England's World Cup Prospects

As the Russia 2018 World Cup approaches, Gareth Southgate's England are in decent form and look ready for the challenge ahead. Do we allow ourselves to enter 'dare to dream' territory, with ideas that 'this is the one' and that we can sail through each round if only we show determination and have the right approach to play, rightly lifting the World Cup at the end of it? Or perhaps do we instead think that our time in the tournament will be 'same old, same old' as we struggle to beat bog standard competition and limp out of the competition in typically unimpressive fashion? I'd say that this time the jury is out, but expectations aren't exactly sky high.

We have disappointed on one occasion too many really and so if we make it through the group stage we enter firm 'anything is a bonus' territory. At time of writing we're level pegging with impressive Belgium to win the group, at 6/5. Those odds are probably about right, most of them are presented on some online betting sites for the 2018 World Cup. Where are do appear to be something is a dead cert is in our chances of emerging from the group (top two). As suspect as England can be when the going gets tough, it's hard to see how Tunisia and Panama can provide meaningful competition for us. Therefore the 1/7 to qualify likely isn't a particularly bad bet all things considered, even at those odds. We have some top class players and youth throughout the team, so they'll likely still have some spark even though the World Cup is awkwardly placed at the end of a tough Premier League season. Jack Wilshere is injury free, Marcus Rashford has bundles of talent. Harry Kane, Jamie Vardy. This is a team with big names and big talent to match.

Elsewhere in the competition, unsurprisingly both Germany and Brazil are odds-on to win their groups. They're both in top form and at number one and two in the world FIFA football ranking respectively (compared to England's lowly position 16), it's hard to argue that they'll have any trouble going far in the 2018 Russia World Cup. In a future update I'll be sure to comment on the quarter finals and beyond. For now, let's just hope that England make it to that point in the first place! If the team and fans dare to go to Russia of course!

Player Profile: Jan Vertonghen

For many, Jan Vertonghen might just be among the very best defensive players in the world. With close to 100 caps for his nation, Belgium, and a very impressive club career, Vertonghen has enjoyed a career already that many would die for. Now in his prime at 30, too, there’s nothing to say that his influence won’t continue to grow as a player. He’s been a key part of very successful Ajax, Tottenham and Belgium teams now. His authority also plays a key role, alongside his consistent threat from the back.

In his career, he’s been a regular threat for the opposition for a defender. Growing up in Saint-Niklaas, he made a move to Ajax as a youngster and became one of the many players to come though their youth academy with great success. Alongside the likes of Toby Alderweireld and Thomas Vermaelan, the trio came through at Ajax and helped to form the backbone of many successful seasons for the Dutch giants.

His main breakthrough with Ajax came in 2009, when he soon became a regular in the first-team after John Hietinga made his move to Atletico Madrid. While he suffered from injury at first, he soon recovered from his persistent injury issues and developed into the star he is today.

In 2012, he made his move to Tottenham Hotspur, after several seasons as one of the most impressive players in the Dutch Eredivisie. A uniquely talented defender, he rejected moves to the Milan, Newcastle and Arsenal to make the transfer to Tottenham. While his goal scoring prowess may have dried up in recent seasons, he’s retained the defensive prowess and solidity that has ensured he’s one of the most respected defender in the European game.

Without doubt, he’s among the best defenders of his generation.

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.