RICKIE'S TAKE: FOOTBALL DIARY #9

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9 THINGS WE LEARNT FROM THE UEFA SUPER CUP MATCH

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1~Zinedine Zidane has beaten both of his former bosses in higly competitive games - Carlo Ancelotti (UEFA Champions League) and Jose Mourinho (UEFA Super Cup). Luck or no luck, he's proven to be efficient at reading games, substituting players, and strategizing against opposition teams and managers.

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2~United may have fortified their squad; of which they are most likely to dominate the premier league once the season commences, but they would have to up their game against top European oppositions.

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3~Madrid had a piss-poor pre-season, but against top European oppositions they have shown that they can still hold their own, possibly, without a Ronaldo.

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4~Isco should get more game time, Karim Benzema is still on top of his game, a fit and injury-free Bale could be unstoppable for Madrid in the coming season, and the midfield trio of Luca Modric, Toni Kross and the exceptional Casemiro can be formidable on their day.

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5~Casemiro is super talented and is quite underrated by Madrid. His man-marking, back-tracking and forward runs are superb.

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6~Marcus Rashford is a beauty with the ball at his feet. He should be encouraged to play in a more advanced role on the pitch.

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7~Manchester United have a talented midfield and can get better with proper positioning and partnership. A midfield boasting of Nemanja Matic, Ander Herrara, Maroune Fellaini, Henrik Mkhitaryan, Paul Pogba, Michael Carrick, Juan Mata, Jesse Lingard, etc is not lacking in quality.

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8~In a hard-working Lukaku, Manchester United are assured of goals. He is surely a big plus for Jose Mourinho's Manchester United and a big miss for Antonio Conte's Chelsea.

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9~Jose Mourinho put out a good side on the night, they however met a more determined and efficient Madrid side with fluid passing, a compact midfield, effective stretching of opposition on the flanks and sleek movement from the attacking trio of Benzema, Bale, and Isco

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The European football season is keenly and eagerly followed by all lovers of top quality football in the world. With about a week left for the commencement of the new season in some of the top leagues, it's only fair to say that the upcoming European season would be one of the most anticipated, in years. If you are as enthusiastic as I am, then there's one thing you can do about that......

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