Betting forms one of the most entertaining parts of watching football in the 21st century. It’s possible to find singles, doubles and trebles that are worth getting behind, but it takes some true skill to decide on a reliable accumulator to back. Continue reading
This year, six English players have played in the Bundesliga alone, and this figure is more than the previous 37 seasons combined. Germany, of course, is known for promoting young talent, but this perhaps also points to a lack of opportunities domestically. The Premier League is a more money-rich league, which means the pressure on managers to perform is ENORMOUS, and they end up backing the tried and tested players rather than giving a chance to the unproven. Ademola Lookman became the first English player to score in the Bundesliga since Owen Hargreaves back in 2005.
English players to have played in the Bundesliga 17/18 season
Jadon Sancho (Dortmund from Man City)
Reece Oxford (Monchengladbach from West Ham)
Ademola Lookman (Leipzig from Everton)
Mandela Egbo (Monchengladbach from Crystal Palace)
Kaylen Hinds (Wolfsburg from Arsenal)
Ryan Kent (Freiburg from Liverpool)
One could also include the likes of young Danny Collinge, who plays for Stuttgart’s reserve team, or even Kevin Danso, the Austrian born to Ghanaian parents, who spent a major part of his life growing up in England, but now plays for Augsburg.
Glenn Murray scored a brace as Swansea’s 10 game unbeaten run came to an end following a 4-1 loss to Brighton and Hove Albion at the Amex Stadium. The result took the Seagulls to 12th in the table while Swansea, who were 16th going into this weekend’s round of fixtures, dropped back into the relegation zone.
The home side went ahead in the 19th minute with Murray stepping up to convert a penalty after Mike van der Hoorn had clipped him in the box.
Swansea had their chances to equalise but were unable to do so, with Martin Olsson slashing wide from the follow-up after Andre Ayew’s initial effort had rebounded off the post, and Albion keeper Mat Ryan doing well to save Ki’s stinging effort.
With Carvalhal opting to make attacking substitutions, Swansea were left thin at the back, and an intricate passing move between Gross and Izquierdo resulted in Murray slotting home his second of the game from close range. Four minutes later, Gross, the leading creator of chances in Germany last season, was at it again, releasing Anthony Knockaert to make it 3-0. Continue reading
Arsenal narrowly avoided embarrassment at the hands of Swedish minnows Ostersunds, whose manager Graham Potter became the first English gaffer to win at the Emirates in continental competition. Potter’s Ostersunds scored twice in the space of 70 seconds in the first half as Arsene Wenger cut a shocked figure on the sidelines. However the Gunners were given an escape route after the interval through Sead Kolasinac’s goal, which gave them a cushion of sorts, and Ostersunds were unable to score the two they needed to produce an upset. Continue reading