Sport
SEVEN DAYS IN SEVEN POINTS
Gareth Bale needs to leave Real Madrid
He is far, far, far, FAR too good to be getting booed every week. No footballer deserves the treatment Bale gets at the hands of his own fans, and it’s about time he headed to a team where he will be given encouragement and praise. He may be a world class footballer, but he’s also a 26-year-old boy from south Wales who sometimes needs an arm around his shoulder. As much as I want to see him back in a Spurs shirt, I think he’ll end up at Manchester United where, undoubtedly, he will thrive.
Harry Kane is proving all of his doubters wrong… again
Following his headed strike against Qarabağ FK on Thursday night, Harry Kane has scored 9 goals in his last 6 games. This is a player that only last month was being labelled a one-season wonder, being compared to former top tier forwards Amr Zaki, Michael Ricketts and Benjani Mwaruwari, all of whom flopped while trying to live up to their own hype. Kane, who worked his socks off and played well even during those games when goals eluded him, is a natural footballer, and has shown that he can live up to expectations even with the eyes of the world are watching him.
Manchester City need to find a long-term replacement for Vincent Kompany
Without their talismanic defender Manchester City look, if not incompetent, then certainly inept. Kompany is adored by the fans for his ability to marshal the team from the back and for his aptitude when it comes to helping to achieve clean sheets. Since the Belgian’s injury problems intensified, Manchester City have looked weak at the back, and that’s not something fans have been used to in recent years. Mangala is not the answer to City’s problems, and Pellegrini will need to think very carefully before he goes splashing the cash on another defender that is incapable of filling the void.
Jamie Vardy has achieved a fantastic feat, but he must remain grounded
10 goals in 10 games is impressive in anyone’s book, but even more so when you consider that Jamie Vardy, the English forward who plied his trade at Stocksbridge Park Steels, Halifax and Fleetwood before earning a move to Leicester, wasn’t even the Foxes’ first choice striker at the beginning of last season. Vardy’s record haul is likely to be the pinnacle of his career, so he must ensure he remains grounded and doesn’t get ideas above his station. He’s a decent little player who is on a tremendous run of form, but he’s nowhere near being one of the league’s top strikers.
Manchester United are grinding out wins the way champions do
LvG’s side has been getting a lot of flak for playing what many have branded ‘boring’ football, but they are getting wins. The football may not be attractive, and the victories rarely decisive, but once that final whistle blows the only thing that matters is walking off the pitch with three points. Manchester United are scraping wins, but that’s what champions do – they win without needing to play well.
Messi will come to the Premier League
The rumours have been around for a while, but I am finally convinced that Messi, arguably the greatest footballer of all time, will end up in the Premier League. He’s achieved all he can with Barcelona countless times, and must be itching to try something new. His style of play suits Arsenal, but he’ll go to Manchester City. Give it two years and you’ll be able to go and watch the little wizard playing at the Britannia or the King Power. What a time to be alive that will be.
Zlatan is undoubtedly the coolest guy in football
PSG striker Zlatan Ibrahimović, who has been on the books of European giants Juventus, Inter, Barcelona and AC Milan during his stellar career, is without doubt a brilliant footballer, but it is his off the field antics and tongue-in-cheek arrogance that has ensured he will be remembered for more than just his ability to bag goals. Last year he decided to launch a Q&A session using the hashtag #daretozlatan, a decision which took the world of social media by storm, and now he has launched a website called Zhowtime – http://www.zhowtime.com/ – which provides video clips of every goal he has scored in his professional career. He is the gift that keeps on giving.
