Soccer 360 Magazine Issue 96: January / February 2022

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MO SALAH

96

TTHE HE GOOD THE BAD & THE UGLY

REDS LEADING THE TO GLORY

BRIGHT FUTURES & TROPHY CONTENDERS

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE

THE S360 AWARDS!

SWEET 16

HALLAND

THE BEST OF THE BEST!

STILL THE BEST IN BUNDESLIGA

COACHING CLINIC

GERMAN COACHES TAKING OVER

BALLON D’OR WINNERS

XAVI COMES HOME

ALEXIA PUTELLAS LIONEL MESSI

IS IT NAPOLI’S YEAR? LEADING THE PACK

BREAKOUT TIME! CONCACAF QUALIFIERS HEAT UP!

NEW YORK REIGNS

THE CHAMPS!

ISSUE #96 $10.95 Display until March 4, 2017

SOCCER360

MAGAZINE

JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2022 | ISSUE 96

TM

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

20 WHAT'S INSIDE...

EUROPE 06 08 11 48

32

english premier league 16 THE GOOD, THE BAD & THE UGLY 20 MOHAMED SALAH SPOTLIGHT

serie a

24 NAPOLI'S YEAR? 28 THE GOOD, THE BAD & THE UGLY

PHOTOGRAPHY Les Jones & Doug Boufford - Covershots Inc., EPA, Action Images, Getty Images, Dale MacMillan, MLS Soccer, NWSL, ISI Photos MARKETING DIRECTOR Mario Calabretta

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SOCCER 360 AWARDS CHAMPIONS LEAGUE EUROPE FIXTURES BALLON D'OR

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

50 NYCFC REIGNS! THE CHAMPS 54 THE GOOD, THE BAD & THE UGLY

WOMEN'S SOCCER

49 ALEXIA PUTELLAS' BALLON D'OR 56 USA REBOOT

EXTRAS

04 FIRST WORD 58 QATAR 2022 QUALIFIERS HEAT UP 80 LAST WORD

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MO SALAH

96

TTHE HE GOOD THE BAD & THE UGLY

REDS LEADING THE TO GLORY

BRIGHT FUTURES & TROPHY CONTENDERS

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE

THE S360 AWARDS!

SWEET 16

HALLAND

THE BEST OF THE BEST!

STILL THE BEST IN BUNDESLIGA

COACHING CLINIC

49 WHERE TO FIND US 4

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SOCCER360 JANUARY • FEBRUARY 2022

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GERMAN COACHES TAKING OVER

BALLON D’OR WINNERS

XAVI COMES HOME

ALEXIA PUTELLAS LIONEL MESSI

IS IT NAPOLI’S YEAR? LEADING THE PACK

BREAKOUT TIME! CONCACAF QUALIFIERS HEAT UP!

NEW YORK REIGNS

ISSUE #96 $10.95 Display until March 4, 2017

THE CHAMPS!

COVER FEATURE: SALAH MAKING WAVES AT LIVERPOOL.

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FIRST WORD

TOUGH AT THE TOP

‘JOSE MOURINHO DOMINATED FOOTBALL IN DARTH VADER FASHION BUT HIS DEATH STAR MAY BE ON THE WANE’

JOSE MOURINHO WAS ONCE THAT RARE THING – A BOX OFFICE SMASH THAT FOUND FAVOUR WITH THE CRITICS AS WELL, GABY MCKAY ASKS IF THE ROMA COACH IS NOW THE FRANCHISE THAT’S GONE ON TOO LONG…

LL

ove or hate the man, there’s no question that there’s something fascinating about Jose Mourinho.

From charming, brash upstart to all-conquering Darth Vader figure, the eyes of the world have long been on the ‘Special One’ and perhaps even more so now that his Death Star is seemingly on the wane.

Since his second spell at Chelsea ended in a cloud of toxicity it’s been very much diminishing returns. Two trophies and second place at Manchester United wasn’t bad, but by his third season Mourinho had alienated almost all of Old Trafford.

An initial upswing in results at Tottenham Hotspur gave way to the familiar complaints about his players and singling out of individuals.

With his reputation thoroughly soured in England, the Portuguese returned to the one nation out-side his own where he was still unquestioningly revered – Italy.

Signing on at Roma for the 2021-22 season

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SOCCER360 JANUARY • FEBRUARY 2022

“LIKE POLITICAL CAREERS, ALMOST ALL MANAGEMENT CARERS END IN FAILURE” looked a strange move at the time. A man who left Real Madrid wrapped in paranoia of leaks and suspicion of back biting moving to perhaps the highest-pressure city in football – though Glasgow and Buenos Aires may have something to say about that – where there are dozens of radio stations dedicated exclusively to specifically Roma or Lazio seemed like a pressure cooker ready to explode.

Perhaps predictably, a good start soon gave way to latter day Mourinho’s greatest hits: throwing players under the bus, sniping at journalists, complaining about referees. All indications say Roma are committed to their coach and will back him in January, but it’s perhaps worth asking: do managers have a shelf life?

No-one expects a footballer to maintain their peak over 30 or 40 years, but it seems generally assumed that a good coach will remain so in perpetuity: look at the jobs Mourinho has been handed when his last league title came more than seven years ago.

It’s not just the Roma boss. Carlo Ancelotti has started his ‘Galactico-whisperer’ return to Real Madrid well but the Italian, winner of three Champions League titles, underwhelmed with both Napoli and Everton. Rafa Benitez is experiencing similar struggles at Goodison Park and, with respect, his two previous jobs were Newcastle United and Dalian Professional.

The idea of a shelf life for coaches is borne out by some of the most influential in history.

Arrigo Sacchi’s Milan remain revered as one of the greatest ever, their influence on the modern game indisputable. But the Italian’s reign last just four years and he never scaled those heights with the national team, Parma, Atletico Madrid or on his return to San Siro.

Similarly Rinus Michels, inventor of Total Football, stunned the world with Ajax and the Netherlands in the 1970s but bounced around

ABOVE: Jose Mourinho’s return to Italy has quickly taken a turn for the worse LEFT: Jurgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola have both hinted they may retire early BOTTOM: Could there ever be another Alex Ferguson?

the landscape before capping his career with the 1988 European Championships.

Johan Cruyff transformed Ajax and Barcelona, taking his lead from Michels, but his entire management career last just 11 years and Pep Guardiola, the obvious fourth name in this conversation, is a keen student of the game and knows not to outstay his welcome.

Though he walked it back slightly on signing his new Manchester City contract, he’s been clear in the past: “I will not be on the bench until I am 60 or 65 years old. I feel the process of my goodbye has already started.” His great rival Jurgen Klopp has said he may call it a day in 2024 when his Liverpool contract expires.

Fabio Capello, Marcello Lippi, Arsene Wenger, Luiz Felipe Scolari, Giovanni Trapattoni: like political careers, almost all managerial careers end in failure.

The screamingly obvious exception is, of course, Sir Alex Ferguson who amassed an incredible 38 major trophies over nearly four decades on the bench and retired with a final Premier League title. The Manchester United legend is an exception in so many ways though, constantly updating his backroom staff and playing style to move with the times.

Even then, Fergie’s idea of anointing David Moyes as his successor and boardroom backing of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer weren’t exactly roaring successes, and United’s attempts to find a ‘new Ferguson’ probably prove he was just a freak of nature.

Can Mourinho battle against what appears to be the natural gravity which affects the top managers? Recent evidence would suggest not, but one thing is sure: everyone will be watching.

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EUROPEAN S360 SPOTLIGHT AWARDS

2021 SOCCER 360

AWARDS

‘LIONEL MESSI OR CRISTIANO RONALDO FOR PLAYER OF THE YEAR? HOW ABOUT NEITHER?’ PLAYER OF THE YEAR – ROBERT LEWANDOWSKI, BAYERN MUNICH & POLAND Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo? How about neither? It may be easy to copy the results of the Ballon D’or and simply pick Messi, but we think there are several other contenders.

Liverpool’s Mo Salah is in the frame, Erling Haaland is no slouch either and worthy of a mention, as is Atletico Madrid shot stopper Jan Oblak. Instead, there’s a repeat of last year here – there was no Ballon d’Or in 2020 but Robert Lewandowski would have won it if there was, and got Soccer360’s Player of the Year as a consolation. Well, with a goal every 66 minutes for Bayern Munich, he’s got another one for 2021 – having somehow missed out on the Ballon d’Or again.

TEAM OF THE YEAR ATALANTA Teamwork makes the dream work and plenty of dreams have come true this year in football:

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SOCCER360 JANUARY • FEBRUARY 2022

ABOVE: Robert Lewandowski controversially missed out on the Ballon d’Or but is Soccer360’s Player of the Year LEFT: The European Super League was one of the biggest blunders of 2021 BOTTOM: Luiz Diaz

Chelsea winning their second Champions League, Inter taking the Serie A title away from Juventus and Palmeiras making it back-to-back Copa Libertadores are all special and notable.

However, in a break from the obvious, our Team of the Year is a side that have come from seemingly nowhere to become a European powerhouse, reaching the latter stages of the Champions League, finishing runners-up in the Coppa Italia and finishing third for a third straight season in Serie A. Le Dea of Atalanta are a prime example of teamwork proving almost anything is possible.

GOAL OF THE YEAR – LUIS DIAZ, COLOMBIA VS. BRAZIL Once again, 2021 has served up a treat in front of goal with any number of worthy nominations. However, one piece of acrobatic skill and power was mesmerizing in its execution. Colombia was taking on Brazil in a group game during the summer’s Copa

EUROPEAN SPOTLIGHT America and in the tenth minute a miracle happened. Colombia’s Luis Diaz was in the right place in the tenth minute as he spectacularly powered home a bicycle kick to put his side 1-0 up. It was not just the skill, but the power that caught the eye. Unfortunately for Diaz, his side would go on to controversially lose the game 2-1, but he netted a goal well worth looking up on YouTube.

RANT OF THE YEAR – ‘BARCELONA…A HISTORIC FAILURE’ ‘Resignation from the football elite’. Barcelona is a club in crisis both financially and on the pitch. This became even more apparent when Bayern Munich beat the Catalan giants 3-0 to knock Barca out of the Champions League in the group stage.

The Catalan press went to town, with that aforementioned quote just one example.

However, one journalist went ballistic at the state of the club claiming: ‘The Camp Nou can be rented out on Tuesdays and Thursdays,’ and that ‘This has been a historic failure’.

It certainly will take some getting used to watching Barcelona playing on a Thursday night in the Europa League.

TWEET OF THE YEAR – BRENT ON THE SUPER LEAGUE The proposed European Super League caused huge controversy but also plenty of ammunition for Twitter opportunists to wade in with a witty jibe or two.

After the ESL plan went sour, clubs started to back track on their initial intention to become a part of the league. One of those clubs was Manchester United, who felt the wrath of comedy boss David Brent from the Office with a short but sweet tweet perfectly encapsulating the general feeling whilst tastefully sticking the knife in. If David Brent is getting laughs at your expense, it must be bad.

‘ATALANTA ARE A PRIME EXAMPLE OF TEAMWORK PROVING ALMOST ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE’ COACH OF THE YEAR – ROBERTO MANCINI, ITALY When Roberto Mancini took over the Italy national team in 2018 he inherited nothing short of a mess. Having missed out on qualification for the 2018 World Cup it looked like the former world and European champions were light years away from being competitive again. However, with Mancini in charge, the change was dramatic. Cue a run of 37-games unbeaten which culminated in Mancini guiding Italy to the European Championship title this summer. In 2021, the former Manchester City boss also become the fastest coach to reach 30 victories for the Azzurri having been in the dugout for just 44 games. Italy’s failure to qualify automatically for World Cup 2022 shouldn’t count against him when the year is considered as a whole.

FANS OF THE YEAR – FOOTBALL FANS EVERYWHERE Like all sports, football has had its restrictions throughout the year leaving stadiums empty at the beginning of the year. However, when fans were allowed back, they came back with a bang. At risk of being accused of sitting on the fence, this award goes out to you, the fan. No matter who you support, what league they play in, this one is for the patience, dedication, and passion shown when being in the ground was not possible. After all, football is everyone’s game.

TOTAL DISREGARD FOR THE FANS AWARD – EUROPEAN SUPER LEAGUE Ah, the European Super League. The big story of the year and one that caused a huge divide between clubs and fans. The proposed breakaway league [in which promotion and relegation would be effectively abolished], chaired by Real Madrid President Florentino Perez, turned into a PR disaster for the prospective league’s founding members and proved how out of touch they are with their fan-base.

Fortunately, most of the clubs realised the extent of their gaffe and came back begging for forgiveness. However, the fact that Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester United, Tottenham, Manchester City, Milan, Inter, Juventus, Atletico Madrid, Barcelona, and, of course Real Madrid, even went there in the first place hands them all this unwanted award.

ABOVE: In a year of much remarkable team success, Atalanta’s 2021 deserves recognition LOWER LEFT: The year ended badly for Roberto Mancini but guiding Italy to victory at Euro 2020 was an outstanding achievement BOTTOM LEFT: Fans returning to stadiums across the globe as the pandemic eased was one of the highlights of 2021 BOTTOM RIGHT: The writing was on the wall for Steve Bruce at Newcastle long before the club was taken over

YOUNG PLAYER OF THE YEAR – RICARDO PEPI, FC DALLAS AND THE UNITED STATES Away from the talent pool of European football, one player has caught our eye as he has torn MLS apart. 18-year-old FC Dallas forward Ricardo Pepi has had a breakout year to remember after netting 13 MLS goals [a joint record for a teenager in MLS] and contributing three assists.

Not only that, at 18 years and 196 days old, the Texan became the youngest ever player in the division to net a hat-trick, at the expense of LA Galaxy. He also made his international debut for the United States and has three goals in six games.

SACKING OF THE YEAR AWARD – STEVE BRUCE, NEWCASTLE UNITED We don’t like to be negative, but sometimes the writing is on the wall for some coaches.

Three names appear to have had their heads on the chopping block for some time and all three ended up losing their job. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer at Manchester United and Ronald Koeman at Barcelona spent large portions of their tenures looking over their shoulder. But it is former Newcastle boss Steve Bruce who wins this award.

From the moment he walked through the door at St James Park in 2019 it seemed he wasn’t wanted, rather unfairly though after guiding the club to 13th and 12th place in his first two years. However, a Newcastle takeover spelt the inevitable end of this drawn-out managerial saga.

sweet

EUROPEAN SPOTLIGHT

sixteen UEFA NEEDED TWO GOES TO GET THE DRAW FOR THE ROUND OF 16 RIGHT BUT, EVENTUALLY, SOME MOUTHWATERING TIES WERE PRODUCED, DAN ROBERTS WRITES…

‘A SECOND DRAW WAS NEEDED AFTER AN INITIAL ‘TECHNICAL’ ERROR’

TT

here used to be criticism of the Champions League that it only ever got interesting at the knockout stages. Thanks to a more competitive group stage in the last few years, that notion has largely disappeared, with this season’s opening phase throwing up a whole load of surprises – none more shocking than Barcelona’s failure to progress for the first time since 2004.

But it is still true to say that this is when the heat is really turned up with Europe’s premier club competition. Sixteen sides have now made it through and the draw at UEFA’s headquarters generated a lot of excitement and controversy. A second draw was needed after an initial ‘technical’ error – and now we have eight mouth-watering ties to look forward to in February and March.

The initial draw pitted Lionel Messi against Cristiano Ronaldo, with Paris Saint-Germain set to play Manchester United. But due to the irregularities, football fans across the world may not get to see that match up now.

The French champions are still involved in the most intriguing tie of the round though, as they now face Real Madrid. With the Spanish

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SOCCER360 JANUARY • FEBRUARY 2022

ABOVE: The Champions League Round of 16 draw had to be redone after a ‘technical’ problem saw the wrong teams placed in the wrong pots LEFT: Chelsea look to repeat as Europe Champions

giants looking good at the top of La Liga this season, it will be a stern test for Neymar and company as they look to bring the Champions League to the French capital for the first time ever.

Manchester United didn’t complain about the first draw – even when they were assigned one of the toughest ties – but will now have to overcome Diego Simeone’s Atletico Madrid if they are to go any further in the competition.

A lot will depend on the result of the first leg in the Wanda Metropolitano. If the Spanish side can take a lead to Old Trafford, they will be favourites to go through, with United looking inconsistent this season.

The other big tie of the round involves another Premier League team, Liverpool, who will be returning to San Siro. Jurgen Klopp’s side beat Milan in the group stage, where they failed to drop a single point. Inter should pose a stronger test than their city rivals, but Liverpool will look to overwhelm the Italian side’s defence with their strong attacking game. With the second leg under the lights at Anfield, the English club will surely be favourites to go through. Pep Guardiola is one head coach that will be pleased with how both

EUROPA LEAGUE KNOCKOUT ROUND PLAY-OFFS PREVIEW The runners-up in the Europa League group stage have to face off with the third-placed Champions League teams before the line-up for Round of 16 is confirmed, with some big names involved, writes Dan Roberts…

‘THIS IS WHEN THE HEAT IS REALLY TURNED UP WITH EUROPE’S PREMIER CLUB COMPETITION’ round of 16 draws went. His Manchester City side were drawn against Villarreal originally, but will now face Sporting. That should see the English club through, although they have struggled in the past in the knockout rounds.

The club’s wealthy owners are desperate to get their hands on the Champions League trophy after pumping so much money into the transfer kitty in recent years – and this round of 16 tie seems very winnable.

In three of the four remaining ties Bayern Munich, Chelsea and Juventus will all feel fairly confident of progressing after being paired with Salzburg, Lille and Villarreal respectively.

But none of those three will be pushovers for the bigger clubs. Lille might not have reached the heights of last season when they sensationally beat PSG to the Ligue 1 title,

TOP RIGHT: Pep Guardiola is one head coach that will be pleased with how both round of 16 draws went

There was no repeat of a botched draw for the Europa League back in December – and with some very big names involved in the second tier of European competition this season, there is a lot to look forward to here.

The headline news was always going to be about Barcelona, but La Blaugrana being paired with Napoli makes this match up sound much more like a Champions League tie. New Barca boss Xavi Hernandez would have been hoping that picking up some silverware in Europe would turn this season into a relative success after months of chaos and farce at Camp Nou. Yet Napoli have looked very impressive in Serie A this season and will fancy their chances of going through, especially with the second leg scheduled to take place at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium.

There are blockbuster ties wherever you look in the Europa League Knockout Round play-offs. Porto vs. Lazio is another meeting that could have come straight out of the Champions League, whereas RB Leipzig vs Real Sociedad pits together two clubs that have pushed themselves onto the main stage in recent seasons.

Elsewhere, Atalanta and Borussia Dortmund will be confident of making it through to the quarter-finals, having been drawn against Olympiacos and Rangers respectively. But nothing is guaranteed in the Europa League and everyone still involved will now feel as though there is a chance of going further in the competition.

Even the minnows of the round will have their confidence boosted after being drawn together. Sheriff Tiraspol shocked everyone by beating Real Madrid in the Champions League group stage and now the Moldovan champions will look to progress here after being matched up with Braga. There are many football fans that believe that the Europa League always delivers and can be a more interesting watch than the supposedly more predictable Champions League.

With the calibre of teams now taking part, the Knockout Round play-offs and Round of 16 could be some of the best games of the season.

ABOVE: Luis Suarez fights through Real Madrid defence during a La Liga match RIGHT Juventus look to improve from last year's result BOTTOM RIGHT: Napoli will take on Barcelona in the Europa League

SOCCER360 JANUARY • FEBRUARY 2022

11

EUROPEAN SPOTLIGHT

‘THE INITIAL DRAW PITTED LIONEL MESSI AGAINST CRISTIANO RONALDO, WITH PARIS SAINTGERMAIN SET TO PLAY MANCHESTER UNITED’ but there are some dangerous players for Chelsea to deal with – and Burak Yilmaz will undoubtedly be a handful for Thomas Tuchel’s strong defensive unit.

If Max Allegri is still at Juventus by the time the Round of 16 match days come around he will regard his team’s progress as a major confidence boost after what has been a dismal start to the season for the Bianconeri. Given how the first half of the season has gone, it is conceivable that Juve could miss out on qualifying for the next year’s Champions League altogether and the decision to return to the tried and tested Italian tactician to steady the ship looks to have been a mistake.

But Allegri should be given the time to turn things around – and a favourable draw against Villarreal in the round of 16 was warmly welcomed in Turin in December.

TOP: The initial draw pitted Lionel Messi against Cristiano Ronaldo, with Paris SaintGermain set to play Manchester United ABOVE: Lautaro Martinez of Inter jubilates after scoring a goal LEFT: Sadio Mane (R) of Liverpool in action RIGHT: Six-time European Cup winners Liverpool return to Milan – but this time it’s to face Serie A champions Inter BOTTOM RIGHT (OPPOSITE PAGE): A Covid-19-enforced postponement meant a delay in discovering if Tottenham Hotspur or Vitesse Arnhem made it through in the Europa Conference League

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SOCCER360 JANUARY • FEBRUARY 2022

2022

TOPEUROPA SERIE A CONFERENCE PICKS LEAGUE KNOCKOUT ROUND PLAY-OFF PREVIEW

DATES TO KNOW

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 for all competitions.

A new competition 2021-22 may be

ROUND OF 16: February 15 March 16 QUARTER FINALS: April 5 -13

awkwardly named but it’s proving its CHIESA worth, DanFEDERICO Roberts writes, as the Europa Fresh from helping win the European Conference League Italy Knockout Round playthe to 23-year-old be offChampionship has some games set pulseswill racing… hoping to continue the explosive form he displayed the tournament.

Forming Footballduring traditionalists were overjoyed a potentially devastating front-three when UEFA announced that they were which includes Cristiano Ronaldofor and goingalso to launch a third competition Paulo Dybala, it willAfter be interesting to see the 2021-22 season. the scrapping of if coach MaxWinners’ Allegri takes off the old Cup Cup the andshackles UEFA Cup, his attacking players. the new [rather clumsily named] Europa

SEMI FINALS: April 26 - May 4 FINALS: May 28

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

Robert Lewandowski will still be wondering what he has to do to win a Ballon D’Or after the year he had in 2021, but the possibility of leading his Bayern Munich team to another Champions League triumph edged a step closer when they were drawn against Salzburg. That was definitely a kinder pairing than Atletico, their original opponent. The Austrian outfit are arguably the weakest left in the competition and it would be a huge surprise if Bayern did not cruise through to the quarter-finals.

Some of those round of 16 match ups will understandably attract a lot of attention, but the two games between Benfica and Ajax might turn out to be some of the most interesting. Benfica could not cope with Bayern in the group stage but provided the shock of the tournament by taking four points off Barcelona to go through as runners up and force the Catalan club to prepare for the Europa League for the first time ever [it was still the UEFA Cup the last time Barca were involved].

The Portuguese club may not go much further though, as they will come up

TOP: Barcelona's goalkeeper MarcAndre ter Stegen reacts during the UEFA Champions League Group E soccer match between FC Bayern Muenchen and FC Barcelona

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

TOP (SMALL): Barcelona dropped into the Europa League after finishing third in their Champions League group and will play Napoli in the Knockout Round play-off

against an Ajax side that won six out of six in a group that originally looked like being a potentially tricky assignment. But Erik ten Hag has produced yet another exciting looking squad in Amsterdam – and has turned Sebastien Haller back into the devastating striker that West Ham thought they were buying a couple of years ago.

The Ivory Coast international is the top goal scorer in this season’s Champions League so far, managing to claim 10 in six games – including four away at Sporting and one each in both games against an Erling Haaland-less Dortmund.

After the farce of the draw day back in December, UEFA will want the Round of 16 match dates to come around as soon as possible. Some of these ties look to be fairly predictable but the knockout stage has thrown up some surprise results before. These eight games are sure to provide some top quality entertainment and show why the Champions League is still the most popular club competition in the world.

Conference League looked set to give OLIVIER GIROUD smaller clubs a chance of European glory.

Theas France World Winnerstage has finally But we reach theCup knockout there arrived in Serie having been linked with are some fairlyAbig names mixing with ateams move from to thesome peninsula yearsleagues and will of thefor smaller now team up withThe fellow veteran striker on the continent. winners here will Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

Giroud willwhere be tasked progress to the round of 16, the with of providing the and firepower linkup likes Feyenoord Romaand await.

But play forextra the Rossoneri to compete in as both this playoff round looks just the Champions LeagueCeltic, and Serie A. intriguing, with Marseille, Leicester City and PSV Eindhoven all taking part.

DENZEL DUMFRIES Sparta Prague against Partizan Belgrade Wing back Dumfries showcased the full and Fenerbache versus Slavia Prague arraylike of his skills during the summer’s sound some very interesting ties – but European Championship some of the others do look adespite little onetheThe Netherlands crashing out of the– at sided.

Europa Conference League tournament the Czech The this knockout to round playoffRepublic. stage – seems 25-year-old scoredof twice and looks ready to be a mixture some well-known toclubs fill the gap vacated

by Achraf and some big fishes fromHakimi’s some departure to PSG. little ponds.

For example, Marseille will fancy their chances against Qarabag, VICTOR OSIMHENhas already even though this competition The Nigerian striker hadtake a bitnothing of a start shown that they should for stop season lastgranted. term. Despite suffering injuries andthe missing games through Aside from prospect of those two Covid-19 the 22-year-old showed Prague clubs progressing, Celtic enough versus promise to make a real danger mana Bodo/Glimt pairs ahim European giant with heading into this campaign.

New Coach tiny club from within the Arctic Circle that Luciano Spalletti hoping he can get has been one of will the be most entertaining to the most outinofthe thelast attacker and improve watch few seasons. onwas his 10 goals from last year.

There much controversy over the case of Tottenham Hotspur and Vitesse Arnhem, as Group G wasn’t settled by the time of the draw after Spurs’ Covid-19 outbreak forced the postponement of their final group game against Rennes.

Rapid Wien were waiting in the wings.

The draw for the Europa Conference League Round of 16 will not take place until after these playoff ties have been completed in February. But there is no doubt that the introduction of a third club competition into the UEFA calendar has been a good move.

RIGHT: Bayern's Thomas Mueller (C) celebrates with his teammates after scoring the opening goal during the UEFA Champions League Group E soccer match between FC Bayern Muenchen and FC Barcelona

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fix it

PREMIER LEAGUE

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AS RALF RANGNICK BEGINS ANOTHER REBUILDING PROCESS AT MANCHESTER UNITED, OLI COATES WONDERS IF THE GERMAN’S ARRIVAL COULD BE THE CLUB’S SMARTEST APPOINTMENT IN 35 YEARS

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nly three men have ever won the top-flight title as Manchester United manager. Ernest Mangnall was the first, delivering the club’s maiden league crown in 1908, before backing it up three years later. Sir Matt Busby added five more titles between 1952 and 1967, either side of the Munich air disaster.

United have gone on to win a record 20 league titles, with a certain Alexander Chapman Ferguson accounting for the remaining 13 of those. Sir Alex was no knight of the realm when he was appointed Manchester United manager in November 1986, just a little over 35 years ago.

But Ferguson’s CV was remarkable even before his time at Old Trafford. The Govan native had been an accomplished goalscorer during his playing career, before going on to manage East Stirlingshire and St Mirren. It was at Aberdeen where he would truly flourish, though.

The great Scot not only broke the 14-year duopoly of Celtic and Rangers as champions in 1980 with his unfancied club, but he then led his team to two further back-to-back title triumphs in 1984 and 1985. Despite vastly inferior resources, Ferguson won four Scottish Cups in five years, completing a cup double in his final season in charge by winning the League Cup too in 1986.

As if that wasn’t enough, the minnows of Aberdeen would even taste continental glory by lifting the European Cup Winners’ Cup in 1983, seeing off the might of Bayern Munich in the quarter-finals before defying all odds to beat Real Madrid in the final.

To put his achievements at Aberdeen into even greater context, no other club has managed to stop either Celtic or Rangers winning the league in Scotland in any of the 36 seasons since Ferguson left Pittodrie.

This is the man who David Moyes, Louis van Gaal, Jose Mourinho and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer have all failed to live up to. No one has got close to adding to United’s record league haul, as bitter rivals Liverpool and Manchester City have become the Premier League’s dominant forces, along with Chelsea. Despite not having the CV or managerial credentials, Solskjaer must be given

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‘RALF RANGNICK IS THE NEXT MAN TO TRY TO EMERGE FROM OUT OF FERGUSON’S SHADOW’ ABOVE: Ralf Rangnick has joined Manchester United on an initial interim basis LEFT: Manchester United manager Ralf Rangnick (R) celebrates with Bruno Fernandes

WHO’S GOING TO FOLLOW THE INTERIM? SIR ALEX FERGUSON’S CV WAS REMARKABLE’ a huge amount of credit for the work he did at Old Trafford, repairing much of the damage done by Mourinho and his predecessors. The Norwegian has rebuilt a distinctly average squad, and leaves behind a far healthier Manchester United than the one he inherited.

Ralf Rangnick is the next man to try to emerge from out of Ferguson’s shadow, but he doesn’t have very long to do so. What he does have, is an impressive backstory, albeit a very different one to most managers.

The 63-year-old has been coaching for the best part of four decades, and he is recognised as the godfather of German gegenpressing. Rangnick has spoken of his footballing epiphany when playing against Valeriy Lobanovskyi’s Dynamo Kyiv in a friendly in 1983, with the then-Viktoria Backnang player-coach blown away by the Ukrainian outfit’s intense and organised pressing.

In the years since, Rangnick has adapted, finetuned and spread his footballing philosophy far and wide. First, he took village team Hoffenheim all the way to the Bundesliga, albeit with significant financial backing. A brief yet successful stint with Schalke followed, before his masterpiece at the helm of Red Bull’s burgeoning football empire.

Rangnick’s work with Salzburg and Leipzig is well known, with the tactician taking the latter

ABOVE: Sir Alex Ferguson’s success still casts a large shadow over Old Trafford BELOW: Mauricio Pochettino appears a good fit for Manchester United BELOW (SMALL): Another good fit for Old Trafford would be Brendan Rodgers TOP RIGHT: Erik Ten Hag looks on

from the fifth tier to the Bundesliga under titles of sporting director and then head of global football. He also had two spells as Leipzig’s coach, taking Die Roten Bullen into the top flight for the first time in 2016 and then into the Champions League in 2019.

While Rangnick’s achievements as both an architect and builder are impressive in their own right, they have been accomplished with hefty resources at his disposal – something he’ll also have at United. However, the style of play he gets his teams to produce is arguably what impresses the most, and this is what United need significant help with.

Swathes of German coaches have been either mentored or heavily influenced by Rangnick’s philosophy and pressing style.

This includes current Bayern Munich coach Julian Nagelsmann, Borussia Dortmund boss Marco Rose, Southampton’s Ralph Hasenhuttl and Thomas Tuchel, winner of last season’s Champions League with Chelsea.

Without Rangnick, there would be no Jurgen Klopp, whose heavy metal football has gegenpressing coursing through its veins. Now he joins the Premier League as a competitor to the Liverpool manager, who stated Rangnick’s arrival at United was not good news for the rest of the English top

With Ralf Rangnick only due to be in charge of Manchester United until the summer after taking the reins from caretaker Michael Carrick, Oli Coates identifies five candidates to take over as the Reds’ next full-time manager MAURICIO POCHETTINO The man most fancied as the best fit for United is Paris Saint-Germain boss Pochettino. The 49-year-olds looks as though he’s leading PSG to a comfortable Ligue 1 title in his first full season at the Parc des Princes, but his success will be judged on the Champions League. The Argentine has often flirted with United in the past, and his potential move could be oiled by an apparent frosty relationship with PSG’s sporting director, Leonardo.

ERIK TEN HAG With two Eredivisie titles in four seasons as Ajax manager potentially becoming three in five at the end of this term, and an inspired run to the Champions League semi-finals in 2019 also on his CV, Ten Hag is a credible candidate to take over at United. The Dutchman, who turns 51 in February, plays attractive football and is known for developing youth, which are two key components for the Old Trafford hot seat.

BRENDAN RODGERS Despite his Liverpool connections and ongoing project at Leicester City, the Northern Irishman ranks highly among bookmakers as the man to be in the home dugout at Old Trafford for the start of the 2022-23 season. However, it would be an astonishing decision for the populist United board to take, with few United fans likely to welcome Rodgers to the club with open arms.

ROBERTO MANCINI Although this one also appears unlikely due to his connection to a rival, namely Manchester City, some reports have suggested that Mancini has been considered as a wildcard option should United fail to land one of their top targets. His availability would surely depend on whether Italy make it to the 2022 World Cup. ERIC CANTONA Another left-field candidate, Old Trafford legend Cantona released a cheeky video joking he was to become the new United manager in the wake of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s departure.

Affectionately known by fans as ‘King Eric’, the mercurial Frenchman has never hidden his desire to take over at his old club, but with no previous experience in management, those dreams aren’t likely to be fulfilled anytime soon.

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FIVE ON THE RISE

PREMIER LEAGUE

‘THE MANCHESTER UNITED BOARD OPERATES IN A CHAOTIC MANNER’

The Premier League has always been a league prioritizing youth, so here are the 5 best Under-21 players so far this season: BILLY GILMOUR Billy Gilmour’s talent is well documented at this point. He played a minor role in Chelsea’s Champions League title last season and contributed greatly to the Scottish national team’s success in securing a play-off place in World Cup qualification. But his now-secure gametime at Norwich after the sacking of Daniel Farke where he has begun to flourish again. Gilmour remains one of the best midfield prospects to grace the league in years, and a bountiful career is already beginning to take shape.

TINO LIVRAMENTO Southampton’s defensive issues have been somewhat historical. But up steps Tino Livramento, a former Chelsea-academy player who typically plays in a productive right-back style similar to that of Trent Alexander-Arnold.

Livramento is an incredibly reliable player and has featured in every one of Southampton’s Premier League so far this season.

Southampton have a really great prospect on their hands.

flight. Even so, Rangnick has an almighty job on his hands at Old Trafford, where a hugely talented squad has failed to live up to its potential this season. His CV clearly shows why the United board have turned to him, as the club has done in the past when seeking guidance and advice on things such as their academy and structure.

However, the Reds are in a completely different stratosphere to clubs like Hoffenheim and Leipzig. Turning this dysfunctional giant into a slick, well-oiled trophy-winning machine will be no mean feat, but one that would represent Rangnick’s crowning glory if he succeeds.

And just how he attempts to achieve his goals promises to be fascinating. The German twice recommended himself for the manager’s position at Leipzig, and has admitted he could do the same when the time comes for United to appoint a permanent boss in the summer.

His potential candidacy will depend a lot on performances between now and then though.

There was an instant vision of how Rangnick wants his United team to play in his first game in charge. The Red Devils started like a freight train against Crystal Palace, producing an energetic first-half display packed with pressing and

‘OLE GUNNAR SOLSKJAER MUST BE GIVEN A HUGE AMOUNT OF CREDIT’ 16

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ABOVE: Rangnick is well known for his excellent work at RB Leipzig BELOW: Ole Gunnar Solskjaer did a lot of good work at Manchester United

turnovers in the final third.

However, energy levels unsurprisingly faltered in the second period, before a lacklustre performance in his second Premier League game away to Norwich City, which United were fortunate to win thanks to a late Cristiano Ronaldo penalty.

Ronaldo’s presence in the team and lack of pressing was a huge talking point after Rangnick’s appointment was confirmed. Yet the problems at Manchester United run far deeper than a 36-year-old who is by far the club’s best player, and even who the manager is. The fact that Rangnick has seemingly been given the keys to the kingdom just a matter of months after the United board showed their faith in and commitment to Solskjaer by rewarding the Norwegian with a new three-year contract speaks volumes for the complete lack of planning and chaotic manner in which the club’s decision-makers operate.

Of course, there was never supposed to be a mid-season change, but Solskjaer’s position became untenable by the end and his departure inevitable. It appears the board were among the last ones to realise that.

BRYAN GIL Bryan Gil’s transfer to Tottenham in the summer was likely one of the better things to come out of the long summer that the Spurs had to endure. Gil’s quality is shown in a Tottenham side who even after the appointment of Antonio Conte still remain a little incompetent. His brief cameos illustrate the mature investment in youth that Tottenham are beginning to make.

MICHAEL OLISE Michael Olise is probably the most experienced player on this list, even if he is just 19 years old.

Olise came through Reading before his move to Crystal Palace in the summer and notched up just under 70 Championship appearances.

Experiences like these are incredibly valuable to young players, but Olise has comfortably dealt with the step up in quality to the Premier League and remains a consistent performer for Patrick Viera’s side.

FRANCISCO TRINCÃO Wolverhampton’s Portuguese love affair continues, and their acquisition of Francisco Trincão on loan with the option to make it permanent from Barcelona is a very prosperous signing for Wolves. Trincão played 28 times for Barcelona last season and has excellent experience at a high-level from a young age. He is one of the brightest young wingers in the league, and likely through time he will blossom into a more established name.

5 THINGS WE HOPE TO SEE IN THE PREMIER LEAGUE IN 2022

1. The Premier League title race looks like it could involve three teams this season. If Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester City can all maintain their form and stay in contention, a three-way battle to be crowned champions could prove thrilling.

2.

It’s been 35 years since Manchester United got a managerial appointment right, although there was no need for any for 27 years. Even so, the current board has displayed an astonishing level of incompetence in the eight years since Ferguson retired.

Finally, though, there appears to be something of a coherent strategy filtering down from the top of the club. Structural changes have belatedly been made, while bringing in a highly-regarded builder of clubs could point the Reds firmly in the right direction. If he doesn’t stay on as manager, Rangnick has a two-year consultancy period in his contract to influence proceedings. With Ed Woodward leaving his role as executive vice-chairman in the coming months, it could be the case that the flailing

ABOVE: The outgoing Ed Woodward has been viewed with disdain by the majority of Manchester United fans ABOVE (SMALL): The Manchester United players will need to endure some staff turnaround BELOW: Josh Cavallo became the first player in Australia’s top flight to come out as gay in 2021 TOP RIGHT: Manchester United are in the title race again BOTTOM RIGHT: Coach David Moyes is making progress at West Ham United

former banker, who is believed to have played a key role in bringing Rangnick to United, may finally have made a decision worthy of his lofty position at the club.

Much of the vitriol that is often aimed at Woodward by a large section of the United support is down to his role in the Glazers’ leveraged takeover in 2005, but his ineptitude effectively as chief executive certainly contributes to this.

After claiming to have resigned out of principle in the wake of the failed European Super League conspiracy, it remains to be seen whether Woodward’s final act can at last earn him a morsel of gratitude from United supporters. If it does, the entire Manchester United board should count themselves incredibly lucky.

West Ham United supporters have been through a lot over recent years. Finally, they’re seeing real progress under David Moyes, who’s worked wonders at the London Stadium. The Scottish manager has restored his reputation after his Manchester United nightmare and will hope to keep his side in the race for the top four for as long as possible.

3. With Covid-19 causing postponements and the Qatar World Cup coming in the middle of the 2022-23 season, there’s a real chance of unparalleled fixture congestion over the coming 12-18 months. For the sake of player welfare and in the interests of protecting against long-term damage, players must be afforded enough rest – both by the schedule and their managers.

4. Brentford looked like a Premier League side for several years while failing to get out of the Championship. The Bees finally reached the Promised Land this season and around the halfway stage were closer to the European places than the relegation zone. They’ve been a breath of fresh air and long may it continue.

5.

‘ADELAIDE UNITED’S JOSH CAVALLO BECAME THE FIRST MAN TO COME OUT’

While it may seem a little ridiculous that anyone should have to declare their sexuality in 2022, a current Premier League player comic out as gay would be monumental. Adelaide United’s Josh Cavallo became the first man to do so in Australia’s A-League in 2021, but the English top flight still awaits this moment.

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PREMIER LEAGUE

BRIGHT FUTURE THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY – PREMIER LEAGUE, WRITTEN BY STEPHEN DONOVAN

THE GOOD

What a rise it has been for Emile Smith Rowe.

In the space of a year, the Arsenal playmaker has gone from someone who may not have had a future at the club into one of the very first names on manager Mikel Arteta’s team sheet following a run of remarkably consistent performances and an increasing number of goal involvements in 2021-22.

It’s perhaps easy to forget that the 21-yearold’s breakthrough came in a moment of crisis.

As they prepared to face Chelsea on Boxing Day 2019, Arsenal had only taken five points from their previous 10 Premier League games and were languishing in the bottom half with Arteta’s job seemingly hanging by a thread.

The Spaniard’s answer was to hand Smith Rowe his first league start, and he was truly instrumental in a convincing 3-1 victory. Since then, he’s never looked back.

The promise was always there, during appearances in cup competitions and loan

spells with Red Bull Leipzig and Championship side Huddersfield Town as a teenager, but few could have imagined him becoming one of the Gunners’ most valuable assets in such a short space of time. Aston Villa made offers to sign him last summer and had no chance of success, for they underestimated how central he was to Arteta’s plans.

This season, his influence has grown and that is reflected by the numbers. A goal and a glorious assist in the North London derby against Tottenham in September capped a man of the match display, before he netted in three consecutive games two months later.

Also catching the eye with his technique and range of passing, such excellent form earned him a deserved England call-up for the November internationals, scoring in his second cap. He’ll surely be key to Arsenal’s hopes for the foreseeable future.

STORY LINES

‘THE 21-YEAR-OLD’S BREAKTHROUGH CAME IN A MOMENT OF CRISIS’

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CAPTAINS TROUBLE Mikel Arteta has taken away the captain's armband from Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, accusing the Gabon international of covid regulation breaches.

Aubameyang had returned late from abroad and missed the pre-match training session ahead of the West Ham match.

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WHAT A GAME TO BE THE FIRST Edouard Mendy revealed the very first game his family ever saw him play live for Chelsea was their heroic Champions League final win.

The stopper signed for Chelsea in September 2020 from Rennes, during the worldwide coronavirus pandemic, and has been one of the Blues' best players since.

SERIOUS CONTENDERS UNDER RALF? Manchester United could be serious contenders for the Champions League trophy this year under new boss Ralf Rangnick, according to former Man United striker Louis Saha. Saha believes that the club can follow in the footsteps to Chelsea, who won the title last season with Thomas Tuchel.

THE BAD

There are high hopes again at Tottenham after the arrival of Antonio Conte, but one burning question that’ll need answering in the months to come is whether he is the man to help Dele Alli rediscover his form. At one stage the most exciting attacking midfielder in the Premier League, Alli has now been totally out of sorts for over two years in a mystifying fall from grace.

It feels like a long time ago since Alli was rightly being hailed as one of the finest young talents in Europe for his outstanding return of goals and assists, forging a particularly

destructive partnership with Harry Kane. He was aggressive and dynamic, always giving opponents something to think about and using his creativity to try – and so often execute – things that other players wouldn’t.

However, even before former manager and mentor Mauricio Pochettino was sacked by Tottenham in November 2019, the signs were there that he’d lost his form. A bright start under successor Jose Mourinho soon faded and appearances became increasingly rare as the Portuguese grew frustrated at Alli’s inability to influence games and even called him out publicly on one or two occasions.

He was given another chance to impress

under Nuno Espirito Santo at the beginning of this season but again failed to spark, so you wonder what is next for a player who was once so vital for club and country. He has work to do to prove himself to the exceptional Coach that is Conte, the latest man tasked with trying to conjure the best out of him.

There’s surely little doubt that the talent hasn’t left Alli, and that he’s capable of performing at the highest level once again, but it’s now down to him to adopt the right mentality and avoid his career becoming a wasted opportunity.

THE GOOD, BAD, & UGLY

FAR LEFT (OPPOSITE PAGE): Emile Smith Rowe celebrates RIGHT (OPPOSITE PAGE): Emile Smith Rowe of Arsenal celebrates scoring his team's third goal during the English Premier League match between Arsenal London and Aston Villa

‘THERE ARE HIGH HOPES AGAIN AT TOTTENHAM AFTER THE ARRIVAL OF ANTONIO CONTE’

RIGHT: Dele Alli of Tottenham Hotspur, in action during the UEFA Conference League soccer match between Vitesse and Tottenham Hotspur FAR RIGHT: Tottenham's manager Antonio Conte reacts during the English Premier League soccer match between Tottenham Hotspur and Norwich City

NO MORE CAMERAS IN THE DRESSING ROOMS Premier League has banned TV cameras in dressing rooms in an attempt to curb the resurging covid cases across the division.

Several clubs have reported hikes in positive Covid tests throughout their squad, causing some matches to be postponed.

KANE OVER RONALDO Teddy Sheringham says he would rather pick Harry Kane than Cristiano Ronaldo if he were putting together a dream team. The Tottenham legend reckons Kane is more of a team player than the Manchester United talisman.

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PREMIER LEAGUE THE UGLY

When things aren’t going well at Everton, the fans are never shy of making their feelings known, and they haven’t held back this time either as a promising start to the season has turned into one of immense struggle.

A significant slump in form has resulted in the atmosphere at Goodison Park becoming occasionally toxic, with anger being aimed towards the club’s owners as well as manager Rafael Benitez and his team.

The appointment of Benitez was risky given his previous association with Liverpool, but although results have been poor, he’s an easy target for criticism when in reality he inherited a tricky situation. In recognition of that, the simmering frustration in the stands spilled over during a heavy home defeat to the Spaniard’s former club in the Merseyside derby, with chants of ‘sack the board’ and the unfurling of a large banner which demanded the club

to adhere to its motto, Nil Satis Nisi Optimum: Nothing but the best is good enough. Sadly for Everton, they are a million miles away from being the best.

Majority shareholder Farhad Moshiri took control back in 2016 with the aim of securing Champions League football and establishing them in the top four, but six years on and despite spending over £500m on transfers, the Toffees arguably find themselves in a worse position than before. Many of those big money signings have fallen far below expectations, and the current squad is now painfully short of strength in depth.

That fact was ruthlessly exposed by injuries to key players early in the season and having been restricted in the transfer market last summer due to Financial Fair Play, Benitez hasn’t had the chance to really stamp his mark on the club. It may take time to turn things around, but the fans’ patience is already at breaking point.

‘THE ANGER BEING AIMED TOWARDS THE CLUB’S OWNERS AS WELL AS MANAGER RAFAEL BENITEZ AND HIS TEAM.’ TOUCHING THE MILESTONE Liverpool became the first team in history to touch the milestone of 2000 top division wins when they beat Newcastle 3-1 at Anfield.

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FAR LEFT: Everton’s manager Rafael Benitez reacts during the English Premier League match between Manchester City and Everton LEFT: Everton players celebrate scoring regardless of the slump the team is in TOP (OPPOSITE PAGE): Bernardo Silva celebrates after scoring a goal for Manchester City BOTTOM (OPPOSITE PAGE): Leicester City manager Brendan Rodgers reacts during the English Premier League match between Leicester City and Chelsea

TEENAGE POWER Only Arsenal (20) have had more different teenage goalscorers in the Premier League than Everton, with Jarrad Branthwaite the 19th to do so for the Toffees.

GOING UP

At one stage during the summer it seemed like Bernardo Silva was set to leave Manchester City, but he’s responded by producing the best form of his career. Even with a squad full of incredible attacking options, his phenomenal performances have made him one of the first names on the champions’ team sheet.

GOING DOWN

Leicester City have been a permanent fixture in and around the top four during the past two seasons, but they’re finding it much tougher going this time around. A poor defensive record is perhaps the biggest cause of their problems, but inconsistent performances all round have meant they’ve struggled to rise higher than mid-table.

TOP: Kevin De Bruyne celebrates during an EPL match. De Bruyne continues to work hard for Manchester City, as hhe consistently helps them reach the top of the table ABOVE: Cristiano Ronaldo of Manchester United gestures during the English Premier League soccer match between Manchester United and Crystal Palace LEFT: Salah celebrating is a common scene in the EPL

THIRD STRIKE AGAINST THE REDS Jonjo Shelvey's goal was his third in the Premier League against Liverpool of players to have previously played for the Reds in the competition, only Nicolas Anelka (5) has scored more against them after leaving.

DAVID MOYES GOES WINLESS David Moyes has never won away against Arsenal in the Premier League in 18 attempts (D4 L14), extending the record for the most times a manager has played away at a single club without ever winning in the competition.

SCORING OUTSIDE THE BOX Since his debut for Man City in September 2015, Kevin De Bruyne has now scored more Premier League goals from outside the penalty area than any other player.

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SALAH SPOTLIGHT

MOHAMED SALAH

WH

“MO SALAH! MO SALAH! MO SALAH! RUNNING DOWN THE WING. “MO SALAH LA-LA-LA LA-AHH, THE EGYPTIAN KING!”

he Kop End greets Mohamed Salah with the ‘’Egyptian King’’ chant every time he graces the pitch for the All Reds. The 29-year-old has cemented his status as a royalty at Anfield with his consistent brilliance by spearheading Liverpool’s Premier League triumph in 2020, and the Champions League the year before.

Since arriving from AS Roma on a £37m transfer, the Egyptian has scored 147 goals and assisted 56 more in 227 appearances for Liverpool. In his first Premier League season, Salah scored 32 goals to win the Premier League Golden Boot, becoming the first player to score more than 30

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goals in the 38-match league.

Salah grew up in a quintessential Egyptian family. Coming from a regular middle-income family, he fell in love with football as a seven year old, but he did not get his first professional start before turning 18, when he played for El Mokawloon. After the Egyptian revolution, the domestic league got disrupted in Egypt, but Salah managed to pursue his journey as he successfully trialed for Swiss club FC Basel.

It is at FC Basel where Salah first showed the signs of becoming a world class footballer. He was in contention for MVP as Basel raced to the Swiss Super League title in the 2012/13 season.

While that honor escaped him, he did get named the Swiss Golden Player that season.

Salah’s heroics at FC Basel did not go unnoticed and soon Premier League giants Chelsea

10 THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT MO SALAH

"HE ELEVATED LIVERPOOL TO A HOLE NEW LEVEL"

1. No other African player has scored more goals in the Premier League than Mo Salah.

2.

Salah is the only opponent player to have scored a hattrick at Old Trafford.

3.

Salah likes to watch movies and is a huge fan of Leonardo Dicaprio and Egyptian actor Khaled El Nabawy.

4. Salah loves to eat and when in Egypt, he makes sure the first thing he does is to eat Kushari, a traditional dish of Egyptian cuisine consisting of a base of rice, lentils, and pasta mixed together with garlic vinegar and a spiced tomato sauce. It is then topped with crispy fried onions and chickpeas!

5.

Salah is a huge fan of the American professional boxer, activist, and philanthropist, Muhammad Ali Clay. Like Ali, he keeps fighting back against all the odds and has emerged incredibly in the football world. It appears that the commitment to greatness is a feature they both have in common.

6. As one of the most prominent footballers ever, Salah married his long-term girlfriend Magi Mohamed, inviting the entire village to his wedding party. Many people joined the couple to celebrate their special day; he even asked Egyptian singers to entertain the people.

7. Salah is a very religious man, devoted to his Muslim religion and this is shown by how he always bows down to thank Allah every time he scores a goal at any match he plays.

Salah named his Daughter Mecca Mohammed after the Holy site in Saudi Arabia called Mecca but later changed the name to Makkah to distinguish it from the name Mecca Bingo which is the world’s biggest gambling Casino!

8.

Mohamed Salah welcomed his second daughter in a British hospital in 2020. The couple named the newborn "Kayan", which is an Arabic feminine name, meaning nature and creation. Salah's second daughter was born in Liverpool, his first daughter Mecca was born in London in 2014 when her father was a player at Chelsea at the time.

9.

MAIN (OPPOSITE PAGE): Mohamed Salah of Liverpool applauds fans as he celebrates a goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Liverpool FC and Newcastle United BOTTOM LEFT (OPPOSITE PAGE): Salah in warmup RIGHT (TOP TO BOTTOM): Ryan Sessegnon (R) of Tottenham in action against Mohamed Salah (L) of Liverpool during their English Premier League soccer match Salah playing for Roma in 2016 Salah against Juventus in 2015, with his team Fiorentina

Salah’s boots are on display at the British Museum. The British Museum has a wide range of artefacts from across the world. Now their Ancient Egypt collection has something somewhat more modern displayed alongside it: Mo Salah’s boots! They helped him score 32 league goals for Liverpool in 2017/18 season, a new Premier League record for a 38-game season.

10.

More than one million voters in the recent Egyptian presidential election spoiled their ballot papers, and some of those who did wrote in the name of Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah instead. While the election was eventually won by Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi, who picked up 92 per cent of the vote ahead of his opponent Moussa Mustafa Moussa, it's noted a number of people crossed out both names in favour of the Egyptian international footballer.

LEFT: Liverpool's Mohamed Salah with his teammate Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain

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SALAH SPOTLIGHT

AT ROMA, SALAH EMERGED AS ONE OF THE BEST FORWARDS IN SERIE A

knocked on the door. Salah, however, failed to break into the Blues starting XI and left for Serie A to reignite his career with Fiorentina. His next big move was within Serie A, Signing with AS Roma.

At Roma, Salah emerged as one of the best forwards in Serie A, having 56 goal contributions in 83 appearances for the Giallorossi. On the radar again Jurgen Klopp identified Salah as the missing piece of his Liverpool attack and after signing Salah it’s safe to say, he elevated Liverpool to a whole new level.

Despite being one of the best footballers in the world, if not the best, Salah is a modest person, who is always eager to meet the fans. With less than two years left in his current contract, Liverpool would be desperate to tie down their talisman to a new deal. Can Liverpool fend off the suitors and keep hold of their prized possession? Only time can tell.

ABOVE: Egypt's Mohamed Salah reacts before the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON 2019) round of 16 soccer match between Egypt and South Africa RIGHT (SMALL): Salah's long list of awards seem to grow every year BOTTOM RIGHT: Salah signed for Chlsea back in 2014

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SERIE A

NAPOLI'S YEAR? TT NAPOLI STARTED 2021-22 LIKE A HOUSE ON FIRE, GOING UNBEATEN IN THE FIRST 12 ROUNDS OF THE CAMPAIGN BEFORE A WINTER STUMBLE ENDED THEIR RUN. CIRO DI BRITA ASKS IF THE PARTENOPEI CAN REGROUP AND CLAIM A FIRST SCUDETTO IN MORE THAN 30 YEARS…

he season began in brilliant fashion for Napoli. The Azzurri went unbeaten in Serie A until November, when a 3-2 defeat at champions Inter halted their momentum. But Luciano Spalletti’s side were arguably unlucky to lose, and even opened the scoring at San Siro.

Napoli were never overawed and even in defeat, gave a creditable account of themselves.

Spalletti, appointed in the summer, has turned around the depressed mood at the club left by the disappointing tenure of Gennaro Gattuso.

The former Roma and Inter boss has put together a well-structured formation that gets the best out of the players he has to work with, and the spine was initially formed by Kalidou Koulibaly, Frank Zambo Anguissa, and Victor Osimhen, before Koulibaly suffered a hamstring injury and Osimhen needed facial surgery to repair a fracture.

At their early-season best, Napoli were parsimonious in defence. They kept nine clean sheets in their opening 16 games and had the best defensive record in Serie A as the half-way point approached, a far cry from the frail and flaky side led by Gattuso in 2020-21. However, Koulibaly’s injury and Kostas Manolas’ lack of fitness – the Greece international spending more

‘LUCIANO SPALLETTI HAS TURNED AROUND THE DEPRESSED MOOD AT NAPOLI LEFT BY THE DISAPPOINTING TENURE OF GENNARO GATTUSO’

ABOVE: Luciano Spalletti’s appointment gave Napoli fresh energy after Gennaro Gattuso’s unhappy tenure LEFT: Luciano Spalletti and Napoli’s midfielder Piotr Zielinski RIGHT: Luciano Spalletti and Napoli midfielder Elif Elmas

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SOCCER360 JANUARY • FEBRUARY 2022

WHAT’S GOING WRONG AT JUVENTUS?

TALK OF THE TITLE ISN’T UNDERSERVED’ time on the treatment room than the pitch this season – forced Spalletti into fielding free agent signing Juan Jesus alongside Amir Rrahmani in the middle of defence. The Africa Cup of Nations in January looked like hurting Napoli with the absence of four key players – Koulibaly, Anguissa, Osimhen, and potentially Adam Ounas – but injuries struck two of the four much earlier.

Napoli only made two signings last summer, as Anguissa arrived on loan from Fulham and Juan Jesus was signed on a free transfer, and this inactivity on the transfer market could arguably halt their title challenge as a series of injuries has left their squad down to bare bones. January could be the time for reinforcements but if not, Spalletti will have to work more minor miracles.

Talk of the title isn’t underserved, though. It began in earnest before the final whistle was blown on Napoli’s 4-0 demolition of Lazio, on November 28. Buoyed by an almost full stadium who were there to welcome the unveiling of a new statue of their idol Diego Maradona, who

ABOVE: Victor Osimhen’s goals fired Napoli to an early lead in the Serie A table…

BELOW: …but a serious injury rocked the Nigeria international and left Napoli lacking in attack BELOW (SMALL): Napoli's Victor Osimhen (L) reacts during the Italian Serie A soccer match AS Roma vs SSC Napoli at Olimpico stadium TOP RIGHT: Max Allegri reacting during a Serie A match

had passed away the previous year, the former Stadio San Paolo was rocking despite the torrential rain. Napoli terrorised the Biancocelesti and scored three times in an opening 29-minute salvo that left spectators spitting out their chewing gum in confused elation.

Unfortunately for Spalletti and his men their next match, away to Sassuolo, saw them blow a two-goal lead as well as losing captain Lorenzo Insigne, Fabian Ruiz, and Koulibaly to injury. The Neroverdi took full advantage after that trio limped off the field, with Napoli already missing Osimhen and Anguissa and pulled two back. They even had a late winner chalked off by VAR. Their following game at home to Atalanta saw a patched together side playing in an unfamiliar 3-4-1-2 formation fight back from a goal down to take a 2-1 lead heading into the last quarter of the match. Again, misfortune struck when Stanislav Lobotka

From dominating Serie A for a decade to scrambling to make the Champions League, it’s been a quick and painful turnaround for Juventus. Ciro Di Brita examines how the Old Lady have lost their way…

Juventus parted ways with Andrea Pirlo at the end of last season after a disappointing campaign saw the deposed champions scrape into fourth place and the Champions League. In an effort to right the ship, the club’s hierarchy turned back the clock to Max Allegri.

Allegri had previously led Juve to five Scudetti but was allowed to leave in 2019 because the club’s decision-makers felt the football was not attractive enough. Maurizio Sarri was brought in after a rollercoaster year at Chelsea and retained the title, but was still ushered out the door after struggling in the Champions League in what was never a happy arrangement between club, players and coach.

The return of Allegri signalled a shift at Juve.

Last season’s leading goalscorer Cristiano Ronaldo re-joined Manchester United, leaving hit-and-miss Alvaro Morata with the responsibility of leading the line. By week 16 he had been more miss than hit, with only three goals.

For years, the Allianz Stadium was a fortress, yet by December Juve had already lost at home to Empoli, Sassuolo and Atalanta and opposition teams now sense a fragility that was never present before. Yet, conversely, Juve’s defence – in typical Allegri fashion – has been one of the strongest in the first half of Serie A with 16 goals conceded in their first 16 games. The real problem runs parallel to that – their inability to score. A total of 22 goals in those same 16 games was the fewest of any team in the top half.

Juve are stuck in something of a transitional phase, giving younger players such as Luca Pellegrini, Manuel Locatelli, Dejan Kulusevski, Weston McKennie, and Moise Kean more game time, but there is a massive gulf in quality, particularly in midfield, compared to what Allegri had before. Juventus never truly replaced the unit of Pirlo, Paul Pogba, Claudio Marchisio and Arturo Vidal, and the standard has dropped at the club. They need only look to where Ronaldo now struts his stuff to see what happens when a transitional period at a once-dominant club goes awry.

SOCCER360 JANUARY • FEBRUARY 2022

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SERIE A

‘IN A TITLE RACE – AND THAT IS WHAT SERIE A APPEARS TO HAVE IN 202122 – EVERY TEAM SHOULD EXPECT TO BE TESTED TO THEIR LIMITS’ hobbled off with a hamstring problem. The Slovakia international had been bossing the game in midfield before his untimely exit and La Dea smelt blood in the water and eventually ran out 3-2 winners. In the space of a week, Napoli went from title favourites to running out of fit players to put on the field.

In a title race – and that is what Serie A appears to have in 2021-22 – every team should expect to be tested to their limits. Napoli will hope they have had their test early, and if they can go into the spring within touching distance of their rivals, they’ll be well-placed to push on. A week 18 meeting with Milan and a week 20 date with

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ABOVE: Napoli's Dries Mertens (2-R) celebrates with teammates after scoring the 0-2 goal during the Italian Serie A soccer match US Sassuolo vs SSC Napoli BOTTOM: Lazio’s Ciro Immobile (L) and Napoli's Kalidou Koulibaly in action

Juventus only increased the stakes over the winter months. But Napoli have to remember that the Scudetto is only handed out in May and with both Milan clubs eyeing the trophy, there’s a lot of football to be played.

With a full complement of players to choose from, Spalletti’s side are unlike any other in Serie A – devastatingly quick up front, powered by the pace of Osimhen, and nimble and full of guile when the likes of Insigne, Matteo Politano and Dries Mertens have the ball. They’re capable of scoring from range too, as Ruiz and Zielinski have shown regularly, and hard to get past when

FIVE THINGS WE HOPE TO SEE IN SERIE A IN 2022

1. Firstly, all Serie A fans should be hoping Italy qualify for the World Cup by winning their two playoff games in March. Italian football cannot take another failed World Cup qualification, all the hard work of winning Euro 2020 will have been for naught, the benefit dissipated and the national psyche will take another huge hit after the disaster of 2018’s unsuccessful qualification.

2.

A title race that goes all the way down to the last round of the season. Only a handful of points have separated first from fourth at the top of the Serie A table for the first half of the campaign. How good would a battle between Inter, Milan, Napoli, and Atalanta be that lasted all the way to May?

3.

Anguissa and Koulibaly are on the field. Napoli have quietly become one of the best balanced sides in Italy. They’re even a major threat from set pieces – seven of Napoli’s first 34 goals this season came from free-kicks or corners, a significant upgrade from Spalletti’s predecessors and a credit to the incumbent coach.

The only non-injury problem at Stadio Diego Armando Maradona is the delay in captain Insigne signing a new contract. The 30-year-old hometown boy is out of contract next summer and, so far, all attempts at agreeing new terms have hit a stumbling block. Insigne’s future may

ABOVE: An away defeat at champions Inter could have hampered Napoli’s title ambitions BELOW: A week after losing to Inter, Napoli responded by trouncing Lazio on an emotional night, a year after Diego Maradona’s death TOP RIGHT: Italian football cannot take another failed World Cup qualification BOTTOM RIGHT: Empoli players

lie away from Naples, but the Scudetto would be an excellent parting gift. Napoli is a club starved of success and still reeling from the death of their all-time greatest player, one that isn’t in the habit of winning trophies and is dealing with injuries to key players and competing with some of Italy’s most powerful clubs. An unbeaten start doesn’t guarantee the title in May but with the spirit of Maradona driving them forward, if Napoli come out of the depths of winter still in contention, there could be celebrations in the streets in a glorious spring.

An Italian team to win a European trophy.

A club from the peninsula hasn’t lifted a major piece of silverware since Jose Mourinho’s Inter beat Bayern Munich 2-0 in the 2010 Champions League Final. 12 years is too long to wait for one of European football’s great nations.

4.

Fiorentina to hold onto Dusan Vlahovic in the January transfer window and mount a serious challenge for a European spot. La Viola have had a good season so far and are threatening at least a Europa League place thanks to top goal scorer Vlahovic, who is said to be wanted by Arsenal. President Rocco Commisso is clearly ambitious and has assembled a decent squad at the Stadio Artemio Franchi – now he needs to keep it together.

5.

Teams like Empoli and Sassuolo to keep unearthing and starting young Italian gems such as Davide Frattesi, Giacomo Raspadori, Gianluca Scamacca, Samuele Ricci, Fabiano Parisi, and Andrea Pinamonti. These clubs and the players they produce of the lifeblood of Italian football.

SOCCER360 JANUARY • FEBRUARY 2022

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SERIE A

THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY – SERIE A, WRITTEN BY STEPHEN KASIEWICZ

SCUDETTO CONTENDERS THE GOOD

Years of Juventus dominance left Serie A resembling a monotonous one-horse race but for the first time in a decade there is fierce competition for the Scudetto. Milan, Inter, Napoli and Atalanta led the way at the top of the Serie A standings, and were separated by just a handful of points in the winter months.

Juve sat seven points adrift of the leading pack as a revitalized Inter surged back into contention and Atalanta's daring and dazzling approach continued to yield positive results.

Napoli and Milan were pegged back after accelerating ahead, both losing their unbeaten records in the process. It was a frenetic opening half of the campaign to be sure.

The Partenopei unveiled a statue of club legend Diego Maradona in the stadium which bears his name and produced a wondrous performance in his honour, demolishing Lazio 4-0 in late November. Dries Mertens scored two memorable goals as Napoli – wearing specially made shirts bearing an image of El Pibe de Oro – produced a scintillating display

without talismanic forward Victor Osimhen.

The Nigerian was ruled out for three months after sustaining a serious facial injury following an aerial collision with Inter's Milan Skriniar.

Injury also deprived Napoli of inspirational central defender Kalidou Koulibaly who will be on the sidelines until early 2022 with a thigh strain. Milan edged out in front at the top but also suffered a potentially seasondefining injury as Danish defender Simon Kjaer underwent ACL surgery on his knee and was unlikely to play again this term.

Inter had lagged behind but blazed back into contention, defeating Napoli 3-2 in a classic at the San Siro and sweeping past Roma 3-0 with a ruthlessly efficient display at the Stadio Olimpico. Atalanta continued to keep pace with the leaders and showed characteristic resilience at Napoli, recovering from a goal down to prevail 3-2 in a thrilling back and forth encounter which showed the absolute best of Serie A. There is no clear favourite for the title, and this in itself is an overwhelming positive in a campaign already filled with a cornucopia of exhilarating games and outstanding goals.

STORY LINES

‘NAPOLI AND MILAN WERE PEGGED BACK AFTER ACCELERATING AHEAD’

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SHOT AFTER SHOT Inter took 15 shots against Cagliari.

They have never attempted more shots since 2004.

SOCCER360 JANUARY • FEBRUARY 2022

TRANSFER COMPLETED Napoli defender Kostas Manolas has completed his transfer to Olympiacos for a reported €2.5m plus bonuses. The 30-yearold had arrived from Roma in 2019 for €36m, but never really made his mark there or gelled fully with Kalidou Koulibaly.

CAN'T BEAT BARCA Napoli have only played Barcelona twice in European competitions.

They lost on both occasions.

THE BAD

Italy's glorious European Championship victory seemed like a distant memory as the Azzurri inexplicably failed to automatically qualify for next year's World Cup. The same group of players who clinched a memorable win on penalties against England at Wembley in July now have the invidious task of negotiating through the play-offs to reach Qatar 2022.

Roberto Mancini's side were matched at their own game as a youthful, vibrant Switzerland pinned Italy back and broke with verve and pace on the transition in a 1-1 stalemate on a dramatic November night at the Olympic Stadium in Rome. Silvan Widmer finished off

a rapid break in style to send the Swiss ahead early on and although Giovanni Di Lorenzo headed to level, the main talking point was Jorginho's woeful late penalty miss.

The once-dependable Chelsea midfielder abandoned his stutter step trademark spotkick technique to blast aimlessly high over the bar. There was even worse to come for the Azzurri. Italy lacked inspiration and penetration as a pugnacious Northern Ireland defended admirably in a goalless draw which visibly angered Mancini. Windsor Park will not hold fond memories for Euro 2020 hero Gianluigi Donnarumma as the goalkeeper made a late howler, racing from his penalty area and completely missing the ball before captain Leonardo Bonucci bailed him out with

a goal-line clearance. Deprived of prolific Lazio forward Ciro Immobile through injury – although the attacker rarely produces the same club form for his country – Mancini opted to play without a recognised striker in Belfast.

Lethargic and devoid of the same drive which produced outstanding results in the Euros, the search for a centre forward remains a conundrum ahead of a March play-off against North Macedonia with Portugal or Turkey awaiting the winners.

Sassuolo striker Gianluca Scamacca, 22, put himself into the picture with spectacular goals against Milan and Napoli, and Brazilian-born Cagliari forward Joao Pedro had even been touted for a call-up after starting the season strongly.

FAR LEFT (OPPOSITE PAGE): Napoli’s Piotr Zielinski celebrates after scoring the opening goal during the Italian Serie A soccer match between FC Inter and SSC Napoli

‘ITALY'S GLORIOUS EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP VICTORY SEEMED LIKE A DISTANT MEMORY’

RIGHT (OPPOSITE PAGE): Lautaro Martinez and inter celebrate against Napoli ABOVE: Italy players react during the begining of a World Cup Qualifying Match against Switzerland RIGHT: Roberto Mancini speaks to his team during a practice FAR RIGHT: Roberto Mancini looks on during an International World Cup Qualifying match

JUVENTUS VS. SPAIN Juventus and Villarreal have been drawn together in the Champions League Round of 16. It is the first time the teams will ever meet in a European club competition.

Juventus have played 66 matches against Spanish oppositions : 25 wins, 16 draws and 25 defeats.

THE GOOD, BAD, & UGLY

SARRI STAYS FOR ANOTHER TWO YEARS Lazio President Claudio Lotito announces Maurizio Sarri will sign a two-year contract extension, but players admit they are still not doing what the coach wants.

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SERIE A THE UGLY

Italian football was again enveloped in a veil of scandal as off the pitch controversy provided an unwanted distraction from a scintillating opening to the season.

On the weekend Serie A promoted a campaign to give violence against women the red card – players of all clubs supported it by wearing red marks on their cheeks – a female reporter was allegedly indecently assaulted by a fan live on television. Toscana TV journalist Greta Beccaglia was reporting outside the Carlo Castellani Stadium after Empoli had fought back to defeat Fiorentina 2-1 on November 27 when she was touched inappropriately by a Viola fan exiting the ground.

It was a depressing development which sparked outrage across Italy and led Beccaglia to press charges for sexual harassment against the fan as well as three others, which could result in prison terms for the accused.

The tidal wave of condemnation against the perpetrators suggests social attitudes across Italy are changing for the better.

Meanwhile, Juventus were under investigation for alleged financial irregularities involving player transfers and transactions with agents

FAR LEFT: Juventus' vice president Pavel Nedved arrives for the Ballon d'Or ceremony

‘VICEPRESIDENT PAVEL NEDVED WAS ALSO BEING INVESTIGATED’ AFRICA CUP OF NATIONS WILL GO ON While the organizers insist the Africa Cup of Nations is going ahead, the Italian authorities warn COVID restrictions could keep players out for even longer than previously thought. According to Italy's latest covid regulations, if a player does finish his Africa Cup of Nations experience, he must wait at least another 10-13 days before returning to training with his club in Italy.

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SOCCER360 JANUARY • FEBRUARY 2022

over the last three years.

The Italian Financial Police searched the club's offices for documentation regarding claims that Juve inflated the value of a number of players and many of its hierarchy – including President Andrea Agnelli, Vice-President Pavel Nedved and former Sporting Director Fabio Paratici – were also being investigated. The Turin giants face the prospect of a heavy fine or losing league points if found guilty.

Colourful Sampdoria President Massimo Ferrero resigned from his position after being arrested for alleged corporate and bankruptcy crimes. The investigations involved a number of the cinema mogul's past business ventures, none of which were connected to the Ligurian club which he took over in June 2014. The 70-year-old relinquished his position at Samp as soon as he was taken into custody in Milan.

The timing could hardly have been worse as Ferrero was in negotiations with Red Star Belgrade and former Inter coach Dejan Stankovic as a replacement for the underperforming Roberto D'Aversa. around, but the fans’ patience is already at breaking point.

ABOVE: Juventus' president Andrea Agnelli (R) with vice-president Pavel Nedved (C) and CEO Maurizio Arrivabene (L) LEFT: Juventus' former coach Andrea Pirlo and Juventus' vice president Pavel Nedved (R) during the 2021 'Partita del Cuore' (Match of the Heart) charity soccer match TOP (OPPOSITE PAGE): Dusan Vlahovic BOTTOM (OPPOSITE PAGE): Jose Mourinho reacts on the sidelines

SAVE AFTER SAVE Since 2017/18, no goalkeeper has saved more penalties than Alessio Cragno in Serie A. Cragno has made six penalty saves within that timeframe.

ERIKSEN'S CONTRACT Inter have reportedly reached an agreement to terminate Christian Eriksen’s contract and are preparing an event at the Stadio Meazza to say goodbye to the Denmark international. The former Tottenham star has been out of action since suffering a cardiac arrest while playing for his country in Euro 2020.

GOING UP

Serbia forward Dusan Vlahovic’s value continued to skyrocket as his goals propelled Fiorentina into European contention.

Already a wanted man across Europe, the 21-year-old simply could not stop scoring and netted five goals in four games from late November to early December to soar into Capocannoniere contention with 13 for the season.

GOING DOWN

Jose Mourinho endured a difficult start to the winter as Roma spectacularly stumbled. Losing at newly promoted Venezia was a low point but defeat on the road against Bologna and a three-goal humbling by former club Inter in the Italian capital represented a season nadir for a coach whose best years look to be behind him.

TOP: Bologna's Musa Barrow (L) and Juventus' Weston McKennie (R) in action during the Italian Serie A soccer match between Bologna FC and Juventus FC ABOVE: Roma’s Tammy Abraham celebrates after scoring the 1-4 goal during the Italian Serie A soccer match Atalanta BC vs AS Roma LEFT: Ibrahimovic in action during a Serie A soccer match

INVOLUNTARY EXCLUSION Serie A Presidents do not want to exclude Salernitana from the league, but the FIGC has the last word on the matter. The newly-promoted side could be excluded from Serie A in January as their owner Claudio Lotito has failed to find investors willing to buy the club. Serie A rules bar two clubs from playing in the same division under the same patron and Lotito also owns Lazio.

SPEZIA DISAPOINTED Spezia ultras locked their team inside the stadium following a disappointing defeat to a lower tier side that crashed them out of Europe. Lecce earned a 2-0 victory at the Stadio Picco, becoming the only Serie B side to make it into the Coppa Italia Round of 16. Following the match, Ultras blocked the gates of the stadium and refused to let the team out, demanding a meeting with them and coach Thiago Motta.

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WELCOME

LA LIGA

HOME, XAVI! AFTER SIX YEARS AWAY XAVI HERNANDEZ RETURNS TO CAMP NOU IN HIS NEW GUISE AS A COACH. GREG MURRAY ASSESSES THE CHALLENGES LYING AHEAD FOR THE LEGENDARY MIDFIELDER IN A TUMULTUOUS TIME FOR BARCELONA…

FACTFILE NAME: Xavi Hernandez Creus BORN: January 25, 1984 (Terrassa, Spain) HT: 1.70m POSITION: Coach CLUB: Barcelona

EE

CLUB STATS SEASON CLUB APPS 1997-98 Barca B 39 1998-99 Barca B 18 1998-99 Barcelona 26 1999-00 Barca B 4 1999-00 Barcelona 38 2000-01 Barcelona 36 2001-02 Barcelona 52 2002-03 Barcelona 44 2003-04 Barcelona 49 2004-05 Barcelona 45 2005-06 Barcelona 22 2006-07 Barcelona 54 2007-08 Barcelona 54 2008-09 Barcelona 54 2009-10 Barcelona 53 2010-11 Barcelona 50 2011-12 Barcelona 51 2012-13 Barcelona 48 2013-14 Barcelona 48 2014-15 Barcelona 44 2015-16 Al Sadd 30 2016-17 Al Sadd 32 2017-18 Al Sadd 28 2018-19 Al Sadd 27 TOTAL 945

ver since Xavi Hernandez left his beloved Barcelona to become a player then coach in Qatar, fans have been eagerly anticipating his return. As it turns out, the wait was not as long as some may have expected as Joan Laporta saw only one option following the dismissal of Ronald Koeman, shelling out €5m to secure the services of the Blaugrana’s second most-capped player.

Cronyism may have played a part in Xavi’s hiring – he was a favourite of Laporta’s during his first spell as president – however ‘La Computadora’ was also impressing at Al Sadd. Despite winning the title as a player in his second year in the Qatar Stars League, Xavi’s managerial performance was even stronger, securing a domestic treble last season. When his release clause was paid, Al Sadd were on a 36-game unbeaten run, boasting stats such as a 68.5% win rate across the Spaniards 89 matches and an average of 2.75 goals per game.

For good reason expectations are high for the former midfielder’s return to the Catalan capital, and at very least it will be hard for him to do worse than his predecessor. Already not the most popular on his unveiling, Ronald Koeman had the worst win record at Barcelona in 20 ABOVE: Xavi has a very different responsibility now he’s the Catalans’ coach RIGHT: Xavi reacts during his first press conference as Barcelona's Head Coach LEFT: FC Barcelona's new head coach, Xavi Hernandez (R), poses with FC Barcelona's President, Joan Laporta, during his presentation at Camp Nou

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SOCCER360 JANUARY • FEBRUARY 2022

‘XAVI ADOPTS A SQUAD FAR FROM BEING FIT FOR PURPOSE’

GOALS 2 0 2 1 2 2 4 3 5 3 0 6 9 10 7 5 14 7 7 2 3 10 7 5 113

HOME IS WHERE THE HEART IS

FACTFILE COACHING STATS SEASON CLUB 2018-19 Al Sadd 2019-20 Al Sadd 2020-21 Al Sadd 2021-22 Al Sadd

G 7 35 40 9

W 4 20 30 8

L 2 9 5 0

D 1 6 5 1

‘DESPITE WINNING THE TITLE AS A PLAYER IN HIS SECOND YEAR IN THE QATAR STARS LEAGUE, XAVI’S MANAGERIAL PERFORMANCE WAS EVEN STRONGER’ years. The Dutch trainer also left Camp Nou with the unwanted standing as the second coach to lose his first three El Classicos, and the first since Pep Guardiola to not win La Liga in two times attempts.

However, whilst Xavi is likely to better Koeman’s record – although he was unable to prevent Barca dropping out of the Champions League and into the Europa League – he may well be worried at the general downward trend that La Blaugrana are experiencing. Koeman was not the first to struggle at the helm, with previous manager Quique Setién leaving having overseen the club’s first trophyless season in over a decade.

Clearly the problems at Barcelona run deeper than the coach, with constant in-fighting at the board level. Former President Josep Maria Bartomeu had long since lost the respect of the squad when in March 2021 he was arrested over allegations that he had paid a communications firm to run negative stories against the club’s

ABOVE: FC Barcelona's head coach Xavi Hernandez reacts during the Spanish LaLiga soccer match between CA Osasuna and FC Barcelona BELOW: Some of the players Xavi is now in charge of were his teammates just a few years ago TOP RIGHT: Xavi lifting the Champions League Trophy while playing with Barcelona in 2015

star players. After over six years which were characterised by poor transfer decisions and failure to manage the finances, Bartomeu was forced to step down – but at this stage the damage was already done.

The perilous state of Barcelona’s finances were made all the more obvious over the summer with the Lionel Messi saga. That the club’s finances were so poor that they were unable to retain the services of their all-time top scorer is remarkable, even more so given the reports that their No 10 was willing to take a pay-cut. As a result Xavi will not only return to the Camp Nou without his superstar former teammate, but with reportedly a transfer budget of just €10m to spend in January.

This could well prove a problem for the new man, who adopts a squad far from being fit for purpose. Koeman’s reliance on crosses saw Barcelona sign Luuk de Jong on loan, whilst the club brought in Martin Braithwaite

Xavi Hernandez is by no means the first ex-player to return to coach the club, with the trend becoming all the more popular in recent years. Greg Murray assesses some of the latest examples.

Without a doubt the most successful recent example of legendary player thriving as a coach at their old club is Zinedine Zidane’s first spell at Real Madrid. The French midfielder had been acting as the manager of the youth team when called upon to take over from the departing Rafael Benítez.

Zizou’s reign only lasted two and a half seasons before a reported falling out with Florentino Pérez but what he achieved in that time was legendary. Los Merengues secured an unprecedented three consecutive Champions League victories, not to mention a La Liga title and a Supercopa de España trophy – not a bad haul for his first proper job as manager!

Unfortunately the transition from player to manager rarely goes this smoothly. Over the past two years Andrea Pirlo, Frank Lampard and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer have all been sacked by the team at which they enjoyed huge success as players. The latter held out nearly twice as long as his contemporaries, presiding over 168 games for Manchester United, but was ultimately shown up against the more experienced coaches in the Premier League.

At the top there is clearly no room for sentiment, with teams such as United, Chelsea, Juventus and Real Madrid acting ruthlessly when results were not going their way. However, in some circumstances ex-players are afforded the opportunity to develop themselves as coaches. Arsenal are currently undergoing a transitional period, and despite finishing outside the top-six for the past three years, Mikel Arteta has been trusted at the helm.

Whether this pays off remains to be seen, however, with football at its most reactionary, whilst former players may get managerial jobs thanks to their reputation, it no-longer affords them any leeway once they are in the hot-seat.

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LA LIGA

XAVI HERNANDEZ WAS THE CREATIVE HUB OF EVERY BARCELONA TEAM HE PLAYED IN last season. Neither fit Xavi’s mould of forwards and he will be cursing the board’s decisions to allow both Luis Suarez and Antoine Griezmann to join Atletico Madrid, especially given the likelihood of Sergio Aguero’s retirement.

Further departures of players such as Arthur, Francisco Trincao and Marc Cucurella has left Xavi heavily reliant on a squad build on the aging Gerard Pique, Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets, with little budget to rectify the situation in the short term.

Nevertheless, this situation could well be a large part of what motivated Laporta to gamble on a coach with limited experience. As a graduate of the famed La Masia academy himself, the expectation is that Xavi will be keen to promote youth team players to the senior side. This tactic has already paid dividends for Barcelona in the last 18 months with first Pedri then Gavi bursting onto the scene to become touted as ‘the next

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ABOVE: FC Barcelona captain Xavi Hernandez holds the trophy after defeating Club Leon in the Joan Gamper Trophy soccer match played at Camp Nou stadium in Barcelona, northeastern Spain, 18 August 2014 BELOW: FC Barcelona's captain Xavi Hernandez (C) lifts the trophy after defeating Real Madrid during the 2011 Super Cup

Xavi and [Andres] Iniesta’. If these two are anything to go by, the new coach’s job will be one of ushering in the new era of academydeveloped superstars, the last generation of which was his own.

Viewing the task at hand through this lens, Xavi’s appointment could well be a masterstroke from Laporta. The club has already moved to sign Dani Alves as a free agent, and the right-back will most likely serve as a mentor to the young players, adding to the experience provided by the likes of Pique, Busquets and Alba. As these players reach the end of their own playing careers and look towards coaching, their ability to guide others could be fundamental for their colleague-turned-coac.

Despite not being at the level Xavi left it at, Barcelona’s squad is also far from shambolic.

The purchase of Frenkie de Jong is one of

FIVE THINGS WE HOPE TO SEE IN LA LIGA IN 2022

1

. It might not be popular outside their part of Catalonia but the fact is, La Liga is better for a stronger Barcelona, and it’d benefit the league as a whole to have La Blaugrana back to their best.

Unfortunately, they might need more than 12 months to sort through the mire of the last few years.

2.

the few solid investments of Bartomeu’s reign, with the Dutch international poised to take the reins from Busquets in coming years. The arrival of Memphis Depay on a free transfer was a rare shrewd move as the forward has hit the ground running. A combination of the veterans and his two in-form Dutchmen should provide a solid spine to build future Barcelona around.

Furthermore, Xavi will hope to count on the likes of Philippe Coutinho and Ousmane Dembele, both of whom have been largely written-off for their inability to perform at a consistent level.

Xavi has already taken steps towards this end by introducing his own fitness team, including new strength and conditioning coaches in an effort to end the injuries that have been plaguing the club over the past few years.

Similarly since his arrival, fines returned to the training ground, with the overwhelming theme being dedication to the cause. Barcelona’s

ABOVE: Pep Guardiola left a legacy of success that his some of successors have struggled to match BELOW: Xavi doesn’t have Lionel Messi to turn to when Barca need a bit of magic TOP RIGHT: Valencia need to improve BOTTOM RIGHT: Rayo Vallecano have been better recently

players are reportedly expected to arrive 90 minutes early for training and eat at the ground whilst the club will monitor off-field behaviour to avoid dangerous activities, and enforce the pre-match curfew.

This is one side to Xavi’s career as a coach that is developed further than the player known for possession-based football. Whilst he will undoubtedly look to take Barcelona back to a tiki-taka style of play with a focus of defending with the ball rather than off it, it is the former midfielder’s meticulous attention to detail that will impact whether he is a success.

It is important to note that should Barcelona not perform, Xavi’s reputation will not be enough to save him. After all, Koeman himself played for the club for six years, winning 10 trophies. All that remains to be seen is what ‘La Computadora’ can do with the time afforded to him.

Valencia are one of La Liga’s giants but you wouldn’t know it lately. Distinctly mid-table last year and riven with internal strife as the board and fans continue to wage war against each other, the situation at Los Che needs to improve.

3. There hasn’t been a Spanish team in the Champions League Final since Real Madrid won the tournament last, in 2018. At a time when Spain continues to dominate the Europa League, it’d be nice to see La Liga lift the European Cup again – but Barcelona and Sevilla failing to get out of the group stage this season means that may be a pipe dream.

4.

Rayo Vallecano have been a breath of fresh air in 2021-22 and here’s hoping it’s not a flash in the pan. It’ll be hard for the side from the Madrid suburbs to truly establish themselves in the upper echelons of La Liga but at the very least, avoiding a direct return to the Segunda and a few more years of Andoni Iraola’s exciting team would be welcome.

5. Whether it’s Real Betis, Real Sociedad or Rayo – all of whom approached Christmas in the European qualification battle – that depth is one of La Liga’s strongest points. Few expected those three clubs to take up half of the top six places at New Year but there they are, a credit to the division – hopefully it lasts the year.

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LA LIGA

THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY – LA LIGA, WRITTEN BY FEARGAL BRENNAN

PERFECT TIMING THE GOOD

With some of La Liga’s big hitters struggling for consistency in the opening months of the 2021-22 season, the door has been left wide open for a new European challenger in 2022.

However, despite the expected challenge set to come from a household, mid-table name, it is newly promoted Rayo Vallecano who are taking the fight to the rest of the Spanish top flight. Andoni Iraola’s side were forced to battle through an extended play-off schedule to seal promotion from the Segunda Division and they have carried that positivity into the new season. The signing of former Atletico Madrid superstar Radamel Falcao has proven to be a catalyst for Rayo with the team from the Madrid district of Vallecas reigniting their love affair with football fans from across Spain.

The club’s inherent connection to the area, and their fervent fan support for social

mobilisation and socialist political ideals has been harnessed by Iraola’s brave tactical style, with experienced veterans including Falcao and Oscar Trejo, and local stars such as Fran Garcia, forming an ideal platform.

Fans have already set their sights on European qualification – albeit with a trademark tonguein-cheek humour – but the goals of Falcao, and the Iraola-inspired confidence, has laid the foundations for a big push in 2022.

With no European football on the agenda this season they are free to concentrate on domestic action, with Iraola hoping to avoid an injury crisis within his limited squad in 2022.

If Rayo can maintain their impressive momentum right from the start of the second half the campaign they will be a real candidate for a Europa League place, with Falcao determined to prove a point in the twilight of his career.

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‘THE SIGNING OF FORMER ATLETI SUPERSTAR RADAMEL FALCAO HAS PROVEN TO BE A CATALYST’

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VAR WILL NOT BE RULING AS MUCH IN SPANISH SOCCER The Spanish Technical Committee of Referees has confirmed a change to VAR use. According to the rule change, VAR will not interfere unless a clear and obvious error in the original decision is detected. Therefore, the referee's decision will stand on most occasions.

SOCCER360 JANUARY • FEBRUARY 2022

GREAT FRIENDS FOREVER Lionel Messi has sent an emotional message to Sergio Aguero following the striker’s retirement. Messi and Aguero are close friends having played alongside each other for Argentina for around 15 years. Aguero announced his retirement from football earlier after being diagnosed with an irregular heartbeat.

THE NUMBER 7 Cádiz have dropped seven points after conceding in the last five minutes of the game in LaLiga this season, more than any other side in the competition.

THE BAD

Levante became the first La Liga club to sack their coach in 2021-22 following a poor start to the season, but they have lurched from crisis to crisis since then. Paco Lopez, who successfully fought off relegation in his first few months at the club in 2017-18 before guiding Les Granotes to an average position of 13th in the following three seasons, was sacked during the international break in October.

The club reportedly wanted to offset a deeper slide in the second quarter of the season, with

Lopez picking up just four points from his first eight games. And with Lopez’s previous solid record not enough to save him, Levante appointed Javier Pereira as his successor, less than 24 hours after fellow strugglers Getafe replaced Michel with Quique Sanchez Flores.

Pereira’s tenure mirrored Lopez’s poor return with an identical points tally from his own first eight games and he was duly dismissed at the end of November. Levante’s trigger-happy approach makes them the only La Liga team in recent history to sack two managers before Christmas, with a growing challenge on the

horizon for whoever takes the helm next at the Ciutat de Valencia.

Alessio Lisci is set to be given the chance on an interim basis, but with the club rumoured to be seeking a steady and experienced coach to guide them through to the end of the season, they could dip back into the market.

Lopez’s nous played a key role in keeping Levante in the top flight since 2017 as their longest serving manager in La Liga history, and the future looks uncertain in their corner of the Spanish east coast.

THE GOOD, BAD, & UGLY

‘LEVANTE BECAME THE FIRST LA LIGA CLUB TO SACK THEIR COACH IN 2021-22 FOLLOWING A POOR START TO THE SEASON’

FAR LEFT (OPPOSITE PAGE): Colombian striker Radamel Falcao speaks during his presentation as new player of Spanish La Liga soccer club Rayo Vallecano RIGHT (OPPOSITE PAGE): Falcao celebrates with his new team RIGHT & ABOVE: Levante players in action / celebrating FAR RIGHT: Paco Lopez, who successfully fought off relegation in his first few months at the club in 2017-18 before guiding Les Granotes to an average position of 13th in the following three seasons, was sacked during the international break in October.

PIQUE WANTS TO KEEP GOING Per reports, Gerard Pique is not contemplating retirement from football at the end of this season. Now 34 years of age, Pique is in the final years of his career, and there has been some talk that he might retire given his efforts in business off the field.

But, latest reports are debunking that theory and indicate that Pique will keep on playing for the foreseeable future.

ATLETICO MADRID VS MANCHESTER UNITED Manchester United will face Atletico Madrid in European competition for the first time since November 1991, when they were eliminated by the Spaniards in the second round of the Cup Winners' Cup.

VILLARREAL SURGING With their wins against Victoria CF (8-0) and against Atlético Sanluqueño (7-1), Villarreal became only the second team to win back-to-back Copa del Rey games by scoring 7+ goals since 1950 (Osasuna won 8-1 and 8-1 against Siero in a tie in 1990).

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LA LIGA THE UGLY

Xavi Hernandez’s return to Barcelona was greeted with the expected fanfare of one of La Blaugrana’s favourite sons after Ronald Koeman’s exit debacle. Defeat to Rayo was the final straw for Koeman, with Barcelona finally removing the unpopular Dutchman to pave the way for their long-term succession plan with Xavi. Despite his all-star career for both club and country, his coaching CV in Qatar opened up fierce speculation over his suitability to coach at this level, regardless of his on-field legacy in Catalonia.

A mixed start in La Liga deepened those concerns, but the biggest storm at Camp Nou came from their eventual and embarrassing group stage exit from the Champions League for the first time since 2001.

One point from two games in Europe under Xavi meant the five times winners suffered an inglorious departure from the biggest stage.

Xavi’s frankness over their thrashing by

Bayern Munich encapsulated both the malaise around the transition from Koeman, but also the deeper realisation that his former club no longer have a place at the top table.

His message on the reality of a Europa League place for Barcelona in 2022 has woken up large sections of an irritated fan base on the direction the club is heading, at least in the short term, with his brief of reversing their slide looking ever more daunting.

The brightest array of La Masia talent in a decade will be the basis for Xavi’s new Barcelona, but a lack of investment in the transfer market could ultimately prove costly in the months ahead.

Big decisions will be coming thick and fast for Xavi in 2022, with a significant part of his return based around his profile being big enough to make the difficult calls, but the end of the road could be fast approaching for some of his most decorated former teammates.

‘BARCELONA HAS WOKEN UP LARGE SECTIONS OF AN IRRITATED FAN BASE’ KIERAN TRIPPIER MAY GO Kieran Trippier’s future is up in the air. The Englishman admitted in an interview with the Daily Mail that he’d love to return to the Premier League. The right-back pressed to leave La Liga last summer and return to England amid Manchester United’s interest in his services. Atletico were keen to keep him, however, and the deal didn’t happen in the end. Los Rojiblancos wanted his release clause to be triggered, which would have meant an offer of €40m.

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FAR LEFT: Barcelona's Busquets react after losing the UEFA Champions League Group E soccer match between FC Bayern Muenchen and FC Barcelona ABOVE: FC Barcelona's head coach Xavi Hernandez LEFT: Memphis Depay reacts during a 2021 Champions League match TOP (OPPOSITE PAGE): Real Betis' head coach Manuel Pellegrini attends a Europa League press conference BOTTOM (OPPOSITE PAGE): Alaves' players celebrate

THE REBUILD MAY TAKE LONGER THAN EXPECTED Barcelona president Joan Laporta has made it clear that Xavi Hernandez will need time to turn things around. It has been a tricky start to life back at Camp Nou for Xavi, who has endured a difficult start to his career as the new Barcelona head coach. Laporta reminded fans that the current issues at Camp Nou, both on and off the field, are not going to be fixed overnight.

GOING UP

With Rayo looking to at least crash the Europa League party, Manuel Pellegrini is aiming to take advantage of Barcelona’s inconsistency with a Champions League push for Real Betis.

Andalucian rivals Sevilla have edged them out in the race for Europe for the best part of a decade, but Los Verdiblancos are quietly confident of staying in the race in 2022.

GOING DOWN

Quique Sanchez Flores’ third spell at Getafe appears to have sparked them into life in the final weeks of 2021 with the fans; favourite steadying the ship in the south of Madrid.

Basque side Alaves are now looking over their shoulders as their own form puts them in real danger of being sucked into a relegation dog fight.

TOP: Atletico Madrid's striker Luis Suarez (L) and his wife Sofia Balbi (R) attend the 15th As Sports Awards handout ceremony in Madrid, Spain ABOVE: Real Madrid's Belgian Eden Hazard during a Spanish LaLiga soccer match between Real Madrid and Rayo Vallecano LEFT: FC Barcelona players celebrate their 3-2 lead during the Spanish LaLiga soccer match between FC Barcelona and Elche CF

REAL MADRID VERSUS PARIS ST. GERMAIN Paris will face Real Madrid in the knockout stage of a European competition for the 4th time. PSG have qualified twice (1992/93 and 1993/94), while the Madrilean side eliminated the Parisians in the 2017/18 Champions League.

PAPU GOMEZ LOOKING FOR AN EXIT Papu Gomez has admitted that he’d consider a move to Napoli in the future. The Argentine joined Sevilla from Atalanta last January after falling out with coach Gian Pero Gasperini, and has quickly settled amidst the large Argentine contingent at the club.

But the 33-year-old, who revealed he intends on playing for several more years, yet didn’t discard a return to Italy at some point later in his career.

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german

BUNDESLIGA

coaching clinic THREE OF THE PREMIER LEAGUE’S BIGGEST CLUBS HAVE TURNED TO GERMAN COACHES TO DELIVER THE SUCCESS THEY CRAVE. MICHELLE OSEI BONSU EXAMINES WHY JURGEN KLOPP, THOMAS TUCHEL AND RALF RANGNICK ARE SO IN-DEMAND…

iI

t is often said that one person’s rubbish is another’s treasure, and this hackneyed yet accurate statement certainly rings true in the case of Thomas Tuchel. Despite winning a total of six trophies, including a domestic quadruple in his second term with Paris Saint-Germain, he was still sacked by Les Parisiens. Indeed, that’s in spite of racking up an impressive 75.6 percent winning record [the best for PSG in their Ligue 1 history as well as, notably, guiding the cash-rich outfit to their first ever Champions League final appearance].

With that in mind, it wasn’t really a shock that he didn’t have to wait too long for his next job.

Indeed, Tuchel was given his PSG marching papers on December 24 and a month later – January 26 – he became the first German to be appointed Chelsea coach.

Tuchel replaced club icon Frank Lampard, who had been sacked to the consternation of a significant number of Blues fans who remembered the goalscoring midfielder and appreciated his commitment to blooding the club’s talented youngsters. Also possibly telling was that Tuchel had previously said he wouldn’t take over a club mid-season, so what changed his mind? Surely not the £7m-a-year salary on offer. Chelsea only turned to Tuchel when Ralf Rangnick rejected the offer of taking over as interim coach until the end of the season, Tuchel instead signing for 18 months.

Chelsea fans couldn’t be sure what to expect when Tuchel was appointed in January 2021, and the coach himself had a mountain to climb to win over the players and fans who might have raised an eyebrow at the arrival of someone unceremoniously dumped by a Champions League rival just a few weeks earlier.

But under Tuchel, Chelsea finally sprang to life. They reached the FA Cup Final but, most impressively, claimed the club’s second Champions League by beating Manchester City.

It was a feat that made Tuchel a record-breaker, the first coach to reach consecutive Champions League finals with different clubs, after his PSG were beaten by Bayern Munich in 2019-20. That victory triggered a contract extension until 2024.

A history-maker in one way, in another Tuchel was following a path already trodden by his compatriot, Liverpool coach Jurgen Klopp, who claimed the status of the first German coach to win the Champions League with a Premier League side in 2019, the Reds’ sixth European

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SOCCER360 JANUARY • FEBRUARY 2022

THOMAS TUCHEL WAS SACKED BY PARIS SAINTGERMAIN ON DECEMBER 24 AND A MONTH LATER BECAME THE FIRST GERMAN TO BE APPOINTED CHELSEA COACH’ ABOVE: Thomas Tuchel had been at Chelsea only a few months when he delivered the Blues’ second Champions League RIGHT: Chelsea's manager Thomas Tuchel reacts during the English Premier League soccer match between West Ham United and Chelsea FC

5 GERMAN COACHES TO WATCH A few years ago, Jurgen Klopp, Thomas Tuchel and Ralf Rangnick were barely known outside the Bundesliga – now they’re household names across Europe.

Here are five more coaches destined for continental success…

JULIAN NAGLESMANN Julian Nagelsmann first made major waves in 2015, when he was appointed head coach of Hoffenheim. At 28, he was younger than many of his own players – and was the youngest coach in the history of the Bundesliga.

It’s been all upwards since then.

Nagelsmann spent three years at Hoffenheim before moving to RB Leipzig, steering the team to their first ever participation in the Champions League.

Bayern Munich identified him as the successor to Hansi Flick in 2021 and a Champions League win with die Roten would solidify Nagelsmann on the level of his compatriots in England.

Cup triumph. Tuchel even did it by beating another English side, much as Klopp’s Liverpool did against Tottenham.

Liverpool had finished as runners-up to Real Madrid in 2018 but Klopp needed only 12 months to cement his iconic status among the Anfield faithful with the vaunted sixth European Cup and then, in the pandemic-hit 2019-20 season, ended the club’s 30-year wait for the title, their first of the Premier League era.

Since Klopp arrived on Merseyside in 2015, Liverpool have enjoyed a period of success not seen since the glory days of the 1970s and ‘80s.

Under Klopp, Liverpool have won the Premier League, the Champions League, the UEFA Super Cup and the FIFA Club World Cup. They have also reached the finals of the 2015-16 Europa League and 2017-18 Champions League. It’s a glittering run that shows little sign of abating.

Like Tuchel, Klopp took over Liverpool after the season had already started. Having left Borussia Dortmund at the end of a difficult 2014-15 campaign, Klopp was drafted in to replace Brendan Rodgers in October 2015 after he was sacked following a string of poor results.

‘UNDER TUCHEL, CHELSEA FINALLY SPRANG TO LIFE’

ABOVE: Tuchel and Jurgen Klopp have enjoyed similar careers thus far BELOW: Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel (R) talks to his player Ruben Loftus-Cheek TOP RIGHT (TOP TO BOTTOM): Florian Kohfeldt Marco Rose Christian Streich

The similarities between Klopp and Tuchel don’t stop with when they took over their teams or the major trophies they have won for their English employers. Both were defenders in their playing days – Klopp started as a striker but converted early in his career. Both had stints as coach of Mainz and Dortmund; Tuchel was Mainz boss between 2009 and 2014 and Dortmund coach between 2015 – succeeding Klopp – and 2017. Klopp, meanwhile, spent 14 combined years at Mainz and Dortmund, overseeing die Nullfünfer between 2001 and 2008 and die Schwarzgelben from 2008 to 2015. It was perhaps inevitable they would both turn up in the Premier League at the same time.

The third of the German trio in the English top flight is the newest arrival and the one who has the shortest-term future. Rangnick, a year after saying no to Chelsea, accepted Manchester United’s approach to take over on an interim basis before a two-year consultancy, but could still stay on as coach.

And he is a pivotal figure in Tuchel’s career too.

FLORIAN KOHFELDT Wolfsburg’s newest boss, Florian Kohfeldt took over after Mark van Bommel was sacked in October and has been tasked with helping the club find their way again.

It’s not all that long ago that Wolfsburg were in the Champions League under Oliver Glasner, at one point keeping pace with Bayern. Things have gone badly awry since then and for Kohfeldt, this is a chance to prove himself after he was dismissed by Werder Bremen at the end of the 2020-21 season.

MARCO ROSE Like Tuchel and Nagelsmann, Marco Rose is part of the German coaching school. Previously in charge of Borussia Monchengladbach, he won acclaim for taking the team to the Champions League and that success was enough to convince Borussia Dortmund he is the man to turn the club from perpetual runners-up into champions. Overcoming Dortmund’s stage fright is first on the agenda as they’ll need to beat Bayern in Der Klassiker if they are to finish above the Bavarians in the table.

CHRISTIAN STREICH Christian Streich is the longest-serving coach in the Bundesliga, taking over his post at Freiburg in December 2011. He’s seen it all in that decade – European football, relegation, promotion as 2.Bundesliga champions and, at one point, third place in the Bundesliga. All eyes will be on Streich to see how he handles the second half of what, thus far, has been an impressive 2021-22 season.

OLIVER GLASNER It was Oliver Glasner who took Wolfsburg to fourth and the Champions League last season. Now in charge at Eintracht Frankfurt, he’s relishing a new challenge but it won’t be easy. Yet, given how Glasner was able to transform Wolfsburg from has-beens to a Champions League team, supporters of die Adler should have faith in the man on the bench, as great things surely lie ahead in his career.

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FIVE THINGS WE HOPE TO SEE IN THE BUNDESLIGA IN 2022

BUNDESLIGA

'SINCE JURGEN KLOPP ARRIVED ON MERSEYSIDE IN 2015, LIVERPOOL HAVE ENJOYED A PERIOD OF SUCCESS' It was Rangnick who gave Tuchel his first coaching post, back in 2000. Tuchel’s playing career had been cut short by injury in 1998, and Rangnick named him coach of the Stuttgart youth team at the turn of the century. That proved to be the launching pad for Tuchel, setting him on a course that has led to opposing Rangnick today.

Rangnick, for his part, has been a nomad prior to signing on at Old Trafford. He earned some notoriety in Germany in 1998 for a strident criticism of football tactics in the country, earning him the nickname of Professor. Initially used sarcastically, in time it became a sign of respect for the coach’s visionary ideas.

His last position before coming to England was as manager of sports and development for Lokomotiv Moscow, but that last barely six months before he was lured to the Theatre of Dreams. Prior to that, he was part of the Red Bull group’s sporting operation, initially as director of football for both Red Bull Salzburg and RB Leipzig, and also, intermittently, as coach of the latter. A 2019 promotion gave Rangnick authority over all of the brand’s global football initiatives, including New York Red Bulls. Rangnick’s association with Red Bull ended in 2020, having flirted with a coaching and sporting director role at Milan before the

ABOVE: Having already won the Champions League at Liverpool, Jurgen Klopp finally delivered a coveted Premier League success in 2019-20 BOTTOM LEFT: Officially only an interim appointment, Ralf Rangnick will greatly shape the future of Manchester United whether or not he stays on as coach BOTTOM RIGHT: Julian Nagelsmann was Bayern Munich’s choice as coach in 2021 and will join the pantheon of his compatriots with victory in Europe this season TOP RIGHT: Wolfsburg players celebrate

Rossoneri put their faith in Stefano Pioli and the existing set-up at San Siro.

A brief tenure at Lokomotiv aside, then, it’s a long time since Rangnick was out of the Red Bull hierarchy, and it’s difficult to know what to expect from ‘his’ United – indeed, it’s impossible to say at this stage how closely it will follow Rangnick’s principles at all, as much depends on the identity of the full-time coach appointed at the end of the season.

And while three coaches might not make a trend, Klopp, Tuchel and Rangnick have more in common than nationality. Klopp and Tuchel received their schooling at the famed Fussball-Lehrer (Football Teacher) training scheme offered by the German Football Federation [DFB]. So too did current Dortmund coach Marco Rose and Bayern’s Julian Nagelsmann. Rangnick, meanwhile, is revered as the Godfather of modern German football, the driving force behind the gegenpressing philosophy that Klopp adheres to and Tuchel has been influenced by. He’s also Tuchel’s origin story.

The three of them could be fighting it out at the top of English football for some time to come.

1. We probably say this every year but: a real title race. They’ve got one in the Premier League this year, and Serie A as well. La Liga and Ligue 1 have both had surprise winners in recent years, too. The Bundesliga hasn’t had a title race worthy of the name for years – only faltering challenges to Bayern Munich’s dominance that peter out before the climactic weeks of the season. Let’s make this year different.

2. At the other end of the table, a great escape would be nice. Greuther Fürth needed 15 rounds of the season to finally win a game and looked doomed even before that, but you’d have to have a heart of stone not to want to see the Bavarian club turn it around. For inspiration they could look to Serie A in 2017, when Crotone did something similar.

3.

There are some big names in the Bundesliga who have flattered to deceive in recent years. Freiburg, Wolfsburg and Eintract Frankfurt have all had good runs in 2021 and should be regulars in European competition. 2022 should be the year the three fully establish themselves in the top six of the table – rather than go from boom to bust and back again, as they have a habit of doing.

4.

Ask anyone who follows football closely who the best striker in the world is and there’s a fair chance they’ll say Robert Lewandowski – as far as out-andout strikers go, there aren’t many other options. So why is the Bayern Munich striker so frequently overlooked for individual awards? He can’t do much more than break Gerd Muller’s Bundesliga goals record, or win finish as Germany’s top scorer for six years in a row. The Ballon d’Or voters need to watch more closely.

5.

That being said, there’s a new generation of goalscorers in German football and it would help break the monotony that sometimes threatens to creep in if one of them could out-score Lewi, just this once. Erling Haaland is the prime candidate, and if he does top the scoring charts then Dortmund will have a great chance of beating Bayern to the title, but a dark horse like Patrik Schick, who is vying with Lewandowski in the first half of 2021-22, could do it too.

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SOCCER360 JANUARY • FEBRUARY 2022

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BUNDESLIGA

THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY – BUNDESLIGA, WRITTEN BY FEARGAL BRENNAN

HAALAND OR NOTHING THE GOOD

Borussia Dortmund’s chances of putting up a Bundesliga title challenge to Bayern Munich were hit with a shock blow in October, after Erling Haaland suffered a hip injury. The news sent off panic alarms at Signal Iduna Park, with the Norwegian picking up where he left off from 2020-21 in 2021-22, with 13 club goals in all competitions prior to his injury.

Initial estimates on his recovery put him out until at least Christmas, with more realistic calls suggesting the club would utilise the Bundesliga winter break to give him an extra rest period. However, with boss Marco Rose aware of their title hopes hanging on the 21-year-old’s shoulders, his talisman made a shock early return, more than six weeks ahead of schedule.

Haaland is reported to have requested the club’s medical team push him as hard as possible with radical recovery techniques

used to get him back out on the pitch. His comeback has reinvigorated the team, after an indifferent run of form in his absence, as they look to force their way into the title race in 2022.

But despite the buzz surrounding his return, neither he, nor the rest of the squad, were able to salvage a disappointing Champions League group stage campaign. Borussia Dortmund’s 4-0 defeat away at Ajax in Game Week 3 flipped their form after successive wins in their first two European outings.

Haaland’s injury came days after their loss in Amsterdam and back-to-back defeats against Ajax and Sporting Lisbon put them in an almost impossible position to make the Round of 16 on the final day. Despite Haaland netting twice in a 5-0 win over Besiktas, it was not enough to turn the tide, and Rose’s side now drop into the Europa League in 2022.

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‘HAALAND NETTED TWICE IN A 5-0 WIN OVER BESIKTAS’

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SUPER AGENT FOR A SUPER PLAYER Super agent Mino Raiola recently mentioned Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, Barcelona and Manchester City as potential destinations for Erling Haaland, but he has now made it clear that they are not the only options for his client. In an interview with Sport1, Raiola said that there's a "big chance" that Haaland will leave Borussia Dortmund this summer, and mentioned Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, Barcelona and Manchester City as potential destinations. However, Raiola has now taken to Twitter to clarify that there are other clubs in the race for Haaland as well.

SOCCER360 JANUARY • FEBRUARY 2022

MANUEL AKANJI IS OUT Marco Rose confirms Borussia Dortmund will be without Manuel Akanji for the remainder of the year after he underwent minor knee surgery.

50 FOR WIRTZ Bayer Leverkusen's Florian Wirtz made his 50th Bundesliga appearance aged 18 years, 7 months and 12 days, he is the youngest player in Bundesliga history to reach this mark.

THE BAD

Bayern Munich’s midfield metronome Joshua Kimmich has been hit with a further setback in his recovery from Covid-19. The Germany star hit the headlines at the start of October after publicly revealing his hesitancy over receiving the Covid-19 vaccine.

Kimmich stated his firm adherence to the Covid-19 rules in place, both within the club and in Bavaria, to provide a sufficient safety net from the virus, as he made his mind up on a vaccine. Despite receiving criticism on his remarks, with the Bundesliga boasting one of the highest player vaccination rates in

European football, Kimmich was clear in his view of being undecided rather than ‘anti vax’.

However, in an ugly twist of irony, Kimmich tested positive for Covid-19 later that month, with his recovery from the virus beset by setbacks. Bayern have since confirmed he is struggling with a subsequent lung problem and will not feature again for the first team until 2022.

Alongside his absence from match day action, Kimmich is also unable to train, with boss Julian Nagelsmann confirming the club are working closely with the 26-year-old to assess the evolving situation.

Kimmich’s stance on the vaccine has led to a divide in Bundesliga fans over his attitude.

His charity work and financial donations to Covid-19 related causes in the pandemic have boosted his positive image, but vaccine hesitancy in Germany has been more harshly criticised than in other major European countries. Both Kimmich and Bayern are confident of his ability to make a full return in 2022, based on a recovery plan to repair a ‘lung infiltration’ issue, but his long term fitness picture remains unclear ahead of both the Bundesliga title run in and Germany’s 2022 World Cup campaign.

FAR LEFT (OPPOSITE PAGE): Dortmund's Erling Haaland celebrates after scoring the 5-0 lead (C) during the UEFA Champions League group C soccer match between Borussia Dortmund and Besiktas JK

‘BOTH KIMMICH AND BAYERN ARE CONFIDENT OF HIS ABILITY TO MAKE A FULL RETURN IN 2022’

RIGHT (OPPOSITE PAGE): Haaland in action against Bayern Munich RIGHT: Kimmich is a key part of the Germany National Soccer team FAR RIGHT: Joshua Kimmich in action for Bayern Munich

BAYERN IS IN A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN FC Bayern Munich's 5-0 victory over Stuttgart was the ninth time Bayern scored five or more goals in a Bundesliga match–more than any other team within a single calendar year since the formation of the Bundesliga before.

BUNDESLIGA

A FINE FOR BELLINGHAM Borussia Dortmund midfielder Jude Bellingham has been fined €40,000 by the DFB for his comments about referee Felix Zwayer.

Bellingham had claimed that Zwayer is a referee who fixed matches before after awarding a controversial penalty to Bayern Munich in Der Klassiker.

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BUNDESLIGA THE UGLY

Borussia Dortmund star Jude Bellingham created a social media stir with his post-match comments following his side’s 3-2 Der Klassiker defeat at home to rivals Bayern Munich.

Bellingham and his Dortmund teammates were frustrated at full time as a string of late controversial refereeing decisions left them pointless and hindered their pursuit of the Bavarians in the Bundesliga title race.

The England international was furious after the game, with referee Felix Zwayer the focus of his irritation on the night. Bellingham surprised reporters with his comments questioning Zwayer’s impartiality in such a big game based on his previous links to match fixing within German football.

Zwayer was banned from officiating games in 2005 after being embroiled in a match fixing scandal within Bundesliga 2, with the most infamous aspect of the incident including the 40-year-old Berliner accepting a paltry €300

bribe to cheat in a specific game.

But despite Zwayer’s previous connections to the dark side of financial impropriety, Bellingham’s comments were deemed ‘unprofessional’ by the German Football Association (DFB), who fined him €40,000 for his remarks. The former Birmingham City midfielder accepted the charge of unsportsmanlike behaviour and fine with no response and Zwayer remains placed to continue as a leading Bundesliga referee.

Dortmund coach Marco Rose has reportedly spoken to Bellingham about the incident, but neither he, nor the club, have criticised the 18-year-old for his behaviour, with significant sections of the Borussia Dortmund fan base supporting his stance on Zwayer.

Bellingham has enjoyed a fine start to life in German football, following his 2020 move from the Blues, with a possible Premier League switch on the cards in 2022 with Liverpool, Manchester United and Manchester City all rumoured to be tacking him.

‘JUDE BELLINGHAM CREATED A SOCIAL MEDIA STIR ’

FAR LEFT: Jude Bellingham reacts during aBundesliga soccer match ABOVE: England's Emile Smith Rowe (L) celebrates with teammate Jude Bellingham after scoring the 0-7 goal during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 World Cup group I qualifying soccer match San Marino vs England TOP (OPPOSITE PAGE): Freiburg's head coach Christian Streich BOTTOM (OPPOSITE PAGE): Greuther Furth players celebrate

BENJAMIN PAVARD KEEPING SECRETS Speaking in an interview with L'Equipe, Benjamin Pavard has brushed off speculation about his Bayern München future. It has recently been claimed in German media that Bayern are looking for a new right-back, with those in charge reportedly not satisfied with Pavard's performances. The French international, however, is not concerned about what lies ahead of him.

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SOCCER360 JANUARY • FEBRUARY 2022

KIMMICH REGRETTING IT Bayern Munich star Joshua Kimmich appeared on German television Sunday to talk about his bout with COVID as well as his controversial decision not to get vaccinated. Kimmich revealed that he regretted not getting vaccinated sooner and even said that he made an appointment to get inoculated during his second quarantine period.

ONISIWO & MESSI SIMILAR Mainz's Karim Onisiwo & Lionel Messi have scored only once from their first 35 shots this season, the worst conversion record in Europe's top 5 leagues.

GOING UP

Christian Streich’s Freiburg have been one of the surprise packages of the first half of the 2021-22 Bundesliga after finishing 10th last season. Their form heading into the winter break put them inside the European qualification spots with the possibility of a Champions League push in 2022.

GOING DOWN

Greuther Furth’s return to the German top flight has been a disaster in the first half of the 2021-22 campaign with 13 losses and one draw from their first 14 games set to condemn them to an immediate return to the second tier in 2022.

TOP: Bayern´s Manuel Neuer reacts after the German Bundesliga soccer match between 1. FC Union Berlin and FC Bayern Munich ABOVE: Dortmund's Marco Reus celebrates after scoring the 2-1 lead during the German Bundesliga soccer match between Borussia Dortmund and VfB Stuttgart LEFT: Wolfsburg players celebrate

MAINZ WILL NOT SIGN ANY UNVACCINATED PLAYERS FSV Mainz 05 head coach Christian Heidel says that his club will not sign any unvaccinated players in January. In addition to speaking on the club's remarkable turnaround last year and the frequent visits of German national team trainer Hans Dieter Flick to the club's ground, Heidel revealed himself to be a proponent of vaccine mandates.

THOMAS MULLER IS STILL PUTTING UP ASSISTS Bayern Munich's Thomas Muller is the first player to assist 12 goals in the first half of a single Bundesliga season.

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EUROPEAN SPOTLIGHT

BALLON D'OR OR

BALLON D'OH? ‘WHILE MESSI DID LEAD ARGENTINA TO A COPA AMERICA TITLE, HIS CLUB WORK WASN’T AT ITS BEST’

TT

he Ballon d’Or has once again been decided and once again not everyone agrees with the decision. In what has become an annual event of second-guessing, the Ballon d’Or is once again mired in controversy over who is the top player in the world on the men’s side with Lionel Messi defeating Robert Lewandowski. On the women’s side,

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SOCCER360 JANUARY • FEBRUARY 2022

ABOVE (MAIN): Lionel Messi with his seventh Ballon d'Or ABOVE LEFT TOP: For years, it was Ronaldo, Messi and a third, in the title race.

ABOVE LEFT, SECOND FROM THE TOP: After winning the Euro, and the Champions League, there was no surprise that Jorginho was third LEFT: Ronaldo did not finish in the top three of the Ballon D'or race

Alexia Putellas won top honors with Jennifer Hermoso placing second.

Of the two awards, the controversy seems to be coming from the men’s side. While Messi did lead Argentina to a Copa America title, his club work wasn’t at its best. Despite scoring 30 goals for Barcelona, the side finished third in La Liga and didn’t make it out of the Round of 16. Lewandowski scored 41 goals for Bayern Munich helping the side win the Bundesliga.

With Poland, he scored 11 goals in 12 matches, including three goals in the EURO 2020 competition.

The point of contention as to why Lewandowski should finish ahead of Messi partially comes from their season statistics, but it also seems to have its roots in the previous

LEWANDOWSKI SCORED 41 GOALS FOR BAYERN MUNICH HELPING THE SIDE WIN THE BUNDESLIGA.

PUTELLAS THINGS TO KNOW

Putellas Things To Know Putellas grew up a Barcelona fan and spent a year at their youth academy when she was 11.

However, the midfield maestro then moved to Espanyol where she stayed until 2011.

The Ballon d’Or winner made her debut for the club when she was just 16-yearsold and was part of the team that won the 2010 Copa de la Reina.

BALLON D'OR PAST WINNERS

ABOVE: Lewandowski celebrates while scoring a goal for Bayern Munich BELOW: Lewandowski scored 11 goals in 12 matches with Poland this year, adding to the confusion of why Lewandowski didn't win the Ballon d'Or LEFT: Modric was the first player to win the Ballon d'Or other than Messi or Ronaldo since 2007 TOP RIGHT: Alexia Putellas with her 2021 Ballon d'Or

2021 L. MESSI Lewandowski

2015 L. MESSI C. Ronaldo

2019 L. MESSI Virgil van Dijk

2014 C. Ronaldo L. Messi

2018 L. MODRIC C. Ronaldo

2013 C. RONALDO L. Messi

2017 C. RONALDO L. Messi

2012 L. MESSI c. Ronaldo

2016 C. RONALDO L. Messi

2011 L. MESSI C. Ronaldo

BOTTOM RIGHT: Putellas playing for Barcelona

season. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the French Football Association opted to not run the Ballon d’Or award. Given that Munich had won both the Bundesliga and Champions League that season, Lewandowski seemed prime to win the award. There’s also a bit of malaise within soccer supporter circles about Messi winning the award. Since becoming a professional, Messi has won the award seven times.

On the women’s side, there was a bit less controversy with Putellas, FC Barcelona’s star striker, winning top honors. The veteran attacking midfielder scored the second goal in Barcelona’s 2-0 win over Chelsea in the Women’s Champions League Final. She was also instrumental in the side winning the La Liga final and the Copa de la Reina, becoming the first side to win a continental treble. Putellas’ attacking partner, Jennifer Hermoso, placed second a strong sign of the development that Spanish football has made in recent years.

Putellas then moved to Levante aged 17, before securing a move back to Barcelona in the summer of 2012.

As well as securing the Ballon d’Or, Putellas was named the UEFA Women’s Player of the Year.

The Spaniard held off competition from teammates Hermoso and Lieke Martens.

Putellas was also named midfielder of the season –– beating teammate Aitana Bonmati and Chelsea’s Ji So-Yun. Despite being just 27-years-old, Putellas has been a vital figure in Barcelona’s first team since 2012 and has made more than 370 appearances for the club.

This puts her fourth on the all-time list, behind Melanie Serrano, Marta Unzue and Manchester City’s Vicky Losada.

Having scored more than 150 goals, Putellas is also the club’s second top goalscorer, trailing only to Hermoso.

Putellas is not just a star for Barcelona but also holds the record for most international appearances for Spain with 92.

So far, she has featured in three major competitions and was named Spain’s Player of the Year in 2021.

Runner up in italics

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MLS & LIGA MX

NEW YORK

REIGNS

MARCO D’ONOFRIO RECAPS THE MAGICAL SEASON NEW YORK CITY FC HAD AND HOW THEY MANAGED TO CAPTURE THE MOST PRESTIGIOUS PRIZE IN MLS.

TT

hey thought it was all over…it wasn’t.

New York City FC were seconds away from their first ever MLS Cup triumph when Felipe Mora buried the ball in the back of the net to put the Portland Timbers level at 1-1 in the 94th minute of the game. Providence Park was roaring, while NYCFC players looked dejected.

Surely, the home team would go on to capture the Philip F. Anschutz Trophy now, with all the momentum behind them and the crowd buzzing. However, for the second time in the 2021 playoffs, New York City demonstrated their strength of character in responding to a lastminute equalizer by going on to win on penalties.

Goalkeeper Sean Johnson came up big when called upon, making two massive saves in the shootout to help provide his team with a victory that will go down in history. New York City had shocked the world by winning the MLS Cup. Prior to 2021, the perennial underachievers had only won one playoff game in their history – despite qualifying for the postseason in five consecutive years. It was a sore spot for supporters who were tired of seeing their team perform well during the regular season only to fail when it mattered most. So, what exactly changed in 2021? To discover the truth, one merely must go back and re-visit the club’s major paradigm shift. The same team that kicked off their inaugural season in MLS in 2015 by signing three of the most high-profile Designated Players in league history – Andrea Pirlo, David Villa and Frank Lampard – realized that just throwing money around wasn’t going to get the job done in a league that had a salary cap and various protocols in place to ensure that every franchise can compete. The team had committed a total of $17.2m in guaranteed wages per season on three players and couldn’t even earn a playoff spot in their first season. A change was needed.

The club opted to focus on youth and the development of their younger talent, which was quite evident in the 2021 MLS Cup Final that saw the victors start five players under the age of

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SOCCER360 JANUARY • FEBRUARY 2022

‘THE CLUB OPTED TO FOCUS ON YOUTH AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF THEIR YOUNGER TALENT ’

ABOVE: New York City FC celebrates winning the 2021 MLS Cup RIGHT: Alexander Callens celebrates after winning the Eastern Conference Championship match FAR RIGHT: Maxi Morales was a key part in NYCFC's Championship run

THE MAN TO SAVE TFC?

Marco D’Onofrio discusses Toronto FC’s new head coach and sporting director Bob Bradley and asks if he will be the saviour the Reds need…

25, including the team’s first ever homegrown product to make the first team roster, 21-yearold James Sands. The defensive midfielder was brilliant during the game and finished the contest with the most tackles. The team also started 19-year-old academy graduate Tayvon Gray. “It is such a special feeling,” said Sands moments after his team won the MLS Cup. “The fans supported all the homegrowns, not just myself, this whole time. Good moments and bad moments this season, they’ve been there and to win it for them and for all the fans that travelled here, it’s an amazing feeling and I’ll have it for the rest of my life.”

It wasn’t just the development of their own local talent though as they also decided to forego bringing in big household names as Designated Players, instead focusing on younger lesserknown prospects from South America that could make a massive impact in the league.

In 2018, NYCFC acquired Paraguayan Jesus Medina, who was only 21 at the time, from Club Libertad. Medina started in the MLS Cup Final and played 95 minutes before ultimately being subbed off for another young South American Designated Player – the 19-year-old Talles Magno. Talles Magno was signed during the offseason from his former club Vasco da Gama for a reported $12m transfer fee and while he didn’t get the opportunity to start the game, he

played a pivotal role by burying a penalty kick past Portland goalkeeper Steve Clark when called upon. The winger should only continue to grow and get better during his time in New York.

NYCFC didn’t just rely on Designated Player spots to sign high-end young talent either, as they also went out and nabbed the 2021 MLS Golden Boot winner Valentin Castellanos in 2018 when he was just 20-years-old.

Castellanos isn’t a Designated Player, but he led the league with 19 goals and eight assists. He also came up big in the MLS Cup Final by scoring a goal and converting the first penalty for his team in the shootout.

The team did bring in an experienced head coach from abroad in 2020, to help guide the team of veterans and youngsters.

Norwegian Ronny Deila, who previously had coached Celtic and Valerenga in Europe, was chosen to guide the team prior to the 2020 season and less than two years later he has taken them to the pinnacle. “You have to celebrate victories and that one today was a big victory,” the tactician said following his team’s triumph. “I said maybe too much when I got hired here, but I don't regret that.

It was a big moment. I will do that again if we keep winning trophies.” When Deila first

After an abysmal season that saw Toronto FC miss out on the playoffs for just the second time in the past seven years, the club knew they needed a reset. The team cleared house with both head coach Javier Perez and general manager Ali Curtis leaving the organization. They have been replaced with Bob Bradley, who has coached well over 350 games in the league since his start in 1997.

Bradley is also the father of team captain Michael Bradley who has been with the Reds since 2014, helping them win an MLS Cup in 2017. Now Bob is tasked with getting them back to the glory days, when silverware just kept piling up.

Along with the front office, personnel changes on the pitch need to be made and Bradley will have the power to shape the squad how he sees fit. The team’s longest-serving Designated Player Jozy Altidore is on his way out of Toronto, freeing up a spot for someone who Bradley would prefer instead.

Rumours have been running rampant that the Reds have made multiple offers to Napoli and Italy star Lorenzo Insigne, but that seems more like a pipe dream than anything else. Still, it shows the intention and ambition of the club who is looking to make another major impact signing like they did when they landed Sebastian Giovinco in 2015.

It remains to be seen exactly what Bradley has planned for TFC, but fans have to be excited about the appointment of a man who has won three MLS Coach of the Year awards during his time in the league.

ABOVE: Veteran goalkeeper Sean Johnson was named New York City FC captain for this season and came up big when most required RIGHT: 21-year-old James Sands was NYCFC’s first homegrown signing and started in the 2021 MLS Cup Final TOP RIGHT: Toronto FC have put all their eggs in Bob Bradley’s basket, naming him coach and sporting director BOTTOM RIGHT: Rumours have been running rampant that the Napoli captain could be headed to Toronto FC

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MLS

“A CHANGE WAS NEEDED” arrived in New York, he promised that he would strip down to his underwear and do push ups if his team ever won MLS Cup, and proved to be a man of his word and committed to the stunt despite the freezing temperatures in Portland.

Deila knew the talent he had at his disposal and relied on his veterans to help his young core.

New York’s experienced goalkeeper and captain Sean Johnson was named the MLS Cup MVP for an outstanding performance on the pitch, but he was just as valuable in the locker room for his club.

“The way he has stepped up the last two months has been absolutely unbelievable,” Deila said of Johnson following the MLS Cup success. “And for me, he's the big, big winner. He wins us this game in the end.

“The way he speaks to the team, the way he goes in front every day in training, bringing people together, and also when the big moment is coming, how he is the standout time after time. He's a winner, a real winner, and he's a leader. He's a captain that the whole club should be really, really proud of.”

Johnson has been with the club since 2017 and was named captain prior to the start of the current campaign, a role he has thrived in.

“So many ups, so many downs,” he said as he reflected on the game and the season. “And we just talked amongst ourselves before the game

COACH RONNY DELIA LIVED UP TO HIS WORD AND STRIPPED OFF FOR PUSH UPS AFTER LIFTING THE MLS CUP 54

SOCCER360 JANUARY • FEBRUARY 2022

ABOVE: Felipe Mora pulled Portland Timbers level late in the MLS Cup Final BELOW: Ronny Delia, coach of NYCFC TOP RIGHT: Sebastian Mendez for Orlando FC FAR RIGHT: Kreilach celebrating for Real Salt Lake

and just said, ‘It's a massive opportunity to make it all worth it,’ and this is what we live for, these moments to be the MVP of the finals. It means the world, but it means so much more to lift the cup for this club.”

Ulimately, the team that entered the league looking to be the flashiest proved that it isn’t about big names or international superstars.

Winning in MLS requires a long-term commitment to the project and the development of young stars along with having experienced veterans to help guide them. It wasn’t simply the talent on the pitch that led to NYCFC becoming champions, but rather the strength in character that they had developed through both the good and bad times.

“In the end, if you keep believing, keep working hard and improve, you get what you deserve,” said Deila. “And this team, what they have done, they deserve to win MLS this year, and they did it. I'm unbelievably proud and grateful to be a part of it.”

As a result of the club’s revamped philosophy, the future looks incredibly bright for the MLS Cup champions. In 2021, they inked Academy product Christian McFarlane to a homegrown contract through the 2026 season with an option for 2027 – the defender is just 14 years old. NYCFC are planning for a glorious future.

10.) MENDEZ MELTS MONTREAL One of the best parts of the MLS season is Decision Day, where sides on the cusp of making the MLS Cup Playoffs are all playing at the same time. It creates some amazing drama and some awesome moments. Take the Orlando City versus CF Montreal match in the frozen tundra of Saputo Stadium. With both sides neck-and-neck for the final playoff spot and a charged Montreal crowd, the atmosphere was electric with each attacking chance bringing the crowd to their feet.

After 53 nervy minutes, Sebastian Mendez of Orlando earned his side the advantage with a thunderous strike from distance. The goal proved to be the difference as Orlando earned the number six spot in the Eastern Conference.

9.) KREILACH LIFTS RSL OVER SPORTING After a tumultuous 2020 season, no one expected much of Real Salt Lake in 2021.

While the side certainly had some bumps along the way, Pablo Mastroeni’s side continued to stay in the playoff race getting results in a very difficult Western Conference.

Their dogged pursuit of MLS’ second season paid off when Damir Kreilach scored the goahead goal in the 95th minute in their Decision Day match against Sporting Kansas City.

8.) UNDERMANNED UNION UNITE If there is one thing that is certain about American sports it is that the city of Philadelphia and its sports fans love an underdog. The sports-crazed city who counts Rocky as one of its heroes, had another underdog story that nearly paid off with the Philadelphia Union. While the Union were one of the top sides in the Eastern Conference, they were dealt a huge blow before the MLS Cup Conference Finals with the news that eleven of their players would be out due to the league’s COVID-19 Protocols. Without six starters and being forced to dip into their academy for depth, the Union surprised NYCFC taking the early lead. Although NYCFC would end up with the 2-1 win, the Union earned the respect of their supporters and their opponents showing their grit and determination in a very difficult situation.

TOP 10 MLS

MOMENTS

FIVE THINGS WE HOPE TO SEE IN MLS IN 2022

ANOTHER MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER SEASON IS IN THE BOOKS! THE 2021 MLS SEASON PROVED TO BE ONE OF THE MOST MEMORABLE YET WITH SO MANY TWISTS AND TURNS AS WELL AS SOME PRETTY GOOD MATCHES. SOCCER 360 MAGAZINE’S SEAN MASLIN HAS THE TOP TEN MOMENTS FROM THE 2021 CAMPAIGN!

1.

7.) MLS ALL-STARS UPEND LIGA MX MLS All-Star games are usually devoid of any sort of memorable moments, given that the speed and pace of the match is generally pedestrian. But this year’s match against the Liga MX All-Stars seemed to have a bit more spice to it. In front of an electric crowd in Los Angeles the two sides fought for 90 minutes to a 1-1 draw. In penalties, a big goal from Ricardo Pepi and two saves from Matt Turner pushed the home side over the top.

6.) THE KING OF THE EMERALD CITY It didn’t take long for Freddy Montero to make an impact in 2021. The 34 year old striker returned to Seattle after nine years away from the Sounders and there were some questions as to what he still had left in the tank. He answered that question rather quickly, blasting a volley in the club’s season opener over Minnesota United FC. With his goal, Montero became the club’s alltime leading goalscorer with 48 goals in league play.

5.) NO SHOTS, NO PROBLEM It is kind of hard to win a match when you don’t get a shot on target. Yet, that is just what happened with Real Salt Lake in their playoff match against the Seattle Sounders.

Despite being outshot 21-0, RSL shocked the Sounders, winning 6-5 in penalties with defender Justen Glad (who has just five goals in 157 MLS appearances) sealing the result.

4.) TIMBERS TAKE TURKEY DAY From the day that the MLS Cup Playoff Schedule was announced there was one game that every American supporter had circled on their calendar: Thanksgiving Day. 2021 saw the firstever MLS match to be played on Thanksgiving, with the Timbers traveling to Colorado to take on the Rapids. The game didn’t disappoint with the two sides trading attacking chances for the full 90 minutes. Just before extratime though the Timbers would take the Turkey Day tussle, with Larrys Mabiala stuffing a shot past the Rapids defense to give his side the win. The match itself was a huge success with the game averaging close to two million viewers, becoming the second-highest rated MLS match ever.

While they may just be rumours, it’s hard not be excited at the prospect of a star like Lorenzo Insigne playing his trade in MLS with Toronto FC arriving in similar fashion that Sebastian Giovinco did in 2015. The Atomic Ant took the league by storm, setting all kinds of individual records and winning the Landon Donovan MLS MVP Award in his first season. He also helped the Reds qualify for the playoffs for the first time ever during an incredible debut season. If Insigne does join, he has big shoes to fill.

3.) AUSTIN STUNS MLS When Austin FC was announced as the next MLS expansion side, there were a ton of questions as to what a team in Austin, Texas would look like.

The footballing world received their answer in the club’s first home match, with over 20,000 packing the Q2 stadium against the San Jose Earthquakes. With the Anthem, Los Verde, Burnt Orange Brigade, and New Braunfels in the stands and owner Matthew McConaughey wearing a green jacket the expansion side pulled off a 0-0 draw. Although it was a tough first season, the young group clearly fed off the energy of their home supporters with seven of their nine wins coming at the Q2.

2.

This likely isn’t going to happen anytime soon, but it would be encouraging to see the league pause during all international breaks, like most other major leagues do in the world. While the league doesn’t comply with the FIFA calendar, it can be frustrating watching your favourite team play an important match with half their squad missing on international duty.

3. The league’s newest team, Charlotte FC

2.) THE WONDO WALK-OFF 2021 saw the end of the career of Chris Wondolowski, the league’s all-time leading goalscorer. While most goalscorers of Wondo’s pedigree would turn the situation into a full show, the longtime San Jose Earthquake chose to zag. In the lead-up to the team’s match of the season against FC Dallas, no announcement had been made. In the 34th minute, he scored his fifth goal of the season and 171st of all-time with a curling shot that brought the supporters behind the net to their feet. At the end of the match, he spoke to the supporters announcing his retirement after 14 seasons with the side.

FAR LEFT: Freddy Montero has had a great career, and has cherished his return to the Seattle Sounders LEFT: Austin FC won 7 out of their 9 wins at the QT, impressing the MLS and their supporters BELOW: Chris Wondo ends his career as the all time leading scorer of MLS

begin play in 2022 and fans of the league are hopeful they can help bring some more excitement and talent into MLS. There is nothing worse than a new team that enters the league and does nothing to generate a buzz.

4.

While it is great to see young talent like Tajon Buchanan garner interest from across the pond, it is tough for fans of the league to watch the brightest stars continually exit when they reach their prime. It would be fantastic if MLS were able to hold on to their best domestic talent.

5.

With crowds back in attendance, a sold-out stadium and proper atmosphere is appreciated more so than ever. The league and its teams need to do a better job marketing and scheduling games to ensure they are well attended.

1) THE REVS CLAIM THE SHIELD Despite being an MLS original, the New England Revolution do not have the deepest trophy case.

Aside from a 2009 U.S. Open Cup, the Boston side entering the 2021 season did not have any major titles in their C/V. The team led by MLS MVP Carles Gil broke that streak with a record-breaking 73 points, earning the Supporters Shield.

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MLS

THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY – MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER, WRITTEN BY MARCO D’ONOFRIO

HOME GROWN MOVEMENT THE GOOD Major League Soccer has grown significantly both on and off the pitch since its inception in 1996. The quality of the product is unquestionably much more advanced than it was in the league's inaugural campaign as is the sophistication of the marketing and the interest level from the public. However, one area where massive progress has also been made is the ability of the league to develop stars – local and international.

This year's Golden Boot was awarded to 23-year-old Valentin Castellanos of New York City FC. The Argentine originally joined the club on loan in 2018 from Uruguayan club Montevideo City Torque, before NYCFC opted to make the move permanent ahead of the 2019 campaign. Castellanos arrived in New York with little fanfare or excitement, but in his fourth season in MLS he led the entire league with 19 goals.

Castellanos is far from the only player who has been able to make a name for himself in MLS to garner international attention as many

Canadian international players are discovering as well. Whether it be Toronto FC's Jonathan Osorio, Ayo Akinola and Richie Lareya or the New England Revolutions' Tajon Buchanan, who has already signed with Belgian club Genk, the rest of the world is starting to discover the potential that MLS players have.

Alphonso Davies' success at Bayern Munich unquestionably helped erase a lot of the doubt that European clubs had about the quality of players MLS was developing, but he is far from the only one to prove they can get the job done on the biggest stage. Brampton, Ontario's Cyle Larin was drafted first overall by Orlando City in 2015 and spent three seasons in Florida before making the move across the pond to Besiktas in Turkey. The Canadian striker is enjoying an incredible season that sees him battling at the top for most goals scored in the Turkish Super Lig. MLS has done a phenomenal job in identifying young talent and helping them reach their potential, something the league needs to ensure it continues to do moving forward.

‘IN HIS FOURTH SEASON IN MLS HE LED THE ENTIRE LEAGUE WITH 19 GOALS. ’ THE BAD Real Salt Lake knocked off the second-best team in the Western Conference after 34 games, without having a single shot all game.

Not just a shot on target – a shot, on or off target. At all.

Pablo Mastroeni’s men went into Lumen Field in Seattle and beat the Sounders in a penalty shootout after 120 minutes of playing straight defense. While there are no issues with a solid defensive outing, there is a problem with a team coming into the first game of the playoffs looking to go to a penalty shootout before the game even begins.

It really makes you question the idea behind the one-game elimination playoff format that had been re-introduced in the league in 2019.

The format was brought back to help garner more interest and generate a big buzz for playoff games, but if more of them turn out

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like the one we saw between the Sounders and Real Salt Lake, fans will inevitably be increasingly turned off.

When a team has 21 shots and 62% possession, they shouldn’t be eliminated by a team who had zero shots and 38% possession. Yes, oneoffs happen and we’ve seen this is major finals before, but it is certainly not the norm and shouldn’t happen in the opening round.

The Sounders do not deserve to be let off the hook here and were not great on the night either. There are no excuses to be made for their inability to get past a Real Salt Lake side who had been missing their captain, Albert Rusnak. However, from an outsider’s perspective it isn’t a very good look to see teams playing for penalties from the first minute in the first game of the postseason.

THE UGLY While many fans love watching the NBA or the NHL and understandably so, the ugly truth is both these leagues have regular seasons that are far too long. Both leagues see their teams play 82 games during the regular season, with more than half the teams qualifying for the playoffs anyway. Is there really a need for 82 games to determine the best eight teams in each conference?

The same thought process could be applied to MLS. While the concept of the playoffs does make sense and has always worked in North America, it can be frustrating to see top teams

eliminated in one game after having such strong seasons.

The New England Revolution set an all-time MLS record for most points in a regular season this year, topping Los Angeles FC’s 2019 record of 72 points with 73. However, they saw their dreams of an MLS Cup triumph disappear after losing to New York City FC in a penalty-kick shootout in the Eastern Conference semi-finals.

It’s hard not to think of Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s famous words when he played for the Galaxy “I think the system is ****,” he said back in August 2019. "How can you learn mentality if you only have to reach the playoffs? You just

need to win the playoffs, and that's it. The results in each game are important, but here, if you come in seventh place, you make the playoffs and win, you are champion.”

He’s not wrong. The team that dominated the rest of the league during the season and made history over 34 games was eliminated in a penalty-kick shootout after 120 minutes.

Something doesn’t seem right. While playoffs do need to remain in place, there must be a better system than a single elimination tournament at the conclusion of the regular season to determine who wins the league’s most prestigious prize.

THE GOOD, BAD, & UGLY

LEFT (OPPOSITE PAGE): Valentin Castellanos celebrating for New York City FC RIGHT (OPPOSITE PAGE): Castellanos originally joined the club on loan in 2018 from Uruguayan club Montevideo City Torque, before NYCFC opted to make the move permanent ahead of the 2019 campaign BOTTOM (OPPOSITE PAGE): Real Salt Lake celebrates after eliminating Seattle by penalty shootout LEFT: New England Revolution celebrate a great season ABOVE: New England broke a record for most regular season points, but were eliminated in the playoffs after only 120 minutes RIGHT: Canadian, TFC player Richie Laryea improves every match BOTTOM: Tajon Buchanan

GOING UP Canada international Richie Lareva has become a valuable member of the starting line-up for both club and country, garnering interest from multiple teams across the pond in Europe.

After having his contract option declined by Orlando City following the 2018 season, he joined Toronto FC and hasn’t looke back since.

GOING DOWN The New England Revolution made history in 2021, breaking the all-time MLS regular season points record, but it’s hard to see them recover following a disastrous playoff exit. Stars like Tajon Buchanan have already committed their future elsewhere and it remains to be seen what will be left of the Revolution heading into 2022.

‘RICHIE LAREVA HAS BECOME A VALUABLE MEMBER OF THE STARTING LINE-UP’ SOCCER360 JANUARY • FEBRUARY 2022

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WOMEN'S SOCCCER

PROJECT

REBOOT ‘THIS CYCLE PROMISES PLENTY OF EXCITEMENT FOR THE DEFENDING CHAMPIONS.’

II

nternational football is a cyclical sport.

Teams at the national team level are built primarily with the end goal of the World Cup. For some sides, just making the World Cup is an achievement, but for other sides the goals are far more ambitious. With the 2023 Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand just right around the corner, the United States Women’s National Team are at the beginning of their World Cup journey. With new faces and fresh questions, this cycle promises plenty of excitement and a little bit of drama for the defending champions in the lead-up to qualification.

Defending a title is never easy but defending a title four years after the win is a very, very difficult path. This is the challenge that the USWNT face in their lead-up and preparation for 2023. While coach Vlatko Andonovski has been with the side for close to two years, the

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ABOVE LEFT: Kristie Mewis and Jane Campbell have become a vital part of the USWNT ABOVE RIGHT: Catarina Macario celebrates during a 2019 World Cup match LEFT: Ashley Hatch celebrates after scoring a goal during the 2019 World Cup TOP (OPPOSITE PAGE): Alex Morgan for USA BOTTOM (OPPOSITE PAGE): Megan Rapinoe's role has recently been TOP RIGHT (OPPOSITE PAGE SIDEBAR): Jessie Fleming BOTTOM RIGHT (OPPOSITE PAGE SIDEBAR): Jordyn Huitema

THE YOUNG STARS

‘ALEX MORGAN AND MEGAN RAPINOE HAVE SEEN THEIR ROLES REDUCED IN RECENT FRIENDLIES’ 2023

DATES TO KNOW

QUALIFICATION: September 2021 December 2022 GROUP STAGE:: July 20th August 3rd ROUND OF 16: August 5-8 QUARTER FINALS: August 11-12 SEMI FINALS: August 15-16

results have been mixed. In the Summer Olympics in Tokyo, the US struggled losing in the Group Stage to Sweden and falling to eventual Gold Medalist Canada in the semifinals. A bronze medal is a respectable showing, but for the two-time defending World Cup Champions it left a bitter taste in many supporter’s mouths.

The side seems to be at an interesting point.

With qualification for 2023 slated to take place in July in the first-ever CONCACAF W Championships, Andonovski seems to be ready to bring in some younger talent.

Some veterans have already moved on, most notably Carli Lloyd who returned in October. Other veterans such as Julie Ertz, Sam Mewis, and Christen Press haven’t made an appearance since the Tokyo Olympics while Kelley O’Hara, Megan Rapinoe, and Alex Morgan have seen their roles reduced in recent friendlies against South Korea and Paraguay.

Those moves helped open up spaces for the likes of Andi Sullivan, Ashley Hatch, Ashley Sanchez, and Catarina Macario who have taken bigger roles and more minutes in recent matches. The youth movement was on full display in the two recent friendlies in Australia which saw the USWNT earn a win and draw against the Matildas. Hatch in particular was superb in the two matches, scoring a goal within the first five minutes of each match. With Sullivan linking up Rose LaVelle in the midfield the US showed a bit more attacking fire, using their speed on the outside to create attacking chances. For a side that for decades relied on a strong center forward it was an interesting shift that paid off. Although there is certainly a youth movement going on within the USWNT, the big question that Andonovski will have is

integrating the veterans back into the fold. Ertz, Mewis, Press, and O’Hara will all likely be in the fold for the next World Cup cycle and finding ways to bring them back in will be a real challenge. Those that have filled in have shown that they can handle playing consistent minutes at the international level.

That isn’t to say that the veterans don’t have anything to offer. Quite the opposite. But the USWNT through the years have struggled with these transitions between generations with a number of very public blowups. There’s also the possibility of younger players' growth being stagnated due to not enough opportunities (Mallory Pugh is a perfect example of this). The problem is further compounded with the rise of teenagers (Washington Spirit’s Trinity Rodman, Sophia Smith of the Portland Timbers, Jaelin Howell of the University of Stanford, and Brianna Pinto of the North Carolina Courage) earning significant minutes in the NWSL/college and thriving. Having a wealth of talent is a benefit for Andonovski and USWNT General Manager Katie Markgraf but it is also a real challenge. While the players will have plenty of friendlies ahead of World Cup Qualifying, not every player is going to receive a call-up and some players will see their minutes reduced in comparison to previous years. How the USWNT leadership chooses to manage those relationships will have a huge impact on the sides World Cup aspirations and whether they can claim top honors for a third consecutive tournament.

Much like the United States, the Canadian Women’s National Team seem to be on a different course. Despite having won their first-ever Gold Medal at the Olympics, the side seems to be fully focused on World Cup Qualification and finding the right rotation of players.

The two sets of friendlies provided two very different results which can be attributed in part due to the experience of both sides. In the two wins against the Kiwis, Priestmann used a much more experienced side, which is partially to allow the Olympic veterans the chance to bask in their glory from the Tokyo Games.

However, against La Tri, she opted to give younger players match time. Those results were starkly different, with a draw and a loss in Mexico.

Losing isn’t necessarily a bad thing especially considering that the goal was to give players an opportunity to play in a difficult environment against a tough opponent. But the lack of scoring chances and breakdowns in the midfield should be a cause of concern ahead of World Cup Qualifying. In particular the play of Jessie Fleming and Jordyn Huitema has come under greater focus as they are considered to be two of the main players in the attack this window.

What will be interesting to see is how this side handles the pressure of being an Olympic Gold Medal winner while balancing their own World Cup aspirations. In the lead-up to the CONCACAF W Championships, they will compete in the England Invitational against three excellent European sides in England, Germany, and Spain. All three sides will be gunning for Canada, since they are now cemented as one of the top sides in the world. That pressure should benefit the side ahead of CONCACAF, hopefully giving them the focus needed to prepare for World Cup Qualification.

THIRD PLACE GAME: August 19 FINALS: August 20

SOCCER360 JANUARY • FEBRUARY 2022

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QATAR WORLD CUP 2022

CONCACAF

HEATS UP WHEN IT COMES TO CONCACAF WORLD CUP QUALIFICATION, ONE SHOULD LEARN TO EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED. THROUGH THE YEARS, THE REGION HAS PRODUCED SOME OF THE CRAZIEST AND WILDEST RESULTS IN WORLD FOOTBALL. THIS QUALIFICATION WINDOW ISN’T ANY DIFFERENT. SEAN MASLIN EXPLAINS WHY.

‘THERE IS A FAIRLY CLEAR LINE BETWEEN THE CONTENDERS AND THE REST OF THE PACK’ ABOVE: Jonathan Osorio and Alphonso Davies celebrate after scoring LEFT: The USAMNT are currently sitting near the top of the table, as they try to qualify for another World Cup RIGHT: USAMNT Star Christian Pulisic

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WW

ith eight games in the books, the only thing that is certain is that there are going to be some great matches to wrap up play. Although no spots have been secured through eight matches, there is a fairly clear line between the contenders (Canada, United States, Mexico, and Panama) and the rest of the pack (Costa Rica, Jamaica, El Salvador, and Honduras). But within each pocket of teams things are still very much up for grabs.

Perhaps the biggest surprise in qualification has been Canada. The Reds have taken their second chance at qualification (initially they would have been out of qualification prior to the expansion to eight teams in the final round) and ran with it, leading the competition on 17 points. While their win over Mexico at the Iceteca in Edmonton will go down in football lore, their draws against El Tri in Mexico City and the United States in Nashville were perhaps bigger results.

Head Coach Jon Herdman has figured out how to rotate Tajon Buchanan and Jonathan David to great success while keeping Cyle Larin busy up front (4 goals during qualifying). The final push for Qatar will require a return to San Pedro Sula in Honduras as well as hosting a U.S. side looking for revenge. If they can get past those two trouble spots, they may be returning to the World Cup for the first time since 1986.

Another side looking to make a return to the grandest stage in football is the United States. Despite a few bumps (a loss to Panama on the road, draw at Canada at

‘THE 25-YEAR-OLD FROM CRUZ AZUL HAS SERVED AS A PLAYMAKER IN THE ATTACK’ home) the U.S. are on relatively solid ground (4-3-1, 15 points) to return to the World Cup after missing the 2018 edition.

While the side is teeming with young talent (Tim Weah and Miles Robinson have in particular stood out in the midfield and defense respectively) their inexperience has perhaps left them a few points short of where they probably should be at this point. Christian Pulisic, Weston McKennie, and Tyler Adams are three of their cornerstone players. Yet, all three have had trouble staying on the pitch for head coach Gregg Berhalter. The next three matches are critical for this side to qualify (at home to El Salvador and Honduras and on the road to Canada). Should they fail to seal their spot over the winter, two difficult road tests against Mexico and Costa Rica await.

Speaking of El Tri, Mexico are on shaky ground after losses to both the US and Canada to end

2021.Now that isn’t to say that they are struggling to qualify (they are just two points and one point behind Canada and the U.S., respectively) but the results have been less than stellar. The big concern is the age of the side. Mainstays such as goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa and midfielder Andrew Guardado have struggled to keep up with the younger sides in CONCACAF. The problem is compounded by head coach Tata Martino failing to find suitable replacements. El Tri needs Hirving Lozano and Raul Jimenez regain their scoring spark to get on more stable ground.

Another bad series of results this winter though and Martino may be out.

Hot on Mexico’s heels are Panama (4-2-2, 14 points) who have built a nice cushion ahead of Costa Rica (2-3-3, 9 points) and Jamaica (1-4-3, 7 points). The Canal Men continue to get results in difficult situations (wins over Jamaica and

ABOVE LEFT: Orbelin Pineda is one of the few youngsters that recieved playing time during the qualification swing ABOVE RIGHT: Veteran goalie Ochoa has been performing at the same consistency BOTTOM LEFT: Tim Weah reacts during a qualification match

‘IT WAS HIS WORK AGAINST MEXICO, WHERE FOR 90 MINUTES HE DICTATED THE TEMPO OF THE MATCH’

Honduras at home) while getting big results at home (draws against Mexico and Costa Rica and a 1-0 win over the United States). Forward Gabriel Torres has had a sublime final round of qualification, scoring four huge goals. Given their advantage over fourth and fifth place, if they can continue to get results then they should find themselves in the intercontinental playoff against New Zealand.

Outside of the top four, keep an eye on Jamaica.

The Reggae Boyz had an uphill battle to start qualification, going on the road for five of their first eight matches. After a few rough results, they finished 2021 strong, earning results in each of their last four matches. With five home games remaining, they need to start getting wins to make-up the difference over Panama. Mikhail Antonio and Leon Bailey are two of the best attacking players in the region and could very well swing the group as we enter the final few weeks of action. Costa Rica also has a chance to overtake Panama but so much of it depends upon the health of goalkeeper Keylor Navas. Navas is still one of the best goalkeepers in the world and when he has been healthy he has kept The Ticas in the race. But when he cannot go, the side struggles. That Joel Campbell and Bryan Ruiz are still their best attacking options at 29 and 36 doesn’t help. If they cannot get three points at home on January 27 against Panama, they may miss the World Cup for the first time since 2010.

While there is still a possibility of playing a spoiler, El Salvador and Honduras’ hopes of making Qatar 2022 appear to be all but extinguished. The two sides seem to be at very different points with La Selecta really pushing the top sides. Head Coach Hugo Perez has completely rebuilt El Salvador (1-3-4, 6 points), with the side using this Qualification window to build for the Gold Cup and a run in 2026.

Honduras (0-3-5, 3 points) meanwhile still have yet to get a single win in competition. After a strong decade, Los Catrachos appear destined for a big rebuild at the end of Qualification.

Although there are six matches left in qualification, everything is still up for grabs.

While the three North American sides look to be in solid shape to qualify for Qatar 2022, things can change quickly. Just ask the United States at the end of qualifying for the 2018 World Cup. So buckle in and enjoy the ride!

SOCCER360 JANUARY • FEBRUARY 2022

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QATAR WORLD CUP 2022

BREAKOUT

TIME IN CONCACAF, THIS WORLD CUP QUALIFICATION CYCLE HAS PRODUCED AN ARRAY OF YOUNG PLAYERS WHO HAVE STEPPED UP FOR THEIR COUNTRY. SOCCER 360 MAGAZINE’S SEAN MASLIN HAS A LOOK AT SOME OF THE TOP YOUNG PLAYERS MAKING THEIR NAMES AHEAD OF QATAR 2022.

ABOVE: Tajon Buchanan celebrates after scoring

WW

orld Cup Qualification is always a tense time for players. With the chance of playing in a World Cup within their grasp, any qualification match is a huge opportunity to earn their spot. Especially for younger players, whose opportunities are few and fleeting each qualification match is like a mini-World Cup. TAJON BUCHANAN (FORWARD/CANADA) Buchanan has made the most of opponent’s focusing too much on Alphonso Davies and Jonathan David, tearing apart defenses with some superb passes and ball movement.

He has also become an excellent second attacking option up top opposite Cyle Larin, scoring two goals during Qualification. With his move to Club Brugge from the New England Revolution sealed, 2022 could be a breakout year for the kid from Brampton.

WALKER ZIMMERMAN (DEFENDER/UNITED STATES) One of the big questions entering this qualification window for the United States was center-back. While one spot is still up for grabs Walker Zimmerman has very clearly earned his spot in the U.S. starting XI going forward. The two-time MLS Defender of the Year has provided some much-needed stability along the back four. His positioning and patience (at 28 he is one of the senior members of the side) with the ball has helped a young U.S. side in some nervy moments during qualification. He has also shown a willingness to use his height on set pieces, something that the U.S. have lacked for decades.

ORBELIN PINEDA (MIDFIELDER/MEXICO) Mexico hasn’t really used many young players during this Qualification cycle. Of those that have received time in the eighteen Pineda has perhaps made the biggest impression.

The 25-year-old from Cruz Azul has served as Tata Martino’s playmaker in the attack, using his expert passing and field vision to find Raul

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BELOW: Walker Zimmerman looks on during a qualifying match BOTTOM: Canada star Cyle Larin BOTTOM LEFT (OPPOSITE PAGE): Italy's Emerson Palmieri reacts during the 2022 FIFA World Cup European qualifying Group C soccer match between Italy and Switzerland

Jimenez and Hector Moreno in open space. His goal against Costa Rica in The Purple Monster proved to be the difference and helped El Tri earn three huge points on the road.

MICHAEL AMIR MURILLO (RIGHT-BACK/PANAMA) On a veteran-heavy side, Murillo is perhaps the most important player for Panama. The former New York Red Bull-now-Anderlecht midfielder has used his experience and his speed to keep The Canal Men in some tight matches during qualification. His work on the counter-attack helped seal their big 1-0 win over the USMNT in Panama. If he can find his scoring stroke then Panama may move into the top three.

MICHAIL ANTONIO (FORWARD/JAMAICA) Antonio is an interesting case because while most players on this list are in their 20s, he is 31 years old. But he has made up for missed time with Jamaica by scoring two huge goals to keep their World Cup dreams alive. For years, The Reggae Boyz have lacked a true scoring forward who can change the game in a moment.

Theodore Whitmore’s side now appear to have two with Antonio forming a deadly partnership with Leon Bailey up top. With five home games on tap, the West Ham striker may be on the cusp of a huge second half of qualification.

TIM WEAH (FORWARD/USA) With Weah, USMNT supporters have been wondering for years when he would break out.

The answer is apparently this World Cup cycle for the Lille striker. Many will point to his assist against Costa Rica that helped reignite during qualification. But it was his work against Mexico, where for 90 minutes he dictated the tempo of the match against a veteran-heavy side that really has made him stand out.

CYLE LARIN (FORWARD/CANADA) Larin has had an incredible run throughout all stages of qualification, scoring 11 goals. His brace against Mexico in Edmonton not only gave his home country a historic win over a bitter rival, but also cemented his spot as one of the top strikers in the region. If he can continue to make the most of his chances for both club and country (he plays for Besiktas) he could be on the move to a bigger European side.

FIFA World Cup Qualifiers • Qatar 2022 NORTH AMERICA

EUROPE

Eight-team final group.

Top three qualify, 4th-placed team goes into inter-confederation play-off.

Standings

Canada United States Mexico Panama Costa Rica Jamaica El Salvador Honduras

Pts 16 15 14 14 9 7 6 3

Remaining matches: 6 June 2022: Two-legged inter-confederation play-offs.

Ten group winners have qualified, 12 teams to play off for last three places.

Group A

Pts

Group B

Pts Group C

Pts Group D

Pts Group E

Pts

Group F

Pts

Group G

Pts Group H

Pts Group I

Pts Group J

Pts

Serbia 20 Portugal 17 Ireland 9 Luxembourg 9 Azerbaijan 1

Denmark Scotland Israel Austria Faroe Isl. Moldova

27 23 16 16 4 1

Spain Sweden Greece Georgia Kosovo

19 15 10 7 5

Netherlands Turkey Norway Montenegro Latva Gibraltar

Switz.

Italy N. Ireland Bulgaria Lithuania

23 21 18 12 9 0

18 16 9 8 3

Croatia Russia Slovakia Slovenia Cyprus Malta

France 18 Ukraine 12 Finland 11 Bosnia-Herz.

7 Kazakhstan 3

23 22 14 14 5 5

England Poland Albania Hungary Andorra San Marino

26 20 18 17 6 0

Belgium 20 Wales 15 Czech Rep. 14 Estonia 4 Belarus 3 Germany 27 N. M’donla 18 Romania 17 Armenia 12 Iceland 9 Liechtenstein 1

March 2022: EUROPEAN PLAY-OFF DRAW PLAY-OFF PATH A

PLAY-OFF PATH B

Host Nation

1 Mar 24 Scotland vs Ukraine 2 Mar 24 Wales vs Austria

3 Mar 24 Russia vs Poland 4 Mar 24 Sweden vs Czech Rep.

5 Mar 24 Italy vs N. M’donia 6 Mar 24 Portugal vs Turkey

Already Qualified

F Mar 29 Winner 2 v Winner 1

F Mar 29 Winner 3 v Winner 4

F Mar 29 Winner 6 v Winner 5

Qualifying position Play-off position

PLAY-OFF PATH C

June 2022: INTER CONFEDERATION PLAYOFFS CONCACAF 4th place will play against OFC final winner • AFC will play CONMEBOL EUROPE 13 places

Qualified teams

13

NORTH AMERICA 3.5

Total places: 32

Last matchdays for North America, South America and Asia: Jan 27 - Feb 2 Mar 24 - 30

AFRICA 5

* DR

Congo and Ghana’s positions in final round may be at risk pending an appeal.

SOUTH AMERICA 4.5

SOUTH AMERICA Top four teams qualify.

5th-placed team goes into inter-confederation play-off.

Standings

Brazil Argentina Ecuador Colombia Peru Chile Uruguay Bolivia Paraguay Venezuela

ASIA 4.5 + 1 Host Nation Qatar

ASIA

Remaining matches: 4

Two group winners and two runners -up qualify, 3rd-placed play-off winner contests interconfederation play-off.

Pts 35 29 23 17 17 16 16 15 13 7

Remaining matches: 4

Group A

Iran S. Korea UAE Lebanon Iraq Syria

AFRICA Algeria Tunisia

Pts

16 14 6 5 4 2

Group B

S. Arabia Japan Australia Oman China Vietnam

Pts 16 12 11 7 5 0

OCEANIA 0.5

OCEANIA Qualification hosted in March 2022, winner will contest inter-confederation play-off.

March 2022: Ten teams play off to decide five places.

Nigeria Cameroon

Mali Egypt

Ghana* Senegal

Morocco D.R. Congo*

RIGHT: Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo reacts after the FIFA World Cup 2022 qualifying group A soccer match against Serbia RIGHT SIDE, TOP TO BOTTOM: Iran’s Alireza Jahanbakhsh Brazil's Neymar Egypt's Salah

CHECK OUT OUR NEXT EDITION FOR A FULL EUROPEAN QUALIFICATION SHOWDOWNS BREAKDOWN. SOCCER360 JANUARY • FEBRUARY 2022

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90TH MINUTE

WHO SAID WHAT “This is my biggest challenge, yes. I have a lot of enthusiasm. The club, in the last years, has been slipping. If I compare Tottenham to when I was in Chelsea, Tottenham was very, very competitive.

And I think that to lose important players or someone became old and then to have a change of generation, I think Tottenham now is paying a bit for this. Now we have to create, to start again... We need a bit of time but I'm sure we can improve a lot.”

BOB IS THE BOSS IN TORONTO

– Antonio Conte is calling his time at Tottenham as the biggest challenge of his career so far as he tries to rebuild the club.

MLS COTY 2021

“I had a meeting with the MLS president and he said 'you can win all you want but if you don't have €70m for the franchise, you go nowhere,’. Then I looked in the [English] Championship but everything was too expensive. The Premier League is a complete success worldwide and so is the Championship. But you had to have £60m, so I then looked in Portugal and Spain and I heard there was an opportunity at Valladolid. I negotiated for a week and ended up paying €30m.”

Bruce Arena of the New England Revolution is the 2021 Sigi Schmid MLS Coach of the Year after leading the Revs to their first-ever Supporters’ Shield. New England finished the regular season with a record-breaking 73 points. This is the fourth time Bruce Arena was honoured with the award, joining Bob Bradley as the second coach to win the award with three different clubs. Arena first won the award in 1997 with D.C. United and then with the LA Galaxy in 2009 and 2011. Unfortunately for Bruce Arena, he was unable to keep the regular season form going in the playoffs, as his New England Revolution fell to New York City FC in the conference semi-finals.

Toronto FC have found their new coach. Bob Bradley will be the club’s new head coach and sporting director after leaving Los Angeles FC. Bradley spent five years at LAFC, serving as the club’s first ever manager. To call last season a disappointment for Toronto FC would be an understatement as they provided fans with very few bright moments. After Vanney left last season, Chris Armas was brought in, but he only lasted a couple of months after Toronto sat bottom of the league. Bob Bradley joins his son Michael in Toronto who has been at the club since 2014. Despite coaching his son, Bob Bradley said that the 34-year-old midfielder will not get any special treatment.

DID YOU KNOW? •

Chelsea Women have won their first domestic treble after defeating Arsenal 3-0 in the FA Cup final. This trophy is added to their Women’s Super League title and the League Cup from last season.

•

Kylian Mbappe (right) is the youngest player to score 30+ Champions League goals, a record previously held by Lionel Messi.

•

Liverpool are the first English club to win all of their group stage games in a single edition, going six for six this year in a group with Atletico Madrid, Porto and AC Milan.

– Ronaldo considered purchasing an MLS franchise but ultimately did not want to pay the high fees for it. The former Real Madrid star ended up buying a 51 percent stake of Real Valladolid in 2018.

“What surprises me about Vinicius is the quality he has in scoring goals. It's another step he takes to be one of the best in the world ... The important thing is he focused on being efficient. When the chance comes, you have to take it."

– Carlo Ancelotti believes Vinicius Junior has what it takes to be one of the best in the world.

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SOCCER360 JANUARY • FEBRUARY 2022

OLD LADY UP TO NEW TRICKS TAKING BABY STEPS Christian Eriksen started working out again following his cardiac arrest at Euro 2020.

The midfielder is training at his youth club in Denmark’s training centre. Whether or not he will make a return to the pitch and play competitively again is yet to be seen.

What is known though, is that he cannot play in Italy. The Italian medical authority suspended Eriksen from playing in Serie A due to a rule that prohibits the use of a cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) device that he has implanted. Inter are open to letting Eriksen leave the club should he wish to continue playing.

Juventus are under investigation over potential transfer frauds. Italian finance police searched the offices of the club looking for documents related to transfers between 2019 and 2021. The investigation is looking into whether senior managers at the club gave false communications to investors and issued invoices for nonresistant transactions. According to the prosecutor, Anna Maria Loreto, several transfer operations and the services provided by some agents in those transfers are being looked at.

WHERE IS DIEGO? Tourists visiting Buenos Aires in the last year have been asking about Diego Maradona’s final resting place. Football fans from around the world have wanted to pay their respects to the football great but have been unable to do so because Maradona’s grave is private and only accessible for his family. To allow those who want to pay their respects the opportunity to do so, an Argentine politician wants to create a public mausoleum at the cemetery where Maradona is buried.

90TH MINUTE

CELEBRATION SHOES

800

Liverpool and Nike have launched a new sneaker, the Liverpool FC Nike Air Huarache.

Inspired by the chequered banners of the Kop, the trainers feature interchangeable patches for a special finishing touch and come in a custom Liverpool FC box. The official club website describes the shoes as a celebration of the community that cheers for Liverpool and all the people who travel far and wide waving banners, singing loudly and proudly.

Cristiano Ronaldo has surpassed the 800-goal mark for club and country.

Since turning 30, his goal scoring record has been incredible. Can he reach 1000 before he retires?

118 METAVERSE AT ETIHAD Manchester City and Sony have partnered to develop new digital fan experiences. With Sony’s technology and Manchester City’s fanbase, the two will come together to create new forms of digital content with the goal of developing a global online fan community. Through this global online fan community, the fans will be able to interact with the club and each other within a ‘metaverse’ which will be a virtual recreation of the Etihad Stadium. Sony has had success in building digital fan experiences in the past, particularly in the music and wider entertainment industries. Manchester City will be their first sports partner in this space.

Inter have taken more shots than any other team in the Champions League group stage with 118.

OLD IS NEW AGAIN For the 2022/23 season Brentford fans will be wearing their current red and white home kit again. The club believes in football being more affordable for the fans and more sustainable. After discussions with fans, the Brentford executives found them to be in favour of the savings that a two-season shirt would provide.

Perhaps this will become the norm.

Major League clubs keep their jerseys for two seasons, each season releasing either a new home or away kit.

50 Thomas Muller is the eighth player to score 50+ UEFA Champions League goals, and the first German to reach that milestone.

WHEN IS A VOTE NOT A VOTE THOSE PUPPY-DOG EYES Prior to Zenit St. Petersburg’s match against Rostov in the Russian Premier League, Zenit players walked onto the pitch carrying dogs. The puppies were from local shelters who do not have a home and are in need of adoption. This was part of a campaign the club is running called “Dogs are better at home”, used to promote adoption over buying dogs in store. During the starting eleven announcements, the stadium screens displayed the players next to the profiles of the dogs. An information section was also set up where fans were able to get details on how they could adopt.

Heated arguments between fans the board of Bayern Munich took place over the club’s partnership with Qatar Airways. During Bayern Munich’s annual general meeting, 77.8% of the club’s members voted in favour of the club aligning with ‘internationally acknowledged human rights’ standards. This decision was made in an effort to end the club’s relationship with the Qatari state-backed airline, citing human rights groups who have criticized the state’s treatment of foreign workers brought in for construction of 2022 FIFA World Cup stadiums. Despite these calls, Bayern’s board rejected the members’ concerns, sparking heated debates with fans at the meeting. Tensions grew during the meeting where ultimately causing the board members to retreat from the stage.

FAMOUS FIVE LIKE CROCS Kai Havertz and Alphonso Davies are the latest global starts to partner with footwear brand Crocs, Inc. as part of their “Guess Who?” social media campaign.

The pair join other ambassador’s like singer Bella Poarch, social media star Kemio and K-Pop star Tzuyu of TWICE. Said Havertz of the deal, “I’m delighted to work with Cros and their latest “Guess Who?” campaign. I have been a huge fan of the brand since I was a child owning 100s of pairs, so it’s great to be part of the family.” Davies is also excited about the partnership saying, “As a brand, they have been very supportive of me and my career up to this point. I’m looking forward to the future and doing some great things together with them.”

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TATTOO YOU - WITH A ROOSTER

WHO SAID WHAT “The people with whom I have spoken so far have been very clear that we're talking about a six-month role as a manager.

We have never spoken about what will happen in the summer. Right now, I'm fully aware they might be looking for a new manager. Maybe if they ask my opinion and everything goes well and we develop the team I might even make the same recommendation to the board that I did at Leipzig twice - to keep working with me for one year.”

– Ralf Rangnick is not ruling out staying on as Manchester United manager beyond the end of the season as the interim manager was brought in for a six-month role before transitioning to a two-year consultancy position with the club.

“Robert, you deserve your Ballon d'Or. Last year, everyone agreed to say that you were the big winner of this award. Hopefully France Football will give you the 2020 Ballon d'Or. We all believe you deserved it and I hope you can have it at home.”

– Lionel Messi, during his Ballon d’Or acceptance speech, gives a nod to Robert Lewandowski who should have won the award last year, and should have arguably won it this year as well.

Brazilian champions Atletico Mineiro treated 1000 lucky fans to free tattoos in celebration of their recent title win. This is Atletico Mineiro’s first Brazilian league title in 50 years, with fans taking to the streets to celebrate. Crowds gathered at the club headquarters as well as in the city centre to watch the game on big screens. Days after the victory, organizers brought in 30 tattoo artists outside the MRV Arena, offering a few options of tattoos people could get. The options included a picture of the trophy, a rooster (which is the club’s mascot, the phrase “The Rooster Won”, or a drawing of the arena. Some loyal fans lined-up overnight in order to ensure they would get one of the 1000 tattoos offered. In order to receive a tattoo, fans were asked to donate 1 kilogram (2.2 pounds) of food to charity.

BALL PLEASE

TEMPER

An amateur football team from Dundee lost a ball after it was kicked into the River Tay. Two weeks later, it washed up on shore 400 miles away on a Dutch island. Esther Verhees found the ball marked with Dundee Athletic’s name on the beach. She posted pictures of the ball on the club’s Facebook page – sparking a new friendship with the players and team.

Things got heated in the director’s box at Elland Road after Leeds United equalized against Brentford in the 95thminute. So much so, that club chief Victor Orta had to be restrained. Victor was directing his anger towards a Leeds fan who had been insulting him.

DID YOU KNOW? •

AS Roma are the second Italian side to score at least once for 20 consecutive games in European competitions. Juventus are the other side to do so back in 1996/97.

•

Fikayo Tomori (right) is just the third English player to score a Champions League against English opposition while playing for a nonEnglish team. Patrick Roberts was the first for Celtic vs Man City in 2016 followed by Jude Bellingham for Dortmund vs Man City in 2021.

NICE COLLECTION, SON

“I want to play as long as possible, and as long as I have that adrenaline, I will continue. Let’s put pressure on Milan here to give me an extension and I hope to stay at Milan for life. I still have objectives that I can achieve and I want to win another Scudetto. I don’t know what will happen after football, so I am a little scared to stop. We’ll see, but I want to continue playing so that I don’t have any regrets.”

– Despite his age, Zlatan Ibrahimovic wants to keep playing football for years to come.

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Son Heung-min has built up a nice little car collection worth £1.5 million. Included in that collection is a rare £1 million Ferrari LaFerrari, of which only 499 have been made. His supercar is black in colour, because Tottenham told he could not own a red one due to the rivalry with Arsenal. The LaFerrari is the most powerful street-legal car that Ferrari has produced, and with so few of them available, the car manufacturer has a strict criteria that potential buyers must meet. Other cars in Son’s collection include a Range Rover, a Bentley Continental GT, and a Maserati Levante he was gifted by Korea’s official Maserati importer.

A NAIL-BITER Paul Scholes went viral a few months ago after footage emerged of him holding his daughter’s foot in his mouth. Now part-owner of Salford City, his side were eliminated from the FA Cup by Chesterfield in the second round. The Chesterfield players mocked Scholes with their goal celebration. One player dropped to the floor and another picked up his foot and pretended to chew on the top of the boot, an obvious parody of Scholes’ antics.

90TH MINUTE

DID YOU KNOW? •

The first-ever Major League Soccer match on Thanksgiving had a record number of viewers.

With 1.894 million viewers, Colorado vs Portland was the most-viewed MLS Cup Playoffs game of all time.

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Ellen White (right) is now England’s top goalscorer after netting a hattrick against Latvia during a FIFA Women’s World Cup qualifier. The previous record was 46 goals, held by Kelly Smith.

KEEP THE BALL ROUND According to reports, Leeds United will be bought in full by the San Francisco 49ers by 2024 in a deal worth £475 million. The 49ers Enterprises has an option to buy 100 percent control of the club by January 2024, a deal which would include ownership of Elland Road as well. Current Leeds chairman Andrea Radrizzani bought the club in 2017 for £45 million and will see huge returns on his investment as the value of the club has risen drastically since their promotion to the Premier League.

QR UNITED Norwegian club Tromso IL launched a new jersey recently. It is the world’s first football jersey with a QR code. The code highlights the alleged human rights abuses in Qatar ahead of next year’s World Cup. Qatar is accused of allowing the abuse of migrant workers, many of whom were involved in building World Cup stadiums and infrastructure. Tromso IL’s shirt was developed alongside Amnesty International and a former migrant worker in Qatar. When scanned, the code will take people to a website with information about the alleged violations. The site highlights the difficulty of some migrant workers who came from Bangladesh, the Philippines, India and Nepal, among other places. The goal of the jersey is to spark more discussions and to eventually see some action taken against the allegations Qatar is accused of.

A GENIUS MOVE Fans are comparing Celta Vigo striker Iago Aspas to Albert Einstein after he deliberately got himself suspended. The 34-year-old pulled up injured immediately after scoring a goal so he took off his shirt and fell to the ground. He was subsequently cautioned by the referee, his fifth yellow card of the season and thus a suspension. Five yellow cards equals a suspension in LaLiga. He was then substituted off. Fans have praised Aspas for his quick-thinking, claiming he got himself booked on purpose in order for the suspension to coincide with his recovery from his injury. He served his suspension while injured and returned with a clean slate.

HEY JUDE - YOU ARE THE BAD MAN

A REAL HERO Son Heung-Min struck a SpiderMan celebration against Norwich after meeting actor Tom Holland days earlier. Holland, who plays Spider-Man on the big screen, met Son while promoting the release of the latest movie, Spider-Man: No Way Home. Their chance meeting was posted on social media as the two posed alongside each other.

Son must be a Spider-Man fan after dedicating his goal to the superhero.

MESSI - NOT UP TO SCRATCH According to reports, Messi’s 77-bedroom four-star hotel in Barcelona could be demolished as the building does not meet city standards. Messi, who owns hotels in Ibiza and Mallorca with the Majestic Hotel Group, spent £26 million on the Hotel MiM Sitges. One of the problems with the hotel is that according to city standards the balconies are too big.

This is an issue as the entire construction depends on the balconies. The building could collapse should the balconies be downsized or torn down. Alongside that problem, the fire emergency plan also failed. The rooftop Sky Bar makes the Hotel MiM Sitges stand out from the rest of hotels, boasting a pool and an incredible view of the town and Mediterranean Sea.

The German Football Association (DFB) fined Borussia Dortmund midfielder Jude Bellingham €40,000 for unsportsmanlike conduct.

Following Dortmund’s game against Bayern Munich, in which they lost 3-2, Bellingham criticized referee Felix Zwayer saying, “You can look at a lot of the decisions in the game. You give a referee that has match-fixed before, the biggest game in Germany. What do you expect?” The DFB released a statement stating that Bellingham “doubted and denied the ref’s impartiality” with his comments and thus was subsequently fined. Zwayer was part of a 2005 scandal involving referee Robert Hoyzer, who was jailed for match fixing in a €2 million betting fraud. The DFB had banned Zwayer for six months for accepting €300 from Hoyzer and agreeing to make wrong decisions while he was an assistant referee.

38 Lionel Messi has scored against 38 different teams in the UEFA Champions League.

No player has scored against more different opponents in the competition.

4 Patrick Schick is the first player to score 4 goals in a single Bundesliga match for Bayer Leverkusen.

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THE GAME IN SPAIN...STAYS

27

LaLiga is still trying to stage games outside of Spain after the Miami plans fell apart. However, those plans were dealt another blow recently after the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) won the latest legal battle against the league. During the 2018/19 season, LaLiga wanted to host Girona versus Barcelona in Miami as a way to promote the league to the US market. That plan was blocked by the RFEF who insist all LaLiga football matches be played on home soil.

A legal battle ensued, where the court sided with the RFEF, all league football should be played in Spain. LaLiga can appeal the decision, but it looks more and more unlikely that they will get their way. Local fans won’t have to worry about losing a home game, at least for the time being.

27 percent of UEFA Champions League goals scored by Iranian players have come against Chelsea. Ali Daei (right) scored two in 1999 for Herth Berlin, Mehdi Taremi scored for Porto in 2021 and Sardar Azmoun for Zenit also in 2021.

PUT YOUR BET ON VEGAS According to Major League Soccer Commissioner Don Garber, Las Vegas is the favourite to receive the coveted 30th MLS franchise. The current plan is for the league to expand to 30 teams, and with Charlotte coming in next year as the 28th franchise and St. Louis City following in 2023, there is only one spot left. Las Vegas’ rise in professional sports in recent years, NHL expansion and the relocation of an NFL team, has made the city a very attractive location for an MLS side in the future. Although nothing is certain, and the organizations out of Phoenix and San Diego are certainly not giving up their bid for an MLS team.

JUSTIN AWARD

TOO HOT FOR FORGE

Justin Morrow was named the 2021 MLS WORKS Humanitarian of the Year. The recently retired Toronto FC defender, had a positive impact both on and off the pitch during his 12-year MLS career. He played a huge role in launching Black Players for Change (BPC), an organization of more than 170 MLS players, coaches and staff working to bridge the racial equality gap. During his time at Toronto, Morrow supported the owners’ Change the Game campaign by raising funds and creating awareness about barriers some youth face from reaching their potential. There are a number of other initiatives and foundations Morrow has participated in, and in recognition of all he’s done off the pitch, the league has bestowed him with this award.

Forge FC are no longer the only team to win the Canadian Premier League. Having won the first two editions, the club from Hamilton had a chance to three-peat and assert more dominance on the Canadian soccer scene, but were undone by the side from Victoria, B.C. Pacific FC defeated the defending champions 1-0 to secure their first league title.

DID YOU KNOW? •

For the first time since 2000/01, Barcelona have been knocked out of the Champions League group stage. This is the fourth time in their history.

•

Ajax’s Sebastien Haller (left) joins Cristiano Ronaldo as the only players to score in every group stage match. The 27-year-old has scored 10 goals in six group stage matches.

THROW PAPER MONEY NEXT EYEFUL OF GOATS Adidas honoured Messi’s seventh Ballon d’Or by placing 7 golden goats outside the Eiffel Tower. The sportswear company posted photos of seven golden goats with their hooves placed over balls outside the iconic Paris landmark in celebration of Messi’s record breaking Ballon d’Ors. Messi has been with Adidas for 15 years now and reportedly earns £9 million per year through the partnership. The Argentine now sits two Ballon d’Or’s ahead of his rival Cristiano Ronaldo and it’s difficult to see anyone catching him now. But, who knows what the future holds.

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Diogo Dalot caught wind of a tweet where a father complained of his and his son’s experience at a Manchester United match. The father brought his son to his first Manchester United game, and hoped it would be a magical night of good memories. However, the pair had to leave early because his son was struck by a coin from the travelling fans.

Upon seeing this tweet, Dalot offered them the chance to return for the club’s next home game.

NOTE TO SELF - BURGLE CAREFULLY Arsenal defender Gabriel fought off a robber at his home in North London after he was followed and attacked with a baseball bat. CCTV footage showed the 23-year-old center-back and a friend being confronted by two men who attempt to steal his Mercedes and watch.

One of the attackers lunged at the Brazilian with a bat, but Gabriel was able to strike him in the face and wrestle him down before the attacker eventually got away. The attacker was later jailed for five years after police were able to identify him using DNA from the hat he left behind.

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1000

WHO SAID WHAT “I give myself four [out of 10], because there are moments I can really hurt the other team but there are also moments where I allow myself to lose focus and that's when everything goes down. This is when you realise that you have to get better.”

Toni Kross’ goal against Inter was Real Madrid’s 1000th goal in the European Cup/ Champions League. It took Los Blancos 455 games to reach this milestone - an average of 2.2 goals per game.

– Thomas Partey admits he needs to improve as he gives himself a low grade for his performances since joining Arsenal.

400 MASSIVE MISTAKE “Many wondered how Sam would cope in the English game. As far as I’m concerned she’s the best striker in the world and she displayed that today when it really mattered. She’s courageous, full of confidence and she can do that off the back of getting off a plane from Sydney, Australia on Thursday.”

– Chelsea manager Emma Hayes hails Sam Kerr as ‘best striker in the world’ following her brace in the FA Cup final against Arsenal.

“A lot of emotions in my head. You have not-so-good moments that make you value these moments. I thought a lot about my family and friends who back in Spain.

In general, a lot of emotions. I didn't enjoy the field and I wasn't performing the way I wanted to perform. So I came here hoping to find myself again and fast forward three years later, I'm happy, I'm enjoying it and I'm giving the best version of myself.”

– MLS MVP winner Carles Gil reflects after winning the 2021 edition of the award. The 29-year-old was vital in helping New England Revolution win the Supporters’ Shield and singleseason points record.

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Jordi Alba is the 15th player to make 400 appearances for Barcelona in all competitions.

Sampdoria owner and President Massimo Ferrero was arrested for alleged financial crimes that did not involve the club. Alongside Ferrero, five others were placed under house arrest. The Italian financial police arrested Ferrero for alleged corporate crimes and bankruptcy. This all happened while Ferrero was negotiating for Red Star Belgrade coach, Dejan Stankovic. As a response to the arrest, Ferrero has resigned as President of the club and is reportedly ready to sell the Sampdoria to a group run by Gianluca Vialli.

SPIT ON CONCUSSION A saliva test developed to diagnose concussion will be trialled in the Premier League as football authorities put more efforts into brain health. A joint action plan on brain health by the league, the Football Association, the EFL and the Professional Footballers’ Association, provides details of work being done to protect current players from concussion and sub-concussive impacts. The action plan will also look into understanding why there is an increased risk of neurodegenerative disease among professional footballers in comparison to the general population. Part of the plan is the academic study to validate a diagnostic study that uses salivary biomarkers. Players will provide baseline swabs, then at three further time points following a concussive injury. This research follows the publication of another study which successfully predicted the outcome of head injury assessments in 94 percent of cases during testing in the 2018/19 rugby Premiership and Championship season.

I DON'T KERR - THIS IS MY PITCH There has been an increase in pitch invasions lately, as fans run onto the pitch in hopes of a selfie with a player or for some social media clout.

Usually the players are understanding and end up taking a photo with the invader before asking them to leave the pitch. Well, Cheslea’s Sam Kerr decided to take a different approach when a fan ran onto the pitch during their Champions League match against Juventus. The pitch invader was casually walking around the pitch, phone in hand, for what seemed like far too long. Kerr clearly had enough, so she body checked the fan to the ground. She did end up getting a yellow card for it, which was a harsh decision. This pitch invading trend has become quite an annoyance.

SKIN CARE FOR NURSE Liverpool partnered with Nivea Men UK for their ‘Dear Liverpool FC’ series. The series allows fans to write into the club about fans who have gone above and beyond in their communities and lives. In one of the latest instalments, Liverpool facilitated a touching moment between Libbie Booker and Ethan Beckley. Libbie’s family wrote to the club asking them to do something for Ethan, who helped Libbie with life-saving bone marrow transplant to cure her leukaemia. The two had previously exchanged messages where Ethan’s love of Liverpool became known.

Ethan was invited to Anfield, where he thought he was meeting Libbie, and he did, but he also met up with goalkeeper Alisson. Alisson was there with Ethan when he met Libbie for the first time. It was later revealed that Ethan would return to Anfield for an all-expenses paid VIP experience at the stadium. Meanwhile, Nivea agreed to pay for Libbie’s student accommodation for the year, as she studies to become a nurse.

90TH MINUTE

RPS CHAMP Patrik Schick was given an NFT trophy for his goal of the tournament award from Euro 2020. The Czech Republic striker received the award for his strike from just past half in the group stage game against Scotland.

This trophy is football’s first ever NFT award.

Being an NFT, that means the trophy only exists virtually. Said Schick of the award, “I am very proud to be the first in the history of football to receive this kind of trophy.”

The trophy will be available to be viewed as a hologram at UEFA headquarters in Switzerland as well as the Gazprom office in Saint-Petersburg, Russia.

LEO AGAIN ... WHY? Many people have been questioning the decision to award the Ballon d’Or to Lionel Messi especially given Robert Lewandowski’s form over the past two years and the fact that he didn’t win it last year because of covid. Amongst those people questioning why Messi won was his son Thiago. In a video capturing Thiago Messi’s first glimpse of the new Ballon d’Or, the nine year old asks his dad why he now has seven. “Did you win it today? In the house there’s only six ball. When did you win it?” Thiago asks. “Today” Lionel responds. “Today?! Why?!”

Thiago asks again.

IDRIS TO BE MORGAN? If Leicester City’s improbable Premier League title win is ever made into a movie, then captain Wes Morgan wants Idris Elba to play him. The Foxes beat odds of 5000-1 to win the title in 2015-16, with Morgan captaining the team. Rumours of their triumph being made into a Hollywood blockbuster have been ongoing for a while now and with them, some of the players have been thinking of who could play them. Said Morgan, “If there’s ever going to be a film made about that season then my answer’s always going to be the same… Idris Elba has got to play me!

I’ve spoken to a few producers about it, I’m not sure whether it’ll happen or not now. Maybe Jamie Vardy has got something in the pipeline.”

HAND-ME-DOWN Newcastle United’s Allan Saint-Maximin gave a fan a watch in a random act of kindness. Toon supporter Michael Urwin has been going to St. James’ Park for almost 30 years and one day he was waiting at the players’ entrance hoping for an autograph. While there, Saint-Maximin got out of his car, walked over to where Michael was standing and handed him a box. When he opened the box, there was a Tag Heuer Aquaracer watch, valued at £2000. Despite its value, Michael is not interested in selling the watch. He plans on passing it down to his kids, who he attends Newcastle matches with.

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Bayern Munich have equalled the best ever record in a Champions League group stage, finishing with the maximum 18 points and a goal difference of +19. Bayern themselves set the record with identical points and goal difference during the 2019/20 season.

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At 22 years and 340 days, Mason Mount (right) is the youngest player to score in four consecutive Premier League appearances for Chelsea.

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I'M NO HEEL - I NAILED IT Mohamed Salah was awarded the Golden Foot Award at the Champions Gala in Monaco. The award is given annually to a new footballer aged over 28 who has contributed excellently to football both as a teammate and an individual. Remarkably, 34-yearold Lionel Messi has never been given the award, finishing second behind Salah this year. The Golden Foot was first handed out in 2003, when Roberto Baggio took it home. Other previous winners include Ronaldo, Iker Casillas and Cristiano Ronaldo.

FANS WAIT FOR CRAMPY DAN Daniel Sturridge is now playing football in Australia following a stint in Turkey. The 32-year-old signed for A-League side Perth Glory and after spending some time in quarantine and getting match fit, many fans were eager to see his debut. Unfortunately for those fans, they had to wait a bit longer. Sturridge was due to debut against Western United, but was left off the team sheet at the last minute due to cramping. According to the owner of Perth Glory, the four-hour flight from Perth to Melbourne took its toll on Sturridge as he pulled up on the plane a little bit crampy.

AS BAD AS EVER West Ham United and England midfielder Declan Rice shared his wonderful singing skills with the internet after joining the ‘Sing Your Dialect’ Twitter space. The popular Twitter space is open for anyone wishing to join and after gaining some popularity, Declan Rice decided to join in. The 23-yearold belted out his version of the Vanilla Ice classic, ‘Ice Ice Baby’ by changing the words to ‘Rice, Rice, Baby’. Over 75,000 listeners tuned in including Jude Bellingham, Watford, Wolves and Umbro.

MORE LIKE USA :( There may be changes coming to football’s half-time duration as the sport’s lawmakers look into increasing the duration of half-time so Super Bowl-style shows could be introduced.

The International Football Association Board (IFAB) are reportedly looking to increase half-time from 15 minutes to 25 minutes. The idea for this came from South America’s governing body CONMEBOL, who believe it would benefit their competitions like the Copa Libertadores. There will likely be some push back on the idea, as concerns over player welfare have already been expressed. A longer half time could increase the risk of injury.

JAMES PREFERS GARY James Maddison brilliantly hit back at Geordie Shore star Scotty T after the Leicester playmaker was branded as a 'cheating ****' by the Newcastle fan. Reality TV personality Scotty T, who spent seven years on the hit MTV show Geordie Shore, took aim at Maddison on social media after he won the spot-kick in Leicester's 4-0 hammering of Newcastle. Maddison was quick to fire back at the 2016 Celebrity Big Brother winner by stating he preferred his former Geordie Shore co-star Gary Beadle.

DID YOU KNOW? LIMEY LOVER GEORGINA Cristiano Ronaldo's girlfriend Georgina Rodriguez says she loves living in England and being able to return six years after working as an au pair in Bristol has been “great.” She also revealed that the couple's unborn twins are a boy and a girl, and they are expecting them in April.

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Chelsea are unbeaten in their last 27 Premier League home games against Everton (W15 D12), equalling their longest ever unbeaten home run against an opponent in their league history (27 vs Spurs between 1990 and 2016).

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David Moyes (left) is only the fourth manager to reach the milestone of 600 Premier League matches after Arsène Wenger, Alex Ferguson and Harry Redknapp.

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WHO SAID WHAT “I have decided to stop playing professional football. When they did the first test in the clinic, the medical staff called to tell me there was a very big possibility that I wouldn't be able to keep playing. I was still processing everything when one of the doctors told me straight up, `That's enough.' I wasn't bad, right?

I can be very happy with the titles I have won. Anyone can always give a bit more but I think I did everything as best I could be myself and my clubs.”

– Sergio Aguero was forced to retire from football after leaving a game with chest pains at the end of October. His last-minute title clinching goal for Manchester City on the final matchday of the 2011-12 season will go down as one of the greatest football moments in history.

Levante are just the third team to fail to win any of their opening 17 games in a single LaLiga campaign, after Logroñés in 1994-95 and Sporting de Gijón in 1997-98.

ICONIC KIT Arsenal and Adidas have combined yet again ahead of the holiday season by re-releasing the iconic 1993-94 kit. Along with the yellow and dark blue kit - notable for its diagonal stripes, old school Arsenal crest and the Adidas EQT logo - the collection also includes a sweatshirt, zipped jacket and T-shirt.

DID YOU KNOW? •

In their 3-1 win over Newcastle, Liverpool extended their goal-scoring run to 32 matches, the longest ever scoring run in their history.

•

Mikel Oyarzábal (right) saw his first red card in La Liga after 215 games; the winger was the third Real Sociedad player to have appeared most times without red card this century after Xabi Prieto (271) & Carlos Vela (219).

DRIVE FAST, SIR Chelsea legend John Terry has called for David Beckham to be knighted after seven time Formula 1 champion Sir Lewis Hamilton received the honour.

Hamilton's knighthood has got people talking about what other sportspeople deserve the accolade. And Terry believes his ex-England team-mate Beckham - who is already an OBE - should be the next star to receive the honour.

“Maybe Real Madrid are right and the whole draw shouldn’t have been repeated.

It was a shame. I don’t know if it was human or technical error. But this is a personal opinion. Didn’t they want more interesting games? Well, this is more interesting than playing Benfica would have been.”

– LaLiga President Javier Tebas firing some shots at Real Madrid and their Super League ambitions after the Champions League redraw saw Los Blancos paired up with PSG after previously drawing Benfica.

THE SOCCER ORACLE

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UFC legend Khabib Nurmagomedov picked Robert Lewandowski and Karim Benzema as his most deserving of the Ballon d'Or award. Lionel Messi, 34, beat UFC legend Nurmagomedov's close friend Cristiano Ronaldo, 36, to the prize.

“It feels unbelievable to be able to call ourselves champions. You know, what a ride so far. This journey was crazy this year.

So many ups, so many downs, and we talked amongst ourselves before the game and said this is a massive opportunity to make it all worth it, and this is what we live for, these moments. To be the MVP of the finals means the world, but it means so much more to lift the Cup for this club.”

SORRY ...... NOT!

– New York City FC goalkeeper Sean Johnson on winning the MLS Cup and being named MVP of the finals.

DANGEROUS CROPPING Roy Keane left fans in stitches after brutally wishing his ‘first wife’ Theresa a happy birthday on Instagram. The Manchester United icon, 50, is known for his legendary dry wit. And not even Theresa, his wife of 20 years, is safe.

Keane posted a picture on Instagram showing the pair together on holiday. But almost all of Theresa’s face was cropped out, leaving Keane as the focal point of the snap. And the cheeky pundit also wrote a hilarious caption, which said: “Happy birthday to my first wife x.”

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Spider-Man actor Tom Holland tried to convince Kylian Mbappe to join Tottenham Hotspur. Holland, 25, is a Spurs fan - having even inspired Son Heung-min's recent Spideythemed goal celebration against Norwich. Although his attempts to find Son a new strike partner have so far not been fruitful.

British TV personality Piers Morgan has hilariously revealed that Cristiano Ronaldo said 'sorry' to him over text after netting against Arsenal in the Premier League. Ronaldo scored twice, including the winning goal, in United's 3-2 win over Arsenal at Old Trafford. Morgan has admitted he begged Ronaldo to spare the Gunners before kick off, which inevitably only ended in one way.

70 Kevin De Bruyne’s second goal versus Leeds United was clocked at 70mph.

90TH MINUTE

REUNITED Manchester United legends Cristiano Ronaldo and Sir Alex Ferguson have reunited for a podcast. United released a teaser for the video on Twitter where the two Reds heroes can be seen talking things through. Ferguson brought the Portuguese ace to United from Sporting Lisbon in 2003.

And in the next six years, the 36-year-old went on to become one of the best players in the world.

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WANNA TAN? Cristiano Ronaldo is set to start selling tanning products so fans can look like the bronzed Adonis. The Manchester United ace already has a fragrance line, but is set to offer fans the chance to have the very same golden glow as him.

EXPECTAIONS Coralie Porrovecchio took to Instagram to announce that she and fiancé Boubacar Kamara are expecting their second child. The couple are going to have another boy.

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TISSUE? Manchester City star Ilkay Gundogan has proposed to his model girlfriend Sara Arfaoui, and she said yes! German international Gündogan, 31, decorated a room with dozens of bouquets of red roses and balloons spelling out “I love you”.

He stood among rose petals arranged in a heart shape to pop the question.

LOST IN TRANSLATION Jurgen Klopp was left open-mouthed by a reporter's question - or rather his strong Birmingham accent - during an entertaining post-match press conference. After Liverpool’s hard-fought 1-0 away win at Villa, Klopp was asked about his thoughts on Aston Villa's overall performance in the clash at Anfield

by Villa's club reporter. A confused Klopp attempts to absorb what he's just heard, smiles and then delivers this classic response. ‘’Sorry what!!’’ Liverpool's media officer proceeded to translate the answer and Klopp went on to answer the question.

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90TH MINUTE Marco was named after legendary Dutch striker Marco van Basten.

⬆ Declan Rice (23) January 14

Y R A U N A J

⬆ Georgia Stanway (23) January 3 Club: Manchester City Nation: England • She is a big Newcastle fan. Alan Shearer is her idol.

Marco Asensio (26) January 21

Club: West Ham Nation: England

Club: Real Madrid Nation: Spain

Donyell Malen (23) January 19

Valentina Bergamaschi (25) January 22

Club: Borussia Dortmund Nation: Netherlands

Club: AC Milan Nation: Italy

18 Sergio Aguero scored 18 hattricks in his career across all competitions, 12 of which came in the Premier League.

300 Zlatan Ibrahimovic became the third player to score 300 goals in the big-five European leagues since 2000. Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are the other two.

WHAT A DUMB BELL

SOCIAL MEDIA

ROUND-UP

A Gym have responded on Instagram after claims they threatened to ban a member for constantly shouting Cristiano Ronaldo's 'SIUUUU' chant after every time he finished a set. @ kiiranjjeeet went viral on Twitter after posting a screenshot of an email whereby 'The Gym Group Southall' had warned him about recent conduct. The Gym said his behaviour was "once again unacceptable" and the reason stated was "Repeatedly saying SIUUU after each set". On their official Instagram page, the gym poured cold water on the claim. "This is not real!" they wrote, accompanied by a screenshot of the fake email. "We @thegymgroup_southall would not send a warning for this. For context, it's a Cristiano Ronaldo meme."

Ian Waterhouse

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SCRATCH THAT ITCH

HEAD COACH Steven Gerrard made his much-publicized return to Anfield, as his Aston Villa side were beaten 1-0

by Liverpool. The Reds legend did his usual postmatch interviews, which included a funny exchange of words with former Liverpool teammate, Michael Owen. Owen admitted how much he used to hate coming back to Anfield as an opposing player to which Gerrard brilliantly replied: "If I played for Man U I'd hate coming back too!" Owen became a divisive figure on Merseyside after making a shock move to Manchester United in 2009 on a free transfer, after his contract at Newcastle United expired.

SORRY ADMIN Antonio Rudiger was hilariously forced to backtrack after trolling Chelsea's Twitter admin over the calamitous Champions League draw. But an error in the draw meant Uefa had to do it again, leaving Rudiger to post a 'delete' GIF in response to Chelsea's tweet. Coincidentally, Chelsea drew Lille again and Rudiger had to reply ‘’ okok,... sorry admin!’’

Manchester City's in-house media team have published a candid chat with their Portuguese star Bernardo Silva, but the star of the show is undoubtedly their dog, who has been hilariously named 'John' after teammate John Stones. He said: "We really wanted to have a dog, and he was named after my friend, John Stones, because we're very close and I always said to him that one day if I had a dog, I would call him 'John'.

KNOCK IT ON THE HEAD Ex-Man City star Micah Richards showed off his Italian during an appearance on CBS Sports' coverage of the Champions League. He rattled through some Tuscan and Italian phrases upon the request of Matteo Bonetti, who is CBS' lead Serie A analyst. He described Richards' Italian as "pretty legitimate" and then gave him a grade C - not too shabby considering the 33-year-old was only there briefly. Richards spent a season on loan at Fiorentina in the 2014/15 campaign, playing 19 times and linking up with the likes of Mo Salah.

SPARTAK AT IT AGAIN

SPEEDY LINESMAN

MORE THAN A GAME

https://www.tiktok.com/@fcsm/ video/7040581453003902209 Spartak Moscow has one of the best tiktok accounts in the soccer world, it’s so playful. In this video, the Russian club takes aim at Barcelona exiting from the Champions League group stage and joining them in the Europa League.

https://www.tiktok.com/@bundesliga/ video/7039363477156138245 Haaland has impressive speed, everyone knows that. But the speed on display here by the linesman who kept up with Haaland is something to see.

https://www.tiktok.com/@brentfordfc/ video/7035916592189918470 To all those who claim that football is just a game, this post from Brentford shows that football is more than that.

SOCCER360 JANUARY • FEBRUARY 2022

90TH MINUTE Patrik thought about pursuing a career in modelling.

⬆ Patrik Schick (26) January 24

ALL FORDS ARE CREATED EQUAL...

IT’S THE DEALERSHIP THAT MAKES THE DIFFERENCE

Club: Bayer Leverkusen Nation: Czech Republic

Adama Traore (26) January 25 Club: Wolverhampton Nation: Spain

Amel Majri (29) ➡ January 25 Club: O. Lyon Nation: France

COURT DATE PENDING? Jude Bellingham has been hilariously trolled

by England teammate Tyrone Mings in the comments of his latest Instagram post. The 18-year-old criticized referee Felix Zwayer following Borussia Dortmund's 3-2 defeat to Bayern Munich.

Bellingham said Zwayer has 'match-fixed before' and it's seen him slapped with a €40,000 fine by the German FA. Some reports even suggested he'd be facing a 'criminal complaint' given the nature of his comments. That's seen Aston Villa defender Mings poke fun at the youngster on social media.

He commented: "Outfit for court bro?" on photos of Bellingham modelling some clothes.

2022 BRONCO

DID YOU KNOW? •

Arsenal have failed to convert three consecutive penalties in the Premier League for the first time since August 1992.

2022 F-150

•

The goal scored by Robert Lewandowski (left) against Wolfsburg was the 43rd Bundesliga goal he has scored in 2021setting the record for scoring the highest number of goals in the competition in a single calendar year.

YET ANOTHER WAG Berlin Union ace Max Kruse (33) married his fiancée Dilara, whom he had proposed at the Tokyo Olympics. The couple posted their wedding day photo on Instagram and captioned it ‘’Just married’’

A PROMISE IS A PROMISE https://twitter.com/FabrizioRomano/ status/1462837306361098249 Jose Mourinho promised to buy Felix AfenaGyan a pair of new shoes worth €800 after the youngster scored a brace for Roma in 10 minutes, and he did. See the moment Mourinho gives Felix the shoes.

THERE’S ONE RULE https://twitter.com/433/ status/1468875797436014596 Portugal is a popular vacation destination, and while a tourist was sitting on a bus, the bus driver and gave the passengers some advice.

In Portugal, there’s only one rule, Cristiano Ronaldo is the best player in the world.

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90TH MINUTE

PICK PIQUE TO POKE FUN

500

Gerard Pique has poked fun at Real Madrid over their lack of success in women’s football. Speaking in a presentation – in comments carried by Diario Sport – of the League of Legends team that the Barcelona man will run alongside Ibai Llanos, he pointed out how his club were ahead of Madrid in that aspect.

Barcelona Femeni are currently on fire, dominating both Spain and Europe. Madrid, by contrast, didn’t enter the women’s game until last season, when they acquired the already-existent Talcon.

Under Pep Guardiola, Manchester City have scored over 500 Premier League goals.

TOUCHE Zlatan Ibrahimovic met Pope Francis yesterday and gifted him his latest book and a Milan shirt. According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, Ibra gifted the Pope a copy of his latest book, called ‘Adrenaline’ and a Milan jersey. Pope Francis thanked Ibra and gifted the striker his own book, ‘Sport according to Pope Francis.’

HAND OVER YOUR CASH Atalanta have released a Christmas kit to share the joy of the holidays with their fans, but the kit has sparked controversy upon its release. As reported by Italian media, the skyline at the bottom of the jersey is not of Bergamo, but instead Turin. Most notably is the Mole Antonelliana, is located in Turin and can be seen in the center of the graphic. It's unclear as to how this could have happened but Atalanta fans on social media are furious and have asked others to boycott the sale of the shirt, which retails at a massive €145.

MORE $$ THAN SENSE Many will know by now that decorating the house for Christmas is no mean feat.

Just getting the tree from the car or loft alone can be tiring enough. This means we can understand why Wayne and Coleen Rooney have reportedly paid a company £10,000 ($13,000) to make their mansion festive. It is the first Christmas of the Rooney family at the £20 million mansion in Cheshire. Perhaps that’s why they wanted to make it special.

108 Aguero averaged a goal every 108 minutes in the Premier League, the best rate in the competition’s history.

DID YOU KNOW? •

For the third time in their Serie A’s history Inter have won five matches in a row without conceding any goal, after 1989 and 1996.

HEY BIG SPENDER

•

Tammy Abraham and Chris Smalling (both left) both scored for Roma in their away trip to Atalanta. It was the first time two different English players have found the net in the same Serie A encounter for the first time in the history of the competition.

SOCIAL MEDIA

ROUND-UP

According to Sky Sport Italia, Milan coach Stefano Pioli offered a dinner to his players and directors to celebrate his contract extension with the club. The Italian tactician signed a new one-year deal with the Rossoneri at the end of November. The deal comes with an option to extend for a further season. Directors Ivan Gazidis, Paolo Maldini and Ricky Massara also attended the dinner along with staff members with Pioli paying the bill.

Ian Waterhouse

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FERNANDES OR SALAH?

SEVENTH HEAVEN

PARAGLIDING NOT ENOUGH

https://twitter.com/ManUnitedZone_/ status/1466579580895047684 Bruno Fernandes was stuck in traffic when fans told him they don’t have him on their EPL fantasy team. Bruno, intrigued, asked who they have to which they responded Salah. Fernandes didn’t like the answer so he drove away.

https://www.instagram.com/p/ CW4Rmv6KmZh/ Will anyone ever equal or surpass Lionel Messi’s record seven Ballon d’Ors? One of the best to play the game adds another individual trophy to his cabinet.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CXTPFBUM8dr/ People seeking an adrenaline rush turn to extreme activities. Yoanna Dallier, a highly ranked freestyle footballer, decided to personalize her paragliding experience by combining it with her passion for freestyle. In this amazing video, you can see her doing keep-ups while gliding through the air.

SOCCER360 JANUARY • FEBRUARY 2022

90TH MINUTE

7 Trinity Rodman led the NWSL with 7 assists this season for Washington Spirit. In addition to her seven assists, she also scored seven goals.

NEVER A TIED GAME Barcelona wonderkid Gavi plays football with his boots unlaced as he doesn’t know how to tie them, it has been claimed. The 17-year-old midfielder, one of the brightest prospects in European football, is regularly pictured playing for Barcelona with his boots untied. Fans have speculated over whether Gavi has a bizarre superstition or pre-match ritual which involves his laces being undone. But a straightforward explanation has now emerged – he simply doesn’t know how to lace up his boots. "Gavi has been playing with his laces untied since he was very young, it’s because he doesn’t know how to tie them well,” Spanish journalist Marc Marba Prats revealed on Twitter. “He doesn’t care and he plays like that."

RYAN RAP

NOT EVEN CLOSE

Former Liverpool midfielder Ryan Babel has released his autobiography in the form of a hip-hop album. The 34-year-old currently plies his trade out in Turkey with Galatasaray and a host of big names feature on his musical memoirs. They do not make for pleasant listening if you are Rafael Benitez, Louis Van Gaal, or Ibrahim Afellay, with the trio singled out for criticism on the record.

Christian Pulisic was compared to LeBron James, in a clip from television show, and everyone is finding the suggestion hilarious.

Pulisic is an extremely talented forward, and one of the best players America has ever produced in football, but it's fair to say he's not one of the best players in the world. However, on American tv show Pawn Stars, a reality tv programme about a pawn shop, the 23-year-old was made out to be one of football's all-time greats. A fan bought in a signed Chelsea shirt into the shop and, during the valuation, Pulisic is compared to LeBron, considered by some as the greatest player in NBA history, called the 'phenom,' claimed he's "one of the top players in the Premier League" and even the 'expert' compares the 23-year-old to Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. The clip has gone viral and it really has to be seen to be believed.

34

Manchester City recorded their 34th league victory of 2021 when they beat Newcastle, establishing a new record for the most top-flight wins by a team in a calendar year.

788

Harry Kane has scored his first home goal in the Premier League in 788 minutes of play (against Liverpool) ending a run of eight league games at home without scoring.

MBAPPE THE MUSICIAN https://www.instagram.com/p/CXOeVRBMx1d/ A maestro on the pitch, Kylian Mbappe may soon be one off it as well, posting a photo of himself playing the piano.

A WORTHY CAUSE ?

Conor Gallagher has been so good for Crystal Palace this season that one of their fans has set up a GoFundMe campaign to raise £50 million to buy him. The England international is on loan from Chelsea and has been likened to Blues legend Frank Lampard by Palace manager Patrick Vieira.

SPIDER-MAN IS A SPURS FAN https://www.instagram.com/p/CXCPWJYojkG/ Spider-Man actor, Tom Holland, is a Tottenham Hotspurs fan and he recently met Son Heung-Min where the two took a photo imitating each other’s pose.

RED LIGHT, GREEN LIGHT https://www.instagram.com/p/CXBOa_dMfNk/ Mason Mount put a football spin to the red light, green light game from the popular Netflix series ‘Squid Game’. There was some movement on red light though, not sure Mount would have made it through…

SOCCER360 JANUARY • FEBRUARY 2022

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90TH MINUTE Tajon moved to Colorado with family friends to play high school soccer.

Cristiano Ronaldo (37) February 5

TAMMY ABRAHAM

Club: Manchester United Nation: Portugal

RY A U R B E F

Tajon Buchanan (23) ➡ February 8 Club: Club Brugge Nation: Canada

WELL DONE, INDEED

WORD SEARCH

Leeds United fans might be finding their form this season difficult to chew, but that’s nothing compared to the food the side serves to its home support. The Whites recently got a few embarrassing mentions on Footy Scran, a Twitter page that compares football stadium food across different venues. In December, Leeds fans have posted three times on the page, complaining about the food quality at Elland Road. One fan showed a snap of a charred £4.50 burger, stuffed inside a bun smeared in melted cheese, that appeared to have been used by the teams as a warm up football. And a funny response read: ‘’Was it cooked on the surface of the sun?’’

TRIPLE HEADER England international and Borussia Dortmund star Jude Bellingham says he is proud to have received three jabs on his arm and urged his fellow professionals to take COVID vaccinations.

The 18-year-old joined the 94 percent of Bundesliga players who have been double vaccinated and went a step further recently by topping up his immunity levels with a booster shot.

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SERIEA LEAGUE ABRAHAM ASROMA BRISTOL MOURINHO CHAMPIONS

Ian Waterhouse

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SOCCER360 JANUARY • FEBRUARY 2022

CELEBRATION PLAYER CITY CHELSEA HONOURS GOALS

Mino Raiola received an official response from a Bundesliga side after saying Matthijs de Ligt would never join them.

Super-agent Raiola discussed his client de Ligt's future in an interview earlier and he thinks it could be time for a change.

When asked about a potential 'next step': “ With all due respect, not clubs like Fortuna Dusseldorf. We will see this summer. Premier League? It can be Barca too, or Real Madrid or PSG." Fortuna are currently playing in 2. Bundesliga after being relegated from the Bundesliga in 2020, but they've had some fun with Raiola's claims. Officially responding on Twitter, they said: "So no Fortuna for De Ligt, but ...after all, Mino knows us."

A NICE CUDDLE https://www.instagram.com/p/ CW4ZwACsqjk/ Winning a major tournament is no easy task, so you want to enjoy it as best you can.

Felipe Melo did just that. After winning the Copa Libertadores for the second year in a row, Melo took both trophies to bed.

NEW DRAW, SAME RESULT https://twitter.com/ChelseaFC/status/1470398980735574026 A mishap during the UEFA Champions League round of 16 draw caused a stir all over social media as the draw needed to be redone. Chelsea were originally drawn up against Lille and after the redraw… they were drawn against Lille again.

90TH MINUTE Memphis Depay (28) February 13

THE ROAD TO SEVILLE, SPAIN.

One of two Mewis sisters who play professional soccer.

Club: Barcelona Nation: Netherlands • Has a tattoo of his grandpa that spans his entire chest.

Nichelle Prince (27) February 19 Club: Houston Dash Nation: Canada

Ciro Immobile (32) February 20 Club: Lazio Nation: Italy

Kristie Mewis (31) ➡ February 25 Club: Houston Dash Federico Chiesa (24) Nation: USA October 25 Club: Juventus Moise Kean (22) Nation: Italy

February 28 Club: Juventus Marcus Rashford (24) Nation: Italy October 31

• The first playerUnited born in the 2000s to compete in Club: Manchester one ofEngland Europe’s four major leagues.

Nation:

WRONG TEAM Sadio Mane had a hilarious reaction to a young Liverpool fan telling him his brother supports Manchester United on a Zoom call. Liverpool players took part in their annual chat with patients of Alder Hey hospital, sadly not being able to attend in person due to Covid-19 restrictions. Mane and Mohamed Salah chatted to Morgan and asked if he was a Liverpool fan. “Yes,” he replied, before following up with, “But my brother is Man Utd.” The Senegal international couldn't hide his disappointment and head in hands, replies: "Oooh wrong team.”

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THE WRITING IS ON THE WALL An impressive mural dedicated to Lionel Messi has been erected in his hometown of Rosario to commemorate the Argentine’s record seventh Ballon d’Or and the part he played in his country’s victory in last summer’s Copa America. The 226 foot tall mural was done by local artists Marlene Zuriaga and Lisandro Urteaga, and has been titled: “From Another Galaxy And From My City”.

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https://twitter.com/juventusfcen/ status/1468674313159163908 Zenit St. Petersburg took points off Chelsea leaving Juventus top of their Champions League group. After the result, Zenit’s official account tweeted “You’re welcome” to Juventus who replied back with a Leonardo DiCaprio gif.

https://www.instagram.com/p/ CXO9NxXojxt/ Vidal knows sports cars have no place in the snow. So on his way out on morning, he took out his trusted Fiat Panda. Much was made of Vidal and his cars last year so he bought the used Panda and drives that around.

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SOCCER360 JANUARY • FEBRUARY 2022

81

LAST WORD

BALLON D’OR HAS LOST ITS SHINE EVEN LIONEL MESSI SEEMED SLIGHTLY EMBARRASSED TO ACCEPT HIS SEVENTH BALLON D’OR AWARD FOR A LESS THAN STELLAR 2021, NOTES SUSY CAMPANALE.

WW

hile other competitions were crammed together in new formats or the schedule transformed by the pandemic, France Football decided not to assign the Ballon d’Or for 2020. It was a nonsensical decision, and therefore very much in keeping with the trophy’s general approach to this wonderful sport. What more or less everyone can agree on in 2021 is that Lionel Messi did not deserve to be named Player of the Year.

He arguably didn’t deserve quite a few of his now seven editions of this prize that for some reason remains prestigious, and that is true of practically every winner over the last few decades. Cristiano Ronaldo and Messi played tag with the golden orb since the Portugal international first lifted it to the sky in 2008, between them winning 11 of the last 12 editions, interrupted only by Luka Modric of Real Madrid and Croatia in 2018.

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SOCCER360 JANUARY • FEBRUARY 2022

ABOVE: It was Lionel Messi’s record-breaking seventh Ballon d’Or award BOTTOM LEFT: Robert Lewandowski was robbed of the 2020 edition by the pandemic BOTTOM RIGHT: If it’s based on trophies won that year, nobody managed more than Jorginho

There were several worthy contenders for the accolade in 2021. For some time, Italy fans felt Jorginho would’ve been a suitable Ballon d’Or victor, because if the award is based on the silverware won during that calendar year, nobody could challenge the Chelsea midfielder.

Between club and country, Jorginho took the Euro 2020 trophy, Champions League and European Super Cup. It would’ve been a nice change of pace also for the title to go to someone who does the quiet work and makes a team tick rather than just score the showy goals. But showiness is what the Ballon d’Or is all about and it wants only box office names.

Jorginho also had against him the continually confusing disdain with which many Chelsea fans continue to view the Azzurri player. Add in a couple of penalty errors in crucial Italy World Cup qualifiers against Switzerland and his chances were blown. As it happens, he finished third in the vote.

Robert Lewandowski would’ve won it hands down in 2020 and had every reason to expect the nod in 2021, if not as recognition for the pandemic-spoilt trophy, then for his on-going excellence at Bayern Munich. If the voters want showbiz and goals, then Lewa provides both in spades. He even broke Gerd Muller’s 49-year record of Bundesliga goals scored in a single season by bagging 41, surpassing the tally of 40 set in the 1971-72 campaign. The Poland international achieved that despite missing almost a full month through injury, netting 41 in 29 games.

Instead, Messi received the award despite one of Barcelona’s worst campaigns in decades, a season that culminated in him tearfully leaving the club that could no longer afford his salary and struggling to make an impact at the star-studded exhibition of egos that is Paris Saint-Germain. Yes, Argentina won the Copa America this summer by beating archrivals Brazil in the Final, the first ever piece of silverware that Messi has won with his country.

La Pulga contributed four goals and five

assists in the seven games of that tournament, although most of those were against Bolivia and Ecuador. Nonetheless, one gets the feeling that even if Argentina had emerged emptyhanded again, Messi still would’ve received the individual award.

The Ballon d’Or used to be the trophy awarded by a hand-picked jury of journalists and pundits, whereas the FIFA Player of the Year Award gave a vote to coaches who barely watched any games and just picked the same stars over and over again. The two were melded together in 2010 and that is also coincidentally when the competition lost all credibility. They split again in 2015, but the damage was done and reporters from 180 nations contribute to what is essentially just a popularity contest. They are asked to pick their top five players of the year in order, with points given for each ranking.

Perhaps some criteria need to be clarified in order to bring meaning back to this annual parade of star power. Does the Ballon d’Or go to the most talented player, or is it the one who achieved the most during that specific calendar year? It is ostensibly supposed to be the latter, but that is not how anyone seems to vote on this. Giving Messi the award in 2021 was akin to the Oscar for Judi Dench’s Oscar for Best Supporting Actress in Shakespeare in Love, a performance that lasted all of eight minutes on screen. As long as the voting process continues this way and its jury isn’t instructed to choose based on performances in that year rather than general talent, then it will remain the Messi and Ronaldo show for the foreseeable future.

At least Lewandowski can rest safe in the knowledge he’s in good company, as over the years the Ballon d’Or also snubbed the likes of Paolo Maldini, Raul, Thierry Henry, Franco Baresi, Xavi, Bobby Moore, Andres Iniesta and even the legend Ferenc Puskas.

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