Maurizio Sarri to Juventus: A Good Move?

With Allegri leaving the club at the end of the season, Juventus are in a place of difficulty. They spent a lot of money on players who were at their peak to win the Champions League. First, it was Higuain. The Argentine arrived for over £75 million. He scored a record 36 goals in the league and was seen as their best chance at finally winning the trophy at eluded the team for so long. While they did reach a Champions League final in 2017, they were truly outclassed by a better Real Madrid side. After succumbing to defeat by the hands of the European Champions again, it left Juventus in a difficult place, of where to take this team next.

The Old Lady decided to sign the same player who was consistently stopping them from winning the Champions League, signing a 33-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo for £100 million. At the time it was arguably the best move for all parties involved. Real Madrid managed to get a colossal amount for a player who was coming to the end of their career, allowing them (in theory) to find a long-term replacement for the forward. Ronaldo was given a chance to win another league title and prove he is the solution for a team’s hope of winning in Europe. Juventus were given the best player in the competition’s history. This was their best short-term solution to winning the Champions League.

Embed from Getty Images

However, it did not turn out as expected. Ronaldo wasn’t nearly as effective as many were hoping he would be. While he did win Juventus the tie against Simeone’s Atletico Madrid side, that was mainly thanks to Simeone making some huge mistakes in the game and allowed Juventus to score those goals. Juventus spent a lot of money on a player who failed to win the golden boot in the league and on the continental stage. Messi scored twice the goals Ronaldo did in Europe, while veteran forward Quagliarella and journeyman Duvan Zapata all finished ahead of him in Serie A. It isn’t to say Ronaldo has been bad but spending so much on a player for short term success should give you more goals than this.

What has been worse for Juventus is the effect that the Balon d’Or winner has had on the rest of the squad. Higuain and Caldara left in a swap deal with AC Milan, to bring Bonucci back to Turin. It’s similar to the situation the LA Lakers were in when LeBron James joined them last year, They had to bring in a bunch of older players, guys who were at the same stage as LeBron, who didn’t need any time to develop and were ready for success. Juventus lost one of the most promising Italian defenders around in favour of bringing back a player who left for disagreements with Allegri. It’s also meant that Rugani’s game time has diminished, going from starting 22 games before Bonucci’s arrival to now starting 15. Juventus making moves for these older players will make players like Rugani and Caldara leave, meaning the club have no players to succeed their experienced ones when they depart or retire.

Dybala is another who was massively affected by the arrival of Ronaldo. The Argentine was seen as the heir to Del Piero, wearing his famous number 10 shirt. He had been fantastic for Juventus since his arrival and was easily the jewel of their crown. Soon as Ronaldo arrived, Dybala’s future was in doubt. He couldn’t play in the same attacking midfield role in a 4-2-3-1 as he did when Higuain was in front of him. He was excellent at covering a lot of ground and linked well with Dybala. Ronaldo has never done that, meaning he couldn’t play in that free role he performed so well in, because Ronaldo was to have that role. Allegri seemed unsure with what to do with Dybala and it has now led to speculation on whether their superstar will remain at the club.

Embed from Getty Images

After failing to win a domestic double and crashing out to a talented Ajax side, it has left Juventus with having arguably their worst season under Allegri. He was tactically beaten by Erik ten Hag and were the worst side in both legs. Their performances in the league weren’t good, with the effect of Ronaldo making them predictable and uninspiring in attack. He’s a player who you have to build your whole attack around if you wish to get the best out of him. Atalanta were taking more shots and Napoli were playing a better style of football. Juventus were playing football similar to the Milan clubs, who have been criticised all season for being lacklustre. The most troubling thing for Juventus is how xG shows just how poor they have been. According to xPTS (expected points), Juventus would have finished 4th, behind the clubs mentioned.  This Ronaldo move has ended in calamity, and it could be worse if their younger players are to leave.

With Allegri now gone, Juventus have turned their attention to Maurizio Sarri. The Italian has had a slow road to the top, not managing in Serie A until he was 55. He managed to save a good Empoli side, which earned him a move to Napoli in 2015. This was seen as a strange appointment at the time and after only gaining 2 points in his first 3 games, doubts were raised. Napoli legend Diego Maradona even stating they should have kept Benitez. However, these doubts were erased quickly. By November 2015, they were only 2 points from the top, with Higuain scoring 9 in 12.

Sarri transformed a defensive side under Benitez to one of the most attractive sides in the history of the game. He changed the defensive 4-2-3-1 to a free-flowing 4-3-3. He changed Jorginho from a rotation player to their most important midfielder. Allan arrived from Udinese to add a defensively solid player who could help transition the ball. Pepe Reina arrived from Bayern Munich. While past his prime, he offered experience and is a solid distributor. These signings helped turn Napoli into an aggressive, pressing side off the ball, and a patient, possession side when with the ball. They are a side gifted with technical players all over the pitch, allowing Napoli to make quick passes to expose the opposition defenders. Their full-backs offered great width, with Hysaj and Ghoulam comfortable attacking in the final third. Jorginho is a fantastic passer who helped the side keep the ball, while Hamsik and Allan were better in attack with the pair pushing forward to support the forwards. Lorenzo Insigne was by far the best player in the team. He was the player who could add that spark and brilliance in the final third. His teammates were always looking to get the ball to him. fully aware of how he could break through the tough defences in Serie A.

What made Sarri’s Napoli so impressive is how they improved every season. They achieved 82 points in their first season, 86 in their second and 91 in their final season. It was Sarri’s last season which saw Napoli at their best. While playing at a high level for 2 years, they took it to another level. Napoli went viral. Their goals beginning with defenders and finished with the precision of their forwards. They were gifted with players who could play in between the lines and expose those difficult sides, and overload the wide areas to find weaknesses. They were the side the whole of Europe were hoping and praying to take the Scudetto from the Old Lady, but failed thanks to falling off right at the end. While failing to win a trophy that season, it was a side made many fans remember how football could be played in Italy.

With Sarri’s contract expired, he moved to Chelsea. While bringing Jorginho with him to help implement his style with the hardest role to play, it didn’t turn out as successful as Chelsea would have hoped. While a 3rd place finish and a Europa League (the viral clip of Sarri admiring his medal was arguably one of the purest moments of football this year) does seem good on paper, many problems with his Chelsea side were identified.

The first being the midfield. The sight of Kovacic, Jorginho and Kante in midfield before the season began was terrifying for opponents, but as the season progressed, it didn’t have the same impact as Sarri’s midfield at Napoli. While Kante is a fantastic destroyer and a good passer, he isn’t nearly as good as Allan with his impact in the final third. Kante completed 0.9 dribbles per game, while Allan completed 2.1 per game during his final season for Sarri. Kante is one of the best midfielders in the Premier League, but he played in a role he has not quite adjusted to yet. Kovacic was another who didn’t offer enough. Hamsik was scoring goals from midfield, positioning himself outside of the box to give an option to the forwards and find space to take a shot from distance. He was taking 2.3 shots per game, while Kovacic was taking less than a shot per game. Kovacic is another great player, but he wasn’t accustomed to playing this role. He arguably would have suited playing in the role that Kante was occupying. The Croatian has great tackle numbers while being a great dribbler. Hamsik wasn’t afraid to take risks to push his side further up the pitch, while Kovacic just isn’t as good in attack as Sarri arguably wanted him to be. Finally, let’s talk about the player who has been criticised the most out of the trio. What I think about regarding the issues many have had with Jorginho is out of ignorance. When Rio Ferdinand blasted the Italian for not getting assists, it underlines an issue of expectation. Jorginho has never been a creator in the final third, with his highest return for Sarri previously being 4. His tackles and interceptions have stayed similar and his passing has been strong as ever. Kante cannot play at the base of the midfield because Jorginho isn’t as athletic as the Frenchman. Jorginho works at the base of the midfield because he is an intelligent player who can set the tempo of the attack. I’m not completely defensive of Jorginho, because he has been far from flawless. Teams have targetted him in big games and he hasn’t made it difficult for them. Jorginho is a player who is quite immobile. He has struggled to adjust to the speed of the Premier League and struggled through the tougher periods of the season.

Embed from Getty Images

The attack has been a major issue for Sarri. It’s been very reminiscent of watching Manchester United under Louis Van Gaal. When approaching the final third, there was a lack of movement, making it difficult for his United side to score goals.  It’s similar to what is happening for Sarri. While Hazard has a similar skillset to Insigne and is a better player than him, the rest of the team doesn’t match the same quality that Napoli had. The midfielders do not contribute enough in the final third, the full backs don’t offer the same attacking prowess and defensive strength and the strikers do not possess the same intelligent movement as Mertens does.

To say that Sarri has had a problem with his forwards is an understatement. He began the season with Morata. While the Spaniard did link well with his teammates, he was frustrating in front of goal, scoring 5 in 16 appearances. Higuain came in as Sarri’s choice. The Argentine had his best season in club football under the Chelsea manager and it seemed like a safe choice, but Higuain has been getting worse since that record-breaking season. He had fitness concerns at Milan and his sharpness is not nearly as good as it once was. He’s been very disappointing for Chelsea, as expected. The work rate he was famed for is not nearly as good as it once was, and the team has generally looked worse since his arrival. While Morata wasn’t great in front of goal, he at least was a presence in the air and linked well with Hazard. Higuain’s poor form meant that Giroud was given a consistent run in the team. The World Cup winner is a selfless forward and brought back the best side of Hazard but is far from a long term solution.

Chelsea were fantastic for the first couple of months in the season, but teams began targetting Jorginho and effectively making them predictable and easy to defend. Their form plummeted during the winter and a 4-0 defeat to Bournemouth highlighted some of the problems with the side. Chelsea did improve as the season went along, with Hudson-Odoi and Loftus-Cheek playing a vital role for their club in the final stages of the season. Hudson-Odoi offered a more inventive and exciting forward on the right, while Loftus-Cheek finally added that goal threat from midfield that Chelsea were craving. Their injuries were massive losses for Sarri because those two players were a big reason why Chelsea seemed back on track at the end of the season.

Embed from Getty Images

So what are Sarri’s strengths? He is capable of building a side that have an identity, a style of play which would be unique to the club and enable them to stand out. He is able to work with what he has, getting the best out of older players like David Luiz, Giroud, Raul Albiol and Pepe Reina. He will generally improve the attackers given to him and enable them to flourish in an attacking system. Sarri-ball is arguably the closest some teams will get to playing the football seen under Pep Guardiola, a style that every fan wants at their club.

Sarri generally has a lot of weaknesses. The first being his lack of squad rotation. Sarri doesn’t care what players, fans and owners want. If a player is good enough to him, he will start. His Napoli side, while fantastic, rarely ever gave the rotation players in his squad a chance. Highly rated players like Diawara, Zielinksi and Marco Rog only managed to start 19 games between them. It’s been one of his biggest issues at Chelsea. Fans were desperate to see Hudson-Odoi start consistently well before Sarri began doing it, but he didn’t deem him ready. If you want your younger players to come through and break into the first team, Sarri is one of the worst managers for doing that. He wants to find eleven players who can play a majority of the games, not wanting to change that. His desire to find a small group of players to rely on is seen by Gary Cahill’s dismay of Sarri. The former England international has been hugely frustrated in how he has been treated, but he isn’t good enough anymore and Sarri knows that. You could deem the Italian old fashioned, but it has worked in building a good side. Sarri also needs extremely technically gifted players for his system to work. His buildup player revolves around players knowing how to effectively distribute the ball under pressure, and quick passes and intelligent movement is vital in how Sarri wants his sides to play. These are problems that simply have to be resolved through the transfer market. Some players just cannot play the system Sarri desires.

Would Sarri be the right fit for Juventus? the short answer is no. While the squad does have players that Sarri would definitely like, with Sandro, Cancelo, Dybala and Cuadrado all being players the Chelsea manager would favour, however, the signing of Ronaldo has made this move impossible. Ronaldo will not press from the front or offer enough off the ball to fit what Sarri would want to do. Juventus have spent a lot of money on the forward and cannot afford to have him placed on the bench. What Juventus need is a short term solution in someone similar to Allegri, to allow them to begin turning over the older players in the side. Sarri’s system takes at least 2 years to fully implement, depending on the personnel at his disposal. Sarri would be a better fit once the older players in the side are moved on. If Juventus never signed Ronaldo, this move would make much more sense.

 

Advertisement

One of the Signings of the Season is… Top 5 League Talking Points

What a crazy week. Both the Bundesliga and La Liga being mental, let’s get straight into it.

Bundesliga – Bayern Embarrassed, Dortmund’s Dramatic Win

Before the season started, I thought the only way the Bundesliga could be dramatic, would be if Favre could get Dortmund winning again, and if Kovac did the opposite, and surprise surprise, that is happening. Bayern were absolutely humiliated at home against Borussia Munchengladbach. They were beaten 3-0 by Dieter Hecking’s side, and it was definitely a deserved victory. Bayern looked so lacklustre and laid back in this game. The first goal came from Yan Sommer, and the ball was carried by the team, until Plea put the ball away with a great finish. The Frenchman has been a great signing for Mönchengladbach. He is just such a well rounded forward, being an excellent finisher, and is able to help in build up play. He already has 5 goals and an assist this season. He could really help drive his side to a top four spot. The issue with Bayern in this game was their passiveness. The first goal showed this. Mönchengladbach were able to play right around them. None of their players were showing desire to retrieve the ball, or even put in a tackle. The second goal was even worse, with Thiago making a very out of character mistake and giving the ball to Plea, who then gifts it to Stindl, who scores excellent goal. The German had a very good game, scoring the second goal, putting in 3 tackles, completing 2 dribbles and won two aerial duels. It was a very hardworking performance from the forward. It seems Bayern find it difficult to deal with forwards who don’t play as traditional target men. Bayern found it extremely difficult to deal with Tadic in the Champions League, because how often he would move away from the middle and make it hard for Bayern to track him. Kovac needs to learn how to deal with this problem. I am still very unsure if he is the right man, but this is the first risk appointment and Bayern need to follow through with it. Let’s hope for a young manager’s sake, he can turn this around.

Now to talk about the league leaders, Borussia Dortmund got a dramatic 4-3 victory over Augsburg. Dortmund continue their unbeaten run this season, and have looked great. Their attack has looked great so good, and have been rotating players pretty effectively. Sancho is leading Europe in assist, yet this game was his first start of the season. It’s very good to see Marco Reus finally put a long string of games together as well. Even though he is starting to get on, he has been fabulous so far this season. He has already contributed to 6 goals in 7 games, showing just how well he has adapted to life under a familiar face in Lucien Favre. However the star of the show against Augsburg was Paco Alcacer. The Spaniard now also has 4 goals this season, thanks to his hat trick in this game, including a delightful free kick in the last minute to win it. He didn’t even start the game either. He came on with only half an hour to go. In his short time on the pitch, he managed 6 shots in only 22 touches. It shows how forward Dortmund were playing in the latter stages of the game, and with Alcacer given plenty of changes. A great game from a player who finally seems to fulfilling his potential seen at Valencia. Another stand out performer was Dan-Axel Zagadou. Dortmund now have 3 excellent young center backs, and it’s now Zagadou’s turn to show his quality. He came into this game after a great performance in the Champions League, and continued his form. He won 7 aerial duels, which is impressive considering the player he was facing, Finnbogasan, is a very big threat in the air. The Frenchman is starting to look like a very good prospect. Dortmund are currently overseeing another golden generation. With experienced players like Witzel, Reus, Burki and Pitzchek blending very well incredible young talents, like Akanji, Diallo, Sancho, Dahoud, Larsson and now Zagadou. They will give Bayern a very good challenge this season.

La Liga – Atletico’s Big Win. Valencia vs Barcelona

La Liga is a mess right now, but it makes it very entertaining. Valverde still doesn’t know how to correctly manage his squad and Madrid can’t score goals at the moment. Atletico could finally win it again, but it’s still too soon to tell at the moment if they can finally do it. What shows how much of a mess La Liga is at the moment is Sevilla are currently at the top, being the only side to win 5 games this season. While Madrid losing is a massive talking points, we’ll actually talk about their rivals. Atletico Madrid got a classic Simeone win with a 1-0 victory over Real Betis. This is an impressive victory because Betis have been a very good side since last season, having a solid back line and are very difficult to beat. This wasn’t the most eventful game you’ll see, but there are still things to talk about. First was Atletico’s selection. Lucas Hernandez, Nikola Kalinic and Juanfran all came in for the game, and performed fine. Lucas Hernandez was especially good. He won 3 aerial duels, 4 tackles and completed 6 long balls, the most for his side. He hasn’t featured much this season, so it is good to see him return with a good performance. Rodri was another who had a good game. He is really starting to show why Atletico saw him as the replacement for Gabi. He completed 4 tackles and had a 94% pass accuracy. He keeps possession very effectively for his side. However it was Angel Correa who scored the winner. The forward has been used all over the pitch for Simeone, used more as a versatile player to fill in different positions. He put a real shift when he came on, making 4 tackles and scoring the winner. It was a needed victory. With Barca and Real dropping points, it keeps pressure on for the rest of La Liga.

Speaking of Barcelona, they dropped points again. They drew 1-1 with underachieving Valencia, thanks to an early goal from Garay, and an equaliser from Messi (who else?). While in the grand scheme of things, a point against a team that finished in the top 4 last season isn’t bad at all, but context is always important. Valencia have been at the start of the season, only managing 2 wins so far, with this game being their 6th draw. Barca have to see this as 2 points dropped. They have shown again this season how they struggle when a goal down, as seen against Bilbao too. It could come down to the mid week game, but it has to be more than that. The goal they gave away was just a mess. Vermalean was at fault for the goal. He got a slight touch on the ball, which gave it directly to Garay. It still amazes me how he still starts for that club, with Lenglet, a player who is definitely good enough to start, is stuck on the bench. Even when Barcelona got back into the game, it wasn’t a vintage attacking performance. Besides Messi, the rest of the side just weren’t pulling their weight. Barcelona only managed 10 shots in the game, a game they were trailing for 88 minutes. You expect a side to do more when they’re behind so early, yet they just didn’t do enough. Messi had 6 of those shots too, showing just reliant they still are on their record scorer. There is nothing wrong with relying on the best player to ever play the game, but in the rare circumstance that an opponent can take him out of the game, it would leave Barcelona without any sort of way of attacking. Even with all the money spent and the players brought in, it seems they still struggle in games. They will definitely need improve, and most of all play Dembele.

Ligue 1 – Kylian Mbappe on Fire. 2nd vs 3rd.

Ligue 1 might not be so interesting at the moment, with Paris already 8 points clear. Let’s begin with the league leaders, who disposed of one of their tougher opponents in a very dominant display, beating Lyon 5-0. It was a game that just highlights how much better Paris are than the rest of the league. Lyon are already not so great defensively (and going down to 10 men didn’t help), but the manner of which PSG beat them was just astonishing. Before going into the main performer of the game, let’s look at another player who performed very well. Marquinhos was excellent as a defensive midfielder in this game. While I still do not think this is his best position, credit has to be given when he is performing so well in a position he does not know well. He completed 5 tackles, 2 interceptions, 4 aerial duels, and even got an assist for one of Mbappe’s many goals. Speaking of Mbappe, the young Frenchman was absolutely brilliant in this game. After Cavani came off in the first half, it was up to Mbappe to lead the line, and to extend the lead, thanks to an early goal from Neymar. To say he did well is an understatement. He just put in, by far the best performance of an attacking player this season. He had a monsterous 9 shots, with 6 being on target. Those are numbers that Ronaldo would only average in a handful of games. Mbappe was just in the right place at the right time with a couple of the goals, with isn’t a criticism. You want your forwards being in the right place when the ball is in the opposition’s box. However the first and third goal were great finishes, with the latter very reminiscent of one of his goals against Manchester City back in his first season at Monaco. A great day for Paris, as they now extend their lead even further from one of their toughest opponents. The league could already be done and dusted for the Champions.

When saying 2nd vs 3rd, the assumption would usually be discussing one of Lyon, Monaco or Marseille. However with this season just being so strange, it is actually Lille vs St Etienne. This was a big game for both, as it would allow Lille to extend their further ahead in second, and it would allow St Etienne to overtake their opponents. It was Lille who earned the victory in this game, with a comfortable 3-1 victory wrapping up 3 points for the home side. Lille have just been so fun to see this season, and for the sake of entertainment, I really hope they keep up their great run of form. Finding more players to discuss for Lille, other than Bamba and Pepe, is becoming difficult. They are the driving force behind the counter attacking style of football that Lille play. Whenever Lille receive the ball, their first thought is to give to one of their two wingers. They are too important. Bamba was absolutely brilliant in this game. From his usual left wing position, he had 3 shots with 2 on target, made 2 key passes and scored Lille’s first two goals. This was a performance he needed to show in front of his former club, who let him go on a free. Bamba is now on 7 goals this season, as many as Eden Hazard and 3 more than Ronaldo. He has to start being discussed as one of the signings of the season. He was brought in on a free transfer, and is now an important player in Lille’s revival. What a brilliant piece of business from a side who have made many mistakes over the years. Both teams are having good seasons so far, but Lille do look like they could take a European spot at the end of the season.

Premier League – Arsenal Strengthen Top 4 Chances. United Comeback

With Manchester City travelling to Liverpool turning out to be not the game we all expected, let’s look at two other eventual games, first being Arsenal’s 5-1 win over Fulham. It was an excellent performance from the Gunners, who are finally starting to find their rhythm in the attack. Emery hasn’t had an instant effect, but there are things being established. Firstly being the most covered, and that is the goalkeeper more involved with play. I still think that Leno is a bad goalkeeper, but he is good when it comes to using his feet. He will help maintain the ball and distribute it effectively. Moving the ball back to the goalkeeper gives an opportunity for the defenders and midfielders to find a better position to find the ball. Leno was very good on the ball against Fulham, with the German having a 76% pass accuracy. Considering he also attempted 14 long balls, it does show how much of an improvement he is in this area. The attack does seem to be finally clicking. Arsenal were horrendous defensively last season, however in attack, they were brilliant. Aubamayeng hit the ground running, and Lacazette scored 15 in the league. A good return for his first season. Both were excellent against Fulham, with both scoring 2, and Lacazette winning the man of the match. He was particularly good on the day. He was great in link up play, and his moments of individual magic were what put Arsenal in a comfortable position. What helped Arsenal the most was how poor Fulham were in both departments. In defense, Jokanovic decided to change to a 3-5-2, to accommodate the limited amount of players he had in defense. It didn’t work at all. The wing backs left a lot of space out wide and it let Iwobi and Bellerin plenty of space out wide to stretch the rest of the defense. In attack, they were just so wasteful. Fulham had 21 shots in this game, yet only managed a single goal. This was because of how wasteful Andre Schurrle is. The German managed 7 shots, and most were just not good shooting opportunities. Fulham really could struggle to stay up, if they do not find a consistent line up and system.

Manchester United completed a dramatic comeback over 90s rivals Newcastle, with the home side earning a 3-2 win after conceding 2 goals in the first half. The whole game summed up United under Mourinho. They were poor, slow and lacking desire in the first half, and in the second half it was completely different. Pogba took the game and was the main reason why United won that game. Many have been criticising the Frenchman this season, and many are quite unjust. While his comments off the pitch can definitely be questioned, he has comfortably been the best player for United, excluding Luke Shaw. He has been one of the only players who shows a desire to win the game, and has always added the quality needed. He was excellent against Leicester, Wolves, Young Boys, Watford and now Newcastle. He has been at his usual excellent self. This was actually the first time United have conceded 2 goals in the first 10 minutes at home. It was a shambles, with Ashley Young letting Muto straight past him as if he didn’t even have to try. But it all changed in the second half. To Mourinho’s credit, bringing off Bailly as early as he did really made a statement, that it was going to be all or nothing for the rest of the game. While Fellaini didn’t make much sense, Sanchez definitely did. The ex Arsenal forward scored the winner in the last few minutes of the game, which was his first goal of the season. While it was a commendable effort from United, it doesn’t change anything. They have still been very poor this season, and can call themselves lucky that Newcastle couldn’t put the ball away. The Red Devils need to get rid of Mourinho as soon as a plan is in place. They cannot keep persisting with this style and with his arrogant, dividing way of managing a team.

Serie A – Mauro Icardi and Gonzalo Higuain Finding Their Feet

Serie A didn’t have any surprises or big scorelines, so let’s talk about two of the most prolific Argentine strikers in Italy, Mauro Icardi and Gonzalo Higuain. Both play for rival teams and have started their season pretty well. Let’s start with Icardi’s Inter, who won away at SPAL by 2 goals to 1. It now puts into in 3rd, with only 2 points behind Napoli. Inter had a very poor couple of games, but seemed to finally find their grove. Icardi is the main reason for that. He is by far one of the most underrated players in the last 4 years. He has been as consistent as Harry Kane, but plays as much more of a poacher. In fact his goal against Spurs in the Champions League was his first goal from outside the box for Inter. It just shows how good he is at getting on the end of chances, and at finding space. He was at his usual self against SPAL. While he was lucky for this first goal, thanks to a deflection from Djourou, his second was Icardi at his best. He made a run towards the ball and received it with no one around him, and put the ball away so comfortably. Icardi had 3 shots, 2 on target, and won 4 aerial duels. He is arguably the best finisher in Europe, with the chances he gets being just perfect for any forward to put away. While Icardi was the man of the match, credit has to be given to Ivan Perisic. I included the winger in my world cup team of the tournament, because of his excellent performances for Croatia in Russia. He has continued that fine form into the new season, reminding the league why he is one of the best wingers in Italy. He got the assist for Icardi’s second, and has been a real boost for Inter since his late start. This is a big season for Inter. After their big spending and their first season in the Champions League for 7 years, they need to show how they can remain consistent. Napoli are a mess defensively, so second place is definitely up for grabs for the Nerazzurri.

Let’s move on to their rivals. Milan disposed of Chievo with relative ease, with a 3-1 victory. It now puts Milan in 10th. It might sound underwhelming, but they are only 3 points behind Lazio, who are in 4th. Higuain was great in this game. Like his fellow Argentine, he also scored a brace. I was a very small minority of people who did like the Higuain signing. I thought he would give them guaranteed goals for the short term, and would give Cutrone a player who has plenty to teach him. Higuain has been everything they could ask for. He already has 4 in 5, and is taking 4 shots a game this season, already showing numbers similar to his time at Napoli. He is another who seems to be severely underrated by many fans. While he has had a reputation of not performing on the biggest stage, his consistency in a 38 game season cannot be criticised. There many players in Europe who are as good in the league as Higuain. He had a very good game against Chievo, getting 4 shots, 2 key passes and has a 92% pass accuracy. While Higuain was good, he wasn’t the best player on the pitch. That honour goes to Suso. It amazes after the changes of owners, managers, players and systems, Suso keeps performing. He got a mental 8 key passes in this game, which led to him getting 3 assists, which means he now has the joint most assists in Europe. Milan also have a big season on their hand. They are competing with both Roma and Lazio for that 4th spot. There are still questions on whether Gattuso is the right man for the job (I really don’t think he is), but the risk could pay off.

Top 5 Worst Transfers of the Summer – Malcolm, Bonucci

After doing the best transfers of the window, let’s quickly go through some signings that are on the other end of the spectrum. These are the top 5 Worst signings from this summer’s window.

5. Malcolm – Barcelona

This might be a controversial pick, but this signing just doesn’t make much sense to me at all, for both player and club. I like Malcolm. He is a player who has an incredible left foot on him, from distance and in the box. While he did have a good season for a struggling Bordeaux, it didn’t seem enough for Barcelona to spend nearly £40m on. My problem with the transfer is that he was close to signing for Roma, which would have made so much more sense. Ever since the loss of Salah, Roma have been struggling for goals from around the pitch since the departure of Salah and after Nainggolan’s goals dried up last season (he was still very good). Malcolm would have definitely helped them in this department. He would have given them an extra attacking threat, and put less pressure on Edin Dzeko. It would have been so perfect to have a front three of Kluivert, Dzeko and Malcolm. However that is not the reality of the situation. I can understand that joining Barcelona is an opportunity of a life a lifetime, but it would be better to join a club of their prestige when a guarantee of starting is there. Valverde seems eager to play a 4-3-3, to get the best out of the players in his possession, and to give better protection to Sergio Busquets. The problem is where does Malcolm start in this forward 3? Messi is a guarantee to start on that right side, and Dembele will play on the left, and is also able to play on the right. Malcolm could have seen what happened to the likes of Denis Suarez and Lucas Digne. Two players who chose Barcelona when they were not at that level yet. His chances will come very short, but that is his choice.

4. Leonardo Bonucci – Juventus

Last summer, I praised the acquisition of Leonardo Bonucci to AC Milan. They were buying the best centre back in Europe for only €30m and it just seemed like a great bit of business. However a year on, it was not. Talking about this signing means going into the whole deal between the two clubs. It was agreed that Higuain would join Milan on loan for €17m with an obligation to buy for €31m. Matteo Caldara also joined Milan as part of the deal, with Bonucci joining Juventus. The deal itself addresses the problem. Juventus should have never given these players away. Higuain’s numbers have been dropping since his arrival in Turin, so keeping him as Ronaldo’s number two would have worked, to give Ronaldo the required rest for the crucial games. Selling Caldara just makes no sense. The young Italian has looked good for Atalanta over his two year loan spell. He was ready to become at least a squad player for The Old Lady. Bonucci, like Malcolm, is a bad signing not exactly based on the player’s ability, but it has to do with the circumstances surrounding the move. Juventus have weakened areas in their squad to have him back, and it has not helped the aging squad.

3. Sokratis Papastathopoulos

It is not exactly a controversial opinion to say that Arsenal’s squad is a pure mess. While the signings of Torreira and Guendouzi do address the gaping hole in midfield, and Lichteiner will give competition to a very stagnant Hector Bellerin, but it is the other defensive signings I have a problem with. Bernd Leno is a very horrible signing. He made the second most defensive errors last season, but because of how useless Cech is, he will be an improvement. Sokratis on the other hand just isn’t a good move. I just do not understand this move at all. Sokratis is an okay distributor, but he is more of a destroyer than a sweeper. Arsenal needed a more intelligent defender, that isn’t so positionally poor. In the first two games, Sokratis has been one of Arsenal’s worse performers for an already poor Arsenal team. Having a back two of Mustafi and Sokratis is asking for them to get caught out over an over again. Borussia Dortmund were very poor last season in a defensive sense, which explains why they signed young promising defender Abdou Diallo. Sokratis was a huge fault for that poor defense. Arsenal bringing in a guy who is now 30 to fix a defense that needed a more intelligent player just doesn’t make sense, and the worst part is he is still one of their better defenders.

2 & 1 – Thomas Delaney and Axel Witzel – Borussia Dortmund

While it could be cheating, putting two players as joint first and second,
I have been unable to make up my mind on which out of these is a worse signing. Lucian Favre is an appointment I am not exactly a fan of. While has previous experience in the league, doing a fine job at Munchengladbach, his time at Nice did not end so well, with the club overachieving in their first season by finishing 3rd, to then finishing 8th. Many of the players in that team were performing well over their potential, with the likes of Dante, Balotelli, Seri and Le Marchand all overachieving that season. The problem with Favre is the style of play he chooses is not exactly the most attractive, which can make him a very a hard manager to sit through. Dortmund have not had the best of windows. They didn’t properly address their striker problem, and the signings themselves aren’t great. While I like Diallo and Hakimi on loan, I think their midfield signings of Delaney and Witzel are both atrocious. Both are very functional players, that do not excel in any department. Delaney’s defensive numbers are very decent and he did win 3.7 aerial duels a game last season, but the problem with the Danish international is that he is very poor on the ball. Since Tuchel’s arrival, Dortmund have been playing midfielders with very good technical ability, surrounded by players who have a lot of energy and are effective in pressing and assisting in attack. His technical players in the past have been the likes of Gundogan, Dahoud and Weigl, all players with an excellent ability on the ball. However with the departure of Castro and Gundogan over the years, and both Weigl and Dahoud not having the best of seasons last season, it could have been a position that needed strengthening. But they have went the wrong way in signing these players. Favre could have put his faith in the midfielders he currently has. He has spent €40m on two players with such limited ability, which could hinder the currently young talent that the club possesses. One could say that they are only there maybe to partner one of Dahoud or Weigl, but this is Favre. He will play Witzel and Delaney together because of their discipline and aggression. I think Dortmund are better than these players, and they should not be wasting their relatively low resources on quick fix options, and should instead be going for players with a high technical ability.

10 Best Signings Across Europe

After recently discussing every premier league side’s best signing, let’s look at the rest of Europe. One issue with living in the UK, is how little European transfers are covered unless they are huge ones (e.g Ronaldo or Neymar) so it’s important to try and keep up with all of them. Let’s go through ten of the best signings in the rest of the continent.

10. Tanguy Ndombele – Lyon

I might have mentioned before, but the amount of incredible midfield talent around now is just astounding. The likes of Modric, Kroos, Busquets and Kante will all go down as greats of the game. Even in young talent, it is clear that the amount of midfield talent seems never ending. One of those said young midfielders is one I’ll be highlighting right now. Lyon signing Tanguy Ndombele for only €8m is just insane business. This is considering that the young Frenchman was one the best midfielders last season. Lyon have recently been finding some absolute brilliant young players. In the current squad, they have the likes of Aouar, Depay, Mariano, Tousart and Diakhaby all have been excellent since given more prominent roles in the team. It has given these players a chance to express themselves and perform at the top level. Ndombele has easily been the most stand out player in that team however. He did a perfect box to box role for Lyon, being solid defensively and brilliant in moving the play into the final third. Ndombele was putting in 3 tackles and interceptions last season, very good numbers from a guy who’s responsibility wasn’t defensive minded. What is most impressive is his key passes and dribbling. He has an astonishing 78% successful dribbles, beating £56m signing Naby Keita’s 56%, and even averaged the same key passes. While 1.4 doesn’t sound as high as other midfielders, it’s important to note that it isn’t his main focus. The Frenchman is an all rounder, the fact that it’s over 1 just shows how much of a real prospect Ndombele is, being able to do just everything. Lyon have a world beater in their team, and he could be seen as a future signing for one of the top clubs in Europe. But for now he must continue to perform at Lyon, and to see if he is able to keep this incredible level of performances up.

9. Rodri – Atletico Madrid

Speaking of incredibly talented midfielders, the signing of Rodri from Villarreal should play a huge involvement in Atletico’s title challenge. While this is technically a January signing, he didn’t arrive until the summer. One of Atletico’s issues recently has been replacing Gabi, a player who has been the physical embodiment of Diego Simeone on the pitch for so long. He is a very hard player to replace, but they might have just found the guy. Rodri had an excellent season for Villarreal last season. He was a key player for the yellow Submarine, and was excellent in defensive midfield. It is crazy just how similar both Rodri and Gabi play. Both average very good defensive numbers, and also are excellent passers. Rodri was averaging 65 passes per game with a 90% accuracy. For a 22 year old, being able to be that good on the ball is very promising. He even averages 4.4 long balls, showing his brilliant range of passing. It even betters Gabi’s 85% accuracy. Rodri also does his defensive work, averaging a very good 3.2 tackles and interceptions per game. Rodri is a real talent, and he arrives at a time when Atletico need a player like him the most, a guy who will keep possession effectively, while also protecting the defense effectively. While it will take years before he will have the same influence on the pitch as Gabi did, he is still the perfect guy to replace him on ability.

8. Aleksandr Golovin – Monaco

Russia were a bit of a surprise package at the world cup. The hosts arrived with a team missing key members, and expected to not get out of the groups. However they progressed further than all would have predicted. One reason for this was the brilliant performances from their advanced midfielder Aleksandr Golovin. The CSKA midfielder was one to watch at the world cup, but still exceeded expectations. While he was very good at the world cup, he was still very good last season. Golovin excels as more of an attacking midfielder (less Ndombele more Aouar). He was averaging some very good numbers last season. He was taking 2.1 shots per game, showing the threat he was offering in front of goal. It is important to not that 1.6 of those shots were taken outside of the box. Not only does he shoot from distance, he also took the free kicks for CSKA last season. His dribbling is one aspect of his game that has been improving each season. In the 2016\17 season, he was averaging 0.9 successful dribbles. This number doubled last season, now averaging 1.8 dribbles. It shows that the Russian international is still improvement every season. This was a signing that Monaco needed. With Moutinho now out of the team, Monaco needed that midfielder who would be able to transition midfield into attack, and help the likes of Lopes and Falcao in front of goal. This could be a very instrumental signing in Monaco regaining their success from 2 seasons ago.

7. Gonzalo Higuain – AC Milan

Like Everton, Milan’s huge spending didn’t work out as expected. They were overshadowed by rivals, who already had established styles and players who knew the system. They brought in so many players, that it was impossible for Milan to have any instant success. It didn’t help that some of their bigger signings just didn’t work out. Andre Silva failed to make an impact in the league and Andrea Conti suffered a serious injury near the beginning of the season. The worst one by far was Leonardo Bonucci, who just couldn’t carry his incredible consistency to the San Siro. They have so far attempted to fix their mistakes. It involved 3 players. Juventus were able to get their old defender back. Milan however got better end of the deal. They were able to get the promising Matteo Caldara, while also getting Argentine hitman Gonzalo Higuain on loan. Getting him on loan was easily the best option here. Higuain is on a bit of a decline. Since his record breaking 36 goal season at Napoli, he then scored 23, and last season scored 16. It is no fault of his own. It is an effect all players are effected by, being age. His shot numbers have been decreasing since his final season for Napoli. They at a frankly ridiculous 5.2, to 3.5, and now at 2.9. That is still a really good number for a striker, but it is clear he is declining. Higuain is still an elite forward, who is still a great, consistent goal scorer when it comes to leagues. It is exactly what Milan need at the moment, which is a guy who is going to guarantee them goals. It’s something that Higuain has given every team he’s played for. Since arriving in Europe in 2009, he has never failed to score less than 12 goals in all competitions. While many can question his ability in those knock out games, no one can argue that he is one of the most consistent goal scorers in the last 10 years, and will go down as a Serie A great, no matter what he does at Milan. A great signing that could be the driving force for this Milan side to succeed in the future.

6. Sime Vrsaljko – Inter Milan

I have been praising Vrsaljko since the beginning of the world cup. The Croatian was easily one of the top performers for his national team, given such great width on that right side for his team. He was one key reason why Croatia reached the final of the world cup. He was also a key player for Atletico Madrid, going from a back up your Juanfran to his replacement. He was an important figure in Atletico’s Europa League winning side last season. It was as if a young Juanfran was playing. It is still quite incredible that he was even allowed to leave Atletico in the first place, being one of their best players. Just looking at his stats last season, it was very clear how effective he was. He put in a brilliant 4 tackles and interceptions per 90, just showing how solid he is defensively in a team that’s known for their defensive solidarity. He also contributed very effectively in the final third. Because of the type of wingers Atletico Madrid usually play, it means the full backs have to push up and contribute, while also doing their defensive work. It has been made clear that Vrsaljko is extremely good defensively, but also contributes going forward. He ended the season with 4 assists, which is a fine end. He is a guy who likes to cross a lot in games, as seen in a the world cup, where his target was the aerial monster Mandzukic. He target for Inter will be one of the best strikers around in Mauro Icardi. One issue Inter faced was the complete drop in form from everyone bar Icardi. They didn’t have many options outwide, meaning Antonio Candreva was playing throughout the season, even though he didn’t contribute to a goal from December onwards. Vrsaljko isn’t exactly a winger, but he will help in the final third. A very good signing from a side who made many.

5. Stefan De Vrij – Inter Milan

Another Inter Milan signing here, De Vrij is one of the best defenders in Serie A. His time at Lazio has been one great success. Last season, Lazio had a very interesting season. They brought the best out of their attackers, with Immobile scoring 29 goals and getting 9 assists. Even Luis Alberto, a player who was written off at Liverpool, excelled at Lazio last season, being one of their best creators. However over the years, their most reliable player in recent years has been Stefan De Vrij. The Dutchman has excelled throughout his time at Lazio, and he continued this form last season. One area of his game that cannot be praised more is his ability on the ball. Throughout his career his pass accuracy has always been very high, always getting over 80%, but last season was a career high, with 91%. He is getting even better with every season under his belt. He also averaged 2 interceptions per 90 last season, which just shows how intelligent he is as a player. The Dutchman plays as more of a sweeper, than a destroyer, which gives balance to a defense that consists of two great destroyers in Skriniar and Miranda. One issue that Inter faced last season was the lack of defensive options. If one of Miranda or Skriniar suffered an injury, they would have one other defender as back up. Bringing De Vrij in will give much better options for Inter, who are now in the champions league for the first time since 2012. De Vrij is another addition that could seriously help Inter push Juventus to the end.

4. Thomas Lemar – Atletico Madrid

This could be Diego Simeone’s last chance at a title challenge. Both Madrid and Barcelona are currently in real transitional periods. With Madrid losing their best player and one of the best goalscorers of all time. It is still unknown on how Madrid will set up this season, because of the huge loss. Barcelona are the champions, however their squad is very old. While I like the signing of Lenglet, Malcolm doesn’t really make much sense, for the player especially. Atletico Madrid, however, are not in any transitional period. They still have Diego Simeone, who is still one of the best managers in Europe. They kept hold of their best players in Oblak, Griezmann and Godin. Not only that, they have also improved massively. They fixed their winger problem by bringing in Lemar and Gelson Martins, however I think it’s Lemar who is the better signing out of the pair. Atletico had a very big problem from January onwards. After the losses of Carrasco and Gaitan, they began to look too central. As mentioned when discussing Vrsaljko, Atletico full backs are usually the perfect full backs. They have to work hard to give plenty of width, and still do the defensive work required to have a solid backline. They usually rely on full backs for width because of the inverted wingers they used. Players like Koke, Saul and Correa, who are not wingers in nature, played there to overload the middle. Bringing in Lemar will definitely give them much better options going forward, and most of all makes them less predictable. Lemar is a great creator, who can play as a left winger or a number 10. The French man has been excellent for Monaco, and while his form did drop off compared to his brilliant title winning season, he was still very impressive. He was averaging a great 1.8 key passes, which will definitely help Griezmann and Costa in their pursuit in goals. He also averages a very good 1.5 dribbles per 90. Lemar will be a huge asset on the counter attack. Pace is one area of the team that was needed, after losing their other wingers. Lemar will help massively in giving Atletico Madrid another option and another way of playing, in their pursuit of the league title.

3. Michy Batshuayi – Valencia

Valencia were a bit of strange one last season. They massively over performed expected goals, and Simone Zaza, who started the season off so well, just struggle in the second half of the season. However it was still a great season for them. They went from the next big club to drop, into a team that finally started buying smartly, with the likes of Kondogbia and Guedes all performing incredibly for Valencia. However their luck last season, with over performing expected goals, is a worry. They solve this goal problem by bringing in Michy Batshuayi. The Belgian strangely seems unwanted at Stamford Bridge. It puzzles me because of his incredible performances for Dortmund, ending his half season loan spell with 9 goals in 14 games. He gave them a real vocal point after their loss of Aubameyang. However even if this loan spell isn’t included, he was still excellent for Chelsea in his very few appearances. He only started 4 games for Chelsea last season, yet he still ended his time with 4 goals. I think Batshuayi is a definite improvement over Valencia’s options. While I really like Santi Mina, I think Rodrigo isn’t great and Zaza is inconsistent. Having a pure goalscorer, like Bats, is perfect. Valencia are back in the Champions League, and need a great goalscorer to compete in it, and the Belgian sure does fit the bill.

2. Arturo Vidal – Barcelona

While I have been complaining about the strange squad that Barcelona possess at the moment, it is difficult to disagree with what an excellent signing Arturo Vidal is. During his last 2 years at Juventus, an argument could have been made that he was the best midfielder on the planet. That Juventus team that reached the champions league final was arguably one of the best midfields around. It had an incredible passer and press resistant player in Andrea Pirlo. A brilliant box to box midfielder in Claudio Marchisio, and one of the most unique midfielders of all time in a certain Paul Pogba. Even with these exceptional talents, Vidal was the standout player. He was the most advanced midfielder, and has a lot of responsibility. He was one of the first players to initiate the press and had to help Marchisio in protecting Pirlo. Even with all of this responsibility, he was still excellent in every department. In the 2013/14 season, by far his best, He was averaging 4.7 tackles and interceptions. That is frankly outstanding for a central midfielder. But was also averaging 1.8 shots and 1.5 key passes, just showing how well rounded he is as a player. He continued this incredible form when he signed for Bayern, with his shot numbers even increasing to 2.2. The issue in recent seasons has been injuries. He is still a fabulous player, but he has been playing less and less games every season. In his first season at Bayern, he started 24 games, then 21, then 17. He also is famously not in perfect health, being a smoker and drinker. But he is that good he is worth all of these downsides. Barcelona’s midfield is by far their weakest area in their team. They have now let go of Paulinho and Gomez, who both I don’t think were good enough for Barcelona. The loss of Iniesta is a huge hit for them as well. He was looking like a shadow of the player he was, but was still a big player in that dressing room. Busquets and Rakitic are both near 30, and are starting to decline. Vidal does not solve the age issue, however a player of his qualities will give them a perfect stop gap, until the right player is available. He will give them some bite and aggression in a relatively weak midfield. It will give them a real boost in their fight to retain the title and go further in the champions league.

1. Cristiano Ronaldo – Juventus

Finding something wrong with this move is been on my mind for a while, and I have nothing. His age? Not a problem. It’s publicly known that Ronaldo has kept himself in incredible condition, with information from medical revealing that he has the body of a 22 year old (could call it a publicity stunt). Juventus were just the perfect club to sign the Balon d’Or winner. They usually dominate their domestic league, even if the competition is starting to improve. They have a manager who is able to get the best out of aging players (Lichsteiner, Barzagli, Khedira, Pirlo are great examples), who is also an excellent tactician. With Juventus’s dominance in Serie A, it means that Ronaldo will be primarily used in the Champions League. After two final losses, with the old lady being purely outclassed on both occasions, their desire to win it is at an all time high. They have came so close, and failed on both occasions to win. Bringing in the best player in the history of the champions league is the quickest and best way of doing that. Juve still have an incredibly solid defense, good attacking fullbacks (now with the acquisition of Joao Cancelo), and players who know how to win games. In the long term, this might be a bad move, but for the next 3 years, this is Juventus’s last and best chance of winning this trophy. Going through Ronaldo’s stats right now is almost irrelevant, because we all know that he takes over 5 shots a game, is incredible in the air and his in the box movement is some of the best in modern football. He has transformed from a flying, powerful winger, into one of the best poachers in world football. His aging body will have any effect on the way he plays, which will be perfect for Juventus. If he is able to win the champions league with them, then Ronaldo will go down as the best player, and goalscorer, in the competition’s history. It will be frankly ridiculous to debate it after winning the competition so many times and with three different, all while breaking every record imaginable. Just the perfect signing for both player and club.