We had a lot to be thankful for in 2018 — a World Cup, a historic Real Madrid three-peat, the remarkable seasons from Luka Modric, Mohamed Salah and Kylian Mbappe, other things that I’m forgetting because I'm a goldfish boy.
Here are 10 trends that I’ve managed to remember in the footballing calendar year of our Lord Gourav Mukhi 2018.
Top Soccer Trends 2018
#1. Wall Tactics to the Fore
Marcelo Brozovic's sliding stop.
Scott McTominay just being weird.
#2. Scoring Ridiculous Overhead Kicks At Ridiculous Times
Cristiano Ronaldo
Gareth Bale
#3. Lacing Ridiculous Half-Volleys At Ridiculous Times
Nacho
Benjamin Pavard
#4. We’re Not Sure What This Is, Who Knows
#5. Going Blonde
#6. Being On Chelsea But Being On Loan
These are the Chelsea footballers on loan:
If you’re interested, Chelsea’s lead scout is Gianni Picchioni, who joined the club as part of the staff that Maurizio Sarri employed at Napoli. Do you think he had any idea what he was getting himself into?
#7. Horrendous Goalkeeping Blunders
Loris Karius
Big Willy
David de Gea
Alisson
#8. Diego Maradona Getting Lit
#9. Appreciating Luka Modric And Then Hating Luka Modric
YES!
NO!
#10. The End Of Living The Dream
The kick-off times aren’t optimal, but as Americans, we’ve been living the dream when it comes to viewing the beautiful game. Essentially, we’ve always been treated to whatever, whenever, for next to nothing.
But with the rise of NBC Sports Gold, B/R Live, ESPN+, Fox Sports Go, fuboTV and everything else, we’ve now got a smorgasbord of relatively cheap, but relatively overwhelming selections to piecemeal together if we want to watch Newcastle United, LaLiga and Ajax’s march to the Champions League final.
It was fun while it lasted, but now they’re after our precious monies.
