Battle of Spanish Midfielders at their prime!

Classic Comparison -

Juan Mata 2012/13 VS David Silva 2011/12 !

Juan Mata and David Silva tale of two Spanish midfielders. Both of them left Valencia to start their new journey at the Premier League, Their journey is very different from one another. A decade ago, England witness an invasion of a different sort. The intensely physical Premier League braced itself for two technically gifted Spanish midfielders. They arrived one year apart, with tiki-taka football acting as a catalyst. They revolutionized English football. A decade on, football is played at a heavy metal pace unsuitable for the men who arrived from Spain a decade earlier. Fondly called as 'Merlin', David Silva has been Manchester City's most reliable player throughout the decade. Manchester City had an artist who conducted the orchestra for a decade. Juan Mata is probably one of the few who are technically adept as Silva. How different Mata's journey would have been with a little luck. ' The Wizard', He was Chelsea's player of the season twice in his first two years. Now he is at best a peripheral figure who remains popular. Having Jose Mourinho as the boss(twice) didn't help his cause. While one walks from Manchester having won 4 PL titles, the other would remain on an unsteady ship in turbulent waters.

Juan Mata vs David Silva

Juan Mata was a different breed during the 2012/13 campaign for Chelsea, He had " 19 goals and 35 assists" from midfield. He played 64 games throughout the season in which he helped Chelsea to win the Europa League. He averaged a goal and assist every 91 minutes throughout the season.

 David Silva had his best season at Eithad during their first title win in 44 years. During the 2011/12 season, he played 49 games throughout the season and won the Premier League. He averaged a goal and assist every 134 minutes throughout the season.

Premier League

Juan Mata averaged 2.8 key passes during the season and ended with 12 assist which was League high during the 2012/13 season. He created 98 chances in 35 games. He completed 85% of his passes, including 2.8 long passes per game. He attempted 1.3 crosses per game during the entirety of the Premier League season He also managed to get 12 goals. He averaged a goal and assist every 115 minutes throughout the entire Premier League season.

David Silva averaged 2.9 key passes during the season and ended with 15 assist which was league-high during the 2011/12 season. He created 104 chances in 36 games. He completed 87% of his passes, including 1.6 long passes per game. He attempted 1 cross per game during the entirety of the Premier League season. He also managed to get 6 goals. He averaged a goal and assist every 134 minutes throughout the entire Premier League season.

Champions League

Juan Mata averaged 2.7 key passes during the season and ended with 3 assists during the 2012/13 Champions League, As they crashed out during the group stage. He created 16 chances in 6 games. He completed 87% of his passes, including 2.7 long passes per game. He attempted 2 crosses per game during the entirety of the Champions League season He also managed to get 3 goals. He averaged a goal and assist every 74 minutes throughout the entire Champions League.

David Silva averaged 2.2 key passes during the season and ended with 2 assists during the 2011/12 Champions League, As they crashed out during the group stage. He created 13 chances in 2 games. He completed 87% of his passes, including 1.8 long passes per game. He managed to get 1 goal. He averaged a goal and assist every 170 minutes throughout the entire Champions  League.

Others

Additional Mata got 5 assists and 1 goal in 490 minutes of Europa League action. He was instrumental in Chelsea's run to semi-finals in both cup competition where he was involved in 5 assists and 1 goal in the FA cup, 2  goals, and  4 assists in the EFL cup. He added a goal and an assist to his tally in the club world cup.

Silva was involved in just a goal in the Europa League, and an assist in both Community Shield and the EFL Cup.

Verdict

Juan Mata was the best player in the Premier League during his first two seasons at Chelsea. Even though his career fell apart he was on par with the best midfielders during his first few seasons. Where Silva gained strength to strength throughout his career, Mata was unlucky where he fell victim to Jose twice and joined Manchester United during their dreadful era.

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New kid on the block for title tussle!

How Chelsea level upped during the summer window!

Chelsea had a transfer ban last summer, breaching FIFA's policy for signing minor players. Initially ban was up until the 2020/21 season, But the Court of Arbitration for Sport halved it to one window ban and also reduced the fine. Chelsea has surprised everyone with their eye-catching transfer activity this summer. The blues have seriously strengthened their squad with six quality signing. With a seventh addition expected imminently, Edouard Mendy set to be their latest addition. It'll take their spending close to £250m. With a defensive midfielder also on Lampard's wishlist, Rice looks the player Blues manager wants. With West ham expecting a fee in between £50 mil to £80 mil. It looks highly unlikely that a transfer might happen, But Boubakary Soumare has been targetted as a backup. Last time they went on this kind of spending spree they halted the domination of Manchester United and Arsenal. This time they are looking to entangle with Manchester City and Liverpool.

It brings back memories of Chelsea’s mad spending spree in the summer of 2003, the same summer Roman Abramovich bought the club. The Russian billionaire immediately transformed the team by splashing out millions of pounds of 13 players, shocking Premier League fans in the process. With the addition of Timo Werner, Hakim Ziyech, and Kai Havertz. Attacking power at the Bridge already looks jaw-dropping.

Werner is a dynamic, eccentric center-forward capable of playing as a lone striker or as part of a duo. Usually taking up the role of a complete forward, Werner is clinical and that is seen in his goal scoring exploits of 28 goals in the current Bundesliga season. Werner had one of the most prolific seasons in his career scoring 28 goals. With his Expected Goals at 20, he massively outperformed by scoring 8 goals. He averaged a goal every 98 minutes. Kai Havertz is one of the unique players in the current footballing scene. Kai can be described as a chameleon. Just in the last three seasons, we have seen three different versions of him. Kai is a complete passer. Long passes, short passes, through balls, crossing on the ground, crossing in the air, he can do it all. According to One vs One, his conversion rate is 24.44(!) percent, which is higher than Timo Werner’s (22.73%) and Sergio Agüero’s (23.53%). He loves to smash volleys and first-time finishes, but he is also excellent at cheekily chipping the ball over the goalkeeper. All this combined with his excellent first touch is the reason why Bayer has even tried him as a striker this season. His positioning is almost always perfect and he naturally and immediately finds gaps in the defense to exploit to his advantage. Predominantly a winger, Ziyech’s natural positioning from a very wide starting position on the right means he drives infield with possession, where he poses his greatest threat. His ability to cut inside from a wide starting position and to target the goal directly contributes to him also providing a goalscoring threat similar to that posed by one of his predecessors at Chelsea, Arjen Robben. Ziyech’s relationship with Ajax right-backs Noussair Mazraoui and Sergiño Dest has contributed to him becoming an influential figure at the Eredivisie club. Their overlapping, supporting runs encourage him to attack as effectively as he does through the inside right channel; without their supporting runs, his attacks would prove significantly less potent. Whoever plays as Chelsea’s right-back, they will need to provide overlapping runs beyond Ziyech into more advanced territory.

No doubt these three new addition will help Chelsea will reach new heights this season. Expect Chelsea to be in the mix for the title. The downside to this type of transfer windows is that the team takes time to gel. They will be in the mix for title and will secure the top 4 easily, But the 2021/21 season this team is going to be menacing.

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Clash of titans : Champions league final 2020

Newbies vs The Old Guard : Battle for Europe' supremacy !

It took us a lot longer than initially planned but -- Season finale is finally here, 2019/20 is set to be concluded with a heavyweight clash between Bayern Munich and PSG. Matches don't come more enticing than this. Final between two teams that love to attack and are littered with match-winners-- it is a showdown that guarantees goals. PSG earned their spot after beating Borussia Dortmund, Atalanta, and RB Leipzig. They have gradually looked more dangerous and free-flowing over the past weeks of knock-out football. Bayern Munich has been a machine, they rolled past Chelsea with ease, obliterated Barcelona in quarters and easing past Lyon in the semi-finals. It's a clash between the dominant side from their respective leagues ( France and Germany). PSG became the 41st side to reach Champions League final and, will be hoping to lift the trophy for the first time in their history. Meanwhile, Bayern reached their 11th Champions League final and is seeking to win it for the sixth time in their history.

BAYERN MUNICH

Bayern is the favorites to win this tie. They have won ten in a row scoring 42 goals. This team looks to be in a mission to win, they have been dominant no matter the opposition. Lewandowski is in the form of his career, banging in goals for fun. Bayern Munich is pretty good and is the complete team. Attack supplemented by Gnabry and Müller alongside the best player currently, that's a frightening sight. Müller himself described himself as "Raumdeuter"(it means something like an interpreter of space). He is instrumental to the way Flick sets his team up. In his idiosyncratic way, he is central to the Flick style. From midfield to defense Bayern is stacked up with world-class players. They can easily up the tempo in this game which, PSG midfield should match the tempo --if they want to be crowned champions.

PSG

PSG have Neymar, Mbappe, Icardi, and Di Maria, Yet they are the underdogs in this final. They are coming against a Bayern side that functions very well from defensive end to attacking end. They must be at their best if they want to beat Bayern Munich. Bayern plays a high line that will suit the PSG attackers. Bayern's full-back love to bomb forward and their midfielders aren't used to a player running off them. Leon Goretzka will be important but it will come down to pace. Alaba is quick, he isn't quick enough for PSG's attackers. Expect some scintillating counter-attack from PSG.

PREDICTION :  PSG 3 - 2 BAYERN MUNICH

Bayern are favorite to win the tie, but PSG have enough fire power to hurt the German champions. It has to be the defence for Bayern which will be their undoing. Messi should have scored against them and was furious at himself, which then changes the format of the game. Bayern killed them in the end, but they do give away chances. Serge Gnabry looks unreal and Bayern look strong. It has been a massive effort from both of these sides and it is a treat to have them in the final. Kylian Mbappe is also on the edge of being the next superstar for a while. Winning Champions will no doubt proper him in that category.  Along with brilliance of Neymar, it might be too much for Bayern to handle.

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Player Comparison : 2019/20

Mane vs Salah: Who were most pivotal in Liverpool's title win?

Sadio Mane 

Sadio Mane won PFA Fans' Player of the season, he won it by a massive margin. Between him and De Bruyne difference was 14 percent. Near about the same amount third place Alexander-Arnold got(17 percent). He played a massive part in Liverpool's title win, He contributed 18 goals and 7 assists as they bulldozed their way to 1st title in 30 years. His goals won Liverpool 18 points before the pandemic. Whenever Liverpool needed a hero, Mane delivered through -- Be it his header against Aston Villa or his winner at Norwich. His statistics may be less impressive than Salah's on paper, but he was the driving force behind their charge for a title. He was a standout performer overall, whether it was consistency, importance, character, or work rate. His all-round game was superior to his counterpart. He tormented defense from the left side. Despite playing 131 minutes less than the Egyptian, He ended the season with one less goal. His overall contribution is phenomenal, he won 32 tackles to 6 of Salah's. He created 10 big chances. He directly contributed to 29 percent of Liverpool's goal in 2019/20. He has been one of the most influential attacking players in 2019/20.

Mohamed Salah

Mohamed Salah has topped the goal-scoring chart for Liverpool, Since his debut. No Liverpool player has been involved in more goals Since the Egyptians made his debut. In 108 appearances he has been involved in 101 goals ( 73 goals and 28 assists). He is the first-ever Liverpool player to record double digits for both goals and assists in two different seasons (2017/18 & 2019/20). He scored 19 goals and gave out 10 assists, yet people tell it has been a disappointing season for Salah. Standards have been set high for Salah due to his previous exploits. He was in the hunt for a third consecutive golden boot. There is plenty of brilliance among these goals and assists. Some incentive play, bemusing dribbling, one-touch play, all are in the lockers. If Liverpool scores one of those goals that defines them -- the free-flowing one, lighting quick moves on the counter, or to break down a low block, Salah is usually involved. Despite all those brilliance, he can underwhelm for periods, running into troubles, or making the wrong decision. On numerous occasions, he shoots when the best option would to be pass it to his teammates. He has created a total of 13 big chances this season only Alexander-Arnold(18) has created more in this team. His 2017/18 campaign was extraordinary, almost Messi level, and marked him out as one of the best players in the world. A drop in output was expected, but even in a team that is defined by the collective rather than the individual, Salah’s output still stands out even if his performances sometimes don’t. Salah was involved in 34 percent of Liverpool's goal significantly higher than his counterpart.

Verdict 

No wonder they both had outstanding campaigns in their own ways. But Mane's overall contribution has been more important to Liverpool, Then those of Salah's. Despite the statistics favoring the Egyptians, It's Senegalese who has come to Liverpool's rescue this season.  Mane was more pivotal than Salah in this year's title run in for Liverpool.

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Champions League Night!

PREDICTION TIME: RB LEIPZIG VS PSG

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RB Leipzig vs PSG

As I would like to say Money v Money, both of the team are financially backed -- by multi-billionaire owners. But the PSG are the ones who will feel more pressure than their German counterpart. Leipzig beat Atletico to reach the semis, they tore Simeone's well-drilled team apart. Played some wonderful football, they are the underdog --With nothing on the line for them, they might fancy taking on PSG. On the other hand, PSG must be fancy themselves to reach the finals for the first time in their history. With the likes of Neymar, Mbappe, and Icardi leading the charges, without a shimmer of doubt, they fancy the chance of winning this year. For Leipzig, this is there first ever knockout experience in Europe's premier club competition. They lacked a cutting edge for the most part and had a good fortune with Adams' shot that took a massive deflection to outwit Jan Oblak. PSG was far from at their best against Atalanta, with Neymar in particular, with his shooting boot off the mark. But they possess the firepower necessary to work their way out of tricky positions.

RB Leipzig

UEFA ranking: 32

This season: P9 W6 D2 L1 F17 A9

How they got here: Group G winners, 4-0 agg Tottenham (R16), 2-1 Atlético (QF)

Last five games: WWLDW

Top scorer: Timo Werner, Marcel Sabitzer (4)

Last season: Europa League group stage

European Cup best: semi-finals (2019/20)

PSG

UEFA ranking: 7

This season: P9 W7 D1 L1 F22 A5

How they got here: Group A winners, 3-2 agg Dortmund (R16), 2-1 Atalanta (QF)

Last five games: WDWWW

Top scorer: Mauro Icardi, Kylian Mbappé (5)

Last season: round of 16

European Cup best: semi-finals (1994/95, 2019/20)

PREDICTION: RB Leipzig 1 - 2 PSG

Highly-rated Leipzig coach Julian Nagelsmann will no doubt be relishing the chance to tactically outwit former mentor Tuchel, but this may prove a step too far for his side as PSG look to make the final after so many high-profile failures on Europe's biggest stage.

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Talk of the day!!

Klopp sets his retirement date, Juve interested in another young midfielder....? Rumors, Reaction, Transfer: All in one!

• Newcastle takeover rumors never seem to go away, Saudi's were denied the ownership -- With so many problems being mentioned with the name Saudi. It was no surprise to see the takeover being denied. With a Singapore-backed company is in the hunt, the company boasts an astonishing 9 Billion revenues. Newcastle legend Alan Shearer is offered the job by the Singaporean cousins who are trying to buy the club.

• Jurgen Klopp has said he will talk a sabbatical once his contract expires in 2024. He has also potentially hinted at retirement, Klopp said "I'll take a year off and ask myself if I miss football. If I say no, then that will be the end of coach Jurgen Klopp. If one day I am no longer a coach, there is one thing I will not miss: the brutal tension immediately before the game."

• Joe hart is set to sign for Tottenham, as manager Jose Mourinho tries to solve the homegrown quota. But the formerly Man city goalkeeper is facing a pay cut on his current £ 50,000 per-week contract. With the goalkeeper set to be back up to Hugo Lloris. The 33-year old has been linked with Celtic, Leeds, Blackburn Rovers, and Derby County and had also considered options abroad.

• Manchester City legend Vincent Kompany has retired from playing career, as he looks to take his managerial career to next level. He'll now take sole charge of his boyhood club Anderlecht. After a fall-out between him and co-manager Frank Vercauteren took place.

• With Barcelona looking for a replacement for Setien, it looks certain that Koeman will be a successor. Koeman is one of the most decorated stars in Barcelona's history. He has never hidden his obsession with being a boss. He even has a car number plate dedicated to the club. Earlier this year he decided to move back to the city. With the Nou Camp in crisis, he must rebuild the team he adores.

• Looks like everyone has a different opinion in the player of the year debate, with three different winners being announced. After Jordan Henderson and Kevin De Bruyne won the awards, now it's Sadio Mane that wins Fans' POTY. The Liverpool attacker was integral in its Premier League title success. He scored 18 goals and seven assists in the league as they finished on 99 points. But it appears fans, the media, and the Premier League all look back on 2019-20 differently with Henderson taking the award from football writers', Mane getting the fans to vote and the Premier League awarding it to Manchester City playmaker Kevin De Bruyne.

• Chelsea eye loan move for Stones. It has already been reported that Chelsea are after Brighton & Hove Albion defender Lewis Dunk. Frank looks for a defender to sore up his defense as they conceded 54 goals in the 2019/20 campaign.

• Bayer Leverkusen is sticking to their £90m price for midfielder Kai Havertz, reports the Evening Standard. As it seems the pandemic didn't change the price tag on their prized asset.

• Real Madrid doesn't have money to spend on signings this summer, but longer-term they're keen to bring in a defender, with Diario AS reporting that RB Leipzig's Dayot Upamecano is their No. 1 target.

• Juventus are keen on the idea of signing Lyon midfielder Houssem Aouar, reports Calciomercato. The Old Lady still wants to sign the Frenchman, but with Lyon's asking price of €70m being out of their reach, as well as competition being offered by Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester City, and Tottenham Hotspur, this move might not come off.

• Edinson Cavani's future has been up in the air for some time now, but Le Parisien is reporting that he could soon complete a move to Benfica.

•  Portuguese outlet A Bola is suggesting that Nacho Fernandez is set to leave Real Madrid this transfer window. It claims that Benfica and Valencia are the two clubs showing the most interest.

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Champions League: Preview

In details : Champions League Semi-final 2019/20

What a quarter-final, we witnessed everything. Comebacks, late goals, giant-killing -- Quarter-finals lived up to the hype. In the first game of the quarter-final we nearly saw Atalanta reaching the semis they were a few minutes away, a late PSG comeback sent them packing home. The story keeps on getting better for RB Leipzig,  formed a little over a decade ago, Now they are competing with big boys for the biggest club competition.  Bayern Munich battered Barcelona 8-2 to reach the semi-finals. They inflicted Barcelona a hammering blow, they might need time to come back from this-- But for Bayern, they go from strength to strength. It looks like they are the favorites for the title this year. Lyon shocked the whole footballing world, no one expected them to get past Juventus. But here they are and now and they can't be taken easily.

RB Leipzig vs PSG

As I would like to say Money v Money, both of the team are financially backed -- by multi-billionaire owners. But the PSG are the ones who will feel more pressure than their German counterpart. Leipzig beat Atletico to reach the semis, they tore Simeone's well-drilled team apart. Played some wonderful football, they are the underdog --With nothing on the line for them, they might fancy taking on PSG. On the other hand, PSG must be fancy themselves to reach the finals for the first time in their history. With the likes of Neymar, Mbappe, and Icardi leading the charges, without a shimmer of doubt they fancy the chance of winning this year. For Leipzig, this is there first ever knockout experience in Europe's premier club competition. They lacked a cutting edge for the most part and had a good fortune with Adams' shot that took a massive deflection to outwit Jan Oblak. PSG was far from at their best against Atalanta, with Neymar in particular, with his shooting boot off the mark. But they possess the firepower necessary to work their way out of tricky positions.

RB Leipzig

UEFA ranking: 32

This season: P9 W6 D2 L1 F17 A9

How they got here: Group G winners, 4-0 agg Tottenham (R16), 2-1 Atlético (QF)

Last five games: WWLDW

Top scorer: Timo Werner, Marcel Sabitzer (4)

Last season: Europa League group stage

European Cup best: semi-finals (2019/20)

PSG

UEFA ranking: 7

This season: P9 W7 D1 L1 F22 A5

How they got here: Group A winners, 3-2 agg Dortmund (R16), 2-1 Atalanta (QF)

Last five games: WDWWW

Top scorer: Mauro Icardi, Kylian Mbappé (5)

Last season: round of 16

European Cup best: semi-finals (1994/95, 2019/20)

PREDICTION : RB Leipzig 1 - 2 PSG

Highly-rated Leipzig coach Julian Nagelsmann will no doubt be relishing the chance to tactically outwit former mentor Tuchel, but this may prove a step too far for his side as PSG look to make the final after so many high-profile failures on Europe's biggest stage.

Betting odds and tips

• RB Leipzig to win: 4/1
• Draw after 90 mins: Between 3/1 & 16/5
• PSG to win: 4/5
• Over 2.5 goals: 8/11

Bayern Munich vs Lyon

Both results Bayern and Lyon got were shocking, no one expected Lyon to win against Man City, whereas for Bayern. Everyone expected Bayern to reach the semis but -- They did it in such a way that everyone was left amazed. They didn't stop even after it was virtually impossible for Barca to comeback. Lyon hammered a blow to a Man City side that was chasing their first-ever Champions league crown. They now have knocked out two big teams Juventus and Man City. Bayern will surely be looking to reach their 12th final. This Bayern team is one the best in the world, despite their heroics against City. Bayern might be a task a little bit out of their reach. In knocking out both Juventus and City, Rudi Garcia's team have now proved themselves a highly dangerous outfit that should not be underestimated. However, it is simply impossible to pick against a team as confident and incisive as Bayern after watching that 8-2 destruction of Barcelona.

BAYERN

UEFA ranking: 2

This season: P9 W9 D0 L0 F39 A8

How they got here: Group B winners, 7-1 agg Chelsea (R16), 8-2 Barcelona (QF)

Last five games: WWWWW

Top scorer: Robert Lewandowski (14)

Last season: quarter-finals

European Cup best: winners x5 (most recently 2012/13)

LYON

UEFA ranking: 17

This season: P9 W4 D2 L3 F14 A11

How they got here: Group G runners-up, 2-2 agg Juventus (away goals, R16), 3-1 Manchester City (QF)

Last five games: WLDLL

Top scorer: Memphis Depay (6)

Last season: round of 16

European Cup best: semi-finals (2009/10, 2019/20)

PREDICTION : Lyon 1-3 Bayern Munich

The Bavarians are unbeaten in their last 19 matches across all competitions and have already scored a whopping 39 goals in just nine European outings this season, boasting considerable threats all over the pitch.Expect Lyon to produce another valiant performance, but Bayern will surely have enough to set up a final date against either domestic rivals RB Leipzig or Paris Saint-Germain next weekend at Benfica's Estadio da Luz.

Betting odds and tips

• Lyon to win: Between 12/1 & 13/1
• Draw after 90 mins: 7/1
• Bayern to win: 1/4
• Over 2.5 goals: 4/11

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How Barcelona Lost Its Way

Barcelona could decline and become “the new AC Milan”

Started the decade with a Champions league final, top of club football. Playing attractive football, promoting players from La Masia. Proper way a club should be administered--this Barcelona team was winning machine, year in year out -- they would produce football that would leave fans speechless and opposition manager scratching their heads to break this team down. Not even Sir Alex Ferguson nor Jose Mourinho could do it, they did manage to win against Barca but it wasn't  pretty. Fast forward ten years everything has changed, buying players for hefty fees, youth player leaving for first team opportunities. Where did it go wrong for Barcelona?

Barcelona's crisis has been escalating at an alarming rate. La Liga and the Copa del Rey had become Barca's default, their domestic dominance taken for granted and then diminished by disappointment in Europe. Just over a year on from almost winning the treble, Barcelona  finished without a trophy of any kind for the first time in 12 years. And yet the concern is not so much the many failures of this season but the possibility they could be just the start. The board whose leadership has left Barcelona with a team seemingly neither for the present nor the future.

Rome was bad, in 2018. Barcelona had won the first leg of that quarterfinal easily, by 4-1 at Camp Nou. Few gave Roma much of a chance in the return: a chance to restore a bit of pride, maybe. But Barcelona collapsed, losing by 3-0. Anfield was worse, in 2019. Messi had been as good as his word. Barcelona had cruised to the semifinals this time, and had dismantled Liverpool on Catalan soil. Arturo Vidal, the grizzled Chilean midfielder, had promised to make a particularly personal donation to science if Barcelona did not make the final. Trent Alexander-Arnold took a corner quickly, and Barcelona buckled and broke. But this? This was something else entirely. “The bottom,” was how Gerard Piqué, almost teary, put it. The mighty Barcelona, the Barcelona of Messi and Busquets and Piqué and Suárez, in a Champions League quarterfinal conceded eight goals. It was unthinkable, unfathomable, unbearable. It was as low as they could fall. “The bottom,” was how Gerard Piqué, almost teary, put it.

This was a brutal, ruthless, surgical exposure of all that is wrong with Barcelona. There is no need to reel through that long list — the dreadful recruitment, the total absence of planning, the boardroom infighting, the negligent squandering of a legacy — but, in the space of 90 minutes on Friday, Bayern Munich laid it all bare. This is not a team that can play as it wants to, as it is meant to. It is a team that has come to the end of its line, as even Piqué alluded to afterward, when he admitted that even he will have to leave, if that is what is best for the club. It is not a team that can compete with the finest clubs in Europe any more. It should have realized that at Anfield, really, but it cannot ignore it now. It is a team that needs to be broken up. Coutinho was supposed to replace Andrés Iniesta, just as Arthur Melo was supposed to replace Xavi. Neymar, the man who would play alongside and eventually replace Messi, should be taking the lead now. But he became impatient and Barcelona were powerless to prevent him leaving in 2017. They have become locked in a spiral of loss and nostalgia ever since, desperate to make amends to the point where they tried to bring him back again but did not have the money.

Problems dominate everything, so many they cannot fit on this page.

The current incarnation of Barcelona dates to 2003 and the election of the charismatic, ambitious outsider Joan Laporta as president. He had the air, back then, of a Catalan Kennedy. He saw a need to drag the club forward. He encouraged his subordinates to come up with ideas to increase Barcelona’s flagging revenues. He wanted the team to reflect the place: not just by building the team around the talent flowering at La Masia, the club’s academy. Barcelona has continued to act in that spirit, even as the faces in charge of the club have changed. Laporta was deposed in 2010, and his successor, his onetime protégé Rosell, resigned in disgrace after he was accused of financial crimes in 2014. But in 2017 the club started an innovation hub, with the stated aim of becoming the Silicon Valley of soccer. And in 2018 it laid claim to being the first sports team to surpass $1 billion in revenue. Barcelona, slowly, made the leap from sports team to business. 

When Sandro Rosell stepped down as Barcelona president, some fans were thrilled. It signified the beginning of an honest, organized board.  But how wrong were they? It gets worse from there the board can't hide behind anything. Barcelona are falling apart, but it doesn't bother Bartomeu. Josep Maria Bartomeu asked four of his directors to resign because he didn't feel like he could trust them. Emili Rousaud was the next target, having only been appointed vice-president at the turn of the year and was originally viewed as Bartomeu's successor. There were calls for Bartomeu to resign at the Camp Nou which, luckily for the president, have been halted by football's suspension due to the coronavirus crisis. Bartomeu's aim is to stay in power until the end of his term in June 2021 and, now his distrusted directors are gone, he has the board under control.

If action's are not taken accordingly this maybe a long way for Barcelona to reach the glory days. Without proper leader at the helm, club already looks clueless in transfer-market. With no plan or strategy , they might end up like AC Milan or Manchester United. 

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As big as it gets: Two European powerhouse go head to head

Barcelona vs. Bayern Munich: How Messi, Barca ended up Champions League underdogs, How will Champions League fixture play out tonight?

Bayern Munich and FC Barcelona in the Champions League. Has any game epitomized the elite world of football any better than a match between Die Roten and the Blaugrana? The clubs have met eight times before in the grandest stage of European football, each meeting a classic. History favors Bayern, as they have won six of these meetings while Barca has only won two. However, both teams have their fair share of accomplishments.

Why are Barcelona the underdog?

It's quite simple, really. Barca have been inconsistent since play resumed in June while Bayern have been the strongest team in the world, which obviously makes them the favorite. Forget that Bayern have won 19 games in a row -- they are actually unbeaten in their last 24 games and are conceding 0.54 goals per game while scoring 65 goals in those games. They've been dominant, have blown opponents out of the water and are arguably the strongest team left standing. While Bayern have been perfect, Barca have lost to Osasuna and drawn Celta Vigo down the stretch to concede the league title to their bitter rivals. Bayern can break you down if you play fantastic defense, but if you give them space, they will ruthlessly hurt you. Barca must be careful.

What must Barca do to beat them?

Defensively, Barca have to be very cautious because Bayern can beat you in a variety of ways. Keeping shape, staying compact defensively and tracking runners will be crucial. Just look at the positioning of Jordi Alba here in the 3-1 win over Napoli last week in the round of 16 second leg. Do that against Bayern, and they will exploit it. He's in the red circle, and the blue circle is where he should be.

But of course, you can't win if you don't score. Barca should feel confident in seeing a good bit of the ball, but it won't come easy. While Lionel Messi has the magic to turn a game on its head at any moment, chances are something else will have to give. Be it an unexpected, strong showing from Antoine Griezmann or Luis Suarez playing like it's 2016, who will step up alongside Messi? For that to even matter, the defense must come to play. It's hard to envision a Barca team having to focus on defense first, but Bayern posses more of a threat than any team Quique Setien's team has faced this season. Barca will get their chances, and they'll get forward to impose their will, but Bayern will probably get more opportunities, and Barca's defense has to be perfect. Barca have to limit mistakes and play with caution to have any chance of moving on.

PREVIEW

The only two previous winners of either the Champions League or European Cup still left in this year’s competition are Barcelona and Bayern Munich. Both have been crowned champions of Europe five times and they face off at the Estadio da Luz in Friday’s hotly-anticipated quarter-final.After a disappointing 1-1 draw with Napoli in the first leg of the last-16 tie Barcelona were able to show their class with a 3-1 win in the second leg last week, thanks to a goal and an assist from their talisman. However with a trophy-less season looming, rumours suggest that defeat to Bayern Munich on Friday could be the final nail in the coffin for Setién.

The first part of Bayern Munich’s 2019/20 season followed much of the same pattern as the Blaugrana's. The Bavarians picked up the DFB-Pokal in their last competitive game of the season with a 4-2 victory over Bayer Leverkusen and are now just three matches away from the treble. Barcelona are currently the only club to have won two European trebles but Bayern could draw level with them if Flick can match the feat of Jupp Heynckes’ 2012/13 side.Central to their chances is the form of Robert Lewandowski, who was a losing Champions League finalist for Borussia Dortmund in 2013. The Polish striker is playing the best football of his life at the age of 31 and has an incredible Champions League record this campaign. He has scored 13 goals in just 7 games to leave him four short of Cristiano Ronaldo’s 2013/14 record for most goals in a single Champions League season. With three goals and four assists against Chelsea in the last round he was involved in all seven of Bayern’s goals and he has looked unplayable at times this year.

The two sides with most European pedigree come head-to-head on Friday and history suggests that the winner has a good chance of being crowned champions of Europe again. They met in the quarter-finals in 2008/09 and in the semi-finals in 2012/13 and 2014/15. On each of those occasions, the victor has gone on to lift the trophy.

Injuries and suspensions

Barcelona

Barcelona were without midfielders Sergio Busquets and Arturo Vidal for their second leg match against Napoli but both should be available for selection against Bayern, with the former very likely to start. Samuel Umtiti has definitely been ruled out due to a knee injury while Ousmane Dembele faces a race against time to be fit enough for a place on the bench. Martin Braithwaite was left out of Setién’s Champions League squad list so will not feature.

Barcelona Champions League form: W-W-W-L-W-W

Barcelona form (all competitions): W-D-W-W-D-W

Bayern Munich

Bayern Munich have been boosted by the return to training of Kingsley Coman and Jerome Boateng, who both missed last weekend’s win over Chelsea. Boateng will almost certainly return to the heart of the defence alongside David Alaba, while Coman will compete with Ivan Perisic for a place on the left of Bayern’s attack. Benjamin Pavard is out of this game due to a ligament injury but Bayern hope to have him fit to play some part in their Champions League campaign, should they progress past Barcelona.

Bayern Munich Champions League form: W-W-W-W-W-W

Bayern Munich form (all competitions): W-W-W-W-W-W

 Prediction : Barcelona 1-2 Bayern Munich 

This is an incredibly difficult match to call for a number of reasons, and a lot will depend on how both teams cope with the newly-structured competition. Both managers will feel that they can cause problems in the final third, but Bayern's form is staggering - unbeaten in all competitions since early December  and I am finding it difficult to back against Hansi Flick's side, ultimately backing them to record a 2-1 success. Lionel Messi has proved too much for Bayern to handle in the past but it is an enormous ask for him to turn the tie in Barcelona’s favour. Bayern remain the logical choice, but with Messi there is always a chance.

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VAR(Video assistant referee) explained

Is Football Getting Slower and More Fair?

The video assistant referee (VAR) is an assistant referee in association football who reviews decisions made by the head referee with the use of video footage and headset for communication.Following extensive trialling in a number of major competitions, VAR was first written into the Laws of the Game by the International Football Association Board (IFAB) in 2018. Operating under the philosophy of "minimal interference, maximum benefit", the VAR system seeks to provide a way for "clear and obvious errors" and "serious missed incidents" to be corrected. FIFA officially approved the use of VAR for the 2018 FIFA World Cup during the FIFA Council meeting on 16 March 2018 in Bogotá. This tournament became the first competition to use VAR in full (at all matches and in all venues).

When is VAR used?

GOALS

The role of the VAR is to assist the referee to determine whether there was an infringement that means a goal should not be awarded. As the ball has crossed the line, play is interrupted so there is no direct impact on the game.

PENALTY DECISIONS

The role of the VAR is to ensure that no clearly wrong decisions are made in conjunction with the award or non-award of a penalty kick.

RED CARD INCIDENTS

 

The role of the VAR is to ensure that no clearly wrong decisions are made in conjunction with sending off or not sending off a player.

MISTAKEN IDENTITY

The referee cautions or sends off the wrong player, or is unsure which player should be sanctioned. The VAR will inform the referee so that the correct player can be disciplined.

These stats were gathered by the International Football Association Board (IFAB) across a study of almost 972 games that took place in 20 different national authorities worldwide.Interestingly, across matches covered in the study, the system was only called into action in just third of the games. Approximately two-thirds of games did not revert to VAR at all, even though the facility was ready and waiting to be used. The breakdown is as follows:

• 69.1% of matches covered did not need VAR replays
• Only 5.5% of games where VAR was brought into play needed more than one review
• 57.4% of VAR incidents related to penalty decisions and goals scored
• 42.1% were in connection with red card situations
• Mistaken identity calls were negligible 

In terms of the average VAR intervention time in a single match, it is approximately 55 seconds. This pales into insignificance with other match events such as:

• Corner kicks - 3 mins 57 secs
• Free kicks - 8 mins 51 secs
• Goal kicks - 5 mins 46 secs
• Making substitutions - 2 mins 57 secs
• Throw-ins - 7 mins 2 secs

With so many questionable decision made by VAR. Many fans and pundits were left baffled by VAR. Everyone believes in VAR but work is needed on implementation. VAR will not achieve 100 per cent accuracy, but will positively influence decision-making and lead to more correct, and fairer, judgments. In July 2020, the International Football Association Board (IFAB) transferred the responsibility of VAR to FIFA. IFAB will continue to work closely with FIFA, especially in terms of the VAR protocol, related Laws and qualification requirements. With two different sets of referee being involved in decision making and review. Mostly the decision made initially by field referee's are not changed. The VAR may advise the referee to change his decision, but the final call must always be the referee's. With increased use of the RRA(Referee Review Area), which will be used for subjective decisions in the three key areas -goals, red cards and penalty kicks. Decision made by referees won't be full of mistakes as compared to past season.

Who is in the VAR room?

There will be a lead official, who will make judgements on all reviews. There will also be an assistant official, who continues to watch the live game while the lead handles a review. The third person is the Hawk-eye operative, who controls the technology and is independent of the decision-making process.

Verdict

It's not perfect and there's been a few mistakes or perceived errors.Anything new that's brought into the game, there's going to be teething problems.A lot of the decisions  are still subjective calls.So there's still a 50-50 on which way people go. Given time it'll come good, despite the criticism players and fans have now become more accustomed to it.

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Player Comparison : 2019/20

Record breakers : King of assists Kevin De Bruyne vs Thomas Müller

There are three players with 20+ assists in 2019/20 season, other being Messi. Here we are only comparing two of them ( De Bruyne & Müller), Messi is Messi : So, he isn't here on the list. With  Lionel Messi (Barcelona, 21 assists) along with  Thomas Müller (Bayern München, 21 assists)  leading the assists charts in top 5 leagues closely followed by Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City, 21 assists).

Thomas Müller

What a season for the fan favorite at Allianz Arena, Muller struggled to perform ; regularly finding himself on the bench. He made just three starts under then manager Niko Kovac. He recorded four assists and failed to find the back of the net in eleven appearances. However, the appointment of Hansi Flick in September appears to have flicked a magic wand in Muller’s direction. The German has been on a non-stop sensational form; so far he has contributed eight goals and seventeen assists in 24 games under Flick. Flick has allowed Müller the creative freedom he needs to dictate the game in midfield, finding space to bring teammates into threatening positions. Müller has created a whopping 2.9  chances per game, and has created a total of 26 big chances. Thomas Muller has a pass completion rate of 75.92 % and a rate of 60% for passes into the box.He's excepted assists are at 12.7, The expected assists (xA) metric measures the underlying creativity of a player’s passes. He has created 96 chances this season.Unlike xG, a player having more assists than their xA does not necessarily mean they’re overperforming individually because the conversion of their passes into goals is dependent on the players receiving these passes.

Kevin De Bruyne

De Bruyne can count himself unlucky to have not overtaken Thierry Henry's Premier League record for the most assists in a single season, instead drawing level with his tally of 20.But De Bruyne actually believes that he did indeed break Henry's record, opining in his post-match interview that the Premier League robbed him of two assists against Arsenal. De Bruyne remarked: "I have got two more. You guys took two away from me. I’m still claiming that one. For me I was already there.” Simultaneously he saw his own Bundesliga record of 20 assists, set while playing for Wolfsburg in 2014/15,surpassed by his German rival. Kevin De Bruyne has created 33 big chances. While creating 3.8 chances per game.Kevin de Bruyne has a pass completion rate of 76.95% and a rate of 50 % for passes into the box. He has created a whopping 136 chances in Premier league, his closest rival Grealish has created only 91 chances. De Bruyne became the quickest player to reach 50 assists, the only to reach 15+ assists in three successive seasons. Henry said that De Bruyne foreshadowed his name standing next to his : “In the Belgium national team we used to joke about the assists record and I always used to say: ‘You were not far this year,’ and he would always say: ‘I’ll get you one day’.” No wonder he’s not too bothered about sharing the record.

Verdict

No wonder both of them had a wonderful season, but for me personally De Bruyne had a better season than his German counterpart. He was creating chances for fun, had they finished off their chances. De Bruyne would hold the record(most assists in premier league season). At some point in the season he was in Ballon d'Or conversation. So, for me De Bruyne had the better season out of this two.

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