The Weekly Take, Issue 342: Not Quite an Ideal Scenario for a Top-Four Push

As the halfway point of the 2024-25 season approaches, it's safe to say that Fiorentina have exceeded expectations so far. In fifth place in Serie A heading into their away match against Juventus, the Tuscan club were on pace for their best league finish since the 2015-16 season. This match also served as a major opportunity for Fiorentina to take a step closer to making the top four for the first time in a decade and clinch a Champions League qualification spot - something they haven't done since the 2008-09; while Fiorentina have finished fourth on three occasions since, in each of those years Serie A only sent three teams to the Champions League.

Fiorentina's match against the Bianconeri ended in a 2-2 draw - a result that does little to help either team as both are in pursuit of a top-four league finish. French midfielder Khéphren Thuram opened the scoring in the 20th minute; however, seven minutes before half-time Fiorentina got on the board via a goal scored by Moise Kean who got one over his former club by doing so.

Shortly after the interval, Thuram netted his own and his team's second goal. Throughout the second half, Juve were firmly in control of the match; as such, it came as a major surprise when with just three minutes remaining in regulation time, Kean initially mishandled a cross into the box but recovered quickly to set up Riccardo Sottil whose equalizing half-volley proved to be the last goal of the match.

Considering the fact that Juve had almost two-thirds of the possession and created a larger number of viable goalscoring chances throughout the match, Fiorentina were arguably let off the hook. They can't afford many more showings like this one during the second half of the season - that would be something which would likely derail their top-four push.

That being said, by far the biggest positive that Fiorentina would have taken from this match was another excellent performance by Kean who's been having a breakout season. After initially struggling to live up to the hype that surrounded him as a youngest at Juventus, Kean has been finally delivering on all the buzz from back then and turning the narrative of his career around.

With 11 league goals in 17 matches, Kean currently ranks third in the race for the Capocannoniere - Serie A's top scorer's award. This is a turn of events that no one could ever have envisaged even just half a year ago. At this point, Kean might even have a realistic chance of unseating Mateo Retegui from his spot as the starting centre-forward for the Italian national team within the next 12 months.

On the flipside, Fiorentina have to be concerned about the recent performances of the group playing just behind Kean. Fiorentina's trio in attacking midfield and out wide were clearly outplayed; they provided next to no resistance for Juve whatsoever. This has largely been the case throughout most of this season with players such as Andrea Colpani, Albert Guðmundsson, and Sottil (despite getting his name on the scoresheet against Juve) struggling to justify their selection in the starting 11. Could this latest match prove to be the impetus for Fiorentina to upgrade at one of those positions in the January transfer window? It remains to be seen.

With regard to the transfer window, Fiorentina have been linked with Lyon's veteran defensive midfielder Nemanja Matić. Though not necessarily a certainty to be in the starting 11, the Serbian would give Fiorentina an infusion of grit and guts which would certainly serve Fiorentina well during the final stretch of the season. Additionally, having taken part in more than just a few pressure-filled scenarios with everything on the line, the experience which Matić would add would be highly valuable.

As things stand right now, this is looking like Fiorentina's best season in quite some time - but having said that, there are some causes for concern especially if they're to put themselves in serious contention to make the top four. There's an opportunity for them to do so and cap off what's been in general a season beyond what anyone at the club would've imagined when it began - but for sure, there'll have to be adjustments made for that to happen.

The Weekly Take, Issue 341: The Whole Thing Is Coming Apart

It’s fair to say that RB Leipzig haven’t had the easiest of seasons thus far. To the astonishment of almost everyone, the Saxony-based club have lost all six of their Champions League matches so far and have already been eliminated from the tournament with two matchdays remaining. On the domestic front, meanwhile, Die Bullen continue to be locked in a battle for qualification for next season’s Champions League but have recently seen a sharp decline in form.

Leipzig’s quest to secure a Champions League berth for a sixth consecutive season faced its toughest test to date when they travelled to the Allianz Arena to face off against league leaders Bayern Munich. Leipzig’s slump ended up deepening as they were taken apart in a crushing 5-1 loss. Both teams scored within the first two minutes of the match - Jamal Musiala for Bayern, Benjamin Šeško for Leipzig - but after that, it was all one-way traffic.

Bayern would take a 3-1 lead into the half-time break following further goals scored by Konrad Laimer and Joshua Kimmich. Two more goals in a three-minute span after the break would follow - Alphonso Davies set up Leroy Sané who scored Bayern’s fourth before the Canadian full-back went from provider to finisher, adding the Bavarian club’s fifth goal to complete the dominant, one-sided victory.

After a strong start to their Bundesliga season, Leipzig have fallen off dramatically in recent weeks. This loss against Bayern was their second by a 5-1 scoreline in their last four league matches. In the 11 matches in all competitions that Leipzig have played since the beginning of November, they have won just three and drawn one; the rest were all losses. There can be little doubt that the mid-season break will be readily welcomed by everyone at Leipzig for the opportunity it gives them to reset heading into the second half of the season.

The main issue that’s been plaguing Leipzig over their protracted slump has to be their defense. Across the 11-match span mentioned earlier, Leipzig have conceded 24 goals. That’s a figure which when prorated across a 34-match Bundesliga season equates to 74 conceded - a figure which last season would have ranked joint third-last in the entire league. Thus far, the likes of Castello Lukeba, Lukas Klostermann, and new signing Lutsharel Geertruida have simply not been up to the mark this season. On too many occasions they have left opponents with too much of a window to create a viable goalscoring opportunity, struggled to defend set pieces, and been outplayed in many one-on-one situations - often, even those in which they had the positional upper hand at first. Without any question, this cannot continue if Leipzig are to make a serious push for a spot in next season’s Champions League.

As of right now, Leipzig’s away form has to be particularly concerning. This most recent loss to Bayern means that Leipzig have now lost five of their last six away matches - a recent victory over Holstein Kiel which snapped a road losing streak of four being the sole exception. It’s a complete reversal of what they looked like in away matches earlier in the season; the struggles of Marco Rose’s team on the road could very well end up derailing their season.

In the upcoming January transfer window, it’s imperative that Leipzig bring in the necessary reinforcements. Not one of their off-season acquisitions has moved the needle in any appreciable manner; Xavi Simons doesn’t really count as he was already at Red Bull Arena on loan from Paris Saint-Germain last season and has returned under the same terms. As has been mentioned, shoring up the defense needs to be a priority. It might also be worthwhile for Leipzig to pursue signing a central midfielder - another position where they currently lack a player who’s been performing at the level needed for them to give them that push which will help them take a step closer to ending their slump.

By no means is RB Leipzig’s season a done deal; there’s more than enough time for them to turn it around. However, they have to use the mid-season break as an opportunity to regroup and recalibrate while also getting the best out of the January transfer window. It’s a near certainty that the first month or so after the interval will make or break Leipzig’s season.

The Weekly Take, Issue 340: Seemingly Back on Track

Despite still being top of La Liga, Barcelona’s form over the past month heading into their Champions League match against Borussia Dortmund had been rather shaky. Of Barça’s six most recent matches in all competitions, the Blaugrana emerged victorious in just two of them. Barça also saw their lead atop La Liga slashed by a three-match winless streak which saw them lose to Real Sociedad and Las Palmas as well as draw against Celta Vigo.

Although the Catalan club might have again been nowhere near their peak level against Dortmund, they were nevertheless able to leave Signal Iduna Park with all three points following a 3-2 victory over Die Schwarzgelbe. After a goalless first half, Barça broke the deadlock in the 52nd minute after Dani Olmo put Raphinha through on goal; the Brazilian winger duly took full advantage of the opportunity to put Barça ahead. Soon after, Dortmund equalized from the penalty spot after having earned that same penalty.

Ferran Torres put Barça back ahead in the 75th minute, just four minutes after entering the match to replace Robert Lewandowski. However, this lead didn’t last long as just three minutes later, an error by Barça goalkeeper Iñaki Peña set up Guirassy to score his and his team’s second. With just five minutes of regulation time remaining, Torres finished off a counter-attack off a Dortmund corner to clinch the win and ensure that Barça would remain three points behind league phase leaders Liverpool, who are yet to drop a point after six of the eight league phase matchdays.

Among the talking points following the match, one of them has to be about the abundance of weapons up front that Barça have at their disposal. This is a front four that could contain any combination of Lamine Yamal, Lewandowski, Torres, Olmo, and Raphinha; there’s a case to be made that it’s the most stacked attacking line in world football right now. The stats seem to back up such a claim: with 50 goals scored in the league thus far, Barça rank second in average league goals per game among all clubs in Europe’s four major leagues only behind Bayern Munich - who have played four fewer matches.

The potency of Barça’s offense was clearly on display against Dortmund with the German club’s defense often having no answer for Barça, especially in the second half. Even prior to that, though they weren’t quite able to make it onto the scoresheet until after the break, Barça had been creating the majority of the goalscoring chances in the first half and applying much pressure - as such, it came as little surprise when they did score the opening goal early in the second half.

It’s also worth noting that Torres entered the match as part of a triple substitution alongside Fermín López and Frenkie de Jong; the trio replaced Raphinha who had suffered an injury, Lewandowski who’d had a dismal showing, and Olmo who was taken off to enable Barça head coach Hansi Flick to better adjust his tactical approach.

Having most recently been at the helm of a then-struggling German national team, Flick’s arrival at Camp Nou was initially questioned by some. However, so far he seems to have proven that his ill-fated stint at the helm of Die Mannschaft was an aberration; in this match as well as the vast majority of Barça’s this season so far, Flick’s tactics and setup have been on point.

However, one area which might very well be cause for concern is the defense. Barça’s back five played an error-strewn second half; both goals scored by Dortmund came from errors by Pau Cubarsí and Peña respectively. It’s also potentially worth questioning if, following Marc-André ter Stegen’s torn patellar tendon which will keep him out of action for the rest of the season, Peña really does have what it takes to be the starting goalkeeper of a La Liga-winning team.

While on the surface it does appear that Barcelona have managed to get things rolling again, there’s still more than half a season to be played. That being said, on the whole they’ve shown that they not only have more than a slight chance of reclaiming their La Liga title; they might even go all the way in the Champions League and claim the biggest prize in European club football for the first time in a decade.

The Weekly Take, Issue 339: The Man Behind a Stunning Turnaround

The recent London derby which saw Tottenham host Chelsea featured a pair of clubs entering the match in sharply contrasting situations. Tottenham had been struggling all season long and another loss would not only leave Spurs in the bottom half of the league; it would also push head coach Ange Postecoglou a step closer to his potential firing.

Chelsea, on the other hand, have overcome a slow start under Postecoglou’s opposite number Enzo Maresca and slowly but surely climbed up the league table into second place. A victory against their crosstown rivals would have seen the Blues cut the deficit to league leaders Liverpool to just four points and keep their admittedly slim league title hopes alive.

Chelsea emerged from the derby on top, squeaking out a 4-3 win after having come back from two goals behind. Dominic Solanke and Dejan Kulusevski scored Tottenham’s first two goals within a six-minute span, putting the North Londoners 2-0 ahead after just 11 minutes. However, shortly after that, Jadon Sancho pulled one back for Chelsea.

Just before half-time, Pape Matar Sarr’s header struck the crossbar; as such, Tottenham squandered an opportunity to restore their two-goal lead. Chelsea would soon make them rue that miss after the break when Cole Palmer scored a penalty after Yves Bissouma needlessly fouled Moisés Caicedo in the box. Enzo Fernández would later put Chelsea in front before Palmer sealed the win in spectacular style, scoring with a Panenka after having been brought down in the penalty area by Sarr. Son Heung-min did pull a goal back for Spurs in stoppage time, but it was too late by then.

Chelsea have seen quite the turnaround this season following the firing of Mauricio Pochettino and his subsequent replacement by Maresca during the off-season. At first, many did have their doubts because Maresca’s only notable achievement as a coach to that point had been taking Leicester City to promotion from the Championship—something which most had expected the Foxes to have achieved with or without Maresca. Additionally, Chelsea had seen a clear improvement in the second half of last season, making Pochettino’s firing a confusing one to many Chelsea fans and outside observers alike.

However, after a shaky start, Maresca has clearly proven that he has what it takes to go toe-to-toe with the best that the Premier League has to offer. Perhaps his most notable accomplishment thus far has been reviving the career of Jadon Sancho. Once touted as England’s next phenom as a youngster at Borussia Dortmund, Sancho’s career went on to stall upon his move to Manchester United. Now, though, Sancho looks like a player reborn under Maresca. He’s finally showing signs of living up to the potential he showed way back then; a full-time signing is likely while a return to England’s national team - maybe even as a regular - isn’t even out of the question anymore.

Ever since Maresca has taken over, Palmer has ascended to a new level. There’s a strong case to be made that the Manchester-born midfielder is now among the top 10 players on the planet. As great a player Palmer already was, Maresca has improved upon the setup that Pochettino had in place to better maximize Palmer’s strengths, giving him all the freedom he needs to almost single-handedly run the show if need be - such as against Spurs when Palmer turned in yet another dominant performance; he’s likely the favorite to win the Premier League Player of the Season award as of right now.

Finally, Maresca’s tactical setups have been on point throughout the season. Against Spurs, this was clearly shown via substitutions such as midfielder Romeo Lavia for full-back Malo Gusto as well as adjustments like moving Fernández to defensive midfielder as well as a “pocket strat” that countered Spurs perfectly - shifting Marc Cucurella to central midfield. These tweaks were the foundation of Chelsea’s second-half comeback and their like have been the hallmarks of Maresca’s success this season.

Though the season isn’t even half over yet, the difference between the Chelsea of this season and the Chelsea of the past two has been like night and day. The West Londoners are no longer the laughing stock of the capital - thanks to Maresca, they’ve re-established themselves as a true force and maybe, just maybe, the only club that could unseat Liverpool from the top of the Premier League.