Three Goals In 13 Games; What Is Wrong With Barcelona's Luis Suarez?

Barcelona might be cruising to the La Liga title as well as topping their Champions League group yet that is not enough to excite fans of the Catalan club yet considering the poor form of Uruguyian  star striker Luis Suarez who has been abysmal all season with Tuesday night's Champions League away game to Olympiakos making it more serious than previously thought.

Despite having the luxury of playing alongside Lionel Messi, the former Liverpool striker has scored only three goals in 13 appearances across all competitions this season. To make matters worse the striker has failed to score in four Champions League games with the likes of Juventus and Sporting Lisbon the other opponents.

In the goalless draw against the Greek side, Barcelona's second game without scoring a goal in the last 47 Champions League group games, the striker attempted only eight shots of which three were blocked and four off target to show how badly he played all night. To buttress further it is important to look at the Uruguain's impressive goalscoring record in Barcelona. A return of 25 goals in 43 games in his debut season despite waiting until October to make his debut after biting Italy's Chielini in the 2014 World Cup group game is impressive yet not good enough when compared with his 59 goals from 53 games in his second season (2015-2016) leading Barcelona to the treble as well as not forgetting his last season's stat of 37 goals from 51 games last season .

So where did it go all wrong for Suarez? First and foremost while he might be criticised heavily for his loss of form, Suarez appears most affected of all Barcelona players from the loss of attack partner Neymar to PSG as well as the loss of the Brazilian's replacement Ousmane Dembele who assisted Suarez's goal against Espanyol. Having played with the Brazilian since his signing, the former Liverpool striker has found it difficult to move on as well as adapting to Ernesto Valdeva's system. Also to be noted is the knee injury sufferd by the striker in the opening day game with Real Betis and the fact he rushed back  too early in order to be ready for  the World Cup qualifiers for Uruguay soon afterwards. With Valdeva  constantly tinkering with his personnel and system, the end to the striker's goal drought might take longer than expected.

However, with four points ahead of second placed Valencia in La Liga and top of the Champions League as well as defensive solidity, Barcelona fans have every reason to celebrate given their last season's struggles under Luis Enrique at the same time hoping 30-year-old Luiz Suarez hits his best form as soon as possible.

Jaded, Lack Of Desire Or Not Up To Grade; What Is Wrong With Antonio Conte's Chelsea?

Antonio Conte will have a Halloween to forget having seen his Chelsea side crushed (lost 3-0) to the very end by Francesco Eusebio's Roma on Tuesday night at the Stadio Olympico in Rome despite controlling much of the proceedings in the first half .

Despite claims that the absence of energetic dynamic defensive midfielder N'golo Kante had a major impact on the game there is no denying the fact that Chelsea are lacking the same thing that made them the Champions of England last season. The same players who were called heroes last season seem to lack the drive, desire and attitude that once made them the best team in England last season. A look at once realiable defenders Marcus Alonso and Ceaser Azpilicueta shows both are either Jaded and tired or have lost the right mentality as Alonso's lifeless  attitude allowed El-Shaarawy all the time to pick Eden Dzeko's header before scoring a screamer. Agreed Kante is like two players in one due to his positional skill and quality yet it must be noted that Chelsea have been poor all season even with him in the side as the 3-2 opening day loss to Burnley and 1-0 loss to Manchester City testifies. Conceding six goals in two weeks against Roma as well as conceding within 39 seconds is unacceptable for any side aspiring to win trophies which even seems fair when the stats are dug up. Even Antonio Rudiger who was making a return to his old side looked suspicious all night, not clearing a dangerous Kolarov long pass which led to the second goal likewise David Luiz who seems back to his old calamity best of recent.

This season Chelsea have recorded only five clean sheets from a total of 17 games across all competitions (appalling). In the last eight games , The Blues have recorded a single clean sheet as well as conceding 20 goals in 17 games which is poor when compared to their 33 goals conceded in 38 games last season. While it is accepted that Conte's attack isn't as dangerous as it was last season given Alvaro Morata's inability to score in his last five games despite starting the season on fire, yet it should be noted that the defence is far worse at present and most be addressed promptly. With the likes of Kennedy, Christensen and Zapacosta not so experienced, they aforementioned players deserve a chance in the first team as the likes of Gary Cahill, David Luiz and Cesar might benefit from some rest of sort on the bench.

Conte might have felt vindicated in letting go of Diego Costa having seen Morata's early season promise but watching from the game tonight it is wise to say that the Athletico Madrid striker would have given the Blues the needed drive and purpose which was so glaringly lacking all night, worse still the board's decision to sell Nemanja Matic to a rival club despite having to play every four days on the average this season.

Individual errors, miscommuncation, lack of confidence, fatigue, inability to do tactical preparations, loss of the dressing room call it anything you like; Chelsea look pathetic and out of touch and Conte must rescue the situation or risk getting booted by trigger happy Roman Abramovich. Bold calls and decisions must be taken and the former Juventus manager is a man not afraid to do that given his decision to switch to a three man backline last season which yielded results. For now Conte must be trusted to take the team further to where they belong.

Has Anthony Martial Earned His Spot In The Starting Eleven In Manchester United With Spurs Goal?

Manchester United might have secured a hard fought victory over Spurs (second behind league leaders Manchester City) on Saturday having been too predictable and less creative yet the fact remains that Anthony Martial reminded everyone watching of his clutch time abilities; grabbing the headlines despite again starting on the bench. While no one can question the Frenchman's talents he still remains a  liability when United lose the ball as well as when defenders go hard on him coupled with his inability to track back and help the wing backs.

With Mourinho often opting for Marcus Rashford in his place, it is difficult to question his decision given the energy and vibrance of the Englishman  Yes Martial has scored four goals in nine games (all goals from the bench), has a 100% shot accuracy as well as 84% pass accuracy yet it is also no denying the fact that when given less space the Frenchman is notified as well as becoming a passenger when defenders go hard on him due to his quiet nature and small body build whereas  Rashford offers the opposite with more versatility which can stretch defenders with his direct runs making it easier for the other attackers to exploit and run into space.

With Romelu Lukaku as the no9, the use of the Englishman suits his game better due to his ability to run at defenders before lofting crosses or playing a through ball which is something unfamiliar with Martial as he prefers to cut inside often going for goal or drifting to the centre himself. In all these though he might not accept it in public , Anthony Martial knows that statistics have shown he is better when he comes from the bench to disrupt the plans of defenders who played direct with Rashford earlier in the game and have become stressed and unable to change game plan with his entry (Martial).

Rashford or Martial, Manchester United are winning despite not playing well and creating less chances with out of form Mkhitaryan and injured Pogba , which speaks volumes about their mentality this season.

Hottest Attacker In Europe This Season? Messi, Ronaldo Or Kane? No; It's Ciro Immobile Of Lazio

A guess of the highest goalscorer in Europe's top five leagues (Germany, England, Italy, Spain and France) will have many people mentioning the likes of Lionel Messi, Christiano Ronaldo, Emerick Aubameyang or even Harry Kane yet none of the aforementioned players comes close to Ciro Immobile, a failed striker who couldn't even make the grade in Borussia Dortmund and Sevilla some seasons ago.
How how did it get to this? The undeniable fact is it is unfair to label a player a failure simply because they didn't shine when expected to. Footballers are human beings hence their form is affected by numerous things like culture, weather, language, trust or love to say the least. Having joined Juventus aged 16 for €80,000 in 2007, Immobile was classified not good enough to play for his childhood club despite being born in Naples. Afforded no game time and playing just three Seria A games, the striker played on loan for the likes of Sienna, Grosseto and Pescara where his talents were starting to be recognised having scored 28 Seria B goals (Seria B top scorer) as Pescara won promotion to Seria A where he played alongside Insigne and Marco Verratti.

As if that was not enough the striker once again did it in a big way by scoring 22 goals in 33 league games for Torino in his sole season (2013-2014) winning the Copacannoniere (Seria A top scorer; first Torino player to win the award since Francesco Graziani in the 1976-1977 season)  which earned him  a €18m move to Jurgen Klopp's Borussia Dortmund in 2014 where his career stalled as he failed to adapt to a new culture, language and tactics, failing to dislodge Emerick Pierre Aubameyang as the top dog as well as playing only 24 league games and scoring only three. It could only get worse for him as he flopped once again in Sevilla under Unai Emery with Kelvin Gameiro this time keeping him out of the team (made only eight appearances scoring thrice in six months).

Realising he was in in danger of going down the drain as an unfulfilled talent, the Italian settled in Lazio after a single season on loan in former club Torino. Signed for a paltry €8.5m last summer , the striker has shown that on-field performances are sometimes not a true reflection of a player's quality. While he might have been sublime last season scoring 23 goals in 36 league games (Dzeko 29 goals and highest goalscorer) as Lazio qualified for the Europa League, the striker has started where he left out scoring 13 goals in 10 league games as well as 17 in 14 games across all competitions. With the likes of Luiz Alberto, Milinkovic-Savic and Anderson all playing in the front row with him, Immobile has become world class showing exactly that he thrives under a manager that trusts and gives him the patience he needs to deliver. Coach Simone Inzaghi is already doing wonders this season having beaten the likes of Juventus and Milan as they sit 4th in the table three points behind league leaders Napoli.

With more than 28 more games to go, this write-up might appear misleading or premature yet there is no denying the fact that Ciro Immobile is in his prime and at the same time presently the hottest attacker in Europe.

Why Jurgen Klopp's Style Of Play Is Holding Liverpool Back Rather Than The Defenders.

Jurgen Klopp might have reached two finals and finished in the top four in his two years in Liverpool yet one thing appears to be dragging him to the mud and that is defensive frailty. While it is easy to lay all blame on Lovren who has been abysmal since Klopp's appointment one thing that should be noted is that the German has not helped his team due to his inability to field a recognised defensive midfielder who can shield the defence. A player is only as good as his team mates they say, hence the reason the likes defenders who play behind  of Victor Wanyama, Nemanja Matic and Ngolo Kante who interrupt passes, make hard tackles and disposess attackers appear better than their mates in other  clubs .

With his emphasis on massive attack massive defence, there has been little or no man to man marking even in set-piece situations which leaves out space for opponents. Accepted Lovren isn't the best defender available yet this has been a reoccurring problem all through his time in Liverpool with the likes of Nathan Clyne, Kolo Toure, Martin Shktel  , Alberto Moreno, Joel Matip and Klaven all deemed not good enough at one point or the other . The same problem plaguing the Merseyside club this season has always plagued them since the German's appointment in 2015. The only difference last season is that the attack papered the cracks with the likes of Sadio Mane and Philipe Coutinho (13 goals each), Firmino (11), James Milner  and Adam Lallana (eight each). What this entails is that while Liverpool continued to concede goals at an alarming rate  they outscored their opponents.

This season Mane  and Coutinho have suffered with injury and suspension, Lallana is still out and yet to lace his boots and Roberto Firmino is out of form with only Mohammed Salah their only hope in attack. With so much emphasis on intensity and use of wings , the right and left backs bump forward recklessly leaving the centre backs exposed while the duo of Henderson and Emre Can do not possess the stamina to burst up and down to disposess opponents or the ability to tackle and win back the ball without conceding a foul , something mastered by both Wanyama and Kante. Even Spurs despite having the best central defence play with two holding midfielders in Wanyama and Erik Deir or Moussa Dembele which allowed the likes of Kyle Walker and Danny Rose to play high up the pitch last season . Once known as a defensive liability Chelsea's David Luiz have turned the corner ending last season as one of the best central defenders in the Premier League due to Conte's style of play which makes Luiz the third central defender coupled with the protection offered by Matic and Kante.

Pep Guardiola might have been successful in playing without a recognised defensive midfielder yet one cannot argue his team is a disaster at the back and only win games due to the quality of their attack (Sergio Aguero, Jesus Gabriel, Kelvin De Bruyne, Sterling Raheem and David Silva to mention a few). Rather than sign a recognised defensive midfielder, to allow either Henderson, Can, Lallana or Wjinaldum go further up, Klopp has continued to try and make matters worse for himself. Even Jose Mourinho had to pay more than £40m to sign 29 year old Matic from Chelsea so as to reduce the pressure on his defenders and help Pogba concentrate in attacking opponents in this season.

Lovren might not best in his position but he was sure better while in Southampton when he had Wanyama ahead of him to protect him . To illustrate further , Matip who was dependable for Schalke has lost some form as well. Lying 14th in the table and 12 points behind leaders Manchester City, top four is Klopp's best bet for now. Time to Change is now.

Is Claudio Ranieri Cooking Up Another Impossible Shock At Nantes?

Nantes are flying high in the French Ligue 1, sitting 3rd in the table with only big spending PSG and Monaco ahead of them . Though talk of European football might seem premature, yet there is no denying the fact that Claudio Ranieri's side are one of the most improved teams in Ligue 1.

Claudio Ranieri might have been unfortunate to have been sacked by Leicester City despite winning their first league title in their 133 years of existence as well as qualifying them for the second round of the Champions League yet this did nothing to halt his sacking nine months after he won the title. Fast forward to the present and Ranieri's Nantes boast the second best defence in Ligue 1 (seven goals conceded) as well as playing a highly comprehensive compact style of football. Having taken over the job after Sergio Conceicao resigned few weeks to the start of the new season to take over at Porto, Ranieri has further improved the side to the surprise of many . Given that Conceicao took the side from brinks of relegation to near European football qualification ladt season, despite the limited budget, Ranieri has done more in his few months at the club making them difficult to beat as well as improving most players.

Having lost his first two league games, the Italian abandoned his preferred 4-4-2 formation for 4-2-3-1 or 5-4-1 to get the best from his players. Under him, Nantes have conceded only once in their last five games with new signing and goalkeeper Ciprian Tatasuranu being the the fourth best goalkeeper in terms of save percentage in Europe's best five leagues. Playing with a direct style that allows them to soak pressure, sitting deep as well as countering at the slightest opportunity, Nantes have it all going for them at the moment. With top star Amine Harit sold for €10m in the summer, the likes of Abdoulaye Toure, Andrei Girotto and Rene Khhrin have stepped up. What is even more impressive is that Ranieri's appointment was not approved by the UNECATEF (France's Union of Coaches) due to the existing law that prohibits coaches over 65 years from managing in the league before  the Legal Commission of the League stepped in to salvage the situation and confirm his appointment.

In Stade de La Beau, Club president Waldemar Kita even seems more excited than most given his public backing of the Italian to return the glory days to the club who were promoted to the first Division as recent as 2012 although they still remain one of the most successful french clubs having won the league eight times with the most recent been in 2001. With a desire for flexibility,  pragmatism  and emphasis on most attacks going through Adrien Thomasson , Ranieri has evolved his side to become a better side.

With Leicester fighting relegation already having sacked Ranieri's successor Craig Shakespeare last week, it is clear the Italian is already having the last laugh and is building something positively shocking at the moment.

How Valencia Have Evolved Under Marcelino.

Peter Lim was hailed as the Valencia saviour shortly after he bought the club's majority shares as well as clearing it's substantial debts in 2014, yet that has been the only good thing from Valencia since then. In the last three years Los Che have had six different managers  have coupled with two successive 12th place finish . Unrest, financial struggles, fans protest and on-field inconsistencies have come to represent the once Great Spanish side who won the League and UEFA Cup in 2003 under Rafa Benitez.

This appears to be a thing of the past this season as the club has been purged of both directors and players with 16 players sold in the summer and seven signed. In their place came Mateu Alemany (former president of Real Mallorca) as General Director incharge of the daily running of the club. In the dugout, former Sporting Gijon player and coach Marcelino was recruited to turn things around. On the field , everything appears to have changed positively with Los Che 2nd in the table three points behind leaders  Barcelona (ahead of the two Madrid clubs) , unbeaten thus far after nine games,  scoring 25 league goals (only  Barcelona have scored more ) a record which is their best season  start in 70 years  despite having played heavyweights like Real Madrid, Athletic Bilbao, Athletico  Madrid and Sevilla as well only being behind for eight minutes after all these games.

Under the former Villarreal coach, Valencia sold the likes of Negredo, Nani, Perez and Diego Alves for a combined sum of €14m and signing such players like Kondogbia, Guedes, Gabriel as well as keeping hold of captain Parejo who was linked to Barcelona all season, Carlos Solder and Luis Gaya who have all been impressive. In total the Spanish side spent a net of €21m having spent €35m on new signings . Under Marcelino's watch , striker Rodrigo has already scored five times (earning a call up to  the Spanish national team) which is the same number of goals he scored the whole of last season, the same with Simon Zaza who has scored eight (one behind Lionel Messi) and was awarded the League's best player of September . This is not the first time Marcelino will be working wonders with constrained budgets having led Villarreal from the second division to the Semi-final of the Europa League as well as leading an unknown Recreativo Huelva from the second division to a La Liga 8th place finish. Under his belt, Valencia now play in the old traditional 4-4-2 formation with emphasis on intensity and focus on quick recovery of the ball immediately possession is lost so as to quickly counter the opponent as well as the use of the wings to stretch opponents and create spaces for thier attackers. In goal, Neto has shown flashes of his old best after being in Buffon's shadows, Guedes has been so impressive that PSG is unlikely to let him leave on loan again next season having scored three goals and assisted five already with Geoffrey Kondogbia not left out displaying his ball winning abilities and shielding the defence.

Though the league still has a long way to go, their is no doubting that Valencia are on the right path with the new board and Coaching staff considering the excitement and optimism of the fans.

Can Claude Puel Achieve The Impossible In Leicester As He Once Did With Monaco?

Having led Southampton to the League Cup final and narrowly losing 3-2 to Manchester United despite coming back into the game from 2-0 down and  having the misfortune of having a goal wrongly disallowed, Claude Puel was dismissed by the Saints at the end of the season.

So what were the reasons for his dismissal? Puel had led the Saints to 8th in his one and only season but his stifled and patient possession style of football ultimately led to his sacking  as Southampton scored only 41 goals in 38 league games (17 goals in 19 league games), failed to score in six of their final seven league games as well as finishing 15 points behind 7th placed Everton and six ahead of 17th placed Watford. 

Can he turn Leicester City around following his appointment? This is a dicey question considering Leicester City appears to be back where they belong after overachieving under Claudio Ranieri (winning the league in 2016) but considering Puel's ability to work wonders under financial constraints and blooding youth players, the Foxes should be optimistic. No disrespect to Southampton but when compared on paper to Leicester (Leicester are 14th in the table one point above  relegation) , its clear that the Frenchman now has better players despite the exit of Danny Drinkwater to Chelsea as Vincent Iborra and Wilfred Ndidi have shown some early promise in central midfield since Craig Shakespeare's sacking . The list is not complete without the mention of the trio of Riyadh Mahrez, Jamie Vardy and Okazaki all players who are better when playing on a counter-attack considering their pace ans trickey which perfectly suits Puel's style and alongside talented youngsters  Kelechi Iheanacho and Ben Chillwell and you see why Puel is the right man for the Foxes at the moment. 

Despite not winning any trophy lately, Puel won the French Ligue 1 in his first season as a coach in Monaco (2000) , promoting the likes of Thierry Henry and David Trezeguet from the academy and turning them into World Beaters, taking Lyon into their one and only Champions League semi-final (2010) and finishing 4th in Ligue 1 with little known Nice with the likes of Mendy, St-Germain, Ben Arfa (2016). While he might have struggled to play Southampton's style of entertaining quick football it should be noted that he started the season without two of his main important players Victor Wanyama and Sadio Mane who were the bedrock of the Saints but sold to Spurs and Liverpool respectively. This is not all as then captain Jose Fonte decided to make the move North to West Ham in the Winter as well as the injury of new captain Virgil Van Dijk who suffered a career threatening injury in January that kept him out of the season coupled with the strains of League Cup and Europa League for a thin Southampton Squad and you find out why he struggled at the South Coast last season. 

Though it is still too early yet optimism should be expected from fans of the Foxes as Puel tries to take them back into contention for European competitions, only time will tell if this expectation is excessive

Stats That Show Why Javier Hernandez (Chicharito) Has Struggled In West Ham.

West Ham United fans thought their club made the best signing of the season when Javier Hernandez (Chicharito) was signed for £16m from Bayer Leverkusen in the summer having been without a prolific goalscorer with the likes of Andy Carroll, Diafra Sako and Dede Ayew all blowing hot and cold over the years yet based on empirical evidence the Mexican has flopped in East London.

While it is shocking to admit that the highest Mexican goalscorer (international) has not been at his best with West Ham sitting 16th in the league same point with 18th placed Everton, Slaven Bilic must take the blame for not getting the best out of the Mexican. Having scored 39 goals in 76 games for Bayer Leverkusen in two years as well as netting 59 goals in 157 games for Manchester United despite playing more then half of those games as a substitute, Chicharito is as good as the services provided to me by his team mates. This means that the striker feeds on creativity from team mates as his awareness (predatory instincts and ability to find the back of the net inside the penalty  box are his best attributes. In East London, the Mexican has been starved of the ball so often with his team mates unable to create chances as stats show the Hammers have created only five clear cut chances this season which is one of the worst in the league which is only better than the likes  of Huddersfield, Brighton Bournemouth , 65 chances in total which ranks 12th in the league as well which shows why the striker has suffered. This is not all as West Ham have also covered the least distance and fewest springs  in the Premier League this season.

Despite the five clear cut chances created by his teammates, the Mexican has converted three outscoring 20 to 30 West Ham strikers that came before him a stats that shows the scatter gun recruitment approach of the club in the transfer market. To buttress further, Chicharito has had no shot on target in the last three games yet scoring 40 of his Premier League goals inside the box which is the reason he has struggled in East London with the multi-talented chief creator Argentine Manuel Lanzini unable to play most games for the Hammers this season . Further stats show that West Ham have had the second fewest touches in the opposition box (101 touches with Swansea  95) which shows why it has been difficult for the Manchester United crowd favourite to shine. Paired with Andy Carrol in a 4-4-2 formation  in two league games, the Mexico  International has been abysmal as he plays from the left instead of his favourite central position with the 1-0 win against Swansea achieved after he was hooked off as Diafra Sahko came in for him to score the winner. At present the striker has an average only 1.8 shots per game which is his career worst considering his 2.6 shots in Bayer, 3.1 in Real Madrid and 4.2 shots per game in United.

Having seen Dede Ayew score a double in the 3-2 win against Spurs (League Cup), under fire manager Slaven Bilic might be tempted to pair the Ghanian with Chicharito hence leaving out Carrol on the bench in their weekend game against a struggling Everton side who sacked manager Ronald Koeman on Monday or keep him on the bench to come on as an impact substitute while continuing to pair Carrol and Ayew together as the Englishman has an excellent hold up play as well an aerial presence while Ayew can play from the wings as well as create chances for teammates at the same time giving Chicharito the time and training required to  gel with his teammates as well as coming on later in the game to run tired defenders hazard.

Slaven Bilic is clearly under pressure but having seen his side come from two goals down to beat Spurs on Wednesday, one will be making a massive mistake to right them off this season also considering the new form of Manuel Lanzini who has thrived since the exit of Dmitri Payet.

Despite A Net Spend Of £15m Inter Milan Are Riding High In Seria A.

For seven years since winning the treble (Champions League, Seria A and Coppa Italia) under Jose Mourinho in 2010, Inter Milan have fallen from grace to grass unable to replicate the form that made them one of the best sides in European football. In all the Italian club have signed more than 50 players , appointed seven different managers as well as having three different owners all in the space of five years.

All that appears to have changed with a plan to obey Financial Fair Play rules as well as building the right environment to work where players and coaching staff an excel. With city rivals AC Milan spending more than £150m on player signings in the summer, Napoli, Juventus and Roma consolidating on existing players by making big signings Inter had to sell star players like Ever Banega as well as the loaning of Murillo, Kondogbia and Jesus Barbosa to mention a few in order to balance the books. In total, the Nerazzurri realised £75m from player sales while spending £55m on new signings in the summer. 

The result is an Inter which has defied the odds under new Chinese owner Zhang Jindong sitting in second position, two points behind leaders Napoli and one ahead of defending Champions Juventus. Under former Roma coach ( Luciano Spalletti), the Italian side have played with the hunger and drive that has been missing over the years. With a record of 26 points from 10 games (club's second best ever points in their 109 years history ), it easy to see why this is the best points Inter have gained since the 1997-1998 season under Gigi Simone who had the likes of Ronaldo, Djorkaeff, Recoba and Simeone. This is impressive considering this same side finished 7th and where 24 points behind third placed Napoli last season. 

With the addition of Milan Skriniar, Juan Miranda has fared better partnering impressively with him in central defence to say the least. Veteran full backs Danilo D'Ambrosio (29) and Yuto Nagatomo (31 and given a standing ovation in the 3-2 win against Sampdoria on Tuesday) have played the best football of their careers due to competition from understudy youngsters Joan Cancelo and Dalbert . In central midfield new signings Borja Valero  and Matias Vecino have been excellent continuing from where they stopped while in Fiorentina together, with 23-year-old new signing Gagliadini showing flashes of brilliance to add to the mix. Despite being in his 30s Antonio Candreva has sparked to life often changing positions with Ivan Perisic who was linked all summer to Manchester United before signing a new deal. 

To add icing on the cake Captain and star striker Mario Icardi (24) has become almost unplayable in the last 15 months having scored  11 goals already this season which is not even as impressive as his 35 goals in his last 44 Seria A games (more than 100 goals for Inter across all competitions since 2013 for less than £11m).

Despite it been too early for optimism it is worthy of note that Inter do not play any European football this season and as a result will have ample time in training with no European distraction as the fans continue to hope for the best . 

Signed For A Mere £6.5m, Why Newcastle United's Mikel Merino Is A Steal .

Watching Newcastle's Mikel Merino play it is difficult to fathom the reason for his inability to shine while under Thomas Tuchel in Borussia Dortmund last season. At 21, with more than 67 Segundo division games for hometown club Osasuna (his father Angel played over 500 times in Spanish football mostly in Osasuna), Merino departed for the German club in the summer of 2016. With an imposing body frame of 6ft 2in, Tuchel saw him more as a left sided centre back in a three man defence,  a position the Spaniard failed to adapt to while at the German club. 

Initially signed for £2.7 million on a season long loan from BVB,  it took only seven league games to convince Benitez and the board to cough out an additional £6.5m to sign him permanently on a five year contract in October. So what are the attributes that did this immediate magic? 

With a plan to gently introduce the youngster to the Premier League, Benitez quickly abandoned such plan when Jonjo Shevley was sent off in the season opener against Spurs which prompted the immediate introduction of the youngster with the mindset of a damage control. Having struggled in his first two games (Spurs and Huddersfield), Merino came to life in his third game (West Ham United) as the Tyneside club comprehensively beat Slaven Bilic's side 3-0 with the youngster winning the Man of the Match Award after making the highest number of forward passes, total passes, successful dribbles and possessions won back. A member of the Spanish U-19 side that won the 2015 Euros alongside the likes of Dani Ceballos and Marcos Asensio, Mikel Merino scored Spain's first goal of the tournament as he expertedly marshalled La Roja's midfield throughout tournament. With nine League games under his belt in Newcastle, it is easy to see why he has been compared to ex-Liverpool and Real Madrid midfielder Xabi Alonso considering his ability to play a defence splitting pass at the slightest opportunity as well as anchor and box-to-box midfield role. That is not all as the Spaniard is a strong tackler, ability to shot dangerous long range shots and near perfect in set-piece situations with his goal against Crystal Palace a perfect example. 

Sitting  seventh in the table with their ability to grind out results even when playing ugly , Rate Benitez has built his midfield on the Spanish youngster who has outshined the likes of the more established players  signed with him in the summer (Florian Lejeune, Joselu, Jacob Murphy and Christian Atsu).

This season the midfielder boasts awesome stats like 18m average pass length, 51 % average duels won and 76% average pass accuracy which illustrates his growing importance. Though it is still too early to tell, what is clear is that Mikel Merino is a "Steal" for Newcastle considering his early season displays.

Banished By Chelsea; Hero In Arsenal. The Story Of Eddie Nketiah

Eddie Nketiah showed exactly how to bounce back from disappointment scoring a double despite coming on in the 84th minute as Arsenal came from behind to beat Norwich City 2-1 in the second round of the Carabao Cup (League Cup) on Tuesday evening. Having been rejected by Chelsea in 2015 for not possessing the physical attributes required to play football at the highest level, it took the young Lewisham born forward just a week of training to earn a scholarship from Arsenal before exploding unto the world scene in an exquisite form on Tuesday by scoring his first senior team goal on his debut with 30 seconds of coming on. 

For those who have followed the 18-year-old closely this did not come as a surprise after he scored 24 goals in his debut season with the U-18 Arsenal side. Though comparism with Thierry Henry will always come up, Nketiah shares only pace and ability to play in any forward position with the Arsenal legend considering the young Englishman is not as skillful and physically imposing as the Frenchman although he appears to have a better centre of gravity. With Arsenal on verge of defeat in the Carabao Cup, Arsene Wenger reminded everyone watching that the famed Arsenal academy can still match the heights of the old successful times when he put on the youngster who repaid the Frenchman's faith in him by latching unto a deflected corner to equalise before adding a second with his pin-point header to wrap up the game and qualify the Gunners for the quarter-final becoming the first player born after Wenger's tenure started to score for the club. 

To illustrate further how sublime the youngster has been , it is worthy of note to state his double hat-trick this year against Qatar and Poland for the Three Lions Under-19. This is not all as the South London born forward scored 15 goals in 16 games for the Arsenal U-18 as well as 12 goals in 26 games for the U-23 before signing his first professional contract last summer (also went with the senior squad for the Asian tour in the summer). 

Despite sitting fifth in the league table , nine points behind leaders Manchester City as well as the possibility of losing star players Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil in the summer, a glance at the young talents at Wenger's disposal (Alex Iwobi, Reis's Nelson, Jeff Reine-Adelaide, Ainsley Maitland-Niles and now Eddie Nketiah might

show Arsenal is on the right path). 

Chelsea's Mitchy Batshuayi Is Premier League's Most Prolific Goals Per Minute Player.

Hauled off and severely criticised after 60 minutes against Crystal Palace last two weeks a game Chelsea lost 2-1, Mitchy Batshuayi is yet to convince many in the English Premiership yet it is surprising to see that he remains the most prolific goalscorer (goals to minutes ratio) in the Premier League history with a goal every 60.06 minutes, a record that bests the likes of Manchester City's Gabriel Jesus (a goal every 88.0 minutes), Alvaro Morata (a goal every 92.02 minutes), Sergio Aguero (a goal every 108 minutes) and Harry Kane (a goal every 115 minutes).

The Belgian might have been Antonio Conte's first signing when he moved to Chelsea from Marseille for £33 million in 2016, yet this record counted for nothing as he failed to start a Premier League game paying second fiddle to both Diego Costa and Eden Hazard all through last season.  With calls for the recall of Tammy Abraham from Swansea in the Winter having seen Batshuayi blow hot and cold , every critic was silenced last weekend after  his 29 minutes impact against Watford which saw his score a double and run the Watford defence haggard despite coming in in the 61st minute.

While Alvaro Morata is a more decent no9 as well as a better finisher and hold-up player despite Batshuayi's big body size , the Spaniard has struggled to handle the physical demands of the EPL as his abysmal games against the likes of Arsenal and Watford have shown , Batshuayi has become a big game player scoring vital goals against the likes of Athletico Madrid and Watford this season. With only 12 starts in all competitions (three Chelsea league starts) , the former Marseille striker has failed to shine when given the rare opportunity of starting (against Burnley, Crystal Palace etc), which maps him out as a backup striker rather than a starter. To illustrate better only, Arsenal's Oliver Giroud has scored more goals (seven) from the bench since Batshuayi's (six goals) signing last season. In total, the Belgian has played 1050 minutes for Chelsea scoring 16 times which represents a goal every 65 minutes across all competitions since his signing which is impressive given he needs far less time to make an impact.

For now, Chelsea will have to make sure the "Batsman" continues his goalscoring form if they are to challenge for the league title as they sit fourth in the table nine points nine points behind leaders Manchester City.

Was Ronald Koeman's Sacking by Everton Justified?

Ronald Koeman might be the highest goalscoring defender in European football history having scored a whopping 193 goals in 535 league games for the likes of Ajax and Barcelona yet this did little to halt his sacking on Monday by Everton after the 5-2 home loss to Arsenal.

Despite finishing seventh last season and qualifying for the Europa League as well as giving Manchester City's Pep Guardiola  his heaviest career beating 4-0 , the former Ajax manager has lost his three group stage Europa League games this season as well as winning just two  league games thus far. So where did it all go wrong for the Dutchman?

With Everton sitting 18th in the league (relegation) having the third worst defensive record (conceded 18 goals already in nine League games ), it is not difficult to pin-point  Koeman's failure on his inability to sign a proven goalscorer to adequately replace Belgian Romelu Lukaku who scored 25 goals under the Dutchman's reign (one-year). Having amassed over £75 million from Lukaku's sale to Manchester United, Koeman decided to plan for the future completing ignoring the present placing his faith on aging  Wayne Rooney to shoulder goalscoring responsibilities  as  well as signing an unknown Henry Onyekuru from Eupen (sent on loan to Anderlecht  where he has scored  six goals in nine  league games this season) as in addition to the signing of Sandro Ramires (Malaga), two players who have never managed double figures in their careers.  With that in mind , the Dutchman  as well bizzarely signed three familiar players who play in the same position in excess of £55million (Gylfi Sigurdsson, Wayne Rooney and Davvy Klaassen) call it anything you like. In total More than eight new players arrived Goodison Park this season with over £145 million spent on their signings yet all with the exception of Jordan Pickford have been abysmal to say the least.

Since his appointment, the Dutchman has done little to warm himself to the hearts of the Merseyside blues rather treating his job as a stepping stone to his Barcelona dream job at one point decorating his Christmas tree with red rather than the traditional Everton blue colour and never dismissing rumours linking him to the Catalan club.
This is not to say that the Dutchman performed badly in Merseyside having helped shape a youthful side with the promotion of the likes of Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Tom Davies, Hankow Kenny all becoming senior team regulars as well as the signings of the likes of Ademola Lukeman and Nikola Vlasic with the future looking bright yet it is on record that havjng spend such sum on player signings this season, Everton deserve better than the present results which justifies his sacking to an extent.

With more than 28 league games to go, Everton will be hoping the incoming manager which will soon be announced will banish the ghosts of Ronald Koeman by constantly challenging for a top four a well as ending thier 25 years wait for silverware. For now , Ronald Koeman will look backwards to the last summer and realise how he lost the season before it even started.