The World Cup

As the World Cup winds down, and the final approaches, one thing is certain. It is not coming home. Kudos to England though. Amongst the plethora of memes and countless jokes of “It’s coming home”, the English players have surely stamped themselves in the hearts of the English fans, an astonishing feat, considering that modern English greats such as Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard and Wayne Rooney were unable to do so while playing for the Three Lions. Gareth Southgate deserves immense credit as well. Initially derided as an unknown quantity, and taking over after Sam Allardyce’s short and controversial reign, a period when England were struggling for identity, Southgate has proved to be a burst of fresh air, giving young players chance, selecting players on the basis of form rather than fame, and proving that England didn’t necessarily need big name coaches that they have tried over the years, from Fabio Capello to Roy Hodgson, just a coach who believes him himself as much as he believes in his players. They may have lost to Belgium in the third place playoff, but England have surely been one of the better sides in this World Cup, managing something that Germany, Spain, Argentina, Portugal, Italy and Netherlands all failed to do; they reached the World Cup semifinals, their first in the 28 years.

The team that England lost to in the semifinals, Croatia, have to be the story of the World Cup. While their achievement have been slightly whittled down due to their constant reminder as to how great an achievement it has been for Croatians to reach the final, (I say that because they have perhaps the best midfield, at least on paper, amongst all World Cup squads), make no mistake, the Croatians have deserved to be where they are. Luka Modric is surely the favourite to win the Golden Ball, given to the best player in the World Cup, with his performances in central midfield alongside Ivan Rakitic, the catalyst to Croatia’s run to the World Cup final. Mario Mandzukic has led the line admirably, while the defence of Sime Vrsaljko, Dejan Lovren, Domagoj Vida and Ivan Strinic ahaead of the goalkeeper and savior on many occasions, Danijel Subasic, have looked impregnable. France will be the favourites to win the World Cup, but rest assured, the Croatians will be quite a challenge.

January transfer window

What a winter transfer window it was. Almost certainly the most entertaining winter transfer window since its inception, this January saw some really exciting stuff happen off the field and below are some moments which really stood out:

Chelsea's bizarre transfer policy:-

Antonio Conte has not shied away from criticising Chelsea's transfer market activities ever since the start of the season, and this transfer window was clear indicator of Chelsea's haphazard thinking. Conte must shoulder some of the blame, for it was his ill-timed text message to Diego Costa and his role in the moves of Nathan Ake, Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Tammy Abraham which meant that the Chelsea squad looked quite unbalanced and light in certain areas. But still, Chelsea's moves this window have been for Ross Barkley who has not played for the last six months, Emerson Palmier who has just recovered from an ACL injury, and a 31 year old Olivier Giroud. In between all this were the rumours linking them to Ashley Barnes, Peter Crouch and Andy Carroll, which is just mind boggling. Conte has been at loggerheads with the Chelsea board for quite some time now, and you get the feeling that he is not going to stick around for another season.

The Sanchez-Mkhitaryan swap:-

One of the most complex moves to have happened for quite some time, this move was one of the most surprising ones as well. Alexis Sanchez was, for all intents and purposes, a Manchester City player come January. City had tried to sign him in the summer, and the general consensus was that it would not be a long time before Sanchez wore a City jersey. But Manchester United came calling. With astronomical wages. Suddenly, City were nowhere to be seen. Initially it was thought that United would be paying a fee to Arsenal, but later it turned out that Henrikh Mkhitaryan was going in the other direction. Quite the happy ending for all parties concerned. Arsenal got rid of a player they thought was creating disharmony in the squad. Manchester United got rid of a player who never really fit into the system, and was not trusted by Mourinho. Arsenal got a player who quite clearly is suited to their system, while United got a player who is amongst the best in his position. Mkhitaryan will get more chances at Arsenal than at United, while Sanchez will be happy to get a move away from Arsenal at the very least. That is truly a happy ending.

The Aubameyang saga:-

Another transfer that went on for quite some time, Pierre Emerick Aubameyang's transfer to Arsenal finally happened, with Much Batshuayi going on loan to Westfalenstadion, because Olivier Giroud agreed to move to Chelsea. You follow,right? Aubameyang's has been brought in for a club record fee, and will surely replace Sanchez's goal output. Plus, Arsenal's forward line has become scary. Pierre Emerick Aubameyang, Alexandre Lacazette, Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Mesut Ozil running at you is a scary thought. But is Wenger the man to get the best out of them?

Phillipe Coutinho and Virgil van Dijk:-

Two transfers which happened quite early in the transfer window, Phillipe Coutinho completed a long awaited club record move to Barcelona. Having been linked with the Blaugranas in the summer, Coutinho was denied a move by Liverpool. However, they decided to let him go, with Jurgen Klopp admitting that he could not stand in the way of Coutinho's dream. Liverpool invested that money wisely though, bringing in Virgil van Dijk from Southampton for a world record fee for a defender. van Dijk was linked with the club in the summer, with Liverpool wanting him quite desperately, before apologising for tapping up the player illegally. But van Dijk has finally come through the door, with Liverpool's defense looking a far better proposition with him in there.