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  CHAMPIONS IN REBUILD PART 3 ARSENAL FOOTBALL CLUB - Mitansh Kagalwala We're back with the third part of our Champions In Rebuild series, where we take a look at clubs that once dominated the footballing world, but have since fallen down the pecking order, and are currently in a state of rebuild. In Part 3 of the Champions In Rebuild series, we visit lively and fierce North London and the Emirates Stadium, to meet with Arsenal Fan TV, the Gunners faithful, and Good Old Arsenal FC.  THE PAST If ever there was a club that perfectly embodied the picture of frustration, it’s Arsenal. Once the Kings of England, the Gunners were the Pride of North London. Premier League wins, European titles, domestic doubles, a legendary manager, a flamboyant squad, and fierce derbies that closely resembled war against archrivals Tottenham Hotspur; Arsenal really had it all. Arsenal have rarely done things the regular way. In the summer of 1966, following the dismissal of Billy Wright, Arsenal...

  3️⃣ TALKING POINTS AS BARCA DEMOLISH REAL MADRID  -Mitansh Kagalwala Photo Via: independent.co.uk (via Getty Images) Real Madrid took on FC Barcelona in a highly-anticipated El Clasico on Sunday, with both teams in fine form. Los Blancos had just knocked out PSG in a spirited comeback, while Barca had withstood intense pressure to beat Galatasaray away from home. The game started off at a high pace, with both sides creating chances, but it was the Catalans who looked to be on the front foot. Tactics meant that Barca enjoyed a lot of space in midfield, and they made good use of it, demolishing Real Madrid's defensive lines. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang opened the scoring from an excellent Ousmane Dembele cross; Ronald Araujo doubled the lead soon after from a corner, sending Barca into the break with a 0-2 advantage. Moments after the restart, Ferran Torres scored the third after a lovely passage of play, and Aubameyang made it a brace for himself a few minutes later, after the ...

  OUR 3️⃣ TALKING POINTS AS BARCA STAGE COMEBACK AGAINST GALATASARAY -Mitansh Kagalwala Photo Via: www.barcablaugranes.com FC Barcelona took on Turkish giants Galatasaray in the second leg of their Europa League Round of 16 tie, after the first game in Spain finished 0-0. The Catalans went into the game as huge favourites, but were pegged back early in the first half by a Marcao header from a well-taken corner. Barca pushed for an equalizer, and eventually got it, Pedri stealing into the box and smashing the ball into the bottom corner past the excellent Inaki Pena. Into the second half, and Barca dominated, with the Turkish side barely able to get into Barca’s defensive third. A winner looked likely, and it came via Pierre Emerick Aubameyang, who tapped in after Frenkie De Jong’s smart pass across the face of goal. Barca now go into the quarter-finals of the Europa League, where they will meet one RB Leipzig, Lyon, Atalanta, West Ham, Braga, Rangers, and Eintracht Frankfurt. Here’...

  PLAYER RATINGS FROM REAL MADRID 3-1 PSG -Shiven Roy -Editor: Mitansh Kagalwala Player Ratings from Real Madrid’s legendary comeback against PSG. Photo Via: OneFootball (Android) [Adapted] Class is permanent, and form is temporary. Real Madrid proved on a Wednesday Champions League night at the Bernabau, that they are experienced, motivated, confident and here to stay. Despite a recent dip in the Los Blancos’ form, they still stole a win from the jaws of defeat against PSG on Wednesday. A solid and energetic performance by the French team was undone by a 17-minute second half blitz from star player and veteran Karim Benzema sealing a legendary comeback and win for Ancelloti’s men. Here's what we made of the Madrid side: Thibaut Courtois (7.5/10): Courtois was successful in saving important shots on goal from Mbappe in the first half. He played an important role in ending a few dangerous PSG counter attacks, but will be disappointed that he was beaten at his near post for th...

  GAME REVIEW AS UNITED FALL TO THE CITY DOUBLE GAME REVIEW FROM MANCHESTER CITY 4-1 MANCHESTER UNITED -Samarth Purohit and Mitansh Kagalwala Photo Via: timesofindia.indiatimes.com A PICTURE THAT SAYS A THOUSAND WORDS Sunday night saw Manchester City take on Manchester United in the much awaited Manchester Derby. No one was really in any doubt about who the favourites for the Derby were, given City’s recent excellent form, and United’s recent poor run. The Red Devils were also missing key defenders Luke Shaw and Raphael Varane, while Edinson Cavani and Cristiano Ronaldo also weren’t in the squad. Here’s what we made of it:   United’s Finishing: United had a good first 45 minutes, going toe-to-toe with their neighbours. The Red Devils fashioned a few chances at goal with good passes and crosses into the box, but failed to capitalize, continuing their worrying trend of being wasteful in front of goal. Bruno Fernandes: With both Cristiano Ronaldo and Edinson Cavani ...

  TALKING POINTS FROM VALENCIA 1-4 BARCELONA -Mitansh Kagalwala Photo Via: barcablaugranes.com The Blaugrana visited the Mestalla to take on Valencia, looking to bounce back from last week’s setback against Espanyol in the Barcelona Derby. Barcelona started off on the front foot, going 3-0 up in the first half through an Aubameyang double either side of a Frenkie De Jong goal, but Valencia were far from out, having two goals of their own disallowed, for offside and the ball going out of play. The home side did strike back in the second half through Carlos Soler, but Pedri restored Barca’s three goal advantage just minutes after coming on with an excellent strike from range (which was later given to Aubameyang). The result sees Barca remain in 4 th place, 4 points behind Real Betis in 3 rd but with a game in hand, while Valencia languish in 12 th with just 30 points from 25 games. Here’s what we made of it: 1.       THE FIRST FLIPS: Pierre-Emerick Aubam...

  MANCHESTER CITY 2-3 SPURS TALKING POINTS -Mihir Mehta -Editor: Mitansh Kagalwala Photo Via: telegraph.co.uk   Spurs ended Man City’s 15-game unbeaten run in a thrilling contest at the Etihad on Saturday that finished 3-2 to the Lilywhites, courtesy of a late Harry Kane winner. City had a majority of the possession (over 2/3 rd ), but were pegged back again and again by the brilliant Kane and Heung Min Son on the counter attack, in what is a surprise triumph for the North Londoners. City had 21 shots, but managed to get only 4 on target, in an unusually wasteful game for the Sky Blues. Here’s what we made of it: 1.       City’s Kryptonite: Spurs have seemingly become the antithesis to Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City. No matter how badly they may be playing, or how well the Cityzens might be performing, the Lilywhites almost always seem to fight their way to three points against the Sky Blues. Key to that is City’s Kryptonite, Heung Min Son, wh...

  PLAYER RATINGS FROM PSG 1-0 REAL MADRID -Shiven Roy -Editor: Mitansh Kagalwala Photo Via: www.marca.com Carlo Ancelotti’s Real Madrid faced PSG in the Round Of 16 in the UCL in a blockbuster clash at the Parc Des Princes. Carlo Ancelotti set up the men in white to play for a draw; to contain the dangerous Parisiens. Los Blancos almost succeeded, but a late winner from the dangerous Kylian Mbappe gave PSG the lead going into the second leg. The majority of the game was played in Madrid’s defensive half, where a number of blue shirts tried time and time again to convert, only to be denied by a brilliant Thibaut Courtois. Ancelotti’s men played a contained game with barely any bright moments, and an overall passive tone to their play. PLAYER RATINGS: Thibaut Cortouis (9/10): If not for the Belgian, Madrid would’ve conceded several more goals. Cortouis was outstanding throughout the game making a few fine saves and then stopping a Lionel Messi penalty. He was Madrid’s best performer...

  TALKING POINTS FROM ESPANYOL 2-2 FC BARCELONA -Mitansh Kagalwala Photo Via: en.as.com   Barca travelled to the RCDE Stadium to take on their cross-city rivals Espanyol in a fierce Derbi Barceloní. Barca scored just a minute and a few seconds in, but failed to truly establish dominance after. Espanyol equalized through a good Sergi Darder strike that deflected off Pedri’s foot, and then took the lead through former Real Madrid player Raul De Tomas. Tensions rose as Barca pushed for an equalizer, and both teams were shown red cards, 2 for Espanyol and 1 for Barca. The Blaugrana required Luuk De Jong to rescue a point for them at the death, ending a hotly contested Barcelona Derby in a fitting manner.   1.       Not There Yet: After last weekend’s domination of Atletico Madrid, fans began to wonder if Barca had finally returned to their old days. It is not the case just yet, as shown by Barca’s performance against Espanyol. The absence of D...

  PLAYER RATINGS AS BARCA BEAT ATLETICO 4-2 -Mitansh Kagalwala Photo Via: www.dailymail.co.uk Barca Player Ratings as they beat Atletico Madrid 4-2 to climb into the Champions League spots:   GK: MARC-ANDRE TER STEGEN (6/10): Could have done better for the first goal, however was helpless for the second. Distributed the ball well. Solid game for the German. RB: DANI ALVES (5/10): Was excellent with a goal and an assist, but undid all his work with a silly red card that made life incredibly difficult for the Catalans. CB: RONALD ARAUJO (7/10): Was a step behind Yannick Carrasco for the opener, but made up for it with a well-taken goal from close range. Was solid defensively. CB: GERARD PIQUE (7/10): Continued his good form with another good display in the center of defense. Shut down the Los Rojiblancos attack well, and broke lines with his passes several times as well. LB: JORDI ALBA (8/10): The left back was excellent, scoring an unbelievable volley for the equal...

  TALKING POINTS FROM BARCA 4-2 ATLETICO - Mitansh Kagalwala Photo Via: www.barcauniversal.com Barca took on Atleti at home in a pulsating encounter, eventually emerging 4-2 victors after a determined performance. Yannick Carrasco gave Atleti the lead with a superb shot past Ter Stegen, before Alba equalized just moments later with a ridiculous volley from the edge of the box. Excellent work from new signing Adama Traore down the wing allowed Gavi to head Barca into the lead, before Araujo and Dani Alves volleyed in for Barca either side of half time. In the second half though, Atleti piled on the pressure, resulting in Luis Suarez pulling a goal back for the Los Rojiblancos on his return to Barca territory, before Dani Alves was sent off, reducing Barca to 10-men. Barca held out, however, meaning they leapfrog the Madrid side into a Champions League spot. This is what we made of it: 1.      Barca’s New Signings: Fans of the Blaugrana were hopeful for this gam...

  TRANSFER WINDOW ROUND-UP AND RATINGS: HOW EUROPE'S BIG TEAMS FARED -Mitansh Kagalwala Photo Via: www.skysports.com -ARSENAL Arsenal and making nearly-signings, name a more iconic duo. This time around, again, Arsenal botched up several transfers, including Dusan Vlahovic, Alexander Isak, and Arthur. This coupled with the exit of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang leaves Alexandre Lacazette and Eddie Nketiah as their only strikers. There has been a mass exit as the Gunners look to trim their wage bill, with several fringe players departing the club. Arsenal have made only one signing: Austin Trusty, who will spend the remainder of the season back on loan at Colorado Rapids. Transfer Window Rating: D- Ins: Austin Trusty (undisclosed fee from Colorado Rapids) Outs: Austin Trusty (Loan, to Colorado Rapids), Harry Clarke (Loan to Hibernian), Ainsley Maitland Niles (Loan to Roma), Folarin Balogun (Loan to Middlesbrough), Dejan Iliev (Released), Brooke Norton-Cuffy (Loan to Lincoln City), Sead K...