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.
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