It is only fitting that my last post of 2019 happens to be about the team which has been head and shoulders above every other team in world football this year.
Liverpool's utterly dominant season reached a new high with a 4-0 demolition of Leicester City. Although Roberto Firmino scored two goals, the majority of the plaudits would go to Trent Alexander-Arnold and rightly so - he had perhaps the best match of his career against the Foxes.
However, as great as the Reds have been this season, I honestly believe that they are still underrated by most. This team is making history with every match they win. We are witnessing one of the greatest teams in the history of club football at the peak of their powers.
Liverpool currently hold a 13-point lead over second-placed Leicester in the Premier League as of this post. To make this statistic even more astonishing: only half the season has passed thus far. They will not only win the Premier League but must also be considered the favourites to clinch back-to-back Champions League titles. They seem to be lightyears ahead of not only every other club in England, but also every other club in world football.
This is a team which truly has no real weakness. To put into perspective just how stacked the Merseyside club's current roster is, they have no fewer than six players who are either arguably or unquestionably the best player in the world at their respective positions: Alisson, Virgil van Dijk, Alexander-Arnold, Andrew Robertson, Sadio Mané, and Mo Salah. Furthermore, Alisson and van Dijk are genuine Ballon d'Or contenders.
Of course, there cannot be any doubt that the person who has been most responsible for Liverpool's incredible success has been head coach Jürgen Klopp. Klopp has not only clearly established himself as the world's best coach today, but also one of the greatest coaches of all time. Of the players whom I mentioned in the previous paragraph, not one of them was regarded as a superstar when they were first signed by Liverpool. Much of their development as players has been because of Klopp. Klopp's tactics have also been on another level compared to every other coach. This Liverpool team employs his "Gegenpressing" strategy to its greatest extent; no other team seems to have an answer for this tactic because of the combination of Klopp's tactical genius and Liverpool's current personnel.
Liverpool's front office and scouting department also deserve an immense amount of credit. Not only has every bit of money spent on transfers been put to good use, but they have even been able to unearth many a future mainstay of the team through pickups from less heralded clubs such as Red Bull Salzburg, Newcastle United, Hull City, and perhaps most notably of all, Southampton. It is rare that a club actually gets better after selling their best player, but so well have Liverpool run the club and used the excess money in the wake of Philippe Coutinho's departure to Barcelona that such has proven to be the case.
Due to all of the factors which have been mentioned, Liverpool are now in such a position which sees them hold such a lead in the league that during weeks in which they have matches in both the league and Champions League, they could (and should) rest their starters in the league match to keep them fresh for the Champions League - realistically, they will not lose five more league matches than their closest rivals. This therefore would put Liverpool in prime position to clinch a Premier League and Champions League double.
There is a very real possibility that as soon as the end of this season, this current Liverpool team will be regarded as the greatest team in the history of English club football and one of the all-time greats. A successful Champions League title defense would undoubtedly seal their place as the greatest team to ever come out of England.
Decades from now, Liverpool fans will surely wax lyrical about this current Liverpool team - perhaps while standing in front of the Jürgen Klopp statue at the corner of the newly-renamed van Dijk and Salah Streets just outside Anfield.
Saturday, December 28, 2019
Friday, December 20, 2019
The Weekly Take, Issue 94: The Exact Opposite of a Coaching Masterclass
The rivalry between Barcelona and Real Madrid is the most storied in world football. Therefore, El Clásico matches are almost always hotly-contested affairs with many notable points to be mentioned.
Therefore, it was rather surprising that the latest edition of this iconic fixture ended in a 0-0 draw. Openings for goalscoring chances did not come easily for either team; this fact was reflected in the scoreline.
Undoubtedly, it would have been Real who would have been the more satisfied of the two teams at the end of the match. Player for player, Barça are clearly superior to Real; on paper, apart from perhaps goalkeeper, there is no position in which Real would seem to have the edge over their Catalan rivals.
If anyone wonders why the Blaugrana were unable to parlay their clear advantage in ability into a victory, the person who has to be blamed is clearly head coach Ernesto Valverde.
Valverde was completely outcoached and outstrategized by his opposite number Zinedine Zidane. His tactical setup and general strategy almost completely prevented players such as Lionel Messi, Luis Suárez, and Frenkie de Jong from having the opportunities which they would have needed in order to have influenced the outcome of the match in Barça's favour.
Another key mistake made by Valverde was his decision to start Ivan Rakitić at defensive midfielder to replace the unwell Sergio Busquets instead of Arturo Vidal. The Croatian was obviously overmatched in a role with which he was clearly unfamiliar. Real's attacking midfield trio of Toni Kroos, Federico Valverde, and Isco carved Barça's midfield up at will; this superiority was reflected in the fact that Real managed 17 shots to Barça's nine. Only poor performances up front, especially from Karim Benzema and Gareth Bale, prevented Real from claiming all three points. As a natural defensive midfielder, Vidal would have ensured that Real would not have dominated the midfield battle in the way that they did.
The number of Barça fans who have been calling for the firing of Valverde has increased in recent weeks; such calls have only become louder and more fervent after this match. Many have claimed that the only reason that Valverde is still the head coach at Camp Nou is the sustained excellence of Messi and his supporting cast, and this latest result will only have bolstered the claims of the Basque coach's detractors.
The way that Barça's 2018-19 Champions League campaign ended certainly does not help Valverde's cause. Although Barça held a 3-0 lead heading into the second leg of their Champions League semifinal against Liverpool, a shocking collapse by Barça saw the Reds overturn this deficit, winning 4-0 and advancing to the final. Liverpool would go on to win the tournament. Due to the tactical ineptitude which Valverde displayed throughout the second leg, one could easily make the claim that Valverde cost Barça a Champions League title.
Barça's initial hiring of Valverde in 2017 was also a rather baffling decision. At that point, he had almost no coaching pedigree whatsoever. He had never won a title in a country with a major football league. Apart from three league and two cup titles in Greece from his time at the helm of Olympiacos, Valverde had no achievements of note at the time.
If Barça are to seriously challenge for the Champions League title this season, it is almost certain that they will have to make a change in the dugout. It has become increasingly evident that the critics are right - Valverde is simply not good enough a coach to lead Barça to their sixth continental title.
A coaching change would not only benefit Barça now, but in the future as well; Messi is not getting any younger and this team has to prepare for a future without the Argentine legend. Hiring a coach who is more able to elevate Barça to a level beyond that which Valverde has displayed would be an important step to place the club in good stead for the coming years.
At some point, Barcelona's front office must recognize that with Valverde in charge, another Champions League victory will almost certainly not come. If ever there were a time to pull the plug, it is now.
Therefore, it was rather surprising that the latest edition of this iconic fixture ended in a 0-0 draw. Openings for goalscoring chances did not come easily for either team; this fact was reflected in the scoreline.
Undoubtedly, it would have been Real who would have been the more satisfied of the two teams at the end of the match. Player for player, Barça are clearly superior to Real; on paper, apart from perhaps goalkeeper, there is no position in which Real would seem to have the edge over their Catalan rivals.
If anyone wonders why the Blaugrana were unable to parlay their clear advantage in ability into a victory, the person who has to be blamed is clearly head coach Ernesto Valverde.
Valverde was completely outcoached and outstrategized by his opposite number Zinedine Zidane. His tactical setup and general strategy almost completely prevented players such as Lionel Messi, Luis Suárez, and Frenkie de Jong from having the opportunities which they would have needed in order to have influenced the outcome of the match in Barça's favour.
Another key mistake made by Valverde was his decision to start Ivan Rakitić at defensive midfielder to replace the unwell Sergio Busquets instead of Arturo Vidal. The Croatian was obviously overmatched in a role with which he was clearly unfamiliar. Real's attacking midfield trio of Toni Kroos, Federico Valverde, and Isco carved Barça's midfield up at will; this superiority was reflected in the fact that Real managed 17 shots to Barça's nine. Only poor performances up front, especially from Karim Benzema and Gareth Bale, prevented Real from claiming all three points. As a natural defensive midfielder, Vidal would have ensured that Real would not have dominated the midfield battle in the way that they did.
The number of Barça fans who have been calling for the firing of Valverde has increased in recent weeks; such calls have only become louder and more fervent after this match. Many have claimed that the only reason that Valverde is still the head coach at Camp Nou is the sustained excellence of Messi and his supporting cast, and this latest result will only have bolstered the claims of the Basque coach's detractors.
The way that Barça's 2018-19 Champions League campaign ended certainly does not help Valverde's cause. Although Barça held a 3-0 lead heading into the second leg of their Champions League semifinal against Liverpool, a shocking collapse by Barça saw the Reds overturn this deficit, winning 4-0 and advancing to the final. Liverpool would go on to win the tournament. Due to the tactical ineptitude which Valverde displayed throughout the second leg, one could easily make the claim that Valverde cost Barça a Champions League title.
Barça's initial hiring of Valverde in 2017 was also a rather baffling decision. At that point, he had almost no coaching pedigree whatsoever. He had never won a title in a country with a major football league. Apart from three league and two cup titles in Greece from his time at the helm of Olympiacos, Valverde had no achievements of note at the time.
If Barça are to seriously challenge for the Champions League title this season, it is almost certain that they will have to make a change in the dugout. It has become increasingly evident that the critics are right - Valverde is simply not good enough a coach to lead Barça to their sixth continental title.
A coaching change would not only benefit Barça now, but in the future as well; Messi is not getting any younger and this team has to prepare for a future without the Argentine legend. Hiring a coach who is more able to elevate Barça to a level beyond that which Valverde has displayed would be an important step to place the club in good stead for the coming years.
At some point, Barcelona's front office must recognize that with Valverde in charge, another Champions League victory will almost certainly not come. If ever there were a time to pull the plug, it is now.
Thursday, December 12, 2019
The Weekly Take, Issue 93: Back to the Drawing Board
It has been an eventful past year for Ajax.
From February to April 2019, the Amsterdam club embarked on an astonishing underdog run to the Champions League semifinals. They knocked out Real Madrid and Juventus along the way and were merely seconds away from a spot in the final before a stoppage-time Lucas Moura goal put Tottenham Hotspur in the final at Ajax's expense.
This unexpected success increased the level of interest by several major clubs in Ajax's players, so it was no surprise when their two best players in Frenkie de Jong and Matthijs de Ligt left the Dutch capital for Barcelona and Juve respectively. However, although the situation appeared somewhat grim for Ajax after these two departures, they were handed an unexpected lifeline by being drawn into a Champions League group which one would probably have expected them to top. They were to play against a Valencia team which would soon fire head coach Marcelino for seemingly no reason at all, a Chelsea team in complete disarray, and a Lille team to whom Ajax were clearly superior.
Yet, as this post is being written, Ajax have just been knocked out of the Champions League at the first hurdle. A 1-0 loss to Valencia eliminated the reigning Eredivisie champions from the tournament, with Rodrigo scoring the only goal of the match.
Considering what they were able to achieve during last season's campaign, Ajax's performance in this season's Champions League can be deemed an underachievement, especially when one considers the fact that they were drawn into one of the tournament's easiest groups. This is exacerbated by the relative star power of their team; it would not be a stretch to suggest that among the 10 best players in Group H, six or seven of them play for Ajax. Dušan Tadić, Hakim Ziyech, André Onana, Nicolás Tagliafico, Donny van de Beek, Daley Blind, and arguably Quincy Promes are on paper better than any of Valencia's or Lille's players as well as all of Chelsea's apart from N'Golo Kanté, Christian Pulisic, and Tammy Abraham. Thus, while regression to the mean may have been a factor to be considered, it does not wholly explain their failure to qualify for the round of 16.
During the past off-season, Ajax should certainly have done more with the enormous sums of money which they received from the sales of de Jong and de Ligt. Both were signed by their new clubs for €75 million each. Despite this infusion of revenue, the most expensive signing made by Ajax during the 2019 off-season was that of Promes from Sevilla, who was signed for €15.7 million.
While it is certainly true that Ajax is today a far cry from the powerhouse it once was, the club showed a lack of ambition in the transfer market. The €150 million received by the club from the two major sales should have been put to use. It is understandable that not many top players would want to play in a major league such as the Eredivisie; however, that doesn't excuse the fact that Ajax did not even try to search for ample replacements for their two departed young stars. They could easily have gone after a player such as Leon Goretzka, Sergej Milinković-Savić, or Fabián Ruiz to replace de Jong. De Ligt, meanwhile, could have been succeeded by a centre-back such as Milan Škriniar, Alessio Romagnoli, or Ibrahima Konaté. Instead, Ajax chose to mostly stand pat, and paid for this decision through their early Champions League exit.
However, all is not yet lost at the Johan Cruyff Arena. The January transfer window is approaching, and this represents another opportunity for Ajax to use the money which they now have in order to bring in reinforcements and reload for next season's Champions League campaign; much like Paris Saint-Germain, the relative weakness of their domestic league means that Ajax are far too good to merely target a domestic league title.
Several teams in the past have made one deep Champions League run only to never again do anything significant on Europe's biggest stage with the same core group of players. It is possible for Ajax to avoid such a fate; however, it is likely that they will only be able to do so through heavy but intelligent expenditures on high-quality players.
From February to April 2019, the Amsterdam club embarked on an astonishing underdog run to the Champions League semifinals. They knocked out Real Madrid and Juventus along the way and were merely seconds away from a spot in the final before a stoppage-time Lucas Moura goal put Tottenham Hotspur in the final at Ajax's expense.
This unexpected success increased the level of interest by several major clubs in Ajax's players, so it was no surprise when their two best players in Frenkie de Jong and Matthijs de Ligt left the Dutch capital for Barcelona and Juve respectively. However, although the situation appeared somewhat grim for Ajax after these two departures, they were handed an unexpected lifeline by being drawn into a Champions League group which one would probably have expected them to top. They were to play against a Valencia team which would soon fire head coach Marcelino for seemingly no reason at all, a Chelsea team in complete disarray, and a Lille team to whom Ajax were clearly superior.
Yet, as this post is being written, Ajax have just been knocked out of the Champions League at the first hurdle. A 1-0 loss to Valencia eliminated the reigning Eredivisie champions from the tournament, with Rodrigo scoring the only goal of the match.
Considering what they were able to achieve during last season's campaign, Ajax's performance in this season's Champions League can be deemed an underachievement, especially when one considers the fact that they were drawn into one of the tournament's easiest groups. This is exacerbated by the relative star power of their team; it would not be a stretch to suggest that among the 10 best players in Group H, six or seven of them play for Ajax. Dušan Tadić, Hakim Ziyech, André Onana, Nicolás Tagliafico, Donny van de Beek, Daley Blind, and arguably Quincy Promes are on paper better than any of Valencia's or Lille's players as well as all of Chelsea's apart from N'Golo Kanté, Christian Pulisic, and Tammy Abraham. Thus, while regression to the mean may have been a factor to be considered, it does not wholly explain their failure to qualify for the round of 16.
During the past off-season, Ajax should certainly have done more with the enormous sums of money which they received from the sales of de Jong and de Ligt. Both were signed by their new clubs for €75 million each. Despite this infusion of revenue, the most expensive signing made by Ajax during the 2019 off-season was that of Promes from Sevilla, who was signed for €15.7 million.
While it is certainly true that Ajax is today a far cry from the powerhouse it once was, the club showed a lack of ambition in the transfer market. The €150 million received by the club from the two major sales should have been put to use. It is understandable that not many top players would want to play in a major league such as the Eredivisie; however, that doesn't excuse the fact that Ajax did not even try to search for ample replacements for their two departed young stars. They could easily have gone after a player such as Leon Goretzka, Sergej Milinković-Savić, or Fabián Ruiz to replace de Jong. De Ligt, meanwhile, could have been succeeded by a centre-back such as Milan Škriniar, Alessio Romagnoli, or Ibrahima Konaté. Instead, Ajax chose to mostly stand pat, and paid for this decision through their early Champions League exit.
However, all is not yet lost at the Johan Cruyff Arena. The January transfer window is approaching, and this represents another opportunity for Ajax to use the money which they now have in order to bring in reinforcements and reload for next season's Champions League campaign; much like Paris Saint-Germain, the relative weakness of their domestic league means that Ajax are far too good to merely target a domestic league title.
Several teams in the past have made one deep Champions League run only to never again do anything significant on Europe's biggest stage with the same core group of players. It is possible for Ajax to avoid such a fate; however, it is likely that they will only be able to do so through heavy but intelligent expenditures on high-quality players.
Sunday, December 8, 2019
The Weekly Take, Issue 92: Breaking a 42-Year Drought
For the last seven years, Bayern Munich have had a stranglehold over the Bundesliga title. The Bavarian club have won the league title every year since 2013; thus, at the start of this season, most expected Bayern to make it eight in a row.
However, as things stands right now, it is not only plausible but actually likely that Bayern do not win the Bundesliga title this season. This fact was highlighted by their 2-1 loss to league leaders Borussia Mönchengladbach. A stoppage-time penalty scored by Ramy Bensaibini, his second goal of the match, clinched the victory for Die Fohlen. The win also helped Gladbach retain their one-point lead over RB Leipzig in their pursuit of a first league title since 1977, when they had a team containing players such as Allan Simonsen, Uli Stielike, Berti Vogts, and Jupp Heynckes.
Almost nobody could have foreseen the excellent season which the club from northwestern Germany have had thus far. They finished fifth in last season's Bundesliga, 23 points behind Bayern, and thus failed to qualify for this season's Champions League. Furthermore, they did not bring in any major signings during the past off-season and spent relatively modest amounts to bring players to the club. They even lost their best player when they sold Thorgan Hazard to Borussia Dortmund for €25.5 million.
These facts make one wonder: just how have Gladbach done it?
The most obvious reason has to be the coaching change made during the off-season. Dieter Hecking, who had been Gladbach's head coach since 2016, did not have his contract renewed and was replaced by Marco Rose. Although Hecking is an experienced coach, he was never able to bring the tactical nous and dynamism with which Rose has been able to infuse the team. Rose has already established himself as probably the best or second-best coach in the Bundesliga, depending on how one ranks Leipzig's Julian Nagelsmann.
The aforementioned new signings have also exceeded expectations. Marcus Thuram has begun to come out of the shadow of his father Lilian, one of the greatest defenders of all time. Unlike his father, however, Marcus plays up front and is having a breakout season. Prior to this season, the Frenchman had never before played in a major league and had scored just 12 career league goals. In just 13 league matches for Gladbach this season, though, he already has six.
Stefan Lainer is another of Gladbach's new signings who deserves a mention. He was brought to the club by Rose who already knew of him because he had played under Rose's coaching at Red Bull Salzburg. The Austrian right-back had not been on most teams' radars when he was signed during the off-season. Since then, though, Lainer has made teams across the Bundesliga and beyond take notice of him with a series of impressive performances. He too is in the midst of the best season of his career to date.
The impressive performances of Gladbach's new recruits have been augmented by equally notable displays from their veteran stalwarts such as Oscar Wendt, Christoph Kramer, and Yann Sommer. Not many expected these players to have been playing at their current level this season; although most knew that they were all solid and capable players, the level at which they have played during this season has greatly surpassed expectations.
Now, I won't get myself carried away with my praise of Gladbach. Though they have been extremely impressive thus far, I do not believe that they will win the league. At the moment, I consider Leipzig to be the favourites to win their first league title in their club's history. This is because player for player, the club from Saxony are superior to Gladbach. Nagelsmann is also probably the best coach in the Bundesliga; although Rose has been impressive thus far, Nagelsmann has also accumulated the big-match experience which Rose has not. Leipzig also have a larger budget than do Gladbach; thus, they can outspend Gladbach during the upcoming January transfer window and therefore bring in higher-quality players.
That being said, no credit should be taken away from Gladbach. They have exceeded everyone's expectations for them by a long way this season, and a first Bundesliga title in 42 years would prove to be a remarkable end to what is turning out to be the club's best season in decades.
However, as things stands right now, it is not only plausible but actually likely that Bayern do not win the Bundesliga title this season. This fact was highlighted by their 2-1 loss to league leaders Borussia Mönchengladbach. A stoppage-time penalty scored by Ramy Bensaibini, his second goal of the match, clinched the victory for Die Fohlen. The win also helped Gladbach retain their one-point lead over RB Leipzig in their pursuit of a first league title since 1977, when they had a team containing players such as Allan Simonsen, Uli Stielike, Berti Vogts, and Jupp Heynckes.
Almost nobody could have foreseen the excellent season which the club from northwestern Germany have had thus far. They finished fifth in last season's Bundesliga, 23 points behind Bayern, and thus failed to qualify for this season's Champions League. Furthermore, they did not bring in any major signings during the past off-season and spent relatively modest amounts to bring players to the club. They even lost their best player when they sold Thorgan Hazard to Borussia Dortmund for €25.5 million.
These facts make one wonder: just how have Gladbach done it?
The most obvious reason has to be the coaching change made during the off-season. Dieter Hecking, who had been Gladbach's head coach since 2016, did not have his contract renewed and was replaced by Marco Rose. Although Hecking is an experienced coach, he was never able to bring the tactical nous and dynamism with which Rose has been able to infuse the team. Rose has already established himself as probably the best or second-best coach in the Bundesliga, depending on how one ranks Leipzig's Julian Nagelsmann.
The aforementioned new signings have also exceeded expectations. Marcus Thuram has begun to come out of the shadow of his father Lilian, one of the greatest defenders of all time. Unlike his father, however, Marcus plays up front and is having a breakout season. Prior to this season, the Frenchman had never before played in a major league and had scored just 12 career league goals. In just 13 league matches for Gladbach this season, though, he already has six.
Stefan Lainer is another of Gladbach's new signings who deserves a mention. He was brought to the club by Rose who already knew of him because he had played under Rose's coaching at Red Bull Salzburg. The Austrian right-back had not been on most teams' radars when he was signed during the off-season. Since then, though, Lainer has made teams across the Bundesliga and beyond take notice of him with a series of impressive performances. He too is in the midst of the best season of his career to date.
The impressive performances of Gladbach's new recruits have been augmented by equally notable displays from their veteran stalwarts such as Oscar Wendt, Christoph Kramer, and Yann Sommer. Not many expected these players to have been playing at their current level this season; although most knew that they were all solid and capable players, the level at which they have played during this season has greatly surpassed expectations.
Now, I won't get myself carried away with my praise of Gladbach. Though they have been extremely impressive thus far, I do not believe that they will win the league. At the moment, I consider Leipzig to be the favourites to win their first league title in their club's history. This is because player for player, the club from Saxony are superior to Gladbach. Nagelsmann is also probably the best coach in the Bundesliga; although Rose has been impressive thus far, Nagelsmann has also accumulated the big-match experience which Rose has not. Leipzig also have a larger budget than do Gladbach; thus, they can outspend Gladbach during the upcoming January transfer window and therefore bring in higher-quality players.
That being said, no credit should be taken away from Gladbach. They have exceeded everyone's expectations for them by a long way this season, and a first Bundesliga title in 42 years would prove to be a remarkable end to what is turning out to be the club's best season in decades.
Thursday, November 28, 2019
The Weekly Take, Issue 91: How the Mighty Have Fallen
The most recent Champions League matchday was highlighted by a match between Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain in what was expected to be a hotly-contested clash between two of the tournament's powerhouses.
The match did not disappoint as both teams would split the points in a 2-2 draw. However, what was notable about this result was the fact that PSG were two goals behind after 79 minutes, but staged an unlikely comeback to claim a point. Pablo Sarabia scored the Paris club's equalizer against his former team.
This would never have happened to Real Madrid during their dynastic era spanning from 2013 to 2018. I have mentioned before that I consider the Real team of that era to be the greatest team in the history of club football. Part of what made that team great was the aura of intimidation which surrounded them - it sometimes felt like the opposing team was a goal behind before the match would even begin.
Therefore, this latest result thus serves as evidence that this psychological edge has vanished; it began to disappear after they crashed out of the Champions League in the round of 16 against Ajax last season and has only continued to dissipate since. Not even the hiring of Zinedine Zidane, who had coached Real to three consecutive Champions League titles, to his second stint as Real's head coach could reverse the trend. Real would go on to finish third in La Liga. They would end up a whopping 19 points behind arch-rivals Barcelona, who won the league title. Barça also knocked Real out of the Copa del Rey during its semifinals.
Real spent a massive amount of money on player signings during the past offseason. Los Merengues shelled out €258 million to sign players such as Ferland Mendy, Luka Jović, Éder Militão, and most significantly of all, Eden Hazard. These new signings were expected to breathe new life into a team which had seen its share of struggles during the previous season. However, thus far none of them, not even Hazard, have been able to make significant positive contributions to Real's success. A recent controversial incident that called Gareth Bale's commitment to the club into question has also served to destabilize the team.
Real's performance against PSG could in a way have been considered to be a microcosm of their season so far as a whole. Only Hazard and Karim Benzema played at the level at which they were expected to play. Players such as Casemiro, Toni Kroos, Thibaut Courtois, and Raphaël Varane underperformed throughout.
Real's next sequence of matches leading up to the January transfer window will be of utmost importance. This is because when one considers the club's massive outlay during the off-season, it is not likely that they will again spend large sums of money during the next transfer window. Thus, if Real find themselves in an even more difficult position at the end of December, their odds of winning any titles this season will not be good. For this reason, the upcoming "El Clásico" against Barça will take on even more importance than such matches between the two rivals usually would. Lose that match, and Real could find themselves on the fast track to another season which will end with them finishing empty-handed.
Not many would have expected Real's dynasty to have ended as abruptly as it did. Since then, the club has been attempting to rebuild and re-establish itself as a leading contender for yet another Champions League title. Their multiple big-money, eye-catching signings clearly indicated their intent to do so, but things have not quite gone according to plan at the Bernabéu this season. Although Real had been expected to experience a period of transition throughout this season, most nevertheless expected them to have played at a higher level than that at which they have generally been playing.
Now, it's not as though everything is bleak for Real right now. They are second in La Liga and will likely go top if they win El Clásico. They have also advanced to the Champions League's round of 16 after finishing second in their group behind PSG. However, all things considered, one would certainly have expected better from a club of Real Madrid's stature; right now, it does not seem likely that a fifth Champions League title in seven years will be arriving.
The match did not disappoint as both teams would split the points in a 2-2 draw. However, what was notable about this result was the fact that PSG were two goals behind after 79 minutes, but staged an unlikely comeback to claim a point. Pablo Sarabia scored the Paris club's equalizer against his former team.
This would never have happened to Real Madrid during their dynastic era spanning from 2013 to 2018. I have mentioned before that I consider the Real team of that era to be the greatest team in the history of club football. Part of what made that team great was the aura of intimidation which surrounded them - it sometimes felt like the opposing team was a goal behind before the match would even begin.
Therefore, this latest result thus serves as evidence that this psychological edge has vanished; it began to disappear after they crashed out of the Champions League in the round of 16 against Ajax last season and has only continued to dissipate since. Not even the hiring of Zinedine Zidane, who had coached Real to three consecutive Champions League titles, to his second stint as Real's head coach could reverse the trend. Real would go on to finish third in La Liga. They would end up a whopping 19 points behind arch-rivals Barcelona, who won the league title. Barça also knocked Real out of the Copa del Rey during its semifinals.
Real spent a massive amount of money on player signings during the past offseason. Los Merengues shelled out €258 million to sign players such as Ferland Mendy, Luka Jović, Éder Militão, and most significantly of all, Eden Hazard. These new signings were expected to breathe new life into a team which had seen its share of struggles during the previous season. However, thus far none of them, not even Hazard, have been able to make significant positive contributions to Real's success. A recent controversial incident that called Gareth Bale's commitment to the club into question has also served to destabilize the team.
Real's performance against PSG could in a way have been considered to be a microcosm of their season so far as a whole. Only Hazard and Karim Benzema played at the level at which they were expected to play. Players such as Casemiro, Toni Kroos, Thibaut Courtois, and Raphaël Varane underperformed throughout.
Real's next sequence of matches leading up to the January transfer window will be of utmost importance. This is because when one considers the club's massive outlay during the off-season, it is not likely that they will again spend large sums of money during the next transfer window. Thus, if Real find themselves in an even more difficult position at the end of December, their odds of winning any titles this season will not be good. For this reason, the upcoming "El Clásico" against Barça will take on even more importance than such matches between the two rivals usually would. Lose that match, and Real could find themselves on the fast track to another season which will end with them finishing empty-handed.
Not many would have expected Real's dynasty to have ended as abruptly as it did. Since then, the club has been attempting to rebuild and re-establish itself as a leading contender for yet another Champions League title. Their multiple big-money, eye-catching signings clearly indicated their intent to do so, but things have not quite gone according to plan at the Bernabéu this season. Although Real had been expected to experience a period of transition throughout this season, most nevertheless expected them to have played at a higher level than that at which they have generally been playing.
Now, it's not as though everything is bleak for Real right now. They are second in La Liga and will likely go top if they win El Clásico. They have also advanced to the Champions League's round of 16 after finishing second in their group behind PSG. However, all things considered, one would certainly have expected better from a club of Real Madrid's stature; right now, it does not seem likely that a fifth Champions League title in seven years will be arriving.
Thursday, November 21, 2019
The Weekly Take, Issue 90: As Far As They Could Have Gone
In a stunning turn of events, Tottenham Hotspur made a coaching change which not many could have seen coming. Mauricio Pochettino, who had been Spurs' head coach for over five years, was fired and replaced by José Mourinho after a recent run of form which had seen the London club fall to 14th place in the Premier League while also being knocked out of the Carabao Cup by Colchester. Their only saving grace had been their expected progress to the Champions League's round of 16; even so, they will do so as the second-placed team in Group B, thus forcing them to play against a first-place team in the next round.
On the whole, I will say that Pochettino did an excellent job during his stint in North London. He led Tottenham to a second-place Premier League finish in the 2016-17 season and, even more impressively, took them to the final of last season's Champions League where they lost to Liverpool. The Argentine also played an important role in turning Harry Kane into a bona fide superstar while also surrounding him with several solid supporting pieces such as Son Heung-min, Lucas Moura, Toby Alderweireld, and Dele Alli.
However, I will also say that firing Pochettino at this time was a difficult call, but the right one by Tottenham's front office. This is because Pochettino had seemed to have reached his limit; he had extracted everything he possibly could have out of this Tottenham team. If Tottenham were to reach the next level and win the Premier League or even Champions League any time soon, a change had to be made; one must keep in mind that Tottenham's run to last season's Champions League final was a genuine underdog story and wholly unexpected. Thus, it would have been unlikely to be repeated with Pochettino at the helm.
That said, I do not believe Pochettino will be out of a job for long; his time at Tottenham showed that he is an excellent option for any team which would like to turn an average team into a good team. However, he just isn't cut out to turn a good team into a great team. That's not necessarily a major knock on him - there are many coaches who have made solid coaching careers out of improving otherwise average teams. However, now that he has elevated Tottenham beyond that level, the expectations around the team have changed and he simply isn't the coach who could be the one to make Tottenham one of the football world's elite.
Many Tottenham fans have expressed apprehension over the hiring of Mourinho. This is understandable in light of his most recent coaching stint: a tumultous tenure spanning two-and-a-half years at Manchester United. However, if there was ever a coach who knows what it takes to win and how to turn a team which is merely a good team into one of the world's best football teams, it is Mourinho. At almost every club he has coached, he has led the club to overachievement; one could even argue that his Manchester United team, despite the circumstances of his departure, outperformed expectations by winning a Carabao Cup and a Europa League while also finishing second in the league in spite of their relatively limited financial capabilities when compared to those of many other teams.
It cannot be denied that Pochettino has laid the foundations for the future success of Tottenham Hotspur. That said, the time was right for the baton to be passed; nevertheless, any success experienced by Mourinho or any other Tottenham coach in the near future will have largely been derived from Pochettino's efforts to being Tottenham to the level at which they currently are. However, sometimes risks have to be taken; in this case, the only way for Tottenham to become a perennial title contender in the league and in Europe was by moving on from the former Espanyol and Southampton coach.
Tottenham have not won the league since 1961 and have never won the Champions League. This is a club and a fanbase which is desperate for silverware. Although Tottenham fans will look back on the Pochettino years with many fond memories, in due time many of these fans will come to realize that he would never have been the one who would have led Tottenham to have broken either of these droughts.
On the whole, I will say that Pochettino did an excellent job during his stint in North London. He led Tottenham to a second-place Premier League finish in the 2016-17 season and, even more impressively, took them to the final of last season's Champions League where they lost to Liverpool. The Argentine also played an important role in turning Harry Kane into a bona fide superstar while also surrounding him with several solid supporting pieces such as Son Heung-min, Lucas Moura, Toby Alderweireld, and Dele Alli.
However, I will also say that firing Pochettino at this time was a difficult call, but the right one by Tottenham's front office. This is because Pochettino had seemed to have reached his limit; he had extracted everything he possibly could have out of this Tottenham team. If Tottenham were to reach the next level and win the Premier League or even Champions League any time soon, a change had to be made; one must keep in mind that Tottenham's run to last season's Champions League final was a genuine underdog story and wholly unexpected. Thus, it would have been unlikely to be repeated with Pochettino at the helm.
That said, I do not believe Pochettino will be out of a job for long; his time at Tottenham showed that he is an excellent option for any team which would like to turn an average team into a good team. However, he just isn't cut out to turn a good team into a great team. That's not necessarily a major knock on him - there are many coaches who have made solid coaching careers out of improving otherwise average teams. However, now that he has elevated Tottenham beyond that level, the expectations around the team have changed and he simply isn't the coach who could be the one to make Tottenham one of the football world's elite.
Many Tottenham fans have expressed apprehension over the hiring of Mourinho. This is understandable in light of his most recent coaching stint: a tumultous tenure spanning two-and-a-half years at Manchester United. However, if there was ever a coach who knows what it takes to win and how to turn a team which is merely a good team into one of the world's best football teams, it is Mourinho. At almost every club he has coached, he has led the club to overachievement; one could even argue that his Manchester United team, despite the circumstances of his departure, outperformed expectations by winning a Carabao Cup and a Europa League while also finishing second in the league in spite of their relatively limited financial capabilities when compared to those of many other teams.
It cannot be denied that Pochettino has laid the foundations for the future success of Tottenham Hotspur. That said, the time was right for the baton to be passed; nevertheless, any success experienced by Mourinho or any other Tottenham coach in the near future will have largely been derived from Pochettino's efforts to being Tottenham to the level at which they currently are. However, sometimes risks have to be taken; in this case, the only way for Tottenham to become a perennial title contender in the league and in Europe was by moving on from the former Espanyol and Southampton coach.
Tottenham have not won the league since 1961 and have never won the Champions League. This is a club and a fanbase which is desperate for silverware. Although Tottenham fans will look back on the Pochettino years with many fond memories, in due time many of these fans will come to realize that he would never have been the one who would have led Tottenham to have broken either of these droughts.
Monday, November 18, 2019
The Weekly Take, Issue 89: Time Is Running Out
As Euro 2020 approaches and the qualifying stage reaches its climax, every team which might still qualify for the tournament will be doing all they can to do so, while those who have already qualified will be attempting to prove why they should be among the contenders to win the title.
One such team which has already qualified is Belgium.
In the latest round of Euro 2020 qualifiers, Belgium registered an impressive 4-1 victory over Russia. Eden Hazard's two first-half goals served as the catalyst for the rather one-sided victory.
However, at this point fans of the Belgian team should be cautious. Ever since they first emerged as a genuine threat to win titles, they have made a habit out of looking extremely impressive in qualifying and the early rounds of tournaments, only to fall apart when the stakes are at their absolute highest.
During the 2014 World Cup, Belgium were drawn into Group H against Russia, South Korea, and Algeria after having cruised through qualifying. As expected, they made it out of the group with absolutely no problems, winning all three matches. Then, in the round of 16, they faced the United States, where they won a hard-fought but rather unimpressive 2-1 extra-time victory. Belgium then proceeded to crash out in the quarterfinals after losing to an Argentina team which had been underperforming up to that point of the tournament and whom many expected Belgium to beat.
Euro 2016 provided a similar story. After advancing from a group containing Italy, Ireland, and Sweden, Belgium took Hungary apart in the round of 16 to set up a match against Wales in the quarterfinals. Once again, Belgium would come up short against a supposedly inferior opponent, losing 3-1 to the unfancied Welsh team.
During last year's World Cup, Belgium again found themselves in what seemed to be a relatively easy group; they were drawn against England, Panama, and Tunisia after once again breezing through the qualifiers. They won all three group matches, scoring nine goals in the process. A round of 16 win over Japan from two goals behind was followed by a 2-1 victory over Brazil to set up a semifinal against France. With the less-favoured teams of Croatia and England facing off in the other semifinal, many believed that this was the "real" final; the winner of this match would go on to win the tournament. In what was their best chance to claim the biggest prize in football, Belgium once again stumbled in the spotlight as they were eliminated by a 51st-minute Samuel Umtiti goal. Although Belgium would go on to beat England in a group-stage rematch for third place, it would prove to be scant consolation for a team which had now blown three clear chances to win a tournament for the first time in the country's history.
The current Belgian team is overflowing with talent. Eden Hazard, Thibaut Courtois, and Kevin De Bruyne are genuine superstars around whom a title-winning team can be built. They also have an excellent supporting cast featuring the likes of Romelu Lukaku, Axel Witsel, Nacer Chadli, Michy Batshuayi, Yannick Carrasco, and Thomas Meunier among others. Roberto Martínez has also done an excellent job as head coach since taking over in 2016.
That being said, at this point, one has to wonder if these constant near-misses have gotten inside the Belgian players' minds. In terms of sheer talent and star power as well as overall depth, Belgium were at or near the very top among all teams in their last three major tournaments, but fell short each time including twice against teams which they had been expected to beat.
This is a team which is beginning to run out of chances. Their stars do not have many prime years left; thus, Euro 2020 might represent their last tournament as a top-tier title contender for quite some time. There is a distinct possibility that this astonishingly talented generation, the likes of which Belgium had never before seen, might very well end up with nothing to show for their efforts when the story of this era of international football is fully written.
Has time run out on this Belgium team? Not yet, but the hourglass is ever closer to becoming empty.
One such team which has already qualified is Belgium.
In the latest round of Euro 2020 qualifiers, Belgium registered an impressive 4-1 victory over Russia. Eden Hazard's two first-half goals served as the catalyst for the rather one-sided victory.
However, at this point fans of the Belgian team should be cautious. Ever since they first emerged as a genuine threat to win titles, they have made a habit out of looking extremely impressive in qualifying and the early rounds of tournaments, only to fall apart when the stakes are at their absolute highest.
During the 2014 World Cup, Belgium were drawn into Group H against Russia, South Korea, and Algeria after having cruised through qualifying. As expected, they made it out of the group with absolutely no problems, winning all three matches. Then, in the round of 16, they faced the United States, where they won a hard-fought but rather unimpressive 2-1 extra-time victory. Belgium then proceeded to crash out in the quarterfinals after losing to an Argentina team which had been underperforming up to that point of the tournament and whom many expected Belgium to beat.
Euro 2016 provided a similar story. After advancing from a group containing Italy, Ireland, and Sweden, Belgium took Hungary apart in the round of 16 to set up a match against Wales in the quarterfinals. Once again, Belgium would come up short against a supposedly inferior opponent, losing 3-1 to the unfancied Welsh team.
During last year's World Cup, Belgium again found themselves in what seemed to be a relatively easy group; they were drawn against England, Panama, and Tunisia after once again breezing through the qualifiers. They won all three group matches, scoring nine goals in the process. A round of 16 win over Japan from two goals behind was followed by a 2-1 victory over Brazil to set up a semifinal against France. With the less-favoured teams of Croatia and England facing off in the other semifinal, many believed that this was the "real" final; the winner of this match would go on to win the tournament. In what was their best chance to claim the biggest prize in football, Belgium once again stumbled in the spotlight as they were eliminated by a 51st-minute Samuel Umtiti goal. Although Belgium would go on to beat England in a group-stage rematch for third place, it would prove to be scant consolation for a team which had now blown three clear chances to win a tournament for the first time in the country's history.
The current Belgian team is overflowing with talent. Eden Hazard, Thibaut Courtois, and Kevin De Bruyne are genuine superstars around whom a title-winning team can be built. They also have an excellent supporting cast featuring the likes of Romelu Lukaku, Axel Witsel, Nacer Chadli, Michy Batshuayi, Yannick Carrasco, and Thomas Meunier among others. Roberto Martínez has also done an excellent job as head coach since taking over in 2016.
That being said, at this point, one has to wonder if these constant near-misses have gotten inside the Belgian players' minds. In terms of sheer talent and star power as well as overall depth, Belgium were at or near the very top among all teams in their last three major tournaments, but fell short each time including twice against teams which they had been expected to beat.
This is a team which is beginning to run out of chances. Their stars do not have many prime years left; thus, Euro 2020 might represent their last tournament as a top-tier title contender for quite some time. There is a distinct possibility that this astonishingly talented generation, the likes of which Belgium had never before seen, might very well end up with nothing to show for their efforts when the story of this era of international football is fully written.
Has time run out on this Belgium team? Not yet, but the hourglass is ever closer to becoming empty.
Thursday, November 7, 2019
The Weekly Take, Issue 88: Defying the Critics
Those of you who follow my posts regularly will know that the club on which I have probably been harshest is Chelsea. This is understandable, given their recent combination of a lack of performance on the field and complete mismanagement off it. Thus, there has been much to criticize about the Blues over the last few years.
This is why what I'm about to write may come as a surprise to some of you: this Chelsea team actually looks pretty good.
In their recent Champions League match against Ajax, the London club came back from a 4-1 deficit to gut out a 4-4 draw. Substitute Reece James scored the tying goal in the 74th minute to earn Chelsea an unlikely share of the points.
At the beginning of this season, if someone had told me that in the first week of November, Chelsea would be in second place in a Champions League group containing Ajax, Valencia, and Lille while also riding a lengthy winning streak in the Premier League to put daylight between themselves and other clubs chasing a top-four spot, I would not have believed that person. Yet, it is what it is - Chelsea look like a rejuvenated team.
So just how have they turned it around after a turbulent and largely unsuccessful past few years?
I'll start with the obvious reason: they wasted no time in transitioning from the Eden Hazard era to what I believe will be the Christian Pulisic era. Pulisic has received tremendous amounts of hype, and rightly so - his ceiling is one which very few players can ever hope to approach. Still only 21 years old, the American winger is likely to be the centrepiece of this Chelsea team for at least the next four or five years. He projects to become the type of player around whom, when he reaches his prime years, a Champions League title contender can be built. Of course, the onus is on Roman Abramovich and the rest of Chelsea's front office to ensure that Pulisic's prime is not wasted in the same way that Hazard's were.
Chelsea head coach Frank Lampard has also begun to get a better feel of his new position. When he took over in the dugout for the club at which he spent 13 years as a player, some eyebrows were raised because up to that point, he had not experienced much coaching success. Chelsea's slow start to the season did little to dispel these doubts. However, over the last few weeks, he has clearly begun to understand the strengths and weaknesses of this team much more and has thus been able to tailor the team's tactics to suit them - something his predecessor Maurizio Sarri was never quite able to do.
Chelsea have also benefited from breakout seasons by some of their previously unheralded players. The likes of Tammy Abraham, Mason Mount, and Fikayo Tomori were not on the radars of most fans prior to this season, while Willian, Jorginho, and Kurt Zouma, among others, are playing arguably the best football of their career to date. This doesn't even account for the fact that the club's best player, defensive midfielder N'Golo Kanté, has missed most of the season thus far due to injuries.
After Hazard's departure to Real Madrid as well as the transfer ban which had been imposed on Chelsea, many expected Chelsea to have to suffer through something of a "lost season". However, they have certainly outperformed expectations up to this point of the season. What's more, when the woes of fellow London clubs Arsenal and Tottenham are taken into account, it can be seen that Chelsea have clearly re-established themselves as the best of the city's three major teams.
Now, I won't get carried away here - Chelsea's best-case scenario this season, in my opinion, is third place in the Premier League, an FA Cup victory, and a Champions League run to the quarterfinals. That being said, the set of results which have just been mentioned, while still rather unlikely, no longer appears as radically unrealistic as it did just two months ago.
At the start of the season, not many expected this team to gel the way that it has, but somehow, for the first time in a very long time, whatever Chelsea are doing seems to be working.
This is why what I'm about to write may come as a surprise to some of you: this Chelsea team actually looks pretty good.
In their recent Champions League match against Ajax, the London club came back from a 4-1 deficit to gut out a 4-4 draw. Substitute Reece James scored the tying goal in the 74th minute to earn Chelsea an unlikely share of the points.
At the beginning of this season, if someone had told me that in the first week of November, Chelsea would be in second place in a Champions League group containing Ajax, Valencia, and Lille while also riding a lengthy winning streak in the Premier League to put daylight between themselves and other clubs chasing a top-four spot, I would not have believed that person. Yet, it is what it is - Chelsea look like a rejuvenated team.
So just how have they turned it around after a turbulent and largely unsuccessful past few years?
I'll start with the obvious reason: they wasted no time in transitioning from the Eden Hazard era to what I believe will be the Christian Pulisic era. Pulisic has received tremendous amounts of hype, and rightly so - his ceiling is one which very few players can ever hope to approach. Still only 21 years old, the American winger is likely to be the centrepiece of this Chelsea team for at least the next four or five years. He projects to become the type of player around whom, when he reaches his prime years, a Champions League title contender can be built. Of course, the onus is on Roman Abramovich and the rest of Chelsea's front office to ensure that Pulisic's prime is not wasted in the same way that Hazard's were.
Chelsea head coach Frank Lampard has also begun to get a better feel of his new position. When he took over in the dugout for the club at which he spent 13 years as a player, some eyebrows were raised because up to that point, he had not experienced much coaching success. Chelsea's slow start to the season did little to dispel these doubts. However, over the last few weeks, he has clearly begun to understand the strengths and weaknesses of this team much more and has thus been able to tailor the team's tactics to suit them - something his predecessor Maurizio Sarri was never quite able to do.
Chelsea have also benefited from breakout seasons by some of their previously unheralded players. The likes of Tammy Abraham, Mason Mount, and Fikayo Tomori were not on the radars of most fans prior to this season, while Willian, Jorginho, and Kurt Zouma, among others, are playing arguably the best football of their career to date. This doesn't even account for the fact that the club's best player, defensive midfielder N'Golo Kanté, has missed most of the season thus far due to injuries.
After Hazard's departure to Real Madrid as well as the transfer ban which had been imposed on Chelsea, many expected Chelsea to have to suffer through something of a "lost season". However, they have certainly outperformed expectations up to this point of the season. What's more, when the woes of fellow London clubs Arsenal and Tottenham are taken into account, it can be seen that Chelsea have clearly re-established themselves as the best of the city's three major teams.
Now, I won't get carried away here - Chelsea's best-case scenario this season, in my opinion, is third place in the Premier League, an FA Cup victory, and a Champions League run to the quarterfinals. That being said, the set of results which have just been mentioned, while still rather unlikely, no longer appears as radically unrealistic as it did just two months ago.
At the start of the season, not many expected this team to gel the way that it has, but somehow, for the first time in a very long time, whatever Chelsea are doing seems to be working.
Monday, November 4, 2019
The Weekly Take, Issue 87: Way Too Hasty of a Decision
Eintracht Frankfurt produced the outstanding result of the most recent Bundesliga matchday with a spectacular 5-1 victory over reigning league champions Bayern Munich. As was indicated by the scoreline, it was an extremely one-sided match - Frankfurt completely dominated the Bavarian giants and easily outclassed them throughout.
However, the most astonishing turn of events took place the day after the match.
As a direct consequence of the loss, Bayern head coach Niko Kovač was fired from the position. This move came as a major surprise due to the fact that Kovač had led Bayern to a Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal title in the 2018-19 season and that this season, despite the crushing loss to Frankfurt, Bayern are still firmly in the league title race; they only trail league leaders Borussia Mönchengladbach by four points.
Bayern have never been a club to make spur-of-the-moment decisions like this, so the club's firing of the Croat was very much unexpected. Despite Bayern's somewhat slow start to the season, they were not in any way a club in crisis and thus had no reason to make such a drastic and hasty decision.
When Kovač took over at the Allianz Arena in July 2018, some questioned the decision to hire him because he had only had six years of experience as a head coach up to that point, of which only two were in a major European League. However, at that time, he had been fresh off leading Frankfurt to an unexpected DFB-Pokal title after stunning Bayern 3-1 in the final.
However, after a shaky start and moderate amounts of unrest in the Bayern locker room, Kovač rapidly corrected the situation and steered the club back on the right path, culminating in a league and cup double in his first season in charge. Although Bayern were knocked out of the Champions League in the round of 16, they can count themselves unfortunate that such was the case because their elimination was against eventual champions Liverpool in what was one of the tournament's most hotly contested matchups. When combined with his impressive tenure at Frankfurt, the Berlin-born coach had been beginning to build quite the impressive coaching résumé, so his firing was clearly contrary to everything which had preceded it apart from the recent loss to Frankfurt.
Of course, that's not to say that Kovač has not made his share of mistakes during his time at the helm of Bayern. Some of his chief errors came in the transfer market. The signing of Lucas Hernandez from Atlético Madrid for the eye-popping sum of €80 million was an obvious overpay, while Bayern were likely underpaid when they sold Portugal winger Renato Sanches to Lille for €20 million. As has been mentioned, Kovač was not always the best manager of personalities either; the occasional bouts of intra-team discord were evidence of this fact, although it never reached a point which caused the complete implosion of the team.
Nevertheless, it is fairly likely that Bayern's decision to fire Kovač will prove to be the wrong one. The coach who is seen by most as Kovač's successor is former AC Milan and Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri. Landing the man from Livorno would be a major coup for Bayern; however, should they fail to do so, they will certainly be in a difficult position.
The fact that Kovač was fired just one day after the 5-1 loss proves that his firing was a knee-jerk reaction and not one which was carefully planned. As Bayern have always been methodical and measured in the way the club is run, this was very much unlike Bayern's upper management to pull the trigger; they could very well end up regretting this impulsive decision.
As for Kovač himself, one should expect him to find himself back in the dugout before too long. The chances are also relatively reasonable that he will do so with another of Europe's leading clubs; he has proven himself as a good enough coach to deserve a second chance with such a club.
I would like to conclude this post by saying one thing: as a Borussia Dortmund fan, I will admit to having indulged in a good deal of schadenfreude during the match, after it, and even while writing this post.
However, the most astonishing turn of events took place the day after the match.
As a direct consequence of the loss, Bayern head coach Niko Kovač was fired from the position. This move came as a major surprise due to the fact that Kovač had led Bayern to a Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal title in the 2018-19 season and that this season, despite the crushing loss to Frankfurt, Bayern are still firmly in the league title race; they only trail league leaders Borussia Mönchengladbach by four points.
Bayern have never been a club to make spur-of-the-moment decisions like this, so the club's firing of the Croat was very much unexpected. Despite Bayern's somewhat slow start to the season, they were not in any way a club in crisis and thus had no reason to make such a drastic and hasty decision.
When Kovač took over at the Allianz Arena in July 2018, some questioned the decision to hire him because he had only had six years of experience as a head coach up to that point, of which only two were in a major European League. However, at that time, he had been fresh off leading Frankfurt to an unexpected DFB-Pokal title after stunning Bayern 3-1 in the final.
However, after a shaky start and moderate amounts of unrest in the Bayern locker room, Kovač rapidly corrected the situation and steered the club back on the right path, culminating in a league and cup double in his first season in charge. Although Bayern were knocked out of the Champions League in the round of 16, they can count themselves unfortunate that such was the case because their elimination was against eventual champions Liverpool in what was one of the tournament's most hotly contested matchups. When combined with his impressive tenure at Frankfurt, the Berlin-born coach had been beginning to build quite the impressive coaching résumé, so his firing was clearly contrary to everything which had preceded it apart from the recent loss to Frankfurt.
Of course, that's not to say that Kovač has not made his share of mistakes during his time at the helm of Bayern. Some of his chief errors came in the transfer market. The signing of Lucas Hernandez from Atlético Madrid for the eye-popping sum of €80 million was an obvious overpay, while Bayern were likely underpaid when they sold Portugal winger Renato Sanches to Lille for €20 million. As has been mentioned, Kovač was not always the best manager of personalities either; the occasional bouts of intra-team discord were evidence of this fact, although it never reached a point which caused the complete implosion of the team.
Nevertheless, it is fairly likely that Bayern's decision to fire Kovač will prove to be the wrong one. The coach who is seen by most as Kovač's successor is former AC Milan and Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri. Landing the man from Livorno would be a major coup for Bayern; however, should they fail to do so, they will certainly be in a difficult position.
The fact that Kovač was fired just one day after the 5-1 loss proves that his firing was a knee-jerk reaction and not one which was carefully planned. As Bayern have always been methodical and measured in the way the club is run, this was very much unlike Bayern's upper management to pull the trigger; they could very well end up regretting this impulsive decision.
As for Kovač himself, one should expect him to find himself back in the dugout before too long. The chances are also relatively reasonable that he will do so with another of Europe's leading clubs; he has proven himself as a good enough coach to deserve a second chance with such a club.
I would like to conclude this post by saying one thing: as a Borussia Dortmund fan, I will admit to having indulged in a good deal of schadenfreude during the match, after it, and even while writing this post.
Thursday, October 24, 2019
The Weekly Take, Issue 86: How Will They Reach the Next Level?
Among the most intriguing matchups of the most recent Champions League matchday was the clash between Atlético Madrid and Bayer Leverkusen. Although Leverkusen produced a spirited display, it was simply not good enough to overcome the Spanish powerhouse as they succumbed to a 1-0 loss. Álvaro Morata's 78th-minute goal proved to be the difference-maker.
This season is beginning to take on a familiar tone for Leverkusen. In the Bundesliga, although they are only two points behind league leaders Borussia Mönchengladbach, not many are giving them a genuine chance to last the distance and seriously challenge for the league title. In the Champions League, Die Werkself have lost all three matches and face an uphill struggle to even finish third in their group and qualify for the Europa League, let alone advance to the round of 16 of the Champions League.
Every season almost seems to be the same for the club from North Rhine-Westphalia. Ever since the 2009-10, Leverkusen have finished between second and fifth in the Bundesliga in every season except 2016-17, only advanced beyond the quarterfinals of the DFB-Pokal once, and never advanced beyond the Champions League's round of 16.
Over this decade-long stretch, Leverkusen have certainly not been short of quality players. The likes of Toni Kroos, Tin Jedvaj, Stefan Kießling, Javier Hernández, Son Heung-min, and most notably of all, Arturo Vidal have played for Leverkusen during this period. Now, while one might note that all of these players with the exception of Hernández have since left the club, it should also be recognized that over this same period, teams such as Atlético, Napoli, Borussia Dortmund, Tottenham, and reigning European champions Liverpool have been able to overcome the departures of many a star player and establish themselves as genuine forces in domestic and European competition alike.
That being said, the question asked by every Leverkusen fans remains unanswered: how might the club follow in these other teams' footsteps and reach a level at which they are among the fringe, if not the leading, contenders for titles in Germany and in Europe?
The first place to look is, of course, the transfers made by Leverkusen during this past off-season. Leverkusen spent €61 million on player signings during the most recent transfer window. The most notable of these signings was that of central midfielder Kerem Demirbay. The Germany international was signed from Hoffenheim for €32 million, and this represents the first problem - this signing was an obvious overpay; the club seems to have no coherent strategy in place when signing players.
Instead of signing four players for €61 million, Leverkusen could have attempted to go all-in on a big-name player, with perhaps a lesser name to accompany the big-name signing if sufficient funds were to be left over. They already have the supporting pieces in place; Kai Havertz, Lukáš Hrádecký, Sven and Lars Bender, Karim Bellarabi, and Kevin Volland form a solid group. All they need is that one last guy who will make things happen and really get this team firing; however, it appears that they have missed their chance in this regard.
Leverkusen should also consider replacing Peter Bosz as head coach.
Throughout his 17-year coaching career, Bosz has not proven that he is capable of leading a high-level club to the next level. He has never won a title of any sort as a coach, while his most recent job prior to taking over at Leverkusen ended with his dismissal from the position at Dortmund after a dismal start to the 2017-18 season. A new person at the helm would go a long way towards shaking things up and injecting fresh life into the team.
Having said all of this, Leverkusen are not a poorly run club by any means. Given the fact that they are a relatively unglamorous team in a small market, they have done fairly well. Their signings, while sometimes questionable, have not been terrible. The team itself does have a clear identity, and they have been performing at a relatively stable and consistent level.
However, in order to ascend to the next level, some clear but difficult choices have to be made. They will determine if over the next few years, Leverkusen remain at this level or become true title contenders and a real force in European football.
This season is beginning to take on a familiar tone for Leverkusen. In the Bundesliga, although they are only two points behind league leaders Borussia Mönchengladbach, not many are giving them a genuine chance to last the distance and seriously challenge for the league title. In the Champions League, Die Werkself have lost all three matches and face an uphill struggle to even finish third in their group and qualify for the Europa League, let alone advance to the round of 16 of the Champions League.
Every season almost seems to be the same for the club from North Rhine-Westphalia. Ever since the 2009-10, Leverkusen have finished between second and fifth in the Bundesliga in every season except 2016-17, only advanced beyond the quarterfinals of the DFB-Pokal once, and never advanced beyond the Champions League's round of 16.
Over this decade-long stretch, Leverkusen have certainly not been short of quality players. The likes of Toni Kroos, Tin Jedvaj, Stefan Kießling, Javier Hernández, Son Heung-min, and most notably of all, Arturo Vidal have played for Leverkusen during this period. Now, while one might note that all of these players with the exception of Hernández have since left the club, it should also be recognized that over this same period, teams such as Atlético, Napoli, Borussia Dortmund, Tottenham, and reigning European champions Liverpool have been able to overcome the departures of many a star player and establish themselves as genuine forces in domestic and European competition alike.
That being said, the question asked by every Leverkusen fans remains unanswered: how might the club follow in these other teams' footsteps and reach a level at which they are among the fringe, if not the leading, contenders for titles in Germany and in Europe?
The first place to look is, of course, the transfers made by Leverkusen during this past off-season. Leverkusen spent €61 million on player signings during the most recent transfer window. The most notable of these signings was that of central midfielder Kerem Demirbay. The Germany international was signed from Hoffenheim for €32 million, and this represents the first problem - this signing was an obvious overpay; the club seems to have no coherent strategy in place when signing players.
Instead of signing four players for €61 million, Leverkusen could have attempted to go all-in on a big-name player, with perhaps a lesser name to accompany the big-name signing if sufficient funds were to be left over. They already have the supporting pieces in place; Kai Havertz, Lukáš Hrádecký, Sven and Lars Bender, Karim Bellarabi, and Kevin Volland form a solid group. All they need is that one last guy who will make things happen and really get this team firing; however, it appears that they have missed their chance in this regard.
Leverkusen should also consider replacing Peter Bosz as head coach.
Throughout his 17-year coaching career, Bosz has not proven that he is capable of leading a high-level club to the next level. He has never won a title of any sort as a coach, while his most recent job prior to taking over at Leverkusen ended with his dismissal from the position at Dortmund after a dismal start to the 2017-18 season. A new person at the helm would go a long way towards shaking things up and injecting fresh life into the team.
Having said all of this, Leverkusen are not a poorly run club by any means. Given the fact that they are a relatively unglamorous team in a small market, they have done fairly well. Their signings, while sometimes questionable, have not been terrible. The team itself does have a clear identity, and they have been performing at a relatively stable and consistent level.
However, in order to ascend to the next level, some clear but difficult choices have to be made. They will determine if over the next few years, Leverkusen remain at this level or become true title contenders and a real force in European football.
Monday, October 21, 2019
The Weekly Take, Issue 85: The Next Invincibles?
The latest instalment of perhaps the most iconic rivalry in world football ended with an unexpected result.
Manchester United, who up to this point have been in truly awful form this season, managed to hold overwhelming favourites Liverpool to a 1-1 draw. In fact, the Red Devils almost pulled off a stunning upset against the Merseyside juggernaut, but Adam Lallana's 85th-minute goal matched Marcus Rashford's first-half strike for United and earned a share of the points for Liverpool.
The result also meant that Liverpool's unbeaten league streak would continue for yet another game. Although it is still early in the season, this fact is notable because prior to the match, Liverpool midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum claimed that Liverpool could be able to complete the entire Premier League campaign without losing a single match.
Over the last half-century, this achievement has only been accomplished four times by a club in one of Europe's four major leagues: Perugia in the 1978-79 Serie A, AC Milan in the 1991-92 Serie A, Arsenal in the 2003-04 Premier League, and Juventus in the 2011-12 Serie A.
When looking at these four seasons, it becomes clear that all four "Invincibles" campaigns were very different.
There really isn't much to say about Perugia's unbeaten season other than the fact that they did not even win the league, finishing three points behind AC Milan. This team was certainly a one-season wonder; they were seventh in the league the season before and ninth the season after. Perugia have not even been close to anything approaching that level of success since.
AC Milan's season was the most dominant of all four mentioned. With legendary head coach Fabio Capello at the helm, this was an outrageously stacked team containing players such as Franco Baresi, Paolo Maldini, Ruud Gullit, Frank Rijkaard, and Marco van Basten. They won the league by eight points over Juventus; however, it must be remembered that this was a 34-game season in the era when a win was worth two points. After adjusting for scoring system changes and applying the new point ratio to 38 games instead of 34, the Rossoneri would have earned 87 points to Juve's 74. Perhaps even more astonishing was their goal difference of +53, which was a remarkable 30 goals superior to Juve's. In general, this was one of the greatest single-season teams of all time.
Arsenal's unbeaten season was almost as dominant as Milan's. Although the Gunners did not possess the overall star power that the Milan team did, it nevertheless did have some all-time greats including Patrick Vieira, Ashley Cole, Dennis Bergkamp, and of course, Thierry Henry. However, despite the general strength of this team, this particular season could be viewed as something of a carry job. This can be seen in the fact that in the voting for the 1992 FIFA World Player of the Year, three Milan players featured in the top 10 with van Basten taking top honours, while only Henry did so in 2004, finishing second. Henry had a season for the ages as he scored 39 goals in all competitions, including 30 in the league. Arsenal finished the season 11 points ahead of Chelsea to clinch their third league title in seven seasons in emphatic fashion.
Despite completing an unbeaten league campaign, Juventus were not particularly dominant in the season which they did so. The Bianconeri only won the league title over Milan by four points in a closely contested Serie A title race. This was very much a team effort; no Juve player scored more than 10 goals that season. However, individual standouts included Andrea Pirlo who had the best season of his career, as well as Arturo Vidal who had a breakout season in his first campaign in Turin as he became recognized as one of the world's best central midfielders.
It is certainly possible that Liverpool will emulate these teams. They have the world's best coach in Jürgen Klopp as well as several players who seem to be all-time greats in the making such as Virgil van Dijk, Mo Salah, and Alisson. This already seems to be one of the greatest teams of the last decade, will almost certainly win the Premier League, and are probably the favourites to win back-to-back Champions League title. Even taking all of this into consideration, an unbeaten league campaign would send their legacy to a completely new level because of the rarity of such an achievement.
Manchester United, who up to this point have been in truly awful form this season, managed to hold overwhelming favourites Liverpool to a 1-1 draw. In fact, the Red Devils almost pulled off a stunning upset against the Merseyside juggernaut, but Adam Lallana's 85th-minute goal matched Marcus Rashford's first-half strike for United and earned a share of the points for Liverpool.
The result also meant that Liverpool's unbeaten league streak would continue for yet another game. Although it is still early in the season, this fact is notable because prior to the match, Liverpool midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum claimed that Liverpool could be able to complete the entire Premier League campaign without losing a single match.
Over the last half-century, this achievement has only been accomplished four times by a club in one of Europe's four major leagues: Perugia in the 1978-79 Serie A, AC Milan in the 1991-92 Serie A, Arsenal in the 2003-04 Premier League, and Juventus in the 2011-12 Serie A.
When looking at these four seasons, it becomes clear that all four "Invincibles" campaigns were very different.
There really isn't much to say about Perugia's unbeaten season other than the fact that they did not even win the league, finishing three points behind AC Milan. This team was certainly a one-season wonder; they were seventh in the league the season before and ninth the season after. Perugia have not even been close to anything approaching that level of success since.
AC Milan's season was the most dominant of all four mentioned. With legendary head coach Fabio Capello at the helm, this was an outrageously stacked team containing players such as Franco Baresi, Paolo Maldini, Ruud Gullit, Frank Rijkaard, and Marco van Basten. They won the league by eight points over Juventus; however, it must be remembered that this was a 34-game season in the era when a win was worth two points. After adjusting for scoring system changes and applying the new point ratio to 38 games instead of 34, the Rossoneri would have earned 87 points to Juve's 74. Perhaps even more astonishing was their goal difference of +53, which was a remarkable 30 goals superior to Juve's. In general, this was one of the greatest single-season teams of all time.
Arsenal's unbeaten season was almost as dominant as Milan's. Although the Gunners did not possess the overall star power that the Milan team did, it nevertheless did have some all-time greats including Patrick Vieira, Ashley Cole, Dennis Bergkamp, and of course, Thierry Henry. However, despite the general strength of this team, this particular season could be viewed as something of a carry job. This can be seen in the fact that in the voting for the 1992 FIFA World Player of the Year, three Milan players featured in the top 10 with van Basten taking top honours, while only Henry did so in 2004, finishing second. Henry had a season for the ages as he scored 39 goals in all competitions, including 30 in the league. Arsenal finished the season 11 points ahead of Chelsea to clinch their third league title in seven seasons in emphatic fashion.
Despite completing an unbeaten league campaign, Juventus were not particularly dominant in the season which they did so. The Bianconeri only won the league title over Milan by four points in a closely contested Serie A title race. This was very much a team effort; no Juve player scored more than 10 goals that season. However, individual standouts included Andrea Pirlo who had the best season of his career, as well as Arturo Vidal who had a breakout season in his first campaign in Turin as he became recognized as one of the world's best central midfielders.
It is certainly possible that Liverpool will emulate these teams. They have the world's best coach in Jürgen Klopp as well as several players who seem to be all-time greats in the making such as Virgil van Dijk, Mo Salah, and Alisson. This already seems to be one of the greatest teams of the last decade, will almost certainly win the Premier League, and are probably the favourites to win back-to-back Champions League title. Even taking all of this into consideration, an unbeaten league campaign would send their legacy to a completely new level because of the rarity of such an achievement.
Sunday, October 13, 2019
The Weekly Take, Issue 84: The Straw that Stirs the Drink
In the latest round of qualifying matches for Euro 2020, reigning world champions France took on Iceland at the Laugardalsvöllur stadium in Reykjavík. One would have expected Les Bleus to have had no trouble in dispatching the Icelandic team, but such was not the case. France were well below their best against Iceland, squandering many goalscoring opportunities and playing a rather discombobulated and disjointed game. It took a 66th-minute penalty scored by Olivier Giroud to give France a 1-0 victory.
There were several possible reasons behind France's unimpressive performance. Fatigue, underestimation of their opponent, poor tactical planning - any of those could be cited. However, one of the key reasons behind France's diminished level of play against Iceland was the absence of their best and most influential player.
Although Giroud's Chelsea teammate N'Golo Kanté had initially been named to France's starting 11 before the match, he suffered an injury during the warmups and was replaced by Moussa Sissoko. Kanté's absence was clearly felt as France were nowhere near the level at which they are capable of playing; had they been playing against a better team, they would not have escaped with a 1-0 win.
It's impossible to understate how important Kanté is to this France team.
During France's victorious World Cup run last year, he was arguably the best player on the team. Kanté and Paul Pogba formed a central midfield pairing for the ages; the two midfield superstars' play served as the foundation for France's World Cup victory. It was Kanté who controlled the tempo of each game, ruined many an opponent's offensive foray, played stellar defense on all his opposing matchups, and served as the conduit through which many of France's moves leading to goals went. The tournament clearly established Kanté as the world's best defensive midfielder.
I'll go a step further than that; in my opinion, N'Golo Kanté is the best defensive midfielder since Rino Gattuso was in his prime (who, by the way, is the player whom I consider to be the greatest defensive midfielder ever).
You can give me names such as Xabi Alonso, Claude Makélélé, Sergio Busquets, Yaya Touré, and so many others - at his peak, I'm taking Kanté over all of them.
Perhaps the most obvious example of the "Kanté effect" was shown through what happened to his former club Leicester City after his departure.
With Kanté on the team, the Foxes defied the odds to beat every other leading team in the Premier League and win the league title in the 2015-16 season. In the ensuing off-season, Chelsea paid £32 million to sign Kanté. The effects of the signing were instant; Chelsea easily won the 2016-17 Premier League and also reached the final of the FA Cup. Leicester, on the other hand, finished 12th despite keeping almost everyone else who had been on their league-winning squad from the previous season.
For his efforts that season, Kanté would be named the Premier League's Player of the Season and finished in the top 10 of the 2017 Ballon d'Or rankings. At this point, it was now obvious: Leicester's success during the previous season had not been primarily due to Jamie Vardy, Riyad Mahrez, Kasper Schmeichel, Wes Morgan, or even Claudio Ranieri. That Leicester team was Kanté's team from start to finish, and Leicester's and Kanté's respective performances since his departure from Leicester have proven this fact.
Whether for club or country, Kanté is truly "the straw that stirs the drink" - no matter how great the players around him are, the team simply will not function as it should without Kanté. He is one of a select few players in the world of whom such a compliment can be paid.
With Euro 2020 less than a year away, France have the opportunity to go one better than their runner-up finish in the 2016 edition. If Kanté is once again at the top of his game during the tournament, they have an excellent chance to go all the way and win their third continental crown.
History also beckons in another way for Kanté - should he remain at this level for three more years and anchor a successful defense of France's World Cup title in Qatar in 2022, I believe that the Parisian will go down as the undisputed greatest defensive midfielder of all time.
There were several possible reasons behind France's unimpressive performance. Fatigue, underestimation of their opponent, poor tactical planning - any of those could be cited. However, one of the key reasons behind France's diminished level of play against Iceland was the absence of their best and most influential player.
Although Giroud's Chelsea teammate N'Golo Kanté had initially been named to France's starting 11 before the match, he suffered an injury during the warmups and was replaced by Moussa Sissoko. Kanté's absence was clearly felt as France were nowhere near the level at which they are capable of playing; had they been playing against a better team, they would not have escaped with a 1-0 win.
It's impossible to understate how important Kanté is to this France team.
During France's victorious World Cup run last year, he was arguably the best player on the team. Kanté and Paul Pogba formed a central midfield pairing for the ages; the two midfield superstars' play served as the foundation for France's World Cup victory. It was Kanté who controlled the tempo of each game, ruined many an opponent's offensive foray, played stellar defense on all his opposing matchups, and served as the conduit through which many of France's moves leading to goals went. The tournament clearly established Kanté as the world's best defensive midfielder.
I'll go a step further than that; in my opinion, N'Golo Kanté is the best defensive midfielder since Rino Gattuso was in his prime (who, by the way, is the player whom I consider to be the greatest defensive midfielder ever).
You can give me names such as Xabi Alonso, Claude Makélélé, Sergio Busquets, Yaya Touré, and so many others - at his peak, I'm taking Kanté over all of them.
Perhaps the most obvious example of the "Kanté effect" was shown through what happened to his former club Leicester City after his departure.
With Kanté on the team, the Foxes defied the odds to beat every other leading team in the Premier League and win the league title in the 2015-16 season. In the ensuing off-season, Chelsea paid £32 million to sign Kanté. The effects of the signing were instant; Chelsea easily won the 2016-17 Premier League and also reached the final of the FA Cup. Leicester, on the other hand, finished 12th despite keeping almost everyone else who had been on their league-winning squad from the previous season.
For his efforts that season, Kanté would be named the Premier League's Player of the Season and finished in the top 10 of the 2017 Ballon d'Or rankings. At this point, it was now obvious: Leicester's success during the previous season had not been primarily due to Jamie Vardy, Riyad Mahrez, Kasper Schmeichel, Wes Morgan, or even Claudio Ranieri. That Leicester team was Kanté's team from start to finish, and Leicester's and Kanté's respective performances since his departure from Leicester have proven this fact.
Whether for club or country, Kanté is truly "the straw that stirs the drink" - no matter how great the players around him are, the team simply will not function as it should without Kanté. He is one of a select few players in the world of whom such a compliment can be paid.
With Euro 2020 less than a year away, France have the opportunity to go one better than their runner-up finish in the 2016 edition. If Kanté is once again at the top of his game during the tournament, they have an excellent chance to go all the way and win their third continental crown.
History also beckons in another way for Kanté - should he remain at this level for three more years and anchor a successful defense of France's World Cup title in Qatar in 2022, I believe that the Parisian will go down as the undisputed greatest defensive midfielder of all time.
Friday, October 4, 2019
The Weekly Take, Issue 83: Have They Blown Their Chance to Be Contenders?
One of the standout matches of the Champions League's second matchday saw Inter Milan travel to Camp Nou to take on Barcelona. Lautaro Martínez opened the scoring for Inter in the second minute, but two goals scored by Luis Suárez ensured that the Catalan club would finish the match with the victory.
Despite a generally strong start to the season which has included six consecutive Serie A victories, one cannot help but feel that this past transfer window, Inter had a chance to make the leap and become genuine contenders to win the Champions League. However, it now appears that they may have missed a golden opportunity.
During the previous transfer window, the Nerazzurri spent over €150 million on new signings. The most notable of these was Romelu Lukaku. Inter paid Manchester United €65 million to bring the Belgian centre-forward to the San Siro. Other key additions to Inter's squad included Diego Godín, Alexis Sánchez, and Valentino Lazaro. They also made a coaching change; former Juventus and Chelsea head coach Antonio Conte replaced Luciano Spalletti in the Inter dugout.
Considering all the ways in which Inter upgraded, one might assume that they would have entered this season as one of the leading contenders to win the Champions League. However, such has proven not to be the case.
It is evident that Inter's long-term plan is to build the team around Martínez, and for good reason - the Argentine seems to be a star in the making. If he reaches his ceiling, he could certainly prove to be the foundational piece of a Champions League-winning team.
However, although Inter certainly brought in some solid players who will do well to play supporting roles at the club, one should also consider the immense total sum spent by the Milan club. Inter could easily have added a genuine superstar to their roster.
For example, Matthijs de Ligt was signed from Ajax by Inter's Serie A rivals Juventus for €75 million. In theory, Inter could have signed de Ligt while still making all the signings they actually made with the exception of Lukaku. If they had done so, they would even have spent €5 million less than they actually did. Furthermore, not only is de Ligt a superstar-level player already, but he is still just 20 and not even close to his expected prime. Lukaku is 26 and thus already in the prime of his career. The level at which he is playing now is likely to be his ceiling. De Ligt is not only better than Lukaku now; his ceiling is several levels higher than Lukaku's.
Frenkie de Jong, who was de Ligt's teammate at Ajax last season, also left the Dutch club for the same price; he signed for Barça during the off-season and was in their starting line-up against Inter. Once again, given his age, cost, level of performance, and sky-high potential, Inter once again missed an outstanding opportunity by not signing de Jong. This is especially true given the fact that probably Inter's biggest weakness right now is their central midfield; the signing of de Jong would have remedied that.
Inter could even have chosen to go all-in and made a play for a player who was clearly too good for the team he had around him and would therefore have thrived following a move to a better club. Players such as Harry Kane, N'Golo Kanté, and Lukaku's former United teammate Paul Pogba come to mind. None of these players are likely to be anywhere near a Champions League title at their current club. Considering the surrounding talent that Inter already had at their disposal, such a player could have been the missing piece they needed all along. Either Kanté or Pogba would have been especially helpful to the team because they would have bolstered Inter's weakest position.
Around a year ago, I mentioned in a post I wrote then that a team needs more than one elite-level player to have a realistic chance of winning the Champions League. It looks as though Lautaro Martínez is on his way to becoming such a player. However, if Inter Milan never add another player of comparable quality or potential, it seems unlikely that their current core will ever seriously challenge for the biggest prize in European club football.
Despite a generally strong start to the season which has included six consecutive Serie A victories, one cannot help but feel that this past transfer window, Inter had a chance to make the leap and become genuine contenders to win the Champions League. However, it now appears that they may have missed a golden opportunity.
During the previous transfer window, the Nerazzurri spent over €150 million on new signings. The most notable of these was Romelu Lukaku. Inter paid Manchester United €65 million to bring the Belgian centre-forward to the San Siro. Other key additions to Inter's squad included Diego Godín, Alexis Sánchez, and Valentino Lazaro. They also made a coaching change; former Juventus and Chelsea head coach Antonio Conte replaced Luciano Spalletti in the Inter dugout.
Considering all the ways in which Inter upgraded, one might assume that they would have entered this season as one of the leading contenders to win the Champions League. However, such has proven not to be the case.
It is evident that Inter's long-term plan is to build the team around Martínez, and for good reason - the Argentine seems to be a star in the making. If he reaches his ceiling, he could certainly prove to be the foundational piece of a Champions League-winning team.
However, although Inter certainly brought in some solid players who will do well to play supporting roles at the club, one should also consider the immense total sum spent by the Milan club. Inter could easily have added a genuine superstar to their roster.
For example, Matthijs de Ligt was signed from Ajax by Inter's Serie A rivals Juventus for €75 million. In theory, Inter could have signed de Ligt while still making all the signings they actually made with the exception of Lukaku. If they had done so, they would even have spent €5 million less than they actually did. Furthermore, not only is de Ligt a superstar-level player already, but he is still just 20 and not even close to his expected prime. Lukaku is 26 and thus already in the prime of his career. The level at which he is playing now is likely to be his ceiling. De Ligt is not only better than Lukaku now; his ceiling is several levels higher than Lukaku's.
Frenkie de Jong, who was de Ligt's teammate at Ajax last season, also left the Dutch club for the same price; he signed for Barça during the off-season and was in their starting line-up against Inter. Once again, given his age, cost, level of performance, and sky-high potential, Inter once again missed an outstanding opportunity by not signing de Jong. This is especially true given the fact that probably Inter's biggest weakness right now is their central midfield; the signing of de Jong would have remedied that.
Inter could even have chosen to go all-in and made a play for a player who was clearly too good for the team he had around him and would therefore have thrived following a move to a better club. Players such as Harry Kane, N'Golo Kanté, and Lukaku's former United teammate Paul Pogba come to mind. None of these players are likely to be anywhere near a Champions League title at their current club. Considering the surrounding talent that Inter already had at their disposal, such a player could have been the missing piece they needed all along. Either Kanté or Pogba would have been especially helpful to the team because they would have bolstered Inter's weakest position.
Around a year ago, I mentioned in a post I wrote then that a team needs more than one elite-level player to have a realistic chance of winning the Champions League. It looks as though Lautaro Martínez is on his way to becoming such a player. However, if Inter Milan never add another player of comparable quality or potential, it seems unlikely that their current core will ever seriously challenge for the biggest prize in European club football.
Wednesday, October 2, 2019
The Weekly Take, Issue 82: An Unexpected Breakout Performance
Before I begin, I would just like to state that the fact that Issue 82 happens to be about a match between Manchester United and Arsenal is a complete coincidence. I did not plan for this to happen; the schedule just worked out that way.
In a Premier League match which will likely go on to have major implications towards the chase for a top-four league spot this season and thus a place in next season's Champions League, Manchester United and Arsenal played to a 1-1 draw. It was something of a war of attrition - a back-and-forth, scrappy encounter. Scott McTominay scored a spectacular goal to put United in the lead heading into halftime, but a VAR-assisted goal scored by Arsenal's Gabonese superstar Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang earned the Gunners a share of the points.
Before the match, if you had asked most people who would be man of the match, names such as Aubameyang, Paul Pogba, David de Gea, or Granit Xhaka might have been mentioned. Not many, however, would have seen the dominant performance of McTominay coming.
Playing in just the 38th league match of his young career, the Scotsman who is in his first season as a starter for the Red Devils put on a clinic in central midfield. Not only did McTominay score a highlight-reel goal, but he also refused to back off from any tackles, had his passing on point throughout the match, and completely outplayed Arsenal captain Xhaka, who was his opposing matchup. Although he had only been a benchwarmer throughout his career prior to this season, he certainly didn't play like one against the North Londoners.
Ever since Pogba returned to Old Trafford in 2016, he has clearly established himself as arguably the best player on the team (some may claim that United's best player is de Gea, but Pogba does have a case himself). However, United's preferred 4-2-3-1 formation requires that they field two in the middle; usually one defensive midfielder and one central midfielder. Although Pogba is able to play at either the #6 or #8 position, the Frenchman is clearly more suited to the deeper role, as is implied by his jersey number. Thus, United have been searching for a suitable midfield partner whose game is a suitable complement to Pogba's, but to no avail until perhaps now.
Although Nemanja Matić and Ander Herrera are certainly capable players, one issue faced by United lay in the fact that both were more natural defensive midfielders than central ones. Thus, their skillsets often overlapped with Pogba's in certain ways, leading to redundancy in certain areas and weaknesses in others. Marouane Fellaini, meanwhile, was never really able to adapt to United's style of play and ended his troubled five-and-a-half years in Manchester in January 2019 when he left for Shandong Luneng.
From what McTominay showed during the match against the Gunners, it may be the case that he does indeed have what it takes to establish himself as a regular starter for both now and in years to come. He has already taken over Matić's role as a starter. This is a positive sign for United because McTominay is still just 22, while Matić is 31 and is now heading towards the back end of his career.
Manchester United have always had a history of solid British central midfielders from Bryan Robson to Paul Ince to Paul Scholes to Michael Carrick; McTominay may yet go on to be the next of this lineage. While none were truly great enough for a team to be built around them, all proved to be solid second or third options at their best. That is a level which I can foresee McTominay reaching if the rest of his career pans out ideally.
Of course, it's far too early to make any wild predictions about a player who, as I mentioned earlier, has only played 38 league matches in his career. His performance against Arsenal may not necessarily have been a genuine breakout match; it might just have been a one-off and nothing more.
However, that same performance clearly displayed the potential that McTominay has. It is certainly possible that United have found their starting central midfielder for the next five years or more.
In a Premier League match which will likely go on to have major implications towards the chase for a top-four league spot this season and thus a place in next season's Champions League, Manchester United and Arsenal played to a 1-1 draw. It was something of a war of attrition - a back-and-forth, scrappy encounter. Scott McTominay scored a spectacular goal to put United in the lead heading into halftime, but a VAR-assisted goal scored by Arsenal's Gabonese superstar Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang earned the Gunners a share of the points.
Before the match, if you had asked most people who would be man of the match, names such as Aubameyang, Paul Pogba, David de Gea, or Granit Xhaka might have been mentioned. Not many, however, would have seen the dominant performance of McTominay coming.
Playing in just the 38th league match of his young career, the Scotsman who is in his first season as a starter for the Red Devils put on a clinic in central midfield. Not only did McTominay score a highlight-reel goal, but he also refused to back off from any tackles, had his passing on point throughout the match, and completely outplayed Arsenal captain Xhaka, who was his opposing matchup. Although he had only been a benchwarmer throughout his career prior to this season, he certainly didn't play like one against the North Londoners.
Ever since Pogba returned to Old Trafford in 2016, he has clearly established himself as arguably the best player on the team (some may claim that United's best player is de Gea, but Pogba does have a case himself). However, United's preferred 4-2-3-1 formation requires that they field two in the middle; usually one defensive midfielder and one central midfielder. Although Pogba is able to play at either the #6 or #8 position, the Frenchman is clearly more suited to the deeper role, as is implied by his jersey number. Thus, United have been searching for a suitable midfield partner whose game is a suitable complement to Pogba's, but to no avail until perhaps now.
Although Nemanja Matić and Ander Herrera are certainly capable players, one issue faced by United lay in the fact that both were more natural defensive midfielders than central ones. Thus, their skillsets often overlapped with Pogba's in certain ways, leading to redundancy in certain areas and weaknesses in others. Marouane Fellaini, meanwhile, was never really able to adapt to United's style of play and ended his troubled five-and-a-half years in Manchester in January 2019 when he left for Shandong Luneng.
From what McTominay showed during the match against the Gunners, it may be the case that he does indeed have what it takes to establish himself as a regular starter for both now and in years to come. He has already taken over Matić's role as a starter. This is a positive sign for United because McTominay is still just 22, while Matić is 31 and is now heading towards the back end of his career.
Manchester United have always had a history of solid British central midfielders from Bryan Robson to Paul Ince to Paul Scholes to Michael Carrick; McTominay may yet go on to be the next of this lineage. While none were truly great enough for a team to be built around them, all proved to be solid second or third options at their best. That is a level which I can foresee McTominay reaching if the rest of his career pans out ideally.
Of course, it's far too early to make any wild predictions about a player who, as I mentioned earlier, has only played 38 league matches in his career. His performance against Arsenal may not necessarily have been a genuine breakout match; it might just have been a one-off and nothing more.
However, that same performance clearly displayed the potential that McTominay has. It is certainly possible that United have found their starting central midfielder for the next five years or more.
Friday, September 20, 2019
The Weekly Take, Issue 81: A True Role Model for All Football Clubs
This season's Champions League has now begun, and one of the standout fixtures of its first matchday was the match between Atlético Madrid and Juventus. Juve opened up a two-goal lead over the Madrid club through goals scored by Juan Cuadrado and Blaise Matuidi, but Stefan Savić pulled one back for Atlético before Héctor Herrera's stoppage-time equaliser ensured that Atlético would complete the comeback and finish with a well-earned draw.
This match epitomized what Atlético have been all about for the last decade. This is a team that simply refuses to accept defeat and who have overcome so many tremendous challenges that would have broken almost any other club. Over this period, Atlético have seen superstars such as Diego Forlán, Sergio Agüero, Radamel Falcao, Thibaut Courtois, and most recently Antoine Griezmann leave the Vicente Calderón (or in Griezmann's case, the Wanda Metropolitano). They have also operated with a significantly lower budget than those of fellow La Liga powerhouses Real Madrid and Barcelona, not to mention those of other Champions League title contenders such as Paris Saint-Germain, Juventus, Bayern Munich, and Manchester City, among others.
Yet, despite these setbacks and disadvantages, Atlético have been perennial contenders both domestically and in the Champions League alike. But just how have they done it?
One key element of Atlético's success has been player scouting and development.
When Atlético signed Jan Oblak in 2014, he had never played a league game in a major league at the time. He had also been loaned out four times, each time to a relatively minor Portuguese club. Five years on, the Slovenian is definitely among the five best, and arguably the three best, goalkeepers in the world.
Oblak's predecessor Courtois was signed on a three-year loan deal from Chelsea, for whom he never played a league game until his return from his stint in the Spanish capital. Atlético, of course, turned a benchwarmer into the best goalkeeper on the planet.
It's not just goalkeepers. During his time at Real Sociedad, Griezmann was seen as an exciting young prospect, but very few foresaw him reaching the heights which he eventually did. However, Atlético recognized how great he would someday become. Not only did they sign him when no other club was chasing his services, but they also managed to develop his talent to a point which resulted in his becoming a genuine Ballon d'Or contender.
It also helps that Atlético have perhaps the best head coach on the planet in the dugout.
Year in and year out, Diego Simeone has led Atlético to overachievement relative to the amount of money they have at their disposal. They have emerged as one of world football's leading teams not through star power, not through money, and not even through a historic past. Simeone has helped Atlético do it through grit, willpower, character, strategy, and intelligence. The tactical brilliance of "El Cholo" has been evident over his eight years in charge of Atlético and was never more obvious than in the 2013-14 season, when Atlético stunned Barcelona and Real Madrid to win La Liga, then came so close to winning their first Champions League title before being denied at the death by city rivals Real.
Atlético's signings have also been astute and well-planned. Unlike some other clubs which just sign the splashiest names for the most expensive prices without considering how they fit into the team, Atlético's front office clearly puts much thought into their signings. Signings over recent years such as Rodri, Savić, Kieran Trippier, and even more expensive ones such as Thomas Lemar were all made with how they would contribute to the team and its general strategy in mind.
I'll just go ahead and say it: Atlético Madrid are the best-run football club in the world. No other club has its combination of coaching, player development, team chemistry, transfer market savvy, scouting, and financial management while also performing at a world-class level and being constant contenders to win the Champions League. If European football were like the NFL or NBA and had a salary cap, I firmly believe that Atlético would have won between three and six of the last 10 Champions Leagues.
If any team ever deserved a Champions League title, it has to be Atlético Madrid.
This match epitomized what Atlético have been all about for the last decade. This is a team that simply refuses to accept defeat and who have overcome so many tremendous challenges that would have broken almost any other club. Over this period, Atlético have seen superstars such as Diego Forlán, Sergio Agüero, Radamel Falcao, Thibaut Courtois, and most recently Antoine Griezmann leave the Vicente Calderón (or in Griezmann's case, the Wanda Metropolitano). They have also operated with a significantly lower budget than those of fellow La Liga powerhouses Real Madrid and Barcelona, not to mention those of other Champions League title contenders such as Paris Saint-Germain, Juventus, Bayern Munich, and Manchester City, among others.
Yet, despite these setbacks and disadvantages, Atlético have been perennial contenders both domestically and in the Champions League alike. But just how have they done it?
One key element of Atlético's success has been player scouting and development.
When Atlético signed Jan Oblak in 2014, he had never played a league game in a major league at the time. He had also been loaned out four times, each time to a relatively minor Portuguese club. Five years on, the Slovenian is definitely among the five best, and arguably the three best, goalkeepers in the world.
Oblak's predecessor Courtois was signed on a three-year loan deal from Chelsea, for whom he never played a league game until his return from his stint in the Spanish capital. Atlético, of course, turned a benchwarmer into the best goalkeeper on the planet.
It's not just goalkeepers. During his time at Real Sociedad, Griezmann was seen as an exciting young prospect, but very few foresaw him reaching the heights which he eventually did. However, Atlético recognized how great he would someday become. Not only did they sign him when no other club was chasing his services, but they also managed to develop his talent to a point which resulted in his becoming a genuine Ballon d'Or contender.
It also helps that Atlético have perhaps the best head coach on the planet in the dugout.
Year in and year out, Diego Simeone has led Atlético to overachievement relative to the amount of money they have at their disposal. They have emerged as one of world football's leading teams not through star power, not through money, and not even through a historic past. Simeone has helped Atlético do it through grit, willpower, character, strategy, and intelligence. The tactical brilliance of "El Cholo" has been evident over his eight years in charge of Atlético and was never more obvious than in the 2013-14 season, when Atlético stunned Barcelona and Real Madrid to win La Liga, then came so close to winning their first Champions League title before being denied at the death by city rivals Real.
Atlético's signings have also been astute and well-planned. Unlike some other clubs which just sign the splashiest names for the most expensive prices without considering how they fit into the team, Atlético's front office clearly puts much thought into their signings. Signings over recent years such as Rodri, Savić, Kieran Trippier, and even more expensive ones such as Thomas Lemar were all made with how they would contribute to the team and its general strategy in mind.
I'll just go ahead and say it: Atlético Madrid are the best-run football club in the world. No other club has its combination of coaching, player development, team chemistry, transfer market savvy, scouting, and financial management while also performing at a world-class level and being constant contenders to win the Champions League. If European football were like the NFL or NBA and had a salary cap, I firmly believe that Atlético would have won between three and six of the last 10 Champions Leagues.
If any team ever deserved a Champions League title, it has to be Atlético Madrid.
Monday, September 16, 2019
The Weekly Take, Issue 80: How to Ruin a Season Before It Even Begins
Although the new La Liga season has just started, one of the teams which had been expected to have been contending for a Champions League spot have already ruined their season. They have made a grievous error which will all but ensure that they will fail to qualify for next season's Champions League.
This club is Valencia.
Last week, Los Che fired then-head coach Marcelino and replaced him with Albert Celades - a shocking decision which none could possibly have seen coming. This was especially surprising because the Asturian had been at the helm during a period which saw the club experience an impressive return to form. Marcelino coached Valencia to a Copa del Rey title and back-to-back fourth-place finishes in La Liga. This was a major improvement over the two seasons before Marcelino took over; in both of those seasons, Valencia finished 12th in the league.
Valencia have now become a club in disarray, and this was clearly exhibited in their recent La Liga match against Barcelona. They were completely taken apart by the Blaugrana in a crushing 5-2 loss. They seemed to enter the match with no cohesion, no plan, and no chemistry; these problems can all be attributed to the sudden coaching change. Even players who were usually known to be solid and consistent such as Gonçalo Guedes, José Gayà, and Dani Parejo appeared to be shell-shocked by the sudden turn of events, as they were completely overwhelmed by Barça in every conceivable manner.
The firing of Marcelino made absolutely no sense at all. He had led Valencia to their most successful span in many years. The back-to-back top-four finishes had not been accomplished by Valencia since 2012. Their Copa del Rey title was their first trophy since 2008, when they won the same title. They also made the semifinals of the Europa League with Marcelino at the helm; something they had not done since 2014.
Yet somehow, despite all this success and a team which boasted a cluster of above-average players to make up for a lack of a true star, owner Peter Lim was dissatisfied with the job that Marcelino had done and unceremoniously fired him.
This is a decision which will go on to haunt Valencia. Marcelino had proven his quality as a coach, a fact that was emphasized by his winning of La Liga's Coach of the Year award for the 2017-18 season. Their performance against Barcelona clearly showed that his firing has already had a major negative impact on their league campaign.
Marcelino's firing also has implications towards Valencia's Champions League campaign. Valencia had been placed in Group H which also contains Chelsea, Ajax, and Lille. It is by far the least threatening group of all eight groups - prior to the events that have recently transpired, one would have expected Valencia to have topped that group fairly easily. However, such is no longer the case. Not only will they probably not top the group, it is now in fact looking likely that Valencia will finish bottom of the group and even miss the drop-down into the Europa League which is granted to third-placed teams.
If, as expected, Valencia do poorly in the league and Champions League this season, it could set a domino effect into motion. Player such as Guedes, Gayà, Kevin Gameiro, and Rodrigo, among others, might end up attempting to make their way out of the Mestalla.
There are times when a change of coach is sorely needed. At those times, a new person is needed at the helm to freshen things up and revive the club's flagging fortunes. Valencia, on the other hand, chose the worst possible time to fire Marcelino. There was absolutely no reason to fire him and replace him with the inexperienced Celades, who has never been a head coach of any club before. Already, it appears to have been a calamitous decision that will severely handicap Valencia throughout the current season. It will take a miracle for Valencia to again make the top four.
One would certainly assume that before too long, Marcelino will find himself in the dugout again, but with a different club. All of Valencia's and Marcelino's good work over the last two years might just have been undone.
This club is Valencia.
Last week, Los Che fired then-head coach Marcelino and replaced him with Albert Celades - a shocking decision which none could possibly have seen coming. This was especially surprising because the Asturian had been at the helm during a period which saw the club experience an impressive return to form. Marcelino coached Valencia to a Copa del Rey title and back-to-back fourth-place finishes in La Liga. This was a major improvement over the two seasons before Marcelino took over; in both of those seasons, Valencia finished 12th in the league.
Valencia have now become a club in disarray, and this was clearly exhibited in their recent La Liga match against Barcelona. They were completely taken apart by the Blaugrana in a crushing 5-2 loss. They seemed to enter the match with no cohesion, no plan, and no chemistry; these problems can all be attributed to the sudden coaching change. Even players who were usually known to be solid and consistent such as Gonçalo Guedes, José Gayà, and Dani Parejo appeared to be shell-shocked by the sudden turn of events, as they were completely overwhelmed by Barça in every conceivable manner.
The firing of Marcelino made absolutely no sense at all. He had led Valencia to their most successful span in many years. The back-to-back top-four finishes had not been accomplished by Valencia since 2012. Their Copa del Rey title was their first trophy since 2008, when they won the same title. They also made the semifinals of the Europa League with Marcelino at the helm; something they had not done since 2014.
Yet somehow, despite all this success and a team which boasted a cluster of above-average players to make up for a lack of a true star, owner Peter Lim was dissatisfied with the job that Marcelino had done and unceremoniously fired him.
This is a decision which will go on to haunt Valencia. Marcelino had proven his quality as a coach, a fact that was emphasized by his winning of La Liga's Coach of the Year award for the 2017-18 season. Their performance against Barcelona clearly showed that his firing has already had a major negative impact on their league campaign.
Marcelino's firing also has implications towards Valencia's Champions League campaign. Valencia had been placed in Group H which also contains Chelsea, Ajax, and Lille. It is by far the least threatening group of all eight groups - prior to the events that have recently transpired, one would have expected Valencia to have topped that group fairly easily. However, such is no longer the case. Not only will they probably not top the group, it is now in fact looking likely that Valencia will finish bottom of the group and even miss the drop-down into the Europa League which is granted to third-placed teams.
If, as expected, Valencia do poorly in the league and Champions League this season, it could set a domino effect into motion. Player such as Guedes, Gayà, Kevin Gameiro, and Rodrigo, among others, might end up attempting to make their way out of the Mestalla.
There are times when a change of coach is sorely needed. At those times, a new person is needed at the helm to freshen things up and revive the club's flagging fortunes. Valencia, on the other hand, chose the worst possible time to fire Marcelino. There was absolutely no reason to fire him and replace him with the inexperienced Celades, who has never been a head coach of any club before. Already, it appears to have been a calamitous decision that will severely handicap Valencia throughout the current season. It will take a miracle for Valencia to again make the top four.
One would certainly assume that before too long, Marcelino will find himself in the dugout again, but with a different club. All of Valencia's and Marcelino's good work over the last two years might just have been undone.
Sunday, September 8, 2019
The Weekly Take, Issue 79: An Under-the-Radar Contender
Euro 2020 is almost a year away and the 2022 World Cup is almost three years from taking place. Even so, despite the fact that these tournaments are some way from beginning, the leading contenders are all attempting to position themselves to increase their title chances by as much as possible.
However, one of the teams which happens to be a genuine contender to win both has gone under everyone's radar. This team is stacked at almost every position and is loaded with immense talent and skill, but is somehow being slept on by far too many people. It is also a team which actually failed to qualify for the 2018 World Cup.
This team is the Netherlands.
In the latest instalment of one of the most iconic rivalries in international football, the Netherlands beat Germany 4-2 in a Euro 2020 qualifying match. Goals scored by Georginio Wijnaldum, Frenkie de Jong, and Donyell Malen as well as a Jonathan Tah own goal helped the Oranje claim the victory over their eastern neighbours and arch-rivals.
Ever since the beginning of last season's Nations League, the Netherlands have been in fine form. In that tournament, they made it to the final, only to lose to Portugal. On their way to the final, the Dutch topped a brutal group which included France and Germany. Now, in qualifying for Euro 2020, they are well-positioned to advance to the tournament itself.
It has been a remarkable turnaround for the Netherlands. However, the emergence of many players as well as the career revivals of players who had once been overlooked or written off.
When looking at this Dutch team, one of the first things which draws attention is their remarkable defense. Of course, the foundation of this defense, best player on the team, and arguably the best player on the planet is Liverpool centre-back Virgil van Dijk. The Netherlands captain's outstanding play at the back has been one of the primary reasons for the team's upturn in fortunes. Supporting van Dijk in the defensive line are Stefan de Vrij, Daley Blind, and Matthijs de Ligt. In particular, the 20-year-old de Ligt has an incredibly bright future; it may even be the case that the two best centre-backs in the world both happen to be from the Netherlands.
The standout in midfield is definitely Frenkie de Jong. Barcelona's new signing lit up the Champions League last season during Ajax's underdog run to the semifinals. At just 22, de Jong has virtually the complete package for a central midfielder - a gifted passer, careful with the ball, an unforgiving but clean tackler; you name it, it applies to de Jong. The rest of the Dutch midfield is somewhat underrated as well - Marten de Roon, Davy Pröpper, Quincy Promes, and Donny van de Beek often do not receive as much of the spotlight as they likely deserve, as they have all made marked improvements over the last one to two years.
Up front, the two starters for the Netherlands are two players who have completely reversed their prior career narratives in Memphis Depay and Ryan Babel. When Depay signed for Manchester United from PSV in 2015, he was regarded as one of the most exciting rising stars in world football. Unfortunately, it never quite clicked for Depay at Old Trafford, and after one-and-a-half years, he signed for Lyon. However, ever since arriving at the Groupama Stadium, Depay has put his career back on track, re-emerging as a key part of both the Lyon and Netherlands teams alike.
Babel's story is even more remarkable. A 14-year veteran of the Dutch national team, Babel played his first game for the Oranje in six years in 2017. Although regarded as washed-up at the time, Babel only ended up going from strength to strength - in fact, of the 10 goals which he has scored over his international career, half of them have come during the last two years in what has been a remarkable late-career revival.
This Dutch team is clearly more than the sum of its parts. If everything continues in the way that has been shown over the last year or so, the Netherlands will be going places.
Perhaps that long sought-after first World Cup title might be coming sooner that one might think.
However, one of the teams which happens to be a genuine contender to win both has gone under everyone's radar. This team is stacked at almost every position and is loaded with immense talent and skill, but is somehow being slept on by far too many people. It is also a team which actually failed to qualify for the 2018 World Cup.
This team is the Netherlands.
In the latest instalment of one of the most iconic rivalries in international football, the Netherlands beat Germany 4-2 in a Euro 2020 qualifying match. Goals scored by Georginio Wijnaldum, Frenkie de Jong, and Donyell Malen as well as a Jonathan Tah own goal helped the Oranje claim the victory over their eastern neighbours and arch-rivals.
Ever since the beginning of last season's Nations League, the Netherlands have been in fine form. In that tournament, they made it to the final, only to lose to Portugal. On their way to the final, the Dutch topped a brutal group which included France and Germany. Now, in qualifying for Euro 2020, they are well-positioned to advance to the tournament itself.
It has been a remarkable turnaround for the Netherlands. However, the emergence of many players as well as the career revivals of players who had once been overlooked or written off.
When looking at this Dutch team, one of the first things which draws attention is their remarkable defense. Of course, the foundation of this defense, best player on the team, and arguably the best player on the planet is Liverpool centre-back Virgil van Dijk. The Netherlands captain's outstanding play at the back has been one of the primary reasons for the team's upturn in fortunes. Supporting van Dijk in the defensive line are Stefan de Vrij, Daley Blind, and Matthijs de Ligt. In particular, the 20-year-old de Ligt has an incredibly bright future; it may even be the case that the two best centre-backs in the world both happen to be from the Netherlands.
The standout in midfield is definitely Frenkie de Jong. Barcelona's new signing lit up the Champions League last season during Ajax's underdog run to the semifinals. At just 22, de Jong has virtually the complete package for a central midfielder - a gifted passer, careful with the ball, an unforgiving but clean tackler; you name it, it applies to de Jong. The rest of the Dutch midfield is somewhat underrated as well - Marten de Roon, Davy Pröpper, Quincy Promes, and Donny van de Beek often do not receive as much of the spotlight as they likely deserve, as they have all made marked improvements over the last one to two years.
Up front, the two starters for the Netherlands are two players who have completely reversed their prior career narratives in Memphis Depay and Ryan Babel. When Depay signed for Manchester United from PSV in 2015, he was regarded as one of the most exciting rising stars in world football. Unfortunately, it never quite clicked for Depay at Old Trafford, and after one-and-a-half years, he signed for Lyon. However, ever since arriving at the Groupama Stadium, Depay has put his career back on track, re-emerging as a key part of both the Lyon and Netherlands teams alike.
Babel's story is even more remarkable. A 14-year veteran of the Dutch national team, Babel played his first game for the Oranje in six years in 2017. Although regarded as washed-up at the time, Babel only ended up going from strength to strength - in fact, of the 10 goals which he has scored over his international career, half of them have come during the last two years in what has been a remarkable late-career revival.
This Dutch team is clearly more than the sum of its parts. If everything continues in the way that has been shown over the last year or so, the Netherlands will be going places.
Perhaps that long sought-after first World Cup title might be coming sooner that one might think.
Monday, September 2, 2019
The Weekly Take, Issue 78: No, Not That Net
The standout match of Serie A's second matchday of the season was the clash between Juventus and Napoli. Not only did both clubs already have a fierce rivalry, but Juve have also been the reigning league champions since 2012, while Napoli have finished second to Juve in three of the last four seasons; they were third in the other. Furthermore, what was already one of the most heated rivalries in European football recently had extra spice added to it. This past off-season, Maurizio Sarri became the head coach of Juventus; he had coached Napoli from 2015 to 2018. Similarly, Napoli's legendary coach Carlo Ancelotti had been in charge of Juve from 1999 to 2001.
The match lived up to the hype and then some. Juve scored the first three goals of the match; it looked as though the Bianconeri were on the path to an easy victory. However, Napoli mounted an astonishing comeback. The Campania-based club scored three goals in 15 minutes to tie it at 3-3. Unfortunately for Napoli, all their effort would come to naught when centre-back Kalidou Koulibaly scored a stoppage-time own goal to win it for Juve. The Senegalese centre-back connected with Juve striker Paulo Dybala's free kick in just the right way to put the ball past Napoli goalkeeper Alex Meret and clinch the victory for Juve.
Obviously, no player ever wants to score an own goal. They are moments which not only provide a free goal to the opposing team, but will be replayed on blooper reels for months and sometimes even years to come. They also bring about the roasting of the own goal's scorer on social media.
However, it cannot be denied that some own goals are much more consequential than others. Koulibaly's own goal might just have been one because Juve and Napoli are both expected to be among the contenders to win the league title this season. Should Juve go on to win the league by finishing three points or fewer ahead of Napoli (which is a distinct possibility), Koulibaly's own goal would rightly be described as the own goal that won Juve the Serie A title.
Another own goal which had dire consequences for the team of the scorer was that of Fernandinho, who was playing for Brazil against Belgium in the quarterfinals of 2018 World Cup. The Manchester City midfielder stretched out to intercept a Nacer Chadli corner, but was only able to redirect the ball into the back of his own net. The Seleção went on to lose 2-1, meaning that had Fernandinho not scored that own goal, the match would have gone to extra time, in which Brazil may have possibly gone on to win and advance to the semifinals.
Of course, the most tragic own goal ever scored took place 24 years prior to that. It was also scored during a World Cup.
During the 1994 World Cup, Andrés Escobar's own goal scored while playing for Colombia against the United States ended up knocking Los Cafeteros out of the global showpiece. A few days later, Escobar paid the ultimate price when he was murdered in his hometown of Medellín. The murder was thought to be a direct retaliation for the own goal.
On a less sombre note, there was even an own goal which directly caused a team's relegation - the one scored by Pavel Krmaš which relegated Freiburg in 2015. With the score against Hanover tied at 1-1, Krmaš's botched clearance ended with the ball in the back of his team's net. Just to make it even worse for the Czech centre-back, he did this in his last game for Freiburg after eight years at the club from southwestern Germany. Furthermore, the own goal not only relegated Freiburg, but also kept Hanover in the Bundesliga.
Own goals are events that can happen in any football match at any time. They have been scored by everyone from the last man off the bench to legitimate Ballon d'Or candidates. However, regardless of the identity of the player who scored the own goal, what is important for the player in such a situation is having the ability and mental strength to put the mishap behind him and bounce back.
The match lived up to the hype and then some. Juve scored the first three goals of the match; it looked as though the Bianconeri were on the path to an easy victory. However, Napoli mounted an astonishing comeback. The Campania-based club scored three goals in 15 minutes to tie it at 3-3. Unfortunately for Napoli, all their effort would come to naught when centre-back Kalidou Koulibaly scored a stoppage-time own goal to win it for Juve. The Senegalese centre-back connected with Juve striker Paulo Dybala's free kick in just the right way to put the ball past Napoli goalkeeper Alex Meret and clinch the victory for Juve.
Obviously, no player ever wants to score an own goal. They are moments which not only provide a free goal to the opposing team, but will be replayed on blooper reels for months and sometimes even years to come. They also bring about the roasting of the own goal's scorer on social media.
However, it cannot be denied that some own goals are much more consequential than others. Koulibaly's own goal might just have been one because Juve and Napoli are both expected to be among the contenders to win the league title this season. Should Juve go on to win the league by finishing three points or fewer ahead of Napoli (which is a distinct possibility), Koulibaly's own goal would rightly be described as the own goal that won Juve the Serie A title.
Another own goal which had dire consequences for the team of the scorer was that of Fernandinho, who was playing for Brazil against Belgium in the quarterfinals of 2018 World Cup. The Manchester City midfielder stretched out to intercept a Nacer Chadli corner, but was only able to redirect the ball into the back of his own net. The Seleção went on to lose 2-1, meaning that had Fernandinho not scored that own goal, the match would have gone to extra time, in which Brazil may have possibly gone on to win and advance to the semifinals.
Of course, the most tragic own goal ever scored took place 24 years prior to that. It was also scored during a World Cup.
During the 1994 World Cup, Andrés Escobar's own goal scored while playing for Colombia against the United States ended up knocking Los Cafeteros out of the global showpiece. A few days later, Escobar paid the ultimate price when he was murdered in his hometown of Medellín. The murder was thought to be a direct retaliation for the own goal.
On a less sombre note, there was even an own goal which directly caused a team's relegation - the one scored by Pavel Krmaš which relegated Freiburg in 2015. With the score against Hanover tied at 1-1, Krmaš's botched clearance ended with the ball in the back of his team's net. Just to make it even worse for the Czech centre-back, he did this in his last game for Freiburg after eight years at the club from southwestern Germany. Furthermore, the own goal not only relegated Freiburg, but also kept Hanover in the Bundesliga.
Own goals are events that can happen in any football match at any time. They have been scored by everyone from the last man off the bench to legitimate Ballon d'Or candidates. However, regardless of the identity of the player who scored the own goal, what is important for the player in such a situation is having the ability and mental strength to put the mishap behind him and bounce back.
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