OLT SPORTS

There is the Manchester derby as well as the North London derby, two of the most anticipated fixtures in the English topflight season in and out but the context of Chelsea's travel to the Selhurst Park this weekend could see the London derby match steal the headlines this weekend. It will be Graham Potter's first domestic game in charge of Chelsea, who are not in very good position following the takeover from their darling owner at the end of last season and the sacking of their loved German manager earlier in the month. Graham Potter kicks off his first Premier League assignment at Chelsea with a trip to the Selhurst Park to face Crystal Palace, a team he has never tasted victory against in all the seven times he has come up against them. The Englishman left Brighton to succeed Thomas Tuchel after the German was fired on the back of a poor start to the season and while Potter's first assignment, which was against Salzburg in Europe wasn't too satisfying, the quest for

World Cup preparation look done and dusted following the end of the international break which is set to the followed by the prestigious competition finals in November. Preparation as they say has started since the completion of the last edition, where France were crowned Champions following a dominant win over Croatia in a six goal thriller in Russia. A lot of teams have impressed since then and along with many others will be looking to write their names in the history books in the first edition of the competition to be held in an Arab country. Teams like France, the defending Champions have added the UEFA Nations League title in 2021 while Portugal had been crowned winners of the maiden edition of the competition in 2019. Italy, Argentina, Senegal, Qatar and the United States have all emerged as champions in their respective continents since the last World Cup though it was unfortunate that Italy failed to qualify for the World Cup finals. The world cup, second ever to be held in Asia

The easiest path to success in world football is being trained in an elite Academy and graduating to be promoted to the first team, where you get the chance to prove yourself deserving of the chance given. Some young players benefitted from the reputation of their Academy or leagues, which attracts scouts to come over on the lookout for the next breakthrough star.  Several players have benefited from this over the years as well as presently, these players earn their club’s Academy a lot of plaudits while also giving them options on the field, one that might have cost a fortune to sign. Ajax, Barcelona, Arsenal, Chelsea and Dortmund have been hailed for the talents that has been produced from their respective Academy and quite a number has been afforded the chance to go on an star for these clubs. However, that was not the path of a certain Jude Bellingham and that is what makes his case much more interesting compared to the other exciting youngsters in world football today. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐚

After six years with the Anfield landlords, Sadio Mané turned down an extension with a year left on his contract to join Bayern Munich in a £35 million move in the summer. What was anticipated is how Liverpool will get on in time from the loss of a player who has been at the heart of their success in recent years and even though the Reds have prepared replacements, it is not that easy establishing the level of consistency the Senegalese has delivered. For a Bayern Munich that loss star striker Robert Lewandowski to Barcelona in the same summer, the addition of Sadio Mané meant another world class player comes in the wake of the departure of one but clearly different players. Bayern needed to bring in a striker to replace Lewandowski but made a 17-year old Mathys Tel their only signing in that department. Bayern would have thought Sadio Mané will play more as a striker and decided to go into the season without a proper replacement for Lewandowski. 𝐋𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐩𝐨𝐨𝐥'𝐬 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐠𝐠

While games in the Premier League for the weekend have been postponed due to the passing of the Queen Elizabeth II, we take a look back at the most talked about club during the week, Chelsea. From the laboured and controversial win over West Ham United in the London derby last weekend to the lacklustre performance in their Champions League opener in Zagreb on Tuesday night, as if it was not enough, the sacking of manager, Thomas Tuchel followed suit the next morning. The drama got even more interesting as former Brighton manager, Graham Potter has now been appointed manager of the football club just matter of hours of Thomas Tuchel's shocking departure. Tactically, Potter is very similar with Tuchel. Despite the inabilities of attacking players to thrive under the German being one of the reasons he was shown the exit door, it is not very wise, the appointment of Graham Potter. But that discussion is not for the present as Chelsea have always enjoyed a level of success whenever they

The Catalan Giants are known to be heavyweights in Spanish and European football. The Club is known for its trademark Tiki-taka style of play, or what could be otherwise known as the Cruyffian philosophy. It is named after the Dutch footballer and Coach, who was the founder of the football philosophy known as Total Football. Being the only Club to win a sextuple in a year the feat was achieved in 2009, The club also won a treble in 2015. Donning the Blue and red colour of the Blaugrana is a lifelong dream for most footballers. Several football legends had played for the Club and made History. Barcelona is no doubt, One of the biggest club in the world with millions of supporters throughout the world. However, A Season after the Treble triumph, Luis Enrique who has led the team to glory announced his decision to leave at the start of the 2016/17 season. The Spanish boss insists that it would be 'the easiest thing in the world for him to renew his contract. However, he thought that t

The departure of Thomas Tuchel has finally crowned the start of a new era under the Todd Boehly consortium, who took over the ownership of the West London club a few months back. If there is one thing the new owners of Chelsea have in common to their predecessor, that is how quick they are in changing managers when results is not going the way they want it. It has brought the Roman Abramovich era unprecedented success and fans will hope for the same fortune of the Boehly's, even though a part of them find it difficult to accept the sacking of the German tactician, however, the show must continue. It came out of the blue, the sacking of the German tactician, who was appointed in 2021, replacing club legend, Frank Lampard and winning some important silverware, including those the club have won for the very first time. Months into his Chelsea reign after inheriting a rich but disoriented group of players left behind by Frank Lampard, Thomas Tuchel delivered the Champions League title,