Monthly Archives: June 2016

6th June 2016. By Edward Stratmann.
Jonathan Leko followed on beautifully from his overwhelmingly positive showings against West Ham and Bournemouth by putting in yet another accomplished performance against Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool.

West Brom's wildly gifted 17-year-old continued to look remarkably comfortable at the Premier League level, with his pace, directness and unpredictability combining to give the Reds plenty of headaches in the Baggies' 1-1 draw with the Merseysiders.

Leko hit the ground running and got off to a flying start, registering his first EPL assist inside 13 minutes courtesy of a wondrous passage. Here, after picking up possession in a slightly right of centre location, his intentions were clear: to rapidly drive at his opposition. And he did precisely that, as he used a blend of acceleration, trickery and close control to sensationally glide past Joe Allen, Cameron Brannagan and Kevin Stewart. Leko then found himself near the 18-yard-box, and

3rd June 2016. By Edward Stratmann.
"I call my role a blind job because people don't notice the work you're doing. I feel a bit like Thomas Müller at Bayern Munich they pick him because he does a lot of blind jobs, which makes things easier for everyone else."

These were the words of Sunderland's Fabio Borini when speaking to the Guardian about the sacrificial role he's had to undertake under Sam Allardyce. The former Chelsea, Swansea, Roma and Liverpool forward, who's been predominantly deployed out wide, usually on the right, has gone about his defensively geared assignments with unwavering commitment and intensity. For a striker, traditionally one of the most individualistic outfield players, Borini deserves plenty of credit for going about his work with a minimum of fuss and selflessness.

"Playing wide is hard. Sometimes it's more about going backwards than forwards. It's about defending and tracking back rather than enjoying the ball in the opposition half, a

1st June 2016. By Ryan Baldi.
Cutting in from the left-wing and unleashing a powerful, curling strike into the far corner, Memphis Depay fires Manchester United into a 2-1 lead against Club Brugge. United unexpectedly fell behind to their visitors in this Champions League qualifying round first-leg tie thanks to a Michael Carrick own-goal, but it was Depay who pulled them level with a fine individual goal. The £26 million summer signing has now turned the tie on its head in spectacular fashion. In stoppage time Depay would add an assist to his impressive night's work when crossing for Marouane Fellaini to give the Red Devils a 3-1 victory.

Quite the start for the 21-year-old in only his second appearance for his new club. Sporting the famous number 7 jersey worn by club legends George Best, Eric Cantona and David Beckham, Depay, rather predictably, drew comparisons to another former occupant of that squad number, Cristiano Ronaldo.

A young, pacey winger with a penchant