How Do Goalkeepers Handle The Pressure?

Tim Howard has managed to experience both the lows and highs of being a goalkeeper. However, it’s the lows that seem to stick to your memory. He recently informed reporters that you have to go to some pretty dark places when you become a goalkeeper, especially for a team like Manchester United.

Goalkeeping – The Thankless Job

Howard was celebrated by Barack Obama, becoming a national hero following his remarkable display at the 2014 World Cup against Belgium where he made a total of 16 saves. However, his failure to hold the 90-minute free kick from Benni McCarthy during a second-round tie in the Champions League against Porto a decade earlier provided Costinha with a goal that managed to knock out Manchester United from the competition. It also led to convincing Sir Alex Ferguson that Tim Howard wasn’t the right man for the job.

To be a successful goalkeeper in England, you need to be phenomenal for at least 5 or 10 years. Tim Howard had an incredible season at Manchester United, and within an instant, he didn’t see a pitch for at least two years. So having one or two suitable matches is not enough.

Being a top-rated goalkeeper is seen as a thankless job, one that will require a certain kind of player brave enough to fit the number 1 jersey along with the gloves that come with it. You can make 100 excellent saves and only allow one to go past you into the back of the net. Guess what will be remembered?

Goalkeepers in Football

David De Gea is the number 1 goalkeeper for Manchester United as well as the number 1 goalkeeper in the world. However, he is one player that is well aware of the downside that comes with his position. In recent years, he has had a nightmare run when it comes to mistakes that date back to his World Cup performance last year for Spain. His enormous error on 29 April 2019 against Chelsea is the critical moment the slide happened for Manchester United.

Loris Karius is one goalkeeper that has had an even worse time when compared to De Gea. The goalkeeper from Germany made two huge mistakes, leading directly to the goals scored in the Champions League final between Real Madrid and Liverpool that ended 3-1 in Kyiv, Ukraine in 2018. Although he suffered from a concussion after he collided with Sergio Ramos earlier on in the match, he still became a subject of fierce criticism.

Both Liverpool and Jurgen Klopp defended Karius at the time. However, he hasn’t played for another club since. He was eventually shipped to Turkey where he is currently on load for Besiktas where he is battling to regain his confidence. He managed to make a fatal error on his debut for the team that led to a 1-1 draw for Besiktas. He also made another mistake during a Europa League game against Malmo.

The Uncertain Future of Gareth Bale

How do you resolve a concern like Gareth Bale? It’s something that no one has an answer to at the moment, including Florentino Perez as the Real Madrid club president and Zinedine Zidane as the manager of the team.

Gareth Bale’s Career

After six years with Real Madrid and a €100 million transfer in 2013 from Tottenham Hotspur, the Wales international has managed to make himself the most successful and popular British player in the world having won every major honour while playing for Real Madrid, including a total of 4 Champions Leagues. Bale took on the challenge to prove himself alongside Christiano Ronaldo and did a stellar job to ensure he has a place in the team.

However, it did not meet Zidane’s critique after Real Madrid was defeated 2-0 by Real Betis at home on Sunday, when the head coach questioned Bale’s attitude daily, to expose the player’s situation at the club. Zidane is not a fan of Gareth Bale’s qualities and could quickly offload the player to save a truckload of money and make space for other talents that are more to his liking, including Paul Pogba, Kylian Mbappe, and Eden Hazard.

However, there’s one significant problem: Gareth Bale is going to be 30 in July and still has three years left on his contract with Real Madrid, which is worth around £15.5 million a year. This is good news for Gareth Bale as the finances are in his favour. However, it makes it quite impossible to find a club in Europe that will take him off Zidane’s hands.

Gareth Bale has made a total of 79 appearances from 151 La Liga games for Real Madrid in the last four seasons. This essentially means that he has either been on the bench or hasn’t been around for almost half the league games. Bale’s fitness issues in the last few years, when he suffered several muscular injuries, will not stop other clubs from making a move because, when he is fit and healthy, his capabilities and skills are well-worth the gambles.

However, there’s gambling on a player’s fitness, and then there’s gambling on a player’s eligibility who earns £300,000 a week. Manchester United learned this the hard way with Alexis Sanchez who only scored five times in 45 appearances.

Gareth Bale’s Future

Any football club that is considering a move on Bale need to weigh the reward and risk of gambling with his financials and fitness. This is the biggest problem that Real Madrid is facing at the moment. Bale is not keen on leaving Real Madrid. He managed to win Zidane over before and will try his best to succeed again even though his future at Real Madrid looks bleaker than ever.

If Zidane and Real Madrid want to let him go, they need to compensate him for the remaining years and make him affordable to any club that wants him.

Antoine Griezmann Will Leave Atletico Madrid Following 5 Seasons

Antoine Griezmann has recently informed his football club, Atletico Madrid, that he will be leaving this summer. Sources have also reported that the player is likely to sign with Barcelona next season less than 12 months after the player turned the club down.

Atletico Madrid decided to release a brief statement on Tuesday morning to reveal that Antoine Griezmann has stated that he will be leaving the club after playing for them for more than five years. This was followed up with a video post on social media that showcased the French forward explaining his decision to leave the club to his supporters.

Antoine Griezmann’s Future

Initial reports of Antoine Griezmann wanting to Atletico Madrid at the end of the season first surfaced in March 2019. He was offered to several of the biggest clubs in Europe, including Barcelona. However, the Catalans were not interested initially in reopening the transfer discussion as he turned the club down last summer.

The World Cup winner in 2018 from France played his entire football career in Spain, arriving at Atletico Madrid in 2014 from Real Sociedad. Paris Saint-Germain is another elite football club that is currently interested in signing the 28-year-old player.

Barcelona was under the impression that a singing deal was in place for Antoine Griezmann before the start of the World Cup. However, the Catalans were caught off guard when Griezmann released a statement before the tournament started in Russia where he commented on his plans with Atletico Madrid.

However, Antoine Griezmann had a change of heart after this occurred, while Barcelona has also decided to change their minds after much debate for a possible signing that first surfaced in March.

Antoine Griezmann’s Records

Antoine Griezmann managed to score 133 goals in a total of 256 matches across all competitions in 5 seasons for Atletico Madrid. This allowed him to be the leading scorer for his team. He managed to score 126 goals in La Liga alone which places him fourth just behind Christiano Ronaldo, Luis Suarez, and Lionel Messi.

Griezmann also managed to win three football titles in 5 years with Atletico Madrid, including the 2014 Spanish Super Cup, the 2018 UEFA Super Cup, and the 2017/18 Europa League. He was also the player that unfortunately missed a vital penalty during the UEFA Champions League final in 2016 against Real Madrid in a penalty shootout.

Josep Maria Bartomeu has recently informed reporters that there are absolutely no bad feelings with Antoine Griezmann. Barcelona has since made Antoine Griezmann and Matthijs de Ligt, the Ajax defender, their primary targets during the summer.

The horrible Champions League defeat against Liverpool last week in the semi-finals further enhanced the decision by the club to add fresh legs to an ageing club. Barcelona can attempt to negotiate a deal with the current club but remain reluctant to start talking to anyone about Griezmann until July when the clause of Griezmann drops from $200 million to $120 million.

The Worst Is Still To Come for Manchester United

The most troubling aspect for Manchester United at the moment, after their last hope, to qualify for the Champions League was ripped away on Sunday due to a 1-1 draw against Huddersfield, is that there’s no guarantee that things will get any better going forward.

Football players will come and go when summer approaches as Solskjaer finally get his first opportunity to design the squad he wants. However, we’ve been in this position before. Jose Mourinho, Louis van Gaal, and David Moyes have each received money to spend, a total of £600 million in total between the three of them. For the fourth time in the last six years since Sir Alex Ferguson departed, Manchester United will finish outside of the top four in the Premier League. It’s precisely what they deserved to be honest.

Manchester United vs Huddersfield

Within the first 15 minutes of the game, Manchester United was able to lead thanks to the second goal of the season by Scott McTominay. However, by the time Mr Mason blew into the whistle, Manchester United was merely hanging on for dear life. During the second half, Isaac Mbenza managed to score the equaliser after a long punt from Jonas Lossl as a goalkeeper.

The ball was in the back of David De Gea’s net only 13 seconds after the corner was taken by Manchester United on the other side of the field due to the miskick by Luke Shaw. The ball travelled over 60 yards beyond Shaw, and the goal was even worse for United as Mbenza kicked the ball through the legs of David De Gea to send Manchester United home with a draw instead of a win, ending the hopes to make it into the top four of the Premier League standings.

Huddersfield managed to lose a total of 22 matches out of 24 in all competitions. However, the team was genuinely disappointed that they couldn’t’ claim a win against Manchester United on Sunday. Solskjaer stated after the match that his team was not good enough. However, even though he was spot on with his assessments, it’s something that can be applied to almost every Manchester United game since Sir Alex Ferguson left the club.

The coming summer is filled with promises of a new and fresh beginning for Manchester United. However, with just a week away to the end of the season, there are more questions than answers at the moment. To give you an idea, De Gea will be entering his final year as per his contract, Pogba is unsure of his future, and there’s still no technical director at the club. This leaves Solskjaer to drive the recruitment stages with Ed Woodward as executive vice-chairman.

There’s one more match to play before the season ends and that’s when Cardiff visits Manchester United at Old Trafford. Once that match is completed, everyone will start talking about the fresh start and their optimism for the new season. Let’s hope they are right this time around.

Will Maurizio Sarri join Chelsea next season?


Chelsea’s Current Season



The Doubts Over Maurizio Sarri






Legendary Football Stars & Their Expensive Mansions

Last week’s article focussed on the first mansions bought by football superstars such as Gareth Bales, Andres Iniesta, Lionel Messi, Mario Balotelli and Cristiano Ronaldo. Multi-Millions were also spent by football superstars such as Frank Lampard, John Terry and Didier Drogba on luxurious mansions. This week we found out just how much they did pay for their first homes after becoming football legends.

Frank Lampard

At 36, Frank Lampard was a professional footballer playing for FC Manchester City, as the midfielder and central striker he made quite the name for himself. Considered as a football legend while playing for Chelsea more than 13 years he became the best centre as well as a scorer. When Lampard decided it was time to invest in property, he bought a double storey home worth $7 million. In size, the home is around 1811 m2. Lampard’s mansion features nine bedrooms, a swimming pool, 12 bathrooms, tennis courts and marina, while it also offers a detached home for guests.

John Terry

At age 34, the English footballer was the caption of Chelsea. John Terry was also the captain in 2012, 2011, 2010 and 2006 of the England National team. As one of only a few players, Terry was present in the 500th time for their team, he was also the best defender, Chelsea every had. John Terry went on the become the best defender worldwide in his generation and his first home features a home theatre, 10 bedrooms and an aquarium cost him $7.5 million.

Didier Drogba

At the age of 36, Didier Yves Drogba Tebili was an Ivorian professional football player for Chelsea. He played as the captain and striker of Côte d’Ivoire. As a legendary Chelsea football player, he is one of the four best scorers. In 2012, Didier became one of the best Chelsea players and was twice the Footballer of the Year. He owned a plot and in 2007 decided to build his dream home of 800 m2 worth 14.4 million dollars. Drogba’s mansion consists of 8 bathrooms, 7 bedrooms, an awards hall and several children’s rooms.

Wayne Rooney

Probably one of the most famous football players ever is Wayne Rooney, who was born in 1985 in Liverpool. He earned a reputation as the best in the world during his Manchester United career.
He became known as the world’s most expensive footballer in 2012 with a yearly income reaching 32.6 million. His first home was in Cheshire and is worth $17.5 million.

David Beckham

At 39 years of age, David Robert Joseph Beckham, former English professional football legend is as popular now for his brands as he was during his careers with Real Madrid, Manchester United and Milan. He is one of the hundred top football players of all times and claimed the top spot as the most expensive player in 2013 when his earnings reached $50 million. Although he bought his mansion in 1999, not long after marrying Victoria and his Gregorian Style home is best known as the Beckingham Palace.

Famous Football Stars & Their First Expensive Homes


Gareth Bales Professional Welsh Football Players


Andres Iniesta


Lionel Messi


Mario Balotelli


Cristiano Ronaldo


FA Cup Win for Watford Would Mean Everything


Ben Foster at Watford




Comments from Ben Foster





Why is Philippe Coutinho Struggling at Barcelona?

There is a joke among the locals of Castelldefels, a tiny town situated between the mountains and sea outside of Barcelona, that the home of Philippe Coutinho is jinxed. Cesc Fabregas managed to buy it months before he was transferred to Chelsea and Thomas Vermaelen, who used to stay there, endured lengthy curses on the sidelines due to injuries. Then, Andre Gomes decided to move there after he was transferred from Valencia to Barcelona but never managed to find his feet at the club.

Philippe Coutinho

Philippe Coutinho was mostly seen as the €160 million man who has destined to finally life the curse. His former Liverpool teammate, Luis Suarez, assisted him in finding a house and it was supposed to mark the start of a brand-new attacking trident. Not only would Coutinho be alongside Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez on the pitch, but he would also be their neighbours.

Fifteen months have come and gone since Philippe Coutinho joined Barcelona with a record-signing deal. However, it looks like the curse is still apparent with the Barcelona forward to this day. The Brazilian, who was transferred to Barcelona to replace Neymar over the short-term and to replace Andres Iniesta over the long-term, is still unable to meet the expectations that come with his jaw-dropping price tag.

Coutinho had an incredible start at Barcelona where he managed to score ten goals in only 22 matches during the 2017/18 season. However, things have deteriorated since then, and he is not playing as he should during the 2018/19 season at Camp Nou. In the current campaign, he has only scored a total of 9 goals in more than 40 different appearances, and several sources suggest that Barcelona will be open to selling the Brazilian if they can receive a bid that is more than €100 million during the summer.

“It’s quite remarkable that a Brazilian soccer player like Coutinho is struggling to find his feet at a club like Barcelona. Especially when you consider that they have more than 300 days of sunshine every year. He was superb when he played at Liverpool who has 300 days of rain every year,” a source that is close to the player informed us recently.

A Football Star Without a Proper Position

The biggest issue for Coutinho since he arrived at Barcelona in January 2018 was a simplistic one: Where exactly should he play?

When you look at the versatility of Coutinho, he managed to play at the tip of the three midfielders for Liverpool. However, he was often found on the left. When you look at his position in the Brazilian national team, he either played on the right, accommodating Neymar, or played in the centre. Ernesto Valverde, the head coach for Barcelona, allowed Coutinho to play in several positions. However, none of them genuinely fit his skills and abilities as a footballer at Barcelona. This is the biggest problem for him at the moment, and that needs to change before he gets back to playing like a pro.

Champions League Quarter Final Predictions

The draw for the quarterfinals of the Champions League has provided some genuinely classic ties as the biggest clubs in Europe attempt to reach the Champions League final in Madrid. Manchester City will face Tottenham Hotspur, Juventus will face Ajax, Liverpool will go head-to-head with Porto, and Barcelona will take on Manchester United. So, how exactly will the Champions League quarterfinals play out?

Juventus vs Ajax

Juventus are heading into this tie, which is necessarily a repeat of the final in 1996, as clear favourites to reach the Champions League semi-finals, even though Ajax managed to defeat Real Madrid during the round of 16. Ajax has been one of the most glorious stories in the Champions League this season, with emerging stars, such as Matthijs de Ligt and Frenkie de Jong blending with experienced players, including Dusan Tadic and Daley Blind to restore Ajax’s reputation in the world’s biggest football tournament. However, are they able to provide another shocking upset against Christiano Ronaldo and Juventus? Highly doubtful.

Porto vs Liverpool

Liverpool enjoyed a 5-0 win against Porto in the round of 16 last season before they were held to a 0-0 draw in the second leg at Anfield so that Liverpool will have no fear against the champions from Portugal. Porto managed to overcome Roma in the round of 16 and have loads of experience in Hector Herrera, Pepe, and Iker Casillas as their goalkeeper. However, it’s impossible to imagine that Liverpool is not the overwhelming favourites to go through to the semi-finals to face Barcelona or Manchester United.

Manchester City vs Tottenham

Tottenham is a dangerous team at home, and they will play at their brand-new stadium for the quarterfinals against Manchester City. However, City has far more quality and depth along with the experience of being in this position before. Manchester City is also attempting to secure a quadruple by winning the FA Cup, the Premier League, and the Champions League cup. They are also looking to keep the Carabao Cup that they recently claimed against Chelsea in a penalty shoot-out. Therefore, it will not be surprising to see Manchester City enter the semi-finals to play against Juventus or Ajax.

Barcelona vs Manchester United

This is undoubtedly the best tie of the Champions League. This will mark the first time two of the biggest clubs in the world meeting during the quarterfinals. This hasn’t happened since Manchester United won during the 2007/08 semi-finals on route to winning their third trophy in the Champions League. Since then, Barcelona has defeated Manchester United in two finals, including 2011 and 2009, and there’s no doubt that Barcelona is considered the overwhelming favourites in this tie this time around as well.

Manchester United need to find a brilliant way to stop the incredible Lionel Messi. However, that is just one of the enormous challenges that await Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and his team. If Manchester United can win against Barcelona, they will pull off the most significant result in European history. They haven’t seen the semi-finals since 2011.