCalvert-Lewin scoring his first career hat-trick. As he continues his fine start to the season after scoring the winner against Tottenham last Sunday. Calvert-Lewin's quick thinking brought Everton deservedly level, initially given offside when he back-heeled past Sam Johnstone. Calvert-Lewin scored his second and Everton's fourth when he slid in to convert Richarlison's volley across goal. The striker scored his third goal, as it went off his shoulder as he was trying to convert Digne's free-kick with a header. 

Harry Kane and Son Heung-min scored all the goals, As spurs record their first win of the season. Kane showed that he is not only a lethal finisher as he RECORDED FOUR ASSISTS in a game for the first time in his career and only  6th time in the Premier League. With all of those four assists coming for Son. Southampton took the lead through Ings in the 32nd minute, Fortunately for Spurs, where there is Kane, there is hope, As their talisman bailed them out.

Zaha inspired Palace to their consecutive victories at Old Trafford, with that defeat the Red Devil's 14 games unbeaten streak comes to an end. Townsend opened the scoring after a static defending from Luke Shaw, Second goal for The Eagles owed a huge amount of luck from VAR to which every pundit condemned as nonsense. United had a glimmer of hope from Van De Beek's debut goal, But Zaha lashed a third goal after defensive ineptitude from Victor Lindelof. As they recorded a famous victory.

Dani Ceballos had his say as Arsenal opened the new campaign with a second successive win. Cellabos pass to Nketiah ensured that Arsenal won their 11 of the last 12 meetings at Emirates Stadium. Cellabos put in a fine performance in his first start of the new campaign as his passing particularly was at his best. Ceballos completed a 4/5 long pass and completed 90% of his pass, Along with an all-round performance.

It's Kevin De Bruyne. That's it.

Robertson was impressive in his side's victory over Chelsea. As always he was full of energy and was causing problems for  Chelsea's defense throughout the 90 minutes, as they recorded their first clean sheet of the season. He had the most touches out of anyone.

Mings, Keane, and Castagne all were impressive in their side's win. Mings recorded a clean sheet whereas Keane contributed a goal. Castagne was impressive again as he helped the Foxes to their second successive win of the season.

Alisson saved a penalty from Jorginho, The Italian scored all of his previous eight spot-kick. Alisson also denied Abraham with a fine stop.

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Best performance from Lionel Messi throughout the year!

Top 10 Best performances by Lionel Messi for Barcelona!

Lionel Messi, 6 times Ballon D'or winner, is undoubtedly the best Footballer on Earth. He has produced numerous fine performances over the year, thus choosing his top 10 performances is a kind of sin. Talking about a goal Messi himself said, "I’ve always measured my goals by the importance of them, not for the beauty. This was a very good goal but I have scored many others that have been more important to my teams."

10. Barcelona 7-1 Bayer Leverkusen (07/03/12).

  5 goals in a Champions League game, yes 5 goals, Lionel Messi became the first player to have scored 5 goals in a Champions League game. He kept chipping away with goals, well literally, he scored 2 goals with a dink/chip over the goalkeeper. Barcelona went on to win the game 7-1. A hat trick within the first 49 minutes of play at the Camp Nou. This marked the first time in Champions League history that a single player had accounted for so many scores in a single game.

9. Barcelona 3-0 Athletic - Copa del Rey Final (30/05/2015).

  This match ended 3-0, with Messi Scoring 2 goals. Barcelona's tactics for this game was fairly simple, Messi played at Right Wing as he normally does and then from there he mostly dropped into the midfield creating. This caused an imbalance in athletic midfield, he kept 2 or 3 Midfielders busy which left spaces vacant for others. When he stayed in the Right-Wing Position, he took on his markers, which lead to a brilliant 1st goal. The other was a well-drilled team goal finished off by Messi.

8. Barcelona 3-2 Real Madrid ( 23/04/2017) - El Classico.

        This game was an iconic El Classico game played at Santiago Bernabeu. Struggling to replicate Real Madrid's success in the Champions League Messi had a point to prove. With Barcelona being 1 down and blood pouring out of Messi's nose, he took on the ball at the 32nd minute near the midfield and then marched towards the goal, passing his way there before dribbling past the defenders to Score. Again at the 91st minute, the score was 2-2, Jordi Alba out wide played a cut back towards the edge of the penalty area, where Messi arrived to score the winner. Dramatic.

7. Barcelona 4-1 Arsenal FC ( 06/04/2010 ) - UEFA Champions League Round of 16.

   In this game, Messi played as a pure No. 10. He used his dribbling to tease and then torment the Arsenal's defense. Nutmegs, skips, and fast feet movement of Messi allowed him to score 4 goals. A game that still haunts Arsenal's defenders to this date.‘He has made the impossible possible,’ gushed Wenger before comparing him to a computer-generated figure on PlayStation.

6. Barcelona 2-0 Real Madrid ( 27/04/2011) - UEFA Champions League semi-final.

Jose Mourinho's Real Madrid was ready for Messi and their arch-rivals Barcelona but Messi had other plans. Messi was deployed as a midfielder to occupy the half-spaces. The first goal was scored by Barcelona due to the brilliant combinational play of Messi and David Villa.

The second however was pure magic by Messi. Commentators during the goal couldn't stop cherishing about him - "Away from 1, 2, 3, 4, oh wonderful wonderful wonderful, how good is he? How good is he?". It was truly a supernatural goal scored by Messi.

5. Barcelona 4-0 Bayern Munich ( 08/04/2009) - UEFA Champions League Quater-Final 1st Leg.

In this game, Messi started at Right Wing along with Henry and Samuel Eto'o as the front three. This match ended with a scoreline of 4-0 to Barcelona with Messi scoring 2 and assisting 1 goal. The second leg was a draw 1-1 and Barcelona ultimately progressed through.

4. Barcelona 2-0 Manchester United ( 27/05/09) - UEFA Champions League Final.

This match isn't about how many Messi scored but how well he played. Messi scored just the one goal but its gratitude was enormous. He ran Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic, two of the best defenders of their time, in circles. At the 70th minute mark, Messi found space in between the defenders, he leaped up and scored a fine headed goal. Barcelona won the Champions League Final 2-0 courtesy of some great display by Messi.

3. Barcelona 6-2 Real Madrid ( 02/05/2009 ) - El Classico at Santiago Bernabeu.

Most of the Barcelona fans and Football fanatics would be familiar with the scoreline and the tactical aspect of this game. This was the famous false 9 - Messi game which made Football tacticians go berserk. The tactical analysis of this game was everywhere the next day. But the history before the game was important too. Real Madrid had picked up pace in the league, will the last 18 games with only 1 draw from 19, and was just 1 point behind Barca with just 5 games remain in the season. It was a real test of character for both the teams.

Messi playing at the center constantly dropped deep connection to the midfield. This move constantly created doubt in the minds of the defenders as to either stay in there place causing overload in midfield for Barca or follow him leaving space wide open behind him. All the Barcelona goals were a direct cause of Messi's Positional play and the confusion created by it. The game ended 6-2 with Messi scoring 2 and assisting 1 with numerous key passes.

2. Barcelona vs Bayern Munich (05 /05/ 2015) - Champions League Semi-final.

2014/15 Champions League Semi-Final, another big stage, and the big match player stepped up again. Bayern Munich came with a mindset to defend, they kept resisting Barcelona's attack with intent. With 77 minutes already gone something had to be done. Messi scored the much-needed opener with a fabulous strike from outside the box. Soon after breaking Bayern's Resistance, Messi again decided to produce another moment of magic, scoring the second for Barca at the 80th-minute mark. He wrong-footed Boateng, leaving him red-faced on the ground. He even ended the game by assisting Neymar with a goal at the 90th-minute mark.

1. Barcelona 3-3 Real Madrid ( 10/03/2007 ) - El Classico La Liga game.

     Unlike most of the other matches on this list, this game had little significance for Barcelona. Real Madrid were the runaway leaders and Barca realistically had no chance of stopping them from winning the league. Barca didn't even win the game as the game ended 3-3 but this game was the start of a new era in Football. The 19-year-old Messi announced himself to the world in some style. This game showed everyone that Lionel Messi wasn't just a promising young talent but had the ability to win matches on his own.

    Just like the league, Madrid dominated the game. Real Madrid went ahead 3 times but each time Lionel Messi dragged it back for Barca. He scored in the 11th minute making it 1-1 then again at 25th minute he made it 2-2. With the game poised at 3-2, Lionel Messi picked up the ball and dribbled past a group of defenders to score an absolute beauty in the extra time. It was probably the most important performance Messi has ever produced.


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