Qatar had the honour of hosting the first ever world cup on middle eastern shores this November as well as the first ever in a northern hemisphere’s winter. It had been 20 years since a non European team had won the cup. On that occasion also in Asia, Brazil won. Could the hosts match up in hospitality ?

In 1986, Argentina had become world champions again on the two feet of the world’s best footballer and arguably of all time – Diego Armando Maradona. It was a dream run.His goals were incredible and unbelievable in that and every footballing era even to this day. Sadly 2022 World Cup was the first world cup since his death. Could the drought end ?

Coming into this years cup, Argentina’s unbeaten run was amazing.It stood at 36 games. They were ranked in the top 3. Brazil and France could only defy them on paper as pre world cup favourites. La Albaceleste had always a great following and thousands of miles away from Plaza de Mayo, Beonus Aires where their home fan base accumulated for the national games, they had plenty of voices cheering them on.For one Lionel Messi , it was a medal that had always eluded him.

Their road wasn’t easy as first up the Green Falcons of Saudi Arabia got them on the ropes. Within minutes in the second half first Saleh Al Shehri and then an absolute cracker by Salem Al Dowsari that could only be defined by the arabic commentary ” Innaha Junoonia” – Its insanity ! The brace had ripple effects not only in Beonus Aires but in Doha and in Riyadh where a national holiday was marked as Saudi Arabia priduced the biggest win of its footballing history ! 2-1 vs Argentina ! Losail went into pandemonium !

How does one react after that? They were dazed. Messi and his men next met Mexico and till long periods didn’t look like in any hurry.This time they cracked the second half better. Messi first and then the emerging player of the tourney, Enzo Fernandez nailed the three points. Poland were up next and by this time Argentines were discovering their suave. They throughly dominated the Poles. 2-0 looked euphemistic. How Poles survived that entourage to make it to last 16 was also an enigma .

Though Australia in the last 16 scored a late goal, Messi and Julian Alvarez’s strikes were too much to overcome.Argentina found themselves against one of their great rivals, Netherlands in the quarters. They started well and by the time Messi launched another penalty to make it to 2-0, only 17 minutes remained. However the super sub Wout Weghorst pinched two goals, the second off the last kick of the regulation to force extra time.Argentina held their nerve in the spot kicks. Emmy Martinez held through.

Coming into the last four was something Argentina had last done in 2014. the year they lost in an extra time final.This time there were no penalty kicks to force as they were throughly in control.Typically a Messi penalty gave them a lead. Julian Alvarez had two more to add in second and they were off to Losail again for another final.At least there was no Germany this time.They had lost their last two to them in 1990 and 2014.

As expected, France had prevailed from the other end, taking apart Poland 3-1, England 2-1 and the surprise package of the tourney , Morocco 2-0 in semis.The Atlas Lions were the toast of Qatar with wins over Belgium, Spain in the last 16 and Portugal in the quarters.Salma Rachid would sing all night until the next world cup now I guess. Qatar and the Arab world was all painted in red of “Al Maghrebia “. The French would finally get the better of them opening their defence devoid of key players and in a slow winding semifinal that they are used to pick their chances to plot the win. “Asood al Atlas” won many hearts though !

The Final was essentially everything minus France for 81 minutes.Argentina totally dominated (Messi had scored on a doubtful penalty but Angel Di Maria’ s presence showed in the super second )and were 2-0 en route what looked like an easy win until a careless penalty was conceded. Kylian Mbappe the leading scorer with Messi until now , scored off the spot and within a minute nailed a finish to make it 2-2.Argentina stood stunned, the earth taken beneath their feet. Game on !

What ensued next was a thriller. Messi gave Argentines another lead in the extra time only for Mbappe to come back via another spot kick. He had scored a hat trick, the first since Geoff Hurst in a World Cup final. Messi had scored in every round , the first since Jairzinho in 1970. He had broken the appearance record as well for world cups and scored 13 goals. It was the first final ever with a 3-3 scoreline. Penalty kicks again.

Enter Emmy Martinez- he saved off Kingsley Coman and Aurelian Tchouameni hit wide. Argentina went perfect with Gonzalo Monteil netting the winning kick. Emmy won the Golden Glove as a despondent Kylian Mbappe landed the Golden Boot.For all his efforts and in a bid to re live Diego in 1986, Lionel Messi finally won the gold medal and in doing so also won the Golden Ball again. Argentina were champs for the third time after 36 years in waiting !

Qatar welcomed the world in high spirits and pitched the perfect World Cup. The ceremonies were traditional .The organisation was world class and so was the football. One didn’t have to travel much. There were many great goals to re live and Laeeb was superb as well.They had sailed through with flying colours despite the national team not making it to the playoffs. Shukran ya Qatar !

For many football fans,August couldn’t come soon enough.Its not even three months since the last ball was kicked in Premiership.It’s been even lesser if you consider both the Europa and Champions league Trophy final was contested by premiership teams.With off season trophies that included Copa America and African League of Nations being played,many players would still be recovering.

Yet with transfer deadline all wrapped before the opening kickoffs for the second season in a row and fantasy drafts all set,it’s ideal for the football to get going.

Last year’s crunch finish had led to a renewed interest again.Liverpool buoyed by their champions trophy win kicked off proceedings on Friday night with a thumping win against newcomers Norwich. Divock Origi, Mohammad Salah and last season’s league player of the season Virgil van Dijk killed off the game inside 42 minutes ensuring a 4-0 Reds’ lead.Their squad is solid,especially that  in form quartet of forwards  and undoubtedly will giving the champions,Manchester City a good run .

Manchester City on the other hand had been building in their strengths and are looking for the three peat.West Ham seemed like pebbles in their path as they began Saturday lunch time with a boosting win.VAR or not,they crushed the opposition again 5-0.Raheem Sterling started where he left off last season in a game which Sergio Aguero started on the bench.

Champions league runners up, Tottenham Hotspur had the teatime kick off against the newly promoted Aston Villa who took the lead against the Champions league runners up inside ten minutes.Tyrone Mings assisted on a John McGinn strike to stun the home crowd at Spurs’ new stadium.The visitors gave Spurs a good outing securing the lead for over an hour till but succumbing to debutant Tanguy Ndombele’s and late Harry Kane goals losing 3-1.

Ole Gunnar Solksjaer’s Manchester United didn’t have much of transfer frenzy off season.Having a dismal end of season run that landed them in sixth, they had the prized tie of the round hosting Chelsea.The ones that they did manage to sign  had a stellar debut.Aaron Won Bissaka played well with Daniel James scoring on  debut their fourth in a 4-0 demolition.Marcus Rashford scored twice.Frank Lampard the newly appointed coach of the Blues had it tough going in his first Premiership game as a coach.

Europa League runners up,Arsenal gingerly started their campaign up north. Their defence came through managed to keep a clean sheet thanks to Bernd Leno.The Gunners got the points with the help of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyeng’s second half finish.Steve Bruce marked his Newcastle managerial debut with a loss.

Elsewhere,Burnley with Ashley Barnes brace against Southampton won 3-0. There were goal less draws for Leicester against Wolves and  Everton against Crystal Palace whilst newly promoted Sheffield United who gave seven premiership debuts salvaged an 88th minute draw at  Bournemouth via Billy Sharp. That wasn’t a surprise considering the Blades have beaten the cherries in last seven out of eight clashes.

Amongst other premiership players marking their debut and scoring is Neal Maupay. The Frenchman,obtained from Brentford,started his five year contract coming in as second half substitute, scored the third of Brighton’s goals in a thumping away start at Watford.Can’t ask for a brighter start for the sea gulls.

It was a scattered start in terms of kick off times but there certainly were plenty of goals to savour in the opening weekend.Titles aren’t decided in August but the thrills and spills have to start somewhere as teams will soon start to wipe away that rust and oil up their tanks.After all even with the February break, it will be a pretty long season heading up to the Euros next year.Bring it On !

Since it inception, only eight teams have ever won the Fifa World Cup inclusive of the original Jules Rimet Trophy that began in 1930.There have been 21 editions and come Thursday the jouney to the 22 nd one begins in Russia.

Seven games of which four are knock out ones for the victor test the sheer physical strength,depth, mental toughness and resilience  to the maximum amongst the global stage with billions watching.Its not an easy task and only one mighty team will be  kept standing in the end. These are my final four to make semis.

So who are the favourites ? Surprise surprise , the list is by no means a novel one.Defending champions Germany are the  no.1 ranked team in the world according to the latest Fifa  rankings and they have a boastful record when it comes to the  FIFA World Cup finals. Champions on four occasions, they are almost in every World Cup pundit’s list to win it all.

The last time they were knocked before entering the knock out stage was 1978. Joachim Louw has had the luxury of a huge talent pool  at his display again with Marco Reus and Manuel Neuer ‘s availability in premiere tournament finally. Joshua Kimmich and Mats Hummels are ever reliable alongside the shooting prowess of Thomas Muller and Timo Werner. Muller is only six shy of Miroslav Klose s all time record of sixteen goals set in Brazil four years ago. I do think they will miss Leroy Sane though, the English Premiership ‘s young player of the year who has been an important weapon in Manchester City’s strong league championship run.

The team which needs no introduction to FIFA World Cup finals is Brazil. They are the betting favourites come the opening kickoff and have made it to every tournament since the World Cup ever began.Rejuvenated under the coaching skills of Tite, the likes of Neymar, Coutinho, Firminho, Gabriel Jesus, Paulinho, Willian, Casemiro and Fernandinho are destined to perform well barring any major injury such as the one Neymar suffered when they hosted four years ago.Their attack might be the best with notable  household names but its their watertight defence which is sparking the debate on them sealing a sixth World Cup.The Canarinho will fly high in Russia.

In 2010, Spain won the World Cup for the first time sandwiched in between their two Euro wins.For years they have dominated on the world level courtesy of their huge domestic league attracting star players and a wealth of youth talent blossoming in it . Real Madrid completing a three peat of the the Champions League last month provide the bulk of the Spanish national team this year  but there are others in the mix.David de Gea is amongst the top goal keepers in the world let alone the English premier league and Diego Costa alongside David Silva prove that it’s not a Real – Barca showcase for the La Roja. They have sacked their coach Julen Lopetugui  on the eve of the tourney soon after his appointment for Real Madrid.That is poor timing indeed considering he was undefeated in his reign and comes as a mini crisis. Spain still will have the depth to launch into the last four.

France were knocked off by Germany in Brazil at the quarter final stage however two years later they exacted revenge in the Euros although losing at home to Portugal in the final. In recent years they have definitely improved on their talent and star European players such as Antoine Griezmann and Paul Pogba . They have new talent at the world stage as well with Nabil Fekir, Ousmoane Dembele, Ngolo Kante and Kylian Mbappe and Thomas Lamar. This will be a tough French squad although replicating 1998’s World Cup success is home will still require a bit more for Didier Deschamps ‘s “Le Blues “.

Those are my locks for the semis. Its not a World Cup if  Argentina are not included in the top picks to win and by no means they are “dark horses” yet but still they are not a polished squad having struggled to qualify.Come Cup time, they are a different kettle of fish. Lionel Messi continues his quest for a cup win having won the  “Golden Ball”  last time and coming ever so close to glory. Not having Italy and Holland makes it slightly  easier to predict this time around although their absence will surely be felt around world cup circles by their millions of die hard fans.

So on July 15 , there will be a victor.It might not be a new one ! Who will hold the Fifa World Cup in Moscow’s Luzhniki stadium. We are far from finding it as of now as the cup is ready to become underway but there is a  good hunch that one of the biggies will have enough bottle to nail it.  Its a cup that the world wants but only a few can hold it, still !

December 26 is long revered for a day in respite following the heavy  Turkey meals and also for the massive shopping expeditions as sales begin.For many millions who have to forego these celebrations are the countless sporting features on offer.Whilst traditionally the cricketing tests in Australia and New Zealand  get the day rolling or if one is in UK, get the night starting.South Africa joins in the early morning.Usually it takes another five hours before the first football game on the schedule kicks off here on what is known as arguably ” the beginning of the second season” or as I call it the “real” season.

It can’t be any bigger.The crowds flocking all over the kingdom to various games which allow most to wrap up their early morning sales in time for kick off at 3 pm.This year Crystal Palace fans had to leave those commercial  arrangements as well as make do with a new manager in Sam Allardyce following Allan Pardew sacking.It was a 1230 pm kickoff.They would rue Christian Benteke’s penalty miss though at Watford who scored through Troy Deeney’s late spot kick himself to leave them at 1-1.

Gunners head into Boxing day usually exhausted and ready to crumble like an apple pie would on their strong early season starts.Two losses away at northern territories known better  as  Goodison Park and Etihad stadium had left them wrangling from a position where they were top in early December.A last minute Giroud strike saved further blushes against West Brom.Leicester are the defending champions but in the league they are a shadow of a team they were coming into last Boxing Day.Similar to their loss to Liverpool on last year’s Boxing day fixture, they fell to the Reds’ arch rivals Everton at home.Such a defeat in April was hardly imaginable.

Burnley’s premiere striker Andre Gray guided them to a valuable three points at Turf Moor against Boro.West Ham’s revival in December continued with a third win in a row, this time against second from bottom Swansea in Wales who had the unpleasant decision to take sacking their second coach of this season, Bob Bradley.Fellow strugglers Hull didn’t fare much better in the late kickoff game at KC stadium as Manchester  City flew past them in the second half, knocking in three unanswered goals.Yahya Toure is on a resurgence.

Leaders Chelsea seem unstoppable at the moment.12 wins on the trot.What a difference a year makes. Conte is in charge.Kante is in midfield.Hazard, Costa and that Italian style defence could do no wrong.Between them they have scored 22 and allowed only 11,by far the best defensive record in the league.With no European distractions and only FA cup to deal with, things couldn’t have been more close to comfort as they were two seasons ago.

Their coach then was Jose Mourinho which brings us to the eighth  game on the slate and the one that took me across the M67 and onto the famous streets of Stretford en route to the much revered “Theatre of Dreams”.The atmosphere couldn’t have been more carnival though  at Old Trafford and as the biggest attendance  for that day anywhere in UK at 75,000 plus marched through Sir Matt Busby Way.They stood up for a standing ovation across all the stands as the teams entered and left.The passion still ever vibrant.

Jose is not having a great 2016 so far with already two suspensions served before Boxing day.That’s even novel by Jose’s standards, not to mention Manchester  United ones.Having said that he finds himself in the middle of a revival of sorts.Manchester United after humbling draws with Stoke, Liverpool,Burnley,West Ham,Gunners and Everton have found a three match win streak to their liking.Not to mention,reaching the next round of Europa league as well as semi finals of the EFL cup,they have already congested their  fixture list for the first two months of 2017.

Needless to say,their European aspirations lie mostly with league success.The match against Sunderland was always going to be in their grasp but they did have to wait until the 40th minute for Blind to open the scoring.Ibrahimovic totally dominated the second half with a lovely assist from Martial setting up the second and minutes later assisted the form midfielder of the moment,Henrikh Mkhitaryan into a “wonderstrike” of a back heel goal. “Match of the Day” was all over him and so was the crowd.Zlatan has 12 goals in the league now,second only to Costa.It meant a fourth straight win for the hosts, who still are sixth in the league.

It’s been one of those years when eight games were on the schedule rather than the full ten. Liverpool and Spurs completed the win sequence for the top six.But the busy season had just begun as teams will continue to play in the icy cold conditions twice more in the league before the FA Cup kicks off.Those heavy meals of Christmas will long be digested by then.

Bastian Schweinsteiger of Manchester United during the UEFA Champions League group B match between Manchester United and PSV Eindhoven on November 25, 2015 at Old Trafford in Manchester, England(Photo by VI Images via Getty Images)

Not only is it one of the oldest rivalries in association football but also one of the fiercest contested given the two clubs recent brushing with silverware. Seven of the last nine league titles have ended up in the city known as Cottonopolis. The only cotton now getting popular is from the shirts of the area’s two popular brands, City and United. It’s a footballing revolution instigated by City’s new found wealth from the Gulf mixed with the remnants of the legacy that Sir Alex Ferguson has been proudly manufactured over the last quarter century of his reign at Old Trafford.

Buildup

No irony then that a few miles from one of the world’s first industrial estate  of Trafford Park, was the venue that took centre stage in the marquee matchup  of the premiership season. Glory or not,the two clubs’ head to head games always guarantees goals , drama and controversy . Their last encounter of April 2015 in the Mancunian rain ended with a first derby win for Louis van Gaal . City had earlier won  the September encounter by a solitary goal, and have  had the recent upper hand winning six of last eight duels. 29 goals have been produced in such games . Such has been the dynamic nature of the contest that a draw hasn’t been achieved in last 12 games across all formats.

That was till Sunday. According to The Guardian’s James Richardson “It was the  worst apology since Tony Blair’s. ”  Football dreamt of quality of the premiership but it was not to be. The two teams had featured in the top 3 before the latest  round of  league matches . City had a lot of injuries and missed the services of their leading scorer, Sergio Aguero and their leading assists provider, David Silva. United had issues of a different note. Their main marksman , Wayne Rooney is under intense pressure for maintains his place in the squad after Anthony Martial’s dream start in the premiership . They also had to entail a 4,000 mile round trip to subzero Moscow mid week to play in the champions league.

The Game  

The 1st 45 minutes were forgetful .I don’t know what half Gary Neville was watching  who was full of praises . United didn’t have a shot on goal and despite dictating possession lacked any pace and penetration which has become a theme for the games where they have failed this season. Louis van Gaal made a solitary change bringing on Juan Mata for Jesse Lingard from that Moscow squad to ignite that speed but the fatigued bodies had other notions.The best chances did fell to United in the second half when Lingard volleyed the bar post and Joe Hart saved from Chris Smalling who has arguably been the hosts’ premier player of the season.

City missed their star figures badly,creativity wise .Yahya Toure ‘s and Vincent Kompany’s  impact on the game was also surprisingly minimal . Such was the quality that the highlight of the 1st half was Yahya’s aerial clash with Wayne Rooney which bloodied his head . In a game where expectations were higher than the nearby Chille Factore, the final score was as dull as the local weather . It ended goal less. Possibly a game which could have done without a man of the match which went to in the end to Morgan Schneiderlein .

Aftermath 

The draw was enough for Manchester City to take top spot from overnight leaders Arsenal . United lost a place to the ever rising West Ham team to take 4th place on goal difference. The derby left a lot to be desired for both Mancunian camps and it just depicts how stretched the depth charts will be for the team challenging to take the crown come next May. Sterner challenges lie for Manuel Pellegrini and Louis Van Gaal in the season ahead but if it’s anything like this contest, they both have their work cut out.