Page 4 - Monthly Archives: June 2015

Just when we were ready to shed a few tears over Steven Gerrard's departure from Liverpool FC and from the Premier League in general rumors of a Steven Gerrard Liverpool return have begun to emerge. The 34-year-old legend has pledged to return to Anfield in a few years in a management role. The midfielder-who has enjoyed a 17-year senior career at Liverpool, serving as team captain for the majority of that time-took his final bow at Anfield on May 16^th, in a loss against Crystal Palace. Appropriately, in the Reds' final game of the 2014 2015 Premier League, it was Gerrard who scored the only goal-a 70-minute point that couldn't salvage a demoralizing 1-6 defeat dealt by Stoke City.

Those two losses didn't quite do justice to what Gerrard has done in his time at Liverpool, but from the looks of it, the longtime team leader has his sights set on a return to Anfield as soon as possible. In an open letter to fans, published

Big changes are on the way at Newcastle United as Steve McClaren not only takes over as head coach, but also fills owner Mike Ashley's spot on the club's Board of Directors. Newcastle United manager Steve McClaren will now be the only coach in the Premier League who is also a board member-a fact that the football club hopes will enhance communication and understanding throughout the entire organization.

The State of Affairs

McClaren comes to St. James' Park following one of the most tumultuous seasons in Newcastle United history. After the Magpies underperformed during the first half of the 2014 2015 season, manager Alan Pardew (who had been with Newcastle since 2010) resigned his post at the beginning of 2015, taking a job with Crystal Palace.

When Pardew left, Newcastle was in 10^th place on the 2014 2015 Premier League table. Assistant coach John Carver took over as caretaker, but fortunes only declined

With both AC and Inter Milan struggling to reach former levels of glory, there have been opportunities for other Italian football teams to take up residence near the top of the Italian Serie A. Juventus are still ruling the roost, of course, while neither AS Roma nor Napoli have lost so much as a step over the past few years. But other teams, like Lazio and ACF Fiorentina, are looking better and better with each year, and could potentially turn into major Serie A contenders in 2015 2016. We assess the ACF Fiorentina 2014 - 2015 campaign with a view to further improvement next season.

Indeed, Fiorentina have become one of Italy's more dependable soccer squads over the past few years. This season, fans in the Fiorentina football shirt 2014 2015 had plenty to be happy about, as their club finished fifth

There's little doubt that AC Milan needs an influx of new defensive talent this summer, after a spotty 2014 2015 season. The football club performed admirably on the offensive side of things this year, with forward Jeremy Menez scoring 16 goals to become Serie A's fifth most prolific scorer. AC also scored more goals throughout the season than the league runners-up at Roma, netting 56 goals compared to Roma's 51. But where Roma kept a goal difference of +23 by only allowing 31 goals, AC Milan let 50 balls into the net for a low GD of +6. But this week it is confirmed that AC Milan miss out on Dani Alves, who else could they sign?

AC Milan Kit

Dani Alves

Unsurprisingly, AC Milan are targeting defensive players as the summer transfer window heats up. However, the soccer club's first big target,

After one of the most tumultuous seasons in Borussia Dortmund history, longtime manager Jurgen Klopp
asked to leave the club. His request was granted, and Klopp's role will be filled next season by Thomas Tuchel, who himself is returning from a sabbatical after five seasons spent managing FSV Mainz. What does this mean for the Black and Yellows? Will the club's play style shift dramatically to suit Tuchel's new management styles? What kind of transfers might be expected under new management? Is Tuchel the right choice to take over? These are all questions that BVB football fans are asking so we try and assess Jurgen Klopp versus Thomas Tuchel how different are their management styles?

Klopp's Borussia Dortmund Career and Departure

One thing is for certain: Jurgen Klopp will be missed. This year may have been an emotional roller coaster for fans in the Borussia Dortmund football shirt. BVB dropped all the way down to

One of the more pressing questions as the English Premier League has drawn to a close has been about whether or not Harry Kane will be back at Tottenham Hotspur next season. Kane, who led the Spurs this year with 21 goals in 34 league appearances, has reportedly been named as a transfer target for Manchester United. With that said, Kane signed a five-and-a-half year contract to stay at White Hart Lane back in February, and the Spurs aren't going to be easily robbed of their star striker.

So where does that leave things? Will Kane be back to don the Tottenham Hotspur home jersey or will Manchester United-or another club, for that matter-be able to meet the lofty transfer fee that the Spurs would surely demand for their 21-year-old lynchpin?

Staying at Home

Right now, the odds seem to be leaning in

In 2008, the Spain national football team won their first UEFA European Championship title since 1964. In 2012, after winning a World Cup two years earlier, they won it again. The trio of international victories handily established the Spanish national team as the best in the world. More than that, though, the triumphs created a fairly compelling argument that this modern incarnation of the Spain national team was the greatest football squad ever assembled. But, can Spain retain the European Championship title in next year's Euro 2016 tournament?

A Fall from Grace

But time changes everything. Since their last Euro victory, Spain have fallen out of the top spot on FIFA's world rankings (they are currently in 10^th, behind France and in front of Switzerland). The fall from grace is due almost solely to Spain's disastrous run at last summer's World Cup in Brazil. Rather than

We take a look at the England Euro 2016 qualification campaign so far, and ask if a place in the finals is guaranteed? After a truly dreadful campaign at last year's FIFA World Cup in Brazil, the English national football team could use some good news. Their fans could too, which is why the soccer squad's current standing in the qualification process for next year's UEFA European Championship looks so promising. Going into this Sunday's qualifying game against Slovenia, England is up six points in qualifying Group E. Barring some complete disaster, it seems as if the Three Lions are more or less guaranteed a spot in Euro 2016.

It certainly stands to reason that England would have little issue making it to next year's European Championship in France. In the past three decades, the Brits have only missed out on Euro qualification once-in 2008. They followed up that disappointment with a quarterfinal run in 2012, ultimately finishing the tournament in fifth place. With a record like

It's been a tumultuous couple of weeks at Real Madrid. The Vikings finished the 2014 2015 La Liga season without a title, manager Carlo Ancelotti was unceremoniously sacked, and rumors about the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo got kicked up like dust in the wind. Needless to say, the idea of Ronaldo leaving Real Madrid for a new chapter at another club has many of football's biggest teams adjusting their transfer goals for the summer. But is Cristiano Ronaldo slowing down, and beginning to show his age, is he still a valuable asset?

One rumor says that Chelsea FC is prepared to shell out £71.5 million to bring Cristiano to Stamford Bridge in 2015 2016. But is that hefty dollar figure (it would be the fourth highest transfer fee ever) a worthwhile investment considering that Ronaldo is already 30? Or does the Portuguese soccer star still have a few years of greatness left in him before he starts to look his age?

Looking at the 2014 2015

The summer transfer season is in full swing, and at Liverpool FC, that means bringing in some new offensive talent. As Danny Ings signs for Liverpool we take a look at credentials. Ings is a 22-year-old striker from English club Burnley, he is one of Liverpool's first signings of the summer, but surely won't be the last striker headed to Anfield for the 2015 2016 season. The Reds struggled with clear offensive deficiency in 2014 2015, and the young Ings-who had a strong season at Burnley, in spite of his club's ultimate relegation-could help the football club to return to the heights of their 2013 2014 campaign.

Liverpool Shirt

Liverpool's Scoring Struggles

In 2014 2015, things were much different. An injury kept Sturridge on the bench for much of the season (he ended the year with only four league