Due to the international tournaments in Europe and South America, the 2021 summer transfer window has lacked the usual flurry and even more so due to the financial difficulties caused by the pandemic. Major deals have only just picked pace in the fortnight since the Euro 2020 and Copa America Finals with more set to…
Like many African professional footballers, the journey is often a long, arduous one to reach the top. Challenges and prejudices faced are just a portion of the price to pay and what it takes to make it in a top-flight division. Much of the same can be said of Paul Onuachu who has slowly proved…
The driving force behind Jürgen Klopp’s successful five-year stint at Liverpool has been the irrepressible midfield engine he has instilled since arriving at Merseyside. It took years to develop and recruit the perfect personnel in Georginio Wijnaldum and Fabinho, but their famous midfield trio alongside captain Jordan Henderson never looked back since. Wijnaldum, a key…
Bukayo Saka had quite the introduction to Euro 2020. The youngster announced himself to a wider audience with a man-of-the-match performance against Czech Republic. There were eyebrows raised when Gareth Southgate opted for the Arsenal youngster over the likes of Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho for the final group game, but it proved to be…
In what felt very much like 90 minutes of post-season football, especially after an intense schedule for all involved. Nigeria versus Cameroon failed to excite. Unsurprisingly betraying the atmosphere of a heated Derby, there were few talking points from Nigeria’s dour 1-0 defeat against their rival neighbours in Austria. The first installment of two friendlies…
As the dust settles on the 2020/21 UEFA Champions League season, Chelsea’s win over Manchester City in the final has been digested by all that the Blues are Champions of Europe. The Londoners were resilient and hungry, as their sensational mix of youth, experience, and Thomas Tuchel’s tactical savviness – most importantly – saw them…
The world of football keeps on giving. The Pandemic was horrible for several reasons all over the world, but the general excitement about the 2020/21 season is its unpredictability and the protracted title challenges witnessed in each of Europe’s top five leagues. In the Spanish top-flight, the Barcelona – Real Madrid duopoly was shaken to…
Utility players are those that have the ability to thrive playing in different positions, not just as a makeshift, but delivering in their emergency position like their natural position. However, it could be extremely difficult for managers to convince a player that he would have a fantastic career playing in another position entirely, especially when…
As the season continues to coast home in different leagues across Europe, Nigerian players continued to impress for their respective club sides. Gernot Rohr will be more than happy at the moment because his regular attackers in the team have all been tremendous for their employers in Europe. And yet again last weekend, Kelechi Iheanacho,…
After three successive quarter-final exits, Manchester City have finally reached a well-deserved UEFA Champions League Final after overcoming Paris Saint-Germain 4-1 on aggregate in the semifinal. The second leg was a special night at the Etihad Stadium with a heroic 2-0 victory to seal the tie, thanks to Riyad Mahrez’s brace. The game plan was…
