TUSKER FC: ONE FOOT ALREADY IN THE GRAVE, CAN THEY RECOVER?

One game into the Kenya Premier League, and Tusker F.C, one of our country’s most prolific football clubs, is sitting one position above the bottom of the table. The only thing separating the Brewers from the last place Sony Sugar is the goals scored, with the former having at least managed two more than the latter.

Shocking! Who would have ever imagined Tusker’s 2019/20 KPL season getting off to such a horrible start?

But, when you consider who they were playing against in this first match of the season, and how in-form their opponents were, then you can begin to cut the Brewers some slack.

For the first match of the season, Tusker FC went up against the formidable Gor Mahia, losing marvelously by 5 goals to 2.

In their last five matches, Tusker has only managed one win over their rivals, and secured a draw, with K’ogalo winning the rest. But, the most goals Gor has been able to score against Tusker in the most recent games is 2 goals.

This time around, however, they produced a stunning display against their opponents, managing to put 5 past them!

That just goes to show how ruthless Gor is planning to be this season.

Kenneth Muguna, Charles Momanyi, Nicholas Kipkirui, and Boniface Omondi were all on the scoresheet for K’ogalo, with the captain securing a brace for his team in that match.

Here goes Kipkirui celebrating his solitary goal against Tusker FC…

These names might sound pretty familiar, and this is why…

…just less than a week before K’ogalo’s opening match against Tusker, the former was fighting it out with Aigle Noir for a chance to get into the next round of the CAF Champions League. They did so emphatically, thrashing their Burundian opponents 5 goals to 1. Kipkirui and Omondi were both on the scoresheet that day while Muguna was a force to reckon with in midfield.

Anyway, back to Tusker…

They weren’t sore losers though. They managed to pull back two goals during this horrendous game, thanks to Boniface Muchiri, their midfielder who also plays for the national team.

Here’s a glance at one of his incredible goals:

https://twitter.com/i/status/1168570900532404226

I think Muchiri’s input was the only bright spot for the Brewers, as everything else about them absolutely tanked!

Defending by Hillary Wandera and his cohorts was abysmal to say the least, with the left-back easily dispossessed by Kipkirui who seconds later scored Gor’s first goal of the afternoon.

Gabriel Wandera blundered his tackle on Wellington Ochieng, and subsequently, the Green Army was awarded a penalty in the 49th minute. Captain Muguna managed to score from the rebound as Mboya was unable to keep a lid on it.

Speaking of, Robert Mboya has definitely seen better goalkeeping days as any notable saves during the match were too few and far in between. He seemed helpless throughout the match as Gor continued to rain goals on its opponent.

What this goes to show is that the Brewers have a serious problem at the back, and there will be many teams looking to capitalize on this every time the opportunity presents itself.

 

The addition of three youthful players into the team, i.e., Marion Sifuna, Eric Zakayo, and Peter Waithaka could be a boost to Tusker’s campaign if everything goes according to plan. Maybe then, they can forget this nightmarish start to the season.

Sempala is also back to Tusker after a short stint at Gor Mahia. He signed a two-year contract with the Brewers, and I hope fans can start feeling his impact sooner rather than later.

This weekend, Tusker will be up against a revitalized Mathare United that finished sixth last season.

The SlumBoys held last season’s title runner’s up, Bandari FC, to a barren draw in the first match of the season.

It is a bit premature to predict which of these teams can be able to stand up to the Green Army this season, but Tusker FC is already behind most of the obvious title challengers.

I’ll be waiting to see if they can indeed catch up with the rest of the contenders.

 

Good luck to the Brewers, and thank heavens for the Kenya Premier League!!

Tigwa bwega!!

THE TWIST AND TURNS OF THE 186TH NORTH LONDON DERBY: ARSENAL’S REVIVAL, SPURS UNDOING

Hands up, beautiful people, if like me you thought Arsenal would lose this game!

I mean we were 2-0 down as we neared the end of the first half. I know this is football, and anything can happen, but, remember this is Arsenal, and overturning a lead of two or more goals in just one half has not always been our strong suit.

What I am trying to say is that we are not wonder-kids like the Manchester United of old, who would go down in the first half by multiple goals, but come back blazing in the second half, overturn the goal difference and actually win the game.

The game ended in a draw much to our relief. But, was it because of our fighting spirit or did Tottenham, out of hubris, fail to do enough to cling to their lead?

I think it was a mix of both, plus a little bit of luck for the Gunners.

Tottenham was initially out to win this game. They looked in-form, focused, and driven to get the maximum points, hence the two goals they were able to produce in the first half of their match against the Gunners.

Their display in the first half did not have a semblance of the broken spirit that has marked Spurs’ rocky start to the season.

Before last week’s London derby, they had only managed one win this season against Aston Villa, a draw against Manchester City, and a shocking loss to Newcastle. They were not looking like the title contenders that they normally look at this stage of the season.

Even their coach was not looking too happy during the first three games, to a point people were now comparing him to the ever-grumpy Mourinho when he was at the helm of Manchester United.

But, that all seemed to change in the first half of that Arsenal game.

• There was pace and urgency on the counter

The Spurs’ counter was lethal in that first half in terms of pace, passing, and making shots on target.

Their very first counter-attack of the first half came in the 10th minute, and it resulted in a goal by Ericksen.

The pressure did not stop there as Leno had to produce two fine saves shortly after, from both Eriksen and Son, as Spurs continued to run riot on the counter.

• Their connections were better

One major complaint against Spurs by their manager after that disastrous 1-0 loss to Newcastle was that his players were not connecting right, which means fewer chances were being created.

In their next match, in the first half at least, they sought to improve that. For instance, the build-up saw an excellent pass from Son to Lamela as the counter gained momentum. Lamela shot towards goal with just the right amount of power to have Leno spill the ball, right into the path of the menacing Christensen. All the latter had to do was simply tap the ball in, and voila, an early lead for the visitors.

Numerous well-executed connections followed after that, but, none as successful as that first one.

• Their defense was awake

In that first half, Danny Rose was looking impossible to get past. Just ask Pepe, who try as he could, was not able to get anything past him.

This was definitely a more alert Rose than his display against Newcastle in the previous match.

Yes, I know he did get a yellow card, but it was all in the line of duty!

• They took advantage of the opponent’s blunders

When our team blundered, Spurs milked it for all its worth. That first goal was a poor display of what is supposed to be ‘premier defending’ by our backline, and I am sure Leno could have done much more from keeping that ball from going in.

Leno would have also been caught off-guard in the 36th’ yet again when he let the save from Kane‘s 25yard shot spill back into Son’s path. Terrible, terrible, just terrible! The same mistake that led to the first goal.

The second for Spurs was as a result of Xhaka’s outrageous challenge on Son within the penalty area. When will Xhaka learn? When?

 

Lucky for us, Lacazette and Pepe were working their behinds off at the other end of the pitch. These two engineered our comeback into the game with Lacazette taking Pepe’s pass, creatively flooring Vertonghen, and shooting one past Lloris.

We definitely didn’t see that coming.

From that goal, into the second half, a new, inspired, rejuvenated Arsenal emerged. Here’s what we did right, and the Spurs did wrong in that second half:

• We pushed hard, and Tottenham let us do it

From the very start of the second half, we pushed…hard! One minute into the second half, and Laca was already threatening goal after latching onto a cross from Maitland-Niles.

Lloris did well to save that one, but two minutes later, he gave Aubamayeng a clear chance to score, were it not for a last-ditch effort of a challenge on our last season’s top scorer by one of the Spurs’ defenders.

The action did not stop there as we saw Lacazette, Guendouzi, Kolasinac, and Aubameyeng, relentlessly picking up the ball, and shooting it towards goal. Lloris was having an incredibly tough time trying to keep it together under all of this pressure.

Tottenham’s attempt at playing from the back was going horrendously wrong, and this had to be the liveliest of performances I have seen from our attack this season.

We were all over Tottenham in that second half, and one could barely breathe with all of the activity going on in the Spurs half for those 45+ minutes.

• Leno was more alert

Finally, this man’s head was in the game. But, yes, he had a little help from the post as one of Kane’s attempt in the 59th was bound to be a goal, and there would be nothing our goalkeeper could do about it.

• Guendouzi was brilliant

Enough said! This young maestro is the glue that holds our midfield together. I wish Xhaka could learn a thing or two from this youngster. His game was so good last Saturday that he has been called up to the France national squad in preparation for the Euro 2020.

• Our passing at the front was glorious

…leaving Tottenham’s defense completely outclassed.

Guendouzi’s magnificent cross into the box in the 70th minute, leaves defenders scrambling, and Aubamayeng is right there to deliver an inspired poke into the opponent’s net.

Kolasinac, Sokratis, Auba, Mikhi, and Pepe were going ham at the opponent’s defense, out-maneuvering them with impressive passes, crosses, and shots towards goal.

 

So exciting! What an exhilarating half! What a time to be a living, breathing, Arsenal fan.

But, as usual, we did make a few mistakes in that second half as well.

• Xhaka is a problem child

That yellow he received in the dying minutes of the game just continues to prove how much of a burden this midfielder is shaping up to be.

Yes, his indiscipline on the pitch is giving Arsenal issues.

Yes, Guendouzi is a much better midfielder.

Yes, it is in our freaking best interest to sell him even to the lowest bidder.

I foresee him costing us dearly this season, just like the last one. Let’s just hope Emery gives him less playing time for the sake of our collective sanity.

• Sokratis loses his head under pressure

Sokratis does not work well under intense pressure, and his challenge against Winks and Kane in the late minutes of the game would have undone all of the work that Laca, Pepe, Guendouzi, Kolasinac, Auba, and Leno had done to keep us in this game.

In future games, I would prefer him to be subbed the minute the game goes into high tempo, otherwise, we are looking at laughable defeats over the next few months.

 

It’s Arsenal vs Watford next Sunday, while Tottenham is up against Crystal Palace. Let’s just wait and see who gets to drop points next week.

Tigoi na wega!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bonus:

 

Here’s a video I made on Mourinho’s grumpiness last season:

 

 

FOUR GAMES IN: WHAT THE RED DEVILS KEEP DOING WRONG

The Red Devils drew with Southampton on Saturday, an obvious improvement from their loss to Crystal Palace the previous week.

An improvement, yes, but, only because it wasn’t a loss. It wasn’t a loss because United were just lucky.

This particular result means that they have only won two of the last 13 matches they have played across all competitions. What a stunningly awful statistic, considering that this is Manchester United, one of the most premier soccer clubs in the world.

Why are the Red Devils in a seemingly overwhelming tailspin?

From what I can tell from at least their first four matches this season is that they keep repeating the same mistakes.

Put in a better way, the same issues keep re-emerging in every game, and Solksjaer seems unable to identify and fix them.

Which problems are these you might be wondering?

The same problems they demonstrated during their loss to the Eagles the previous week.

• Ineffective Attack

The lack of depth and experience in this team is quite apparent, and more so, when it comes to the attack.

Lukaku’s and Sanchez’ departure has left big shoes to be filled, and Rashford just isn’t cut out for the job at the moment.

Just like in the game against Crystal Palace, on Saturday we saw a Rashford who was unsure of himself in front of goal, who made the wrong passes and squandered a couple of scoring opportunities.

In the last 3 games, after his brace against Chelsea in the opening match of the season, the 21-year-old has been unable to score despite having 12 shots at goal.

Daniel James, one of the Devils’ most recent signings, has been a sigh of relief at the front- having brought his goal tally to three goals in four games after the Saturday match. However, he’s still young, and his form is bound to dip and peak throughout the season. When his performance lulls, will the likes of Rashford and Martial be ready to pick up the slack?

Doubtful.

Jesse Lingard seems to be out of Solksjaer’s attacking equation. He was left out of the starting lineup against Southampton, with Solksjaer opting to put Pereira in his place. Lingard’s shockingly horrific performance against Crystal Palace is definitely what has put him in the docks, and we might not know for how long.

Luckily though, he has something to look forward to as Gareth Southgate has picked him to be a member of the England squad that will face Bulgaria and Kosovo this December in the Euro 2020 qualification rounds.

As if Manchester United does not have enough problems at the moment, Martial is facing some injury problems, and we do not know if he’ll be able to play in the next few matches.

Sad…just sad! I really like Martial.

• Pogba Problems

At the beginning of the season, the only problem anyone really had with Pogba was that he missed a penalty.

But, the frustrations that Red Devils fans had with the central midfielder last season have reared their ugly heads once again in the last two matches.

Against Crystal Palace, his error and later slip-ups by the defense, allowed van Aanholt to score the late winner.

In the game against Southampton, his performance alternated between flashes of glory and silly mistakes that stopped Man-U from winning the game fair and square.

He was uncomfortable with the pace of the game from the beginning, hence, his constant dispossession of the ball throughout the game. In some instances, even in his own half, can you believe it?!

We also saw a variety of over-shot and misfired passes, amongst other glaring mistakes.

What in the world was going on with Pogba on Saturday? A total and complete lack of concentration from what we could all gather.

But, in the midst of that chaos, he was still integral to his team’s most compelling attacks and managed to create four chances for the Devils, more than any other man in his team.

Weird….how can you be your team’s worst player, and with the same breath, the best?

It’s such a shame because he is supposed to be the experienced one there, bringing in the depth and the consistency that his team so badly needs right now.

However, this kind of inconsistency can dearly cost Solksjaer’s team down the line.

He needs to move already, seeing as he’s not feeling the Manchester United vibe anymore. Yes, the transfer rumors are still buzzing!

Oh, yeah, and now, he’s injured…the rain is beating Manchester United a bit too hard these days.

• Defensive woes

This is a theme that has become consistent in every game that the Devils play.

It has become apparent that Victor Lindelof’s weak spot is aerial duels. He lost the ball to Schlupp during the Palace match, and Ayew took advantage of this to score the opener for the Eagles.

Against Southampton, he was out-jumped by Jannik Vestergaard, who then scored the equalizer for The Saints, and got them back into the game.

What does this tell us? It should tell us that:

a) Solksjaer needs another solution to aerial duels in his backline

b) Bissaka and Maguire need to be constantly aware of this weakness, and offer more support to Lindelof. A total of £130 million, and they cannot be bothered to help offer more cover for the central-back. What a waste! What a phenomenally gigantic waste!

 

United’s game is against a strong Leicester that is currently third in the standings. The Foxes have won 2 and drawn an equal number in their last four matches this season. Not a single loss!

It’s highly doubtful that United will cause Leicester’s first loss of the season. We’ll just have to wait and see.

Until then,

Kwaheri!

 

 

 

GOR MAHIA VS USM ALGER: A LOOK AT K’OGALO’S STRONG AND NOT SO STRONG POINTS

What a pleasant surprise to see Gor Mahia out of the preliminary stages and into the next round of the CAF Champions League.

For a minute there, after a goalless draw between K’ogalo and Aigle Noir in the first round of the preliminary stages, I was a bit worried about their chances of moving on to the next round. Honestly, I was a lot worried, not just a bit.

But, yes! They did it, and they did it so emphatically that now they are looking like a major threat in this premier African soccer tournament.

5 goals to 1 read the scoresheet once the final whistle was blown.

5 goals to 1!

It feels so good writing that, I had to do it twice.

K’ogalo and Kenyan fans, in general, have a lot to thank Nicholas Kipkirui for. His hattrick on this special day has propelled us a step closer to the group stages of the CAF tournament. He was a threat to the Burundian opponents from the first minute of the game, and his sustained attacks earned him a place on the scoresheet twice.

Now that we have done away with Aigle Noir, we move on to our next opponent, USM Alger. The last time that Gor played against this team was during the group stages of last season’s CAF Confederation Cup. Gor lost to the Algerians 2-1 on aggregate and were subsequently knocked out of the competition.

If the Kenyans can manage to beat this Algerian team this time around, Gor would have earned its place in the group stages of the CAF championship for the first time in the tournament’s history.

Their chances might improve significantly as reports have emerged that the Algerian team might not be able to continue with their CAF Championship journey due to financial constraints.

However, this does not mean that Gor should rest easy. If the matches proceed, then the Kenyan side needs to be ready as ever to exact revenge on the Algerians for last season’s thumping in the CAF Confederation.

K’ogalo

Strong Points

• Threat at goal

Gor was impressive at goal in the second round of the preliminary stages, and I hope they can show the same excellence going forward.

I’m praying that Kipkirui can replicate his performance against the Burundians when playing against USM Alger in their upcoming CAF first-round match. Now, that will be a pleasure to watch!

There is also the brilliant new signing, Dickson Ambundo, who managed to add his name to the scoresheet during his full debut as a Gor player. He also provided the assist to Omondi’s goal.

Boniface Omondi who was lethal as a midfielder against Aigle Noir, providing an assist as well as scoring the fifth goal for his team, should also be in excellent form to put the much-needed pressure on the Algerian defense.

He did have a chance to open the scoring at the beginning of the game and give his team the earliest of leads, but, he squandered the opportunity. I hope he will not be as wasteful in the upcoming match against the Algerians.

Hopefully, Francis Afiriye will be better at threatening goal than what we witnessed during the match against Bandari.

Areas to Be Concerned About

• Defense

Aigle Noir were finally able to score a consolation game in the 77th minute mainly because of a miscommunication between the defense. This can prove quite catastrophic against a strong team such as USM Alger, which is bound to take swift advantages of such opportunities whenever they present themselves.

The defense, under the capable leadership of Joash Onyango, needs to bring its A-game against the Algerians. Any porosity on this end and Gor’s goose is cooked for sure!

Gor Mahia have just recently signed their new goalkeeper, David Mapigano, and he has been playing well as witnessed in his performance against Aigle Noir in the CAF preliminaries, and against Bandari in the Super Cup final.

We’ll just have to wait and see if he has the mettle to withstand  Alger’s threatening forwards including the likes of Aymen Mahious, and Oualid Ardji. These two were critical to their team’s defeat over Sonidep of Nigeria in the 2nd round of the CAF preliminary match.

• Midfield

Not too much to worry about here as the new defensive midfielder, Tobias Otieno, impressed in the Super Cup final. He has the speed that Ernest Wendo lacks, which is a good thing, as it helps temper the opponent’s counter-attack, as well as helps on the break.

The only issue with the former Sony Sugar midfielder is that his timing when it comes to tackles is a problem, and as seen in their match against Bandari, this will result in several bookings if he does not improve on his timing.

He and Muguna should also work on improving their communication, and perfecting their passes for a more effective midfield collaboration.

 

With those few remarks, it’s going to be an entertaining round of matches to watch as September unfolds. Good luck to Gor Mahia.

 

But…

we are yet to determine if the Algerians will be able to make it to their match with Gor, so, K’ogalo fans can breathe easy for the moment, and just focus on the KPL.

ARSENAL VS TOTTENHAM: LESSONS LEARNT FROM LIVERPOOL LOSS

Yes, I know. We lost to Liverpool 3 goals to 1. It sucks! We were on such a high, having won the first two games of the season. We were reaching for the stars. It was a wonderful start. We were getting there; we could do this, and by this, I mean win our matches back to back from the start to the end of the season.

And, why wouldn’t we have such hope? We had just brought in ‘superstar’-level players in our ranks unlike previous seasons under Wenger. Our top scorer last season was hitting the ground running with two goals in two games; our midfield was becoming stronger thanks to the addition of Ceballos, a box-to-box midfielder with Cazorla-like qualities; our defense was seemingly getting stronger with the added expertise of David Luiz.

But, it all came undone last Saturday when we lost 3 goals to 1. It would have been much worse, I’m sure because as you know, this is the LIVERPOOL! The current Champions League and Super Cup holders. The scariest team in the EPL right now because of their pace, defensive prowess, midfield tenacity, and lethal attack!

So, yeah, we did not have much hope going into this game, and I feel sorry for any naive Arsenal fan who thought we could come out of the game with a point, or even three 🙂

I’m just glad we did not lose as badly as the other few times we’ve played against Liverpool. That is my only consolation at the moment.

I am also glad that our loss to this formidable team was not as pathetic as Manchester United’s loss to Crystal Palace. 🙂

That being said, there are some areas that I hope have been improved upon before our game tomorrow with another difficult team, Tottenham.

• Defense

Here, I’m mainly talking about David Luiz. His performance in this match was a far cry from the leadership quality he exhibited in our match against Burnley.

The second half especially was horrible for the defender, raising a lot of doubt as to whether he has the right mind frame to be a leader at Arsenal’s backline.

Grabbing Salah’s shirt like that in a bid to stop his attack was plain immature and unprofessional. And we paid heavily because of his actions as the referee awarded Salah a penalty…arrrgh!

I think we’ve just caught the first glimpses of why people refer to Luiz as a loose cannon.

For Salah’s second goal, you really cannot blame Luiz for being unable to defend him, because Salah is that good. However, the other defenders should have fallen back to offer additional support for both Luiz and Leno.

One more performance like this from Luiz, to add on to our already super-fragile defense, and we are going to need a miracle to make it even to the top five teams at the end of the season.

• Style of play

Truth be told, we did not choose the right defensive style of play for this particular game.

We chose a high line style of play, which is mainly used against teams that love to possess and pass the ball a lot. It is ineffective against a team that is prolific in fast-break soccer as is the case with Liverpool.

Being caught left-footed by the Liverpool forwards and wing midfielders is probably why Luiz out of frustration for not being able to catch up with Salah, opted to pull at the forward’s shirt instead, in a bid to stop him from moving forward.

It’s probably why he could not intercept the ball during the build-up to Salah’s second goal.

Once Liverpool instituted the fast-break, our high line plus their immense pace made it difficult, if not almost impossible to keep Liverpool’s attack at bay.

• Shooting Accuracy

Maybe if everything behind was working as planned, then the forwards would have much better chances at scoring.

But, that does not negate the fact that Arsenal had 9 shots at goal, 3 on target, but failed to convert most of these, aside from Torreira‘s goal late in the game.

Our shooting accuracy was at 33.3%, not bad when you compare it to Liverpool’s 20%, but they had 3 goals and we had 1. We definitely need to improve on this.

Nicholas Pepe would do well to improve his shooting accuracy. He had the best chances to score in the first half and would have probably saved the match for us if he had converted those chances.

• Indecisive New Signings

Our new signings were not as impressive in this match as they were against our first two opponents.

Ceballos, for instance, shined in the match against Burnley, to the point that he was declared the man of the match. Against Liverpool, though, he was practically mute! How does that even happen?

As mentioned above, Pepe wasted a couple of chances in front of goal, which were, by the way, our best chances at getting at least a draw in this match.

Also mentioned is Luiz’ complete malfunction during this match, the total opposite of how he performed against Burnley.

So, yes! Our new signings might still need a little more time to settle in…sadly, time is a luxury we do not have at the moment.

 

 

 

That’s all I have for now; come back and let’s compare notes after the #ARSTOT game tomorrow.

Ciao!

 

MANCHESTER UNITED VS CRYSTAL PALACE- RED DEVILS UNDONE BY THE FAMILIAR

The Red Devils started off their campaign vibrantly enough. They beat THE Chelsea 4 goals to nil in the first game of the season. In that match, everything went right. Rashford managed to strike a penalty into the box, the midfielders (Pogba and Pereira) were on top of their game and provided assists for three of the goals. Maguire and Wan-Bissaka kept it clean and tight at the defense.

It seemed that finally, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer had managed to rebuild this broken team, and this was the season for glory.

But, as with every fairy tale, things began going wrong.

Their game against Wolverhampton the next week was going according to plan when Anthony Martial scored in the 27th minute, his second goal in two games. He scored that goal with his weaker foot to add on to the drama of it all. It seems, however, the Reds were not prepared for a dramatic fight that saw man of the match, Ruben Neves equalize with a spectacular 25-yard thunderbolt of a goal.

Pogba had the chance of a lifetime to bring his team back ahead when he was fouled inside the penalty box around the 65th minute. However, this attempt was easily saved by the Wolves goalkeeper, Rui Patricio.

Pogba ended up being the butt of numerous racist jokes and comments, which is quite appalling because even the best can miss a penalty. It’s just sad that pigs with racist tendencies can access the Internet and abuse people they don’t know. Sad!

Anyway, they ended up drawing that match, much to the chagrin of Manchester United fans all over the world.

If they were expecting a marked improvement in the third match of the season, well then, they must be sorely disappointed with their team at this point.

Last Saturday, Manchester United was up against Crystal Palace, and boy, did they have it rough. They managed to lose to the Eagles, 2 goals to 1, much to my amusement I must confess.

This was the first time since 1989 that Crystal Palace had secured a win at Old Trafford. 3 decades of drought, and then Patrick van Aanholt’s injury-time goal changed everything!

So, what happened?

Credit to the Crystal Palace players, they played their hearts out, and took advantage of the few chances they were presented.

But, what did the Manchester United players fail to do right that saw them hand over to Crystal Palace their first win of the season?

• Penalty woes

In two separate occasions in these last two fixtures, Manchester United have been awarded a penalty that they have failed to convert.

The first one we spoke about above, when Pogba was unable to net one past the Wolves goalkeeper from the penalty box.

The second event occurred during the Crystal Palace match when Rashford hit the post, and squandered the penalty opportunity awarded.

These two events seem to suggest that Solksjaer is not preparing his players well when it comes to taking penalties. Two missed penalties in two games by two different players of the same team is one too many, and something needs to be done to remedy this situation.

…or not, because, hey, I’m not a Red Devils fan, and it won’t be too painful to bear seeing this team waste every penalty opportunity they are given.

• Defensive Issues

In their game against Chelsea, their first match as Manchester United players, Harry Maguire and Aaron Wan-Bissaka seemed a formidable pair. At that time, from their performance, it seemed that the £130 million spent on both of them was more than justifiable.

However, things began to unravel for the two during the Wolves game and really came to a head in the Palace clash.

Ayew’s goal, Palace’s first of the game, can be credited to Maguire and Wan-Bissaka’s failure to offer enough support to Lindelof. If they were covering him properly after he lost the ball to Schlupp, then one of them would have been able to clear the ball before Ayew got his feet on it.

Crystal’s second goal cannot be solely blamed on the defenders…but, perhaps better ball-watching by Maguire would have averted the situation? Perhaps the defenders shouldn’t have hang back as much as they did when Zaha and Aanholt were leading the counter-attack charge, that eventually led to a last-minute goal by the Eagles’ left-back.

But, truth be told, Maguire has had a terrible time against Crystal Palace for many seasons before he joined Manchester United. During his time at both Hull, and Leicester, Maguire has never experienced a win against Crystal Palace.

Shocking! We just might have found his kryptonite (what a useful little gem).

Maguire and the rest of the defense line-up better put their act together this coming weekend, or else, Southampton’s pressing style, and pace might just overwhelm them. Oh, what joy Manchester United’s undoing will bring to the rest of the world that is not red!

• Toothless Attack

It’s almost as if the likes of Rashford were scared to score, or just simply indecisive on how to go about it. In the case of Martial, who was the better forward of Manchester United’s attacking trio in this match, was simply not being the fed the ball enough times.

It was almost an hour before Guaita had to make a save, and that is a demonstration of how lackluster the Red Devils attack was.

Such a shame considering the immense talent that Rahsford, Lingard, and Martial individually and collectively possess.

 

There’s so much more to write about that woeful Red Devil’s performance, but those were the main points of the match.

Well, Southampton is now a day away, let’s just wait and see if these issues would have been solved by then.

Goodbye!

 

 

 

CHELSEA VS NORWICH: FINALLY, A WIN FOR LAMPARD, BUT WHAT AN INCREDIBLE FIGHT BY THE CANARIES!

Frank Lampard has finally managed his first win as head coach for Chelsea, and that is a major cause for celebration.

I might not be a big fan of Chelsea, but I love and admire Lampard, and it’s great watching him taste some bit of success after nearly everyone wrote him off i.e. Mourinho (the used-to-be special one).

The Blues have had a torrid start to the season, having lost four goals to nil in their opening match against Manchester United, and then drawing with Leicester at Stamford Bridge. To add chaos and depression to injury, they managed to lose to Liverpool in the UEFA Super Cup Final just days after their loss to the Red Devils.

But, as we all know, bad times do not last forever, and finally, the Blues have something to smile about.

Going into this game, Chelsea was the obvious favorite against a team that has just been recently promoted from the EFL. However, Norwich put up a damn good fight, managing two goals against the EPL heavyweight.

Chelsea might have won this game, but Norwich did not take it lying down. Both teams were fired up, and this was a true battle for the 3 points. I don’t think Chelsea were ready for such a spirited fight from Norwich.

So, which players caught my eye in this game?

We’ll start with some of the Norwich players that were super incredible in my humblest of opinions. They are going up against West Ham next, and these will be the players to look out for:

• Pukki

To say that this man has been incredible since the start of the season would be a serious understatement of his contribution to his team’s progress so far.

He now has five goals to his name; one from his team’s match against Liverpool, three from Norwich’s match against Newcastle, and one from their match against Chelsea last Saturday.

He is currently the EPL’s top scorer, and that is very impressive from a player whose team stands at number 17 at the moment. He is tied at the top of the goal-scoring list with Raheem Sterling.

To put it in even better context, he has more goals than our lead striker, Aubamayeng, and yet, we are currently number 3.

Pukki is now the 10th player to have scored in the first three games of the Premier League.

Remember, he was also the top scorer in the Championship last season.

His goal against Chelsea was so sublime and effortless, a marvelous beaut!

He is a goal-scoring hero in the making, and I hope he’ll help his team bring down some big clubs, EXCEPT Arsenal of course.

But, as his teammates will attest, he brings more than just goals to Norwich. He is a nightmare for the opponent’s central backs, and he is the main charge when it comes to his team’s high press mode of football.

Let’s see how effective he will be against West Ham.

• Todd Cantwell

There is no denying it, Norwich players have improved their game significantly from before their promotion, and one Todd Cantwell is sufficient proof of that.

In this first three games for Norwich in the EPL, he has scored one goal, and provided two assists. That is equal to his total contributions in 24 appearances in the EFL last season.

That’s a tremendous improvement!

 

 

Now, we move to Chelsea, and kudos to Lampard for having faith in the youngsters in his squad, and giving them a chance to shine! They are going up against Sheffield United next, and these will be the players to watch out for:

• Mason Mount

Here is one youngster who had an incredible game. He scored the second goal for Chelsea, his second of the season.

His overall play was calm and confident. He kept pushing for a goal and posed a constant threat for the Norwich defenders. Five shots at goal is no small feat, plus he made some crucial passes that amped Chelsea’s attack.

The only downside was the knock he acquired towards the end of the match. Hopefully, he’ll be fit for their upcoming match.

• Tammy Abraham

I’m still not used to seeing this youngster in Chelsea’s starting line-up, but credit to him for taking every opportunity to prove that he deserves a spot in the starting XI.

He scored a brace for Chelsea, his first and second goals for his team, bringing back a glimmer of hope for all Chelsea fans. His brace makes him the youngest Chelsea player to score twice in a match since 1998.

It’s going to be interesting to see how his confidence shapes up as the season continues, and whether he can replicate his performance in upcoming games.

And, anyone who’s made racist remarks against this young man should feel very ashamed of themselves!

 

 

But, curiously enough, it took him two hours to provide a urine sample to drug testers after the game. I wonder what’s that all about…

…anyway, moving on swiftly…

• Matteo Kovacic

Impressive form in midfield and he’s shown great skill in going forward, something he was not quite good at last season. Kovacic was able to step up in the absence of Ng’olo Kante, which are indeed very big shoes to fill.

He picked up an assist against Norwich, and I know going forward, the team is going to rely on him significantly more.

He has something to prove after a lackluster performance last season, hence, the Croatian is someone to look out for in future matches.

 

Good luck to both teams, especially Norwich, in their next games.

I’ll be watching!

ARSENAL VS LIVERPOOL: KEY PLAYERS TO WATCH OUT FOR

24/08/2019.

The 24th of August 2019.

This is the day that Arsenal will play its third Premier League match of the 2019/2020 season.

Our first two matches were against formidable teams, but somehow we managed to pull through, and win both.

Our next match will be the toughest one yet as we will be playing against Liverpool.

The same Liverpool that just recently won the Super Cup by beating Chelsea on penalties.

The same Liverpool that managed to win the Champions League last season by beating Tottenham 2 goals to nil. The Liverpool that completely THRASHED the one and only Barcelona 4 goals to zero in the second leg of their semi-final Champions League match.

Remember, this is the Liverpool that also beat Porto 6-1 on aggregate in the quarter-finals of the CL, and before that, they had done away with Bayern Munich by putting three in the net against Bayern’s solitary goal.

This is also the Liverpool that hammered us 5 goals to 1 last December.

Yes, 29th December 2018, a date that I as an Arsenal fan will never forget. It took me months to get over that humiliation.

So, yeah, Arsenal is going up against that Liverpool.

Is there any hope? Will this be our first loss this season?

We’ll just have to wait for this Saturday to see what happens. (Best case scenario, the game ends in a draw; most likely scenario- we lose; most unlikely scenario, Liverpool lose).

But, before that, there is absolutely no harm in looking at the key players from both sides who can have a major effect on how that game turns out.

We’ll start from the back.

• Bernd Leno- Arsenal

Here’s a little stat for all of us Arsenal fans to sweat over- we’ve conceded at least three goals in our last four trips to Anfield.

Can Leno change the tide?

Will he be able to stop the Salah, Mane, Firmino, etc goals from coming in despite the blunders our defense might make?

Can he communicate effectively enough with our defense to ensure that none of those blunders occur?

• Sokratis Papastothoupoulous- Arsenal

He’s mainly on this list because he let the world know that he thinks our upcoming match against Liverpool will be easier than our match with Burnley, defensively speaking.

That’s a shocking statement when you consider that Burnley ended up at position 15 last season, while Liverpool was second.

Let us not forget Liverpool’s dangerous attacking trio of Salah, Mane, and Firmino. Will his new-found partnership with David Luiz be able to contend with the pace, creativity, skill, and goal-scoring prowess of these three Liverpool greats?

Another constant threat he will have to contend with, Trent Alexander Arnold. This Liverpool right-back is a formidable ball crosser, and he can run a riot on our defense if Sokratis and Luiz don’t keep a lid on him.

And then, this is Sokratis. He’s bound to make a mistake, but at least not as unforgivable as Mustafi’s. Will his mistake today cost us this crucial game?

I have my doubts, but, we’ll just have to wait and see…

• David Luiz

As I mentioned in my earlier post, we really need this man, ESPECIALLY today!

He’ll be the one to offer some leadership at the back, and possibly clean up Sokratis mistakes, plus offer support to Niles, Monreal, and Chambers.

Good luck!

• Virgil van Dijk-Liverpool

I’ll admit it; this guy is hot! But, his team is playing against mine today, so my gonads will have to take a back seat this team.

He is a potent defensive threat with the ability to create and score goals as well.

He was a Ballon D’or nominee in the last Champions League season, so yes, he is definitely someone we should be wary of going into the game.

Let us see if Ceballos, Aubamayeng, and Lacazette can manage to pull the wool over this guy at least once during the game.

• Trent Alexander Arnold- Liverpool

What more can be written about this young right back’s impeccable crossing ability, speed, agility, and work rate?

His ability to cause trouble along the right flank regardless of the defense muscle he meets means the likes of Niles, and our entire backline is going to have their work truly cut out for them.

He had 13 assists last season, and I’m sure he is fully intending to replicate and surpass that record this season as well.

• Fabinho and Georginio – Liverpool

The more I write about this topic, the more I realize how difficult it is going to be.

Fabinho and Georginio are a wonder pair in central midfield, and it’s going to be an uphill task launching a counter-attack for Arsenal when these two are on the pitch.

Somebody, please #prayforarsenal

Oh yeah, and our former player, Oxlade-Chamberlain could be playing today as well in midfield. That’s another reason to be worried, especially if he plans on playing his heart out just to prove a point…

• Granit Xhaka- Arsenal

Another reason why somebody has to please #prayforarsenal!

Torreria is still not match-ready, so we are stuck with Xhaka. He’s really useful when it comes to aerial defending of set pieces.

BUT…

…he has this uncanny ability to get dispossessed in midfield, and causing fouls when he’s trying to win back the ball.

One mistake from Xhaka today, and our midfield collapses, our defense scrambles, and before you know it, a goal!

Pray for us, people, pray for us!

• Matteo Guendouzi- Arsenal

I love his hair! And, he’s definitely a bright spot in our midfield.

I hope his pace can help create chances for the strikers, and cause problems for Liverpool’s backline.

He’s going to come a lot in handy when it comes to our quick counter-attacks.

• Dani Ceballos- Arsenal

He has been all the rage since his full debut for Arsenal against Burnley. He has all of the qualities we have been missing in our midfield since Cazorla left.

Let’s just hope that he brings his A-game today, otherwise we are truly doomed.

He has the potential of giving our forwards all the crucial passes that can lead to goals. He also can help with the defensive duties that might prove overwhelming to our still struggling backline.

He is one of our main hopes for avoiding a major embarrassment against Liverpool, and I hope he can truly rise to the occasion.

• Lacazette and Aubamayeng- Arsenal

So far, our strikers have been an incredible duo.

However, they are going to have to dig really deep in order to penetrate Liverpool’s defense.

If they can get a goal each in this game, then this season will be much more rewarding for Arsenal.

• Firmino – Liverpool

You’ll remember this Brazilian forward from our 5-1 near-death experience last December. He scored a bloody hat-trick on that day, and since then, I have been unable to get the image of his pearly white teeth from my mind. He has scored at least 11 goals against us, which is more than his tally against any other club in the English Premier League.

Trouble!

• Salah- Liverpool

Salah is a force to reckon with all on his own, and our defenders are going to have a hard time stopping him from hammering at least one against us.

He is yet to rediscover his magical scoring touch, let’s just pray his re-awakening does not happen tomorrow.

• Mane – Liverpool

Another huge threat who does not seem to ever have an off-switch! He has scored the most goals for Liverpool since the year began, and I don’t think he’s planning to take a break from his goal-scoring racket.

Fingers crossed, he has a cold tomorrow or something that stops him from seeing the goal.

And, there you have it. 15 players that I will be keeping a close eye on today because they have the potential of taking this game either way.

This is a big game for us, and it’s going to take each player to give their best in order to contain Liverpool.

Good luck, and God speed, Boys!!!

Two Games In, Arsenal Look Very Promising

We (Arsenal) are number 2 on the table….momentarily.

We have won our first two matches of the season, against Newcastle, and most recently, against Burnley.

This is a mighty feat for us Gunners, as we previously had not managed to win our first two games of the season since 2009/2010.

So, what have we learned about our team from two matches in?

1. Dani Ceballos is a MIGHTY FINE midfielder

He can play as a number 8 and as a 10 interchangeably. That is beyond impressive. He provided us with two assists in his debut, which is all the contribution Mesut Ozil made in the entirety of the 2018/2019 season. It pains to write that last part considering how much money we had to pay for Ozil.

Ceballos’ full Arsenal debut against Burnley has completely blown my mind. Setting up both our goals against Burnley is no mean feat, and he is definitely a man we should watch this season.

Nearly everyone is convinced that he’s a younger Cazorla, undoubtedly, a player we all love and miss dearly. Cazorla-like qualities are what we need right now in order to stand a chance at any title this season.

Ceballos has a never-say-die attitude, something we are going to need when we are playing against…well, everyone!

His work rate was the best in that match, covering more ground than any other Arsenal player on the pitch. (You hear that Ozil, it’s called having a great work ethic, you schmuck!)

He is only here on loan, which might mean he has something to prove to both us (his potential future team), and his home team, Real Madrid. He has something to work for, and hopefully, this translates to more games won and goals for Arsenal.

Qualities I admire most: His ability to gain, retain, and regain possession on both halves (box-to-box midfielder), and his knack for finding the right man to score.

Let’s just hope he keeps this up.

2. We absolutely need David Luiz

Watching his debut for us, I realized how essential it was to have Luiz on our side. He is not the best defender in the world, but he has the experience, the tenacity, and the leadership skills that our backline is sorely lacking.

It came as a shock that he wanted to move to Arsenal, and I wasn’t particularly stoked about the transfer. His performance at Chelsea had been slowly dwindling, and I did not want more problems for our already struggling defense.

But seeing how he performed this Saturday has led to a change of heart.

I hope he and Sokratis can strike a marvelous, effective partnership at the back, and that his presence there can not only plug the hole that Koscielny left when he made a SHOCKING and DISAPPOINTING move to Bordeaux but also keeps the likes of Shkodran Mustafi from making monumental defensive mistakes at every turn.

Honestly, what will it take to have the likes of Mustafi shipped off to another team where he can cause misery and disgruntlement for other fans? We as Arsenal fans have suffered enough. It’s someone else’s turn now!

Anyway…

I hope David Luiz keeps getting better, and here’s to a stronger Arsenal defense.

On to point 3.

3. Aubamayeng is on fire, let’s not ruin it!

So far, Auba has a perfect goal tally- 2 goals in 2 games. And his brilliant goal during our first match against Newcastle earned him the praise of ‘The Special One’, Mourinho himself.

I’m hoping that he can continue scoring goals every game and beat his record last season of 22 goals. But, for this to happen, everyone needs to play better together.

The likes of Ceballos need to be aware of his every move so that they can feed him the ball correctly. They also need to be tougher on possession especially around the opponent’s box.

4. We don’t miss Iwobi

When Iwobi left on deadline day, I was jumping up and down for joy.

I am glad (literally breathing a sigh of relief) that his departure has had little to no negative effect on our current squad.

He moved to Everton to ‘prove that he was not still a fledgling talent’, but in my eyes, that’s what he was at Arsenal.

I can NEVER forgive him for all of the misplaced dribbling and loss of possession at critical points in nearly every game. Watching this young man lose the ball because he was taking too long to dribble instead of passing the ball along to the forewards almost made my eyes bleed.

Good luck to Everton with that one!

 

 

Here’s a short video that put’s all of these lessons into perspective:

 

 

Here’s to a successful season…

 

 

Effective Response to Climate Change: 3 Economic Changes That Countries Need to Make

One of the most pervasive misconceptions about climate change is that the main effects of an additional unit of CO2 emission today will not be felt until some time in the future, possibly after several decades.

This has led to procrastination of sorts where we as a global community, and as individual countries are unwilling to make the necessary changes needed to slow down, and possibly reverse climate change.

In reality, the increase in global warming has been shown to be linearly proportional to the cumulative CO2 emissions. Even more apparent is the temperature increase with every additional unit of emission is instantaneous and then becomes constant as a function of time.

Climate change is real and has far-reaching negative effects on all human, physical, and ecological processes and properties, and so far, we, as a global community, have been unable to mount an effective response to this impending disaster.

The major stumbling block seems to be an inability to create and merge political and economic policies that have the potential of stymieing the progress of climate change.

Which begs the question; Are there economic changes that we need to make in order for us to have a fighting chance against climate change?

The answer is Yes.

Economic changes

An economically efficient strategy for combating climate change needs to include the following measures:

1. Implementation of The Carbon tax

A carbon tax is designed to penalize polluters for the carbon emissions they cause through their production processes. The sole purpose of this tax is to incentivize companies to reduce their emissions to avoid paying high taxes.

Most developed nations use cost-benefit analysis to determine the economic cost associated with reducing an additional ton of emissions. Companies are then taxed based on this value and their total emissions annually.

Other than the carbon tax, some countries also use the cap and trade system as a means of pricing carbon. In a cap and trade system, the government sets a limit on specific types of emissions, and the companies that make these emissions have the opportunity to sell off their unused units (within these limits) to others that are facing a challenge in compliance.

In order for the carbon tax to be effective, there needs to be a concerted effort towards standardizing this tax globally, regionally, nationally, and locally.

2. Increased climate change budget

Adequate funding remains one of the toughest challenges facing the push to mitigate climate change and its perilious effects.

Adequate and sustainable finance is critical in combatting climate change, as the measures needed to mitigate this crisis on a global scale require extensive funding from every member of the global community.

There are several international funds and organizations that have been set up to collect finances from member countries and direct these funds towards environmental conservation efforts.

These include the likes of:

• The Global Environmental Facility that was founded in 1992
• Montreal Protocol Multilateral Fund
• The Green Climate Fund
• Climate Investment Funds

These funds have only been able to achieve minute success against this monumental problem, and countries need to put more resources towards these efforts.

Developed nations need to intensify their spending on carbon-reducing activities within their borders. In addition, these need to assist poorer nations in adopting and sustaining impactful climate change mitigation efforts. This way, poorer nations can be able to play their part in reducing global emissions, and conserving the environment effectively owing to this external support.

Furthermore, nations in the developing world need to direct a healthy chunk of their annual national budgets towards mitigating climate change efforts within their borders. Such nations need to phase out over-reliance on carbon-intensive technologies, which they use in order to be economically competitive with their developed nation counterparts. Instead, they should now start looking towards innovative production/distribution technologies that deliver enormous benefits on both the economic and environmental fronts.

3. Increased Adoption of Proven Carbon-Reducing Technologies in Carbon-Emitting Economic Sectors

Adoption of proven carbon-reducing technologies within borders in different economic sectors will also require intensive funding from individual nations as well as donor support.

The economic sectors targeted in this regard include:

• Power- countries should aim at producing at least 80%  of their power using low carbon technologies by 2050. Such technologies include the likes of nuclear, wind, hydropower, solar, and biomass. Demand and production of coal should decline gradually as the cost of producing power with these cleaner technologies reduces and their output and efficiency increases.

 

• Transportation- Electric means of transportation including electric passenger cars, electricity-powered trains, and light trucks, will help reduce emissions significantly and sustainably for nations. Other technologies that can be used include overhead electric lines, batteries, and fuel cells. Transport electrification is a finance-intensive venture, but the environmental pay-off is quite significant.

 

• Industry- Countries should strive to annually decrease the demand for energy in industry by investing in, creation and adoption of efficient technologies such as process innovations and efficient motors and pumps. Biomass should be redirected towards heat production in these industries to replace the use of fossil fuels.

 

• Building- improving the efficiency of buildings and appliances will help reduce direct emissions. Heat pumps should also be employed to replace gas and oil heating in rural and suburban areas. District heating and solar thermal technologies can help reduce the environmental load of water heating.

 

 

What other economic changes do you think need to happen in order to mitigate climate change and its effects? Let me know in the comment box below.