Top football moments in 2018.

It was a year to celebrate for some, and not so much to celebrate for others. Then there were those summer moves that shook the market and those ones that were rather underwhelming. 2018 also saw the coming to an end of lifelong regimes for different reasons and a revival of a team hoping to defy recent odds and prove that , “that was then, and this is now”.Here is my pick of the top 11 moments that caught my eye in the year under review.

11.A swap deal that wasted everyone’s time

On 22nd January, 2018 , United announced they had signed Alexis Sanchez from Arsenal in a deal that saw Henrikh Mhkitaryan move the other way. With city rivals Man City leading the race in the weeks prior to the transfer, United stole a march on them and swooped in for the Chilean. In the end, City were unwilling to satisfy the outrageous wage demands of the player while United willingly made him the highest earner in the league. Alexis has since struggled to make any meaningful impact at Old Trafford. He has only four goals to his name with a ratio of about 400 minutes/goal. He has started just 5 of the 10 premier league games he’s played this season and has only one goal to his name. Sanchez’s time at Old Trafford has been disappointing at best and atrocious at worst. He has found form a hard thing to come by and looked a shadow of himself too many a time. Henrikh Mhkitaryan, on the other hand, hasn’t had it any better. The Armenian captain has been in and out of the Arsenal starting 11 and hasn’t made any meaningful impact in the gunners set up either. On January 22, United broke their wage structure and paid over the odds for one of the best players in the league. It’s safe to say that hasn’t gone as planned.

10.Davide Astori

On Sunday, March 4,2018 , the football world was shaken with the news of the passing of Fiorentina captain and Italian international defender Davide Astori. The 31 year old suffered a cardiac arrest late in the night and sadly died in his sleep. It was later revealed that his heart started beating fast and then stopped as a result of a condition called tachyarrhythmia. Serie A games were postponed on that day. The reaction of the football world to the news was remarkable as tributes poured in for the fallen hero. It was undoubtedly one of the lowest football moments in 2018. RIP Davide.

9. Jose Mourinho

On December 18,2018, Manchester United announced the decision to terminate the contract of manager Jose Mourinho. Jose Mourinho had reportedly fallen out with some top players at the club towards the end of his tenure. The decision came as a reaction to a poor start to the season -United’s worst start to a premier league season- that saw United sit 6th on the table with 26 points and a goal difference of 0. A 3-1 defeat to Liverpool at Anfield was the final straw that broke the camel’s back. United have since appointed former player Ole Gunnar Solksjaer as the interim manager till the end of the season. He has since won his first three games in charge with some impressive football on display. What next for the self proclaimed Special one? Many have predicted a move to national team management but I won’t rule out seeing him on the touchline any time soon.

8. That night in Rome.

Barcelona took a 4-1 lead to Rome for their return leg of their Champions league Quater final game versus Roma. It was expected to be a routine qualification for Barcelona and Roma never stood a chance. In what turned out to be Andres Iniesta’s final game for the Blaugrana, Roma pulled off one of the most memorable comebacks in the history of the tournament to knock Barcelona out of the competition. Edin Dzeko got the opener in the early stages, De Rossi got the second in the early stages of the second half and then Manolas headed a Cengiz Under corner past Ter Stegen in the 85th minute to seal qualification for AS Roma. That goal would forever be remembered for the brilliant commentary ace commentator Peter Drury run that day.

7. Khun Vichai Srivaddanaprabha

On October 27,2018, Leicester City owner Vichai Srivaddanaprabha and 4 others died in a horrific helicopter crash outside the King Power stadium. He had just watched his side play West Ham United in the league and was on his way to London to see to see to some business before he met his untimely death. The people of Leicester will always remember him for the massive improvement in the local team , developmental projects and his numerous donations to the city of Leicester. He would be fondly remembered in the footballing world as the man who caused the biggest upset in footballing history as his 2015/16 Leicester City team defied a 5000/1 odd to clinch the Premier League title. He left behind a wife, Simon and 4 children, Voramas, Apichet, Arunroong and Aiyawatt “Top” ( who has since taken over as chairman of Leicester City Football Club).

6. Ronaldo leaves Real Madrid

After 9 seasons, 438 games and 450 goals, Cristiano Ronaldo said “Nada mas”. The Portuguese captain and 5 time Ballon d’or winner ended his stay at the Bernabeu and joined Italian giants Juventus. In his time at Madrid, he won the La Liga and Copa Del Rey title twice. However, his major achievements would come in the UEFA Champions League, which he helped Madrid in ending their 12-year wait for ‘la Decima’. That was the first of 4 UCL titles he would go on to win with Real Madrid. Ronaldo joined Madrid in 2009 for a then world record fee of £80m and was sold to Juventus for a staggering fee of £105m. The most paid for any player above the age of 30. Whereas Madrid may see this as a business well done, the effect of the move can be seen clearly at both ends of the transfer.

5. Wenger leaves Arsenal after 22 years.

On April 20, 2018, Arsenal released a club statement stating the decision of long serving manager Arsene Wenger to leave at the end of the season. Wenger joined the club in 1996 and is credited to be the man who revolutionised Arsenal and English football. He was the pioneer for foreign managers moving into England and became an instant hit, winning the domestic double in his first full season at Arsenal. He matched that feat in the 2001/02 season by winning another double. However, his greatest achievement came in 2003/04 when his Arsenal side went an entire season without losing a single game. In the second half of his tenure, Arsenal moved from the old highbury to a new 60,000 capacity Emirates stadium. While the board and Wenger continued to reassure the fans of the supposed bright future ahead, the results on the pitch continued to go south.A 9-year trophyless drought accompanied with years of underachievement and numerous disappointing results led to fan agitations and several calls for him to be sacked. The term “Wenger out” continued to steadily increase in decibels and as he finished his last season with his lowest ever tally in the league, a decision was taken and the man who was once adored by the red half of North London became the villain I’m the kingdom he built himself.

4.Modric is named Best Player in 2018

After 10 years of the Ronaldo-Messi dominance, Real Madrid and Croatia midfielder Luka Modric was named the FIFA Best player of the year. The midfielder won the the UEFA Champions League with Real Madrid and was an instrumental figure in Croatia’s run to their first ever world cup final in Moscow. As winner of the golden ball at the tournament, he became the first player to win both the World cup Golden ball, European player of the year and FIFA World player of the year in the same year. He later on added the coveted ‘Ballon d’or’ to his list of awards later in the year. Luka Modric was undeniably the king of football in 2018.

3.Madrid win 3rd consecutive Champions League trophy

Real Madrid secured their third consecutive UEFA Champions League title on 26th May, 2018 in Kiev as they beat Liverpool 3-1. The road to the final was not an easy one as Madrid finished second in the group stages behind Tottenham Hotspur. They had to go past the French Champions PSG, Italian Champions Juventus and German Champions Bayern Munich in the knock out stages before facing Liverpool in the final. In the end, Gareth Bale’s double, helped with some woeful goalkeeping from Liverpool goalkeeper Loris Karius was enough to seal the title and earn Madrid their 13th title.

2. France win Second World Title

Les Blues put their Euro 2016 disappointment behind them to go all the way in the Russia 2018 edition of the FIFA World Cup. With a wealth of talent at their disposal, France dazzled and lived up to expectation in a tournament that wasn’t short of excitement. They beat Croatia in the final on June 16. The Croats themselves, were making their first appearance at the World cup final. Belgium, who boasted an equally impressive crop of talent and buoyed by the magic of their ever reliable captain, Eden Hazard, finished in third place as they beat England 2-0 in the third place play off game. It was also the tournament that saw the introduction of a Video Assistant Referee for the first time in the competition’s history and after a generally impressive outing, it is fair to say that the VAR has come to stay. In the end, Les Blues were the last team left standing and duly deserved their title.

1. Number 12

“It is for these poor folks,the duped and long suffering fans, Journalist’s who get to work at the crack of dawn and stay late to bring up-to-date news to the public, that I have undertaken this Number 12 assignment. It is for the sake of more sanity and transparency that I have decide to scrape clean this tainted football system for a fresh start” –Anas Aremeyaw Anas.

On June 6, the much anticipated number 12 exposè premiered. The documentary was expected to expose the corruption that has been holding Ghana football back for years. The commentary and hype before the airing of the expose gave the indication that the exposè was not only going for the peripheral figures but also the very highest offices in our football. In the aftermath, Over 70 referees recieved bans, the Ghana Football Association offices was declared a crime scene and the GFA president was given 90 and 45 day suspensions before finally being banned from all football related activities and given a hefty fine of $500,000.

Anas Aremeyaw Anas promised that the number 12 was going to lead to the collapse of the very foundation of our football. He never lied. It is now left to the honest football people remaining and the sports journalists who love the game to rebuild it.

2018 was nevertheless a revealing and exciting footballing year. Cheers to a much better 2019.

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Sarri out-smarts Pep, Isaac Dogboe , Salah, more…

City finally beaten

Even though it wasn’t impossible, it seemed improbable before Saturday 5:30 that Manchester City would come out of the game at Stamford Bridge without even a point. Even the most loyal Chelsea fan feared the worst having considered how underwhelming they had been in the last few games coupled with City’s red hot form. The absence of Kevin De Bruyne and Sergio Aguero was not enough to neither dampen the spirit of the Champions nor increase the confidence of the former champions. There was only one expected winner here. Chelsea though, had a different script in hand.

Make no mistake, this win wasn’t about ‘What city did wrong’ but most definitely had a lot to do with ‘What Chelsea did right’. Maurizio Sarri set his side up in a similar shape to his friend and opponent Guardiola. Both managers opting for the ‘extra man in midfield’. City enjoyed the lion’s share of possession in the first half -as expected- and outplayed Chelsea for large portions of the half but were limited to scrappy chances and not many clear cut chances. City have, in the absence of Kevin De Bruyne -who normally plays in the hole- resorted in many games to creating from out wide and it had worked to some effect. However, the absence of an orthodox centre forward caused City to struggle without any focal point in the box. Sarri’s men were more than happy to allow City have the ball without really ‘hurting’ them and limiting the number of times they got in behind. When they did get behind, Chelsea’s defence were up to task to recover and complicate the situation. Moreover, City’s high line in defence left them susceptible to a counter attack if the press could be broken. One of such situations was in the 44th minute, when a long cross field ball went over the city midfield. Suddenly, they were caught in a very uncomfortable position and Chelsea made them pay the full price. When facing a team that keeps the ball as well as Pep Guardiola’s men do, chances are you are going to be limited to these ‘odd’ openings. What you have to do is to grasp it with all you’ve got and in that moment, Chelsea did just that. They had their moment and made the most out of it. Guardiola’s men were behind for only the second time this season and had gone into half time on the losing end for the first time in over a year.

City struggled to control the second half as well as they did in the first as Chelsea grew more confident and dealt with whatever they threw at them. Pep brought on Jesus for Sane, to switch things up a bit but Chelsea did not flinch. In the 78th minute, with their first corner of the game, David Luiz scored Chelsea’s second with a looping header to make the points safe.

Sarri

In the build up to the game, Maurizio Sarri had come under immense pressure having lost 2 of his last 3 games with an awful performance against Spurs a fortnight ago. Questions were being asked as to whether the famous ‘Sarriball’ system was the way to go. In probably the biggest test he could ever face as a Chelsea manager, he aced it with some distinction. He took a page out of his tactical book and stunned the champions with a masterclass. People might still question some of his decisions but for a man who claimed to ‘not know how he was going to beat City’, his team didn’t perform badly at all.

Dogboe learns the hard way

There were genuine fears ahead of the fight and many worried about Dogboe and whether he would be able to once again defend his WBO Bantamweight title. On Sunday morning, Ghana’s solitary world champion, Isaac Dogboe lost his WBO Bantamweight title bout by a unanimous decision to Mexican Emmanuel Naverrete. The “Royal Storm” was out boxed and outsmarted throughout the bout and at times looked really out of his depth. In an interview after the bout, he admitted to not have the best preparation and training camps ahead of the fight. He also admitted to underestimating his opponent, a big mistake, as it turned out to be. In all this, the lessons are clear for the young boxer to learn. He had no respect for his opponent and was shocked on Sunday. He had no answers to the prying questions Naverrete asked and couldn’t stop his strong jabs. If he ever needed a wake up call or an eye opener, it doesn’t come bigger than this. Dogboe was beaten and down, but a true champion’s character is tested by how he recovers from situations like these and it is left to be seen of how Dogboe gets back up.

Mohammed Salah

Mohammed Salah bagged a hattrick against Bournemouth in the early kick off on Saturday. Salah is now joint top scorer in 10 goals in the league. The PFA player once again proved his importance to this Liverpool set up. He has scored the opening goal in 7 of Liverpool’s games this season, the most in the league. His third goal yesterday was one the greats of the game would be proud of as he showed composure to beat the goalkeeper twice before slotting home. As the season enters the all decisive festive period, his form is going to be very crucial to Liverpool’s title challenge.

Dortmund edge Schalke in Review derby.

Jadon Sancho scored with a cool finish in the 74th minute to see Dortmund win the derby. The youngster scored his 5th of the season and was once again the hero for BVB as they extend their unbeaten run in the league to 14 games. Thomas Delaney gave the league leaders the lead in the 7th minute before Daniel Caliguri’s penalty levelled it for the hosts. Jadon Sancho’s winner came in the 74th minute as he slotted home with the cooly past the goalkeeper. It’s been a dream start to the season for the young English time as he continues to impress in the Bundesliga. Dortmund lead their bitter rivals Bayern by 9 points and are in a good position to end the latter’s 6-year dominance of the Bundesliga.

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Derby Day, PSG,Wilder vs Fury, more…

North London is red

If the 03/04 golden Premier league trophy stands out in the Arsenal cabinet, then this win in the 19-game unbeaten streak surely has the same effect. Don’t get me wrong, every one of the 19 games was important in its own right. However, the 19th silences the little whispers of “Who have they faced in that run?” and “Can they do it against the big 6?”.

It was a derby that had it all. 6 goals, 2 penalties, comebacks, a red card and even a brawl at some point (After Stephan Lichsteiner had a go at Eric Dier for his celebration of Spurs’ equaliser). Before that, Jan Verthonghen had bizzarely handled the ball in the box for a penalty which Pierre Emerick Aubameyang slotted home. The goal was the least Arsenal deserved after a long period of sustained pressure. Arsenal were in control for the large part of the game except for a 5- minute spell which saw Spurs score two and turn the game on the head. At halftime, Unai Emery made a brave decision of bringing on Alexandre Lacazette and Aaron Ramsey for Alex Iwobi and Henrikh Mhkitaryan. That proved to be a masterstroke as Arsenal took the initiative once again. Arsenal got the equaliser shortly after Aubameyang’s first time shot took everyone including Hugo Lloris by surprise and the momentum shift was once again in Arsenal’s favor. This time, it wasn’t to be blown, Ramsey set up Lacazette for the third and then Torreira got clear in on goal and calmly slotted for his first in an Arsenal shirt. What a game to get that in!. The Uruguayan international- who failed to make almost all the combined 11s in the preview to this game-picked up his third consecutive MOTM award after the game. A deserved reward for a fantastic display.

This was another game where the naysayers predicted a defeat and yet again, the Gunners showed resilience and character to comeback and win in emphatic fashion. If you wanted a team that could comeback after being down in the first half, there it was. If you wanted a signature win, it came against the fiercest of rivals. Next up is a trip to Old Trafford to face a very uninspiring Manchester United. History doesn’t do the away side any favours in this fixture but this Arsenal team have a niche for answering their critics in the most remarkable ways and overcome every challenge thrown at them.

Blunt Liverpool attack find a way

Everton haven’t won a game at Anfield since Kevin Campbell’s winner in 1999. Perharps this was their best performance since that famous victory. Everton had the better chances and Liverpool had to call on some huge saves from Allison and some brilliant defending from Joe Gomez to keep the toffees at bay. Marco Silva’s men were brave, they were disciplined but in the end a howler from Jordan Pickford -who until then was brilliant- cost them at least a point in a game they come out feeling they could have had all 3

For Liverpool, Divock Origi’s header sealed all three points and they remain two points and in touching distance of Champions Man City at the summit of the table. However, major concerns of the lack of sharpness in their attack are due to arise. The link up play and blitz and fierceness associated with the now famous front three of the reds seems to be missing a bit of spark. What has improved though is Liverpool’s strong resilient backline and with 9 clean sheets now, that is proving to be the difference for the reds.

PSG drop points

Bordeaux came from behind twice to earn a well deserved draw at home to PSG. Neymar scored first after cushioning a Dani Alves cross (Alves making his first start since returning from a long lay off that saw him miss the world cup in the summer) Jimmy Briand equalised for Bordeaux before Kylian Mbappe put PSG ahead for the second time in the game but Andreas Cornelius’ 84th minute header was enough to steal a point for Bordeaux. Maybe it was a hangover from the Champions League in midweek but the draw still leaves PSG 14 points clear on top of Ligue 1 and in a good place to progress in the UEFA Champions League.

Wilder-Fury ends in a draw

Tyson Fury put up a very relentless and resilient performance against WBC heavyweight champion, Deontay Wilder. Prior to the bout, his first major one since he announced his comeback, many doubts were raised over his physical condition but the gypsian King rose to the occasion. The undefeated British boxer out-boxed his American opponent and dominated most of the 12 rounds despite being knocked down twice. In the end, both boxers had to settle for a draw but the Fury camp will have every right to believe they deserve more from the bout.

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