Page 2 - Monthly Archives: September 2016

7th September 2016. By Ryan Baldi.
The first Manchester derby of the season will take place on Saturday afternoon (10 September), and with all the changes that have gone on within the city's two footballing mega powers this summer, it stands to be the most box office encounter ever staged between the two clubs.

Sergio Agüero will be missing, due to a retrospective three-game ban levied on the Argentinian striker for an elbow on West Ham United's Winston Reid in Manchester City's last game; and Manchester United will likely be without attacking midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan, after the Armenian picked up a thigh injury on international duty last week.

But despite City's loss of their star marksman, and regardless of whether United's £26 million summer signing from Borussia Dortmund recovers in time to feature, there will be more than enough star power on show at Old Trafford on Saturday, with narratives

5th September 2016. By Edward Stratmann.
After a steady start to life in the English Premier League, which saw him come on as a substitute to make his debut against Liverpool and put in a solid shift vs Leicester City, Granit Xhaka emphatically announced himself in Arsenal's 3-1 win over Watford.

Arsenal's €30 million signing from Borussia Mönchengladbach was instrumental throughout his team's first win of the season. His contribution on both sides of the ball was immense, in a match where the former Gladbach captain showed why he's precisely what Arsenal have been missing in recent years.

The sheer fight and physically imposing nature of the Swiss international really helped set the tone for his teammates to follow. To start with, his dogged yet intelligent defensive formed a brilliant foundation. Never afraid to snap into his tackles and ruffle opponents' feathers, Xhaka

2nd September 2016. By Edward Stratmann.

Following his exertions with Turkey at Euro 2016, Arda Turan had every right to enjoy his time off ahead of the new season with Barcelona. But after a disappointing first season at the club, which was heavily interrupted by the club's transfer ban that meant he only started playing in January, the 29-year-old, with the input of Luis Enrique, choose to cut his holiday short and return to preseason training early.

By enjoying such a scintillating start to the season, Turan's been completely vindicated for his decision to sacrifice his vacation, in order to rediscover his form. He's scored an impressive three goals and supplied three assists in his three games this season, but his contribution hasn't stopped there. And this was something that was suitably illustrated in Barcelona's hard fought 1-0 victory over Athletic Bilbao at the weekend.

From his left-wing post, the stocky midfielder showcased exactly why he's such a