Mourinho is close to the edge

The game against Liverpool on Saturday could be the last one at Stamford Bridge for Mourinho. According to The Times the Portuguese would be sacked in case his side suffered another defeat.

The players’ mood is not idyllic and after Upton Park’s defeat there is strong evidence that something has broken. The Chelsea’s manager refused to speak to media just few days after claiming a lack of respect shown to him by English press.

The Blues currently sit 15th with 11 points. Losing the sixth game of the season would be too much for Abramovich, who is concerned about the image of his club.

Mourinho’s behaviours have certainly given an image of the club that the Russian owner does not appreciate. Even though he has backed the Portuguese just three weeks ago, now it is undeniable that the Special One’s job is under threat.

In case of a defeat against Liverpool this would be the worst start to a Premier League season for Chelsea, something that would end the reign even of a manager of the likes of Mourinho.

Klopp will be next manager to face the Portuguese in a game that nobody can lose. Even the German is under pressure after a mediocre start of his career at Anfield and winning against Chelsea would help him get off this period of transition.

The two managers have already faced each other in 2013, when Klopp helped Mourinho end his reign at Real Madrid after Borussia Dortmund won 4-3 on aggregate in Champions League semi-finals.

Will the Chelsea manager turn this season around and save his job?

Predictions Premier League 24 October

Aston Villa-Swansea City: these two teams are going through a difficult moment. The Villans have won just one game this season. My prediction: DRAW

Leicester City-Crystal Palace: Jamie Vardy is almost unstoppable but it will not be so easy against Pardew's side. My prediction: DRAW

Norwich City-WBA: the Canaries need to turn the page after the defeat at Newcastle. My prediction: HOME WIN

Stoke City-Watford: after three wins in a row Stoke City may concede something to a team that are looking for points. My prediction: AWAY WIN

West Ham United-Chelsea: the Blues are in desperate need of victories and they will accept only one outcome from this game, the three points. My prediction: AWAY WIN

Arsenal-Everton: this will be a tough game, Everton need to forget the home defeat against the Red Devils but Arsenal are in the best moment of their season. My prediction: DRAW

Why beating Bayern would give a boost to Arsenal

On Tuesday Arsenal will face Bayern Munich in Champions League once again. After two defeats in the first two games, Wenger’s side must win.

Bayern are unbeaten this season and Robert Lewandowski is going through the best moment of his career. It will be hard for Arsenal’s defense to stop him.

But still, Arsenal can beat the German champions. Emirates stadium’s support will be crucial for a team that are looking for nothing but a victory.

Wenger seem to have finally found his strongest starting line-up and after trashing Watford on Saturday he has praised his players’ work.

Thus, this is perhaps the best moment to face Bayern Munich, as Arsenal have nothing to fear and a win is the only acceptable result.

The outstanding form of Alexis Sanchez, who has scored ten goals in his last six games, will certainly make attacking unpredictable. And, with Walcott giving his best playing front, Coquelin controlling the defensive midfield area and Gabriel Paulista available for this game, the Bavarian champions will not find it easy to dazzle.

A victory could have a particular meaning for Arsenal, as it would give them more confidence about their possibilities. Beating Bayern would mean that Gunners are able to compete in every competition and against every team.

And, as Arsenal in many occasions, especially in Champions League, seemed to lack confidence, this is the opportunity to demonstrate that they want to stay among the best European teams.

Will Wenger manage to urge his players to stay calm and focused, without thinking that a defeat would mean almost zero chances of qualifying out of their group?

Why Arsenal cannot do without Alexis Sanchez

Sanchez’s outstanding form is attracting interests from every football giant. He is performing well at Arsenal and he has been superb with his national team, after taking his tally to nine goals in five games.

Therefore, super clubs like Real Madrid have come forward and reportedly made a bid. According to the Standards, the Spanish giants have offered £37m for the Arsenal superstar.

The Chilean international has played down a move to Spain, assuring that he is happy at Arsenal and he is not thinking about leaving.

Wenger must make sure of the truthfulness of Sanchez’s statements for three reasons.

He is a world class player, the first player to score hat-tricks in three different European leagues. He netted a treble with Udinese in Serie A, with Barcelona in La Liga and with Arsenal in the Premier League. But the Chilean’s strength is not only about goals, his industry always makes his teammates’ work easier.

He fits perfectly in Arsenal’s line-up. Playing on the left-side makes his moves unpredictable, as he can move to the centre of the field and shoot with his right foot.

Sanchez celebrating a goal

He can become a leader. A player who has class and a good attitude towards his team is a good fit to lead the others.

Predictions Serie A October 17-18

Roma-Empoli: Garcia is not an untouchable anymore and he has to demonstrate that he deserves to stay at Roma. My prediction: HOME WIN

Torino-Milan: Mihajlovic finds himself in an even more critical situation. He will not substancially improve in this weekend. My prediction: DRAW

Bologna-Palermo: these two sides have been disappointing so far and both will try to win this game. My prediction: DRAW

Atalanta-Carpi: after their first win Carpi must be galvanised but I do not think they will enjoy this trip to Bergamo. My prediction: HOME WIN

Frosinone-Sampdoria: the hosts are struggling and they have won only one out of three home games. My prediction: DRAW

Genoa-Chievo: Gasperini has not found the right pace yet but his team are improving. My prediction: HOME WIN

Hellas V.-Udinese: Hellas are the only team that have never won in this season. I think this will be the right time. My prediction: HOME WIN

Napoli-Fiorentina: this is going to be an oustanding game but at the end Sarri's improvements will push Napoli to the victory. My prediction: HOME WIN

Sassuolo-Lazio: Sassuolo were the only team that had never lost before conceding the victory goal against Empoli. Now it is going to be harder for them. My prediction: AWAY WIN

Inter-Juventus: another big game between harsh rivals Inter and Juventus. After a terrible start Juve are improving. On the contrary Inter are experiencing some problems. My prediction: AWAY WIN

Predictions EURO2016 Qualifiers 12 October

GROUP C:

Belarus-FYR Macedonia: HOME WIN

Luxembourg-Slovakia: AWAY WIN

Ukraine-Spain: DRAW

GROUP E:

Estonia-Switzerland: DRAW

Lithuania-England: AWAY WIN

San Marino-Slovenia: AWAY WIN

GROUP G:

Austria-Liechtenstein: HOME WIN

Russia-Montenegro: DRAW

Sweden-Moldova: HOME WIN

 

Prediction EURO2016 Qualifiers 8 October

Georgia-Gibraltar: Gibraltar are probably the weakest team in these qualifications, it will be difficult to see them making even a single point. My prediction: HOME WIN

Ireland-Germany: Ireland are a decent squad, it will not be an easy game for the World champions. But still, at the end Germany will probably win this match. My prediction: AWAY WIN

Scotland-Poland: Scotland have dropped many points when they were likely to win and now the road to EURO2016 is really tough. My prediction: DRAW

Hungary-Faroe Islands: this is apparently an easy game for Hungary but I think they will struggle more than expected. My prediction: HOME WIN

N. Ireland-Greece: Greece were absolutely disappointing and now the qualification is impossible for them. My prediction: HOME WIN

Romania-Finland: in this group the race for EURO2016 qualification is massively heated and Romania will keep taking part in it. My prediction: HOME WIN

Albania-Serbia: this game's atmosphere will be intense. Everyone hopes not to see what happened in Serbia when these two national teams faced each other. Serbia's hopes of qualification are gone but they will fight tooth and nail against Albania. My prediction: AWAY WIN

Portugal-Denmark: this match is worth the first place of group I. It will not be easy but I think Portugal will eventually win. My prediction: HOME WIN

Why Fiorentina might be a tremendous outsider

After seven games Fiorentina are top of the table, after six wins and one defeat. The most substantial victory was at San Siro, when they trashed Inter 4-1.

Paulo Sousa's team turned out to be a better side than expected, thanks to a perfect integration of the new players.

Furthermore,some old ones, like Marcos Alonso, have found their best form ever. The Spaniard, in particular, has shown a terrific improvement also in striking free kicks.

If you add a goalkeeper that has surprised everyone with a series of sensational saves, like Tatarusanu has done, you will understand why Fiorentina has been successful so far this season.

Appointing a young manager like Paulo Sousa, despite the supporters' scepticism for his Juventus past, turned out to be a good choice.

Nobody would expect Fiorentina to play an important role in the title race but this is football and it is often unpredictable.

Cristiano Ronaldo is an outstanding player but...

Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the best players of all time. He is fast, technical and extremely cold blooded in front of the goal.

His body is built to compete in sports and in football it gives the best performance. He has made the difference both in Spain and England, something that even Messi has not done.

So what? Does Cristiano Ronaldo have some weaknesses? Yes, like everyone else. He is not good at shooting free kicks.

It may seem nonsense. If you google "Cristiano Ronaldo" and click images you will certainly find pictures of him before striking a free kick. And if you look for images of free kicks you will find the Portuguese.

But still, stats are against him. In the last 85 free kicks he scored only twice. He was unlucky only once, when he hit the post.

Astonishingly he hit the wall 34 times, whereas his shot was stopped by the goalkeeper in 25 occasions.

The percentage of free kicks scored considering the last 85 is 2.35%. Is he really good at shooting free kicks?

Rodgers sacked

Liverpool have sacked Brendan Rodgers and on Twitter there have been thousands of comments.

Should big clubs sack managers like small ones do? Or Liverpool are not a big club anymore?

And why has he been sacked after a draw at Goodison Park?

Prediction Premier League 03/10

Crystal Palace-WBA: HOME WIN

Bournemouth-Watford: HOME WIN

Aston Villa-Stoke City: DRAW

Manchester City-Newcastle United: HOME WIN

Norwich City-Leicester City: DRAW

Sunderland-West Ham United: AWAY WIN

Chelsea-Southampton: HOME WIN

Why market's new rules are destroying many players

In the last years it has become more and more difficult for a football club to buy a player who has international caps without splashing out a fortune.

This happens for the new rules of the football market, which has been changed by clubs like Manchester City and PSG, but also by Manchester United, Chelsea, Barcelona and Real Madrid.

Therefore, when Milan, a club that notoriously loan players rather than buy them, tried to sign new men, they found that every target was overpriced.

And it is the same for all the managers. So, when Brendan Rodgers decided that he needed new players, Hoffenheim and Aston Villa were craving to put their hands on the money that Liverpool had after Sterling's departure.

And what happens to overpriced players? They comprehensibly feel under pressure and they eventually underperform. Liverpool's Firmino is a good example.

This leads to make managers feel under pressure as well. They feel the money spent as an obligation to include the new players in the starting line-up, even if they are underperforming.

Why Napoli can win the Europa League

Last year Napoli had a gigantic occasion to win the second most important European competition but they naively fell in the semi-final against Dnipro.

This season has not started according to plans for Sarri's Napoli but the last match against Juventus gave some hopes to Neapolitans.

And now they must face the reality: Napoli are one of the most equipped teams to win the Europa League once again.

As I said in a previous post, Sarri is the man for this club. He can give them pace and he can work on their attitude.

The main reason for last year semi-final defeat was the wrong attitude, maybe Napoli underevaluated their opponents, maybe they were surprised by Dnipro fans' support or maybe both.

But this year they must improve, even if it is the Sarri's first season. They managed to keep Higuain, they have Insigne and Hamsik in the best form so far. They just cannot fail.