Author Archive: Richard Holt
The Influence of the NextGen Series
This years Champions League has represented a series of disappointments for England’s most elite sides. Whilst the miraculous feat achieved by Chelsea last season has failed to be emulated, the Next Generation Series (NextGen) sheds a glimmer of hope that England’s most reputable sides can soon be reinstalled as European heavyweights. Only in its second [...]
A Philosophy to be Admired: Germany and Borussia Dortmund
Astronomical transfer fees have been a mainstay in today’s footballing climate. The likes of Chelsea and Manchester City have paved the way for clubs to expend over the odds for immediate success. Whilst the fees are scandalous, no one can dispute the success achieved by these oil-rich sides. Under the reign of Arabian tycoon Sheikh [...]
Premier League Relegation Battle Weekend Preview
As we head towards the closing stages of the Premier League season, a definitive list of sides that could potentially face the burden of relegation starts to unfold. This year the negative association with dropping out of England’s top tier falls to QPR, Reading, Wigan, Aston Villa and Southampton. Last weekend hosted several matches that [...]
Schalke 2-3 Galatasaray: Visiting Turks Topple Hosts to Qualify for Champions League Quarterfinals
Galatasaray qualified for the Champions League quarterfinals after sealing a 3-2 victory over Schalke 04 at the Veltins-Arena in Germany. Schalke’s spirited second-half performance was not enough as Galatasaray scored in the final moments of the match to ensure that the Turkish champions would feature in the next round of the Champions League. In the [...]
Borussia Dortmund Storm into Champions League Quarterfinals at the Expense of Shakhtar Donetsk
Borussia Dortmund comfortably cemented their place in the Champions League quarterfinals with a 3-0 win over Ukrainian champions Shakhtar Donetsk. German international Mario Gotze put on a stellar display, scoring and assisting one goal, leaving the visitors trailing 4-2 on aggregate as the half time whistle arrived. It was very much a one-sided second leg [...]
Malaga v Atletico Madrid Preview and Projected Line-Ups
Malaga host Atletico Madrid on Sunday evening in a game that pits some of La Liga’s brightest talents against each other. Los Boquerones will be looking to the likes of Isco and Joaquin to provide the quality in the final third and outscore a clinical Madrid side spearheaded by the brilliant Radamel Falcao. Fourth place [...]
Napoli v Juventus: Preview and Projected Line-Ups for Serie A Top Table Clash
Napoli host Serie A leaders Juventus in one of the most anticipated spectacles in the Italian league this season. Juventus have excelled domestically thus far, currently sitting six points clear of Napoli with the potential of being nine points ahead by the weekend. Napoli, even with the summer departure of Argentinian playmaker Ezequiel Lavezzi, look [...]
Everton v Oldham: Everton’s Class Shines Through
The gulf between these two sides was evident in the last-sixteen replay as Everton comfortably booked a tie against Wigan in the next round of the FA Cup. Kevin Mirallas opened the scoring for Everton after neatly steering Darren Gibson’s pinpoint cross beyond the helpless Oldham Athletic goalkeeper. The Belgium forward has had an indifferent [...]
DFB Pokal: Bayern Munich v Borussia Dortmund Players to Watch
The two German giants face off in the quarter final of the DFB Pokal cup, the last clash between these two sides the 2012/13 season. Borussia Dortmund are the holders of the DFB Pokal but currently sit 17 points behind Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich, a side looking to certify their return to dominance in the [...]
Liverpool 3-1 Zenit St. Petersburg: The Brilliance of Suarez Not Enough to Keep Reds in Europe
Liverpool’s spirited comeback fell short as Hulk’s early strike ensured Zenit St. Petersburg progressed to the next round of the Europa League. Two free kicks from Luis Suarez and a close-range finish from Joe Allen provided the home crowd with optimism going into the latter stages of the match. However this wasn’t to be another [...]
Porto v Malaga: Moutinho the difference for Porto
Porto edged a resilient Malaga side in the first leg of their Champions League round of 16 tie thanks to a second-half strike from playmaker Joao Moutinho. The Portuguese leaders put in a dominant display, limiting the opposition to only 38% of possession with one shot on goal. Chances came in abundance for Porto, with [...]
UEFA Champions League: Galatasaray v Schalke 04 Players to Watch
Galatasaray welcome group B winners Schalke in the Champions League round of 16 tie. The Turkish side will be looking to gain an advantage for the return trip to Germany where Schalke have proved to be formidable opposition of late. The January transfer window has had contrasting effects on these two clubs. Galatasaray have strengthened [...]
Liverpool confident they can turn their UEFA Europa League campaign around
Brazilian forward Hulk was the star of the night in Russia as his thunderous strike gave Zenit St.Petersburg the lead after a normally efficient Suarez failed to capitalise on early opportunities for Liverpool. Enjoying one of his most successful seasons in front of goal for Liverpool, Luis Suarez would have been backed to add to [...]
Shakhtar Donetsk vs. Borussia Dortmund: Key Battles in Champions League Round of 32 Encounter
Shakhtar Donetsk host unbeaten Group D winners Borussia Dortmund in the first leg of the Champions League round of 16 on Wednesday. Both sides proved to be formidable opposition in the group stage. Shakhtar progressed from a group that included 2012 Champions League winners Chelsea and Serie A champions Juventus. Borussia Dortmund easily qualified from [...]
UEFA Champions League: Valencia vs PSG Players to Watch
Valencia were once a side that carried significant threat. The likes of David Villa, Juan Mata, Joauqin and David Silva lining up at the Mestalla gave the Spanish side an attacking potency that the opposition couldn’t handle. However, following the sales of these world-renowned talents, a successful Champions League and La Liga campaign were nothing [...]
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