The Weekly Take, Issue 164: Fulfilling the Hype

Cast your mind back to 2014. Raheem Sterling, then a 20-year-old Liverpool winger, had just received the Golden Boy award as the football world's best young prospect. Despite not even having completed two full Premier League seasons at the time, there were already expectations that he could someday be the player who would revive the then-flagging fortunes of Liverpool as well as England's national team.

Since then, his career progression has not proven to be as linear as many had first assumed it would. Though he might not necessarily have hit the heights predicted of him at first, he has had an impressive career to date nonetheless, winning three Premier League titles and the Premier League's Footballer of the Year award in 2020. Despite this success, Sterling has faced his share of criticism (including from me) and more; some of it warranted, others completely unjustified and unacceptable for much more unsavory reasons.

In either case, Sterling did much to silence his critics with an outstanding performance in England's 2-0 victory over Germany in Euro 2020's round of 16. The Manchester City winger scored the first goal of the match and caused major problems for Germany's defense throughout all 90 minutes.

Throughout this tournament, Sterling has proven to be a perfect fit up for England. His interplay alongside star centre-forward Harry Kane has proven to be vital in powering England into the last eight. What makes this even more impressive is that although he had already proven it at club level, Sterling's performances in this tournament have solidified his status as a genuine goalscoring threat - an unthinkable scenario just a few years ago.

Sterling has netted three of England's four goals thus far. He has now scored 15 goals in his last 20 appearances for the Three Lions. To put his dramatic improvement as a goalscorer into context, Sterling had only scored two goals for England over his first 45 matches covering a six-year stretch. At club level, Sterling scored more goals from 2017 to 2019 than he had in the entirety of his career up to that point. When this newfound touch in front of goal combined with his speed and dribbling skills, it is little wonder that Sterling has established himself as a key part of a Champions League-contending Manchester City team as well as an England team which might have international silverware in its future.

On top of his skills and physical attributes, Sterling has intangibles in spades. Though his Manchester City team has often been prone to wilting under pressure, this is an area in which Sterling as an individual player cannot be blamed quite as much. This is where the "unsavory reasons" I alluded to earlier come into play.

Time and again, Sterling has been subject to high-profile racist incidents. The notoriously capricious British media has only exacerbated the issue by often portraying Sterling in a negative light. It speaks volumes of his mentality and intangibles that he has not only been able to compartmentalize these issues and play at his usual level; as I mentioned, he has even improved tremendously throughout all of this.

To be completely honest, I got it completely wrong when I first formed an opinion on Sterling's ceiling. Four years ago, if someone had told me that he'd someday reach this level, I would not have believed that person. Even before this tournament, I was in favour of benching Sterling and starting Marcus Rashford instead because I honestly thought that Rashford would've provided more of an attacking edge. To the pleasure of England fans, I have been proven completely wrong.

Looking back at the list of Golden Boy winners, Sterling does not figure at the very top. Obviously, Lionel Messi has to top the chart, followed by Cesc Fàbregas, and Sterling's former City teammate Sergio Agüero. One could also make arguments for Paul Pogba and Wayne Rooney, while Kylian Mbappé and Erling Haaland clearly have higher ceilings. That said, to only be behind the names mentioned at this point in his career - once again, though it may have taken a while, Sterling has lived up to the hype.

Is the crowning glory of Sterling's career to date just around the corner? With the way the draw has opened up, it's a distinct possibility.

The Weekly Take, Issue 163: Honouring the Legacy of the Greatest

Almost all football fans across the world will surely remember the date: November 25, 2020. That was the tragic day on which perhaps the greatest player of all time, the legendary Argentine number 10 Diego Maradona, died of a heart attack at the age of 60.

As was expected, tributes poured in from the football world and beyond. Naturally, the reaction to Maradona's death in Argentina was more intense than it was anywhere else in the world. Fans flocked to La Bombonera, the home stadium of Maradona's former club Boca Juniors, to pay their respects. His coffin lay in state at the Casa Rosada, the official residence of the Argentine President. The President himself, Alberto Fernández, announced three days of national mourning.

Seven months on, the national team has the opportunity to honour Maradona's legacy in a major way on the field. They can do so by winning the Copa América for the first time since 1993. The Albiceleste took a big step towards doing just that by beating neighbours and arch-rivals Uruguay 1-0 in a Group A match. Real Betis midfielder Guido Rodríguez scored the only goal of the match.

For almost 30 years, Argentina have not been able to put together a squad which has been genuinely capable of winning titles. Despite the country's rich footballing heritage, every team since their early 1990s iteration has been fundamentally flawed in some way. These flaws have borne themselves out in Argentina's World Cup and Copa América results since their last title.

Over the past seven World Cups, Argentina have only managed to advance beyond the quarterfinals once. This came in 2014, when their underdog run to the final was stopped by Germany in a heartbreaking extra-time loss. In the 10 Copa América tournaments since their last victory, Argentina have four losses in the final and one in the semifinals. In the other five tournaments, they did not even make the semifinals.

To make their recent record even more galling, many of these tournament failures have come despite another candidate for the title of "greatest of all time" emerging from Argentina. That player is, of course, Lionel Messi. However, he has not always been able to replicate his brilliance for Barcelona on the international stage. In addition, he hasn't always had the right squad or coaches around him to best facilitate his success for Argentina.

However, this could very well be the tournament where that changes. In addition to long-time national team stalwarts such as Messi, Ángel Di María, Sergio Agüero, and Nicolás Otamendi, this current Argentina team contains a number of new or relatively new faces who might tip the balance of the tournament in Argentina's favour.

It has now been several years since Inter Milan striker Lautaro Martínez was heralded as the next all-time great to lead the line for Argentina. While he might never live up to the hype he received in the earliest stages of his career, Martínez is nevertheless one of the most exciting young prospects in world football today. Tottenham's Giovani Lo Celso has established himself as a key piece in midfield, as has Rodrigo De Paul.

The relatively inexperienced trio of Emiliano Martínez, Nicolás González, and Gonzalo Montiel have started both of Argentina's matches thus far in this tournament. Despite only having a cumulative 15 caps, the trio have acquitted themselves well despite having been thrown into the thick of the action straight from the jump.

However, as has so often been the case for Argentina, the biggest question mark lies in the dugout. Lionel Scaloni has thus far done nothing to prove that he is even an above-average coach, let alone a high-level one. To date, he has amassed 16 wins, nine draws, and four losses as Argentina's head coach. For an iconic, historic national team such as Argentina, that is simply not good enough. A poor performance at this tournament could mean the end of his stint of almost three years.

That being said, Argentina's X-factor might just be what I alluded to in the beginning of this post. This is their first tournament since Maradona's death. They will undoubtedly be emotionally charged and fully motivated to win it all in his memory. By drawing on this emotional energy and channeling the spirit of Argentina and Maradona's victorious 1986 World Cup campaign, this might be the year when Argentina snap their drought and go all the way.

The Weekly Take, Issue 162: A Likely Rebuild Ahead

After a one-year delay, Euro 2020 is underway at last. In honour of the tournament's 60th anniversary, the tournament is being held across Europe - an unprecedented event befitting of such unprecedented times as now.

One of the standout fixtures of the opening matchday of the tournament saw England and Croatia face off at Wembley. It was England who came out on top, with Raheem Sterling's goal proving to be enough to give the Three Lions the victory.

As for Croatia, this was not how they would have envisioned starting the tournament. What made this loss even more galling for the Vatreni is that this was arguably not even England's strongest 11. Jordan Henderson and Jadon Sancho did not even feature, while Marcus Rashford came off the bench.

For the most part, the Vatreni have not been able to back up their underdog run to the 2018 World Cup final. In 10 UEFA Nations League matches since, Croatia have won just two and drawn one, losing seven. They only avoided relegation to the second tier of the next tournament by one goal; Croatia's goal difference was -7 to Sweden's -8.

Croatia also suffered an upset loss at the hands of neighbours and regional rivals Slovenia during the qualifiers for next year's World Cup. They were fortunate to have been drawn in a relatively easy group; otherwise, they might have struggled to even qualify for the very same tournament in which they had made the final in the prior edition.

It does appear that Croatia will be added to the list of "one-hit wonder" international football teams. Greece 2004, Turkey 2002, Denmark 1992, and many others before them - none of them could ever back up that one amazing run they had.

When comparing the starting 11 of the team that played in the World Cup final against France to the one which played against England yesterday, the decline is obvious. Of the six players who started both matches, none of them are even close to the level at which they had been playing three years ago. This includes captain and legendary midfielder Luka Modrić. It must be kept in mind that the greatest Balkan player of all time was the Ballon d'Or winner in 2018. While still an excellent player at 35, he was never realistically going to reach those heights again.

On a related note, the future of this Croatian team must be called into question. Modrić is 35, Ivan Perišić and Domagoj Vida are 32, and though they did not play in yesterday's match, Dejan Lovren is 31 while Milan Badelj is 32. All five players have been some of Croatia's leading contributors in recent years. The question then becomes: what next? Croatia could very well be heading for a future in which their best player is Mateo Kovačić. While not a scrub by any means, a team with the Chelsea midfielder as the main man will struggle to even qualify for tournaments, let alone make deep runs in them.

Croatia have had a run like this before. They made the World Cup semifinals in 1998; after that, they did not even advance beyond the group stage of a tournament until Euro 2008. As their World Cup run was so unexpected, a rebuild was always on the cards. The question then becomes: how?

Only six players on Croatia's Euro 2020 squad are 24 or younger; none of them have shown that they might reach the level at which a title contender can be built around them.

Given Croatia's small population and relatively limited historical footballing pedigree in comparison to other European powerhouses, it would be understandable for their fans to "take what they can get". However, after such a run in 2018 and with the national team being the strongest it has ever been, it may have been the case that the country's football association became a little complacent and didn't adequately invest in the national team's future, leading to a likely tough next few years. This will be especially true after Modrić retires.

Croatian fans will surely never forget the magic of 2018; however, results since then have proven to be a reality check. The loss against England only solidifies this point. Surely, a rebuild is coming soon.

The Weekly Take, Issue 161: End-of-Season Special: Top 10 Moments of the Season

With another full season of European club football in the books, there can be little doubt that the 2020-21 season gave us many memorable moments to be remembered for a very long time.

Of course, it wasn't easy to select just 10 moments which defined the season. However, after giving it some thought, I've decided that the following were the 10 most memorable moments of the season which just wrapped up.

Luis Suárez signs for Atlético Madrid (September 25, 2020)

This transfer would not have been possible at the time if not for the Covid-19 pandemic. Due to the delayed finish to the 2019-20 season, the off-season transfer window was extended. This extension allowed Suárez to leave Barcelona and sign for Atlético Madrid.

Barça had assumed that at 33, the Uruguayan legend's best days were far behind him. Thus, they sold him to the red half of Madrid for just €6 million. This proved to be a colossal mistake; Suárez went on to play a vital role in Atlético's success this season.

Suárez tallied 21 goals in La Liga to spearhead Atlético's first league title victory since 2014. Despite a late-season collapse, Atlético hung on to hold off Barça and cross-town rivals Real Madrid.

Everton 2-2 Liverpool (October 17, 2020)

Although this Merseyside derby took place early in the season, it would be the match which would ruin Liverpool's entire campaign to come.

Among the favourites to win the Premier League and Champions League at the beginning of the season, Liverpool's hopes of silverware received a major blow after Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford's brutal hit on Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk, causing van Dijk to tear his ACL and miss the rest of the season.

Without their best player, Liverpool were nowhere near their best for the remainder of the season. They did not even come close to winning either the Premier League or Champions League - all because of one cheap shot.

Diego Maradona dies at age 60 (November 25, 2020)

There are some days on which it seems that the entire football world stops. The suspension of Serie A last season was one; this was another.

Diego Maradona, perhaps the greatest footballer of all time, died after suffering a heart attack on November 25, 2020. Such was the impact of his death that Alberto Fernández, the President of Argentina, announced three days of national mourning following Maradona's passing.

Not surprisingly, tributes poured in from all over the football world and beyond. Maradona former club Napoli renamed their stadium in his honour. All football matches around the world observed a minute's silence, while every Serie A match featured an image of Maradona on stadium screens in each match's 10th minute.

Frank Lampard fired as Chelsea head coach (January 25, 2021)

Despite heavy off-season investment on transfers, Chelsea were a team in dire straits in January. They were just ninth in the Premier League and had an almost-unwinnable Champions League round of 16 tie against Atlético Madrid to come.

Thus, it came as no surprise when head coach Frank Lampard was fired. His sheer ineptitude and incompetence in the position had been evident throughout the season. Former Paris Saint-Germain and Borussia Dortmund coach Thomas Tuchel would be Lampard's replacement.

Things started to improve at Stamford Bridge almost immediately after Tuchel's appointment. However, what Chelsea fans didn't realize at the time was that Tuchel would be about to give them a finish to the season which they never could have imagined possible.

Chelsea 2-0 Atlético Madrid (March 17, 2021)

Chelsea took a 1-0 lead into the second leg of their Champions League round of 16 tie against Atlético. Despite this lead, many people (myself included) expected the Blues to be soundly beaten in the second leg and exit the tournament.

Instead, Chelsea defied the odds and produced a dominant display against the La Liga leaders. With the victory, the London club reached the Champions League quarterfinals for the first time since 2014.

Chelsea's victory was also a major feather in Thomas Tuchel's cap early in his tenure in the Stamford Bridge dugout. His opposite number Diego Simeone is regarded as arguably the world's best coach; however, Tuchel completely outstrategized Simeone over both legs.

Paris Saint-Germain 0-1 Bayern Munich (April 13, 2021)

Despite trailing 3-2 on aggregate after the first leg, Bayern remained the overwhelming favourites to beat PSG and advance to the Champions League semifinals. The consensus was that Bayern were far and away the world's best team and on course for another Champions League title.

Instead, PSG retained their lead, advancing despite a 1-0 loss. A 3-3 aggregate result saw PSG take it on away goals, avenging their defeat to Bayern in last season's final.

The upset victory also slightly reduced the sting of surrendering the Ligue 1 title for the first time since 2017. Lille denied PSG a fourth consecutive domestic crown.

European Super League proposal and shelving (April 18-21, 2021)

In April 2021, Real Madrid Florentino Pérez attempted to create the European Super League, a semi-closed league which would permanently include 11 other founding clubs. This idea received widespread ridicule and criticism.

Current and former players, coaches, sports analysts, and above all, fans were thoroughly in opposition to the concept. Most believed that it damaged the purity of competition in European club football. Mass protests were even held outside some stadiums.

To the surprise of absolutely nobody, the plan was shelved after nine of the 12 would-be founders withdrew from the league, allowing normal service to resume - at least for now.

Atalanta 1-1 Sassuolo (May 2, 2021)

This was a match in which the real story occurred away from the field. Atalanta's draw against Sassuolo ensured that they would be out of contention for the Serie A title.

The result ensured that Inter Milan would have an unassailable lead at the top of Serie A. It was their first Scudetto since 2010; it also ended Juventus' run of nine straight Serie A titles.

Inter head coach Antonio Conte subsequently left the San Siro by mutual consent three weeks later, having obtained the greatest achievement of his coaching career to date. He would be replaced by Simone Inzaghi.

Final matchday of the La Liga season (May 23, 2021)

This season's La Liga title race came down to the final matchday. Atlético Madrid, who led Real Madrid by two points with one match remaining, had an away fixture against Real Valladolid. Real, meanwhile, hosted Villareal.

A first-half goal scored by Valladolid's Óscar Plano put Real in the driver's seat, but this advantage was later wiped out when Yeremi Pino scored for Villareal. Atlético then came from behind to win 2-1 and clinch the league title.

Although Real scored two late goals through Karim Benzema and Luka Modrić, they would ultimately fall just short. A few days after Real's title race defeat, head coach Zinedine Zidane announced his departure from the club.

Manchester City 0-1 Chelsea (May 29, 2021)

Chelsea completed one of the most remarkable turnarounds in football history by beating Manchester City to win the Champions League. It was the second time that the Londoners won Europe's most prestigious club tournament.

Just four months prior, Chelsea's season looked dead in the water. It turned out that all it took to not only save their season, but make it the club's finest hour, was one simple coaching change.

With this victory, Thomas Tuchel established himself as an immortal in the eyes of the Stamford Bridge faithful. The most unlikely Champions League victory since Porto's underdog run in 2004 is sure to become one of the most iconic club football moments of all time.