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The Man Behind Slovenia’s World Cup Victory Is Back As The National Coach

The Football Association of Slovenia aka Slovenian Football Association (NZS) recently announced that Matjaz Kek will be the new head coach of the national football team of Slovenia. The 57-year-old, Kek will return to the helm of the national team of Slovenia, after his successful stint in the year 2007-2011, when Kek led the national team to the World Cup, 2010 which was their last big and major competition. The NZS in a press conference which was held at Brdo Pri Kranju said that “Kek is going to coach the national team in the qualifiers for the Euro, 2020 and for the World Cup scheduled at 2022, and even at the world cup, if he can manage to take the national team of Slovenia to the tournament to be held in Qatar.

Kek while interacting with the press told that “It is a privilege and pleasure to be entrusted with such a great position of the head coach of the national team. It is a huge challenge and great motivation at a similar time.” He added, “I will give my best to do a good job for Slovenia.”

The president of NZS, Radenko Mijatovic said, Kek was exactly the same person for which we for looking for at this moment. And he will be backed by the Federation of football. The native of Maribor is going to replace Igor Benedejčič, who led the team in last 2 matches of UEFA Nations League as its interim coach.

There will be a difficult situation in front of Kek and he will be under immense pressure for bringing the national team back on their track after their unpleasant performance in the international matches. Slovenia was not even able to win a single match in League C and was placed in the last ranking of League D.

Slovenia Match Against England

England played a recent match against Slovenia and the latter was put to the test but so was England. Though the latter has qualified for the 2018 World Cup, England has definitely put in an underwhelming performance. With a draw score of 1-0 that they attained against Slovenia, it shows that the team would face a tough challenge when they face Russia.

Harry Kane was the one focused enough and was able to deliver the finish that was crucial for England. The team has reached that greatest stage, now for the 15th time. Though celebrations were on after the match, there was a certain restraint since it is obvious that there would be difficult moments when England gets to Russia. There are several questions that hang in the air such as how they would play and what kind of identity they would go with. The feat that they put up in the match against Slovenia can be described as a feat endured than enjoyed.

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Jan Oblak turned down Chelsea move

Slovenia international Jan Oblak is reported to have turned down advances from Chelsea despite the club triggering the £90m release clause on his Atletico Madrid contract. The 25-year-old had emerged as the prime target for the Blues after Thibaut Courtois made his mind up to join Real Madrid but they could not convince the shot-stopper to head to Stamford Bridge.

According to The Sunday Times, the West London giants agreed to activate the £90m escape clause on the goalkeeper’s contract but the Slovenian nevertheless vetoed the move as the Blues could not assure him of Champions League football. As a result, the Capital outfit made a late attempt to sign Kepa Arrizabalaga from Athletic Bilbao instead and they were successful after triggering the £71m buy-out clause written into his contract.

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New Slovenian Football Premier League Season Begins

The Slovenian Football Premier League- the 28th season is likely to get underway today. Maribor is all geared up to achieve the title who has already won national champions 14times. Although he lost 2 months back to his rival Olimpija of Ljubljana.

As far as Slavisa Stojanovic is concerned, he would be the new coach of Levski Sofia. The frequent traveler Stojanovic is in agreement to join Levski for a 1-year contract and has been given an option for extension for another year. He led Domzale to achieve the Slovenian title in the year 2007 and 2008 and achieved the Serbian league title in the year 2014. Stojanovic also did his coaching job in a few clubs in Latvia, China, and Belgium. He was the assistant coach for the United Arab Emirates from 2009 to 2011. Stojanovic will now replace Delio Rossi from Italy who was released due to an early exit last week.

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Antoine Griezmann Hails Jan Oblak As The Best Goalkeeper In The World

Atletico Madrid forward Antoine Griezmann has hailed Jan Oblak as the best goalkeeper in the world following his strong performance against Arsenal in the Europa League. The Spanish giants had found themselves a man down within 10 minutes of their semi-final first-leg clash at the Emirates and it required a series of saves from Oblak to ensure the teams went level at the break.

Following the interval, Alexandre Lacazette gave a 1-0 advantage for the hosts but Atleti eventually fought back for a draw with Griezmann scoring nine minutes from time. Speaking after the game, Griezmann was full of praise for Oblak, who made several blocks on the night including a late one which denied Aaron Ramsey the match-winning goal.

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Atletico Madrid Confirm Injury Lay-Off For Slovenian Goalkeeper

Spanish giants Atletico Madrid have confirmed goalkeeper Jan Oblak has undergone a series of scans for a groin injury which may keep him sidelined for the near future. The Slovenia international missed the first-leg of the Europa League clash with Lokomotiv Moscow last week and Marca suggested that he could miss the weekend league game versus Celta Vigo.


Argentine shot-stopper Axel Werner was brought in to play deputy to Oblak against Celta, but the 25-year-old managed to play out the entire 90 minutes. However, it appears that the club have now taken steps to find the extent of his problem, and Oblak is certain to miss the return leg of the Europa League round of 16 tie. A statement released by the club read: “Our goalkeeper has undergone an MRI to determine the extent of his injury. The medical report offered by the medical services of the club indicates that the Slovenian suffers an injury in the left gluteal muscles and will remain unavailable pending evolution.”

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Jan Oblak eyed as potential Petr Cech replacement

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has reportedly identified Atletico Madrid goalkeeper Jan Oblak as a potential replacement for Petr Cech in the summer. The Gunners are expected to bring in defensive recruits at the end of the campaign, but the shot-stopper position is also under consideration. According to Evening Standard, the Gunners have set their sights on a potential move for Oblak, who is seen as the perfect player to replace Cech as the club’s number one. The Slovenia international joined Atletico Madrid from Benfica shortly after Thibaut Courtois’ return to Chelsea, and he has since transformed into one of Europe’s leading goalkeepers.

Despite the interest, the Gunners are expected to have a tough time negotiating with their La Liga counterparts with Oblak presently contracted to the club until 2021. The former Benfica man also has an £88m, and this could prove a huge stumbling block for a club of Arsenal’s calibre, who remain reluctant to spend over proportions in the transfer market. Cech, now 35, was expected to help Arsenal close the gap on their Premier League rivals, but the veteran’s career appears to be on the downslide with his kicking ability at the least after gifting goals to Cesc Fabregas and Jordan Ayew with mistimed passes over the past 18 months.

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Thibaut Courtois eyed by Atletico Madrid

Atletico Madrid could step up their interest to re-sign Thibaut Courtois from Chelsea next summer, should Jan Oblak pursue a fresh challenge elsewhere. The Slovenia international has been linked with a big-money move to Paris Saint-Germain, who are prepared to trigger the £89m release clause in his contract.

According to Spanish outlet AS, the Madrid giants are preparing for the worst situation, if Oblak refuses to commit to a new contract which would include an increased escape clause. The Slovakian has been the backbone behind Atleti’s improved defensive record in recent years, but the former Benfica man has yet to taste anything in terms of trophy success. As a result, the 24-year-old is likely to re-evaluate his future at the end of the season with Les Parisiens on the search for a new shot-stopper who can take over the gloves from Alphonse Areola, who is still prone of making mistakes.

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Fabian Delph Replaced by Harry Winks Ahead of World Cup Qualifier against Slovenia

Manchester City midfielder Fabian Delph has had to pull out of the World Cup qualifiers against Slovenia due to an injury.


As a result, England national team manager Gareth Southgate has had to bring in Tottenham’s Harry Winks as the replacement. This forced change means that Harry Winks is in the England squad for the first time in his career. He has been included from the England under 21 setup, as Southgate was to have a number of options in the midfield. There is a significant possibility of Harry Winks playing in the games against Slovenia or Lithuania.

England are closer to confirming their top spot in the group with the victory over Slovenia, who have reinvigorated the chances of qualifying for the World Cup 2018 by picking up three wins in the last five group matches. The recent victory for the Slovenia team game against Lithuania as they thrashed the opponent’s 4-0 at home. However, managerKatanec will be aware that it will be a difficult game for Slovenia when they travel to the English soil for a match at the new Wembley stadium.

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PSG Ready to Make a £ 90 Million Move for Slovenia Goalkeeper

Paris St Germain do not appear to be satisfied with the spending spree so far, as the club have been linked with a move for Atletico Madrid goalkeeper Jan Oblak.


Regarded as one of the best young goalkeepers in the world, the Slovenian has been subjected to interest from PSG, who have just spent a whopping £ 196 million on Barcelona forward Neymar. The transfer broke the world record by a significant margin, but PSG are now looking set to do the same with regard to a transfer record for the goalkeeper.

Up until now, Gianluigi Buffon was the world’s most expensive goalkeeper after having cost £ 32 million for his transfer several years ago to Juventus. Manchester City broke this record by signing Edersonfrom Benfica for around £ 35 million. Now, PSG are reportedly ready to pay around £ 90 million for Atletico Madrid’s Jan Oblak. Incidentally, this is the release clause in his contract and this would help PSG do away with any negotiations just like in the case of Neymar.

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