So hello, and welcome back!
This week, on the agenda is what does the future world of football look like? I’m going to give my thoughts, and talk about the side I think that will dominate world football in years to come.
And that side is Monaco. They currently sit 2nd in the French Ligue 1, one point behind leaders Nice, and only ahead of 6-times-champions PSG on goal difference. Controversial striker Mario Balotelli seems to have found some form, scoring 7 goals in 9 games in all competitions for Nice this season, and top scorer Bernardo Silva has scored 7 of the sides overall 42 goals. The team are in excellent form, winning 10 of their 14 games this season, drawing 2 and losing 2.
But the game I really want to talk about is their 2-1 win at home to spurs in the champions league on Tuesday.I watched this game live, and couldn’t stop thinking to myself ‘wow, this lot are really something to contend with’. Their quick passing, speed and drive was excellent, against a spurs side that, at the time, were unbeaten in the league. They peppered the Tottenham goal for the first half, and, though captain Kamil Glik seemed to purposefully stand on the backside of Harry Kane, got their deserved breakthrough in the 48th minute. Full Back Benjamin Mendy made a lovely run out wide, exposing a gap in the defence, collected the pass, cut inside wonderfully, and whipped the ball onto the head of Sidibe, who nodded past keeper Lloris.
The North London side responded well, with Heung Min Son winning a penalty within 3 minutes. Harry Kane reliably slotted it home, despite Danijel Subasic’s best efforts.
However, The side in Red and White Responded even better, going straight up the other end, crossing the ball, which falls to Lemar who smashes it into the bottom corner, making it 3 goals in 5 minutes.
But why, I hear you ask, does a win at home to spurs make you ‘the up and coming team’? I’ll tell you. You cannot see it in the highlights, but Monaco played some wonderful, quick, high pressure passing play all match, and their midfield performed excellently. If You look at some of the worlds best sides, for example Bayern Munich, Barcelona, and Juventus, these sides are built around a strong midfield, with high tempo players with great vision. Take, for example, the Barcelona midfield. The Catalan side have been one of the best performing sides in the world in recent decades, playing players like Lionel Messi, Andres Iniesta, Ivan Rakitic and Xavi Hernandes, But their side is built around a strong, fearless midfield. Andres Iniesta is one of the best passers of the ball we will ever see, Sergio Busquets is a strong, fearless defensive midfielder, who isn’t afraid of a challenge, and Ivan Rakitic is fabulous at many, many aspects of the game.
I saw a resemblance between Monaco and Barcelona on Tuesday, and it was all because of their excellent midfield. Fabinho had a positive impact all game, making chances, getting forward and forcing gaps in the spurs defence.
However Monaco aren’t the only team I am tipping for greatness in the future. Roma are renowned for their academy system, producing players such as Francesco Totti and Daniele De Rossi. Their most recent young prodigy is 11 year old Pietro Tomaselli, who has torn apart young defences in recent weeks, showing touch, technique and intelligence beyond the point most aspiring players will ever reach. He is definately one to watch, along with Anderlecht’s Youri Tielemans and AC Milan’s Hachim Mastour and Gianluigi Donnarumma.
So I hope you enjoyed this post, again, feel free to like the post and comment down below, and I’ll see you next time!
Billy
In the dugout 