₦airaland Forum

Nigeria switched to a 3-5-2 formation for the 2-0 win against Iceland, and could name an unchanged line-up.
Left wing-back Bryan Idowu was replaced by Tyronne Ebuehi at half-time in what appeared a tactical substitution, so it remains to be seen which player starts.

After using a 4-2-3-1 formation against Iceland and a 3-4-3 versus Croatia, Argentina are expected to change once again, with a 4-3-3 or 4-4-2 expected.
Goalkeeper Willy Caballero is set to be dropped after his error versus Croatia.

He is likely to be replaced by the uncapped Franco Armani, who has impressed since joining River Plate earlier this year.
Angel Di Maria and Ever Banega are in contention for recalls, while Gonzalo Higuain could replace Sergio Aguero up front.

Despite a disastrous campaign so far, there is still hope for winless Argentina. Permutations permitting, there is a good chance that three points versus Nigeria will send them through - and the Argentines have never completed a first round group stage at a World Cup without at least one victory.

The only time they returned home without a win came in a pure knock-out format in 1934; a squad comprising only amateurs spent over a month at sea only to lose 3-2 to Sweden in the first round and bow out.

Should the current team be eliminated in St Petersburg, there would be plenty of Argentina fans happy to see the team and under-fire coach, Jorge Sampaoli put on the slow boat back to Buenos Aires.
Unlike Argentina, Nigeria's switch to a back three paid off in their last game, a 2-0 win versus Iceland, and another victory would send them through.

Opinion from both camps
Argentina midfielder Javier Mascherano
"The relationship with [head coach Jorge] Sampaoli is totally normal, but if we feel uncomfortable, we will raise it, otherwise we would be hypocrites.
"The opposite would be to harm the team, we must seek the collective benefit, and we are 23, also those of the squad. We are not playing well and we take charge of the results."

Nigeria coach Gernot Rohr: "I thought before this World Cup we were here to learn. I think this team will be ready in 2022 and this World Cup is coming early, but we have a good chance to win against Argentina."

Head-to-head
In the last four World Cups Nigeria have qualified for (2002, 2010, 2014 and 2018) they have been drawn in the same group as Argentina. They were also in the same group in 1994.

The Super Eagles have lost all four of their previous World Cup games against Argentina, with all of those defeats by single-goal margins (1-0 in 2002 and 2010, 2-1 in 1994, 3-2 in 2014).
The Nigerians lost a group game to Paraguay at the 1998 tournament, so have been defeated in all five of their World Cup matches versus South American opposition.

Nigeria
Nigeria's six World Cup wins have all come against European sides - they have never beaten opposition from another continent.
The only previous time the Super Eagles won back-to-back World Cup games was in 1998, when they defeated Spain and Bulgaria in their first two matches.

Victory would ensure Nigeria reach the knock-out stage for a second successive World Cup, and for the fourth time in six appearances overall.
Ahmed Musa is Nigeria's all-time top scorer at the World Cup with four goals - two against Iceland at this tournament, and two versus Argentina in 2014.
Argentina

The only previous time Argentina have failed to win a game at a World Cup was in 1934, when the tournament was a straight knock-out. They selected an inexperienced, amateur squad, and lost 3-2 to Sweden in the first round.

They have never completed a first round group stage at a World Cup without at least one win.
The Argentines are enduring their longest winless run in World Cup history (D2, L2), although that four-match streak includes the 2014 semi-final against the Dutch, which they won on penalties.

They last lost back-to-back World Cup games in 1994 (against Bulgaria and Romania). They have never lost consecutive games in the opening group stage.

Lionel Messi has failed to score with his last 22 shots in matches at World Cup finals.
But over the last two years he has scored 14 goals in 18 games for Argentina.

www.dabbsports.com

The Nigerian Football Federation (formerly known as Nigerian Football Association until 2008) is Nigerian’s football governing body. It was formerly launched in 1945 and formed the first Nigerian national football team in 1949.
It joined CAF in 1959 and FIFA in 1960. The NFF headquarters is located in the city of Abuja.

The NFF and Amaju Pinnick –
The incumbent NFF president Amaju Pinnick took over the reins at the ‘Glasshouse’ from Aminu Maigari in 2014 in an election that was said to be marred by high level electoral irregularities.

The new government took full charge and work began. Despite improvement in some areas in the growth of football in the country, there are really grey areas the federation president and the federation in its entirety have not taken the right decisions.

Pinnick spearheaded and endorsed the appointment of the Franco-German coach, Gernot Rohr, as the head coach of the Super Eagles.
Gernot Rohr was unveiled at the Glasshouse amid fanfare and glamour; the team qualified for the 2018 World Cup billed for Russia before the last group game.

It was indeed a welcome development as people gave accolades to the team and the tactician for the qualification, but the big question is, ‘have we not gone beyond the level of jubilating out of proportion just for the world cup qualification?

And in the wave of the moment, the NFF president Amaju Pinnick presumably made a terrible blunder; Gernot Rohr was given a contract extension even before the team kicked a ball at the soccer mundial.

NFF Technical Committee –
The technical committee of the NFF is one very sensitive organ of the federation, or is supposedly perceived to be so.
And with the likes of the technical committee chairman Ahmed Fresh, Fanny Amun, Victor Ikpeba, Mutiu Adepoju and other notably names not mentioned, one is of the opinion that the committee should have things going smoothly for the various tires of the country’s national teams.

In February 2018, the NFF leadership was accused of having sidelined the technical committee in the appointment of coaches for the U-17, U-20, U-23 national teams respectively.

A member of the technical committee, former international Garba Lawal accused Coach Gernot Rohr of not consulting the committee before his announcement of the 30-man provisional World Cup list.

This abysmal and unending fiasco at the glasshouse will surely plunge millions of the soccer loving and patriotic Nigerians in a terrible mood due to their ongoing poor showing at the soccer mundial in Russia, but is this coming as a surprise? The tune up games to the World Cup ushered in poor string of results – losing 3 friendly games, a narrow win against Poland and a draw against Congo DR.


Gernot Rohr –
The Franco-German born tactician was the coach of fellow African side, Burkina Faso before being employed by the NFF. His stint at both Burkina Faso and Niger were brief, having handled and presented just five games in charge of the Burkinabes.

One wonders the rationale used by the NFF cum technical committee to have him as the preferred choice.
Gernot Rohr’s unending formation change (from 4-2-3-1; 4-3-3 and 3-5-2 ) is an indicator of the team’s inability to have a definite playing style or pattern.

His choice of options led to the defeat to Serbia and England, annoyingly against Croatia in Russia in the group D opener.
The formation (4-2-3-1) against Croatia and his positioning of players as well as his tactical onus brought forth a devastating and heartbreaking result as millions of Nigerians lambasted the team for its poor showing.

Cohesion lacked in the game, with some players played out of position, no urgency in the game, making one wonder the tactical plan of the Franco-German.

What were the reasons for the exclusion of the likes of Kelechi Nwakali, Henry Onyekuru and Junior Lokosa if he has an eye to build a team for the future? Why was Lokosa played from the wing against Congo DR when he is a striker; wasn’t it prejudice at its peak exemplified by the coach to ensure the home-based lad doesn’t perform well?

This also bring to the fore the level of commitment and the visionary plans of Rohr on developing our football vis-à-vis the national team and returning it to its once place of pride among the League of Nations?

Dabblesports is of the opinion that the NFF made an error on the coach’s contract extension of the Franco-German prior to the World Cup.

The fact is should the Super Eagles exit the tournament in the group stage and the pressure by Nigerians lead to the coach’s sack, the NFF will have to pay a certain sum which certainly a ‘clause’ embedded in the contract term; a wastage indeed that will be.
When will our soccer administrators ever get it right?


source:www.dabbsports.com

The battle in Group D resumes today as current group topper Croatia face Argentina in the ongoing Fifa World Cup taking place in Russia.
Croatia, who will reach the last 16 with a win, go into the game without Nikola Kalinic.

The striker was sent home after refusing to come on as a substitute against Nigeria, citing a back problem.
The Croats didn't field a recognised defensive midfielder in their opening game, and must decide whether to stick with that adventurous line-up.
Argentina coach Jorge Sampaoli is reportedly considering abandoning the 4-2-3-1 formation used against Iceland in favour of a 3-4-3 system.

Boca Juniors winger Cristian Pavon could start his first competitive game, while Gabriel Mercado and Marcos Acuna may also earn recalls.

[b]Argentina's 1-1 draw with Iceland followed a familiar script; a painful struggle to break down opponents who sit deep, plus costly defensive errors. It was their qualification campaign in microcosm - and while they eventually booked their place in Russia thanks to Lionel Messi's hat-trick in Ecuador, this time the great man's aim was wayward.

Messi had 11 shots at goal in the opening game (including a penalty), the most by a player at a World Cup without scoring since 1974.
Croatia didn't need to be at their best to beat Nigeria 2-0, and only registered their first shot on target from open play in the 92nd minute.

The Croats are hoping to win back-to-back World Cup games for the first time since their brilliant debut campaign in 1998. They boast a star-studded midfield more than capable of going toe-to-toe with the Argentines, and know that a win will book their place in the knockout stage.
What the coaches say -

Argentina defender Gabriel Mercado: "This is a vital game. We need to win to go ahead of them.
"We know that Croatia has those two players in the centre (Luka Modric and Ivan Rakitic) who have good control of the ball. They try to take a lead role too and they have other very good players."

Croatia coach Zlatko Dalic: "There is no perfect way to stop Lionel Messi ... he is the greatest player in the world.
"But while one excellent player can make a great result, a great team does the job much better ... We will go into the game a little bit more relaxed than them."

[/b]

Head-to-head
Their four previous meetings have produced two wins for Argentina, one Croatian victory and a draw.
The only encounter at a World Cup came in the group stage at the 1998 World Cup. Both sides were already through to the last 16, but Argentina's 1-0 win - secured by a Mauricio Pineda goal - ensured they topped the group.

Argentina
The last time Argentina failed to win either of their first two World Cup games was in 1974.
Their only defeat in their last 16 group games is the 1-0 loss to England in 2002 (W12, D3).

They have scored more than once in just two of their last 10 competitive games, netting nine times in total during that run.
Argentina had the worst shot conversion rate in South American qualifying (8.1%).

Sergio Aguero has scored in each of his last four appearances for Argentina.
Lionel Messi has failed to score with his last 21 shots in matches at World Cup finals.

But over the last two years he has scored 14 goals in 17 games for Argentina, including six in his last four games (hat-tricks against Ecuador and Haiti).

Croatia
Victory would see the Croats win back-to-back World Cup games for the first time since 1998.
Croatia have never lost their second group game at a World Cup (W3, D1), conceding just one goal in four matches - in a 2-1 victory against Italy in 2002.

The Croats have lost all four of their World Cup games against South American opposition (three defeats versus Brazil and one against Argentina).

Despite beating Nigeria 2-0 in their opening match, Croatia didn't register a shot on target from open play until the 92nd minute. Luka Modric's 71st minute penalty was their first shot on target.
Vedran Corluka, who was an unused substitute against Nigeria, could win his 100th cap.


www.dabbsports.com

Sweden and South Korea meet in a World Cup for the first time on Monday when they begin their campaigns in Russia.

The Europeans have a fully fit squad to choose from but have only scored one goal in four games and none in their past three matches.
South Korea will be captained by former Swansea City midfielder Ki Sung-yueng, while Tottenham forward Son Heung-min is one of their main players.

World champions Germany and Mexico are the other two teams in Group F.
This match will take place in Nizhny Novgorod and there are reports that less than 2,000 fans have travelled from South Korea to Russia, while more than 30,000 Swedish fans have travelled to the tournament.

MATCH PREVIEW
Sweden are back at a World Cup finals for the first time since 2006 after beating Italy 1-0 on aggregate in their two-legged play-off.

Their World Cup squad includes six British-based players - Swansea goalkeeper c, Manchester United centre-half Victor Lindelof, Celtic defender Mikael Lustig, Leeds centre-half Pontus Jansson, Swansea left-back Martin Olsson and Hull midfielder Sebastian Larsson.

However, ex-Manchester United striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic is not in the squad, sticking to his decision to retire from international football following Euro 2016.

South Korea will be playing in their ninth successive World Cup finals and will be hoping to do better than four years ago when they finished bottom of their group with only one point (a 1-1 draw against Russia) from their three matches.

They only won four of 10 qualifying games in the third round of Asian qualification and needed a 0-0 draw away in Uzbekistan in their final match to secure their place in Russia.

Not in the best of form, they have only won one of their last six matches, including a 2-1 loss to Northern Ireland in March.

VIEWS FROM BOTH CAMPS
Sweden manager Janne Andersson said: "We are looking forward to this match against a tough opponent. We know they have technical skills, are a very fast team and we need to keep good order in everything we do.

"We are very happy with our performance so far in preparation. Twenty five days ago we all met up and we have able to work through various things and have seen very few injuries.

[b]"I have made up mind (with the team) and I hope we do not have any last-minute events before the game. It will be the team that will give us the best position for winning, but we are all well prepared.

"We have not been able to create as much in the last few games but we have had very good opponents. We have been working more on our attacking game over the last few days."

South Korea coach Shin Tae-yong said: "We do not know each other that well, but we are really ready for the game tomorrow and we have to win.

"Some people are saying the (Korean) fans are showing us the cold shoulder but we are doing everything we can to win. The fans in Korea are sending us their support.

Captain Ki Sung-yueng said: "I know this will be a very good game for our fans and I hope we will have a good result.

"I really want the players to enjoy the game and take advantage of this opportunity - it will be a very important experience in their lives.
"It is good that there will be a lot of people there, whether they are Swedish or Korean, it does not matter. The players have a lot of experience and it will be great if we have a full stadium.

"We have quite a lot of players who have experience of playing at a World Cup and that is strength for us and all the players are fully prepared."


source: www.dabbsports.com

Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho says their season will not be judged on the outcome of Saturday's FA Cup final.

United finished second in the Premier League - their highest placing since the 2012-13 season - but will be without silverware this season if they fail to defeat final opponents Chelsea.

"I'm not going to change my analysis of the season because of one match," Mourinho said in a news conference on Friday.
"You can analyze the way you want to."

The former Blues manager has won 12 cup competitions during his club career. And in his first season in charge at Old Trafford, Mourinho guided United to two finals, the Europa League and League Cup, winning both.

However, the United boss said his record was irrelevant going into the Wembley encounter.

"I think the winning mentality doesn't have to do with records or history in finals," he added.

"I honestly think what we did in the past has nothing to do with tomorrow and the records don't matter. What matters is 11 against 11 and everybody trying to give their best."

Contests between the two finalists have been tight in recent years with only three or more goals scored on three occasions in the past 13 meetings.

When asked whether Saturday's clash will be an open game, Mourinho said: "I still don't understand these words of 'entertaining'. You think 6-0 is entertaining? I don't think so.

"I think entertaining is emotion until the end, it's the open result until the end, it's everybody on their seats until the end. Both dugouts nervous and tense with the unpredictability of the result - that for me as a football lover is entertaining, so I think so it's going to be entertaining."


www.dabbsports.com

In readiness for the forthcoming World Cup billed for Russia, participating teams and their FA have been active in putting all in place for a successful outing at the soccer mundial. Germany have released their provisional world cup squad ahead of the event and some surprises have been seen.

Liverpool midfielder Emre Can has been left out of Germany's provisional 27-man squad for the World Cup, with Bayern Munich’s goalkeeper Manuel Neuer included in the list.

Can has not featured for Liverpool since suffering a back injury during their 5-0 win against Watford at Anfield in March.
Neuer, who has not played since September, was expected to miss the tournament after Bayern Munich interim manager said he was likely ruled out for the remaining part of the season

Germany handler Joachim Low has selected four Premier League players including Arsenal's Mesut Ozil and Chelsea's Antonio Rudiger along with Manchester City's Leroy Sane and Ilkay Gundogan.

However, there was no place in the squad for Arsenal defender Shkodran Mustafi, who was part of the World Cup-winning squad in 2014 and has 20 international caps.

Freiburg striker Nils Petersen earned his first call-up to the national team, ensuring his place in the squad ahead of Bayern Munich forward Sandro Wagner.

Borussia Dortmund's Mario Gotze, who scored the goal to win Germany the World Cup in 2014, has been omitted by the coach. The midfielder has made 32 appearances for his club this term.

Cologne defender Jonas Hector has been included despite his club side being relegated from the Bundesliga this season.
Provisional Germany World Cup Squad.

Goalkeepers: Bernd Leno (Bayer Leverkusen), Manuel Neuer (Bayern Munich), Marc-Andre ter Stegen (Barcelona), Kevin Trapp (Paris Saint-Germain).

Defenders: Jerome Boateng (Bayern Munich), Matthias Ginter (Borussia Monchengladbach), Jonas Hector (FC Cologne), Mats Hummels (Bayern Munich), Joshua Kimmich (Bayern Munich), Marvin Plattenhardt (Hertha Berlin), Antonio Rudiger (Chelsea), Niklas Sule (Bayern Munich), Jonathan Tah (Bayer Leverkusen).

Midfielders: Julian Brandt (Bayer Leverkusen), Julian Draxler (Paris Saint-Germain), Leon Goretzka (Schalke 04), Ilkay Gundogan (Manchester City), Sami Khedira (Juventus), Toni Kroos (Real Madrid), Mesut Ozil (Arsenal), Marco Reus (Borussia Dortmund), Sebastian Rudy (Bayern Munich), Leroy Sane (Manchester City).

Forwards: Mario Gomez (VfB Stuttgart), Thomas Muller (Bayern Munich), Nils Petersen (SC Freiburg), Timo Werner (RB Leipzig)


www.dabbsports.com

[b]Liverpool ended the English Premier League 2017/18 season on a high as they hammered visiting Brighton 4-0 at Anfield to secure a Champions League spot for next season.

It was an emphatic win and an impressive performance on a perfect sunny day at Anfield and Klopp’s men rode on even after the final whistle, soaking up the celebratory atmosphere with the Champions League final against the defending champions Real Madrid in the offing, May 26.

“Two weeks break is perfect for us,” said Klopp.”We’ll be ready for the final. This group of players really deserves it. They keep moving to the next level.”

Mohamed Salah was the centre of attraction as hopes of his scoring on the last day of the football season was a subject of discourse prior to the encounter. There was the Golden Boot for the Premier League’s top scorer to be presented, the club’s player of the year trophy too. The forward was clearly touched and he shared the moment with his wife and young daughter.

It was his record goal that set the Reds on course to push off the threat Brighton could possibly pose.
Liverpool needed the win, at worst a draw to seal a fourth placed finish ahead of Chelsea who hoped for a slip from the Reds, but Newcastle thumped the Blues 3-0 at Saint James’ Park.

Salah went away with lots of awards; a player signed from Roma for £34m last summer. He went on to break the Premier League record netting his 44th in 51 games for Liverpool in all competitions this season.

[b]Alan Shearer scored 31 Premier League goals for Blackburn in 1995-96 season, Cristiano Ronaldo achieved same feat during his time at Manchester United in 2007-08, and former Liverpool forward Luis Suarez scored 31 times in 2013-14.

Hours before the last game of the season, Salah added the Premier League player of the season award to the other two major individual prizes he’s won this year – the PFA Player of the Year and Football Writers’ Association Football of the Year awards.

Salah hopes to end the season lifting the Uefa Champions League with Liverpool on May 26 in Kiev. It will be a moment to relish should they beat defending champions Real Madrid to the title.

Brighton manager Chris Hughton feels proud of his team’s achievement as many saw them as a potential candidate for the Championship next season but they truly fought hard to see them remain with the Premier League’s status.

Their impressive 3-0 thumping of West Ham in October, a 2-1 victory over the Gunners in March and getting to the quarter final of the prestigious FA Cup only to lose to Manchester United were their proud moments; not to forget their sweet revenge against the ‘Red devils’ in the EPL as they beat Unit[/b]ed 1-0 on May 4.[/b]


The lows in the season were having seven match-winless run which saw them dropped and finished 15th on the table. They would have earned £21.4m if they had finished 10th, a position they occupied on March 4, but however finishing fifteenth saw them receive £11.6m.

What the managers say:
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp told BBC Sport: “The boys had pressure on them – massive pressure for the last few weeks.it was fantastic to qualify for the Champions League. It’s a massive achievement.

“We did it in an impressive manner. We tried to win the game from the first second. A point was enough but I have no real idea how to go for a point.

“We could have scored more but I’m glad we didn’t. Brighton did not deserve that after a really good season.
“James Milner (who was left out of the squad) will be fine, just today was a bit early for him.

“I had no clue about (Salah’s) record. I took him off and then I heard that Tottenham had scored five – Harry Kane could have got them all! He has been brilliant and he can improve so much. He will score in the future, 100%.”

Brighton boss Chris Hughton spoke to BBC Sport: “It was a very hard afternoon for us. We knew when we came here we would have to play at a very high level and stay in the game but they caused us so many problems.

“They only disappointment was that we didn’t keep possession well enough today. The season as a whole, we have been in nearly every game and we have had good performances against big clubs.

“We find it hard playing the top six away from home but our season shows more good than bad.”


www.dabbsports.com

Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford were regarded as the focus of Jose Mourinho’s ire following the 1-0 defeat to Brighton last time out and the Manchester United manager did indeed drop both for the visit to West Ham on Thursday.

They were two of eight changes but even in their absence, United continued to lack fluency and fire at the London Stadium.

Whether Mourinho will be too concerned about that is unclear. In his pre-match interview, when asked what he was hoping for with his team selection, he replied: "A point." It was in reference to the one needed for United to mathematically secure second spot in the Premier League this season and that is duly what United got with their goalless draw.

But what else will Mourinho have on his mind after this result? Here, we pick out three talking points following United's penultimate fixture of the Premier League season…

Goals lacking without Lukaku?

Romelu Lukaku's 12 goals since the turn of the year represents a good return from United's striker but he has not featured since going off injured with his team a goal up against Arsenal last month. In the two games that United have played without him since then, away to Brighton and now West Ham, they have failed to find a single goal.

"It is not really what you expect from Manchester United in terms of pushing it going forwards," Teddy Sheringham told Sky Sports. After Rashford failed to impress on the south coast, this time it was Alexis Sanchez's turn to deputise but it was no great success either. Mourinho favours a reference point up top and, without Lukaku, that's a problem.

Alexis Sanchez took on centre-forward duties in Romelu Lukaku's absence

"Why does he come back so deep all the time?" asked Gary Neville on co-commentary for Sky Sports. "He plays there far too often since he has come to United. He has got to beat 10 players there to get to the goal. He is just making it difficult for himself and I am not quite sure why he has got into the rut of coming really deep and playing as a midfield player."
Is the blend in midfield right?

With Sanchez helping out, United saw plenty of the balls in the middle of the pitch with Ander Herrera having 131 touches of the ball and completing 104 passes.

The Spaniard's inclusion alongside Scott McTominay gave Paul Pogba the freedom that he so often craves and the star man was able to get forward more, but there was still something lacking in the United midfield.

"That's the one thing I would say watching this Manchester United team this season," said Neville. "The rhythm, passing and quality through midfield has not been anywhere near good enough. Herrera isn't that type of player. Nemanja Matic isn't that type of player. Pogba has been too inconsistent."

He added: "They have got to look to thread it through into the front players. Playing the easy pass wide to the full-back is exactly what the opposition want, particularly when they are out of shape.

They haven't got anyone who can beat a man or be inventive and break the lines. I am sure, for Jose Mourinho, central midfield will be a priority in the summer."

Back three against Chelsea?
Mourinho went back to the back-three for this game and it worked well defensively as Manchester United restricted West Ham to only two shots on target.
Perhaps that was with next week's FA Cup final against Chelsea in mind. "I was thinking in the first half, what is Jose Mourinho getting out of this team selection," said Neville.

"I can think of managers who would be building towards the big game that's coming up next week and he might have that at the back of his mind. He has done something similar against Eden Hazard before at Stamford Bridge where Phil Jones kept going in to mark from a back-three position. So he could be thinking that."

Chris Smalling, speaking to Sky Sports afterwards, said: "We have played it a few times earlier in the season but had not played it for a little while. I think it shows that we can play both formations.
You never know what opposition we are going to come up against and if we have got the option to play a few formations then it is up our sleeve."

United may have options but Jose Mourinho is still searching for the right one.

Culled from Skysports


www.dabbsports.com

Real Madrid star Gareth Bale who has had not too rosy a season at the Santiago Bernabeu is on the radar of both Manchester United and Tottenham.

His stay and influence at Real Madrid has been on the diminishing trend over time and the Welsh man who came from the bench in the Uefa Champions League semi-final second leg game against Bayern Munich may leave at the end of the season.

According to The Express Gareth Bale has reached an agreement with Mauricio Pochettino’s Tottenham Hotspur on a sensational return to the club.

Season ago, the Spanish giants paid a staggering £86m which saw Bale moving away from ‘White Hart Lane’ to the ‘Santiago Bernabeu’ and that decision to pitch tents with Madrid over the years paid up as Bale has alongside his club won several silverware which include the prestigious trophy, the Uefa Champions League, and other domestics titles.

It is most likely that the Welshman will opt for a return to the club that brought him more fame as opposed to a move in the Manchester direction.

He is no doubt a fantastic player and Tottenham faithful may be pleased to see him return to add more bit and flare to the team’s attack-line but will this deal not come at a greater price?

Real Madrid were beaten by Tottenham in the group stage of the Champions League so they have a clearer view of Tottenham arsenals, and with the English forward Harry Kane being in fine form this season and Dele Alli’s pace and agility, it is possible for an inclusion of one of these players in the deal for a possible return of the ‘beloved Bale’ to Wembley stadium.

Pochettino earlier in the season talked on the qualities of Gareth Bale:”Of course he’s a fantastic player,” he said.
“He keeps contact with all the people here that worked here in the past”.

Tottenham currently occupy the fourth spot on the Premier League table with 71 points, just a point behind 3rd place occupants Liverpool, and with few games to go in the EPL, a Champions League spot is almost certain.


www.dabbsports.com