Why this £12m-rated Asian ace could strengthen Crystal Palace’s weak defence this summer

Crystal Palace made a dismal start to the 2016/17 season, losing their opening 7 games without scoring a single goal in the process. Then manager Frank De Boer was immediately sacked and the much experienced Roy Hodgson was installed to lure the team away from the relegation zone. A drop to the Championship was a …

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Just 4 goals in 24 league appearances – Is this English veteran a viable option for Rangers?

Since the arrival of Steven Gerrard as Rangers manager, the hype surrounding summer transfers has begun in a frenzied fashion. It seemed like anyone who had ever played for Liverpool with their legendary captain – or even met him on the street – were being linked with a move to Glasgow. Rugged defender Martin Skrtel …

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Celtic attacker should be ambitious and find a club that is more suitable for him – agreed?

It wasn’t unexpected but the announcement that Patrick Roberts will take his talents away from Celtic Park next season was cause for dismay and frustration to the Celtic support. This has been a season of disappointment for the young winger, after all the hype surrounding his re-signing on loan last summer: it was seen as …

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4-2-3-1: Heckingbottom could line-up with this playing XI for the final gameweek against QPR – Agreed?

Leeds United will face off against Queens Park Rangers in their final game of the 2017/18 EFL Championship season, at the Elland Road on Sunday. The Whites currently sit 14th in the league table, after a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Norwich City last weekend. And manager Paul Heckingbottom will be hoping to inspire his …

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The worrying stat after Barcelona’s Champions League exit

Barcelona’s Champions League elimination at the hands of Roma means that the club will have won the tournament just once over the course of the past seven seasons, even with Lionel Messi in their ranks. Messi was part of the Blaugrana squad that won the tournament in 2005/06, before taking on a starring role in …

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Corinthians have gone from also-rans to running away with the title

In June 2016, Corinthians’ two-time Serie A winning manager Adenor Bacchi departed the club after multiple spells to preside over the national team. And in response to that exit, the club joined the annual managerial merry-go-round of the national league by appointing Oswaldo Oliveira and later Cristovao Borges with little success. After six months of …

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Why joining Real Madrid might not always be a good idea

Nearly three years ago, there was a considerable amount of hype surrounding Martin Odegaard; a boy who was deemed to be European football’s golden prospect. Several big clubs around the continent were in pursuit of the youngster and it was difficult to not jump on the bandwagon of calling for your favourite team to secure his services. …

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Exempting Atletico Madrid from shame due to humble rise

After witnessing Diego Simeone thrive in La Liga despite the club’s penny-pinching habits in the transfer market for several years, it was inevitable that there would be a slump at some point and it is finally occurring this season. Even so, that is not meant to be any sort of criticism aimed at a club which is run by responsible …

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What Mario Gotze’s diminishing prominence can be attributed to

Watching Mario Gotze sink into second-rate status after spending his early years at the top was perhaps the fear of any Dortmund fan, the day he opted to leave the club for Bayern Munich in 2013. Back then, the 25-year-old was one of the frighteningly proficient youngsters at a time when the German game was on …

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Potential outcome of Zidane’s rotation policy at Madrid

Even though Real Madrid have made an unstable start to the new campaign, Zinidine Zidane’s managerial decisions have still been worthy of praise. The French tactician is rotating his players in the early stages so that towards the second half of the season (the business/crucial end), everyone will be in form and capable of putting …

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How Boca Juniors system has been brought back to life

Should Boca Juniors go on to clinch the Primera Division title within the next couple of weeks, their success would owe a lot to Guillermo Schelotto’s timely alteration of his system during the second half of the campaign. The title triumph of Lanus last season further validated the notion that Argentina’s top flight is no …

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