The Pinnacle of Football

The UEFA Champions League is the mother of all football competitions in Europe where elite teams across the leagues showcase their football playing artistry in grand style to outmuscle themselves. 

The 2020/21 knock-out stage is set to resume after the boys have been separated from the men in the group phase games which came to conclusion in December 2020.

Round of 16 Matches

RB Leipzig vs Liverpool

(Feb 16 & March 10)

This tie will be interesting as the German side are not a pushover with their last match against Man United in the group phase a testament to how good they are, but the Reds are the favorite to prevail.

Barcelona vs Paris Saint-Germain

(Feb 16 & March 10)

This mouthwatering tie should be a revenged mission for the Billionaires club in Paris due to their loss against the Blaugrana at the quarter-final stage of 2016/17 season, but overall the Catalans have a better head to head records.

FC Porto vs Juventus 

(Feb 17 & March 9)

The bookies are tipping the Bianconeri to qualify easily because the 2004 champion Porto are not a match for the Old Lady of Turin, but football is like a biscuit it can crack anywhere.

Sevilla vs Borussia Dortmund 

(Feb 17 & March 9)

This tie is a game of 50-50 with both side having an equal chance of qualifying to the next round. But if Erling Haaland is in top form, Dortmund have a better chance. However in their last two previous meeting, Sevilla has a win and a draw.

Lazio vs Bayern Munich

(Feb 23 & March 17)

The defending champions are the favourite but Lazio will give them a run for their money.

The last time Lazio qualified for round of 16 was in the 1999/2000 season. The Bavarian having just completed a sextuplet with their Club World Cup trophy will leave nothing to chance over the two legs.

Atletico Madrid vs Chelsea

(Feb 23 & March 17)

Diego Simeone's Atletico side are famed for their resolute defence and stubborn attitide in games but the Blues are progressing impressively under new manager Tuchel and therfore will make this encounter a thrilling one. During the group stage, the Blues went 355 minutes without conceding a goal.

Both side are tie in head-to-head record with two wins and three draws apiece so the pendulum can swings to either side.

Borussia Monchengladbach vs Manchester City

(Feb 24 & March 16).

Goals come easily for both side because they play without fear and their brand of football is captivating. The Cityzens are poise to go through if they can convert their chances and also the record is on their side.

Atalanta vs Real Madrid 

(Feb 24 & March 16)

The brash newcomer are the dark horse in this tie because they have scored the most goals in two consecutive season in Serie A. However the experience of Real Madrid's manager Zinedine Zidane and his boys should count in their favour and be able to get them through to the next round. 

Let's keep our fingers cross to see the teams that will get to the semis and final of this season champions league showpiece.

Fabiyi Ridwan

Sports Writer and Analyst 

The Semi-final Hoodoo

Manchester united have been fantastic under Ole Gunnar Solksjaer, the legend cum manager has built a formidable team mixed with youth and experience players since he took over the Red Devils in December 2018

However, it is sadden that his boys always fall like a pack of cards when it really matters, recently their bitter rival Man City compound their semi-final bad luck with a 2-nil victory at old Trafford to book a place in the League Cup final.

Moreover Solskjaer and his lads suffered 3 semifinals heartache in the domestic and European cup competitions last season - to Man City (League Cup), Chelsea (FA cup) and Sevilla (UEFA Europa league).

Since Sir Alex Ferguson retired at the end of 2012/13 season, Manchester United have been a shadow of themselves. Managers such as David Moyes, Ryan Giggs (interim), Louis Van Gal, Jose Mourinho and now Ole Gunnar Solskjaer have all been brought into the fray but none of them could do it as the great man himself.

The last time Man United won any trophy was under Jose Mourinho in 2017 when they won the Europa league and League Cup by defeating Ajax and Southampton in respective finals.

The present squad are showing glimpses of promise but nearly can not kill a bird.

Can this crops of players eventually win a trophy?

Fabiyi Ridwan

Sport Writer and Analyst

Manchester City Owners - City Football Group - acquire French club Troyes AC

Troyes have become the 10th club purchased by the City Football Group (CFG).

The club which finished fourth in Ligue 2 last season were one point off the promotion places when the French football season was suspended, before later being abandoned, due to the coronavirus pandemic.
CFG have become the new majority shareholders in Troyes, taking over from previous owner Daniel Masoni.

CFG owns Manchester City and is backed by the Abu Dhabi United Group, which was formed to buy the Premier League outfit in 2008.

The group also has stakes in New York City in Major League Soccer, Melbourne City in the Australian A-League, Japanese club Yokohama F Marinos, Montevideo City Torque in Uruguay, Segunda Division side Girona, China League Two outfit Sichuan Jianiu, Mumbai City in India and Belgian club Lommel SK

The newly acquired French outfit have bounced between the top two tiers in recent seasons, most recently suffering relegation in 2018, having played in the UEFA Cup - now the Europa League - after the turn of the century.

Troyes were reportedly the subject of interest from Olympiakos and Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis earlier this year.

CFG managing director Ferran Soriano said: "We have been interested in French football for some time and have long admired ESTAC. We are therefore delighted to have completed the acquisition of our 10th club and to have a permanent presence in France.

"This is an important milestone for City Football Group, which proves that our model continues to adapt and develop in a relatively short period of time.

At City Football Group, our objective remains to play beautiful football, identify and develop grassroots talent and have a permanent presence in the world’s football centres.

“We look forward to getting to know our new home and the club’s fans and working together to create a bright future for ESTAC. We would also like to thank Mr Masoni for all his contributions to the club”.

Troyes were founded in 1986, and play at the 20,400 capacity Stade de l’Aube.

The Transformation and Transition of the Etihad Faithfuls

Manchester City on Wednesday evening breezed past Oxford City to the semi- final of the 2019/2020 EFL Cup - a title they have won back-to-back in the past two seasons - where they will meet local rival Manchester United.

In light of these recent successes that is being recorded by the Cityzens, let's take a quick look at how it all began for the Etihad faithfuls.

In 2008 Manchester City was bought by the mega rich, Abu Dhabi United Group.

Under the Sheik Mansour's leadership, 5 different managers have tutored the team; Mark Hughes (2008 - 2010), Roberto Mancini (2010 - 2013) Brian Kidd ( interim basis 2013), Manuel Pellegrini (2013 - 2016) and Pep Guardiola (2016 till date).

Transfers 

Since 2008, the Blue side of Manchester have spent a whooping amount of over 1.5 billion pounds in the transfer market on players like Robinho, Carlos Tevez, Sergio Kun Aguero, Yaya Toure, Raheem Sterling, Aymeric Laporte and Riyad Mahrez to name but a few.

Stats

In the last one decade, Man City have played 379 games with 250 wins, 65 draws, and 64 losses. Scoring a total of 841 goals and 502 goals difference - 129 goals more than the nearest rival Chelsea.

Trophies

FA Cup - 2 titles

English League Cup - 4  titles

FA Community Shields- 3 titles

English premier league - 4-times champion

Conclusion

Manchester City is the most successful English team of the decade on the domestic scene.  Although in European continental competitions, only one semi- final ( in 2016) and two quarter-final appearances can be shown for their spending spree.

Ridwan Fabiyi

Sports Writer and Analyst 

THINGS FALL APART

Arsenal lost 3-nil at home to champion Manchester City on Sunday in a very embarrassing manner.

It is Arsenal FC worst run in 42 years (since 1977). They are currently 10th on the English Premier League log - 7 points above the relegation zone.

In their next 4 games the die may be cast - with mouthwatering ties like Everton, Bournemouth, Chelsea & Manchester United line-up on the trot. The gunners are sleep walking to relegation.

   

Arsenal has conceded first goal in their last 6 games in the league, which is the longest run in the competition's history.

The causes of the Gunners poor form can be attributed to these factors

    

Absence of owner

Stan kroenke's priorities lies with the L.A Rams and his sofi stadium project in Inglewood, which will be the most expensive stadium ever built.

To Kroenke, Arsenal is a mere cash cow. He has never put any of his own money into the club, yet the worth of his revenue is increasing by hundreds of millions of pounds every season.

When Stan Kroenke joined Arsenal in 2007, the club had just been in the UEFA Champions League final - 12 years after, the team's European ambitions are bleak.

 

Other causes of this dampening in form are;

Lack of leadership in the team

Arsenal's previous captains are rebels.

Contracts mismanagement and a spiralling wage bills

Some great players left the club with lesser transfer fees.

Wasted millions and poor squad management

Some players have yet to live up to expectations, while some didn't at all.

Ridwan Fabiyi

Sports Writer and Analyst