Watford sting Leicester's tail as Premier League dreams disappear in dramatic finish

Really and truthfully, dramatic doesn't do the end of this game justice, but there's plenty more that happened before hand..

Watford returned to a sunny Vicarage Road following a 1-0 defeat to Leicester at the King Power Stadium, thanks to David Nugent's 82nd minute header. From being complete outsiders to make the play-offs, Leicester were in pole position to go to Wembley, a remarkable turn around from Nigel Person's men who by virtue of an Anthony Knockaert last minute winner against rivals Forest, seemed destined for the wonderful Wembley arch after victory at the KP.

It was an even first 20 minutes, with Leicester pressing hard on Watford's defence, forcing corner after corner without really troubling Manuel Almunia. However, with Troy Deeney back in the side after he served his suspension for the red card in the crazy game against Leeds was full of hunger and causing havoc with every touch. It was Deeney who set strike partner Matej Vydra through on goal, but the Czech who hadn't scored since February smashed it wide. It was long after until Vydra got another chance, and boy did he take it with aplomb. A chipped through ball from Deeney resulted in Vydra smashing an unstoppable Van Basten-esque volley past the rooted Schmeichel, who could only look on as the ball flew into the net and the game was level 1-1 on aggregate.

Vydra's superb strike.

Vicarage Road was rocking, with main man Vydra netting for the 21st time and looking full of confidence, they looked all set to end the Leicester hopes of a play-off final date. It was to be short lived however, as some poor marking from Lloyd Doyley and some excellent movement from the rejuvenated Nugent, resulted in the latter climbing above the preceding and guiding Knockaert's corner home past Almunia and the game was back in Leicester's favour, 1-2(agg) in their favour, capping off a pulsating first period.

As the second half kicked off it was another even affair, with both teams having chances, Watford playing their free flowing football and Leicester always a threat from set-pieces. With Abdi having a shot deflected inches wide and Battocchio hit the post after some fabulous footwork, Watford got the goal they needed and deserved. The front pairing of Deeney and Vydra combined with a nifty one-two, with the latter side footing past Schmeichel from 16 yards.

Leicester fought back well though and forced Almunia into a few saves, but then came the real drama. Knockaert went on a mazy run, going past Briggs and then being 'fouled' by Cassetti, more of a dive than anything else. Despite Watford's furious appeals they fell on deaf ears, as Michael Oliver awarded a penalty in the 97th minute. What was about to follow, was reminiscent of Brentford against Doncaster, but for me, much more dramatic. In a mere 10 seconds the tied was turned on it's head. Knockaert picked himself up and hit the penalty, SAVED by Almunia's feet, then the Spaniard reacted well and SAVED his follow up. Vicarage Road was a bedlam of excitement, the place was going berserk! If that wasn't dramatic enough, the ball was cleared, Anya burst down the right, slid in Forestieri, who crossed to Hogg.. who headed back for... "DEEEENNNEEYY!" One word. Unbelievable! His 20th goal of the season, and no-one can say he hasn't deserved it.

Deeney fires home to give Watford the lead.

What a moment of magic from Watford, their counter-attacking style in full devastating effect tore apart a dispondant Leicester, who moments early must have been dreaming of Premier League paradise. A full pitch invasion ensued, flares were lit and Zola slipped, Deeney mobbed and all the while, young Knockaert was in tears. The drama that is the play-offs, 10 seconds changed emotions from sheer joy to heartbreak, but we love it. In the 101st minute the whistle sounded and after the pitch had been cleared the first time, it was full of mad Watford fans, with chants of "We are going up!" ringing round the sun-bathed Vicarage Road, players hoisted on fans shoulders and carried to the dressing room. All the while Knockaert was inconsolable, sobbing uncontrollably and doing his best to apologise to the travelling Leicester support.

Contrasting emotions..

We all thought after Brentford-Doncaster we'd never see the likes of this again, but this ladies and gentlemen, this is football. After the game Deeney praised both sides, "It takes 2 teams to make a spectacle like this, they played well and their fans were fantastic." But was quick to shift the glory onto his team," We were magnificent, I was pumped for the game, especially after the stick I'd gotten from the guys afterwards (referring to his punditry role in the first leg), but we wouldn't be here for this big man." As Almunia musters a rye smile and Deeney ruffles his hair.

Götze gone: What next for Dortmund?

Dortmund's wonderful fans put on a show before the second leg against Malaga.

23rd April, it was revealed over Twitter, (of course) that Mario Götze would be leaving Borussia Dortmund to join Pep Guardiola's Bayern Munich for thirty-two million pounds. A move that would send shockwaves round German and world football, that same night, Bayern would dismantle Barcelona four goals to nil. Prompting questions of just how good this Bayern team can get with Guardiola at the helm and Götze in the side.

Where do Dortmund go from here?

The news couldn't have came at a slightly worse time for Dortmund, just twenty-four hours before their own semi-final clash against Real Madrid at the Signal Iduna Park, despite the ever loveable Jurgen Klopp's best efforts to deflect the attention off of Götze  it was inevitable he would be bombarded by the press. With Klopp saying, "We have all dreamed of this situation and will not let anything distract us from it. In fact, maybe such a blow will make us even stronger." Admirable, but without doubt this will hurt Dortmund and their fanbase, with Götze having put pen to paper, extending his contract until 2016. While Dortmund have quality through-out, added pressure will be placed upon Reus, Kuba and Lewandowski, should he choose to stay.

Klopp has said he's known Götze was leaving, ever since the return leg versus Malaga. This has angered fans, losing arguably one of the best talents in world football to their biggest rivals in terms of national trophies is a huge blow, and with hitman Robert Lewandowski and defender Felipe Santana also looking set to leave this Summer could be massive in terms of Dortmund's near future. The problem is, who will replace the stalwarts of the team that has ruled the roost over German football in the two years previous? To get players of this quality in terms of value of what they could leave for, will certainly prove difficult, especially with Financial Fairplay rules coming in next year and still having debt to pay off, Dortmund's decision will be difficult.

Who will replace Gotze?

Eriksen has played against Dortmund twice this year, in the Champions League.

Speculation has massively ramped up that Dortmund will chase twenty million Danish starlet Christian Eriksen of Ajax, who along with Götze, are the two brightest prospects in terms of European football in my humble opinion. The playmaker will not come cheap however, but should Dortmund get him it will be a massive coup and Götze's departure may be soon forgotten by the Dortmund fans. The Danish wonderkid is a vital part of Ajax's current side, having scored nine times and set up a further fourteen, BVB will be getting a like for like replacement and possibly one who will perform to even higher levels than that of his predecessor. Another name mentioned was Julian Draxler of Dortmund's Ruhr rivals Schalke 04, with a part exchange for Santana mentioned as part of the deal, but as of now that seems unlikely with Eriksen the firm favourite to replace the departing Götze.

Why aren't Dortmund given the credit they deserve? What about tonight's game?

Honestly, it's beyond me, they've been written off before the competition started and now they're being written off again. They haven't been beaten yet in the Champions League and are the only unbeaten team remaining, with a 100% record at home scoring ten and conceding three. With resilience in abundance  there is no reason why the Schwarz-gelben can't get a result tonight. I also can't understand why Dortmund aren't seen as a European powerhouse, with such a young, capable squad and bottle in abundance. 

The following games and months will be a huge test for Jurgen Klopp.

With the best fans in Europe behind them, crazy and wonderfully colourful, it isn't the fans that are the problem. People see Dortmund's weakness financially, still in debt after almost going bust a few years ago, the club are still recovering and haven't been able to splash the cash that Bayern have been able to, but have signed sensibly. They've recruited the services of Nevin Subotic and Sven Bender for several more season, while signing Reus for seventeen million euros has proved to be a stroke of genius for the club. The lack of spending may put off players from joining, feeling that there isn't enough desire to progress, but as long as Jurgen Klopp is at the helm Dortmund will continue to impress and move forwards.

Now with rumours circling that Lewandowski too has moved from West to South and joined Bayern, with Edin Dzeko wanting a move back to the Bundesliga, his name is firmly in the frame, as Scheiber is unlikely to become first choice, it's in the balance who'll replace the Pole. The day has gotten a lot tougher for Dortmund and this game against Madrid will be a true test of their character.

My Twitter: @JWalsh97

Thibaut Courtois: Best keeper of his generation?

Thibaut Courtois is remarkably talented for such a young man. At 20-years old he is already showing signs of maturity and has been a fundamental part of Atleti's success this season. (for starters he went 820 minutes without conceding a goal at the Vicente Calderon) He has a wry confidence which although understated gives his full backs every confidence in their number 1. He already possesses many strengths; consistency, shot stopping, decisions and reflexes. It remains undecided whether he will stay in Spain on loan at Atleti. The likelihood is that he will as Petr Cech is still performing at a high level. The future is bright for the young shot stopper and after watching the progress of David De Gea at Man United there is no reason why he can't have the same success in England or a top European side.

This is the rapturous report I received from the magical Matt Smith, not the Oldham striker, but he's far better. Chelsea's twenty years old, six foot six, Belgium's wonderkid keeper has an awful lot to live up to. The young keeper has took La Liga and Spain by storm, so much so, that he has a crazy called 'Thibauting' named after him. The craze similar to "planking" shows fans making a diving save in the least likely footballing areas, what is there to not like about him?

So, what is so special about Thibaut Courtois?

Well, at just twenty the young Belgian has already lifted the Europa League against Atletico Bilbao and the European Super Cup against, errr.. Chelsea.. To boot his wonderful performances have helped Atleti to compete with their city rivals in the league and come up against them in the King's Cup final. Dominant in his box to the extreme, Courtois is a defenders dream, coming and claiming at every available opportunity without fail. Commanding and controlling, Courtois's defence is rarely found out of place, mainly due to his excellent organisational skills. Also, Courtois has became one of the finest shot stoppers in the world this year, as a friend of mine said on Twitter, "Every time Atleti play all I hear is "What a save from Courtois!"" Pulling off some of the most spectacular one handed, double and even triple saves you are likely to see, the triple save against Betis is one of the best you'll see. Also, when it comes to spreading himself, he does it like the great Peter Schmeichel himself. Without Courtois Atleti would not be anywhere close to where they are, sure Falcao gets all the plaudits, but Courtois has quietly and calmly, stressing out strikers as he keeps clean sheet after clean sheet.

Time for the stats to back it all up.

100% claim rate, yes, one hundred percent claim rate. All you can really say is wow. The fact that Courtois is six foot six helps, of course, but to not have dropped all ball from a corner or cross speaks volumes. Firstly of his talent, raw talent that with time will turn him into a machine, then, his commanding nature, a vital characteristic of a good goal keeper. While he only averages two saves per game, some will say that isn't much, but Peter Schmeichel once said that,"A great goalkeeper does not always have to make saves, controlling his defence to have no shots at him is probably more important." Thibaut does this in abundance, it speaks volumes that he made seven saves against Bilbao, when they lost 3-0. Conceding just 23 goals this season, Courtois is Atleti's top performer this season, (statistically from Squawka) to top their impressive defence, and the likes of Koke and Falcao is quite the feat, especially when little or no praise is showered on him, and more so on the attacking side of Atleti. As Matt says, his consistency and concentration are second to none. I honestly don't think I can say much more than what Matt or myself have said.

Do the right thing and follow @ElasticoChop, it's Matt and his wonderfully named Twitter.

Team of the Year Predictions: Bundesliga.

GK: Manuel NEUER
The obvious choice really, conceding just 13 goals all season in the 28 games he's played. Many will say he's had nothing to do all year and he's just had the best view of Bayern's attack, if that was ever in doubt his tremendous performance against Eintracht Frankfurt in Bayern's title winning game typified Neuer's alertness and qualities as a goalkeeper. Commanding and reassuring to his defence, as well as being one of the finest 1v1 stoppers in the world, Bayern's goalkeeping position will be his for the foreseeable future.

RB: Daniel CARVAJAL
A product of the Real Madrid youth academy, Carvajal has impressed hugely since he moved to Leverkusen. Equally adapt at attacking as he is at defending, the young Spaniard has excelled this year and has been a big part of their success this season. As I looked at WhoScored, at the time of writing, he's made 100 tackles and interceptions... (speechlessness). How is it possible to be so adept at the defensive side, yet give so much in attack? All I know is, he's a pleasure to watch, especially with Schurlle and KeiBling in front of him to feed!

CB: Mats HUMMELS
The rock at the heart of the Dortmund defence, that does not look the same without the 24 year-old at the heart of their defence. A remarkable penalty taker (which German isn't?) and a big threat in the opposition box, he is widely admired around the world by the finest teams there are, with Barcelona among one of his many suitors. Also an incredible ball playing defender, Hummels is integral part of anything Dortmund do. Of course he is also one of the best defenders in the world, combining pace, strength and tackling ability to be one of the sights strikers hate to see on a Saturday.

CB: DANTE
Signing of the season would be an insult to how well the big Brazilian has acquited himself since his move from Mochengladbach. He has carried his previous season's form over, and has continued to be a rock at the back, the crowning glory, his first call-up to the national side to play England. As comfortable on the ball as anyone on the pitch Dante marshals his back four with ease, looking like he could put out his deck chair, and enjoy the customary Bavarian Beer festival, occasionally rises to dispossess any attacker daring to challenge him.

LB: David ALABA
One of the most attacking left-backs you'll see. The young, exuberant Alaba never stops running all game, and with a deadly finish, the Alaba and Ribery pairing is enough to make any right-back 'pull a hamstring' in the warm-up. One to get stuck in, the Austrian is a fantastic defender, strong and good in the air for a man of his height and is great in a tackle, without fully committing himself he is speedy to recover should he ever be beaten. Having to defend against some of the finest right-sided players like Reus, Ronaldo and co. He has faired admirably and a player a lot of people would love at their club.

RM: Marco REUS
'Rolls Reus'. There is no better description for the Dortmund attacker. Lethal from anywhere on the pitch, inside or outside the box, free-kicks, tap-ins, Reus has it all. His finishing is wonderful, but his dribbling is something else all together, the pace to trouble any player in the world and combine that with his flair and fantastic ball control, you have one of the most complete packages in the world. Reus has the ability to create the sublime from absolutely nothing, as we all seen with that amazing flick against Malaga. Let's all reminisce about it..ahhh..

CM: Toni KROOS
I often find myself saying Kroos's name over and to the tune of 'Baby give it up", sad this may seem but if there's one player who I've been hugely, massively, enormously impressed by, it's him. Despite his recent injury Bayern have continued to tick, but Kroos added that little something extra to the side, his passing, shooting and movement always gave the opposition something to think about. His finish against Arsenal, with the Lampard-esque run showcased everything good about him, starting and clinically finishing off a fantastic move. Wonderful player.

CM: Mario GöTZE
Götze has created more chances for his team mates (15) than any other Bundesliga player. One of the most creative players in the world, Götze is renown for his capability to create something from nothing. He could however add more goals to his game, as I'm sure he'd admit with the missed chances v Augsburg and Malaga, but that will come with time. (I say that and he's scored 10 goals..) Forming the 'Götzeus' partnership, if Dortmund can hang on to these two, they'll be set for the next few years, with the pairing being two of the most exciting players in world football.

LM: Franck RIBERY
For me, the best left-sided player in the world this year, Ribery has destroyed whatever has been put in front of him. Quick as lightning, agile as a gymnast and a shot to make any keeper run for cover. Ribery has been pivotal to Bayern's success this year, with 10 goals and 11 assists and 9 man of the match awards,  yes 9! Ribery is also one of the few skilful players in the world that uses his skills at the right times and knows when to pass, making 'Alabery'(?!) a force to reckon with. You know, that Alabery might catch on..

ST: Stefan KEIßLING
Second top scorer this year and only beaten by poaching master Robert Lewandowski, Stefan Keißling has been hugely impressive this year, notching up his 100th career league goal in the process. Early goals change games and true to form, Keißling has got that goal 8 times, making such a difference to his teams mentality knowing that the big man upfront will always get you a goal. Extremely versatile, being happy with the ball at his feet or in the air, it's a travesty that he hasn't got the chance he's deserved with Joachim Loew's Germany side.

ST: Robert LEWANDOWSKI

Goalscorer extraordinaire  Robert Lewandowski. He scores goals, it's that simple. 22 goals so far for Dortmund in the league this year has ensured that those United rumours won't go away, with just a year left on his contract. He may not have flattered with some of the missed chances in the Champions League, but he will get you goals, that's for sure. The composure and finish against Malaga was truly fantastic, he is so calm on the pitch, a spaceship would land and he wouldn't care, but if it was in HIS penalty box, well then that's different.

Honourable Mentions

I couldn't fit all the players I wanted into this squad so, what better to include so of the 'best of the rest', who could all have valid arguments for being in this team. These are the 4 players that I thought could have been in the side, but deserve some recognition for their efforts this year.

GK: Kevin TRAPP

A keeper who hasn't had much acclaim this season, but had it not been for Trapp, Eintracht Frankfurt would not be currently 6th in the Bundesliga. Not a flamboyant keeper by any stretch, he does what he needs to and does that well. Despite an injury unfortunately cutting his season short, Trapp has imposed himself well, with the 22 year-old continuing the trend of wonderful German keepers, by impressing in every game this year. Commanding and with the ability to pull off stunning saves, Frankfurt may do well to hold on to such a hot prospect in the coming years.

RB: Philipp LAHM

Mr consistency, Lahm has been doing everything to his best since he started playing for Bayern all those years ago. Lahm has 10 assists to his name this year, his partnership with however plays in front of him has always seems to be telepathic, they know when to overlap, cross, shoot and everything else in between. Lahm also possesses wonderful defending attributes, surprisingly strong and as strong in the tackle, Lahm was and still is one of the world's best right-backs and defenders.

CM: DIEGO

The Brazilian set-piece master has been magnificent this year for Wolfsburg, scoring and setting up freely, he's been a real threat for the team and their main bright spark this season, who without him, would be languishing far further down the table. Always there to receive and play a pass, Diego is integral to his team's success, being the metronome of the attack, give him the ball and he'll make the play. People could argue he's been more influential than Toni Kroos, but Kroos has been simply superb for Bayern and has probably doubled his value this year.

Mr. Versitile: Thomas MüLLER

I think Thomas Müller could play anywhere on the pitch and he would be suited to it. Able to play anywhere in midfield and a dab hand up front, Müller is brilliant, a manager's dream. He has finishing, passing, dribbling, heading, defending, work rates, you know I could go on and on and bore you to death, but I shan't, because if you've stuck with me until now I'm astonished! However, I would love Müller in my team, he never stops and never gives up, and God loves a trier.

Youth Report: Luke Shaw

New Saints boss Mauricio Pochettino has been impressed with the youngster and believes he can make the grade “Yes, bit by bit he could get there (being an England international), I think he has a great future and at 17 I have to say he is very mature.”

High praise indeed for such a young man.

Luke Shaw, at just 17, is already tipped by most to be on the plane to Brazil with England this Summer, as back-up to Ashley Cole and Leighton Baines, such is the stature and level of performances of the young left-back. The teenager has made a huge impact on anyone who has had the pleasure of watching him this year, you’ll have noticed that  the talented youngster has all the ability in the world, and all the ability to take himself to a whole other level. Had he started against Sweden in the Under 21′s friendly game, he would have been the second youngest player to ever appear for them, behind only Theo Walcott. Another feather in Shaw’s cap is that he has pushed out Danny Fox, who was an integral part of the Saints promotion defence, to the bench and made the position his own with a string of fine performances this year including a man of the match performance against Reading which helped the south coast club to a vital win over their relegation rivals.

The main aspects of Luke Shaw’s game are his fantastic strength, making him more than apt to cope with anyone he comes up against and this paired with his speed, make him a real force to be reckoned with and extremely hard to get the better off during a battle down the line, this shown by the fact that only 7 times has Shaw been beaten by his opposite number all season and on average winning the ball back 4 times per game.  The term ‘chalk on your boots’ is often a phrase you’ll hear should you stroll down to your local park on a Saturday and Shaw certainly took heed, bombing down that left side at will and really benefiting the Saints left wing threat. Shaw also is incredibly strong in the air, able to win headers against the tallest and attackers with the best jumping in the league, all these amazing attributes have made Luke Shaw a major target for Chelsea, who are looking for a long term replacement for Ashley Cole, and the obvious comparisons and likenesses between the two are obvious for all to see.

Apart from the tricks of the trade that Luke Shaw will pick up as he matures further, I can not see much else wrong with the promising left-backs game and believe he could go on to surpass the likes of Ashley Cole. Patrice Evra and other top class left-backs from around the world to become the best there is. So long as he keeps his head down and continues with the attitude he has and seems to be really down to earth by the looks of his Twitter account, which is always an important quality of a young footballer.

Classy Crusaders edge past defiant Glentoran

It was second versus fourth on a cold, murky day in East Belfast, the Oval's hardy spectators were warmed by some amazing play from both teams, in a game that could only be described in one fashion, "What a game!"

The Crues started off brightest, with an early Adamson chance being headed just wide, but then in a crazy seven minutes that insued, the pounced on some lack-luster Glentoran defending to go three-nil ahead.

The first of those three came in the seventh minute, with the Glens failing to clear the initial ball into the box and Morrow was there to pounce and give the North Belfast side the lead, this was followed up by Timmy Adamson two minutes later, with Callacher dwelling on the ball and a hungry Adamson dispossessed him and coolly slotted past the onrushing Morris to double the Crues lead. Just to make things worse for the Glen men Adamson poked past Morris for a third, not without controversy as the linesman flagged for offside and the Glentoran players stopped, but he was over-ruled by Davy Malcolm and the Crues fans were in dreamland, as Adamson wheeled away having just netted his twenty-first goal of the campaign.

The Crusaders onslaught continued and for the first thirty minutes, with Glentoran unable to break out from the sea of red in front of them, and had it not been for Elliot Morris making two wonder saves from Adamson and then Morrow kept the score respectable, however the Glens parted the red sea and were soon back in it and Andy Waterworth nabbed in after a looping Richard Clarke free-kick was headed against the post and he put his head where post wouldn't put a boot to reduce the arrears and give the East Belfast men hope. The Glens came into the game more and more and Clarke was denied what would surely have been goal of the season by Johann Lacroix, smashing a thunderous volley, dipping and swerving that took all six foot five inches of the Frenchman to keep out. Clarke would not be denied and just before the whistle blew for half time the Glens, he curled into a lovely finish from the edge of the box and one of the best  halves of football seen at the Oval came to an end.

The second half began with Glentoran on top, however were lucky to have all eleven men left on the pitch after Jay Magee clattered into Paul Heatley, as he had been all afternoon, and got away with what would have been deemed as a high tackle in rugby. The Glens then completed the comeback after a prolonged period of pressure another long ball into the box caused the Crues problems and Jim O'Hanlon headed home for his third of the season. The Magee and Heatley battle continued and was hotly contested by both, but it was the later that would gain the upper hand as a perfectly time through ball say Heatly control the ball and masterfully chip Elliot Morris in one foul swoop. Crusaders began to press home their advantage as McMaster gave them breathing space with a fantastic curling finish to leave Morris and the Glens defence stranded, that was not the scoring completed though, as last month's player of the month Stephen Carson left Crues stopper Lacroix no chance with a lovely curling finish into the top corner and unfortunately for the neutral that was the game over.

Crusaders maintained their slim hopes of pipping Cliftonville to the title as the two clash on Tuesday and then again in the cup semi-final on Saturday. The Glens will be looking to bounce back in the "Bel Classico" on Easter Tuesday and then they find themselves in a semi-final against Portadown who will be looking to make up for the disappointment of missing out on a top six finish.

Youth Report: Stephan El Shaarawy.

While Milan's big coup this transfer window was signed Mario Balotelli, the most important  item on their agenda will be keeping hold of the superb Stephan El Shaarawy. Just 20 years old, El Shaarawy has made a storming start to the season, scoring 18 times and setting up 4. Single handedly, Stephan El Shaarawy has saved Allegri's job this season, without doubt being the one highlight of Milan's torrid season until a few weeks ago. El Shaarawy is also beginning to break through into Prandelli's Italy squad and will, without doubt, become one of the talismanic figures in that side.

So what makes El Shaarawy so special?

Well, apart from being one of Italy's brightest sparks since Andrea Pirlo, along with Marco Verratti, he is sensational to watch. People often say nothing changes a game like a dribbler, none like El Shaarawy and his dribbling, especially when he can finish so spectacularly as he regularly does. He also has the innate ability to turn something into nothing, sub-consciously picking the ball up on the half way line and spraying a wonderful 60 yard pass into a team mate, or on the other hand using his destructive dribbling, going past 2 or 3 and then slotting home. His shooting from distance is also another skill of his to behold, cutting in at will and unleashing one of his powerful drives rocketing towards the keeper. El Shaarawy also has pace and acceleration in abundance, which has made AC Milan a major threat when counter-attacking this season and now with M'baye Niang getting more of a chance in the starting XI and the signing of Mario Balotelli, Milan have become extremely dangerous going forward.


Now for the stats to help make sense of this all. Stephan El Shaarawy has average around 3 shots per game this season, which adds up to 90 for the whole season, therefore El Shaarawy is only converting 1 in every 4 shots through-out the course of this year. You can look at this one of two ways: This is poor for someone who I have talked up so much, or exceptional for a winger who manages to get himself into great positions. I'll go for the second, for good reason as his positional sense for someone so young is outstanding. Interestingly though, for every time that El Shaarawy loses the ball, he will almost always win the ball back, proving the old adage "Defending from the front." is not yet dead. For a wide player El Shaarawy has an astonishingly high pass completion percentage of 83%, for someone who normally is expected to cross and play longer balls is something to behold.

It's not all blue skies for Milan's wonderkid..

It there is one area in which 'El Pharone' can improve it would have to be how clinical he is in front of the net, hitting the target with just 1 of every 3 attempts on goal. However, when he does get his shots on target, the keepers have a lot of bother in stopping them. His shooting is inconsistent at times, and El Shaarawy can generally dip in and out of a game far too much to be of any impact on games, recently a 0-0 draw at Cagliari El Shaarawy looked lifeless and struggled to get into the game and was eventually subbed off after the hour, so keeping 'SES' in the game is a must and with good reason with the magical moments he can produce.