2022/23 ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE: INTENSE COMPETITION

The 2022/23 English Premier League season kicks off today with a bang. The level of preparation is as rapid as it used to be, but the competitive edge is obviously more intense. 

The defending champions, Manchester City are not resting on their oars. Following their defeat by Liverpool in the Community Shield, and the seeming underperformance of their marque acquisition, Erling Haaland. Last season City won the league without using an out-and-out striker, it will be different this time out, I see Pep Guardiola utilising the pair of Haaland and Alvarez in the attack. City remains favourite to retain the title.

They will be closely challenged by Liverpool, of course. Liverpool's firepower upfront could be overwhelming, despite the departure of Sadio Mane I see Darwin Nunez somehow filling those goal-scoring shoes, albeit in a different berth. Chelsea will definitely offer a robust challenge of their own, especially if they add more depth to the squad before the transfer window closes. The signing of Raheem Sterling and Kalidou Koulibaly will surely add dimension to the team. 

Arsenal has been busy in the transfer market, as expected. They had added Gabriel Jesus, Oleksandr Zinchenko, Fabio Vieira, Matt Turner, and Marquinhos and will surely be a force to reckon with. But I don't see them challenging for the league title. 

Tottenham will be in the same token, and will surely compute for the top 4. Spurs have been busy in the transfer market as well: Richarlison, Ivan Perisic, Dejan Kulusevski, Yves Bissouma, and Clement Langet. Fruitful additions. 

Manchester United now has a tested manager in Eric ten Hag. He is saddled with the challenge of Cristiano's unresolved issue, still chasing his main target in the form of Frenkie de Jong, and the failure as yet, to sign a striker and a holding midfielder. On the positive side, United has acquired the services of Christian Eriksen, Tyrell Malacia, and Lisandro Martinez. The team will have to struggle for a 4th place finishing unless ten Hag sorts out the aforementioned grey areas. 

I don't see any dark horses this season. Leicester, Everton, Newcastle, Aston Villa, Wolverhampton, and Crystal Palace will compete to finish in mid-table.

The newcomers in the fold, Fulham, Nottingham Forest, and  Bournemouth will, as usual, will struggle for survival in the relegation waters. Brentford and Leeds will likely swim in them in the murky waters.

MAILANTARKI PRE-SCOUTING FOOTBALL TOURNAMENT: AN EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

In the build-up to the razzmatazz football fiesta in Gombe, the ambience surrounding football airspace in the centre of the North-East was thick with high expectations. Football fans were expectant of the array of promising young talents who will be all out to flaunt their prodigious skills that will offer them a lifetime prospect of been selected for the scouting tournament, a tournament that promises to mould them for a professional stint in Europe. The fans were not disappointed. 

The objective of the tournament, as summarised by the affable Honourable Khamisu Ahmed Mailantarki, the President of the Mailantarki Care Academy and the sole sponsor of the scouting expedition, is to give young football talents across the northern parts of the country the opportunity to play in Europe. A predominant majority of Nigerians playing in European leagues are from the other parts of the country. Teams from Gombe, Nasarawa, Kano, Bauchi and Yobe States flooded Gombe with a couple of goals: To get their most endowed players selected for the main scouting tournament and to get a shot at the cash and other assortment of tantalising prizes lined up by Honourable Mailantarki. 

For four days ardent fans packed the Gombe Township Stadium as the young players displayed their competitive talents with gusto, as the technical team led by Coach Manu Garba, OON/MFR carried out the selection. At the end, over 70 players were selected, these players will remain in Gombe for a week-long camping before the advent of the main scouting tournament kicking off from 24th October. International football scouts from England and other European countries will be in Gombe for the exercise. 

The final match of the tournament capped a tantalising football event, Mailantarki Football Academy ran away with the winners’ trophy, beating FC Sergio from Bauchi. Apart from the display of aptitude by the players, the match official need to be praised. Football referees in Gombe have really came of age, their understanding and implementation of Laws of the Game was on the high during the tournament. 

The biggest cheer goes to Honourable Khamisu Mailantarki, without whose passion, benevolence and philanthropy the event could not be possible. He is a well-known politician, a one-time member of the National Assembly, but he was firm in his stance: He is doing this to discover and nurture young talents for professionalism in Europe. 

AGITATION FOR BIAFRA AND THE NEED FOR UNITED NIGERIA

In my own appraisal the declaration by General Yakubu Gowen in 1970 of "No Victor, No Vanquished" should have put an end to any secessionist agitation in Nigeria. The Civil War has truncated Nigeria's unity and the wounds of disunity were supposed to be healed with the country inching on. But alas! The elements of disunity keep on revising us and the ghost of Biafra refuse to disappear for good.

When we were growing up our parents persistently relayed tales of the Nigerian Civil War, the devastating effects and how Nigeria almost got divided across ethnic lines. Our parents took us through history on the genesis of the secessionist agitation.

We learned through history that the Federation of Nigeria, as it is known today, has never really been one homogeneous country, for it's widely differing peoples and tribes. This obvious fact notwithstanding, the British colonial master decided to keep the country as one entity in order to effectively control her vital resources for their economic interests. Thus, for administrative convenience the Northern and Southern Nigeria were amalgamated in 1914. Thereafter the only thing this people had in common was the name of their country since each side had different administrative set-up. This alone was an insufficient basis for true unity. Under normal circumstances the amagalmation ought to have brought the various peoples together and provided a firm basis for the arduous task of establishing closer cultural, social, religious, and linguistic ties vital for true unity among the people. There was division, hatred, unhealthy rivalry, and pronounced disparity in development.

The Nigerian Civil War broke out in July 1967. The war was the culmination of an uneasy peace and stability that had plagued the Nation from independence in 1960. This situation had its genesis in the geography, history, culture and demography of Nigeria. The immediate cause of the civil war itself may be identified as the coup and the counter coup of 1966 which altered the political equation and destroyed the fragile trust existing among the major ethnic groups.

The consequences of the Civil War was as devastating as the war itself. Almost half a century afterwards, angst amongst the populace persisted, with ethnic sentiments threatening to destabilise the country. Virtually every ethnic group in Nigeria is one way or the other guilty of rekindling hatred towards other ethnic groups. What seems to be a human tragedy all through ages is the inability of man to learn a good lesson from the past so as to avoid the pitfall of those who had gone before. There is also the innate and unconscious desire of man to remain oblivious of the lessons of the past.

The emergence of Nnamdi Kanu and IPOB seemingly sounding the drums of war at a time when Nigeria more than anytime need to be united in fighting corruption and instituting economic dependency. While IPOB are trying to unleash their agenda, resistant forces in the north are echoing the war drums by brazenly "ordering" the relocation of Igbos from northern Nigeria. Do we really need to be divided? I'm a strong believer in the fact that every region in Nigeria can sustain itself, but we need not go to that extent. Nigeria's unity need to be resuscitated, every ethic group is as important in Nigeria as every Igbo, Yoruba or Hausa. We are all joint shareholders of the enterprise called Nigeria.

It was President Olusegun Obasanjo who once dismissed IPOB and MASSOB as mere swindlers: "The people who are doing this," he said, "are the same people in the 419 business, they are the same people you will find in drugs all over the world. To them this is another source of making money." I won't believe that Nnamdi Kanu and Ralph Uwazurike are mere con men, their resurgence supersedes that. Nigeria don't need another Civil War, we need national unity and tolerance. One Nigeria is what we should agitate for.

CAN ARSENAL DO THE IMPOSSIBLE?

As Arsenal prepare for the daunting task of overturning the 5-1 first leg deficit against Bayern Munich tonight, let's look back at eight of the greatest second leg comebacks in European Champions Leagues annals:

*FC Barcelona lost 2-0 to AC Milan in the first leg, but won 4-0 in the second leg (2012/13 round of 16)

*FC Barcelona lost 3-1 to Chelsea in the first leg, but won 5-1 in second leg (1999/2000 quarter-finals)

*Chelsea FC lost 3-1 to Napoli in the first leg, but won 4-1 in the second leg (2011/12 round of 16)

*Deportivo La Coruna lost 4-1 to AC Milan in first leg, but won 4-0 in second leg (2003/04 quarter-finals)

*Monaco lost 4-2 to Real Madrid in first leg, but won 3-1 in the second leg (2003/04 quarter-finals)

*Manchester United lost 2-0 to Olympiacos in the first leg, but won 3-0 in the second leg (2013/14 round of 16)

*Chelsea lost 3-1 to Paris Saint-Germain in the first leg, but won 2-0 in the second leg (2013/14 quarter-finals)

*Bayern Munich lost 3-1 to Porto in the first leg, but won 6-1 in the second leg (2014/15 quarter-finals)

NB: No team has been able to recover from a 5-1 deficit, but nothing is impossible in football. Arsenal will set a new record if they achieve that at the Emirates tonight

2015/16 ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE: BATTLE ROYALE

The coming season which kicks off today will be one of the most interesting in the history of the English Premier League. The desperation to wrest the title from Chelsea and the flood of new signings will no doubt emblazon the season.


Last season, the chase for the title turned into a foregone conclusion fairly early as a disciplined Chelsea ran away with the league. This time out, a much tougher fight looms. Again Chelsea will be the favourites, in my reckoning, and a very good bet indeed to achieve something special with back-to-back titles. Manager Jose Mourinho is targeting consistency ahead of an unnecessary overhaul, with Radamel Falcao the only arrival of note. But can Falcao be able to exorcise his injury demons, that's the question to be asked, as the season gets underway. Seriously agitating to challenge Chelsea will be the usual suspects, Man City, Man United, Arsenal, and from the outside, Liverpool.

Attempt by City at defending its crown went poorly last season, so the chequebook has been opened in this transfer window as the oil-rich club looks to propel itself back to the top. Raheem Sterling has arrived from Liverpool for a club record fee, and Kevin De Bruyne could be next in line for potentially another record fee. But the problems may be at the back, Vincent Kompany seems to be losing his grit,  as massive preseason losses to Real Madrid and, worryingly, Stuttgart have suggested. Work is still to be done for City.

Meanwhile, United has been busy as every preparing for a very important season. After two years out of the title race, it is imperative Louis Van Gaal gets United back into it in this campaign, and the incomings have reflected that urgency, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Memphis Depay and Morgan Schneiderlin are among the first wave of new United players, with Angel Di Maria's departure and David De Gea looking to be on the way out, there could be a seriously expensive second wave on the way. Depending on how quickly the new signings gel, United could be either a genuine threat for the title or in a scrap for the Champions League.

Liverpool are always there or thereabouts, and yet another spending spree makes them somewhat of an unknown quantity ahead of the new season. Liverpool struggled last season after the sale of Luis Suarez inspired a squad overhaul, and the off-season has appeared remarkably similar, they will struggle to finish among the top four again.

Tottenham, Southampton and Everton will again fight it out for European slots. As the the newly-promoted sides, Bournemouth, Norwich and Watford, staying up will be their priorities.  Provided all three teams don't go straight back down, the Premier League will have to lose something of a mainstay, with Aston Villa top of the list of candidates. Poor last season but saved largely by Christian Benteke and Fabian Delph - players who are no longer at Villa Park - Tim Sherwood desperately needs his new signings to make an immediate impact.

Overall, the season is going to be interesting. Again it is Chelsea's title to lose, United could only provide a stern challenge by signing a centre back and a proven goal scorer before the transfer window closes. Arsenal is in the same region, if the can get Karim Benzema Monsieur Wenger could swing surprises. City will be desperate, but I don't see them winning the title with Kompany, Mangala and Demichelis at the heart of their defense. The trio might turn a new leaf, if they do Chelsea will be in danger of losing the title.

2013/14 EPL PREVIEW

2013/14 EPL PREVIEW

The 21st season of the English Premier League is upon us like a bang! It is hard to believe that as I'm writing this in barely 24 hours proceedings in the English elite football league will resume. Manchester United will be the defending champions as pretenders to the crown will attempt to wrest the trophy that has virtually been the property of United since the commencement of the Premier League era. 

This season will be seemingly unpredictable with the managerial changes at United, Citeh and Chelski. The return of Jose Mourinho will not only brighten the league, but will also add to the competitive edge. Chelski, Citeh and Spurs have spent big while United and Arsenal have kept hold of their key players. 

United put themselves into the driving seat last summer after signing Robin van Persie. The Dutchman did not disappoint as his goals steered the team to yet another premiership title. As at today the new manager David Moyes is yet to make his marquee signing. Chelski have already signed Cristian Cuevas, Stipe Perica, Andre Schurrle, Mark Schwarzer and Mario van Ginkel. Citeh have in their books these new players: Fernandinho, Stevan Jovetic, Jesus Navas and Alvaro Negredo. These are substantial additions to these teams, but as we've seen over the years, it is the team, not the quality of big money signings, that wins the league. 

My prediction: I often don't like to predict which team will ultimately claim the EPL title in May 2014, but I see it finishing this time with the following preferences: 1. Chelski 2. Citeh 3. United 4. Arsenal...in that order. Same old, same old, you might say. 

MARIO BALOTELLI: THE REBEL RETURN HOME TO ROOST

Mario Balotelli's height of eccentricity came to the fore when as an Inter Milan player he appeared on a live television programme wearing AC Milan's shirt, when asked why he replied, tongue in cheek, that he was an AC Milan fan. That act of bizarre defiance invariably showed 'Super' Mario the exit door. Inter Milan's fans were obviously agitated and cannot condone that recalcitrance.

Roberto Mancini, buoyed by the affluence at his disposal at Manchester City, decided to bring the Italian prodigy to Lancashire. Balotelli is a brilliant footballer, but unmanageable even by his fellow Italian. The altercation the pair had in that infamous training ground burst up was the last straw that broke Balotelli's capricious sojourn at Manchester City.

Manchester City fans, and by extension the followers of the English Premier League, will be relieved to see the back of the lad who had finalised a move to a team he claimed to support, AC Milan. Whether he can be managed at the red heart od Milano is a different matter, but I would love to watch the next Milan derby: The quantum of hoot he will receive from Inter Milan fans can only be compared to that received by Luis Figo from Barcelona fans when he moved to bitter rivals Real Madrid in 2000. When Figo to the Nou Camp for a league match, he was accorded a heated reception from the fans that hitherto adored him, many started throwing objects at him, including, if I can remember correctly, a pig's head.