Player Profile: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang

As one of the fastest players ever to take to the field, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang – or ‘Auba’ – is the definition of the modern striker. While his critics might say he’s nowhere near as involved in team play as he could be, to be one of the highest goal scorers in Bundesliga and Borussia Dortmund history in under five years is a hugely impressive feat.

The new Arsenal signing will make his way to the Emirates at the prime of his career. As the 2015 African Player of the Year, and a 2017 DFP Pokal champion with Dortmund, the 56-times Gabon international arrives ready to take on the Premier League at the peak of his powers. However, the path to stardom for Auba is nowhere near as straightforward as some would assume.

Indeed, after many moves around at youth level he soon found his place in Milan, when he signed for the Diavolo in 2007. Howeve, he never broke through into the first team and, after several loan spells at Lille, Monaco and Saint-Etienne, he made his move permanent in 2011. A key player at Saint-Etienne, he quickly became a player of repute within Ligue 1 and, by 2013, he was the second top scorer in the league. With 19 strikes, he finished only behind Swedish legend Zlatan Ibrahimović. 

At this stage, he made a move to Borussia Dortmund, signing a five-year deal with the club. Scoring a hat-trick on debut, he quickly established himself as among the best players in the clubs’ recent history. While it took him 4 years to eventually lift a trophy, the DFB-Pokal, he leaves as the highest-scoring African player in German football history.

141 goals in 213 games is one of the most impressive hit rates in Europe, and has established his legend at Dortmund, despite a negative end to his time in Germany. Now an Arsenal player, he looks set to continue his hot streak for the Gunners.

February Relegation Odds

What a difference less than two months makes. Bottom of the table in December Crystal Palace have continued the good run of play they'd already started and have propelled themsleves out of the relegation zone. They're now 10-1 to be relegated. Let's not get too excited for them though, as the bottom of the table is so bunched up that there's a long way to go yet to ensure a place in next year's premier league. Swansea and West Ham have also done their level best to get out of the danger zone, making a completely different bottom three to that of December's table. It's certainly looking especially perilous for West Brom (4/6 to be relegated) and Hudderfield (4/7) right now.

Premier League – The tale of the table so far!

As always there is never a dull moment in any given year's premier league season. If you ever thought otherwise you just need to switch on the news and see Jose Mourinho moaning about how the Manchester City team celebrated far too enthusiastically following their recent narrow win, in the Manchester derby at Old Trafford. The 'handbags at dawn' style dressing room bustup involved someone throwing milk at the Manchester United manager, and Manchester City coach Mikel Arteta ending up with a cut to the head. I'd have loved to have been a fly on that wall!

It's hard to fault City for celebrating though, as this win (their 14^th in a row and a new premier league record) has seen them edge ever closer to securing the league title, even though we're not yet half way through the season. All of the football predictions markets have them as a heavy favourite for the title already ( 1/20 with most bookmakers!) . It's hard to argue with that assessment to be honest considering they now have a very healthy 11 point lead over their nearest rival at 18-1 to win the league, Manchester United (yes, the team they just beat). The upcoming Tottenham game aside, they have some fairly easy fixtures in the pipeline too, so that should bode well for them.

From the heady heights or pole position, we head towards the bottom end of the table. The drama there has very much revolved around Crystal Palace. To say that they've got off to a bad start this season would be something of an understatement. They too have achieved a record in the Premier League this year, sadly their record involved not scoring a single goal for the longest period of time in the league's history, a staggering 731 goals. That's over two months of premier league games. 

They've been on a bit of a better run of late though, with a few draws and a win or two to their name. They had a real chance to put three points on the board in their recent game against Bournemouth but missed a late penalty. However, they stayed focused and managed to win their latest game against Watford and so are 'finally' out of the relegation zone. It's very bunched up at the bottom of the table right now, with Swansea currently at the foot of the table on 12 points and odds-on to be relegated, with some tricky fixtures ahead. 

Stay tuned for another season update in due course!

Who's in England's 2018 World Cup Group?

Some would say that England  were rather fortunate with their 2018 Russia World Cup group, but never underestimate our ability to blow it! The match order is also rather favourable in that we have the most difficult game last, again Beluin, who were unbeaten in qualifying. If we do manage to play to anywhere near our full potential we should already have two wins under our belt at that stage (First Tunisia, then Panama). It's hard to look beyond Belgium and England emerging from the group.

Wales score against Austria at the perfect moment

What a great moment to witness in the Wales vs Austria World Cup Qualifier game last night. Directly after the fans sang their hearts out, giving their all to the Welsh National Anthem, 17 year old Ben Woodburn (who opted to play for Wales over England) put one past the Austrian keeper, ultimately resulting in a 1-0 victory for Wales. The win keeps their World Cup qualifying hopes alive.

Fingers Crossed!

I have my fingers crossed for Jodie Taylor and the rest of the women's England football team today against The Netherlands in the 2017 Euros. Just one step from the final now!

Portugal vs Mexico - 16:00 - Confederations Cup

On June 18th, Portugal and Mexico will be playing their first match in the Confederations Cup. Both teams share Group A with Russia and New Zealand. Although it’s the first game, it may well be a decisive encounter, since the winner will be well positioned for the next two matches and hence possible qualification.

Portugal are one of the main candidates to lift the trophy. The team managed by Fernando Santos are a tough one for any rival. They won the European Cup with a combative team that was effective in attack when it needed to be. Cristiano Ronaldo is the beacon up front, of course, but Portugal has other good players to surround him, such as Bernardo Silva, the offensive midfielder who had a wonderful season with Monaco. The young forward André Silva too, who will be playing for Milan after his great season at Porto, will also be starting.

Mexico arrive in Russia with the qualification for the World Cup almost in their pockets, following their 1-1 Draw with USA on the 12th. Juan Carlos Osorio will be starting an offensive team, with one defensive midfielder (probably Ricardo Reyes), three offensive midfielders (Jonathan dos Santos, Herrera and Guardado) and two defined forwards (Carlos Vela and Chicharito Hernández). This approach will work if the defense, lead by the veteran Rafa Márquez, can cover the open spaces that Portugal will try to occupy.

Portugal are the favorite according to the bookmakers, with odds on average at 11/10. Given the tight encounter we are expecting, since it’s the first match of the competition and both teams will be cautious, a draw at 9/4 is good value. If you believe that Cristiano Ronaldo will be the first player to score, you may want to bet on that too. At 11/4 it's not a bad bet in my view.