Innholdsfortegnelse for October 2020 i World Soccer

The “New Season” special issue is a regular edition ofWorld Soccer I avidly looked forward to collecting as a reader, and after a 2019-20 season we will never forget – primarily for all the wrong reasons – it is nice to finally get back to some semblance of normality within the football calendar by compiling this 2020-21 edition. After a condensed schedule to complete last season’s campaigns, including the Champions League and Europa League “mini-tournaments” (page 70), within the blink of an eye, the 2020-21 season is upon us. But not everything is quite back to normal yet. The ramifications of the coronavirus pandemic are still lurking – we bring you comprehensive previews of 12 major European leagues (page 33) but some are already experiencing new postponements (Scotland, page 52).…

Look at the numbers, as any wise football fan does, and it’s plain to see why Chelsea’s £54 million acquisition of Germany striker Timo Werner is a move of thrilling potential. He scored 28 goals in the Bundesliga last season for RB Leipzig. His overall record through four years at the club was 95 goals in 159 matches, as he became the club’s record goalscorer. Werner is only 24. These are fabulous statistics for a relatively young forward; beyond a surge of good fortune, far beyond a oneseason dazzler who can be shackled when opposition teams work him out. The stats are why Liverpool were also seriously interested in taking him to Anfield before the financial impact of the coronavirus pandemic prompted them to be cautious about transfers. In the…

The game that settled the 2019-20 Premier League title was a microcosm of the season. Manchester City played some extraordinary possession football. They moved the ball around in mesmerising patterns. At times, particularly in the opening quarter of the game, there was a sense of greatness about them, such that the thought Liverpool had a lead of more than 20 points felt vaguely incredible. And then Chelsea broke, Benjamin Mendy dived in and Christian Pulisic scored. That’s the way it was all season for City. They dominated games and struggled to create or take chances at times but, more especially, they were extremely vulnerable to quick counter attacks. Even in the second half at Stamford Bridge, as City equalised and began to assert pressure, Chelsea kept troubling them with balls…

“I learn about David Silva’s transfer to Real Sociedad. I have great respect for the player, but not for the man” Lazio sporting director Igli Tare “I love playing with this lot. We’ve got some special young players. I’m really happy to share the pitch with them. I joined when I was 17 and some of the lads are the same age…I can guide them” Borussia Dortmund’s Jadon Sancho distances himself from a summer move IN EUROPE CARLOS CORBERAN left the coaching staff at Leeds United to replace Danny Cowley at Championship club Huddersfield Town. Birmingham City appointed AITOR KARANKA as manager, former assistants DEAN HOLDEN and JASON TINDALL were promoted to head coach at Bristol City and Bournemouth respectively, while ex-Australia star HARRY KEWELL was appointed Oldham manager. Watford…

Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu was clear: “Xavi will be Barca’s coach, sooner or later.” Just not quite yet, it seems. On July 5, the former Blaugrana playmaker penned a new deal to see him remain as coach of Qatari club Al Sadd until the summer of 2021. A month later, his former club appointed Ronald Koeman to replace Quique Setien. “Happy to be a part of this great club for another year,” Xavi commented on Instagram after his new contract was announced. “We will keep up our hard work and total dedication to the club to repay their confidence in us.” The caveat? As Barcelona-based newspaper Sport reported, the contract includes a clause that allows him to leave if his former employers come calling. It’s no secret that Xavi,…

Porto are back on top. After dominating Portuguese football for decades, their hegemony seemed to have been wrested away by Benfica, who reeled off four straight championship triumphs from 2013 to 2017. But the appointment of fiery former winger Sergio Conceicao as head coach has proven a wise decision. Porto were at the summit of the league when it was interrupted, and they stayed there when football resumed, clinching a second title win in three years. This one, however, feels like the beginning of something different. Porto’s domestic supremacy in Portugal (the Dragons won the league 16 times between 1992 and 2013), which extended to success in Europe, winning one Champions League and two Europa Leagues in that time, was fundamentally built on brilliant scouting. Porto made a habit of…

LEEDS UNITED After winning the league by ten points, Leeds’ players are ready to be tested at the top. Kalvin Phillips is a holding midfielder of Premier League class and exciting winger Jack Harrison will remain on loan from Manchester City, while top goalscorer Patrick Bamford has plenty of critics to disprove. WEST BROMWICH ALBION The ultimate yo-yo club were promoted from the Championship for a record fifth time with a hugely experienced squad. Between them, Kieran Gibbs, Jake Livermore, Hal Robson-Kanu, Gareth Barry, Matt Phillips, Chris Brunt and Charlie Austin have amassed over1,500 Premier League appearances. FULHAM The Cottagers significantly overspent in their last Premier League campaign, so are likely to place more faith in the current squad this time. Rookie manager Scott Parker masterminded an impressive victory over…

FLORIAN THAUVIN (Marseille) The 27-year-old midfielder missed most of last season through injury, but is now a far better player than when he was in England at Newcastle United. 38 Ligue1 goals in his previous two seasons, and should improve again in 2020-21. MAURO ICARDI (Paris Saint-Germain) With the departure of Edinson Cavani, Icardi now needs to step up and become the main goal man in the French capital. Signed until 2024 after scoring 20 goals on loan last season, the Argentine is well placed to make his mark. EDUARDO CAMAVINGA (Rennes) The ridiculously talented and mature midfielder will continue his development in Ligue1 despite serious interest from Real Madrid. Played 25 games last campaign, even though he doesn’t turn 18 until November.…

Ex-Bayern Munich and Germany playmaker Mario Basler has one basic message on the eve of the new Bundesliga campaign – don’t expect Bayern’s eight-year championship hegemony to crumble any time soon. Basler, still as trenchant in his opinions as he was in his playing days, does not merely feel good about the Bavarians’ exceptional squad. Equally, if not more important for Basler, is Bayern’s remarkable desire and mental toughness. In a recent interview with France Football magazine, Basler explained: “Winning is in the DNA of the club. When the situation demands it, Bayern players always step up to the mark. They adore these instances. While they are energised, other teams seem to shrink as the pressure mounts in the home stretch. Bayern have an appetite for success that has no…

Forget Hakim Ziyech’s transfer to Chelsea or any multi-million moves by several Ajax players when the transfer market recovers. Whatever happens, the most remarkable summer signing has been done by ninth-placed Groningen, where Arjen Robben will make his comeback. Eighteen years after leaving his boyhood club, where he started at the age of 12, the 36-year-old winger is back home. Last year, Robben announced his retirement after a decade at Bayern Munich, but now he is back at the club where it all started. Only 16 years old and still a high school student, Robben made his debut in 2000, playing 46 league matches and scoring eight goals in two seasons. By then he had already attracted many top clubs, and he opted for PSV, turning down Ajax. A highly-successful…

BENEVENTO Coached by former Juventus, Milan and Italy striker Filippo Inzaghi, the emphatic Serie B winners are back in Serie A, two seasons after their only previous top-flight experience, when they lost their first14 matches. Defensive experience will need to be added in order to put up a better challenge this time around, hence the signing of experienced Poland centre-back Kamil Glik from Monaco. CROTONE The Calabrian side, like Benevento, have little experience of Serie A, having played just two seasons (2016-17 and 2017-18). Crotone coach, former Milan player Giovanni Stroppa, may rely on key elements in his current side such as 37-year-old goalkeeper Alex Cordaz and ex-Juve defender Luca Marrone. SPEZIA There will be a new name in Serie A next season – Spezia, promoted to Serie A for…

RUBEN DIAS (Benfica) The lynchpin of both Benfica and Portugal’s defence, the highly-rated centre-back can expect to take his game to the next level under the guidance of Jorge Jesus. WENDERSON GALENO (Braga) With Braga’s golden boy Francisco Trincao sold to Barcelona, the exceptionally skilful Brazilian winger can now take centre stage at the ever-ascending club. JOVANE CABRAL (Sporting) The thrilling form he showed at the end of 2019-20 has whetted the appetite for more spectacular goals and explosive moments from the Cape Verdean-born winger.…

While there is more to La Liga than the top two, the stats do not lie: 15 of the last16 La Liga titles have been lifted by either Barcelona or Real Madrid. Atletico Madrid have pushed and barged their way into the top three under Diego Simeone, while we have to go back to 2004 for Valencia’s last title. It’s fair to say that Barca owned the 2010s, lifting six of the last ten titles, but if anybody is going to own the next decade it is more likely to be Real. Their ten consecutive league wins post-lockdown made them worthy champions, but their superiority over Barca was well summed up on social media in the final week of the season. Before their encounter with Alaves, the Catalan club posted…

Most teams prepare for a new season by working on their fitness and fine tuning in friendlies. Ukraine’s most decorated side Dynamo Kiev–15 times national champions since independence in 1991 – are currently trying a different approach, fomenting their very own backyard civil war. The spark which ignited the conflict in Kiev was the recent decision of Dynamo owner Ihor Surkis to bring in the veteran Romanian Mircea Lucescu as coach. Nothing wrong with that, you might think; the 75-year-old Lucescu has a brilliant track record as a team leader in his homeland, Italy, Turkey, and Russia, as well as Ukraine itself. Either through naivety or sheer bloody mindedness, it did not seem to register with Surkis that the Lucescu appointment was decidedly unpopular within the Dynamo community. In the…

These are strange times, but the transfers of Rose Lavelle and Sam Mewis to Manchester City still made major waves. USA internationals have moved from America’s NWSL to England’s WSL before, but they have usually either been winding down their careers (Carli Lloyd at Manchester City, Heather O’Reilly at Arsenal), or still developing it (Crystal Dunn at Chelsea). Lavelle, 25, is a star, arguably the best player at the 2019 World Cup. At 27, Mewis is in her prime, a starter in that victorious USA side and a winner of three of the last four NWSL championships. “The WSL is a great league that keeps getting better every year. It is attracting a lot of really great players” Rose Lavelle The pair’s switch may have been prompted by the abbreviated…

So the club that includes the state-owned airline of a human-rights-abusing emirate as a sponsor beat the club owned by that emirate. Football breathed a sigh of relief: the sacred cup had held back the fullest tide of sportswashing for one more season. Yet Bayern Munich’s winner was scored by a player who was convicted of assaulting the mother of his child in 2017. The European game’s finale was an unedifying spectacle all-round. Let nobody be under any illusion what the 2020 Champions League final represented, or why Qatar Airways was so keen to promote it as the “Qlassico”. This was the result of a meeting held a decade ago at the Elysee Palace in Paris between the French president Nicolas Sarkozy, Crown Prince Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani of…

JULEN LOPETEGUI (Sevilla coach) “This is very special. For us, for me, for the fans, it is very special. We have a happy ending. Also, this victory is for Jose Antonio Reyes, Antonio Puerta and all of those who are no longer with us. We conceded three penalties in the last three matches in the first five minutes but our team never surrenders.” LUUK DE JONG (Sevilla – Man of the Match) “The coach told me I was starting only in the morning. I told him I am always ready when he needs me and it worked really well. To score two goals and win is incredible. We had such tough games all tournament but we played so well as a team. We are like a family, we worked together.…

At the time, some thought it was premature when the Copa Libertadores suddenly shut down on March12 – a day when games were still taking place in the Europa League. In hindsight, it is clear that CONMEBOL made the right decision. Coronavirus is proving especially destructive in the Americas. The original idea floated as a restart date – May 5 – proved to be absurdly optimistic, and it is even possible that the same might apply to the current plans to get going on September 15. t the time, some thought it was premature when the Copa Libertadores suddenly shut down on March12 – a day when games were still taking place in the Europa League. In hindsight, it is clear that CONMEBOL made the right decision. Coronavirus is proving…

EUROPE ALBANIA *Vllaznia beat Kategoria e Pare’s Beselidhja 3-1 in the relegation play-off. ANDORRA Championship round Relegation Round *Carroi beat Segona Divisio’s La Massana 4-1 in the relegation play-off. ARMENIA Championship round *Lori’s last game of the season v Ararat was cancelled as a result of positive COVID-19 tests for 17 Lori players and staff. Relegation Round *Yerevan withdrew from the league due to financial and technical problems. CROATIA *Istra1961 beat 2. HNL’s Orijent 1919 3-1 on agg in the relegation play-off. CZECH REPUBLIC Championship round *Slovan Liberec qualify for the Europa League play-off final. Europa League Round Europa League Play-Offs First round 1st legs–Jun 21; 2nd legs–Jun 27 Mlada Boleslav v Ceske Budejovice 2-1, 2-0 (agg 4-1) Slovacko v Bohemians19051-2, 1-2 (agg 2-4) Second Round 1st leg–Jul 4; 2nd leg–Jul 7…

JULEN LOPETEGUI In 2018, Lopetegui was sacked from two of the most prestigious jobs in the world within the space of five months – first Spain, and then Real Madrid. By guiding Sevilla to their sixth Europa League, he has reminded Europe of the coaching ability that made him so sought after two years ago. BODO/GLIMT The Norwegian side made an explosive start to the 2020 season, winning 12 of their first14 matches and drawing the other two, averaging over three goals a game in the process. Glimt are chasing their first-ever top-flight league title after finishing second for the fourth time in 2019. No Norwegian team has ever finished runners-up as often without winning the Eliteserien, Norway’s top flight. MAROUANE FELLAINI The former Belgium, Manchester United and Everton midfielder…

Sepp Blatter composed his most lugubrious expression, leaned forward meaningfully, gazed around the expectant quorum of reporters and admitted: “We are a laughing stock around the world.” The phrase has been re-coined more recently about the erratic and belated arrival of VAR in the Premier League. But Blatter was speaking as FIFA president a decade ago, the day after witnessing Frank Lampard’s infamous “phantom goal” against Germany at the 2010 World Cup. There had been none of the “was-it-or-wasn’t-it?” guesswork which surrounds England’s third goal in the1966 final against the same opposition; nor even the “did-I-see-what-I-think-I-did?” over Diego Maradona’s “Hand of God” audacity for Argentina in Mexico in 1986. Everyone in the Bloemfontein sun had seen Lampard’s shot strike the underside of the crossbar and spin down behind the line.…

1 LATHERED UP Wolverhampton Wanderers may have come up with an ingenious way to help their winger Adama Traore escape the attention of opposition defenders. The pacy dribbler, who was recently recalled to the Spanish national team squad, rubs baby oil onto his arms to prevent opponents from pulling him back, with the Wolves physio spotted administering it on the pitch. 2 THREE IN A ROW RB Salzburg goalkeeper Daniel Antosch made history in the quarter-finals of the UEFA Youth League when he saved three penalties in a row against Lyon. The 20-year-old dived to his right to keep out Florent da Silva’s shot before being penalised by the referee for coming off his line too early. The exact same thing happened on the retaken penalty, leading to a third…

Alittle over a year ago, Serie A giants Milan, unhappy with their seasonal results, sacked coach Gennaro Gattuso. To many, it seemed harsh. After all, Gattuso had done reasonably well, claiming fifth place in Serie A, just one point away from Champions League qualification. 12 months later, Milan have just finished sixth, 12 points adrift of the Champions League. However, this time the club have kept faith with current coach Stefano Pioli. It is of course true that it is not always a good idea to sack the coach. The thing is for months now, Italian and German media have been assuring us that the former RB Leipzig coach, Ralf Rangnick, would be Milan’s head coach and sporting director in time for the 2020-21 season. That plan has now been…

For only the second time since 1985, Turkey has a league champion from outside the “Big Three” of Besiktas, Fenerbahce and Galatasaray. Unlike Bursaspor’s surprise success in 2009-10, this is more than a one-off. Istanbul Basaksehir are genuine game-changers in Turkey. Istanbul is a divided city. The so-called “Intercontinental Derby” pits Fenerbahce from the Asian side against Galatasaray in the European side. It is a ludicrously passionate affair, while Besiktas’ clashes against the two sides are equally fiery. Football in the city has often quite literally been a matter of life and death, with fans obsessively devoted to their own club to extreme levels. The idea of another Istanbul team elbowing their way into top spot ahead of all three seemed inconceivable. In such a tribal city, with the battle…

For large parts of the last Premier League season, it seemed certain that the “Big Six’s” vice-like grip on the Champions League places was to end. Leicester City were flying high and offering the closest challenge to the top two; Wolverhampton Wanderers were building on their impressive debut season; new boys Sheffield United were breathing down everybody’s neck. Meanwhile, Arsenal, Tottenham and Manchester United all had problems of their own, and when Manchester City were banned from European football, it seemed that a thorough shake-up was on the way. In the end of course, it was normal service resumed. CAS overturned Manchester City’s ban, and they and Liverpool were joined in the top four by Chelsea and Manchester United, who capitalised on Leicester’s post-lockdown implosion. Tottenham completed the top six,…

LORIENT It was extremely tight at the top of Ligue 2 when Lorient were promoted as champions 28 games into last season. Coach Christophe Pelissier’s side were on 54 points, one ahead of Lens and with just four points separating the top five teams. The vastly experienced Fabien Lemoine, formerly of Rennes and Saint-Etienne, will be a key player for them in Ligue 1. LENS It’s good to see one of France’s best-loved clubs back in the top flight after an absence of five years. Coach Franck Haise will be hoping that the notoriously fanatical fans of the “Blood And Golds” will give his side extra impetus in their bid to remain in Ligue 1.…

JUDE BELLINGHAM (Borussia Dortmund) Yet another example of Dortmund’s capacity to attract global golden boys. The word in Germany is that Bayern Munich were also interested in signing the17-year-old midfielder from Birmingham City, but failed with a late bid. SEBASTIAAN BORNAUW (Cologne) The Belgium Under-21 centre-back is assured of a bright future. Not only does he muzzle opposition forwards but he regularly appears on the scoresheet, bagging six in his first year with Cologne after leaving Anderlecht in 2019. DANIEL CALIGIURI (Augsburg) Augsburg director of sport Stefan Reuter definitely pulled off a coup in bringing in the vastly experienced ex-Schalke midfielder and skipper on a free transfer. The sort of player fans love: hard-running and a never-say-die character. ERMEDIN DEMIROVIC (Freiburg) The 22-year-old Bosnian forward was in fine form for…

Rarely has a new Serie A season prompted so many imponderables as the upcoming 2020-21 version, and not just because of COVID-19. The season that just ended was turned on its head by the elimination of Juventus by Olympique Lyon at the last-16 stage of the Champions League in early August. Mighty shockwaves were generated by the realisation that the all-dominant Juventus, the club that had just lifted its ninth consecutive Italian title, had been eliminated by the seventh strongest club in France. Has Italian football sunk that low? Is former Juventus, Roma, Milan and England coach Fabio Capello right when he says that Serie A is simply not competitive enough? If you reflect that in recent seasons Juventus have twice finished 17 points clear of second place (in 2014…

Zenit St. Petersburg director general Alexander Medvedev, once a prominent tennis tournament administrator, certainly has been producing lots of winning volleys as he seeks to lay the foundations for a third consecutive Russian Premier League title for the Blue-White-Sky Blues. If Zenit fans are buoyantly optimistic of completing a hat-trick of title wins in 2020-21, much of that confidence flows from Medvedev’s successful contract renewal talks with talismanic target man and club captain Artem Dzyuba, who recently inked a two-year extension with the option of a further 12 months. The 31-year-old, whose contract was due to expire this summer, had been linked with a move to Italy or England. His departure would have ripped the heart out of the Zenit attack, after topping both the goal and assist charts in…

Scottish football’s fascination with numbers has taken on a new twist. Celtic’s quest for a record tenth successive title is no longer the only talking point: “Celtic 10” now has “COVID-19” for company. The 2020-21 Scottish Premiership season is now shaped by the pandemic and its financial impact on every club. A week before the campaign started, newspaper back pages had transfers pushed out by Aberdeen announcing wage cuts of £1 million to plug a £10m shortfall. However, three weeks into the season, games were postponed – not by the football authorities (SFA and SPFL) but by the Scottish Government - after Aberdeen and Celtic players broke strict COVID-19 rules on self-isolation. Scotland’s First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, said the punishment was “a yellow card – next time, it’s red.” St.…

JOAO FELIX (Atletico Madrid) Sealed a record move to Atletico as a replacement for Antoine Griezmann, then made Marca’s most disappointing team of the season. Doesn’t turn 21 until November, so has plenty of time to win over doubters in 2020-21. JOAQUIN (Real Betis) The 39-year-old club captain and La Liga icon is entering the last year of his contract, and is expected to finally retire at the end of the season – once he’s broken Betis’ all-time appearance record of 378 games. MARTIN ODEGAARD (Real Madrid) Real simply had to recall Odegaard early from his loan at Real Sociedad – he was arguably La Liga’s best midfielder in 2019-20. The Norway international will relish the challenge of testing himself in the Champions League. DARWIN MACHIS (Granada) Probably one of…

HANSI FLICK (Bayern Munich coach) “I am proud of the team. When I saw the headlines in November [when he took over], all I read was that nobody is afraid of Bayern anymore. The development since then has been crazy. We deserved to win, because of the second half. “You could already see in training at our winter camp in January that something big was growing. The team is eager and we have players with boundless desire to win. The team is always in the foreground. When you see how we worked until the 96th minute tonight in defence then it is a superb team spirit. “Every player developed this season in such a way so as to win three titles. This only happens as a team. The only thing…

When the J.League resumed on July 4, Kawasaki Frontale hit the ground running. Six straight wins in July saw them top the table with19 points and a healthy goal difference of +14. Frontale, champions in 2017 and 2018, were always going to be challengers this season after losing their title to Yokohama F-Marinos last year. Their results so far include a 4-0 win at last year’s runners-up, FC Tokyo, and a 5-1 thrashing of Yokohama FC. The toothless 0-0 draw at home to perennial strugglers Sagan Tosu in their February opener already seems a world away. Defending champions F-Marinos are looking surprisingly brittle at the back and have also failed so far to rediscover the fluid passing movement that swept them to last year’s title. The champions won two and…

“It’s nothing like La Liga. Defenders kick the s*** out of you and nothing gets given, they don’t blow for free-kicks like they would in Spain. I don’t know how that would affect Messi” Gonzalo Higuain warns his international team-mate Lionel Messi against a move to the Premier League Eddie NEWTON (Trabzonspor) 2020 has been a roller-coaster ride for former Chelsea midfielder Newton. The 48-year-old left Stamford Bridge in February to become Trabzonspor’s assistant coach, but when Huseyin Cimsir was sacked for failing to win the title, he was hired on a caretaker basis. In only his second match, he oversaw a 2-0 win over Alanyaspor in the Turkish Cup final, which landed him the job full-time. Newton spent eight years at Chelsea after returning as Roberto Di Matteo’s assistant…

Lazio striker Ciro Immobile has become the first player from outside Barcelona or Real Madrid to be named Europe’s outright top marksman since Diego Forlan in 2008-09. Luis Suarez shared the Golden Shoe with Cristiano Ronaldo while he was still a Liverpool player in 2013-14, but otherwise Spain’s two biggest clubs have dominated the award in the last decade. Immobile is also the first Italian to win it since Francesco Totti collected the honour in 2006-07, and only the third Serie A striker since the award was taken up by ESM in1996. The 30-year-old overtook long-time leader Robert Lewandowski in the last week of the Serie A campaign to finish with 36 goals. Bayern’s Lewandowski was runner-up with 34, while four-times winner Ronaldo was third with 31. The Golden Shoe…

Real Madrid legend Iker Casillas is expected to make a special return to the Bernabeu as an adviser, five years after an acrimonious exit from the club. The 39-year-old announced his retirement from football last month, having spent the final five years of his illustrious playing career at Porto. Unfortunately for Porto and Casillas, he didn’t make a single appearance in his final year at the club after suffering a shock heart attack in training early last year. Addressing his 9.1 million followers on Twitter, the three-time Champions League winner said: “The important thing is the path you travel and the people who accompany you, not the destination to which it takes you. I think I can say, without hesitation, that it has been the path and the dream destination.”…

Cyriel Dessers wasted no time in beginning to pay back the investment made in him by Racing Genk with a goal on his debut at the start of the new Belgian season, following his €4 million move from Heracles Almelo in the neighbouring Netherlands. With15 goals from 26 matches, he had topped the Eredivisie’s goal charts alongside Feyenoord’s Steven Berghuis, firing Heracles to eighth place. It proved a breakout campaign for the 25-year-old, something of a late bloomer but now with his sights firmly set on an international career. Belgian-born Dessers received one call-up at Under-21 level for his country of birth but was an unused substitute. Now he is being earmarked for a debut with Nigeria, where his mother hails from. “Before the 2018 World Cup I had some…

MASON GREENWOOD (Manchester United) One of the biggest young English talents to break through in recent times. Two-footed with a hammer strike, he hit ten Premier league goals in a breakout 2019-20. If he continues with his progess, he’ll be a certainty for Euro 2020. NATHAN FERGUSON (Crystal Palace) The young defender’s free transfer from West Bromwich Albion went somewhat under the radar, but the19-year-old is a versatile defender with plenty of talent and potential, plus England youth caps. BENWHITE (Brighton) Leeds fans were desperate to keep White after starring in their promotion season, starting the social media campaign #FreeBenWhite. Can the 22-year-old centre-back adjust to the Premier League – wherever he ends up plying his trade? WILLIAM SALIBA (Arsenal) Gunners fans have high hopes that the tall France Under-20…

While the rest of Europe’s top leagues somehow found a way to complete their 2019-20 league seasons behind closed doors, the French – as is often their way – chose to do things differently. Governing body the LFP suspended both Ligue1 and Ligue 2 on March 13, and with all sporting events in the country banned until September, on April 28 they announced that neither competition would resume. Paris Saint-Germain were crowned Ligue1 Champions having topped the table by 12 points with a game in hand when the virus stopped play. After a bit of a legal kerfuffle, it was finally decided that the two bottom sides Amiens and Toulouse would be relegated and replaced by Lorient and Lens for the new season, which got underway on August 21 when…

Uncertainty, if not outright COVID-19 chaos, has proved the order of the day in Belgian football of late. Whether caused by panic, hesitancy, absence of leadership or judicial battles, the image of the game here has taken a real battering. It’s been a spring and summer of backroom adjudications, lawyers on the make, indecision and flux. The executive board of the Pro League dithering for six long weeks before finally holding a General Assembly to ratify the proposal that the championship be wound up early, scratching the last weekend of the regular season and play-off series. The title awarded to runaway leaders Club Brugge, with Waasland-Beveren, in last place at shutdown, successfully going to court to appeal against their demotion. Only a week before the scheduled date of the 2020-21…

ARMINIA BIELEFELD The runaway second division champions are back in the top flight for the first time since 2009. Expertly led by coach Uwe Neuhaus, they achieved promotion thanks largely to the goals of strikers Fabian Klos (21) and Andreas Voglsammer (12). Their season could hinge on how the pair adapt to their first seasons in the Bundesliga at the ages of 32 and 28 respectively. VFB STUTTGART Certain teams just belong at the top table, and there are few bigger organisations in German football than Stuttgart, thrice winners of the Bundesliga and once featuring a host of Nationalmannschaft stars such as Hansi Muller, Guido Buchwald, Jurgen Klinsmann, Philipp Lahm and Sami Khedira. Their coach, Pellegrino Matarazzo, used to work under Julian Nagelsmann at Hoffenheim, and the Americans’ attacking style…

SANDRO TONALI (Brescia) Seemingly destined for Internazionale (although champions Juventus may get involved), Tonali looks like an invaluable midfield anchor, both in attack and defence. Has been praised by legends Marco Tardelli and Andrea Pirlo. VICTOR OSIMHEN (Napoli) Osimhen arrives in Naples for a fee that could rise to €80m, making him the most expensive African footballer ever. 2019-20 was Napoli’s lowest-scoring season for ten years, but the Nigeria striker should help change that. SOFYAN AMRABAT (Fiorentina) The tireless midfield dynamo was the most surprising element in the already surprising Verona during his spell on loan from Club Brugge last season. Fiorentina were so impressed they paid €20m – a smart purchase. NICOLO ZANIOLO (Roma) Long considered a great hope for Italian football, the 21-year-old is included here because this…

It was a traumatic end of season for Benfica. A disastrous run of unprecedented proportions either side of the pandemic-induced interruption – just two victories in 13 matches between February and the end of June – saw the Lisbon giants first limp out of Europe meekly, then throw away the league title to arch-rivals Porto. The miserable campaign culminated in them also losing the Portuguese Cup final to the Dragons, despite playing against ten men for almost an hour. Something momentous was required to assuage the ire of the Benfica fans and president Luis Filipe Vieira, up for re-election in October, knew it. Benfica’s woes, Vieira’s need for a trump card and the catastrophic consequences of COVID-19 in Brazil combined to wrench Jorge Jesus from his highly-successful tenure at Flamengo…

Still flush with the euphoria of clinching their first-ever Super Lig crown, Istanbul Basaksehir now have their sights on the next part of their master plan – establishing a domestic dynasty. For Basaksehir, only a top-flight side for a mere six years, it’s simply not enough to savour this one intense moment of glory, or to bask in the warm glow of putting traditional Istanbul big-hitters (Fenerbahce, Besiktas and Galatasaray) in their place. The orange-shirted interlopers aim to shake up the Turkish football hierarchy for good. The new Turkish champions, located in the western Istanbul suburb of Basaksehir, have good reason to believe they have the necessary staying power. Although not the most spectacular of sides, they have other ways of getting the job done. They are tremendously consistent, play…

HUESCA After being relegated from La Liga in 2018-19, Huesca bounced straight back up as champions of Segunda Division. Premier League-winning forward with Leicester, Shinji Okazaki, finished as the club’s top scorer in all competitions last season, but doubts remain as to whether the 34-year-old will be able to cut it in La Liga. CADIZ Known as the “Carnival City” for its famous February celebrations, the Andalusian club return to La Liga for the first time since 2006. One of the most popular sides in Spain, they only bear a slight grudge with regional rivals Sevilla. Interestingly, they are one of only three La Liga clubs that Leo Messi has failed to score against. ElCHE Elche sneaked into the play-offs on the last day of the season, after Fuenlabrada’s match…

How did you get to this point where you are about to play again? When I retired just over a year ago, I wrote in a small, open letter that the decision was the most difficult of my whole career. It was also a little forced, although at the time I didn’t really go into that. But physical problems were at the heart of the decision, so it was kind of forced on me. We then decided, OK, the career is over, but we’ll stay another year in Munich to enjoy the city and get used to the idea of no longer being a footballer. I had a good time with the family, doing things like skiing. But eventually, the sports lover in me was searching for something to keep…

Ivana Andres (SPA) levante to real Madrid Chloe Arthur (SCO) Birmingham city to Aston Villa Viviane Asseyi (FRA) Bordeaux to Bayern Munich Ramona Bachmann (SUI) chelsea to Paris Saint-Germain Ona Batlle (SPA) levante to Manchester United Sara Bjork Gunnarsdottir (ICE) Wolfsburg to lyon Klara Buhl (GER) Freiburg to Bayern Munich Ellie Carpenter (AUS) Portland Thorns to lyon Niamh Charles (ENG) liverpool to chelsea Marta Corredera (SPA) levante to real Madrid Jess Fishlock (WAL) ol reign to reading (loan) Alia Guagni (ITA) AcF Fiorentina to Atletico Madrid Kathrin Hendrich (GER) Bayern Munich to Wolfsburg Katarzyna Kiedrzynek (POL) Paris Saint-Germain to Wolfsburg Virginia Kirchberger (AUT) Freiburg to eintracht Frankfurt Elena Linari (ITA) Atletico Madrid to Bordeaux Caroline Moller Hansen (DEN) Fortuna Hjorring to Inter Jade Moore (ENG) orlando Pride to Atletico Madrid…

The Europa League has never benefited from such a high profile. In the sadly but strangely beneficial circumstances of 2019-20, Sevilla, now record six-times champions, were appropriate as well as worthy winners after a14-month season. In the past, the Europa League’s closing stages have been overshadowed by the Champions League. This time it was different. The ravages of COVID-19 persuaded UEFA to find a one-off remedy that could not have worked more effectively. With no domestic football to compete, the Europa League’s final eight minitournament in Germany benefited from a broadcasting bonanza by running alternately with the Champions League in Portugal. Top-level European club competition was out there every night. Once the round of 16 second legs had been sorted out, it was to Germany for the “Final Eight” –…

After two years without a game, Tahiti’s performance at the 2019 Pacific Games was encouraging, collecting three wins from five matches, but the French-controlled territory has not played since. Tahiti were gearing up for this summer’s OFC Nations Cup in New Zealand until the coronavirus pandemic hit and the tournament was cancelled and put back to 2023. The start of the Oceania World Cup qualifiers has also been delayed and the domestic championship stopped in March despite no recorded cases. Frustrated national team coach Samuel Garcia says: “Since June 2019, this selection brings together in each FIFA window to train. A programme has been established so that the selection is competitive.” A decade ago, Tahitian football was going through a golden period as a generation of players that had grown…

West and East Asia tend to continue along their own separate football paths, coming together for international tournaments and not much besides. This is not surprising given that little connects them: the differences in climate, culture, language and, of course, geographical location are huge. That division is clear to see in the AFC Champions League at the best of times. The 32 teams that enter the continental tournament are separated into two zones with the best of the west and the east only coming together for the final. This year’s edition has, inevitably, been devastated by the coronavirus and attitudes on how to finish it, or whether to finish it at all, are very different depending on which side of Asia you happen to be in. The major problem with…

UEFA NATIONS LEAGUE Matchdays 1-4 (of 6). All games in September to be played behind closed doors. LEAGUE A Group A1 Bosnia-Herzegovina, Netherlands, italy, Poland Sep 4: Italy v Bosnia-Herzegovina Sep 4: Netherlands v Poland Sep 7: Bosnia-Herzegovina v Poland Sep 7: Netherlands v Italy Oct 11: Bosnia-Herzegovina v Netherlands Oct 11: Poland v Italy Oct 14: Italy v Netherlands Oct 14: Poland v Bosnia-Herzegovina Group A2 belgium, Denmark, england, iceland Sep 5: Iceland v England Sep 5: Denmark v Belgium Sep 8: Belgium v Iceland Sep 8: Denmark v England Oct 11: England v Belgium Oct 11: Iceland v Denmark Oct 14: England v Denmark Oct 14: Iceland v Belgium Group A3 Croatia, france, Portugal, sweden Sep 5: Portugal v Croatia Sep 5: Sweden v France Sep 8: France…