It was the 2009-10 season, with the “Special One” as the coach when Inter Milan last won the Scudetto. Ten years later and Juventus have been crowned the Champions for the 9th time consecutively. Inter have won only one trophy during the reign of dominance by Juventus (Coppa Italia in 2010-11). However, they gave Juventus a run for their money last season when the Nerazzurri finished one point behind them.
However, this year’s edition of Serie A will be something the fans should be excited to watch. The Milan teams have had a resurgence, the football club based in Naples under the fierce leadership of Gattuso, are the dark horses for the Scudetto, and Atalanta has built a squad that has been exciting for a couple of years now. Their run in last season’s Champions League was no coincidence. That said, I believe this is Inter’s chance to grab the Serie A for the 19th time. Juventus are in rebuild mode. Under new manager Andrea Pirlo, they are exciting to watch but, they would need time to settle in a system and fully understand the role of each player in the squad. Inter can take advantage of this and build a sizable gap between the reigning Italian Champions.

Inter have been smart during this transfer window. The acquisition of Achraf Hakimi, Arturo Vidal, Kolarov to an already competitive squad gives them an edge they have lacked in the past. Nainggolan and Perisic return from loan spells to add to Antonio Conte’s headaches to select a team. Retaining the services of Lautaro Martinez for another year ensure the strike partnership forged by Conte remains intact and dangerous for the opposition. Spurs’ interest in defender Milan Skrinar has not materialized into a formal bid at the time of writing. So if the Nerazzurri can hold on to the center back, the team looks solid in all positions.
The main reason I choose them is because of Antonio Conte. He understands what it takes to win the Scudetto. Missing the Serie A crown by a point and then losing to Sevilla in the Europa League final in August, the former Italy national coach would want to cause serious problems for his previous employers in Turin. The spat with the board seems to have settled as they have backed him with the players he wants.

The drive is there with him at the helm, and the bolstered squad is ready. Now it is time for the fans to dream. It has been ten long years for the Inter faithful, but this may be the year the trophy drought comes to an end.

With the suspension of football games across all major leagues, one of the ways to satiate one’s desire for the game is via transfer gossip. Since I play football manager a lot, I tend to imagine formations or scenarios wherein a player is suitable for the team. So, today I decided to see what Liverpool is missing to retain the title of Premier League Champions next season. That’s right. CHAMPIONS. 

Let’s start with the unsung heroes.
First on my list is James Milner. He can play various positions and is crucial to Klopp’s squad rotation plans. Liverpool must find a way to extend his contract. Moreover, with this pandemic, he will be well-rested. So win-win.
Next up, the big Shaq – Xherdan Shaqiri. He hasn’t got much playing time this season, so one can assume he might be on the trading block. I feel he is reliable off the bench and can still make an impact when one least expects it.
The return of Marko Grujic. There have been various reports online linking Liverpool to Fabian Ruiz from Napoli. Honestly, that may not be prudent. It’s not that Ruiz is bad, but Marko has done well in Berlin and is now ready to take on that first-team role. Positionally he is quite flexible – playing both as CM or CDM, which gives both Henderson and Fabinho time to rest.
Last on this list – Curtis freaking Jones. BALLER!. Klopp will start him more often in the coming up campaign. He adds more flexibility in terms of squad rotation. (He is the next #8 unless Trent starts playing midfield – which is a whole other ball-game).

That’s about it. My lineup would look similar to what’s shown below.

Not the NBA franchise (they need some help too), but the Premier League team Tottenham. One would like to think it’s the players – Right? I mean a few of them won’t sign extensions, and a few would prefer to leave right away. But I won’t go as far as to lump the entire blame on them. I understand the hesitancy to sign extensions and consider other (more lucrative) options. The team had been punching above its weight for quite some time – yet they have nothing to show for it. A couple of finals appearances (most recent being the Champions League), semi-finals in cup competitions, and then the second-place finishes in the Premier League. The players have done their part.

Mauricio Pochettino then? Now let’s be honest, the Spurs were an afterthought before he was in charge. He has done something right because I am writing about the team today. He was able to turn the club’s fortune around single-handedly. Since the time he has been here (2014) – the club’s net spending in the transfer market has been £29 million. Yup. £29 million. I would put that in context, but we already know what it is. He deserves credit for the work he has put in, and it would be hard to find a coach like him in the market today.
Daniel Levy? Well yes, because he only started to shell out money to spend on transfers this year. The construction of the new stadium (New White Hart Lane), depleted their financial resources, thereby the roster could not be bolstered.

But all is not lost (I mean sort of), these players need to be motivated (he has done his best with this lot). That being said, those who desire to go elsewhere should be allowed to do so. This way Mauricio will have more to spend – thereby obtaining the services of players who want to be there. Alli, Kane, Son, Lo Celso, Ndombele still have a lot to offer. The January transfer window will be vital. They have been linked with Bruno Fernandes from Sporting FC for a while now (£70 million is a bargain in today’s market). Shrewd and necessary additions to the squad will improve their performances. These are tough times, but he can weather the storm given the resources at his disposal.
A deep run in the Champions League is possible if he can turn things around once again. And who knows the FA Cup maybe?

This is one of the titles that would make you think “This again? “, but here is my take on it. I watched an interview recently, in which Pep was asked the question “Are you the greatest coach ever ?”, Pep’s reply was a modest, No. However, he does go on to say that he considers himself in that bracket and strives to do better – stating icons like Cryuff and Sir Alex Ferguson have paved the way for him and inspired him to reach where he is now. I do like to think that he is the greatest coach there is in the footballing world right now. If I were to rank my top 3 coaches right now, it would be like this 

1. Pep Guardiola
2. Jurgen Klopp
3. Diego Simeone 

Guardiola’s achievements far surpass the two behind him on my list. He is a serial winner (27 trophies as a manager) and is one of the few coaches who motivates his players to increase the level of their games day in and day out. The reason I chose those three is because of their personality and the effect they have on their players. Each player wants to win more, and fight more when they play under the guidance of these coaches. It is not a quality everyone possesses, the ability to motivate a squad to go all out and play the way they do, as an outsider you are in awe of his drive to win. His interviews are just a peek into the type of man he is and shows very little, the expectations he has on his shoulders because of his stature. Yet to go out and dominate, and at the same time create a style of play that is so attractive and exciting to watch is a quite a joy as a spectator. After watching the documentary “All or Nothing: Manchester City.”, I began to understand the effort he puts in to reach that level of perfection and maintain it. 

Now one may say that he has been lucky so far because the clubs he has managed are affluent and are not afraid to spend big to support his needs – but that just proves his ability as a manager. Pep does spend big to obtain the services of players who fit with his style of play, but he also has to deal with the egos of these talented players. His man-management style is both effective and firm. Players who are not willing to work to his satisfaction are kept on sidelines unless they can prove otherwise. In this regard he is similar to Sir Alex, as the latter too felt the need to have control over the dressing room. and managed the egos of his star players adroitly.

Another manager who has been able to deal with huge egos and produce results is Zinedine Zidane. Being able to manage the likes of Ronaldo, Ramos, Marcelo, and Bale (well not manage him completely) is quite a feat. But the fact is, Zidane’s success revolved around the prolific goalscoring of Cristiano Ronaldo. One may argue that was the similar for Pep during his time in FC Barcelona, where he coached a certain little maestro who was toying around with the opposition defense. But the fact that Zidane had to revamp a squad that he had managed less than 2 years back, just shows how hard it is for a manager to motivate his players and bring the best out of them after winning the Champions League thrice in three years. Klopp and Simeone have adopted the underdog mentality and that motivates the players to work harder and fight for every possession. Imbibing this type of thinking in a squad is not an easy task. In Pep’s teams we can see the players also have the same level of urgency to win the ball back quickly and press harder as well.

Being a clear favorite before the game has even started, adds more pressure on the coach. However during his press conferences Pep ensures that his players don’t feel any unnecessary pressure. Guardiola’s ability to keep himself hungry and maintain that drive to win more, translates to all his players. The number of trophies he has won, will probably (most definitely) increase during the course of this season. Whether he wins another Champions League trophy or not is irrelevant to me – his legacy won’t be affected by it either.

If you are following the Premier League, the title of this article probably reminds you of Manchester City captain Vincent Kompany and his goal against Leicester City, but this article is about the other half of Manchester. Watching Manchester United’s season unfold, and listening to various pundits (you know the lot), raise their concern over the lack of leadership in the squad, made me wonder about the importance of experienced individuals in a squad and their impact. Before I get into it’s relevance, I have to say that there are several other factors that have led to United’s undoing this season (they have kinda been plummeting towards the Earth since Sir Alex left) – lack of harmony in the squad, Mourinho losing control over the dressing room and then demanding respect in public (that “..it’s 3-0..” press conference), and that whole Paul Pogba fiasco. But I feel some situations could have been avoided had there been a character like Rio Ferdinand, Gary Neville, (again you know the lot).

Unlike his previous teams, Mourinho did not have a leader in the Manchester United squad who could effectively communicate with the rest of team and make sure everyone is on board or on the same page. Wayne Rooney was around and so was Michael Carrick and things were still under control (I mean the man did win a double in his first season). Clearly letting Rooney go was a mistake – he still had the legs (that tackle and pass at DC United – explains it all), but lack of playing time under Mourinho was the primary cause for leaving. John Terry on the other hand, under former Chelsea boss Antonio Conte had limited playing time as well, but was still influential as a role model and an adviser to his younger teammates as they went on to win the Premier League trophy. On Rooney’s arrival to Everton, former coach Ronald Koeman mentioned that his experience will be key for the younger players to develop. As crucial as it is for young players to develop, it is also vital to have experienced players and leaders in the squad to keep tabs on everything. When Steven Gerrard decided to leave Liverpool, Brendon Rodgers acquired the services of James Milner – because he is an individual who had Premier League experience and was a champion. United right now do not have that personality in the dressing room who can hold players accountable or is even a role model. Don’t get me wrong an experienced player need not be an old player or an experienced player need not even have to be the club captain – Virgil Van Dijk is probably the best example for such a role, he leads by example and holds both himself and his teammates accountable for their actions.
Manchester City have the perfect model for any club to follow (bitter pill to swallow as a Liverpool fan). They have able leaders like Vincent Kompany (who has now left Man City), Fernandinho, Fabian Delph who make their voices heard and ensure that everyone is doing their fair share, as well as players who lead by example – David Silva, Kevin De Bruyne, Sergio Aguero who may not be the loudest but are perfect role models for the younger players in the club. A club captain is someone who fans adore and plays a pivotal role with regards to communication between the players and the coach.

Manchester United need to change a few things – some believe it has to start from the brass and that Ed Woodward should not be running the football side of things, some believe the players should change their mindset and play for the club. The latter for me will continue to be a problem unless Ole decides to choose someone who actually understands the weight the jersey carries and what it means to represent Manchester United.