The Reign of King Louis: Glory for Manchester United


And the monthly awards of March go to...

The closer we get to the decisions in the Premier League, the more a player can make his impact with some great performances. A good month of a player can result in a higher ranking in the table. Who are the players that were picked as the best of this month? Let's find out!

Great suprise that the stage is filled with three defenders! Normally, the attacking players are recognized for their performances, since goals are remembered better than great tackles or something like that. Indeed, this counted for this month. The defenders all scored goals. First place was for Everton left-back Leighton Baines, who scored all goals in Everton's 3-1 victory over West Ham, of which two were penalties. His rating was a 7.73. A higher rating was scored by Vlad Chiricheş (7.83), who scored 2 goals in 3 appearances. Third place was for Chelsea-defender John Terry, who scored 2 in 4 matches and was rated with a 7.80.


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Less surprising was the award for Young Player of the Month, where Lukaku and Shaw were on the stage. These two are in great form this season and Lukaku won the trophy three times, while Shaw won it two times. But this time Shaw became runner-up and Lukaku filled the third place. So who was the winner of the award? It was Chelsea midfielder Nathaniel Chalobah, who appeared in 3 matches and scored twice, resulting in an average rating of 7.40.

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Spurs-manager Mauro Pochettino won the trophy of best manager of the month March. He led them to three victories, including a good 2-1 over Everton. Pellegrini became runner-up, as he victored over Chelsea and Manchester United, both 1-0 in a home game. The draw against Aston Villa was a shame, but nevertheless it was a great month for the Citizens. Third place was for Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal, who continues to be present on the stage every month so far this season.


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United retains their leading position

The match-up between Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United meant a meeting between the leader and the number 6 of the Premier League. Manchester United is determined to win this match to stay in the lead and head for the Premier League title. The Spurs want to play European games again next season and still arre in place for the Europa League. The Champions League seems to far away for them but never say never.

The first chance at White Hart Lane was for Manchester United striker Van Persie. He gave Chiricheş a nutmeg and drives the ball towards goal. His shot hits the post and comes back in play. This was the only real opportunity in the first half and the fans weren’t treated with a great match. Other important happening was an injury of Juan Mata, which looked severe and he had to leave the pitch. Michael Carrick was his replacement.

In the second half United again gained a good opportunity via Van Persie. De Gea’s goal kick was headed by Young. Vertonghen and Chiricheş seemed to clear the ball, but due to miscommunication they both missed the ball and Van Persie was offered an one-to-one situation with Lloris. Van Persie made no mistake and shoots the ball into the goal via the underside of the crossbar.

View attachment 291360
Van Persie profits from a mistake
in the Spurs defence

Only a minute Tottenham received a big chance via Lamela. He escaped the offside trap and picked up the long ball from Stones. His shot was well saved by David De Gea. After a throw in Lamela created himself another shooting opportunity, but again De Gea denied him the goal. Tottenham pushed United back further and further, but weren’t able to great really big opportunities. Only Paulinho was close to a goal, but the crossbar denied him a goal. The 1-0 victory was of real importance for United who remain their 3 point lead over Chelsea.

Match Facts

Tottenham Hotspur (4-2-3-1): Lloris 7; Clyne 6 (K. Walker 78, NA), Chiricheş 7, Vertonghen 6.5, B. Davies 8; Paulinho 7, Dembélé 7.5; Lamela 6.5 (Lennon 66, 6.5), Eriksen 6.5, Townsend 7; Soldado 6.5 (Kane 72, 6.5)
Manchester United (4-2-3-1): De Gea 7.5; Rafael 7.5, P. Jones 7.5, Rojo 7.5, Shaw 7; A. Herrera 6.5 (Smalling 67, 6.5), Di María 7; A. Young 6.5 (Falcao 67, 6.5), Rooney 7, Mata 6.5 (Carrick 35, 6); Van Persie 7

 

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Expensive loss for United against Everton

Another important match for United in the title race was against Everton. A though challenge, since Everton is performing very well this season and already claimed a 3-1 victory earlier this season over Manchester United.

Just 55 seconds after the kick-off United took the lead. Di Mar;ia looked to be stuck, but he found Rooney, who decided to shoot. His shot was saved by Howard, but Young scored the rebound from a different angle. A great start for United and Louis van Gaal looked satisfied. But Everton fought themselves back in the game real soon. Blind pushed Lukaku in the back and Lee Probert gave a free kick to Everton. Baines hit the ball real good and it went beautifully into the top corner. He already scored his 12th​ goal this season. Ten minutes later it was Di María who fouled Lukaku. Again Baines fired his free kick real well, but this time De Gea made a save. However, the rebound fell in front of Jagielka and scored the 2-1. Only 2 minutes later Rooney was fouled. He decided to take the free kick himself and followed Leighton Baines’ example as he shot the ball straight into the top corner. Just before half time Barkley tackled Rooney, who gained a free kick. Van Persie claimed the free kick and it was a right decision, because he blasted it over the wall and the ball went in via the underside of the crossbar: 3-2! What a first half, in which set pieces really prove their value. You better don’t make a foul, because some real sharpshooters are on the pitch today.

View attachment 291347
Baines with the 1-1 and his
12th​ goal this season

After half time Van Persie tried to create some space for a shot, but Stones cleared it with a long ball. The long ball resulted in a duel between Jones and Lukaku, which was easiy won by the Belgian striker. He remained calm in front of De Gea and placed the ball in the corner for the equalizer. Ten minutes before the final whistle Jones cleared a free kick from Baines, but the ball ended up at John Stones via a scrimmage. He didn’t think, but shot the ball and it ended into the top corner. What a beautiful and important goal of the young centre back. The game ended in a 4-3 victory for Everton at Old Trafford. United lost themselves some important points and they have the same amount of points as Chelsea, but a slightly better goal difference (+4 over Chelsea). Everton strengthened their 4th​ position and will play in the preliminaries of the Champions League probably.

Match Facts:

Manchester United (4-2-3-1): De Gea 6.5; Rafael 6.5, P. Jones 6.5, Blind 6.5 (Falcao 81, NA), Shaw 6.5; A. Herrera 6.5, Di María 7; A. Young 7.5, Rooney 9, Mata 6.5 (Munir 81, NA); Van Persie 8.5
Everton (4-4-1-1): Howard 7; J. Stones 8, Jagielka 7, Distin 7, Baines 8.5; Vermouth 6.5 (J. McCarthy 56, 6.5), Gibson 7 (Coleman 65, 7), Barry 7, McGeady 7; Barkley 6.5 (Naismith 60, 6.5); Lukaku 8.5

Bookings: Manchester United: Rafael; Everton: Barry
Referee: Lee Probert
MoM: Wayne Rooney
Attendance: 74,867

 
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Other matches in April:

Barclays Premier League, 32
th​ match

View attachment 291330

. 7' Ashley Young View attachment 291329 1-0 (assist Ángel di María)
25' Lee Cattermole View attachment 291327
28' Wayne Rooney View attachment 291329 2-0 (assist Luke Shaw)
38' Wayne Rooney View attachment 291329 3-0 (assist Juan Mata)
45' Robin van Persie View attachment 291329 4-0 (assist Ashley Young)
57' Ander Herrera View attachment 291329 5-0 (assist Ángel di María)
69' Jack Rodwell View attachment 291326
70' Daley Blind View attachment 291326
82' Danny Graham View attachment 291329 5-1 (assist Sebastian Larsson)
____________________________


FA Cup, semi final

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22' Jonny Evans View attachment 291326
57' Henri Lansbury View attachment 291326
65' Phil Jones View attachment 291326
90+1' Jonny Evans View attachment 291327
96' Phil Jones View attachment 291329 1-0 (assist Chris Smalling)
____________________________


Premier League Table

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Player Stats
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Fantastic layout, wording and effort in this. Truly a fun and exciting read, please keep up the good work and I wish you success in this career! :)

On a side note, would you recommend a save using Utd? I am not very fond of the club in real life, and on any save they seem to win the league more often than not. Is it a challenge trying to put them back up there after the season from Moyes or is it more fun than a challenge?

Cheers, and once more thank you for the read and good luck!

EDIT: Some signings you may want to consider after the first season;

Richairo Zivkovic - This guy is just unbelievable. It has become the norm for me to sign him on every save depending on the club after the first season because even at 18 he can score me 40+ goals a season and will cost you under 10m if you keep negotiating down.

Youri Tielemans - the potential on this guy (-10) says it all really. He is amazing at 18, and if nurtured well he will become xavi/toure/iniesta/carrick (if you want to compare;)) esque depending on how you train but he is incredible at centre mid and is insane. Can cost the same as Zivkovic depending on first season/how stingy Anderlecht are.

Leon Goretzka - same as above. For my Schalke save I use Tielemans and Goretzka in the CM positions and they are just superb combined. May cost a bit but I am unsure but he is quality.

Sorry if you know about these but had to have my say! Thank you and good luck :)
 
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Fantastic layout, wording and effort in this. Truly a fun and exciting read, please keep up the good work and I wish you success in this career! :)

On a side note, would you recommend a save using Utd? I am not very fond of the club in real life, and on any save they seem to win the league more often than not. Is it a challenge trying to put them back up there after the season from Moyes or is it more fun than a challenge?

Cheers, and once more thank you for the read and good luck!

EDIT: Some signings you may want to consider after the first season;

Richairo Zivkovic - This guy is just unbelievable. It has become the norm for me to sign him on every save depending on the club after the first season because even at 18 he can score me 40+ goals a season and will cost you under 10m if you keep negotiating down.

Youri Tielemans - the potential on this guy (-10) says it all really. He is amazing at 18, and if nurtured well he will become xavi/toure/iniesta/carrick (if you want to compare;)) esque depending on how you train but he is incredible at centre mid and is insane. Can cost the same as Zivkovic depending on first season/how stingy Anderlecht are.

Leon Goretzka - same as above. For my Schalke save I use Tielemans and Goretzka in the CM positions and they are just superb combined. May cost a bit but I am unsure but he is quality.

Sorry if you know about these but had to have my say! Thank you and good luck :)

Hey mate, thanks a lot for your extensive comment. Thanks for the compliments! In real life they aren't that great so far (although the game against Spurs was really well), but in my FM save it's between fun and a challenge. Me as a Dutchman myself really like the Dutch influence in the Premier League (since a few hours Advocaat increased the number to 3 Dutch trainers), but it's also a challenge because of the concurrence of the top teams, especially Chelsea.

As to the player recommendations, no need to say sorry, although I'm absolutely aware of these superb talents (just as the most FM players I guess). I will not sign any of them, since I was criticized in the beginning of my story for the signings of Munir, Balanta and Odegaard and so I want to come up with some original signings.

Zivkovic is an amazing talent, which I''m really satisfied with as Ajax supporter. He played most of his matches this season for Ajax' B-squad, which plays in the second highest Dutch league and scored already 18 goals so far. Last few matches he came onto the pitch and he delivered a beautiful assist in the 1-0 win over Excelsior. However, I'm putting my confidence in James Wilson as my future number one striker when Van Persie retires. He already has 15 for finishing and 18 pace, so I hope he will become a scoring machine.

Thanks a lot for your comment mate, means a lot to me!

P.S. Another great Ajax talent is Abdelhak Nouri (AMC). Don't know if you ever heard of him, but he is already a decent player and will become one of the many stars from the famous Ajax Youth development.
 
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And the monthly awards of April go to...

It's the second last time this season that the personal monthly awards are handed out. In May the deciding games are being played in the Premier League, which will determine who is going to be the Champion of England. But what about this month's performances? Let's find out who took the prizes in April.

The Player of the Month award was handed out to Juan Cuadrado. With an average rating of 8.10 over 3 appearances and scoring 4 goals he deserved the win of this title. The winger has proved to be a great acquisition of Chelsea-manager Mourinho, since he's important for their side all season long. Second place was for Manchester United star Wayne Rooney. He averaged a 8.33 rating over 3 appearances in which he scored even as much goals. Also he delivers a lot of assists so far this season and he really is in great form. Third place was for QPR-defender Éder Álvarez Balanta. The loanie of Manchester United played especially well against Chelsea in their 1-0 victory and was rated with a 8.07, scoring 1 goal this month.


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Well, guess which two players were competing for the Young Player of the Month award? Not a big surprise that Luke Shaw and Romelu Lukaku were the top two performers of the talents in the Premier League. Luke Shaw claimed the trophy with an average rating of 7.50 over 3 appearances. Lukaku competed in 4 matches this month and scored twice, achieving himself a rating of 7.03. They now both have won the award three times this season. Third place was for Arsenal-winger Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, who didn't score but was nevertheless rated with a 7.17.


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As Manager of the Month Roberto Martínez was picked. He led Everton to 3 victories in 4 matches, including an absolute thriller at Old Trafford (3-4). He proves to be a top class manager this season and still holds the fourth place with Everton. Second place was for QPR-boss Harry Redknapp. Harry Houdini had a great month, winning 2 out of 3, of which a 1-0 victory over Chelsea. Third place was for Manuel Pellegrini, who seems to end on a third place with City in the Premier League.


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Matches in May:

Barclays Premier League, 35th​ match

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38' Wayne Rooney View attachment 290800 0-1 (assist Robin van Persie)
55' Alex Song View attachment 290799
64' Robin van Persie View attachment 290800 0-2 (assist Juan Mata)
69' Aaron Cresswell View attachment 290799
69' Robin van Persie View attachment 290800(p) 0-3
78' Alex Song View attachment 290800 1-3 (assist Aaron Cresswell)
81' Stewart Downing View attachment 290800 2-3 (assist Enner Valencia)
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Barclays Premier League, 36
th​ match

View attachment 290798

. 1' Dean Hammond View attachment 290799
. 6' Radamel Falcao View attachment 290800 1-0 (assist Robin van Persie)
25' Liam Moore View attachment 290799
28' Wayne Rooney View attachment 290800 2-0 (assist Radamel Falcao)
36' Radamel Falcao View attachment 290800 3-0 (assist Wayne Rooney)
42' Wayne Rooney View attachment 290800 4-0 (assist Daley Blind)
46' Wayne Rooney View attachment 290800 5-0 (assist Ander Herrera)
63' Daley Blind View attachment 290799
64' Phil Jones View attachment 290799
69' Robin van Persie View attachment 290800 6-0 (assist Luke Shaw)
72' Radamel Falcao View attachment 290800 7-0 (assist Luke Shaw)
81' Radamel Falcao View attachment 290800 8-0 (assist Wayne Rooney)
90+1' Ángel di María View attachment 290799
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Barclays Premier League, 37
th​ match

View attachment 290791

30' Robin van Persie View attachment 290800 0-1 (assist Luke Shaw)
31' Robin van Persie View attachment 290800 0-2
33' Radamel Falcao View attachment 290800 0-3
38' Robin van Persie View attachment 290800 0-4 (assist Rafael)
47' Robin van Persie View attachment 290800 0-5
51' Rafael
View attachment 290799
55' Jack Cork
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71' Peter Crouch View attachment 290800 1-5 (assist Marc Muniesa)
75' Marcos Rojo View attachment 290800 1-6 (assist Wayne Rooney)
____________________________

 

Gary Neville: “Welcome everybody to Sky Sports. I’m your presenter today, Gary Neville, and I’m joined by Jamie Carragher. Today the title will be handed out on the last matchday of the season. It’s already unofficial for Manchester United, who are 3 points in front of Chelsea and have a goal difference that is +16 better than Chelsea. Something really mad must happen if Chelsea wants to claim the trophy today, but I’m very sure it’s not going to happen. What do you think Jamie?”

Jamie Carragher: “Thanks for the introduction, Gary. Well, as we all know United will become champions today. There’s just no way that Chelsea will catch up in goal difference with United. In fact I think United will hold on their lead of 3 points as I expect them to have an easy win over Burnley.”

Gary Neville: “Yes, I think so too. Although Burnley performs really good in this season and currently possess the 13th​ place in the table it should be a victory for United. They perform really well this season and only lost 4 points at Old Trafford so far. Away at Burnley they won 4-1 and I don’t think Burnley is capable to grab some points here. Well, it’s almost 3 PM, which means it’s time for the matches. Let’s go to our commentator today at Old Trafford: Martin Tyler.

Martin Tyler: “Thank you Gary. Welcome to you all people at home. It’s a beautiful day today and United will claim their 21th​ Premier League title. The crowd looks excited and the players look confident. United will play in a 4-3-3 formation today, just like the previous two matches, which ended in 8-0 and 6-1 victories. The strikers Van Persie, Falcao and Rooney are a guarantee for some goals. Burnley starts defensive with 4 defenders, a defensive midfielders, 4 normal midfielders and all alone upfront Danny Ings. The whistle of Lee Mason sounds and were underway.”

Martin Tyler: “United starts strong to the match. Herrera receives the ball at about 21 yards from the goal. He drives the ball towards goal. Heaton makes the save, but he allows the rebound. Van Persie strikes the ball in: 1-0! Van Persie anticipated really fast when Heaton released the ball and simply played it past the Burnley goalie. Old Trafford explodes. It just can’t go wrong any more. United took the lead already in the 7th​ minute.”

Martin Tyler: “12 minutes are played so far and Shaw makes the run forward. He lays the ball back to Di María. The Argetinean fires, but it hits the crossbar. Whew, United are really trying to give their fans a beautiful match today.”

Martin Tyler: “Di María has the ball in his possession in the box. He holds onto it and looks what to do. Falcao makes a run and Di María notices. Falcao scores the 2-0! Falcao slipped from Mee’s attention and from about 3 yards from the goal he makes no mistake. But why didn’t Heaton interfere and grab the ball away? Well, one thing is sure. The engraver can start writing Manchester United on the Premier League trophy and tie some red banners on it.”

Martin Tyler: “United leads 2-0 as we are heading for halftime. One last attack is allowed by Mason as Shaw runs down the left wing. He delivers the cross in. Falcao with a striking header and it’s 3-0! What a beautiful goal and what is Shaw performing very well today as he is doing the whole season.
Oh, there’s the whistle from Mason and United leads 3-0 at halftime. Back to you, Gary.”

Gary Neville: “United is leading 3-0 and will become champions. Chelsea leads 1-0 against Leicester. Diego Costa scored already after 5 minutes, but they weren’t able to enlarge their lead. Jamie, what do you make of it so far?”

Jamie Carragher: “United is really dominating against Burnley and they deserve the lead and also the title. We saw that Chelsea took an early lead after 5 minutes, but as soon the news came in that United also took an early lead their play became sloppy and the hope was gone. But compliments that they really started furious to the match to grab their last hopes for the title.

Gary Neville: “Second half is about to start and we’ll go back to Martin Tyler.”

Martin Tyler: “Five minutes have been played so far in second half and nothing really happened so far. Here comes United again with Luke Shaw. He dribbles down the wing and delivers the cross. The ball reaches Van Persie. Van Persie strikes and it’s a goal: 4-0! Burnley should really play better to prevent more goals from United, as the Mancunians are on fire.

Martin Tyler: “The pace of the match dropped as United is sure of the title. Now Mata receives the cleared corner from Burnley. He makes the run forwards. He keeps going. Wow, great run from Mata. He’s now past the last defender, but he is in a difficult angle. Nevertheless he tries the shot, but it hits the post! Whew, beautifully done by Juan Mata, although maybe he better could have played the ball towards Van Persie in front of the goal.

Martin Tyler: “Again Shaw is upfront. He delivers the cross towards Falcao, who holds onto it. Duff tackles Falcao and the ball falls in front of Mata’s feet. He strikes, but it’s straight at Heaton. He strikes again the rebound and it goes in: 5-0! Good lord, United is crushing poor Burnley.

Martin Tyler: “Van Persie with the corner kick. It’s cleared, but ends up at Van Persie again. He crosses the ball and Herrera heads it towards the far post. It’s past Heaton, but Arfield makes a line save. He prevents another United goal here.

Martin Tyler: “Van Persie receives the ball. He waits a while and then plays it towards Herrera. Herrera dribbles past his man and shoots. Oh, his really well placed shot goes into the bottom corner and United leads 6-0!

Martin Tyler: “Lee Mason watches the time and blows his whistle. It’s over. Manchester United against Burnley endss in a 6-0 victory for United.

Old Trafford explodes and the United players run onto the pitch and celebrate the trophy.
There it comes. United-captain Wayne Rooney lifts the 21th​ Premier League title in the history of United. It’s party time for Manchester United. Manager Louis van Gaal accomplished a great challenge and led United to the Premier League title and Capital One Cup title in his first season, claiming the double. He is still in the race for the triple, as United faces Liverpool in the final of the FA Cup. But first they will celebrate the winning of the Premier League title.

 
View attachment 290721The yearly awards of the Barclays Premier League go to...

It's time to announce who were the best performers of the Barclays Premier League this year. It have been an exciting season with Manchester United grabbing the title (officially) on the last matchday. But who will become the best player of the season? And who are included in the Team of the Year? Let's find out!

The Footballer of the Year 2014-15 is Robin van Persie. The striker of Manchester United was in great form this season and already won the Ballon d´Or of 2014. His excellent performances continued in the second half of the Premier League and so it´s no surprise that he is awarded with this trophy. It´s the second time for Van Persie to win this trophy, as he won it before in the season 2011/12, when he was still at Arsenal.

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The players of the Barclays Premier League vote themselves also for their Player of the Year. The didn't agree with Van Persie as the best, becuase Wayne Rooney won the Players' Player of the Year award. He also was of great importance for United in their trophy winning season, scoring 20 goals and delivering the same number of assists in only 33 appearances.

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The best talent of the Barclays Premier League was expected to go between Luke Shaw (4 times Young Player of the Month) and Romelu Lukaku (3 times Young Player of the Month), but Eden Hazard took the trophy home. This was a bit surprising, because he is already 24 years old. Nevertheless Hazard performed really well, scoring 14 goals and delivering 12 assists in 33 appearances.

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The Manager of the Year award was for Premier League newcomer Louis van Gaal. He was picked four times as Manager of the Month this season, and was on the stage every month except for April. He led United to the double this season and treated the fans with attacking football. The fans will certainly hope that United can keep up the excellent form under Louis van Gaal and compete for the title next season. Also United will be back in the Champions League again and they are motivated to come far in this tournament.

Another award was reached out for the best goalkeeper of the season. This year David De Gea claimed the Golden Glove before Joe Hart and Tim Howard. The Spanish goalie appeared in every competition match of United this season and conceded only 31 goals. In half of his matches he kept his goal clean and due to his performances United won the title.

View attachment 290713
The best footballer of the year is most of the times an attacking player, so the best performing defenders have to do it with a place in the Team of the Season. This year's Team of the Season included players from only five clubs: Arsenal (1), Manchester City (2), Everton (3), Chelsea (4), Manchester United (8).

View attachment 290710
 
Final stats of the Barclays Premier League season 2014/15:

Manchester United claimed the title this year with a point total of 94 points. They had a goal difference of +90, due to the fact they scored 3.18 goals/match on average. Chelsea followed United by only 3 points. Manchester City ended in a kind of nomansland, as they were 5 points behind Chelsea and 10 points in front of Everton, who ended as number 4. These teams will play Champions League next season. Other sides performing in Europe, in the Europa League, will be Arsenal, Tottenham and Liverpool. Liverpool ended at place 7, a big disappointment after the runner-up position from last season. The middle teams were expected as well, although Newcastle United didn't perform well with a 15th​ place. Relegation from the highest English competition was the sad destiny for Crystal Palace, Leicester City and Hull City. Burnley was expected a though challenge to avoid relegation, but ended on the 14th​ place.

View attachment 290688
The Top Goalscorer of the Barclays Premier League this season was Robin van Persie. He scored 32 goals in 30 appearances, which was the highest amount of goals since Alan Shearer in the 1994/95 season, who scored 34 times for Blackburn Rovers. Also Van Persie delivered 23 assists this season, so he was involved in almost 2 goals per match on average. Runner-up became Lukas Podolski. The German netted 26 goals in 34 appearances. Third place was for Romelu Lukaku, who scored 21 times. He improved his previous record of 17 goals in his loan time for Westbromwich Albion.

View attachment 290686
The performances of United also came to expression in the average ratings of the players. The top 7 all were players from United, with Juan Mata and Rafael just missing out the top 5. Newcomers Luke Shaw and Ángel di María proved it was a right step for them to move to Old Trafford as they ended up with a high rating. Phil Jones and Wayne Rooney (20 goals) proved to be of great value for United and Robin van Persie was the outstanding man this season with an average rating of 8.00. He also was the player who delivered the most assists (23), followed by Wayne Rooney (20), Juan Mata (16), Diego Costa (13) and Eden Hazard (12). Van Persie was picked as Man of the Match 9 times and also finished above in this ranking, followed by Sergio Agüero and Leighton Baines, who both were picked 8 times as the best man on the pitch.

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View attachment 290670
Liverpool wins the FA Cup over Manchester United


Yesterday the most prestigious Cup final in the world was played. Liverpool and Manchester United faced each other at Wembley for the FA Cup final. The ambiance was great and 90.000 fans cheered for their teams as they made the entrance.

Brendan Rodgers sent out his men in a 4-1-2-1-2 formation with no really surprising names. Missing was Steven Gerrard, who was replaced by Emre Can. Louis van Gaal kept trust in his attacking 4-3-3, with which he crushed Leicester, Burnley and Stoke. It was 18 °C and a lovely afternoon for top football. A thriller was expected.

Only seven minutes were played when Liverpool took a 1-0 lead. Sturridge dribbled past some defenders and delivered Borini a great opportunity. Borini remained calm and placed it past De Gea. Great action from Sturridge. Just befor 20 minutes were past Liverpool scored again. A scrimmage occurred for the goal of David De Gea and Sturridge picked up the ball. He headed towards De Gea and hammered the ball into the goal. The Liverpool fans went absolute nuts, because they certainly didn’t expect a early 2-0 lead against the Premier League champions.

After halftime United started furious. Herrera gained a good opportunity after a pass from Van Persie, but Mignolet saved it. A minute later Van Persie hammered a free kick towards the Liverpool goal, but it was too far to the middle and ended on Mignolet’s fists. In the 52th​ minute United finally succeeded to pass Mignolet. United pushed Liverpool back and Rooney received the ball on the edge of the box. He turned and played it to Van Persie, who wasn’t offside as Flanagan failed the offside trap. One-to-one Van Persie made no mistake and putted the ball into the back of the net for the 2-1.
United gained hope for a comeback and kept pushing forward, but weren’t able to great any big chances. Sterling seemed to decide the match 10 minutes before the end, but his goal was cancelled due to offside.

The victory of Liverpool wasn’t endangered anymore and right after the final whistle of Marriner the Liverpool squad and staff invaded the pitch.

View attachment 290669
After the celebrations it was time for the ceremony. The United squad received a medal, which they accepted with disappointment. Then Liverpool-captain and living legend Steven Gerrard lifted the FA Cup towards the sky and once again they started celebrating the winning.

View attachment 290668
Match Facts:

Manchester United (4-1-2-3): De Gea 7; Rafael 6.5, P. Jones 8.5, Rojo 7, Shaw 6.5; Blind 7 (Fellaini 82, NA); A. Herrera 7, Di María 7 (Mata 63, 6.5); Van Persie 7, Rooney 7, Falcao 6.5
Liverpool (4-1-2-1-2): Mignolet 7; Flanagan 7, Skrtel 7, Sakho 7, A. Moreno 7; Lucas Leiva 7; Can 7 (Gerrard 81, NA), Henderson 7; Coutinho 6.5 (Sterling 63, 7); Borini 7.5, Sturridge 8.5

Bookings: Manchester United: P. Jones; Liverpool: Flanagan
Referee: Andre Marriner
MoM: Daniel Sturridge
Attendance: 90,000

View attachment 290667
 

End of the season 2014/15


The European football season 2014/15 has come to an end. Which teams won there national leagues and which team became the best of Europe? Also the Golden Shoe is awarded for the top goalscoarer of Europe? Curious who they are? Let's find out!

The six best competitions of Europe didn't get a very surprising winner this year. In England Manchester United was the best team. Louis van Gaal led United to the title in an exciting race with Chelsea, who ended as runner-up only 3 points behind. The Liga BBVA was won by FC Barcelona. Between them and runner-up Real Madrid was a major gap of 13 points. In Germany Bayern Munich claimed the title for the third consecutive time, followed by runner-up Leverkusen, who gained 31 points less than the Champion. Even more impressive was the four times in a row title win from Juventus in the Serie A. They also ended with a major lead (19 points) on runner-up AC Milan. In France Paris Saint-Germain conquered their third title in a row. Only 6 points behind was runner-up Olympique Lyonnais. In the Portuegese Primeira Liga SL Benfica achieved a back-to-back title win, followed by Sporting CP as runner-up.


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Exciting question was which footballer scored the most goals (after correction with the competition factor). The Golden Boot of the season 2014/15 was won by Manchester United striker Robin van Persie, who scored 32 competition goals. Second place was for Benfica forward Lima with 27 goals. Lukas Podolski from Arsenal completed the stage with 26 goals. It was the first time for Van Persie to win the Golden Boot award.


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The best team of Europe is the winner of the Champions League. Although they ended only in third place in their national league, they managed to win the Champions League and lift the "Big Ears". It was FC Porto who won the cup with a 1-0 victory over FC Barcelona, due to a late goal of central defender Maicon. It was the third time they won the Champions League. The Europa League was won by English side Everton. Two early goals were enough to seal the deal and claim a 2-1 victory over runner-up Athletic Bilbao. It was their second time to become the winners of the second prestigious European tournament after their first win in 1985.


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It was a beautiful football season and it will be even as exciting in the 2015/16 season. In the summer transfer window the teams have their chance to sign new players and some major transfers will happen for sure. See you next year!

 
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Incoming youngsters for Manchester United

Manchester United has ensured themselves of the services of 4 new players within the age of 15 to 19. These players will enter the youth development system of United and will play in the youth squad. Louis van Gaal will surely hope they develop well and become a member of his first team one day. To improve the development of youngsters Warren Joyce, manager of the under 21 squad, wasn’t offered a new contract. Instead Norbert Elgert, former Schalke 04-player and trainer, was trusted the management over the under 21 squad.

First newcomer, Rosario Latouchent, was already signed last January, but now he definitely makes the move from Ross County towards Manchester United. For Ross County he appeared 30 times on the pitch in the Scottish Premiership, scoring 3 goals and delivering 5 assists. The French under 19 youth international is a left-back, also capable to play as right-back, and the oldest newcomer for United with his 19 years. United paid no transfer fee for him, since his contract expired in June. His strongest characteristic is his speed. He signed a contract for four years.

Second oldest newcomer is the only 17-year old Asier Villalibre. The striker from Athletic Bilbao, who was loaned out to Baskonia previous two seasons, is predicted a great future. For Baskonia he scored 11 goals in 32 appearances. United paid his release clause of £1.5 million to ensure themselves of the services of the Spanish striker. In the press he is already named as the new Fernando Morientes. It’s up to him to live up to this expectation.

The third player to join United was the 16-year old centre back Fabio Spencer
*, who comes from Southampton. He is already 1.87 meters tall, which makes him a great header. Also his tackling skills are outstanding for someone of only 16-years old. He signed a contract till June 2018 and will play in the youth teams of Manchester United. His transfer fee £500k with another £200k after he has played 20 competition matches for United.

Last but not least was the signing of Philip Vincent-Day
*. This central midfielder of only 16-years old is compared with Paul Ince, who played 6 years at Old Trafford. His move from Birmingham costed United £1.4 million with an optional £2.5 million extra after certain achievements. He already made his debut in the first team of Birmingham, but this also was his only appearance for them. He’s expected to pull the strings in the midfield in United’s youth teams.

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*: Both players are regens
 
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Exit from Manchester United for

England internationals


Previous week Manchester United said goodbye to three of their first team players. Manchester United earned themselves £53.5 million with these transfers. Wilfried Zaha, Chris Smalling and Tom Cleverley left Manchester behind to play for AS Monaco, Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur respectively.

Tom Cleverley was the first to departure from Old Trafford. Cleverley was a youth product of Manchester, but he wasn’t able to conquer an important role in the squad. He appeared in 54 matches for United and was loaned out to Aston Villa previous season. Just before his loan ended United manager Louis van Gaal renewed his contract, which seemed an indication for an important future at Manchester. Aston Villa bid a pre-arranged transfer fee of £4.5 million, but Cleverley turned down the contract offer. Then a shock came when Louis van Gaal listed Cleverley on the transfer market. Cleverley was believed to be furious and when Tottenham Hotspur informed to his services he signed a contract for them. The transfer fee Tottenham paid was £15 million, so it could be said that Van Gaal traded very smart, although it may seem to be a little unmoral. Nevertheless United gained themselves a big amount of money with the Cleverley move.

The second to leave Manchester was Wilfried Zaha. He came to Manchester in the season 2012/13 for £10m pounds, but didn’t play any match that season. The season thereafter he played 2 matches, before he was loaned out to Cardiff City. Previous season he played 31 matches on loan for Crystal Palace, but scoring only 3 goals and delivering 4 assists wasn’t enough to convince Louis van Gaal of his capabilities. Also the presence of in-form wingers Ashley Young and Juan Mata and great talents Munir El Haddadi and Adnan Januzaj wasn’t in the advantage of Zaha. When AS Monaco knocked on the door both parties didn’t need much time to think and Zaha was sold to the Monegasques for £20 million.

Another player that closed his Manchester chapter was defender Chris Smalling. He didn’t fit in the plans of Van Gaal and was already offered earlier. Now he finally made his move to Arsenal, who paid £18.5 million for the services of Smalling. He only participated in three Premier League matches last season and is hoping to achieve a more important role in London. Smalling played 5 seasons for Manchester after he came from Fulham in a £7 million deal.

Also Nick Powell left Manchester United. He moved to Burnley, who were willing to pay 3.8 million for the midfielder. Last season Powell was loaned out to Leicester, where he performed really well in the beginning of the season. Near the end his performances dropped and he found himself back on the bench. He surely will hope to breathe new life into his career at Burnley.


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Zlatan in, Falcao and Chicarito out

What an amazing start of the transfer widow, as United announced the signing of Zlatan Ibrahimovic. The Swedish living legend leaves Paris Saint-Germain and signed a two-year contract, worth £210k per week. United paid a transfer fee of £10 million with an additional £1 million when Ibrahimovic appears 50 times in the Premier League.

The 33-year old newcomer in the Manchester United squad will have a huge impact. He brings major experience to the team and is still one of the best footballers these days. He won the national title 8 times in a row with in succession Ajax, Juventus, Internazionale, Barcelona and AC Milan. With his latest team PSG he also won the Ligue 1 three consecutive times. Now he will appear in the Premier League for the first time, after he already played in big competitions as Liga BBVA, Serie A and the Ligue 1.

The celebrated striker wants to increase his honours and will hope United is able to prolongate the title. Furthermore he is eager to finally win the Champions League, the one big missing trophy on his palmares. The dream attacking force of previous season is even improved with Falcao being substituted for Zlatan, who will play in front with Wayne Rooney and Robin van Persie.

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The signing of Ibrahimovic means the end of Falcao’s stay at Manchester. The Colombian striker was loaned for a season with the option to buy him for £46.5 million, but Louis van Gaal didn’t lift this option, although he scored 19 times in 21 appearances. Also Javier Hernández, who returned from his loan to Real Madrid, left Manchester United. The Mexican is going to play for Italian side Internazionale, who paid £30 million for his services to Manchester United.

Louis van Gaal was asked a few questions about the transfers from the press. About Imbrahimovic he said: “Zlatan Ibrahimovic is one of the best footballers of his time. His unpredictability and eccentricity as well as his major drive to be the best make him a very dangerous attacker. Also his physics are a major advantage and I can’t wait for his debut in the red shirt of Manchester.” As regarding to the departure of Falcao and Hernández he was very clear: “Radamel Falcao performed excellent previous season, but I wasn’t willing to pay almost £50 million for a 29-year old striker. I really would like to thank him for his professionalism and his efforts for our team. As for Javier Hernández it’s a different story. He was loaned to Real Madrid and performed well, but the opportunity to sign Ibrahimovic could just not be refused. Then we decided that we had enough options for the striker position, with Robin van Persie and Ibrahimovic as the main strikers and Rooney’s ability to play as forward as well. Also James Wilson will gain his playing minutes and Munir is able to play as striker also. When Internazionale, Napoli and Monaco made biddings of £30 million, there was just no way we could keep him here. I wish him all the best in Italy.”

 
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