Soccer 360 Issue 94: The 2021-22 Season Preview Edition

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MAGAZINE 94

THE GOOD, THE BAD & THE UGLY

BIG, COMPETITVE, AND THE RISE OF AN EMPIRE

FIRST, LEO WINS HIS PARIS! O AND MOVES T

CANADA

GAME OF CROWNS

EUROPE’S CLUB COMPETITIONS HEAT UP!

THE NEW LEAGUE

TAKES GOLD!

UNDER 23 PLAYERS TAKING MLS BY STORM!

2021-22

LUKAKU RETURNS!

SEASON PREVIEW TEAM BY TEAM PREVIEWS • PREDICTIONS • WHO TO WATCH • CLASH OF COACHES • FIXTURES

ITALY ON THE MARCH

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MAGAZINE

SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2021 | ISSUE 94

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EDITOR Steven Davies

EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Rob Paton ASSISTANT EDITOR Nick Calabretta ADVERTISING DIRECTOR Bill Asaro GRAPHIC DESIGN Gary Robinson Nick Libertucci SUBSCRIPTION COORDINATOR Tamara Hausner WEB MASTER Nick Libertucci

8 WHAT'S INSIDE...

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MESSI'S COPA AMERICA EURO 2020 CHAMPIONS EURO 2020 RECAP GAME OF CROWNS ITALY ON THE MARCH

CONTRIBUTERS Mike Barnes, Susy Campanale, Luca Cetta, Oli Coates, Sean Duffy, Thomas Unsworth, Stephen Donovan, Bradley King, Les Jones, Antonio Labbate, Alasadair Mackenzie, Lauren Maharaj, Alex Mott, Luca Persico, Adam Williams, George Rinaldi, Terrance Ross, Aman Sehdev, Andrew Tuft, Cronan Yu, Diego Jokas, Andrea Tallarita, Marco D’Onofrio, Gaby McKay, Livio Caferoglu, Judy Rauliuk

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT Dale Evans

54 THE GOOD, THE BAD & THE UGLY 56 COACHING STABILITY 58 MLS U23 LEAGUE

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BIG, COMPETITVE, AND THE RISE OF AN EMPIRE

FIRST, LEO WINS HIS PARIS! AND MOVES TO

GAME OF CROWNS

EUROPE’S CLUB COMPETITIONS HEAT UP!

CANADA

THE NEW LEAGUE

TAKES GOLD!

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HOW TO FIX FOOTBALL DOES FOOTBALL NEED A SALARY CAP? GABY MCKAY ARGUES THAT IT DOES, CITING THE REASONS BEHIND THE EUROPEAN SUPER LEAGUE AND THE FINANCIAL PROBLEMS SUFFERED BY INTER AND BARCELONA…

Y

ou’ll be searching for a long time before you find anyone who will offer much sympathy for the socalled Super League project. The plan, by 12 of Europe’s wealthiest clubs, to break away and form what amounted to a closed shop drew huge backlash and was abandoned in a matter of days – though, per Spanish court documents, no team has formally withdrawn.

For anyone who loves football, the Super League idea was callous, anti-competition and some-thing to be snuffed out at birth.

That doesn’t mean, however, there wasn’t the semblance of a point buried amid the avalanche of nonsense.

Both Real Madrid president Florentino Perez and Andrea Agnelli of Juventus declared that the Super League was the only way forward, lest the game risk bankruptcy. While someone could perhaps have told the Italian that no-one forced him to hand Cristiano Ronaldo a €31m contract, we’ve seen the root of their point in a post-Covid world.

Barcelona and Inter’s financial problems are well documented, and for both Super League found-ing members their issues are selfinflicted – but the damage goes beyond that.

Agnelli has predicted that European clubs –

6

SOCCER360 SEPTEMBER • OCTOBER 2021

‘BARCELONA ARE FACING UP TO A FUTURE WITHOUT MESSI’ not just those 12 – could lose around €8.5bn.

One might be tempted to say that clubs should simply learn to live within their means that argument is not sustainable in the face of state-owned clubs.

Spending over the summer, even in the cashrich Premier League, plummeted – except at Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City.

Owned by Qatar and Abu Dhabi respectively, those two clubs simply do not operate in the same financial realm as even Europe’s most powerful. Former Milan owner Silvio Berlusconi famously declared upon selling that he – a mere multi-billionaire – couldn’t hope to compete with petro-dollars.

With UEFA relaxing Financial Fair Play rules, PSG were able to spend €60m on Achraf Hakimi before handing out huge salaries to Gini Wijnaldum, Gianluigi Donnarumma and Sergio Ramos. City broke the British transfer record by spending £100m on Jack Grealish and were willing to raise that by 50 per cent again with a move for Harry Kane.

You don’t have to be Perez or Agnelli to think that clubs with the heft of a nation behind them spending with abandon is not a good thing.

The idea the Super League clubs – including City it must be said – came up with to curb this phenomenon was a salary cap, albeit a misguided one based on revenue. Inevitably, it is this wrong-headed solution that UEFA is considering for FFP reforms.

It’s believed that the governing body will propose new rules meaning salaries cannot exceed 70 per cent of revenue, with a ‘luxury tax’ for those who flout that. City and PSG can afford to pay any such tax, or raise revenues with sponsorship from Qatar or Abu Dhabi.

The Super League sides already have Europe’s largest revenues and such a limit would ensure their hegemony forever.

But what if we took the Super League clubs at their word? If we took their one good idea and

ABOVE: The European Super League was rightly killed off in a matter of days – but Florentino Perez refuses to let go LEFT: US sports have strict salary caps BELOW: Paris Saint-Germain can spend with abandon

took it to its logical conclusion?

American sports fans will be familiar with the concept of a salary cap and how it’s applied in the NFL. For 2021 all 32 teams have a hard limit of $182.5m on salaries.

No-one would suggest that could simply be ported over wholesale to Europe, but unlike most European top flights the NFL is highly competitive – Bill Belichick’s New England Patriots are the only team to win more than one Super Bowl since 2010.

Perhaps, rather than basing salaries on an individual club’s revenue, a cap could be brought in based on the income generated by a league as a whole. Take that, allocate half to player costs, divide it among the teams in the league and set the salary cap that way.

For 2019-20 the Premier League had a combined revenue of around £4.5bn. Using this system that’s a salary cap of £112.5m, which is more than all but five clubs currently spend on salaries. Those five are, of course, the Super League founders, minus Tottenham.

Such a plan would still bring some disparity – the Premier League’s TV deal means it brings in far more revenue than other leagues – but would mean that clubs wanting to pay big salaries had better make sure their league as a whole is strong. You want a Super League?

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LIONEL MESSI

BY: JOSHUA BOLLA

A

fter many years of hurt and disappointment, Argentina striker and captain Lionel Messi finally won a trophy with the national team in the just concluded Copa America. The Argentine captain had been the subject of mockery and constant derision by his critics, who pointed at his barren trophy spell with the national team to discredit him.

The Argentina captain had won every possible trophy at club level. But on the international stage, he had nothing to show.

The question: ‘what has Messi won for Argentina?’ always accompanied arguments regarding who the greatest player is. Pele, Maradona and Cristiano Ronaldo had won international trophies, but Messi had none.

More than ever, the Argentine captain was desperate to get his hands on the one trophy that had eluded him in his glorious career heading into the 2020 Copa America.

Even his most loyal fans had taken the matter of Messi winning an international trophy personal, and were willing to sacrifice personal sentiment to see that he won with Argentina.

For example, in Brazil, there were widespread reports that many of the Brazilian fans were set to cheer for Messi in the final ahead of their national team. Such was the desperation of his fans to win the trophy that they were willing to drop national interests to support Messi.

However, everything changed this year for Messi. Luck was on his side while the many failures he has experienced in the past served as a lesson for him and his Argentina colleagues. Although he did not score in the final—he did not have to as it was time for others to step up—he has now ticked that box, and in so doing, solidified his claim as the best ever. The fact that he won the trophy was arguably the most spectacular event of the 2020 Copa America. This can be seen in the

A

fter what appeared to be years of trying to decide if it will hold, the 2020/21 Copa America finally appeared and ended with a bang.

From 13th of June to 10th of July 2021, ten of the best teams in CONMEBOL competed for the most significant South American national football team prize.

The 2021 tournament was the 47th edition of the competition and was held in Brazil after CONMEBOL denied Colombia and Argentina hosting rights due to political and COVID-19 issues.

Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Peru, Venezuela, Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay were the ten teams who participated in the tournament. Qatar and Australia were

8

SOCCER360 SEPTEMBER • OCTOBER 2021

LEFT: Lionel Messi celebrates after winning his first ever International Trophy, Copa America 2021 BELOW: Messi carries his Player of the Tournament trophy

invited to participate in the tournament, which was originally scheduled to hold in 2020. But because of the Covid-19 outbreak, they could not join.

Despite the many discouragements and pre-tournament drama, the tournament was worth the wait as it served Argentina and exBarcelona’s greatest player, Lionel Messi, the opportunity to win his first major international trophy.

THE STATS 65 goals were scored in the 28 matches with Argentina emerging champions. They also finished as top scorers, registering 12 goals (excluding penalty shootouts)—one more than Brazil. Six red cards and 114 yellow cards were issued; with Colombia topping the discipline table with 19 yellow cards and one red card. Argentina’s Eminialo Martinez won the best keeper award after keeping four clean sheets in six matches including in the final against Brazil. Lionel Messi was voted the best player in the tournament and he also shared the top scorer gong with Luis Diaz of Colombia.

PRE-TOURNAMENT PROJECTIONS Host nation Brazil seen as the tournament favourites with their obvious quality and strong showing leading up to the tournament. They were also defending champions and were playing on home turf.

Meanwhile, the state of the Argentine national team heading into the tournament inspired little confidence in fans and pundits that they could win it. With a new and largely inexperienced coach, as well as their brushes with COVID-19, Argentina was expected to make it to the semis but not much further.

But La Albiceleste, led by Messi surprised everyone to win their first Copa America since 1993 and their 15th in total.

The trophy was the Argentine’s first for Argentina in the senior team set-up and will go a long way in establishing his status as an Argentina legend.

SHOWING NEYMAR SHOWING Apart from Messi, another player who had a strong showing in the 2020 Copa America was Neymar. The Brazilian was up until the semifinal round the best player in the tournament and was the main reason Brazil were

SURPRISE EXIT

impact of his appearance in the final made on the tournament’s TV viewership.

Up until the final, the average viewership for Copa America was 980,00 per game. Compared to the UEFA European Championship which held alongside the 2020 Copa America, this was a tiny figure.

Viewership of the competition on the other side of the Atlantic was in their millions and even involved a good chunk of American viewers. But with Messi reaching the final and the opportunity of lifting a trophy, more people tuned in to watch. According to IPSOS who published data from beIN Sports, the final between Argentina and Brazil was watched by 36.1 million people from Africa, Asia and the Middle East. this figure was at least three times the total views for the group stage and quarter-final games.

ESPN and other European channels also released data to show that the final grossed much viewership due to the involvement of Messi. Meanwhile, he was not just a passenger for an Argentina side that many claim were lucky to win; he was a key player for them. The number 10 was involved in nine out of the 12 goals Argentina scored.

The trophy win cemented his place among Argentina’s great and has installed him as the favourite for this years’ Ballon d’Or.

considered the tournament’s favourites.

The PSG forward was in scintillating form in the opening rounds and was looking hungry and ready to make up for lost time after missing the previous Copa campaign through injury.

His two goals in the group stage saw him take his Brazil tally to 68 goals, just nine short of the World Cup legend Pele. Surpassing legends like Ronaldo and Romario in the scoring charts means that Neymar is in elite company.

Despite missing out on the trophy, the winger would have made his country and family proud.

With five goal involvements, he was selected in the tournament’s team of the tournament, joining the likes of Messi and compatriots Marquinhos and Casemiro in the best XI. He created more chances than any player in the tournament (18 chances) and was his side’s creative outlet through the tournament.

He might still be missing a major trophy to solidify his international status, but Neymar’s legendary status in Brazil is already sure.

Despite what happens after now, when he finally hangs up his boots, he will be remembered as one of Brazil’s best players ever.

RIGHT: Messi will continue to win individual awards at PSG BOTTOM LEFT: Messi had an outstanding career at Barcelona BOTTOM RIGHT: Messi being presented in Paris for the first time

QATAR READY And so, unto the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

With the 2020 Copa America now out of the way, all eyes have now turned to the Middle East showpiece. However, based on the evidence of the 2020 Copa America, it is hard to predict plain sailing for South American teams in the upcoming tournament. Apart from Brazil and now Argentina, the other teams in the CONMEBOL have shown no sign of improvement. Instead, what is we are witnessing is retrogression.

Teams like Uruguay and Chile have lost their identity and the members of the group that made them fearful teams. Colombia, despite their third-place finish in the 2020 Copa, might find it difficult to match up against average European teams like Denmark and Poland.

There was a time when South American teams were always the favourites for the World Cup. But if the quality of football played in the 2020 Copa is considered, especially when compared to that played in Euro 2020, it is difficult to predict anything but a bleak future for South American teams in Qatar next year.

Although the good news is that there is still a year of football to play before the World

With the 2020 Copa America behind him and with his stock higher than ever, Messi returned to Spain and Barcelona with the intent of once again dominating Spain and in extension Europe. While in South America, the Barca captain had become a free agent as his contract with Barca has expired. Despite this, no other clubs were lurking to sign him, as the striker was fully focused on national team duties. He was also committed to renewing his contract with Barca. Talks with the Spanish club had progressed well before Messi left to attend to Copa America duties.

On his return, media reports claimed that a new two-year contract had been agreed between Messi’s entourage and the club.

The contract, they claimed, will see Messi take a salary cut, or take a wage deferral as some media outlets reported. Whatever the details were, the perceived consensus was the Messi was staying at Braca.

All was set and ready for Messi to remain in Spain for at least another two years.

But a minor detail was hindering the deal—the La Liga salary cap. The impact of the COVID-19 on Spanish football meant that La Liga had to introduce a salary cap for clubs to regulate finances.

Barcelona was one club with an overblown salary structure. The club was hoping to shed some players off the wage list to accommodate the re-registration of Lionel Messi. But in the end, they could not manage the intricacies of the deal and had to watch their most beloved son leave the club for nothing after 21 years.

PSG, who had been courting the Argentine for years, were the takers.

The Paris club had been flirting with the Argentine and had even had Neymar, Di Maria and Icardi speak openly about playing with Messi. The French giants have dominated Ligue 1 for years. But they have enjoyed little success in Europe despite the pool of resources and quality players and managers they have had at their disposal. But with a highly motivated Messi, they now have a fair chance of winning the one trophy that has eluded them. Messi, who has never hidden his desire to win the Champions League again, sees this as a perfect opportunity to win his fourth Champions League trophy.

Although the Parisians signed Messi for free, the money involved in the transaction is astronomical—not that PSG is complaining. The Qatari backed club always has money to spend and are not bordered by FFP rules. His salary and contract at PSG has made him the highest-paid football player ever, but it doesn’t matter. Despite the numbers involved in the deal, Messi and PSG are a perfect match and the deal is without question the biggest steal of the summer.

Cup comes round. Hopefully, the CONMEBOL teams will be able to sort themselves out before the tournament comes up. They will now pray the COVID-19 pandemic allows them time and space to build themselves up as they prepare to take on other teams next year.

FAR LEFT (OPPOSITE PAGE): Neymar celebrating after scoring a goal for Brazil LEFT: Messi and Neymar embrace during the Copa America 2021 Finals

EURO 2020

FROM WORLD CUP FAILURE TO EUROPEAN CHAMPIONS, ITALY CAME ROARING BACK FROM THEIR LOWEST POINT TO WIN THIS SUMMER’S EURO 2020. HOW DID THEY DO IT? MICHELLE OSEI BONSU TAKES A LOOK

2020 EURO CHA H

eading into Euro 2020, many pundits had earmarked Belgium and France as the heavy favourites to feature in the showpiece final at Wembley on July 11.

Portugal were also thrown into the mix, predominantly because of Cristiano Ronaldo’s presence, whilst some were willing to take a punt on England after the Three Lions’ impressive run at the 2018 World Cup. Plus, Gareth Southgate’s side had the benefit of playing nearly all of their matches in London. Even Spain were considered contenders, despite La Roja being a far cry from the team who dominated the international scene from 2008 to 2012.

Not many were sold on Italy, however.

Although some believed the Azzurri had what it took to go all the way, most were dismissive of Roberto Mancini’s side. That’s despite Italy, like Belgium, coming into the competition having won all 10 of their qualifying matches.

Yet unlike the Red Devils, the Azzurri had actually won major international titles before, including the European Championship in 1968.

Indeed, it seemed like Italy’s failure to qualify for the 2018 World Cup was a sticking point for most people. For the four-time world champions, losing in the play-offs to Sweden in 2017 was their nadir, as many Azzurri fans weren’t even born the last time they missed out on the World Cup back in 1958. Then there were those who expressed concern about the team’s strikers, singling out players like Ciro Immobile and Lorenzo Insigne, who consistently delivered for their respective clubs Lazio and Napoli, but hadn’t exactly set the world alight for their country.

Still, these doubts didn’t seem to bother Italy or coach Mancini much. The former forward was appointed commissario tecnico on May 14, 2018. Four months after taking over, the Azzurri’s FIFA ranking dropped to 21. That was the lowest ever position for a country traditionally considered among the world’s elite. Yet, it now appears that this was exactly the impetus Italy needed to shake themselves out of their funk and get back on track. On September 10, 2018, Andre Silva’s goal was enough to decide a Nations League match in favour of Portugal. That’s the last time Italy

10

SOCCER360 SEPTEMBER • OCTOBER 2021

‘ITALY BECAME THE FIFTH SIDE TO GO THROUGH THE GROUP STAGE WITHOUT CONCEDING A GOAL’

FAR LEFT: Leonardo Bonucci posing with the UEFA Euro 2020 Trophy LEFT: Star striker Chiesa kissing the UEFA Euro 2020 Trophy

REF WATCH

AMPIONS

As football continues to forge its path through the new age of VAR, Oli Coates assesses the standard of officiating at Euro 2020…

This summer’s European Championship felt like we rescued a successful tournament out of the jaws of defeat. From the pandemic to the pan-continental format, Christian Eriksen’s collapse and the ugly scenes at the final, there was so much going against Euro 2020. Yet one thing which causes so much controversy on a weekly basis in domestic football barely raised an eyebrow at the Euros - VAR. Yes, there were some controversial moments involving refereeing decisions. Most notably, perhaps, was the furore surrounding a penalty awarded to England in extra time of their semi-final against Denmark. But the video assistant referee (VAR) was unable to conclusively prove there was no touch on Raheem Sterling, indeed seeming to show the English forward felt contact and therefore, while going down easily, could not be judged to have clearly and obviously dived.

"VAR BARELY RAISED AN EYEBROW AT THE EUROS" lost. When they took to the pitch for the Euro 2020 final against England on July 11, Italy had already made history. They were 33 games unbeaten, and in going one further have ensured this team will be talked about for generations to come. The ascent from their lowest point in 2017 to the pinnacle of European football has naturally been a measured process, with Italy benefitting from the lack of expectation, and subsequently pressure, put on their shoulders.

Quietly in the background, as most were focused on whether France would add a European title to their World Cup triumph, or if Belgium - who are ranked number one in the world but have nothing really to show for it in terms of silverware - would finally end their hoodoo, Italy were slowly rebuilding. After a rather uninspiring performance at the inaugural Nations League tournament, they turned their attention towards qualifying for Euro 2020.

Thirteen months after their narrow loss to Portugal, Mancini’s men secured their spot with three games to spare following a 2-0 win over

Greece. In winning all 10 of their games, they became only the sixth side in history to achieve this, after France, the Czech Republic, Spain, Germany and England.

Although Euro 2020 ended up being pushed back to 2021 due to Covid-19, it certainly didn’t interrupt Italy’s stride. In fact, it probably helped. The Azzurri finished top in their Nations League group in the interim and will take part in the finals later on this year, while they wasted no time in announcing their intentions at the Euros.

Italy faced Turkey at the Stadio Olimpico in the tournament’s curtain-raiser and after a tense first half, it didn’t take long for them to overwhelm their visitors. The opener was an own goal by Merih Derimal, but it was the efforts from Immobile and Insigne that truly exemplified this new-look Italy side.

Their performances went a long way towards boosting both players’ confidence, as the duo responded to the criticism of their international displays. Meanwhile, Sassuolo’s Manuel Locatelli became a household name thanks to

On the whole, though, the video assistant referees kept an extremely low profile at the Euros. In fact, the majority of the tournament saw a light touch approach not only to VAR intervention, but to officiating in general. Most games were allowed to flow, with the majority of referees refusing to buy the playacting and gamesmanship that often rears its ugly head at major international tournaments.

The result was a championship which saw lots of free-flowing football and plenty of goals. There were some tight and cagey affairs once we reached the latter stages, which is to be expected. But Euro 2020 set a new record for the average number of goals scored per game, producing the highest total since the introduction of the group stage in 1980. The 51 fixtures produced 142 goals, at an average of 2.8 per game.

As such, the approach to officiating at the Euros has to be praised. There are always going to be controversial moments given the high stakes, but the fact that the official in the middle or the VAR team were the topic of conversation on such few occasions means it has to be judged as a success. Indeed, the officiating has received lots of praise, not least with respect to Anthony Taylor’s handling of the Eriksen situation.

Extra resources were committed to Euro 2020, including the appointment of an in-game VAR official who focused solely on offside calls. That meant there was a VAR, assistant VAR and offside VAR for each fixture. Despite that, offside calls were probably the worst element of the officiating at the Euros.

Television viewers were usually left in the dark on offside calls, with instant replays almost non-existent. Sometimes there would be no image of the call until long after play continued, if at all.

TOP RIGHT: Dutch referee Bjorn Kuipers refereed the Euro 2020 final and produced another strong performance RIGHT: The penalty awarded to the Czech Republic against Croatia for Dejan Lovren’s perceived foul on Patrik Schick was arguably one of the worst moments for VAR at Euro 2020

SOCCER360 SEPTEMBER • OCTOBER 2021

11

EURO 2020

his stunning brace during Italy’s resounding 3-0 victory over Switzerland. The young midfielder was already well known to Serie A fans, but his man of the match performance thrust him into the limelight and sparked interest from clubs across Europe. Interestingly, Atalanta’s Matteo Pessina ended up being the decisive factor in the Azzurri’s final group game against Wales. He wasn’t initially on the first-choice list and was only added following Stefano Sensi’s injury on June 7.

By the time they took on Austria in the round of 16, Italy had already written their name into European Championship history by becoming just the fifth side to go through the group stage without conceding a goal. England would match that feat two days later, but the Three Lions only scored twice themselves compared to the Azzurri’s haul of seven.

Finally, people were starting to take notice of an Azzurri team who still maintained their staunchly defensive origins, but were also fearsome in attack.

In scenes reminiscent of the 2006 World

12

SOCCER360 SEPTEMBER • OCTOBER 2021

‘THIS ITALY TEAM WILL BE TALKED ABOUT FOR GENERATIONS TO COME’

Cup when two late goals were enough to sink Germany in extra time of their semi-final clash, Italy showed great mettle to dig deep and finally break down a very stubborn and resilient Austria side. Mancini also showed significant tactical nous with two key changes in the second half, bringing on Pessina and Federico Chiesa. Fresh from a solid debut season with Juventus, Chiesa finally broke the deadlock in extra time, followed by Pessina 10 minutes later. Although Austria would end Italy’s 19-hour world record for not conceding a goal soon after, the Azzurri hung on to set up a mouth-watering clash against Belgium.

It was their impressive defeat of the Belgians in the quarter-finals that solidified Italy’s position as contenders for the Euro title. Despite Romelu Lukaku clawing one back, earlier strikes from Nicolo Barella and Insigne were enough to book a tantalising rematch against Spain in the semis. Switzerland had done everyone else a huge favour by beating France on penalties in the round of 16, before they themselves were knocked out in a shootout

ABOVE: Italy celebrate winning the finals after the penalty shootout BELOW: Gianluigi Donnarumma was the hero for Italy in the penalty shootout against England

DOMINANCE After Italy ended a 53-year wait to taste European glory, Michelle Osei Bonsu recalls how the Azzurri dominated Euro 2020 from start to finish The European Championship began with a bang thanks to the tournament opener featuring Italy and Turkey. After a scoreless first half, the Crescent Stars began to crumble. This was shown by Merih Derimal’s own goal in the 53rd minute, followed by Ciro Immobile and Lorenzo Insigne both opening their accounts as the Azzurri quickly took control. The stage was set for what was to come. During their second match against Switzerland, Italy were at their very best again. Despite the Rossocrociati attempting to block channels and frustrate their hosts with a very conservative, defensive approach, Manuel Locatelli’s brace and Immobile’s goal were enough to give the Azzurri all three points. The win came at a cost though, as captain Giorgio Chiellini hobbled off injured.

Already into the round of 16 with a game to spare, Roberto Mancini wisely rotated his squad in the last group game against Wales. Impressively, a team made up of largely second-string players managed to shackle Gareth Bale and co, as Gianluigi Donnarumma became the youngest goalkeeper to keep three consecutive clean sheets at the European Championship. Austria proved to be a much tougher foe than the Azzurri had expected in the last 16, but two key switches in the second half proved a masterstroke. Prior to this, Federico Chiesa hadn’t had much of an impact, but he took little time in finally making his mark. His goal in extra time gave Italy the breakthrough they needed and was followed by Matteo Pessina’s second.

Despite some nervy moments late on, Italy were into the quarter-finals.

In the face of such a tough task against the world’s top-ranked team, Italy looked confident and assured throughout.

Belgium’s previous win over Portugal was hardly convincing, and with injuries to Eden Hazard and Kevin De Bruyne, the Azzurri showed no signs of intimidation.

A strong first-half performance and a measured approach to the second period set up an intriguing semi-final clash with rivals Spain. La Roja had shown flashes of brilliance, notably putting five past both Slovakia and Croatia, but Italy were more than up to the task. They didn’t let Alvaro Morata’s answer to Chiesa’s 60thminute goal ruffle their feathers, and both Donnarumma and Jorginho played their parts in getting Mancini’s men to their first Euro final since losing 4-0 to Spain in 2012. In the final, the Azzurri showed great fortitude and composure to eventually take down an England side who’d grown throughout the tournament. Like Italy, the Three Lions had been solid at the back, and were under immense pressure to end their 55-year wait for a major title.

The Azzurri emerged victorious after a tense penalty shootout, as the European Championship went to Rome.

REF WATCH (Continued)

against Spain. This meant Italy would avoid having to play both tournament favourites en route to the final.

The Azzurri’s victory over Spain on penalties was cathartic for Italian fans, many of whom remembered the painful 4-0 humiliation the team suffered at the hands of La Roja in the Euro 2012 final. Players like Leonardo Bonucci and Giorgio Chiellini were part of the team on that dark day, and after meeting Spain in a fourth consecutive European Championship, Italy exacted the revenge they’d been seeking.

They also set yet another record, this time for the most games unbeaten at the Euros, encompassing both qualifying and the tournament proper.

Finally, on a 16-match unbeaten streak, Italy arrived at the Wembley showpiece on July

11 full of confidence. Against a very hostile and largely English crowd, a goal from an unlikely source in Bonucci balanced the scores following Luke Shaw’s early effort. Showing no signs of fatigue after their gruelling encounter with Spain just days before, Italy managed to strangle England’s attack, nullifying the likes of Harry Kane and Raheem Sterling to set up another tense shootout. It was goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma who proved to be the hero on the night. The 22-year-old put in a monstrous performance to save efforts from Jadon Sancho and Bukayo Saka. Italy would have their first European triumph in 53 years, while completely banishing the demons of their humiliating World Cup failure just four years ago.

Paying supporters inside stadiums could forget about being kept in the loop. This is in part down to UEFA and their technologies and systems, but also the link to and role played by local television directors, and the integration they got with the VAR hub at UEFA’s headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland.

This has also been an issue in UEFA’s flagship club competition, the Champions League, since the introduction of VAR in 2019, and only exacerbated by the pandemic. It needs sorting out though, as the viewing experience can feel a little cloak and dagger at times.

That said, the speed of VAR interventions is improving, helped by the light touch approach. If a call wasn’t clear and obvious at the Euros, the referee’s initial decision was allowed to stand.

Leagues like the English Premier League slow down replays to micro-analyse whether the slightest contact has been made, then give the on-field referee a super slow-mo view of an incident to reconsider their decision.

The problem with this is that football isn’t played in slow motion.

It’s a fast-paced, contact sport. Yes, we must clamp down on cheats who simulate contact in order to con referees. But there’s a fine line between diving and being put off balance. Sometimes referees just need to be allowed to use their discretion and receive some backing that they’ve not made a howler.

This appeared to be the approach at the Euros, and it worked.

Referees can’t get everything right, but neither can video referees. The danger we’ve seen with VAR is that decisions are re-refereed from afar in real time, removing the on-field officials’ feel for the game. And with every decision that’s debated by the VAR, reviewed and referred, the game is slowed down and destroyed as a spectacle.

VAR should be a safety net to guard against major injustices.

We went too far the other way, but these Euros seem to have redressed the balance. We’re in the midst of a process, and we must learn from the mistakes we’ve made. VAR is constantly evolving and it’s going to take time to hone the system and protocols to something that’s more universally accepted.

The Premier League, for example, has listened to players, fans and pundits alike and will use thicker lines to judge offside calls from next season. It could learn from the Euros and deploy a specialist VAR official to be all over any potential offsides in the build-up to goals and penalties. This would reduce the time it takes for decisions to be made.

During the group stage of Euro 2020, VAR interventions took an average of around 100 seconds, the lowest of any UEFA competition. That figure took some 30 seconds off the time it took for interventions in last season’s Europa League, for example. The light touch approach is also shown by the fact there were only 98 cards in the group stage, compared to 129 at Euro 2016. Despite having VAR this summer, the time the ball was in play rose by more than two minutes from the showpiece five years ago. In total, VAR overturned 18 calls at Euro 2020. Of those, eight were decisions reversed by the on-field referee using the monitor at the side of the pitch. Some 276 incidents were checked in all, which means only 6.5% were overturned.

And that’s how it should be. The goal for VAR is for the technology to be helpful, rather than taking centre stage.

Another aid for officials to use. The technology itself is good, the issue is with the humans using it. As we continue to evolve and adapt, we can only hope we learn from our experiences to improve the entire process.

ABOVE: Cristiano Ronaldo won the Golden Boot after scoring five goals in four games for Portugal LEFT: Romelu Lukaku was unable to prevent Belgium going down 2-1 to Italy RIGHT: English referee Anthony Taylor was exemplary with his handling of Christian Eriksen’s collapse

‘VIDEO ASSISTANT REFEREES KEPT AN EXTREMELY LOW PROFILE AT THE EUROS’ SOCCER360 SEPTEMBER • OCTOBER 2021

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EURO 2020

THE DELAYED EURO 2020 MADE FOR CAPTIVATING VIEWING FROM BEGINNING TO END AND CREATED MANY A LASTING MEMORY. STEPHEN DONOVAN LOOKS BACK ON THE TOURNAMENT AND ITS HIGHLIGHTS…

EURO FEST UEFA EURO 2020 RECAP

LEFT: Italy combined class with an unquenchable winning mentality to deservedly win Euro 2020 RIGHT: Following Christian Eriksen’s cardiac arrest, Denmark showed incredible quality and resilience to reach the semifinals BOTTOM: Christian Eriksen worried the world when he suffered from his injury.

I

t happened a year later than planned, but Euro 2020 was most definitely worth the wait. A unique tournament staged at 11 venues right across the continent at varying degrees of capacity, it captured the imagination through sheer entertainment and unpredictability, with high-quality football on show throughout and numerous records tumbling on the way to Italy’s eventual triumph.

There was hardly a dull game to speak of as most teams went at each other punch for punch and often had to go the full distance in order to be separated, but in the end it was the best and most resilient side of all that still emerged on top. Back from the international wilderness of embarrassingly failing to qualify for the 2018 World Cup, Italy were seen as dark horses by many, but that status quickly changed to serious contenders from the moment they got the competition underway with a stylish dismantling of Turkey.

From there, they hardly put a foot wrong and although questions were frequently asked of them during the knockout stages, a collective determination and immense mental fortitude carried them all the way.

Indeed, the competition as a whole was one that rewarded such strength of character.

Nothing epitomised that more than Denmark,

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SOCCER360 SEPTEMBER • OCTOBER 2021

‘HE IS OUR BEST PLAYER AND WE MADE IT FAR FOR HIM’

REF WATCH (Continued)

FIVE BIG VAR DECISIONS ANALYSED At Euro 2020, 18 decisions were overturned by VAR. Here we take a look at five of the biggest VAR calls, providing a rating for how well VAR performed.

BELGIUM 1-2 ITALY, BONUCCI OFFSIDE - VAR 7/10 Italy defender Leonardo Bonucci saw a goal ruled out for offside in the 13th minute. He was a yard off and VAR did its job relatively quickly, but it took 10 minutes for fans watching at home to be shown an image of what the VAR based their decision on.

who were rocked by talisman Christian Eriksen’s sickening cardiac arrest and looked set for an early exit, only to regroup and produce a series of inspired performances which led them to the semi-finals. Elsewhere, England defied persistent concerns about their defence and holding midfield options by not conceding from open play en route to finishing as runners-up, while we also saw some unlikely comebacks and the odd notable upset.

From a tactical perspective, the most successful formation was 4-3-3, a system favoured by three of the four semi-finalists. In each case, the emphasis was on slick passing and controlling the tempo, which brought extra responsibility upon the three in midfield, where one would sit and allow the others more freedom to move into advanced positions.

Italy used Jorginho as their lynchpin to great effect, much of Denmark’s good play came through the industrious Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, and Barcelona starlet Pedri was named Young Player of the Tournament after gracing Spain with his outstanding passing ability.

What was so eye-catching about Italy’s successful side is that their style of play was a departure from the methodical, counterattacking approach of many years gone by, with coach Roberto Mancini striking the perfect balance throughout the team and winning countless admirers in the process.

In England, meanwhile, there was also a lot

ABOVE: Although questions were asked during the knockout stages, a determination and immense mental fortitude carried Italy all the way.

RIGHT: Italy changed their style of play from defensive to offensive and it paid off TOP RIGHT: Leonardo Bonucci (2-R) of Italy scores an offside goal during the UEFA EURO 2020 quarter final match between Belgium and Italy

of discussion about Gareth Southgate and his decision making. Critics often questioned his team selections or accused his tactics of being too negative, but each time they were proved wrong as Southgate guided the Three Lions to the final where they only succumbed to a penalty shootout. For all the teams at the finals, the ability to make up to five substitutions in normal time added an extra strategic element to the mix. Although this rule had the potential to slow games down - the marathon last-16 clash between Sweden and Ukraine immediately springs to mind - the broader range of options it provided was a valuable tool in every coach’s armoury, as the timing of each change could sometimes make all the difference.

Looking back on the pre-tournament build-up, several nations were tipped to be in with a chance of winning it, but there were two clear front-runners. Boasting a squad of infinite quality, World Cup winners France were highly fancied to add a third Euro crown to their trophy cabinet. Meanwhile, the world’s top-ranked side Belgium were aiming for their long-awaited first major tournament victory.

However, both would end up crashing out earlier than expected.

France were in Group F, which had immediately caught everyone’s attention as soon as the draw was made, for it pitted them against perennial challengers Germany, defending

SWEDEN 1-2 UKRAINE, DANIELSSON RED CARD - VAR 6/10 Italian referee Daniele Orsato initially showed Sweden’s Marcus Danielsson a yellow card for his challenge on Artem Besedin, but the VAR advised him to take another look on the pitch-side monitor. Slowed right down, the studs-up challenge looked worse than at full speed and the ref upgraded to a red.

NETHERLANDS 0-2 CZECH REPUBLIC, DE LIGT RED CARD VAR 9/10 Matthijs de Ligt rightly received a red card for his rash handball early in the second half of this last-16 tie. VAR worked well in this instance after the referee missed the Dutch centre-back’s infringement, but the review took too long for such a clear and obvious decision.

CROATIA 1-1 CZECH REPUBLIC, LOVREN PENALTY - VAR 4/10 Another VAR decision to go the Czech Republic’s way saw Dejan Lovren punished for what was judged to be an arm or elbow to the face of Patrik Schick. Both players were challenging for a high ball, and after the referee failed to punish Lovren in real time, there was little need for a VAR review and sending the ref to the monitor.

ENGLAND 2-1 DENMARK, STERLING PENALTY - VAR 10/10 This moment proved controversial as it saw the much-loved Danes go out at the hands of England. Raheem Sterling was accused of going to ground easily, but the replays failed to show any evidence of diving, and the penalty award stood. You may not agree with soft penalties being given, but it’s not VAR’s job to interfere with those kind of judgement calls.

FAR MIDDLE: Dutch player Matthijs de Ligt leaves the pitch after receiving a red card during the UEFA EURO 2020 round of 16 match between the Netherlands and Czech Republic BOTTOM RIGHT: Danny Makkelie awarded England a penalty for a foul on Raheem Sterling, which was allowed to stand by VAR

SOCCER360 SEPTEMBER • OCTOBER 2021

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EURO 2020

EURO 2020 AWARDS As the dust settles from Italy’s Euro 2020 success, Stephen Donovan looks at those who went home with the individual honours PLAYER OF THE TOURNAMENT: GIANLUIGI DONNARUMMA Faultless throughout Italy’s path to victory, Donnarumma showed exactly why he’s a world-class goalkeeper, not least when making two decisive saves in the shootout to beat England in the final. An imposing figure between the posts, he ultimately emerged the hero and has proved the natural successor to Gianluigi Buffon.

champions Portugal, and a committed Hungary side backed by full crowds in Budapest. After some fascinating head-to-head battles, they advanced as group winners and seemed as if they were going through the gears before unleashing their full prowess in the knockout stages. But then came the sensational penalty shootout defeat by Switzerland and the manner of it, which sent shockwaves across Europe. At that moment, it felt like anything might be possible.

Belgium looked formidable in breezing through the group stage with a 100% record and then bringing Portugal’s title defence to an end courtesy of Thorgan Hazard’s superb strike, only to fall victim to irrepressible Italy as their golden generation again came up short. There were disappointments too for Germany, losing to old rivals England in the last 16 in coach Joachim Low’s final act, and the Netherlands, who fell apart against the Czech Republic in their first major tournament since the 2014 World Cup. The Dutch were at least involved in one of the best matches of the group stage as they overcame Ukraine late on despite surrendering a two-goal lead. That was one of a clutch of pulsating encounters sprinkled across the four weeks, including Germany’s thrilling 4-2 win over Portugal, Sweden clinching top spot in Group E with a last-gasp goal against Poland, and the gripping first semi-final between Italy and Spain where both teams maintained phenomenally high standards for the entire 120 minutes. And who could forget memorable Monday? June 28 was surely the most extraordinary day of action in European Championship history, as two astonishing last16 games produced 14 goals, non-stop drama, and two scarcely-believable comebacks. Spain somehow allowed a comfortable 3-1 lead slip against Croatia before prevailing 5-3 after extra time, and then came the infamous demise of France. It looked like Les Bleus had rescued a tricky situation when Karim Benzema’s double and a wonder strike from Paul Pogba punished Switzerland for missing a penalty which would have put them 2-0 up just moments earlier. It seemed like game over, but the Swiss deservedly hit back in the final 10 minutes and went on to win as Kylian Mbappe capped a campaign to forget by failing with the crucial spot-kick. It was an absolute classic.

Pogba’s sublime curler was one of the goals of the tournament along with Andriy Yarmolenko’s beauty against the Netherlands and a screamer from Denmark defender Andreas Christensen in their thumping win over Russia, but the best of the lot was Patrick Schick’s breathtaking 50-yard effort against Scotland. The Czech Republic striker went on to be one of the stars of Euro 2020, with his five goals matched only by Golden Boot

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SOCCER360 SEPTEMBER • OCTOBER 2021

winner Cristiano Ronaldo, who became the leading scorer in the competition’s history and equalled the world record of 109 in international men’s football.

Italy hero Gianluigi Donnarumma was named Player of the Tournament, but many of the other standout performers were full-backs, just to illustrate how effective they are in this day and age. Leonardo Spinazzola was a constant weapon for the Azzurri until being cruelly struck down by injury, Joakim Maehle was equally relentless for Denmark and scored twice, and nobody caught the eye more for the Netherlands than Denzel Dumfries, who was essentially an auxiliary striker.

The abiding memory of Euro 2020 is that it was a finals like no other. Every host city brought a different atmosphere and flavour, and most importantly it caught fire on the pitch. There was extra time aplenty, more own goals than in all the previous Euros combined, strength shown in extreme adversity, and very worthy champions at the end. After 51 games and 142 goals, Italy showed that they’re the real deal once again.

ABOVE: Underdogs Czech Republic made it to the quarter finals.

BELOW: Pre-tournament favourites France suffered a shock penalty shootout defeat to Switzerland in the last 16

YOUNG PLAYER OF THE TOURNAMENT: PEDRI A special mention to Denmark’s Mikkel Damsgaard, but the meteoric rise of Pedri continues to astound.

It feels crazy to believe that he has only one season of senior football behind him, but now the 18-year-old has become just as indispensable to Spain as he is for Barcelona with his dynamic midfield performances.

COACH OF THE TOURNAMENT: ROBERTO MANCINI Several coaches enhanced their reputations at Euro 2020, but Mancini’s transformation of Italy since taking charge is nothing short of phenomenal. With a neat and expansive style of play, he’s built a side that feels almost impossible to beat and instilled a fearsome mentality that carried them all the way.

TOP SCORER: CRISTIANO RONALDO Despite Portugal being eliminated in the last 16, Cristiano Ronaldo still managed to claim the Golden Boot and a bunch of records. His five goals all came in the group stage, the most impressive being a skilful finish against Hungary as he moved well clear as the top scorer in the competition’s history.

‘‘JUNE 28 WAS SURELY THE MOST EXTRAORDINARY DAY OF ACTION IN EUROS HISTORY, AS IT BROUGHT 14 GOALS, & TWO SCARCELYBELIEVABLE COMEBACKS’’

REVELATION OF THE TOURNAMENT: RAHEEM STERLING Many England supporters felt that Sterling wasn’t worthy of a place in England’s starting XI for the Euros, but coach Gareth Southgate kept faith with the Manchester City forward and he truly delivered. Three goals and a succession of top-drawer performances saw Sterling deservedly named in the Team of the Tournament.

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WOMEN'S SOCCCER

CANADA’S GOLDEN MOMENT IN FOOTBALL HAS FINALLY COME. AFTER YEARS OF COMING CLOSE BUT FALLING JUST SHORT AT THE SUMMER OLYMPICS, THE REDS ARE FINALLY SEEING GOLD. ALTHOUGH THE PATH TO TOP HONORS WAS CERTAINLY NO EASY TASK .

IT WAS ALL WORTH IT TO SAY THIS: THE CANADIAN WOMEN’S NATIONAL TEAM ARE GOLD MEDALISTS IN WOMEN’S SOCCER.

GOLDEN CANADIANS W

hile this year’s tournament was held under interesting circumstances (no fans were allowed in the stadium and players were largely confined to their hotel rooms aside from travel) the competition was stiff. For Canada and coach Bev Priestman, their group stage was no cakewalk facing hosts Japan, Chile, and tournament favorites Great Britain. A 2-1 win over Chile was bookended by two draws that on paper were good results, but were troublesome given that Canada had led in both matches.

But the results were enough to earn Bev Priestman’s side a spot in the knockout round. It was an opportunity that Canada,

and in particular their defense, seized on. In the quarterfinals, they held Brazil and Marta scoreless defeating the South American powerhouses 4-3 in penalties. The back four and goalkeeper Stephanie Labbe put on a similar stellar performance in the semifinals, blanking the United States 1-0.

Getting past the United States and extinguishing the ghosts of 2008 was certainly a step in the right direction, but the biggest hurdle still remained: winning gold. While Canada’s golden generation of players (Labbe, Christine Sinclair, Allysha Chapman, Erin McLeod, and Desiree Scott) have impressed at both the Olympics and the World Cup they have never made a final at the senior level.

ABOVE: The entire Canadian Women's National Team posing with their new Gold Medals from the 2020 Tokyo Olympics BOTTOM LEFT: Team Canada celebrates after scoring a goal during the 2020 Tokyo Olympics BOTTOM RIGHT: Stephanie Labbe, Canada's Goalkeeper

“WHEN I STEP ON THE PITCH, THAT'S MY COMFORT ZONE.” 18

SOCCER360 SEPTEMBER • OCTOBER 2021

Their two bronze medals at the London and Rio de Janeiro Olympics are certainly signs of the improvement that Canadian women’s soccer have made through the years but for a group that expects to win third place wasn’t good enough. So the timing seemed perfect in terms of where this side is at in their careers and where Canadian soccer is going.

Against Sweden though, a gold medal wasn’t a slam dunk. The Swedes led by Stinus Blacksteinus (five goals) had dominated the competition outscoring opponents 13-3. There is also a bit of history between the two sides with the same Sweden side having ended Canada’s hopes of World Cup glory in 2019 in France. The two matches played out in a very

USWNT EARN BRONZE BUT QUESTIONS REMAIN

“WE CAME HERE WITH THE GOAL OF CHANGING THE COLOUR OF THE MEDAL AND WE LANDED ON THE PODIUM. NEVER SAY DIE.” similar fashion with Blackstenius giving the Swedes the lead and Canada having to pry open a tightly organized defense.

But in the second half, Canada found their footing on the attack using their size and speed to create some attacking chances. In the 67th minute Sinclair earned her side a penalty after video replay showed a foul inside the Swedish penalty box. With the chance to bring her team level, midfielder Jesse Fleming delivered, scoring her second goal in as many games. After the remainder of the second half and extratime saw the match still tied, the two teams went into penalties. The drama continued to ramp up as Labbe and Swedish goalkeeper Hedvig Lindahl each made several key stops to the score at 2-2. In the sixth and decisive round Labbe’s save on a shot

by Jonna Anderson and Julia Grosso’s strike sealed the result for Canada.

ABOVE: Veteran leader Christine Sinclair has been scoring goals for Canada for her whole career.

LEFT: Desiree Scott, a core player for the Canadian Women's National Team BOTTOM LEFT: Alex Morgan celebrates after winning the bronze medal during the 2020 Tokyo Olympics BOTTOM RIGHT: Bev Priestman did a fantastic job coaching her team to the Gold Medal this past summer

While their neighbors to the north were celebrating their first Olympic Gold, the tone around the United States Women’s National Team is a little more subdued.

Despite earning a bronze medal, the feeling about coming up short and what could have been have overtaken any sort of revelry.

Third place games in international football are typically a mix of veteran players getting one last chance to put on the jersey and younger players a chance to say hello for the first time. For the USWNT the first part was definitely true, with veterans Carli Lloyd and Megan Rapinoe each scoring a brace to earn third place. Longtime veteran defender Becky Sauerbrunn once again ran the defense and midfielders Christen Press and Lindsay Horan managed the match through the middle.

But as had been the case throughout the tournament something seemed to be missing. Against a younger Australian side, the veterans struggled to keep up relying heavily on their experience to get them out of tough situations. While that helped secure the result this was the bronze medal match, not the gold medal match.

For a side that is accustomed to being in championships it seemed like a bit of a downer.

This wasn’t the first time that the USWNT didn’t look like the USWNT. In group play, they were picked apart by Sweden 3-0 and had an underwhelming draw against the Aussies. While they did earn a big win over minnows New Zealand to punch their ticket to the next round, it still didn’t inspire much confidence. Things seemed to turn around against the Netherlands, giving supporters a bit of hope heading into their semifinal match against Canada.

But a lack of attacking spice in the semifinals spelled an end to their Olympic Gold Medal aspirations.

For the USWNT and Head Coach Vlatko Andonovski a change is needed. The Summer Olympics exposed the age of the current roster and not having young players on their bench to go to change the pace hurt them. It is never easy to make a change in a national team roster but given the recent run of results and the improvements that other national teams have made; it may be time.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF CSA

SOCCER360 SEPTEMBER • OCTOBER 2021

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TOKYO 2020 WOMEN'S SOCCER TOP GOALSCORERS

WOMEN'S SOCCCER

“SOCCER IS SUCH A JOY IN MY LIFE AND I HOPE THAT PEOPLE SEE THEY CAN BE THEMSELVES AND CONTINUE TO PLAY SPORTS AND THERE'S A PLACE FOR THEM.”

"I'll be honest, the last couple days have been really … I've struggled in terms of anxiety.

Being overwhelmed,” said Labbe after the match. “But my mental strength came in. When I step on the pitch, that's my comfort zone."

For Sinclair, who has been a member of the senior national team for 20 years and holds the record for most international goals scored at 187, the moment had been years in the making.

But as she has done throughout the years, her focus was on what this means for her teammates and for the women’s game in Canada.

“I can’t even describe this right now,” said Sinclair after the match. “We came here with the goal of changing the colour of the medal and we landed on the podium. Never say die.”

The moment was also not lost on defender Quinn, who became the first-ever open

transgender and non-binary player to win an Olympic medal.

"What I want to do is make sure kids keep playing sports. For me that was so important.

Soccer is such a joy in my life and I hope that people see they can be themselves and continue to play sports and there's a place for them."

The victory cements Canadian women’s soccer at the top of the international game, but the work for acceptance and development continues. For Sinclair, the next goal for Canadian women’s soccer is simple: a professional domestic league.

“The next step is we have to get a professional league and teams in Canada. I think it’s unacceptable the Olympic champions don’t have a professional environment in Canada.

That’s the next task.”

NAME

COUNTRY

GOALS

V. Miedema

Netherlands

10

Sam Kerr

Australia

6

Ellen White

Great Brittain

6

Barbara Banda

Zambia

6

S. Blackstenius

Sweden

5

Wang Shuang

China

4

Lieke Martens

Netherlands

4

Marta

Brazil

3

L. Beerensteyn

Netherlands

3

Fridonlina Rolfo

Sweden

3

Andressa

Brazil

2

Debinha

Brazil

2

Janine Beckie

Canada

2

Jessie Fleming

Canada

2

Mina Tanaka

Japan

2

Victoria Pelova

Netherlands

2

S. van de Sanden Netherlands

2

Lina Hurtig

Sweden

2

Carli Lloyd

USA

2

Megan Rapinoe

USA

2

ABOVE: Quinn, the first-ever open transgender and non-binary player to win an Olympic medal.

RIGHT: Janine Beckie tied Jessie Fleming for the most goals for Team Canada during the olympics BOTTOM: Shelina Zadorsky, Canadian & Tottenham Hotspur defender

FINAL STANDINGS

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SOCCER360 SEPTEMBER • OCTOBER 2021

GOLD: CANADA

SILVER: SWEDEN

BRONZE: USA

4TH: AUSTRALIA

5TH: GREAT BRITTAN

6TH: NETHERLANDS

7TH: JAPAN

8TH: BRAZIL

STEPPING UP BY: SEAN MASLIN

WOMEN'S SOCCCER

“AT ONLY 15 YEARS OF AGE, MOULTRIE IS STARTING FOR THE TWOTIME NWSL CHAMPIONS AND MAKING MASSIVE CONTRIBUTIONS.”

O

ne of the true joys of every football season is watching the development of younger players.

Whether it is watching them come out of the lockerroom in their new kits, the emotions on their face when they score their first goal or even their first win, and even the little moments seem that much more fun- the conversations on the sidelines with teammates, the warm-ups on the sidelines, and even occasionally listening to the coach. These interactions are all very new and exciting and for players that are very young, like 15 year old Portland Thorns midfielder Olivia Moultrie they can also be incredibly important. Olivia Moultrie’s story in the context of the global game is not uncommon.

Teenagers for decades have been playing top flight club football in the men’s game and even in the women’s game in Europe. It is a yearly rite of passage that every team and their supporters go through-watching the next young prospect start to show off their skills at the best level.

But Olivia is different for a couple of different reasons. First, she is just 15 years old, an age that is even young by the standards of club football. Very, very few players at the age of 15 are called up and most are usually given just a few minutes in extra time or a token appearance in cup competitions.

Moultrie is starting for the two-time NWSL Champions and making massive contributions.

In the Thorns August 7 match against the Washington Spirit, it was a scintillating Moultrie cross into the box for Simone Charley to finish. With many members of the Thorns away due to the Summer Olympics, head coach Mark Parsons has used Moultrie as a super-sub helping spark Portland’s attack.

It has paid off with the side winning each of the last four matches. It is also important to note that while the idea of playing teenagers happens frequently in other parts of the world, in the NWSL it is still a very new concept. The

NWSL tried and true strategy of using the NCAA college system as a bridge between the academies and the professional game may fly counter to international soccer principles, but in North American sports it is the norm. When Moultrie signed the seven figure contract with Nike when she was 13 it went completely counter to how women’s soccer players are developed in the United States.

The system that has been established through the years by the NWSL and the NCAA is part of the reason why the league fought so hard to keep her from suiting up. For years the league has required players to be at least 18 years old in order to play. While there is a certain level of excitement that comes with a teenage prodigy there is also a tremendous amount of risk as well. The NWSL’s reaction to the Moultrie news seems to be a direct response to Major League Soccer’s failure with Freddy Adu and the financial peril that decision put men’s club soccer in. There is still a strong belief in this country that losing out on the growth years in college stymies development.

ABOVE (MAIN): 15 year old Olivia Moultrie reacts to getting signed by the Portland Thorns of the NWSL TOP RIGHT: Olivia Moultrie was playing professional soccer since she was 13 BOTTOM: Moultrie celebrating her first professional goal with her Portland Thorns teammates

Despite their best efforts to keep Moultrie out of the league, their efforts were in vain as she won an injunction hearing over the NWSL and forced an out of court settlement in July.

That settlement not only opened the door for Moultrie to play but other teenagers as well.

Girls soccer in the United States is booming with record levels of participation and tighter organization and structure at the top levels.

With additional resources and stronger gate attendance clubs are now looking to strengthen their academy programs. As with Adu, the odds are high that Moultrie will be just the first in a long line of players making the jump directly from youth soccer to the professional game. How that impacts that NCAA will have to be seen.

For now, Moultrie seems to be thriving in her new role with the club. The Thorns haven’t won an NWSL title since 2017 and with Parsons, their longtime coach, leaving the club to coach the English National Team next season now may be their best chance. That’s great news for Moultrie who seems ready to play under the bright lights.

SOCCER360 SEPTEMBER • OCTOBER 2021

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PREMIER LEAGUE

AS THE PREMIER LEAGUE RETURNS TO PACKED OUT STADIUMS, THERE’S A UNIQUE FEELING TO THE START OF THE NEW SEASON. HERE, OLI COATES ASSESSES HOW EACH TEAM’S STACKING UP AHEAD OF WHAT THEY HOPE WILL BE A SUCCESSFUL CAMPAIGN.

2021-22 PREMIER LEAGUE SEASON PREVIEW

ARSENAL New season, same old problems for Arsenal?

The Gunners finished a lowly eighth last term, out of the European places and below clubs with far fewer resources. It was a similar story on the opening day of the season when they were soundly beaten by newly-promoted Brentford, with familiar defensive weaknesses exposed once again.

Big-money centre-back Ben White should prove a good signing, but he’s far from an imposing presence. Arsenal need to toughen up, especially if the light-touch approach to refereeing continues. Mikel Arteta has a big job on his hands at the Emirates if they’re to get back into the Europa League, never mind the Champions League.

ASTON VILLA Dean Smith’s side improved on their 17th-place finish on their return to the Premier League in 2019-20 to come 11th last term. There’s real hope that Villa can continue their momentum in the new campaign, especially after completing a number of encouraging arrivals in the form of Danny Ings, Emiliano Buendia and Leon Bailey.

However, the reason the Villans have spent big is because of the £100m they received from Manchester City for Jack Grealish. How Villa cope without their talismanic captain will be the key to their success this season.

LAST SEASON FINISH: 11TH

BRENTFORD Brentford fans have waited a long time to see their team in the Premier League. The Bees were down in League Two as recently as 2009, while they came agonisingly close to reaching the Promised Land last season, losing to Fulham in the Championship’s play-off final.

The new Brentford Community Stadium was bouncing as the Bees stung Arsenal in the season’s curtain-raiser, with Thomas Frank’s side displaying all the verve and attacking intent which has seen them set the second tier alight over recent years. Their squad depth will be tested, but expect them to cause plenty more upsets this term.

BOTTOM, RIGHT: Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka has received standing ovations on the back of his performances for England at Euro 2020 and the sickening racist abuse he received in the aftermath of the final

PROMOTED TO EPL

LAST SEASON FINISH: 8TH

BRIGHTON & HOVE ALBION Brighton may have finished down in 16th last season, but they were a full 13 points clear of the relegation zone. Even so, they only managed one more than the magical 40-point mark, and after losing Ben White to Arsenal, some are fearing for the Seagulls this term.

However, in Graham Potter the south coast club have a superb manager whose attractive style of play keeps improving with each passing season. If new boy Enock Mwepu can settle into the midfield quickly alongside the impressive Yves Bissouma, Brighton may well end up pushing for a mid-table finish.

BURNLEY The Clarets lost to Brighton on the opening weekend of the season and finished two points below the Seagulls last term in 17th. Sean Dyche has worked wonders at Turf Moor, as Burnley enter their sixth successive season in the top flight.

There’s always a feeling at the start of every campaign that their luck could run out though.

The new ownership has failed to deliver the level of significant investment fans hoped for, with Burnley needing strike duo Chris Wood and particularly Ashley Barnes to improve on their goal returns from last term.

LAST SEASON FINISH: 16TH

LAST SEASON FINISH: 17TH

CHELSEA What a turnaround there’s been at Chelsea since Thomas Tuchel took over in January of last year. The German coach has turned the Blues from Premier League strugglers to Champions League winners, backing up their newfound status with the statement signing of Romelu Lukaku.

If the returning Belgian can provide the finishing touch that was so often lacking, and free up Timo Werner to cause havoc from wider and deeper areas, Chelsea will be right in the title race. Tuchel has a wonderful array of attacking riches at his disposal, but needs to keep influential midfielders N’Golo Kante and Jorginho fit and fresh.

LAST SEASON FINISH: 4TH

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SOCCER360 SEPTEMBER • OCTOBER 2021

ABOVE, MIDDLE: Manchester City are the defending Premier League champions heading into the 2021-22 season ABOVE, LEFT: Chelsea'a Timo Werner reacts during the English Premier League soccer match between Chelsea FC and Crystal Palace

CLASH OF COACHES As ever, the managerial merry-go-round is a hot topic in the Premier League. Oli Coates jumps on for a ride, and asks whether it’s better to stick or twist.

Leicester City look forward to a successful campaign Chelsea should be right in the title race

Everton’s Gylfi Sigurdsson looks to lead his Everton side to a better finish

CRYSTAL PALACE A new era has begun at Selhurst Park following Roy Hodgson’s retirement at the end of last season. Former Arsenal player Patrick Vieira has been given the chance to manage in the Premier League after a spell in MLS with New York City and Ligue 1 with Nice.

The French World Cup winner has made a number of promising signings in Marc Guehi, Joachim Andersen and Michael Olise, while keeping hold of star man Wilfried Zaha continues to be crucial to the Eagles’ chances.

Improving on last season’s 14th-place finish won’t be easy but is certainly possible.

LAST SEASON FINISH: 14TH

Christian Benteke of Crystal Palace celebrates after scoring the 1-1 equalizer during the English Premier League soccer match between Crystal Palace and Arsenal FC

EVERTON After only just scraping into the top half last term by finishing 10th, the Toffees were dealt the significant blow of losing manager Carlo Ancelotti to Real Madrid. The Italian is a proven winner, while his replacement caused consternation throughout large swathes of the Everton support.

Rafael Benitez has a lot of work to do to get the fans onside due to his Liverpool connections, but stringing together a few wins will have Goodison Park right behind him. The Spaniard will also hope to have the funds available to him to improve his club’s league position, but he should make Everton a tougher team to beat regardless.

ABOVE LEFT: Romelu Lukaku returns to Chelsea after leaving Stamford Bridge seven years ago

LAST SEASON FINISH: 10TH

LEEDS UNITED The perennial entertainers last season managed to keep hold of their ringmaster, as Marcelo Bielsa only committed to another year at Elland Road a matter of hours before the campaign kicked off. That was always going to be the biggest signing Leeds could make this summer.

The Whites have strengthened in securing the services of Junior Firpo and the permanent signature of Jack Harrison, as they aim to build on last season’s ninth-place finish. They still need to become harder to play through though, as shown by their mauling against Manchester United in their season opener.

LEICESTER CITY The Foxes have missed out on Champions League football by losing their last two games in each of the last two seasons. Brendan Rodgers is building something special at the King Power though, with Leicester winning the FA Cup for the first time in their history in May. That was the club’s highlight since winning the Premier League in 2016, and after splashing out on players such as Patson Daka, Boubakary Soumare and Jannik Vestergaard this summer, there could be further cause for celebration this term. Breaking back into the top four is going to be very difficult, but this Leicester team continues to defy the odds.

LAST SEASON FINISH: 9TH

LAST SEASON FINISH: 5TH

Not much has changed at the top of the Premier League table on the managerial front, with all of the clubs who finished in the top six last season sticking with their men in the dugout. Pep Guardiola begins his sixth season in English football at Manchester City, while Jurgen Klopp is into his seventh campaign in charge of Liverpool. Those two men are likely to be at the forefront of the title race, although Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is also hoping to join the party. The Red Devils looked as though they were going to mount a serious title challenge for the first time since Sir Alex Ferguson retired last season, only to falter in the second half of the campaign in failing to win 10 of their final 19 matches.

Solskjaer has been given the time and resources to build at Old Trafford. Chelsea managers are usually afforded the latter but not the former, and Thomas Tuchel will be no exception despite guiding the Blues to Champions League glory just four months after arriving at the club.

The German tactician targeted a proven goalscorer in the form of Romelu Lukaku, and his defensive organisation gives him a great shot at securing the Premier League title in his first full season at Stamford Bridge. Tottenham are the highest-placed team from last season to hire a new boss.

Nuno Espirito Santo has been tasked with improving on last season’s seventh place, with his chances of doing so likely hinging on Harry Kane’s future. Even so, this is a huge opportunity for the Portuguese coach to prove his credentials at a big club following the wonderful job he did at Wolves. New Everton manager Rafael Benitez has a big job on his hands to convince the entirety of the Goodison Park faithful that he’s worth their affection following his time across Stanley Park.

Crystal Palace also have a new boss in the shape of Patrick Vieira, who is short on top-level management experience, in a far cry from his predecessor at Selhurst Park, Roy Hodgson.

Marcelo Bielsa will draw plenty of attention once again after committing to another year at Leeds United, with the Argentine’s defensive organisation once again under the microscope from the off.

Brentford’s Thomas Frank could also find himself getting lots of attention for all the right reasons, with the Bees coming into the Premier League with the potential to set the division alight.

Frank is now in his fourth season at Brentford, after the club stuck with the Dane following their defeat in the play-off final in 2020. Sticking with your manager often pays dividends, as we can see with the likes of Frank, Guardiola, Klopp and Solskjaer, not to mention Sean Dyche at Burnley, Dean Smith at Aston Villa and even Steve Bruce at Newcastle United.

However, as Tuchel proved last season, there can also be huge rewards when clubs take the decision to twist. It’s a high-stakes gamble which can always go either way. Most clubs desire stability, with managers increasingly judged on their philosophies and the way they build and impose their style of play. Projects are tough to stick with when results are poor though, as we wait to see who blinks first this time round.

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PREMIER LEAGUE

2021-22 PREMIER LEAGUE SEASON PREVIEW

LIVERPOOL The Reds should be much stronger than last season with Virgil van Dijk returning to the starting line-up. The arrival of Ibrahima Konate from RB Leipzig brings proper competition and cover to Jurgen Klopp’s defence, although Liverpool’s squad is lacking in depth compared to some of their title rivals.

Further reinforcements should help in that respect, as the Reds bid to recapture their form of 2018-19 and 2019-20. Liverpool are irresistible on their day, and with the talismanic Van Dijk back in the team, they should have far fewer off days than last season. They ought to be back in the title picture.

LAST SEASON FINISH: 3RD

MANCHESTER CITY In contrast to Liverpool, Man City have a superb squad with excellent cover across the pitch. The only issue is in the goalscoring department, with their pursuit of Harry Kane a pivotal summer transfer saga. The Blues are incredibly strong everywhere else, winning the Premier League courtesy of a 12-point margin over local rivals Manchester United last season.

Pep Guardiola is now in his sixth season at the Etihad Stadium, claiming the title in three of his previous five campaigns. The Citizens are the favourites to retain their crown after lavishing £100m on the likes of Jack Grealish, although the true measure of their success is increasingly turning towards lifting the Champions League.

LAST SEASON FINISH: 1ST

NEWCASTLE UNITED Magpies boss Steve Bruce was probably glad to have an empty stadium for the vast majority of last season. It’s tough to build optimism at St James’ Park these days, but the Magpies managed a respectable 12th place despite significant problems with injury and illness.

Although Joe Willock’s loan from Arsenal has been turned into a permanent deal, a lack of sustained investment will continue to harm their chances of bringing the glory days back to the North East. However, if they can keep key forwards Callum Wilson and Allan SaintMaximin fit and firing, there’s every chance the Toon Army will witness a much more enjoyable season than some of their recent ones.

NORWICH CITY Norwich’s yo-yoing brings them back into the Premier League for a sixth time in 11 seasons.

Four of the last five have been spent in the Championship though, and a refusal to spend their TV money on new signings meant they suffered an immediate return to the second tier in 2019-20.

The Canaries are stronger after cantering to the Championship title last season, while they’ve invested in their squad right across the pitch this summer. Staying up will be tough, but Norwich have a better chance than their last crack at the top flight.

LAST SEASON FINISH: 12TH

DID YOU KNOW? 24

After beating Leicester, West Ham ended the day top of the Premier League for only the second time ever, after also doing so on August 22nd, 2006.

SOCCER360 SEPTEMBER • OCTOBER 2021

PROMOTED TO EPL

MANCHESTER UNITED Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has been building steadily over the last couple of years, while Man United appear to be learning from past mistakes. Big signings were secured early this summer, as the Red Devils recruited well in the shape of Jadon Sancho, Raphael Varane and, more recently, Ronaldo Cristiano. That addressed two key areas, with United targeting quality over quantity.

The squad at Old Trafford is starting to look very strong, with the standout Bruno Fernandes pulling the strings, while there’s an attractive fluidity to their attack as seen in the 5-1 opening day demolition of Leeds. If Varane improves the defence as expected, United should have the foundations for perhaps their most sustained title challenge since Sir Alex Ferguson retired.

RIGHT, BOTTOM: Phil Foden of Manchester City celebrates scoring his team's third goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Manchester City and Everton FC

LAST SEASON FINISH: 2ND

SOUTHAMPTON Could this be the season where it all goes horribly wrong for Southampton? The Saints have an excellent manager in Ralph Hasenhuttl, but their model of constantly selling their best players surely cannot be sustained forever. Last season’s top scorer, Danny Ings, has departed, along with key defenders Jannik Vestergaard and Ryan Bertrand, as well as midfielder Mario Lemina.

Adam Armstrong has arrived from Blackburn Rovers, and his ability to hit the back of the net is going to be crucial. If the 24-year-old can carry last season’s goalscoring form in the Championship into the Premier League, Southampton should be fine. If not, they could be in for a relegation scrap.

ABOVE, LEFT: Liverpool will be much stronger with the returning Virgil van Dijk ABOVE, MIDDLE: Bruno Fernandes is crucial to Manchester United and their prospective title challenge

LAST SEASON FINISH: 15TH

Mikel Arteta suffered his 20th defeat as Arsenal manager in the Premier League, in what was his 60th game while Arsène Wenger didn’t register his 20th defeat with the Gunners in the competition until his 116th game.

Following the 2-0 defeat to Chelsea, Arsenal ended a day in the relegation zone with more than one game of the season played for the first time since August 1992.

TOP PREMIER LEAGUE PICKS The Premier League is home to some of the planet’s finest footballers, as Oli Coates highlights five in particular to keep an eye on this season.

TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR After a summer dominated by Harry Kane’s future, Tottenham will be glad to get down to the daily grind of the season. They may not be glad of their participation in the Europa Conference League, however, after finding themselves in the new tournament on the back of last term’s seventh-place finish.

Spurs are getting over the break-up of their marriage of convenience to Jose Mourinho, with Nuno Espirito Santo a very different type of manager to his fellow Portuguese. Cristian Romero and Bryan Gil could turn out to be inspired signings, but Tottenham face an uphill challenge to get back into the top four.

LAST SEASON FINISH: 7TH

JACK GREALISH Manchester City made Grealish the most expensive British player in history when they paid Aston Villa £100m for their captain. England fans were desperate for the playmaker to get more minutes at Euro 2020, and his performances at City will be keenly scrutinised. He has more than enough confidence to live up to his billing and the gigantic price tag though.

WATFORD Watford secured automatic promotion to the Premier League after finishing second in the Championship last term, bouncing back immediately from their relegation the season before. This could be another difficult campaign for the Hornets though, who return to an even stronger top flight than the one they left.

In Xisco, they have a coach who inspired a real upturn in fortunes in the second half of last season. They haven’t gone all out in the transfer market, but there’s still plenty of quality in the squad. Ismaila Sarr is a key player, and Watford will hope his star continues to rise to give them a shot at beating the drop.

JADON SANCHO Another talented player with plenty of confidence, Sancho was briefly the second most expensive British football of all time following his £73m move to Manchester United. Still only 21, the silky forward scored 37 goals and contributed 41 assists in 92 appearances in the Bundesliga across his last three seasons at Borussia Dortmund and is one to keep a close eye on at Old Trafford.

PROMOTED TO EPL

ROMELU LUKAKU A player who failed to hit the heights expected of him at Man United, Lukaku returns to the Premier League with a real point to prove. Chelsea have paid a whopping £97.5m to bring their former striker back to Stamford Bridge from Serie A champions Inter, and his goals could fire the Blues into the midst of the title race.

BUKAYO SAKA After going through the heartbreak of missing a decisive penalty for England in their Euro 2020 final defeat to Italy, Saka was then subjected to vile online racist abuse. The country has rallied around the talented Arsenal youngster though, who received standing ovations from rival fans at the start of the new campaign. Saka is crucial to Arsenal’s chances this term.

WEST HAM UNITED They may have run out of steam in the final weeks of the campaign, but last season was still a huge success for West Ham. The Hammers went straight into the group stage of the Europa League after finishing sixth, narrowly missing out on the Champions League by just a couple of points.

David Moyes has done a terrific job at the London Stadium, but West Ham were arguably one of the biggest beneficiaries of the pandemic’s empty stands. Home support isn’t always positive, but a continuation of their form from last term should have Irons fans bouncing.

LAST SEASON FINISH: 6TH

WOLVERHAMPTON WANDERERS Wolves came back down to earth with a bump last season. After securing a pair of seventhplace finishes in their first two seasons back in the big time, their third campaign saw them slip to 13th. They were hit hard by the absence of main man up front, Raul Jimenez, with the Mexican’s return to action this season a genuine feel-good story.

Another key absence will have a serious impact on their fortunes this term, after manager Nuno ended his four-year reign to join Tottenham. Compatriot Bruno Lage has very big shoes to fill, with the Wanderers unlikely to reach their previous heights from a couple of seasons ago.

ABOVE, LEFT: England captain Harry Kane’s future has been a key talking point over the summer

HARVEY ELLIOT Another promising English talent to keep an eye on, Elliot became the youngest player in Premier League history in May 2019, aged just 16 years and 30 days.

Not 19 until April 2022, he excelled on loan at Blackburn Rovers last season in the Championship, and looks set to be part of Jurgen Klopp’s first-team plans at Liverpool this time round.

ABOVE, RIGHT: Tottenham look to improve from last year RIGHT: Jack Grealish (L), and manager Pep Guardiola (R) talk during the FA Community Shield soccer match between Leicester City and Manchester City

LAST SEASON FINISH: 13TH

Mason Greenwood is the fourth teenager in Premier League history to score in his team's opening two games of a season, and the first to do so since Alan Smith for Leeds United in August 2000.

In what is their 118th campaign in England's top four tiers, Arsenal have opened a league season with three defeats and no goals after three matches for the first time in their history.

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PREMIER LEAGUE

UPCOMING FIXTURES Dates & times subject to change.

SEPTEMBER

"THE 2021-22 PREMIER LEAGUE TITLE RACE PROMISES TO BE THE MOST COMPETITIVE IN YEARS."

TWIST THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY

BY: STEPHEN DONOVAN

COMPETITIVE

Sat 11

Crystal Palace

vs

Tottenham

Sat 11

Arsenal

vs

Norwich City

Sat 11

Brentford

vs

Brighton

Sat 11

Leicester City

vs

Manchester City

Sat 11

Manchester Utd

vs

Newcastle Utd

Sat 11

Southampton

vs

West Ham Utd

Sat 11

Watford

vs

Wolverhampton

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Chelsea

vs

Aston Villa

Sun 12

Leeds Utd

vs

Liverpool

Mon 13

Everton

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Burnley

Fri 17

Newcastle Utd

vs

Leeds Utd

Sat 18

Wolverhampton

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Brentford

Sat 18

Burnley

vs

Arsenal

Sat 18

Liverpool

vs

Crystal Palace

Sat 18

Manchester City

vs

Southampton

Sat 18

Norwich City

vs

Watford

Sat 18

Aston Villa

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Everton

Sun 19

Brighton

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Leicester City

Sun 19

West Ham Utd

vs

Manchester Utd

Sun 19

Tottenham

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Chelsea

Sat 25

Chelsea

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Manchester City

Sat 25

Everton

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Norwich City

Sat 25

Leeds Utd

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West Ham Utd

Sat 25

Leicester City

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Burnley

Sat 25

Manchester Utd

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Aston Villa

Sat 25

Watford

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Newcastle Utd

Sat 25

Brentford

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Liverpool

Sun 26

Southampton

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Wolverhampton

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Arsenal

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Tottenham

Mon 27

Crystal Palace

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Brighton

OCTOBER Sat 2

Manchester Utd

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Sat 2

Burnley

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Norwich City

Sat 2

Chelsea

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Southampton

Sat 2

Leeds Utd

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Watford

Sat 2

Tottenham

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Aston Villa

Sat 2

Wolverhampton

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Sat 2

Brighton

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Sun 3

Crystal Palace

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Sun 3

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Liverpool

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Sat 16

Watford

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Manchester City

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Burnley

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Southampton

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Brentford

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Sun 17

Everton

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THE GOOD

Sun 17

Newcastle Utd

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There is genuine excitement and intrigue at the prospect of a classic Premier League title race in 2021-22, as it promises to be the most competitive in years. At the outset, four clubs can legitimately claim to have a realistic chance of lifting the trophy next May after a dramatic summer of superstar signings and bold statements of intent.

Manchester City overcame a slow start last term to quickly make their path to a third top-flight crown in four years little more than a procession, and have since bolstered their ranks with the eye-catching arrival of Jack Grealish. However, while they’re still the favourites this time, they’ll surely face much more of a battle as the chasing pack have also strengthened considerably and appear a much fiercer proposition.

Indeed, Chelsea are fancied by many after lifting the Champions League and bringing back Romelu Lukaku, ensuring they now have top quality in just about every area of the pitch. Manchester United have addressed two key positions with the signings of Jadon Sancho and Raphael Varane, who they hope will help them bridge the gap to their neighbours. Meanwhile, Liverpool’s transfer business was much more understated, but

Mon 18

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SOCCER360 SEPTEMBER • OCTOBER 2021

Sat 23

Chelsea

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Crystal Palace

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Sat 23

Everton

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Sat 23

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Southampton

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Brighton

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Brentford

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West Ham Utd

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Sat 30

Leicester City

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Liverpool

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Sat 30

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Sun 31

Norwich City

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Sun 31

Aston Villa

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NOVEMBER Mon 1

Wolverhampton

vs

Everton

GOING UP The use of VAR in the Premier League has been widely criticised since its introduction in 2019-20, but changes for this season mean we’re likely to see fewer of the contentious penalties and indeterminable offside calls that have caused such consternation. At long last, referees are being told to use their common sense.

they’re back to form and still retain many of the squad that raced to the title in 2019-20. All these sides have their sights set on top spot.

The last time this many teams were involved in the mix was back in 2014, where Man City emerged on top on the final day in a season where they trailed Liverpool, Chelsea, and Arsenal at various points. It could turn out to be similarly captivating here, with the meetings between the sides taking on huge significance.

On paper, the top four looks easy to predict, but determining the order in which they’ll finish is an altogether different story.

THE BAD After signing from Saint-Etienne last summer at the age of 19, Wesley Fofana instantly established himself as one of the most promising young defenders in Europe with a succession of top performances for Leicester City. His maturity and ability on the ball both shone through as he became an integral part of a side that won the FA Cup and came within a whisker of qualifying for the Champions League, but his progress has suddenly been halted, after suffering a broken leg days before the start of the season.

The unfortunate incident happened in a preseason friendly with Villarreal when he was caught by a poor challenge from Fer Nino, and although Fofana was later able to post a message of positivity on social media while lying on the treatment table, he faces a lengthy absence. That will last until at least a few months into 2022, as a scan showed the injury is worse than originally feared, with damage to the medial ligaments.

It is bad news for the Frenchman and a serious setback for Leicester, who were left short of defensive options. Fofana has the pace and technical prowess that when he’s fit, gives them such a good balance, complementing the more orthodox robustness provided by the likes of Jonny Evans and Caglar Soyuncu. His style of play also helped to start attacks, so the Foxes will have to adapt slightly in order to cope with his loss.

Manager Brendan Rodgers responded quickly by recruiting Southampton’s Jannik Vestergaard as cover, although while there’s no doubt Leicester are a quality side that should achieve a third successive top-six finish, they are a weaker side without Fofana. There’s currently no timescale on his return, but when he does, his true importance will be underlined and he’ll aim to come back stronger.

TOP (OPPOSITE PAGE): Chelsea's Romelu Lukaku applauds his teams supporters BOTTOM (OPPOSITE PAGE): Jack Grealish of Manchester City in action a during the English Premier League match ABOVE: Leicester’s Wesley Fofana in action during the English Premier League soccer match between Leicester City and West Bromwich Albion BELOW: Harry Kane of England reacts after losing the UEFA EURO 2020 final between Italy and England TOP RIGHT: A goal decision by the video assistant referee (VAR) is announced on a huge screen during the English Premier League soccer match between Chelsea FC and Everton FC BOTTOM RIGHT: Burnley's manager Sean Dyche

exhaustive process of finding a new manager before having to contend with a disruptive transfer saga involving Harry Kane. It has caused chronic uncertainty for a club whose fortunes have declined significantly since reaching the Champions League final in 2019, and any imminent signs of improvement appear a long way off.

At the end of June Nuno Espirito Santo was finally named as the successor to Jose Mourinho, who was sacked in April, but not before the chairman Daniel Levy and the board spoke to numerous other high-profile candidates. From the outside, amid a backdrop having fallen so far off the pace last season and only scraped a place in the all new Europa Conference League, it appeared that the club was in some sort of disarray.

It began with an audacious and somewhat sensational attempt to lure former boss Mauricio Pochettino back to North London from Paris Saint-Germain. Whether the Argentine might have been tempted to return to North London is unknown, as the French club refused him permission to discuss a potential move. Tottenham then turned their attention to Antonio Conte after his departure from Inter, but their visions didn’t match.

Then it seemed certain that Paulo Fonseca, who left his position as Roma Coach in May, would be appointed, only for it to collapse at the last minute. There were contrasting explanations for this including tax issues and the sudden availability of Gennaro Gattuso, whose links to Spurs were soon severed after protests from supporters regarding comments he previously made about sexuality and women in football.

Nuno was effectively the last man standing, and he has the challenge of getting Tottenham back on track and dealing with the outcome of the Kane situation.

GOING DOWN Another summer of minimal recruitment means that Burnley could face a serious battle to maintain their Premier League status this time around. In recent years they’ve relied on manager Sean Dyche’s ability to continually get the most out of his thin squad, but there’s concern that their luck might soon run out.

THE UGLY It could hardly have been a more turbulent summer for Tottenham, who went through an

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SERIE A

INTER HAD BARELY FINISHED CELEBRATING LAST SEASON’S SCUDETTO WHEN IT ALL FELL APART – FIRST ANTONIO CONTE LEFT, THEN ACHRAF HAKIMI AND, EVENTUALLY, ROMELU LUKAKU. THE NERAZZURRI’S TROUBLES OPEN THE DOOR FOR THEIR RIVALS, CIRO DI BRITA WRITES…

2021-22 SERIE A SEASON PREVIEW

ATALANTA The Bergamaschi’s top four finish last term sees them partake in their third straight Champions League campaign and the key to any title hopes they have this season will be holding onto Colombian striker Duvan Zapata, who has garnered interest from around Europe’s top teams.

Tottenham Hotspur have raided the Bergamo club by signing goalkeeper Pierluigi Gollini and defender Cristian Romero on loan with options to buy for a potential combined fee of €70m.

Goalkeeper Juan Musso has arrived from Udinese for a reported €20m, while defenders Matteo Lovato and Merih Demiral have joined from Verona and Juventus respectively.

BOLOGNA Last season’s 12th place finish was possibly too lowly a position for an ambitious President like Canadian Businessman Joey Saputo. The Rossoblu will want to place in the top half of the table this season and by signing Austrian maverick Marko Arnautovic from Shanghai Port FC their chances of doing so have improved.

Veterans Rodrigo Palacio and Danilo are out of contract and have been replaced by SPAL defender Kevin Bonifazi and former Celtic striker Pierre van Hooijdonk’s son Sydney, who arrives from Eredivisie club NAC Breda.

LAST SEASON FINISH: 12TH

PROMOTED TO SERIE A

FIORENTINA La Viola came in an underwhelming 13th place in last season’s Serie A, which saw Coach Beppe Iachini sacked in November, replaced

by Cesare Prandelli and back in the hot seat

by March.

Former Spezia boss Vincenzo Italiano has been given the reins for this season and will hope to at least compete for a top half finish if not a Europa Conference League qualification spot.

Franck Ribery, Borja Valero, and Martin Caceres have all left the club while Argentine attacker Nicolas Gonzalez arrives from Stuttgart for a reported €27m transfer fee.

LAST SEASON FINISH: 13TH

GENOA Il Grifone will be hoping to go one better this season and finish in the top half of the table after last term’s 11th place finish. Coach Davide Ballardini may have lost keeper Mattia Perin, who returns to parent club Juventus, but his replacement is the experienced and talented Salvatore Sirigu, whose contract ran down at Torino in the summer.

Mexico international defender Johan Vasquez has joined from Mexican side UNAM Pumas for €3.5m, but a free transfer move for exTottenham, Newcastle and Schalke midfielder Nabil Bentaleb collapsed after an issue with the 26-year-old’s medical.

LAST SEASON FINISH: 11TH

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BOTTOM, RIGHT: Only two clubs from last season’s top 10 start this season with the same coach – Stefano Pioli at Milan and Atalanta’s Gian Piero Gasperini

LAST SEASON FINISH: 16TH

LAST SEASON FINISH: 3RD

EMPOLI Last season’s Serie B winners will be hopefully looking to extend their stay in the topflight for a second consecutive year at the very least. The Azzurri have brought in striker Patrick Cutrone from Premier League side Wolverhampton Wanderers to fire in the goals they need to avoid the drop.

Sebastiano Luperto has also re-joined the club on loan from Napoli, while keeper Guglielmo Vicario and defender Riccardo Marchizza also arrive from Cagliari and Sassuolo for the season.

CAGLIARI The Sardinians underperformed last season by finishing just four points above the drop zone despite President Tommaso Giulini flashing the cash on a host of veteran and big-name players such as Kevin Strootman, Radja Nainggolan, and Kwadwo Asamoah. Diego Godin and Nahitan Nandez could possibly be heading for an exit with plenty of interest in the two players.

The average age of the Cagliari squad looks set to be drastically lowered this season, while the biggest signing ahead of the opening fixtures was the arrival of Brazilian wing-back Dalbert on loan from Inter.

ABOVE, MIDDLE: Atalanta players celebrate a goal, as they improve as each year goes on.

ABOVE, LEFT: Inter were deserving champions but much has changed for the Nerazzurri since May

CLASH OF COACHES Milan look to add more fire power to a front line already containing Zlatan Ibrahimovic

Lazio's Immobile celebrates with his teammates after scoring

Inter, Juventus, Roma, Lazio and Napoli all changed coach over the summer. Ciro Di Brita looks at a very different Serie A coaching picture for 2021-22…

Napoli's Stanislav Lobotka (L) in action against Genoa's Caleb Ekuban (R)

Fiorentina look to improve

INTER The champions have had an uneasy summer.

First they lost coach Antonio Conte, who parted ways with the club after a dispute with the owners. Then main hitman Romelu Lukaku was sold back to his old team Chelsea to pay off their debts, while attacking wing back Achraf Hakimi also joined Paris Saint-Germain for a large transfer fee.

Simone Inzaghi is tasked with tough job of retaining the title and getting out of the group stage of the Champions League. He will rely on new signings, such as PSV Eindhoven’s Denzel Dumfries and Edin Dzeko, who joins from Roma. Hakan Calhanoglu left rivals Milan to join the Nerazzurri while Joaquin Correa followed Inzaghi from Lazio.

LAST SEASON FINISH: 1ST

JUVENTUS The Old Lady struggled last year under the leadership of Andrea Pirlo and just about scraped into the top four and the Champions League qualification spots on the last day of the season. Pirlo was shown the door soon after the end of the campaign and Max Allegri made an unsurprising return to the club he successfully led for five years.

But despite the change in the dugout there has been very little transfer activity involving the Bianconeri, however, Brazilian wonderkid Kaio Jorge has arrived from Santos for a fee worth somewhere around €3m, while Manuel Locatelli left Sassuolo – initially on loan – to join. Gianluigi Buffon has left the club for a second time, this time signing for his boyhood side Parma in Serie B, while Merih Demiral joined Atalanta.

TOP RIGHT: Massimiliano Allegri makes his return to Juventus BOTTOM RIGHT: What effect will Jose Mourinho have at Roma this year?

LAST SEASON FINISH: 4TH

LAZIO The Biancocelesti were left off the pace in the race for the top four last season, finishing sixth, while also being well beaten by Bayern Munich in the Champions League last 16. Inter-bound Simone Inzaghi has been replaced by former Juventus and Chelsea boss Maurizio Sarri.

The tactician finds himself reunited with Pepe Reina and Elseid Hysaj, who he coached at Napoli and could bring out the best in attacking players such as Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, Luis Alberto, and Ciro Immobile. Felipe Anderson returns to the club after his spell in London with West Ham United, while old stalwarts Senad Lulic and Marco Parolo have been released.

Much remains to be seen how champions Inter will perform this season without the drive and determination of coach Antonio Conte, the goals of Romelu Lukaku, and the pace and dribbling talent of Achraf Hakimi. Simone Inzaghi will no doubt take a different approach to running things at San Siro than his predecessor, but he takes over an already strong and competitive team. The return of Massimiliano Allegri to Juventus after two years was something that always looked on the cards: the Old Lady like to win, and the return of Max brings that winning mentality. However, the complaints about his style of play could once again rear their heads if results are slow to improve. The departure of Cristiano Ronaldo is a big loss, but Juventus will look to Paulo Dybala, Federico Chiesa and Alvaro Morata to fill his shoes. Nonetheless, they will be among the favourites to reclaim the Serie A title once again.

What effect Jose Mourinho will have at Roma draws top billing for those interested in the goings-on at the Stadio Olimpico.

The Portuguese coach may have lost the services of Edin Dzeko who finally signed for Inter after years of courtship, however, the big money transfer of Tammy Abraham will have plenty of people talking about the Giallorossi this season.

Napoli underperformed while being coached by Gennaro Gattuso as his side was guilty of being far too flaky, able to beat the best teams one week before losing to sides in the relegation zone the next.

Luciano Spalletti arrives with the job of getting back into the top four and getting the best out of probably the most potent attack in the league.

Can Maurizio Sarri replicate his style of football at Lazio? If he can then the Biancocelesti will be one of the teas to watch this season. With the likes of Immobile, Luis Alberto, and MilinkovicSavic firing on all cylinders this could be a fun watch for fans of Le Aquile.

AC MILAN Milan finished second last season and qualified for the Champions League for the first time since 2013. Stefano Pioli’s men have steadily grown over the past two years and will be hoping to go one better this term.

French goalkeeper Mike Maignan was bought for around €15m from Lille, replacing Gianluigi Donnarumma, who joined Paris Saint-Germain on a free transfer. Hakan Calhanoglu jumped shipped to sign for champions Inter, but Olivier Giroud arrives from Chelsea to add more firepower to a front line already containing Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

LAST SEASON FINISH: 2ND

LAST SEASON FINISH: 6TH

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SERIE A

2021-22 SERIE A SEASON PREVIEW

NAPOLI The Azzurri fell at the last hurdle in May, drawing at home to Verona and missing out on Champions League qualification. This season it is vitally important for them to re-join the top four and that task has been given to former Roma and Inter coach Luciano Spalletti.

There hasn’t been much in way of transfer activity through the summer, and the core of the side that flopped under Gennaro Gattuso is still there. Elseid Hysaj, and Nikola Maksimovic have been released by the club, while free agent Juan Jesus joins to add some depth in defence.

LAST SEASON FINISH: 5TH

SAMPDORIA Claudio Ranieri led I Blucerchiati to a decent finish last season, ending up in ninth place after a poor start to the campaign. Roberto D’Aversa has replaced Ranieri in the hot seat at the Marassi this term and will be hoping his side can again fight for a top half finish.

Former Inter defender Jeison Murillo has arrived from Celta Vigo, while Gaston Ramirez and Vasco Regini have been released by the club.

LAST SEASON FINISH: 9TH

ROMA I Giallorossi was another side that had a disappointing season last term, finishing seventh and losing to Manchester United in the semi-final of Europa League. This season they will be the first Italian side to compete in the inaugural edition of the Europa Conference League and with Jose Mourinho replacing Paulo Fonseca in the dugout, it’s possible the Portuguese coach might want to add that cup to his trophy cabinet.

Goalkeeper Rui Patricio joins from Wolves and striker Tammy Abraham arrives from Chelsea for a reported €45m fee. Bruno Peres, Juan Jesus, and Antonio Mirante were all released by the club, while Cengiz Under and Pau Lopez join Olympique Marseille.

SALERNITANA I Granata came second in Serie B last term and won promotion to the top flight for the first time since the 1998-1999 season. However, their involvement in this year’s Serie A had come under threat since Lazio patron Claudio Lotito also owns the Salerno outfit and it is against the rules for someone to own two teams in the same division. Lotito apparently ceded control of the club and the Campanians were accepted for the upcoming season.

Coach Fabrizio Castori will have his work cut out for him to ensure his side stay in the league, he will have some attacking firepower at his disposal with the arrival of Simy Nwankwo from Crotone and Sampdoria’s Federico Bonazzoli.

LAST SEASON FINISH: 7TH

PROMOTED TO SERIE A

SASSUOLO The Neroverdi just missed out on Europa Conference League qualification by the headto-head rule after they finished level on points with Roma. Coach Roberto De Zerbi was poached by Shakhtar Donetsk and has been replaced by Alessio Dionisi, who guided Empoli to the Serie B title last season.

The 41-year-old will have his work cut out for him to continue the attacking ethos that the Emilia-Romagna club has adhered to over the years. Brazilian midfielder Matheus Henrique arrives from Gremio, while Manuel Locatelli moved to Juventus after impressing at Euro 2020.

SPEZIA The Aquilotti finished 15th in their first ever season in Serie A, avoiding the drop by six points. Under coach Vincenzo Italiano, the Ligurian outfit claimed some high-profile scalps in wins over Napoli and Milan.

Italiano has left for pastures new and has been replaced in the dugout by former Inter midfielder Thiago Motta. The ex-Genoa trainer will hope to get the best out of what is a very young squad. Ukraine international Viktor Kovalenko arrives on loan from Atalanta.

RIGHT, BOTTOM: Spezia’s Italian forward Daniele Verde (C) celebrates after scoring a goal during the Italian Serie A soccer match Spezia Calcio vs As Roma

ABOVE, LEFT: Roma’s Stephan El Shaarawy (R) in action during the friendly soccer match between AS Roma and Raja Club Athletic at the Olympic Stadium ABOVE, MIDDLE: Lorenzo Insigne now has Euro championship experiecne to bring home to his club.

LAST SEASON FINISH: 15TH

LAST SEASON FINISH: 8TH

DID YOU KNOW? 30

Andrea Belotti is the only player that scored at least 10 Serie A goals in each season among 2015/16 and 2020/21 campaign.

SOCCER360 SEPTEMBER • OCTOBER 2021

Giovanni Simeone is the only player born since 1/1/1995 to have scored at least 50 Serie A goals, most of them coming from his stint at Cagliari.

José Mourinho has become the fastest manager to reach 50 Serie A wins (77 games) in the three points for a win era (since 199495). The Portuguese coach is also the fastest manager to have reached 50 wins both in Premier League (63 games) and in LaLiga (62).

TOP SERIE A PICKS TORINO I Granata just about saved themselves from being sent down to Serie B by holding Benevento to a draw on the last day of the season. Ivan Juric replaces David Nicola in the Torino hot-seat and will be tasked with rebuilding a team that disappointed last term and get them as high up the table as possible, as another relegation battle is not what President Urbano Cairo wants.

Nicolas Nkoulou, Salvatore Sirigu, and Soualiho Meite have all left the club, while Albanian goalkeeper Etrit Berisha arrives from SPAL. LAST SEASON FINISH: 17TH

UDINESE Le Zebrette hit the 40-point mark and downed tools towards the tail end of last season and a similar nondescript, unexciting campaign is probably in store for Udinese again this term.

Coach Luca Gotti will have to do without the services of talisman Rodrigo De Paul who joined Atletico Madrid for a reported €35m fee. Goalkeeper Marco Silvestri has joined from Verona to replace Juan Musso, who left for Atalanta, while Poland international striker Lukasz Teodorczyk has returned from his loan spell at Belgian side Sporting Charleroi.

LAST SEASON FINISH: 14TH

There’s a concern that Serie A has lost its lustre this season as Romelu Lukaku moved on, but there are still plenty of players to keep an eye on, says Ciro Di Brita.

TAMMY ABRAHAM English striker Abraham arrives from Chelsea for a reported €40m fee, boosting Jose Mourinho’s attacking options after the departure of Edin Dzeko to Inter. The 23-year-old struggled to find minutes on the field last season when Thomas Tuchel took over at Chelsea but still managed to score 12 times in all competitions.

FEDERICO CHIESA Fresh from helping Italy win the European Championship the 23-year-old will be hoping to continue the explosive form he displayed during the tournament. Forming a potentially devastating front-three which also includes Alvaro Morata and Paulo Dybala, it will be interesting to see if coach Max Allegri takes the shackles off his attacking players.

OLIVIER GIROUD The France World Cup Winner has finally arrived in Serie A having been linked with a move to the peninsula for years and will now team up with fellow veteran striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Giroud will be tasked with providing the firepower and linkup play for the Rossoneri to compete in both the Champions League and Serie A. DENZEL DUMFRIES Wing back Dumfries showcased the full array of his skills during the summer’s European Championship despite the Netherlands crashing out of the tournament to the Czech Republic. The 25-year-old scored twice and looks ready to fill the gap vacated by Achraf Hakimi’s departure to PSG. VICTOR OSIMHEN The Nigerian striker had a bit of a start stop season last term. Despite suffering injuries and missing games through Covid-19 the 22-year-old showed enough promise to make him a real danger man heading into this campaign. New Coach Luciano Spalletti will be hoping he can get the most out of the attacker and improve on his 10 goals from last year.

VENEZIA I Lagunari won promotion from Serie B through the playoffs and will compete in the top flight for the first time since 2000. Coach Paolo Zanetti is an unknown quantity in Serie A, having previously only managed at Sudtirol and Ascoli before being handed the keys at the Stadio Pier Luigi Penzo.

Defender Mattia Caldara arrives on loan from Milan to try reigniting his flagging career after several injuries put it on hold, while American wonderkid Gianluca Busio joins from Sporting Kansas City.

VERONA The Gialloblu finished in the top half of the table despite not winning any of their last nine games of the season. Coach Ivan Juric has left to take over at Torino and has been replaced by Eusebio Di Francesco, who will be hoping his side are still competing for a Europa Conference League qualification spot at the end of the campaign.

Goalkeeper Lorenzo Montipo has arrived from Benevento on loan to replace the outgoing Silvestri, while Gianluca Frabotta also joins from Juventus for the year.

PROMOTED TO SERIE A

LAST SEASON FINISH: 10TH

João Pedro has become the fifth player in the history of #Cagliari to have scored in seven different Serie A campaigns, after Luigi Riva (12) Daniele Conti (11), Nene (10) and Ricciotti Greatti (7).

ABOVE, LEFT: Belotti looks to lead Torino to a succesful campagin ABOVE, RIGHT: Gianluca Frabotta has joined Verona from Juventus RIGHT: Federico Chiesa turned heads at Euro 2020, so he will be one to watch

There had been 36 goals scored in Serie A matchday one this season, the most in an Italian top-flight MD1 since the 1950/51 campaign (45).

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SERIE A

UPCOMING FIXTURES Dates & times subject to change.

"BRINGING IN A MANAGER OF THIS CALIBRE WAS BELIEVED TO BE SIMPLY IMPOSSIBLE FOR ROMA"

SEPTEMBER

BY: GREG MURRAY

EMPIRE RISING THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY

THE GOOD With the glory days of Francesco Totti firmly in the rear-view mirror and no Champions League football, it's safe to say that Roma’s expectations were low at the end of the season. However, one year since buying the club, the Friedkin Group made their first real statement of intent to make the Giallorossi competitive once again.

The departure of Paulo Fonseca came as no surprise, but his successor Jose Mourinho undoubtedly turned a few heads in the capital.

Unsuccessful recent spells at Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United may have lowered the manager’s status in the Premier League, but the former Inter treble winner’s reputation remains extremely high in Serie A. Bringing in a manager of this calibre was believed to be simply impossible for Roma and the fans have already adopted Mourinho as one of their own.

Investment is not restricted to the dugout either, as Roma have looked to strengthen on the pitch.

The arrival of Tammy Abraham from Chelsea has the potential to be one of the signings of the summer, despite the lofty price tag. The English forward is a proven goalscorer and significantly more mobile than the outgoing Edin Dzeko, while at just 23 years old, has plenty of time to further refine his craft.

Another import from the Premier League is Portugal No 1 Rui Patricio, who joins after a successful spell at Wolves. The goalkeeper might be 33, but is a direct improvement on Pau

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SOCCER360 SEPTEMBER • OCTOBER 2021

Sat 11

AC Milan

vs

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OCTOBER

GOING UP

Lopez and Robin Olsen. I Lupi have made further moves, bringing in Eldor Shomurodov, Matias Vina and Bryan Reynolds for a combined £33m.

Although this trio’s expected to fulfil a rotation role, it shows sensible and coordinated planning.

At £90m, this summer is by no means Roma’s biggest in terms of spending, yet significantly it has not been characterised by departures of top players. Past summer transfer windows have been funded by the sales of the likes of Kostas Manolas, Allison, Radja Nainggolan and Mohammed Salah, whereas this year sees direct investment into the squad.

The outlay far from guarantees their first Scudetto in two decades, or even a sustained title challenge, but the new owners’ priorities will undoubtedly send Giallorossi fans wild with anticipation.

A barnstorming performance at Euro 2020 showed the rest of Europe something Serie A fans already knew – Manuel Locatelli is ready for the big time.

Following his performances in Serie A last season in which he registered eight goals and 11 assists, not to mention two goals at the Euros, a slew of big clubs registered their interest and Locatelli decided to move to Turin giants Juventus.

THE BAD The balance of power in world football is constantly changing. However, the summer of 2021 has provided visual evidence of the current weakness of Serie A. Whereas in the past Italy was the go-to destination for top talent, it appears that the country’s best and brightest are looking abroad to advance their careers.

No one has felt this harder than Inter, where fans are protesting the dismantling of their Scudetto-winning team. Having wrestled the league away from Juventus last season, the Nerazzurri were expected to consolidate, perhaps making minor tweaks to deepen the squad for a European challenge. Instead, having allowed Antonio Conte to leave after disagreements with senior management, the club sanctioned the sales of Romelu Lukaku and Achraf Hakimi. While the fees were huge, selling two world-class players without replacements of similar quality is not the action of a club looking to re-establish themselves as the biggest in the land. Perhaps Conte had good reason to leave.

The blue side of Milan is far from alone in having a disappointing window, as their neighbours in red also saw top players leave, with Gigio Donnarumma and Hakan Calhanoglu departing on free transfers. Similar to Inter, the Rossoneri have had to turn to youth prospects and emerging talents in order to replace their outgoings.

Looking elsewhere in the league provides more evidence of top players leaving Italy. Atalanta have allowed Cristian Romero and Pierluigi Gollini to join Tottenham, while Udinese have seen Rodrigo de Paul depart for Atletico Madrid, with the Spanish side also chasing Fiorentina’s Dusan Vlahovic. The sales of these players comes as no surprise. But whereas in the past there would have been Italian clubs in the running, it appears all serious offers are coming from England, France and Spain.

Arguably more than the sales, it is the lack of purchasing power that signifies Serie A’s financial decline. It was not too long ago that Juventus signed the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Matthijs de Light. Things are quieter at the Allianz Stadium this summer, while the likes of Napoli and Lazio have been similarly quiet. Money may not be everything in football, but as long as Serie A clubs are allowing their top talent to leave the league without replacements, it will be a long time before the Champions League returns to Italian soil.

ABOVE (OPPOSITE PAGE): Bringing Jose Mourinho to Roma is a big statement of intent from the club’s owners OPPOSITE PAGE : Roma’s investment is not restricted to the dugout ABOVE: Although Juventus has some of this summer's Euro Champions, the balance of power is shifting BELOW: Italy’s penalty shootout hero, Gianluigi Donnarumma, left Milan to join Paris Saint-Germain on a free TOP RIGHT: Manuel Locatelli has moved to Juventus from Sassuolo BOTTOM RIGHT: Parma is looking to rebuild and be better

hit hard for a number of reasons. First, having recruited the player aged 14 and handed him the platform to excel, many felt that the transfer rumours at every contract negotiation were in poor taste. Of course, in modern football loyalty is a rare commodity. However, given Donnarumma’s young age, not to mention the extended shelf life of goalkeepers, it was assumed in some quarters of Milan that they would have longer to enjoy their protege.

Another cause for contention for those in red and black was the fact that the club enjoyed their best campaign in nearly a decade in 2020-21. Under Stefano Pioli, there appears to be real optimism at San Siro, while a focus on youth has fans optimistic about the continued project. Having finally earned Champions League football for the first time in Donnarumma’s career, the No 99 would have had the chance to play on the highest stage with his boyhood club.

Finally, and arguably most significantly, is the fact that the club’s most valuable asset left on a free transfer. Milan are by no means in as dire straits financially as at points over the last decade, however, a cash injection in the region of £50m would have been a major boost for the upcoming season. Instead, the club had to bring in Mike Maignan for a reported £11.7m to replace a man who they saw as being the face of the Rossoneri for the next decade. Only time will tell if Maignan can fill those extralarge gloves.

GOING DOWN Radja Nainggolan’s Inter Milan nightmare has finally come to an end after the Belgian signed for Royal Antwerp. The midfielder is widely regarded as one of the Nerazzurri’s worst signings in recent times, joining from Roma for money plus Nicolo Zaniolo and Davide Santon, only to spend the majority of his Inter career on loan to Cagliari.

THE UGLY The Gianluigi Donnarumma saga has finally reached a conclusion, as Italy’s Euro 2020 final hero has joined Paris Saint-Germain on a free transfer. In the five years since debuting for Milan aged just 16, there has been never-ending speculation over the future of the world’s most promising young goalkeeper.

Fuelled by super agent Mino Raiola, Donnarumma has seen his reputation rise at a meteoric rate, going from becoming the youngest ever goalkeeper to play for Italy to winning Player of the Tournament at the Euros.

For Milan, where ‘Gigio’ has made 215 appearances in Serie A alone, the transfer has

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LA LIGA

THERE’S NO LIONEL MESSI BUT LA LIGA 2021-22 STILL HAS PLENTY TO OFFER. IAN WATERHOUSE RUNS DOWN A DIVISION THAT IS WIDE OPEN AT THE TOP…

2021-22 LA LIGA SEASON PREVIEW

ALAVES Deportivo Alaves start their sixth consecutive La Liga season with the clear aim of moving into the mid-table fold after back-to-back 16th place finishes. Failing to reach double figures in league wins last season was an alarming warning of a recent downward curve for the Babazorros, which they will need to halt quickly.

Several loan signings have been bought in with the likes of defender Matt Miazga from Chelsea and attacking midfielder Manu Garcia expected to hit the ground running to give manager Javier Calleja a fighting chance of progression.

LAST SEASON FINISH: 16TH

BARCELONA It has been a summer the Barca faithful will never forget with stalwart, club legend and best player Lionel Messi departing. The rumblings behind the scenes have been going on for quite some time and with the club heavily in debt, the future appears uncertain.

However, this is Barcelona, and the expectation will still be to win the title even without Messi.

They still have the squad to do it and the addition of Sergio Aguero and Memphis Depay will only go to aide that cause. Ronald Koeman has a big job on his hands with Barca looking fragile, but rule them out at your peril.

LAST SEASON FINISH: 3RD

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SOCCER360 SEPTEMBER • OCTOBER 2021

ATHLETIC BILBAO The Basque club’s heady days of the mid 2010’s seem well behind them. However, with the club comfortably occupying mid-table for the last few seasons and reaching back-toback Copa Del Rey finals, there is certainly no signs of a collapse on the horizon either.

A lack of activity in the transfer market may have to somewhat temper expectations for the fans, with free transfer Alex Petxa from Real Sociedad B and a couple of promotions from the B team the only additions for manager Marcelino. As always, expect Athletic to be a tough but inconsistent competitor with another mid-table finish the likely scenario.

ATLETICO MADRID Once again Diego Simeone worked miracles and guided Atletico Madrid to last season’s La Liga title. Can he do it again? That is the big question this season and much depends on whether Barcelona and Real Madrid decide to turn up. However, the signing of central midfielder Rodrigo de Paul will add creativity and another winning mentality after having just won the Copa America with Argentina.

After Atleti’s last league title in 2014, the following season the club slipped to a distant third with the ambition this season surely to not rest on their laurels and compete at the sharp end again.

LAST SEASON FINISH: 10TH

LAST SEASON FINISH: 1ST

CADIZ The Pirates surprised many last season with a run to 12th place last season. If Alvaro Cervera’s men can achieve something similar this campaign, then there will no doubt be dancing in the streets of Cadiz. Former Manchester City striker Alvaro Negredo will be called upon once again to provide the goals whilst the addition of young left-back Santiago Arzamendia is designed to provide additional competition and support at the back.

Survival will be the main goal and to avoid the dreaded second season syndrome.

CELTA VIGO After a couple of seasons of flirting with relegation, Celta hit form last campaign with an eighth-place finish and have the capability to repeat that feat. Club record goalscorer Iago Aspas will once again provide the attacking threat although at 34-years-old, Los Celestes will no doubt have one eye on the future too.

This could be Celta’s big (and only) chance to break into the top six and the addition of Benfica winger Franco Cervi proves head coach Eduardo Coudet’s attacking intent.

LAST SEASON FINISH: 12TH

LAST SEASON FINISH: 8TH

BOTTOM, RIGHT: Atletico's striker Luis Suarez (L) and goalkeeper Jan Oblak (R) during the Spanish LaLiga soccer match between Atletico de Madrid and Elche CF

ABOVE, MIDDLE: Sergio Aguero will have to help replace Messi at Barca ABOVE, LEFT: Iago Aspas in action against Real Madrid

CLASH OF COACHES

Diego Simeone worked wonders to take Atletico Madrid to the title last season

Getafe players celebrate after acoring against Barcelona

Espanyol's striker Raul de Tomas

Carlo Ancelotti’s return is the headlinegrabber but La Liga 2021-22 will feature some touchline battles equally as interesting as what happens on the pitch…

Elche's players toss head coach Fran Escriba (up) in the air

ELCHE Los Franjiverdes avoided the drop last season courtesy of back-to-back wins to round out their campaign. A close shave with relegation is something manager Fran Escriba will be desperate to steer clear from this campaign and the club have been busy in the transfer market to attempt to keep Elche safe.

Last season’s loan signing Ivan Marcone has now been made permanent as has seven goal star Lucas Boye. Continuity is key for an Elche side expected to be battling in the bottom lower half once again.

ESPANYOL When your neighbour is Barcelona, it can be easy to drift away into the shadows. However, Espanyol have their own story after achieving promotion by winning the Segunda Division last time out. Could Los Periquitos be about to spring a mid-table surprise on the league?

If last season’s 23-goal hitman Raúl de Tomás can find his scoring boots once again then that is a very likely scenario.

Head coach Vicente Moreno has every reason to be optimistic this season as Espanyol look to slowly emerge from the Barca cloud.

LAST SEASON FINISH: 17TH

PROMOTED TO LA LIGA

GETAFE Getafe’s drop down the order last term was down to a lack of goals – just 28 scored was the lowest of all in La Liga. Despite this, Getafe stayed up, but coach Michel knows goals are a must. To plug this problem, former Barcelona man Sandro Ramirez has been brought in on loan whilst Carles Alena’s loan to the club has now been made permanent.

Expect an improved Getafe side this season but the heroics of a fifth placed finish just a few seasons ago looks far out of reach.

LAST SEASON FINISH: 15TH

TOP RIGHT: Koeman is the first Barclona coach since 2004 to not have Messi as a choice for his line up BOTTOM RIGHT: Simeone looks to lead his team to another league title

GRANADA It is all change for Granada this season. Former Monaco and Spain coach Robert Moreno is the new man at the helm. How much the Nazaries will miss the departed Diego Martinez after three excellent season remains to be seen but with no European football either, the squad has been trimmed.

Included in the departures was Roberto Soldado, but he has been replaced by the vastly experience Carlos Bacca from Villarreal. If the side gel quickly, then another top 10 finish could be on the cards. However, the number of changes made leaves the club in a vulnerable position.

Carlo Ancelotti faces a daunting task in his second spell as Real Madrid coach. Having guided Los Blancos to the 2013-14 Copa Del Rey and Champions League titles, the likeable Italian comes in to oversee something of a transition period for one of the biggest clubs in the world. Out has gone inspirational captain Sergio Ramos and his long-term defensive partner Raphael Varane, to Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester United respectively, and the back line will be a hot topic for debate this season among the Real Madrid faithful. Ancelotti is not the only trainer having to deal with monumental change.

Spare a thought for Ronald Koeman, who becomes the first Barcelona coach since 2004 to not have the option of picking Lionel Messi in his line-up. If anything, Koeman’s task is greater due to the financial restraints currently put on the Blaugrana. He will have to cope with this and the high expectation of winning the league and competing in the Champions League. The squad may look a little different, but the expectation will remain the same.

How Ancelotti and Koeman deal with these situations under intense scrutiny could prove to be the difference between success and failure. The former is something Diego Simeone is all too familiar with and he may be rubbing his hands at the opportunity of guiding Atleti to back-to-back league titles, especially if the Real and Barca take time to adjust to their unfamiliar settings.

For 10 years Simeone has guided Madrid’s ‘other’ team to huge success and his leadership and continuity have led the club to reaping the rewards. There may be few better chances to win his third La Liga title at Atletico Madrid.

Beneath the usual top three, Unai Emery has impressed at Villarreal and should continue to do so, while Sevilla’s Julen Lopetegui and Real Sociedad’s Imanol Alguacil are both talented coaches with exciting sides, primed to step up a level.

Roberto Moreno and Jose Bordalas are two more coaches who will have a lot of eyes on them in the coming months.

LAST SEASON FINISH: 9TH

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LA LIGA

2021-22 LA LIGA SEASON PREVIEW

LEVANTE Trying to predict a Levante season is a seemingly impossible task. Last season the club recorded away wins at both Real and Atletico Madrid whilst also going on to take only three points from their final eight games.

The potential is there but can head coach Paco Lopez capitalise on it?

With Roberto Soldado the only significant signing to date the club is relying heavily on last season’s squad but with a 4-3-3 formation and good blend of experience and youth, expect Levante to punch above their weight.

REAL MALLORCA At his first attempt, Luis García Plaza guided Real Mallorca back to the top flight after a runners-up spot in the Segunda Division.

Survival is clearly the aim for Los Piratas although they will have to do it without Ante Budimir, who has made his loan move to Osasuna permanent.

Angel Rodríguez and Jaume Costa both signed on a free add much needed experience for a side who could end up finding this a long campaign. Offer Real Mallorca 17th now and they will snap your hand off.

OSASUNA A strong campaign last season has left plenty of optimism in the Osasuna camp and for a number of reason. Firstly, Ante Budimir has made his loan signing permanent and repeat of his 11 goals last term will be very welcome.

Secondly, the future looks bright as Javi Martinez and Kike Saverio have been promoted from the youth ranks.

Formation is key for manager Jagoba Arrasate with a rumoured 4-3-3 going to be the approach as the Gorritxoak target possible European qualification.

LAST SEASON FINISH: 14TH

PROMOTED TO LA LIGA

LAST SEASON FINISH: 11TH

RAYO VALLECANO Rayo Vallecano may have caught themselves out a little bit after just sneaking into the Segunda Division top six and then earning promotion via the playoffs. A lack of preparedness has left Los Franjirrojos facing something of a mountain in their quest for survival with a lack of top flight experience in the squad.

Head coach Andoni Iraola has managed to bring in talented 21-year-old left-back Fran Garcia from Real Madrid but one does feel Vallecano will be occupying the bottom three come the season’s end.

REAL BETIS Manuel Pellegrini has helped return Real Betis from mid-table mediocrity to the Europa League. Sixth place last season can be built on this campaign, although an identical season to last will likely be the aim. European football may impede their progress, however they have managed to bag talented goalkeeper Rui Silva on a free and last season’s loan signing Juan Miranda is now at the club on a permanent deal.

Betis will be tough opponents and a top 10 finish beckons for Los Verdiblancos.

REAL MADRID This season may be similar to Barcelona’s and approached as something of a transition although anything other than the title will still be viewed as a disappointment. Carlo Ancelotti is back as coach but stalwart Sergio Ramos is out, as is Raphael Varane. However, the signing of David Alaba on a free is a shrewd move.

The question mark remains over Gareth Bale and Eden Hazard. If they can get back to full fitness, then Los Blancos could take some stopping, and a return to the top of the table is what Madrid want. If not, and they struggle domestically, then Ancelotti could find himself in trouble and looking to the Champions League to save him.

LAST SEASON FINISH: 6TH

PROMOTED TO LA LIGA

RIGHT, BOTTOM: Osasuna's striker Ante Budimir celebrates after scoring the 1-0 lead during the Spanish LaLiga soccer match between CA Osasuna and Cadiz CF

ABOVE, LEFT: Real Madrid’s question mark remains over Eden Hazard ABOVE, MIDDLE: Carlo Ancelotti left Everton to return to Real Madrid six years after he was sacked

LAST SEASON FINISH: 2ND

DID YOU KNOW? 36

Sevilla have won their two opening league games during three seasons in a row for the first time ever.

SOCCER360 SEPTEMBER • OCTOBER 2021

Celta Vigo captain Iago Aspas Flag of Spain has played more games at El Sadar without scoring than at any other stadium in his entire career.

Real Madrid have beaten Levante the most times of any away side in La Liga history (11). Furthermore, only Barcelona (40) have scored more away goals against Levante than Real Madrid (29) in the competition.

TOP LA LIGA PICKS REAL SOCIEDAD Last season was a campaign to remember for Sociedad after a fifth-place finish and victory in the Copa Del Rey drew many plaudits. La Real have been on an upward curve for the last few seasons now and may spy an opportunity if one of the big three slip up.

There has been little action in the transfer market, though, with just Diego Rico and Mathew Ryan coming into the fold. But another top six battle looks on the cards and a shot at the top four not out of the question.

LAST SEASON FINISH: 5TH

SEVILLA Sevilla once again showed signs of progression last term with a club record point score in La Liga. Unfortunately, it was not enough to break into the top three with Los Nervionenses having to settle for fourth. Julen Lopetegui’s side will target one place better, but they will have to do it without Bryan Gil after a part exchange deal that saw Erik Lamela come into the camp. Smart transfer business though is the key to Sevilla’s success and the squad will be very similar to last with a top four the minimum expectation.

LAST SEASON FINISH: 4TH

There is an opening for someone to become the new face of La Liga now that Lionel Messi has moved to Paris SaintGermain. Can one of Ian Waterhouse’s picks fill the void?

SERGIO AGUERO Sergio Aguero left Manchester City after a glittering career in which he won everything domestically and now slots into the ranks at Barcelona. With Lionel Messi out the door, firepower is critical and Aguero will be relied upon along with Antoine Griezmann – when he returns to the fray from injury.

SERGIO ARRIBAS Young midfielder Sergio Arribas is no doubt a rising star among the Real Madrid ranks and made a handful of impressive appearances under former head coach Zinedine Zidane. Expect the stylish player to build on his experience under Carlo Ancelotti with a number of first team starts and multiple cup appearances.

RODRIGO DE PAUL For five seasons, goalscoring midfielder Rodrigo De Paul was one of the star men of Serie A and certainly Udinese’s golden boy. Now the Argentinian has joined compatriot Diego Simone at Atletico Madrid and it looks like a match made in heaven.

MIKEL OYARZABAL Despite still only being 24, Real Sociedad winger Mikel Oyarzabal has made over 200 league appearances for the La Real.

Oyarzabal scored the winner for the Basques in the Copa Del Rey final and is a crucial part of the club’s recent resurgence and that is expected to continue this season too.

GERARD MORENO Gerard Moreno’s goalscoring exploits are a huge reason why Villarreal are troubling the top six rather than the bottom half.

Moreno’s 23 goal return last season was only bettered by Messi and all eyes will once again be on the Yellow Submarine’s all-time leading goal scorer.

VALENCIA Los Che have been looking over their shoulders recently with player sales and financial woes.

Despite this, Valencia steadied the ship and finished comfortably mid-table last term and in truth, not a lot more is expected unless a number of players from the youth ranks step up to the plate.

Former Getafe coach Jose Bordalas is the new man in charge which may help breathe new life into a club never far from plenty drama.

LAST SEASON FINISH: 13TH

Erik Lamela is the first Sevilla player in the 21st century to score in each of his first two La Liga outings.

VILLAREAL Victory in last season’s Europa League and with-it qualification to the Champions League has suddenly made the Yellow Submarine an attractive prospect. Players think it too with the club capturing defender Juan Foyth and Reims forward Boulaye Dia to bolster both attack and defence.

Unai Emery’s Villarreal won’t shout about it, but they will have lofty expectations and will look to move into the top six whilst upsetting one or two of the big boys along the way.

LAST SEASON FINISH: 7TH

ABOVE, LEFT: Villarreal striker Gerard Moreno is the league’s most dangerous forward ABOVE, RIGHT: Unai Emery won’t shout about it, but Villarreal will have lofty expectation RIGHT: Rodrigo De Paul reacting during a La Liga game

Osasuna have started a LaLiga season with two goalless draws in their opening two games for the third time, following the 1986/87 (16th at the end) and 2007/08 (17th) campaigns.

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LA LIGA BY: FEARGAL BRENNAN

BIG FOUR

THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY

"UNAI EMERY STEERED THE YELLOW SUBMARINE TO THEIR FIRST EVER MAJOR TITLE LAST SEASON" THE GOOD With the bulk of pre-season attention centred around the ongoing civil war at Barcelona ahead of the 2021-22 season, Villarreal have quietly pulled off some good business this summer. Unai Emery steered the Yellow Submarine to their first ever major title at the back end of 2020-21, with a high-stakes penalty shootout win over Manchester United in the Europa League final in May. The former Arsenal boss will now look to create a consistent challenge to Spain’s big three in the coming months of the season, as they aim to launch a potential Champions League qualification push. Emery has focused on solid recruitment to bolster his squad options, with Juan Foyth making his successful loan move from Tottenham into a permanent deal and veteran centre-back Aissa Mandi joining on a free transfer from Real Betis.

Foyth and Mandi will add depth to Emery’s defence, with Boulaye Dia joining from Stade Reims after an eye-catching season in front of goal in Ligue 1. Alongside bringing in some new faces to the Estadio de la Ceramica, Emery’s two biggest signings have come from within the Villarreal squad.

Star man Gerard Moreno has agreed a new long-term contract extension until 2027, despite growing interest from Barcelona after Euro 2020, and on the back of 23 La Liga goals in 2020-21. Emery has also convinced Pau Torres to stay on at El Madrigal. Manchester United and Tottenham were both interested in the Spanish international, but the prospect of Champions League football has proved to be key in retaining the 24-year-old.

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SOCCER360 SEPTEMBER • OCTOBER 2021

UPCOMING FIXTURES Dates & times subject to change.

SEPTEMBER Sat 11 Sat 11 Sat 11 Sat 11 Sat 11 Sat 11 Sat 11 Sat 11 Sat 11 Sat 11 Sat 18 Sat 18 Sat 18 Sat 18 Sat 18 Sat 18 Sat 18 Sat 18 Sat 18 Sat 18 Tue 21 Tue 21 Tue 21 Tue 21 Tue 21 Tue 21 Tue 21 Tue 21 Tue 21 Tue 21 Sat 25 Sat 25 Sat 25 Sat 25 Sat 25 Sat 25 Sat 25 Sat 25 Sat 25 Sat 25

Athletic Bilbao Cadiz Espanyol FC Sevilla Getafe Granada Levante Osasuna Real Madrid Villarreal Alaves Atletico Madrid Celta Vigo Elche FC Barcelona Mallorca Rayo Vallecano Real Betis Real Sociedad Valencia Athletic Bilbao Cadiz Espanyol FC Sevilla Getafe Granada Levante Osasuna Real Madrid Villarreal Alaves Celta Vigo FC Barcelona FC Sevilla Mallorca Rayo Vallecano Real Betis Real Madrid Real Sociedad Valencia

OCTOBER Sat 2 Sat 2 Sat 2 Sat 2 Sat 2 Sat 2 Sat 2 Sat 2 Sat 2 Sat 2 Sat 16 Sat 16 Sat 16 Sat 16 Sat 16 Sat 16 Sat 16 Sat 16 Sat 16 Sat 16 Sat 23 Sat 23 Sat 23 Sat 23 Sat 23 Sat 23 Sat 23 Sat 23 Sat 23 Sat 23 Tue 26 Tue 26 Tue 26 Tue 26 Tue 26 Tue 26 Tue 26 Tue 26 Tue 26 Tue 26 Sat 30 Sat 30 Sat 30 Sat 30 Sat 30 Sat 30 Sat 30 Sat 30 Sat 30 Sat 30

Athletic Bilbao Atletico Madrid Cadiz Elche Espanyol Getafe Granada Mallorca Osasuna Villarreal Alaves Celta Vigo Espanyol FC Barcelona Granada Levante Rayo Vallecano Real Madrid Real Sociedad Villarreal Athletic Bilbao Atletico Madrid Cadiz Elche FC Barcelona FC Sevilla Getafe Osasuna Real Betis Valencia Alaves Celta Vigo Espanyol Granada Levante Mallorca Rayo Vallecano Real Betis Real Madrid Villarreal Atletico Madrid Cadiz Elche FC Barcelona FC Sevilla Getafe Levante Rayo Vallecano Real Sociedad Valencia

vs vs vs vs vs vs vs vs vs vs vs vs vs vs vs vs vs vs vs vs vs vs vs vs vs vs vs vs vs vs vs vs vs vs vs vs vs vs vs vs

Mallorca Real Sociedad Atletico Madrid FC Barcelona Elche Real Betis Rayo Vallecano Valencia Celta Vigo Alaves Osasuna Athletic Bilbao Cadiz Levante Granada Villarreal Getafe Espanyol FC Sevilla Real Madrid Rayo Vallecano FC Barcelona Alaves Valencia Atletico Madrid Real Sociedad Celta Vigo Real Betis Mallorca Elche Atletico Madrid Granada Levante Espanyol Osasuna Cadiz Getafe Villarreal Elche Athletic Bilbao

vs vs vs vs vs vs vs vs vs vs vs vs vs vs vs vs vs vs vs vs vs vs vs vs vs vs vs vs vs vs vs vs vs vs vs vs vs vs vs vs vs vs vs vs vs vs vs vs vs vs

Alaves FC Barcelona Valencia Celta Vigo Real Madrid Real Sociedad FC Sevilla Levante Rayo Vallecano Real Betis Real Betis FC Sevilla Cadiz Valencia Atletico Madrid Getafe Elche Athletic Bilbao Mallorca Osasuna Villarreal Real Sociedad Alaves Espanyol Real Madrid Levante Celta Vigo Granada Rayo Vallecano Mallorca Elche Real Sociedad Athletic Bilbao Getafe Atletico Madrid FC Sevilla FC Barcelona Valencia Osasuna Cadiz Real Betis Mallorca Real Madrid Alaves Osasuna Espanyol Granada Celta Vigo Athletic Bilbao Villarreal

GOING UP Espanyol and Real Mallorca secured their return to the top flight as first and second place in the Segunda Division in 2020-21.

However, the big story from the play-offs was the incredible bolt from the blue pulled off by Rayo Vallecano in their push to return to La Liga. Marathon wins over Leganes and Girona secured a return for the iconic team from Vallecas.

THE BAD Barcelona’s summer has lurched from bad to worse in the opening weeks of the campaign, with Lionel Messi’s departure from the club continuing to grab headlines. Information on the club’s financial mess has been leaking out since the start of 2021, but the implosion at the Camp Nou this summer has revealed the depth of issues in Catalonia.

New club president Joan Laporta built his successful election campaign on retaining Messi this summer, but he has now been forced into a dramatic climbdown over the 34-year-old’s future. Laporta admitted Barcelona’s wage bill has been wildly bloated by years of financial mismanagement under his predecessor Josep Bartomeu, with the current salary bill in excess of 100% of the club’s incoming revenue, significantly above La Liga’s rolling average of 70-75%.

Even with Messi now severing his 20-year tie to the club and joining Paris Saint-Germain as a free agent, the bill has only dropped to an estimated 95% as boss Ronald Koeman attempts to offload a string of high-earning squad players.

However, despite the ongoing wrangling within the Camp Nou boardroom, Barcelona supporters and football fans across the world are still adjusting to not seeing Messi in the famous Blaugrana colours of Barcelona.

The Argentinian international will leave a gaping hole in Spanish football this season, with the six-time Ballon d’Or winner set to spearhead PSG’s Champions League title push in 2021-22. La Liga loses some of it sparkle without Messi in it this season and Barcelona face a real challenge to fill the void as their iconic No 10 moves on.

GOING DOWN

THE UGLY On the back of Messi’s prolonged exit from Barcelona, the club have bizarrely joined forces with arch enemies Real Madrid over La Liga’s plans to implement international financial investment into the league. Laporta’s last-ditch attempts to retain Messi included a plea to La Liga to alter their financial restrictions on club budgets and debt, in order to register the Argentine’s reduced contract at the club.

However, despite some initial willingness to ratify the deal, the alteration would be based on a multi-billion investment injection from CVC Capital Partners. Laporta’s objection to CVC’s involvement centred around a lack of control over the future of the league and he found an unexpected ally in Real Madrid counterpart Florentino Perez.

Perez was straightforward in his disagreement to the investment, as it would damage his long-term plans to revive their failed European Super League project in the coming years, with both clubs still officially members of the breakaway conspiracy as it stands. Barcelona and Real Madrid have continued to voice their deep criticism of the plans but they have been outvoted on the issue by their domestic rivals in Spanish football.

La Liga and CVC have now agreed a reduced investment package, with 38 of the 42 clubs in the top two divisions agreeing to the new deal. Perez and Laporta have both indicated they will continue to fight on against the plans though, as they aim to gain a foothold as the financial powerhouses of Spanish football. CVC have previously attempted to stretch their portfolio in European football, but attempts to invest in both Serie A and the Bundesliga fell through following greater opposition from clubs than they experienced in Spain.

ABOVE (OPPOSITE PAGE): Villarreal's Juan Foyth MIDDLE (OPPOSITE PAGE): Head Coach Unai Emery of Villarreal celebrates with the trophy after winning the UEFA Europa League

Jose Bordalas’s exit from Getafe has removed a key plank of stability at the Estadio Coliseum Alfonso Perez, despite their inconsistency in 2020-21. The sole arrival of Carles Alena puts them near the bottom of the table for summer spending and without Bordalas’s influence they could struggle in the months ahead.

BOTTOM (OPPOSITE PAGE): Veteran centre-back Aissa Mandi joined Villareal on a free transfer from Real Betis.

ABOVE: A blank space is seen after workers removed the giant picture of Lionel Messi from the facade of the Camp Nou stadium RIGHT: Barcelona are still reeling from the loss of Lionel Messi BELOW: Joan Laporta and Florentino Perez are trying to keep the European Super League conspiracy alive TOP RIGHT: Rayo Vallecano's Luis Advincula celebrates after scoring BOTTOM RIGHT: Jose Bordalas’s departure from Getafe has weakened the club

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BUNDESLIGA

WILL THIS SEASON SEE BAYERN AGAIN CANTER TO THE TITLE AND EVERYONE PLAYING CATCH-UP? OR ARE WE IN FOR AN EXCITING TITLE RACE THIS TIME AROUND? MICHELLE OSEI BONSU TAKES A LOOK.

2021-22 BUNDESLIGA SEASON PREVIEW

ARMINIA BIELEFELD New coach equals better fortunes? Like quite a few sides competing in the top flight, Arminia Bielefeld decided to make a managerial change, bringing in Frank Kramer. Their hope is simple – to avoid the drop. After narrowly scraping into 15th place thanks to a win over Stuttgart in their final game, Die Blauen will naturally hope to avoid another turbulent campaign.

LAST SEASON FINISH: 15TH

AUGSBURG Augsburg did just enough to finish in 13th place last season, well clear of the drop zone, but they’ve made some key changes to ensure they can move closer to mid-table this time round. For starters, manager Markus Weinzierl is back on the bench, while promising Germany under-21 international Niklas Dorsch and fellow youngsters Lasse Gunther and Daniel Klein have arrived to freshen up the team and help them at least guarantee a mid-table finish.

LAST SEASON FINISH: 13TH

BAYER LEVERKUSEN Leverkusen notably saw the Bender twins (Lars and Sven) both retire last season, and ultimately finished in 6th spot, which means it’s Europa League football for die Werkself.

They’ve seen some key personnel depart, namely Jamaican attacker Leon Bailey to Aston Villa, and have looked to bolster their defence by bringing in Odilon Kossounou from Club Brugge, with the Ivorian costing them €23m. Spending big on a defender is certainly not an unwise move, but will they regret not finding an apt replacement for the speedy Bailey?

BOTTOM, RIGHT: Patrik Schick is a big player for Bayer Leverkusen

LAST SEASON FINISH: 6TH

BAYERN MUNICH Bayern might be serial Bundesliga winners, but Die Roten are still looking to make deals – and that means still shopping in their neighbours’ backyards. They’ve also shown in previous seasons that they’re not afraid to spend big.

At least, by Bayern standards, with their marquee signing Dayot Upamecano costing them €42.5m. They’ve lost three key men in midfield and defence, with Javi Martinez, David Alaba, and Jerome Boateng all departing on free transfers, but the Bavarian titans quickly plugged that gap with Upamecano’s signing, as well as the acquisition of young English prospect Omar Richards on a free transfer.

Obviously, their goal will be to retain a title that hasn’t left Munich in nearly a decade, but to again mount a serious challenge for the Champions League.

LAST SEASON FINISH: 1ST

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SOCCER360 SEPTEMBER • OCTOBER 2021

BOCHUM Bochum’s goal is simple – avoid relegation.

Die Unabsteigbaren have spent over 30 years in the top flight, but lately have been resigned to slogging it out in the 2. Bundesliga. They achieved promotion this time around after finishing first in the second tier, and will be hoping to make their stay in the upper echelon longer than just one season.

Now in their first Bundesliga season in over a decade, it will indeed be interesting to see if Bochum become a more familiar face at this level or if they’ll just be making a cameo appearance and ultimately return to the 2.

Bundesliga at the end of the campaign.

PROMOTED TO BUNDESLIGA

BORUSSIA DORTMUND By now, Dortmund surely must be very sick and tired of seeing the league title slip out of their grasp season after season. The question is, what will they do about it? This was demonstrated in the German Super Cup, during which Die Schwarzgelben were outplayed from start to finish.

If they really want to finally challenge for the league title, they’ll have to get over their fears when it comes to playing Bayern. They’ve spent a combined €45m on two players, Donyell Malen and Gregor Kobel from PSV Eindhoven and Stuttgart respectively, with the former definitely hoping to fill the huge void left by Jadon Sancho. Given they’ve managed to hang on to Erling Haaland, Dortmund do have a shot, but whether they’ll get past their Bayern hoodoo remains to be seen.

LAST SEASON FINISH: 3RD

ABOVE, MIDDLE: Giovanni Reyna and Erling Haaland are key to Borussia Dortmund’s chances ABOVE, LEFT: Jamal Musiala of FC Bayern Munich celebrates after scoring their team's first goal during the German Bundesliga soccer match between FC Bayern Munich and 1. FC Union Berlin

CLASH OF COACHES Frankfurt’s Jens Hauge (C) celebrates after scoring the 2-5 goal during the German Bundesliga soccer match between Borussia Dortmund and Eintracht Frankfurt

Bayern Munich are looking to win the Bundesliga title for a 10th successive season

After another summer of managerial comingand-goings, Michelle OseiBonsu takes a look at the movers and the shakers.

Borussia Monchengladbach players celebrate after scoring

Freiburg celebrate after scoring the opening goal in their match against Dortmund

BORUSSIA MONCHENGLADBACH Are Gladbach becoming Bayern’s bogey team? They may no longer have Marco Rose at the helm, but the objective is still the same – to accumulate as many points as possible and challenge for a European football spot.

And Die Fohlen wouldn’t be just content in scraping by to feature in the Europa Conference League.

They are looking to be part of the Champions League, and after finishing in a very disappointing eighth last term, new boss Adi Hutter will certainly have his work cut out for him. They’ve been quiet in the transfer market, bringing in just two players, but started the season off well in holding Bayern to a draw on matchday one.

EINTRACHT FRANKFURT Losing Andre Silva, the team’s top goalscorer, will certainly have an impact on Frankfurt. Oliver Glasner’s men were very unfortunate to miss out on what would have been a first ever appearance in the Champions League, but they’ve notably brought Silva’s fellow Portuguese international Goncalo Paciencia back in on loan as they prepare to challenge in the Bundesliga and Europa League this season.

LAST SEASON FINISH: 5TH

LAST SEASON FINISH: 8TH

FREIBURG This will be manager Christian Streich's 10th season in charge of Freiburg. The fact that he’s stayed for a decade now is especially noteworthy in a world where it’s common for managers to move on after a couple of seasons. After finishing 10th last term, they’ll be aiming a bit higher, and yes, that means European football.

That’s despite losing a trio of key men at the start of last season - Luca Waldschmidt, Robin Koch and Alexander Schwolow - because fortunately, they’ve managed to hang on to Vincenzo Grifo, who will be key in them not just knocking at the door of a European berth, but knocking it down this term.

LAST SEASON FINISH: 10TH

GREUTHER FURTH Back in the Bundesliga for only the second time in their club history - their first was during the 2012-13 season - it’s safe to say that Die Kleeblatter will be really aspiring to avoid another cameo appearance. The issue is, of course, that they’re not the only ones. Still, there are a few players looking to use Furth’s top-flight promotion to hopefully force their way back into contention for their national sides. One such player is Julian Green, who has been playing outside Germany for nearly seven years and will look to use this move as a launch pad to earn a recall to United States national team. If he does manage to succeed, it will certainly go some way to giving Furth at least a fighting chance of earning a third season in the Bundesliga.

TOP RIGHT: Julian Nagelsmann, new coach of Bayern Munich

Incredibly, Bayern will once again begin their new season under a different manager. This time, the man on the bench is none other than Julian Nagelsmann, who first cut his managerial cloth in the top flight with Hoffenheim. From there, it was on to RB Leipzig, and now Bayern following Hansi Flick’s departure.

At 34, Nagelsmann is not much older than the bulk of his players. In fact, he is younger than a few of them, but that’s not unfamiliar to the man who made history as the youngest-ever Bundesliga manager at the ripe old age of 28. So far, he’s already won one trophy with Bayern, the German Super Cup, but more will be expected of him this season. Bayern are ruthless when it comes to cutting managers adrift, and Nagelsmann will be well aware that he’s no exception to that rule.

Elsewhere, RB Leipzig’s new manager, Jesse Marsch, made history of his own – not once, but twice. For starters, the US-born coach - who was the first to lead a team in the Champions League while in charge of RB Salzburg recently took part in an all-American clash against Pellegrino Matarazzo and Stuttgart.

It’s the first time two American coaches faced off in the German top flight, and it’s currently Marsch 1-0 Matarazzo. Both Stuttgart and Leipzig had solid campaigns last term and many are excited to see what the latter can achieve under Marsch’s tenure, while Matarazzo may be hoping to guide Stuttgart towards a place in the new Europa Conference League.

Borussia Dortmund’s new boss, Marco Rose, will also have plenty of ambitions.

After successfully steering Borussia Monchengladbach towards European football in consecutive seasons, he’ll be eyeing bigger things for Die Schwarzgelben. Although his first attempt at a trophy ended in failure as Bayern cruised to victory, all is not lost. The fact that Dortmund so far have kept Erling Haaland after losing Jadon Sancho to Manchester United looks promising, especially as he’s the leader of a young, exciting crop of stars that includes Giovanni Reyna and Jude Bellingham.

BOTTOM RIGHT: Jesse Marsch has a huge opportunity at RB Leipzig

PROMOTED TO BUNDESLIGA SOCCER360 SEPTEMBER • OCTOBER 2021

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BUNDESLIGA 2021-22 BUNDESLIGA SEASON PREVIEW

HERTHA BERLIN Hertha have made some interesting signings.

The first is former player Kevin-Prince Boateng, with Hertha’s board hoping that the highly travelled 34-year-old attacker will be able to bring plenty of experience and guidance for the younger players. In addition, they’ve also secured Marco Richter from Augsburg.

The 23-year-old first announced himself to the world by scoring seven goals in an Augsburg youth match back in 2016. Die Alte Dame were another side who had their shares of ups and downs but fortunately managed to steer clear of the relegation play-offs – will they do slightly better this time around?

LAST SEASON FINISH: 14TH

HOFFENHEIM The fact that Hoffenheim managed to hang on to Andrej Kramaric despite finishing in the bottom half of the table is an achievement in itself, especially considering the Croatian is the all-time top scoring player from his country in Bundesliga history. It truly was a season of highs and lows for Hoffenheim, who ended Bayern’s 32-game unbeaten streak in the league, but at the same time had their issues in successfully balancing competing in both the Bundesliga and the Europa League.

However, they did gain back some ground at the tail end of the season, going seven games unbeaten. In addition, they’ve made some key signings, namely defender David Raum, who was part of Germany’s European under-21 winning side. Not only can he defend, but he can certainly get involved in the attack, chipping in with 15 goals for Furth and contributing to their promotion to the 2. Bundesliga.

KOLN Last season, Koln barely escaped the drop.

After losing to Mainz, who were also in contention for relegation, they had to take on Holstein Kiel, who famously beat Bayern in the DFB-Pokal en route to featuring in the semis for the first time in their history. A 5-2 aggregate win was enough for them to retain their spot, but new coach Steffen Baumgart will naturally know that his team may not be so fortunate this time around.

In terms of transfers, they’ve brought in a quartet of players on frees to cover all positions from goalkeeper to forward, so clearly they’re aiming to be as far from the drop zone as possible.

RIGHT, BOTTOM: Sasa Kalajdzic is looking for a break out season

LAST SEASON FINISH: 16TH

LAST SEASON FINISH: 11TH

MAINZ Mainz were another side who performed poorly last season and were spared a potentially unpleasant relegation battle by defeating fellow relegation candidates Koln.

But now, Bo Svensson, who orchestrated their renaissance, will have a full season in charge.

Svensson’s work was truly outstanding. When he took over, Mainz had earned just six points and looked certain for the drop. However, they ended up picking up a whopping 32 points, including beating reigning champions Bayern, to pull off one of the greatest escapes we’ve seen in German football. With that kind of momentum, there are some expectations to see a better version of Mainz during the 202122 season.

LAST SEASON FINISH: 12TH

RB LEIPZIG RB Leipzig made a huge statement of intent with the acquisition of Andre Silva from Frankfurt earlier this year. The Portuguese international was the second-most prolific scorer in the Bundesliga last season behind only Robert Lewandowski, and having lost Timo Werner to Chelsea a couple of campaigns ago, Die Roten Bullen will hope they’ve struck gold with their newest purchase, who cost them €23m.

However, they’ve been dealt a big blow in defence with the big-money sales of Dayot Upamecano and Ibrahima Konate, with the French duo moving on to Bayern and Liverpool respectively. The Bulls have attempted to shore things up by bringing in Mohamed Simakan and Benjamin Henrichs from Strasbourg and Monaco, but could selling their star defensive duo come back to haunt them?

LAST SEASON FINISH: 2ND

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SOCCER360 SEPTEMBER • OCTOBER 2021

STUTTGART Stuttgart were certainly one of the more impressive sides last season. Although they lost 2-0 on their final matchday, Pellegrino Matarazzo’s squad still finished in a highly respectable ninth place. They’ll naturally be aiming higher than mid-table this time around, and will hope that players like SerbianAustrian striker Sasa Kalajdzic could have a real breakout season to mean that perhaps a European football spot won’t be an unrealistic goal.

LAST SEASON FINISH: 9TH

ABOVE, LEFT: Kevin-Prince Boateng has returned to hometown club Hertha Berlin ABOVE, MIDDLE: Leipzig's Andre Silva celebrates scoring the 4-0 lead from the penalty spot during the German Bundesliga soccer match between RB Leipzig and VfB Stuttgart

TOP BUNDESLIGA PICKS UNION BERLIN Are Union Berlin set to be the new RB Leipzig? What they don’t have in funds, they certainly do have in heart and talent. It’s pretty amazing to note that they only made their top-flight debut during the 2019-20 campaign, and ended up finishing in seventh last season to secure a firstever appearance in the Europa Conference League.

Their over-dependence on Max Kruse, however, is a major concern. When he was out injured, they picked up just seven points from eight matches, causing them to slide down the table, so they’ll obviously want to avoid leaning on just one player again.

LAST SEASON FINISH: 7TH

WOLFSBURG New season, new manager, with veteran midfielder Mark van Bommel being the latest to take the reins at the Volkswagen Arena. Along with Frankfurt, Wolfsburg were among the most in-form sides during the second half of the 2020-21 Bundesliga season and as a result have earned themselves a spot in the Champions League.

In terms of interesting acquisitions, they’ve brought in the Nmecha brothers for a combined total of €8m.

Curiously, both brothers, previously on the books at Manchester City, play their international football for different countries – Lukas for Germany and Felix for England. Meanwhile, Dutch striker Wout Weghorst will again lead the line as they try to get out of their group in the Champions League, while going for another top-four finish in the league.

LAST SEASON FINISH: 4TH

While many may list a bunch of youngsters, Michelle Osei Bonsu takes a look at players to watch at various stages in their respective careers. That includes veterans, players approaching their peak and a few hungry young stars.

KEVIN-PRINCE BOATENG HERTHA BERLIN Talk about coming full circle. The Germanborn attacker, who featured at the 2014 World Cup not for Germany, but his father’s native Ghana, has now returned to Hertha Berlin 16 years after making his debut in August 2005. Boateng has had quite a nomadic existence, playing for big clubs including Barcelona, Milan, Borussia Dortmund and Tottenham Hotspur, as well as numerous other outfits in Germany, Italy, and even Turkey. It will be interesting to see if he can have any impact for his hometown club as he approaches the latter stages of his career.

PATRIK SCHICK - BAYER LEVERKUSEN The Czech international really struggled in his debut season at Leverkusen, with just nine strikes in 29 games. However, with a solid performance for his country at this summer’s Euro 2020 where he scored five goals and won the Silver Boot, fans will hope that this just may mark a turning point for him and Leverkusen.

JAMAL MUSIALA - BAYERN MUNICH Last season saw the Stuttgart-born youngster break several records for club and country as he became the youngest player for Bayern in the Champions League, and was rewarded for his excellent showings with a call-up to the German national side at Euro 2020.

After becoming the youngest player to feature for Germany at a major tournament, don’t be surprised to see him receiving more game time under new coach Julian Nagelsmann – as the former Hoffenheim boss was a wunderkind himself of sorts.

DID YOU KNOW? SpVgg Greuther Fürth failed to win 18 consecutive Bundesliga matches at home, the longest run without a win on home soil by any side in the competition's history.

Winning 12-0 vs Bremer SV is Bayern´s second highest winning margin in all competitions since getting promoted to the Bundesliga in 1965 – in 1997 they defeated DJK Waldberg in the DFB-Pokal 16-1.

GIOVANNI REYNA BORUSSIA DORTMUND The son of not one, but two football players, it’s no surprise that Gio Reyna has chosen to follow the same path. More importantly, he’s also following in the footsteps of fellow American Christian Pulisic, who swapped the USA for Borussia Dortmund and hasn’t looked back since.

Reyna has also broken the numerous records set by Pulisic with Dortmund, and after a stellar campaign last time out, the question is whether this season will be even better for the promising talent.

With Jesse Marsch and Pellegrino Matarazzo, it is the first time two American coaches will face off in the Bundesliga.

At the age of 16 years, 8 months, 28 days, Youssoufa Moukoko is the youngest player to appear in a Supercup game since the competition was reinstated in 2010.

Jesse Marsch

Thomas Müller and Robert Lewandowski have played 11 Supercups– a record since the competition was reinstated in 2010.

ABOVE, LEFT: Mark van Bommel is the new coach at Wolfsburg ABOVE, RIGHT: Are Union Berlin set to be the new RB Leipzig?

ERLING HAALAND BORUSSIA DORTMUND One can’t make a list of players to look out for without mentioning the Norwegian, who burst onto the scene in 2019.

Detractors initially were looking to write him off as a one-hit wonder, but he’s done more than prove them wrong, winning an army of fans in the process.

After endless speculation about whether he’ll stay at Dortmund or leave Signal Iduna Park, the powerful striker appears to have decided to stay in Germany for at least another year. His 27 league goals were only bettered by Andre Silva and, of course, record-setter Robert Lewandowski, but one shouldn’t count against him possibly ending Lewandowski’s reign as the Bundesliga’s top scorer.

SOCCER360 SEPTEMBER • OCTOBER 2021

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BUNDESLIGA UPCOMING FIXTURES

"THE BUNDESLIGA HAS A HEAVYWEIGHT GOLDEN BOOT RACE BETWEEN ROBERT LEWANDOWSKI AND ERLING HAALAND"

Dates & times subject to change.

SEPTEMBER

BY: FEARGAL BRENNAN

STRIKING MASTERS THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY

THE GOOD The heavyweight Bundesliga Golden Boot race had looked in danger of being broken up at the start of the 2021-22 campaign. Erling Haaland’s rise to become the highest-rated young goalscorer in European football over the last 18 months at Signal Iduna Park has provided a timely rivalry for Bayern Munich hotshot Robert Lewandowski.

Polish star Lewandowski has remained unopposed as the Bundesliga’s top gun since 2017, with goal records tumbling around him every season. Haaland’s arrival on the scene has breathed life not just into the Golden Boot battle, but also into the 2021-22 Bundesliga title race.

However, the straight shootout was almost disrupted ahead of the new campaign, with Lewandowski linked with a final hurrah away from Bavaria and Haaland on the radar of clubs such as Manchester City, Manchester United and Real Madrid. Neither player opted to push for a move away and now the Bundesliga will again play host to the tightest No 9 scrap in European football.

Lewandowski has been the standard setter in the Bundesliga since his 2014 move from rivals Borussia Dortmund, with an incredible return of 30 or more league goals in five of the last six seasons at the Allianz Arena. That consistency is the benchmark for Haaland to follow, but his start to life in German football has shown he is more than capable of matching up to the prolific 33-year-old.

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Sat 11

Freiburg

vs

FC Koln

Sat 11

Greuther Furth

vs

Wolfsburg

Sat 11

Hoffenheim

vs

FSV Mainz

Sat 11

Leverkusen

vs

Dortmund

Sat 11

Union Berlin

vs

FC Augsburg

Sat 11

RB Leipzig

vs

Bayern Munich

Sun 12

E. Frankfurt

vs

Stuttgart

Sun 12

Bochum

vs

Hertha Berlin

Sun 12

Monchengladbach

vs

Bielefeld

Fri 17

Hertha Berlin

vs

Greuther Furth

Sat 18

Bayern Munich

vs

Bochum

Sat 18

Bielefeld

vs

Hoffenheim

Sat 18

FC Augsburg

vs

Monchengladbach

Sat 18

FSV Mainz

vs

Freiburg

Sat 18

FC Koln

vs

RB Leipzig

Sun 19

Stuttgart

vs

Leverkusen

Sun 19

Dortmund

vs

Union Berlin

Sun 19

Wolfsburg

vs

E. Frankfurt

Fri 24

Greuther Furth

vs

Bayern Munich

Sat 25

E. Frankfurt

vs

FC Koln

Sat 25

Hoffenheim

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Wolfsburg

Sat 25

Leverkusen

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FSV Mainz

Sat 25

RB Leipzig

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Hertha Berlin

Sat 25

Union Berlin

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Bielefeld

Sat 25

Monchengladbach

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Dortmund

Sun 26

Bochum

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Stuttgart

Sun 26

Freiburg

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FC Augsburg

Fri 1

Bayern Munich

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E. Frankfurt

Fri 1

Bielefeld

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Leverkusen

Fri 1

Dortmund

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FC Augsburg

Fri 1

FC Koln

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Greuther Furth

Fri 1

FSV Mainz

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Union Berlin

Fri 1

Hertha Berlin

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Freiburg

Fri 1

RB Leipzig

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Bochum

Fri 1

Stuttgart

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Hoffenheim

Fri 1

Wolfsburg

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Fri 15

Dortmund

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Fri 15

E. Frankfurt

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Fri 15

FC Augsburg

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Bielefeld

Fri 15

Freiburg

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RB Leipzig

Fri 15

Greuther Furth

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Bochum

Fri 15

Hoffenheim

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FC Koln

Fri 15

Leverkusen

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Fri 15

Monchengladbach

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Union Berlin

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Fri 22

Bayern Munich

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Fri 22

Bielefeld

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Fri 22

Bochum

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Fri 22

FC Koln

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Leverkusen

Fri 22

FSV Mainz

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Fri 22

Hertha Berlin

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Monchengladbach

Fri 22

RB Leipzig

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Fri 22

Stuttgart

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Fri 22

Wolfsburg

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Freiburg

Fri 29

Bielefeld

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Fri 29

Dortmund

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Fri 29

E. Frankfurt

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Fri 29

FC Augsburg

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Stuttgart

Fri 29

Freiburg

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Fri 29

Hoffenheim

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Hertha Berlin

Fri 29

Leverkusen

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Fri 29

Monchengladbach

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Bochum

Fri 29

Union Berlin

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Bayern Munich

OCTOBER

GOING UP

Thirteen goals in 15 games in the second half of 2019-20 indicated he was up to the challenge, with 27 goals from an injury-disrupted 28 games last season. With his fitness issues now behind him, Haaland looks well-placed to break the 30-goal mark this season, while Lewandowski shows no signs of slowing down in front of goal.

VfL Bochum clinched top spot in the 2.

Bundesliga at the end of 2020-21, sealing a first top-flight return since 2010, with Greuther Furth back in the big time for the first time since 2013. But third-placed Holstein Kiel missed out on promotion, after losing 5-1 in the promotion play-off final against Cologne.

THE BAD With Lewandowski becoming a goalscoring idol for a generation of Bayern Munich fans in the last decade, the club lost one of their most iconic stars at the start of 2021-22. Gerd Muller’s legendary status for both Bayern and the German national side has been safely shoehorned into football history.

However, fans were plunged into mourning following the tragic news of his death at the age of 75, ahead of Die Roten’s first game of the season in August. Muller’s air of invincibility has been felt at the club since his retirement in 1981, with his record of 40 goals in a single Bundesliga season from 1972 only broken by Lewandowski in 2021.

The greatest years of Bayern Munich and Germany are interlinked, with Muller’s own personal golden era producing an unbelievable record of 398 goals in 453 league games from 1964 to 1979, as part of dominant Bayern teams alongside legendary pair Sepp Maier and Franz Beckenbauer.

Muller picked up four Bundesliga titles with Munich, plus three European Cups, as part of their greatest period of success on the continent. The 1970s proved to be Muller’s greatest era with 38 goals in the 1969-70 season securing him the Ballon d’Or award, the first German player to win it ahead of teammate Beckenbauer’s success two years later in 1972.

His performance in the 1970 World Cup has gone down in history as one of the most iconic tournament displays, as his 10 goals in Mexico secured him the Golden Boot despite West Germany’s failure to reach the final. He played a leading role again in 1974, as Helmut Schon’s side claimed a world title on home soil.

THE UGLY The end of the 2020-21 Bundesliga season saw two of the highest-profile relegations in almost a decade. Werder Bremen made a late fight of preserving their top-flight status, as they ended up four points adrift of safety, with Schalke 04 sinking without a trace on a paltry 16 points from 34 games.

Werder’s relegation brought to an end 30 years of Bundesliga football at the club, with only a second relegation in the club’s long history. Schalke’s exit from the top tier did not come as too much of a shock, with their fate essentially sealed by the end of 2020, but for a club that reached the Champions League last 16 in 2019, it is their first relegation since 1991.

Both sides opted to dispense with their managers following their demise, with Florian Kohfeldt replaced by Markus Anfang and Schalke sacking three managers in 2020-21, as Dimitrios Grammozis arrived weeks before their fate was sealed. Relegation impacted both clubs over the summer, with key players exiting before the dust settled on their new situations.

Werder have been forced to offload over €25m worth of talent ahead of the 2021-22 campaign, with Milot Rashica and Josh Sargent joining Premier League new boys Norwich City and Ludwig Augustinsson moving to La Liga outfit Sevilla.

Juventus activated their €15m purchase option on Weston McKennie, but Schalke were forced to raise more funds, with German international Suat Serdar joining Hertha Berlin. The enforced sales have created growing friction between the club and their respective fan bases with Anfang and Grammozis facing an uphill battle to bring their newly-reduced squads back to the Bundesliga in 2022.

GOING DOWN ABOVE (OPPOSITE PAGE): Robert Lewandowski is arguably the finest striker on the planet BOTTOM (OPPOSITE PAGE): Tomas Muler is a veteran pressence on the Bayern Munich lineup ABOVE: Erling Haaland is one of the hottest properties in world football

VfB Stuttgart have looked to balance their squad in the summer transfer market, but outgoings outweighing incomings has put them in danger of slipping down the table in 2021-22. Florian Muller and Chris Fuhrich’s arrivals will not excite fans in the coming weeks, with Gregor Kobel and Nico Gonzalez leaving two major holes in the squad.

RIGHT: The great Gerd Muller has sadly passed away at the age of 75 BELOW: (L-R) Bremen's Kevin Moehwald, Milot Rashica and Maximilian Eggestein react after being relegated TOP RIGHT: Bochum's Goalkeeper Manuel Riemann reacts during the German Bundesliga soccer match between VfL Wolfsburg and VfL Bochum BOTTOM RIGHT: Philipp Foerster and Stuttgart are in for a tough season

SOCCER360 SEPTEMBER • OCTOBER 2021

45

EUROPEAN SPOTLIGHT

AHEAD OF A BIG SEASON OF EUROPEAN COMPETITION, DAN ROBERTS HIGHLIGHTS SOME OF THE TEAMS TO LOOK OUT FOR AS THE CONTINENTAL CARNIVALS BEGIN TO HEAT UP.

GAME OF CROWNS LEFT: Chelsea beat Manchester City in last season’s Champions League final BELOW, TOP LEFT: Brendan Rodgers is looking to add the Europa League to Leicester City’s growing trophy cabinet BELOW, TOP RIGHT: Manuel Neuer lifts the Champions League trophy BOTTOM: AC Milan captain Paolo Maldini (C) holds the Champions League trophy while celebrating with his teammates after defeating Juventus Turin during their Champions League soccer final in Manchester, Wednesday 28 May 2003

S

ome of the qualifying rounds for the three European club competitions started way back in June. But the group stages of the Champions League, the Europa League and the all-new Europa Conference League will kick off in September. There will be some familiar names in the list of favourites, but with even more clubs given the opportunity to play on the continental stage, there are bound to be a few surprises along the way as scores of clubs bid to add a European crown to their trophy cabinet.

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE Paris Saint-Germain’s wealthy owners want nothing more than to win the Champions League to prove that they have the biggest and best club in Europe, if not the world. An array of big money transfers over the years have not yet been able to bring the cup to the French capital, but that could change this season with the arrival of Lionel Messi.

Arguably the best player in the world, Messi has left Barcelona and excited the PSG fans in a way that none of their previous superstar signings have quite been able to. Alongside the likes of Kylian Mbappe, Neymar, Angel Di Maria and other new arrivals such as Sergio Ramos and Gianluigi Donnarumma, Messi has made the Ligue 1 club the clear favourite to win the Champions League this season. How Mauricio Pochettino fits all his stars into a starting XI is another question entirely, but PSG could finally be about to go all the way.

However, there are other sides out to ruin PSG’s European campaign once again.

Another relatively newly-wealthy club from the English Premier League is just one example.

Manchester City have only ever won one

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SOCCER360 SEPTEMBER • OCTOBER 2021

2021-2022 LEFT: Lionel Messi’s move to Paris SaintGermain has seen the Ligue 1 side installed as Champions League favourites BELOW, LEFT: Real Madrid are the most successful club in European history

GROUPS

BELOW, RIGHT: Liverpool FC team captain Steven Gerrard lifting the Champion Club's Cup trophy after defeating AC Milan in the UEFA Champions League football final match in the Ataturk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul, Wednesday 25 May 2005

GROUP A Manchester City Paris Saint-Germain Leipzig Club Brugge GROUP B Atletico Madrid Liverpool Porto Milan

BOTTOM RIGHT: Andres Iniesta celebrates with the 2015 Champions League trophy FAR LEFT (SIDEBAR): Sheriff Tiraspol will make their debut appearance in the group stage. They will be the first team from Moldova to play in the Champions League group stage.

GROUP C Sporting CP Borussia Dortmund Ajax Besiktas GROUP D Inter Real Madrid Shakhtar Donetsk Sheriff Tiraspol

GROUP E Bayern Barcelona Benfica Dynamo Kyiv GROUP F Villareal Manchester United Atalanta Young Boys GROUP G Lille Sevilla Salzburg Wolfsburg GROUP H Chelsea Juventus Zenit Malmo

European title – the lesser Cup Winners’ Cup back in 1970 – but Pep Guardiola knows that he is expected to deliver the Champions League trophy this season.

City were hugely disappointed to be beaten by Chelsea in last season’s final, as their EPL rivals claimed their second Champions League title.

Given their relative struggles in the striking department, there’s no wonder the Blues spent much of the summer transfer window chasing Harry Kane, a player the Citizens believe could take them all the way in Europe.

Bayern Munich won their sixth European Cup/Champions League title in front of an empty Estadio da Luz in Lisbon in 2020, as the football world continued to deal with the effects of the pandemic. There is a new coach in charge of Bayern this season, but Julian Nagelsmann will do well to dominate European football in the same way the club has domestically in recent times. The Bundesliga side are one of the favourites though, along with last year’s champions, Chelsea.

Thomas Tuchel’s side were the surprise winners last season, having endured a difficult start to their domestic campaign. Alongside City, Liverpool and a Manchester United side that’s recruited well over the summer, Chelsea spearhead the EPL’s hopes of another triumph

and will be looking to new signing Romelu Lukaku to score the goals that could take the London club furthest in the competition.

Tuchel has completely changed the way Chelsea play since taking over from club legend Frank Lampard last season, and it could be his tactical know-how that gives the club the best chance of successful defending their crown in May. A lot will depend on how the group stages go, but the likes of Real Madrid, Juventus and Barcelona will also feel a favourable draw in the knockout rounds might give them a chance to add to their extensive honours lists.

EUROPA LEAGUE The eventual winner of the Europa League is always tough to predict at this stage of the season, as all of the clubs who will eventually take part aren’t known. There is always a strong contingent of clubs transferred in from the Champions League in the knockout rounds, so the list of favourites is incomplete until that stage.

That being said, only eight clubs have dropped down from the Champions League and gone on to win the Europa League in the 22 years of UEFA using that format. There have been none at all in the last three seasons, a time

MOST SUCCESSFUL CLUBS IN EUROPE With three more trophies up for grabs over the coming months, Dan Roberts looks back at the continent’s most successful clubs in terms of the number of major European titles won.

The names of the clubs here will not come as a surprise, as they are some of the biggest in the world. Although there have been some memorable upsets and surprises over the years – and new wealthy owners have tried to gatecrash the party – the most successful clubs in European tournament history remain very familiar.

REAL MADRID - 19 EUROPEAN TITLES Los Blancos famously won the first five editions of the European Cup in the 1950s and eventually lifted ‘la decima’ in 2014. There have been further triumphs since and Madrid have now won 19 major European titles in all.

BARCELONA - 14 EUROPEAN TITLES Now ever-present in the Champions League, it took Barca until 1992 to win their first title in Europe’s premier club competition. Without Lionel Messi though, they may have some trouble climbing any higher in this list.

MILAN - 9 EUROPEAN TITLES The Italian giants come next and can point to two separate eras of continental dominance, the 1990s and the early 2000s. There hasn’t been as much success recently, but the Rossoneri are back in the Champions League this season for the first time since 2013-14.

LIVERPOOL - 9 EUROPEAN TITLES The Premier League side were the biggest club in Europe in the late 1970s and early 1980s and spearheaded the English domination of the European Cup at that time. There was a long wait for more glory, but now Liverpool have won the big cup six times.

BAYERN MUNICH - 8 EUROPEAN TITLES Bayern may completely dominate the German game but they have not been quite as successful on the European stage.

They did win the Champions League in 2020 though to complete a treble alongside the Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal - as well as the European Super Cup and the FIFA Club World Cup.

The top two teams of each group will advance to the round of 16. The third-placed teams will be transferred to the Europa League knockout round play-offs, while the fourth-placed teams will be eliminated from European competitions for the season.

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EUROPEAN SPOTLIGHT

LEFT: Anderlecht's team greets the supporters after the UEFA Europa Conference League qualification soccer match between RSC Anderlecht and Vitesse BELOW: Villarreal will compete in the Champions League after winning last season's Europa League BOTTOM: Sevilla celebrate with their 2020 Europa League Trophy

‘THE EUROPA CONFERENCE LEAGUE HAS BEEN INTRODUCED BY UEFA TO MAKE FOOTBALL ON THE CONTINENT MORE INCLUSIVE’ when the Spanish and English domination of the competition has really taken off. Sevilla are the kings of the Europa League after lifting the trophy a record six times. But Julen Lopetegui’s side will not be able to add to that impressive tally this season unless they don’t do well enough in the Champions League and are parachuted in. The chance of winning a seventh title in their own stadium will be a huge incentive if things don’t go quite to plan in Europe’s biggest club competition though.

As far as the current favourites go, Napoli and Leicester City probably lead the way. Napoli have fallen out of the top four in Serie A in the last few seasons as Atalanta have become a staple of the Champions League, and the fans will be desperate for more European glory to go along with a solitary UEFA Cup triumph in 1989.

Leicester, on the other hand, enter the Europa League for a second successive season after once again falling just short of a top-four finish in the Premier League last year. There is a feeling that Brendan Rodgers’ priority will be the league though, so it might not be Leicester who carry the English flag the furthest.

That distinction may be reserved for West Ham. The Hammers flirted with a top-four finish in the EPL last season before making do with sixth and a place in the Europa League.

European campaigns have been few and far between in recent years for West Ham, and generally over before they have really begun.

But David Moyes has put together a very good side and should be able to do better on the continent this year.

Although Spanish clubs have done remarkably well in this competition in recent years, the current Europa League crop is not as fancied.

There is more belief that Serie A side Lazio might be able to go far this season though.

The Rome club were knocked out of the

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Champions League in the round of 16 by Bayern Munich last season, but have spent much of the last decade or so competing in the Europa League. The Biancocelesti haven’t been able to get further than the quarter-final stage since 2005 though, so new boss Maurizio Sarri will need to weave his magic to add to the club’s one European triumph, the Cup Winners’ Cup in 1999.

EUROPA CONFERENCE LEAGUE If the Europa League is a tough tournament to call then the Europa Conference League is for experts only. This brand new competition has been introduced by UEFA to make football on the continent more inclusive, allowing for at least 34 national associations to be represented in the group stage of one or more of the three tournaments. This one actually began in June but will have had 184 clubs involved over the course of the season.

No club will have qualified for the group stage automatically though. There will be a mixture of sides that qualified for the Europa Conference League through their final league positions last season, some transferred in from the Europa League, and even some losers from the early qualifying rounds of the Champions League. The eventual winner will book a place in next term’s Europa League.

So who can be expected to do well in this inaugural year? The favourites at this stage would have to be Tottenham Hotspur, Union Berlin and Roma. With the top leagues in Europe only getting one berth in this new competition, there will be a lot of clubs from smaller associations, making the group stage, in particular, a fascinating prospect.

Out of the three clubs mentioned, Spurs would seem to be the out-and-out favourites. But the bigger English clubs have sometimes looked down on the lesser European competitions,

2021-2022

HOW TOPITSERIE USEDATO BE INPICKS EUROPE

DATES TO KNOW

GROUP STAGE: September 14 December 8 ROUND OF 16: February 15 March 16 QUARTER FINALS: April 5 -13 SEMI FINALS: April 26 - May 4

‘NAPOLI AND LEICESTER CITY LEAD THE WAY AS THE CURRENT EUROPA LEAGUE FAVOURITES’

FINALS: May 28 ABOVE: Napoli are one of the favorites for the Europa League this year TOP RIGHT: Willy van der Kuijlen lifting the UEFA Cup in 1978 following PSV Eindhoven's victory over Bastia.

RIGHT: Union Berlin have qualified for European competition for only the second time

GROUP STAGE: September 15 December 9 KNOCKOUT PLAYOFFS: February 17 - 24 ROUND OF 16: March 10 - 17 QUARTER FINALS: April 7 -14 SEMI FINALS: April 28 - May 5 FINALS: May 18

BOTTOM LEFT: Brazilian player Ronaldo with the UEFA Cup Winners Cup BOTTOM: With the supporters shield already won, Leicester City look to add more trophies to their cabinet

so it will be interesting to see just what kind of starting XI Nuno Espirito Santo picks for Europa Conference League fixtures. His priority will be getting back into the Premier League’s top four in his first season in charge, so Tottenham might not be as much of a surefire bet as they seem.

Roma and Union Berlin are more likely to treat this competition with the respect it deserves.

Jose Mourinho is the new man in the hot seat at the Stadio Olimpico and will be very aware that a trophy of any type will go down very well with the Roma fans. Finishing as high up the Serie A table as possible will be more important, of course, but the Giallorossi can

probably be expected to do well.

After living in the shadow of Hertha Berlin for the majority of their existence, Union Berlin have qualified for European competition for only the second time and could well surpass their previous achievement of reaching the second round of the UEFA Cup during the 2001-02 season. Finishing seventh in the Bundesliga last year has brought Die Eisernen to this stage and the fans and the players are sure to give it their all as they look to make more history.

There’s a concern that Serie A has lost its lustre this season as Romelu Lukaku moved on, but there are still plenty of players to keep an eye on, says Ciro Di Brita.

TAMMY ABRAHAM English striker Abraham arrives from Chelsea for a reported €40m fee, boosting Jose Mourinho’s attacking options after the departure of Edin Dzeko to Inter. The 23-year-old struggled to find minutes on the field last season when Thomas Tuchel took over at Chelsea but still managed to score 12 times in all competitions.

FEDERICO CHIESA Fresh from helping Italy win the European Championship the 23-year-old will be hoping to continue the explosive form he displayed during the tournament. Forming Before the Champions League was even a potentially devastating front-three a spark of includes an idea in the mind of a UEFA which also Cristiano Ronaldo and marketing there were three Paulo Dybala,genius, it will be interesting to see European on the if coveted coach Max Allegri competitions takes the shackles off football calendar.

The champions his attacking players. of each country went straight into the European Cup, or theOLIVIER European Champion Clubs’ GIROUD Cup to give it its Cup formal title. The next The France World Winner has finally two or in three qualified forbeen the UEFA arrived Serie A having linkedCup with previously the Inter-Cities Fairs a -move to thecalled peninsula for years and will Cupteam - andup the cupfellow winners from striker each now with veteran association went into the imaginatively Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

Giroud will be tasked titled Cup Cup. with providing theWinners’ firepower and linkup All for three played on play thecompetitions Rossoneri towere compete in both a the purely knockoutLeague basis, meaning Champions and Serieclubs A. might only last one round before their European dream wasDUMFRIES over. All of the clubs DENZEL wanted more of the money on offer Wing back Dumfries showcased the and full the group stage thatsummer’s we know array of his skillsformats during the todayEuropean were brought in when the European Championship despite Cup rebranded as the Champions the was Netherlands crashing out of the in 1992. tournament League to the Czech Republic. The The Cup Winners’ Cup was 25-year-old scored twice and abolished looks ready in fill 1999 the UEFA Cup to theand gapmerged vacatedwith

by Achraf Hakimi’s to become the Europa League. Until departure to PSG. this season there have been just two competitions to qualify for, making VICTOR OSIMHEN domestic cupstriker matches lessofpopular The Nigerian hadfar a bit a start virtually overnight. stop season last term.

Despite suffering UEFA have introduced the new Europa injuries and missing games through Conference League as ashowed way to deliver Covid-19 the 22-year-old enough a third tournament, offering promise to make himwhile a realalso danger man clubs from smaller leagues the chance of heading into this campaign.

New Coach European football, the money that Luciano Spalletti will and be hoping he can get comes with clubs still the most outit. ofThe thebigger attacker andmay improve make on their campaigns priority hisleague 10 goals from lastthe year.

– for financial reasons once again – but there is no doubt that more chances of qualifying for continental competition is a positive step for the whole of the UEFA family.

GROUP STAGE: September 14 December 9 KNOCKOUT PLAYOFFS: February 17 - 24 ROUND OF 16: March 10 - 17 QUARTER FINALS: April 7 -14 SEMI FINALS: April 28 - May 5 FINALS: May 25 SOCCER360 SEPTEMBER • OCTOBER 2021

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INTERNATIONAL SPOTLIGHT

THE 2022 WORLD CUP QUALIFIERS RETURN IN SEPTEMBER FOLLOWING AN INTENSE SUMMER OF INTERNATIONAL FOOTBALL. GREG MURRAY ASSESSES WHAT WE HAVE LEARNED FROM EURO 2020 AND HOW THE CONTINENT’S HEAVYWEIGHTS WILL BE APPROACHING THE UPCOMING GAMES.

ITALY ON THE MARCH 'RECENTLY-CROWNED EUROPEAN CHAMPIONS ITALY WON THEIR 34TH STRAIGHT GAME IN THE EURO 2020 FINAL'

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ith just 14 months to go until the 2022 World Cup kicks off, Europe’s national teams are set to battle it out to see who will be going to Qatar. The biggest competition in international football has allocated 13 places to UEFA, with all 55 nations attempting to qualify.

The qualification structure itself is nothing complicated, with the teams split into 10 groups based on their FIFA world ranking as of November 2020. Half of these groups are comprised of six sides and the other half made up of five, with the Nations League semifinalists rewarded by a position in the latter.

The winner of each group gets a ticket to the World Cup, while the runners-up plus the best two Nations League group winners are then entered into a play-off for the three remaining places.

The format has ensured the likes of Italy, England, Germany, Spain, Portugal, France and Belgium avoid facing each other in qualification. Although this has provided a relatively clear route to the World Cup for some, the process appears more complicated for others.

Recently-crowned European champions Italy won their 34th straight game in the Euro 2020 final and made short work of Northern Ireland, Bulgaria and Lithuania in the first round of qualifiers back in March. The Azzurri are going well in Group C, although one of their final two qualification matches is against Switzerland, the side that knocked out world champions France at the Euros. That could be a game

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to keep an eye on. Having fallen at the final hurdle at Euro 2020, England will want to go one step further at the World Cup and are on the right track to do so. Gareth Southgate has reportedly been offered a contract past the 2022 edition and the Three Lions are also on course to qualify for the showpiece in Group I. England witnessed the emergence of more young players over the summer, who will be gaining vital international experience in their upcoming fixtures. The Three Lions’ clash with Hungary on October 12 is a key date to look out for as they aim to secure qualification as quickly as possible.

For France, a ticket to Qatar appears a near certainty following Les Blues’ excellent start to their campaign. After a disappointing European Championship, Didier Deschamps will be glad of the opportunity to experiment with his squad with World Cup qualification sewn up early.

France arguably have the strongest pool of talent in the world and their final qualifiers against Kazakhstan and Finland should provide the perfect opportunity to blood young players while phasing veterans out. The only question that remains, is whether after 18 months of limited challenges, Deschamps’ side are able to raise their level and become only the third team to successfully defend the World Cup. Unlike their southern neighbours, Belgium are bidding to win their first ever significant tournament at the Qatar World Cup. Roberto Martinez’s side are the only team to ever top the FIFA rankings without lifting a major trophy, and the winter tournament may be

ABOVE: Italy are riding the crest of a wave after winning Euro 2020 this summer LEFT, TOP: Gareth Southgate will hope to continue England’s momentum over the coming months LEFT, BOTTOM: Roberto Mancini’s Italy are looking to add the Nations League crown to their Euro 2020 triumph

A BUSY YEAR

'FRANCE ARGUABLY HAVE THE STRONGEST POOL OF TALENT IN THE WORLD'

the last opportunity for their so-called golden generation to fulfil their potential.

The Red Devils have also made a strong start in their group and will hope to have qualification wrapped up before they face Estonia and Wales in their final two matches.

Martinez should have his full squad available for the remaining qualification fixtures after injuries to captain Eden Hazard and Kevin De Bruyne impacted their chances at the Euros. If those two talismanic players hit top form come November 2022, then Belgium will be among the tournament favourites.

World Cup qualification is a more precarious prospect for Luis Enrique’s Spain following their first round of fixtures. La Furia Roja experienced their common problem of lacking a cutting edge during the Euros, with Spain struggling to produce an elite forward since the glory days of David Villa and Fernando Torres.

As a result, the 2010 World Cup winners were held to a 1-1 draw against Greece in their opening qualifier, as they try to gain a significant advantage over the rest of Group B. Spain remain favourites to progress to the finals, but if they are to improve on their Euro 2020 performance Enrique will have to solve their goalscoring problems. The next generation coming through could well be the solution, with Ansu Fati, Ferran Torres and Pedri already showing signs of brilliance.

The situation is even more perilous for Spain’s Iberian rivals, Portugal. Having failed to retain their European Championship and Nations League crowns in 2021, Fernando Santos’s side are locked in a battle with Serbia in Group A. Even so, the Selecao undoubtedly have a talented squad and will be confident of qualifying by hook or by crook. Their home game against Serbia on November 14 will be the final fixture in the group and could be a huge occasion.

Santos also has concerns regarding what his team will look like in Qatar. In November 2022, Portuguese captain Cristiano Ronaldo will be approaching his 38th birthday, potentially with his club future at Juventus in doubt.

The national side has been built around their all-time leading goalscorer for something approaching two decades and the Selecao need one of their newer stars to step up if they are to compete at the top level again.

Last and, on this rare occasion, least, Germany are struggling after lying third in Group J following their first three fixtures. A shock 2-1 defeat to North Macedonia was a real low point for Die Mannschaft, for whom failure to qualify for the World Cup would represent a national disaster. However, this summer marked the

start of a new cycle for German football as Joachim Low left his post following 15 years as manager.

New boss Hansi Flick comes in after an extremely successful spell at Bayern Munich and will oversee the job of ushering in the next generation of talent. World Cup winners Mats Hummels, Toni Kroos and Thomas Muller are nearing the end of their journeys with the national team, with the future likely to be based around the exciting talents of Kai Havertz, Leroy Sane and Serge Gnabry.

Whether this attacking trio will be able to fire Germany to victory come 2022 remains to be seen.

Europe’s top seven sides each have their own challenges to face across the next 14 months, ahead of next year’s World Cup. At either end of the spectrum former winners Spain and Germany are in the midst of rebuilding projects, while current world and European champions France and Italy have the tough task of maintaining momentum. Other top European teams such as England, Belgium and Portugal will look to make the most of talented squads and finally win football’s ultimate prize in Qatar.

Having lifted the European Championship trophy on July 11, Roberto Mancini will have had little chance for a holiday before his attention turned to the next job.

With Italy’s 2022 World Cup campaign resuming less than nine weeks after their Euro 2020 adventure ended, just 12 days separate the first qualifier back and the start of the 2021-22 Serie A season.

Fortunately for the Azzurri boss, his first match comes in the comparatively easy form of a home match against Bulgaria.

Italy have not lost against the Lions since 1991 and will be confident having already beaten them 2-0 in their first qualification meeting. However, afterwards Mancini has just three days to prepare his side for a trip to Switzerland, the team who knocked France out of Euro 2020 and took Spain to penalties. Murat Yakin replaced Vladimir Petkovic this summer and manages the only team that could put pressure on Italy in the Group C standings.

Following this huge game in Basel, it is another three-day turnaround for the Azzurri who face a Lithuania side which failed to win a point in World Cup qualification before the resumption of Serie A. This hectic early-season schedule is compounded by a Nations League semi-final, and potentially final, in October and two further World Cup qualifiers in November. Italy sat on a 34-match winning streak after the Euro 2020 final, just one short of the joint record held

by Spain and Brazil. Given the quality of the opposition, there is little reason why the Azzurri shouldn’t add yet another commendation to a highly successful 2021.

ABOVE: French superstar Kylian Mbappe will want to put his penalty miss at the Euros behind him as quickly as possible BELOW: New Chelsea signing Romelu Lukaku is Belgium’s record goalscorer

NATIONAL BRILLIANCE The Nations League final takes place on October 10 with Italy, Spain, Belgium and France fighting it out to become the second winners of the competition.

Off the back of their Euro 2020 success the Azzurri once again hold the advantage, as the semi-finals and final are being held in Italy. Roberto Mancini’s side take on Spain - the team they beat in the semi-finals this summer - in Milan to decide which country has the chance to lift the trophy.

The other semi-final, Belgium versus France, takes place at Juventus’s Allianz Stadium and is another regular occurrence in international football. The most recent meeting between the two sides came in the 2018 World Cup, with Les Blues grinding out a narrow 1-0 win to progress to the final.

With the current European and world champions on either side of the draw, the final stages of the Nations League should make for interesting viewing. The other two sides are by no means underdogs, as Belgium remain top of the FIFA world rankings and Spain continue to forge an identity under Luis Enrique.

Given the vast array of quality that will be on display at San Siro, the Nations League final will undoubtedly showcase the best European football has to offer.

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WOMEN'S SOCCER

AFTER A THRILLING 2020-2021 UEFA WOMEN’S CHAMPIONS LEAGUE CAMPAIGN THE QUESTION THAT EVERYONE SEEMS TO BE ASKING IS: WHAT IS NEXT? THE ANSWER IS QUITE A BIT! WITH A NEW STRUCTURE, SOME NEW RULES, AND THE TOP SIDES HAVING RELOADED THEIR ROSTERS THIS YEAR’S CHAMPIONS LEAGUE PROMISES TO BRING TO PLENTY OF EXCITEMENT FOR ITS BURGEONING AUDIENCE.

GREAT ANTICI 2021-2022

DATES TO KNOW

UEFA WOMEN'S CHAMPIONS LEAGUE GROUP STAGE: October 5 December 16 QUARTER FINALS: March 22 - 30 SEMI FINALS: April 23 - May 1 FINALS: May 22

MOST WINS

LAST YEAR’S COMPETITION SAW A NEW SIDE STEP UP WITH FC BARCELONA CLAIMING TOP HONORS FOR THE FIRST TIME.

D

espite featuring some familiar faces, this year’s tournament will look markedly different than it has in year’s past. UEFA adopted two major changes to their competition: the addition of a 16 team group stage and the removal of the away goal rule. While the second rule adjustment seems to be stirring up a bit of controversy, the first has been met quite well from both small and large clubs.

With the women’s game looking to continue to grow, additional matches provide more opportunities for revenue and also chances for smaller teams to play against the larger clubs.

With matches now being featured on major television platforms like CBS in the United States and DAZN globally the competition finally seems ready to step into the spotlight.

Of course, having some good drama to build off of helps as well. Last year’s competition saw a new side step up with FC Barcelona claiming top honors for the first time. The victory was a watershed moment for the Catalan side and for Spanish football, after they had come up short two years prior. The six-time La Liga Champions have essentially brought back the same side including strikers

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UEFA WOMEN'S CHAMPIONS LEAGUE

7 4 Jennifer Hermoso (six goals in CL play last year) and Lieke Martens (5 goals in CL play last season). The addition of defender Irene Paredes from PSG should help solidify the defense.

Last year’s runner-up, Chelsea, are also looking primed to make another deep run. The Blues have largely brought back the same roster from last season’s campaign which saw the side win their second consecutive FA Women’s Super League and outscored their opponents 69-10. Forwards Fran Kirby and Sam Kerr seem to finally be in sync up top which should mean bad news for the rest of their competitors.

Keep an eye on midfielder Jessie Fleming, who is coming off of a stellar Summer Olympics for Canada and is looking to break through for her club side.

In France, Paris St. Germain are looking to build off of their first-ever Division 1 Feminine title and a strong 2020-2021 Champions League campaign which saw the side make the semifinals. While the loss of the legendary Formiga in the midfield and Christiane Endler in goal will hurt the young side, the hope is that incumbent midfielder Grace Geyoro (2021 UCL Squad of the Season member) and

ABOVE: Barcelona celebrates with the Champions League Trophy LEFT: Jennifer Hermoso reacts after scoring a goal in the 2021 Champions League Tournament

IPATIONS goalkeeper Charlotte Voll can step up and fill the void. Forward Marie Antoinette- Katoto at 22 is one of the top young goalscorers in Europe, having scored 90 goals in league play.

She only scored 4 goals in Champions League play last season but under new coach Didier Olle-Nicolle should have more opportunities.

Of the top four sides, perhaps the biggest dark horse is Bayern Munich. The German side won their first-ever Bundesliga title last year and made the semifinals of the Champions League for the second time in their history. In the offseason, they bolstered their depth, bringing in Lyon/Japan midfielder Sakai Kumagai and Real Madrid/Sweden forward Sofia Jakobsson.

The two veterans should help take some of the pressure off of forwards Lea Schuller (16 goals in the Bundesliga last season) and Sydney Lohman (14 goals in all competitions last season).

In terms of the rest of the field keep an eye on Olympique Lyon. Les Fenottes are in a strange spot, having to go through qualification for

this year’s Champions League despite having won the competition seven times. But finishing second to PSG in Division 1 in France seems to have lit a spark under the side. None of the four top contenders want to see Lyon as the second team in their group. Defender/ Captain Wendi Renard will certainly make sure the side have a chip on their shoulder. Midfielder Catarina Macario has the potential to be the first real breakout American player in Europe.

While there are plenty of unknowns with how the new Women’s Champions League will shake out, what is clear is that the competition is trending in the right direction. As sides continue to develop not just at the top of European football, but at the middle and bottom, and the audience continues to expand the competition will continue to improve. This year’s final at the Allianz in Turin may not have as much drama as last year’s final but it will certainly be another exceptional moment for the women’s game.

LEFT: Chelsea's Sam Kerr is a key peice to their success, and an important part of their chances of winning the Champions League this year TOP RIGHT: Grace Geyoro looks to lead PSG to a victorious year coming off a Ligue 1 Championship TOP LEFT: Bayern Munich brought in veteran pressence to take the pressure off of star player Lea Schuller

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INTERNATIONAL SPOTLIGHT

WHEN IT COMES TO CONCACAF AND WORLD CUP QUALIFICATION, EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED. AFTER A WILD SUMMER AT THE CONCACAF NATIONS LEAGUE AND THE GOLD CUP THE REGION WILL BEGIN QUALIFICATION AHEAD OF QATAR 2022 WITH PERHAPS MORE DRAMA AND MORE QUESTIONS THAN EVER BEFORE.

EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED BY: SEAN MASLIN

O

f course, the biggest storyline is the United States. After a dismal run in the lead up to the 2018 World Cup which saw the side miss the World Cup for the first time since 1986, the USMNT appear to back and reloaded. Head Coach Gregg Berhalter and General Manager Brian McBride strategy of playing their top players at the Nations League and using the Gold Cup to assess their depth paid off with the USMNT winning both competitions and giving players such as Miles Robinson, George Bello, Matt Turner and Kellyn Acosta a chance to shine.

Perhaps what is more important than the wins is who they were against: Mexico. While the Nations League final can be understood within El Tri circles as an ‘A’ level side defeating an ‘A’ level side the Gold Cup match against a third string U.S. team is an entirely different situation. While El Tri was without Chucky Lozano and Raul Jimenez, losing to the U.S. ‘C’ team sent shockwaves across the region. Yes, the U.S. being back was part of the story, but perhaps the bigger story is that Mexico is vulnerable.

Mexico and their head coach Tata Martino are in a tough spot because while there is a need to go through a youth movement, the youth aren’t quite ready. That means relying once again on veterans like Guillermo Ochoa and

'USING THE GOLD CUP TO ASSESS THEIR DEPTH PAID OFF' 54

SOCCER360 SEPTEMBER • OCTOBER 2021

DID YOU KNOW? The top 5 seeded CONCACAF teams, based on the FIFA World Rankings, get a bye straight to the third round of World Cup Qualifications.

1. Mexico 2. United States 3. Costa Rica 4. Jamaica 5. Honduras

Gregg Berhalter, USA Coach

Carlos Vela, while hoping that Lozano and Jimenez can stay healthy.

The dynamic of a young and inexperienced USMNT and an aging El Tri has opened the door for a flurry of different contenders in the region. Of the rest of the field, Canada look primed to make the biggest jump. Superstars Alphonso Davies and Jonathan David have completely changed the fortunes of the CANMNT program, getting the side back into the final round of qualification for the first time in a decade. While neither played in the Gold Cup, head coach John Herdman found success with Tajon Buchanan, Stephan Estuaquio and Cyle Larin.

While the North American sides have made waves, the sides from Central America and the Carribean (Costa Rica, El Salvador, Honduras, Jamaica, and Panama) are all certainly capable

ABOVE: The USA Men's National Team with the 2021 Gold Cup Trophy BOTTOM LEFT: Matt Turner had a great Nations League and Gold Cup BOTTOM RIGHT: Relying on veterans like Guillermo Ochoa wasn't enough for Mexico to defeat the USA

KEY MATCHES

'SUPERSTARS ALPHONSO DAVIES AND JONATHAN DAVID HAVE COMPLETELY CHANGED THE FORTUNES OF THE CANMNT PROGRAM'

When it comes to CONCACAF World Cup Qualification, it only takes one game to change everything. Here are the top ten games to keep an eye on.

(Home teams first) El Salvador versus Costa Rica (March 27th) Canada versus United States (January 30th) Jamaica versus Canada (October 10th) Mexico versus Honduras (October 10th) United States versus Mexico (November 12th) Costa Rica versus Honduras (November 16th) Mexico versus Costa Rica (January 30th) El Salvador versus Canada (February 2nd) Mexico versus United States (March 24th) Panama versus Canada (March 30th)

of qualifying for Qatar 2022. While Costa Rica with the likes of Keylor Navas, Bryan Ruiz and Joel Campbell will be the favorite to finish in the top four-their age was exposed in the Gold Cup. Panama too struggled, failing to make it out of the Group Stage losing to an emboldened Honduran side and an energized Romell Quioto. If Los Catrachos can get Alberth Ellis going alongside Quioto and their stout defense, they may turn heads.

In terms of dark horses, keep an eye on both El Salvador and Jamaica. El Salvador had a fantastic Gold Cup, making the Quarterfinals and pushing both Mexico and Qatar to their limit. Head Coach Hugo Perez’s recruiting efforts have paid off handsomely, finding players that match his counter-attacking style of play. Forward Joaquin Rivas, who scored three goals for La Selecta during the Gold Cup,

DID YOU KNOW? After the first two rounds of CONCACAF Qualifying, Canada's Cyle Larin is second in scoring with 7 goals.

Only El Salvador's David Rugamas has more, with 8.

Cyle Larin

may be the breakout star of qualification. As for The Reggae Boyz, keep an eye on superstar forward Leon Bailey of Bayer Leverkusen.

For years, Jamaica’s backline led by Kemar Lawrence and goalkeeper of Andre Blake have led the way. While their defense is still one of the best in the region, Bailey can finally give them a bit of balance.

While World Cup Qualification in CONCACAF is always crazy and full of drama, this cycle may just take the cake. With each FIFA international window including three matches as opposed to the usual two expect plenty of roster shuffling and plenty of upsets. The region has never been more balanced top to bottom which should make for some excellent matches and a great race to Qatar.

ABOVE: Alphonso Davies continuously improves the face of Canadian Soccer BOTTOM LEFT: Jonathan David for Team Canada BOTTOM RIGHT: Keylor Navas has the potential to bring Costa Rica to the World Cup

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MLS

"BARRIOS HAS LED HIS TEAM INTO THE AREA MORE THAN ANY OTHER PLAYER IN THE LEAGUE"

BY: MARCO D'ONOFRIO

SHINING BRIGHT THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY

THE GOOD Eyes will always be attracted to the brightest stars and the biggest names, but fans of Major League Soccer have been able to enjoy the hidden gems playing in the league. They may not be internationally known, but their play on the pitch has been a joy to a watch for those really paying attention.

Michael Barrios of the Colorado Rapids is the perfect example of a player that many supporters may never have even heard of, but the winger has been sensational for his club.

He has led his team into the area more than any other player in the league and still doesn't receive the recognition he deserves.

Vancouver Whitecaps stud Cristian Dájome is another example of a player that is flying criminally under the radar. The 27-year-old has put his team on his back, having 42% of his team's goals midway through the campaign.

Barrios and Dájome are just two examples of MLS talent that fail to garner the global attention or acknowledgement that they deserve. There is a plethora of others as well that help elevate the league to a standard that it has never seen previously in its history. While there is still a long way to go before it can be considered one of the elite domestic leagues in the world, it has made significant strides in recent years and it is because of the quality of talent that the biggest stars are surrounded by.

While global superstars like Javier 'Chicharito' Hernandez and Gonzalo Higuain will draw people to the product, it’s the ability to uphold

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GOING UP

a strong level of competition that has helped the league develop into what it is today.

THE BAD While most fans love watching rivals in North America's two top soccer leagues go head-tohead for supremacy, the Leagues Cup seems much more of a burden than a blessing for teams and fans alike.

The Leagues Cup was created in 2019 to help foster more excitement for fans and strengthen the rivalry between Liga Mx and MLS, but it has barely generated any attention. The competition is made up of four teams from each league playing in a knock-out format with all games taking place in the United States. While the concept may seem like a fun idea, the games feel more glorified exhibition matches. With a tight salary cap, MLS clubs often have difficulties navigating through the busy summer months during a normal year but this season it has been even more difficult.

With the European Championship, Copa America, Gold Cup and Olympics all taking place this summer, teams have often found themselves short-handed for critical games and coaches are constantly doing their best to keep their players healthy and rested. With such a congested fixture list, teams nor players are interested in being forced to play in yet another tournament.

In the opening game of the 2021 Leagues Cup, Sporting Kansas City played just three starters from their game on the previous weekend as head coach Peter Vermes tried to protect his players. While his side were embarrassed 6-1 on home field against Mexican club Leon, it was a decision he had to make in order to try and salvage the regular season.

“We'd like to win everything that we play in,” Vermes acknowledged. “But unfortunately when you're playing seven games in 22 days; we played four games in the last 11 days – altitude, travel, away from home – the reality is that I'm not going to risk guys that have high [physical] loads. I'm not going to risk them. I'm just not going to."

It has become apparently obvious that the Leagues Cup seems to be more about making money than it does about doing what's best for the teams or the two leagues involved.

THE UGLY Goals have become harder and harder to come by during MLS games and it has become a worrying trend for fans of the league over the past couple of years. The issue has only been exasperated this season.

After 20 rounds of fixtures, MLS games were averaging just 2.67 goals per game, a decrease from 2.86 goals per game in 2020 and 3.04 goals per game in 2019. The league saw its highest goals per game average in 2018, with 3.19 goals per game scored but has seen a decline ever since.

While the number of goals certainly doesn't mean anything when it comes to the quality of play of the league, it sure does help build excitement and generate a buzz for the league. Unlike many top leagues in Europe, MLS is forced to compete in a competitive sports landscape with numerous other professional sports leagues including the National Basketball Association, National Hockey League, Major League Baseball and the National Football League.

To compare, Germany's Bundesliga saw 3.03 goals scored per game while Italy's Serie A averaged 3.06 goals per game last year.

The current MLS average is also lower than England's Premier League which saw 2.69 goals scored per game last year.

While it may not seem like the biggest problem the league is facing, MLS needs to ensure they put an exciting product on the pitch to entice fans to watch. They may not always have global superstars or household names playing, but if they are able to deliver games that keep fans invested then the league will attract more eyeballs.

The 2018 MLS Cup champions made the most significant signing during the MLS secondary transfer window by signing Brazilian winger Luiz Araujo for a reported $12m. Araujo arrives as a Designated Player from Ligue 1 champions Lille and will make an immediate impact with the ambitious club.

GOING DOWN ABOVE (OPPOSITE PAGE): Michael Barrios went from FC Dallas to Colorado Rapids BOTTOM (OPPOSITE PAGE): Cristian Dájome recently signed for Vancouver Whitecaps.

He will be a positive impact for the club

It has been a season to forget for Toronto FC, who have struggled at the basement of the Eastern Conference. A coaching change mid-way through the season and more injury problems for striker Jozy Altidore has made this season one to forget for the Reds.

ABOVE: Peter Vermes, coach of Kansas City.

RIGHT: Kansas City couldn't hold their own against Leon BELOW: TFC celebrating a goal TOP RIGHT: Luiz Araujo came from Lille to Atlanta BOTTOM RIGHT: Lucas Cavallini

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MARCO D’ONOFRIO EXPLAINS TORONTO FC'S COACHING CHANGE AND WHY JAVIER PEREZ HAS BEEN ABLE TO MAKE THE MOST OF HIS OPPORTUNITY.

COACHING STA

I

t has been a rather wild season for Toronto FC, who started off with just eight out of a possible 36 points. After finishing the campaign last season with the second most points in all of Major League Soccer, a supposedly improved TFC squad found themselves at the bottom of the Eastern Conference by the beginning of July.

The Reds had just suffered their worst defeat in franchise history, a humiliating 7-1 loss to D.C. United at Audi Field, when the club's front office finally acknowledged that something needed to change.

They decided it was time to let go of head coach Chris Armas, just six months after he had originally been given the job. While it was never going to be easy for anyone to take over from Greg Vanney after everything he had accomplished in Toronto, nobody expected the disastrous results that would occur under Armas.

The tactician had taken a legitimate MLS Cup contender and turned them into a side with little confidence and a plethora of internal issues. Jozy Altidore was sent to train alone after a disagreement with Armas, forcing the team to play without a club legend and Designated Player. It just wasn't very good business to have a player earning $3.6m a season be excluded from the team entirely.

In came Javier Perez, who was named the team's interim head coach once Armas was relieved of his duties. One of the first objectives he was able to accomplish was to welcome Altidore back into the squad and get the American striker involved again. Having his star forward back in the line-up and believing in the project again paid off immediately for the new coach.

TFC managed to beat the New England Revolution 3-2 in Perez's first game at the helm, before Altidore made his triumphant return during the tactician's second game in charge. The 31-year-old came off the bench in the 64th minute to replace Dom Dwyer with his team down 1-0 to Orlando City. It took Altidore less than 10 minutes to equalise for the Reds, finding the back of the net in the 72nd minute.

The team decided to remove the interim tag from Perez's title after he went 2-1-4 in his first seven games with the club. Although the team had taken just 10 out of a possible 21 points under Perez, they were playing a better brand of soccer that was much more reminiscent of what fans had been used to seeing from their club.

More importantly, it was a sign that the organisation was behind Perez and that the players no longer had to worry about more potential changes.

"It's not about me, it's about the team," Perez said when he had the interim tag removed from his coaching title. "I think it gives a little bit more stability to the team, if anything.

I know that we have to go out there and still get the three points. But the team was very tense every time that we were going out on the field. And I think it's very difficult to

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MISSION IMPOSSIBLE Marco D'Onofrio discusses the league's hottest team and the trophies that have always eluded them.

"WHEN YOU YELL, YOU LOOK FOR A REACTION FROM THE TEAM, THE PLAYERS… THE MOST IMPORTANT MESSAGE IS JUST TO STAY CALM, ESPECIALLY WHEN HARD TIME COMES”

While fans of most Major League Soccer teams can complain about their club in one way or another, no supporters have had it harder than those of the New England Revolution. As one of the league's 10 charter clubs that were around since the inaugural season, Revolution fans have seen it all - except for an MLS Cup triumph. The Revolution have just two trophies in their cabinet, winning the 2007 U.S. Open Cup and 2008 North American SuperLiga.

They have reached the MLS Cup final on five separate occasions, including a span of three years in a row between 2005 and 2007, but they have never won the league's most prestigious prize. That could all change this year though, with the Revolution proving to be a legitimate MLS Cup contender under Bruce Arena's leadership. New England not only find themselves fighting for a potential MLS Cup, but also their first ever Supporters' Shield.

They have been the best team in the league by far throughout the regular season and this could finally be the year they put their past disappointments behind them.

Gustavo Bou arrived as a Designated Player in July, 2019, but it wasn't until this season that the Argentine really captivated the league. He has been clutch for his team when called upon, scoring countless late winners and terrifying opponents. No coach has ever won more MLS Cups than the aforementioned Arena who has two with D.C. United and three with the Los Angeles Galaxy. However, if he manages to get the Revolution over the hump and help them lift their first ever MLS Cup and/ or Supporters' Shield, it would easily be his greatest accomplishment yet.

ABILITY improve performance if you play tense."

Stability is what Vanney brought to the club after years of turmoil and Perez has been eager to do the same after he was named as the 11th coach in the franchise's 15-year history.

"You have to still be in athletic focus but at the same time you need some kind of calmness to play. And I think the team felt that kind of pressure that if we lose the next game there's going to be another change - what does that mean for the team, what does that mean for us? So right now we have the backing of management, now it's official. And everybody can feel comfortable - as comfortable as we can be in the position where we are."

Along with welcoming Altidore back into the fold, Perez has also made a number of other significant changes to improve the play of the team. "Nothing has to be reactive," he told members of the media. "When you yell, you look for a reaction from the team, the players…

The most important message is just to stay calm, especially when hard time comes. It's easy to stay calm when things are going our way. But when things are difficult, that's when we have to manage (things) and stay calm."

Despite never having been a head coach at the top level before, Perez still has plenty of useful experience that will help him and the club going forward. He holds his UEFA Pro Licence and a PhD in sports science from Spain's Universidad De Leon and is not afraid to think outside the box if needed. While he worked under Armas as an assistant coach in Toronto, he also worked under Jurgen Klinsmann with the United States senior team and under Patrick Vieira at New York City FC. Armas tried to implement a high-pressing and high-energy system, but was often missing his star players and had no backup plan if things weren't working out. Perez has already adjusted the system to suit TFC's players better and is willing to make critical in-game adjustments when required.

In a game against New York City FC where TFC found themselves down 2-0 at half-time and lacking pace, Perez opted to take out both team captain Michael Bradley and Altidore.

Youngsters Ralph Priso and Ifunanyachi Achara were tasked with starting the second half and the changes worked masterfully, with the Reds coming back to level the game 2-2.

Priso played a big part in both goals, while Achara set up the equaliser. It proved that Perez was willing to make the tough decisions for the overall benefit of the team.

Perez still has a long way to go before he can even be in the conversation with Vanney, but he has managed to navigate the club through some choppy waters already. While Vanney eventually left TFC after leading them to an MLS Cup, Supporters' Shield and three Canadian Championships, much like Perez his first objective was to bring stability to a team that had fired their eighth coach in eight seasons. Toronto FC fans are just hoping Perez can do the same.

THE EMERGENCE OF TAJON BUCHANAN

Marco D'Onofrio looks at the growth of Canadian international Tajon Buchanan and why he has become such a hot commodity.

ABOVE (OPPOSITE PAGE): The 44-year-old Javier Perez has had the difficult task of trying to salvage TFC's 2021 campaign BELOW (OPPOSITE PAGE): Chris Armas was hired to replace Greg Vanney as Toronto FC's head coach, but lasted less than seven months before being let go BOTTOM RIGHT (OPPOSITE PAGE): The most successful coach in MLS history, Bruce Arena, is looking to perform one more miracle TOP: American striker Jozy Altidore found himself training alone under Chris Armas, but has been welcomed back to the fold by his successor Javier Perez RIGHT Vanney lead TFC to their only MLS Championship TOP RIGHT: Tajon Buchanan has become the talk of the league after his performances for both club and country

The ninth overall pick in the 2019 MLS SuperDraft has become a hot topic in the world of Major League Soccer.

Not only has Tajon Buchanan impressed during his time in MLS, but he also showed off his skills during CONCACAF's most prestigious international tournament this summer, the Gold Cup. With a plethora of absences that included Bayern Munich's Alphonso Davies and Lille's Jonathon David, Buchanan was able to put Canada on his back and help them reach the semi-finals of the competition for the first time since 2007.

"He’s grown tactically," said New England head coach Bruce Arena. "Obviously playing more, he has a better feel for the game.

Technically, he’s a good player. Physically, he’s grown into a real man and his physical qualities are enormous as well. But I think the experience combined with his technical ability and his physical attributes have made him a very good player."

The native of Brampton, Ontario has a bright future ahead of him. Much like the aforementioned Davies who was named in the FIFA Best Men's World XI in 2020, Buchanan has big aspirations and could be the next Canadian international to take the world by storm. Securing a move to Europe, signing for Belgian side Club Brugge, Buchanan will have the opportunity to go up against some of the best players in the world. A Champions League group against PSG, Manchester City and RB Leipzig will provide invaluable experience.

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MLS

THE PHRASE ‘PATHWAY TO PRO’ IS PERHAPS ONE OF THE MORE OVERUSED PHRASES IN AMERICAN SOCCER. FOR CLUBS, LEAGUES, AND ORGANIZATIONS IT IS A GREAT WAY TO SELL TO INTERESTED SOCCER PLAYERS THAT THEIR GROUP HAS THE KEYS TO TAKE A FOOTBALLER'S SKILLS TO THE NEXT LEVEL.

FUTURES BRIGHT THE USL WILL HAVE TEAMS PLAY IN THE NEW MLS U23 LEAGUE TO FEED THE MLS

V

ery often, beyond a few buzzwords and some cool graphics, there is little substance to the phrase. So when someone touts a new ‘Pathway’ in a press release it is usually met with a collective yawn.

In June, Major League Soccer woke the soccer world up. With the announcement of their Pathway to Pro program, the league fundamentally altered the American soccer pyramid. The question is now: What is next?

The new league, which has yet to create an official name, will be an under-23 league that will reportedly feature many of the MLS2 sides that currently play in the USL Championship and League One, the second and third divisions of US Soccer. The league will also be open to non-MLS sides and will serve as the go-between for the top level (MLS) and youth academy league (MLS Next). The league has applied for Division III sanctioning from the United States Soccer Federation and is expected to run a calendar from March to December.

For MLS, the creation of a U23 league makes sense on a number of levels. While the league has operated a U23 league in the past, it is in a much better financial position than it was in the past to run such an operation. There has also been a shift in philosophy within most clubs moving from signing high-priced veteran players from Europe to using their academies more to develop players. Clubs such as the Vancouver Whitecaps, New York Red Bulls, and FC Dallas have provided the blueprint to selling

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players abroad with a clouded pathway. Where there was once a disjointed pathway to make it to MLS, things are now much clearer.

Of course, when it comes to American club soccer things are never easy. The biggest question is: Where does this leave the USL? Due to US Soccer running a disconnected system with different leagues having different motivations, a MLS U23 league comes into direct conflict with the USL. While the USL would be more than happy to part with the MLS2 teams that struggle with attendance and in the standings it does mean that there will be a shake-up within their system. That USL President Jake Edwards has reportedly started to push for promotion and relegation means that there may be a bigger change coming soon.

The other major question is to whether the league will actually be a professional league.

Teams that typically play Division III soccer usually have rosters filled with a mix paid professional athletes and college athletes who are unpaid. Given MLS’ desire to centralize development and the crunch that college soccer programs have had in offering men’s soccer scholarships this league may break the trend and go full professional.

The MLS U23 League has certainly sent shockwaves throughout the American soccer system. But what will come out of it is anyone's guess. As the league looks to create a more organized structure under their branding how others outside of the bubble will react will have major ramifications for the American game.

UNITED BEHIND LOSADA

ABOVE (OPPOSITE PAGE): There will be a shift in the feeder teams for the MLS, as some will compete in the new U23 League including champions Real Monarchs BELOW (OPPOSITE PAGE): USL President Jake Edwards RIGHT: Landon Donovan recently played for San Diego's USL team, the San Dieo Sockers MIDDLE: Portland Timbers 2 have already opted into the new MLS U23 League BOTTOM: Philadelphia Union have pulled out of the USL in order to have their farm team play in the MLS U23

I

t is amazing what a new face and a fresh perspective can do for a side. After years of stagnant play and stagnant results, D.C. United look like a new side with a new attitude under new head coach Hernan Losada. After a few speed bumps early, Losada ball has the side eyeing a playoff spot and possibly greater fortunes in MLS’ second season.

When one thinks of D.C. United it is a tale of two stories. The first part is that of a club that is widely considered to be one of the best sides in North American club soccer history, a team that in the first decade of the league won four MLS Cup titles and three Supporters’ Shields.

This is the part of the club that is most fondly remembered because of their style of play and their success. Ask any D.C. United supporters who their favorite player is and chances are they will name a player from that era.

While the early era of D.C. United defined the club in a positive light; it is just that: a part.

The second part of the club’s history is viewed markedly differently. Faced with playing in a league that is growing and expanding, United largely failed to keep up with the times. Aside from a few notable moments (the addition of Audi Field and Wayne Rooney, a 2013 US Open Cup win) the club has slowly slipped from the top of the standings to the bottom of the pack.

At the end of last season, what was clear was that the club needed a change. After a decade as manager, Ben Olsen was sacked with just a handful of games left in the offseason. In the offseason, the club went through an exhaustive coaching search finally landing on Beerschot Manager Hernan Losada.

Switching from a manager who had been at the helm for 10 years to a coach who, while respected in coaching circles, is a relative unknown is never easy. That the two managers couldn’t be more different philosophically made things even more of a challenge for United’s players. Throughout his decade as coach, Olsen's style was much more focused on counter-attacking, building through the back, and grinding out results. That style would work in terms of pulling out results in the regular season but the club was often gassed when it came to pulling out results during the playoffs.

Through his time at Beerschot, Losada developed a style that is much more attackminded than Olsen’s and has more of a focus on speed. That the club has had a change in philosophy in terms of training and preparation should then be of little surprise. While many would see it as a culture change, Losada sees it as bringing United into a style that is the way the rest of the world works. “(D.C. United) has been working with one method, in one way, for the last ten, 15, 20 years,”said Losada in an interview for The Athletic back in April. “And now all of the sudden this new ‘book’ arrives, a new philosophy, new ideas. I am not the owner of those ideas, by the way — this is just the way all professional teams in Europe work. So I’m just bringing that way of working in European competition to D.C. United.”

At least in the standings early on, the transition was rough. With multiple players scratched

early on in the regular season due to ‘fitness’ issues a depleted United roster lost five of their first seven matches. Despite the prospect of a new regime, it certainly looked like the same old D.C. United.

But even during the rough patch, the club started to find their rhythm. Part of their turnaround was due to the club finally giving young players such as Kevin Paredes and Moses Nyeman the opportunity to play, make mistakes, and grow. While Olsen seemed to favor his veterans, Losada has given the youngsters every opportunity to succeed.

While there have certainly been some growing pains the two have developed and become two of the top young midfielders in MLS. United’s gamble on signing a healthy Andy Najar (their first-ever Homegrown Player who went on to play in Anderlecht against Losada’s Beerschot) has paid off handsomely. Due to the strength of their midfield and the hot foot of Ola Kamara, United went 6-3-2 on 21 points through June and July.

Although the season is far from over, for D.C. United the future looks bright. With Losada leading the helm and new players getting opportunities the club may just yet be ready to write a new chapter.

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WHO SAID WHAT “I’m happy and blessed to be back at this wonderful club. It’s been a long journey for me: I came here as a kid who had a lot to learn, now I’m coming back with a lot of experience and more mature. The relationship I have with this club means so much to me, as you know. I have supported Chelsea as a kid and now to be back and try to help them win more titles is an amazing feeling.”

PAID TO BE AT THE PARK LET'S GO, ZLAT Lucas Torreira was the target of some angry Arsenal fans after he posted a picture of him at a theme park in Madrid while his teammates were losing (and lost) to Brentford in the opening match of the Premier League season.

The Uruguayan was given an extended holiday following his summer at Copa America, but he also is not part of Mikel Arteta’s first-team plans at Arsenal. Upon seeing the post, many fans were upset as the club paying his wages was playing, with some calling for the 25-yearold to leave the club.

– Romelu Lukaku rejoins Chelsea after 7 years and is ready to leave an impact at the club this time around.

Former UFC champion Khabib Nurmagomedov found himself a football club to sign for after retiring from the octagon. The exlightweight champion signed a contract with Russian thirdtier side FC Legion Dynamo.

Khabib has been pretty vocal this past year about moving to football, letting the world know he was a free agent and ready to accept offers as he looked to fulfill a childhood dream. “To play football on a professional level is a childhood dream.

Of course, I have such a wish.

Football is the king of sports after all” said Khabib.

DID YOU KNOW? •

Manchester City’s squad is the most expensive squad in Premier League history, worth close to £900 million.

•

Barcelona’s Pedri played 73 matches last season between club and country and returned to Barcelona training just five days after losing the Olympic Games final to Brazil.

“No, it doesn’t put pressure on me whatsoever. I take that as a compliment, I actually like it, I think it is a good tag to have. When you see a club paying that much for a player it means they value you highly. I hope I can repay this club by winning as many titles as possible.”

•

New Juventus signing Manuel Locatelli (right) made the most touches, passes and tackles (as a midfielder) than any other player in Serie A last season.

– Jack Grealish is the first British footballer to cost £100 million and his transfer is the first time a British club has paid that much for a player. Despite all that, Grealish is buzzing to get going at new club Manchester City.

A TOUCHING MESSAGE Christian Eriksen sent a touching message to a young girl who was set to have the same heart operation that he went through. Erikesen collapsed on the pitch during Denmark’s opening match at the Euro’s against Finland and was then taken to a nearby hospital where it was later revealed he had suffered a cardiac arrest. The 29-year-old was fitted with an ICD and released from hospital. Recently, he was contacted by the family of a young girl who sent him a letter explaining that she also requires a pacemaker. Eriksen responded with a video message which was subsequently shared by the family on Facebook.

IT'S ALL GOOD FOR NIKE Messi leaving Barcelona after 21 years and signing for Paris Saint-Germain may have come as a surprise for some, but what isn’t surprising is the revenue he brings in. After signing a two-year contract with the French side, Lionel Messi jerseys sold out quickly. In just seven minutes, PSG sold over 150,000 Messi shirts. If you take into consideration the average price of a men’s shirt with a name on the back, that accounts to around €23.7 million in shirt sales. Unfortunately for PSG though, they do not receive that money as their deal with Nike only includes an upfront fee instead of a percentage of final sales.

“I don’t think anyone has ever done 10 in a row, so that would be the first time.

It’s really not easy, so it would show that Bayern have been at the top in Germany.

We will do everything to make it happen and to get even more. Ten would be really special for the club.”

– Kinglsey Coman is hoping to help Bayern to a tenth consecutive Bundesliga title this season, which would be his seventh.

SPECIAL TROPHY DAY Paris Saint-Germain rewarded Italy internationals Marco Verratti and Gianluigi Donnarumma with special trophies marking their UEFA EURO 2020 triumph. The token was created as a reminder for the mantelpiece to go along with the gold medals won at Wembley Stadium last month. Italy beat England on penalties in the Final to take the trophy for the first time since 1968. Meanwhile, PSG also gave similar awards to their Argentina players, Lionel Messi, Angel Di Maria and Leandro Paredes, for their summer triumph in the Copa America. Their award is shaped in the form of South America, while Verratti and Donnarumma received one in the outline of continental Europe.

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90TH MINUTE

BAD FOR BARCA The extent of Barcelona’s financial troubles was revealed by club president Joan Laporta and it doesn’t look good for the Catalans. The club were unable to re-sign Messi because of their financial difficulties, while Pique and a few others took pay cuts in order to allow the club to register their new signings. Just how bad is it though? Well, their salaries represented 103% of the club’s total income. Laporta also mentioned that the club has a negative net worth of €451 million and a debt of €1.35 billion. Former club president Josep Maria Bartomeu crippled Barcelona and Laporta now needs to try and salvage it.

WE PLAY GREEN 2 Sampdoria midfielder Morten Thorsby has changed his shirt number from 18 to 2 and there is a specific reason for it. Thorsby is the founder of We Play Green, which is an organization which aims to create awareness, educate and inspire the football fan community on environmentally related issues.

The number change for his shirt is in reference to the Paris Agreement, and the primary objective of the agreement to limit global warming to below 2 degrees. In changing his number, Thorsby hopes to create awareness and attention on climate change.

JUST HANGIN' OUT After winning two gold medals at the Tokyo Olympics, the fastest man in the world at the moment, Marcell Jacobs, decided to spend his summer holiday in Sabaudia, Italy. While there he met another athlete who made millions of Italians cheer, Francesco Totti. The two were pictured together at the beach alongside their partners enjoying each other company.

LEO UP IN THE AIR Lionel Messi’s luxury plane is incredible.

The £12 million plane was designed to accommodate Messi and his family.

Features include its very own kitchen, two bathrooms and enough seats for 16 people. The chairs can even be folded up and turned into eight beds.

The plane also features some personal touches. Each step has the names of Messi and his family and the tail has his No10 on it. Messi does not own the plane though, he leases it instead.

C7 - THAT'S FUNNY Portuguese defender Jose Fonte, who plays for Ligue 1 side Lille, revealed that he asked Cristiano Ronaldo to join him in France to challenge Lionel Messi and Paris Saint-Germain. With Ronaldo on his last year of his contract, Fonte has tried to persuade him to play in France. “I send him a message every day, asking him to come to Lille. He only replied: ‘ha ha ha’.” I guess it was worth a shot.

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SCAN ME

90TH MINUTE

THE LION KING ROARS Lionel Messi’s transfer to Paris Saint-Germain included a cryptocurrency payment in the shape of fan tokens. Messi’s transfer to Paris seemed to have come about very quickly after Barcelona announced they would be unable to sign him due to salary cap regulations set by LaLiga. The 34-year-old signed a two-year contract with PSG, with an option for a third year. Part of his signing on fee included the club’s fan tokens provided by Socios.com. A number of clubs have introduced the use of these fan tokens which can be used to vote on minor decisions related to their club. On top of that, the tokens can also be traded on exchanges similar to bitcoin and other digital currencies. The move is yet another example of adoption for new digital assets.

DEAL OR NO DEAL? Clubs from LaLiga’s first and second division voted in favour of a €2.7 billion deal with investment fund CVC Capital Partners, despite Real Madrid’s and Barcelona’s opposition to the deal. The deal will see 10% of the league’s business sold to the investment fund in return. 90% of the money will go to clubs, women’s football, semipro football and non-professional football.

The effects of the pandemic are still being felt and the league is hoping that this large investment will help clubs navigate these difficult moments. However, more problems may arise as the Spanish Football Federation called the agreement completely illegal while Real Madrid are planning to launch a civil and criminal lawsuit against the league and CVC Capital over the deal.

SMALL BUSINESS UTD The English Football League are partnering with eBay to launch ‘Small Businesses United’.

As part of this initiative, eBay will donate advertising space at the stadiums to the small businesses around the communities. 85% of EFL clubs were supported by small business last year, despite the pandemic, while the clubs helped their communities by delivering over 1.4 million food parcels, 180,000 items of PPE and donating 2100 laptops and tablets to those in need.

THE FANS ARE BACK According to Deloitte, revenues across European football fell by €3.7 billion during the 2019-20 season. This was the first collective reduction in revenues since the recession of 200809. The Premier League saw their revenue fall by 13%. It was the first drop in the league’s history. Over half of the clubs reported a loss, but despite that the Premier League was still 60% bigger than its nearest competitor in terms of revenue.

The exact impact of the pandemic is yet to be determined, but with fans allowed back in at most stadiums, the next couple of seasons may ease their financial situations.

I-SPY SWEET TOFFEE Everton have finally broken ground on the construction of their new £500 million waterfront stadium. The stadium will take approximately three years to complete and create up to 12,000 construction jobs.

The new 52,888 capacity stadium will feature a fan plaza that could welcome more than 9000 fans on matchdays. A website has been launched that offers news and information about the progress of construction and will also give supporters the chance to view on-site activity through a webcam.

CRYPTIC DEAL AC Milan and BitMEX have announced a multiyear partnership that will see BitMEX become the club’s first-ever official sleeve partner. The crypto derivatives platform will feature on the sleeve of both the men’s and women’s team in all competitions, as well as the club’s eSports team.

BitMEX is best known for inventing the most traded cryptocurrency derivatives product and they have ambitious plans to expand and offer a broad range of crypto products and services.

USE YOUR HEAD, NOT! VARS CITY BLUES Referees and VAR officials in the Premier League are being told to consider how much contact has been made by a defender, the consequences and also the intent behind the challenge. In doing so, the league is hoping to have a more free-flowing game and not have to keep stopping it for insignificant offences. As a result, players will not need to go down in the box to earn a penalty. There will also be changes in regards to offside calls, with a thicker line being used.

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SOCCER360 SEPTEMBER • OCTOBER 2021

A researcher into the link between dementia and sport has called for football to consider stopping the use of headers following a study that highlighted the risk of players developing neurodegenerative diseases caused by repeated heading.

Dr. Willie Stewart suggests that the sport should come with a warning regarding the dangers of heading over the course of a player’s career. The study also concluded that the danger varies between positions and length of career. Perhaps unsurprisingly, defenders are more at risk of getting neurodegenerative diseases, while goalies are the least susceptible.

90TH MINUTE

BIGGER KING POWER Leicester City have confirmed plans for the expansion of King Power Stadium’s capacity to 40,000 as well as significant developments to the surrounding area to be shared with the public. Preliminary plans include a 220-room hotel and a multi-purpose event and entertainment area. In addition, there are also proposals for a new Leicester City retail space, residential and commercial space and a multi-storey car parking garage. As for capacity expansion, the club is hoping to add 8000 seats in the East Stand. Before anything is approved though, a public consultation with various stakeholders will be conducted.

BEHIND THE SCENES Arsenal will be the latest club to feature on Amazon’s All or Nothing series, as cameras will be allowed behind the scenes for the 2021-22 season. The popular programme provides an in-depth look at the inner workings of top-flight clubs having featured Manchester City and Tottenham already. This season will be an interesting one for the Gunners as they try to climb back up the table following a mid-table finish last season. For the first time in 25 years, Arsenal will not play in European competition. Mikel Arteta will be charged with turning things around. The All or Nothing series has featured other football clubs outside of England, including Bayern Munich and Juventus.

IT'S JUST NOT FAIR Financial Fair Play (FFP) has been thrown around quite a lot this summer, particularly in regards to the transfer market of Paris Saint-Germain. Is it still active? How can PSG re-sign Neymar and bring in Sergio Ramos, Messi, Donnarumma and Wijnaldum? As many are trying to figure out exactly how FFP works, UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin is looking into reforming it. According to a report, Ceferin is looking to propose a new model based on the one used by the NBA. The luxury tax in the NBA is paid by teams that exceed the salary cap, and in that way, for clubs who exceed FFP rules, they will also be hit with a luxury tax. Clubs will no longer sanctioned with suspension or removal from UEFA competition. Instead, they will have to pay a luxury tax that will then be distributed among other clubs to level the playing field.

IT'S IN ... NO, IT'S OUT UEFA have announced that VAR will be used for the European qualifying section of the 2022 World Cup. The changes will be in place for the September international break and continue throughout. There were plans to start using the system earlier but because of logistical complications and risks associated with the pandemic, those plans were postponed. VAR officials will be on-site at the host’s stadium, using dedicated vans provided by UEFA. The lack of VAR caused controversy back on matchday 2 of World Cup qualifying after Cristiano Ronaldo thought he scored a late winner against Serbia after the ball crossed the line, however the goal was not given.

GERMAN ICON PASSES Legendary German footballer Gerd Muller recently passed away, aged 75. Muller is considered by many as one of the greatest strikers in the sport’s history thanks to his prolific record with Bayern Munich and the German national team. For country, Muller scored 68 times in just 62 matches, playing a big role in winning the 1972 European Championship and 1974 World Cup. For club, Muller would become known as “Der Bomber”, scoring 566 goals in 607 matches.

With Bayern Munich he won four Bundesliga titles, three European Cups and European Cup Winners’ Cup. At an individual level, Muller was awarded the Ballon d’Or in 1970 after scoring a remarkable 10 goals during the World Cup in Brazil. Said Oliver Kahn, current CEO of Bayern Munich, “He is one of the greatest legends in the history of Bayern, his achievements are unmatched to this day and will forever be part of the great history of Bayern and all of German football… Gerd will be in our hearts forever.”

CHANGES ARE A-COMIN' Luis Rubiales, president of the Spanish Football Federation is looking to make some changes to LaLiga, but needs to convince LaLiga president Javier Tebas of them. Luis is proposing having fewer matchdays but more games played between teams competing for the same goals, and a final phase to be played at neutral venues. All of this in a bid to engage more young people. Tebas has reportedly shot down the suggestion upon hearing it, but Luis may keep trying. He has already made changes to the lower leagues, the Copa del Rey, the Supercup and women’s football.

LEWANDOWSKI - THE MOVIE Robert Lewandowski will have a documentary made about his life by Amazon Prime which is set to be released in 2022. Last season, Lewandowski had one of the best individual seasons in league history, scoring 41 goals and breaking the record for most goals scored in a single campaign. While the Polish striker has been at the top of the game for some years now, his rise was not an easy journey. It is the journey which took Lewandowski to the top of football that he wants to show in this documentary.

IT'S ALL BULL ...

Real Madrid released a statement denying claims that they are looking into the possibility of joining the Premier League due to a row with LaLiga. The fractured relationship has led Real Madrid president Florentino Perez to look at the possibility of leaving LaLiga and joining another European league according to reports.

Serie A and Bundesliga were also looked at as well, but the competition with other clubs and the money from TV rights makes the Premier League a more attractive destination.

In response to these reports, Real Madrid strongly denied the claims suggesting the report was only published to disturb the day to day activities of the club.

SOCCER360 SEPTEMBER • OCTOBER 2021

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90TH MINUTE

WHAT ARE YOU THINKING? Jack Grealish was spotted on a celebrity dating app following Manchester City’s loss to Tottenham despite rumours of him dating his childhood sweetheart, Sasha Attwood. Sasha was seen cheering on Grealish at the Euros, and the two then holidayed together in Croatia.

The app is called Raya and this exclusive dating app only accepts new members who have been recommended by a current user and have an exceptional job. Other users of the app include Niall Horan, Cara Delevingne, and David Walliams.

GUNNING FOR YOU

EDIN BLACK AND BLUE

Arsenal renewed their sleeve sponsorship deal with Visit Rwanda in a deal worth around £10 million a year, just days after being slammed by the country’s president.

Following the opening matchday loss to Brentford, Rwanda President Paul Kagame published some tweets appearing to criticise Arsenal owner Stan Kroenke, “We must NOT excuse or Accept mediocrity. A team has to be built with purpose to win win win.” Paul is a passionate Arsenal supporter and, as many other football fans do, likes to vent his frustrations on Twitter.

Edin Dzeko will be wearing the black and blue of Inter this season after signing from Roma, and before the transfer was officially confirmed, he already scored for his new club. Talk about wasting no time. Many fans were surprised to see him play for the friendly against Dynamo Kiev as there was no official confirmation of the signing from either Inter or Roma. It wasn’t until after the match that Inter announced him, leading many fans to reply sarcastically at how they had no idea. Dzeko’s six-year spell at Roma saw him score 119 goals in 260 games. The 35-year-old signed a two-year deal with Inter.

SPECIAL TO CHARLTON Charlton Athletic owner Thomas Sandgaard is more than just a football club owner. The Danish-American businessman is also a musician. Thomas released a new song called ‘Addicks to Victory’ in the lead up to the new League One season. He is hoping that the song will become the club’s new fight song; ‘a pump us up’ on match days. The song originally started off as a regular song that his band put together when it occurred to Thomas that they could write the lyrics to make it special to Charlton.

A CHILE RECEPTION Blackburn’s Ben Brereton ended up representing Chile at the Copa America last summer thanks to Football Manager. Brereton qualified to represent Chile through his mother, but without the popular video game his international career may never have been realized. A scout for Football Manager, Mark Hitch, spotted Brereton’s Chilean eligibility while looking over Blackburn’s official match day programme and made the update on Football Manager. From there, Brereton started getting comments on his socials of Chilean flags and people asking him to play for Chile. The hype started building, Brereton appeared in several Chilean newspapers, participated in a Twitch campaign and through his performances on the pitch, earned himself a call up to Chile’s squad for the Copa America. While at the Copa America, Brereton scored his first-ever international goal in a 1-0 win over Bolivia.

UNICORN'S R NOT REAL The inflatable unicorn that was made famous

by Bukayo Saka has found a new permanent home. Unity, as it’s known by, will be at the National Football Museum to commemorate England’s Euro 2020 campaign. Saka was part of an inspiring young squad which galvanized a nation, a squad that put aside their domestic colours and developed a strong camaraderie on their way to the final.

The players spent much of their down time between matches on inflatables in the pool.

From there a video of Saka riding and falling from an inflatable unicorn went viral. Now, as part of a Euros Heroes exhibition, the floating unicorn will be on display for fans to visit.

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SOCCER360 SEPTEMBER • OCTOBER 2021

JUDUS'S CHARIOT Amateur seven-a-side team Judas FC rented a double decker in order to have an open top bus parade to celebrate their league title. A video emerged of the happy players celebrating the achievement, sipping champagne and lighting flares as the bus drove through the streets of London. The amateur side from east London is made up of doctors, a teacher, a salesman and more as they enjoyed a successful season which saw them win two trophies, the Monday night league and the Wednesday night league. The players felt that celebrating at their local pub wasn’t enough and given the past year, felt that something special would be better. They each chipped in and rented an open-top bus instead. Surprisingly, their grand gesture went down better than expected with the London locals as many people nearby cheered and applauded.

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90TH MINUTE

WHO SAID WHAT “I don’t think you prepare for not playing.

I always thought I had the talent but at some stage in my career when I was 22, 23 and I wasn’t playing, I went on my first loan to Spain, I played only six games.

Then I knew I would have to go back to Arsenal and they wouldn’t give me a chance, so I would have to go on loan, so those years were really difficult, at some point I stopped loving football. That was something I was worried about…”

– Aston Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez revealed his struggles with being constantly loaned out while at Arsenal before turning his career around with professional help.

ALL ABOARD THE PEPI TRAIN RICE AND MOUNT DUNK Declan Rice and Mason Mount spent their holiday showing off their basketball skills on a private yacht. Rice shared a number of videos on his Instagram story of him and Mount teaming up together for some baskets. They also took some trick shots. Rice, dressed in a Chicago Bulls jersey, successfully threw the ball into the net with his back to the basket.

Perhaps a career in basketball is in their future if football doesn’t work out.

FC Dallas social media coordinator Eddie Koton got a tattoo with Ricardo Pepi’s face on a train, which symbolizes the homegrown players growing hype train. Koton promised the Dallas followers that he would get the tattoo if Pepi was named to the Major League Soccer All-Star Game and well, he was. Koton posted a photo of himself alongside Pepi with the tattoo in view for all to see that he did in fact keep his promise.

DID YOU KNOW? •

Olivier Giroud left the Premier League with the second most goals as a substitute - 21, and the third most goals among any Frenchmen, 90.

“I am not an expert who knows the ins and outs of these things. I know the same as any journalist and I also have to rub my eyes in amazement when I see some things. In reference to a recent transfer, it is not only the numbers that are being talked about, since other amounts that are not published have to be added and that involve much more money. It is not easy to finance and I do not understand that there is someone who can allow it. Some clubs have more facilities than others.”

– Bayern Munich manager Julian Nagelsmann, in reference to Lionel Messi’s transfer to Paris Saint-Germain, laments the failings of Financial Fair Play regulations.

“It’s true that nothing will ever be the same again as when we had Leo, but I think we have a good enough team to get people excited, to compete for titles until the end of the season.”

– Gerard Pique is prepared to move forward without Lionel Messi at Barcelona and believes the team is good enough to win titles.

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•

Stevan Jovetic (right) has scored at least one goal in each of Europe’s top-five leagues.

In Serie A with Fiorentina and Inter, in the Premier League with Manchester City, in LaLiga with Sevilla, in Ligue 1 with Monaco and now in the Bundesliga with Hertha BSC.

MVP PAT TO MLS MINI SOCCER PITCHES Philadelphia Union teamed up with Eastern Pennsylvania Youth Soccer, city officials and members of the community to open renovated athletic courts and a new minisoccer pitch. The facility also includes a mural by Calo Rosa in partnership with Mural Arts Philadelphia. The renovations are part of the Philadelphia Union Foundation’s partnership with the Eastern Pennsylvania Youth Soccer Association and the city of Philadelphia that committed more than one million dollars to build 15 mini soccer pitches and two full-size fields across the city.

HUNGRY RONALDO Ronaldo says the key to his longevity is a high-protein diet - and up to six meals a day.

"If you train regularly it’s important to keep energy levels high to fuel your body for better performance," The star recommends a high protein diet - with up to six meals a day "I eat a high protein diet, with lots of wholegrain carbs, fruit and vegetables, and avoid sugary foods."

Eating every three to four hours, he kicks off his day with a varied breakfast containing cheese, ham, low-fat yoghurt, fruit or avocado on toast.

When out at restaurants, he's partial to steak and salads, while he regards chicken as "magical" due to its high protein levels and low fat content.His favourite dish is the Portuguese staple Bacalhau a Bras, which combines scrambled eggs with fried potatoes and shards of salt cod. According to Portuguese national team chef Luis Lavrador, Ronaldo has a particular love of fresh fish. “Of course, I’m not (100% disciplined) every day.

Sometimes I eat a good pizza as a nice treat.

Another athlete has joined the ranks of MLS owners. Kansas City Chiefs quarterback and Super Bowl MVP Patrick Mahomes is a new member of the Sporting Kansas City ownership group. For Mahomes, this is yet another way to strengthen his ties to the fans and city of Kansas. He has spent all four of his NFL seasons in Kansas City, leading the Chiefs to a Super Bowl championship in 2020, and has already invested in other Kansas City sports, being a part-owner of MLB’s Kansas City Royals.

90TH MINUTE

DON'T HIT ME, I SCORED Teammates argue from time to time. It happens.

As long as they can sort it out and it doesn’t affect the team, then there’s nothing to worry about.

What happens when it gets physical though? Well, during a Galatasaray match, center back Marcao was sent off for head-butting and punching his teammate Kerem Akturkoglu. Video of the incident shows Akturkoglu shushing Marcao after Galatasary scored their second goal. Obviously, Marcao did not like that and proceeded to head-butt and throw punches at his teammate before the rest of the squad separated them. After consulting VAR, the referee sent the Brazilian center back off. Luckily for Marcao, his sending off didn’t affect the result as Galatasaray won 2-0.

IT'S ALL MAKE BELIEVE As the world of eSports continues to grow, perhaps it comes to no surprise that transfer offers are being sent and received for FIFA players. Non-League club Hashtag United have an eSports team with professional FIFA player Tom Leese representing them at tournaments. Hashtag United, who were set up by YouTuber SpencerFC five years ago, have reportedly received two bids for Leese, both between £50,000 and £100,000. A transfer of such magnitude would make eSports history and would be the first of its kind in FIFA. Clubs will have to expand their scouting department and divide the transfer budget accordingly if this becomes the norm in FIFA eSports.

THE KOPMOSPHERE Liverpool fans were voted as the best at creating an atmosphere in the Premier League according to fans of rival clubs. Fans were sorely missed last season and will be welcomed back with open arms by football fans around the world. The survey, which was based on the clubs who were in the Premier League last season, revealed that Liverpool fans create the best atmosphere, followed by Manchester United, Newcastle, Leeds and Crystal Palace. The bottom of the list features Burnley, Southampton, and Brighton.

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Everything

GIVE IT ALL BACK, GOOD PUPPI A social media influencer, known as Ray Hushpuppi on Instagram, has pleaded guilty to trying to scam a Premier League out of £100 million. Ramon Abbas likes to show off his wealth on social media, posting photos of his expensive cars, in private jets and wearing designer clothes.

The 37-year-old was busted in a raid conducted by the FBI and is believed to have had £29 million and 13 luxury cars in his possession. He then plead guilty to being part of a gang that tried to defraud a large amount of money out of an unnamed top club from England. The gang targeted the team with an email scam where legitimate email addresses were hacked and spoofed. Ray faces up to 20 years for the scam which took place in 2019 and earned him and his gang millions.

A BAD NITE'S SLEEP Roma boss Jose Mourinho is not a fan of the popular free-to-play online game Fortnite. The popular game launched in 2017 and has since become a cultural phenomenon, taking the video game industry by storm. Fortnite has millions of fans, including Antoine Griezmann, Dele Alli and Neymar. But for all the fans the game has, there is one man who very much dislikes it and has even gone as far as calling it a ‘nightmare’. Jose Mourinho is not a fan of Fortnite and it has nothing to do with the gameplay or graphics. Mourinho dislikes the game because of the effect it has on footballers, complaining that they stay up all night playing it while they have a game the next day.

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SOCCER360 SEPTEMBER • OCTOBER 2021

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90TH MINUTE

I WAN YA MA'S PASTA, PLEASE Typically after a football match, players swap jerseys amongst each other. Sometimes, on occasion, players give their jersey to a fan, usually a young supporter with a sign. Rarely do we see a player swap their jersey with a fan for something in return. Well, Victor Wanyama did just that. The CF Montreal midfielder was heading back into the changing rooms when he spotted a fan with a sign that read, “Will trade spaghetti for kit” with a picture of Wanyama. Upon seeing the sign, he handed his kit to the fan and took a box of spaghetti to complete the exchange. What prompted the fan to bring such a sign? Well, back in 2012, Wanyama posted some hilarious tweets, one of which was “I had spaghetti and it was very nice I enjoyed it”.

Tottenham played on that when they signed Wanyama in 2016, posting a picture of him with spaghetti in hand to announce his signing.

Clearly, this fan was aware of how much Wanyama likes spaghetti.

It’s nice to see the love story between Wanyama and spaghetti is still going strong all these years later.

INSIGNE LANGUAGE

THE BEST MAN ?

A woman replaced her husband's face with that of Jack Grealish in all of their wedding pictures. The 25-year-old, new Manchester City signing, saw his popularity grow during England’s run to the Euro 2020 final in the summer, especially among females. Mairead Stevens posted a video on her TikTok page where she cut out Grealish’s face from a number of images and placed them over her husband’s face in photos of their wedding day. The husband didn’t even notice that she did this with the photos of them around the house until he accidentally knocked one over and broke a frame.

THE BALL IS OFFSIDE Bedale AFC have released the first ever seethrough football kit. The new transparent kit is for a good cause as it is in aid of Prostate Cancer UK. Arrows on the front and back of the shirts and shorts point to the relevant areas and encourage men to check. £5 from every sale of the kit will be donated to Prostate Cancer UK as the club are hoping to raise £250,000 for the charity.

Lorenzo Insigne has inspired a new word in the Italian dictionary following his performances at Euro 2020. His goal against Belgium was a beautifully hit curling effort that is known in Italy as the ‘Tiraggiro’ which combines the phrase ‘tiro a giro’ – curling shot in Italian. The word has been added to the dictionary and translates to: “In football, the curling shot, is done by hitting the ball in order to give it a strong re-entry effect.” Insigne isn’t the only member of that Italian side to inspire a new word. Giorgio Chiellini has inspired a new German word thanks to his good humour and joy while playing at Euro 2020. The new word, Chiellinigkeit, is the ability to experience the lighter side of life, to do your job while at the same time enjoying it as much as possible. His smiles in press conferences, during training and with Spain captain Jordi Alba right before a tense semi-final penalty shootout impressed the Germans and led to the creation of the new word.

MR. POT-STIRRER Super-agent Mino Raiola earns a crazy amount of money for each transfer of one of his clients. In fact, he makes more money than any other agents in football. The Italian born Dutchman represents some of the biggest names in football, including Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Erling Haaland and Paul Pogba.

Perhaps then, it is no surprise that he makes more money than any other agent when he represents the players he does. However, despite representing a number of high-profile players, he has built a bit of a reputation for causing problems between his players and their clubs in order to force a move elsewhere or receive a better offer for his clients.

According to reports, Raiola earns over $1,000,000 per deal that he makes.

TV IS SEEING GREEN Serie A has decided to ban clubs from wearing green kits starting from the 2022/23 season because television companies are concerned that the green shirts are too similar to the pitch and would blend in with the background.

It’s nice to see a league with their priorities in order, forcing clubs with years of history to rethink their colours because some tv company doesn’t want to see green on green.

SUFFRAGETTE CITY Pro Clubs on FIFA 22 will allow fans to create female players for the first time ever. Previous versions of the game only allowed players to build their own player as a male. The addition to do so means male and female players can play in the same ‘Pro Club’, with a whole new level of customization of players and teams.

FIFA 16 was the first game in the series to include women footballers and a few women’s national teams. Whether women’s club sides will be added to the game is yet to be seen.

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SOCCER360 SEPTEMBER • OCTOBER 2021

MERCI ... FROM LIONEL A 100-year-old Argentina fan logs every Lionel Messi goal with a paper and pencil. Don Hernan makes sure to write down every goal Messi scores, and when he cannot watch a match, he calls his grandson to make sure he doesn’t miss any. Mr. Hernan has become a bit of a TikTok sensation in Argentina thanks to his grandson. His story reached Messi himself, and so Lionel sent him a video message following Argentina’s Copa America win, thanking Don Hernan for his support.

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71

90TH MINUTE

YOU GOT WHAT YACHT?

WHO SAID WHAT

Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich has a net worth of about £12.1 billion, so for him a new £430 million super yacht doesn’t make much of a dent to his wallet. A video of his yacht was shared on social media and it is incredible. The 460ft yacht has 48 cabins across eight decks. There is enough space for a crew of 60 and 36 guests. There is also at least one swimming pool, a gym, sauna, an outdoor beach club and a helipad. This yacht sounds insane, but what’s crazier is that this isn’t even Abramovich’s biggest yacht.

“Verratti is a huge player, one of the best in the world in his position. He is a phenomenon. He was wanted at Barcelona, but now it is the reverse and it is me coming to him in Paris.”

– Lionel Messi with high praise for new teammate Marco Verratti. Going so far as agreeing that the Italian is on the same level as his ex-teammates Xavi Hernandez or Iniesta.

IT SNOT A BARGAIN

“Italy is tactically and technically a better league but here in England, it’s all about the intensity. That’s what makes the difference, but it’s no problem for me because I’ve been here for eight years and I know what it’s all about. It’s not like I’m a new player coming in and not quite knowing what to expect. I know the league, I’ve scored a fair amount of goals here, but the past is the past and now we have to look forward.”

Anything Lionel Messi touches or is associated with turns to gold, be it a retro Barcelona jersey or the new PSG kit. Not everything is football related though. There is one piece of memorabilia that’s caught everyone’s attention, something with a $1 million price tag on it. That’s right, for $1 million you can own Messi’s used tissue from his emotional press conference where he announced his time at Barcelona was ending after 21 years. Somehow, someone at the press conference got their hands on the tissue Messi used that day and they posted it on an international auction site.

Why such a hefty price for a piece of used tissue? Well according to the seller, it “contains Messi’s genetic material”. The seller even went as far as suggesting the purchaser of the tissue can use the “genetic material” to clone another footballer like Messi.

– Romelu Lukaku is ready for his second stint at Chelsea, taking with him all that he’s learned since leaving the club, to help

DID YOU KNOW? •

Manchester City’s loss to Tottenham was just the third time in Premier League history that the reigning champions were defeated in their opening game of the season. The other two teams were Leicester City in 201617 and Chelsea in 2017-18.

•

As a player, Patrick Vieira (right) never lost a Premier League match against Chelsea, winning six and drawing four. Unfortunately, he was not able to continue that streak as a manager after his Crystal Palace side fell to Chelsea on the opening match day.

GRACIOUS LOSER Jude Bellingham lost the DFL Supercup final with Bayern Munich, but he won the hearts of many.

The 18-year-old presented his shirt to a disabled BVB fan and exchanged pleasantries with him.

Later on, Bellingham thanked the BVB fans on Instagram for the "unbelievable support".

And in his stories, he shared the video of handing over the jersey to the wheelchair man.

Chelsea keep winning and grow.

“We want to bring home the Scudetto, there’s no point in hiding that. That must be the seasonal target when you play with Juventus, just like playing a great Champions League and fighting on all fronts. My personal target, however, is to continue the streak of the European Championship, that saw me as protagonist, and to do it again with Juventus.”

– Leonardo Bonucci hopes to continue his good form in helping Juventus achieve their targets following a disappointing season last year under Andrea Pirlo.

MOST HATED German gambling website Sportwettentest asked 2000 football fans which is the most hated football club in Germany? 24% of the voters cast their votes for Bayern Munich.

Borussia Dortmund was the second name in the list, but they received far less votes than the record German champions (9%). Schalke came in third with 7% votes and Dynamo Dresden got 5% votes to grab the fourth spot.

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SOCCER360 SEPTEMBER • OCTOBER 2021

LET’S USE OUR SUPERPOWERS TO WIN THE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE

90TH MINUTE

JAB JAB German third division side Viktoria Koln wore a special jersey in their Pokal Cup first round tie against TSG Hoffenheim. The shirt read ‘’Solidarity on and off the pitch. Get vaccinated now!’’. The club wanted to send out a strong message encouraging more people to take the vaccine and keep the infection and hospitalization rates under control.

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Manchester City fans now have an unusual new snack option after their return to Etihad Stadium for their first Premier League home game of the 2021-22 season, with the club announcing the introduction of "edible coffee cups". The use of these cups forms part of a commitment by City to cut down on plastic waste, with the club also announcing that beer will be served in paper cups.

REFU .... GEEEZ Bayern Munich defender Alphonso Davies has never lost the sense of “where he’s from.” A refugee himself, Davies is a United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Goodwill Ambassador, and offered a letter of support to the Refugee Paralympic Team. Davies has embraced this role for the UNHCR and taken it to heart. The Canadian’s close connection to these athletes — and what they face day-to-day — is evident in each word that he has written.

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NO SURPRISE REALLY Lionel Messi's move to Paris Saint-Germain has generated a lot of interest in France and Spain. And a lot of companies want a piece of the pie. One of them is Kosmos Holding, the company owned by Barcelona defender Gerard Pique. According to 2Playbook, they have bought the rights to the French league in Spain in collaboration with Enjoy TV for the next three years. The main objective: to capitalize on the 'Messi effect' until 2024. According to the same report, which hasn't mentioned the figures involved, Movistar, the previous rights holders, were paying less than 2.5 million euros annually.

PIQUE A DISH Barcelona captain Gerard Pique has announced a lottery for Andorra FC fans. Two lucky winners will get to enjoy a dinner with the legendary center-back. Pique, who is the president of the Spanish third tier club, is fully committed to his responsibilities towards the club and is well aware of the fact that his star power can take the club to a whole new level on promotional scale.

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90TH MINUTE

ER B M E T P SE

Christian Pulisic (23) September 18

Sam Kerr (28) September 10

Alex Greenwood (28) September 7 Club: Manchester United Nation: England • Enjoys pancakes with Nutella before a match.

Club: Chelsea Nation: United States

Club: Chelsea Nation: Australia • As a young child, Sam played football under Australian rules. Her father and brother were both professional Australian footballers.

Julian Draxler (28) September 20 Club: Paris Saint-Germain Nation: Germany

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Drake is one of the most famous rappers in the world, with songs like 'One Dance', 'Hotline Bling' and 'In my feelings'. The singer surprised with his latest photo on his Instagram account posing with a Barca shirt. After seeing Drake's post on social media, Memphis Depay shared the photo of the rapper dressed in Barca's kit and reacted in amazement. "One moment... have we just signed Drake?" wrote Memphis on his Twitter, attaching the artist's photo with the culé T-shirt.

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SCAN ME

Rio Ferdinand has come face-to-face in court with a "racist" fan who allegedly hurled abuse at the TV pundit during a football game. Jamie Arnold, 31, allegedly used racist words and gestures towards the former footballer during a match between Wolves and Manchester United.

The 31-year-old has also been charged with making homophobic comments towards the referee. Arnold will stand trial next year after denying he racially abused former England defender.

CAN'T PLAY THEN COACH Former Arsenal star Jack Wilshere has revealed he is considering retirement at the age of 29. Wilshere is without a club after being released by Bournemouth in the summer and the midfielder revealed there have been no offers for him on the table. He admits to being 'concerned' about his future and admits he has asked his wife whether it is time to move into coaching.

WELCOME RICHARLISON

CANUCK TALENT

SILVERWARE, SILVER HAIR

Twitter - https://twitter.com/brfootball/ status/1425467727737761800 It was a busy summer for Richarlison, between Copa America and the Tokyo Olympics. Upon his return to Everton training, his teammates congratulated him with a banner for winning a gold medal.

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/p/ CSR0stNnFaY/ Julia Grosso scored the gold medal winning penalty against Sweden at the Tokyo Olympics. She has been a part of the national set-up since she was young, alongside friend and teammate Jordyn Huitema.

Twitter - https://twitter.com/ChelseaFC/ status/1425755421021720580 Thiago Silva dyed his hair and was looking for something to match it with. Well how about the UEFA Supercup trophy? I think that will do.

SOCCER360 SEPTEMBER • OCTOBER 2021

90TH MINUTE Andres is popularly known as Principito which is Spanish for ‘Little Prince’

Alexander Isak (22) September 21

Olivier Giroud (35) September 30

Club: Real Sociedad Nation: Sweden

Club: AC Milan Nation: France • Passionate about MMA. Said he would love to experience a fight in UFC’s famous Octagon.

Andres Guardado (35) September 28 Club: Real Betis Nation: Mexico

ALL FORDS ARE CREATED EQUAL...

IT’S THE DEALERSHIP THAT MAKES THE DIFFERENCE

2 0 2 1 B R O N C O

NOTHING TO SNEEZE AT Playboy model Luana Sandien recently bid £438k to pose with Lionel Messi’s handkerchief and viewers are eager to get to know her! While announcing his departure from FC Barcelona, whereby he spent his entire career so far, Lionel Messi broke down in tears and was handed a tissue by his wife Antonela Roccuzzo. The football icon’s handkerchief was then supposedly posted online, for sale! As a Barcelona super-fan, Sandien was eager to get her hands on the popular handkerchief.

2 0 2 1 F -1 5 0

DID YOU KNOW? •

Christine Sinclair (left) has scored a goal every year since 2000.

•

Bruno Fernandes is the first Manchester United player to score a hat-trick on the opening day of the season since Lou Macari in 1977-78 versus Birmingham.

•

Karim Benzema scored the first Real Madrid goal in four of the last nine seasons.

#MORETHANASCORE Twitter - https://twitter.com/Cristiano/ status/1426103220355670016 As a new brand ambassador for popular realtime football results app, LiveScore, Cristiano Ronaldo featured in a new ad that shows how much a score update can affect our lives

THE G.O.A.T. Twitter - https://twitter.com/FCBarcelona/ status/1424348493334843393 Messi’s time at Barcelona has come to an end and there may never be anyone like him again for the club. After over 20 years, 16 as a member of the first squad, Messi left Barcelona having won 35 trophies.

2 0 2 1 B R O N C O

2 0 2 1 M

S P O R T

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90TH MINUTE

NO BROMANCE Manchester city fan Liam Gallagher has had a cheeky pop at Harry Kane for deciding to stay at Tottenham this summer. Despite the 28-year-old claiming to be keen to move to the Etihad in search of silverware, he took to social media to confirm he will be staying at Spurs. And former Oasis frontman Gallagher was quick to comment on the news, saying: "Nothing against Harold Kane but I’m glad he’s not coming to MCFC as you were LG x."

CALL YOURSELF A FAN

"LIKES" NOT ALLOWED

Chelsea ace Trevoh Chalobah was forced to delete a tweet praising his pal Declan Rice after receiving an angry backlash from his own fans. The pair grew up together in the Blues academy until Rice was released aged 14 and joined West Ham. They remain good friends so when Rice delivered a dominant performance in the 4-1 win over Leicester, Chalobah was quick to laud the Hammer. But, the rising star soon removed his comment following a barrage of messages. Plenty piled in with abhorrent abuse over his support for a rival player.

Willian had Arsenal fans raging on Sunday evening after appearing to 'like' a Chelsea Instagram post - celebrating the win over the Gunners. The Brazilian winger, 33, swapped Stamford Bridge for the Emirates a year ago on a whopping threeyear contract. But he was forced to sit out of the match against his former side this weekend due to coronavirus. However, that did not stop him getting Arsenal supporters on his back.

DOGGY PADDLE

DANGEROUS SEAGULLS

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Brighton star Yves Bissouma has revealed he almost died after undergoing an operation.

The midfielder, 24, has been a success since joining the Seagulls from Lille in 2018. But Bissouma said his life hung in the balance following shoulder surgery two years ago.

After the operation, he was supposed to regain consciousness within two years.

But, it took as much as 13 hours for the Mali international to wake up because of anesthesia complications, which could have claimed his life.

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Football agent and model Wanda Nara, who is married to PSG striker Mauro icardi, has a freestyle when it comes to her own photos - with a wide variety of pool-side poses in bikinis. But this time her confident look had more of a pout than a swimming smile as she added a melancholy message. The Argentinian TV presenter wrote: "First swimming class and no one came" followed by an emoji of a woman shrugging her shoulders.

CAPT. CRISTIANO Man. Utd star Cristiano Ronaldo is enjoying a well-earned break with long-term girlfriend Georgina Rodriguez in Mallorca. The 36-year-old and his 'beautiful queen' enjoyed a romantic sunset trip on a yacht ahead of the new football season. Ronaldo shared a picture of the couple on their holiday to his 317 million Instagram followers.

DREAM COME TRUE Twitter - https://twitter.com/rscanderlecht/ status/1425869210413146115 Romelu Lukaku returned to Stamford Bridge for his second stint at the club. To wish him luck, his former side Anderlecht posted a video of a young Lukaku at Stamford Bridge where he pledged to play there one day.

SOCCER360 SEPTEMBER • OCTOBER 2021

NAPOLI HIGH FASHION Twitter - https://twitter.com/sscnapoli/ status/1428269687096418306 Napoli have partnered up with luxury fashion brand Emporio Armani for their kits this season after their club owner was looking for a more favourable deal.

BECKHAM RETURN? Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/p/ CSt8gKmLz0I/ David Beckham could probably still play football at a professional level, and a post on Instagram teased just that. Decked out in Inter Miami gear, Beckham enjoyed some shooting practice.

90TH MINUTE

REALLY WIFEY !!

The wife of Arsenal technical director Edu gave one of the club's fans the middle finger during their defeat to Chelsea at the Emirates. Tempers flared up in the stadium as the game wore on, with one supporter opting to confront Edu by getting out of his seat and berating him from the steps, a confrontation that was later posted on Twitter. And while Edu appeared to remain composed throughout the abuse, his wife Paula Gaspar could not contain her frustration. After the fan had finished aggressively making his point, Gaspar put her middle finger up at him as frustrations boiled over.

TIRED PARTNERSHIP OUT THERE...

Arsenal legend Tony Adams has celebrated going 25 years sober by praising those who helped him fight alcoholism. Adams, 54, struggled with alcohol addiction while performing on the biggest stage throughout the 1980s and the early 1990s. The former defender has recently celebrated 25 years of soberness and posted a heartwarming message to his Instagram.

AC Milan has announced a new partnership with Nexen Tire that will see the South Korean brand become the Club’s new Tire Partner in the Italian market. The two brands come together sharing a strong set of values from innovation as a way to stand out and meet the needs of the Rossoneri fanbase and the Nexen Tire customer base, to the ability of setting trends in their respective fields.

As part of the new partnership, Nexen Tire aims to enhance its brand presence in the Italian market through the enhanced visibility both at the San Siro Stadium and online.

PUTT IN HIS PLACE A member of the Qatari royal family has brutally slammed Real Madrid for trying to sign Kylian Mbappe from PSG. Khalifa Bin Hamad Al-Thani told the Spanish giants to meet Paris Saint-Germain’s valuation of the striker-or complete the season with ‘’the golfer Gareth Bale.’’

RON AND ROB PUFFING

DESPERATE ROY

Brazil legends Ronaldo and Roberto Carlos have gone viral after a picture of the pair smoking at half time reemerged on social media.

The snap was taken during the interval of a charity match between Brazil and Norway in 2018 in which Ronaldo was coaching and Carlos was playing.

Former Manchester United captain Roy Keane has joked that ‘’someone should have told him years ago’’ that social media could help land him a management role. Keane-who has 1.5 million followers on Instagram-has not taken charge of a club since leaving Ipswich in 2011. He told Gary Neville that he is desperate to get back into coaching and joked that his decision to create a social media account during lockdown could help.

HELP WANTED

SELFIE ADDICTION

Twitter - https://twitter.com/realmadrid/ status/1428361563052789771 Taking time out from training, a number of Real Madrid players visited the Santiago Bernabeu to check up on how the renovations are going… or perhaps they were there to speed up construction.

Twitter - https://twitter.com/3gerardpique/ status/1427189680198627339 Gerard Pique has developed an addiction to selfies. It started back in mid-July and it has continued ever since. He is determined to post a selfie almost every day to his socials.

HELP THEM OUT Gary Lineker and Brian Deane are among former football stars calling for financial help for players diagnosed with dementia and other neurodegenerative diseases after their careers come to an end. It comes after high-profile former footballers Denis Law (above) and Terry McDermott's dementia diagnoses were publicly confirmed. Sixty former players aged between 30 and 70 are urging football authorities to financally aid ex-players in their support of charity Head for Change - including former England striker and Match of the Day presenter Lineker.

TODDLER ON THE LOOSE Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/p/ CSplRiJhMNx/ A video went viral showing a toddler running onto the pitch during an MLS match with his mother chasing after him and bringing him back to their seats. Poor kid just wanted to play.

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90TH MINUTE

NEXT GEN WIZARDS Leo Messi has registered his two oldest sons, Thiago and Mateo, at Paris SaintGermain's academy, L'Equipe report. The two have now officially left Barcelona's academy. Mateo will play for the Parisians U7 side while Thiago will go to either U9 or U10. For the record, Thiago is nine years old, so the fact that he could go to the U10 team suggests that he's at a very good level.

MR. POPULARITY Leo Messi finally made his debut for Paris Saint-Germain in the away game against Reims. By the look of things, the fans and the journalists weren't the only ones dying to see the 34-year-old on the pitches of France.

The rival players were equally excited. For example, Reims' goalkeeper Predrag Rajkovic approached Messi after the final whistle with his son. The Serb asked Leo to take a photo with the kid. Later on, Rajkovic's wife uploaded the picture on her Instagram.

VERONA VERONICA Hellas Verona defender Koray Gunter has reportedly ended his relationship with German model Betty Taube. Apparently the footballer has moved on in a new relationship with Italian influencer Veronica Loi.

FICKLE FANS As expected, Wolves supporters were not pleased about Paul Pogba escaping a booking for the alleged foul on Ruben Neves in the 1-0 win. At full-time, the home crowd chanted 'cheat, cheat, cheat' at the Manchester United midfielder but changed their mind very quickly when he handed his match shirt to a young Wolves fan. And the next second, they started applauding him for the generous act.

MATS BUST UP ?

BOOHOO JACK

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Jack Grealish has landed an endorsement deal with clothing brand Boohoo Men. Reportedly, the Manchester City star will bag £250, 000 from the arrangement. Grealish’s girlfriend Sasha Attwood is also a Boohoo Men model.

PRECIOUS CARGO Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/p/ CSj1-0zIhUZ/ After scoring a hat trick against Leeds, Bruno Fernandes took extra precaution when bringing the ball home. Safety first, of course. Did he find a spot for it in the living room?

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Amid rumors of Mats Hummels filing for a divorce to date 20-yearold Instagram model Lisa Marie Straube, the BVB defender posed with his wife Cathy Fischer in their son’s first day of kindergarten. The couple has been married since 2015 and has a son together.

SOCCER360 SEPTEMBER • OCTOBER 2021

NUMBER 30 https://twitter.com/StephenCurry30/ status/1425243515307450372 NBA star Steph Curry praised Messi for his good taste after choosing number 30 at PSG. Curry wears the same number at the Golden State Warriors.

SUPER SIX Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/p/ CSrD2VUImSe/ Angel Di Maria posted a photo on Instagram celebrating his six-a-side training team victory that included himself, Navas, Mbappe, Neymar, Messi, and Draxler. Who is going to beat that?

90TH MINUTE

THE REAL JUVE DIRT Following Manchester United’s official announcement that they have re-signed Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo from Italian side Juventus, the attacker’s girlfriend has taken to social media to dish the dirt on Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti. Having previously played from Real Madrid for a large part of his career, reports earlier this summer had sensationally linked the world-class forward with a dramatic return to the Santiago Bernabeu, which Ancelotti refuted. However, following the player’s desire to re-join his old club, 12 years after departing, Juventus’ Ronaldo is now heading back to Old Trafford where he will now play under the guidance of former teammate Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. Publicly reacting to the news on her social media, Ronaldo’s girlfriend Georgina Rodriguez wrote: “I hope Ancelotti won’t deny this too.”

KISS AND...

Legendary footballer David Beckham helped wife Victoria Beckham to do her makeup for beauty shoot. The former Spice Girls member enlisted her husband David to touch up her makeup on set. The renowned fashion designer did her own makeup for a beauty shoot, with help from a “local makeup artist,” aka her husband David Beckham.

SPICY VIXEN DAYS In honor of International Dog Day, Victoria Beckham, 47, shared two throwback photos of herself at age 13 posing with a dog named Bambi — and wearing a banana clip several years before the hair accessory became a mainstream trend.

"Some retro moments for #InternationalDogDay! Aged 13 with Bambi the dog in some very chic banana clips (they're back in right? I've always been a trend setter)" she captioned the post.

(Banana clips reigned supreme in the '90s, and have since made a comeback along with low-rise jeans, trucker hats and all-things velour.)

SPOILED BRAT Singer and model Rita Johal has told the ‘The Sun’ that Manchester City ruined her marriage to footballer Riyad Mahrez, who was traded for 70 million euros from Leicester City in 2018. Johal claimed that Mahrez lost his humility after signing the big money contract at Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City, which brings him more than €180, 000 a week.

FAR OUT, MAN Rebekah Vardy transformed into a '70s siren as she posed with husband Jamie at a costume party. The WAG, 39, showcased her incredible figure in a nude bejeweled catsuit with fringe detail adorning her arms, legs and pert posterior.

Leicester City star Jamie, 34, wore a blonde wig and tinted shades as he embraced his glamorous wife in the snap captioned: 'Peace out.'

LONDON IS BLUE

HAPPIER DAYS

Twitter - https://twitter.com/RomeluLukaku9/ status/1429524476274921474 Romelu Lukaku made his second debut with Chelsea against city rivals Arsenal with the perfect start, a goal in a 2-0 win.

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/p/ CS3wYxesczF/ Christian Vieri and Antonio Cassano decided to give karaoke a go, singing a classic Italian song. Unfortunately for them, the audience didn’t like it and threw bread at them.

TIKTOK CHALLENGE TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@alphonsodavies/ video/6992255691121544453 Alphonso Davies got in on the “posing as my…” challenge and decided to pose as pictures of his girlfriend Jordyn Huitema. This post received over 6 million views.

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90TH MINUTE Tammy grew up enjoying drama and auditioned for school plays and drama events.

KALVIN PHILLIPS

ALVIN PHILLIPS

WORD SEARCH

Tammy Abraham (24) October 2

R OCTOBE

Use the Word Bank to Find all 30 Words

Club: Roma Nation: England

Adriana Leon (29) October 2 lub: West Ham United Nation: Canada

HE STILL HAS IT

k

David Beckham has posted a video on Instagram where he showed off some nifty football skills-in a suit and a tie!

The former Real Madrid and Manchester United star juggled the ball exquisitely wearing a complete formal attire. Proves that when you master the art, you can do it anywhere, anyhow!

AL

ON YER BIKE !

Zlatan Ibrahimovic has recently reposted the video of him hitching a ride on a motorcycle last year to get to the Sanremo music festival.

He captioned the video writing, ‘’Do I have to save you next year too?’’ jokingly insisting the event was a success because of his attendance.

L

THERE AT LAST WORD BANK GOALS INTERNATIONAL LEEDS MATCHES MIDFIELDER NATIONAL PASSING PERFORMACE PROFESSIONAL REPRESENT

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SOCCER360 SEPTEMBER • OCTOBER 2021

SEASON SENIOR TEAM THREELIONS TOURNAMENT TRAINING WORLDCUP WORTLEY YELLOW

Manuel Locatelli finally completed his long-awaited transfer from Sassuolo to Juventus, and his new club decided to spice up his arrival video with the addition of one of the most famous persons on social media-Khaby Lame. Khaby Lame became a TikTok sensation by simply pointing at people who complicate matters, whilst showing the audience how to pull it off in an over-simplified manner – all in a playful way. The Senegalese-born man is based in Italy, and had already appeared in videos with Alessandro Del Piero and Paulo Dybala. Apparently, signing Locatelli was the simplest and most effective way to enhance the Old Lady’s midfield.

EUROS ✓ WEDDING ✓ Instagram - https://www. instagram.com/p/CRZNOOCo4Ho/ Marco Verratti had himself quite the summer. After winning the Euro’s with Italy, the Italian then got married to his beautiful wife Jessica Aidi.

CARLI LLOYD RETIRES Twitter - https://twitter.com/CarliLloyd/ status/1427754610064822276 USWNT legend Carli Lloyd announced on Twitter that she will be hanging up her boots at the end of the current season. She retires a two-time World Cup champion, twotime Gold medalist, and two-time FIFA Player of the Year.

90TH MINUTE Catarina Macario (22) October 4 Club: O. Lyon Nation: United States •Born in Brazil, she moved to the United States with her family in 2011, at the age of 12, in order to pursue a career in football.

When Marcus was asked to be a judge poetry at a school for children with hearing loss, he studied sign language so he could introduce himself to the contestants

Tamires Cassia Dias de Britto (34) October 10 Club: Corinthians Nation: Brazil

MESSI'S ROAD TO PARIS

Federico Chiesa (24) October 25 Club: Juventus Nation: Italy

Ianis Hagi (23) October 22

Marcus Rashford (24) October 31

Club: Rangers Nation: Romania

Club: Manchester United Nation: England

KEEN ON POST GAME BOOZING

STAY IN THE GAME!

Roy Keane has revealed his guilt over lying to Sir Alex Ferguson about his 5am drinking sessions and then using them as motivation. The duo spent 12 years together at Old Trafford and certainly endured a fractious relationship despite their on-field success. But Keane, captain between 1997 and 2005, often went out boozing to switch off from the pressures of football - and would sometimes even go out the night before training. Speaking to Gary Neville on Sky Bet's The Overlap, the Irishman opened up about hiding his alcohol habits from his boss and how they spurred him to deliver on the pitch.

IDIOT "FANS" STRIKE AGAIN Arsenal have vowed to find and ban the person responsible for throwing a bottle at Chelsea star Reece James. The England star ran to the corner flag after scoring in the 35th minute as the Blues cruised to a 2-0 victory over the hapless Gunners.

But the celebrations proved to be too much for one frustrated fan. And he/she disgracefully threw a bottle from the stands on to the pitch at James.

Fortunately, the 21-year-old wasn't hurt in the incident.

NEVER MISS AN ISSUE !

NUMBER 30

PRESIDENT MESSI

Twitter - https://twitter. com/StephenCurry30/ status/1425243515307450372 NBA star Steph Curry praised Messi for his good taste after choosing number 30 at PSG. Curry wears the same number at the Golden State Warriors.

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/p/ CSZbs6yjx9x/ Not surprising to see the hype in Paris of Messi’s arrival, but perhaps what is a bit surprising, was the escort he received as he headed for his medicals. It was like a president was driving through the city.

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LAST WORD

FOOTBALL RULED BY PSEUDOCURRENCY IT’S FITTING THAT SO MANY CLUBS ARE NOW SPONSORED BY CRYPTOCURRENCY, AS SUSY CAMPANALE WORRIES THE ENTIRE SYSTEM IS BUILT ON MONEY THAT DOESN’T REALLY EXIST.

I

t is truly difficult sometimes to find sympathy for anyone involved in modern football. Club Presidents are one minute begging the Government for help to get through the pandemic after 18 months of empty stadiums, the next spending €100m on players like Jack Grealish who are, let’s be frank here, not exactly multiple Ballon d’Or winners. Lionel Messi can stand sobbing at a podium, dabbing his eyes as he says goodbye to his beloved Barcelona after 21 years, then smile as he joins the most soulless club on the planet, Paris Saint-Germain.

I am not naïve, I know that the age of the one-club man was over a long time ago and was an implausible ideal even at the best of times. I realise that the sport is now an industry that pumps out billions and needs to keep the money merry-go-round in constant swing. I am not the Inter fans who in a day went from adoring Romelu Lukaku to calling him a ‘sellout traitor’ for leaving them for Chelsea, the club he had always wanted to prove a point

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It feels as if all the clubs have agreed to be part of this massive scheme where they decide the valuation of money, they trade it, they print it and create it

TOP: Lionel Messi’s departure reportedly wiped €137m off Barcelona’s brand valuel BELOW: PSG are trying to create the Harlem Globetrotters of football, but it doesn’t work in competitive sport

at. That doesn’t necessarily mean I have to like what the game has become either.

All that out-pouring of anger and righteous indignation aimed at the European Super League project and what we end up with is ultimately not that much different. There are still only a handful of clubs, and that group is getting smaller all the time, who can afford the top stars. Everyone else is relegated to the role of talent scout, finding and developing new players to then sell them on at the increasingly ridiculous fees the band of back-stabbing brothers are prepared to pay.

In a way, this allows the football eco-system to work beautifully, as the smaller clubs can keep fleecing the giants for more and more insane transfers, sitting back and enjoying the bidding wars while putting money aside for improved stadiums and youth academies. The problem is when the group of big spenders gets so reduced that the whole system starts to collapse. You can’t have a bidding war of one or two parties; it is unsustainable.

There is also the fear that clubs like PSG can become a black hole in the transfer market, sucking all the greatest talent in and leaving nothing for the rest. This is the part of the issue that concerns me the least. After all, Paris Saint-Germain have been trying to buy their way to the Champions League for years now and got no closer to achieving it. They still haven’t realised that building football’s Harlem Globetrotters won’t work because the Globetrotters never played competitive games.

They were an exhibition team, purely there to put on a show. No pressing, aggression or tactical nous required. You might get away with that in some sports, but football is definitely not one of them.

No, the real worry I have is that we’re only scratching the surface of what is really going on in the world of football and finance.

Barcelona announced they have debts of €1.35bn and very little of it has to do with the effects of the pandemic. This is decades

of astonishing financial mismanagement and Financial Fair Play evidently did very little to regulate any of it. All UEFA achieved with FFP was to clip the wings of clubs who wanted to build and allow others to become that horrible phrase we’ve heard a lot over the years in other areas of life: too big to fail.

I am afraid the whole system is built on a massive deck of cards that could buckle at any moment. It’s oddly fitting that so many cryptocurrencies are now sponsoring football clubs, because they too are dealing in money that doesn’t entirely exist. Chievo Verona went bankrupt this summer, not long after a scandal showed they were trading players with massive transfer valuations who never saw the pitch beyond Serie C. If you don’t think there’s a lot more of that going on elsewhere, then you had better buckle up, it’s going to be a bumpy ride.

Chievo’s is a cautionary tale in and of itself of the dangers of an over-inflated economy with nothing to sustain it, but a glance at the current status of the wider transfer market should be cause for concern for others. It feels as if clubs have agreed to be part of this massive scheme where they decide the valuation of money, they trade it, they print it and create it. Transfers aren’t cryptocurrency, they are pseudocurrency, the prices set by the entirely interdependent market who have it in all their interests to pump up valuations and share the spoils between them.

In one fell swoop, it was calculated that Messi’s departure wiped €137m off Barcelona’s brand value. Meanwhile, some wag decided to pick up the tissue Leo used to wipe his eyes in that press conference and try selling it for €1m. They may as well, money is seemingly meaningless in football now.

Financial Fair Play achieved very little if debts could spiral so out of control

Never backs down from a fight.

Wearing a wide-body four door coupe design, and with 591 heart-pounding horsepower that rockets you to 100Km/h in 3.6 seconds, the all-new 2021 Audi RS7 Sportback delivers super car performance that cannot be denied and exclusivity that cannot be matched.

Discover the RS7 and the entire Audi Sport line up at audidowntowntoronto.ca Audi Downtown Toronto Visit us at 328 Bayview Avenue Or call 416-961-AUDI

Never backs down from a fight.

Wearing a wide-body four door coupe design, and with 591 heart-pounding horsepower that rockets you to 100Km/h in 3.6 seconds, the all-new 2021 Audi RS7 Sportback delivers super car performance that cannot be denied and exclusivity that cannot be matched.

Discover the RS7 and the entire Audi Sport line up at audidowntowntoronto.ca Audi Downtown Toronto Visit us at 328 Bayview Avenue Or call 416-961-AUDI