The Beautiful Game

Add caption It would not be wrong to say that the fate and the key to success of any team is often decided by its midfield. A midfielder performs the most pivotal task of linking the defence and the attack of his team. We often easily recognize the scintillating skill of wingers, playmakers and deadly goal machines but one must not forget to appreciate the most complex job performed by midfielders. A great midfielder is probably the biggest asset for any team and one player in modern football who certainly looks destined to greatness by mastering this supreme role is Kevin Strootman. Kevin Strootman began his professional footballing career with the Netherlands’ oldest professional football club, Sparta Rotterdam, as a genuine box-to-box midfielder and has continued to develop on this trait. The energetic Dutchman is one of the most effective players in world football when it comes to the art of tackling, winning possession and intercepting the passes. In 2012-13 Europa Leagu...

NOTE: Players considered born after Jan 1, 1995, having played for any amount of time for their respective teams in 2013-14 season. MAXIMILIAN MEYER (FC Schalke 04) DOB:            18/09/1995 AGE:             18 POSITION:   AM,Wing KIT NO:        7 Max's breakthrough came in the 12-13 season, when several key players were injured for Schalke 04. The youngster known for his trickery and pace, grabbed onto his opportunity and never let go. Schalke, after having a rather unimpressive start tot the 13-14 bundesliga campaign  threw him in for the first time in Schalke's 4-0 loss to Werder Bremen. The youngster has scored 3 goals and provided 1 assist in 16 appearances already this season, 7 of which saw him come off the bench. This young dribble master is tipped to be the next big thing having already been linked with the likes of Arsenal and Chelsea. A...

In the grand scheme of things, the appointment of Moyes at Old Trafford was a brave one. For a British coach to be given such a responsibility of taking the reigns at the most successful British club of the Premier League era was/is a Hell of a gesture. The harsh reality is, there are seldom, if any, British coach's who have the credentials to be considered "at a level" to take on any of England's "top clubs". A damning indictment indeed. Moving on, prior to Ferguson's retirement, many were of the mind (myself included) that Mourinho was shamelessly flirting  his wares in in the direction of the red half of Manchester, with very real aspirations to replace Ferguson when the time came when the Scotsman decided to leave the Utd hotseat. It made sense, it was a "natural progression", a man (Mourinho) used to pressure, inspired by criticism & a CV to blow most of his contemporaries out of the water. Suffice to say not only Manchester U...

His time has come. "I don’t want to talk about the Golden Ball, I just do what I do out on the pitch; the decision is not up to me." -Cristiano Ronaldo The FIFA Ballon d’Or award has become a tad monotonous over the last 5 years or so, as it has effectively been reduced to a personal tussle between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. The last 4 years have seen Messi clinch the trophy with Ronaldo just falling short.   Mere statistics will tell us that Ronaldo has conjured majestic performances in these last four years, deserving to be called the Best in the world but it pales in comparison to Messi’s out-of-the-world performances combined with the continued success of the footballing juggernaut called FC Barcelona. Fans of the former Manchester United winger have become so disgruntled with this trend that rumours of a conspiracy against Ronaldo have often been propagated. Two Of A Kind 2013 has provided us with a sudden shift in the balance of power. Me...

Jack Wilshere and England came to grips with reality They played like Barcelona. It was all that Jack Wilshere could say to defend the abject surrender that was England’s performance in their loss to Chile this last month. At no point did he talk about the fact that England were playing at Wembley, their very own home, neither did he highlight the manner in which England were outfought, out-tackled, out-passed and quite simply outplayed at the very game they invented. The defeat while not prophetic, or definitive by any means, exposes quite brutally the obvious shortcomings of the current English squad. While they may possess some of the biggest names in modern football, as a team, England never fail to ‘build you up and let you down’. They say that a team is often molded in the image of its manager. Roy Hodgson is the man entrusted with the onerous responsibility of bringing back English football to its very best. The truth is though, that he neither possesses the ...

GROUP A Shakhtar Donetsk Vs. Manchester United Half Time Score : 1-0 ( 18' Welbeck ) Full Time Score : 1-1( 76' Taison ) Review : Manchester United took the early lead through Danny Welbeck as Shakhtar failed to clear a Felaini pass effectively. Shakhtar attacked well after that and had a few shots on goal but none of consequence.All in all it was a well matched contest but and Taison equalised for Shakhtar as the sides shared a point each. Watch highlights here. Bayer Leverkusen Vs. Real Sociedad Half Time Score : 1-0 ( 45' Rolfes ) Full Time Score : 0-2 ( 51' Vela , 90' Hegeler )   Review : In the first half, Antoine Griezmann's goal was ruled offside though he seemed pretty much onside. A set piece was eventually pushed into the net by Simon Rolfes. In the second half Carlos Vela was hacked down in the box and even though he missed the resulting penalty, he slotted home the on the rebound to equalize. The highlight of the ga...