The Footy Tales

 There are a few things that are certain in life...death, taxes and Cristiano Ronaldo rescuing his team again and again. At the ripe age of 37, when most players hang up their boots, here we have one of the most decorated footballers of all time pulling his team out of the mud week in week out. Sure, the match was against a less fancied Norwich, sure it was against side who have lost all their matches to the top 7 this season...but don't you dare say it was an easy win for Manchester United. As it has been the case this season, United let go a two goal lead thanks to some dreadful defending at the back, but once again it was that Portuguese messiah who brought the valuable three points for the team. The match was marked with protest both in and out of the stadium against the gross mismanagement of the club by the Glazers spanning over decades of ownership. Rangnick started with a 4-1-4-1 formation which essentially transformed into his preferred 4-2-2-2 as the game went on. Elanga ...

  Hi everyone, how are you doing? Hope you are absolutely in the best shape and rearing to go and shine in 2022. Its special, after all its a new year, a World Cup year. Yes, the FIFA Men's world cup takes place this year in Qatar. The mere mention of the world cup is so special to any football fan, the passion, the drama, the joy, the tears and all the sacrifice one makes to make their country proud in front of the whole world is something I can just admire. 2022 is also special for me because it marks 8 years of me being a dedicated football fan. Yes, THAT world cup in Brazil, 2014, was enough to make a 12 year old me fall in love with football. It was one of the best tournaments in recent memory, with the suspense continuing till the final match itself. Mario Goetze putting the ball in the net in extra time broke a million hearts, but it made another million dance with joy. Here's me reflecting on my journey as a football fan since then, and I feel many of you can relate wit...

  Football, the sport we love, the players we adore. Football gives us strength, courage, hope, a plethora of emotions like anger, happiness, sadness all within a span of 90 minutes. Football, as we know should always be for the fans. Fans or as I like to call them, the supporters should be the heartbeat of our wonderful sport. But lately, in the last decade or so there has been a shift in power in the footballing landscape in Europe, the hotbed of football. Its not a surprise that whatever happens in the European football scene is likely to influence the world football in some way or the other. Amid a raging pandemic and the rise of economic power houses entering this domain of the beautiful game, here are my views on the shift in power that has been so apparent in the last few years ; 1. The Economic Condition of the Players Football is for the players who play it, there's no two ways about it. For a footballer, its his job. They are lucky enough to turn their passion into their ...

  Manchester United bounced back to winning ways and top 6 after a 3-1 win vs Burnley at home. The win came at the back of a solid 1st half performance where they scored 3 goals but conceded a one in the process. The 2nd half was lull without much goal mouth action with United seemingly focused on securing the 3 points. Here are my takeaways from last night's match ; 1. The Changes Ralf Rangnick made as many as 6 changes from the starting eleven which drew at Newcastle. It was one of the rare occasions of seeing Cavani and Ronaldo start together. Luke Shaw and Aaron wan Bissaka came back into the line up, as did Jadon Sancho and Nemanja Matic. And the changes bore fruit. Burnley though attacking and creating good chances in the first few minutes, were completely blown away by a 30 minute storm. Bailly started at the heart of the defense in place of Varane. Greenwood started on the left side of the midfield while Sancho was on the right, although both the wingers interchanged their ...

MANCHSTER UNITED VS NEWCASTLE UNITED : MY VIEWS Manchester United finally played a league game after a gap of 16 days, though they would have asked for a better return. The Mancs played the Magpies in an away game they were expected to win with ease. Newcastle, the richest club in the world were far from intimidated by the big name in the opposition squad and were the better team for most of the game. Varane was returning from an injury and his return was thought to provide the much needed defensive stability, yet it were their less fancied rivals who were on top for most of the game. Here are my thoughts on yesterday's match ;- 1. United's defensive woes Lets get the elephant out of the room, United's defense was utter shambles. Maguire, as usual was making costly errors leading to chances for the opposition. Varane, returning from his injury, looked rusty and lost the ball in the build up to the 1st goal. In all both Maguire and Varane lost the ball 11 times, a combined 2...