Why Manchester United Need To Cut Their Losses On Harry Maguire This Summer

Harry Maguire, England international and Manchester United captain is one of the most divisive characters in football, especially since he moved to Old Trafford in the summer of 2019. The defender was signed by Ole Gunnar Solksjaer to offer solidity to the United backline and was soon handed the captaincy on a permanent after Antonio Valencia left the club. He was signed for a then world-record fee of £80m from Leicester, eclipsing the £75m Liverpool paid for Virgil Van Dijk but his time at the club has failed to live up to his billing, on the pitch, and off the pitch.

It is a common axiom in football that “attacks win games, but defenses win championships”, and it is not a surprise that the club has not won a trophy in close to 5 years. The club has defensive issues, with Maguire leading that department.

The English giants should cut their losses on the player, and here are 3 reasons why.

His lack of exemplary leadership at United

For a club of United’s ilk, Maguire doesn’t offer that kind of leadership that the club craves. He is not vocal on the pitch, doesn’t offer enough quality to inspire his teammates and doesn’t look like a player that can drag the rest of the team by the scruff of their necks in bad moments.

Maguire is a proper lad, looks like a decent human being, represents the club well and fits the archetypal model of a captain: someone who embodies what the club stands for. However, all these should also be matched by his performances on the pitch, which is virtually non-existent, as his performance away at Burnley recently showed.

His age and style of play

Maguire is turning 29 next month, and is not the youngest of players anymore. Defenders are usually at their peak around 27-34, but for Maguire, his continued presence in the starting eleven means that the club will miss out on some important targets that are younger and can play football the modern way.

Maguire, while he is comfortable on the ball, often makes the wrong decisions and puts his teammates under pressure with his bad decision-making, especially when pressed. United need defenders that are calm on the ball, can exploit passing lanes and can maneuver the press.

His wages

Maguire is on a mammoth £190k-a-week deal at Old Trafford and is one of the club’s better earners, but his performances are not commensurate with the amount of money he earns. Maguire signed a six-year deal upon signing from Leicester back in 2019, meaning that he still has 3 years left on his current deal. It puts him and his representatives at an advantage compared to the club, given that he is under no obligation to leave should the club decide they want to move him on.

Selling him this summer will save the club about £30m they’d have had to pay him. United should count their losses and let him go. There are no sentiments at this level of football.

The Odds

The bookies have United as slight favourites but shop around for the most favourable odds and for a lighter bet try the online casino and claim free rewards.

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Does The Arrival Of Luis Diaz Mark The End of Sadio Mane At Liverpool?

Sadio Mane is undoubtedly one of the best players in world football. The Liverpool forward, on his day, is one of the most devastating widemen in the world, and at just 29, still has a lot to offer for the English outfit and the Teranga Lions of Senegal, who he led to Nations Cup glory just a few days ago against Mo Salah’s Egypt. Mane comes back from Cameroun as a man reborn, having regained his mojo away with his international teammates. In his time at Liverpool, he has often played second fiddle to Salah, who has been in remarkable form.

Mane, on the other hand, has struggled for form at some points in the campaign, and it seems going away to Senegal may have done him a lot of good. However, there is someone newly arrived that might question the long-term stay of Mane at Anfield. Step forward to see odds on the best online casino new zealand for Luis Diaz. The 25-year-old signed from FC Porto late in the transfer window, as another long-term replacement for any of the front three at the club. Dias is a very exciting player, and ticks all the boxes of a Liverpool frontman, with his pace, directness, energy and finishing. He even offers the kind of eccentricity Luis Suarez thrilled the Anfield crowd with, as his flick to set up Minamino’s goal against Cardiff last Saturday showed.

The trio of Bobby Firmino, Salah and Mane have become one of football’s greatest tridents, but it seems manager, Jürgen Klopp is thinking long-term. Salah and Mane will be 30 this year, while Firmino is already 30, and has lost his starting place to the irrepressible Portuguese, Diogo Jota. In 26 matches this term, Mane has only registered 10 goals in 26 matches, while his body language has not always been positive. His contract at the club ends in 2023, but it would seem that the club feels he is no longer at the top level to make a significant outlay on wages entering the tail end of his career. All the buzz at the club has been about extending the contract of Salah, which might mean they don’t reckon a lot with Mane.

As revealed by best online casinos usa, Mane showed at the Nations Cup that he is still a world-class player, and that might be the spark his season needs. The presence of Diaz means he knows there is quality available to replace him should he falter, and in typical Mane fashion, he won’t want anything more than to show he still has it. Anfield will soon sing his name again.

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Why The European Super League Could Kill Football As We Know It

Money talks in football. Some people already say it talks too loudly; the past few years have seen transfer records shattered again and again, with the world’s top players changing hands for more than the entire GDP of some developing nations. TV money for the biggest leagues and clubs runs into the billions. Despite that, ticket prices for the average fan continue to rise in some countries even though the clubs charging for access are richer than ever. For a few fans, the game is already ‘gone’ – the connection between a town or city’s club and the people who live in the area has been broken, and too many players are more motivated by money than they are love of the game.

The perceived problem also extends to the boardroom. The world’s largest clubs are often owned by businessmen or huge corporations, many of whom have little or no interest in the sport, and either use the club as a form of personal entertainment, or means to expand upon their already massive wealth. With each passing season, the sport feels more and more like its out of the hands of the public, and securely within the grasp of big business.

If a report by German newspaper Der Spiegel is to be believed, that issue might be about to get even worse.

The European Super League

The paper claims to have seen evidence that many of Europe’s top clubs are preparing to create an annual European Super League, contested between themselves, at the exclusion of everybody else. There’s even been a suggestion that the interested clubs are willing to completely divorce themselves from their current national leagues and compete solely within this new league, thus reducing the quality of both their domestic league and the players in it.

The appeal is obvious. The European Champions League is the richest and most prestigious competition in club football. Only the World Cup can truly rival it in terms of size and appeal. All the biggest clubs want to be in it, all the greatest players want to play in it, and all the richest sponsors want their names to be plastered all over it. According to Der Spiegel’s report, the teams involved in this new league will be selected purely based on their cash value, their history of success, and their global profile. Instead of the occasional weekend fixture where Manchester United might be playing a lower ranked team at home like Cardiff City, they could be playing a team of the quality of Juventus or Inter Milan on a weekly basis. Real Madrid no longer need to worry about playing Levante; they’ll be up against Bayern Munich, or Chelsea. No more dud games. No more low stakes. Every game, every week of the season, will be high profile.

To the businessmen in charge of the idea, it makes all the sense in the world. If every game is huge, then they can demand more money from both sponsorship and television to broadcast it and be attached to it. The world’s biggest gambling firms are already involved in sponsoring football in all of Europe’s major leagues, but when they sign on the dotted line for their deals, none of them are truly relishing the prospect of sponsoring Fulham vs Brighton & Hove Albion. It’s the massive games that they want their brand to be connected to, and a European Super League would be like finding Queen Cleopatra’s gold every week. Big money sponsors aren’t in the habit of backing a loser. This idea wouldn’t have got off the ground if someone didn’t think it had potential.

Why Fans Lose Out

It’s the prestige and exclusivity of such a concept that puts fans off the idea. According to the draft plans that have been leaked so far, the league wouldn’t have any annual promotion or relegation; the teams are the teams, and would remain there every year much as they do in the American NFL, regardless of how well or poorly they performed. Eleven of the proposed sixteen teams would be ‘founder members’ with bulletproof status, with the remaining five being ‘invited guests’ who may or may not be replaced further down the line.

Firstly, creating such a structure removes the romantic thrill of a complete outsider winning the top prize from nowhere. Never again would we see a Leicester City story. Never again would we see a team come up from a lower league and suddenly compete at the top of the table. Competition would stagnate, and teams would become complacent and lazy.

Secondly, what makes the Champions League so great as it is right now is the fact that it’s an achievement just to get there, and the games are special. Entering the Champions League is the culmination of a season of hard work from the teams who qualify for it. Barcelona vs AC Milan is a special game because it doesn’t happen every week. The more we see a fixture, the less special it becomes. It wouldn’t take long before the all-star nature of the fixtures started to lose their luster. For the teams who seem likely to finish lower down the rankings of a European Super League – the Arsenals and Athletico Madrids of the world – it could damage the perception of them as a top class club, full stop.

The Association of European Leagues – a body which represents 900 clubs across 25 European countries – has already issued a statement condemning the proposal, and stating that the creation of this new league would harm the standing of their member clubs, take money away from teams who weren’t involved, and decrease the value of every individual country’s domestic competition. If all the money goes into the new Super League, there will be less going into the EPL, La Liga, Serie A and all the leagues below them. Television and sponsorship money will decrease. Clubs will, inevitably, go out of business.

European Super Leagues have been proposed, or at least discussed, a number of times since the 1990s. None have ever got off the ground, or progressed past the first couple of rounds of talks. This latest proposal seems to have a little more weight behind it, and has progressed to a farther point than perhaps any before it. It’s to be hoped, for the good of domestic club football, that someone pulls the plug before it’s too late.

European Super Leagues have been proposed, or at least discussed, a number of times since the 1990s. None have ever got off the ground, or progressed past the first couple of rounds of talks. This latest proposal seems to have a little more weight behind it, and has progressed to a farther point than perhaps any before it. It’s to be hoped, for the good of domestic club football, that someone pulls the plug before it’s too late. While we wait to see what happens with the Super League, fans can get their football fill with the UEFA Champions League which is available for streaming almost everywhere in the world.

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5 Predictions For The Premier League 2019

The Premier League 2017-2018 season was an absolute monster. Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City played a blinder of a season, finishing with a record-breaking 100 points and winning 32 of their 38 games. All three clubs promoted to the Premier League this season (Newcastle United, Brighton & Hove Albion and Huddersfield Town) retained their Premier League status and managed to avoid relegation. Finally, English Premier League football waved a tearful farewell to Arsene Wenger, legendary Arsenal manager.

Yes, it was an impressive season indeed. 2019 is shaping up to be something special too, though. We’ve got 5 predictions for the upcoming season – some obvious shouts and some surprises from left-field.

Before we get underway with our predictions, we know that a lot of you are going to want to place bets on some of these outcomes, or perhaps a few cheeky little predictions of your own. If you do want to indulge in a little flutter, we strongly recommend excellent services like Sports Betting Expert for up-to-the-minute analysis of games and odds; why place bets if you’re not confident your team will win? It pays to understand each team’s performance and factors which might upset your betting, so please bear that in mind if you do intend on placing a wager or two this upcoming season.

Manchester City bring it home (once again)

Right now, Manchester City are at the top of their game. Their incredible season this year has primed them for success further on down the line, with a Community Shield victory over Chelsea that cemented the team’s status as the forerunners for victory next year. Outstanding players like midfielders Fernandinho and Fabian Delph, along with internationally-renowned forward Raheem Sterling, ensure that Manchester City hold sway over every part of the pitch. Theirs is a mesmerising game to watch indeed, and we’d put good money on City holding their title into next year, barring a major upset or an unexpected player departure.

Huddersfield will be relegated

We know, we know; we don’t like to say it either. The scrappy Northern underdogs have maintained their place at the bottom of the table this season, mostly thanks to manager David Wagner’s legendary tenacity (and the club keeping hold of excellent players like Christopher Schindler and keeper Jonas Lossl). Still, all good things must come to an end, and Huddersfield just lack a driving force to hammer the ball home and give them the lead they need to secure victories. The competition in the relegation zone is getting fiercer by the day, so Huddersfield will need to fight harder than we think they’re capable of in order to hang on to their Premier League status.

Top 3 status for Chelsea

Considering London side Chelsea’s once-legendary status, 2017-2018 was a bit of a wobbly season for them, with early goal-heavy losses against sides like Bournemouth and Watford showing the fundamental weakness in the team’s defence. Chelsea currently plays an aggressive game against teams it deigns to be weaker, which is a fatal mistake. Don’t get us wrong; it’s not been enough to unseat the side from the top 5, but that all-important top 3 status just eluded the team’s grasp this year. Still, strong leadership from coach Maurizio Sarri and a truly monstrous midfielder in the brilliantly-named Eden Hazard tell us that Chelsea have a strong season ahead of them in 2019. BetCrazy believes this is a worthy bet – so will you go for a top three finish for the Blues of London?

Liverpool’s trophy dry period could end (maybe)

We know we made the prediction that this was another bumper year for Manchester City, but don’t rule out the titanic Northern side of Liverpool just yet. Liverpool stand tall as the first English team to reach a UEFA Champions League final in more than five years, due in no small part to manager Jurgen Klopp’s effortlessly easy personality and fierce strategic drive. Dutch defender Virgil Van Dijk is the team’s not-so-secret weapon; he’s the captain of the international Netherlands squad, and his unmoving ferocity in the back half of the pitch is unmatched. We still reckon this is Manchester City’s year, but keep an eye on Liverpool; could be that their first bit of silverware in over 25 years is coming.

Manchester United’s reign of (some degree of) terror is over

Jose Mourinho hasn’t proven that his Manchester United side is capable of keeping up with a rapidly-changing and evolving game of football in the Premier League – read more here. Sure, Mourinho knows how to play a good game, both on and off the pitch; his team wouldn’t have finished second in the league last year if that wasn’t the case. Still, while Mourinho’s rivals excel on the pitch and go from strength to strength, his side continues to play it safe. It’s not a strategy that’s going to last, in our opinion, and we wouldn’t be surprised to see United drop from the top 4. They won’t go anywhere outside the top 6 or 7, in our opinion, but that depends entirely on Mourinho stepping up his game.

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New Bundesliga Season Sees Borussia Dortmund Partnering with GMO Trading in Marketing Deal

With the new Bundesliga season set to begin on 24th August, the clubs are looking forward to their new campaigns to reach the top of the table. To get this accomplished, they need to have the top talent, great coaching and engaged and passionate fans who push them over the tough spots that always occur during any season.

This last item means that clubs must engage in marketing deals that get the word out about the club and any new changes, and gives fans opportunities at special offers and deals.

In accordance with this, top Bundesliga club Borussia Dortmund, has signed a marketing partnership with leading online CFDs platform provider GMO Trading. The Bundesliga Football eight time champions will work throughout the 2018-19 season on campaigns that put the Borussia Dortmund in front of fans and those who might also want to jump on and take a ride with the club in the coming season.

GMO Trading is the ideal partner because its advanced trading platform attracts loyal trader fans who swear by its security and simplicity. The marketing partnership is for all of Europe outside of Germany meaning it will occur in markets that both organizations assess as vital to growth.

The relationship has already begun. You can go to the GMO Trading website at www.gmotrading.com or use your tablet or smartphone to go to their social media channels to review offers and learn about GMO Trading’s CFDs platform. For GMO clients, there will be a stream of exclusive offers and perks throughout the coming season.

For more information, please email Rebecca Wharmby – Rebecca.Wharmby@Threepipe.co.uk.

About GMO Trading

GMO Trading is the brand name of Royal Forex a Cyprus Investment Firm, regulated by Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission.

CFDs traders gain access to a net level trading environment and premium services with an unmatched amount of account options that fit any trader’s requirements.

For more information, visit the GMO Trading website at www.gmotrading.com or  visit its Facebook at www.facebook.com/gmotrading/.

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