TOUCHLINEUI: FOXES’ VISIT PROJECTS LVG’S FAILINGS

BY SAMUEL SOLADOYE

Sunday is potentially a momentous and historic day for Leicester City as a win in their 36^th league match of the season would secure them the Premier League title for the first time since their election to the football league in 1894. Without doubt, it has been some stupendously tremendous effort by Claudio Ranieri’s wards this term.  Same cannot be said about the campaign of their opponent on Sunday; Manchester United

The Red Devils are inarguably the most successful club in the history of the English Premier League but on Sunday, they would file out, not as champions or contenders but as a side hoping to play the
‘spoiler’ to what seems inevitable when the boys from the King Power Stadium visit the theatre of dreams. And Ander Herrera shares the sentiment. When asked about the possibility of a win for Leicester City, he said

“…we don’t want them to win the title at the Old Trafford. They deserve to win the league but I hope they can do it at home.”

Manchester United’s Premier League success story can be traced to a certain Alex Ferguson who was at the helm of affairs until his retirement in 2013 after 26 years in charge. Although the Scot believed the squad he left behind “bodes well for continued success”, the reality has been nowhere close to such belief. The “Chosen One”, David Moyes managed the side during the larger part of the 2013/2014 season could only guide the side to a 7^th place finish.

CHANGE was necessary and that came in the mould of Louis Van Gaal. The Dutchman, coming off an impressive World Cup Campaign with the Dutch team was seen as the man with the requisite credentials to see the side through its transition.

On Friday, the Dutchman was quick to point out his perceived view of the club’s situation:

“…you have to see always the situation of where the club is, and we have seen that we are in a transitional period, and when I was mentioned as the coach, it was about that we discussed.”     While there might be some truth in his assertion, it is only an excuse. LVG remains the bigger part of the reason why Manchester United have stayed in transition and the fortunes of their visitors on Sunday best explains this view.

The Dutchman’s comments on Friday must be towards ensuring that he is given more time. But at a club of Manchester United’s calibre, transition cannot go on forever. If it were to be otherwise, then Claudio’s success this season would be premature. The Italian was faced with the task of keeping the top flight status of a Leicester City side that managed a 14th place finish in the Premier League last term. His task wasn’t made any easier by the atmosphere at the club created by fans disgruntled by the sack of Nigel Pearson. Ranieri has exceeded all expectations in his first season.

The Italian spent a total of 26.9 million pounds in the transfer market during the summer compared to 115 million spent by his Manchester United counterpart. Manchester United managed a 4^th place finish last year and are currently outside the top four while Leicester City are guaranteed of a top two finish, an unimaginable improvement from their last campaign. The Foxes have recorded 22 wins and 10 draws totalling 76 points at this stage of the season compared to 41 points managed throughout their entire campaign last season (17-point improvement thus far) in which they suffered 19 losses (they have only lost twice this term). Manchester United lie 5^th with 59 points with four matches yet to be played. With a hundred percent record in their final four matches (quite unlikely), they will only be able to manage 71 points; a 1-point improvement on their last campaign under the Dutchman.

The number of goals scored by the Red Devils this season is particularly disturbing. They own the second to poorest stat for goals scored by a team in the top ten with only 42 (only Stoke with 37 has lesser) while the King Power Stadium side has powered an impressive 63 goals past opponents this season.  There might be debates over the possibility of ever replicating the feat but it doesn’t conceal the fact that so much can be changed within a short time if the right hands are at work.

Though a LVG faithful would point to a number of first team regulars being out injured for a large part of the season, same can be said for other sides. Even though their city neighbours have not had the best of campaign either, they have suffered injuries as well to the likes of Kompany, Toure, Silva, De Bruyne, and Aguero amidst others.

Manchester United have suffered embarrassing exits from the Champions League, Europa League and dismal domestic campaign. If Leicester City have flown this high in “transition”, in my opinion, a FA Cup win would not be enough to atone for the failings; I believe it is time to explore some other transitional alternatives.

Hello Nigerian Law School!!!

By Mariam Olafuyi

Congratulations! You are about to embark on a very challenging and interesting journey. However, before I talk about the future, I think it is important for us to look at the past. You have just survived at least 4 years in the university studying law. You definitely went through interesting experiences while you were in university. You did ridiculous overnight reading before your contracts exam, you successfully completed a final year project that at some point you thought you might never complete, you survived the dreaded computer science course and those somewhat unnecessary courses you had to take in the Psychology department. Essentially, you conquered many challenges in order for you to be here and for that I say a big congratulations.

I speak about the past in order to put the future in perspective. Law school is just another challenge which you have to overcome, and with all the challenges I have listed above, you have to agree with me that you are already a bit of an expert at overcoming academic challenges. Before we go on, I need you to remember two scenarios. Scenario 1 is how you felt when you had a huge challenge ahead of you and you thought you might not survive, while scenario 2 is how you felt when you actually overcame the challenge.

Unfortunately, you are at scenario 1 all over again, which is why you need all the advice and encouragement to move you successfully to the place where you can confidently say you have overcome. In order to do this, I will be sharing a few tips which I believe can help you along the way.

1. This is a fresh start

I’m not sure how I can emphasize this because it is an extremely important point. Even if you had a 3^rd class in University, this is a chance to have a 1^st class. You can actually do it. The only limitation exists in your mind and of course you need to be ready to put in the hard work. I know of a young man who had a 2^nd class lower in university and he ended up finishing as the second best student in law school. Also the fact that you did so well in university and were nicknamed “the untouchable or the efiko” doesn’t mean you automatically will be the best. This is a blank canvas and you have the liberty to paint whatever you want on it.

2. Do not be afraid

There has been so much bad news about the rate of failure in law school these days and you might be afraid. My dear friend, please STOP IT! If you see a venomous snake about to attack you but you are so afraid that you cannot move, there is only one conclusion, the snake will bite you and you know that venom and the human system don’t go well together. If however you toss fear into the garbage and decide to run or take some form of action, your chance of survival increases immensely. Use this analogy in relation to law school. If you believe that failure is inevitable, then it really is, but if you believe that you have what it takes to survive and excel, then you will make it.

3. A lot to read and so little time

Honestly, law school is not difficult, the only issue is that there is so much to read and so little time to study and prepare for the examination. It also doesn’t help that you have to write examinations on consecutive days. These I believe are some of the factors that make it a bit difficult for students to achieve their full potential in law school. However if you look on the bright side, at least you know these are the challenges and you need to start preparing ahead of time. There is really no time to waste. You need to start reading as soon as you get into school. From experience, I must tell you that I did not understand most of what I was reading when I stared reading in law school, but when lectures were rounding up and I revisited those things that made no sense to me at the beginning, I can assure you that they made perfect sense, because I now had the answers to the things that puzzled me. It is not too early to start reading.

4. Don’t compare your intellectual capacity to that of another

You need to know who you are. I am a very thorough reader and I probably read through all my text books from cover to cover not less than 4 times. This is excluding my copious notes which I read more times than I can count, and I solved so many past questions that even law school had forgotten they set those questions. That is my style. Some people need to read it only once for them to understand. Woe betide you if you assimilate slowly and you are associating with Johnny who reads once and understands it.

5. You cannot escape the hard work

There is no short cut in law school, and if anyone tells you there is, I advise you not to believe them. You will work hard, but you also need to work smart. Listen to your lectures, get the vibes of your lecturers, be very attentive especially during revision. You also need to be sensitive to the news. For example, it would have been a bit ridiculous for a student who wrote law school exam this year not to thoroughly study election petitions for civil litigation. Keep your ears and eyes open.

6. Beware of “Oversabi”

The best students are not usually those who make the most noise about their “intellectual gigantism.” A word is enough for the wise.

7. No teacher sets an exam purposely to make you fail.

This is to demolish any ideology in your mind that law school loves to fail people. I am a product of the system and the system is so anonymous that it is ridiculous to think that the exam is set purposely to fail you or a large percentage of the students. Yes, I may not agree with the grading system (and I know so many people, including myself who have been victims of the grading system) but you have to beat the system. YOU CANNOT HAVE A FAVOURITE OR WORST SUBJECT.  Once you have a worst subject, you can be sure that your grades will not be good. You need to love your subjects equally and give all of them the same attention, or else you need to get ready to accept the grade from your worst subject as your final grade. Again, I don’t agree with this system, but until it is changed, you have to do your best to beat it.

Law School tests so many things apart from your academic ability. It tests your ability to manage your time and choose your battles. If you do not learn very well through group discussions, then be wise about how you contribute to the group. You can volunteer to be the typist or a core researcher for the group, rather than taking on a role that requires you to continuously argue over what is probably wrong anyway. If on the other hand, you easily remember things that you argue about, then you can volunteer to be one of those who will critique the answer to be presented in the class and so on. If your roommates can “gist for Africa” and you know you enjoy gist, you might have to find somewhere else to study or else you may discover that you prioritised sweet gist over studying. Also you will meet a lot of annoying people in law school, so please choose your battles wisely, don’t spend all your time resolving one quarrel after the other when you should be doing more productive things. During your court and chamber attachment, how do you use your time? That might not be the best time to take a trip to London oh, but then, what do I know. Focus on why you came to law school and if you are in a campus like Lagos, I assure you that distractions in all shapes, sizes, and complexions will be there, but you need to keep your eyes on the prize. In a nut shell, time is precious and you must learn to prioritize.

9. Follow instructions.

A large number of students fail in law school for very simple reasons, such as not writing their examination numbers, not flipping the page to see that there are extra questions, forgetting the difference between “or” and “and” and so on. Law school also tests your ability to follow instructions. Please listen attentively and follow instructions.

10. Trust God like you haven’t read

When all is said and done, you must remember that you need to trust God will all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t read, instead it means you should trust God like you haven’t read and read as if you aren’t trusting God. Remember to connect yourself with people who are positive and can encourage you when you feel overwhelmed. Don’t associate with people who have settled for second best.

In conclusion, thank you for reading through this. I think I am uniquely qualified to talk to you about law school, because yes I had a great grade in University and I went into law school determined to do the same. In the end, I had a second class upper but I won 4 prizes along the line. This was a season of mixed feelings for me because even though I was happy I won all those prizes, I felt I should have gotten more. However, the experience was invaluable to me for many reasons, which is why I am so eager to share my experience with you. You see when my result came out and I had less than what I expected, I looked back and asked myself “Mariam, could you sincerely have done anything differently?” and I could sincerely answer myself in the negative. I did every single thing that was within my human capacity to do, I did not have any regrets! At the back of my mind I didn’t think “I should have studied more, I should have listened more, I should have bought this textbook instead.” I had peace of mind that I did everything I could, thus irrespective of the outcome, I wasn’t filled with regret. I encourage you to do the same. You do not want to after the exam ask yourself “What if I had done xyz.”

Despite all I have said though, please be rest assured that your grade from law school will not affect your destiny (lol, it might seem strange to you now, but believe me, it is true) because we all have different paths that God has prepared, and if you know you have implemented the ten tips above in all sincerity, I am confident that your story will end well.

Before you get all busy, check out my blog www.thattwentiesblog.blogspot.com

TOUCHLINEUI: BENTEKE TO LIVERPOOL…A CARROLL OR A SUAREZ IN THE MAKING?…A DOSSIER

Arguably, no transfer has divided the opinion of Liverpool fans as much as this has. Benteke’s move to Anfield will undoubtedly make or mar Rodgers’ reign, with the Irishman clearly making the Belgian his main man. As all football fans agree, Benteke is good striker. His decent return of goals for a lowly team like Aston Villa adds the promise of a better goal return in a team that houses world class players. However, the point of dissent is whether Benteke will fit in with the Red’s style or not. Against this backdrop, TouchlineUI tries to analyze the striker’s strengths and weaknesses along with Liverpool’s needs and style in order to determine, to a degree of probability as nothing can be said with certainty, whether Benteke’s move will be successful.

STRENGTHS

• Aerial Prowess: Over his last 3 seasons in the Premier League, the 6ft 3inc striker has scored 14 headed goals. That is the highest during that period in the premier league. Furthermore, in his 29 premier league games last season, he won a total of 188 headers. This in itself doesn’t look outrageous until you compare it with the second player on that log, Graziano Pelle, who had 177 headers in more games.
• Premier League Experience: With Benteke’s last 3 seasons spent in the English top flight, there are no worries as to whether he would adapt or not.
• Hold-up play: When you have the likes of Coutinho, Lallana and Firmino in your team, you wouldn’t mind a striker that holds play and brings them in through flicks.
• Composure: A football fan recently joked that Raheem Sterling is not even able to ‘finish’ his dinner. Well, you simply cannot crack that sort of joke when Benteke is involved. He is one man you do not want in your box at all.

WEAKNESSES

• Injury Prone: Benteke has a history of niggling injury problems. This has no doubt had an effect on his goal return ratio over the years. With Sturridge constantly visiting the doctor, it is understandable if the Reds are wary of another injury prone addition.
• Dribbling: Simply, he is not the dribbler. He is better off being fed with the ball in the box than expecting him to dribble himself into a scoring position, although, you can expect him to force his way through.
• High Press: One of the several points made against Balotelli last season was his reluctance to pressure defenders. He was labeled ‘lazy’. However, he managed an average of 2.68 defensive contributions per match, and Benteke is way off at 1.12. Rodgers is known to favour a high pressing attacking style, it remains to be seen if Benteke will fit in.

LIVERPOOL’S NEEDS

• Since the departure of Suarez and Sturridge recovering more often than playing, Liverpool suffered severely in front of goal. It is evidenced in Gerrard being the club’s highest goal scorer last season. Sterling was even deployed as a false nine! Liverpool needs a prolific goal scorer and Benteke, with 49 goals in his 101 matches for a team like Aston Villa, is a good bargain.
• Rodgers is known for playing a fast paced, counter-attacking style. He wants mobile strikers that move all round the pitch and stretch opposition defenders, creating space for the attacking midfielders. While Benteke is not a snail, pace is not a strong point for him. He is more mobile than Carroll but it remains to be seen if he is fast enough. In Carroll, Balotelli, Aspas, Lambert, to name a few, Liverpool has had its own fair share of flops; hopefully, Big Ben won’t be added to that list.
• For all its needs, Liverpool can hardly attract a better striker without the lure of Champions League football.
• Certainly, Benteke adds a different dimension to the Red’s attack. But with Liverpool having the lowest crosses made by a team in the premier league last season, Rodgers must make certain tweaks to his playing philosophy if he is to get the best out of his marquee signing.. This is not to say Benteke has no other strengths to his game but his aerial prowess is something Rodgers must exploit constantly and any of his usual stubbornness might just cost him more than 32.5 million!

Welcome to Liverpool Christian Benteke! YNWA

TOUCHLINEUI:WIMBLEDON DAY 2 REVIEW: EXPRESS TRAINS AT THE ALL ENGLAND CLUB; HALEP CRASHES…

The second day at Wimbledon featured the 1^st round match-ups for players in the bottom half of the draw.

The bounce of the ball has been quite high at SW19 but perhaps that might not be the only scenery worthy of note as there seems to have been an installation of the installed high-speed rail as Seppi, Federer, Alexandr Dolgopolov, Kvitova, Kerber and a host of others raced through their openers.

Defending champion, Petra Kvitova continued from where she left off on Centre Court, breezing past the challenge of Kiki Bertens in 35 minutes. Angelique Kerber played a perfect match against Carina Witthoeft without losing a game. Another fast one was the victory of Agnieszka Radwanska over Lucie Hradecka.

Following the high profile loss of Carla Suarez Navarro on Monday, it was to be seen whether the upsets were ready to roll in at the All England Club. The big upsets came to town in the women’s draw Tuesday as one-time Slam finalists Simona Halep and Eugenie Bouchard blew their hopes of making their major breakthrough at SW19.

Simona Halep lost in three sets to “lowly” Jana Cepelova while last year finalist fell after a dismal performance to a largely unknown Ying-Ying Daun.

Elsewhere, there were wins for Caroline Wozniacki, Ekaterina Makarova, Alize Cornet, Sabine Lisicki, Heather Watson, Timea Bacsinszky, Garbine Muguruza, Casey Dellacqua, Monica Niculescu, Svetlana Kuznetsova, Silvia Soler, Denisa Allertova and Camila Giorgi among a few others.

In the men’s draw, Roger Federer needed 68 minutes as he made a perfect start to his quest for an unprecedented 8^th Wimbledon title. The second seeded Swiss recorded a 6-1 6-3 6-3 win over Damir Dzumhur.

Home favourite, Andy Murray had no troubles as he won in straight sets to see off the threat of Mikhail Kukushkin while two-time winner, Rafael Nadal was in great form as he dispatched Thomaz Bellucci in straight sets. Alexandr Dolgopolov had little time to spare, racing into the second round with a 7-6 6-1 6-2 win over Kyle Edmund. The likes of Roberto Baustista, Andreas Seppi, Benoit Paire, Fabio Fognini, Gilles Simon and Jiri Vesely also recorded comfortable straight sets wins.

Tomas Berdych booked a second round pass seeing off Jeremy Chardy in fourth sets, coping with the darkness whie Jo-Wilfred Tsonga also needed four sets to overcome Gilles Muller.

Borna Coric registered his first win at Wimbledon after seeing off Sergiy Stakovsky in five sets.

There were wins as well for Ivo Karlovic, Samuel Groth, James Duckworth, Albert Ramos, Gael Monfils, James Ward, Feliciano Lopez, Viktor Triocki, Vasek Pospisil, Dustin Brown and a few others.

American Jack Sock was the biggest casualty in the men’s draw; losing out to Samuel Groth.

2^nd round action in the top half of each draw is slated for Wednesday, 1^st July, 2015. Enjoy!

TOUCHLINEUI:WIMBLEDON DAY 1 REVIEW: “TEN” SPINS FORTUNE FOR DJOKOVIC

Samuel Soladoye

The first day of action at the All England Club offered tennis at its entertaining best. Here is a succinct review of how the duels panned out.

World No. 1 and defending champion, Novak Djokovic, albeit several sloppy moments for his standards, saw off the hitherto potentially dangerous first round clash against Philip Kohlschreiber. It was like Novak was playing Tarot as the number “10”regarded as card of the wheel of fortune was key to his victory. The German had the challenge of serving to stay in each of the three sets, all three coming in the 10^th game of each set and on each occasion, the German failed to hold serve. Djokovic, who was broken once in the fifth game of the third set when he was a break ahead, triumphed 6-4 6-4 6-4.

Maybe sloppiness was the theme for players ranked No. 1 today as Serena Williams overcame a sloppy start, which saw her broken in the first game of the match against Gasparyan, to run 6-4 6-1 winner over the qualifier.

The match-up between Liam Broady and Marinko Matosevic lasted over three hours and was drama-packed. The former went down two sets to love but showed incredible courage to fight back and win in five sets in what represents his first 5-set duel in a Grand slam tourney much to the delight of the home crowd. It ended 5-7 4-6 6-3 6-2 6-3.

Another five-set encounter was served to the audience at SW19 by the veteran duo of Lleyton Hewitt and Jarkko Nieminen. These two had a lot in common. Both, 34years of age, were making their last appearances at Wimbledon; pretty much explains the source of the hunger to hang in on till the end. It was Nieminen that took the decider.

As Bastian Schweinsteiger watched on, Ana Ivanovic raced through her match against Yi-Fan Xu dropping only two games; 6-1 6-1.

Elsewhere in the men’s draw, there were wins for Stanislas Wawrinka, Kei Nishikori, Milos Raonic, Grigor Dimitrov, John Isner, Marin Cilic, Kevin Anderson, David Goffin, Dominc Thiem, Bernard Tomic, Tommy Haas and Richard Gasquet amongst others. Fernando Verdasco survived the threat of Martin Klizan in five sets.

In the women’s draw,  Maria Sharapova, Kirsten Flipkens, Victoria Azarenka, Sara Errani, Venus Williams, Samantha Stosur, Urszula Radwanksa, Sloane Stephens, Lucie Safarova, Andrea Petkovic and Belinda Bencic amidst others coped well with the differing challenge posed by their first round opponents.

The match between Heather Watson and Caroline Garcia was tied at one-set all when it was suspended for play to resume Tuesday due to bad light.

There was no big casualty on the first day at SW19. First round action continues Tuesday with the likes of Roger Federer, Andy Murray, Tomas Berdych, Rafael Nadal, Simona Halep kick-starting their Wimbledon, 2015 campaign. It promises more drama. Enjoy!

TOUCHLINEUI:THE MONEY TEAM; THE MANNY TEAM AND THE VIEW FROM THE CENTRE.

This match-up would have been best described as a match made in paradise but, of course, there are no fights in paradise. The whole world has indeed waited for this fight; the 74 million dollar rake-in from tickets alone says it all. Regardless of the money at stake, one thing is certain; both are fighting for their egos and a chance to eternally etch their names in the sands of greatness.

A lot has been said about this fight, various debates breaking out on social media but just what do these boxers represent, what are their styles and techniques, strengths and weaknesses? Touchlineui presents to you, in a concise approach, The Money and The Manny Teams!

PROFILE

Manny:                                                                                                           Floyd:

‘pac-man’                                            Nickname                                           ‘money’

General Santos, Phillipines                 Origin                                                 Las Vegas, Nevada

57-5-2 (38 knockouts)                         Fight record                                       47-0 (26 knockouts)

1.69m                                                  Height                                                 1.73m

67kg                                                    Weight                                                67kg

Southpaw                                            Style                                                    Orthodox

STRENGTHS

PAC-MAN

QUICK FEET: He is fast, damn fast! His victories have been based on super-fast attacks. Manny always takes each bout head-on. But he’s not just got quick feet alone, he possesses quick hands too. His punches come in quick succession, and he averages far more punches per round than Floyd does.

ENERGY: It is of course natural that with quick feet and a quick succession of punches, one would expect Manny to be energetic. And he sure is.

POWER PUNCH: As a south-paw, his killer punch is in the left hand. Manny throws power jabs a lot with his right hand, which are quite dangerous, but the real danger lies in that left hand. A record of 38 knockouts says it all.

MONEY

DEFENSE: A lot has been said about his defensive abilities and rightly so. Floyd has got quick feet that help him steer clear of opponent’s punches. Apart from that, his shoulder roll technique and frequent head ducks make him one hard man to knockdown, not to talk of a knockout.

TECHNIQUE: Floyd has greater technique than most of his counterparts, if not all. His ability to read is opponent is quite exceptional. Floyd, unlike others, does not focus on the weaknesses of his opponents; rather he trains to take away their strengths. He makes adjustments during bouts as well, making him predictably unpredictable.

SPEED & PRECISION: He may not carry the heaviest punches but he more than makes up for that with a lightening hand-speed and bull’s eye accuracy. Floyd doesn’t waste punches, his jabs are not designed to hurt his opponent but to him out of their range.

COUNTER-PUNCH: Due to his technical ability and patience, Floyd gets to counter punch a lot and this is effective because the attacking opponent is already left open.

WEAKNESSES

PAC-MAN

IMPATIENCE: Okay, he is not the patient type. He rushes in and throws a lot of punches. A large percentage of these are wasted.

FLEXIBILITY: He is more of a single-approach guy. Boxers that have troubled him, Marquez, are those who have slowed him down and made him think. He has only one approach to bouts, which is to keep attacking.

POWER PUNCHES: No doubt these take a lot of energy but more than that, his punching technique makes him commit so much to a single power punch that he is left open without any defence. Against Marquez, he got hit severally on the counter.

MONEY

SPEED: He has got quick feet alright but he has never faced someone quite as fast as Manny.

SHOULDER-ROLL: His shoulder-roll defensive technique is ineffective against southpaws.

POWER: Compared to heavy punchers, his power punch does not carry a lot of power but may still do the damage.

ANALYSIS

One fact most fans miss is that Floyd has fought 8 southpaws and defeated all of them. This is not to say southpaws do not give him problems, but he has found his way around them in times past. Corey, a southpaw and present trainer, gave him a lot of trouble but Corey was a patient boxer unlike Manny.

Manny’s best bet is to outwork Floyd. His energy and speed quick feet present a danger for Floyd and if he gets to hit him with those power punches, he might just carry the day. However, while Manny dances all around Floyd, throwing, wasting punches, and making mistakes, Floyd might just get the chance to sting him and slow him down. And once Manny gets slowed down, it’s almost over.

Considering Floyd’s defensive prowess, Manny may not get to hit him a lot with those straight lefts. Manny might get better luck with an out-swinging right than a straight left. Floyd might get to weave the straight lefts but won’t be expecting a right at the back of his ear; this might create the opening Manny needs.

Floyd must increase his punch output and be less conservative. He has the reach and must use it to his advantage. He must throw his jabs more often to distract Manny and prevent him from getting closer but that is a big ask because Manny will always get closer. Since Manny doesn’t mind getting those jabs, Floyd must put more power into those jabs than he normally does in order to make Manny mind.

Contrary to public opinion, Manny also has his defence. You cannot be a champion and not have one. It’s just that he is not as defensive as Floyd. His shoulder drops and feints should save him some hits from Floyd.

Both boxers will do themselves a lot of good if they throw power jabs at each other’s bodies.

PREDICTION

Going out on a limb here; Mayweather may weather the storm, just about though! In any case, it’s sure going to be a hell of a bout, one that the world has craved for since Ali- Frazier.

 

TOUCHLINEUI: TO KEEP THE BALL OR TO PARK THE BUS (PT I)

INTRODUCTION

When you talk about the great Managers of the beautiful game, the following names come to mind: Arrigo Sacchi, Helenio Herrera, Rinus Michels, Sir Alex Ferguson, Arsene Wenger, Jose Mourinho, Vicente Del Bosque and Pep Guardiola. Why are they greats you ask? That’s because they are constantly innovating and trying to come up one strategy that will trump through all and win the ultimate goal which is Titles and Utter Domination! We’ve witnessed the best of Catenaccio, Total Football, Tiki-Taka, Joga Bonito and Park-the-bus all set-up to conquer the football world. For someone like Jose Mourinho, it matters little to him whether he is entertaining or boring you….that bad you say.

However, underneath all these fancy names are essentially two fundamental schools of football strategy- Possession Football and Counter-Attacking Football. While this is no Philosophy class, it is safe to say the above strategies derive their source from either keep the ball approach or park the bus better known as Counter Attack.

TouchlineUI will analyze Possession Football this week and conclude with the Counter Attack next week. Read along!!

POSSESSION FOOTBALL

“Possession is nine tenth of the law”

It is the simple football philosophy that the best way to defend and attack is to hold the ball. Liverpool Coach Brendan Rodgers has this to say on keeping the ball:

“If you can dominate the game with the ball, you have a 79% chance of winning.” Possession is nine tenth of the ball.

It is seen by Purists as the true form of the game.

PROPONENTS OF POSSESSION FOOTBALL

History has shown that the very best sides have always passed beautifully, dominating opponents with their control of the ball. The first that comes to mind and the very basic form is the one adopted by the all conquering Ajax and Dutch side of the 70s. It was called Total Football. The Total Football allowed every member of the team to contribute in the final third. Ajax, with this formation, would go on to win 3 European Cups on the bounce between 1971-1974 while Netherlands reached two World Cup Finals in 1974 and 1978. Though the Oranges lost both finals, they were an enterprising and all-attacking side led by a certain Johan Cruyff. They have in some quarters been called the “best side never to have won the World Cup”. This Total Football was epitomized in the 1974 World Cup Final where the Dutch scored within a couple of minutes from kickoff.

The Great Brazil side of 82 and 86 based the famous “Joga Bonito”, aka The Beautiful Game, on possession and this brought out the best in the midfield trio of Falcao, Zico and the Great Socrates. Unfortunately for the Selecao, there is no silverware to show for it.

Furthermore, Arsene Wenger is another fan of keeping the ball. His great Arsenal sides were built on that though they also possessed the ability to hit on the break through the likes of Pires, Henry and Wiltord.  Arsene Wenger and his side have, in the past, even been accused of attempting to pass the ball into the net. Alex Ferguson’s United side was also a great attacking and dominating side but not excessively obsessed with keeping the ball.

However, when you think of possession football in its purest form, then two teams come to mind; Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona’s side and the Spanish National Team. The two teams employed a totally possession based style famously known as the ‘Tiki Taka’. Barcelona conquered Europe in 2008/09 and 2010 /11 with a tournament high possession average of 60%. Barcelona, at that time, was either a joy or agony to watch depending on what side you belonged. For the Spanish side, they conquered Europe in 2008 thanks to their endless passing which left fans in awe and opponents in disarray. It must however be stated the La Roja in that competition still counter attacked and used the direct approach most notably in their 4-1 Group win over Russia. In 2010, they went a step further and won the World Cup. The pass masters, led by Xavi and Iniesta, would pass the ball in triangles until they found an opening, scored, then lowered the tempo and saw their games out. It is worthy of mention that after that shock opening loss to Switzerland, Del Bosque side won only one match with a margin of two or more (2-0 victory over Honduras).Others either ended 2-1 or 1-0 including the final. In 2012, they will retain the European Championship with a possession average of over 60 percent. They were simply fun to watch. Barca and Spain were less direct when compared to the other great sides compared above but it is fair to say that they enjoyed the greatest success. Bayern Munchen under Pep Guardiola also employs the possession style. The Bavarians under Pep are well placed to win the German Bundesliga and are bookmaker’s favorites for the UEFA Champions League. Compared to his Barca side, this Bayern side can go direct; using the pace of Ribery and Robben, the direct play of Muller and of course the aerial threat of Pole’s Robert Lewandowski as seen in his header at the Etihad Stadium in the 3-2 loss to the Citizens. They could also retain possession and dictate play with the likes of Alonso, Thiago and Gotze.

One question though is how did these sides employ such tactic?

HOW IT OPERATES

It all starts from the goal-kick. Let’s use Pep Barca’s side as a case study. Pep’s sides rarely employ long goal-kicks. Tiki Taka involves every member of the team. Valdes would play the kick short to one of the central defenders who would have moved wide, or to the pivot (Busquets) who drops into the space left by the Central Defenders. The Pivot is extremely important and his awareness level must be top-notch. The Pivot will help to distribute the ball once he receives it from the goalkeeper. By this time, the full-backs are high up the pitch. For example, when Chelsea plays the goal-kick short, Branislav Ivanovic (right back) moves high up the pitch while Azpilicueta (leftback) stays back. It all depends on the Coach’s instruction.  Examples of well known Pivots are Sergio Busquets of Barcelona, Xabi Alonso and Philippe Lahm of Bayern Munchen. It’s no surprise that these players have been managed by Pep Guardiola.

Should the ball successfully get to the middle of the park, then the midfield trio would exchange passes in triangles. A Guardiola Barcelona side had the trio of Iniesta, Xavi and Busquets exchange passes in a triangular pattern in order not to only keep the ball but to move towards the final third and find gaps in the opposition defence. The player’s positions are interchangeable but they must maintain that triangular pattern so as to beat any opposing player and expose the space left. Lionel Messi would also drop back to join the triumvirate in keeping the ball but more importantly lure the opposition defence out of their comfort zone and force them to play higher up the pitch.  This will eventually create space either on the flanks (because the opposing fullbacks will be fooled into playing narrower and cover the drawn out centre backs) or even down the middle. This strategy is however easier said than done as it requires great amount of trust in teammates to be at the right place at the right time. It also requires telepathic understanding to know where your teammate would go. It also requires constant movement from every member of the team so as to create those little triangles.

This constant movement of the ball will force opposition players to run after it, wastefully expending energy and thus creating openings in the tightest of defences through sheer frustration. It is often said that you cannot get tired when you have the ball. Keeping the ball will eventually wear down the opposition who have to remain compact defensively for the whole game.  A great advertisement for keeping the ball was the game between Argentina and Serbia&Montenegro in the 2006 FIFA World Cup Group Game where a 26 pass move by the Albiceleste culminated in one of the best team goals ever seen. Argentina went on to beat the Balkan side 6-0.  Also, keeping the ball alleviates the team of the physical and mental strain of defending and it also ensures that the creative players of the ball always have the ball.

 SHORTCOMINGS WITH POSSESSION FOOTBALL

Passing the ball in triangles is a means to an end. While looking after the ball well will wear out the opposition, reduce the threat of scoring and helps to dictate the pace and tempo of the match, the end should be towards scoring. In Adrian’s words:

“Quality possession should be aimed at scoring”.

Passing in your half will help boost a team’s possession statistics but it will not help you score goals. Passing should have a purpose. Also, it is not how many passes you make that matter, it is where they are made that counts. Possession in the final third is more valuable than possession in your own half. In the EPL this season, Chelsea, Manchester City and Arsenal have spent at least 31% of their time on the ball inside the opponent’s half. It is no surprise that these three teams are the most prolific scorers in the EPL.

Furthermore, another shortcoming which is related to the above is the fact that it can be a boring and defensive tactic. A typical example of a side that used this defensive approach was Swansea. The Welsh side in their early days in the EPL typified the confusion that possession figures can cause. Under Laudrup, they were compared to Barcelona primarily because their possession figures rivaled that of the Catalan Giants. However, whereas Barcelona possessed the ball high up the pitch in the opponent’s final third, Swansea’s use of possession was conservative and firmly rooted in their own half of the pitch, often comprising square or backward passes. This was a defensive tactic centered on ball retention to prevent the opposition from scoring. In the 2011/2012 season, Swansea had the third best possession statistic which was used to create 472 chances. On the other hand, Barcelona topped La Liga’s possession charts and created 626 opportunities. At the end season, the Blaugrana finished 2^nd while the Swans, as they are fondly called, finished a respectable but a mediocre 11^th. One danger of playing the ball aimlessly in ones half is conceding posseession, outnumbered on the break and then conceding a silly goal. Swansea was a victim of this against Manchester United when Ryan Giggs latched on a stray pass and duly converted. United would win 1-0 at the Liberty Stadium. The thought of playing this style against Chelsea with the likes of Diego Costa, Eden Hazard, Willian and Nemanja Matic snarling at your throat is enough reason why teams should avoid being too defensive with the ball. Ball retention is good but is should produce goals.

Also, since Possession Football involves a slow tempo passing style, it allows the opposition to easily regroup and form a defensive line of two and become organized. You must have seen teams have to go back to their goalkeepers after failing to breach the opposition defence. It could be boring!

The biggest danger, however, of playing the keep the ball approach is being caught on the break; COUNTER ATTACK! The opponent retreats and attracts the team with the ball, gets the ball, takes advantage of space, strings two or three passes and the ball is in the net. Arsenal’s loss to Borussia Dortmund last season highlights that danger. As the Gunners, probed trying to score with the match tied at 1-1, the Germans got the ball through Piszczek who passed to Kuba who then fed Robert Lewandowski to stab the Gunners and steal the winner. The string of passes took less than 20 seconds to execute. How cruel! TouchlineUI will next week examine the Counter Attack and also look at whether there’s a gradual shift from Possession to Counter Attack.

To keep the ball or the park the bus, that is the question

What is your answer?

Expect the concluding part of this article next week.

OVER THE WEEKEND: THE 6 TALKING POINTS

You could not keep track of all the happenings in the world of sport of the weekend? Not to worry, TouchlineUI brings you 6 Talking points (between last Friday and Monday) in its weekly bulletin.

The Green Jacket

A professional comeback for Tiger Woods seemed inconsequential as Jordan Spieth swept all the attention away with an historic win at the Masters. Breaking quite a number of records in the process, the talking point, however, is the fact that Spieth (at the age of 21) becomes the 2^nd youngest ever to win a Masters. This feat also moves him to the 2^nd position, after Rory McIlroy on the Golf World Rankings, making it the first time ever that the top 2 would not be more than 25 years of age.

 

 

 

 

 

(photo credit-www.dailymail.co.uk)

It was all about the M 

Yes, it was the MotoGp, yes it was Marc and yes it was Marquez! Marc Marquez won the Grand Prix of the Americas, in a pulsating race that had all on the edge.

 

 

 

 

 

(photo credit-www.sportal.com.au)

Manchester is all Red. No Blue spot!

The Manchester derby came but no one could have predicted the outcome. For the first time in a while, the Red Devils dominated, disgraced and demeaned their blue counterparts. Is this a whiff of things to come?

 

 

 

 

 

 

(photo credit- http://www.dailymail.co.uk)

Lo! He makes us search for the Unbroken Records

It was a record-breaking weekend all right! The usual culprit, Cristiano Ronaldo, scores his 300^th goal for Real Madrid to become the third player to do so in the club’s history, alongside Angelo Di Stefano (307) and Raul (323). And to think that he did so in just 288 matches, Ronalstic!!

 

 

 

 

 

(photo credit-www.goal.com)

Hamilton and Roseberg Again!

In what seemed like a perfect race for Mercedes, another row between the Mercedes pair appeared to take all attention. These 2 should just enjoy the wins!

 

 

 

 

 

Spahic’s Contract Terminated 

On a rather sour note, Leverkusen terminated its contract with defender Emir Spahic over a brawl to club security after a loss to Bayern Munich on penalties in the DFB Pokal.

 

 

 

 

 

(photo credit-The Guardian/Getty images)

TOUCHLINEUI: THE WEATHER FORECAST FROM MANCHESTER

The second Manchester Derby of the season sees Van Gaal’s United side head into this weekend’s fixture in much better form than their noisy neighbors in the blue half of Manchester. Things look rosy at the red half of the city with the Red Devils coming into this blockbuster on the back of five successive league victories which puts them second in the form log behind Arsenal. The charge by the Red Devils has been led by an inspired and goal-scoring Wayne Rooney and a rejuvenated trio of Ander Herrera, Juan Mata and Marouane Fellaini and of course a much more settled starting eleven. Manchester United has scored 11 goals and leaked in just two in their five game winning streak.

 

 

 

 

However for Manuel Pellegrini’s men, it’s been a different and gloomy case. The Citizens loss at Selhurst Park on Monday which all but ended their title hopes. There’s been the talk of an ageing squad, the Chilean Boss being too much of a Mr. Nice Guy and of course the lack of structure at Eastland but one thing that cannot be denied is how Manchester City has once again choked in the defence of their English Premier League Crown. They will however be desperate to put things straight this weekend and the opportunity to do so could not be any better. The Sky Blues have had an upper hand in recent meetings, winning the last four on the trot. Should the League Champions manage to win at Old Trafford, they will consign their rivals to an unprecedented fifth straight derby defeat.

 

 

 

 

 

Would the Red of Manchester move four points clear or will the Blues slow down their momentum in a game that will have telling consequences in the race for an automatic slot for next season’s UEFA Champions League? Come along, let’s see what the weather looks like at Manchester.

FORM

HOME FORM

MANCHESTER UNITED

MANCHESTER UNITED	P	W	D	L	GS	GA	GD	PTS	HOME FORM POSITION
	16	13	1	2	36	11	+25	40	1st

 

AWAY FORM

MANCHESTER CITY

MANCHESTER CITY	P	W	D	L	GS	GA	GD	PTS	AWAY FORM POSITION
	16	8	4	4	32	18	+14	28	2nd

 

OVERALL FORM (LAST SIX GAMES)

MANCHESTER UNITED

Manchester United 2 V Sunderland 0

Newcastle United 0 V Manchester United 1

Manchester United 1 V Arsenal 2

Manchester United 3 V Tottenham 0

Manchester United 3 V Aston Villa

MANCHESTER CITY

Liverpool 2 V Manchester City 1

Manchester City 2 V Leicester City 0

Burnley 1 V Manchester City 0

Barcelona 1 V Manchester City 0

Manchester 3 V West Bromwich Albion

Crystal Palace 2 V Manchester City 1

 

LEAGUE GOAL SCORERS

MANCHESTER UNITED

1. ROONEY-12

R.V. PERSIE -10

J.MATA-7

A.HERRERA- 5

M.FELLAINI- 4

 

 

 

 

 

MANCHESTER CITY

S.AGUERO- 17

D.SILVA-11

Y.TOURE- 8

S.JOVETIC- 5

F.LAMPARD- 5

 

 

 

 

 

ASSISTS

MANCHESTER UNITED

A.D. MARIA- 10

W.ROONEY-4

FALCAO- 4

A.HERRERA- 4

J.MATA- 4

MANCHESTER CITY

1. NAVAS- 7

S.AGUERO- 6

S.NASRI- 6

1. MILNER 6

D.SILVA -3

SELECTION

POSSIBLE STARTING ELEVEN

MANCHESTER UNITED

 

 

 

 

 

It will be unwise for Van Gaal to tinker with his starting eleven considering how settled it’s looked of late. Only injuries or illness should force a change.

GOALKEEPER- DAVID DE GEA

DEFENDERS- ANTONIO VALENCIA- PHIL JONES- MARCO ROJO-DANNY BLIND

MIDFIELDERS- ANDER HERRERA- MICHAEL CARRICK-MAROUANE FELLAINI

FORWARDS-JUAN MATA-WAYNE ROONEY- ASHLEY YOUNG

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

MANCHESTER CITY

Manuel Pellegrini might not have any injury concern but he’ll nonetheless have big selection problems given how poor some of his players have been in recent weeks. Bacary Sagna could make way for Pablo Zabaleta while the Chilean must decide whether to stick with the experience of Martin Demichelis or bring in Mangala who’s in the race to win the flop signing of the season award (The Wooden Boot?). In the midfield, Navas will most likely make way for James Milner as the consequence of a poor showing at Selhurst Park while upfront Edin Dzeko might be sacrificed for Wilfried Bony.

 

 

 

 

GOALKEEPER- JOE HART

DEFENDERS- PABLO ZABALETA- VINCENT KOMPANY- MARTIN DEMICHELIS- GAEL CLICHY

MIDFIELDERS- JAMES MILNER- YAYA TOURE- FERNANDINHO- DAVID SILVA

FORWARDS-SERGIO AGUERO- WILFRIED BONY

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

WHAT EACH SIDE SHOULD DO?

Manchester United

Take Advantage of the Extra Man in Midfield

United switch to a 4-3-3 has been a key factor in their recent upsurge in form while Pellegrini’s insistence on playing the old fashioned 4-4-2 has been one reason for their alarming drop in form. On Sunday, except the Chilean does the unlikely, the Red Devils can capitalize on the disadvantage of a two man-midfield. Man City’s duo of Toure and Fernandinho will have their hands full trying to curtail Fellaini’s playing off Rooney, Herrera’s late runs to the box and of course Carrick sitting deep and dictating the tempo.  Will the extra man count? Sunday will tell

Take Advantage of the Flanks

Man City plays with a narrow midfield with Navas the one who provides any sort of width. This means the fullbacks have to push up to create that width. That unfortunately leaves them prone to being caught on the break, something United can take full advantage of. By exploiting the space, United will stretch the backline of City with the pace of Young and of course the inside-run of Juan Mata. This will leave City short of numbers and disorganized which could also allow Herrera make those late runs.

Furthermore, when United go on the attack, they could double up the flanks especially the left as David Silva, while dangerous offensively, is not known for his defensive and tracking back ability.

 

 

 

 

Manchester City

Close down Michael Carrick

Michael Carrick is one of the best ball passers in his position in Europe with only Andrea Pirlo and Xabi Alonso ranking higher. He’s key to dictating the tempo and switching the ball to the flanks. It is against this background that City will do well to close the Englishman down anytime he gets on the ball. This will stop him from having any rhythm and also from switching the ball. With City most likely to play two in the midfield, Aguero or Bony could back to harry the former Spurs man off the ball.

 

 

 

 

Track Ander’s late runs

City must track Ander’s late runs to the box, something the Spaniard has this season become adept at doing, as evidenced by his brace against Aston Villa.

United tend to feed the ball left (to cross through Blind or Young), or right to play it back in across the ground (through Mata). Mata is very adept at picking out the right option while creeping toward the byline.

With Fellaini a wrecking ball in the box and Rooney a clever near-post runner, it’s very easy to forget about Ander waiting to sweep home another finish from 18 yards. City must trust themselves to deal with Fellaini and Rooney one vs. one and must task Fernandinho/Fernando with gluing themselves to Herrera in these situations. They’ll be 1-0 down swiftly if they don’t organize themselves properly. Per Sam Tighe.

 

 

 

 

Well, the forecast says the devils are out of hell and will do everything possible to ensure the Mancs remain citizens of hell.

 

 

 

 

 

MATCH STATS
For the first time since November, 2013, Manchester United sit above their city rivals in the Premier League table after having played the same number of games.

Wayne Rooney is the all time leading goal scorer in this fixture with 11

Sergio Aguero has scored six goals in his last seven derby appearances

Manchester City has won four consecutive league games against United for the first time since December 21 1970.

Since Sheikh Mansour’s takeover, the aggregate scoreline in this league fixture stands at 25-14 to the Citizens.

United have won 8 of their last 10 in the League while Manchester City has lost 3 of their last 4 in all competition.

Manchester City has lost each of their last 3 Premier League away at Liverpool, Burnley and Crystal Palace.

No City manager has lost four successive away matches since Stuart Pearce in September 2006 per premierleague.com

PREDICTION

Both sides know the importance of this game not just for a top four finish but also for bragging right.  It could make for a cagey opening 30 minutes but where the game comes to life; it is the team who shows greater discipline and composure that will walk away with the three points.

Talking about scoreline, United certainly has the form but City has the recent history so we expect it to end in- between- a score draw.

Stats per www.whoscored.com, www.premierleague.com and www.soccerstats.com

 

 

 

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TOUCHLINEUI: 2014/15 ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE RELEGATION RUN-IN AND THE TEAMS GUNNING FOR THE DROP.

Countdown to the climax of the 2014 EPL season. While the struggle for the top honors is far from over, the fight against the drop is just as intense with eight clubs looking to preserve their Premier League status for another year.

With 3 of these sides certain to go down, TouchlineUI explores all the possible outcomes looking at the form, fixtures left, key ones and afterwards give our verdict on which teams will lose their English Premier League status and a share of the 5.1 billion pound cake. We decided to leave out Everton and Crystal Palace as we expect them to beat the drop.

• NEWCASTLE UNITED

CURRENT POSITION: 13^th with 35 points

FORM (LAST SIX GAMES)

HOME FORM: D L D W L L

AWAY FORM: L W D L L L

OVERALL: L W L L L L (20^th on the Form Log)

Saturday’s Tyne-Wear derby loss to Sunderland was the Magpies fourth in a row in the Premier League. John Carver’s side currently tops the out of form chart. Mike Ashley’s club might not be in immediate danger but should they continue this stuttering form, they could find themselves in the murky waters of relegation.

 

 

 

 

REMAINING FIXTURES

Thankfully, they have a decent run-in in the bid to avoid the drop. Away games to almost doomed Leicester City and Queens Park Rangers will be key while home games against West Brom and West Ham should provide points. However, it is almost inconceivable to think they’ll beat Liverpool away while Spurs and the Swans would be tricky away guests.

DATE TEAM FIRST LEG RESULT PREDICTED OUTCOME 13th April Liverpool (A) W L 19th April Tottenham Hotspur (H) W D 25th April Swansea (H) D L 2nd May Leicester City (A) W D 9th May West Bromwich Albion (H) W D 16th May Queens Park Rangers (A) W L 24th May West Ham United (H) L W

 

PREDICTED POINT HAUL: 41 points

• WEST BROMWICH ALBION

CURRENT POSITION: 14^th with 33 points

FORM

HOME FORM: W L W W W L

AWAY FORM: D D D D L L

OVERALL: D W L W L L (12^th on the Form Log)

West Brom was on the edge not of glory but disaster before Toni Pulis came on board. With the former Crystal Palace boss steadying the ship, making the Hawthorns compact and hard to break down, relegation fears were beginning to fade especially with club record signing, Brown Ideye getting his goal-scoring mojo back. The weekend 4-1 home loss to Queens Park Rangers is however a rude reminder that whilst the relegation specialist has brought his magic wand to the Hawthorns; much still has to be done to mathematically ensure survival.

 

 

 

 

 

REMAINING FIXTURES

It’s a tough run-in for the Bagpipes but a home win against Leicester City this weekend should ease any potential relegation fears. Home games against Liverpool and leaders Chelsea might prove tricky though Albion drew against Mourinho’s men in the corresponding fixture last season. Away games at Crystal Palace, Manchester United, Newcastle United and Arsenal will complete the Baggies campaign.

DATE	TEAM	FIRST LEG RESULT	PREDICTED OUTCOME
11th April	Leicester City (H)	W	W
18th April	Crystal Palace (A)	D	D
25th April	Liverpool (H)	L	D
2nd May	Manchester United (A)	D	L
9th May	Newcastle United (A)	L	D
18th May	Chelsea FC (H)	L	D
24th May	Arsenal FC (A)	L	L

 

PREDICTED POINT HAUL: 40

• SUNDERLAND

CURRENT POSITION: 15^th with 29 points

FORM (last six games)

HOME: L W L D L W

AWAY: L L D L D L

OVERALL: D L D L L W (15^th on the Form Log)

Sunderland’s 1-0 derby win over Newcastle was their first win in six games and Dick Advocaat first as the Wearside Boss. Does it mean they have turned things around the around? Their final seven games will give a clearer picture. If they are to avoid relegation, they’ll need Jermain Defoe who got the winner on Sunday to fire in the goals. The 12^th EPL highest goal scorer will need to increase that tally to ensure the Black Cats beat the drop. The mythical 9 lives would come in handy too.

 

 

 

 

REMAINING FIXTURES

Sunderland will play Arsenal, Southampton and Chelsea in their final seven games with the game at the Bridge the last of their fixtures. It’s difficult to see where the points will come from in these games though they could fancy themselves against Chelsea who by then should have won the League and possibly eased off on the pedal. Last home game to Leicester City will be key and any result there will seal their fate.

DATE	OPPONENT	FIRST LEG RESULT	PREDICTED OUTCOME
11th April	Crystal Palace (H)	W	D
25th April	Stoke City (A)	W	L
2nd May	Southampton (H)	L	D
9th May	Everton (A)	D	L
16th May	Leicester City (H)	D	W
20th May	Arsenal (A)	L	L
24th May	Chelsea (A)	D	L

 

PREDICTED POINT HAUL: 34

• ASTON VILLA

CURRENT POSITION: 16^th with 29 points

FORM:

HOME: L L L W L D

AWAY: L L L L W L

OVERALL: L W W L L D (12^th in the Form Log)

Tim Sherwood’s appointment might have lifted the atmosphere but recent results still show that the work is far from finished. The Villains have suffered back to back losses though the one against Manchester United was probably expected. Much will be expected from Christian Benteke and Scott Sinclair as they bid to avoid the drop. With the Belgian bagging a hat-trick in Wednesday’s draw with QPR, it looks like the screw has finally been turned especially with the treble being his fifth goal in his last seven top flight games.

 

 

 

 

 

REMAINING FIXTURES

Sherwood’s men have an easier run-in compared to their fellow relegation strugglers.  They face a number of sides in and around the relegation zone as the 2014/15 season draws to a close. The key game will however be their final game at home to Burnley.

DATE	OPPONENT	FIRST LEG RESULT	PREDICTED OUTCOME
11th April	Tottenham Hotspur (A)	L	L
25th April	Manchester City (A)	L	L
2nd May	Everton (H)	L	D
9th May	West Ham (H)	D	W
16th May	Southampton (A)	D	D
24th May	Burnley (H)	D	D

 

PREDICTED POINT HAUL: 35 points

• HULL CITY

CURRENT POSITION: 17^th with 28 points

FORM

HOME: W L W W D L

AWAY: L L D L D L

OVERALL:  W L D D L L (17^th on the Form Log)

With just one win their last six league games, it’s easy to see why the Tigers are back in the relegation zone after it seemingly looked like they had swum out of it weeks back. With seven games left, Steve Bruce’s men must start picking up points or risk dropping down a division.

 

 

 

 

REMAINING FIXTURES

Away games at the Saint Mary’s and Old Trafford and home dates with Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester United make for a tricky countdown for the Tigers. Games at the Selhurst Park and at home to Burnley are winnable but will not come easy especially with the latter still flirting with relegation and of course capable of an upset.

DATE	OPPONENT	FIRST LEG RESULT	PREDICTED OUTCOME
11th April	Southampton (A)	L	L
18th April	Liverpool (H)	D	L
25th April	Crystal Palace (H)	W	W
4th May	Arsenal (H)	D	D
9th May	Burnley (H)	L	D
16th May	Tottenham Hotspur (A)	L	L
24th May	Manchester United (H)	L	W

 

PREDICTED POINT HAUL: 36 points

• Burnley

CURRENT POSITION: 18^th with 26 points

FORM

HOME: W L D L W D

AWAY: D L L D L L

OVERALL: D L L W L D

Burnley is humble and extremely hardworking – an ethos Sean Dyche has instilled in the side. With little funds and star players in the side, team cohesion has been the hallmark of the Clarets. TThey’vetaken points off the Manchester sides and Chelsea already which makes one wonder why they are wallowing in relegation. We think it’s down to their inability to score enough goals and their poor away form. Yes, Danny Ings has been impressive but no one has really stepped up the plate to relieve the young Englishman.

However, with Ings set to leave upon the expiry of his contract, he could do his side the favor of keeping them up in the division.

 

 

 

 

 

REMAINING FIXTURES

Home clash against Leicester City on the 25^th of April is a huge one and will go some way to determine their league status at the end of the season. Also final day game at the Villa Park is another one with high stakes.

DATE	OPPONENT	FIRST LEG RESULT	PREDICTED OUTCOME
11th April	Arsenal (H)	L	D
18th April	Everton (A)	L	L
25th April	Leicester City (H)	D	W
2nd May	West Ham (A)	L	D
9th May	Hull City (A)	W	L
16th May	Stoke City (H)	W	W
24th May	Aston Villa (A)	D	D

 

PREDICTED POINT HAUL: 35 Points

• Queens Park Rangers

CURRENT POSITION: 19^th with 26 points

FORM

HOME: D L L L L L

AWAY: L W L L W D

OVERALL: L L L L W D (18^th on the Form Log)

At the beginning of the season, The Hoops found it hard to pick points outside Loftus Road…Fast forward and in their last six home games, Ramsey’s side has lost the last five while their away form has been encouraging picking up seven points in the same number of games and four in their last two which includes a 6 goal thriller at Villa Park.

If the R’s are too engineer a great escape, they have to go back to the basics and start picking points at home starting with the West London Derby against Chelsea this weekend.

 

 

 

 

REMAINING FIXTURES

While the present looks bleak, games against Spurs, Chelsea, Liverpool and Man City do not offer much hope and the final game at home to Leicester could unfortunately turn out to be meaningless.

DATE	OPPONENT	FIRST LEG RESULT	PREDICTED OUTCOME
12th April	Chelsea (H)	L	L
25th April	West Ham (H)	L	W
2nd May	Liverpool (A)	L	L
10th May	Manchester City (A)	D	L
16th May	Newcastle United (H)	L	W
24th May	Leicester City (A)	W	D

 

PREDICTED POINT HAUL: 33 points

• Leicester City

Current League Position: 20^th with 30 points

FORM

HOME: L W L L D W

AWAY: D L L L D L L

OVERALL: L D L D L W (14^th on the Form Log)

The Foxes are in a precarious position with eight to go for them. They are currently seven points from safety after embarking on a eight match winless run in which they picked up just two points. Though they have rarely been thrashed this season, the inability of Nigel Pearson to pick up enough victories has cost them a great deal. They have lost the most games this season which is twenty. Going going…….

 

 

 

 

REMAINING FIXTURES

They have eight decisive fixtures and any slip up in those games and it’s the Championship next season. You suspect that their remaining games will be treated like a cup final. Looking at the games, it’s almost inconceivable to think they will pick up points against Spurs, Chelsea and Sotton but they will have to fight for everything. Fixtures against Hull, West Brom and QPR might just determine where they will be next season.

DATE	OPPONENT	FIRST LEG RESULT	PREDICTED OUTCOME
11th April	West Brom (A)	L	L
18th April	Swansea (H)	L	D
25th April	Burnley (A)	D	L
29th April	Chelsea (H)	L	L
2nd  May	Newcastle United (H)	L	D
9th May	Southampton (H)	L	D
16th May	Sunderland (A)	D	L
24th May	Queens Park Rangers (H)	L	D

 

PREDICTED POINT HAUL: 26 points

Should our prediction be correct, Newcastle United will finish with 41 points while West Bromwich Albion will end the campaign on 40 points thus escaping the danger zone with some comfort. However, Hull City, Aston Villa and Burnley will just about escape relegation while Sunderland, Queens Park Rangers and Leicester City will suffer the ignominy of relegation which means we won’t for the first time since 1997/98 have the three newly promoted lose their Premier League status at the first time of asking.

Over to you, which sides do you think will avoid the drop and which sides in your view are destined for doom?