Jose Mourinho recently posted a picture of himself on Instagram captioned “Always working,” and Manchester United will need him to be busy this summer. After three seasons of underperformance and transfer windows which did not quite go well enough, he has a lot of work on his hands.

And that work has, of course, already begun.

Bringing in Eric Bailly is a forward-thinking long-term move, the kind which hints at the existence of a plan. But while he might have the necessary talents, the 22-year-old cannot be expected to slot straight in as a reliable first-choice Premier League centre-back.

Centre-back is a position which rewards experience. Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic both improved a great deal in their mid-to-late 20s, for example. At the 2008 UEFA Champions League final in Moscow—the end of their peak season together—they were 29 and 26 respectively.

So, some forward planning has clearly already been done, but what of the more short-term concerns?

To reshape the squad to his own ends, Mourinho will first have to decide on the formation he plans to set them out in. Louis van Gaal never quite seemed to settle on a plan, trying 3-5-2, 4-3-3, 4-2-3-1 and 4-1-4-1 during his time in charge. It seems reasonably safe to assume the Portuguese will not be so indecisive.

In broad terms, Mourinho-ball has generally meant a 4-2-3-1 with inverted wingers overlapped by attacking full-backs who provide width. In his final season at Inter Milan, for example, Brazilian right-back Maicon got more league assists than any other member of his squad.

His holding midfielders have often been physically imposing, but technique on the ball is obviously important to him too. Michael Essien in his first spell at Chelsea, Thiago Motta at Inter and Luka Modric at Real Madrid represent three different types in holding midfield, but each fit beautifully into Mourinho‘s midfield two.

The United manager has worked with some of the great forwards of their generation, such as Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Cristiano Ronaldo and Didier Drogba—all very different types of player, each of whom excelled under his management.

What all this tells us is that given a certain level of quality, there is a lot of flexibility in the type of players Mourinho is prepared to deploy in specific positions.

It also tells us that his best teams have always had truly outstanding players as part of their make-up. One of the key things that needs to happen at United this summer is an upgrade in the baseline of quality of their squad.

Barring Anthony Martial, Luke Shaw and David De Gea, there are not too many players at Old Trafford that other top clubs would look at with envy. Wayne Rooney and Michael Carrick were once that, and Marcus Rashford may well get there.

However, in general ever since United sold Ronaldo and brought in Antonio Valencia, Michael Owen and Gabriel Obertan, there has been a steady decline in overall squad quality.

The starting lineup for the 2008 Champions League final was packed with all-time heavy-hitters—the starting lineup for the 2016 FA Cup final was not. Even by the time of the 2011 Champions League final, it was clear a decline had set in.

Of course, not every player in a squad has to be at the very top level for that squad to be phenomenally successful—witness Jesper Blomqvist or David May in the 1999 squad, or John O’Shea in 2008. But the decent, useful squad players need to become the exception rather than the rule over the next few years if United are to get back among the elite.

This cannot happen in one summer. Indeed, the seeds of the 2007/08 season were sown long before. Ferdinand was signed in 2002, Ronaldo in 2003 and Rooney in 2004. Edwin van der Sar arrived in 2005, while Vidic and Patrice Evra were bought in January 2006.

Owen Hargreaves, Carlos Tevez and Anderson were the only key figures in the 2007/08 squad signed that summer—Nani also arrived then, but his impact was felt a little later.

Obviously, Sir Alex Ferguson had the luxury of long-term planning available to him in a way few other managers ever have done. His job came under some pressure in the mid-2000s, during what Gary Neville called “the Djemba-Djemba years” in his autobiography, Red, but the manager kept building and was richly rewarded.

Mourinho needs to improve things a little more immediately. To that end, the short-term thinking that would be involved were United to sign Ibrahimovic would be a helpful sticking plaster while the more major surgery is being undertaken.

Every player who comes in this summer needs to serve one of two functions. One option is that they upgrade the quality of the current first XI, which Ibrahimovic clearly would. The other is that they could potentially form part of an impressive Champions League final starting XI in four or five years’ time, which is presumably the hope for Bailly.

The side’s most obvious weakness is in defence. It is perhaps no coincidence that this is the area Mourinho has attempted to strengthen first. But Bailly cannot be the only defensive signing. A really top-drawer centre-back should remain No. 1 on the wishlist, though identifying that target will be a challenge in a highly competitive market.

That much is obvious. Less obvious is what to do about central midfield.

Carrick has signed a contract extension, and Rooney has finally made the move people have been expecting for a long time to become a midfielder for club and country.

Add Bastian Schweinsteiger—who looks revitalised by his recent injury break, is in good shape and scoring for his country at Euro 2016—Ander Herrera, Morgan Schneiderlin and there are five players available for two positions, without even considering Marouane Fellaini or the fact that Timothy Fosu-Mensah may well end up being a midfielder.

But even with all those options available, unless Schweinsteiger truly gets back to peak fitness, there are no world-class options there—no one on the level of Modric, Motta or Essien at their peaks.

Unless there are substantial outgoings, it is hard to see anyone of the highest level arriving—promising young talent would be a more likely fit here.

A right-winger to match the quality of Martial on the left could be a huge asset, and the rumoured links with Henrikh Mkhitaryan would make a lot of sense. His agent Mino Raiola—also Ibrahimovic‘s agent—has said the player wants to move to United, per Alex Bywater of MailOnline.

Mkhitaryan is coming off the back of a hugely successful season, with 11 goals and 15 assists in the Bundesliga and offers an almost unparalleled degree of positional flexibility. He has played left, right and central for Borussia Dortmund this season, both in deeper-lying and more advanced roles, per WhoScored.com. 

That level of flexibility would mean Mourinho could find a way to allow plenty of involvement for players such as Rashford and Memphis Depay while also adding quality to the side.

There is a lot of work to be done, but this summer has to be the start, rather than an end in itself. Next season should be one of building and consolidation—no one is expecting United to win the 2016/17 title, but a realistic run at the 2017/18 trophy has to be within striking distance this time next year.

For now, a combination of elite players in key positions and promising young talent is the key to reshaping the squad.

It is a good job Mourinho is “always working” because there is a lot of work to be done.

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Argentina legend Diego Maradona has said his compatriot, Inter Milan striker Mauro Icardi, is “dead to me” following his controversial feud with former team-mate Maxi Lopez. 

According to Radio Metro (h/t Football Italia), Maradona was asked if the 23-year-old should be part of La Albiceleste’s squad for the upcoming Olympics, to which he replied:

Icardi doesn’t exist to me. He could be captain of the cosmos, after what happened I’m a fan of [Lopez]. That’s not done, brother.

You feed him, you let him in your house and then this happens? No. Those who don’t have moral codes are dead to me.

The pair were team-mates at Sampdoria when Icardi entered a relationship with and later married Lopez’s ex-wife Wanda Nara. Lopez has since refused to shake hands with the Inter forward.

According to the MailOnline’s David Kent, Icardi also had Lopez’s three children with Nara tattooed on his arm, tweeting: “I love these three little angels:”

Per Fox Sports (h/t Goal’s Daniel Edwards), Icardi recently opened up on the controversy:

Everyone speaks about the Wanda issue without knowing the truth. When I started with her I played alongside Diego Milito, [Javier] Zanetti, [Esteban] Cambiasso, [Walter] Samuel, and they all knew the story because I told them.

I was a friend of the couple, an acquaintance, and it was all very normal. After that, Wanda split up and we kept in contact, and it just happened. 

I fell in love, that’s something you should judge solely on its own merits. But [Lopez] was not my best friend, nothing like that. We were colleagues in Sampdoria, nothing else.

The striker netted 16 goals for Inter last season, and while that wasn’t enough to earn him a place in Gerardo Martino’s Copa America squad, he is on the shortlist for Rio 2016, per Edwards. He added:

I was a little surprised to be on the Rio list because after everything that’s been said, in Twitter and social media everything comes out, some people believed I was never going to get called.

It is great to be on the Olympic list because it is a prize for my Inter performances. 

I can tell Martino that here in Italy I am on the front pages every Monday, but of the sports newspapers. In Argentina I am always linked to the show business world. If you are a national team coach, you can only judge on what happens on the pitch.

Due to his age, Icardi can be included in the Olympic squad without taking one of the places reserved for three overage players.

He will be among the most experienced and proven strikers at the tournament if he is selected, which could give Argentina an excellent chance of picking up a medal.

La Albiceleste have gained two golds and a silver in the last three Olympics they’ve qualified for, and further success could be on the cards.

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For AC Milan fans, reminiscing about the past is a wonderful thing. It affords the opportunity to remember great players, teams and coaches, scintillating play and—most importantly—glory on domestic and continental fronts.

Unfortunately, those days are long gone now. For three years in a row, the club has missed out on qualification for European competition, with their latest seventh-place finish in Serie A in 2015-16 offering dull football and inconsistent results.

The succession of head coaches continued, with Sinisa Mihajlovic—who was hired last June—sacked and replaced by former youth-team boss Christian Brocchi in April. Meanwhile, few players stand out.

Ignazio Abate, Luca Antonelli, Giacomo Bonaventura and Carlos Bacca gave their best, while youthful promise exists in the form of 17-year-old goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma, 21-year-old centre-back Alessio Romagnoli and 21-year-old forward M’Baye Niang. But elsewhere in the squad there is a glaring lack of quality.

If only Milan could not simply look back to, but actively call upon some of those legendary players from the recent past to patch up the holes in their first team. Hypothetically, who would the club bring back if they could?

What follows is a breakdown of four Rossoneri legends who, in their prime, would greatly enhance the team’s existing lineup.

Caveats and Honourable Mentions

Before we go on, it’s important to note that the Milan icons in question must still be active players. That means no Gianni Rivera to play in the hole behind the strikers, and no Paolo Maldini to partner Romagnoli in defence.

Honourable mentions go to Sulley Muntari and Nigel de Jong, who would provide much-needed additional steel and authority to the midfield, Robinho, who would add trickery in the final third, and Alexandre Pato, who brought creativity and pace to the attack before injuries sapped some of his skills.

Centre-back: Thiago Silva

When Thiago Silva joined Milan for just £7.5 million in January 2009, few expected him to achieve quite as much success as he would go on to have with the club. The Brazilian had already endured a brief yet disappointing spell in Europe with FC Porto and was a relatively inexpensive addition.

However, he would transition quickly to Italian football, enjoying a solid debut season and maturing into a world-class centre-back. Rugged and physically gifted, he combined his natural traits with a commanding, aggressive defensive style and sound reading of the game.

Aerially dominant and assertive in the tackle, Silva became a leader of Milan’s back line. He impressed so much that Franco Baresi, a club legend and one of the finest centre-backs of all time, declared to Folha de Sao Paulo (h/t Football Italia):

I hope he is my heir. I would like him to stay at Milan for several years. He’s a player who has proven he has great qualities and that he is important for the future of Milan. It’s difficult to identify where he can still improve. He has already proven to have everything.

Milan lack a centre-back capable of mixing authoritative defending with athleticism and good technique. In 2015-16 Alex provided the strength and aerial ability, but the 33-year-old is clumsy on the ball and slow off it.

Silva, who helped the club to a Scudetto in 2011, would bring stability to the back line with his positioning, charisma and love of physical confrontations, allowing Romagnoli to take on the role of ball-playing central defender.

Central midfield: Andrea Pirlo

One of modern football’s most sophisticated players, Andrea Pirlo came into his own with Milan.

Prior to joining the club, the shaggy-haired creator was a playmaker without a home, struggling to fit in at Inter Milan. But, after joining the Rossoneri, he became a key member of Carlo Ancelotti’s Rossoneri and one of the world’s most revered footballers.

With exceptional technique married to a languid style that opponents found difficult to fathom, Pirlo was unhurried in possession, regardless of pressure or the situation. He revelled in tight spaces, becoming a master of ball retention, and went on to make over 400 appearances for the club in all competitions.

During his decade with Milan he won two Serie A titles, two Champions Leagues and one Coppa Italia, forming an effective midfield with the likes of Gennaro Gattuso, Massimo Ambrosini and Clarence Seedorf.

However, the composure and accurate, varied passing Pirlo brought to the team in his peak years are nowhere to be seen in today’s Rossoneri squad. Riccardo Montolivo is as close as the club has come to a replacement, though he lacks the assuredness and passing range of his former team-mate.

Attacking midfield: Kaka

During his first spell with Milan, between 2003 and 2009, Kaka grew from highly rated prospect to elite trequartista. Tall but mobile, the Brazilian’s elegant movement, quick thinking, defence-splitting passes and ruthless streak in the final third made him one of the most dangerous attackers in Italian football.

Arriving from Sao Paulo, he settled with surprising comfort to calcio and gradually unseated the more experienced Rui Costa as the Rossoneri’s primary attacking midfielder, an integral link between the midfielders and striker in Ancelotti’s “Christmas Tree” 4-3-2-1 formation.

One of Kaka’s most memorable performances in a Milan shirt came in a 3-2 defeat away to Manchester United in a 2006-07 Champions League semi-final first leg. He scored twice with explosive turns of pace and clinical finishing to give his team two vital away goals.

At present, Bonaventura is the Rossoneri’s most consistent performer, and, as a natural playmaker, he enjoys playing behind the strikers. However, he would have to move into a more withdrawn role to accommodate one of the club’s finest players in recent history.

Striker: Zlatan Ibrahimovic

After an underwhelming year with Barcelona in which Zlatan Ibrahimovic struggled to live up to his £52.13 million transfer fee, he re-established himself with Milan. The Swedish striker didn’t quite mesh with the Catalan club’s style but thrived upon his return to Serie A in 2010.

He had made his name in Italy during successful spells with Juventus and Inter Milan, and had no issues readjusting to football on the peninsula. He scored 21 goals in his first season with the Rossoneri, helping them to the Scudetto in the process, before finding the net on 35 occasions in his second term.

He developed an affection for Milan in his two years before moving on to Paris Saint-Germain, something he commented on recently. “I have a good relationship with Milan and I care about them,” he told La Gazzetta dello Sport (h/t ESPN FC). “They are the biggest club I played for.”

Last season, the Rossoneri hit their lowest goals total in Serie A since 2001-02, and—given their heavy reliance on Bacca in the striking department—they would be significantly boosted by the audacious Ibrahimovic’s link-up and hold-up play, technical quality, aerial strength and finishing ability.

How the team would look

Milan used the 4-3-1-2 system under both Mihajlovic and Brocchi in 2015-16. Indeed, they both began and finished last season in this basic shape, and it would suit the four club legends discussed above.

Silva would take up the right centre-back berth alongside Romagnoli, with the usual full-backs, Ignazio Abate and Luca Antonelli, on either side.

Pirlo would operate as the team’s regista, with Juraj Kucka playing the Gattuso role to his right. Bonaventura would start on the left of the midfield three, but would move forward to link up with Kaka between the lines.

Up front, Ibrahimovic would drop deep to combine and help create, allowing Bacca to play on the shoulder of the last man.

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Manchester United will reportedly face competition from Bayern Munich for top strike target Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

According to “reports in Germany,” via David McDonnell in the Mirror, incoming Bayern boss Carlo Ancelotti, who previously managed Ibrahimovic at Paris Saint-Germain, wants to reunite with the Swede, and the Bundesliga giants “have made an approach” to the forward.

McDonnell added that the German outfit fear the departure of Robert Lewandowksi to Real Madrid and will match Ibrahimovic‘s £200,000-a-week wage demands in order to snap him up, while they, unlike United, can offer him Champions League football next season.

Sky Sports News HQ recently reported that the Sweden international‘s move to Old Trafford was all but sealed with personal terms agreed and the 34-year-old set to undergo a medical at United following Euro 2016:

However, if Bayern have made an approach, that could throw a spanner in the works of United manager Jose Mourinho‘s plans to have his own reunion with the striker he once managed at Inter Milan.

As noted by McDonnell, the Champions League is “the one glaring omission” from Ibrahimovic‘s career trophy haul, which already includes two Eredivisie titles, six Italian scudetti (the two with Juventus revoked due to the Calciopoli scandal), one La Liga and four Ligue 1 wins.

Despite spending time at Ajax, Juventus, Inter Milan, Barcelona, AC Milan and Paris Saint-Germain, he has never won Europe’s premier club competition, and he likely never will if joins United as they are far from the European elite at the moment and Ibrahimovic‘s career is nearing its end.

If the Sweden captain is still holding out hope of winning the Champions League one day, and there is an offer from Bayern, he would surely opt for a move to the Allianz Arena this summer rather than Old Trafford.

However, another major trophy missing from his CV is the Premier League, and he could well be tempted by leading an ailing United back to the summit of English football, as well as reuniting with Mourinho having enjoyed a good relationship with the Portuguese during their time at Inter, per Sky Sports’ Nick Wright.

Bleacher Report’s Dean Jones believes a top-class striker is the most important addition United need this summer, and Ibrahimovic would fit the bill perfectly:

His return of 38 goals in the French top flight last term was his best career haul in a league season, proving he is still performing at a very high level despite his relatively advanced years, per WhoScored.com.

Everything previously looked in place for him to move on a free transfer to United this summer—his PSG contract expires at the end of June—and, despite the reported interest from Bayern, the Red Devils must ensure they still snap Ibrahimovic up given how crucial he could be under Mourinho in reviving the club’s fortunes.

Elsewhere, another reported United target, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, will not be allowed to leave Borussia Dortmund this summer despite having only a year left on his current contract, as confirmed by the Bundesliga club’s chief executive, Hans-Joachim Watzke.

Per Bild (via ESPN’s Stephan Uersfeld), Watzke stated that the Armenia international would not sign a new deal at Dortmund but said it had never been agreed he would be able to leave before his current contract expired: “We’ve been negotiating a new deal with Henrikh Mkhitaryan for four months. We now know he won’t sign an extension. There was never a promise that he can leave us prematurely.”

The comments fly in the face of recent insistence from Mkhitaryan‘s agent, Mino Raiola, who previously claimed the 27-year-old had been told he could leave amid interest from United, per Bild (via Uersfeld):

Those in charge at BVB promised Micki months ago that he can leave the club in the summer. Dortmund have an official offer, but the BVB bosses now fear their fans. All of a sudden they say that he has to leave on a free next summer. That’s very bad management.

Manchester United are a unique opportunity. Micki wants to join them now by any means. 

It is a big blow for United—who had reportedly submitted a €24 million (£19 million) offer for the midfield star—as Mkhitaryan is exactly the kind of creative presence who could bolster their misfiring attack having assisted 32 goals and scored a further 23 for club and country last season, per Uersfeld.

But with Watzke confirming the player will “stay in Dortmund next season,” United will seemingly have to look elsewhere as Mourinho looks to reinvigorate a struggling group.

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Arsenal will start their 2016-17 Premier League campaign with a home match against Liverpool following the release of the full fixture list for the new season on Wednesday.

Last term, Arsenal had their highest league finish in over a decade as they were second to Leicester City, but it was still a disappointing campaign. The Gunners were some way off the Foxes’ pace and once again failed to mount a genuine title challenge.

It has now been 12 seasons since Arsenal last won the Premier League and 2016-17 could perhaps be manager Arsene Wenger‘s last chance to lift the famous trophy again—his current deal expires in 2017.

Read on for Arsenal’s full fixture list for the upcoming campaign, provided by the club, as well as a closer look at the key clashes the Gunners will face in the season:

Away vs. Manchester United (November 19)

Arsenal’s first clash with the Red Devils last season was one of their best performances in recent memory.

The Gunners went 3-0 up inside 20 minutes at the Emirates and then controlled the remainder of the match to earn their first league victory over United since 2011.

In 2016-17 they will first face up to United at Old Trafford on Nov. 19, and Wenger will once again clash with his old foe Jose Mourinho.

The Frenchman has an awful record against the former Chelsea, Real Madrid and Inter Milan boss, prevailing just once against Mourinho-managed sides in 15 meetings—in August 2015’s Community Shield.

The pressure will be on Wenger to improve that record when Arsenal face Mourinho‘s United in November.

If Arsenal do prevail over United, it could be a huge confidence boost for the Gunners manager and his side, as well as an opportunity for them to kick on and finally maintain a season-long title challenge.

It will not be easy. The Old Trafford clash between Arsenal and United last season saw the hosts prevail 3-2, and the Red Devils could well be a better outfit in 2016-17 after replacing Louis van Gaal with Mourinho.

Home vs. Tottenham Hotspur (November 5)

In a delightful turn of events for Arsenal fans, the Gunners still managed to finish above their north London rivals last term despite Tottenham being the side that maintained the better title challenge (until a terrible end to their campaign).

However, there was nothing to choose between the two sides in their pair of Premier League meetings last season as they returned two closely fought draws.

With Spurs likely to be fighting it out at the top of the Premier League again next season, the opening north London derby in November could be crucial in the early pace-setting.

As with their clash against United later in the month, a Gunners victory over Spurs could prove they have the quality to win the title this season and provide them a boost while taking points off potential top-spot rivals.

In the recent past, Arsenal finishing above Tottenham was something of a given. Only a collapse from Spurs last term—which included a final-day 5-1 drubbing to relegated Newcastle United—allowed the Gunners to leapfrog their bitter rivals.

But the White Hart Lane outfit are undoubtedly a different proposition than they once were—no longer simply also-rans, but genuine title contenders—and the north London derby is now a potential title-decider rather than just a battle for bragging rights.

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The 2016 UEFA European Championship began for Italy on Monday with a marquee tilt against Belgium.

The Belgians came into the game as one of the hot favorites in the tournament.  They spent a good portion of 2016 at the top of the FIFA world rankings and came to the tournament ranked No. 2—the highest ranking of any team in the finals.

The Azzurri arrived at the sparkling new Stade de Lyon the clear underdogs, but they had a nasty surprise in store for the Belgians.  Their elite, Juventus-based defense throttled the Red Devils’ high-octane attack before hitting them with long passes and strong counterattacks that ripped apart Belgium’s injury-depleted back line.

The result was a convincing 2-0 victory—their first in a Euro opener since 2000—that puts them in excellent position to advance and, if things go right over the next two weeks, to potentially make a deep run in the tournament.

The credit for this win has to go to Antonio Conte.  The former Juventus boss has been heavily criticized in the run-up to the tournament for his squad selection and for falling back on the 3-5-2 that he was wedded to at Juve.  

However, Conte‘s vision—that of a team that may not be made up of the sparkliest parts but runs like a well-oiled machine—has proved itself, at least for now.

When these two teams met each other in November, Conte mostly bested his counterpart, Marc Wilmots, in terms of tactics.  On Monday, he comprehensively outcoached him.

Conte was initially expected to use Stephan El Shaarawy as the left wing-back in the 3-5-2, but opted for Matteo Darmian instead.  But it was the tactics, not the players, that ended up causing the Belgian defense problems.  

Conte pushed both Darmian and right wing-back Antonio Candreva high and very wide, forcing Belgium’s makeshift full-backs, Laurent Ciman and Jan Vertonghen, to the sidelines to cover them.

That produced ready-made channels in the back four that the Azzurri could exploit.  They signaled their intent about eight minutes in, when Eder released Darmian down the left side.  The 26-year-old cut inside into a fantastic position, but he ended up caught in two minds between passing and shooting and eventually lost the ball.

That was the case in many Italian moves for the first 25 minutes or so.  They managed to get into dangerous positions but often waited too long to made their final decision.

In the meantime, the so-called Juventus block—the back three of Andrea Barzagli, Leonardo Bonucci and Giorgio Chiellini and goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon—was suffocating Belgium’s attack.  

An easily saved 10th-minute strike from long range by Radja Nainggolan was the only direct challenge to Buffon, and the back three were constantly in position to intercept any attempt to pass the ball into the box.

The biggest problem in those early phases was Emanuele Giaccherini.  One of the more controversial selections in the final squad, Conte‘s old Juve acolyte repeatedly made mistakes in possession, giving the ball away and making totally ineffective crossing attempts.  For the first half hour, he looked like he was destined to be yanked off at halftime.

That is, until the 32nd minute.

That’s when Giaccherini took advantage of a miscommunication between Ciman and Toby Alderweireld, slipping through and latching onto a magnificent long pass from Bonucci.  Rather than take the ball forward with his first touch, he simply deadened it, leaving goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois too far away to get off his line and smother the ball.  A simple tap was all it took to give Italy the lead.

Four minutes later, Graziano Pelle nearly doubled the lead when Marco Parolo was first to a second ball on a corner and set him up with a header.  The Southampton forward’s own headed effort flew just wide of the post.

The second half was much like the first.  The Belgians looked better, and the occasional opening sprung up, like in the 53rd minute when Romelu Lukaku managed to get behind the defense and evade a charging Buffon only to barely miss the upper far corner.

But for much of the half Belgium failed to create real danger.  Chiellini totally marked the Everton striker out of the game, keeping him from taking a shot in the first half and limiting him, according to WhoScored.com, to two total shots in the game.

Once Lukaku was withdrawn for Divock Origi, the Belgians began to create some real danger.  The Liverpool man narrowly missed with a header off a cross from Kevin De Bruyne with eight minutes left, and any touch on a loose ball in the 88th minute could have equalized.

But the Italians held firm, and continued to search for a second goal.  Courtois made a one-handed save on a Pelle header in the 54th minute and did the same to substitute Ciro Immobile’s cannon shot seven minutes from time.  

The search came to fruition in the final seconds, when Immobile slipped Candreva through on the counter, and Pelle emphatically volleyed home the Lazio man’s cross.

Italy played as the ultimate team in this game.  It was telling that whenever an Azzurri player became hemmed in in possession, multiple white shirts appeared in the vicinity, allowing the initiation of quick passing moves that helped keep possession.  Moves were chased down, passing lanes were closed.  It seemed as if they moved as one.

Not only were Conte‘s on-field tactics spot on, but some of his most controversial selections had good games.  Giaccherini‘s game picked up immediately after his goal, chasing down Belgian breaks from behind and keeping possession in the defensive third with an acrobatic headed pass to Mattia De Sciglio.

Less obvious but just as important was Eder.  The Brazilian-born forward’s inclusion in the team produced wild derision.  He had been toward the top of the scoring charts at Christmas but only scored once after moving to Inter Milan in January.  Besides his lack of form, the general suspicion of oriundi—foreign-born players—also clouded his inclusion.

Eder didn’t come close to scoring, but he did play a good game.  Several times he reached a leg around a defender to poke the ball to a teammate, and when not in possession he made a good defensive contribution.  It was a good shift for the embattled forward, who rewarded Conte‘s confidence with solid performance.

In his post-match press conference, Conte praised his team’s play.  “When there is this kind of unity,” he told reporters (h/t Football Italia), “we can do great things.”  The team certainly wasn’t perfect.  Several players made horrid passing mistakes that set up dangerous Belgian breakaways, and four Italians received yellow cards, including Bonucci and Chiellini.

But at the end of the day, this game will go down as a shining achievement for Conte and the Azzurri.  Coming into the tournament with the look of a fallen giant, Italy showed the rest of Europe that they aren’t ready to be written off.  There is still work to do, and the remaining games against Sweden and the Republic of Ireland each have their challenges.

But Monday planted a glimmer of hope that a deep run in this tournament could be possible.  If Conte continues to have days like this one, perhaps his team will have more say over who becomes European champion than anyone thought they would.

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As the dust settles on the 2015-16 season and players (well, some) and coaches take a break over summer, a period of reflection and analysis will see that Atletico Madrid had a very good season overall, falling short of incredible success only by fractions.

One of the biggest plus points in their campaign was the emergence of Saul Niguez as an undisputed starter in the first team, an academy graduate who has enjoyed loan spells away and a year or more as a squad option at the Vicente Calderon, before finally making good on his outrageous talent and showing he could bring consistency to his game as well as ability.

Inevitably, after impressing in high-profile games, he has come to the attention of other clubs and national media outlets, which in turn has led to transfer rumours surrounding his future. The most prominent side linked with a move for him has been Manchester United, as reported by the Daily Mail among others, but Saul signed a new contract at Atleti in May that runs until 2021.

It means his release clause will have been raised significantly, to around £54 million according to the Mail, but how high is the true worth of Saul after a campaign in which he excelled in La Liga and helped put some of Europe’s toughest sides to the sword?

Game time and importance

Until November, he was still a bench option for Diego Simeone. With Oliver Torres getting the nod to start the season as Arda Turan’s direct replacement, and Yannick Carrasco finding his feet and form soon afterward, Saul had to be patient to get chances when injuries struck elsewhere.

The turning point in his season was a broken leg for Tiago, which occurred in mid-December. Saul had started the last three games before that one, performing well both from the right side and centrally, and Tiago’s sudden absence opened up a regular spot in the middle—and with Koke underperforming at that time, Saul was ideally placed to take advantage.

From the end of November until the end of the season, he played in every game but one, played the full 90 in 20 out of 26 games and, over the course of the entire campaign, featured in every single UEFA Champions League match from the group stage to the final itself.

His importance to the team after the first third of ’15-16 cannot be underlined enough.

Tactically he is a perfect fit for Simeone’s team, understanding when to press high, when to tuck inside and when to offer support to the front line; his running power eclipses that of workhorse Gabi, and he was a vital goalscoring addition to the team, too, netting nine overall, bettered only by strikers Antoine Griezmann and Fernando Torres.

Despite not playing much of the league campaign until late November, Saul ended the season as one of Atleti’s first names on the team sheet and only seven players managed more game time than his 3,650 minutes—players who are associated with being Simeone staples such as Diego Godin, Juanfran, Filipe Luis, Griezmann, Gabi and Koke, along with goalkeeper Jan Oblak.

Future prospects

Importance to the team and the consistency shown in games is an important part of assessing the value of a player, but equally, given Saul is still only 21 years old, it must be taken into account just how high his performance level could go.

Although most of his starting game time has so far come from the sides of midfield in Atleti’s narrow 4-4-2, more and more often they switch in-game to a 4-3-3, where he is inevitably one of the players pushed inside to central midfield.

His balance of technical and physical proficiency gives Atleti the platform they want to remain defensively strong, yet be able to hurt teams going the other way, too. Neither of those characteristics is going to see anything but an upward swing over the coming seasons, as Saul improves his anticipation and reading of the game, his timing of runs forward and decision-making over when to release possession.

In truth, he’s already incredibly intelligent in that last trait, decision-making, as dribbling constantly with the ball—although as he showed against Bayern, among others, he’s perfectly capable of doing so—doesn’t really fall within his remit.

Often it is the mental side of the game that younger players struggle to deal with, but Saul is beyond his years in that regard.

On the international scene, he should already have made his way into the Spanish squad and 100 per cent deserves to have been included in the UEFA Euro 2016 squad, but Vicente del Bosque opted against taking him, for reasons best known to himself.

There’s no doubt, however, that Del Bosque’s successor can build the next Spain midfield with Saul as a part of it, if not an immediate starter then certainly to be integrated into plans over the course of World Cup qualifying.

Comparisons and market

Transfer fees can swing and vary wildly, depending on the clubs and agents involved and which leagues they are moving from and to.

Renato Sanches, for example, has just joined Bayern Munich from Benfica at age 19, for €35 million, potentially rising to €80 million depending on the player hitting milestones that include being named FIFA’s World Player of the Year, per CNN.

Marcelo Brozovic, on the other hand, a Croatia international and a star at Inter Milan at 23 years of age, could leave this summer, per Corriere dello Sport (h/t the Mirror), for around £16m (€20m). Andre Gomes of Valencia has been suggested to be rated at €45m (per ESPN FC) this summer, and Mateo Kovacic joined Real Madrid last summer for €32m.

With Jorge Mendes as his agent, it’s probably safe to assume any move from Saul in the future would be on the upper scale of fees.

In terms of game time and quality, Saul this year was awarded the Revelation of La Liga, as reported by Marca, performing far better than names including Aymeric Laporte, Paco Alcacer or team-mate Carrasco.

Playing a pivotal role in the run to the European final also eclipses the achievements of those outside La Liga such as Raheem Sterling, Breel Embolo, Kingsley Coman, Julian Draxler, Ross Barkley, Anthony Martial and even Paulo Dybala. All those players are in the 19-23 age bracket, and all have either been linked with moves or have moved clubs in the last year for huge fees.

With a new contract behind him, Atleti’s status as a powerhouse club in Europe at present and his own limitless potential, there is zero reason to think any initial valuation of Saul should be less than €35 million. In an age of add-ons, emphasis on youth reaching its potential and protection of investments in the form of buy-back agreements, third-party ownership on registration and other factors, that fee could easily rise past €60 million for Saul…and that’s this summer.

A year from now when he’s shining in La Liga once more and has broken into the Spain setup, that initial figure will only increase. He’s one of Spain’s best and will show that over the coming years at Atletico.

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Everyone who is old enough to recall football in the 1990s remembers it as the heyday of Serie A, with Italian teams and players dominating the landscape across Europe. There is little doubt that other leagues quickly overtook it as the continent’s most prominent, but they did so by snapping up the best the peninsula had to offer.

The decline of the game here coincided with the rise of the English Premier League, with some familiar faces at the heart of this shift.

In 1996—fresh from leading Juventus to a Champions League triumph—Bianconeri captain Gianluca Vialli left for Chelsea, with team-mate Fabrizio Ravanelli simultaneously joining Middlesbrough.

There were countless others, and while Serie A is some distance from that golden era, its influence in the UK is once again growing strong. Claudio Ranieri’s exploits in leading Leicester City to a stunning title victory have seen Italian coaches once again become fashionable, with Antonio Conte set to lead Chelsea next term and Walter Mazzarri in place at Watford.

Udinese owner Giampaolo Pozzo took control of the Vicarage Road outfit in June 2012, and the club’s official website announced last month that former Inter Milan and Napoli boss Mazzarri would be in control from July 1. 

Watford enjoyed a bright start to last season, sitting seventh in the table after 18 games, but their form would rapidly deteriorate, and winning just four of their remaining 20 matches ultimately cost coach Quique Sanchez Flores his job.

Mazzarri is expected to improve upon that and is already believed to be looking towards Italy for reinforcements. According to a Sky Sport Italia report earlier this week (h/t ESPN FC), Juventus midfielder Roberto Pereyra has emerged as a primary target, a deal that would seemingly suit all three parties. 

That story cited a potential fee of around £10 million (€13 million) for the 25-year-old, which the Bianconeri could use to sign Miralem Pjanic of AS Roma, an ideal signing for the Turin giants as this previous post explains.

It would provide a fresh start and an exciting opportunity for the player himself, whose progress undeniably stalled during 2015/16. Indeed, if they are to benefit from his potential arrival, Watford must hope that last season was a blip and they can help Pereyra rediscover the form he displayed a year earlier.

His career has already taken a number of surprising twists, with the River Plate youth product first landing in Italy back in 2011. He subsequently made 74 league appearances in three seasons at Udinese, netting eight goals along the way and establishing himself as a player with a bright future ahead.

Yet given that modest return, Juventus unexpectedly agreed a 12-month loan deal in July 2014. Their official website revealed they had paid €1.5 million to do so, with an expensive-looking fixed price of a further €14 million to make the move permanent.

Per the same source, that fee was duly paid at the end of a 2014/15 campaign in which Pereyra proved he was a valuable member of coach Massimiliano Allegri’s squad, usurping some well-established names in the process.

While Andrea Pirlo, Arturo Vidal and Claudio Marchisio were all clearly more accomplished players, none possessed the pace and directness offered by the Argentina native. His total of 35 Serie A appearances was more than any other player at the club, and he featured in a total of 52 matches in all competitions, recording six goals and four assists along the way.

Pereyra did so mostly playing behind the forwards in what Allegri described to La Gazzetta dello Sport (h/t Football Italia) as a “4-3-and then we’ll see” formation. He was also fielded as part of the midfield trio in a variety of tactical setups, occasionally even filling in as a wing-back when the Juventus boss reverted to a 3-5-2 framework.

That bodes well given Mazzarri’s preference for a similar system, and he won the praise of Allegri after a particularly strong November 2014 showing against Lazio in which he arguably deserved to be named man-of-the-match.

“Roberto’s got great technique and an important quality: he always drives towards goal with great intensity,” the Juve boss said at his post-match press conference. “It was also his best performance of the season.”

While his biggest contribution that day was the superb pass on the turn to Paul Pogba seen in the video above, Allegri also used that aforementioned interview to tell reporters that Pereyra “needs to work on his finishing.”

It was a comment supported by the statistics, with Squawka.com showing his shooting accuracy sat at just 45 percent by the end of the season. Yet, as the campaign drew to a close, Pereyra would show he had indeed looked to improve, netting a stunning goal against Hellas Verona (shown below) on the final day.

In addition to that increased attacking prowess—and no matter where he was deployed on the field—he always gave maximum effort, proving to be surprisingly effective defensively as he followed the example set by his tenacious compatriot, Carlos Tevez.

His effectiveness in that phase of the game was not reflected statistically however, with WhoScored.com showing Pereyra averaged just 0.6 tackles and 0.7 interceptions per Serie A outing in 2014/15.

Yet watching Juventus closely throughout that campaign, there was no denying his impact in disrupting opponents and quickly transitioning defence into attack. That was most noticeable in the club’s run to the Champions League final, and—having only made his international debut earlier in the season—he was included in Gerardo Martino’s Argentina squad for the Copa America.

By the time 2015/16 began, Pereyra had established himself as an important player for club and country, winning the Serie A title and Coppa Italia, while also collecting runners-up medals in the Champions League and Copa America after the Albiceleste lost to Chile.

But rather than continue in the same manner, he suffered with a raft of injuries, limited to just nine starts in all competitions. According to figures taken from WhoScored.com, Pereyra totalled just 859 minutes of action, contributing no goals and managing just a single assist, against AS Roma last August.

While February saw the club hand him a new contract that will run until 2020, per FourFourTwo, his rapid decline in production has inevitably led to the current talk of an exit when the Italian transfer window opens on July 1.

Pereyra discussed his lengthy absence from the starting XI during an interview with Juve’s in-house TV channel JTV (h/t the club’s website), admitting that “it’s not been easy following matches from the sidelines without being able to help my team-mates.”

It appears he will now not be given the chance to do so but will be an ideal fit for Watford, able to fill a number of roles in Mazzarri’s favoured 3-4-2-1 formation.

It seems Roberto Pereyra and Juventus will part ways, but the Premier League side could do much worse than add him to their squad should the opportunity arise.

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Liverpool have reportedly identified Lille OSC‘s Sofiane Boufal as an alternative target to Mario Gotze and will go after the Moroccan forward if the Bayern Munich star decides against moving to Anfield.

Gotze has long been seen as a key summer target for Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp, with the pair having formed a good relationship when they worked together at Borussia Dortmund and the German winger struggling for game-time at Bayern, per Chris Beesley in the Liverpool Echo.

However, the 24-year-old is weighing up his options, and Liverpool could now offer Lille “more than €20 million (£15.7 million)” for Boufal, who they scouted “over a dozen times” in 2015-16, per Foot Mercato (h/t Dipesh Agarwal on Sport Witness).

Agarwal’s report added that, with Gotze taking his time to decide his future, Liverpool’s hand could be forced in moving for Boufal, with Inter Milan, Dortmund and Paris-Saint Germain all having been linked to the 22-year-old as well.

Boufal moved from Angers to Lille in January 2015 and starred in his first full season in 2015-16, netting 11 goals and providing four assists in 29 Ligue 1 appearances, per WhoScored.com.

Much like Gotze, he is most comfortable playing out wide on either flank but can also operate effectively through the middle.

Boufal’s discipline is currently a concern—he received 10 yellow cards and was sent off twice in Ligue 1 last term—but he will likely become less hot-headed as he gains more experience and could be moulded by Klopp to put his temper to better use.

In attack he can be devastating running at players, while his link-up play, set-piece delivery and finishing are all excellent—see below for a taste of his playing style:

Gotze would be a fantastic signing for Liverpool as he is proven at the highest level—he has won a World Cup with Germany and a combined five Bundesliga titles with Dortmund and Bayern—and already has a relationship with Klopp. He could fit straight into the manager’s system at Anfield.

However, he may not be obtainable for the Reds—not least because they cannot offer him Champions League football—and Boufal would be a fine alternative.

The Morocco international may be more raw than Gotze, but he has immense potential and could thrive under Klopp, who has a good reputation for working effectively with youngsters.

Per Agarwal, Lille are likely to be happy to let him go for around €20 million (£15.7 million) having signed him for just €3 million (£2.4 million), thus all parties could be open to the move if Liverpool decide to go ahead with their pursuit of Boufal.

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Spain and their strikers: Around major tournaments in recent years, it’s been one of international football’s topics of intrigue, and ahead of Euro 2016, it’s no different. 

In Alvaro Morata and Aritz Aduriz, Spain enter this summer’s UEFA European Championship in France with an interesting blend of striking qualities. Morata is the likely first choice who brings pace and dynamism to La Roja’s front line, while Aduriz is the late bloomer of significant contrast who stands as a valuable alternative. 

The intrigue goes beyond their skill sets, though. Both Morata and Aduriz are relatively new to Vicente del Bosque’s side and thus are yet to ingrain themselves in La Roja’s approach. They’ve also been picked ahead of several prominent forwards: Diego Costa, the country’s highest-profile striker; Fernando Torres, who burst back into form in Atletico Madrid‘s late-season push; and Paco Alcacer, the natural fit and Spain’s leading scorer during qualifying. 

Again, then, there’s both fascination and uncertainty over Spain’s striking options. Can the speedy Morata link the attacks together? Can the more rugged Aduriz adapt to La Roja’s highly technical existence? Can they play together?

Here, we take an in-depth look at Spain’s striking options and how they can function within Del Bosque’s setup. 

Single-Striker System 

Alvaro Morata

Morata will almost certainly begin Euro 2016 as Spain’s first-choice striker in a system that might be presented on paper as a 4-1-4-1 but will function like a 4-3-3. 

In that, the 23-year-old will likely be flanked by Nolito and David Silva on the left and right, respectively; as group, they will give La Roja a nice blend of scoring and playmaking ability across the front line. 

In such a system, Morata will be tasked with dragging opposing defences out of shape with darting runs in and around the box, opening spaces for Nolito, Silva and the team’s midfielders. His pace and ability to change gears rapidly will be valuable in that respect, and it will also help Spain launch attacks more swiftly than they’ve done previously when possession is won in midfield.

In the Juventus forward, Spain also have an opportunist with a knack for scoring big goals: He struck the goal that won this year’s Coppa Italia final; he scored twice against Real Madrid in the 2014-15 UEFA Champions League semi-finals, and then again in the final against Barcelona; his stunning left-footed strike defeated Manchester City in last season’s edition; he’s scored in four separate derbies against Inter Milan; and there was that dazzling run and assist against Bayern Munich. 

In the crunch moments, Morata always seems to be there, putting away rebounds, firing home through a crowd and sweeping in balls at the back post. He’s not yet prolific, but his potential is immense, and he’s already shown signs of a potent relationship with Nolito in this Spanish side. 

There are issues, however. 

Though his technical ability is strong, the Real Madrid product is at his best in space—the sort of space Spain rarely see. 

As a possession-heavy outfit, La Roja are often confronted with tightly packed defences, and Morata is not the sort who will play with his back to goal and act as the fulcrum for others to play around. Instead, he likes to run at the opposition, and when he presents to his midfield it’s done with the intention of turning and dribbling into space:

It should be noted that Morata can create a yard or two of space for himself in the box with neat footwork while on the ball, but he won’t be a perfect fit for when Spain are trying to unpick a defence camped in its own penalty area. 

Aritz Aduriz

Aduriz is the ultimate late bloomer: At 35, he’s fresh off the finest season of his career in which he scored 32 goals for Athletic Bilbao in all competitions, and remarkably, he’s been getting better every year since turning 30. 

For a striker, it’s not supposed to work like that. 

The Basque’s late-career explosion is also significant for Spain ahead of Euro 2016, as he brings something very different to this La Roja side. 

Physical, aggressive and dominant in the air, the Athletic striker gives Del Bosque the option of playing a target man in the same system depicted above. With him in the box, Spain can take a different route, using crosses and longer balls, and feeding off the knock-downs. 

The use of Aduriz would also make a lot of a sense for Del Bosque on the occasions when wide men like Lucas Vazquez and Pedro are introduced. 

Vazquez in particular is a sideline-hugging right-winger who excels at beating his opponent and whipping in crosses. Throughout his tenure, Del Bosque has often valued such players for the way they contrast with his side’s plethora of central technicians, and the Real Madrid man has been brought into the squad for Euro 2016 for exactly that reason.

On Tuesday against Georgia, Vazquez and Aduriz put together a neat example of how it can work when the winger picked out the veteran striker from the right. If Aduriz’s powerful header had found the net instead of going inches wide, it would have been hailed as Spain’s Plan-B template. 

Two-Striker System

Spain have rarely used a pair of strikers together during Del Bosque’s tenure, but when considering systematic options, it’s worth noting how Morata and Aduriz fared when played alongside another striker domestically last season.

At Juventus, Morata was regularly introduced as a second-half substitute to play with Mario Mandzukic, and he scored numerous times doing so. At Athletic Bilbao, Aduriz struck up a wonderful partnership with Raul Garcia, who consistently pushed ahead from midfield to act as a second forward. 

At Euro 2016, Spain can do something similar, and in small moments they’ve already shown it can work, as explained in detail here at Bleacher Report.

During qualifying, Del Bosque used Costa and Alcacer together to good effect in a 4-0 win over Luxembourg, while against South Korea last week, Aduriz and Morata combined for the last 30 minutes and together crafted Spain’s sixth goal—a significant goal. 

Indeed, that strike from Morata was created by Aduriz’s gambling instincts as a striker. Having pushed into midfield, the Basque set off in a direct line for goal before Sergio Busquets’ pass had even reached an under-pressure Nolito to Aduriz’s left:

Whereas a midfielder would likely have looked to retain possession, Aduriz was bold. His more aggressive instincts as a striker took him straight toward goal, his desire being to either score or link directly with his partner in attack. 

Spain could benefit from more of that. That single-mindedness strikers possess is unique, and when opponents are enjoying success with tight and deep-sitting defences, the switch to a two-striker system is a potent option that Spain have available. 

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