Jan 28, 2020
I thoroughly enjoyed the Villa-Leicester EFL cup semi; both legs played in an open manner, without caginess or cynicism. Those who support the Foxes could justifiably argue they didn’t deserve to lose. However, Aston Villa had the joker in the pack in Jack Grealish. It was because of Grealish that Villa had a latent threat which meant Leicester were never totally in control despite being dominant. His run with the ball and assist for the first goal was sheer artistry. But it's also important to highlight another key contribution from the Villains. That of Orjan Nyland. The Norwegian goalkeeper was outstanding in both legs and if it weren’t for his saves, the match would have been a more one-sided affair. Pepe Reina has rightly been brought in to provide leadership and experience in Villa’s relegation battle, but I have always enjoyed it when cups have given backup keepers their moment in the sun. Nyland deserves the plaudits he will get in the aftermath of the semi and probably a starting berth in the final to go with it as well.
Jan 28, 2020
Ian Watson quoting Brendan Rodgers on F365:
Brendan Rodgers has never enjoyed a giant-killing. “I was always one that when I watched the games and a big team was playing a lower team, I always wanted the big team to win,” he said this week. “Why? Because if the lesser team could turn it on like the big players every week, they’d be at that level.
“So I asked: ‘Why don’t they do it every week?”
Rodgers can sometimes say things that appear a bit too clever which results in him conveniently becoming a bit of a caricature. Predominantly though, Rodgers talks a lot of sense. His views are unconventional amongst British managers and he has strong principles. Like everyone else, I can savour an upset every now and then, but fan culture and media too often overhype the significance of upsets; a classic case being the repercussions of United’s win at PSG in the Champions League last season. I find myself agreeing with Rodgers — it would be a better and more patient story if the lesser team could turn it on every week.
Jan 24, 2020
Could it have got any worse for Atletico Madrid after a turgid defeat to Eibar on the weekend? Turns out it has after an embarrassing elimination at the hands of third tier Cultural Leonesa in the Copa del Rey. Now let's be clear. Atletico not winning the Copa isn’t going to define their season. But in the context of what has transpired so far, this defeat takes the Rojiblancos rock bottom in morale and then some.
Diego Simeone has explained his sides woes by claiming that this a transition period for the club after the departures of Diego Godin, Juanfran and Filipe Luis. Nobody can dispute the effect that the departure of these stalwarts has had on the defence. The problem for Atletico however, is in attack. And in attack, the transition excuse doesn’t wash. We’ve all seen this movie before. Big money spent on exciting new players that ultimately can’t adjust to the manager’s style. It’s still way too early to pass a verdict on Joao Felix, but the list of Simeone attacking busts is big enough to be worried about the Portuguese forward. And then there’s the two midfield leaders, Saul and Koke, the creativity and flair drenched and dripped out of them after years of prioritizing blood and sweat under their manager. Are they also in transition?
Make no mistake, Diego Simeone is an Atletico Madrid legend. He could never win another trophy and yet be rightly hailed as one of the great modern managers. But the underdog story doesn’t cut it anymore. There comes a time when a team has to become expansive in their evolution. Simeone used to have a balance, but now even when there is a need, Atletico seem clueless in creating chances. It may sound harsh, but perhaps in the summer, it is Atleti who need to transition out of Simeone.
Jan 23, 2020
Horrible weather, excellent opponents, injury to a key player, no problem. Liverpool just keep on winning. In essence, I could just repeat what I wrote earlier in the week. On one of the toughest road trips of the season, Liverpool’s unexpected troubleshooter this time around was Jordan Henderson, the captain providing a goal and an assist in a close win. This team now has an indomitable stature, the aura of champions. The next time they don’t win, it might leave a lot of us numb.
Jan 23, 2020
After what seems like an eternity of cup football thanks to the Coupe de France and the Coupe de la Ligue, it's time for league action to return this weekend. While the middle of the table still looks extremely congested, it's noticeable that Marseille and Rennes are pulling away in second and third respectively. Clubs like Lille, Lyon, Monaco and Nice have to start a winning streak if they are to have any ambitions of playing in Europe, let alone the Champions League. That’s going to be the main storyline in France for the rest of the season, outside of the PSG soap opera of course. Lets make some picks.
Round 21 Picks
Nice 1 Rennes 1
Marseille 2 Angers 1
Montpellier 1 Dijon 0
Reims 1 Metz 0
Brest 3 Amiens 0
Monaco 3 Strasbourg 1
St Etienne 2 Nimes 0
Lyon 3 Toulouse 0
Nantes 1 Bordeaux 1
Lille 1 PSG 3
Last Round Score - 4/10
Jan 23, 2020
All eyes in Germany are now going to be trained on Erling Braut Haaland after his sensational debut hat trick against Augsburg last time out. Cologne’s defence will have a lot on their hands at Signal Iduna Park, though Markus Gisdol’s men have won four on the bounce. The big game sees Bayern hosting Schalke, with Hansi Flick and David Wagner both earning plaudits for improving their teams. Whether the Royal Blues can repeat last weekend’s heroics against Gladbach at the home of the champions is another matter altogether. League leaders Leipzig visit Eintracht Frankfurt in what looks like a tricky game. Adi Hutter and Julien Nagelsmann preach from the same gospel, but can the hosts defence really stall the firepower in the visitors side? Time to make some picks.
Round 19 Picks
Dortmund 4 Cologne 2
Freiburg 2 Paderborn 0
Union 2 Augsburg 0
Gladbach 2 Mainz 1
Wolfsburg 0 Hertha 1
Frankfurt 2 Leipzig 3
Bayern 3 Schalke 1
Bremen 2 Hoffenheim 1
Leverkusen 3 Fortuna 0
Last Round Score - 6/9
Jan 23, 2020
Valencia hosting Barcelona is the clear standout fixture in this weekend’s round of La Liga action. It was away from home that Ernesto Valverde’s stock plummeted, which makes this a significant early test for Quique Setien. Just when Albert Celades seemed to be getting Valencia back on track, they put in one of their worst performances of the season in the thrashing at Mallorca. Hence, the expectation to rebound will be high at the Mestalla. Other than the big game, this weekend’s La Liga matchups don’t have much of a story within themselves, but there are implications in all the significant races. Time to make picks.
Round 21 Picks
Osasuna 1 Levante 0
Espanyol 2 Athletic 1
Valencia 1 Barca 1
Alaves 1 Villarreal 2
Sevilla 2 Granada 0
Atletico 1 Leganes 1
Celta 2 Eibar 0
Getafe 2 Betis 1
La Real 2 Mallorca 0
Valladolid 1 Real 3
Last Round Score - 2/10
Season Score - 7/20
Jan 23, 2020
Another important weekend of Serie A is upon us. The Rome derby has huge connotations. If Lazio win, they really will believe they are in the title race. Paulo Fonseca’s men however, have their own ambitions to finish in the top four. Napoli finally got their first win of 2020 in the Coppa Italia, and they’ll look to make a dent in Juve’s title ambitions when they welcome the Bianconeri. Inter have drawn their last two matches to fall four points behind the champions, meaning they have to win against Cagliari, who stopped a rot of their own last time out. SPAL pulled the upset of the last round with a superb win at Atalanta, breathing new life into the relegation battle. Next up for Leonardo Semplici’s enterprising men, a visit from regional rivals Bologna. Time to make some picks.
Round 21 Picks
Brescia 1 Milan 2
SPAL 2 Bologna 1
Fiorentina 2 Genoa 0
Torino 2 Atalanta 2
Inter 3 Cagliari 1
Verona 1 Lecce 0
Parma 2 Udinese 1
Sampdoria 2 Sassuolo 2
Roma 2 Lazio 1
Napoli 2 Juve 2
Last Round Score - 4/10
Season Score - 11/30
Jan 23, 2020
The writing legend that is Simon Kuper:
The last time Barca chose someone who was an A-list coach at the moment of his appointment was in 2002, when Louis van Gaal briefly returned to the club. After his failure, Barcelona decided to reverse its decision-making. Instead of hiring a coach and letting him decide what kind of football to play, the club would decide what kind of football to play and find a coach to go with it.
As is Kuper’s wont, he frames his idea brilliantly with an analytical point that nobody else has caught on to. It is easy to forget with all the glory he has achieved in the past decade that Pep was a novice coach when Barcelona gave him the reins. Many have questioned whether the likes of Ernesto Valverde and Quique Setien have the stature to manage Barca. Kuper argues that this is actually a moot point. It's a unique view, and one I agree with.
Jan 23, 2020
In typical fashion, Ryan O’Hanlon provokes some thoughts with his latest piece on ESPNFC about squad depth and rotation. First, highlighting the consistency of selection at Liverpool:
In 2017-18, when the Reds finished fourth and reached the Champions League final, Jurgen Klopp deployed 19 different players for at least 900 minutes. Last year, which followed the shortened World Cup summer and the extended 2017-18 campaign, they improved by 22 points and won the Champions League, but Klopp gave only 900 minutes of playing time to 16 players -- or fewer than the average Premier League team that doesn't qualify for Europe, let alone one that makes it all the way to the Champions League final. This season, thanks to added games and added time in both the UEFA Super Cup and the Club World Cup, Liverpool have already had 16 players break 900 minutes. But when you're 16 points up with 16 games to play, squad depth becomes a moot point.
Depth, then, might be important, but not as important as being able to continually rely on your best players.
Then, assessing Frank Lampard’s rotation at Chelsea:
At the beginning of the 2019-20 campaign, Lampard had settled on a lineup that included Tammy Abraham, Willian and Christian Pulisic up top, some combination of Mason Mount, N'Golo Kante, Jorginho and Mateo Kovacic in midfield, and Emerson, Kurt Zouma, Fikayo Tomori and Cesar Azpilicuetaacross the backline. After a rough stretch in late November and early December, in which the team won one and lost four despite edging opponents on expected goals (8.2 to 5.4), he has shuffled in and out of a number of different lineups, and the results and the underlying performances have both suffered.
There’s no denying that rotation is an important part of management, especially midseason in England, where the number of fixtures in December and January are now bordering on harmful. But that doesn’t mean a manager should make five or six changes just for the sake of it. I am inclined to think that if the necessary physical prerequisites have been met, you start your best players and make a change or two depending on circumstances. Arbitrary rotation doesn’t serve any purpose.
Jan 23, 2020
Nicely summed up by Seb Stafford-Bloor on F365:
He’s a nice man and he’s not entirely responsible for this situation. It’s possible to believe that, though, but still understand that this has gone on for far too long already. The Glazers family and Ed Woodward are the problem, yes, but Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has never been any sort of solution.
Solskjaer isn’t good enough to be the manager of United. Does the squad have holes? Yes, it does, but it still doesn’t justify having 34 points from 24 games. I am tired of the disclaimers that there are plenty of other things wrong at the club. A manager's remit is ultimately to the get the best out of his squad with their relative strengths and weaknesses. Purely as a football manager, Solskjaer doesn’t cut it at the top level. There is no disclaimer needed.
Jan 21, 2020
Matt Stead in his 16 conclusions on F365:
Which is not to say he did not earn this point. He absolutely did through his conviction and bravery. His explanation for not introducing Rob Holding in the first half to compensate for the loss of a defender was simple: “I didn’t want to send that message to the team.”
He reacted to the situation whereas Frank Lampard seemed to simply ignore it and proceed as before.
I couldn’t have said it better myself. The bravery of the decision to not do the typical thing when going down to ten men paid dividends for Arsenal and ultimately was the driving force in Arteta getting his team to deliver a performance of courage and application that they haven’t been famed for.
Jan 21, 2020
Plenty of credit to go around after Arsenal’s deserved draw at Stamford Bridge. I would just like to highlight two examples of the buy-in that the players so clearly have for Mikel Arteta. Bukayo Saka is a winger and in the brief glimpses we got to see of the teenager under Unai Emery, it was his attacking play that shone through. It's almost a month now since Saka has been playing at left back under Arteta and he doesn’t even look like a stand-in. Think of how demotivated and frustrated Ainsley Maitland-Niles looked when he was asked to compromise and play right back for Emery, and the contrast is clear.
Then there’s Granit Xhaka. It was only a couple of weeks ago that many in the punditocracy felt Arsenal getting a clean break from Xhaka in the winter transfer window would be best. A contract was also agreed with Hertha Berlin. Yet Arteta believed in the Swiss and the new manager has been rewarded for his faith. It makes one wonder about both, Emery and later day Arsene Wenger, that Arsenal haven’t been able to benefit from Xhaka’s very obvious intangible and technical qualities. Against Chelsea, Xhaka showed his leadership qualities (which have been harshly mocked for far too long), when slotting in to play as centre back following David Luiz’s red card. His reading of the game was excellent as he led his teammates in successfully thwarting the Blues attack. From being on the precipice of an exit, I now can’t imagine Arsenal looking strong without Xhaka. I have a feeling as the season progresses, there’ll be other Gunners to pick out for praise. For today, I chose Xhaka and Saka to embody the spirit that Arteta is engendering at Arsenal.
Jan 20, 2020
Nobody dare mess around with the sanctity of the FA Cup fourth round and its place on a weekend. So how do we cope with Premier League withdrawal? Oh that’s right, we don’t. We simply add another midweek round, because the quality of football has been so stupendous since the holiday fixtures that we simply can’t risk the players resting. Oh, and it's also the reverse fixtures of a round that took place just three match days ago. Real fresh look this round has! As the juggernaut rolls, so do my picks.
Round 24 Picks
Bournemouth 0 Brighton 1
Villa 1 Watford 1
Palace 1 Southampton 0
Everton 1 Newcastle 0
Sheffield Utd 1 City 2
Chelsea 1 Arsenal 1
Leicester 2 West Ham 0
Spurs 1 Norwich 0
United 1 Burnley 0
Wolves 0 Liverpool 2
Last Round Score - 3/10
Season Score - 24/50
Jan 20, 2020
Daniel Storey, in the consistently excellent Winners and Losers on F365:
After beating Crystal Palace at home on November 9, Chelsea were nine points clear of fifth place. They have only managed 13 points from 11 league games since, yet are somehow still five points clear of fifth.
It doesn’t seem that long ago, when Klopp, Guardiola, Pochettino and Wenger were involved in some intense battles just to secure a top four spot. Then in the second half of last season, Arsenal, Chelsea, Spurs and United seemed hellbent on throwing away a place in the Champions League. That bar seems to have lowered even further this year. Leicester have secured a top four spot simply on the basis of an excellent first half of the season, while it looks like Chelsea will join them by virtue of winning once or twice every three games. For all the excellence of Klopp and Guardiola, there is no denying the rest of the big hitters are floundering, and floundering badly at that. Once again, fourth seems like a race to the bottom.
Jan 20, 2020
In what has been a remarkable run of form for Liverpool in the past 19 months, there have been various ways to assess their performances. Let’s be clear, when you suffer only one league defeat over a season and a half, its impossible to expect complete perfection. Have Liverpool been lucky at times? Definitely. Have they gained points that they didn’t deserve? Almost certainly. Guess what? All teams do. What is undeniable though, is that Liverpool have developed an almost unparalleled ability to troubleshoot in the league since August 2018. That is a testament to the remarkable management of Klopp. I still maintain, what we are seeing is the result of great coaching improving the players in this squad. When Klopp first came to Merseyside, there was a notion that the Reds template for performing at a high level was based on inspiration. Now, Liverpool define that high level. They are winning big games when in neutral, there’s nothing frenetic or accidental about it. Throw a problem at them, Klopp’s men will solve it. And here’s the key, they are beginning to solve them in many different ways. We are watching a team at their peak. Such rare excellence is something to be cherished.
Jan 18, 2020
A hat trick within twenty minutes of coming on as a substitute when your team is 3-1 down in a new league. Debuts can’t possibly better. Let me be clear, Dortmund were already a crazy team before Erling Haaland signed for them. Now it’s another level altogether. Conceding easy goals is never a guarantee of success, Lucien Favre seems clueless when it comes to stopping the opposition. But which defences, especially in the Bundesliga, will now be able to stop Dortmund from scoring? I had written earlier about how Dortmund missing chances is as big a problem as their defence. You never want to get carried away after just one match, but one can’t help but wonder if BVB may just have found the solution.
Jan 18, 2020
Found VAR to be the most interesting aspect of the game unfortunately. I think Julen Lopetegui can feel hard done by the defeat, especially considering the disallowed goal for obstruction in the first half. Real didn’t really play well. Just as the game was meandering Casemiro did what teams that have leaders do, scoring a brace with a hitherto unseen poacher's instinct. It's a result after which we can roll out the classic trope, to win the championship you need to win games like these.
Jan 17, 2020
The eagerly anticipated opener to the second half of the Bundesliga season lived up to expectations as Schalke deservedly beat Borussia Monchengladbach in front of a crowd that generated a truly electric atmosphere at the Veltins Arena. On the pitch however, one man stole the show — Michael Gregoritsch. The Austrian forward got a goal and an assist on his debut for the Royal Blues, in addition to being the fulcrum for all of Schalke’s most dangerous moments. On his best days Gregoritsch serves two purposes. First, he makes his fellow attackers look better with his inventive passing. Second, he becomes an absolute nightmare for defences as he moves between and across lines. Gregoritsch was clearly the best player at Hamburg when he was there for two years. And he has clearly been the best player for Augsburg in the last two years as well. Whether the Austrian can be more than the biggest fish in a small pond is the key question. At 25, Gregoritsch still has a lot of time to prove that he is more than just a maverick, albeit a delightful one at that. David Wagner’s managerial success has been based on getting players to improve and perform to their highest abilities. If Wagner can coax the same level of dedication from Gregoritsch, then Schalke may just unlock the keys to Champions League qualification.
Jan 17, 2020
We are set for another weekend of twists and turns in Italy. The title race, the battle for fourth and the fight to avoid the drop resume in Serie A. Here are my picks for the weekend which includes relegation battlers getting some surprise points.
Round 20 Picks
Lazio 2 Sampdoria 0
Sassuolo 1 Torino 1
Napoli 2 Fiorentina 1
Milan 2 Udinese 0
Lecce 1 Inter 3
Bologna 1 Verona 1
Brescia 1 Cagliari 0
Genoa 2 Roma 2
Juventus 3 Parma 2
Atalanta 3 SPAL 0
Last Round Score - 4/10
Season Score - 7/20
Jan 17, 2020
I am really looking forward to a round of Premier League fixtures that is jam packed with storylines this weekend. Here are my picks for what should be an engrossing matchday in England.
Round 23 Picks
Watford 2 Spurs 1
West Ham 1 Everton 1
Arsenal 2 Sheffield Utd 0
Brighton 2 Villa 1
City 2 Palace 0
Norwich 1 Bournemouth 0
Southampton 2 Wolves 1
Newcastle 1 Chelsea 1
Burnley 1 Leicester 2
Liverpool 3 United 0
Last Round Score - 6/10
Season Score - 21/40
Jan 17, 2020
La Liga resumes after a break for the Copa del Rey and the Supercopa Espana in Saudi Arabia. Some interesting fixtures to look forward to, so its only natural to have some fun with this weekend’s picks.
Round 20 Picks
Leganes 0 Getafe 0
Levante 2 Alaves 1
Real 3 Sevilla 1
Osasuna 2 Valladolid 0
Eibar 0 Atletico 1
Mallorca 0 Valencia 2
Betis 2 La Real 2
Villarreal 3 Espanyol 2
Athletic 2 Celta 0
Barca 3 Granada 0
Last Round Score - 5/10
Jan 17, 2020
The Bundesliga is back for the second half of the season and I can’t wait for the action to get underway. Time to have some fun with my picks for the weekend.
Round 18 Picks
Schalke 2 Gladbach 1
Augsburg 1 Dortmund 3
Cologne 2 Wolfsburg 1
Hoffenheim 1 Frankfurt 1
Fortuna 1 Bremen 2
Mainz 2 Freiburg 2
Leipzig 3 Union 0
Hertha 0 Bayern 0
Paderborn 0 Leverkusen 2
Jan 17, 2020
I have already highlighted what other more seasoned La Liga journalists have said regarding Quique Setien’s task at Barcelona. What I will say is that in the present, a home game against Granada serves as a favourable debut for the new man in the Camp Nou dugout. That doesn’t mean there won’t be expectations. The reverse fixture was a chastening defeat for the Blaugrana, one of many terrible away performances reflecting the malaise under former boss Ernesto Valverde. Retribution will be expected by the Camp Nou faithful. Of more significance however, will be the style in which the new boss delivers it.
Jan 17, 2020
Like others who devoured Serie A football in the 90’s, games between Juventus and Parma bring fond memories to me. Though Parma are far from those heady days in their current guise, there is something about this fixture that still tickles the senses. Juve are clear favourites and rightly so, but you just can’t rule out Parma and their merry band of tricky players. Paulo Dybala in his current form makes this game worth watching on its own, but don’t discount the possibility of Messrs Gervinho (if fit), Kurtic and Kulusevski giving the home defence a tough night. After all Parma drew 3-3 at Juve last season, and also gave Inter a fright at the San Siro in a 2-2 draw earlier in this campaign. Maurizio Sarri would be wise to not count his chickens in this one.