2021 is dead – long live 2022.
It s a new year, and while the one changing to a two literally overnight may seem arbitrary, it gives us an excuse to look ahead and what s on the horizon.
Of course, we re now into a World Cup year – 12 months from now, we ll have newly crowned world champions and, who knows, maybe a new superstar or two will have emerged.
While there s no guarantee about a player s trajectory, Stats Perform have at least put together a list of 22 under-22 players who could be worth keeping an eye out for in 2022.
GOALKEEPERS
Etienne Green, 21, English – Saint-Etienne
Honestly, he s not included just because of the perfection of a player called Etienne Green playing for Les Verts, Saint-Etienne – though that certai…
Barcelona returned to the top of La Liga on Sunday as a 4-0 victory over Elche at Camp Nou saw them leapfrog back over Atletico Madrid.
Chile international Alexis Sanchez was the star of the show for Gerardo Martino s side as the defending champions began a third consecutive calendar year with a 4-0 win.
Pedro got his name on the scoresheet to complete the rout and give Barca a 16th league win of the campaign to draw level on points Atletico, with the two teams set to face each other next Saturday.
Sevilla moved into the top six with a 3-0 win over Getafe as Unai Emery s team extended their unbeaten league run to six games.
Vitolo put the hosts ahead in the 34th minute after good work by Carlos Bacca and the Colombian striker then netted his ninth goal of the se…
Ronald Koeman is proud of the Netherlands, who he says, fought like lions , despite missing out on a place in the Euro 2024 final.
The Oranje were minutes away from going to extra time when Ollie Watkins scored England s winner in the 90th minute after Harry Kane had cancelled out Xavi Simons early opener.
Koeman s side were bidding to reach their first Euros final since they won the tournament back in 1988, but narrowly missed out on the showpiece meeting with Spain in Berlin.
It was their fifth defeat in six semi-finals in the competition, but the Dutch head coach instead chose to focus on the positives from their campaign.
We should be proud because we ve achieved many things in these weeks and there s no criticism after seeing how my player fought un…
Didier Deschamps will make a decision on his France future in the new year after overseeing Les Bleus dramatic penalty shoot-out loss to Argentina in the World Cup final.
Kylian Mbappe s hat-trick – just the second to be scored in a men s World Cup final – saw France twice come from behind in a thrilling 3-3 draw after extra time at Lusail Stadium.
However, it was Mbappe s Paris Saint-Germain team-mate Lionel Messi who got his hands on the famous trophy, with Kingsley Coman and Aurelien Tchouameni failing to convert in the shoot-out.
The defeat will likely revive speculation regarding Deschamps future, with France great Zinedine Zidane having long been touted as a potential successor.
Deschamps, however, will take his time to weigh up whether to exte…
Barcelona returned record revenues of €679million during 2015-16, according to the club s financial results for the season.
The LaLiga champions released the figures on Monday, with the overall revenue mark representing a substantial increase of the figure originally budgeted for this area .
Barca returned a net profit of €29m after tax and believe they are on course to hit the marks of a strategic plan that targets revenue of €1billion in 2021.
FC Barcelona close the 2015/16 season with record revenues of 679 million euros:
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona)
The strategic plan includes the Espai Barca renovation project for Camp Nou and its surrounding area.
Barcelona also announced the board have approved a one-year extension of t…
Gerard Pique lauded Lionel Messi following his latest masterclass, saying the Barcelona star should have won the Ballon d Or every year since 2009.
Messi led the way for Barca again on Sunday, scoring a goal and setting up another in the 2-1 LaLiga win at Sevilla.
The five-time Ballon d Or winner cancelled out Vitolo s opener prior to the interval before he assisted Luis Suarez for the decisive goal just past the hour mark.
Messi s display drew praise from injured team-mate Pique, who used Twitter to laud the 29-year-old.
If the Ballon d Or were given to the best player in the world, he wrote. Leo would have won it every year since 2009. He s on another level.
Messi s 43rd-minute equaliser helped him reach a new milestone for Barca his 500th car…
The Detroit Lions enter Week 11 still looking for their first win of the NFL season and head to FirstEnergy Stadium to face off against the Cleveland Browns.
Oddsmakers aren’t expecting the Lions to get that victory this week with NFL betting lines installing them as 11.5-point road underdogs with the Over/Under at 43.5.
Here are our best free Lions vs. Browns picks and predictions for Sunday, November 21, with kickoff at 1 p.m. ET.
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If the Indianapolis Colts are going to get their first win of the season in Week 3, they’re going to need to muster offensive firepower we are yet to see.
Not only is the vaunted Kansas City Chiefs offense coming to Indy but they’re coming into a fantastic matchup — one Mahomes has thrived in repeatedly.
With such a juicy spot for Mahomes & Co., KC’s offense takes focus in our Chiefs vs. Colts NFL prop picks — and check out our Chiefs vs. Colts picks for more.
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Week 2 was another trendy one in the NFL as Overs went 13-3! That’s in stark contrast to what we saw in Week 1 where the Under hit in 12 of 16 games. We’re seeing some swings early in the season, but that volatility should settle down as the season progresses.
Elsewhere, you can take that home-field advantage and shove it as road teams are cashing against the spread tickets at 63.3% thanks to a 19-13 outright record. However, don’t expect this pattern to continue deep into the season as wear-and-tear should have more of an impact on visiting teams.
Before we get into the NFL betting trends, I’ll remind you once again to never back trends blindly. Always incorporate some additional research into your NFL picks, and if you see value when …
The “revenge” angle doesn’t hold as much weight when it comes to NFL odds as you think.
And while revenge may be on the minds of the Jacksonville Jaguars when they face the rival Houston Texans in the Week 12 odds, it’s likely “embarrassment” is the more motivating factor.
Jacksonville is aiming to erase the shame of a 37-17 loss to Houston back in Week 3 and really right an AFC South series that has seen the Jaguars struggle against the Texans.
Going back to 2018, Jacksonville has won only once in the past 11 meetings with Houston and is a dreadful 3-8 ATS in those games.
I run down the spread and Over/Under total for this AFC South showdown and give my best NFL picks for Jaguars vs. Texans on November 26.
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