An early look at the Champions League contenders

Any team could win it, but the big teams people always see as serious contenders are not numerous. This season, many new managers have taken over and lots of new players have joined the elites, hence making it harder than ever for everyone to agree on a list. In my opinion there are eight contenders this season: Arsenal, Chelsea, Barcelona, Manchester United, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund and Juventus. But which ones of them top the list?

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A closer look at Borussia Dortmund star Marco Reus

Borussia Dortmund's Marco Reus is one of the five players I mentioned yesterday in regards to who Arsenal should be targeting in January and I discussed why his transfer to Arsenal wouldn't be as ridiculous as some people make out it would be. A quick summary for those who didn't read it yesterday. Tomas Rosicky is his idol, he supports Arsenal, he speaks very highly of Jack Wilshere, the arrival of Mesut Ozil and the German influence on the team in general.

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The Importance Of Tomas Rosicky To Arsenal

The shaggy looking 32-year-old Czech Republic international perhaps hasn't enjoyed the career he would have wanted at Arsenal, with all the injuries he's suffered since his arrival back in 2006 from Borussia Dortmund. Now, I've picked up on Rosicky's importance fairly early on but I haven't yet had the platform to write an article on my thoughts. But the time has come, so sit back and hear my thoughts as to why Rosicky is as important to Arsenal as any other player on the pitch. Unless you've already realised this of course - it's surprising the amount of people that haven't in all honesty.

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Champions League Preview – The Dark Horses

According the bookies, the side picking up the title of kings of Europe is likely to come from one of the following; Manchester United, Manchester City, Chelsea, Real Madrid, Barcelona and Bayern Munich. Here we identify four sides who will carry visions of upsetting the apple cart.

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A Look At Why This Borussia Dortmund Player Is So Useful

Feeding off my second article from Thursday, where I listed who I wanted Arsenal to spend £100 million on, I thought I might explain further some of my choices, perhaps, surprise inclusions. Kevin Grosskeus was probably one of those players, but hopefully by the end of this piece you will understand why he could be such a useful player for most top teams in Europe including Arsenal.

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Why Arsenal May Struggle In The Champions League This Season

The draw may have not been as lethal as it was with Celtic (Barcelona two years running?!) but Arsenal's Champions League group will be a difficult one to emerge from.

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If You Were Arsene Wenger, And Had £100m To Spend, Who Would You Look To Buy?

It's a figure that was thrown around at the start of the summer and even at some points last season. Arsenal fans will know exactly what I'm talking about, but for the people who don't know, it's the sum of money that was promised to be spent by Arsenal this summer. So far they have managed to only increase the amount available.

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Robin van Persie vs Robert Lewandowski - The Statistics

Most people consider attacking players the most vital part of a team, so I have decided to compare two of the best in European football right now, Manchester United's Robin van Persie and Borussia Dortmund's Robert Lewandowski.

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Could This Chelsea Man Be The Next Big Thing?

Signing relatively early in the transfer window, Andre Schurrle arrived at Stamford Bridge somewhat under the radar.

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Is Being A Football 'Hipster' More Difficult Than People Think?

A term coined in the 40's which describes someone as being 'aficionados of the growing scene'. Now with the development of social media websites such as Twitter, the word 'hip' or 'hipster' now describes a football fan who supports a club who most fans wouldn't consider supporting despite their obvious amounts of quality. The team that took the 'hipster' crown last season was Borussia Dortmund. A few years ago, a majority of football fans never realised their quality but thanks to success in the Bundesliga and Champions League (sort of) recently fans have started to follow this club as a 'secondary' team because they like the way they play. But it's not just football clubs that decide whether you're 'hip' or not, players can also help you.

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Is Mats Hummels The Perfect Replacement For Carles Puyol?

Barcelona are in desperate need of a new central defender for the new season as they only have 2 established centre backs. There is no denying that Pique and Puyol are both talented players but while Carles Puyol struggles to stay fit they rely heavily on Javier Mascherano to fill the void. 

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Which league is the best? - the players & teams (Video)

Whilst the English Premier League is the self-proclaimed greatest league in the world, and attracts the most viewers from a worldwide audience, is it actually the best league regarding quality of players, teams and football played, or is it just that the increased media coverage makes people believe that it is the finest on offer? I decided to compare it with other European leagues by looking at the players and teams that ply their trade in each country.

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Is the use of a double pivot in midfield crucial to the modern game?

A lot has been said about the modern game. Some people welcome the concept, whereas others completely disagree and ridicule the idea. No matter what anyone says, football is definitely changing and whether people decide to accept it or not is another problem entirely. Alas, the subject of my piece does intertwine with the idea but rather the tactical side of things more than the politics.

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Double coup signals Borussia Dortmund intent

Undoubtedly it has been a good week for Borussia Dortmund – with Patrick Aubameyang signing for the club and now Henrikh Mkhitaryan completing his move.

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Will Pellegrini change Manchester City? (Video)

Now that the worst kept secret of the summer has finally been shared with the world, as Manchester City officially confirmed that Chilean coach Manuel Pellegrini had signed a three year contract with the club, what changes are likely to be introduced to the team and will he be able to deliver the success that is craved for by the owners on both the domestic and European fronts?

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