Aftermath

 Kotoko win FA cup, England U-17s win world cup, Madrid in shock defeat,more.

 

The Sadick Adams Show

Saddick Adams’ brilliant first half hattrick led Asante Kotoko to a 3-1 win over fierce rivals Accra Hearts Of Oak in the 2017 MTN ‘Unmissable’ FA cup. Kotoko were the better team in all departments and thoroughly deserved to go home with their 10^th FA cup trophy and furthermore , a spot in the CAF confederations cup. They showed the desire and passion needed by any top side in any final and also the quality and killer instinct characteristic of a club of their size against their arch rivals. That first half display was as good as it gets as Kotoko were a tad above hearts’ level and were just too good for the phobians. The high pressing and effective closing down of their opponents forced hearts of oak to commit many school boy errors to which Kotoko were on hand to punish them. The trickery and pace of Kweku Boahene and Emmanuel Gyamfi was just too much for the hearts players to handle with the latter providing the assists for the first and third goals. Hearts’ midfield trio of Leornard Tawiah, Winful Cobinnah and Malik Akowuah were totally out of their depth on the day and looked so disorganized at the centre of the pitch. The defending was also nothing to write home about as Richard Akrofi was woeful on the day alongside Vincent Atingah , who had a game to forget. Hearts got a goal in the second half but that was just about it as the day truly belonged to the porcupine warriors.

 

England U-17s win World Cup

It’s been a very good year for youth football in England as the U-17s followed in the footsteps of the U-20s earlier in the year by winning the world championships in India. They had to do it the tough way by coming from 2 goals down to beat Spain 5-2 in the finals in Kalkota. It has been a dominant performance from the young lions as they swept aside almost every opposition they faced. The absence of star man and Dortmund winger Jadon Sancho didn’t seem to affect the team at all as other key players rose up to the occasion and delivered when it mattered most. They have indeed come a long way considering the fact that an England team led by Harry Kane and with other youngsters like Nathan Redmond and Jesse Lingard failed to make it past the group stages of the European U-21 championships. The next step is to nurture these young talents and see them fulfill their potential. There have been many calls clubs to be brave and give opportunities to these youngsters but more importantly, what is needed is for these youngsters is the careful and systematic progression through the ranks. Just like Spain, France and Germany have shown in the past, grassroots is the way to go in attaining long term success at the national team level. England are on the right path and maybe, just maybe, another golden generation is on the way.

 

Victory for United

One thing that has been consistent with Jose Mourinho throughout his coaching career is his pragmatism in big games. Some call it ‘boring’ and others say it is ‘negative’ but one thing for sure is it has worked for him all these years and won him titles. Spurs travelled to Old Trafford at lunchtime on Saturday to face a Manchester united side that had not only been unbeaten at home, but had not conceded a goal at Old Trafford this season. To add to this tough task, Spurs were without leading goalscorer Harry Kane. Both teams took a cautious approach into the game and for majority of the game, it was about who will ‘blink’ first and make a mistake in defence. For 81 minutes, both sides were up to the task until a loss of concentration from the spurs defence saw Anthony martial get in behind and slot past the helpless Hugo Lloris in post. It is not a style many love to see but it is one that has always been a reliable plan B for Jose. In his own words, “there are times when things won’t go your way and you won’t get the 4-0s , so you have to take the points and keep it safe”. A mark of champions is the ability to grind out results and that is what Manchester United did this Saturday.

 

Madrid shocked in Catalunya

Just 8 games into the season, Real Madrid face a daunting task in defending their La Liga title. The Spanish champions lost their second game of the season to take them to 8 points behind leaders Barcelona on the league log. It’s been a terrible start to the season for Real Madrid as they have simply not been able to play with the momentum and quality that saw them win the double last season. One major problem for Madrid this season is getting the goals. Their over reliance on Cristiano Ronaldo in the final third has come back to haunt them as the team has struggled to get goals with Ronaldo not having the best of luck in the in front of goal. Allowing Alvaro Moratta to go without finding a replacement seems to be a bad idea at the moment as Zidane’s continuous faith in his youngsters looks to not been working for him at the moment . Maybe his reluctance to get more experienced players into the team, coupled with some injuries to certain key players has left the squad a bit thin. This means, whereas last season, youngsters like Marco Asensio for example played with relatively less pressure, a lot is required from them this season and if the past games is anything to go by, these youngsters are feeling the pressure. Whether they can deal with it or not, will be a deciding factor in the next few games. Pressure looks to be mounting on Zidane, and he desperately needs some inspiration from somewhere.

 

BONUS: Football fans in Ghana woke up on Saturday to the sad news of the demise of Former Hearts and Kotoko goalkeeper Soulama Abdoulaye. The Burkinabe international spent 7 years in Kotoko, winning 4 league titles and a season at Accra Hearts of Oak. My condolences go out to the family, friends and entire Kotoko and Hearts of oak fraternities in this difficult time. May his soul rest in perfect peace.

7 talking Points ahead of The Weekend’s Football Fest

 

Its weekend again and football fans love the weekend because football is back on our screens. Across Europe all the leagues will be in action. In England, the match of the game week would be Manchester United playing host to Spurs in a nerve wracking encounter at Old trafford. Serie A serves us with a San Siro classic in which AC Milan lock horns with Juventus while in Ligue 1 PSG would be without Neymar as they host Nice. Real Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Dortmund will all be in action in an exciting weekend of football fest. Today we take a look at the key talking points going into this weekend’s game week.

1. Will Mourinho Use His  Blueprint Strategy once More?

Manchester United is a camp with their confidence hugely dented after losing to newcomers Huddersfield last week. Mourinho spoke about the character of his players and how they seemed not to want a win in that game. He even openly criticized Ander Herera for making the same comments when he was interviewed after the match. But Mourinho should not be quick to chastise his players because he set his team up against Liverpool to only stop the potential threats of the pacey Liverpool attack. Fast forward one week later United seemed to have lost its attacking prowess and were punished by Huddersfield. This week Mourinho’s side face the relentless attack of Tottenham Hotspurs who have also been dealt a blow by a late Harry Kane injury. It is interesting to see how Mourinho will set his team up especially since he did same against Liverpool and the fact that they need a win at home to boost their confidence and to catch up with rivals Manchester City. Harry Kane’s injury could however unsettle Spurs and United could take due advantage. Over to you Mou!!!…

2. Can Slaven Save his Job?

West Ham is in turmoil because of their poor run of results in the premier league and Slaven Bilic is a man sitting on tenterhooks and desperately fighting to save his job. West Ham have not really recovered from the ‘Dimitri Payet saga’ and upon all the money spent this season to bring in talent to complement the team, things have however not gone to plan for Bilic with the latest setback being a 3 nil loss to Brighton at home. Word around the Olympic stadium is that Bilic has been given a two game ultimatum to save his job and the Carabao cup win over Tottenham Hotspurs is a major confidence boost going into the game against a weak Crystal Palace side and Slaven would surely relish a win in order to save his job.

3. The Managers’ Audition

Leicester City face Everton in probably a game between two sides that are in crisis. Leicester City on Wednesday announced that they have procured the services of former Southampton manager Claude Puel after they parted ways with Craig Shakespeare. Leicester has not hit the heights they hit two seasons ago in a fairy-tale season and have not played their best football this season. Claude Puel himself, after having an excellent season with Nice was deemed not to have been the players’ and fans’ favourite at Southampton so was kicked out at the end of last season, he now finds himself at the helm of a Leicester team lacking confidence. David Unsworth on the other hand has been given the caretaker manager position at Everton and he also after Ronald Koeman’s disaster would look to bring some joy to the fans and cement his place as a huge contender for the spot as the permanent manager. Both managers will have their premier league debuts this weekend as the two teams square up to each other and it will interesting to see who passes his audition.

4. Can Huddersfield do it at the Second time Of Asking?

Huddersfield were the talk of town last week as they beat a well drilled Manchester United side. David Wagner’s side have operated all season with a combination of shrewd defending and a tight midfield backed by a strike force that converts their chances as efficiently as possible. Wagner travels to Merseyside to face his close friend Klopp whose team are low on confidence after enduring a mauling at the hands of Tottenham Hotspurs last week. David Wagner would enjoy it if he gets something out of this game against his close pal, Klopp

5.How Would PSG fare Without Neymar?

This is probably not up for discussion given the wealth of talent PSG have gathered this season but given how PSG struggled last week against Marseille who managed to frustrate the PSG team during large periods of the match (even with Neymar on the field). Neymar was red carded in a match that saw Cavani rescue a point for the Parisian club and will miss the next match against rival Nice who are also in top form going into the match. PSG probably have enough in them to be able to jump over the ‘Nice’ hurdle but with Neymar being the poster boy of this PSG side, we wait to observe whether that could be an achilles heel for the  PSG team or a major confidence booster as they host Lucien Favre’s Nice side this weekend.

6. Bonucci Welcomes Former Team Mates

In a very interesting fixture, this weekend Milan host Juventus. Juventus travel to visit former team mate Leonardo Bonucci who swapped sides last summer joining Milan during the club’s summer spree. Word about unrest in the dressing room involving Bonucci and coach Allegri together with fellow team mates ( notably Paulo Dybala) last season made Bonucci an enemy with the Juventus board and fans and the obvious solution was for Bonucci to leave and when Milan came calling, he jumped on that ship. The Juventus backline has not been the same this season and it is understandable given that the Bonucci-Barzagli-Chiellini partnership has been broken and for a side that went six games in the champions league last season without conceding a goal to concede 10 goals in 9 matches is a worry for Juventus .Bonucci is however set to miss the visit of former team Juventus on Saturday after being handed a two-match ban following his red card on Sunday. Bonucci was adjudged to have purposefully elbowed Genoa defender Aleandro Rosi by the  referee after his consultation with the VAR. Milan as a team  have their own crisis, with all the money the new Chinese owners have invested in the club, they are still a lowly 8th place on the league. Large sections of the Milan hierarchy have called for the sacking of coach Vincenzo Montella, but other sects too have banished the idea and said that the coach needs time. The weekend will be a perfect way to earn the trust of the fans with Bonucci probably watching from the stands and Montella knows Juventus would be a much sterner test.

7. Ghana FA Cup, GFA, Ministry of Sports, Kotoko and Hearts.- A Brewing Saga

The porcupine warriors of Kumasi are set to lock horns with the rainbow club of Accra in what is said to be the Ghanaian ‘el classico’ in the final of the MTN FA cup; a fitting end to the Ghanaian football season. However, the issues surrounding the game are cutting short the excitement Ghanaian football fans have in anticipation of the match. There are issues surrounding the use of balloting to appoint referees to officiate the match and this has raised lots of eyebrows about the lack of trust in Ghanaian referees and fans have voiced out against that decision. That notwithstanding, the match which was scheduled for 5pm on Friday evening has by a directive issued on Thursday afternoon from the Ministry of Youth and Sports  been shifted to 3pm. The letter signed by the deputy minister, cited fan safety as one of the main reasons of the change in time. Later on in the day on Thursday the clubs involved; Asante Kotoko and Accra Hearts of Oak are threatening to withdraw from the match. This is not pleasant news for Ghanaian fans and it seems to be brewing quickly.

Aftermath

Arsenal’s New Trio, Liverpool’s defensive woes, Valencia’s Impressive run, GHPL, More…

Defence Walking Alone

£150m spent across two summers and Liverpool still can’t sort their defensive troubles. I’ve never seen a team whose attack is a very stark contrast of their defence. This is what Liverpool are like, a free scoring team going forward but a very very loose end at the back. At wembley, they didn’t take too long to expose themselves. Two very similar defensive errors in the opening 11 minutes from Croatian international Dejan Lovren saw Harry Kane first score then set up another for strike partner Heung Min Son. After just 12 minutes, Jurgen Klopp’s men found themselves two goals behind with a mountain to climb. Salah pulled one back moments later but a Dele Alli volley just before the break restored spurs’ two goal advantage before star man Harry Kane put the final nail in the coffin to take the game out of liverpool’s reach. Take nothing away from spurs, they were superb on the day. Mauricio Pocchetino displayed another brilliant tactical masterclass as he seem to have become a bit confident with his newly found 3-4-1-2 formation after ditching his old 3-4-2-1. Pushing Alli back into a deeper role seem to have worked brilliantly as the attacker, who has struggled in recent times showed great tactical discipline all game and linked up brilliantly with Harry Winks in the heart of Tottenham’s defence. Harry Kane was at his brilliant best and his newly formed partnership with Son in attack seem to have added a very sharp arrow to Pocchettino’s quiver along with the selection headache it brings with it. Its all joy in the camp of the lillywhites and they would very much be in a buoyant mood ahead of their feisty encounter at Manchester United next week.

 

Arsenal’s New Front Three

Arsenal’s three big money forwards, Alexis Sanchez, Alexandre Lacazette and Mesut Ozil lined up together for the first time this season when they faced struggling Everton. The Sunday lunchtime kick off was a must win for both teams with the gunners looking for a response to last week’s poor display at Watford while pressure was mounting on Ronald Koeman after losing  5 of his last 7 EPL games. Everton got the lead in the 11th minute, totally against the run of play when a familiar foe was on hand to torment the gunners once more. 16 years ago, Wayne Rooney announced himself to the world with a stunner against Arsenal at this very ground. Some things don’t change,do they. That didn’t deter the gunners however as they continued to dominate the toffees and eventually got the eqauliser minutes before the break before putting up a very brilliant performance in the second half to put a total of 5 past the everton defence. Mesut Ozil put up a man of the match performance but it was the link up play between him, Lacazette and Alexis Sanchez , for the second goal in particular that caught the eye of the arsenal faithful. Everton couldn’t cope with the passing and link up play between the trio and the trickery of Alexis Sanchez . Early days yet, but the signs of a a potential deadly partnership is looking good. With the futures of Ozil and Alexis hanging in the balance, the Arsenal fans have no choice but to enjoy this period while it lasts.

Unstoppable Valencia

If you thought last week’s 6-3 at Betis win was amazing, then this week’s 4-0 win at home against Sevilla was absolutely outstanding. Valencia remain unbeaten in La Liga and remain second after a very dominant display against Sevilla . Goals from Goncalo Guedes(2) ,Santi Mina and The in form Zaza were enough to get the three points at the mestalla and extend the unbeaten run of Los Che to 9 games. the defensive pairing of Gabriel and Murillo seems to be getting better with every passing game . Also,the assured presence of Geoffery Kondogbia in midfield seems to have added a new dimension to the strength in the middle of the park. Goncalo Guedes has been a revelation in attack. A lot has been attributed to Valencia’s brilliant start to the season but it is worth noting the most important factor being the good work done by their technical team in the transfer window where they bought from established. Valencia’s signings this season were Guedes , Perreira, Gabriel, Kondogbia and Zaza, who made his loan move permanent. All are having a fantastic season and have contributed massively to the early season’s successes. It’s a long way to go but a top 4 spot, at least looks like a realistic expectation for Valencia. AMUNT!

 

Oly,Tema Youth Relegated

With everything all but settled at the top quarter of the table, all attention was on the fight to avoid the drop into the wilderness ,which is the Division 1 league. 6 teams were in danger of finding themselves in the final 2 relegation spots after Bolga All Stars were relegated some weeks back. Liberty managed to stay up as they came back from a goal down to beat Kotoko 2-1 at Dansoman. Inter allies’ draw with accra hearts of oak was enough tosee them over the line. At Berekum, Chelsea beat Tema Youth 2-0 to send them back into the division 1 league. The real battle,however,  was at the bechem stadium as Bechem United welcomed accra great Olympics in a ‘winner takes all’ affair. All was at stake as the winner ensures safety whereas the vanquished suffers relegation. Veteran striker Ahmed Toure rose to the occasion and got a 4th minute goal which was enough to relegate accra great Olympics to the division one league just a year after being promoted. The second time in succession this has happened to the wonder club. It was a season filled with thrills ,chills and as usual, many many breaks. Congratulations to champions Aduana Stars and hopefully,we have an even better season next term.

 

Cavani Saves Neymar’s Blushes

PSG were down by a goal away from home and Unai Emery, in his normal fitted suit pacing up and down the touchline deep in thought about the situation at hand.Then in the 87th minute Neymar was sent sent off for a second yellow card because of his reaction after his marker caught him late. On a night where Marseille frustrated PSG throughout the game Neymar could not deal with the frustration and was sent off. The critics and pundits and rival fans alike grabbed their notepads and began writing their headlines. Then in added time PSG was awarded a free kick about 25 yards from goal. Cavani stood behind and slotted majestically to his left over the jumping wall and in via the underside of the crossbar. Unai Emery and the PSG bench was sent into ruptures, PSG had earned a point on a night when they should not have had any. The El Matador showed why he is still an important figure in this squad.

Manchester United Slip Up

Manchester United endured a really frustrating night on a wet Sunday afternoon against new boys Huddersfield. The collapse began  when in the 20th minute Phil Jones limped off with what seemed to be a hamstring or groin injury and his replacement Victor Lindelof’s first real test was when Tom Ince turned him inside out leading to Huddersfield’s first goal. Aaron Mooy robbed Mata of the ball in midfield and initiated the move that ended up in him scoring the rebound after De Gea saved firmly from Tom Ince’s shot. And when Depoitre slotted home from a Jonas Lössl clearance, United were doomed to a defeat and David Wagner and Huddersfield would end a long wait for a win against the red devils.Rashford pulled one back for Mourinho but Huddersfield held on well enough to get the result. Mourinho criticized the character of his players saying they did not want the win and praised Huddersfield for their character.

 

Hat-trick Depay

Yes, You read that right. Memphis Depay scored a magnificent hat-trick away from home in Troyes as Lyon hit 5 past them. All game the wonderful link-up play between Bertrand Traoe, Mariano Diaz and Memphis Depay allowed Depay to score past the Troyes keeper twice before he put the final nail in the coffin with a beautifully dispatched panenka penalty to seal the win.

 

Black Starlets Crash Out

The National U-17 team, the black starlets, crashed out of the world u-17 championships in Mali . The starlets fell short once again to their Malian counterparts for the second tournament in a row after the Malians defeated Ghana in the African edition. As disappointing as the result was, a lot of positives can be taken from the Starlets’ outing in India. What is needed is the progression to the U-20 and maybe there is actually a glimmer of hope for Ghana football.

 

Ronald Koeman Sacked as Everton Manager

The irony of Arsene Wenger costing a manager his job is still sinking in for some people but after that dismal results at home to Arsenal, Everton have parted ways with Ronald Koeman. Koeman spent large sums of money in the summer to what we assume to b a restructuring of the team. Things however didn’t go as planned and Fahrad Moshiri lost his patience.

The Best-Fifa Annual Awards Gala

Cristiano Ronaldo further beautified his personal locker with another award as football’s best player of the year now level with Messi with 5 each. After an impressive year with Madrid and Portugal, Ronaldo duly deserved the award.

 

Zidane won coach of the year for his phenomenal year with Real Madrid

Olivier Giroud also won the Puskas award for his magnificent scorpion kick against Crystal Palace in January this year.

Lieke Mertens was also awarded the best female player after her stellar year with Netherlands as they won the UEFA Euros tournament while her coach at the tournament Sarina Wiegman won the women’s best coach award.

Togolese striker Francis Kone won the fairplay award.Kone saved the life of goalkeeper Martin Berkovec, who almost suffocated by swallowing his tongue during a Czech league match in February.

The team of the year was also revealed at the cermony with Buffon taking the goalkeeper’s spot a backline which included Dani Alves, Sergio Ramos and Leonardo Bonucci. The midfiel comprised of Toni Kroos, Andres Iniesta and Luka Modric. Upfront, Cristiano Ronaldo, Messi and Neymar.

 

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Aftermath

Thriller in Milan, Crisis in London, Joy at Etihad and more

 

Never mind his past struggles with club , when Mauro Icardi slotted home that 92^nd minute penalty, both his and Inter’s third to win the Milan derby , not a single Inter fan in the world, from the three islands of Fiji to the Caroline Islands in Kiribati would care about the past. At least for the 93 minutes , all was forgiven because when the game got tough and inter needed inspiration from somewhere, the captain stepped up and duly delivered.

The game itself was nothing short of exciting and exhilarating as both sides gave a good account of itself and gave a huge lesson on how derbies should be played. There have been better milan derbies, but this game was surely the best in a very long time. Milan levelled the score twice through Suso and a scrappy finish from Bonaventura, each after Icardi’s first two goals. The deciding moment however, was in the 89^th minute after Ricardo Rodriguez, in a space of 30 seconds went from hero to zero after he blocked a goal bound shot from Eder before dragging D’ambrosio to the ground from the resulting corner to give away a penalty. Icardi made no mistake from the spot and sealed all three points for Inter. The 219^th Milan derby was a good exhibition from both teams and shows that these two great clubs are on the right path in re-establishing themselves as the big boys in Italy and Europe.

Stalemate At Anfield

Liverpool and united shared the spoils in a game that failed to live up to expectations. United were the team in form and as such, were understandable favorites ahead of the clash. What was incomprehensible was the fact that, Jose Mourinho , in a similar fashion to what Antonio Conte’s Chelsea did a fortnight ago, set up his side to stop Liverpool’s danger men, rather than setting his side up to expose their weak points. Liverpool’s defense have been so poor this season and one would have expected united and their free scoring attackers, led by their big in-form number 9, Romelu Lukaku to steal the show but it wasn’t to be as Jose took a very cautious approach into the game and set his team up to sit back and absorb whatever the reds threw at them. It turned out exactly as planned, with the red devils leaving anfield with a well-deserved point after a very good defensive display.

 Champions in turmoil

When crystal palace stepped on the pitch to face the champions, they had no points for the season and hadn’t even scored a goal the entire season. A good 630 minutes of football without scoring a single goal. Chelsea were expected to have an easy ride and pile more misery on the club bottom of the league. it wasn’t to be however, as a toothless and spineless display from the champions saw palace record their first win of the season. Palace played with the commitment, skill and desire required to win any premier league game. So dominating was their performance that at the end of the game, the only positive Chelsea could take from the game was not conceding more. The absence of PFA player of the year, Ngolo Kante was very evident as there was no sign of any central midfielder in the Chelsea set up ready to take matters in his own hands and put in a decent performance to cover up for the loss. It was a total walk in the park for the palace midfield as Yohan Cabaye , Jason Puncheon and Andros Townsend moved the ball around with the sort of ease that is usually uncharacteristic of the champions. In defence, they simply had no answer for Wilfred zaha as his skill and trickery made him a thorn in the flesh of Chelsea’s defence all afternoon.

 

Same old Arsenal

Another away game, another loss for the gunners. All too familiar, isn’t it?. Not only the result but the capitulation and the general performance of the team is something the gunners have grown to be associated with in the recent times. And yeah, the chants of ‘wenger out’ were not missed. It all turned sour when Mesut ozil missing a sitter at one end was swiftly followed by a very controversial penalty decision at the other head, changing the entire complexion of the game. It is very difficult to exempt Arsene Wenger from any blame however as the entire set up and shape of the team was entirely wrong. Arsenal started the game with only one recognized creative midfielder, Alex Iwobi, in the starting 11. The decision to leave out both Jack Wilshere and Mesut Ozil  was as bad as the timing and choice of substitutions made on the day.  You don’t buy a striker for £50m and play him in a system where he very much struggles to have an impact. No one needs to be paid £9m to see that. It is plain logic and common sense. For the captain of the side to come out after the game and say ‘Watford wanted it more’ sums up the entire state of the club. The team is in a very difficult state, the fans are in total meltdown, the manager looks out of ideas, the owner doesn’t care.  It is worrying times for the gunners and the signs going forward are not encouraging, to say the least.

 

Joy At the Etihad

When Pep Guardiola was asked in his final presser last season about the biggest lesson he has learned in English football, his answer was short and simple; “score more goals”. He seemed to have taken this lesson very serious indeed as that is exactly what Manchester city have done this season. With 29 goals this season, city are the free scoring team this season with goals coming in from very different sources. They put seven of the very best past stoke this season with the skill, finesse and efficiency that can be associated with the great Pep Guardiola sides of Barcelona and Bayern Munich. They lead the pack after 8 games, having dropped points just once all season. Not only in attack have city been outstanding but their defensive performances, which has seen them concede just four goals all season should not be overlooked. Now, I don’t believe the defensive pairing of Stones and Ottamendi is impregnable but the way they are set up ensures that they are rarely exposed and are always ahead of the action. City look like the team to beat, and with 8 games into the season, you sure wont be wrong to assume they might just clinch the title.

 

Valencia

Los Che have started the season in fantastic form and along with the Blaugrana and Atleti, remain the only unbeaten side in La Liga. I was particularly impressed with valencia’s recruitment this summer and yet again, it was the new boys, Geoffery Kondogbia and Goncalo Guedes who were on hand to give them a 0-2 lead at the break. It was 4-0 with 16 minutes to end the game and the Los Che were cruising to yet another comfortable victory but a 5 minute spell which saw Betis score three times threatened to spoil the party but two late goals from Zaza and Perreira made sure of the fact that Valencia went back to the Mestalla with the full 3 points which takes them to second on the La Liga table, only behind Barcelona. This is undoubtedly Valencia’s best side in a while and the fans have reason to smile and be optimistic of what lies ahead.

 

Aduana clinch GHPL title

For the second year running, the Ghana Premier league has been decided on the 29^th gameweek and this time also, it was a penalty that decided the league. Aduana stars however, were on the right side of the penalty this tim around as they made no mistake in securing their second league title. they have been in and around for last three seasons and have come close on two occasions. They made no mistake this time around as a 2-1 win against Elmina sharks at the Nana Agyeman Badu park in Dormaa opened up a 7-point lead at the top of the league table with just a game to go, thereby confirming them as champions. As WAFA led the league log for majority of the season, Aduana stars always kept them at touching distance and pounced at the slightest opportunity they were given. Winning titles is all about taking the opportunity as it comes and that is what the boys from Dormaa did as they come out as champions in a very captivating and exciting Ghana premier league season.

 

Bonus: Today marks exactly 8 years since that historic night in Cairo when the black satellites defied all odds to emerge champions at the World Youth Championship. It’s one of those nights when you remember where you were and what you were doing. A truly red- letter day in the recent history of Ghana football. As the Starlets seek to recreate the events of Cairo in the far East, they can look back at the exploits of Andre Ayew , Domnic Adiyiah and co and be inspired to do their very best.

 

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The Weekend Preview

The International break is over and while some are steal dealing with the heartbreak of their countries failing to reach  the world cup and others rejoicing their countries could make it, I am particularly happy that its all over now. Now its back to league football again and the premier league will b back in full flight this weekend. This weekend looks to be a blockbuster week in the premier league and we preview in style what we should expect.

Liverpool vs. Manchester United – Sat. 11:30 am.

Liverpool will host Manchester United at Anfield in what is expected to be a blockbuster match up between the two clubs and the biggest game of the weekend. Liverpool were pegged back by a Joselu goal after some shambolic defending against Newcastle last time out. That has been the story for Liverpool so far this season with their defensive woes overshadowing their brilliant pacy attack. 13 goals scored in the premier league and 12 goals conceded clearly explains that point. The return of Coutinho however, has given the team another dimension in attack particularly since Sadio Mane will miss the game after sustaining an injury on international duty. Manchester United on the other have played arguably their best football since the Alex Ferguson era and are joint top of the table with neighbours City only behind on goal difference. Mourinho has galvanized this United side with the gritty air tight defence that characterize his style of play and the pace and power of his midfield and attack. All eyes would be on Romelu Lukaku who has swapped Merseyside for Manchester and is in the form of his life after scoring seven goals in seven games this season. If anyone is more likely to score against Liverpool it should be Lukaku because of his familiarity to the merseyside terrain. It however remains to be seen whether the pacey and stylish attack of Liverpool would breach the airtight defence of Mourinho’s United side.

Match Prediction: Liverpool 1:2 Manchester United

Burnely vrs West Ham United- Sat. 2pm

A troubled West Ham travel to the defensively oriented Turf Moor to face Burnely in the first of the 2pm Saturday kick-offs. Burnely have had an amazing start to the season after the surprise win against Chelsea on opening day, drawing with Spurs and Liverpool both away from home. Last week’s win at Everton by a lone goal was evidence that Sean Dyche’s men are not afraid to play this style of football against any team. West Ham are a troubled side going into this match with Slaven Bilic’s future up in the air due to recent performances. Last week’s solid one nil win over Swansea saved his blushes and bought him some time. Slaven however has a lot to address before going into this game. The first of these issues is getting the best out of his strike pairing and which personalities to pair upfront. His wing experiment with Chicarito seems to have backfired with Carroll also misfiring upfront. His defence is also a big problem and he would need to address that. The match seems to me like a draw but Turf Moor is and will always be difficult place to visit.

Match Prediction: Burnley 1:0 West Ham

Crystal Palace vs. Chelsea- Sat. 2pm

Palace have had their worst start in a premier league campaign and the worst start ever by club in the premier league era. Hammered four nil by a rampant United side before the international break in what was Roy Hodgson’s return to management after Frank De Boer’s horror show. Maintain striker Benteke is injured while star player Wilfred Zaha is on the road to recovery. As if to say the premier league gods are against them, Palace will host Chelsea next. Chelsea also are wounded lions going into this match. They endured a one nil home loss to Manchester City before the break and will look to bounce back from that defeat on Saturday. The curse of the international break have struck Antonio Conte’s men with N’Golo Kante the new name on the injury list after Moratta sustained an injury against City in the game that preceeded the international break. The match is billed to be between a wounded lion versus a wingless eagle and we look forward to see whether Palace can banish their early season woes or Chelsea would blow them away.

Match Prediction: Crystal Palace 1:3 Chelsea.

Tottenham vs Bournemouth- Sat 2pm

Tottenham host Burnley at their new Wembley home where their form is nothing to write home about. They would be worried to return to the stadium after their last match in the national stadium was a below par performance against Swansea which ended in a goalless stalemate. Mauricio Pochettino has refuted any claims that his side are cursed at Wembley but said they are just not lucky most times they play at their new home ground and has urged his players to respond with a good performance against Bournemouth. Harry Kane is the man on fire for them this season and after drawing blanks in August, scored six goals so far. Bournemouth however have had contrasting fortunes this season. After losing four games on the trot, they rallied to win against Brighton in through a magnificent come back before a stalemate with Everton in the match that followed. Eddie Howe will look to get the best out of his frontline since they have managed only a total of 3 goals this season with Defoe spearheading the attack. Will Defoe strengthen the hold of the Wembley curse on his old club or Harry will banish the curse.

Match Prediction: Tottenham 2:0 Bournemouth

Manchester City vs Stoke City- Sat. 2pm

Guardiola’s free scoring Manchester City welcome the potters to the Ettihad stadium. Mark Hughes’ side has built a reputation of grinding points against the big sides and this is a test of his side’s character. Mark Hughes is gradually transitioning this Stoke team into one without an all defensive mentality and it has yielded results this season especially in the one nil win over Arsenal and the two all draw with United. They have however stepped off the gas a little and endured some losses. They however bounce back with a win against Southampton before the break and will look to steal points off City. Apart from that draw against Everton in August, City have been almost perfect and mesmerizing infront of goal, 5 against Liverpool, 6 against Watford,5 against Palace and the big one nil win against rivals Chelsea before the break.They are the highest scoring side in the league with 22 goals and have conceeded only two goals. Sergio Aguero, their top scorer was thought to miss the match but is now in contention to be picked to start after a quick recovery. Stoke can do what they are good at to cause an upset but Manchester City with the wealth of their attacking talent could bag the three points.

Match Prediction: Manchester City 4:0 Stoke City.

Swansea City vs Huddersfield Town- Sat 2pm

Swansea welcome new boys Huddersfield to Wales in the final fixtue of the 2pm kick-offs. Swansea look to be treading down the road they were on last season. They only last won against fellow strugglers Palace and earned a valuable point at Wembley against Spurs apart from that its been factory reset for Swansea from last season. A disjointed midfield in which new signings Renato Sanches and Roque Mesa have not settled into yet, a weak defence and an average attack which includes youngster Tammy Abraham and Jordan Ayew. David Wagner’s Huddersfield have not done poorly in their audition this season. They are however starting to feel the heat after a string of losses and draws. In the match against Spurs, Wagner lamented his players lost the game even before it started and they lost heavily. Wagner would need to psyche his boys up going into the Swansea match since they might have lost most of it against Swansea.

Match Prediction: Swansea 3:2 Huddersfield

Watford vs Arsenal- Sat 4.30pm

Marco Silva is silently building a team that is disciplined and well drilled in a style of play that allows the full backs to attack while the midfielders hang on the edge of the box most times to shoot long range shots from rebounds. The system is working and the success story of Abdoulaye Doucoure and 20-year old new signing Richarlison in the goals department is testament to that. Their only loss being the six nil loss to City apart from that three wins and three draws. Arsenal are in that time of the year where the injuries are starting to pile up with Shkodran Mustafi the new name on the list of the tall order while Kolasinac is a major doubt for the game. Nevertheless, the team has generally improved after the four nil thrashing at the hands of liverpool and Arsene Wenger has stuck to the three at the back system allowing his team to attack at will and defend in numbers at the same time. It remains to be seen whether we will see the trio of Ozil, Sanchez and Lacazette all start with Ozil out of the squad for two game weeks due to injury and his replacement Ramsey giving a good show of himself in the matches he played. Sanchez might be given a rest due to the exertions and heartbreak of Chile missing out on the world cup but as we know the player very he does not like to sit on the bench.

Match Prediction: Watford 1:2 Arsenal

Brighton and Hove Albion vs Everton- Sun 12.30pm

Chris Houghton’s side will host Everton at the Amex stadium. Brighton are also giving a fairly good account of themselves in the premier league this season. Big wins against Newcastle and West Brom sturdied the boat after a worrying start to the season. Tomer Hemed their top scorer with two goals is suspended due to a ban placed on him for an incident in the match against Newcastle. Chris Houghton must try and get the best ot of Anthony Knockaert who was Brighton’s and the Championship’s top scorer last season. As for Everton, the less said the better. Ronald Koeman is under immense pressure to deliver results after his team has had a horror show both in the league and Europe. Its a big week for Koeman and he needs to get his stuff right. His defensive, midfield and attacking pairings do not seem to be working and he will need to change things a bit to be able to get a decent result. Rooney and Schneiderlin are not showing their worth and Koeman has in recent weeks called on misfit Oumar Niasse to save the day.With a run of four straight loses and given the money the club spent to achieve bigger results, its a dire situation for Koeman and this game is a must win.

Match Prediction: Brighton 0:1 Everton

Southampton vs Newcastle- Sun 3.00pm

Southampton and Newcastle conclude the sunday fixture list as they go head to head at the St. Mary’s stadium. Southampton laboured to a one nil loss at the same graound against United in a match where they could have taken a point before losing to stoke before the break. Defensively, Pelligrino’s men are stable but would probably need Virgil Van Dijk tobe reinstated into the team to be that leader he used to be for the backline. Its the striking department that needs fixing. Strikers Shane Long, Nathan Redmond and Charlie Austin have one goal between them and will need to find the goals from somewhere to get something from this game. Newcastle will be coming into this game in high spirits after taking a point from their game against Liverpool. After losing twice in the opening games, they bounced back with three wins before a disappointing loss to Brighton then the draw against Liverpool. Loanee  Mikel Merino made his stay permanent with the club and that would be good hearing to the fans as he has been one of the best performers for his side. Rafa Benitez would want to bag this win to further boost the confidence of his side amidst the circumstances surrounding the club and its management.

Match Prediction: Southampton 1:1 Newcastle.

Leicester City vs. West Brom- Mon. 7pm

In the final round of matches of the gameweek, Leicester host Tony Pulis’ West Brom to the King Power stadium which seems to have lost much of its power. Leicester have sometimes been far from the Leicester we know and Craig Shakespere must be worried for his team. Jamie Vardy’s form has dropped and his penalty miss against Liverpool typifying his lack of form. Mahrez has been off colour all season and has only managed two assists. Shinji Okazaki looks to be one of the bright spots in a season that looks bleak for the foxes. Midfield stalwart Wilfred Ndidi is nursing an injury and fellow countryman Iheanacho has not come to the party after moving from Leicester. Craig Shakespeare must look to bring the best out this group of players to be able to begin grinding the results. West Brom are a side who have tappered off after a great start to the season. The new signings have however settled in nicely into the team and Tony Pulis like Mark Hughes is trying to change the defensive orientation of his players. Its quite a match for both sides and will be interesting to follow.

Match Prediction: Leicester 2:1 West Brom

 

 

 

 

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