Opinion

Raise your hand if you predicted that West Bromwich Albion would defeat Chelsea 5-2 at Stamford Bridge and then a week later overpower Southampton 3-0. Anybody? I would have been surprised just to hear that West Brom scored multiple goals in a match.

After recording just three wins and scoring only 20 goals in its first 29 EPL matches, West Brom has found the back of the net eight times over its last two matches, picking up two victories — each by three goals — in the process.

Mason Mount is a promising player that's already on the world's radar despite being just a 22-year-old. Mount is a regular starter for Chelsea, and more than that, he's WhoScored's best-rated player for the Blues so far this season. 

France’s Ligue 1 has given by far the most opportunities to Under-21 players this season, while German side Borussia Dortmund are the club to have handed out most minutes to youngsters.

A review of the top-five leagues by soccer statisticians Opta showed that Under-21 players have enjoyed a collective 62,046 minutes of game time in the French top flight in 2020/21.

The German Bundesliga is second with 34,993 minutes, while England’s Premier League (29,172), Italy's Serie A (23,225) and Spain’s LaLiga (22,893) round off the list.

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola criticized the lack of rest this season and said that UEFA and FIFA are "killing the players."

"It's too much. They are human beings, not machines. I know some of them are sad because they always want to play every game, but that's not possible," said Guardiola, who made six changes to his side in Saturday's win over Leicester City.

"To be good in all competitions this year without spectators, in the shortest season in history, if you don't rotate your players you can't compete and you couldn't be in the position we're in," he added.

Watching the Final Four on Friday night I was once again struck by how poor the referees have been during the women’s NCAA basketball tournament. From the first round when Texas A&M escaped an unprecedented defeat to a No. 15 seed over a missed back-court violation to UConn’s leading scorer fouling out in the semis on a call where she didn’t even make contact, the officiating in the tournament has not been good enough.

Lionel Messi is incomparable. Even the most ignorant of viewers — say a jury of 12 totally clueless individuals charged with determining the Man of the Match award — would undoubtedly be able to pinpoint his singularity of style and ability after watching 90 minutes. Still, the Argentine’s not without his copycats. 

After all, the sincerest form of flattery is to grow a red beard, work your hair into a short quiff and purchase a $400 Dolce & Gabbana shirt that looks like an Ed Hardy design.

The hero of the Europa League has yet to reveal themselves. The villain, on the other hand, is well-known and must be defeated.

Slavia Prague needs an ass-kicking. The racist Slavia Prague issues are eye-opening and infuriating.

The Czech side defeated Rangers in the Round of 16 and is under investigation after one of the club’s players allegedly racially abused Glen Kamara.

Slavia defender Ondrej Kudela could be seen covering his mouth and saying something to Kamara. A scuffle ensued afterwards and Rangers players have said Kudela used racist language.