Crystal Palace v Tottenham Hotspur

New-boy Roberto Soldado proved the difference between newly promoted Crystal Palace and Tottenham. It was a balanced game in which both team had chances to score. But none of them could finish their chances. Probably the most influential player for Palace was captain and central defender Milas Jedinak. He was tackling all over the place and didn't allow any Spurs player to get past and he provided cover for his teammates as a captain should. Nacer Chadli was also given his debut and he certainly impressed on that left-hand side. He was crossing in as well cutting inside to set up his teammates. The penalty was awarded when a cross from Kyle Walker was blocked by hand. It was an easy decision for the referee. Soldado stepped up and sent the keeper the wrong way and scored very cooly.                                                                                                                                                         

Soldado played well in his new game for the new club, he was linking well with his new teammates as well as making good passes. He has great vision and worked very well with his new teammates. He played more like a number 9 than deep-lying playmaker like Messi. Chadli kept crossing the ball for him and whenever a chance needed to be finished he was the man they searched for. It was a good game in which Crystal Palace certainly showed their passing skills and that they can challenge premier league teams. Then again Gareth Bale was missing for Spurs through injury. The Welsh wizard is linked with $150,000,000 move to Real Madrid. It is still uncertain weather he will be playing for Spurs for the rest of this season. If Bale was involved maybe Spurs would have won more comfortably. Spurs have a good chance to finish top 4 if Bale stays and Arsenal's current bad performance certainly helps.   

   FOR THOSE WHO MISSED THE MATCH CLICK HERE FOR THE HIGHLIGHTS.

Chelsea v Hull City "Tigers"

The newly promoted and newly branded Hull City "Tigers" were the first team to face "The Special One's" Chelsea on the opening day. Joint-favorites to win the title, Chelsea were expected to win the game comfortably. The game in the end finished in an average 2-0 victory to Chelsea. Chelsea were awarded a penalty in the opening 5 minutes when Hull goalkeeper, Allan McGregor, accidentally punched Chelsea strike Fernando Torres in the face. The penalty was taken by Frank Lampard who missed. McGregor became the hero and the villan for the tigers. Couple of minutes later, Kevin De Bruyne saw Oscar and put him through and the young Brazilian scored. Later, Chelsea were awarded a free-kick from 30-yards out when Torres' path was blocked by a Hull defender. Lampard stepped up and scored in the top corner. His penalty was truly forgotten. The all-time Chelsea top scorer hadn't lost his touch. Chances came and went for Chelsea but nobody scored. By half-time Chelsea had 18 shots to Hull's none. The second half was more balanced than the first. Hull City maintained possession well and didn't allow Chelsea to score. Hull also created chances to test the ever-present Petr Cech. IN the end it was a good win for Jose Mourinho. New-signings Andre Schurrle and Marco Van Ginkel were subbed on for Oscar and De Bruyne respectively. Schurrle impressed and had a chance to score on his debut but his chip just went inches wide. Lukaku also replaced the ineffective Torres put he didn't have much chances either. A good first half in which we saw Chelsea dominate the ball and in the second half we saw that Hull City can keep the ball and pass it around. This is a good point gained by the Blues. Hopefully they can go on and win the title now.

      AND FOR THOSE WHO MISSED THE GAME HERE IS A LINK TO THE HIGHLIGHTS: click HERE

Villans shock Arsenal

What an opening day fixture. Aston Villa came out the 3-1 surprise victors. Benteke scored twice as new signing Luna finished off Arsenal in the 85' minute. The only goal form Arsenal came from Giroud. Arsenal got the goals underway when Giroud scored in the 6' minute. A great cross from Walcott was met by Giroud who put it past Guzan. At this point people must have thought that the game Arsenal's. But there was still 85 minutes left and that changed everything. It took Aston Villa 15 minutes to get on its feet and from then on it was a very thrilling match. Aston Villa won a penalty which Benteke failed to convert but he was on hand to head the rebound home. from then the game was very end-to-end with both team getting very good chances to score. Arsenal had its fair chance of chances with Rosicky missing an open chance with a one-on-one with the goalie. he finessed it much high and wide. Aston Villa had chances through Weimenn whose weak shot with his left was blocked by Kosielny. Later in the game Aston Villa was awarded a penalty after Kosielny took doe Agblonahore. It looked like he got the ball but the referee thought otherwise. The penalty was cooly converted by Benteke. From then on Arsenal had a boatload of chances which again Rosicky missed. Then Kosielny took down Gabbie which saw him get his second yellow and get sent off. Arsenal were down to ten men and 2-1 down. They fought hard but in vain when new signing Antonio Luna finished Arsenal off when Aston Villa counter-attacked and when Arsenal empty at the back and he easily put it past the Arsenal keeper. It was good game but very much affected by the referee's decisions. Arsenal haven't spent of their 70M war chest given to them and only bought one player, Yaya Sonogo, on a free transfer. Arsenal fans were worried about the lack of spending this transfer window but the window is not closed and they have been recently been linked with Chelsea target, Wayne Rooney. This win proves that Aston Villa have what it takes to challenge them top teams. Arsenal need to get some signings in then they can really affect the premier league. 

Other results: 

Norwich City 2-2 Everton

Liverpool 1-0 Stoke

Sunderland 0-1 Fulham

West Brom 0-1 Southampton

West Ham 2-0 Cardiff

Swansea v Man Utd 

(Coming soon)

             

Confederations Cup: Brazil v Japan

The opener of the Confederations cup ended with a 3-0 win for Brazil. Neymar, Paulinho and Jo all got on the scoresheet. Brazil had the lead through a spectacular goal from Neymar in the 3rd minute. Neymar volleyed the ball from outside the box after Fred set it up for him. It was a great finish from the Barcelona man. There are high expectations for Neymar in this tournament and in Barcelona. Paulinho added a second in the 48th minute. It was another cross form Dani Alves and Paulinho got on the end of the cross but had to turn to finsh. He shot but the keeper got one hand to the ball but that wasn't enough to keep the ball out of the net. Brazil added a third in the 3rd minute of stoppage time through Jo after the tireless Oscar made an amazing pass to the former Manchester City. Japan played well but didn't have the quality in the final 3rd to finsh of their chances. Honda and Kagawa were the best players for them. Honda played well in the first half but played were poorly in the second half earning him to be substituted. Japan were too poor and couldn't keep the possession for long and kept losing the ball. 

Neymar played exceptionally well and was nominated for Man of the match. He is under the most pressure this game because everyone was expecting him to shine. He played very well. He did some of his trademark skills to  get past players was by far the best player of the match. His first goal was spectacular and might be a contender for goal of the tournament. A great game and it was a solid start for the Brazil. The key to wining would be to keep consistent. They have to be very consistent. Brazil need to win this Cup to be prepared for Brazil. The need to win because of Morale and because to come together. The team need to bond together and play as a team and not as individuals.             

Jesus Navas to Manchester City

There has been many rumors about the future of Jesus Navas. He has now spent the whole of his career until now at Spanish club Seville and has been rumored to have completed a move to English side Manchester City. A $26,000,000 fee has been reported to be agreed. Navas took part in Spain's Euro 2012 triumph and the 2010 World Cup. He is a quick and agile right winger who likes to use the space in the wide areas and can play down the middle when needed. He also has a reputation as a tough tackler although he has a very slight frame. He said about the switch to England "It's a good project and it was the moment to make the step. It was my choice. I'm very happy with the decision."

He added: "We've been talking with Manchester City for four months. The Premier League is a competition where the football is very fast. I'm really looking forward to it. Manchester City are making a great team."

 "I'm going from Seville  which is a very nice place, and I'm going to a great club in England. I wanted to continue growing there and they've put a lot of faith in me and I want to continue doing well there."

He has already earned 20 caps for Spain. This would be the first major signing for Manchester City who will try to retain the Premier League Crown from Neighbors Manchester United. I think this is a good move for Manchester City because last summer they didn't do much in the window and as a result they lost the premier league title. Navas is very quick and explosive player, a type of player city need. Last year they bought in Sinclair who wasn't much effective at all. Navas has more experience and therefor can contribute better to the team. The morale would also increase in the dressing room with this signing. We might see a partnership between David Silva and Navas develop considering they are both countrymen. Also the to-be coach of Manchester City can work will with Navas because of their experiences in Spain. He might just be what City need to win the title!

Jesus Navas highlights.

Jose Murinho returns to Stamford Bridge!

"The special One" has returned as the Chelsea manager, this is his second time in charge of Chelsea. He has long been linked with a return to the club. He left the club in 2007 with mutual consent. There were also reports that the relationship between him and Abramovich was very unstable back then. He has been loved by the blues fans for a long time and is seen as a hero at Stamford Bridge and this move must bring delight into the eyes of Chelsea fans. Last time he was at Chelsea he had won 2 premier League titles, 2 League cups and one F.A Cup.  Chelsea have already been linked with many players this year with the likes of Falcao, Cavani, Ronaldo etc. It has been rumored that they have agreed a deal with Bayer Levarkusen forward Andre Schurrle. So he will probably have him at his disposal when he arrives. He will also have De Breuyne, Lukaku and Courtios at his disposal coming back from loan deals. It has also been rumored that he plans to sell David Luiz to Barcelona for an estimated fee of of $45,000,000. This move will dishearten some fans because he has been a fan favorite scoring crazy goals playing entertaining football. Lets see how this will turn out. Hopefully he can bring Chelsea back to its former glory (Last Year).

GOOD LUCK JOSE!

Neymar joins Barcelona!

The Brazilian ace has finally decided to join FC Barcelona. He will join on July 1st in a deal worth around $75,000,000. He was targeted by Real Madrid, Manchester City, Manchester United and Chelsea. He was known as the biggest talent in the world. Neymar made his name 2 years ago with Santos. A year later he won the Puzkas award, an award given for the best goal of the year. He has been compared to the likes of Ronaldihno, Pele and Messi. Now he has joined forces with Messi in what will be a fearsome partnership up front. Last year he was reluctant to leave Santos and now he has. Real Madrid are now stepping up their efforts to sign Bale now that they have lost the battle for Neymar. He will most likely replace David Villa on the right wing. He can also play up front or on the left wing. He is a very versatile player which makes him very valuable. He also regularly starts for the Brazilian national team who have been disappointing. He is also known for his wide variety of haircuts as well. It should be interesting to see how he plays with Barcelona next season. Neymar is known as an individual player and is known for his trickery with his feet. This is unlike Barca's style of play. Barcelona plays quick passing football with not too much dwelling on the ball. It should be interesting how he plays with Barcelona.

NEYMAR; click here