Issue 2 13/05/19
Weekly Magazine Unofficial Weekly Magazine for Football Index Traders
Phenomenal After arguably the greatest title race in English history, FI Weekly looks at how these two incredible teams can prepare to do battle all over again next season...
“Being second in the Premier League isn’t what we wanted tonight but we’ll take it. This is a first step, that’s how we see it. Congratulations to Manchester City.” The words of Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp, reflecting on the culmination of one of the tightest, fiercest title races ever that saw his team finish with an incredible 96 points, yet somehow empty-handed. Despite missing out on the opportunity to land their first title of the Premier League era, the Reds should not be disheartened. This has been a truly incredible season by a formidable
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team who have exceeded other title rivals have failed expectations. They can also over the years; by identifying take heart from reaching weaknesses in his squad their second consecutive and buying smartly. Champions League final; And yet, in spite of this, made even more impressive Liverpool fell just short by by the brilliant nature of their a truly special team. With 4-0 demolition of Barcelona. a world class goalkeeper Even Man City can’t claim to in place, the league’s best have done that. player at the heart of their The Blues, however, can defence, marauding fullclaim to be the first team backs, a steely midfield in 10 years to retain their and an electric front three, title, taking 197 points over what more can Klopp the course of two seasons possibly do to overcome this as well as 306 goals in special team crafted by Pep all competitions; truly Guardiola? frightening statistics. Add in An out-and-out striker has the steely determination that been on the wishlist, as has saw them win 18 of their 19 a creative playmaker in the games during the second middle of the park. half of the season - and Timo Werner (£1.96) and 14 on the bounce - whilst adding the Capital One Cup and an FA Cup final appearance - and they have been nearly flawless. Which all begs the question: what exactly does next season hold for the best top two in Premier Sane B Silva League Current Price Current Price history? £2.34 £1.56 Klopp has succeeded where
Bad Week
Ajax: So. Close. An unexpected yet nonetheless incredibly talented team that missed out on a Champions League Final at the last second. Their players have taken a hit on the market subsequently.
Paulo Dybala (£3.06) are two of the biggest names that will inevitably continue to be linked throughout the summer, along with Houssem Aouar (£1.69) and Nabil Fekir (£2.59). Whilst they will face stiff competition from Bayern for Werner, with some suggesting a deal being virtually done, the other three could certainly fill the tabloids throughout a summer of five media places available for dividends. Yet even if Liverpool do strengthen further, will it be enough to overcome as close to perfection as possible? Yes, Liverpool have beaten their rivals in 6 of their last 10 fixtures against each other, but that’s not enough unless they can steamroll through consecutive victories in the same way City have done. City have been relatively quiet on the transfer
Good Week
Liverpool and Tottenham: Two phenomenal comebacks see an all-English Champions League final. Tottenham could lift Ol’ Big Ears for the first time in their history, with Liverpool vying for their sixth title.
Dividend Winners 06/05 - 12/05
Van Dijk Current Price
£2.87 Robertson
T.A. Arnold
Current Price
Current Price
£1.21
£2.81
window front - links to Bruno Fernandes (£2.07) and Decland Rice (£1.89) already seemingly going quiet. Yet whilst it seems unlikely they will allow themselves to stand still and watch Liverpool strengthen, it could be that they already have stars ready to step up in their ranks. Star man Kevin de Bruyne (£2.20) missed much of the season after a world class 2017-18; Bernardo Silva is maturing in to namesake David’s (£0.54) heir; and Leroy Sane still possesses the potential to become a world beater; not to mention the array of other world-class stars at Pep’s disposal. Whatever happens this summer, these two teams have the potential to build one of the greatest rivalries in history. It’s going to be an exciting road ahead for Premier League fans.
06/05/19 Single Match Day Media Buzz Mohamed Salah 1290 Goalkeeper/Defender Vincent Kompany 197 Midfielder ✴ ✴ ✴ Ilkay Gundogan 203 Forward Fabio Borini 132
10/05/19 Single Match Day Media Buzz Eden Hazard 780 Goalkeeper/Defender Benjamin Lecomte 148 Midfielder Wahbi Khazri 93 Forward ✴ ✴ ✴ Gaetan Laborde 158
07/05/19 Treble Match Day Media Buzz Lionel Messi 1230 Goalkeeper/Defender T. Alexander-Arnold 139 Midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum 136 Forward ✴ ✴ ✴ 171 Divock Origi
11/05/19 Treble Match Day Media Buzz Eden Hazard 590 Goalkeeper/Defender ✴ ✴ ✴ Waldemar Anton 249 Midfielder 238 Salomon Kalou Forward 174 Neymar
08/05/19 Treble Match Day Media Buzz Lucas Moura 1860 Goalkeeper/Defender Toby Alderweireld 128 Midfielder ✴ ✴ ✴ Lucas Moura 226 Forward 95 Son Heung-min
12/05/19 Treble Match Day Media Buzz P.E. Aubameyang 1060 Goalkeeper/Defender Aymeric Laporte 227 Midfielder ✴ ✴ ✴ Ilkay Gundogan 294 Forward 224 N. Mendez-Laing
09/05/19 Treble Match Day Media Buzz Lucas Moura 2110 Goalkeeper/Defender Nacho Monreal 113 Midfielder Jorginho 136 Forward ✴ ✴ ✴ P.E. Aubameyang 242
Upcoming: 13/05 Single Match Day 14/05 Treble Media Day 15/05 Treble Media Day 16/05 Treble Media Day 17/05 Treble Media Day 18/05 Treble Match Day 19/05 Double Match Day Footie: 91,109
Magnificent Ajax It has been a terrific season for Ajax. Getting to the knockout stages of the Champions League for the first time in 13 years was positive enough, yet the manner in which they took apart not one but two European giants in Juventus and Real Madrid was simply breathtaking. Unfortunately they agonisingly fell at the last second of the final hurdle, but that should take no credit away from the team. Sadly, with any overperforming underdog, we may never see what this team could achieve together. Frenkie de Jong (£2.11) has already signed for Barcelona, and – despite the club’s protestations that they won’t allow a mass exodus – many others could well follow him out the door. Their excellent Champions League campaign has already seen player prices rise over the last few months, but their dramatic exit has seen a little dip ahead of what could be an intense summer of transfer speculation. Matthijs de Ligt (£2.74), David Neres (£1.90) and Hakim Ziyech (£1.85) look likely to be the names at the forefront of the transfer rumours pages this summer; an exciting prospect with 5 media places through the summer.
Wonderkid Profile: Francisco Trincao Whilst Joao Felix may be getting all the attention as the hottest property coming out of Portugal, Braga fans are showing excitement towards their own talented 19 year old attacker, Francisco Trincao. Style of Play: A left-footed forward who can play anywhere across the front three, it is still early days for Trincao’s career, having made just 4 substitute appearances for his club. (Not that such a lack of gametime has impacted the Index in recent weeks; Mason Greenwood, anyone?) Nonetheless, he has impressed for Braga’s B team, as well as winning the Golden Boot at the 2018 U-19 European Championships; a tournament Portugal also won. What’s Been Said? Juventus have been linked with the forward, with the player Current Price himself stating his pride at being able to play alongside a certain Cristiano Ronaldo. However, he could yet find himself on British shores, with both Arsenal and Wolves monitoring him. Wolves already enjoy a fruitful relationship with superagent Jorge Mendes, who has manoeuvred transfers for Ruben Neves, Rui Patricio and manager Nuno Santos. He may not be a current client, but, along with a very tempting €15m price tag, it would not be a surprise by any means.
£0.93
5 Questions With... Football Index Buzz You can follow Football Index Buzz on Twitter @IndexBuzz. She has been trading on Football Index since June 2016. Best Buy: In terms of recent trades, I made a profit of 69% – £832.60 – in April on the sale of 850 Luka Jovic shares that I’d started buying in November. I sold because he signed a permanent deal at Eintracht Frankfurt. It remains to be seen if he will move in the summer, but if the team sneaks a Champions League place I think he might stay... and I didn’t want to take the risk. Worst Buy: For me, it’s not so much about buying dud players; but more about how you correct the mistake. I close losing trades all the time; in fact, I’m pretty sure I’ve lost more trades than I’ve won! The secret is to keep losses SMALL. It’s usual for me to persevere with a trade where I’m losing more than ten per cent of my stake, although if I think the market is wrong, I’ll cheerfully buy more from a losing position. Looking through the records, my average cash loss is under £20. The big losses come through injury-provoked ‘Instant Sell’ – Hudson-Odoi cost me £205 last month – because ultimately it’s about risk management. Biggest Regret: Perhaps I should have made it clear from the outset that I’m female. The gender thing never even occurred to me when I joined the Index in June 2016. Traders just assumed I was a guy – my name is Karen Ross – but I wanted to be known by the value of what I had to say about trading and about football, so it seemed easier just to go along with the assumption. It’s never seemed like the right time to ‘confess’ – until now! Best Tip: Trade your own game: not someone else’s. By which I mean, work out whether you enjoy – and can make money – by frequent buying and selling, or if you’re more suited to buy-to-hold, which is my personal strength. Try to work out what other traders will do... then try to do it before they do. For example, I started buying summer transfer prospects as soon as the January window shut, and I’ve mostly taken profits ahead of the scramble for the exit when you’re on the wrong end of a rumour or a deal. Best Piece of Advice: Keep accurate records of your trades, because the profit and loss figures displayed by FI flatter to deceive. You haven’t made a profit (or a loss) until the trade is closed. I use www.footballindextradingjournal.co.uk and it’s brilliant. Oh, and never take anything you read on Twitter at face value!
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