Silly Season Has Started In Earnest

Leagues around Europe have drawn the curtains on what has been another interesting season of football. There have been great goals, great games, relegation dramas, predictable winners and losers. 

And as the season winds up, there will be inquests in clubs that are not happy the way their season has panned out and with that comes the axe that usually falls on heads that have found themselves on the chopping block. At this point, the club managers are usually the most vulnerable to get the chop.

In this article, we will be looking at some managers who might be or already on their way to the unemployment lines in the coming days.

Carlo Ancelotti 

Of the bunch I will be talking about in this article, he seems to be the one most undeserving of the sack. He has won 4 trophies with Real Madrid yet his job is on the line. Why? In Real Madrid, doing well might not be enough if one of the La Liga, Copa Del Rey, or the Champions League is not among the other trophies that have been won.

Ancelloti has led Madrid to European Super Cup glory and also the Club World Cup this season. The previous season he had led Madrid to the Copa Del Ray and the Champions League trophies. And the trophies were all won in 2014! In another club, those achievements would insulate a manager from the firing line but this is Real Madrid we are talking here. A club were the job security is as fragile as a poorly constructed mud house.

Sam Allardyce

After West Ham's defeat to Newcastle on the final day of the premier league, West Ham released a statement stating that they would not be extending 'Big Sam's' contract. After media people confronted Allardyce with the news, he said that he already knew about it. He went on to thank the club and the owners for the 4 year adventure.

Now, Sam Allardyce is not in the league of the likes of Mourinho, Ancelotti, Wenger etc but he sure knows how to keep a club in mid table mediocrity or at least, away from the relegation trap door. Now that West Ham have gotten rid of Allardyce, they had better not make the mistake of appointing someone who would mess up all the good work Big Sam has done. 

West Ham, should look no further than Newcastle to see the mess Newcastle are in right now. As for Big Sam, he will bid his time. One of the newly promoted clubs next season will hit the panic button when performances go south and he will be required to perform some miracle. Sunderland might even be interested if Dick Advocaat refuses to stay...

Brendan Rodgers

This candidate seems to be a bit odd because pressure started piling up on him recently when it was announced that Jurgen Klopp would be leaving Borussia Dortmund at the end of the Bundesliga season. However, Brendan Rodgers will not be under pressure for the first time this season.

Earlier in the just concluded premier league season, he was under scrutiny after several poor results both in Europe and at home. The turning point came after the loss to Manchester United at Old Trafford. He adopted a formation with 3 defenders at the back that fit the quality of players at his disposal and Liverpool went on an amazing run after that defeat which ended in yet another defeat to arch rivals United. From then on, results started getting poor again.

Liverpool's last 2 games have been nothing short of a fiasco. They lost at home to Crystal Palace and suffered a thrashing at Stoke City making captain Steven Gerrard's final games for Liverpool ones to forget. The loss to Crystal Palace was overshadowed by Gerrard's send forth but the loss to Stoke will definitely send tongues wagging about the ability of Rodgers to build on their achievements in 2014. At least Gerrard signed out with a goal in the Stoke game but it was hardly a consolation in a game in which Liverpool in the words of a BBC pundit, "just surrendered".

Roberto Di Matteo

Di Matteo's sacking was confirmed officially only a few hours before I started writing this post but this announcement is hardly surprising. Not many CEOs will keep a manager whose side have fallen from champions league contenders to 13th in the league standings. 

But Di Matteo has hardly been in the club a long time to really make much of an impact. The Club's Chief Executive, Horst Heldt is well known to be trigger happy when it comes to firing managers. And Di Matteo's sacking, looking merely at the stats, seems to be justified based on the stature of a club like Schalke. However, the stats don't tell the full story. Di Matteo's sacking is Heldt's 7th managerial sacking in 5 years. That is too much for a club seeking to establish itself.

Schalke has fallen from grace and the constant meddling of Heldt in the team affairs has taken the club backwards. Two of Schalke's players- Sidney Sam and Prince Boateng have been controversially kicked out of the club this season by Heldt to remind the team who calls the shots. Di Matteo has had to also deal with injuries to key players like Julian Draxler. All these have combined to make this season less than ideal for the former Chelsea manager.

Sadly for Di Matteo, just like his Italian counterpart Carlo Ancelotti, he is a victim of club politics which is bigger than him. But unlike Ancelloti who might leave Real Madrid with his head held high, Roberto Di Matteo is leaving with a whimper.

5 Reasons Why Gareth Bale is in Trouble

It is no longer news that the world's most expensive player, Gareth Bale, has been having a difficult last few weeks if not months at his club, Real Madrid. He has been criticised mercilessly from several quarters of the media both in Madrid and in the UK for his recent poor performances on the pitch. Bale was practically held responsible for Madrid's loss to Juventus in the first leg of the champions' League semi final by pundit, Roy Keane who said Real were effectively playing with 10 men because of Bale's poor showing on the night which made it difficult for Madrid to get a more positive result.

When you play for a club like Real Madrid and with the tag of being the most expensive player on the planet, criticism for any lame performance is likely to come your way on a regular basis except of course, you are a Cristiano Ronaldo or a Lionel Messi.

But are Bale's troubles entirely his fault? Is he not being made a scapegoat by sections of the Spanish media and Real Madrid for recent collective poor performances of the team? A player who has scored 17 goals in 46 appearances for Real Madrid so far this season playing from the wings surely deserves more respect, right?

This week I intend to look at 5 reasons why Bale is having a difficult time at Real Madrid and why he has not been fully accepted or appreciated by the Madrid supporters.

Language barrier issues

It has been reported that in the Real Madrid dressing room, the lingua franca is Spanish (which is not unusual after all,Real Madrid are a Spanish club) and that is the language Real boss, Carlo Ancelloti uses to address the players and pass instructions. Well, Mr Bale is a Welshman and has not come to grips yet with the Spanish language after nearly 2 years with the club. Spanish must be very hard to learn... 

Anyway, his team mates have complained about this obstacle and it probably affects the way he relates with many of his team mates on and off the pitch. This has left him increasingly isolated. Ancelloti is a good coach but he of all people in my opinion should be able to bend the rules a little and as much as possible translate most of what has been said to English so that Bale could be carried along. After all, he is the club's most expensive player and it is to their advantage that they get the best out of him.

Player power rearing its head

Bale's agent, Jonathan Barnett, has claimed that the Madrid players have not been passing the ball to his client and that he has the stats to prove it which he indeed has. Barnett added that his client could go on to be the best Madrid player if they could pass the ball to him more often so that Bale could express himself, as if we didn't know what Bale can do. Well, what did we expect from his agent? A tongue lashing?

On a more serious note though, if his agent is correct in his claims then the logical question that we need to ask is why are his team mates afraid to pass the ball to Bale? The language barrier thing could be one reason but the paranoid ones amongst us will not rule out the influence of Ronaldo on his team mates since they are heavily dependent on Ronaldo's goal scoring and are always trying to play to Ronaldo's strengths.

Bale is short on confidence

Since Bale's troubles started this year, he has looked short of confidence. He has not been deadly, not taken many players on, and his shooting has not been at its best. These are Bale's strongest qualities. 

And as long as Bale doesn't regain his form and confidence in front of goal, the Real Madrid jury will remain out on him. Bale's admirers know that form is temporary but class is permanent and will expect Bale to return to his best next season.

Real Madrid fans are fickle

Real Madrid fans like most fans around the world who support big clubs are fickle. When you do well, they love and adore you but when you flop or make some mistakes, they boo you and unleash vitriol at your direction till you improve. If you doubt it, ask Bale's team mate and captain, Iker Casillas. 

Iker has been a worthy servant of Real Madrid since he became a regular in the first team squad in 1999. But some high profile mistakes has made the Real Madrid fans turn against him. If you look at Casillas' achievements for both club and country, the attacks on Casillas is shameful. You suspect that if the Madrid fans can do this to one of their own, then Bale a Welshman is fair game. Just imagine if Bale were black...

Being played out of position

This is not the biggest of excuses for Bale's recent troubles after all, he scored 22 goals last season and has already notched up 17 this season from the right wing but it could partly be the reason why we have not seen the best of Bale in a Madrid shirt and his current low confidence levels.

People forget quickly that the reason Bale became such a hot property is because of his performance from the left wing and later on from the centre. Bale is being played on the right because the left wing is Ronaldo's favourite position since he loves to cut in to his favoured right foot and shoot. And of course, it would be ridiculous to play Bale as a central striker where Benzema occupies since he is not a natural striker.

Bale should be allowed to have freedom to roam behind the central striker since it was there he flourished in his last season at Tottenham Hotspur where he scored 24 league goals which persuaded Real Madrid to pay a reported 85 million pounds for his signature. 

The 85 million pound question is, will Carlo Ancelloti upset the present order and allow Bale to play in a more central position or on the left wing where World player of the year, Cristiano Ronaldo, is currently occupying? 

Your guess is as good as mine.

What Keshi Must Do To Improve The Super Eagles II

This is the concluding part of my article which I started last week on how Stephen Keshi can turn the fortunes of the Super Eagles around so that we can take our rightful place amongst the best teams in Africa and even the world .

Last week I took a look at the goal keeping options we currently have and also the defence and concluded that a new understudy for Vincent Enyeama is needed. Keshi also needs to find a new right back and possibly, a cover for the first choice right back.

The midfield remains Keshi's biggest challenge

The Super Eagles midfield still remains Keshi's biggest weakness. In modern football, the top teams have a creative and efficient midfield. Keshi has to find a fine balance between the defensive personnel and their attacking/creative counterparts when building a solid midfield for the Super Eagles.

Keshi has to search both home and abroad for creative midfielders who can help the current crop of misfiring strikers to create lots of chances so that the strikers can put some away. There aren't too many creative Nigerian midfielders flying high at club level in Europe today, sad to say. We depend so much on wing play which could be frustrating when we come up against teams happy to sit back and defend. Our lack of creativity in midfield affected us at the last AFCON qualifiers when we played both South Africa and Sudan away from home. In both games we failed to score or create many decent opportunities.

The dearth of creative and talented midfielders to replace ageing players in the Super Eagles is a serious indictment on the NFF's youth development programmes and our junior teams. Since Austin Okocha quit the Super Eagles in 2006, there has been no genuine successor for that number 10 shirt. 

John Obi Mikel looked to have the potential to fill the boots left by Okocha when he bust into limelight at the FIFA World Youth Championship in 2005 but his move to Chelsea under the guidance of 'the Special One', killed that hope. Mikel has become a defensive midfielder who prefers the easy and safe options of square plays and back passes. This is not what we need at this time.

Unfortunately, Mikel remains arguably our best midfielder which is a sorry situation because what this means for the Super Eagles is that, as long as he remains our best, we will never rise above mediocrity in the midfield. We have never been short of defensive and box to box midfielders. What we lack in abundance is a creative player. If Keshi can find a midfielder half as good as Okocha, the Super Eagles team could become the top team in Africa in no time.

Kelechi Iheanacho looks to be the solution to this midfield conundrum. The bad news is, it appears he may have miscalculated in joining a team like Manchester City to develop his game since City rarely give players in the feeders a look in whether in the short or long term. Manuel Pellegrini's position at City appears under threat. If he survives the axe that could fall on him come end of the season, he is unlikely to look Iheanacho's way for respite.

A dependable goal scorer needs to be sought after quickly

One of the biggest failings of the Super Eagles at the World Cup in Brazil was our failure to score goals. It was no different at the last AFCON qualifiers where we struggled to score and when we managed to, we were quite wasteful. Emmanuel Emenike has not scored for Nigeria since we played Ethiopia during the World Cup qualifiers for Brazil. Ahmed Musa is one of our biggest culprits when it comes to not taking easy chances. Victor Moses has been over looked by Keshi since Moses' poor performance at the World Cup.

But the attack after the goal keeping department still remains the strongest part of the Super Eagles. There is, of course, a need for some changes in personnel. Moses needs to be re-called. He is arguably the most in form Super Eagles player in Europe presently. Emenike was effective on the wings at the World Cup in Brazil, Keshi could give him a look in on the right wing. 

For the striker position, Keshi needs to look in the direction of Victor Anichebe. The only snag is his wretched injury record and Anichebe's self imposed exile from the Super Eagles. Keshi has to try and persuade him to come out of retirement. Shola Ameobi is an alternative but he needs to score goals to prove he is worth an invitation. So far, Sone Aluko looks to be the real deal in attack. His ability to play on the wings or behind the main striker is an added advantage for the team if tactical changes need to be made.

A case could be made for Brown Ideye but his penchant for missing easy chances was probably the reason he was over looked by Keshi for the World Cup and ever since. 

There are quite a lot of options in attack but the tricky challenge for Keshi is discovering a good and potent combination that will trouble defences and score goals. The jigsaw puzzle still remains the creative midfield which Keshi can manage in the short term with effective wing play coupled with hard working midfielders but Keshi has to make sure he doesn't leave his position when his contract expires without solving the midfield puzzle.

What Keshi must do to improve the Super Eagles

This article is a sequel to my last piece titled "Keshi's contract extension: A reward for Mediocrity?" As I write this, I am not sure if Stephen Keshi's contract situation has been finalised but we all know that the contract offer by the NFF to Keshi for him to manage the Super Eagles team, barring a twist similar to what you would see in a Hollywood movie,  is a foregone conclusion.

And if that is so, then Keshi has to begin to find ways he can improve the Super Eagles. There are certain key areas of the team Keshi may want to look into as we prepare for the AFCON qualifiers which will commence in June.

For those who are not in the know, Nigeria will be taking on Egypt, Tanzania and Chad in the AFCON qualifiers this time around. There will be no prizes for the runners up on this occasion as it's a winner takes all scenario. This is why Keshi has to pull all the stops and ensure that Nigeria wins the sole AFCON ticket for our group.

Keshi should stop being stubborn

One of the reasons why Keshi failed to take the Super Eagles to the the Nations Cup held in Equitorial Guinea this year is his attitude which many have perceived as arrogance on his part. Keshi stubbornly stuck with and selected players whose performances and form were not up to scratch for crucial qualifier matches and which in the end, didn't pay off for him. 

He also selected some untried and untested players in key games which was a gamble that ultimately failed. Apart from Aaron Samuel and Sone Aluko, every other new player Keshi fielded didn't justify his inclusion. Keshi needs to listen to his critics with an open mind and pick players on current form rather than on sentiments. 

A dependable understudy for Enyeama is needed 

Vincent Enyeama remains Nigeria's first choice and rightly so, but for how long he remains Nigeria's number one is a question Keshi can provide an answer to whenever Enyeama decides to call time on his career with the Super Eagles. 

Austin Ejide has been Enyeama's deputy for a long time now and should step into Enyeama's shoes when Enyeama elects to step down. The problem is, Enyeama  and Ejide are in the same age bracket and that means he is unlikely to be around for too long. That brings up another conundrum for Keshi or his successor.

Keshi needs to begin to scout the land for top class goalkeepers because there is a dearth of decent goalkeepers in our local league which has been producing our goalkeepers for a while now.  He however, has the option of inviting Wolverhampton Wanderers Carl Ikeme to the national team. He is tried and tested and he has loads of experience to fill any void Enyeama's absence may cause.

Chigozie Agbim is the other option for Keshi but Agbim has failed to develop his game. He is a useful backup at best but no more for now. In the games he has appeared for Nigeria, he has been jittery and lacking in confidence. He needs to work on his confidence if he wants to mount a serious challenge for the number one spot.

Keshi needs an established Right Back and a cover as well.

It is shocking that after almost 4 years at the helm, Keshi has failed to find a natural right back for the Super Eagles. A flaw that was brutally exposed during the last qualifiers by the likes of Congo DR and South Africa. He was able to get good cover for Elderson Echiejile in Juwon Oshaniwa who was outstanding in Brazil. But he has failed to find cover for Efe Ambrose who is a central defender by trade. Ambrose has filled that void well over the years but good teams are likely to find weaknesses in makeshift situations and exploit it to the max. And this sadly, was the case in the last AFCON qualifiers.

Keshi needs to look into this loophole and plug it immediately! I recommend that Ambrose be shifted to central defence either as cover for the established pairing of Omeruo and Obaobona or that Keshi drop one of them and pair him with any of Omeruo or Obaobona. 

The central defence needs some shake up too because they were for most times all over the shop when under pressure by their opponents but a tweaking shouldn't be as radical as the right back position which needs some major surgery. Their sloppiness could be explained by the poor form and lack of serious match practice by Kenneth Omeruo. Although, the likes of Azubuike Egwuekwe should not be invited any longer to the Super Eagles. They are just a liability and dinstinctively average.

In my next article, I will discuss areas in the midfield and attack where Keshi needs to work on so that the Super Eagles team can return to their rightful place at the zenith of African football.

Keshi's contract extension: A reward for mediocrity?

Stephen Keshi is set to be offered a 2 year contract extension by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to manage the Super Eagles presumably till the 2017 Nations Cup finals if we qualify. The deal ought to have been signed since Friday 17th April, 2015 but the NFF seem unprepared to finalise the deal for reasons best known to them. And if reports are anything to go by, the deal will not be signed any time this week. We wait and see how the signing ceremony will pan out.

The aim of this article is not to criticise the incompetence of the NFF in their shoddy handling of the failed contract signing ceremony of Keshi but the decision of the NFF board to reward Keshi with a new contract.

Does Keshi deserve a new deal? Is the hand of outgoing president, Goodluck Jonathan, involved in ensuring Keshi remains coach of the Super Eagles? Is there no other manager the NFF can hire to take the Super Eagles to the next level?  When other coaches like Christian Chukwu and  Samson Siasia failed to qualify Nigeria for a major competition they were shown the door, why is Keshi's case different?

If we are to look at this scenario based on his achievements with the Super Eagles and his past record with other nations then Keshi would get the backing of many to lead the Super Eagles into the future especially because of how he was able to bring in some unheralded players like Sunday Mba who were in the local league to limelight. Players he used ultimately to bring glory to Nigeria in the African Cup of Nations (AFCON) in South Africa in 2013 and our qualification for the World Cup in Brazil last year.

However, if we are to look at the team's performance critically, especially after the Brazil 2014 World Cup and their failure to qualify for the African Cup of Nations held in Equitorial Guinea to defend the title they won in 2013, then one wouldn't be overly excited that Keshi's contract is being renewed. In fact, in other climes, many managers' heads would have been chopped off without a moment's hesitation if they had overseen such a mediocre performance that the Super Eagles showcased during the last AFCON qualifiers.

The reality of football today is that you are as good as your last game. And the Super Eagles' recent performances at the AFCON qualifiers where they struggled to beat Sudan in Nigeria and failed to beat South Africa over 2 legs as well as embarrassing losses to Sudan away and Congo at home are the type that even the best in the business of football management would struggle to survive.

To be fair, Keshi didn't have the goodwill and support of the NFF board who were neck deep in crisis between themselves. Who could forget the drama they regularly served the watching Nigerian public as the battle for the leadership of the NFF board unfolded? We had different chairmen emerging through every kangaroo election they held and FIFA were kept busy monitoring the farce as they unfolded.

How many times did Nigeria flirt with FIFA's hammer? Nigeria eventually got suspended though. It took good old president Goodluck Jonathan's intervention for sanity to be brought back to the Glass house and the resulting bans from FIFA lifted.

There were even more twists that played out during the ill fated Equitorial Guinea AFCON qualifiers. Keshi after presiding over a hard fought victory over Sudan, was sacked the following day by the NFF but was reinstated a few weeks later after technical director, Amodu Shuaibu, wisely rescinded his decision to accept the job of managing the Super Eagles for the rest of the qualifiers. He had probably thought  that it was better Keshi was allowed to finish what he had started. The team was in such disarray that no right thinking coach worth his salt would accept such a poisoned chalice which was Keshi's post.

Clearly, Keshi was being frustrated by the NFF hierarchy and it probably had an effect on the team's performance. That notwithstanding, the team had their AFCON qualification hopes in their own hands but at the end, they narrowly escaped defeat to South Africa's Bafana Bafana after another sloppy performance especially at the back in the last round of matches in the group. Two late goals from Sone Aluko could not save Nigeria from being bundled out of AFCON as we forced South Africa to a 2-2 draw.

Now that we are back to the drawing board and Keshi has been given the nod to manage the Super Eagles again, he needs to sort out several problems with the Super Eagles. Problems which led to the fiasco Nigerians witnessed during the last AFCON qualifiers and problems if resolved could aid the Super Eagles to reach the pinnacle of African football again.

These problems and what he should do to tackle them would be discussed hopefully in my next article.

Is the Ballon D'or award really bad for the game?

Arsene Wenger and Jose Mourinho are hardly the best of friends but they both agree on one issue. And the issue is, they both feel the award for the best player in the world, the Ballon D'or, is dentrimental to the game. 

Wenger earlier this year in an interview published in the Guardian, stated that he was against the tradition of awarding or voting an individual the best player in the world. Wenger added that although he is not opportuned to vote since club managers are not eligible to vote, he would refuse to get involved if the reverse was the case. According to Wenger, football is a team sport and not about the individuals.

Jose Mourinho also agrees with Arsene Wenger's views on the the Ballon D'or award. He believes that even though teams can have an exceptional player, it is unfair for a player to take praise for what was a collective effort. Mourinho's comments were published in an interview with UK based newspaper, The Telegraph. 

Mourinho said: "For me, football is collective. The individual is welcome if you want to make our group better. But you have to work for us, not we have to work for you."

"When the top player arrives, the team is already there. It's not him who comes to discover the team, like Columbus discovering America. No,no, you are coming now to help us be better."

The current player of the year is Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo who won the Ballon D'or award ahead of Barcelona's Lionel Messi and Bayern Munich's goal keeper, Manuel Neuer.

Both managers seem to have valid arguments against the award for the best player of the year but in reality, does it really affect the team as a whole? Messi and Ronaldo for the last 7 years have won this award between each other but have their dominance truly affected their respective team mates? Or even affected football as a whole? Is it possible that the award for the best player of the year affects players or teams in the Nigerian premier league?

If we take a look at Real Madrid this season especially after the winter break, you would notice the petulant reactions of Cristiano Ronaldo whenever team mates especially Gareth Bale fail to pass the ball to him or even score goals he failed to score. The only logical reason for such reactions by Ronaldo is that Ronaldo's personal duel with Messi has made him put his personal interests above his team mates and as a result, if he is not taking the plaudits for the goals scored he begins to throw a tantrum.

Lionel Messi on the other hand, is not exhibiting the same petulant reactions as Ronaldo on the pitch. And it appears Barcelona still plays to his strengths and so there is unlikely to be any tantrums coming from Messi if there was any in him.

It is pertinent to note however, that there have been reports of bust ups between Messi and Luis Enrique at the training ground possibly over tactics and training methods. Only the 'star power' held by Messi could make that happen and still make him get away with it. 

All in all, is there sufficient evidence to suggest that these reactions have affected Real Madrid or Barcelona as a team and their performances?  I think the effects have been exaggerated by Arsene and Jose. One thing, Barcelona or Madrid would probably be affected long term if they had to do without their star men for a prolonged period of time. The team would get a lift and inspiration on the other hand, if they were present cause their team mates are professional enough to know that the star players are key to the team's success.

Overall, every team has a star or top player that gives the team confidence on the pitch. That the star player gets recognised for individual performances should not cause much disaffection in a team especially if the star player is humble enough to recognise the contribution of his team mates when receiving his personal accolades. 

Besides, only one player wins Ballon D'or award on the entire planet.

Now that the Elections are over, can we have our football back?

The presidential elections have come and gone. General Muhammadu Buhari has emerged as winner of the elections and now the 'wind of change' will sweep the incumbent and outgoing president, Goodluck Jonathan out of office. 

I haven't published any posts recently because the mood of the nation was set on the conduct of the presidential elections. I doubt if anyone would have been willing to read any articles on football in Europe or anywhere else in the last couple of hours or days before the elections, Election Day proper and the days in which results were being collated. 

There was also excitement and tension in the land in anticipation of the announcement of the election results. Football to say the least, was the last thing in most people's minds. But now that the results have been announced, a winner has emerged which reflects the mood of the nation at this time as we grapple with the fall of the Naira and falling oil prices, we can now begin to relax.

And since the announcement, there has been celebrations all over the country, especially among president elect, Muhammadu Buhari's supporters. The celebrations are over or subsiding and we can now return our focus on other happenings around the world and football remains one of the pleasures  that can take our minds off the painful change that is coming for us Goodluck Jonathan supporters even though another round of elections are coming up  on the 11th of April with the Gubernatorial elections being the main event. 

While we were all awaiting the outcome of the election results, friendlies and Euro 2016 qualifiers were being played all around Europe. There were a few shocking results as Portugal lost at home in a friendly to Cape Verde Islands 0-2. Although the rest of the world may not  know much about the Cape Verde Islands, we in Africa know that Cape Verde is an emerging force in football in Africa at least and so, it may not be entirely shocking that Cape Verde shocked a mediocre Portuguese side who had Cristiano Ronaldo on the bench.

Spain were also defeated by the Netherlands 2-0 in Amsterdam in a result that may not be entirely shocking but what would be worrisome for Spain and Vicente Del Bosque is how they can return Spain to the level where they dominated the planet for 6 straight years with a team which is arguably the best in the history of the game at international level.

The English Premier league resumes this weekend with the Arsenal-Liverpool fixture at the Emirates being the pick of the pack. The game is expected to be entertaining. We hope the game will live up to the hype. Arsenal are favourites to win since Liverpool will be missing a few key players including Steven Gerrard and Martin Skrtel. Liverpool know however, that if they hope to force their way into top 4 reckoning, this is a game they cannot afford to lose. Manchester United will be expected to defeat Aston Villa at Old Trafford and if Liverpool lose, it might be extremely difficult for them to catch up even though United have tough games against Manchester City and Chelsea to come respectively after their game against Aston Villa.

As the EPL begins to reach its climax, the fate of teams who are battling relegation and those seeking a place in Europe's premier club competition, the Champions League, might be cemented after this weekend's round of matches.

Welcome back EPL !