The Increasing Impact of Social Media

When you come to think about it, the overall use of social media has significantly increased over the past 15 years. The use of social media has increased to prominent heights since the start of the 2000s with sites including MySpace and Friends Reunited dominating the social media scene. As of the current decade, more popular sites including: Twitter, Facebook and also YouTube have helped increase the use of social media to extreme heights, with the increasing amount of social media activity affecting the sport of football in a variety of ways.

 
The fans of the sport have received many benefits when it comes to the relationship of social media and football. 10 years ago, infamous sites including Facebook and Twitter were barely reaching any success in the world. Now in 2016, thousands of clubs and hundreds of players are just a few clicks away from investigating a brand new life outside of the football pitch. With millions of followers and likes alike, both the players and the clubs themselves have been able to reach increasing success when it comes to the overall use of social media.

 

 

For example, one way in which football clubs achieve this is through new transfers. Clubs typically use social media to hype up a new signing, as well as presenting what their new squad number will be for the club. This is effective for teams to use as it makes the fans far more excited to see their new signing in action. Clubs such as Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United have all used social media to benefit themselves as well as the fans by hyping up new signings to the club. Arsenal perfected this in 2013 after they signed German international Mesut Özil, Chelsea achieved this by hyping up the signing of Cesc Fàbregas and also, United have recently done this once they broke the bank to sign forward Anthony Martial.

Chelsea Football Club is delighted to announce the signing of Cesc Fabregas from Barcelona: http://t.co/HisZOFO45O pic.twitter.com/TEGC0E6dhs

— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) June 12, 2014

In addition to this, football has invested heavily on the successfully catalyst that is social media and from initial perspective, you would come to think that social media is extremely beneficial for both football related businesses and clubs as well as being important to the fans of the sport. Sky Sports are one example of how a strong investment in the use of social media can have its benefits towards both the business as well as football fans respectively.

 
Typically done with airing people’s opinions on television as well as asking questions to their millions of followers on popular site Twitter, social media has given plenty of benefits to the business and fans alike. Considering the fact that Sky Sports receive a large profile of user attention on a daily basis as well as the fans having the chance to publicly air their opinion on a current matter in football that can be viewed across the country, the investment into social media has proven to have strong benefits for everyone associated with football.

Embed from Getty Images
Outside of football related businesses, other world famous companies including the much loved Google have received an increasing amount of support and enjoyment from the fans of the sport. During the 2014 World Cup, Google experience a significantly higher user activity – especially from football fans – as they reached an approximate 2.28 billion searches throughout the tournament.

 
As previously stated, social media giants Facebook and Twitter also benefited from user activity throughout the world cup. Throughout the final match between Germany and Argentina, there was a reported 280 million Facebook interactions throughout the match with Twitter releasing data that stated that there were over 550,000 tweets a minute after Mario Götze scored the winning goal for Germany.

 
When you come to think about it, social media has proven to be a a giant catalyst for the footballing world as well as for the fans alike. It’s the easiest way to get your opinion across to thousands of people around the world, enables you to stay up to date with your favourite players including the team you support, and, it also supports clubs and businesses in a variety of ways too. But when you look deeper into it, the “happy” image that social media stereotypically displays actually has a much darker cloud when you look into it.

 
The overall player usage of social media has rapidly increased in the past few years with the phenomenon becoming an essential part to their lives too. Whether it’s tweeting your reaction to the game, thanking the fans on Facebook or uploading a new image to Instagram, repercussions have arrived since the players began to use social media at an increasing rate. One recent incident occurred following Manchester United player Juan Mata’s birthday. Mata decided to launch a Periscope session where he thanked fans for their support but, in response, vile trolls hurled insults at the midfielder. He chose to not address the trolls, but it became clear in his facial expressions that he was disgusted at what he had read.

 
Additionally, social media has also had a negative impact on the sport as players are very restricted on what they can and can’t post on their social media pages. Using Twitter related posts as to back this us, Barcelona were forced to terminate the contract of their new signing Sergi Guardiola after tweets were discovered of him saying ‘Hala Madrid’ two years prior. Former Stoke City and current Leicester City player Robert Huth has also received negative repercussions from social media as he was slapped a two game ban for playing transphobic game ‘C*ck or no C*ck’ on Twitter. After looking at both of these incidents which some would consider harmless, it is clear that the use of social media has very negative impacts on players due to the strict rules they have to comply with as well as the poor punishments they have to face if they breach a rule.

 

To conclude, it is very clear that social media has had such a significant impact on how the footballing world runs nowadays with social media being used more and more each month. Regardless of your opinion on it, it is clear that social media has had a very big impact on the game altogether, with both positive and negative connotations drawn as a result of its usage.

The Chelsea v Arsenal Preview: It’s Mourinho vs Wenger all over again

Throughout the years, fans of the Premier League have been able to anticipate many great rivalries between different football clubs, players and even managers. Rivalries between the likes of: Liverpool and Manchester United, Patrick Viera and Roy Keane and also Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger have engraved themselves as some of the greatest ever rivalries in the history of football.

Tomorrow will introduce the new chapter between the two biggest managers in English football today: Arsene Wenger and Jose Mourinho. Not only will tomorrow be about the two managers, tomorrow is also about the war between London’s most successful football clubs: Arsenal and Chelsea.

Wenger and Mourinho have had conflict in the past (DailyMail)

Arsene Wenger’s team enters the match with three consecutive clean sheets in the league. However, the last game the Gunners played was a disastrous 2-1 defeat to Croatian side Dinamo Zagreb. Cech, Monreal, Bellerin, Ramsey and Coquelin were all dropped from the first team to be rested in preparation for the London derby. However, Coquelin was substituted on during the second half.

In recent weeks, Arsenal have introduced a new member to the first team in Gabriel due to Mertesacker being out with a virus. Gabriel has looked very impressive for Arsenal in every game he’s played this season, with him looking set to regain his position in the first team ahead of Mertesacker.

Jose Mourinho’s team enters the match with Chelsea’s worst start to a league season since 1986. Mourinho’s side has already experienced the same amount of losses this season in comparison to last with a 3-1 loss to Everton, a 2-1 defeat to Crystal Palace and also a 3-0 defeat to Manchester City. Regardless of their form in the league, the Blues have regained some momentum going into the game due to their 4-0 triumph versus Maccabi Tel Aviv in the Champions League.

The game versus Maccabi Tel Aviv gave Chelsea fans the opportunity to see their summer signing Baba Rahman in action for the first time. Rahman was very impressive in his debut match and could earn his position in the Chelsea XI to face Arsenal. Another player in contention is Chelsea academy player Ruben Loftus-Cheek who put on a Man of the Match performace midweek before being withdrawn in the 77th minute.

Coquelin and Hazard during a previous meeting(Getty Images)

In the last meeting between the two London clubs, Arsenal prevailed versus the Blues in the Community Shield at Wembley Stadium with Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain’s goal being the difference. However, the Gunners triumph is the only victory Arsene Wenger has ever recorded versus Mourinho, with 6 draws and 7 losses in previous attempts. Chelsea are unbeaten in seven Premier League meetings versus Arsenal since losing 5-3 at home in October 2011 including their 6-0 win early last year.

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My Prediction:

This was not the start of the season that Chelsea fans had hoped for, with 4 points in 5 league games it shows how horrific the Blue’s start to their title defending season has been. With both Chelsea and Mourinho’s impressive records verses Wenger and Arsenal, they will look at this game as a way to finally end their nightmare start to the season and improve on their overall form.

Despite a good start to the season including three consecutive clean sheets, Arsene Wenger and a select amount of players have all received a lot of pressure from the fans. An Arsenal loss tomorrow would definitely pile on the hatred and pressure onto Wenger and these Arsenal players. Arsenal will look to this game as a must win situation in order to remain 5 points behind the league leaders Manchester City and to extend their lead in front of Chelsea to 9 points.

My Predicted Score: 1-1

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Predicted Line-ups:

Arsenal: Cech, Bellerin, Gabriel, Koscielny, Monreal, Coquelin, Cazorla, Alexis, Ozil, Ramsey, Walcott

Chelsea: Begovic, Azpilicueta, Cahill, Terry, Baba, Mikel, Matic, Hazard, Fabregas, Oscar, Costa

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The Mesut Özil Story

Today marks two years since the decisive deadline day transfer where Arsenal confirmed the purchase of German International Mesut Özil from Real Madrid for an approximate £42.5 million. The transfer submitted the attacking midfielder as the worlds most expensive German and also Arsenal’s most expensive player ever. In his first two seasons at Arsenal he established himself as a key member to the Arsenal team, creating approximately 140 chances with 14 assists and 9 league goals in 48 league appearances.

Arsenal have been known to make last minute signings in the past with names such as: Andrey Arshavin, Mikel Arteta and Nacho Monreal joining the Gunners late on. Mesut Özil was no different as he completed his Arsenal transfer with just thirty three minutes left till the final deadline.

Özil officially unveiled for Arsenal (Arsenal Official)

Mesut Özil made an immediate impression to English football following his debut for the Gunners in a successful 3-1 victory versus Sunderland; giving an assist to Olivier Giroud just after 11 minutes and producing more chances in the game. Özil continued to show his quality to his new team by producing 6 assists and 2 goals in his first 10 league games. In addition to his contribution to his team in the league, the playmaker also helped in the Champions League and FA Cup.

Since 2005, Arsenal failed to win a major trophy including a Champions League defeat in 2006 and losing Football League Cup finals in 2007 and 2011. The signing of Mesut Özil boosted the overall mentality of the squad by pushing them to the top of the table for months and helping to end the trophy drought with a famous 3-2 victory AET against Hull City in the FA Cup final.

A unique player with a large amount of creativity and excellent vision, strong and key passing ability, Özil ended the season with an approximate 88% pass success rate along with nine assists. He proved to be a success in his debut season for Arsenal and quickly became a fan favourite at the club, with his shirt being the most bought shirt in England for the 2013/14 league season.

Arsenal fans hail their new signing (Arsenal)

During the Summer, Özil was selected for Germany’s World Cup squad alongside team mates Per Mertesacker and Lukas Podolski. Özil was one of the biggest names at the 2010 World Cup and guided Germany to third place. He secured the joint most amount of assists and was nominated for the Golden Ball Award. Pressure was applied on the German to see if he could have replicate the impact like he did 4 years prior.

Özil started all of Germany’s games on route to the final, scoring once and producing two assists. However, he was arguably the most criticised player of the tournament with some critics wanting him to be dropped for the World Cup final. Despite the large amount of criticism placed on him, Özil had more: total passes, key passes, chances created, and passing completion percentage than hailed players of the tournament such as Neymar and James Rodriguez. Germany manager Joachim Löw did not listen to the critics and started Özil in the final versus Argentina which they won 1-0 AET.

Özil with his Arsenal team mates with the World Cup (Alex Livesey)

A talent like Mesut Özil at the club along with a new desire for silverware following the end of the trophy drought gave confidence to the Arsenal team and Arsene Wenger himself as they entered the new 2014/15 league season. Wenger’s biggest signing came in Alexis Sanchez from Barcelona. Özil now had another world class player alongisde him to help lead attacks, something the Gunners lacked in the season prior.

Özil’s second season for Arsenal proved to be difficult for him to do better than the last. He missed the start of the season including Arsenal’s 3-0 victory versus Manchester City in the Community Shield because he needed extra rest following the World Cup. In addition to this, the German was out of action for around 3 months with a leg injury. One positive the injury gave him was that he was able to build up his physique in order to get stronger and challenge for the ball more. Regardless of missing time out, he recorded four goals and five assists in the twenty two league games he played that season.

One of Özil’s best games in an Arsenal shirt also came in the 2014/15 season where the Gunners beat Liverpool 4-1. With a 89% pass completion rate, 3 chances created and a superb free kick goal, he ran the show and showed how much quality he has a football player. He was also an important player in retaining the FA Cup for Arsenal and has never lost a game at Wembley Stadium. Another great display came from Özil as he started in the 4-0 FA Cup victory over Aston Villa. The German ran the show with his intelligence and regardless of where he was on the pitch, he always looked for an opening that could lead onto a potential goal.

Özil and team mates celebrate their FA Cup triumph (Getty)

Consequently, ever since his transfer to Arsenal, the German has been left in the centre of controversy with many critics judging the £42.5 million price that Arsene Wenger paid for him. “Overrated” and “lack of passion” are two of the many words that critics have used to describe the attacker. Although his goals and assists at Arsenal do not appear to look to be that impressive for a player of his quality, Özil’s overall intelligence and passing has been some of the best seen in recent years. Furthermore, despite being branded “lazy” by some critics,  Özil was also recorded to have had one of the highest distances covered for his team with just over 10km.

At the age of 26, the German still has many more years to his career with many more goals to achieve. The Mesut Özil Story is still being written.

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Will more technology benefit the English game?

As a famous Albert Einstein once said: ‘I fear the day that technology will surpass our human interaction.’ Technology is slowly becoming an even more important factor in our lives with it being used to fulfil a varied amount of needs. The human interaction is in decline due to the advance of technology in recent years.

Technology has been frequently used to affect the lives of those in sport; video technology is being used in rugby, line review technology has been implemented into tennis and replay vision has been added to basketball.

As a result of the success of technology in sport, footballers are calling for more technology to be introduced to the game. With technology advancing every day, will the introduction of more technology benefit the English game more?

The idea of introducing technology into the English game has been around for many years. The 2013/14 Premier League season saw the debut of technology in football with the goal line technology system. The system was first decisively used to award Eden Dzeko with a goal against Cardiff City. Ever since then, goal line technology has proven to be a success to English football and to football all over the world.

Whenever the full ball crosses the line, the system will alert the officials that the goal should be given. If the whole ball doesn’t cross the line then the officials will not be alerted to give a goal.

The World Cup, Premier League and now also the Bundesliga are all using the goal line technology system to help enhance the game for the better.

Eden Dzeko’s goal was the first goal to be decided by goal line technology. (Premier League)

After the recent Arsenal v Liverpool game (ending 0-0), footballer Aaron Ramsey called for more technology to be involved into the English game in order to make it fairer and also to support and make crucial decisions to the game.

The Arsenal midfielder requested video technology to be introduced following his goal versus Liverpool being disallowed due to him being offside. However, the video replays afterwards showed that Ramsey was actually onside and that the goal should have stood.

If the goal was allowed, Arsenal would have been winning the game 1-0 and the rest of the match could have ended in a complete different way. This one inaccurate decision could effect both teams in the long run because the game could have had a different ending with either team walking away with all three points – instead of one point each.

Consequently, this has not been the first time that offside goals have been a major factor of the game. Goals have been awarded when the player was offside and goals have been disallowed when the player was onside at numerous occasions during football games.

Television replays reveal that Ramsey was onside, despite being ruled offside. (Sky Sports)

The introduction of a video technology system would benefit the world of football because it would help clear the mistakes made by the referee and linesmen. The system would be able to identify if a player was offside or not, it could also be used to see the extent of a tackle to see what punishment the player should get.

This would be an overall success to football because of the fact that there would no longer be mistakes. Each game played would be fair and the final result would be accurate due to the help of technology. Offside decisions would be accurate and goals would be allowed/disallowed based on the results on the system.

However, video technology is not new to sport overall due to the fact that it is being used in rugby. The officials use the technology to see if a potential try should be given. After observing the play, they would decide the result and then display on screen to alert if the try was given or not. Video technology has proven to be a success to rugby so using it in football should be able to receive similar results.

A study of the 2010/11 Premier League season revealed that: “errors took place nearly 30% of the time that video replays could help prevent.” Mistakes have always been known in football that could effectively change the course of the season, or an individual game. If video technology was apart of the 2010/11 league season, these errors would have been solved and the league could have had a complete different outcome.

Goal Line Technology in action (Premier League)

Despite all of the success of goal line technology and the potential video technology to be introduced into football, there is also a lot of criticism that has been said about the rise of technology in football.

With technology taking over all of the decisions, the human element in football is lost due to the lack of interaction the officials will have in game. Arguments between the ref and linesman will become inconsistent whilst the overall job of the linesman will be limited due to the overpower of video technology.

In addition to this, the consistency of looking to video replays to make decisions could possibly end the flow and intensity of plays. Losing twenty to thirty seconds of football just to observe the video replay to make the final decision could quite easily take away the flow from the team and interrupt a potential play.

Despite the criticism that goal line and video technology have received, it is about time that English football joins other sports including: rugby, baseball and cricket in implementing more technology in order to help prevent any more mistakes from happening.

Will more technology benefit the English game? – Quite easily, yes.

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The Transfer Window: Which teams have done the best business so far?

The 2015 Summer Transfer window closes in just over two weeks. Every Premier League team has completed the signing of at least one new player with some teams signing more players in comparison to others.

The new additions to the Premier League have made the league even more challenging in comparison to last seasons league. The following article will explore different clubs who could be argued to have had the best transfer window so far and have made the best signings possible for their club.

          *Note – the following clubs have not be ranked in order.

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West Ham:

First and foremost, the Hammers have completed 7 signings so far in the transfer window to help strengthen their team. West Ham have pulled off arguably the signing of the summer so far following Dimitri Payet moving from Marseille to the London club. Payet had a very successful season last year in Marseille as he scored 7 goals and made 17 assists in 35 appearances for the French side.

Payet playing for Marseille (Getty)

In addition to the transfer of Payet, West Ham have also completed the signings of Angelo Ogbonna (from Juventus) and Carl Jenkinson (on loan for another year from Arsenal). They’ve also signed Nene, Darren Randolph, Pedro Obiang and Stephen Hendrie this window.

In terms of departures at the London club, they have released a total of 7 players and allowed four other players to leave for free. Their only major departure would have to be Stewart Downing leaving the club for Middlesbrough for an estimated £5.5 million.

At the weekend, West Ham got to see the debuts of two of their signings in Dimitri Payet and Angelo Ogbonna after they beat Arsenal 2-0. Payet got his first assist of the season and was hailed by pundits due to his performance whilst Ogbonna played his part for his new team and helped to keep a clean sheet.

West Ham’s new signings so far have proved to be a success for their team, this will help in the league to finish off in the strongest position possible.

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Manchester United:

Following their 20th Premier League trophy, Manchester United have some-what struggled to finish the league in a strong position following their two previous campaigns in finishing 7th and 4th. However, the Manchester club have pulled off some big signings this window to help them in the league this season and to help aid their challenge to win their 21st league title.

Former PSV Eindhoven player Memphis Depay (known as Memphis) has been hailed as United’s signing of the season. The 21 year old is a very strong dribbler and also has a strong passing ability. Memphis will be looking to help bring even more goals to the United side this season like he did for PSV last season with 22 goals and 5 assists in 30 league appearances.

Manchester United have spent over £80 million on new players so far this window including the likes of: Matteo Darmian, Morgan Schneiderlin and Bastien Schweinsteiger. A total of 12 players have departed United so far including Darren Fletcher, Rafael and their top scorer in their 2012/13 Premier League winning season Robin van Persie.

All of United’s brand new signings featured in their first match of the season against Tottenham Hotspur in a 1-0 win. The two best debuts came from Darmian and Schneiderlin. Matteo Darmian looked comfortable going forward as he put in a solid performance at right back. Morgan Schneiderlin looked very energetic as he lined up alongside Michael Carrick and helped to control possession.

Schneiderlin winning possession for his new team (Getty)

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Stoke City:

After finishing 9th in the most recent Premier League season, Stoke City will aim to finish higher in the Premier League this season and potentially earn themselves a place in European competition.

To help aid this challenge, they have completed the signings of 8 top players to help strengthen their overall squad and achieve their goal. Two major shock signings that Stoke have completed are two former Champions League winners in Ibrahim Afellay from Barcelona and Xherdan Shaqiri from Inter Milan. These two will be looking to bring more goals to the Potters this season as well as applying even more competition to the Premier League.

Shaqiri in his new Stoke kit (Stoke City Official / Phil Greig)

Marco van Ginkel, goalkeeper Shay Given, Joselu, Phillipp Wollscheid and Jakob Haugaard and former Liverpool right back Glen Johnson have all also signed for Stoke City, giving their team more depth.

Three big departures from Stoke include: Asmir Begovic (to Chelsea for £8 million), Steven N’Zonzi (to Sevilla for £7 million) and Robert Huth (to Leicester City for £3 million). As a result of these departures, Stoke have a net spend of -£8.8 million; another reason why they have had a successful transfer window.

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Crystal Palace:

Many teams in the Premier League have pulled off big signings this summer and Palace are no different following the transfer of Yohan Cabaye from Paris Saint Germain to the London club. Cabaye to Crystal Palace is another contender for the signing of the summer.

Cabaye has excellent ball control and is also a very strong passer – averaging a 90% pass completion in his previous two league seasons at former clubs Paris Saint Germain and Newcastle United.

Cabaye signs for Palace (Crystal Palace Official)

Along with Yohan Cabaye, Palace have signed 4 other players. Patrick Bamford (on loan), Lee Chung-Yong, Alex McCarthy and Connor Wickham are all players that Palace have signed this window. Palace have also had 9 players leave the club in the summer. 8 were released whilst Jack Hunt went to Sheffield Wednesday on loan.

At the week-end, Palace got to see the debuts of two of their new signings. Alex McCarthy and Yohan Cabaye both made their first appearances for Palace in a 3-1 win versus newly promoted side Norwich City. Both fitted well into their new side with Cabaye scoring his first of the season in the last few minutes.

The players that Alan Pardew has signed for Crystal Palace during the summer will add even more competition to the Premier League overall and to the teams challenging for a Top 7 finish.

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Liverpool:

Finally, Liverpool are the final team to be considered at the team that has done the best transfer business so far due to the talent that has been brought to their club.

Former Liverpool player Raheem Sterling departed the club this window for Manchester City for just under £50 million in the biggest deal of the summer in terms of money received. The money from the transfer has helped Liverpool to adding 4 new players to their squad. (3 players signed on free contracts).

The likes of Christian Benteke, Roberto Firmino and Nathaniel Clyne have all joined the Merseyside Club this summer. In addition to this, Adam Bogdan, Joe Gomez, Danny Ings and James Milner have all joined Liverpool.

Benteke during his Liverpool debut (Getty)

Christian Benteke and Roberto Firmino are being looked at as Liverpool’s biggest signings this summer. Benteke will be looking to bring even more goals to Liverpool and improve on his 13 goals in 28 appearances this season. Firmino is a very strong dribbler and passer of the ball who scored 7 goals and made 11 assists last season.

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With the Transfer Window closing in just over two weeks, it will be interesting to see which clubs complete the best business for their respective team. Also, which teams make the business by the end of the window will be interesting to see.

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5 young players to watch in the new league season

The Barclays Premier League is home to young exciting prospects with unbelievable talent. With the new league season commencing in less than two weeks, young players across all of the leagues’ teams will be looking to show their importance to their respective team. The following article looks at 5 young players who will aim to establish themselves as a key member to their team and who will want to make a big impact and take the Premier League by storm this league season.

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Saido Berahino

First and foremost, versatile 21 year old striker Saido Berahino from West Bromich Albion is looking to replicate his form from the previous season. In the 2014/15 Premier League season he scored an impressive 14 goals in 38 league appearances for West Brom. For a side that lacked creativity and chances to score goals, Berahino’s goals were able to help West Brom finish 13th by the end of the season. An impressive display from Berahino in the league has allowed him to attract interest from top English clubs including Tottenham and Liverpool. Rumours also suggested that Manchester City were once interested in signing the young striker.

Berahino in action for West Brom (The Guardian)

Last season, Berahino was an enjoyable player to watch. His finishing ability proved to be very impressive for a young player, allowing him to score from a range of distances. In addition, Berahino also has a lot of pace, causing trouble for the oppositions defenders. His finishing ability and pace together can help him in future to score more goals and become a better overall striker. Saido Berahino was named as West Brom’s Player of the Year due to his brilliance in the West Brom side. This season will test him to see if he can replicate his form from last season and become an even better player. Whether it is under Tony Pulis at West Brom or if he does leave for a bigger club, Berahino will look to shine once again in the league this season regardless of which club he is at.

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Jordan Ibe

Versatile English winger Jordan Ibe looks set to be Liverpool’s new breakthrough talent. Last season, Ibe made an impression to the Liverpool team with 14 appearances following a loan spell at Derby County where he scored 5 goals in 24 appearances. The departure of Raheem Sterling to Manchester City could open the door for Jordan Ibe to fight and make his impact on the Liverpool team and also the Barclays Premier League. This season, the 19 year old will aim to make a better impression at Liverpool and show others the talent that he possesses. Ibe has also shined during Liverpool’s pre season, supporting his chances of making it to the first team.

Since joining Liverpool, Jordan Ibe has been heavily praised by current manager Brendan Rodgers. Ibe has been described as a player with ‘a bright footballing brain’ due to his versatility as he can play as a winger on either flank and also as a playmaker. Ibe has many attributes as a player but one of his biggest strengths is his dribbling ability. His strong dribbling ability allows him to link with his pace to cause problems for the oppositions players and become an overall threat, whether he drives himself forward or picks out another player to add to the pressure. Jordan Ibe is an exciting prospect to watch who will look to take the Premier League by storm next season.

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Jack Grealish

Aston Villa midfielder is Jack Grealish is another individual who will want to make his impact to the Premier League in the coming season. Last season showed small success for Grealish where he won both FAI Under-21 International Player of the Year and Aston Villa Young Player of the Season. In addition, both the Republic of Ireland and England national teams are trying to get Jack Grealish to join their first teams despite him playing for the Republic of Ireland since U17 level. Jack Grealish began his impact at Villa towards the end of the season where he helped the club in their relegation battle and stay in the league. Grealish made 12 league appearances and also earned a starting position in the FA Cup final. This season, Grealish will look to make a bigger impact on the Aston Villa side and show the Premier League his talent.

Jack Grealish has great talent which makes him a player to watch in the league this season. Grealish has great passing ability from short to medium range and he ended the season with 92.7% pass completion. Grealish has been known in the past to make key passes that can change the game. One example of this includes his assist to Fabian Delph in the FA Cup Semi Final game against Liverpool, helping them to win and progress to the final. Along with his great passing ability, Grealish also possesses strong dribbling ability, allowing him to be a threat to the oppositions players.

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Kurt Zouma

Chelsea defender Kurt Zouma has already began to make an impact on the Chelsea team after securing 15 league appearances last season. Signed by Chelsea in 2014, Zouma was named as one of the ten most promising young players in Europe by The Observer and has also already been compared to the likes of Marcel Desailly. For a player of his age to already be given this much recognition reveales the talent he has and that this season could become the season he makes his impact to the Premier League. In addition to this, the young defender could also aim to replace either Gary Cahill or John Terry in the Chelsea first team this season and become a vital part of the team.

Kurt Zouma in his first photoshoot for Chelsea. (Chelsea Official)

Kurt Zouma already has many attributes that can help him in future to become a world class defender. He’s a very quick player, good at clearing the oppositions play and is also good at passing from different ranges. Furthermore, one of his biggest strengths would have to be his aerial threat. Whenever the ball is in the air, it is likely that Zouma will win the duel and carry on the play for his team. Zouma’s aerial threat is supported by his 6ft 2 height and also his strength, both of which assist him when in the air. Last season he recorded a 67% record in headed duels won, the season previous at St Etienne this percentage was much higher at 80%. For a young player to already have so many strong attributes and to have lots of potential, it shows why Zouma will be ready to make his impact on the Premier League this coming season.

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Jack Butland

The final player to look at is 22 year old Stoke City goalkeeper Jack Butland. This transfer window, Stoke City sold their first choice keeper (Asmir Begovic) to last years Premier League winners Chelsea. With the first choice position open, Butland will look to step up and proclaim his position in the Stoke City team; fighting off competition from other keeper Shay Given. Butland has made glimpses of appearances in the Stoke first team this season with 8 league appearances which include clean sheets performances against Tottenham and Burnley.

During his professional career, Butland has been sent out on loan to a number of clubs in order to gain first team experience. This season will be the ultimate test for the young keeper to see how he copes playing first team Premier League football on a regular basis. Butland’s uprise to becoming a top keeper is slowly becoming a reality, however, this season could be his season to prove whether this “dream” will make it to reality. Playing against other top Premier League teams will be the greatest test for Butland to handle.

Nacho Monreal – The Unsung Hero

Spanish International Nacho Monreal has recently finished his third season with Arsenal Football Club. During his first two seasons at the club he was frequently left out of the team and left on the bench due to Kieran Gibbs being chosen for the left back spot in the first team. However, this season he has established himself as a key part to the Arsenal team and has replaced Kieran Gibbs in the left back position in which he plays in. The following article will explore Monreal’s Arsenal career from the start to where he is now and how he has become: ‘The Unsung Hero’.

On the 31st of January 2013, Arsenal completed the signing of Nacho Monreal from Malaga for around £8.5 million. The versatile left back was signed following the injury of Kieran Gibbs the day previous. During his first season at the club, Monreal looked impressive and was quickly able to adapt into the Gunners style of play. The Spaniard ended the season in good fashion making 10 overall appearances for the team. His strong passing ability and also being able to intercept the oppositions play, helped Monreal to earn his place in the Arsenal team for months before he was replaced by Kieran Gibbs in mid-April following his thigh injury.

The 2013/14 Premier League season proved to be a difficult challenge for Monreal as it would become his first full season at Arsenal. With Kieran Gibbs taking the starting spot in the team, the pressure was building on him to challenge Gibbs to earn his position in the starting line up. Throughout the season, Monreal remained consistent in his effort to earn his first team spot and made 36 overall appearances in the season. However, his competition, Kieran Gibbs made 41 overall appearances and produced 14 more starting appearances in comparison to Nacho Monreal. 

Despite falling short to Kieran Gibbs in his first full season, Monreal still finished the season on a high due to his efforts. He has adapted well to the rigorous competition of the Premier League and has shown Gibbs that he has the ability to replace him in the team. His strong passing ability, consistent positioning and also his ability to intercept opponents play has proven to Wenger that he can be a viable option for his team to challenge for more silverware.

Nacho Monreal has been improving himself (Arsenal Official)

Arsenal fans immediately began to build pressure on Monreal ahead of the 2014/15 Premier League season as he took the vacant number 18 shirt, so new-boy Alexis Sanchez could take number 17. The number 18 shirt was described by Arsenal fans as a “nightmare” as a result of the ‘failed’ players who previously wore the shirt. Sébastien Squillaci, Pascal Cygan and Mikaël Silvestre are all previous players to have worn the number 18 shirt. Pressure was building on Monreal to see if he would end up like the predecessors to the number 18 shirt.

With pressure building, the 2014/15 Premier League season became Monreal’s ultimate challenge to see if he can replace Kieran Gibbs in the first team. Due to the large amount of injuries in the squad, Monreal was forced to play at both centre back and also left back throughout the course of the season. Despite the difficult challenge ahead of him, Monreal remained calm and composed in both positions whenever he would play there. Monreal adapted well to the centre back position because he always remained focus and kept a strong mentality of the game. Furthermore, when played at his regular left back position, he remained consistent in his style of play and remained the same as he always has done. Versatile, composed and always intercepting play.

As a result of the consistent injuries to Kieran Gibbs, Monreal was finally able to complete his goal and replaced Gibbs in the starting team. This season, Monreal was able to make 10 more starts in the first team in comparison to Gibbs. Throughout the season, it had become the ultimate test for Monreal to prove his worth to both Wenger and Arsenal Football Club. His best games in an Arsenal shirt have also come this season, the 2-1 triumph against Manchester United and the 2-0 win against Manchester City.

Throughout his Arsenal career, Nacho Monreal has always fought for his place to be in the Arsenal team. From his first match in 2013 to the FA Cup Final win against Aston Villa, Monreal has completed his goal of being a consistent member of the Arsenal team. One strong characteristic he has (and has been previously mentioned) is his ability to intercept play. In addition to this, his ability of keeping hold of the ball and overall concentration of the game have established him as a key part to the Arsenal team. The fight he has displayed throughout his Arsenal career has been unnoticed to some fans and deserves to be called ‘The Unsung Hero’.

Thank you for reading my second ever article.

Arsène Wenger – Is it time to say goodbye?

Over the past 10 years in the club’s history, Arsène Wenger has been placed into the centre of controversy within the fan base about whether or not his time at Arsenal is over. In fact, the base has divided itself into two opposing groups – the ‘Wenger Out Brigade’ and ‘Arsène Knows Best’. But as times have changed in recent years, is it really time for us to say goodbye?

Following the sacking of former manger Bruce Rioch, Arsenal were in need of a new manager to help develop a new team, similarly to a team that existed 10 years prior. With rumour spreading that unknown manger Arsène Wenger was set to join Arsenal the media were quick to apply more pressure. ‘Arsène Who?’ they questioned. Formerly the manager of Japanese team Grampus Eight, Wenger had a lot to prove to the fans and the media when he moved from Japan to North London. In fact, Wenger had to also prove to his own players that he was the right man to drive the team forward. ‘In front of us stood this tall, slightly built man who gave no impression whatsoever of being a football manager,’ was how Arsenal legend Lee Dixon described Wenger on his first day of training. Time at Arsenal started off tough for Wenger and his team finished 3rd in the league for his first season in charge – an improvement from the 5th place they finished the year before.

As his time at Arsenal grew, the boss began to make changes to help benefit his players. Wenger introduced both dieting and also new training methods, something that never existed in English football before. These new changes proved to be a success as Wenger achieved an English double in his first full season at Arsenal. In fact, the ‘pressure’ that was built after he joined the club appeared to ease as he achieved: 2 league titles, 3 FA Cups and 3 Community Shields (including two English doubles 97/98 and 01/02) in 6 years at the club. The methods that Wenger introduced to his team revolutionized English football and made other teams copy Wenger’s methods in the attempt to create similar success.

‘I am still hopeful we can go through the season unbeaten – a frightening thought’ was famously quoted by Wenger during the 2002/03 Premier League season. Although what was quoted never came true that season, what happened the next cemented Arsène Wenger’s place in footballing and managerial history. Due to the ‘Ashburton Grove stadium project’, it restricted Wenger’s funds to bring in new players. With both Manchester United and Chelsea spending a high amount on new quality players, it seemed to be a difficult task for Arsenal to win the title (Jose Antonio Reyes was signed mid-season to aid Arsenal’s challenge for the title). Consequently, money proved to not be a problem for Arsenal since, in the 2003/04 season, Arsenal were able to regain the Premier League title without a single defeat – 26 wins, 12 draws and 0 losses. The Arsenal team of 2003/04 achieved immortality and would forever be known as ‘The Invincibles’ thanks to the managerial performance of Arsène Wenger.

In 2004 construction of the Emirates Stadium (known as Ashburton Grove prior to sponsorship) finally began. Arsène Wenger described this as ‘the ‘biggest decision in Arsenal’s history’ since the board signed Herbert Chapman’. As a result of the stadium project, the next 9 years in Arsenal’s history were a downfall. Wenger was given limited money to spend on transfers which poorly affected them to challenge for title and win other silverware. Arsenal had to make annual profit to pay off debt whereas other teams such as Chelsea were able to spend over £60 million a season on new world class players. As previously stated, the limited funds on transfers resulted in one of the worst periods in Arsenal’s long history. Going 9 years without winning a trophy, Arsenal fans began to question whether it was Wenger’s time up at the club. Despite the apparent failure, from the 2005/06 season all the way to the 2012/13 season the club were still able to achieve: 3 cup finals and also 4 semi finals. Following a disappointing loss in the Champions League final, Wenger was left in a poor state. Both Pirès and Campbell believed their time at the club was over and – arguably the greatest player in Arsenal’s history – Thierry Henry departed the club a year later. Over the past decade, Wenger was building a football team to succeed the Arsenal teams that existed of the 70s and 80s. Unfortunately, half of the team abandoned him with the board even admitting they did not have the financial capabilities to support Wenger in order to replace these players that left that had left the club.

Life at Arsenal was becoming tough for Wenger, due to the lack of big players joining they slowly began to lose the ‘threat’ that they once were to other teams, and fans slowly began to turn their backs on the man that redefined Arsenal football club. Throughout his Arsenal career, Wenger has received a numerous amount of managerial offers from some of the greatest clubs in the world. Real Madrid, Barcelona and also Paris Saint Germain have all attempted to sign Wenger as their new manager. Consequently, they all received the same answer – no. Despite all the pressure and criticism he was facing, Arsène Wenger stayed loyal to the club he joined in 1996. This was much different to one of Wenger’s biggest rivals – José Mourinho. Yes, this individual is one of the greatest managers to ever be apart of football, but, Mourinho strived for his personal honours rather than the honour of staying loyal to his team. In fact, when Wenger was interviewed by Martin Keown, when asked about his honours he stated: ‘Martin, I don’t even know where they are, that tells you I don’t look back.’ Despite being both great managers, Wenger and Mourinho are two completely different people. When life at Chelsea wasn’t going according to plan in 2007, Mourinho departed the club for Inter Milan. However, despite all the lucrative offers that he received when life was tough, Wenger remained loyal to Arsenal.

In recent years it was revealed that Arsenal had paid off all of the debt for the Emirates Stadium. As a result of this, Arsène Wenger would finally be able to financially compete with the other big clubs in England including both Chelsea and Manchester City. Prior to their first big signing, Arsène Wenger had managed to keep Arsenal in a consistent position with a £9 million net in 10 years. Once the debt was all cleared, it was finally time that Arsenal were able to purchase world class talent. In 2013, Arsenal bought German playmaker Mesut Özil and in 2014, Arsenal bought Alexis Sánchez. With Wenger finally being able to buy world class players, it transformed the club into winning silverware once again with back-to-back FA Cup wins in the 2013/14 and 2014/15 seasons.

Despite the fact that some fans believe it is time to say goodbye to Arsène Wenger, I can assure you that should not be the case. If Wenger is to leave the club when his deal ends in 2017, he would be able to leave the club on a very positive note with his promises met. When asked what condition he would like to leave the club in, he said: ‘In a strong healthy position with a club full of good players, good use behind and a strong financial position to go further up and further up even more – and I will do that.’ When we reach the end of the 2016/17 Premier League season everything that Wenger has developed today would finally be complete. Players including: Alexis, Özil, Ramsey and Wilshere will all be in their prime whilst other players including: Oxlade Chamberlain and Bellerin will be developing even further. On top of this, academy players such as Zelalem and Crowley would also have their first impact on the league at that time. Brand new world class additions to the team would help even further. This brand new team that Wenger has developed ever since his previous abandoned him would be complete. If Wenger does retire when his deal ends in 2017, the next man who comes in will be in a very strong position for they will have a strong financial backing as well as a large amount of world class players to work with in order to win more trophies.

Over the past 10 years in the club’s history, Arsène Wenger has been placed into the centre of controversy within the fan base about whether or not his time at Arsenal is over. Despite all the pressure and stressed applied to him from the media and the fans, Wenger has remained loyal to the club. His plan to make Arsenal one of the greatest teams in world football is edging closer to its end, if we say goodbye to him now all of his work could go to waste. For all of the commitment he has given to the club we – as fans – should never question when it is time for us to say goodbye to him, only he knows when that time will be. In future when we look back in history of the famously called ‘Wenger Era’, we will be able to see everything that ‘Le Professeur’ has achieved not only at Arsenal Football Club, but for all of football in the world today.

There will never be a right time for us to question whether it is ‘time to say goodbye’ to Arsène Wenger.

Thank you for reading my first ever article, I hope you enjoyed it.