Chelsea's chance to stand still

Chelsea are facing the Devils from Manchester, Manchester United on October 26th, a day after the prestigious Spanish "El Clasico" between Champions League holders, Real Madrid and their rivals FC Barcelona. A highly anticipated week, packed with long awaited action... but, does it deserve all this hype? The answer is maybe; because, we don't know whether Barcelona and United will deliver something in their respective games, or not. Let's just stick to English football for now... Manchester United finished 7th last season, one of their most disappointing seasons so far. Can it be forgotten? Yes, it can. If we look back at their last season, it wasn't that bad to be honest, given that the majority of their players was too old to partake in a compelling physical-oriented competition. Also, the whole transition thing, from the Sir Alex Ferguson-era to a whole new phase, certainly affected the squad's morale. The man coached the team for 27 years straight... it was like losing a father for Manchester United. Then, after the old man's retirement, David Moyes took charge, a good decision from the United board (logically, it was), and a straightforward one, really. Due to the fact that the Scottish former footballer has developed an immense experience during his managerial spell at Everton, spanning 11 years, if you were the team's chairman, you would have hired him quickly as well, given his competence and history in Goodison Park, helping his team exceed all expectations by reaching the top spots for many seasons. But, did it go well?...

No, it didn't go well at all for the poor Scottish man, explains how he was eventually sacked less than 10 months after taking charge. Sure, David Moyes led his new team to Community Shield glory, unfortunately, it wasn't sufficient. By January, his team were already knocked out of two English cup competitions: losing to Sunderland on penalties in the League Cup semi-finals, as well as an early exit in the FA Cup by losing to Swansea City. They performed slightly better in the Champions League, maybe luck, maybe not, or maybe United like European winning traditions... A 4-2 aggregate loss against Bayern Munich in the quarter-finals was their best achievement of the season. To end a horrible sequence of results, Moyes was sacked and Paul Giggs was appointed instead, as a player-manager back then. When Louis van Gaal came, there were high hopes, considering how the Dutch led a young national team to the 3rd spot in the World Cup, overcoming Brazil. In pre-season, the Red Devils claimed the 2014 International Champions Cup... it's not that prestigious, but it's something to be proud of, at least.

Transfer-wise, it was Angel Di Maria's arrival that topped the charts. Angel was a crucial member of the Real Madrid side that won the 2014 Champions League... if we consider the fee that was paid, it's almost a bargain. Others such as Ander Herrera from Bilbao, Argentinian international Rojo from Lisbon, Shaw, and Blind are also quite something. Especially Luke Shaw, who has a strong chance to impress. As of today, Manchester United lie in the 5th position of the Premier League; not that fancy, but not disappointing either. It could have gone worse, but it's not too late, there is plenty of time left to produce more. Chelsea are, for sure, going to invest sufficient energy to take their opponents down, however, it shouldn't be taken for granted. You never know what's going to happen, you never predict an outcome. This is United's first true challenge, and Chelsea's chance to stand still.

A World Cup of controversy

The most popular sports event on Earth, the FIFA World Cup, has been subject to numerous controversies in recent times. Some believe that this tournament, organized once each four years, despite being a sports event, also has political endeavors. From the mysterious opening game of the 2010 version, to the shambolic refereeing of World Cup 2014, the 2022 version has been under the spotlight for quite some time now. For most people on the globe, it was a shock to see Qatar get the green light to organize the World Cup, doubting the integrity of the bidding process, as well as the nation's eligiblity to host this prestigious 32-country worldwide event. This case has triggered noticeable criticism from the media and sports experts, given that Qatar's football history is insufficient, compared to the rest of the candidates. Other reasons include the climate, and the expectedly high ticket cost, additional to the country's human rights background. It's also fair to mention allegations of bribery between Qatar's representatives and the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (known as FIFA) members. 
The climate, highlighted as the biggest issue that would occur during the tournament, is considered to be unsuitable for a sports event of this nature. The main reason being that it would affect drastically and negatively the players' performances during the matches, because it will definitely cause them to reach a low energy level quickly, not allowing them to continue in a smooth manner. In order to assess this problem accordingly, Mr. Hassan Al-Thawadi, the nation's bid chief executive, denied that the heat would interfere with the course of the World Cup, stating that his country has taken several measures to ensure that both the players and the spectators are not bothered with the climate, notably equipping the stadiums with modern technology to convert solar energy to electricity, in order to provide a cool environment. As for the FIFA, this latter proposed to shift the 2022 World Cup towards the winter season, receiving more criticism from sporting bodies such as the FA, England's football governing body. Critics argued that it could clash with the Winter Olympics, scheduled the same year, while others claimed it would interrupt the Christmas season, due to the fact that most footballers to participate in the World Cup follow Christianism. The Premier League expressed their concern as they believe that it could also obstruct major football leagues such as La Liga and the Bundesliga, additional to minor complaints from the Australian football federation.
With Qatar's relatively unknown status in football, this drew a lot of criticism especially with the fact that the country's national team has never qualified for the World Cup before winning the bid. The biggest honour that they managed to receive being the Gulf Cup of Nations accolade, twice, in which Qatar was the host. Football, not belonging to Qatar's national culture as a sport, has also drawn more controversy regarding the suitability of the host. Alcohol consumption during the tournament was also a raised concern, considering the religion of the country. Al-Thawadi also stated that it would be allowed to acquire alcohol in certain zones only, with public consumption disallowed.