Jan 17, 2020
Breathing new life into relegation contenders is a particular theme across Europe in January. Like Watford in England, Espanyol have been through two managers already this season and like the Hornets, they may just have struck gold with their third choice. Abelardo immediately gave the basement dwellers a boost, with Espanyol delivering their best performance of the season in a memorable 2-2 draw against Barcelona in the Catalan derby. One thing is for certain, Abelardo’s Espanyol are going to take on this fight playing on the front foot. Which makes their visit to La Ceramica all the more fascinating, because few teams do front football better than Villarreal. Spurred on by the ageless Santi Cazorla, Villarreal have scored the most goals after the big two in La Liga this season. When you consider that the visitors have just signed Raul de Tomas to help up front, there is a veritable coterie of attacking players that can really lighten up this contest. Should be good this one.
Jan 17, 2020
Some people thrive off a hero complex regardless of success or failure in life. Jurgen Klinsmann is one of them. Klinsmann has always wanted to be portrayed as a hero and he genuinely believed he would take Bayern Munich to glory when he became their manager in 2008. In what would turn out to be somewhat of a theme in his career since then, there was a clear disconnect between reality and fantasy. Klinsmann was unceremoniously dumped after a thrashing at the hands of Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona and the World Cup winner is now remembered as the last manager of a jaded era before Bayern underwent a reset to become a dominant force on two fronts. This doesn’t necessarily mean Klinsmann can’t be a decent manager for newly rich Hertha Berlin. To give him his due, his new side have got eight points in their last four games, with three consecutive clean sheets going into the winter break. It's also worth noting, that even before these changes at Hertha, this has become a bit of a grudge match, with Bayern winning only one of their last five league matches against the side from the capital. The visits to the Olympiastadion have turned out to be frosty and acrimonious in particular, so expect a tense battle again.
Jan 17, 2020
Whenever Real Betis and Real Sociedad have faced off in the past few seasons, they’ve always entertained La Liga fans. I expect it to be no different this time around. There are three players in particular that I am looking forward to watching on Sunday. Martin Odegaard has deservedly got universal praise this season, so he is one. But the other ‘O’ in La Real has performed just as well — Mikel Oyarzabal. Then there is Barcelona loanee Carles Alena who should debut for Betis. Alena has always looked classy when given the chance at Barca, and the hope is with consistent football, he will prove himself worthy of a starting place next season. It should be said that a fourth player could have easily been added in the mix, but unfortunately Nabil Fekir is suspended for this match.
Jan 16, 2020
That Napoli play against Fiorentina in January and both teams are in the bottom half of the table is unfathomable to me. What makes it even more bizarre is that both teams actually started the season in good form, playing attractive football. To say that things have fallen off a cliff is an understatement. Both sides have dispensed with their managers midseason and the fanbases are united in disillusionment. This match now transcends tactics or quality. Surely, at least one of these teams has to recover their season and finish in the top half. For that to happen, now has to be the time that they wake up.
Jan 16, 2020
While the neutral may have faint hope that being only five points behind the leaders means Sevilla are still hanging on in the title race, the truth is the Andalusians are probably more concerned about the fact that Valencia are only four points behind them in the battle for Champions League qualification. That doesn’t mean there isn’t significance to this game. The obvious reason is Julen Lopetegui’s return to the Bernabeu. He takes on his predecessor who has returned that winning feeling to the Merengues. Whether that momentum can be sustained after returning from a week long successful sojourn in Saudi Arabia is another matter altogether. The Supercopa after all is a friendly competition. This is back to the real bread and butter. Zidane still has an injured front line, while there are niggles all over the squad. There could be a drop in intensity. Meanwhile, after failing to address their scoring concerns in the summer, Sevilla have signed Youssef En-Nesyri to alleviate that problem. The visitors don’t tend to win in Madrid, but I still wouldn’t rule out this being an uncomfortable game for the hosts. Should be fun.
Jan 16, 2020
David Moyes was a frontrunner for the Everton job when Marco Silva was fired. The fans didn’t really want him. He didn’t get the job. David Moyes was a frontrunner for the West Ham job when Manuel Pellegrini was fired. The fans didn’t really want him. This time he got the job. It is under this subtext, that Moyes welcomes his former team to the London Stadium. Make no mistake, this is a chance for both, Moyes and his counterpart Carlo Ancelotti to make a statement. While losing to what was ostensibly Liverpool’s third team in the FA Cup wasn’t down to Ancelotti, the Goodison faithful isn’t going to take kindly to losing against a former manager they clearly didn’t want back. Despite some positive results in their nascent reigns, the most Ancelotti and Moyes have done is make their teams stable. That is the low bar they have to clear for this wasted season. Nothing spectacular is expected. However, that doesn’t remove the intrigue from this meeting.
Jan 16, 2020
Southampton have been playing some brilliant football in the past month, accumulating thirteen points from their last six league games. Wolverhampton on the other hand haven’t won in three games. While the Saints look reinvigorated, Wolves do look a little tired, in dire need of some extra bodies in the squad. It isn’t inconceivable to see Ralph Hassenhuttl’s men getting the win at home this weekend. Remarkably, that would put Southampton level on points with Wolves. But there is a bigger point here. Hassenhuttl and his counterpart Nuno Espirito Santo have shown the virtue of being calm in difficult situations and believing in processes to turn things around in their favour. In a midtable that is increasingly made of exciting managers with refreshing ideas, Hassenhuttl and Nuno have few equals. The result will be of secondary importance in this game. I’d rather celebrate two very good managers.
Jan 16, 2020
I thought Norwich played some excellent football in December. Their performances against Wolves, Villa, Spurs and Palace probably merited 12 points, but they didn’t take their chances and paid the price. Coming on the back of such a run, it wasn’t a surprise to see them look a tad demoralized in their thumping defeat at Old Trafford last weekend. It may be of some solace then, that they host Bournemouth this week. While the Canaries can at least point to good performances, the Cherries don’t even have that crumb of comfort to hold on to. Injuries have deprived Eddie Howe’s side of any sense of fluidity, which in turn has decimated their confidence. One gets the sense that the losing team here will inevitably go down. It’s the last chance saloon and then some. Can either side grab a lifeline?
Jan 16, 2020
Last season when Andros Townsend sent a screamer for the ages into the roof of Ederson’s net it signalled Manchester City being under pressure for the first time in a thoroughly gripping title race. The stakes aren’t as high this time. Nevertheless, Roy Hodgson has been a tricky opponent for Pep Guardiola during the Catalan’s time in England. City are currently playing with a lot of freedom. Pep has enjoyed trying all sorts of tactical variations, secure in the knowledge they are neither likely to catch Liverpool nor be overtaken by anyone else for second. Such tactical wizardry will be needed against a well-drilled Eagles defence that isn’t the easiest to breach, even for the best teams in the country.
Jan 16, 2020
Brighton have generally played the kind of football that has thrilled neutrals this season, delivering some great wins over the likes of Arsenal and Spurs. Aston Villa have shown flashes of brilliance, but other than the excellence of Jack Grealish, they’ve been quite poor. You’d be hard-pressed to say they deserve to be higher than their current position of 18th. And yet they are only three points behind the Seagulls. This makes their match at the Amex a possibly defining one for both teams. If Brighton win they edge that little bit closer to safety. If the Villains win however, they’ll go level on points with their hosts and drag them into a relegation battle that seems at odds with how Brighton have performed this season. It may not be obvious, but there is certainly some pressure around this game.
Jan 16, 2020
There will come a time when we will judge Mikel Arteta on his own merits. For now though, there are plenty of mental scars that linger from the Unai Emery era. Arsenal’s first defeat of the season came away to the Blades. Hence, similar to last week, Sheffield United’s visit to the Emirates serves as a benchmark for Arteta to differentiate himself. Additionally, while fourth may be a bit of a stretch this season, the Gunners have to get a move on if they want to finish in the top six.
Jan 16, 2020
That Fortuna are in a relegation battle in their second season back in the Bundesliga is no surprise. Not only did Freidhelm Funkel’s men overachieve by surviving last season, they did so playing thrilling football while delivering some memorable results against the big hitters of the league. After losing Benito Raman and Dodi Lukebakio in the summer, Dusseldorf have naturally regressed. That they are in a relegation six-pointer against Bremen is altogher more surprising. Florian Kohfeldt’s men were tipped as outsiders for the Europa League but have fallen miserably short of expectations. Kohfeldt’s body of work has resulted in the board being loyal to him. The hope is that Bremen have worked on their defence during the winter break, with their defending at set pieces especially atrocious in the first half of the season. Bremen should know history is no guarantee agaisnt relegation. They only need to look at the example of their great rivals, Hamburg.
Jan 16, 2020
The last time Spurs and Watford faced off against each other in October, both teams were in a bad place and yet the Hornets comfortably outplayed their hosts at the Tottenham Stadium. A lot has changed at both clubs since then. Jose Mourinho came in as Spurs manager and won four of his first five league matches in charge. Nigel Pearson came in as Watford manager and has won four of his first six matches in charge. Things haven’t gone so well for Mourinho since that early bounce. Pearson’s early bounce seems different. This game pits a manager who changed a team’s identity and has made visible changes in personnel and tactics against a manager who has proclaimed change but not delivered any. Makes for an interesting contest on Saturday at Vicarage Road.
Jan 16, 2020
Schalke hosting Borussia Monchengladbach is a fantastic way to welcome back the Bundesliga for its second half of the season. Not many would have predicted that these teams would have reached the halfway point in the top five. But Marco Rose and David Wagner have done such a phenomenal job with their teams in their first campaign, that both teams are legitimate contenders for Champions League qualification. The second part of the Bundesliga campaign is usually when pressure ratchets up, but it shouldn’t be forgotten that even if either club finishes fifth this season, it counts as success.
Jan 16, 2020
There’s a lot been said about Ernesto Valverde’s undignified sacking by Barcelona. I don’t have much to add on that front. It's going to be interesting to see how Quique Setien handles the job in the second half of the season. Best to share the thoughts of some journalists who know the dynamics better than most.
Graham Hunter on ESPNFC:
Setien has a huge task on his hands. Whether he can answer these three questions in the affirmative will be vital to his success: 1) Can he convince this hard-nosed, success-saturated squad to work harder, to train more intensely every single day? If not, then asking them to play pure Cruyff football is foolhardy. 2) Can he convince them that their current mood, "We'll play our way out of trouble" isn't sufficient? 3) Can he get through to Messi and explain to him that even a genius needs a higher work rate and degree of alertness on the pitch than he's been showing since November?
Sid Lowe on the Guardian:
At a club occupied by identity but seemingly without the conviction to impose it from above, with that famous “entourage”, results are not enough. Not when you have Messi, whose final years can sometimes feel wasted. Expectation was perhaps exaggerated but excellence eluded them. The results they really wanted were not enough either. And Rome and Liverpool happened.
Guillem Balague on BBC Sport:
Will Setien have the same passion and desire and be able to do what Valverde decided not to do, namely change the culture and dynamic of the dressing room? Will he be able to do what Guardiola did? It will be easier said than done.
I am a big fan of Setien and loved his work at both Las Palmas and Betis. But I have admired a lot of managers at smaller clubs who simply didn’t cut it at big clubs. Hunter, Lowe and Balague have outlined the problems and challenges facing the new manager. There’s no doubt Barca’s crisis is far from over.
Jan 15, 2020
Liverpool play Manchester United this weekend which means the incessant hype building up to the game will consume the media. In truth this is a game that very rarely lives up to expectations. The stakes are very similar to what I wrote last weekend leading up to Spurs vs Liverpool. In my eyes, the most interesting aspect of the game will be to see if Jurgen Klopp will be proactive in his efforts to get his first win over Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. Klopp’s approach at Old Trafford in his two games against Solskjaer can be justifiably questioned. However, he’s always attacked United at Anfield, even when Jose Mourinho parked the bus and David de Gea pulled off some heroics to give the Red Devils two away draws against Klopp’s men. My intuition is that Liverpool will play on the front foot again and thus I expect a similar result to last season’s home win.
Jan 15, 2020
Julien Laurens with an interesting piece on PSG’s front four:
Maybe the key for Tuchel is actually in the midfield and finding the right combination of players to back the all-star quartet. Marquinhos and Verratti? Idrissa Gueye and Verratti? Gueye and Marquinhos? Room for Leandro Paredes, even? Against Monaco, the pairing of Verratti and Gueye showed its limitations. Neither of them is a natural holding midfielder, and to protect the Paris back four, Tuchel needs a player who stays deep and sits in front of the defence. In the first meeting with Saint-Etienne game, Marquinhos and Paredes were the two defensive midfielders, and they certainly have a more defensive profile than both Verratti and Gueye. The better balance of defensive discipline and playmaking is probably Verratti with Marquinhos, but whoever plays there will need some help from the front four tracking back.
This is a unique perspective from Laurens. Rather than debate whether all four should start, why not play the best combination of midfielders who can protect the defence without sacrificing the potency of the attack. My only rebuttal to this point is that PSG’s opponents in the Champions League round of 16 are Borussia Dortmund. Lucien Favre’s men have been so defensively poor this season, that even lower half teams in the Bundesliga have been able to score against them easily. If Tuchel wants to put winning first, any three out of four should be more than a handful for Dortmund’s troubled defence. Playing an open system unnecessarily gives Dortmund a greater chance, and if PSG’s recent European history is anything to go by, even the whiff of a chance for their opponents could derail them.
Jan 15, 2020
On the topic of long-form sports journalism, another astounding piece. This time by David Gendelman on the Athletic about Antonio Conte’s relationship with Lecce. Its an amazing insight to the fan culture of small city teams, the bond between players and fans, as well as the role that misconceptions play in how people interpet stories.
Jan 15, 2020
A simply fantastic essay by Bruce Schoenfeld on what Leipzig means to the rest of the Bundesliga. Long-form writing is increasingly difficult to find in sports, but I for one, absolutely love the format and this piece is worth ten minutes of anyone’s time.
Jan 12, 2020
Ian Watson’s early winner on F365:
The Hornets looked dead and buried but Nigel Pearson has revived a rotting corpse. A month ago they languished on nine points, six from safety and 10 behind Bournemouth. Today, at the Vitality Stadium, they recorded their fourth win in five games to overtake the Cherries and climb out of the relegation zone for the first time this season.
The whole piece proves statistically the various ways in which Pearson has so quickly transformed Watford. I think the appointment of Pearson is one of the best mid-season managerial changes I have seen in the Premier League, up there with Jurgen Klopp and Mauricio Pochettino’s arrivals in England. The key has been, and this was evident in his first game at Anfield, that Watford haven’t played a single game since Pearson took over with any sense of inferiority. Despite the classic narrative of British manager going back to basics, this is not what Pearson has done. Yes they are definitely more organized, that was the obvious starting point. But they are also playing to win and that requires a whole lot more than just organization. Long may their ascent continue.
Jan 12, 2020
There is plenty out there on the internet if you want criticism of Antonio Conte and Thomas Tuchel after their Inter and PSG sides respectively drew their home games. It is in these instances that I really despise big club journalism in football, because analysis is often done through the prism of the most popular. For me, the bigger story is how Atalanta and Monaco went away from home to the league leaders — it bares repeating, away from home — and scared the living daylights of the hosts to the point that they were relieved to have escaped with a draw. The football played by Atalanta and Monaco was a joy to watch, the attacking football and intricate passing giving fans the ultimate adrenaline rush. For that, we salute Messrs Gasperini and Moreno for their belief and commitment to playing their way. The weekend belonged to them.
Jan 10, 2020
The second half of the Ligue 1 season gets underway this weekend. Top billing goes to Friday’s opener, when third place Rennes welcome second place Marseille. Rennes may not be the fanciest team, but for a club their size 2019 delivered a lot of highs. There were the Europa League knockout ties against Betis and Arsenal, a stunning Coupe de France win in the final against PSG and an excellent first half of the season this time around. In a league table that is extremely tight below second, Rennes could lay a serious claim to the last Champions League spot if they can get something here. However, I think Andre Villas Boas has done one thing extremely well this season and that is to make Marseille very hard to beat. After suffering heartbreak on several occasions in trying to qualify for Europe’s premier competition, Marseille simply can’t afford to let go of this significant advantage considering the struggles of Monaco and Lyon this season.
Speaking of Monaco, after firing their title-winning manager Leonardo Jardim for the second time, they embark on a journey into the unknown with former Spain manager Robert Moreno. The new manager couldn’t have asked for a tougher test, because first up is a visit to PSG. Considering the Monegasques have scored the second most goals in the league after the champions, there is potential for fireworks at the Parc des Princes. However, Moreno will have to show an unparalleled defensive prowess if his team is to keep out the increasingly dangerous trident of Neymar, Mbappe and Icardi.
There’s a lot of jostling in mid table which leads to some intriguing fixtures. Only six points separate fourth and fourteenth. A couple of wins and you’re in the mix for Europe. Or at least that’s what those who follow the big underachievers of Lyon, Nice, Bordeaux and St Etienne may say. Lyon visit Bordeaux with their season on the precipice after season-ending injuries to Memphis Depay and Jeff Reine-Adelaide. The hosts themselves have thrown away a promising start to the season and with their fans increasingly agitated against the owners, all bets are off on how long Paulo Sousa’s tenure will last. Nice and St Etienne play against teams that should be lower than them in the table but aren’t, so Patrick Vieira and Claude Puel will have to start the new year in better form as they face Angers and Nantes respectively.
Round 20 Picks
Rennes 0 Marseille 1
Bordeaux 1 Lyon 1
Metz 2 Strasbourg 1
Toulouse 1 Brest 1
Nimes 0 Reims 2
Amiens 2 Montpellier 3
Angers 1 Nice 1
St Etienne 2 Nantes 0
Dijon 1 Lille 3
PSG 4 Monaco 2
Jan 9, 2020
The title race intersects with the battle for Champions League qualification in Italy this weekend when Inter host Atalanta and Roma welcome Juventus. Considering how little has separated the two leading contenders this season, these rounds where they each play tough opponents gain extra significance.
Inter are playing some sumptuous football at the moment but is there a team in the top 5 leagues that is better at playing the big hitters than Atalanta? Gianpiero Gasperini’s men come into the game in blistering form after a 5-0 thrashing of Parma. I can’t make a prediction with any confidence, but I am going to give Inter a slight edge at the San Siro. Likewise, I think the final scores didn’t accurately tell the story of Juve and Roma’s games last weekend. Again I am going with the champions marginally, only because they have with them match winners who can alter the course of a game even if Juve aren’t playing well. Regardless of the result, both games should be good to watch.
There’s also Lazio vs Napoli which almost always features a lot of goalmouth action. That its Lazio on the coattails of the leaders and Napoli in 8th, is the exact opposite of what most seasoned observers would have predicted before the season started. I can’t see Napoli course correcting at the Sadio Olimpico. Meanwhile gravity is pulling Cagliari back to their natural position, though I can see them making things really difficult for a Milan side that are in serious need of a shot in the arm. Final word goes to Sampdoria who host a relegation six-pointer against Brescia. Claudio Ranieri hasn’t lifted the gloom for Samp while Mario Balotelli keeps scoring but can’t get his beloved club out of the relegation zone. There’s a lot at stake this weekend.
Round 19 Picks
Cagliari 1 Milan 1
Lazio 3 Napoli 1
Inter 3 Atalanta 2
Udinese 1 Sassuolo 0
Fiorentina 2 SPAL 0
Torino 1 Bologna 1
Sampdoria 1 Brescia 2
Verona 1 Genoa 2
Roma 1 Juve 2
Parma 2 Lecce 0
Last Round Score - 3/10
Jan 9, 2020
After an interlude for the FA Cup, the Premier League returns this weekend. I can’t see many upsets this time around and now that we will have more of a regular rhythm to the season, I am hoping to get more of these picks right. Ultimately though, I am just having some good old-fashioned fun.
Round 22 Picks
Sheffield Utd 3 West Ham 1
Palace 1 Arsenal 2
Chelsea 2 Burnley 1
Everton 2 Brighton 1
Leicester 2 Southampton 2
United 3 Norwich 1
Wolves 2 Newcastle 0
Spurs 1 Liverpool 1
Bournemouth 1 Watford 2
Villa 1 City 3
Last Round Score - 6/10
Season Score - 15/30
Jan 9, 2020
Can the aftermath of 9-0 win result in both teams getting better? It may sound bizarre but looking back at Leicester’s obliteration of Southampton at St. Mary’s, one can make the argument that the game marked a crossroads for both sides. Up until then, Leicester were looked at as contenders for a top six spot, and possibly gatecrashers into the top four. After the win, Brendan Rodgers declared for the first time that the Foxes were confident of qualifying for the Champions League. His words have borne out to be true as only an epic collapse will deprive them of returning to Europe’s elite competition.
That Ralph Hassenhuttl was still in a job after that infamous result has to be one of the most remarkable examples of patience I have seen in Premier League history. The Southampton board deserve praise for staying the course and believing in Hassenhuttl and his process. They have been richly rewarded with the Austrian gaffer rejuvenating his team with some tweaks and a new tactical impetus. It has also helped that Danny Ings has stayed free of injury, resulting in the Saints actually finishing the chances they create.
A month ago, I would have predicted a comfortable home win. I can’t say the same now. Southampton have backed up crucial wins in relegation six-pointers with impressive victories over Chelsea and Spurs. Meanwhile Leicester have looked just a tad below their imperious best in recent games. Should make for an unpredictable cracker.