Lyon

Lacazette and Firmino are both strong Centre-Forwards in the Premier League, but how does their performance on the pitch compare to one another? Within this article we are going to look into the previous season’s performance of both Lacazette and Firmino to see if we can identify any noticeable trends in their technique on the pitch. So, if you want to find out more about these two key players, then keep on reading.

Firmino’s 18/19 Premier League Performance

First of all, we are going to look into how Firmino performed during the 18/19 Premier League season. In this section of the post we are going to explore all of the goals that he scored while donning the Liverpool kit during the season as in depth as possible. This information allows us then to see his strengths:

• 01/09/2018 – 1 goal scored against Leicester City
• 15/09/2018 – 1 goal scored against Tottenham Hotspur
• 24/11/2018 – 1 goal scored against Watford
• 05/12/2018 – 1 goal scored against Burnley FC
• 29/12/2018 – 3 goals scored against Arsenal (1 Penalty)
• 03/01/2019 – 1 goal scored against Manchester City
• 19/01/2019 – 1 goal scored against Crystal Palace
• 10/03/2019 – 2 goals scored against Burnley FC
• 31/03/2019 – 1 goal scored against Tottenham Hotspur

In the 18/19 Premier League season Firmino scored 12 goals in total for Liverpool along with 7 assists. His most impressive match was against Arsenal where he scored 3 goals which included a penalty, along with this was their first game against Burnley FC where he netted two goals.

As well as the Premier League, Firmino also represented Liverpool in the Champions League, FA Cup and EFL Cup too. In the C

Today we are going to look across the football career of Karim Benzema. Covering his youth to senior soccer years both with clubs and internationally, we will compare his performance and progress throughout the years. Here are the basics of Benzema’s player and personal profile, to find out more, keep on reading:

• DOB – 19^th December 1987
• Height – 1.85m
• Weight – 81kg
• Nationality – French
• Signed – 1^st July 2009
• Position – Striker

Benzema’s Youth Soccer History

Born on the 19^th December 1987, Karim Mostafa Benzema started his football career in 1995 at only seven years old with the under 10 squad for Bron Terraillon SC which was the local club of his hometown. Not too long into his time with SC Bron, the squad played a match against Lyon youth academy and Karim scored two goals within the game.

This performance therefore attracted the attention from Lyon which was the biggest club in the city. After this Lyon officials approached Benzema with regards to signing him so that he could join their youth academy. However, the president of SC Bron had refused them access to Benzema. But after a discussion with his father, Benzema was allowed a trial with Lyon.

During this trial Benzema was recruited by Lyon and signed over into their youth academy. Throughout his time with Lyon, Karim climbed the youth categories rapidly which impressed the coaches and staff. This earnt him the respect within the academy which in turn presented the opportunity of him being a ballboy during the Lyon senior team matches.

When he was at the under 16 level in the academy, he scored a total of 38 goals in the Championnat National des 16 ans which earned him the promotion to the club’s reserve team for the Championnat de France amateur. He was only with the reserve team for the autumn campaign, but managed to net 10 goals, helping the club to finish second

The UEFA Champions League is one of the most watched soccer tournaments across Europe as we see the top teams from each league compete to become the ultimate squad. Taking place during the summer of 2019 we saw the qualifying rounds of the 2019/20 season begin and after a short break the competition commenced with the group stages starting on the 17^th September and due to end in December ready for the knockout phases to start in early 2020. As the group stages are well underway, we thought we would take a brief look at match day and the qualifiers of this season’s Champions League tournament. So, if you are interested in finding out more about the fixtures then keep on reading.

Champions League Qualifiers

The Champions League Qualifiers for 2019/20 started on the 25^th June and ended on the 28^th August 2019. Within these stages of the football tournament the final qualifying teams were determined for the competition.

In the first Preliminary round, the champions of the Gibraltar, Andorra, San Marino and Kosovo associations played against one another and the winner was Feronikeli from Kosovo who beat the Lincoln Red Imps 1-0 in the first round and FC Santa Coloma 2-1 in the final.

After the first few matches of the preliminary round, we saw Feronikeli take on 31 champions from a wide range of associations. Unfortunately, Feronikeli lost out to The New Saints who also joined Nomme Kaljum, Red Star Belgrade, AIK, CFR Cluj, Ferencvaros, Qarabag, Sutjeska Niksic, Celtic, Saburtalo Tbilisi, Valletta, Rosenborg, Maribor, Dundalk, HJK and BATE Borisov with the advancement to the second round.

The second qualifying round is split into two with two paths available for the Champions League and the Europa League. Via the Champions League path, we saw the 16 winners from the first qualifying round face the 4 champions from Croatia, Denmark, Israel and Cyprus. But for the Europa League path we saw the 4 runners u

Along with the ongoing tournaments such as the Premier League, Serie A, La Liga, Bundesliga, Primeria, the Champions League is also in progress. This league incorporates a range of clubs from all of the leagues across Europe and is a widely celebrated by fans worldwide as they cheer on their favourite soccer team once more. Currently in the group stages, the Champions League is where clubs across the globe compete on the soccer field to eventually lift the trophy at the end of the games – thus gaining Champions status.

Within this blog post we will take a look at how the tournament is panning out at the moment and what we can expect from the clubs in the coming weeks. From looking at how the matches have been scheduled and the groups picked, to the highest scoring player and team, you will find out all about this here.

How are the Teams Grouped?

After the initial play-offs had taken place prior to the scheduled group matches, the teams were whittled down to the 32 names below. These were then drawn into their specific groups on the 30^th August 2018. Their first set of matches were scheduled for the 18^th and 19^th September whereby each team within the group played against one another for a home and away match. Below you can see a breakdown of the clubs included in this season’s Champions League Tournament.

Group A

• Atletico Madrid
• Borussia Dortmund
• AS Monaco
• Club Brugge

Group B

• Barcelona
• Tottenham Hotspur
• PSV Eindhoven
• Inter Milan

Group C

• Paris Saint Germain
• Napoli
• Liverpool
• Red Sta

Starting on the 20^th July and running for 3 weeks, the International Champions Cup tournament is a fantastic way to get in the mood for the upcoming soccer seasons worldwide. As the winners have now been announced and celebrated, we have most certainly got a taster as to what is in store in the tournaments on the horizon.

Within this blog post we will have a look at the performance of the trophy winners, the clubs overall and look into the most outstanding player during the games. With this analysis we are able to picture how the rest of the games will pan out this time round, and see which clubs need to give it their all to redeem themselves from their play during the International Champions Cup.

Tottenham Hotspur Win the International Champions Cup

Out of the 3 matches played against Roma, Barcelona and Milan, Tottenham Hotspur managed to successfully net themselves 7 goals and thus winning the trophy. Closely behind them were Borussia Dortmund who acquired 6 goals overall.

When looking at how the matches played out for Spurs, their most successful play was against Roma where they won 4-1. Scoring this impressive total and netting 2 each within the match were Llorente and Lucas who have only played with Tottenham since the 17/18 season.

However, on the flip side, the most competitive match Spurs had to face was against Barcelona where they managed to tie at 2 all thanks to Son and N’Koudo. But unfortunately when it came to penalties Barcelona managed to successfully net 5 whereas Tottenham only scored 3 after the miss by Georgiou.

Most Impressive League Teams

Out of the 18 clubs which took part in this tournament, there was a decent mix of clubs from across Europe. However, when looking at how each league team performed, we are able to see which will be the most successful series of tournaments to watch this season? Below is a quick breakdown of how each club played.

Serie A

World Cup fever swept the nation over the past few months, and now the tournament has finished the spectators’ attentions are waiting for the next big thing. After France achieved the 1^st place trophy in Russia, the interest in watching Ligue 1 clubs compete has greatly increased.

Due to this curiosity when it comes to the French club teams, we thought we would put together this article to discuss all things French football. From the upcoming players to how the make-up of the French soccer leagues is, you will find this all out below.

About Ligue 1 and its Influence

Ligue 1 is the top tier league for French club teams with the Ligue 2 and Champtionnat National beneath it. Therefore, the highest scoring sides are seen in the top division compared to those of smaller lesser skilled ones.

How the transition between these three work, is that at the end of a tournament, the bottom three teams are relegated to the league beneath it and the top 3 teams from lower leagues are promoted. And when the winners of Ligue 1 are established, these then go onto the UEFA Championships. However, due to this they often find lower level teams coasting for an easier ride by being moved to a lesser league. And there are also playoffs called Coupe de France which is a separate tournament.

Entering the World Cup the French national side had a relatively young side with their youngest being the renowned Mbappe at 19 years old. This representation of youth players will have a fantastic influence on fans back in France who aspire to become professional top league players. As this choice of squad shows younger players that there is a great opportunity out there to progress through the rankings, this would increase their strive to progress in the football world.

Notable Ligue 1 Players in the French National Squad

The squad used to take on the World Cup in Russia was an excellent mixture of speed and defence, and this i

1st November 2017. By Ryan Baldi.
The loss of Alexandre Lacazette, Corentin Tolisso and Maxim Gonalons stripped Lyon of three of their most important players this summer. The former left for Arsenal after the Gunners broke their club transfer record to temp OL into parting with their prized asset, and it was a similar story with Tolisso's move to German champions Bayern Munich, while Gonalons, who had captained the French side, joined Roma for just €5 million.

In a matter of weeks, Lyon had lost their most prolific and reliable marksman, their energetic and technically gifted young midfield dynamo, and their leader and lynchpin in the middle of the park.

They reinvested much of the roughly €100 million recouped from the sales, with, among others, Dominican international striker Mariano Diaz coming in from Real Madrid and versatile forward Bertrand arriving from Chelsea after impressing on loan with Ajax last season.

It would have been reasonable to expect Lyon to struggle somewhat this term, allowing for a bedding-in period for their new signings and an adjustment to life without three of the stars that any recent success had been built upon. But, after 11 rounds of fixtures, Bruno Génésio's men sit third in Ligue 1, in touch with champions Monaco and leader Paris Saint-Germain, and it's largely thanks to the superlative form of one man: Nabil Fekir.

Had fortune favoured the 24-year-old France international, he would likely have departed Parc OL some time ago, his star having first risen during the 2014/15 season in which he netted 15 goals and proved the perfect foil to Lacazette in attack as either a second striker or right winger cutting inside onto his stronger left foot.

At the end of that campaign, rumours began to circulate that a big-money move was on the cards for the then-22-year-old attacker, who had

1st May 2016. By Ryan Baldi.
There has been a breakout star in French football this season, making waves with Nice. An exciting winger capable of dribbling past several opponents in a single move, and with a wand of a left foot able to bend the ball into the top corner from almost any angle.

This exciting new star is not some teenage sensation. He is not a newcomer to Ligue 1, imbued with the confident swagger of youth. He is 29-year-old former Newcastle United player Hatem Ben Arfa.

Ben Arfa has been in outstanding form this season. His 17 league goals from 31 games has elevated Nice to fourth position in Ligue 1, just two points behind second-placed Lyon and genuine contenders for Champions League qualification.

The former Olympique Lyonnais player has regularly produced individual trickery and showboating skills that have been shared around the world in the form of GIFs on twitter or YouTube highlight videos. But in addition to the eye-catching flair moves, Ben Arfa has also been incredibly effective, having garnered five assists, five man of the match awards and an average rating of 7.56, per WhoScored.com's metrics.

Ben Arfa's arsenal of breath-taking skills and finishing prowess was evidenced perfectly by the hat-trick he recently plundered in a home match against Rennes.

With Paris St. Germain the runaway champions of Ligue 1, the rest of the top half remains incredibly competitive as it stands at the time of writing, just seven points separate second and seventh-place. Rennes are one of the teams rivalling Nice for the coveted Champions League and Europa League qualifying spots, so their April encounter at the Allianz Riviera had plenty riding on it.

A close match was anticipated, but Ben Arfa had other ideas, leading his side to a resounding 3-0 victory having scored all three goals. The first, a confident, left-footed penalty fired into the bottom corner, followed by a tidy right-footed finish from

Can anyone keep Paris Saint Germain from winning a fourth consecutive Ligue 1 title in 2016? With competition in the French top-flight officially on hold until January 8^th, it certainly doesn't seem like it. In just 19 games, the Parisians have managed to put 19 points between themselves and their nearest competitors. With a record of 16 wins, three draws, and zero losses, they are not only the single undefeated football club on the table, but the only team to have fewer than three losses so far this season. PSG have also won seven more games than any other soccer squad in the division-a remarkable feat that almost makes their 2015 2016 Ligue 1 title seem like a foregone conclusion.

The Hunt for an Undefeated Season

Paris Saint Germain, of course, have been no strangers to success, as of late. Since the 2012 2013 season, they've managed three Ligue 1 titles, one Coupe de France, two Coupe de la Ligue trophies, and three wins in the Trophee des Champions. If there's one thing that PSG haven't accomplished in their newly-minted golden age, though (other than a Champions League title, which is also a possibility for 2016), it's an undefeated Ligue 1 season.

Indeed, in 2012/13, Paris Saint Germain won their first title since 1994, but lost five games to get there. The two seasons since have seen PSG picking up three losses apiece out of their 38-game campaigns. Could they be on their way toward an undefeated season in 2015/16?

A near-perfect record seems possible for the Parisians right now. In their previous three seasons, PSG had lost at least one game by the end of December. This year, they head to winter break undefeated. They've also scored 20 more goals than any other football club in the league this season (led by the 15-goal performance of the great Zlatan Ibrahimovic) and have only conceded nine goals (thanks to goalkeeper Kevin Trapp and his ten clean sheets).

Following Ligue 1 2015 - 16 week 15 three-time consecutive champions Paris Saint Germain still have yet to drop a game. The reigning title holders won once again on Saturday, beating Troyes in a 4-1 home match. It's the ninth league victory in a row for the Parisians, who showed signs of weakness in mid-September when they drew two matches in a row, but who have been borderline flawless ever since. PSG have only conceded five goals in those nine matches (while scoring 27) and only allowed Troyes to net a point in the closing minutes of Saturday's match.

The nine-game winning streak has made the wearers of the PSG home shirt 2015/16 more or less untouchable on this season's Ligue 1 standings table. With 41 points and a goal difference of +29, the Parisians lead by a landslide over current second-placers Caen. Following their own 4-1 victory over the weekend-against Bordeaux-Caen have the second-best win percentage in the league, with nine wins from their first 15 games. Still, Caen's point total of 28 and goal difference of +3 leave the soccer squad almost impossibly far behind Paris Saint Germain.

An Interesting Table

Still, despite the fact that Caen are probably, at best, competing for second place in the 2015 2016 Ligue 1, the fact that the football club are so near the top of the table is surprising and impressive nonetheless. Last season, Caen won just 12 games total throughout the entire 38-match Ligue 1 season. They finished the year in an unglamorous 13^th place.

Caen's success isn't the only interesting characteristic of the current Ligue 1 table. Other than PSG, the top of the league standings