Transfer round-up: Depay, Firmino, Sterling and more

So the transfer window is open, and some big deals have already taken place. I look at some of the ones that have gone through as well as the rumoured deals, and evaluate the impact that they could have.

Where better to start than the most recent transfer? Roberto Firmino will be joining Liverpool from Bundesliga side Hoffenheim subject to a medical. The Brazilian international is an attacking midfielder and is currently on international duty with his country at the Copa America.

Firmino in action for Brazil.

I believe that he is an exceptional player who is capable of winning games by himself, a bit like Phillipe Coutinho. Those two playing in tandem will be something to behold next season. 

He was also linked with Manchester United, and he racked up 10 assists in the Bundesliga last season. He currently has 4 goals from 9 appearances for Brazil, and struck 35 times for Hoffenheim during his time there. And for a reported £29 million, he could yet still prove to be a bargain.

Sticking with Liverpool, they have also signed James Milner, Danny Ings, Adam Bogdan and Joe Gomez from Manchester City, Burnley, Bolton and Charlton respectively. Manchester City were foolish to let Milner go in my view, especially considering the home-grown quota they now have to fulfil. But City's loss is Liverpool's gain, and Milner's experience and versatility could be missed at the Etihad next season.

Danny Ings is a good striker, but he isn't going to get in to the side ahead of a fully fit Daniel Sturridge. Not a bad player to bring off the bench though. Adam Bogdan has obviously been signed as back up, and Joe Gomez to be developed, both decent signings.

Moving on to Memphis Depay, Manchester United's new signing. Also a very good signing; top scorer in the Eredivisie last season with 22 goals, which isn't bad for a winger. He also added 6 more goals in Europe last year, bringing his total to 28 in all competitions. He's a great acquisition, and someone that Louis van Gaal knows very well, which can only benefit the team. He'll be joining an already formidable attack, and, like Roberto Firmino, should take to the league like a duck to water.

New Manchester United signing Memphis Depay.

As for the champions. Chelsea, their only foray into the transfer market was to sign young Brazilian Nathan from Atletico Paranaense, clearly for the future. They have been linked with Falcao, which should go through. as well as a move for Raheem Sterling, so we'll wait and see what happens with that, as I'm sure that will rumble on for the whole summer. They have sold Gael Kakuta to Sevilla, and loaned Christian Atsu to Bournemouth for the upcoming season, and we can expect more outgoings at Stamford Bridge.

One of whom is likely to be Petr Cech. The goalkeeper is on the verge of a move to Arsenal, with the two clubs reportedly agreeing a £10.9m fee for the Czech Republic international. Cech will become Arsenal's first signing of the summer, but will he be their last?

Sterling: Manchester bound?

Manchester City are yet to sign anyone, but have put a couple of bids in for Raheem Sterling, both of which have been rejected. It is not clear if they will come in with a third bid, with Liverpool holding out for £50 million. He is definitely a player that will improve Manchester City's chances of winning the title back, but isn't what they need. They need Paul Pogba in my view. If an English club sign him, then I think they'll have the upper hand in the title race. 

As for the rest of the league, Tottenham have been relatively active so far, strengthening their defence with the signings of Kevin Wimmer and Keiran Trippier from Koln and Burnley respectively. Everton have secured Tom Cleverley on a free, Aston Villa have signed Scott Sinclair on a permanent basis, as well as Micah Richards, and Southampton have signed Cedric from Sporting and Maarten Stekelenburg on loan from Fulham.

The newcomers have been active too, with Bournemouth signing Artur Boruc, Adam Federici, Christian Atsu (on loan) and Josh King for their first season in the Premier League. Watford have brought in Sebastian Prodl and Giedrius Arlauskis, and are likely to bring in Diego Perotti for a club record fee of £7m too, whilst Norwich have signed Graham Dorrans permanently after his loan spell last year, and secured his former West Brom team mate Youssouf Mulumbu too.

West Brom themselves have signed James McClean from Wigan, West Ham have got Pedro Obiang and Darren Randolph in, Stoke have signed Phillip Wollscheid permanently and taken in Danish goalkeeper Jakob Haugaard too. Crystal Palace, Leicester, Newcastle and Sunderland are yet to bring anyone in.

And the final team, Swansea, who, for me, have made the greatest signing so far by bringing in Andre Ayew on a free from Marseille. They have also signed Franck Tabanou and Kristoffer Nordfeldt too.

Roll on August!

Premier League 2014/15 Post-Mortem

So, that's it for another season. Chelsea are the champions, whilst Queens Park Rangers, Burnley and Hull City will be playing in the Championship next season. I look back at the season as a whole, evaluating each team and selecting a team of the season.

Chelsea - 1st - Rightful Champions

 

Chelsea looked like title winners from day one, and especially in pre-season with the signings of Diego Costa and Cesc Fabregas in particular. Add to that the returning Thibaut Courtois and a solid back four, as well as the man that would become Player of the Year in Eden Hazard, and you can see why they were favourites from the start. Jose Mourinho described his side in 2013/14 as "the little horse," highlighting the need to sign a striker in the summer, and they ended up with three - the aforementioned Costa, club legend Didier Drogba, and Frenchman Loic Remy. They didn't have a blip all season, and for a brief period, looked as if they could go the whole season unbeaten, with their first defeat coming at the hands of Newcastle in December. They wrapped up the League Cup, beating Tottenham in the final, gaining revenge on the 5-3 defeat they suffered at White Hart Lane at the turn of the year. Their only other league defeat was against West Brom last Monday, but that didn't matter as they had already wrapped up the title by then. 

All in all, a very successful season for Chelsea (minus the 4-2 home defeat to Bradford in the FA Cup), but what do they need to do next season and what should their targets be? I would suggest that they sign another forward to replace the outgoing Drogba, unless Mourinho feels Patrick Bamford is ready for the first team. A new goalkeeper is needed if Petr Cech is to leave too. As for their targets, obviously to retain the league, but I think the Champions League has to be the priority for the club next season after a disappointing campaign for all of the English sides.

Manchester City - 2nd - Poor signings cost the title
In my view, the outgoing champions did not strengthen well enough to retain the league title. Fernando, Bacary Sagna and Wilfried Bony in particular disappointed, whilst Eliaquim Mangala was a huge risk considering the fee of £32 million, and he made some costly mistakes this season. Frank Lampard was a good signing, obviously with his experience at the top level. I do not understand why they let Alvaro Negredo go. He was a huge threat the previous season and I am sure he would have been again this season, but they let him go to Valencia on deadline day. They still boasted the top goalscorer in Sergio Aguero, who in my opinion, is the best striker in the Premier League. They will be foolish to let both James Milner and Yaya Toure leave, especially to divisional rivals, as it would only make them weaker. They have to make a huge splash in the transfer market, somebody like Paul Pogba would help them challenge again.

As for Manuel Pellegrini, I think they need to stick with him. I believe they made a mistake in sacking Roberto Mancini when they did, but they need some stability and sacking the manager every time they don't win a trophy isn't going to get them that. They need to get to the quarter finals of the Champions League next season, and win a trophy.

Arsenal - 3rd - Well, it isn't 4th
As an Arsenal fan, I'm delighted with this season. Looking at it from a neutral's perspective though, it's probably the best that they could have expected to do. They still aren't seriously challenging for the title, and are a few signings off of doing that. Alexis Sanchez was a brilliant signing, as he took to the Premier League like a duck to water. Champions League qualification is assured for yet another season, as Arsene Wenger continues his impressive record. And with the FA Cup final still to come, it could be another triumphant end to the season.

Next season, I hope to see them challenging for the title, but if I'm being honest, I expect more of the same. Maybe one or two signings could change that though.

Manchester United - 4th - Back in the Champions League

 
The target this year for United was to get back into Europe's premier competition, which they have done. This season was a successful one for United, and with work already started on next season with the signing of Memphis Depay, expect United to challenge for the title next year. I think Louis van Gaal is a terrific manager, and he will deliver the title back to Old Trafford. It could be next year, if they get this summer right. He has said himself that it is a big summer, and I'm sure he will make the right signings.

Next season I think they need a trophy, and need to be challenging for the title. Expect them to come in the top two. It will also be interesting to see how far they get in Europe.

Spurs - 5th - More Europa League
Mauricio Pochettino is a manager that I like. I think he's done a great job this season, and 5th place is no mean feat. Harry Kane was obviously a big part of that, and he has blossomed under the Argentinian. Ryan Mason also enjoyed a breakthrough year, and we may perhaps see some more youngsters next season.

There needs to be a clear-out this summer though. Roberto Soldado, Emmanuel Adebayor and Vlad Chiriches should all go, and I would also question Federico Fazio. They have reportedly agreed a deal for Koln defender Kevin Wimmer, which is a decent signing. They have to keep Kane and Lloris, as well as Eriksen. I would also keep Lamela too.

Liverpool - 6th - Disappointing to say the least
I think everyone expected more after last season, but they perhaps overachieved. Selling Suarez was obviously a major factor, as well as Daniel Sturridge's injury. Poor signings contributed too, and the whole Sterling saga just put a large cloud on everything. The 6-1 defeat to Stoke on the final day summed up their season really. 

Steven Gerrard will be sorely missed, not just by Liverpool fans, but by all fans, and Liverpool need to fill that void somehow. Next season they need to improve, simple as. Keep Brendan Rodgers, and move forward.

Southampton - 7th - *clapping hands emoji*

Most people expected Southampton to struggle after the mass exodus in the summer, but they surprised everybody with their 7th placed finish, even their own fans. Ronald Koeman recruited well, bringing in his own players, and could still get in the Europa League if Arsenal win the FA Cup.

They have to keep Schneiderlin and Mane for next season. Toby Alderweireld could yet end up staying on the south coast, but that is unlikely. They also need to maintain their league position for next season, which is easier said than done. Top 10 next season for Southampton will be a good season.

Swansea - 8th - Garry Monk works miracles
Each year people expect Swansea have reached their peak. Brendan Rodgers earned plaudits for keeping them up in convincing style, playing attractive football, which caught the attention of Liverpool. Then came Michael Laudrup, who took them even higher and won the League Cup. Now Garry Monk's taken them to their best ever finish, and that's despite losing top scorer Wilfried Bony in January.

Next season could throw up anything with Swansea. Hopefully they maintain a top 10 finish. They also did the double over both Manchester United and Arsenal home and away, which goes to show the job Garry Monk has done. Their main priority has to be to keep him in charge.

Stoke - 9th - another record
Mark Hughes achieved Stoke's highest ever points tally this season, and the 6-1 win over Liverpool on the final day caps a terrific season. Mame Biram Diouf was in my opinion one of the most underrated signings of the summer, and they have a good core at the Britannia now.

Another top 10 next season for Stoke, maybe a cup run too would be welcomed by the fans.

Crystal Palace - 10th - Alan Pardew also works miracles

 
Pardew took over in January with Palace in the relegation zone, and his first game in charge was away to Dover in the FA Cup. A convincing 4-0 win set the tone for the rest of the season, which saw Palace play with a confidence and an attack that every defence feared, especially Yannick Bolasie.

They need to achieve a stable position next season, to make sure they become an established Premier League club.

Everton - 11th - "Blame the Europa League"
They did well last year, but failed to live up to those heights. It was a poor season for both top flight Merseyside clubs, but Everton did manage to pull away from relegation danger that they somehow managed to find themselves in earlier in the season.

Next season they need to be in the top half again. My guess would be that they need to aim for 7th.

West Ham - 12th - What could have been
The season started well for the Hammers, with them challenging for Europe. Andy Carroll even said at one point that they could win the title. Fast forward to the end of the season and they have managed to get into Europe, albeit via the Fair Play League, and they are left looking for a manager after Sam Allardyce's departure.

Next season sees their last at the Boleyn Ground, before their move to the Olympic Stadium. They need to get in a manager who settles in quick, and gets the players playing. With Europe too, they could struggle.

West Brom - 13th - All about Tony Pulis' cap

Tony Pulis came in to replace Alan Irvine, who was not suited to Premier League management. They gave him the task of keeping the Baggies in the Premier League, which he did, easily in the end. No surprise there, considering he has never been relegated in his managerial career.

Expect them to push up the table next season. Also expect some good signings.

Leicester - 14th - Yes, they finished 14th
They looked dead and buried, but proved everyone tipping them for relegation wrong with an incredible run towards the end of the season that secured their Premier League status. Despite that, their highlight of the season was probably the 5-3 win over Manchester United at the King Power Stadium. 

Next season, they have to keep Esteban Cambiasso first and foremost. Also, they need to stay up again.

Newcastle - 15th - Yes, they finished 15th

They made it hard for themselves, didn't they? They needed a win on the final day to stay up, and they duly obliged. Jonas Gutierrez scored the goal that secured their safety in what has to be the most heartwarming story of the season following his recovery from cancer. They actually finished above deadly rivals Sunderland, now who could have seen that coming?

Obviously they need to sort out their managerial position, and have a huge summer ahead of them. Top half next year? Maybe, maybe not.

Sunderland - 16th - Devil's Advocaat
I just wanted to make that pun to be honest. Gus Poyet was relieved of his duties, and Dick Advocaat was bought in to steer the Black Cats to safety, which he did. Two great escapes in two seasons. Nothing to really cheer about this season, remember they lost 8-0 to Southampton.

Advocaat has to decide whether he wants to stay on, and I suspect that they will be battling relegation again next season.

Aston Villa - 17th - Keep a struggling club in the Premier League and getting to an FA Cup final is second to none, you know, no-one's ever done that previously 
Another club that changed their manager midway through the season in the hope of survival, as Paul Lambert was replaced by Tim Sherwood, who kept them up and led them to the FA Cup final against Arsenal. He got the best out of Christian Benteke, and they will have a fight on their hands to keep him.

They are a big club, and need to be in a higher position than they are, which I'm sure Tim Sherwood will address next year.

Hull - 18th - Final day blues

A year where their main problem was scoring goals, which ultimately led them to relegation and a season of regrouping in the Championship. Robert Snodgrass was injured for the entire season, and strikers like Abel Hernandez and Dame N'Doye just didn't fire as much as they would have liked to.

Will Steve Bruce stay on? He could, but it will be difficult to immediately return to the Premier League. Having said that, Norwich managed it, so there is no reason why Hull can't manage it too.

Burnley - 19th - Expected
No one really gave a hope of Burnley staying up, with their only shining light being Danny Ings, who will depart in the summer. It was nice having them in the Premier League, and they did manage to beat Manchester City at home, and gain a creditable draw at the Etihad, and at Stamford Bridge too.

They need to keep Sean Dyche for next year, but I fear they may be in the Championship for a while.

QPR - 20th - Another failure
They did bring in good players, like Leroy Fer, but obviously something isn't working at QPR. A lot of their players will go in the summer, and hopefully Chris Ramsey will bring a steadiness to Loftus Road.

Could come back straight away, but in danger of becoming a yo-yo club.

AFC Bournemouth - 1st in Championship - Premier League first timers

 

An incredible season on the south coast, which saw Bournemouth promoted to the top flight for the first time. And they fully deserve to be there, and they have a very talented young manager in Eddie Howe.

Obviously the main task will be to stay up, as it will for the other promoted clubs. But if they can do that, then they could go on to establish themselves in the Premier League.

Watford - 2nd in Championship - Despite having FOUR managers
They've had a couple of near misses in the play-offs in the last few years, but they've finally made it back into the Premier League for the first time since the 2006/07 season. They started the season with Beppe Sannino in charge, and went through both Oscar Garcia and Billy McKinlay before settling on Slavisa Jokanovic, who led them to glory.

However, it looks like he could be on the way out, with Quique Flores expected to take charge. They also need to stay up next year, and hold on to Troy Deeney.

Norwich - 3rd in Championship - Play-off winners
Norwich beat Middlesbrough 2-0 at Wembley yesterday to seal an immediate return to the Premier League under young manager Alex Neil. It marks an impressive turnaround since he joined the club from Hamilton Academical as a relative unknown, but is now a Premier League manager.

They too need to stay up next year, and I think they have a good chance of doing just that.

My team of the season:
GK: De Gea
RB: Ivanovic
CB: Terry
CB: Cahill
LB: Bertrand
RM: Hazard
CDM: Matic
CAM: Rooney
LM: Sanchez
ST: Aguero
ST: Kane

Big city lights don't bother me

Despite growing up nowhere near London, and having no affiliation with it whatsoever, I support Arsenal. I don’t have any family that support them. Why do I? Because they are the first team I watched on TV, and fell in love with them. But I grew up in Northampton. Which means, naturally, I hold a soft spot for them too. And since I’ve moved away, that spot has increased.

I’ve been to a number of Cobblers games, and if you don’t know them, they are one of those teams that will rarely do anything for a couple of years, then suddenly have a decent season, as was the case two years ago before last season’s flirtation with relegation (that rhymes). They are the Walsall of League Two, if you will. What a drab comparison that is.

Their recent moment in the spotlight was defeating Liverpool at Anfield in the League Cup on penalties in 2010. The respective managers that day: Roy Hodgson and Ian Sampson. One currently manages England, the other resigned from Corby Town. I’ll let you figure out which is which. David N’Gog played (and scored) that game, too. Remember him? It’s rare that Northampton get any glory, but when they do, they get it at Anfield. That Abdul Osman, he silenced the Kop.

Since then however, it has been League Two mediocrity. I remember back in about 2007, when they briefly climbed into League One and were playing the likes of Leeds United and Nottingham Forest. In fact, in 2007/08, they finished 9^th in League One, and Bournemouth got relegated to League Two. How times have changed.

I went to the Forest away game in 2007, when Northampton lost 1-0. It was my first away game, even though I was in the Forest end. I went to the play-off final in 2013, when the Cobblers were completely outplayed by Bradford and got destroyed, losing 3-0. That was only my second game that season.

The season after (ie last season), I didn’t go to a single Northampton match. I don’t know why. Really, I don’t. Last season was when I went to a really random selection of matches (Wigan vs Zulte Waregem in the Europa League, Manchester City vs Watford in the FA Cup, Scunthorpe vs York on the final day of the League Two season). It was a year that Northampton struggled, just avoiding relegation out of the Football League on the final day. Phew.

This year however things have changed. I’ve moved up north to Huddersfield to attend university. And I miss Northampton. It’s home. Don’t get me wrong, Huddersfield is great, and the team is in the Championship, something the Cobblers could only dream of at the minute. But it isn’t my local team. It never will be.

Other people on my course, and they’ve come from Scunthorpe, Rotherham, Derby, Peterborough. They all support their local sides. And when we go to our lecture on Monday, it’s always “good result for Northampton at the weekend” or “bad result for Northampton at the weekend,” and I wouldn’t have it any other way. I love to talk about them. I’ve even managed to go to a game this season, going to Mansfield away on John Joe O’Toole Day. I haven’t been to a home game yet, but when I’m home over Easter, it is my number one priority. And I cannot wait.

Northampton Town I’m proud to be.

Who came out of the MLS pre-season the best?

The MLS pre-season came to a close last night, and I take a look at who had the best pre-season, and the worst, ahead of the new season getting underway.

The Houston Dynamo had the best pre-season in terms of results against fellow MLS sides, picking up four wins (vs San Jose, Vancouver, NYCFC and Orlando) as well as a draw against Portland Timbers. They had two disappointing defeats at the hands of USL Pro sides Austin Aztex and Charleston Battery, but yesterday’s convincing 3-0 win over a nine man Orlando City saw Owen Coyle’s side take home the Carolina Challenge Cup title for the third time in their history.

Chris Wondolowski (l) and Robbie Keane (r) lead out their teams at the
Avaya Stadium ahead of San Jose's 3-2 win over LA Galaxy.

San Jose Earthquakes had a pretty solid pre-season by their standards, with their defeat to the Dynamo being the only blemish on their record. One defeat in ten games is a good run to be on at any time of the season, even if it does become before the season has actually started; it means they are able to take some momentum and positivity into their opening fixture, and nothing is more morale boosting than a victory over the reigning MLS Cup champions, a feat they achieved yesterday by defeating LA Galaxy 3-2 in the first game at their new Avaya Stadium.

Vancouver’s only defeat of the pre-season was also at the hands of Houston, going down 1-0. They had some pretty solid performances, and I watched yesterday’s draw with Chicago Fire. Whilst they were second best for the most part, they managed to take the lead against the run of play and it took a 90^th minute equalizer from the Fire to rescue a draw.

For all the so called “big” sides in the MLS, the Seattle Sounders were the most disappointing for me. Defeats to LA Galaxy, Sporting KC and New England Revolution, as well as draws against Sporting KC (again) and Minnesota United meant they ended pre-season with just two wins from a possible seven. And whilst those two wins were convincing (5-0 vs UCLA and 6-0 vs fourth-tier FC Tucson), they were not against relatively difficult opposition. But expect them to kick on when the season comes around.

Clint Dempsey in action vs FC Tucson.

Defending MLS Cup champions LA Galaxy won four and lost the other two of their six pre-season games. Wins against Ventura County Fusion, Georgetown, Seattle Sounders and Shamrock Rovers were not convincing, but they did enough. Defeats to Swedish side Hammarby and San Jose won’t worry Bruce Arena, and they get the season underway on Friday against Chicago Fire.

Kaka and David Villa in their duties as Orlando and NYCFC captains.

The two new franchises, Orlando City and New York City FC, both enjoyed mixed pre-seasons. NYCFC won three, drew one and lost two of their six games, going down to Houston and Danish side Brondby in Manchester. Their draw came against Orlando in a practice for the opening MLS fixture which sees the two sides face off in Orlando. Orlando’s only defeat came yesterday, also to Houston who seemed to beat everybody, whilst they drew with D.C. United, Toronto, BK Hacken, NYCFC and Charleston Battery in a game that got called off after 27 minutes. Their only win was a convincing one though, triumphing 4-0 versus FC Dallas.

The season begins on Friday when LA Galaxy start the defence of their title against the Chicago Fire, and it promises to be a great start to a great, ground breaking season in the MLS.

Top 5 African Cup of Nations Finals

As Ghana prepare to take on the Ivory Coast in the 2015 African Cup of Nations final in Equatorial Guinea tonight, I take a look back at some of the best finals in the tournament’s history.

2000 – Nigeria 2-2 Cameroon (Cameroon win 4-3 on pens)

2000 was a great year for African football and for Cameroon in particular, who followed up their 3^rd AFCON triumph in February with a surprising gold medal in the Olympic football in Australia later that year.

The tournament was jointly hosted by Ghana and Cameroon’s opponents in the final, Nigeria. The final itself took place in Lagos, effectively making it an away game for Cameroon. That didn’t stop them from racing into a 2-0 lead, thanks to goals from Samuel Eto’o and Patrick M’Boma (remember him, Sunderland fans?) before Raphael Chukwu pulled one back for the hosts just before half time.

The legendary Jay-Jay Okocha, so good they named him twice, then levelled the scores just two minutes into the second half. Extra time followed without any addition to the scoreline, which meant the game went to penalties. Both sides had scored their first two, before former Arsenal, West Brom and Portsmouth striker Kanu (above) missed Nigeria’s third penalty. Another former Premier League player in Geremi then put Cameroon ahead for the first time, before controversy struck.

Victor Ikpeba stepped up for Nigeria and his effort hit the bar, and bounced over the line and back out again (Lampard vs Germany-esque), something that the referee failed to spot and said that the penalty had been missed. Cameroon then won the game through Rigobert Song’s penalty.

1974 – Zaire 2-0 Zambia (replay, first game finished 2-2 a.e.t.)

The 1974 final is the only one that has seen a replay. The first game between Zambia and Zaire finished 2-2, with Brighton Sinyangwe‘s last minute equalizer for Zambia cancelling out Ndaye Mulamba’s 117^th minute strike for Zaire.

Mulamba scored nine goals in just six games at the tournament, striking in all but one of his side’s fixtures, with the only one he didn’t score in being the group stage defeat to neighbours Congo. The replay was staged two days after the first game, at the same stadium, with the same referee. Mulamba struck midway through both halves to seal his nation’s second AFCON win and their first as Zaire, with their maiden title coming under the name Congo-Kinshasa. We now know them as the Democratic Republic of Congo, or DR Congo for short. Zaire went on to compete in the World Cup later that year.

1992 – Ivory Coast 0-0 Ghana (Ivory Coast won 11-10 on penalties)

Today is not the first time that Ivory Coast and Ghana will have gone head to head in an AFCON final, as they previously battled it out in 1992. This game was significant because it was the first time in a final of a major international tournament that every player on the pitch took a penalty in a shootout. Both sides missed one of their opening five penalties, as Joel Tiehi missed the chance to win it for the Ivory Coast after Isaac Asare missed Ghana’s fourth penalty.

Anthony Baffoe was the unlucky one, after he converted Ghana’s opening penalty, he missed their twelfth as Ivory Coast celebrated their first AFCON victory, long before the superstars of Yaya Toure, Didier Drogba and Wilfried Bony came about. The Ghana side by the way included a certain Tony Yeboah…

2006, 2008, and 2010 – Egypt 0-0 Ivory Coast (Egypt won 4-2 on pens), Egypt 1-0 Cameroon and Egypt 1-0 Ghana

Egypt’s three consecutive African Cup of Nations wins in 2006, 2008 and 2010 were unexpected, to say the least. They had only qualified for two previous World Cups (in 1934 and 1990) and after winning AFCON in 1998, they were knocked out at the quarter finals in 2000 and 2002, and did not make it out of the group in 2004. But the 2006 tournament was hosted by the Egyptians, and that seemed to give them hope.

They beat the Ivory Coast 3-1 in the group, before defeating DR Congo and Senegal in the quarters and semis. They could not find a way past an Ivory Coast team that included Yaya Toure and Didier Drogba, as well as Kolo Toure and Emmanuel Eboue, both of whom would go on to play in the Champions League final for Arsenal later that year. Drogba and Bakari Kone missed their penalties as Mohamed Aboutrika won the game for the hosts.

Two years later Aboutrika scored the winning goal again, as they beat Cameroon 1-0 in the final in Ghana. Just like in the previous tournament, the final was a repeat of a group stage fixture, and this time Egypt beat Cameroon 4-2 in the opening game in Group C. Egypt then beat Angola in the quarter finals, before thrashing the Ivory Coast 4-1 in the semi in what was the most surprising result of the tournament. Aboutrika’s goal 13 minutes from time won the Egyptians their sixth overall title.

The 2010 AFCON became notable for Togo’s withdrawal due to the team bus being attacked on its arrival in Angola, whilst the opening game between Angola and Mali finished 4-4 despite Angola being 4-0 with just 12 minutes to go. Egypt, despite winning the previous two tournaments, still were not treated as favourites for this one, despite winning all three of their group games relatively comfortably. They needed extra time to beat Cameroon in the quarter finals, before another convincing semi-final display saw them dispatch Algeria 4-0. Gedo scored in the 85^th minute of the final against Ghana, which was enough to seal a remarkable third triumph in a row for Egypt (above).

2012 – Zambia 0-0 Ivory Coast (Zambia won 8-7 on pens)

There was no chance of Egypt winning a fourth consecutive AFCON because they didn’t even qualify for the finals in Gabon and Equatorial Guinea. It was Zambia’s turn to write a fairy-tale as they secured their first ever African Cup of Nations victory, 19 years after the whole Zambia team was killed after their plane, which was carrying them to Senegal for a World Cup qualification game, crashed just off the coast of Libreville, Gabon, which is where the 2012 squad fittingly won the final.

Their opponents were the Ivory Coast, who were favourites pre-tournament, and were looking to add a second AFCON crown. The game itself was a drab affair, with Didier Drogba blazing a 70^th minute penalty over the bar, by far and away the game’s best chance. Both teams scored their first seven penalties in the shootout before Kolo Toure saw his penalty saved by Kennedy Mweene, who had scored Zambia’s fifth penalty in the shootout. That gave midfielder Rainford Kalaba the chance to win it for the Zambians, but he fired over the bar. However, Gervinho then saw his effort sail over the bar, which left Stoppila Sunzu (above) the chance to win it, which he did. Herve Renard, once manager of Cambridge United, led Zambia to glory and will hope to do the same when his Ivory Coast side take on Avram Grant’s Ghana in the final later today.

Team of the tournament (so far)

So, the group stages of the World Cup are over, with some shocks and surprises along the way. I look at the team of the tournament so far, playing the bog standard 4-4-2 formation.

GK - Guillermo Ochoa - Mexico

You only have to look at this man's performance against Brazil to see why he's been chosen as the goalkeeper in my team. Mexico only conceded one goal in the group stages, a consolation for Croatia in a 3-1 triumph for Mexico. He'll need to be at his best to keep out a rampant Holland side in the next round though, but if he performs like he did in the Brazil game, then Mexico may just sneak through.

RB - Fabian Johnson - USA

Another North American, Johnson has been the focal point of most of the US attacks, despite playing at right back. He has continuously bombed down the right, providing balls into the area and causing the opposition plenty of problems, especially in the Portugal game. With the US playing Belgium in the next round, Johnson will have to do well against Jan Vertonghen.

CB - Gary Medel - Chile

Whilst he may not have set the world alight at Cardiff last season, he has certainly performed well for Chile, albeit in a slightly different position to the one that he played at Cardiff. Malky Mackay and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer deployed him as a defensive midfielder, whilst Jorge Sampaoli preferring him at centre back. He isn't the biggest in terms of stature, but his performance against Spain alone is enough to merit his inclusion in this squad.

CB - Mario Yepes - Colombia

Proving age is just a number, at 38 years of age, Mario Yepes has been hugely impressive for Colombia, with his performance against the Ivory Coast cited as one of the reasons why they've progressed into the next round. As Colombia's captain, he's also done a fantastic job of leading his side to the knockout rounds, especially considering they're without Falcao, arguably their best player. With this likely to be his last international outing, Yepes is keen to go out on a high.

LB - Daley Blind - Holland

Just look at his pass to Robin van Persie for the equaliser against Spain; it was pure brilliance, as was the finish. I had doubts about Holland's defense coming into the tournament, but they've arguably been the best part of their play, with Louis van Gaal organising them incredibly well; so well that 3 of his first choice back five have been linked with moves to Manchester United, Blind included. This spot was between him and Iran's Mehrdad Pooladi, but I've given it to Blind based on the fact that Holland qualified for the knockout stage.

RM - Arjen Robben - Holland

I know he's played further forward than right midfield this tournament, but I can't not include him after the 3 games that he has had. Two goals in the opener against Spain, a further goal vs Australia and an incredible assist against Chile means that he merits inclusion on the right hand side. He's worked hand in hand with van Persie in what is the deadliest partnership at these finals so far, and could well tear Mexico apart.

CM - James Rodriguez - Colombia

For me, he has been the player of the tournament. Maybe they didn't have the toughest of groups, but he has been the shining light, scoring in every match so far, with his goal against Japan being the pick of the bunch. He's also bagged himself 3 assists, and he's only 22. He's already commanded a £37.5m transfer fee, and Monaco must know that they've got a real player on their hands. The whole world now knows it too.

CM - Thomas Muller - Germany

He's listed as a midfielder in the German squad, so I'm going to include him as a midfielder too. A hat trick in the opening game against Portugal - seen by many as the hardest game of the group - and a well taken finish against the US today has only further enhanced his goalscoring reputation at World Cups - 9 goals in 9 games - and he's only 24 years of age, which is scary if nothing else. He's got a good chance of being top scorer again, with Germany playing Algeria in the next round, I wouldn't bet against it.

LM - Neymar - Brazil

It's his World Cup. He's the poster boy. He has to perform, and perform he is. Two goals in the curtain raiser against Croatia before two more against Cameroon in the final group game mean he is currently the joint top scorer, and with a second round game against Chile to come, could he add to his tally? Brazil have a dependence on him to perform well, in much the same way that Argentina do with Messi. Speaking of which...

ST - Lionel Messi - Argentina

He's hasn't had the greatest of World Cups in the past, but come 2014 in South America, Messi has set the world alight yet again, with stunning goals against Bosnia & Herzegovina and Iran digging Argentina out of holes they really shouldn't be in, as well as a double against Nigeria which included a sublime free kick. Can Messi single handedly win the tournament for Argentina though? I doubt it, but if he keeps playing this well, they may well go far, especially with Swtizerland next.

ST - Robin van Persie - Holland

I've mentioned him twice before in this post, and now for a third time. Many of us were wondering what kind of van Persie will show up at this tournament and we soon got the answer, with an incredible header. Two goals and a suspension later, and van Persie has a wonderful chance to increase his goal tally with a game against Mexico. Manchester United fans must be loving the way that van Persie is playing under van Gaal, but they still came 7th last year so yeah.

5 players you've probably not heard of who could star at the World Cup

It's a long winded title, but it covers everything. Everyone focuses on Ronaldo, Messi, Neymar etc. so I thought I'd look at 5 players who have gone under the radar but still have the capacity to star at the World Cup.

Josip Drmic - Switzerland
Josip Drmic has the ability to lead Switzerland into the next round at least, after demonstrating his goalscoring ability in the Bundesliga last season for Nurnberg, who ended up being relegated. Drmic managed to earn himself a move to Bayer Leverkusen though, and he will show why in Brazil. He's almost certain to start for Switzerland, and with games against France, Honduras and Ecuador, he could grab a few goals and make a name for himself.

Izet Hajrovic - Bosnia & Herzegovina
Izet Hajrovic is a winger who currently plays for Galatasaray and Bosnia & Herzegovina. Whilst the attention will be focused on Edin Dzeko, Miralem Pjanic and Vedad Ibisevic, Hajrovic could well prove to be one of the heroes for Bosnia at this summer's World Cup. Their opening game against Argentina is the toughest they will face, with Nigeria and Iran the other two teams they have to negotiate in Group F. Hajrovic scored the winner in a recent friendly against Mexico, and can supply the ammunition for Dzeko and Ibisevic as part of the only team making their World Cup debut this year.

Jefferson Montero - Ecuador
Jefferson Montero is part of the Ecuador team, playing on the left side of midfield. He provided the cross for their opener against England recently, and has pace and tricks in his locker. He can even play on the right side of midfield, but his club and his nation prefer him on the left, where he is able to cut inside. His shirt name on FIFA is 'Baby Jeff'. How awesome is that? He'll be out to make a name for himself in Brazil for his football though, something he is more than capable of.

Eder Alvarez Balanta - Colombia
Eder Alvarez Balanta is one of the new kids on the block. A Colombian defender, he plays for River Plate in Argentina and has only picked up a couple of caps for his country so far. He's likely to play alongside Mario Yepes, who is 17 years his senior. Despite Falcao missing from the tournament, they still have a formidable attacking line up, with the likes of Jackson Martinez, Carlos Bacca and Adrian Ramos all still being present, as well as having a fairly decent midfield with the likes of Fredy Guarin, Juan Cuadrado and James Rodriguez, but the one area that they are perhaps lacking is defence, which is where Balanta has to step up and be solid. If Colombia are to make it far in the tournament, Balanta will have to be one of their key men.

Karim Ansarifard - Iran
Finally, a man with a plan from Iran hoping to do what he can. Yes, it's everyone's favourite, Karim Ansarifard. He is a 24 year old striker who is on the books of Persepolis, one of the biggest clubs in Iran, but he spent last season on loan at Tractor Sazi who came 6th in the top division in Iran and won the Hazfi Cup, the Iranian equivalent of the FA Cup, and was named the player of the tournament. Ansarifard hit 14 goals in 28 league appearances, as well as 2 in the cup run and 1 in the Asian Champions League against Al-Ittihad. He's hoping to use the World Cup to earn a move to Europe, and after being given the number 10 shirt by Iran coach Carlos Quieroz, it looks like he'll be Iran's main striker at the tournament. Whether they can progress is a different matter altogether though.