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gadgetsrevv · 5 years

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Man City aren’t in crisis despite Norwich shock. PLUS: Bayern’s Bundesliga dominance is under threat

There’s lots to talk about in this week’s Monday Musings following a wild weekend. Gab Marcotti is here to recap the big stories around soccer.

Sky isn’t falling for Man City despite Norwich shock

One of the more odd decisions this past summer was Manchester City not replacing Vincent Kompany. “Replace” is perhaps too strong a word. You can’t “replace” him but you can bring in another live body to give you an alternative at centre-back and provide some competition for John Stones and Nicolas Otamendi.

– Ogden: Man City might regret inspiring Liverpool – Miller: Have Norwich shown the league how to beat City? – ESPN’s Ultimate XI: This team would win everything

Many of us pointed this out but hey, it’s Pep Guardiola, so you naturally offer the benefit of the doubt. He must know something we don’t. Maybe Fernandinho (at 34) can fill in too. Maybe Eric Garcia is ready. Maybe Kyle Walker can slide across. Maybe Aymeric Laporte is Iron Man and will never get injured. (Oops: we already know that’s not the case.)

Pep Guardiola’s side looked vulnerable in Saturday’s shock defeat at Norwich but there’s still a lot of time left for them to get their balance back.

It’s not that Otamendi and Stones are bad defenders, it’s that the way City play can leave them vulnerable, which is pretty much what happened against Norwich in their 3-2 defeat. There’s a price you pay for choosing to play a certain way and evidently, for City it’s one worth paying. The problem is this is a low-scoring sport. Scoring goals is difficult and ideally, you want to make conceding them as difficult as possible for the opposition. With those two back there and this setup, it’s that much easier for them.

Updated Luck Index: Man City continue to be unfortunate

No, the sky isn’t falling. Even in this game, Man City could have grabbed the three points with a bit more luck. Nor will they always face someone as motivated and as intense as Daniel Farke’s crew who, severely depleted by injuries, went all out with nothing to lose. But the reality is that the gap separating them from Liverpool is already at five points, and the last time that happened was back in January.

Is time running out on Bayern’s Bundesliga dynasty?

Is this the year someone in the Bundesliga topples Galactus (read: Bayern)?

Leipzig had their audition on Saturday, holding the champions to a 1-1 draw. The result keeps Julian Nagelsmann’s crew top of the league with Bayern fourth, two points back. But other than the usual drive and running you’d expect from Leipzig — and, after the break, the character that wasn’t always there last season — I’m not sure we quite saw enough to predict they’ll prevail over the marathon that is a whole season.

Thomas Muller, right, and Bayern were forced to settle for a point vs. RB Leipzig thanks to some familiar flaws that manager Niko Kovac has yet to fix.

In fact, a lot of it had to do with Bayern’s deficiencies. Having gone ahead early thanks to the age-old Thomas Mueller-Robert Lewandowski connection, they failed to capitalise on their lead despite having the upper hand for much of the first half. Joshua Kimmich in central midfield alongside Thiago Alcantara gave them a bit more control against the press, but they were sterile in the final third. Leipzig deserved their equalizer after a bad error from Lucas Hernandez (the sort that prompts you to say “He cost how much?”) and while late chances meant it could have gone either way, there wasn’t too much separating these two.

The difference? Well, you try to imagine how they can get better and you can see far bigger margins for growth at the Bayern end. Nagelsmann can conjure up some more tactical voodoo, Emil Forsberg might last 90 minutes, Kevin Kampl might be fit again and maybe they’ll get something out of Patrik Schick. But it’s slim pickings.

As for Bayern, Nico Kovac lost David Alaba to injury in the warm-up. But he still has Philippe Coutinho, who only came on with two minutes to go, and Ivan Perisic, who stayed rooted to the bench: presumably both were signed for a reason. The question, really, is how much faith you have in Kovac.

Fabulous Fati obscures Barca’s issues

Ansu Fati, already the third-youngest goal scorer in the history of La Liga, got his first start for Barcelona on Saturday against Valencia and set the Camp Nou alight inside 10 minutes. He scored with a confident, accurate finish, set up a goal for Frenkie de Jong and came close to scoring two more times. Oh yeah, in case you didn’t know, the kid doesn’t turn 17 until Halloween.

His emergence, and that of Carles Perez, means that Lionel Messi (who was in the stands) and Luis Suarez (who came on and scored twice) can come back into the team in their own time. But equally, despite the gaudy scoreline (5-2) and the excitement over Fati, there is still plenty for Ernesto Valverde to work on.

Valencia are a mess right now (thanks, Peter Lim!), having sacked Marcelino and replaced him with Albert Celades. And they still stayed in the game thanks to Kevin Gameiro, falling apart only after Jasper Cillessen‘s mistake for the third Barca goal. Suarez, looking sharp and hungry (no, not in that way), later added two to put the game out of reach.

Defensively, Barca looked far from solid, not just at the back but also in midfield; the fact that it was the first choice trio of De Jong, Arthur and Sergio Busquets doesn’t bode well.

Juventus get lucky vs. Fiorentina

There’s a ton of ancient bad blood between Fiorentina and Juventus. Throw in the enthusiasm that new owner Rocco Commisso has engendered within the Viola organization, the fact that it was Maurizio Sarri’s official post-pneumonia debut and especially the fact that the visitors lost Douglas Costa, Miralem Pjanic and Danilo through injury during the match (and the first two are especially key to the way they play) and perhaps Juve should be happy with a point.

Why? They were poor for much of the game against an opponent who treats the match as if it was the Champions League final and “Avengers: Endgame” rolled into one. Sarri later blamed the heat of a mid-afternoon kickoff, which is a bit hard to stomach since presumably Fiorentina felt just as hot. It might have been better to just take it on the chin, be grateful for the point and move on.

PSG fans will take time to welcome Neymar back

Neymar made his first appearance of the season for Paris Saint-Germain at the weekend and was greeted, predictably, with boos and insults. It’s what you expect when, after pledging your loyalty to the club, you go out of your way to force a move back to Barcelona. So what did he do? Easy, he scored a “worldie” deep in injury time to secure the three points against Strasbourg.

– Laurens: The definitive story of the Neymar saga

“I expected it, but in the end I forced them to applaud,” he said afterwards, adding that every game will now feel like an away match.

He made his bed, he can lie in it now and won’t get much sympathy. But at the very least, he deserves recognition for the professionalism he showed Saturday. Whether he’ll ever get love from the Ultras given what happened is unclear but that doesn’t mean they can’t reach some mutually beneficial relationship.

What’s obvious is that if you’re Thomas Tuchel, you’re glad he’s back.

Arsenal’s issues are self-inflicted

The statistics say Arsenal conceded 23 shots on goal in the second half against Watford on Sunday. That’s one every two minutes and it’s frankly hard to do. It’s especially tough when you go in at half-time with a two-goal lead, one which, based on what we saw in the first half, was likely more than generous. And yes, they ended up settling for a 2-2 draw.

You can focus on individuals — Matteo Guendouzi, Sokratis Papastathopoulos, David Luiz — all you like and there’s another statistic floating around that says that since the start of last season no team has made more errors leading directly to opposition goals than Arsenal. But this is a team issue.

If you have error-prone players, you design tactical systems that protect them and don’t expose them. That’s just basic. And that’s on Unai Emery.

Real nearly throw it away before PSG trip

It’s a sign of Real Madrid’s current state that even after playing well, creating plenty of chances and racing to a 3-0 lead at home to Levante, they still required a last-ditch save from Thibaut Courtois to retain their three points. In the cold light of day, you’d look at this performance, note Madrid’s domination, the fact that the goals conceded were against the run of play and chalk up the 3-2 scoreline to the randomness of football. And you might even celebrate Eden Hazard‘s debut and look forward to what is next.

Instead, it’s all fraught nerves ahead of the trip to the Parc des Princes to face Paris Saint-Germain in midweek. Context matters, possibly because we’re in mid-September and we have no real idea what Zinedine Zidane has in mind.

Neville a bit harsh on Man United?

Manchester United squeezed out a victory over Leicester City, but I was struck by Gary Neville’s comments suggesting Ole Gunnar Solskjaer should get at least three more transfer windows “to clean up the trash in the dressing room, because there is trash in there.”

I have a lot of time for Neville, but I was wondering to whom he’s referring given a summer of significant departures. Of the guys who are most frequently targeted as “trash” (or “weeds,” to use another of his terms), Eric Bailly, Phil Jones and Marcos Rojo haven’t played this year. Fred has been on the pitch for 24 minutes, Nemanja Matic has started one game. Who does he mean? Paul Pogba? Anthony Martial? Juan Mata?

I’m also not sure about the comparisons with Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool and how it took him time to produce. He reached a Europa League final after taking over in October and finished fourth the following year. Plus, he had a rather more credible résumé than Solskjaer did. By all means, give him time, but set credible targets and deadlines too.

Why Chelsea’s youth movement feels different

Chelsea’s 5-2 away win to Wolves brings their seasonal goals total to 11 and all of them scored by Academy graduates. Fikayo Tomori, Andreas Christensen, Tammy Abraham and Mason Mount all started at Molyneux and all look poised to play a big part in Chelsea’s season. With more homegrown players — Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Callum Hudson-Odoi, possibly Reece James too — set to return from injury, there could be as many as seven of them in Frank Lampard‘s XI at some point.

What sets this group apart, though, is the fact that apart from Christensen, who joined at 16, the others have all been affiliated with the club since before they were 10 years old. We often play fast and loose with the homegrown label since so many clubs (including Chelsea, of course) cherry-pick top talent from elsewhere at 16, stick them in the Academy for a year or two and then count them as “club-trained.” Technically, that’s true but with these guys, it’s different.

Dortmund look ready for Barcelona

“Bouncebackability” isn’t a real word, but it applies here. Borussia Dortmund had a whole international break to stew over the humiliating 3-1 defeat to newly promoted Union Berlin and with Kai Havertz and Bayer Leverkusen rolling into town, the potential for aftereffects was still high. Instead, we got one of the most dominating Dortmund performances in recent memory. At the attacking end, Marco Reus got his mojo back, Jadon Sancho popped up with his usual two assists and Paco Alcacer scored in his eighth consecutive game, including internationals.

Roll on, Barcelona, this Tuesday.

Odegaard continues to dazzle

Martin Odegaard made his international debut for Norway at 15 years of age and moved to Real Madrid six months later. Too much, too soon? It felt that way to many, given he failed to establish himself at youth level and later spent two years on loan. But players develop at different speeds, and having rocketed to the international stage, he was due a breather.

This year, he’s on loan at Real Sociedad, where he’s already scored twice and, on Saturday night against Atletico Madrid, was arguably man of the match. He doesn’t even turn 21 until December, but it feels as if this could be the year it all comes together for him. Watch this space.

Meanwhile, for Atletico, the 2-0 defeat reinforces what we already know: losing four or five starters in a summer is tricky to metabolize and there will be days like this when Diego Simeone’s tinkering leads nowhere.

Why Roberto Firmino is so unique

My former colleague Matthew Syed, writing in The Times, made the point that Roberto Firmino appears to have 360-degree vision, a bit like those owls, whose heads seem to swivel all the way around. It’s not hard to see why, given his performance in Liverpool’s 3-1 win over Newcastle.

Some see him as a prototype of a modern center-forward, the “false nine” who is more creator than finisher. That certainly fits with Firmino’s strengths though another, equally formidable strength is the intensity and intelligence of his pressing game. But I’m not sure he’s a prototype of anything.

Most of Europe’s top teams — from Barcelona to Manchester City, from Tottenham to Real Madrid, from Bayern to Juventus — still have a genuine centerforward rather than a “false nine” (to use another hipsterish term). In other words, Firmino is not a trend as much as he has a nearly unique, extremely rare skill set, which comes as a result of his past as an attacking midfielder.

Conte keeping expectations down at Inter

Antonio Conte is playing that age-old game straight out of Sun Tzu’s “The Art of War” — “when you are weak, appear strong and when you are strong, appear weak.” Following Inter’s third win on the bounce (one-nil against Udinese) he said, “We know the game. They build us up now to knock us down later. For us to win the title, other clubs would have to have disastrous seasons.”

– Schoenfeld: Romelu Lukaku talks about his Inter mission

It’s pretty transparent what he’s doing. And yes, Inter aren’t title favorites but he has the strike force he says he wanted (Romelu Lukaku, Lautaro Martinez, Alexis Sanchez), he has two of the best young midfielders in the league (Stefano Sensi and Nicolo Barella) and arguably the best center-back corps. There’s no reason to hide. Own the responsibility.

What needs to happen beyond #BlueGirl

The harrowing tale of Sahar Khodayari, the 29-year-old Iranian woman who set herself on fire (and later died from severe burns) after being sentenced to six months in prison for disguising herself as a man to attend a football match between her team, Esteghlal, and the UAE’s Al-Ain last March, shocked the world.

Like many such stories, it’s more complicated than it appears. There is no written law barring women from entering Iranian stadiums, so she was sentenced for not fully adhering to Islamic hijab laws and covering her head. But equally, since the Islamic revolution 40 years ago, women have been unofficially banned from watching men’s games with very few exceptions, like last November’s Asian Champions League final.

It shouldn’t take the tragic death of a vulnerable person for the world to take notice. The hashtag #BlueGirl is great to raise awareness but it can’t end there, particularly since there has been so much outrage and support for change, even in Iran.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino has pushed Iran on this matter before and the stock answer has been that the “infrastructure” was not yet in place to allow women in on a regular basis. (What infrastructure? Women’s toilets? Surely they have port-a-potties in Iran…) That argument is nonsense as evidenced by the fact that women have been allowed in before. FIFA’s statutes are very clear when it comes to equality and access. They have the power to withhold development money and suspend the Iranian FA.

It’s time to take action and, given the support such action would have within Iran — from much of the population and virtually the entire football world — it feels like a no-brainer.

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#Uncategorized #blog - marcotti Man City aren’t in crisis despite Norwich shock. PLUS: Bayern’s Bunde

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quack-and-yellow · 7 years

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Fanfic Masterlist

Arranged in alphabetical order by player’s first name

André Silva

Girlfriend imagine

Christian Pulisic

Girlfriend imagine

Dele Alli

Things you said when I was crying

Emre Mör

Girlfriend imagine

Erik Durm

Not-So-Random Acts of Kindness

Girlfriend imagine

Felix Passlack

Things you said when you were crying

Héctor Bellerín

Things you said when you were crying

Jasper Cillessen

Untitled

Julian Brandt

First of Many Part 1 Part 2 Part 3

Things you said under the stars and on the grass

Things you said when you thought I was asleep

Things you said with no space between us

Things you said when you were drunk

Girlfriend imagine

Dating Julian would include…

Dating Julian would include… (Part 2 featuring Jannis Brandt)

Julian as your boyfriend

Instagram post prompt (untitled because I’m the worst)

Now More Than Ever

Inevitable

Same Skies

Where the Heart Is

The Art of Persuasion

Julian Pollersbeck

Too Close for Comfort

Kai Havertz

Things you said at 1 am (Part 1)

Dumb Stuff (Part 2)

Girlfriend imagine

Kai as your boyfriend

Fool for You Part 1 Part 2

Lars Bender

Things you said when you thought I was asleep

Loris Karius

Make It Real

Marco Asensio

Girlfriend imagine

Marco as your boyfriend and dating him would include…

Marko Pjaca

Girlfriend imagine and Marko as your boyfriend

Nobody Compares to You

Max Meyer

Free Fall

All the World

Moritz Leitner

Things you said with no space between us

Neymar Jr.

Fever

Niklas Stark

A Change of Heart

Winner Takes All

Things you said when you were drunk (Part 1)

Things you said through your teeth (Part 2)

Things you said when you were crying

Girlfriend imagine

Dating Niklas would include…

Niklas as your boyfriend

Raúl Jiménez

Girlfriend imagine

This Is How You Let Go

Rob Holding

Things you said at 1 am

Things you said with no space between us

Things you said when you thought I was asleep

Roman Bürki

The Aftermath of a Rebound

Lost in Translation (nsfw)

Girlfriend imagine

Dating Roman would include…

Roman as your boyfriend

Toni Kroos

Half Measures

Girlfriend imagine

Virgil van Dijk

Loose Ends

#football imagines #football one shots #football drabbles #football fanfiction

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torentialtribute · 5 years

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Chelsea handed easy Champions League draw as they pull out Ajax, Valencia and Lille in their group

Chelsea simply handed a draw while pulling Ajax, Valencia and Lille out of their Champions League group and avoiding Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund

Chelsea has Ajax, Valencia and Lille in their draw Champions League group

The Blues could not sign new players in the summer transfer window

The Frank Lampard side has only one of their four games so far this season

By Jack Kinnersley For Mailonline

Published: 18:08 BST, August 29, 2019 | Updated: 18:24 BST, August 29, 2019

Frank Lampard has been handed over to a relatively simple [19459022ChampionsLeague group like Chelsea were attracted to Ajax, Valencia and Lille in Group H.

The Blues could not sign anyone new in the summer because they are currently under the transfer ban

The side of Lampard has won only one of their four games this season.

Frank Lampard got a relatively simple Champions League group for his Chelsea side

Chelsea & # 39; s Champions League Group Stage Judgment

Simply put, it could have been much worse. Given that Chelsea could draw such as Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid or Borussia Dortmund, Lampard will be quietly satisfied.

Miles Chelsea will have to travel: 1693

Group H opponents

Ajax [1945903]

It was difficult to feel sorry for Ajax when Tottenham's incredible comeback denied them a place in last season's final. Erik ten Hag's talented group of youngsters beat Real Madrid and Juventus on their way to the semi-final and Ajax has since lost two of the key figures in that famous run. Matthijs van Licht left for Juve, while Frenkie From Jong was sold to Barcelona, although they have reinvested in their team with the signings of Quincy Promes, Edson Alvarez and Razvan Marin.

Star man

Donny van de Beek

With Jong away, Beek carries the creative burden in the midfield of Ajax.

European family tree

Ajax has won the European Cup four times but has not conquered Europe since 1995.

Hazard rating

Ajax must reach the knockout phase but will struggle to repeat last season's efforts.

With De Jong gone, Donny van de Beek bears the creative burden in midfield of Ajax

VALENCIA

Valencia exchanged keepers this summer with Barcelona when Grandson moved to the Catalan giants for £ 23 million and Jasper Cillessen moves to the Mestailla for £ 32 million.

Star man

Kevin Gameiro

Usually productive in the Europa League and has his account already opened in the opening match of Valencia against Real Sociedad.

European family tree

The La Liga side finished second behind seasons between 1999 and 2001.

Hazard classification

Europe & # 39; s top parties hope they will not get Valencia out of pot three, but they have a favorable group to the last 16.

Lille

De Ligue 1 side Renato Sanches for £ 18m from Bayern Munich. Can he rediscover his Benfica form?

Star man

Thiago Maia

He is the defensive midfielder who holds everything together and where all the attacks of Lille begin

European family tree

The Ligue 1 side reached the last 16th in the 2006-07 season.

Hazard Valuation ]

They sold their best player in Nicolas Pepe to Arsenal, they are going to fight without him.

Thiago Maia is the defensive midfielder who holds everything together for Lille

Where will Chelsea end in group H?

Valencia and Ajax will not be pushovers and, given the indifferent start of Chelsea, they may still have difficulty.

However, if the Blues can build on their performance against Norwich, they will imagine qualifying from the group.

Prediction: 2nd

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fcbnews · 7 years

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Why Barcelona should be wary of Girona in first-of-its-kind Catalan derby

Barcelona travel to Girona on Saturday in what will be the first episode of a different Catalan derby in La Liga and, hopefully, the first of many to come in the future. The Blaugranas, having won a perfect 15 out of a possible 15 points in the domestic league so far, are clear favourites to walk away with another victory under their belts -- although the extra motivation boost that Girona are certain to get from their passionate home fans in this historical occasion is certainly not to be underestimated. Ernesto Valverde, who has lead Barcelona a remarkable start in his first season in charge, could very well continue with the controlled rotation policy he started implementing in the 6-1 thrashing of Eibar at the Camp Nou in midweek. With that in mind, El Txingurri has decided to leave both in-form Nelson Semedo and Gerard Deulofeu out of his squad. Here is the full match squad for the trip to Girona: Marc-André Ter Stegen and Jasper Cillessen; Gerard Piqué, Javier Mascherano, Jordi Alba, Lucas Digne, Aleix Vidal, and Samuel Umtiti; Ivan Rakitic, Sergio Busquets, Denis Suárez, Andrés Iniesta, Paulinho, Sergi Roberto, and André Gomes; Luis Suárez, Leo Messi and Paco Alcácer. Personally, I believe the starting lineup should be Ter Stegen; Vidal, Pique, Umtiti, Alba; Busquets, Paulinho, Sergi Roberto; Suarez, Messi and Denis Suarez. In the press conference prior to the game, Valverde was his usual cautious, respectful self again: “We have to be careful with the festive air that surrounds this derby. Girona will be looking to enjoy the game and at the same time give everything so we will have to be on our toes. It’s a game that they have marked in red on the fixture list, just like we have. They enjoying playing in the first division and they want to stay there. We are in a good situation and we hope to extend it as best we can.” "Messi? He’s an exceptional player and we have the great fortune to be able to watch him and enjoy the things he does because no one would imagine that a player could do all that." We discussed the trip to Girona, Messi's superb form of late, Benedito's vote of no confidence and the Catalan referendum in our latest The Barcelona Podcast. Honestly, it's our best episode yet. Promise! Hit Play and enjoy!

via Blogger http://www.barcablog.com/2017/09/why-barcelona-should-be-wary-of-girona-catalan-derby.html

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garciapimienta · 5 years

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I-

WHAT??

WHAT?!!?

@messitheking wouldn’t you be the happiest ever??😷

#i know this is like 100 % not happening #but could you imagine???#the biggest downgrade in the history of downgrades #ajshkajs #id rather die than have pau lopez on my team #pau lopez #fcb #barça #fc barcelona #jasper cillessen #mutuals #messitheking

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gadgetsrevv · 5 years

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European transfer review: Where did your club fail?

The transfer window for Europe’s major leagues is closed again for the rest of the year, but how did your team do? Did they leave any gaps?

Our correspondents assess how the top clubs failed to address their weaknesses this summer.

BARCELONA: Too few attackers, too many midfielders

Barcelona did a lot of good business this summer. Much of it was done early, too. Frenkie de Jong helps rejuvenate an aging midfield and Antoine Griezmann brings quality in attack. The arrival of goalkeeper Neto cancels out the departure of Jasper Cillessen and Junior Firpo provides competition at left-back for Jordi Alba.

They managed to shift a number of players, too, with Malcom bringing in a good sum of cash and Philippe Coutinho‘s loan to Bayern Munich shifting a big earner from the wage bill. However, those two left with the idea another attacker would join — namely Neymar. That didn’t happen and they’re left with just four (admittedly very good) forwards for three positions: Griezmann, Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Ousmane Dembele. The problem is, Messi and Suarez are both now 32 and Dembele is injury prone. Youngsters Carles Perez and Ansu Fati could have a bigger role to play than they expected.

The opposite is true in midfield, where seven players will compete for three places. It may be a long season for one of Ivan Rakitic, Carles Alena or Arturo Vidal.

At the back, they stick with what they’ve got having missed out on Matthijs de Ligt to Juventus. An injury to Gerard Pique — who’s also the wrong side of 30 now — would leave them at the mercy of Samuel Umtiti‘s knee. Umtiti is the only real backup to Pique and Clement Lenglet, with young Jean Clair Todibo still untested. — Sam Marsden.

REAL MADRID: A weaker midfield and no leader in attack

Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane did not add Paul Pogba from Manchester United as he wanted, nor were the club successful in acquiring Sporting Lisbon’s Bruno Fernandes or Tottenham’s Christian Eriksen.

Madrid, in fact, weakened a midfield line they meant to strengthen. Los Blancos sold Marco Llorente, Casemiro’s natural replacement, to Atletico while Dani Ceballos, the alternative to Toni Kroos and Luka Modric, was loaned to Arsenal. Much is expected from Federico Valverde but he has clocked just eight minutes in Madrid’s opening three league games. After being widely expected to leave, Gareth Bale and James Rodriguez stayed with Madrid not receiving suitable offers.

Madrid spent over €300m in the transfer market but only one of their six-summer signings, Eden Hazard, is expected to start. Newcomers Ferland Mendy, Luka Jovic and Eder Militao are set to be back-ups to Marcelo, Karim Benzema and Raphael Varane, respectively, while Rodrygo will play for Madrid’s reserves until he gains some experience.

The loss of Marco Asensio to an ACL injury, a lack of spark from Vinicius Jr. and the absence of an injured Hazard in the opening three games, has highlighted another weakness in Madrid’s team: there is no leader in attack. Hazard will provide quality but is far from reaching the goal-scoring numbers that Cristiano Ronaldo once did. Neymar could have filled that void. — Adriana Garcia.

ATLETICO MADRID: Nothing. But another striker would have been nice

Atletico got pretty much everything they needed in the summer window, including beating off the whole of Europe to sign wonderkid Joao Felix from Benfica for a club record €126m — arguably the biggest scoop in La Liga, and that includes Eden Hazard’s €100m transfer to Real Madrid!

Atletico had plenty of work to do after losing defensive trio Diego Godin, Juanfran and Filipe Luis as free agents, while Lucas Hernandez, Rodri and Antoine Griezmann departed as Bayern Munich, Manchester City and Barcelona, respectively, activated their release clauses.

But the Rojiblancos delivered by signing eight players for €245m — spending less than what they pocketed from sales. Atletico bought defenders Mario Hermoso, Kieran Trippier, Renan Lodi and Felipe, then added Hector Herrera and Marcos Llorente in midfield. They strengthened the attack with Ivan Saponjic and secured Alvaro Morata‘s permanent transfer from Chelsea in July 2020.

The only negative was that Atletico were unable to offload Argentine forward Angel Correa despite weeks of negotiations with AC Milan, and that scuppered a move for Rodrigo. Atletico and Valencia had reached a verbal agreement on a €60m deal but Correa had to leave first. Atletico also were interested in adding James Rodriguez from Real Madrid but again needed Correa to depart. James or Rodrigo would have been the cherry on top on what was a great window. — Adriana Garcia.

JUVENTUS: An aging front line and failure to sell well

The €75m signing of Matthijs de Ligt feels like an awful long time ago now but don’t lose sight of it. The Ajax centre-back had his pick of Europe’s elite and chose Juventus, while the acquisition of fellow centre-back Merih Demiral from Sassuolo for €18m should also go down as one of the bargains of the summer

Sporting director Fabio Paratici continued Juventus’ tradition of working the free transfer market with aplomb; Adrien Rabiot and Aaron Ramsey, in theory, skill-up a midfield that lacked angles and imagination last season. The team looks stronger and the squad deeper than ever. But therein lies a problem.

Selling proved very difficult for Juventus this summer. Gonzalo Higuain dug his heels in, as did Paulo Dybala and Mario Mandzukic. Moving on Sami Khedira and Daniele Rugani also hit obstacles. A fortnight ago, Juve vice-president Pavel Nedved insisted the club were under no pressure to sell but their actions up until deadline day suggested otherwise.

Juve’s attack in particular looks old after the sale of Moise Kean to Everton and hard choices await the Old Lady when it comes to deciding who’s in and who’s out of the 23-man Champions League squad. New manager Maurizio Sarri has never been big on rotation and the risk of disgruntlement among a number of high profile players is high. — James Horncastle.

INTER MILAN: Depth still not enough to challenge Juve

Inter Milan may have had strengthened in almost every area — including the manager — this summer, but that does not mean they are necessarily ready to challenge Juventus for the Serie A title.

Last season they were short in attack, after the exclusion of Mauro Icardi, leaving only Lautaro Martinez to play up front and the 22-year-old only managed six goals Serie A goals in 27 appearances. While Inter have brought in Romelu Lukaku from Manchester United for a club-record fee of €80 million, the Belgium international arrives simply as a replacement for Icardi, who left for Paris Saint-Germain on loan.

Lukaku’s ex-United teammate Alexis Sanchez has also joined on loan — and he can play in attack as well as on the wing, where Inter lost Ivan Perisic following the Croatia international’s loan move to Bayern Munich. Injuries could prove fatal to any title bid for the Nerazzurri. In central defence, they have superb options for Antonio Conte’s preferred back three in Stefan de Vrij, Milan Skriniar and Godin. However, injury to De Vrij meant Conte had to call upon ex-Hull City man Andrea Ranocchia. — Andrew Cesare Richardson.

PSG: Both full-back positions needed upgrading

Understandably, PSG’s summer business is being interpreted as risky by some less familiar with the French champions’ peculiarities — mainly the loan addition of attacker Icardi to a troubled dressing room in recent years.

For those well-versed with the Ligue 1 giants’ recent issues, however, arguing that this summer has not been a success is hard. PSG added quality in depth in certain areas and regenerated others, with central midfield getting a long overdue boost through Ander Herrera and Idrissa Gueye‘s arrivals, while restructuring with Keylor Navas, Sergio Rico and Marcin Bulka ends years of farcical goalkeeper uncertainty.

Abdou Diallo brings depth and versatility in defence, while Pablo Sarabia and Icardi give coach Thomas Tuchel options in attack – particularly after Kylian Mbappe and Edinson Cavani‘s recent injuries and the ongoing Neymar saga.

One minor complaint is that both full-back positions have not received greater attention this summer, despite sporting director Leonardo’s efforts to restock, as well as an exodus of homegrown talent.

Overall, though, PSG finish the summer with a very strong squad on paper, particularly after keeping hold of Neymar, and authority over an unruly dressing room finally appears to have been restored through Leonardo’s return at the expense of the inept Antero Henrique. — Jonathan Johnson.

BAYERN MUNICH: A lack of options up front

Bayern spent most of the summer chasing a big money move for Leroy Sane. But once the Manchester City winger sustained a long-term knee injury, the club turned to brilliant loan deals for Philippe Coutinho and Ivan Perisic, two experienced internationals to fill the gaps left by Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery.

There was a changing of the guard at the back as the arrival of France’s 2018 World Cup winners Lucas Hernandez and Benjamin Pavard replaced Mats Hummels, who returned to Dortmund, and Jerome Boateng, who has dropped down the pecking order. While Michael Cuisance came in to take the place of the ineffectual Renato Sanches, sold to Lille, in midfield.

Bayern have added some depth in the middle of the park, however they are still too reliant on Robert Lewandowski. The 31-year-old is Bayern’s most important player and is indispensable up top. He already has six goals in three league games and, with only 19-year-old Fiete Arp joining as his backup from Hamburg, he is still without any competition. They’ll probably have enough to claim another Bundesliga title but any long-term injury for the Pole could serve as a major blow to Bayern’s hopes of winning the Champions League.

BORUSSIA DORTMUND: Also lack of options up front

Dortmund stormed out of the blocks and took an early lead in the transfer market to sign Germany internationals Nico Schulz and Julian Brandt, as well as Belgium international Thorgan Hazard, right after the end of the season.

They also re-signed Mats Hummels from Bayern Munich but, with focus shifting to offloading high-earning fringe players such as Andre Schurrle, Maximilian Philipp, Shinji Kagawa and Omer Toprak, Dortmund roughly invested some €130m (which included Paco Alcacer‘s permanent transfer from Barcelona) and just about broke even if you add Christian Pulisic‘s €64m move to Chelsea in January.

Yet despite adding quality and reducing squad numbers, Dortmund still have a few things to work on. In Alcacer and Mario Gotze, BVB have two attackers who aren’t a No. 9. Coach Lucien Favre has said he does not need a target man in the box but the lack of alternatives up front could become a major problem.

At right-back, Lukasz Piszczek remains Dortmund’s first-choice. But with age slowly taking its toll, the 34-year-old club legend could become a liability. Real Madrid loanee Achraf Hakimi has yet to show he is mature enough to both defend and attack, while 19-year-old Mateu Morey, who joined on a free from Barcelona, is the future but his start to life at the club has been delayed by a shoulder injury. — Stephan Uerseld.

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#Football News European transfer review: Where did your club fail?

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gadgetsrevv · 5 years

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European transfer review: Where did your club fail to buy?

The transfer window for Europe’s major leagues is closed again for the rest of the year, but how did your team do? Did they leave any gaps?

Our correspondents assess how the top clubs failed to address their weaknesses this summer.

BARCELONA: Too few attackers, too many midfielders

The opposite is true in midfield, where seven players will compete for three places. It may be a long season for one of Ivan Rakitic, Carles Alena or Arturo Vidal.

REAL MADRID: A weaker midfield and no leader in attack

ATLETICO MADRID: Nothing. But another striker would have been nice

JUVENTUS: An aging front line and failure to sell well

INTER MILAN: Depth still not enough to challenge Juve

Inter Milan may have had strengthened in almost every area — including the manager — this summer, but that does not mean they are necessarily ready to challenge Juventus for the Serie A title.

PSG: Both full-back positions needed upgrading

BAYERN MUNICH: A lack of options up front

BORUSSIA DORTMUND: Also lack of options up front

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#Articles #European transfer review: Where did your club fail to buy? European transfer review: Where

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fortheloveoffutbol · 8 years

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Masterlist (J-M).

Jack Wilshere

Rainy Days

American Girl

James Rodriguez

Dangerous Assumptions

Bachelorette Party

Secret Unlocked

Dreaming With A Broken Heart

Shake It Off

Living Up To The Family Name

Stop & Stare

Tell Me A Lie

Figure 8

Jasper Cillessen

On Your Doorstep

Seeing Red

Javi Martínez

Gone

Jesús Navas

In the Family

For Your Amusement

Jonathan dos Santos

This Summer’s Gonna Hurt Like A Motherf*cker

“I Like Art” Type Girls

Under Your Curse

Jordan Henderson

Last Friday Night

Run Every Time

Jordi Alba

New Years in Paris

Close Call

Julian Draxler

Don't Let Me Down

Bookworm

Bedroom Wall

Oh, Julian

Little Too Perfect, Little Too Worth It

Lucky Ones

Bad Blood

Drought in the Bahamas

Drafting You As Mine

Not Gonna Write You A Love Song

B is for Baby, Bye

A Relationship Undefined

Karim Benzema

"Head" Ache

Welcome to the World

Got A Love Jones

The Scarlet Letter

Kevin Trapp

Chasing Cars

You Make Me Feel Better

The Christmas Reveal

Come Home

Clean

Kieran Gibbs

Cozy Day

Lovers In The Parking Lot

Yes, No, Maybe

The Morning After

Meet the Parents

Don’t Hold The Wall

Lars Bender

Resentment

Brotherly Love

Midnight Memories

Me vs. The Kid Next Door

Accepted

Leon Goretkza

Sleepover

Lionel Messi

A Tribute to You

Irrational Thinking

Bad Religion

Dynasty

Don’t Forget Your Ring

Loris Karius

The Three Rugrats

Lucas Piazón

Reunited

Slowest Wins the Race

GHOST!

Lucas Silva

Trust the Process

Get A Little Closer

Am I Wrong?

Show You Around

Lukas Podolski

Off Duty

The Fault in Our Stars

Łukasz Piszczek

Brothers

Brothers, Part 2

Manuel Neuer

Oh, That Grace

Cuddled Up

Put You To Work

Devotion

Impatiently Waiting

Marc-André ter Stegen

None of Your Friend's Business

Marc Bartra

Honeymoon Ave.

Earned It

Happy Birthday, Marc

When I Get My Hands On You

BF vs. BFF, Part 1

BF vs. BFF, Part 2

BF vs. BFF, Part 3

Best I Ever Had

‘Coffee’ by Miguel

Dressed In Black

Marcelo

Mornings with Marcelo & Co.

Marco Asensio

Poltergeist

Marco Reus

Pink or Blue: A Gift to Remember

Drunken Mistakes

Personal Driver

Daddy's Little Girl

Locker Room Confessions

Mine

Give In To Me

Wished You Were Mine

The Closer I Get To You

On the Water

Bad Result

Distractions

Intruding

Welcome to Graduation

Get On Your Knees

Get On Your Knees, Part 2

Me and My Broken Heart

Can't Be Friends

Can't Be Friends, Part 2

Lost In Paradise

Under the Weather

Lost In The World

One

Family Matters

Mr. & Mrs. Reus + 3

National Anthem

A Case of Mistaken Identity

Parenting 101

Headaches & Grilled Cheese

Dirty Diana

No Rest For The Wicked

Stand Out

Never Let Me Go, Part 1

King of Anything

Yankee Girl

What I Did For Love

Are You Afraid Of The Dark?

Never Let Me Go, Part 2

The Lone Wolf

Daydreamers

New Position

Stranger In My House

Not Going Home

Can’t Feel My Face

Stranger In My House, Part 2

All The Same

Forgotten

Hold Up

Thoughts In The Early Morning

...Ready For It?

Marco Verratti

At The Roland Garros

Mario Götze

Interrupted Sleeping

Sugar, We’re Goin’ Down

Mathieu Debuchy

Shorter Showers

Mats Hummels

Even Though I Said I Didn't Need You, I Lied

Don't You Remember

Teach Me

A Stupid Mistake

Lullaby

Too Late for Apologies

Strawberry Swing

The Other Woman

Surprise Guest

Breakeven

How I Met Your Mother

Too Hot

Family Matters

Reckless

Don’t Listen To What People Say

Marley & Me

Say Goodbye

Use Me

Tremors

On The Green

Worth It

Brothers

Brothers, Part 2

Matteo Darmian

Yours To Keep

And When You Sleep

Matthias Ginter

Your Voice Becomes My Home

Max Meyer

Fire & Rain

Memphis Depay

Built From The Ground Up

Mesut Özil

Happily Ever After

Blind Date

Welcome Back

Interior

Interior, Part 2

Interior, Part 3

Pity Party

New York

Masterlist (A-I)

Masterlist (N-Z)

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fortheloveoffutbol · 9 years

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Today’s Posts.

New Position - Marco Reus

Seeing Red - Jasper Cillessen

Hidden History - Gareth Bale

Nanny Intervention - Edinson Cavani

Like a Kid On Christmas - Eden Hazard

Mommy Knows Best - Sergi Roberto

On The Green - Mats Hummels

Outside - Isco Alarcón

Imagination - Nuri Şahin

* I was going to post a Thiago OS but I’ve decided to rewrite it so I’m keeping it at 9 requests for the day plus I’m super tired. Enjoy and like pleaseeee and let me know your feedback and favorites and yeahhh. I know some of the guys aren’t the most popular footballers in terms of request but I encourage people to step out of their box and read about someone new! :)

#marco reus imagine #jasper cillessen imagine #gareth bale imagine #edinson cavani imagine #eden hazard imagine #sergi roberto imagine #mats hummels imagine #isco alarcon imagine #nuri sahin imagine

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fortheloveoffutbol · 10 years

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On Your Doorstep.

I’ve always been a risky person and one who often acts before even thinking of what the hell it is I'm doing. It’s just who I am so it kind of explains what I was doing here in Amsterdam with luggage piece after luggage piece. I had literally packed up everything I owned and traveled the miles to get here.Jasper had no clue I was here and that was what I was most nervous about.

It was unclear what made me think it was a good idea to pick up my life and move here without even giving my boyfriend the slightest clue I had made a plan to do that. My friends had called me crazy for thinking it was a good idea to just pack up and go without Jasper’s approval first but I knew him, or at least hoped I knew him as well as I thought, and I didn’t expect him to just shun me away.

Maybe it would be a pleasant surprise, right?

We had always talked about living together and I often fantasized about it. I thought of what it would be like to come home every night, or at least when he was in town, to him waiting on me and vice versa. It was every girl’s dream to fall in love and spend every waking moment with that person.

I had accomplished a part of my dream already but I needed more. I hated being in a long distance relationship with Jasper. The visits were so rare and I found myself missing him in a painful way.

So why not make the jump and move? I had been using statements like that to make my decision sound reasonable though I knew deep down it wasn’t. There was that chance he wouldn’t be too happy about my random choice and then what was I supposed to do? I had no family or friends here besides him. I had packed up everything to be here with him.

I grew far more nervous when I got to his home. I knew he was home due to our text conversation so it wasn’t as if I could put the conversation off much longer. I kept my belongings in the car, knowing it would be overwhelming if I popped up with a ‘Hi’ and all the clothes I owned dragging behind me.

My steps were deliberately slow to keep me from reaching his door but once I was there, I still couldn’t bring myself to knock. My heart was beating a mile of minute as I tried to take deep breaths. Why was I so stupid to think this was a good idea?

I was startled when the door began to open and there stood Jasper, a shocked expression displayed on his face. “Wh-what are you doing here?” he stuttered.

I began to talk quickly, my words running together as they often did when I was nervous. “I had this crazy idea that I should…” I bit my lip and paused, afraid to carry on as we still stood outside. “Can I come in? I think this is a conversation for us to have inside.”

He now looked nervous as well, like he was afraid of what I was going to say. “Yeah sure.” He turned back around and led me inside, shutting the door behind us. “I hope my reaction didn’t throw you off too much. I’m just really surprised to see you here. You didn’t even tell me you were coming.” He grabbed me before I could take a seat, pulling me into his chest and kissing my lips sweetly.

“I’m happy to see you too.” I looked up into his sparkling eyes, my hands resting on his chest. I wanted to just continue as we were without me having to mention while I was really here. Maybe I should just play it off as if I’m just coming to visit…

No, that wouldn’t be right. Besides, I had already left my life at home behind. There was no way I could return to it now without jumping over quite a few backward hurdles.

“There’s a reason I came here though and it wasn’t just to see you. Can you sit for a minute?” His eyebrows furrowed in confusion and he reluctantly let go of me and headed off to the sofa.

Jasper had a way of thinking the worst of things so I could only imagine what was running through his head right now. “You aren’t going to tell me you’re breaking up with me, right?” he belted out. I chuckled, realizing his mind was already going off the deep end. “No, Jasper.”

“So what is it, Y/N? You’re scaring me,” he admitted.

I took a deep breath and finally joined him. “You know I make some crazy decisions sometimes right?” I cocked my head to the side and looked at him.

“You’re scaring me,” he continued.

It seemed I couldn’t make him wait for much longer. He was already growing anxious. “Allmyluggageisinthecar,” I ran my words together, barely breathing or pausing between syllables.

His eyes squinted in confusion. “What did you just say?” I was unsure if he had truly not heard me or if he was getting me to repeat the statement so he could hear it one more time to let it sink in.

I sighed and took my hands tightly into my lap for comfort. “I got tired of seeing Ana and her boyfriend so happy together every single day and I was stuck just missing you. They’d go out for dinner all the time and all I could do was Skype you and hope we’d see each other within the next month. I know it sounds stupid to let jealousy drive my decision so let me clarify, it wasn’t just that. I need you, Jasper. You’re everything to me and it doesn’t feel right for me to be living so far away from the person I love.” I bit my lip, anticipating what he would say next.

“What are you saying, Y/N? Spit it out.”

I didn’t even notice I had begun crying until I felt a tear land on my arm. “Would you think I was crazy if I said I packed up all my stuff to move here and live with you?” I raised my eyes to meet his but he didn’t offer a response.

For a moment, it was dead silent until he uttered a chuckle. I wasn’t sure if the laugh was a way of answering yes to my question or because he didn’t believe what was coming out of my mouth. It could well be a mix of both.

“I would be surprised,” he finally spoke. “Why? That’s a weird question to ask.” It seemed he had yet to catch on and it was now up to me to spell it out. “And why are you crying?” He took his thumb and carefully wiped away the visible tears falling from my eyes.

“I packed up all of my bags and now…I’m here.” I could imagine the wheels turning in his head as it all began to click together.

“You’re moving here?” he questioned. I nodded reluctantly waiting for him to say something else.

“What made you do that?” His response wasn’t the most comforting. A smile didn’t pop up on his face either to let me know he felt excited by my decision. Now I officially felt stupid.

“I guess I wasn’t thinking,” I admitted.

“So where were you planning on living? Here?” The tone in his voice all but told me ‘You couldn’t have thought you’d be living here with me’.

This definitely wasn’t turning out how I thought it would. “I don’t know what I was planning on doing,” I lied. I knew all along what my plan had been and it was to live here with him but I didn’t want to make myself look any more stupid than I already had.

“Why do you sound so down all of a sudden?” Jasper frowned and took my face between his hands. He looked concerned as he waited for me to respond and that only caused my eyes to water again.

“I thought you’d be more excited. I had this quirky idea that you’d be sooo happy to see me here and want me to live with you and…” I gulped, dropping my head in embarrassment. “I don’t know.”

He quickly picked my chin up into his hand to meet my eyes and gave me a gentle smile. “Y/N, I love you and I’m always excited to see you. Don’t ever think differently. I’m just a little taken off guard you made that type of jump for me. It was the last thing I expected you to say but don’t get me wrong, I love the idea of living with you. You’re my soulmate. Why wouldn’t I be happy to be sharing my space with you and seeing you every morning?”

I bit my lip and spoke reluctantly. “So you’re not mad I didn’t ask first?”

He chuckled in disbelief. “Not at all. It’s the best surprise you could have given me.” I immediately smiled and leaned forward, compressing our lips and pecking him twice after. “Now where are your bags?” he questioned. “We gotta get you settled in.” Jasper got up from the couch and held out his hand to help me up.

“They’re in the car,” I motioned out of the door.

“So every morning when I wake up, you’ll have my breakfast made, yeah?” he questioned with a dainty smirk.

“All of your favorites, roomie.”

#jasper cillessen #jasper cillessen imagine #jasper cillessen imagines #footballer imagine #footballer imagines #imagine request #imagine #ajax #netherlands nt

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quack-and-yellow · 10 years

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Jasper Cillessen One Shot

Please consider this also as my heartfelt thanks for following me even if I can’t follow back because this is a secondary blog. Special thanks to a dear friend, let-ourworlds-recollide, for the Amsterdam-to-Groesbeek travel info. :) I didn’t use a name so feel free to use yours wherever appropriate and read from your POV. :)

—

Groesbeek.

My heart skipped a beat upon seeing the road sign. I leaned against the bus window and followed the sign until it disappeared from my view.

“I’m finally here,” I whispered, my heart bursting with relief. The last two hours or so that I’ve been travelling alone made me anxious—on the train to Nijmegen and now on Bus number 5 to Groesbeek. These are unfamiliar places to me and I gave myself an imaginary pat on the back for reaching my destination in one piece.

I got out of the bus and inhaled the fresh cool air and greenery of the small town. It was a stark contrast from busy Amsterdam where my friends and I were on vacation.

“What are you going to do in Groesbeek?”

“Come on, we should be having fun. What’s with the sudden soul searching?”

I recalled the conversation I had with my friends that morning when I told them I have always wanted to see the Dutch countryside (lame but not exactly a lie). I planned this Amsterdam trip with them almost a year ago, but it was only last month, while watching the Spain vs Netherlands match of the World Cup, that I first laid my eyes on the most adorable young man I have ever seen.

Jasper Cillessen. Dutch goalkeeper. I’ve been a fan ever since. Well, I have always been a football fan but have never crushed like this before on any player. So I started planning and saving extra for this side trip, but I didn’t dare tell my friends because they will never understand, being the non-football fans that they are (but I still love them). They finally let me go, but with the promise that I’d be back in the evening for some drinks with them.

I found myself smiling as I passed by children in football attire who must be on their way to practice. It did not take me long to ask around and find De Treffers, one of the town’s amateur clubs where Jasper used to play. The gates were open but no one was around. I let myself in and walked along the buildings. I giggled as I imagined a young, spirited Jasper Cillessen running around the place. However, I was starting to get anxious because I haven’t seen a single person ever since letting myself in.

“This is weird. Maybe they’re closed for the day?” I wondered out loud. “I should have checked the schedule first or asked someone about it.”

Afraid that I might get scolded, and at the same time disappointed that I came at a bad time, I started walking back to the entrance. I was almost there when I saw someone parking his bike on the racks by the gate.

“Oh good. Someone’s finally here,” I said, starting to walk towards him. But I suddenly froze and felt my heart drop as he came nearer.

I couldn’t believe my luck running into Jasper Cillessen here. I didn’t know it was his day off. Or his free time. Or if I’d even see him during this trip. Goodness, I didn’t even pray for it! I just went to see his hometown, hoping to have some sort of connection with him. I never expected to actually meet him. Or to be inches away from him, because he just passed by and I was gaping foolishly. I noticed him smile though.

Ohmygod that smile. It was even more beautiful in person, I thought, suppressing a squeal. Even his clothes look good on him, and in my lifetime I’ve seen countless men wearing the same plain white shirt, black cargo pants, and red Adidas jacket and sneakers.

But am I going to just let him walk away?

I turned around to see Jasper almost gone and started running after him. It’s now or never!

“Jasper!” I shouted, maybe louder than I intended, and I suddenly felt a bit embarrassed for doing so. But I was glad to see that he stopped.

I was almost out of breath when I reached him, not because of the distance, but because my heart was racing so fast.

Jasper looked as if he was waiting for me to talk. But damnit I got lost in his blue eyes, his long lashes, his pursed lips and his dimples. I took in all that beauty at the same time and the result was an awkward silence.

“I uhh… I…” I stammered. “I… I’m really sorry.”

Sorry? Sorry for what? Get a grip of yourself!

“I uhh… I mean, I’m sorry for stopping you,” I managed to say.

Jasper smiled and shrugged. “It’s fine. I’m not in a hurry.”

He’s not mad! And he’s not a snob! And his deep voice is so sexy, I shouldn’t be even thinking about this right now!

“Oh. I see.” And I let out a nervous laugh, not knowing what to say next.

“Are you visiting someone here?” Jasper asked.

“Uhm no. I was actually just walking around. It’s my first time here in Groesbeek.”

There. I’ve finally calmed down a bit and said something with sense.

“That’s great! Do you want to see the whole place? I can show you around.”

“Y—you’d really do that?” I said, my eyes widening.

Jasper nodded. “What’s your name?”

I told him my name and he pronounced it carefully, looking at me to check if he said it correctly.

“That’s right,” I said with a laugh, but inside I wanted to faint from hearing him say my name.

Jasper beamed his widest smile yet, it made my knees weak.

He’s perfect, I sighed, staring dreamily at him as he walked ahead of me.

***

Jasper took me to the pitch after going through the building halls and telling me a bit of the club’s history. He was a good conversationalist, and I instantly warmed up to him. I knew from the way he spoke that he has always enjoyed coming here and reminiscing about his beginnings as a football player.

The pitch was empty save for two sprinklers that were on.

“There’s going to be a game here later,” he explained. “But I think we can use it for a while.”

He walked over to a nearby bin and took out a ball. “You want to play?”

I looked at the wet grass. Having wet, squishy feet inside my shoes is one of the things I actually hate. That, and getting caught in the rain in brand new clothes. But I didn’t want to be rude to Jasper, and I most certainly wouldn’t pass up the opportunity to have fun with him. He taught me how to kick and dribble and how to make a good save. He kept explaining a lot more, and he sounded so passionate that I felt the urge to kiss him for loving the same sport I do. Pretty soon we were laughing really hard as he let me try penalty kicks (but I suck) and he saved it every time.

“You were awesome out there,” Jasper said as he approached me, ball in hand. The two of us started walking off the pitch.

“You knew I wasn’t!” I said and hit his arm playfully. He laughed.

“Maybe you’re better as a keeper. But I don’t want to get your clothes dirty. You look really pretty.”

I blushed and looked at him, noticing blades of grass on his cheeks. I leaned over and wiped it off with trembling fingers. It caught him by surprise and he smiled shyly as he wiped his face on his jacket sleeve.

We left De Treffers and walked along the street market, where he made me try some street food and delicacies. A lot of people greeted him, some even approached to have their photos taken with him. I noticed how well-loved he is and I felt proud of him. He showed me some memorable spots afterwards. He talked about his childhood, his family, his career in football, and his life in Amsterdam. I told him about my place, my family, my work and studies, and how I came to know him. All these while walking along the pavement and sometimes stopping by the benches to rest.

“I like this. Having real conversations. Meeting new people. I don’t get to do these anymore, so I want to thank you for spending the day with me,” he said, looking at his hands and fidgeting with his bracelets. He seemed shy and I wanted to hug him for being so adorable.

“I should be the one thanking you, Jasper. You took your time to show me around even though you should be resting or spending time with your family,” I said.

Jasper shook his head and smiled. “I couldn’t think of a better way to spend this day. So what brought you here to Groesbeek?”

It was my turn to look sheepish. But more than that, all I could do was stare at him, as if memorizing the lines and curves of his face.

He chuckled and got up from the bench. “Come on, I’d like to take you to one last place.”

***

“A bar?” I asked, as we stopped in front of a small brick building with a huge sign on top of the glass door. “But I thought you don’t drink.”

“I have friends who hang out here. I’d like you to meet them,” he said.

I followed him inside to a dimly lit but cozy-looking room filled with faint smells of cigarette smoke and alcohol. There was a man playing a guitar in front of the crowd.

“Hey, Jasper!” someone yelled. A group of guys started calling him one after the other. They started gathering around him, slapping his back and ruffling his hair. They looked ecstatic to see him. Jasper was grinning and shaking hands with them.

The guitarist on stage stopped playing and spoke on the microphone. “What a surprise! Our hero Jasper Cillessen is here!”

Jasper smiled shyly as he acknowledged him with a wave.

“And you brought a girl?”

This caused more heads to turn towards our direction and I could feel warmth starting to creep up my cheeks.

“Come right here, miss!”

“M-me?” I mouthed, pointing at myself.

“Yes, you!”

I turned to Jasper with a desperate look, but he just grinned and nodded.

I walked towards the stage and sat on the stool beside the guitarist. I heard claps and whistles from the crowd.

“What’s your name? You look new here. Are you his girlfriend?”

“I—no! No! I mean, I’m just a fan. He was nice enough to show me around,” I answered, blushing furiously.

“I see! Lucky fan! You’re the first girl he brought here! Why don’t you sing for us?”

I looked at Jasper’s direction and saw him being teased by his friends. He winked at me and my insides melted instantly.

I remember Jasper mentioning his favorite song to me that afternoon during one of our conversations. I whispered the title to the guitarist and he nodded. As he started playing the intro of the song, I leaned towards the microphone and said, “Jasper, this is for you. Thanks for today.”

The claps and whistles grew louder and his friends were becoming rowdy. But Jasper was looking at me as if I was the only person in the room, and by the time I finished singing, there was a dreamlike gaze in his eyes holding me preciously.

***

I stepped out of the bar a little past seven, with Jasper holding the door for me. The din and laughter immediately died down as the door closed, and we were welcomed to a rather chilly night. He offered to take me to the bus stop. We walked in silence, and I wondered why. Jasper was quite lively that afternoon.

“They were really nice,” I said at last, referring to the crowd at the bar. “Thank you for taking me there. I had fun.”

Jasper smiled without looking at me, but I felt him reach for my hand as we continued walking. The touch of his cold skin against mine caught me by surprise. I looked at both of our hands clasped together and felt a tingling sensation creep up my arm.

Silence still. The bus stop came to view and my heart sank.

This is already perfect. This cannot end just yet.

I suddenly found myself struggling with crazy ideas such as faking a stomachache, pretending to my friends that I got lost, or even using all my money to book in a hotel so I could stay longer with him.

“What are you thinking about?” Jasper asked, noticing my knitted eyebrows.

I looked at him and he was smiling. That was the third time I was at a loss for words because of his smile and damnit I knew I looked dumb just staring at him.

Jasper let go of my hand as we reached the bus stop. I sat down on the steel bench while he stepped out to look at the approaching vehicles.

“Looks like it’s going to rain,” he said, looking at the sky.

“I hope it doesn’t,” I said absently, still occupied with thoughts of not leaving.

“Come out here,” he gestured, smiling.

As I approached him, he wrapped his arms around me and rocked me side to side. We seemed to be slow dancing by the side of the road, with the only light coming from the nearby street lamp.

I buried my face in his chest, inhaling hints of citrus and pine in his scent. I felt him kiss the top of my head.

“Will I see you again in Amsterdam?” I asked. The longing in my voice was obvious and I really didn't care if he noticed it.

I suddenly felt the first few drops of rain on my flushed cheeks. The drizzle turned into a downpour and by then, with my hair plastered to my eyes, I can barely see Jasper’s face. But I knew he was smiling. Again.

Jasper tucked my hair behind my ears and leaned over to kiss me. He was chuckling as his lips brushed against mine, and I was giggling. I tasted the rain in his soft lips, inhaled the mint in his warm breath. My brand new coat and dress were soaked, my feet were becoming squishy in my boots, but for the first time in my life—damnit—I didn’t care.

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