The Weekly Take, Issue 51: Death, Taxes, and Bayern

This has not been a vintage season by any means for Bayern Munich.

The Bavarian club is at risk of losing the Bundesliga title for the first time since 2012.

Their over-dependence on Robert Lewandowski has only become more prominent as the season has gone on. The Pole has scored 25 of Bayern’s 60 goals in all competitions thus far.

Niko Kovač, who took over as Bayern head coach at the beginning of the season, almost lost his job just a few months ago.

So, it was no surprise that heading into the first leg of their round of 16 Champions League tie against Liverpool, Bayern were viewed as the clear underdogs – a position they seldom find themselves in.

But as the Reds found out, write off Bayern Munich at your own peril. Bayern left Anfield with a 0-0 draw, and with the second leg to be played at the Allianz Arena, they suddenly seem likely to reach the Champions League quarterfinals for the eighth consecutive year.

Bayern’s consistency in the Champions League is absolutely staggering.

Not only have they made it to the last eight in each of the last seven campaigns, they have also done so in all but three seasons since 2005. Even more remarkable is the fact that in all but two seasons since 2010, Bayern have reached the semifinals.

This is a testament to the remarkable team culture and spirit that has been built in Munich. No other team in world football, apart from Barcelona and Real Madrid, even comes close, and this is what separates great clubs from legendary clubs.

Now, don’t misunderstand me. Teams such as Juventus, Manchester United, AC Milan, and Liverpool, just to name a few, are great, historic clubs with many honours to their name and tremendous club legacies.

However, Bayern are, in my opinion, one of an exclusive club of three. They are the sort of team about which, no matter the era or the squad, you just have this sense that somehow, some way, they will figure things out and be all right in the end. While some of the other teams I mentioned have had this “aura” at certain points in their history, none of them have had it be a constant feature of their team the way Bayern have.

This once again goes back to team culture. Consider the fact that, despite having all-time greats such as Arjen Robben, Robert Lewandowski, Manuel Neuer, and Thomas Müller among their squad members, this is a comparatively egoless team. All their stars have been willing to buy in and put the team before individual glory.

Bayern have always been more about the collective than the individual. From Franz Beckenbauer to Gerd Müller to Lothar Matthäus to Oliver Kahn and many others besides, Bayern’s superstars have always set the tone of the team’s culture in a positive way, and this has always translated to results on the field.

Arguably the greatest example of this culture of winning was shown in Bayern’s 2001 Champions League semifinal victory over Real. On paper, Bayern seemed to have no shot. This was a Real team boasting players such as Raúl, Roberto Carlos, Luís Figo, and Claude Makélélé. On the other hand, Bayern’s only genuine superstar at the time was Kahn. Yet, despite Bayern’s clear talent disadvantage, they not only won the tie, but did so by beating Real in both legs, winning 1-0 and 2-1 respectively.

This is a big reason why many rising stars want to play for Bayern. They know that the exemplary team atmosphere will do their budding careers a world of good. In their current squad, players such as Thiago Alcântara, Ribéry, Niklas Süle, and Renato Sanches were all 24 years old or younger when they joined. Each of them has since seen their careers go from strength to strength, and Ribéry has even become one of Bayern’s greatest players ever.

As a Borussia Dortmund fan, it pains me a little to say this, but greatness has to be recognized and applauded, and Bayern Munich have been truly great for an almost-unbroken stretch of nearly 50 years.

Do not be surprised if Bayern go on to win their sixth Champions League title this season.

The Weekly Take, Issue 50: 50@50: The 50 Greatest Football Matches of All Time

I’ve decided to do something a little different to mark my 50th post.

Listed here are what I consider to be the 50 greatest football matches ever.

Before I begin the list, I will lay out a few things.

- The matches can be broken down this way: 10 matches from the World Cup, 10 from the European Cup or Champions League, 10 from international continental tournaments, 10 from major domestic leagues, 5 from major domestic cups, and 5 from World Cup qualifiers.

- The matches will be arranged chronologically.

- As there are 50 matches to go through, each will only receive a short description.

So, without any further ado:

Uruguay 2-1 Brazil (July 16, 1950)

What was expected to be a coronation for World Cup hosts and heavy favourites Brazil went sour. Alcides Ghiggia’s goal clinched Uruguay’s second World Cup title in what became one of the tournament’s greatest upsets.

West Germany 3-2 Hungary (July 4, 1954)

The very next tournament also culminated in a stunning upset. West Germany had been taken apart in the group stage by the dominant Hungarians, losing 8-3. However, Die Mannschaft got their revenge, coming back from two goals behind in the final to complete an astonishing turnaround.

Brazil 5-2 Sweden (June 29, 1958)

All three 1950s World Cup finals turned out to be all-time classics. This match is best remembered for being the game where a 17-year-old Pelé broke out as a superstar. Even so, few at the time could have envisioned the career he would go on to have.

Real Madrid 7-3 Eintracht Frankfurt (May 18, 1960)

Real claimed a fifth consecutive European Cup, a feat that may never be repeated, in emphatic style. Alfredo Di Stéfano and Ferenc Puskás combined for all seven goals.

Atlético Madrid 3-2 Real Madrid (July 2, 1961)

Just one year later, Real’s city rivals struck an incredible blow against their dynasty by winning the Copa del Generalísimo. Led by former Real head coach José Villalonga, a starless but dogged Atlético held off a legendary team to defend their Copa title.
 
England 4-2 West Germany (July 30, 1966)

Spurred on by a raucous home crowd, England won their first World Cup title on the back of a Geoff Hurst hattrick. A questionable goal called in favour of England proved irrelevant, as the Three Lions went on to win by two goals anyway.

Celtic 2-1 Inter Milan (May 25, 1967)

Inter’s dynastic “Grande Inter” era came to a screeching halt with this upset loss to the Glasgow club in the European Cup final. Stevie Chalmers’ goal sealed a victory hardly any imagined possible before the match.

Italy 4-3 West Germany (June 17, 1970)

A match which had seen little action for most of it sprang to life late on. Karl-Heinz Schellinger’s goal for West Germany sent it to extra time, where a remarkable five goals were scored. Gianni Rivera’s winning goal sent Gli Azzurri through to the World Cup final.

Bayern Munich 4-3 Borussia Mönchengladbach (December 8, 1973)

The two pre-eminent Bundesliga clubs of the era went toe-to-toe in an all-time classic. It proved to be decisive at the end of the season, as Bayern won the league by just one point.

Czechoslovakia 2 (5)-2 (3) West Germany (June 20, 1976)

A pulsating final ended with one of the most iconic football moments ever. Antonín Panenka’s chipped penalty won the shootout and Euro 1976 for Czechoslovakia. To this day, such penalties still bear Panenka’s name.

Italy 3-2 Brazil (July 5, 1982)

The red-hot pre-tournament favourites were stopped in their tracks by an intelligent, disciplined Italian team. Gli Azzurri’s tactics were on point, knocking out the Seleção en route to a first World Cup title in 44 years.

France 3-2 Portugal (June 23, 1984)

With six minutes left, it looked as if Portugal were heading for the final of Euro 1984. However, late goals by Jean-François Domergue and Michel Platini ended up turning the tide in favour of Les Bleus.

Argentina 2-1 England (June 22, 1986)

This was the “Diego Maradona Game”. Maradona’s first goal was the iconic “Hand of God” goal. His second was arguably the finest in World Cup history and knocked England out of the tournament.

AC Milan 5-0 Real Madrid (April 19, 1989)

The dominant club team of the era completely destroyed a strong Real team including the likes of Hugo Sánchez and Emilio Butragueño. Real simply had no answer for an all-time great Rossoneri team.

Arsenal 2-0 Liverpool (May 26, 1989)

Arsenal not only had to win this match to clinch the First Division title; they had to do so by two goals. In shocking fashion, Michael Thomas scored a stoppage-time goal that gave the Gunners the two-goal margin of victory they needed to win the league.

Denmark 2-0 Germany (June 26, 1992)

Against all the odds, a team that was only brought in as a late replacement won Euro 1992. Goals scored by John Jensen and Kim Vilfort gave Denmark its only international tournament victory to date.

Colombia 5-0 Argentina (September 5, 1993)

This was the greatest result in Los Cafeteros’ history to this point. Colombia’s victory put them into the 1994 World Cup, while Argentina were forced to play a qualifier against Australia because of this crushing loss.

AC Milan 4-0 Barcelona (May 18, 1994)

Milan’s performance was arguably the greatest there has ever been in a Champions League or European Cup final. This dynastic Rossoneri team won its third title in six seasons by taking apart a Barcelona team containing legends such as Hristo Stoichkov, Romário, and Ronald Koeman.

Brazil 2 (4)-2 (2) Argentina (July 17, 1995)

This Copa América quarterfinal was one of the greatest matches of this iconic rivalry. It was only fitting that such a clash would be decided on penalties. Edmundo scored Brazil’s winning penalty.

Germany 1 (6)-1 (5) England (June 26, 1996)

This was another classic rivalry matchup decided on penalties. The shootout was decided with one of the most infamous penalty misses of all time. Gareth Southgate missed the penalty that put Germany in the Euro 1996 final.

Argentina 2 (4)-2 (3) England (June 22, 1998)

A remarkable World Cup round of 16 clash saw three iconic moments take place. David Beckham’s red card, Michael Owen’s spectacular goal, and David Batty’s missed penalty to lose the shootout for England have all become enshrined in World Cup lore.

Manchester United 2-1 Arsenal (April 14, 1999)

With the two teams’ original FA Cup semifinal encounter having finished in a draw, United and Arsenal squared off at Villa Park for the right to face Newcastle in the final. It took a sensational goal scored by Ryan Giggs to settle the match.

Manchester United 2-1 Bayern Munich (May 26, 1999)

Heading into stoppage time, it seemed that Mario Basler’s sixth-minute goal was about to give Bayern its first Champions League or European Cup title since 1976. Then, in a stunning turn of events, United substitutes Teddy Sheringham and Ole Gunnar Solskjær scored goals to win the Champions League for United, completing a Treble.

AC Milan 6-0 Inter Milan (May 11, 2001)

AC Milan took their city rivals apart in a late-season Serie A match. It was, and still is, the largest margin of victory in Derby della Madonnina history. To make the victory even sweeter, Milan also ended up denying Inter a spot in the next season’s Champions League.

Schalke 5-3 Unterhaching (May 19, 2001)

When the final whistle sounded, it seemed as though Schalke’s win delivered them the Bundesliga title. However, Stefan Andersson’s late goal for Bayern Munich against Hamburg won it for Bayern, making this the most heartbreaking of victories.

Barcelona 3-2 Valencia (June 17, 2001)

Rivaldo absolutely destroyed Valencia on the last La Liga matchday of the season, scoring all three goals including a spectacular last-minute bicycle kick. The victory also put Barça into the next season’s Champions League at Valencia’s expense.

England 5-1 Germany (September 1, 2001)

This was the match that drove the hype for England’s “Golden Generation” through the roof. Michael Owen was the Three Lions’ standout performer in this World Cup qualifier, scoring a hattrick.

Manchester United 4-3 Real Madrid (April 23, 2003)

Despite losing this match, Real had done enough to advance to the Champions League semifinals. Ronaldo’s hattrick for Real would also go down as one of the greatest individual Champions League performances.

Chelsea 2-1 Liverpool (May 11, 2003)

This match changed football history forever. Chelsea’s win put them in the Champions League, prompting Roman Abramovich to buy the London club. It wasn’t long before he ushered football into the era of the transfer arms race.

Juventus 2 (5)-2 (4) Inter Milan (April 12, 2004)

This was a Coppa Italia semifinal that had everything – two bitter rivals, a red card issued to Inter goalkeeper Francesco Toldo, and a dramatic penalty shootout. The Bianconeri held their nerve to reach the final.

Greece 1-0 Portugal (July 4, 2004)

Greece’s victory capped off the most remarkable underdog run in the history of international football. The unheralded Greeks stunned the Portugal team of Luis Figo, Rui Costa, and Deco to win Euro 2004.

Brazil 2 (4)-2 (2) Argentina (July 25, 2004)

Just as in 1995, a Brazil-Argentina Copa América match was decided on penalties. However, this was in the final. In the end, Andrés D’Alessandro and Gabriel Heinze’s missed penalties sealed Argentina’s fate.

Liverpool 3 (3)-3 (2) AC Milan (May 25, 2005)

There’s a reason this match is known as the “Miracle of Istanbul”. Trailing 3-0 at halftime, Liverpool stunned the heavily-favoured AC Milan, taking it to penalties. They then proceeded to win the shootout and the Champions League.

Côte d’Ivoire 3-1 Sudan (October 8, 2005)

A dramatic finish to the World Cup qualifying campaign saw Côte d’Ivoire qualify for the tournament for the first time ever. Aruna Dindane’s two goals helped Les Éléphants beat Sudan, knock out Cameroon, and seal their World Cup spot.

Australia 1-0 Uruguay (November 16, 2005)

The Socceroos’ victory put them in the World Cup for the first time in 32 years. Australia also gained revenge over Uruguay, as it had been Uruguay who had denied them a spot in the 2002 World Cup.

Brazil 2 (5)-2 (4) Uruguay (July 10, 2007)

This Copa América semifinal had more than just a place in the final at stake. The other semifinal would be won by Argentina, the arch-rival of both teams in this match. In the penalty shootout, it was Gilberto’s penalty that made the difference, sending Brazil into the final.

Barcelona 1-1 Chelsea (May 6, 2009)

This game would go on to be remembered for all the wrong reasons. Chelsea were denied four obvious penalties, and thus a Champions League final rematch against Manchester United. To make matters even worse for the Blues, Barça went on to win the tournament.

Alcorcón 4-0 Real Madrid (October 27, 2009)

Segunda División B club Alcorcón pulled off the greatest shock there has ever been in a domestic cup. A Real side boasting the likes of Raúl, Karim Benzema, and Ruud van Nistelrooy were thoroughly outplayed by the underdogs, who advanced to the Copa del Rey’s round of 16.

Uruguay 1 (4)-1 (2) Ghana (July 2, 2010)

Few World Cup matches have had as dramatic an ending as this feisty quarterfinal. After Luis Suárez was sent off for a deliberate handball to deny a Ghana goal, Asamoah Gyan missed what would’ve been the winning goal from the penalty spot. Uruguay went on to win on penalties.

Barcelona 5-0 Real Madrid (November 29, 2010)

A rampant Barcelona could not be stopped. The Blaugrana completely took apart their bitter rivals en route to the La Liga title. Although David Villa scored two goals, it was Xavi who shone brightest of all.

Borussia Dortmund 5-2 Bayern Munich (May 12, 2012)

Die Schwarzgelbe completed their first domestic double with aplomb. Robert Lewandowski’s hattrick highlighted a sensational victory. It was Dortmund’s first DFB-Pokal title since 1989.

Manchester City 3-2 QPR (May 13, 2012)

As stoppage time began in this match, City needed to score two goals to win the Premier League and deny Manchester United the title. Just when all hope seemed lost for City, Edin Džeko and Sergio Agüero scored the decisive goals to clinch the league title in astonishing fashion.

Spain 4-0 Italy (July 1, 2012)

Spain won back-to-back Euro titles with a dominant, one-sided victory. La Furia Roja showed why they may have been the greatest international football team ever. Head coach Vicente del Bosque’s unorthodox decision to play Andrés Iniesta and David Silva as centre-forwards paid major dividends.

Portugal 3-2 Sweden (November 19, 2013)

A duel between Cristiano Ronaldo and Zlatan Ibrahimović ended with Ronaldo coming out on top. The two superstars scored all the goals for their respective countries. Ronaldo’s hattrick put Portugal into the World Cup.

Atlético Madrid 1-1 Barcelona (May 17, 2014)

Against all the odds, Atlético’s draw against Barça gave them their first La Liga title in 18 years. Diego Godín’s 49th-minute goal was enough to seal the league title for Atlético.

Real Madrid 4-1 Atlético Madrid (May 24, 2014)

Just one week later, Atlético were in the Champions League final and minutes away from completing a historic double. However, Sergio Ramos’ stoppage-time equalizer took the game to extra time. Real went on to score three more goals and win the Champions League.

Germany 7-1 Brazil (July 8, 2014)

This was the greatest single-game team performance in football history. Neymar’s absence due to injury put Brazil on the back foot before this World Cup semifinal even started. Germany took full advantage, scoring five goals in an 18-minute span.

Chile 0 (4)-0 (2) Argentina (June 26, 2016)

Chile successfully defended their Copa América title by stunning Argentina. Certainly, the defining moment of the match was Argentina legend Lionel Messi’s penalty shootout miss, which almost certainly ended the Albiceleste’s hopes of a first continental title since 1993.

Barcelona 6-1 PSG (March 8, 2017)

Barça looked dead in the water after having lost the first leg of this Champions League round of 16 tie by a 4-0 scoreline. However, the Catalan club turned it around, scoring three late goals in seven minutes to complete an incredible comeback and advance to the quarterfinals.

Inter Milan 3-2 Lazio (May 20, 2018)

An utterly ridiculous Serie A match had two red cards, an own goal, and a late winning goal scored by Matías Vecino. As if all of the above weren’t already enough, it took place on the final matchday of the season. To top it off, Inter’s win put them in the Champions League at Lazio’s expense.

The Weekly Take, Issue 49: A Promising Season Going Off the Rails

The Madrid derby is one of world football’s most hotly-contested matches. Real Madrid and Atlético Madrid are already two of the best teams on the planet, and the fact that they are city rivals adds another layer of intrigue to the clash.

In the latest instalment of this classic rivalry, Real triumphed over the 10 men of Atlético, winning 3-1. Although Thomas Partey’s red card came late on, it sealed Atlético’s fate, extinguishing any chance of a comeback.

Less than a month ago, Atlético’s season was in a far better position than it is in now.

They were second in La Liga and closing in on leaders Barcelona, in the last 16 of the Champions League, and heading into the second leg of what should have been a straightforward Copa del Rey victory against Girona.

Since then, Atlético have surrendered second place in the league to their resurgent city rivals, were knocked out of the Copa del Rey on away goals by drawing 3-3 in that Girona match, and now seem unlikely to beat Juventus and advance to the Champions League quarterfinals.

So just how did things start going wrong?

One area that deserves criticism is Atlético’s attack. Outside of Antoine Griezmann, Atlético have been truly abysmal up front for a team of their standing. Thus far this season, they have very much been carried by their defense and Griezmann.

Atlético have scored 55 goals in all competitions this season, having played 34 games. This ratio is far lower than those of every other top team in Europe. What is even more damning, however, is the extent to which Atlético depend on Griezmann to shoulder the team’s goalscoring load.

Griezmann is by far Atlético’s leading goalscorer, with 17 this season. The team’s next-highest goalscorer is Koke, who has five. It gets even worse if you restrict this statistic to just La Liga matches. Griezmann has scored 11 of Atlético’s 33 La Liga goals. No other player has more than two. Players such as Nikola Kalinić, Ángel Correa, and Diego Costa have been extremely disappointing. To put this into perspective: if “own goals scored by the opposing team” were a player, it would be tied for being Atlético’s second-highest league goalscorer.

Atlético even failed to deal with this issue properly during the recent transfer window. Instead of going after an in-form striker or someone who has a good goalscoring track record, they picked up Álvaro Morata on loan. Over his career, Morata has only broken double figures in a major league twice, has scored just 56 career major-league goals over almost nine seasons, and was in the midst of a brutal goalscoring slump. Hence, this signing was a rather perplexing one.

Atlético’s away form is also a cause for concern.

If only away matches counted, Atlético would only be fifth in La Liga. Even worse than that is this fact: among teams in Europe’s four major leagues, as of this article, Atlético rank 26th in points per away game.

Clearly, for a team like Atlético, that’s simply not good enough.

While all teams typically play better at home, Atlético’s struggles on the road are at a level one does not expect for a team expected to be challenging for the Champions League.

By not making any major signings during this transfer window, I honestly think they have missed their last chance to mount a serious La Liga or Champions League title bid this season.

As presently constructed, this roster is too unbalanced to land Atlético either title. While Diego Simeone is arguably the best coach in the world, Jan Oblak and Griezmann are genuine superstars, and their defense has been excellent, for whatever reason, their season is falling off the rails.

I have always lauded Atlético’s front office and the outstanding job they have done for the last decade or so. However, that is not the case this season. They overpaid for Thomas Lemar and signed Kalinić and Morata when better players were available. Other than the signing of Rodri, for once, Atlético failed to get it right in the transfer market.

A team can have an amazing coach, two world-class stars, a glamorous market, and significant (though in this case, not exorbitant) wealth, but that all counts for nothing without the right supporting cast, as Atlético Madrid are now finding out.

The Weekly Take, Issue 48: Meet the Most Slept-on Team in the Bundesliga

This past matchday, a team that has been overlooked by almost everyone produced perhaps the most impressive result of the week.

Though this team has gone unnoticed by many, when one takes a closer look, it should become obvious that not only is this team better than they’re given credit for, but they should arguably be doing even better than they are right now.

The club I am speaking about is Eintracht Frankfurt.

Frankfurt held Bundesliga leaders Borussia Dortmund to a 1-1 draw. Luka Jović’s 36th-minute goal cancelled out Dortmund icon Marco Reus’s opener. The equaliser was the Serbian’s 14th goal in the Bundesliga this season.

For those who have been paying close attention, Frankfurt’s solid season thus far will not have come as a surprise. In fact, it could easily be argued that they should be doing better in the league. Die Adler are currently fifth in the Bundesliga, five points off a Champions League spot. However, where Frankfurt have truly shone this season has been in the Europa League. They won all six games in a tough group that included Marseille and Lazio. Frankfurt will play against Shakhtar Donetsk in the round of 32, and they should have no trouble in knocking the Ukrainian club out of the tournament.

Although Frankfurt do not have any superstars on their roster, what they do have is a collection of very solid contributors who are mostly underrated to some degree. Players such as Kevin Trapp, Makoto Hasebe, Gelson Fernandes, Jonathan de Guzmán, Filip Kostić, Jović, and Sébastien Haller have all played major roles in Frankfurt’s season thus far. As is the case with many teams who achieve success without a star player, this is an instance of all the pieces fitting together perfectly.

This may not be the case for much longer, though. This also brings up another important point.

When I say that “this may not be the case for much longer”, I don’t mean that the players will no longer be a good fit for the team.

I mean that Frankfurt have a budding star among them in Jović. At just 21 years old, Jović is having a breakout season. The Benfica loanee is currently the Bundesliga’s leading goalscorer. If he remains in this position at the end of the season, he will become the youngest player to ever lead the Bundesliga in goals scored. What makes this even more impressive is the fact that if he were to do so, he would eclipse the legendary Gerd Müller for the honour. Jović would also become the youngest player to be the top scorer of a major European league since Ronaldo in 1997.

No one could have foreseen Jović’s becoming one of the most exciting young prospects in world football. At the beginning of this season, he had only played in 84 career league games, scoring 24 goals. Reduce the criteria to just matches played in a major league, and the numbers fall to 22 and eight respectively.

Although it is likely that Jović will eventually sign for a bigger club at some point in the future, Frankfurt should definitely build the team around him while he is still at the Commerzbank-Arena.

However, there is one area in which Frankfurt clearly have significant room for improvement: their defense.

Frankfurt have already conceded 27 goals after just 20 league games this season, and their backline consisting of the likes of Evan N’Dicka, David Abraham, and Danny da Costa is nowhere near the quality required to take the club to the next level.

That being said, Frankfurt did sign three defenders during the recent transfer window – Martin Hinteregger, Tuta, and Almamy Touré – though their impact on the team remains to be seen. Nevertheless, Hinteregger is better than any of the other defenders on Frankfurt’s roster and should therefore be able to help turn things around at the back.

As has been mentioned, this team is certainly underrated. They are currently on pace to have their best Bundesliga campaign since 1994. What’s more, if they finish the season in the top four, they will be in the Champions League for the first time since 1960 and the first time in the modern era.

Evidently, Eintracht Frankfurt cannot and should not be overlooked anymore.