Monthly Archives: May 2018

With the World Cup in Russia fast approaching, there are lots of talk amongst supporters about who the stronger teams are this year. From previous winners to new comers, it is truly anyone’s game. Within the post we will try to establish who the main competitors are this season for the trophy as well as addressing who the underdogs could potentially be. 

Previous Winners

Established in 1930 the first ever World Cup took place in Uruguay and has since been hosted in a variety of countries across the globe. In history 5 countries have lifted the cup more than once, with the most wins being Brazil with 5 tournament victories. Below we will look at the break down of the winners in history:

• Brazil – 1958, 1962, 1970, 1994, 2002
• Italy – 1934, 1938, 1982, 2006
• Germany – 1954, 1974, 1990, 2014
• Uruguay – 1930, 1950
• Argentina – 1978, 1986
• England – 1966
• France – 1998
• Spain

With the Premier League 2017-18 season finally completed, it is now crystal clear on who will be playing in the top-flight of English football for another campaign and which three unfortunate sides have been relegated to the Championship. Having only won six games throughout the term, West Brom’s drop to the Championship was official when Southampton beat Swansea City a couple of days before the final league fixture. 

Both Stoke City and Swansea City ended the season in the bottom-three as their form during the season was very inconsistent and unconvincing compared to the other teams just above them. Also, the two clubs had conceded quite a large number of goals and simply could not pick up enough points in the home games.  

Overall, the clubs in the top half of the table will have already analysed and recognised who are the key assets for the teams at the bottom and they will aggressively aim to take their important prizes away from them. If this was to end

Another season ends which can only mean one thing: awards. With each year that passes by, the gap between the top six and the rest of the division looks to be widening in quality and financial resources.

However, as Burnley and especially Leicester have shown in the past few years, there is a chance to rival some of the bigger teams in the country. 

The rest of the Premier League might not get as much attention, so here are the awards for the teams outside the top six: 

Manager of the Year: Rafa Benitez

There are several candidates for this award, but Newcastle United’s Rafa Benitez deserves the plaudits purely because of what he was given at the beginning of the season.

While Brighton’s Chris Hughton and Huddersfield’s David Wagner, too, defied the odds of avoiding relegation, they, at least, had some sort of money to spend in the transfer window. 

It is no secret that the Spanish manager has come to blows with owner

With the World Cup in Russia just around the corner, England are preparing for success. After the launch of their home and away strip and now the line up of players, the team is well on their way to becoming all set for the tournament. 

Recently announced by Gareth Southgate, the official World Cup squad list has now been released. However, Southgate is still undecided on who is to Captain the team to victory. Previously Kane, Dier and Henderson have all been picked for the spot, so who will it be? We will just have to wait to find out.

England 2018 Kit Inspirations

Nike are yet again the manufacturers of the England home, away, training and accessories ranges. Both of the core strips have been inspired by aspects of the country and their representation. The

The 2013/14 Europa League round of 16 draw made history. For the first time, Seville’s two top sides, Sevilla and Real Betis, would face each other in continental competition. They had both made it through the tournament’s group stages and first knockout round without much fuss, but their domestic circumstances were vastly divergent. While Sevilla were chasing a place in La Liga’s top six, Betis were fighting to avoid relegation to the second tier.

As a result, the stakes were particularly high for the first all-Sevillian European contest. Historically, however, there has always been a lot at stake when the two teams have clashed. The derby dates back to 1915, when the first game took place (Sevilla won 4-3), but the roots of the rivalry go back even further.

Sevilla Derby History

In his book on Spanish football, ‘Morbo’, Phil Ball writes that: “Four years after the founding of Sevilla FC in 1905…three of Sevilla’s newly elected directors refused to sanction the

Gareth Bale appears to have come to a crossroads in his footballing career. While, on the surface level, it looks like the Welshman has everything any player might ever wish for, his time in Madrid has not reached the level as to which was expected of him. Bale remains a warm up act rather than the headline show. 

The former Tottenham winger’s career with Real Madrid started swimmingly, emphasised by scoring two goals that won two very important trophies for Los Blancos. The first was that wonderfully mazy run against Barcelona in the Copa del
Rey final. And just one month later, Bale was finding the back of the net in extra time to seal the win for Los Blancos against Atlético Madrid in the Champions League. A European night that will go down in Madrid’s history due to how long their 10th Cup evaded them.

In his first year, the Wales international scored 22 goals and assisted 19 in 44 appearances. Two of those goals were in finals. The future was incredibly bright

Greatness has followed Iniesta throughout his career and his reputation had already taken on a life of its own by the age of 15-years-old. By impressing the senior coaches at Barcelona, in which he joined the renowned La Masia just four years previous, the young, frail Iniesta was asked to join in the first team’s training session. 

Even at the tender age of 15, the young Spaniard didn’t allow his stature, size or clear deficiencies get in the way of showing the senior players what he can do with the ball at his feet. Pep Guardiola, the then-captain of Barça, told 19-year-old Xavi Hernández, “You’re going to retire me [but] this kid is going to retire us all.” 

After that training session, Guardiola addressed the group of players and said: “Remember this day - the day you first played with Andrés.”

Quite the compliment. 

Many players would be ecstatic with 1/10th of what Iniesta has achieved in the game of football. Now, at 33-years-old,

Between the summer of 1991 and February 1992, there was no domestic league football in Croatia. The country’s War of Independence was underway, and the focus shifted from enjoying sport to mere survival. This war would end in 1995, and one year later the national football team of an independent Croatia made it to their first-ever major finals. They competed at Euro 96 in England, eventually losing in the quarter-finals to Germany, who went on to win the competition.

Euro 96 was a successful international tournament debut for Croatia, and they followed it up with qualification for the 1998 World Cup, which was held in France. There they would surprise some of the finest teams in the world as they played their way through Toulouse, Bordeaux, Nantes, and Lyon, going deep into the knockout stages in the process. They would also stun those tuning in with one of the most aesthetically pleasing kits seen in the game.

History of the Croatia 1998 World Cup Kit