3 Players Who Attract Unwarranted Hate

With how popular social media has become over the last 4-5 years, and how pundits and other commentators will say whatever it will take to earn clicks and attention, it is fair to say some crazy things are said. Let’s go through three players who seem to be hated by certain people, when it isn’t entirely justified. There isn’t a ranking of any sorts here, because hate is something that shouldn’t exactly be ranked.

1. Paul Pogba

By far the player who seems to attract the most hate, Paul Pogba is a controversial player since his world record transfer. Whether it is Garth Crooks constantly complaining about his haircuts (which to this day is a stupid thing to criticise a player for), or the mainstream media saying he doesn’t do enough for the team in the bigger games. Everyone always wants to find a guy to blame, because it’s easier than finding a real problem. I do not know how many times I have to keep stressing how much of a special talent the Frenchman is. If United play well, it’s because of Paul Pogba. I have only seen him have a few bad games in a United shirt, being Spurs away, Chelsea in the final of the FA Cup, and in the league cup final. Other than that, I don’t think he has any particular bad games. In his first season for the club, Pogba was getting a lot of unnecessary stick, but it can be defended very easily. I remember on the last game of the season against Crystal Palace, where Paul scored and assisted. Ian Wright on Match of the Day said he wasn’t good enough because of his lack of goal contributions. But I think that’s too vague. I constantly complain about pundits not doing their research, and this is another example. Zlatan Ibrahimovic that season had a conversion rate of 12%. You expect your striker at the top level to get around a 25% conversion rate. While Zlatan did carry them in an attacking sense, he would still have his moments of failing to good chances away, and who picked him out during these missed chances? Paul Pogba. The now world cup winner was excellent in picking out his Swedish teammate, but Ibrahimovic failed to convert these chances. You cannot blame to the creator for his striker not putting the ball away, when he probably should. What’s important to remember about United is that they rely heavily on Paul Pogba. One of the main reasons he has been playing so deep is so he is able to get on the ball as much as possible, but doing that limits his ability going forward. Pogba is a player who is great when dropping wide, and also excels in front of goal. You want him further up the field to get the best out of him. Having him further back puts more emphasis on his defensive work, which isn’t great, and at times woeful. But that is not the strengths of the player. You want him playing a role where his defensive work, while not absent, is more limited. It also does seem that fans and pundits just do not like how he presents himself off the pitch. I can defend his ability and performances on the pitch, but what he does off the field is more or a matter of opinion. Many fans do not like all the haircuts, the dancing and the Instagram videos. My opinion on the social media side is the who really cares? If Pogba wants to enjoy life, let him. He shouldn’t be scrutinized on his personal life. When he performs, it is never mentioned, but when he has the occasional average performance, social media is the first thing that is blamed. I just will never understand why it is relevent. It could be the Manchester United fan in me, but I do feel the hate he gets is very unjust. Let’s hope he continues to silence his numerous critics.

2. Raheem Sterling

I briefly mentioned the hate he was receiving when discussing players that I wanted to see succeed in the summer, but I will try and elaborate. Up until last season, Sterling was always a very frustrating player, but was never a bad one. He is an excellent player in getting in goal scoring positions, but just failed to convert his chances. However that seemed to change last season. It was famously covered that Pep gave him one very useful tip in changing the way he played. Instead of stopping the ball when receiving it, take a heavy touch and try and beat the opponent with pace. It was so effective, because it just made him so much more unpredictable. Sterling was absolutely fabulous last season. In a record breaking season, he was one of their best players, ending the season with 18 goals and 11 assists. Those are real world class numbers for a wide player. However even after that incredible season, there is still doubt from other fans, especially England fans. Sterling still has that moment of missing chances, and that it was people remember. In the first game at the 2018 World Cup, he had two chances, that he failed to convert near the beginning of the game against Tunisia. Sterling was seen as one of the worst players for England. While I do not think he was great, he was playing a role that he is not used to. He had to play as creator, while also helping create space for Kane, while also trying to give width to the team. It was very difficult for the Manchester City winger, and he ended up sacrificing a lot of his game, for the sake of the team. That cannot be credited more. However his performances were not the main talking point about Sterling. Before the world cup even began, a certain tabloid tried to paint the winger in a negative fashion by highlighting the gun tattoo on his leg. This unnecessary attention towards an aspect of his life that isn’t related to football was wrong in so many ways. It seems like the media in every other country wants to support their team before a huge competition, but not in England. The media is desperate for clicks in any sense that they are willing to put the people against the players. But if you go through all of that certain tabloid’s posts about Sterling, it is more than just the tattoo. They have criticised him for buying his mother a house, going in regular plane travel, driving his car, and even shopping discount shops. While Pogba’s hate was mostly from fans and old fashioned pundits, Sterling’s hate is based mostly on nothing related to his career. If any players gets hate that is completely undeserved, it is Raheem Sterling.

3. Mesut Ozil

Another player I have defended multiple times in the pass. Mesut Ozil is by far my favourite attacking midfielder in Europe. No other playmaker in the top 5 leagues possess his incredible vision and technical ability on the ball. He is by far the best creator in the premier league. While De Bruyne, Hazard and Eriksen are all excellent creators, I think Ozil just edges them. Attacking midfielders are positions that are quite flexible. You have creators, like Ozil, who specialise in helping the attackers in the final third. Goal scorers, like Alli, who are more second strikers, and extra midfielders, like Banega, who are great at dropping into midfield to provide extra numbers. Ozil is the best creator. His creative numbers have been excellent throughout his career. His best season was the 2015/16 season, where he averaged a frankly unbeatable 4.2 key passes per 90. While that number has declined, it has still stayed over 3 since that season. Even at the world cup, where Germany underperformed, Ozil was still very good. Pundits like Martin Keown will say the usual he doesn’t work hard enough, but he still made 5.5 key passes in his two games. He does his job to the best of his ability. However Ozil is a player who has gathered hate from all over the country. A lot of Arsenal fans dislike how he fades in the “big games” (an argument I just don’t understand), and pundits, as previously mentioned, dislike him for his lack of defensive contribution. This has a lot to do with system. Ozil has so far been struggling this season, because of the more defensive approach of Unai Emery. It isn’t a strength of the ex German international. You can criticise him in the way of him not changing his game. But Ozil plays in a way that you have to build around him. Emery in my opinion has to get the best out of him in the same way that Wenger was able to. This summer has seen criticism in another form for Ozil. In the middle of May, Mesut Ozil and Ilkay Gundogan, were pictured alongside the Turkish President, a controversial figure in Germany. This resulted in numerous backlash from German fans, including racist and discriminatory insults towards the Arsenal playmaker. The backlash became so bad that it ended with Ozil retiring from the German national team. Ozil was a player in his prime years so retiring this early was a bit of a shock for everyone. Even this decision resulted in backlash however, with international team mate Toni Kroos branding his racist comments “nonsense.” It does seem ignorant from Kroos to deny that racist comments were made, with it being the main reason why Ozil made that decision. Originally this was going to be about 7 players, but the players mentioned receive hate on another level compared to other players I was going to discuss (Henderson being disliked and Morata not being what Chelsea fans wanted were going to be 2 of them). Going into length about these 3 players was needed, to show a more darker side of football, and to show the difficult circumstances that footballers can find themselves in.

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2018 World Cup Quarter Finals Preview

As we’re closing in on the final, the stakes are higher, with players feeling the stage getting bigger and the stakes getting higher. Let’s look at the next round of games in this brilliant World Cup

Uruguay vs France

Last time I discussed these teams, I expected them to lose. How wrong I was. France surprised me in that I didn’t expect them to attack in the way they did. My issue was them playing Matuidi on that left side, because it gave them a real weakness on that side when attacking, however I was wrong as usual. Deschamps did this to help overload the midfield and it would also let Griezmann drift in areas where a left winger would usually operate. I still think having a more natural wide player in that position would be better, however it so far has worked in giving them balance to the team. It has also gotten the best out of Kylian Mbappe in a certain way. Throughout the game against Argentina, he was making excellent runs and being that real needle France needed to penetrate that weak defense. Because of Giroud’s selfless style, it gives Mbappe the space for these runs. He ended the game with 2 goals, being the first teenager to score a brace since Pele in 1958. Mbappe is probably the best young player since R9. He’s even better than Ronaldo and Messi were at his age. Mbappe shows incredible maturity and power in his play. Pogba also has been incredible. He has been making those brilliant runs and killer balls we’ve been wanting him to make .

Uruguay surprised me in another way. I had previously criticised Luis Suarez for just not showing his qualities in the tournament. He definitely wanted to prove me wrong, because he was excellent. His hold up play was simply incredible and his cross for Cavani’s first goal was great. While he hasn’t been great in front of goal, he has definitely made up for that by being a great partner for Cavani. Uruguay conceded their first goal of tournament against Portugal. It is simply incredible that it has taken that long for them to concede. It was a pretty bad goal to concede. Pepe and Ronaldo completely outsmarted Godin and it resulted in Pepe being able to run in an open area to head it into the back of the net. While conceding a simple goal could be a worry, the injury to Cavani is so much worse. Cavani was brilliant in the game against Portugal, finishing his game with an honestly brilliant finish. His injury is not good news at all for Uruguay. They have two good players in reserve, being Maxi Gomez and Christian Struani. While both had excellent seasons, with the pair scoring over 10 goals for Celta Viga and Girona respectively, they both haven’t played enough in this tournament. They haven’t been given enough time to be able to fill Cavani’s boots in any way. It’ll be a real concern for Oscar Tavares.

For France to beat Uruguay, they will need to play in a similar fashion to how they beat Argentina. They need to use Mbappe in a similar way and most importantly, get Pogba on the ball as often as possible. For Uruguay to beat France, they need to make sure France to not play in that similar way and Torreira and Vecino need to protect that back four. Suarez also needs to continue in a similar fashion. He needs to get into those position where the centre halves do not want to go, and open space for his partner up front. I think France are too strong however, and will win, but not comfortably.

Uruguay 0-1 France

Brazil Vs Belgium

Easily the best tie of the quarter finals, both teams to into this game having excelled in the forward department.

Let’s start with Brazil, who are easily the favourites for the tournament. While this Brazil team isn’t the best in terms of entertainment, it is certainly the most balanced. The most recent winning Brazil teams always had a solid base, to make the most out of the attack. In 1994, they had Dunga, while he wasn’t a good manager, he was an excellent defensive midfielder. In 2002, they had Gilberto Silva, one of the best defensive midfielders ever. He could just do everything you need in a DM. And now in 2018, they have Casemiro. While the Real Madrid midfielder isn’t exactly an all rounder, he is one of the best destroyers around. He gives that defense an excellent screen and ensures a solid base, something they haven’t had since 2002. Another seemingly controversial issue seems to be Neymar. As the tournament as gone on, his performances have definitely improved. Against Mexico he was a constant threat, with him scoring and putting in a great performance. However it’s his diving that has caused a lot of attention. His reaction to a light tap on his ankle from Miguel Layun was the definition of an overreaction. I can kind of understand why players do this. It’s the world cup and they will do anything to win. However for his own image, it doesn’t help him at all. I have no issue usually when players stay down, but when they do it like Neymar, I start to have an issue with it. Coutinho has also been very good for Brazil. So far in this tournament he has been a real hero for them, scoring their first of the tournament, and the winner against Costa Rica. It’ll be interesting to see how he does in the rest of the tournament.

Belgium are a very strange side. On paper they have been excellent, winning all their group games and scoring 3 or more in 3 games. However because of their manager, I still have so many reservations. Japan exposed them very easily so it’ll be interesting to see how they fair against a team with real good attacking players. They also seem to be failing to get the best out of Kevin De Bruyne. While I think the midfielder has been quite good in this tournament, he is definitely not enjoying that deep role. It means he has to come so deep to retrieve the ball, which means he in advanced positions to be able to make those same great opportunities he did for City. Their left wing back position seems to also have some cloud over it. Martinez chose to not take an actual left back because he believed Januzaj, Carrasco and Chadli has wing backs. So far it hasn’t worked. Carrasco looked very poor against Japan. While Chadli did look good when he came on, he has missed many minutes last season due to injury, and he was only used as an impact, so seeing how he would do as a starter would be very interesting. As an actual positive, their forward three have been brilliant. Hazard has been excelling in his dribbling and creativity, successfully completing 4.7 dribbles per 90 and he has already bagged 2 assists. He has been sensational. His partner, Romelu Lukaku, has also been excellent. While he did miss some good opportunities against Japan, he has still been one of the best forwards at the competition.

For Brazil to beat Belgium, Gabriel Jesus and Willian will both be key. If Boyata does not play, Belgium will lose his athleticism once again, meaning Jesus could benefit by making some excellent runs behind the aging back four. Willian will be key in stretching the defense and exploiting the space that the left wing back will leave. For Belgium to beat Brazil, they need to make every chance count. They have had the benefit of playing teams who do not have their same quality. They are playing a team that have been brilliant defensively. They cannot afford to take the same luxuries they have in their previous games. Japan was their warning, so they need to wake up now. I do believe Brazil will win here, and it will not be as close as many think

Brazil 4-2 Belgium

Sweden Vs England

A tie that many are righting off before it has even began. As I have mentioned so long ago, I’ve been rooting for Sweden through out this competition, after Wales’s disappointing campaign, I saw Sweden knock out Holland, and then knock out Italy in the play offs. They have been defying expectations ever since qualifying began, including a victory over France. They have been beating these big teams throughout the world cup. They have also been excellent defensively, keeping 3 clean sheets out of 4 games. Even against Switzerland, their approach was quite perfect. Berg and Toivenen were both excellent in pressing the goalkeeper and ensuring any short passing lane was blocked. It was to ensure that they were always in the game and it definitely worked, with Switzerland struggling to create chances. They also kept Switzerland’s most dangerous player, Xherdan Shaquiri, very quiet. Usually when he had the ball, there would be two players ready to put pressure on him. Their biggest issue is easily converting chances. Against the Swiss, Sweden had some very good chances, including an easy chance at the back post, and Berg in a one on one, but failed to convert the chances. They seem to get in these good areas but then failed capitalise, leaving them always with a worry of falling behind. Marcus Berg has also been quiet poor, being the player to have the most shots without scoring. They need to hope he will be having a good game.

After finally beating a team on penalties, England and their fans are on top of the world. They have a team of players who seem hungry and no pressure is pulling them down. It does help that their captain, Harry Kane, has been putting the ball in the back of the net whenever he can. This team contains a solid blend of defensive workhorses and quality players in the final third, and playing 3-5-2 seems to get the best out of those attacking players. They haven’t been perfect however. England have so far failed to keep a clean sheet, with them giving away goals that should be relatively easy to stop. Worst of all they seem to be failing to use Sterling effectively. I love Raheem Sterling. He gives so much movement in the final third and takes a lot of pressure away from Kane. However against Columbia, he was not given enough support, resulting in him being attacked by 3 different players. If they want to continue to play him, Lingard and Alli need to be giving him runs on the outside, so all of his runs are worth something. Another issue could actually be their fitness. England had to go to extra time against Columbia, and while it might not sound like much, it took a lot of energy out of them. Southgate needs to make sure these players are ready to do another 90 minutes.

For Sweden to beat England, they need to take their chances. As previously mentioned, Marcus Berg has been poor throughout this tournament. Sweden need to hope he can turn up for this game. They also need to be patient and wait for that perfect opportunity. England concede goals and usually have a lot of players attacking at once. The Swedes need to wait for that perfect moment and strike. For England to beat their opponent, they will need to use Alli and Lingard as much as possible. England do not possess a great creator, which means the only way to get past this Sweden team would be to use their dribblers to beat players. If they can beat that first line of defence, then they should be okay. I’m actually going for a draw here, with a penalty shootout occuring again.

Sweden 1-1 England (Sweden to win on penalties)

5 Talking Points from England Vs Tunisia

I’ve said before that I genuinely believe this England team is a very good team, and while I am not an England fan myself, it was good to see all these talented players get some real credit. Let’s go through 5 talking points from last night’s game.

A rocket of a start

England began the game brilliantly. They pressed high up the pitch and and quickly moved the ball up the pitch. It was the way they were bound to play. With players like Lingard, Alli, and Sterling, you are given players who are great at finding space and at moving zones. The first 10 minutes were great signs. Lingard has a couple of chances which he probably should have stuck away, but it was different to what I have ever seen an England team do, have a plan. My issue with England over the past 16 years is they seem to not have any sort of tactic on how to approach the game. They seem to just rely on star players like Beckham and Gerrard, hence why they seem to jam them all in a team even though it didn’t work. This England team however has so much balance. The midfield highlights that pretty well. You have two solid defensive midfielders in Henderson and Dier, two good ball carriers in Lingard and Loftus-Cheek, an energetic midfielder in Delph and a good creator in Dele Alli. This midfield worked so well and it is mainly because of a certain Geordie.

Henderson – MOTM?

While Kane will get all of the headlines, and rightly so, Henderson does definitely deserve a lot of credit. Henderson is a player I have never loved, but I do understand why managers seem to like him. In this game he showed why. His passing was very impressive. Whether it was a simple ball to Alli or Lingard, or a long ball straight to the full back, he constantly kept things ticking. It was great to see him do so well. I’ve also mentioned how I don’t understand why Shelvey was even considered an option. Henderson had a much better pass accuracy and completed the most passes in the premier league last season. He has the quality and gives England a real shield for the defense. While I like Dier’s tenacity, Henderson definitely has been the right pick.

Solid Defense?

On paper, a 3 man back line of Maguire, Walker and Stones would be okay, and it was. The biggest positive with all three of these players is their ability on the ball. All definitely have confidence when in possession, and are able to carry the ball out effectively. This could be seen multiple times, with Walker slipping in a very good ball to Trippier in the first half, and John Stones always keeping that back four very calm. However there were moments that did show their inexperience. Kyle Walker had a moment of madness and elbowed the Tunisian forward, and Maguire misplaced a simple that could have lead to a goal. This back four contains a defender that has a never played at the top level, another who is still very young, and another who usually plays fullback. It will have its sketchy moments, but overall very positive.

Harry Kane

The new captain began his first world cup with a bang, and scored 2 goals that won his team the game. Before this tournament, Kane has been very decent for England. He managed to get only 5 goals in qualifying. This was a very low number when comparing to other top strikers, with Lewandowski banging 16, and Cristiano Ronaldo scoring 15. Like England, he wasn’t too impressive. But tournaments can bring the best out of a player, and so far it has. While Kane’s involvement in the game was pretty limited, with most of ball going to the two central midfielders or the full back, he still managed to get in that right place at that right time to back both goals. We always want the modern striker to get involved in the game and keep the ball to assist teammates, but sometimes a pure goal scorer is what they need. If he keeps it up, he could be remembered just as fondly as Lineker or Shearer.

Positive changes

I was very impressed with Southgate’s changes in the game. He took of Sterling, who didn’t have the best of games, and brought on Rashford. The United winger had a great impact on the game and gave England so much energy and was willing to take on players with his speed and strength. The next change was Loftus-Cheek for Dele Alli, who got a slight injury in the game. He gave quite the direct replacement, offering an incredible dribbling ability, and because of his size, was so hard to get off the ball. Dier for Lingard was right at the end, but that was just to waste time. Overall I thought Southgate is making the right decisions regarding making changes to the game.

4 Players Who Will Hope To Have a Good World Cup

The World Cup is full of stories. Whether it is a team defining the odds, a player performing at a level never seen before in his career, or in this case, proving his doubters wrong. There are players going to this world cup who are currently being questioned by their fans and experts alike. Let’s look at some of these players.

Andre Silva

Andre Silva has had one crazy year. While his time in Milan has not been as well as he had hoped. However his form for Portugal has been brilliant. He scored 9 goals in qualifying, which is the 5th most in Europe, behind his teammate Cristiano Ronaldo. Silva for Portugal has shown to be a real number 9, and ensures that the country has a ready made forward for when Ronaldo eventually finishes his career with the national team. So why does he hope to have a good world cup? He only scored 2 league goals for Milan, and he needs to show the world that he is in fact a great number 9. He was brilliant for Porto, and needs to rediscover that form. While his Serie A form was poor, his Europa League form was actually very good. He scored 6 in 8 games for the Red and Black. He took 2.1 shots per game in the Europa League, and 1.5 in Serie A. The most important thing to take from this is where he was shooting. He was taking 1.6 shots in the 6 yard box when playing the Europa League, and 1 in Italy. It’s clear that he suits playing against European opposition, instead of Italian opposition. It could also help explain why he has been so good in qualifying. If he continues his form into the World Cup, he may remind everyone why £30m was spent on him. It is clear, with the links to Wolves, that Silva does want out of Milan. They are currently in a huge mess and still recovering. If Silva performs, he will be going to another club, and not a newly promoted one.

Olivier Giroud

France’s squad is full of talented players, but the one most consider one of the least talented would be Olivier Giroud, yet he has recently equalled Zinedine Zidane’s scoring record. Didier Deschamps is probably the weakest component of the squad, and his reliance on Giroud could be another weakness. France have so much more talent. His trust in Giroud means Mbappe, Ben Yedder, Griezmann and Lacazette all do not get a chance to start as the number 9. It would make France flow much better in attack, and make them more of an attacking threat. This isn’t to discredit Giroud however. I think he has a very useful set of skills for a team, but to be starting for this team might be a bit too generous. He will hope to have a good world cup because of this trust in him. He has to excel to remind doubters, such as myself, that he is indeed the best option.

Jonas Hector

As mentioned when discussing Leroy Sane not being picked for the World Cup, I mentioned Joachim Low’s trust in certain players. Jonas Hector is the definition of this trust. He has been playing in a poor Koln team, which finished bottom of the Bundesliga. While he definitely wasn’t the worst player in the team, he still didn’t perform to the same levels as last season. One reason for this would be how often he has been moved around. Out of the 20 games he played, 8 of those were at left back. He will be starting for the defending champions in a position he has not even been playing half of his games for. Joachim Low has chosen to take Hector and Plattenhardt, and while I like both, Philipp Max should definitely be on the plane. He has been such a brilliant attacking threat and was in the top 10 in Europe for chances created. I am aware of Low’s loyalty, but taking a player who would add a great attacking threat. Hector needs to have a good world cup to prove that he was right to be selected, and he was right to be chosen over players who are a much better attacking threat.

Raheem Sterling

While the other players are usually favourites for their respective managers, Sterling is here for a more social reason. A certain mainstream newspaper wrote a hitpiece accusing Raheem Sterling of having an inappropriate gun tattoo. This began a huge wave of hate towards the winger, with personalities like Piers Morgan believing he should be dropped from the squad. I’m absolutely tired of this. This country has a problem and it doesn’t get addressed enough. Our media is so focused on getting clicks and getting attention, that it doesn’t even make the time of day to give players the support they need before a major tournament. Sterling has been a target for this certain paper for years now, with articles criticing him for shopping at discount stores, taking regular plane travel and driving a fancy car. He has done nothing wrong to deserve this. Many have said that all this hate is from the colour of his skin, but I would to believe that. I am not an England fan, but for this world cup I am an England fan for Raheem Sterling. I hope he smashes it in Russia and proves to that certain paper that criticism towards him is beyond ridiculous. I would love to hear an apology to all of his doubters.