Author: Javier Martinez

Javier Martinez is a seasoned veteran of football coverage and an expert on Spanish football. He has been covering world football for more than seven years with bylines at outlets such as The 18 and The Real Champs.
6 players who could leave Real Madrid after this season
2Apr By Javier MartinezNo Comments
Features, LaLiga

6 players who could leave Real Madrid after this season

While the competitions are still ongoing, it’s reached that point of the season where rumors about potential player transfers begin to escalate. Particularly at Real Madrid where transfer drama almost always takes up a good portion of the storylines. A lot has been made about transfers, but very little has been talked about players who could be leaving the club after this season. It’s still unclear who could be those players, but some news outlets have reported that there could be more than one “surprising” and even “painful” departure. With all the speculation, which players could be leaving Real Madrid after this season? Luka Modric Describing Modric’s future departure as “painful” would be an understatement. He’s not only been one of the best and most successful players of his genera...
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Why is the Spanish national team burning another Real Madrid standout?
20Mar By Javier MartinezNo Comments
Features, LaLiga

Why is the Spanish national team burning another Real Madrid standout?

After much speculation, it’s been confirmed that Real Madrid midfielder Brahim Diaz has decided to play for Morocco after receiving little interest from the Spanish Federation to play for the national team. A lot has been made about his absence and the fact that neither the national team manager nor anyone from the federation had ever spoken to him about the possibility of playing for the national team. While Luis de la Fuente is perfectly within his right to pick whoever he wants, his behavior with Brahim has been different to other players. He publicly stated that he only selects the players and doesn’t speak to them about whether they will be picked or not. Yet it’s also been reported by media outlets close to the federation that he spoke to several players to either inform them of th...
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3 managers who can fix what ails Bayern Munich
8Mar By Javier MartinezNo Comments
Bundesliga, Features

3 managers who can fix what ails Bayern Munich

Calling Bayern Munich current situation a “crisis” would be an understatement. In fact, it almost feels as if you can’t go one day without hearing about some sort of issue within the team. After last season’s issues, which saw Bayern Munich change managers and miraculously win the Bundesliga on the last match day of the season, it was thought that the Bavarians had learned from their mistakes. Karl-Heinz Rummenigge returned to the club after Oliver Kahn and Hasan Salihamidžić were sacked. They had a Champions League-winning manager with Bundesliga experience in Thomas Tuchel, who would have a full preseason to prepare the team. Bayern Munich strengthened their squad by signing defender Kim Min-jae and striker Harry Kane for a club record £100 million. However, despite all t...
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3 overlooked managers Liverpool should consider to replace Jürgen Klopp
14Feb By Javier MartinezNo Comments
Features, Premier League

3 overlooked managers Liverpool should consider to replace Jürgen Klopp

It’s still surreal for many of us (not to mention Liverpool fans) to think that this will be Jürgen Klopp's last season with Liverpool. Klopp‘s announcement sent shockwaves around the footballing world and is something no one saw coming. His achievements during his tenure as Liverpool manager are extraordinary as he’s won every domestic title possible, including the club’s first English League title (now known as the Premier League) since 1990. Under his guidance, Liverpool also won the Champions League, enjoyed some epic performances (such as beating Manchester United 0-5 and 7-0), and could have won more Premier League titles if not for a well-structured and financially backed Manchester City team. Without question, he will be regarded as one of Liverpool’s greatest managers, but now...
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Opinion: Super League or not, football needs to evolve
11Jan By Javier MartinezNo Comments
Features

Opinion: Super League or not, football needs to evolve

While it’s still unclear whether the European Super League will happen or not, the possibility of the competition happening received a big boost after the European Union’s top court ruled that UEFA and FIFA acted unlawfully when they attempted to block the Super League project. A landmark moment as teams can now have more control over their destiny without the fear of being sanctioned by the game’s governing leaders. We’ve all seen the teams that have come out in support of the decision, those who claim that they don’t want to be part of the Super League, and others who have taken the opportunity to launch their populist campaign. Whatever happens with the European Super League project, I wanted to give my personal opinion on the current situation. Changes need to be made Under th...
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Lessons Real Madrid need to learn from the 2022/23 season
5Jun By Javier MartinezNo Comments
Features, LaLiga

Lessons Real Madrid need to learn from the 2022/23 season

Rating Real Madrid's 2022/23 season a failure would be extremely harsh taking into consideration that the team reached the semifinals of the Champions League, won the Copa del Rey title with comebacks against Villarreal and Atlético de Madrid, and demolished Barcelona at the Camp Nou by a 0-4 scoreline. However, the season can't also be considered a success not because they didn't win the Champions League or La Liga, but because of the manner they lost both competitions.In the Champions League semifinal, they were thrashed 4-0 (5-1 on aggregate) by Manchester City where they were completely outplayed and could have lost by much more if not for Courtois coming up with big saves. Meanwhile, not only did they lose La Liga to Barcelona, but it almost seemed as if they gave up on it midseason a...
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How José Luis Mendilibar turned Sevilla into Europa League champions
2Jun By Javier MartinezNo Comments
Features

How José Luis Mendilibar turned Sevilla into Europa League champions

Sevilla's transformation under José Luis Mendilibar has been remarkable and is something that not even the biggest Sevilla supporter could have seen coming. Before José Luis Mendilibar came to Sevilla, the team were near the relegation zone and in serious jeopardy of being dropped. The Nervionenses began the campaign with Julen Lopetegui, who had previously qualified Sevilla for the last three Champions League editions. Despite his prior doings, a poor start and rumblings from both the supporters and members of the club's board would see him be sacked and replaced by Jorge Sampaoli; who had previously managed Sevilla in the 2016/2017 season. It was originally thought that the side could only improve under Sampaoli's guidance since the team had more than enough quality to be aspiring ...
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3 overlooked managers Tottenham should consider
2May By Javier MartinezNo Comments
Features

3 overlooked managers Tottenham should consider

It's safe to say that Tottenham‘s season under Antonio Conte didn't go anywhere near as many had originally expected. After guiding Tottenham back to the Champions League and being backed by the board, there was a sense that this would be the season that Spurs would finally break that long-awaited trophy drought. Not only this, many thought that they could be outside challengers to win the Premier League title. However, those Premier League chances quickly evaporated and so did their hopes of winning a trophy. Domestically, Nottingham Forest eliminated them from the EFL Cup and then Sheffield United would do the same in the FA Cup. Meanwhile, they were eliminated in the Round of 16 of the Champions League by AC Milan who had not reached the knockout stages of the competition since the 2...
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Why Tottenham can’t win major trophies and what needs to change
23Apr By Javier MartinezNo Comments
Features, Premier League

Why Tottenham can’t win major trophies and what needs to change

Tottenham's image as a club has drastically changed in the past decade, which has seen the club enjoy a meteoric rise. Although they qualified for the Champions League in 2010 and had future world-class players on their team (Luka Modrić, Gareth Bale, Dimitar Berbatov, etc), the perception around Tottenham was much different than what it currently is. Back then, Spurs were only known as a UEFA/Europa League team and not even taken into consideration for Champions League positions. Players viewed the club as a stepping stone to signing for bigger teams as Tottenham had been known for developing elite players and then making a profit off them. However, Tottenham's fortunes began to change in the 2014/2015 season when the team was in a transitional period and searched for a manager that...
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Did Bayern München weakening the Bundesliga only hurt themselves?
5Apr By Javier MartinezNo Comments
Bundesliga, Features

Did Bayern München weakening the Bundesliga only hurt themselves?

Bayern München have always been known for poaching not only the best Bundesliga players, but signing them from their nearest league competitor. Throughout the years, particularly since the turn of the century, every time a Bundesliga challenger appeared (Bayer Leverkusen, Borussia Dortmund, and most recently RB Leipzig), their best players would always finish up at Bayern. Bayer Leverkusen: They challenged Bayern for the Bundesliga title in 2002 and reached the Pokal Cup and Champions League finals. Despite failing to win any of those competitions and giving rise to the club’s unfortunate nickname            ‘Neverkusen’, Bayern wasted no time in picking apart their team. The following season, Bayern signed Ballack and Zé Roberto, and then Lúcio a few seasons later. Since then Lever...
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