The BALE dilemma

At-last we saw Gareth Bale signing contract with Real Madrid one day before transfer deadline day. But nobody is surprised that he became the most expensive player in the football history because everybody knew eventually he will join Real on record transfer fee.

After 2 months of speculations, debates and headlines, everyone was convinced that Bale surely will move to Real. But this was really hard for Spurs fans, he was like a superhero to them. He could have earned them that magical Champions league spot. But Real Madrid were determined to pair him with Cristiano Ronaldo. They were ready to spend anything for Wales international. 

This whole thing was a dilemma for Tottenham Chairman Levy. To sell Bale or not? He must have tempted by idea of keeping him for just a season with club. But Real Madrid were persistent and they end up spending record transfer fee of £85.3m for welshman. 

Tottenham made heavy investment (nearly £110m) this summer signing Paulinho, Soldado, Lamela, Eriksen, Chadli to fill the void created by Bale.
Lets look at how bale transformed from Cardiff boy to Real Madrid Winger.

In 2006, at age of 16, Bale joined Southampton as a left-back. He scored 5 goals for them and mostly from free kicks. Just a year later, He signed a 4 year deal with premier league side Tottenham Hotspur for £7m.

He scored 3 goals in 4 appearances before sustaining an injury which ruled him out for a whole season. He was dropped from the first team in the season 2007-08 due to performance issues and replaced by Assou-Ekotto.

In next season, he was given a chance by Spurs manager Harry Redknapp and after that he didn't look back. In 2012-13 season he was asked to play a more offensive role as a winger by Current manager Harry Redknapp. 

In 2012-13 season he scored 26 goals in 44 appearances and the clubs like Real Madrid, Barcelona and Manchester United started to show some interest in the Wales international. From the start of the transfer window he had been linked with every high profile club and Real Madrid eventually signed him. Now, Real Madrid fans must be hoping to see their team lifting the league cup or Champions cup or maybe both.

Dream run continues for Liverpool

Liverpool   1 - 0   Manchester United

3 wins in a row, 3 clean sheets for their goalkeeper Simon Mignolet, 3 goals for Daniel Sturridge in 3 matches this is what die-hard Liverpool fans were expecting from their heroes. 

Liverpool made a single change to their line-up bringing in Martin Skrtel in place of injuered Kolo Toure. For Manchester United, Moyes chose Ashley Young and Ryan Giggs in place of Antonio Valencia and injured Wayne Rooney.

Liverpool got the perfect start to the match as Steven Gerrard's corner was headed by Agger and then sturridge diverted the ball in the net in the 4th minute. After that early goal, Liverpool's clean passing and stern defense denied some chances to Manchester duo Robin van Persie and Danny Welbeck.

In the second, United looked good producing many chances but unable to find the way past Mignolet and Liverpool hung onto 1 goal lead to register a victory over Manchester United. This victory takes Liverpool straight to spot 1 in the premier league table with 100% record. 

B Rodgers said that these are the big games they want to win this year and hope to qualify for Champions League. This was 1st defeat for Manchester United in the reign of Moyes. He said,"We relly played well, but couldn't get that 1 goal. Still i am impressed with the players and i can see why they were champions." 

Fantasy PL

Daniel Agger got 3 bonus points in this match and also set up assist for Daniel Sturridge to score 12 points in this match. Simon Mignolet once again kept the clean sheet and bagged 7 points for Fantasy manager. Daniel sturridge scored once again for Liverpool to get 8 points. He now has scored in every match for Liverpool in this season. No one from Manchester United really impressed in this match.

Who to pick  

Simon Mignolet - 15,7,7  Total - 29 in 3 matches. He is best pick, if you are looking for a goalkeeper. His next fixtures are very good including 
Swansea, Southampton and Sunderland. He costs £5.6m.

Daniel Sturridge - 3 matches 3 goals and 22 points in total, he is perfect forward you are looking for. He costs £9.2m and in the next 3-4 weeks or atleast until Suarez returns he will be very useful to boost you rank in fantasy.

Jose Enrique - Defenders are proving beneficial in the fantasy season. He has got 25 points in his bag from 3 matches including 4 bonus points. So, if you are looking for a defender he is your target. He costs £6m.

Premier League - Latest Stats (Updated on: 1st sep) 

Gala at Cardiff

Cardiff City  3-2  Manchester City

Fraizer Campbell was the hero as Cardiff City Stadium saw Cardiff team grabbing their first ever premier league win over mighty Citizens. This is Manchester City's first defeat in the season. 

Manuel pellegrini made only one change to their team which won against Newcastle United. Javi Garcia replaced Vincent Kompany who was injured. He may have to sit out for long time. Cardiff manager, Malky Mackay, decided to bring in Andrew Taylor in place of Declan John.

There were no goals scored in the first half of the match. In the second half, Dzeko opened the scoring with right footed shot which was assisted by Sergio Aguero in the 52nd minute. But City could not hold onto the lead and in the 60th minute when Gunnarsson scored. Kim Bo-Kyung was the creator as  dribbled past the city fielders before cutting back to Campbell who tried his luck with a shot but Hart saved his effort. But Hart could not save Gunnarsson rebound.

Cardiff's Defense was impregnable. Citizens were restricted to create only half chances which were not that much threatening. But the game took a turn when Fraizer Campbell headed twice in the interval of 8 minutes. Alvaro Negredo scored in the injury time but Cardiff hung on to register a sensational victory over Manchester City.

This defeat could prove decisive for Citizens title hopes. Manuel Pellegrini already said that his main target is the premier league trophy and he also spent heavily in the transfer market. But this kind of sloppiness may cost them at the end.

Fantasy PL

Nearly 75000 transfer ins were made in the Fantasy premier league for Fraizer Campbell after he scored twice against Manchester City. He scored 16 points from this match including 3 bonus points. 
Managers who handed Dzeko the armband wouldn't be unhappy because he scored a goal and also gained 2 bonus points. 

Who to pick

Fraizer Campbell - His surprise package of 16 points mesmerized many fantasy managers and they spent their free transfer on Cardiff City forward who cost only 5.6m. He was excellent with set pieces, scoring twice. So, if you have budget problems, Campbell is the solution.

Edin Dzeko - He costs 7.7m but he will be a perfect fit if you don't want to sell another big player to include him. He has good fixtures coming up for next 4 weeks and we might see a torrent of points  from him.

See who is moving fast in top scorer, most assists and most clean sheets tables here

Podolski double help Gunners

Fulham 1 - 3 Arsenal

It was a very important game from the viewpoint of Gunners. They could have easily lost or settled for a draw after a disgraceful defeat against Aston Villa. But experienced Arsene Wenger exactly knew what he had to do. He rested Jack Wilshere and included Lucas Podolski in the line-up who scored 2 goals to hand first win for Arsenal in this season.

On the other side Fulham were confident after their win against Sunderland, but they were easily beaten in all parts of the game by determined Gunners. Fulham manager, Martin Jol, made three changes in the team from their win at Sunderland by handing debut to Scott Parker and including David Stockdale and John Arne Riise. Arsenal were forced to make 2 more changes because of suspended Laurent koscielny and injured Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. Wenger selected Carl Jenkinson and Santi Cazorla in place of them.

First goal of the match came from Olivier Giroud in the 14th minute. Gunners doubled their lead in the 41st minute when Lucas Podolski scored with the left foot. Only Taarabt looked promising in the first half from Fulham. In the second half Arsenal looked very dangerous but they managed to score only 1 goal in the later part of the game. It was again Lucas Podolski, who cashed in after Santi Cazorla provided fast break. The only consolation goal for Fulham came from substitute Darren Bent in the 77th minute and after 90 minutes game settled on Fulham 1 Arsenal 3.

Fantasy PL

From Fantasy Football point of view, this was a dream gameweek for those who had Podolski in their team after his price fall in the 1st gameweek. Managers who own Cazorla must be relieved after 10m midfielder was able to gain assist after barren gameweek 1.

Who to Pick - 

After 2 goals from Lucas Podolski, he will definately fit in the plans of Wenger and if you can make room for 8.4m from somewhere then you should look to include him. 

Olivier Giroud - He has score 16 from 2 Games and importantly he gained 4 bonus points which are crucial. But one thing to worry about here before picking Giroud is that he costs more than Podolski.

Santi Cazorla - If you got 10m, Cazorla is wise choice. He has not impressed many in these two gameweek until now but he is unable to stop if founds his rythm. So, if you are looking for a star midfielder he is the one you should choose.

Darren Bent  - If you are looking for forward with a low price and high gain, then Bent is perfect fit for you team. He just played 30 minutes in this season and already scored a goal and gained a bonus point. Martil Jol will definately to bring him into starting line-up.

For latest stats like Top scores, Most assists and Clean sheets visit Stats Page.  

English premier league - Matchweek 1 Report

Cliffhanger at Anfield
liverpool 1-0 Stoke City

Liverpool and Stoke City gave an excellent start to premier league by providing a cliffhanger at Anfield. The fate of this match was undecided until Mignolet saved penalty of Jonathan Walters in the 88th minute. 

In the first half Liverpool striker Daniel Sturridge was in excellent touch, testing Stoke goalkeeper many times but eventually he managed to score in the 37th minute. But real stars of the match were goalkeepers of both sides. Stoke keeper Begovic made record 10 saves whereas Mignolet became man of the match after that heroic penalty save. Brendon Rodgers will be pleased with the team effort especially with attack as their main striker Luis Suarez wont be available for next 5 matches due to ban.

Stoke assistant manager Mark Bowen was disappointed after the defeat when he mentioned the missed penalty in the post match interview, but he was pleased with the fight Stoke gave to Liverpool. 

Liverpools next fixture is against Aston Villa at Villa Park  where we may see a tough contest between two sides. Stoke will play against Crystal Palace at home.


Benteke magic at Emirates
Arsenal 1-3 Aston Villa

2 goals from Christian Benteke and debut goal from Luna handed an excellent victory for Aston Villa over Arsenal at emirates Stadium. Aston Villa who were struggling to keep themselves away from relegation stunned Arsenal with magical performance. First goal of the match came from Olivier Giroud in the 6th minute but after that Gunners struggled to keep Aston Villa strikers away from penalty box.

Benteke levelled the score in the 22nd minute with the fabulous header from close range. In the second half Gunners skipper Koscielny conceded a penalty and Benteke again scored with a shot to the bottom left corner. In the 66th minute Koscielny had to left to field after recieving 2nd yellow card for a foul.
  
Villa confirmed their 3 points when left back Antonio Luna scored on his debut in the 85th minute. "I am ready to spend the money in the transfer market but we should try bring the quality players." Arsene Wenger said in the post match interview. Villa manager was delighted with the team performance especially with the counter-attack.

Arsenal will travel to Craven Cottage in the next matchweek while Villa will play against Chelsea on Wednesday.


Carrow road draw
Norwich 2-2 Everton

Norwich played an excellent football to gain a point from strong Everton side. After boring first half which saw no goal from both sides, in the 50th minute Norwich Right-back came forward and scored on the rebound to open the scoring.  

Everton did not waste the time and responded with brace of goals scored by Ross Barkley and Seamus Coleman in the 60th and 65th minute respectively.
Norwich came from behind in the 71st minute when Ricky van Wolfswinkel headed the ball in the Everton net. 

"It's satisfying that we were able to put good performance against Everton" Norwich boss Chris Hughton was pleased with the effort from his team against strong opponent. 

"I am pleased with the chances we created. We know that Norwich are diffucult unit to break at their home." Everton manager Roberto Martinez said in the post match interview. 

Hawk-Eyes goal-line technology for error free decisions in the premier league

Goal-line Technology

What is Hawk-Eye?

If you follow Cricket, you might have seen animated video in which cricket ball trajectory is shown. Actually the trajectory shown is statistically most likely path of the ball. You might have seen similar animations in Tennis.
This technology is called Hawk-Eye which is developed by Dr. Paul Hawkins.
Hawk-Eye was originally implemented for cricket but only for commentators and television viewers and it was first used in 2001. In 2009, Hawk-Eye was used in a referral system for referring decision.

What is goal-line technology and what is its use in Football?

You know the most important rule in football, the goal is scored when the whole of the football passes over the goal-line. But in football every event occurs in a split of a second and referees may not be able to take right decision every-time. 

Some of the referring errors includes Frank Lampards goal in FIFA world cup 2010 against Germany which was disallowed because assistant referee didn't call for goal. But ball clearly crossed the goal-line and then came back out. Germany won that match(4-1).

There were many controversial decision in the premier league too and after that FIFA decided to use Goal-line technology.

How Hawk-Eye or goal-line technology Works?

Hawk-Eye got the contract from Premier League for goal line technology. With the help of high speed cameras goal posts on each end of stadium are focused. Each camera will catch a image and try to find the ball. If ball comes into the range of these cameras, they track the ball and generate a signal if ball crosses the goal line. This signal is then relayed to match referee.The signal will be protected with encryption to prevent interference. Match referee will have a special watch that will signal him if ball crossed goal-line. 

Now, you will ask that what if goal is scored from corner or when the penalty area is crowded with players? Hawk-Eye has answer to this question. Those seven high speed cameras are capable of tracking the ball even if there is small portion of the ball is visible. Cameras will work fine in case of fog, rain or snow too.

Just like in Cricket or Tennis, for television viewers the animated video will be available within 10-20 seconds of the event occurrence.

Goal-line technology will be used in premier league for this season(2013-14) and you will be surprised how quickly referee will decide to call for goal in this season.

Premier League Statistical Season Preview - Part 3

Tottenham
Last Season Finish : 5
Played : 38     Won : 21   Drawn : 9  Lost : 8  Points : 72
Manager : Andre Villas-Boas


Spurs had a excellent season under the management of young manager Villas-Boas. At one time, they were in a very good position to qualify for Champions League but Arsenals unbeaten run of 10 matches proved crucial and they were left behind by just 1 point.

Tottenham's home record was good, White Hart Lane saw only 3 defeats which included London Derby against Chelsea(2-4). Spurs lost 5 away matches including North London Derby (5-2) and against Manchester City (2-1), Newcastle (2-1), Liverpool (3-2), Everton (2-1).

Their biggest win by goal margin was against Aston Villa (4-0). Spurs scored 66 goals and conceded 46. Gareth Bale who scored 21 goals was Spurs top goal scorer of the season. 

Midfielder Paulinho is Tottenham's first signing of the summer. Villas-Boas also signed Nacer chadli from FC Twente and striker Roberto Soldado from Valencia. Tottenham will start their season at Selhurst Park against Crystal Palace and this time AVB will hope to finish in first 4. 


Everton
Last Season Finish : 6
Played : 38     Won : 16   Drawn : 15  Lost : 7  Points : 63
Manager : Roberto Martinez (Replaced David Moyes)


The Toffees had a normal season last time around as they finished at #6. Everton is the team which played most draws (15) this season alongside Stoke City (15).

They were excellent at Goodison Park where they lost just 1 match but they were defeated 6 times away from home by West Brom (2-0), Reading(2-1), Manchester United (2-0), Norwich(2-1), Sunderland (1-0) and Chelsea(2-1).

Evertons biggest win by goal margin was against Swansea (3-0). Toffees netted 55 goals and conceded 40. Marouane Fellaini was their top goal scorer with 11 goals. Roberto Martinez (former Wigan manager) was named manager of Toffees after David Moyes left to join Manchester United.

Striker Arouna Kone reunited with Roberto Martinez as Everton made their first signing of the summer. Everton also signed defender Antolin Alcaraz from Wigan, goalkeeper Joel Robles from Atletico Madrid and Barcelona youngster Gerard Deulofeu.

Everton will start their campaign at Carrow Road against Norwich and new manager Roberto Martinez will try to find the best combination of players for Toffees.

download/read premier league season review 2012-13.

Premier League 2013-14 Statistical Season Preview - Part 2

Manchester United
Last Season Finish : 1
Played : 38  Won : 28 Drawn : 5 Lost : 5 Points : 89
Manager : David Moyes (Replaced Alex Ferguson)


The Red Devils manager Alex Ferguson retired after lifting premier league trophy for the record 13th time. Manchester United had an unforgettable season last time. From the start of season they were favorites for the title and they finished 11 points ahead of their rivals Manchester City.
        
Manchester United were defeated only 3 times at Old Trafford this season which included thriller against Tottenham (2-3), Manchester City (1-2), and chelsea(0-1). But their away record was rather better than home as red devils were only defeated by Everton(0-1) and Norwich(0-1).

Their Biggest win by goal margin came against Wigan [both away and home] (4-0) and Norwich(4-0). United scored 86 goals (highest in 2012-13 season) and conceded 43.

Robin Van Persie was Premier League Top Goal scorer with 26 goals. David Moyes, former Everton manager, replaced Alex Ferguson as a manager of Manchester United when Ferguson retired after completing 26 glorious years at Old Trafford.

20-year old Right-back Guillermo Varela from Atletico Penarol was Moyes' first signing at Old Trafford. Red Devils will start their season campaign against Swansea City at Liberty Stadium and it will be interesting to see how United reacts to the departure of Alex Ferguson.

Manchester City

Last Season Finish : 2
Played : 38  Won : 23 Drawn : 9 Lost : 6 Points : 78
Manager : Manuel Pellegrini (Replaced Roberto Mancini)


The Citizens were title defenders last time but they could not defend it and finished on the 2nd place. City's home record was excellent. They only lost 2 matches at Etihad Stadium those included thriller against Manchester United(2-3) and Norwich (2-3). They were defeated 4 times in away matches against Sunderland (1-0), Southampton (3-1), Everton(2-0) and Tottenham (3-1).

Citizens' biggest win by goal margin was against Aston Villa(5-0). City netted 66 goals in total and conceded only 34 lesser than any other team in the premier league.

Edin Dzeko with 14 goals was Manchester City's top goal scorer last season. Midfielder Fernandinho is the first signing of Manuel Pellegrini this season who replaced Roberto Mancini as a manager of City. He also signed Right-winger Jesus Navas and strikers Alvaro Negredo and Steven Jovetic.

Citizens will start their season at Etihad Stadium against Newcastle United and hoping to lift premier league trophy under the realm of Pellegrini.

download/read premier league season review 2012-13.

Premier League 2013-14 Statistical season Preview - Part 1

Arsenal

Last Season Finish : 4

Played : 38     Won : 21   Drawn : 10  Lost : 7  Points : 73
Manager : Arsene Wenger

The Gunners had a normal season last time. Arsenal had a tough fight from Tottenham for 4th place but eventually they managed to won 8 out of last 10 matches that included draws against Manchester United and Everton. 

They were not so good at home losing 3 matches (against Chelsea, Manchester City and unexpected loss to Swansea City 0-2). Gunners away record also was not so impressive as they were defeated by Norwich(1-0). 

Their biggest win by goal margin was against Southampton(6-1). Arsenal scored 72 goals in total, 3rd best after Manchester United(86) and Chelsea(75) and conceded only 37 goals, 2nd best after Manchester City(34).

Theo Walcott was Arsenal's top goal scorer in 2012-13 season with 14 goals followed by Santi Cazorla with 12 goals. It's clear from these stats that Gunners desperately need a top quality striker. They signed striker Yaya Sanogo from Auxerre to strengthen their attack. 
Gunners will start their season campaign at Emirates against Aston Villa and they will be hoping to finish atleast in the top 3.

Chelsea

Last Season Finish : 3

Played : 38     Won : 22  Drawn : 9  Lost : 7  Points : 75
Manager : Jose Mourinho (Replaced Rafael Benitez)

THE BLUES had a good season last time. There was a tough fight for 3rd and 4th place between Chelsea, Arsenal and Tottenham but at the end of the season Chelsea finished on 3rd place.

Stamford Bridge saw only 2 defeats that included thriller against Manchester united (2-3) and disturbing loss against QPR (0-1). The Blues were bit reckless in matches away from home losing to West Brom (2-1), West Ham (3-1), Southampton (2-1), Newcastle (3-2) and Manchester City (2-0).

Their  biggest win by goal margin was against Aston Villa (8-0) in which 7 different players scored for the same team in a premier league for the first time. Blues netted 75 goals in total second best after Manchester United (86) and conceded 39.

Frank Lampard was Chelsea's top goal scorer with 15 goals followed by Juan Mata who scored 11.
For this season Jose Mourinho has returned as a manager to Chelsea replacing Rafael Benitez. With Mourinho as a manager, Chelsea had won  2 premier league titles in 2004-05 and 2006-07. Mourinho left Chelsea in 2007. Blues signed forward Andre Schurrle, midfielder Marco Van Ginkel and goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer.

The Blues will start their season at Stamford Bridge against Hull City and hope to lift the title in the realm of Jose Mourinho.


Download/read premier league season review 2012-13.