The Weekly Take, Issue 190: The Blue Machine Rolls On

Boxing Day matches are an iconic staple of every Premier League season, and the standout fixture on that day in the 2021-22 campaign featured Manchester City hosting Leicester City.

In an astonishing match that included nine goals, two penalties, and an improbable comeback effort that fell just short, Manchester City hung on for a 6-3 victory despite almost blowing a four-goal lead. Kevin De Bruyne, Riyad Mahrez, İlkay Gündoğan, and Raheem Sterling put the Citizens 4-0 ahead well before halftime. However, after the break, Leicester reduced the deficit to 4-3 within 20 minutes of the restart. In the end, two further goals from Aymeric Laporte and Sterling ensured that Manchester City would have their ninth consecutive league victory, keeping daylight between themselves and closest rivals Liverpool.

Over the past few seasons, City's dominance of the Premier League has become almost routine. Since the 2017-18 season, City have won the league three times in four years, with their second-place finish behind Liverpool in 2019-20 beginning to look more and more like an aberration. During these four seasons, City have averaged a barely believable 91 points per season and are on pace to have 94 this time around.

What arguably makes City's success even more remarkable is the fact that they're doing this without a true focal point up front. At this point, Sterling and Bernardo Silva are City's leading goalscorers despite having just seven apiece. This may very well be the truest form of head coach Pep Guardiola's style of play manifesting itself - one which reached its apex during his four years in charge of a dynastic Barcelona team.

Guardiola's tactics also seem to have benefited certain players who have shown a great deal of improvement this season such as Phil Foden, João Cancelo, and perhaps most notably, Rodri. The Spanish midfielder is currently playing at a level far beyond any he has attained until now.

This is a team in which every piece seems to fit almost perfectly. Though City might not have any of the five or arguably even 10 best players on the planet, they have an absolute laundry list of players ranging from "very solid" to "elite". When we talk about how this City team was built, we tend to focus on the enormous amount of money brought in by club owner Sheikh Mansour. However, we must give him credit where it is due - unlike several other billionaire owners (some of whom we can easily think; no names will be given, though), he actually seems to attend to the team's personnel needs and act accordingly. Most of City's big-money signings have also proven to have been worth the massive outlays (and then some, in certain cases).

All this having been mentioned, it will be interesting to see how City handle the Champions League when it resumes in February, as it has always been on European football's biggest stage that things have historically begun to go wrong for the Manchester club. That being said, they did reach last season's final, only to fall to Chelsea in the showpiece match. City will resume their Champions League campaign against Sporting CP - a fixture which they should have absolutely no trouble winning. After that, it will be revealed whether last season's deep run was the anomaly or the new norm for a City team which would have finally figured out continental play. That being said, the fact that City topped a group which included Paris Saint-Germain is certainly a good sign.

The main question, ultimately, has to be this: is this peak City or do they have another level which they have not yet unlocked? As great as City are right now, one can't help but shake the feeling that City's current level might not be able to land them the coveted Premier League/Champions League double.

That being said, City have shown ruthless efficiency all season long and are the clear favourites to land a fourth Premier League title in five seasons. Yet somehow, Manchester City almost seem underrated - perhaps they are now at the point at which many just take their dominant level of play, especially on the domestic front, for granted.

Though there's still half a season to be played, another league title seems likely to be heading to the Etihad Stadium.

The Weekly Take, Issue 189: Stepping Into Uncharted Territory

Sevilla consolidated their position as Real Madrid's closest challengers for this season's La Liga title by beating the slumping Atlético Madrid 2-1. Ivan Rakitić's seventh-minute opener for Sevilla was cancelled out by an equalizer scored by Felipe. However, Lucas Ocampos would ensure that Los Rojiblancos would leave with all three points.

Sevilla's victory kept them in second place in La Liga, five points behind leaders Real. If Sevilla maintain their current pace, this might turn out to be the Andalusian club's finest league season in well over half a century.

The last time Sevilla won La Liga was in the 1945-46 season, while the last time they even finished in the top two was in 1956-57. Yet, that could all change this season. No team has gained more from the sudden declines of perennial title contenders Atlético and Barcelona than have Sevilla.

The bulk of Sevilla's success this season has come on the strength of their impressive defense. With just 12 goals conceded in 17 league matches, they are currently tied for second in this statistic among all the clubs of Europe's four major leagues. Their starting back four of Gonzalo Montiel, Marcos Acuña, Diego Carlos, and Jules Koundé as well as goalkeeper Bono have emerged as one of the most stifling backlines in world football - and a highly underrated one at that.

Now in his third season in the dugout at the Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán, head coach Julen Lopetegui has also turned his reputation almost completely around. Prior to taking the job at Sevilla in 2019, Lopetegui was best known for his ill-fated stints in charge of the Spanish national team and subsequently Real. His selection for the position at Sevilla was greeted with skepticism from many. However, he has thoroughly silenced the doubters since then by leading Sevilla to back-to-back Champions League berths and a Europa League title. He has also been a key reason why Sevilla have been able to keep pace in what could so easily have turned out to be a one-sided title race.

Sevilla are already in the midst of their best era since the 1940s and 1950s. Over the past eight seasons, they have qualified for the Champions League five times, reaching the quarterfinals in the 2017-18 season. They have also won four Europa League titles and reached the final of the Copa del Rey twice. However, all of these would pale in comparison to the significance that a first league title in 75 years would bring.

On paper, this would seem to be an extremely tough ask, given the star power and financial might that Real possess. However, it isn't impossible - a five-point gap can easily be overcome, especially with so many matches still to be played. All it would take for Sevilla to claim an edge in the title race is one short slump on Real's part - something that could happen to any team at any time.

The upcoming January transfer window will be crucial towards Sevilla's title push. Sevilla currently have neither a true playmaker nor a major goalscoring threat. These points are evidenced by the following facts: Rafa Mir is their leading goalscorer in the league with just five goals, while Acuña leads the club in league assists with three. Bear in mind that almost half the season has already been played; on a per-match basis, these figures do not hold up well at all. Sevilla thus ought to prioritize offensive output during the next transfer window - it could be their key towards mounting a genuine league title push and perhaps even toppling Real.

Nevertheless, their Champions League performance notwithstanding, Sevilla's season thus far has exceeded even what their most ardent fans would have dreamed possible. This team seems to have just the right blend - that "X-factor" that no Sevilla team has ever quite had - until now.

Of course, there's always the possibility that Sevilla's early-season form will end up fizzling out, allowing Real to win the league by a wide margin. However, based on what Sevilla have shown us thus far, their form seems to be sustainable. All it will take now is one final push. Whether that push will come, however, is yet to be seen.

Is this the year at last? Maybe, maybe not - but they're closer than almost all their fans can remember them being.

The Weekly Take, Issue 188: Their Best Chance Has Been Squandered

As the group stage of this season's Champions League came to a conclusion, one of the standout fixtures of the final matchday was the match between Real Madrid and Inter Milan. Real won 2-0 to clinch first place in Group D. Toni Kroos and Marco Asensio scored the goals which ensured that Los Merengues would most likely avoid one of the favourites to win the tournament in the round of 16. Real were also aided by a completely needless Nicolò Barella red card which came due to a scrap with Éder Militão.

Inter will now have to play against a first-placed team in the round of 16. It is now rather unlikely that they will advance to the quarterfinals; thus, as far as Champions League participation is concerned, Inter probably won't make a deep run for the first time since reaching the quarterfinals in the 2010-11 season, when they were the reigning champions.

Looking back, Inter's best chance to be a serious contender to win a fourth Champions League title in the club's history was last season. This was a team which was utterly loaded with talent. Last season's squad featured players such as Achraf Hakimi, Christian Eriksen, Lautaro Martínez, Stefan de Vrij, and of course, star striker Romelu Lukaku. Inter also had elite coaching through Antonio Conte.

Inter won their first Serie A title in a decade last season, finishing ahead of city rivals AC Milan by a massive 12-point margin. However, their Champions League campaign could not have been in starker contrast. Despite having been placed into a fairly easy group containing Borussia Mönchengladbach, Shakhtar Donetsk, and the weakest Real team in many years, the Nerazzurri somehow managed to finish dead last among the quartet and thus even missed the Europa League berth provided to third-placed teams.

Had Inter advanced from the group stage as had been expected, a deep run could've been on the cards. For that matter, if things had broken just right, they could even have conceivably gone all the way. A second-place finish in their Champions League group last season would've seen Inter face off against Manchester City in the round of 16. While Inter would not have been the favourites over two legs against City, they would have had a puncher's chance at the very least. Certainly, Inter would've offered more of a challenge than did Gladbach - City's actual opponents in that round.

If Inter had advanced to the quarterfinals, they would've played against Borussia Dortmund. This matchup would likely have come down to a duel between Lukaku and Dortmund ace Erling Haaland. Once again, an Inter victory would not have been inconceivable. While a subsequent two-legged fixture against Paris Saint-Germain as well as the final against Chelsea would also have been unlikely victories, it would not have been as though Inter would've had no chance whatsoever in either matchup.

However, Inter are now a great deal weaker today than they were last season. Over the off-season, Conte left and was replaced by former Lazio head coach Simone Inzaghi. Chelsea signed Lukaku for €115 million; Hakimi also left the San Siro to join PSG for €60 million. Eriksen, meanwhile, has all but officially retired after having suffered a cardiac arrest while playing for Denmark at Euro 2020. None of Inter's off-season acquisitions to replace these players particularly moved the needle; this is somewhat disappointing given the enormous amounts of money Inter received for the departures of Lukaku and Hakimi.

Of course, Inter's season as a whole has not yet been completely lost. They are currently second in Serie A, just one point behind Milan. Inter are currently riding a four-match winning streak in the league. With Napoli slumping and Juventus continuing to struggle, Inter might just end up with back-to-back Scudetti for the first time in 12 years. A league and cup double, though rather unlikely, is therefore also not out of the question.

However, it's now highly unlikely that Inter will be the ones to break Italy's Champions League-winning drought which dates back to their own triumph during their legendary treble season of 2009-10. They might now be ruing their missed opportunity last season. Would they have won it all? Probably not - but their chances were definitely more than "almost zero" as they are now.

The Weekly Take, Issue 187: Same Old Story - but with a Twist

For Borussia Dortmund fans (including me), this is becoming a familiar story - one of which we have become thoroughly bored.

The latest edition of Der Klassiker saw Bayern Munich beat Dortmund 3-2. Robert Lewandowski took out his frustration over his Ballon d'Or snub on his former club, scoring two of Bayern's goals including the winning goal from the penalty spot. With the victory, Bayern extended their lead over Dortmund at the top of the Bundesliga to four points as they once again march seemingly unopposed to yet another league title.

For the umpteenth time, Dortmund came up short against their Bavarian rivals. Die Schwarzgelbe have now lost eight consecutive league matches against Bayern. Discounting their DFL-Supercup victory as it was not a meaningful match, Dortmund's most recent win over Bayern which was relevant came in the league in November 2018.

At this point, it is as much a question of mindset as it is of ability. Even though Dortmund have seldom been the favourites heading into Der Klassiker, a run of eight consecutive losses does make one wonder - do they genuinely believe they can actually beat Bayern? Too many times, Dortmund have simply folded against Bayern when the pressure has been at its highest.

While the most recent match was by no means Dortmund's worst showing against Bayern, it is nevertheless worth noting that they lost by one goal which came relatively late. Though it is commendable that they were able to keep the score level for as long as they did, losing the match in such a way might speak to a lack of execution in high-pressure scenarios.

However, unlike previous matches against Bayern, this edition of Der Klassiker had a notable subplot which will be expected to run all through this season as beyond: the possible transfer of Erling Haaland. Transfer rumours linking Dortmund's Norwegian ace to Real Madrid have only become louder in recent weeks. The centre-forward has reportedly claimed to favour a move to the Spanish capital if he were to leave Signal Iduna Park at the conclusion of this season.

Real are expected to offer Dortmund a transfer fee of €100 million or more to bring Haaland to the Santiago Bernabéu. This is once again a scenario familiar to Dortmund fans - watching a star centre-forward develop at the club, emerge as one of the world's elite players, and eventually leave. It happened with Robert Lewandowski, and it happened with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. The sad reality is that Haaland is almost certain to join them in doing so. The question is more of "when" rather than "if".

That said, there is one key difference between Haaland's future departure and those of big names before him. Unlike the departures of Lewandowski and Aubameyang, Haaland's impending departure will leave an even bigger void than those before him did. Unfortunately, Dortmund have clearly become over-reliant on Haaland. Although there are solid players such as Jude Belllingham, Julian Brandt, Mahmoud Dahoud, and Donyell Malen are all up-and-comers who likely have solid futures ahead of them, none seem set to ever even come close to the level at which Haaland is now playing.

Although the season thus far may not have gone according to plan for Dortmund, there is one avenue by which they might be able to salvage their season: the Europa League. Haaland's injury earlier in the season caused Dortmund to lose key Champions League matches and be forced to enter the Europa League starting from its round of 32. Now, Dortmund will be the overwhelming favorites to win the Europa League. While it may not have the prestige of the Champions League, it is, as they say, "better than nothing".

It has been 11 years since under the all-time great coaching of Jürgen Klopp, Dortmund first established themselves as a genuine force to be reckoned with. Since then, the club has enjoyed an unprecedented era of success. Is it possible that this era may soon be coming to an end? Perhaps, but it's also possible that Dortmund might be able to finish it strongly.

This time around, it might not just be Dortmund's current season at a crossroads - it could very well be the next few after that as well. The 2021-22 season seems to be shaping up to be Dortmund's most pivotal in a very long time.

The Weekly Take, Issue 186: Time to Panic Yet?

With just one Champions League matchday remaining, Atlético Madrid find themselves at risk of not only failing to qualify for the tournament's last 16, but perhaps even missing out on the Europa League spot provided to third-placed teams in each group. This shocking turn of events is now a real possibility after Atlético lost 1-0 in a crucial Champions League group-stage match against AC Milan. Junior Messias came off the bench to score the only goal in the 87th minute.

To say that the season thus far has not gone according to plan for the reigning La Liga champions would be an understatement. They are currently fourth in the league and trail city rivals Real Madrid as well as Real Sociedad and Sevilla. There is a genuine possibility that Atlético might fail to qualify for next season's Champions League. If they were to do so, such a failure would occur for the first time since the 2011-12 season.

In the Champions League, Atlético's loss to Milan put them in last place in Group B. Their match against Porto on December 7 will prove to be decisive. Should Atlético be unable to leave Portugal with the victory, they will have been eliminated in the group stage - a stunning turn of events for a team expected to be in contention for a first Champions League title in club history.

At the beginning of this season, no one could have expected Atlético to be struggling like this. Considering the fact that Real did not significantly strengthen their squad during the off-season transfer window as well as the constant state of dysfunction which continues to plague Barcelona, Atlético were in prime position to clinch back-to-back league titles for the first time in over 70 years.

In addition, Atlético's Champions League group of Liverpool, Porto, and Milan was a group which, while deemed to be fairly difficult, was one from which Atlético were generally expected to advance to the knockout stage. Instead, they might very well be knocked out in the group stage for just the second time over the past nine seasons.

Many of Atlético's main players have undoubtedly underperformed this season. Players such as Antoine Griezmann, Ángel Correa, Stefan Savić, and most alarmingly of all, Jan Oblak have been nowhere near the levels that they reached last season. Despite being Atlético's top scorer with seven league goals, Luis Suárez's play has been inconsistent outside of his finishing. The only players who have been impressive for Atlético this season are Yannick Carrasco and José Giménez.

Atlético also jeopardized their prospects this season with an unimpressive transfer window. Of their three off-season signings, none have managed to make a significant impact; they are not particularly expected to do so, either. Their haul of Marcos Paulo, Rodrigo De Paul, and Matheus Cunha for a combined €65 million was rather underwhelming. Even their decision to bring back Griezmann for a second stint on a loan deal from Barça may have proven to be a poor one. It appears that Griezmann's best days are now permanently in the rearview mirror. He is clearly not the player he was just two to three years ago. At 30, it is unlikely that he will ever return to that level.

Of course, it cannot be forgotten that Atlético have the ultimate trump card in their corner: head coach Diego Simeone. Time and again, the Argentinean has proven his strategic genius. If there were ever to be a coach who could lead Atlético out of this predicament, it would surely be "El Cholo". For almost the entirety of his tenure at the Wanda Metropolitano, Simeone has thrived in the underdog role. It appears that he will once again have to drag Atlético out of a tough spot as they seek to turn their season around.

The next transfer window in January could be pivotal for Atlético's success during the second half of the season. An infusion of some much-needed new blood could be exactly the shake-up that Atlético need to get their season back on track.

There are teams which have achieved great success after having been in even more dire positions than Atlético's current situation, so it isn't impossible by any means for Atlético to salvage their season. However, if things do not improve soon, it might just be time to be legitimately concerned about Atlético Madrid.

The Weekly Take, Issue 185: It Was Just a False Dawn

In the lead-up to this past matchday's Premier League clash between Liverpool and Arsenal, many Arsenal fans were understandably expecting at least a respectable result. The Gunners were on an eight-match unbeaten streak in the league, winning six of those matches. After five years of general underperformance, maybe, just maybe, things were finally starting to turn for the better at the Emirates Stadium.

However, Arsenal were handed a reality check by the Reds. Liverpool utterly eviscerated Arsenal in a dominant 4-0 victory. Sadio Mané opened the scoring in the 39th minute; after the halftime break, Diogo Jota, Mohamed Salah, and Takumi Minamino added to Liverpool's margin of victory.

Arsenal were thoroughly outclassed by their opponents from the northwest in every way imaginable; this was obvious even from the opening kickoff. Despite their prior hot streak, this match clearly showed that Arsenal still have a very long way to go if they are to even think of once again becoming league title contenders. Such a status seems to be, at the very least, five years away - and even that might be generous.

Even their recent unbeaten run belies their true level. Not one of their six wins came against genuinely high-quality opposition; this fact exposes Arsenal as nothing more than "flat-track bullies". In addition, prior to those matches, Arsenal had lost three consecutive matches including a 2-0 loss against London rivals Chelsea as well a 5-0 shellacking at the hands of Manchester City. Arsenal are therefore now 0-0-3 against all three of this season's Premier League title contenders; they scored no goals and conceded a whopping 11 across those matches.

So, just what does the road ahead hold for Arsenal?

For one thing, it may be time to start scouring the market for a centre-forward. As great as Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has been in North London, he is now 32 and beginning to show clear signs of decline. His 10 league goals last season represented his lowest career tally in a major league apart from his first professional season in 2007-08, when he was just a teenager fresh out of AC Milan's youth academy. It was also his lowest total overall since the 2010-11 season.

The main question regarding "Auba" when he was still in his prime was always about what would happen once he ages and loses his once-explosive athleticism. While the Arsenal captain is certainly not a scrub by any means, it may be time to move on from him.

Even qualifying for next season's Champions League will be an uphill battle for Mikel Arteta's team because Arsenal have once again kneecapped themselves with yet another underwhelming transfer window. This past off-season, Arsenal spent over £140 million on new acquisitions. However, of their seven signings, the only one to have moved the needle in any notable manner has been goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale. While Ben White has been reasonably consistent at centre-back, his performances thus far have not justified his lofty price tag of £50 million. None of Arsenal's other signings have been particularly impactful thus far.

Arteta himself has to be scrutinized as well. On many occasions, he has shown himself to lack the tactical nous required to succeed as a coach at this level. Bear in mind that although he led Arsenal to the FA Cup title in his first season at the club, he did so by beating Chelsea who were then coached by the utterly incompetent Frank Lampard - someone who could be outstrategized by almost anyone.

This might actually be as good as it will get for Arsenal this season. The fact that their goal difference currently stands at -4 shows that they have been somewhat fortunate to have accumulated as many points as they have thus far. Regression to the mean could happen at any time. It is looking increasingly likely that Arsenal will fail to qualify for the Champions League for a sixth consecutive season.

If Arsenal are to become truly relevant once more, major changes are required. Everything about this club, both on the field as well as off it, evidences a club clearly in decline. While it's much too early to claim that Arsenal are on a one-way path to long-term irrelevancy, the signs do not look promising at the moment.

The Weekly Take, Issue 184: A Giant About to Fall?

The 2018 World Cup was notable for the large number of favoured teams which failed to qualify for the tournament. Teams such as Chile, the United States, Cameroon, Côte d'Ivoire, and most shockingly of all, Italy and the Netherlands all could not make it to the quadrennial showpiece event in Russia.

Fast forward to today and the 2022 World Cup qualifiers might be on their way to claiming their first major scalp. In the latest instalment of the Clásico del Río de la Plata, one of the most iconic rivalries in international football, Argentina beat Uruguay 1-0. A seventh-minute goal scored by Ángel Di María proved to make the difference. The victory also made it almost certain that La Albiceleste would feature in next year's tournament.

Argentina's victory came largely against the run of play; they only attempted seven shots to Uruguay's 19. Uruguay also had seven corner-kick attempts to Argentina's two. However, Óscar Tabárez's team just didn't have enough to beat their arch-rivals.

Uruguay's loss puts them in a dicey situation as far as World Cup qualification is concerned. With five matches remaining, Uruguay are sixth in the 10-team CONMEBOL qualifiers. The top four teams qualify automatically, while the fifth-placed team will enter a two-legged playoff against a team from another confederation.

Not many people expected Uruguay to be where they are right now with so few matches to be played. La Celeste are currently ranked 15th according to the FIFA Rankings and have reached a semifinal and a quarterfinal over their last three World Cup appearances. However, if the qualifiers were to end today, Uruguay would shockingly be denied a spot by Chile and Colombia.

This is not a team which should be where they are right now. Bear in mind that the current Uruguay team contains players such as Diego Godín, Fernando Muslera, Lucas Torreira, Rodrigo Betancur, Martín Cáceres, and of course, legendary strikers Edinson Cavani and Luis Suárez. In addition, Tabárez, who has been Uruguay's for over 17 years spanning two stints, is one of the most accomplished coaches in international football.

The question then becomes: where is it going wrong?

Perhaps the biggest issue which plagues this Uruguay team is cohesion. Although the team of today is not necessarily much less talented than those of 2018 or 2010, Uruguay right now do not seem to be gelling in the same way that the squads of past years did. The new additions who have replaced the now-retired players, while no slouches themselves, do not always prove to be the best fits.

Players such as Torreira, Bentancur, and Federico Valverde were primarily benchwarmers at the time of the previous World Cup but have since established themselves as key players and regular starters. While it may be true that their entry into the first team represents something of a transitional phase for Uruguay, not many could have guessed that the drop-off in the team's overall cohesion would be quite this steep. This could be seen in Uruguay's results at the 2021 Copa América when they were eliminated by Colombia in the quarterfinals.

Uruguay's in-game execution is also somewhat of a cause for concern. Their propensity to make the occasional miscue has been costly in multiple matches during their qualifying campaign. This was even evident in the recent match against Argentina. It was a cheap turnover by Joaquín Piquerez which allowed Di María to score the only goal of the match.

In that same match, Uruguay's passing accuracy was just 71% - well below that of their opponents. These minor yet frequent lapses have added up, costing Uruguay matches and precious points which just might cause them to miss out on the World Cup for the first time since 2006.

On paper, most would expect Uruguay to nevertheless make it through there next few fixtures and qualify for the World Cup. However, time is running out and the CONMEBOL qualifiers are known to be the most gruelling of any confederation's. 

That said, it's still too early for Uruguay to panic, especially considering that their next four matches are against the four teams directly below them in the standings. However, if two or three of these matches pass and they still find themselves on the outside looking in, we might very well see one of the biggest casualties of these World Cup qualifiers.

The Weekly Take, Issue 183: The Potential Start of Another Deep Run

By far the most memorable season in Ajax Amsterdam's recent history was their 2018-19 campaign. In that season, Ajax embarked on a stunning underdog run to the semifinals of the Champions League. It was the club's first appearance in the final four since 1997. Ajax had to win three two-legged ties before the tournament even began in order to qualify. They then proceeded to advance to the round of 16 out of a group which include Bayern Munich, then knocked out Real Madrid and Juventus in subsequent two-legged ties before falling to Tottenham Hotspur in the semifinals.

While a repeat of that season's success might be unlikely, Ajax's Champions League performance this season have been extremely impressive. Their latest match was a 3-1 victory over Borussia Dortmund. Despite falling a goal behind after conceding a first-half penalty, Ajax fought back and scored three goals within a late 20-minute span to notch their fourth consecutive win and clinch a spot in the round of 16.

When looking at the current Ajax team, the name that clearly stands out above all others has to be Sébastien Haller. In Ajax's victory over Dortmund, the Ivorian scored his seventh Champions League goal in just four matches. In 2018-19, Haller had a breakout season at Eintracht Frankfurt, scoring 15 league goals alongside Luka Jović.

It would soon seem as though both would experience career stalls. Both players left the club in the subsequent off-season; Jović has not even been close to his previous form ever since joining Real Madrid. Similarly, Haller was never able to match his prior standard of play after he joined West Ham United. At West Ham, Haller scored just 14 goals in 54 matches over one-and-a-half seasons.

However, ever since joining Ajax in January 2021, Haller's career trajectory has only gone one way: upwards. He is scoring goals at a higher rate than he has at any prior point of his career. His seven Champions League goals thus far see him trail only the best centre-forward in the world: Bayern striker Robert Lewandowski. Haller's current Champions League form does not seem unsustainable, either: he is in excellent form domestically as well, with seven goals in 11 Eredivisie matches.

That being said, this Ajax team is about more than just Haller. Dušan Tadić and Daley Blind, two players who were crucial to Ajax's 2019 semifinal run, have remained key pieces for Ajax to this day. Tadić in particular continues to be criminally underrated despite several standout years at Ajax. The Serbian ought to be regarded as one of European football's standout playmakers.

Although many of the names which powered the iconic Ajax team of three seasons ago have since left the club, their replacements have proven to be up to the task. The likes of Ryan Gravenberch, Jurriën Timber, Noussair Mazraoui, and off-season signing Steven Berghuis have impressed many during this opening portion of the season.

Going back to the prior point about playmaking, no other club has created more goalscoring opportunities than Ajax up to this point in this season's Champions League. Ajax also rank third in possession at an average of 58.8%. This combination has served as the foundation of Ajax's Champions League success this season.

Let's also not forget that there's still the January transfer window to come. After all, it was during the most recent January window that Ajax signed Haller. With the help of one or two savvy signings, a deep Champions League run could once again be on the cards.

Another Champions League semifinal appearance might be a step too far for the current Ajax crop; however, the quarterfinals are undoubtedly in play. Since Ajax will almost certainly top Group C, they will be more likely to avoid a title contender in the round of 16. However, even if they don't, Ajax have the personnel to potentially upset one of the leading contenders; all it takes it for everything to just fall into place over 180 minutes.

After two seasons of rebuilding following many major departures, Ajax now find themselves primed for what could be another season in which they give Europe's elite a major scare. With the obvious exception of Paris Saint-Germain, they are clearly the best team from outside a major domestic league right now.

The Weekly Take, Issue 182: The Balance of Power Swings Back

It has been around a decade since the last time we could regard AC Milan as a genuinely elite team. In the time since then, they have slipped to as low as 10th in Serie A, made ill-advised signing after ill-advised signing, and hired coaches whose tenures can only be described as abject failures.

However, after many years of suffering, Milan might be in line for a first Serie A title since the 2010-11 season. The Rossoneri's 2-1 victory over Roma kept them level on points with Napoli at the top of the league. Milan only trail their rivals from Campania on goal difference. Milan managed to hang on to the victory even after Theo Hernandez received a red card; earlier goals scored by Zlatan Ibrahimović and Franck Kessié were enough to deliver Milan a 10th victory in 11 league matches.

Milan's success thus far has been built on the back of an extremely fruitful off-season. They proceeded from their second-place league finish last season by signing Mike Maignan and Olivier Giroud while also bringing in Brahim Díaz on loan from Real Madrid. Additionally, they made Fikayo Tomori and Sandro Tonali full-time Milan players; prior to this season, they had been there on loan.

Unlike those of previous seasons, the new arrivals at the San Siro fit seamlessly into the team structure. Tomori started the match against Roma while Tonali and Giroud entered proceedings as substitutes; regardless, all three once again showed that the club undoubtedly made the right decision to sign them. Tomori's signing for €28.5 million from Chelsea did initially raise some eyebrows as the English defender had not made much of an impact during his time at the London club. However, it is now obvious that Milan signed Tomori at the perfect time - right as he was about to emerge as a player worthy of being a starter on a league title contender.

In total, Milan spent €74.9 million on new signings this past off-season - not a massive amount when one considers the fact that they brought in 13 players either permanently or on loan.

Another factor which makes Milan's success thus far even more remarkable is the departure of goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma. At just 22, Donnarumma was already Milan's best player when he left the club to sign for Paris Saint-Germain as a free agent. Despite this, Milan have retooled so well that they are obviously far better this season than last. Even in goal, Milan's signing of Maignan has been enough to keep things moving along smoothly. On top of that, Maignan's recent wrist injury forced second-choice goalkeeper Ciprian Tătăruşanu to take over as the starter. Even that has not stalled their title chase in the slightest.

Head coach Stefano Pioli also deserves tremendous credit. When he arrived at the club in 2019, Milan had not qualified for the Champions League in six years. Their most recent title had been the 2011 Scudetto. Since taking over at Milan, Pioli has completely transformed this team. The evidence of the excellent job he has done can be seen in last season's results. Milan's 2020-21 league campaign was their best in nine years despite having a team which most would have expected to finish ahead of Juventus, Napoli, or Roma, among others.

On top of that, this is a young Milan team with plenty of room for growth. Many of their key pieces such as Tonali, Díaz, Rafael Leão, and Kessié are under the age of 25. With another savvy signing or two, do not be surprised if Milan are a legitimate Champions League contender within the next two or three seasons.

The off-season departures of former head coach Antonio Conte and superstar centre-forward Romelu Lukaku from Inter Milan once again made AC Milan the stronger of the two Milan clubs - a position they had not occupied for many years. However, now that a power vacuum exists at the top of Serie A following the respective declines of Inter and Juve, the opportunity for AC Milan is ripe for the picking.

Nevertheless, regardless of how this season ends, the balance of power in the city of Milan has decisively swung back to the red and black half - and it may remain there for quite some time, too.

The Weekly Take, Issue 181: The Pharaoh Reigns Supreme

Liverpool took an important step in their pursuit of a seventh UEFA Champions League title by beating Atlético Madrid 3-2 in a group-stage match. Mohamed Salah and Naby Keïta put the Reds 2-0 after just 13 minutes, but Antoine Griezmann responded with two goals of his own to bring Atlético level. Salah would later score the winning goal from the penalty spot after Mario Hermoso fouled Diogo Jota in the box.

With the victory, Liverpool moved five points clear of their Spanish opponents and all but secured first place in Group B. This will prove to be important because by coming in first, they will be much more likely to avoid a difficult opponent in the round of 16.

Salah's two goals added to what has been the hottest streak of his career - no small feat when you consider that he scored 44 goals in all competitions in the 2017-18 season; these included an almost unfathomable 32 in the Premier League alone.

Since the season began in August, Salah has scored 12 goals and handed out four assists in all competitions. He has also been selected as man of the match four times - a remarkable number given how early in the season it still is.

What makes this even more impressive is the fact that Salah is doing it against elite teams. Salah's molten-hot run of form has included matches against Chelsea, AC Milan, Manchester City, and now Atlético. Though it may be unlikely that he will win it, Salah might very well be making a late run to force himself into contention for the Ballon d'Or.

Right now, the Egyptian is arguably the best striker on the planet. There isn't a defensive line which seems to have an answer for him. Only Robert Lewandowski of Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund's Erling Haaland have a legitimate case over Salah at the moment. 

Salah isn't just dominating on the stat sheet alone. He is not only scoring goals with machine-like efficiency; he is also humiliating opponents while doing so. The goal he scored against Manchester City went viral almost immediately after he scored it as he carved up the City defense, leaving them in the dust.

His goal against Atlético was almost as impressive. Salah opened the scoring by making his way past three Atlético players before launching a shot from just outside the box that made its way into the net via a deflection off Atlético defender Geoffrey Kondogbia.

A major reason for Salah's incredible play this season has been his positional move. Salah is playing further out on the wing than he has for several years, and this has taken his game to new heights. As shown by his goals against City and Atlético, even elite defenses are finding it almost impossible to handle Salah as he moves inside from such a wide position.

Additionally, Salah's interplay with right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold has been truly superb. As one of the duo moves inside, the other will stay out wide to provide width. This combination has proven to be almost unstoppable when both are in peak form - like now. Salah might just turn out to be the driving force behind Liverpool's second Champions League title in four seasons.

Liverpool's next match will be a Premier League clash against arch-rivals Manchester United. Salah's current hot streak coupled with United's shaky form should see Liverpool claim a fairly straightforward victory. Even if United do somehow manage to contain Salah, they will almost certainly have done so by doubling or even tripling him often. This would in turn lead to players such as Jota, Alexander-Arnold, and Sadio Mané becoming wide open and punishing United accordingly.

Anfield has seen countless all-time great strikers over the decades. Kenny Dalglish, Ian Rush, Michael Owen, and Luis Suárez are the names which headline this illustrious list. Yet, when all is said and done, it might very well be Salah who ends up the greatest Liverpool striker of all time.

I'll finish by bringing this up: James Milner currently wears Liverpool's iconic #7 jersey. When Milner retires or leaves Liverpool, whichever comes first, he should see to it that Salah will inherit the #7 jersey. There is no other player who more deserves the honour of donning that number at that club.

The Weekly Take, Issue 180: Seven Minutes that May Have Changed a Season

In just a single seven-minute span, the trajectory of Bayer Leverkusen's season could potentially have been fundamentally altered.

The recent match between Leverkusen and Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich finished in a one-sided 5-1 victory in favour of Bayern. Four of Bayern's five goals came between the 30th and 37th minute, with Serge Gnabry scoring two within that flurry of goals. Robert Lewandowski also scored two goals of his own while Thomas Müller scored Bayern's other goal to ensure that the reigning Bundesliga champions bounced back from their loss to Eintracht Frankfurt in emphatic fashion.

Leverkusen, on the other hand, may have entered the match with a slight, yet an existing, hope of challenging for a first Bundesliga title in the club's history. However, even though Die Werkself still remain just three points behind Bayern in the league, the match made it clear: there's still a chasm between Bayern and Leverkusen.

Realistically, the only team with a chance of dethroning Bayern and denying the Bavarian juggernaut a 10th consecutive league title is Borussia Dortmund simply due to the transcendent talent of Erling Haaland, who, at 21, might already be the best player in the league.

Heading into the season, Leverkusen were arguably the best-positioned of any team other than Bayern or Dortmund to take advantage of any slip-ups by the leading contenders and insert themselves into the title race. This was largely due to RB Leipzig's expected decline following head coach Julian Nagelsmann's departure; Nagelsmann took over in the Bayern dugout during the off-season.

Up to this point, Leverkusen had been keeping pace with the leaders as they started the season strongly. However, the match against Bayern highlighted the true gap in quality between the two teams. It also made this fact abundantly clear: in today's game, you do need that one elite player to build your team around. It's just not enough to have a "solid group of guys".

This is by no means a team without any notable talent. The 18-year-old Florian Wirtz is a likely superstar in the making; he is already the best player on the team. Wirtz is surrounded by a supporting cast including the likes of Moussa Diaby, Lukáš Hrádecký, Kerem Demirbay, and Patrik Schick. On paper, Leverkusen entered the season with a team expected to finish the season in the top four with not only an outside chance of a league title, but more realistically a DFB-Pokal title as well. Leverkusen are probably also the second-most likely to win the Europa League behind Napoli.

It should be noted that during the past off-season, Leverkusen did make one key error in the transfer market. After selling Leon Bailey to Aston Villa for €32 million, they did not use the money to sign any players who would have moved the needle in a meaningful way. Following Bailey's exit, Leverkusen signed Robert Andrich, Piero Hincapié, and Amine Adli; none of these three signings have made a significant impact on the team as of yet.

While it may be true that Leverkusen might inherently find it difficult to attract big names due to both their relative lack of finances and their unglamorous location, they could arguably have done better with what they had at their disposal. For example, Dortmund signed Donyell Malen from PSV Eindhoven for €30 million, while VfL Wolfsburg brought in Luca Waldschmidt for the surprisingly low price of €12 million.

That being said, all is not lost at the BayArena by any means. A season in which Leverkusen finish in the top four in the league and make deep runs in both the DFB-Pokal and Europa League will be regarded as a successful one, and Wirtz might be blossoming into that singular elite talent before our very eyes. Nevertheless, the question remains: when the season ends, could Leverkusen end up thinking "it might have been more than even this"?

As long as the wheels don't fall off, Leverkusen will remain on track to have their best season since 2015-16 when, led by the 17 Bundesliga goals of Javier Hernández, they finished third in the league. They will be competitive all season long, but has the result of this one match changed how they will approach the rest of the season? Only time will tell.

The Weekly Take, Issue 179: Entering the Pantheon

The final of this season's UEFA Nations League saw reigning world champions France beat Spain 2-1 to clinch the title. Mikel Oyarzabal opened the scoring to put Spain 1-0 ahead at the San Siro, only for Karim Benzema to score France's equalizer just two minutes later. Kylian Mbappé would then score the winning goal with 10 minutes of regulation time remaining.

This victory does not only give Les Bleus their first Nations League title; it also puts the current iteration of the French national team in the discussion for "greatest international team of all time".

I'm not jumping the gun at all. Prior to this tournament, France already had a World Cup title in 2018; they were also runners-up to Portugal in Euro 2016. Many of the core players of those two squads are still key members of the current team; hence, those squads can be classified as part of the current era.

When we consider where the current France team stands in international football history, we have to first think of the other teams which are often considered the greatest ever: 1957-63 Brazil, 1970-76 West Germany, and 2008-12 Spain. With all due respect to 1970 Brazil, though they may have peaked the highest, I cannot honestly include them due to their lack of longevity.

Over their respective runs, Brazil won two World Cups and reached two Copa América finals and two semifinals, West Germany won one World Cup and one European Championship while also reaching a World Cup semifinal and a European Championship final, and Spain won two European Championships and one World Cup. France's current record of one European Championship runner-up finish and one World Cup and Nations League title apiece over a five-year stretch stacks up very nicely indeed.

On top of that, with the 2022 World Cup in Qatar just over a year away, perhaps the most ominous sign for those who believe they can topple France is this: France just won the Nations League without their best player and potential Ballon d'Or contender N'Golo Kanté. The Chelsea defensive midfielder was not named to the squad after having tested positive for Covid-19.

Consider this: in the final against Spain, the player in Kanté's usual spot was Aurélien Tchouaméni. Tchouaméni is certainly no scrub and does have a bright future ahead of him - but of course, he can't hold a candle to the player I consider to be the second-greatest defensive midfielder of all time. Imagine how France could've played if Kanté had been present.

That said, it's obvious by now that this France team isn't just about Kanté. It's loaded with all-time greats including Antoine Griezmann, Paul Pogba, Benzema, and Raphaël Varane as well as legends in the making such as Mbappé, Dayot Upamecano, Benjamin Pavard, and Lucas Hernandez. Almost as if to rub it in for their direct competition, France's depth is truly astonishing - even their backups alone could give a good game to many a top team.

Certainly, France have to be considered the favourites to win back-to-back World Cuo titles next year and become the first team in 60 years to successfully defend a world title. Though the likes of Belgium, England, Italy, and Brazil do have a puncher's chance, the reality is that as it stands right now, it's France, then a gap, then the rest of the contenders.

Another World Cup title in 2022 would unquestionably make the current France team the greatest international football team to have ever taken to the field. Not only that - the reputations and legacies of their key players would be elevated to new heights.

Kanté would become the undisputed greatest defensive midfielder of all time, a top-20 player in history, and arguably France's greatest footballer ever (depending on how you rank Zinedine Zidane). Pogba, Griezmann, Benzema, and arguably Varane would enter the top 50 of all time. Mbappé would clearly move ahead in what I expect to become a generation-defining rivalry with Erling Haaland, while Hugo Lloris, Presnel Kimpembe, Hernandez, and even head coach Didier Deschamps, among others, would no longer be as unjustly underrated as they are today.

To sum it up, France are potentially slightly more than a year from ascending to a level which no other international team has reached. The remarkable part is: it seems realistic that they will do it.

The Weekly Take, Issue 178: First Test Passed - but What Next?

Arguably the standout fixture of this season's Champions League group stage just took place with Paris Saint-Germain hosting Manchester City - a rematch of a semifinal from last season.

PSG took all three points after winning 2-0. Idrissa Gueye opened the scoring for the French club in the eighth minute. Then, in the 74th minute, the moment for which all PSG fans had been waiting finally arrived: Lionel Messi scored his first goal for the club since signing from Barcelona in the off-season. In doing so, Messi snapped a somewhat unexpected goal drought which started as soon as he arrived at PSG.

Some might point to PSG's victory as a sign of things to come this season. They claim that the version of PSG we saw against City is PSG at its full potential - a team which should be the prohibitive favourite to land a first Champions League title in the club's history.

However, I would urge caution regarding this viewpoint. For one thing, this current Manchester City team, while certainly no slouches, do not appear to be genuine Champions League contenders. They undoubtedly have a very solid squad, but on the whole, are about a half-tier behind the four teams with the best chance to win it all: Chelsea, Manchester United, Bayern Munich, and PSG. As I alluded to in an earlier post, I strongly believe that City will go on to rue their heavy expenditure on Jack Grealish during the off-season. That same amount of money could easily have been used to further strengthen their team in other ways.

In addition (and this is a point I have brought up time and again), it's difficult, if not almost impossible, to rely on this PSG team during clutch situations. Almost every time PSG have found themselves in a high-stakes Champions League match over the past decade, they have come up short. Incredibly, the more favoured they are to win, the worse they seem to do.

PSG's struggles under pressure have been made evident again and again. For seven consecutive seasons, they failed to advance beyond the tournament's quarterfinals. They also choked away commanding leads against Barcelona and Manchester United in 2017 and 2019 respectively; both of these took place in the round of 16. Just last season, they capitulated against City in what many thought would have been a hotly-contested semifinal.

Messi's arrival at the Parc de Princes has raised expectations in the French capital to a whole new level. More than ever, the general sentiment at the club and among its fans is "Champions League or bust". However, considering how PSG have historically performed when the pressure has been at its highest, there is every reason to believe that they will once again fold under the weight of this pressure.

Just to pile on even more pressure, Messi was not the only big-name arrival during the off-season. Now that Gianluigi Donnarumma, Achraf Hakimi, and Sergio Ramos are all at the club, PSG are a genuine "superteam". They clearly have the personnel to win it all, but the question remains - do they have the mentality?

Before anyone says "but Messi and Ramos have delivered in big matches before", remember - there's just something about PSG which seems to "poison" the mentality of everyone who joins. Just look at Kylian Mbappé, for example. When he was just 19, he amazed the world with a series of outstanding performances on the biggest stage and brightest lights of all - the World Cup. A few months later, he made his PSG debut. Since then, he has never been able to recapture that same magic in high-leverage situations.

The textbook example of this problem is Neymar. Underperformance under pressure was never one of the Brazilian's trademark characteristics during his Barça days. This all changed after he signed for PSG for a record-breaking transfer fee in 2017. At this point, so often has Neymar choked that it's arguably fair to question if he even has a net positive effect on the team when the pressure is at its highest.

If PSG once again flatter to deceive, as I believe they eventually will, the fallout will be ugly indeed. Even at this early stage of the season, the stakes have never been higher - only time will tell if this season, they will finally right the wrongs of past years.

The Weekly Take, Issue 177: This Season's Most Underrated Team

What if I were to tell you that there is a team which in just this season alone might make the leap from not even being Champions League participants to winning a major domestic league for the first time in over two decades?

There is, in fact, such a team, and not only that - despite being very much improved from last season and overcoming a slow start by recording a key victory over their bitter rivals, absolutely nobody is taking their league title chances seriously. However, as the season progresses, I believe that it will become evident - overlooking this team will prove to be a grave mistake.

The team I'm talking about is Lazio, who just beat city rivals Roma 3-2 during the latest Serie A matchday. This most recent iteration of the Derby della Capitale saw I Biancocelesti emerge victorious despite Roma's greater control of the match. Although Roma shot twice as often as Lazio did, took nine corners to Lazio's one, and generally dictated the match's tempo, a resolute Lazio claimed all three points thanks to goals scored by Sergej Milinković-Savić, Pedro, and Felipe Anderson.

Although Lazio may currently lie just sixth in Serie A, seven points behind league leaders Napoli, it's still early days - only six of the 38 matchdays have gone by. This is a team which could absolutely bridge that gap and mount a serious challenge for their first Scudetto since 2000.

Just like the team as a whole, Milinković-Savić, Lazio's best player is one who continues to be underrated despite the fact that he may soon make the leap to elite status. A fundamentally sound central midfielder who is a true two-way player, Milinković-Savić returned to the Stadio Olimpico for a seventh season despite off-season interest from Real Madrid, Manchester United, and Liverpool. Given his career trajectory thus far, it isn't out of the question that the Serb might emerge as one of the world's best midfielders this season and lead Lazio to new heights.

During the off-season, Lazio made some very savvy acquisitions which, once again, went under almost everyone's radar. Felipe Anderson came back to the club at which he had previously spent five years; he has fit in seamlessly since his return from three years at West Ham - it almost feels as though he never left. Lazio also picked up Albanian full-back Elseid Hysaj from Napoli on a free transfer. Hysaj has been solid for Lazio since his arrival. If the wheels eventually begin to fall off for Napoli, releasing Hysaj may prove to be a move which they will regret.

Lazio even made a major upgrade in the dugout. In June, they replaced Simone Inzaghi with the perpetually underrated yet often luckless Maurizio Sarri. As Lazio's new head coach, Sarri will undoubtedly have a point to prove, especially to Juventus. Just over a year ago, Juve shockingly fired Sarri even though he led them to yet another Scudetto. He is a coach whose relative lack of silverware belies his actual skill. No matter where Sarri has coached, his teams have almost always overachieved. It would be no surprise if this were to be true of Lazio as well.

Perhaps the biggest factor working in Lazio's favour, however, is the sudden decline of their Serie A rivals. Inter Milan and Juventus both lost their respective best players to second stints at their former Premier League clubs. The effects of these departures are obvious; without Romelu Lukaku and Cristiano Ronaldo, Inter and Juve do not even look close to the teams they were last season. AC Milan also lost their best player in June when Gianluigi Donnarumma signed for Paris Saint-Germain on a free transfer.

When you look at the five other clubs which could realistically win the Scudetto this season, all of them are flawed in some way be it in players, coaching, ownership and front office, or perhaps even a combination of the preceding. Though this is true of Lazio as well, the fact that there is no obvious leading contender to win this season's league title means that they realistically to have a chance to break their drought this season.

The glory days of Pavel Nedvěd, Alessandro Nesta, Marcelo Salas, and Sven-Göran Eriksson may long have passed, but now a new generation could be set to take its place in club history.

The Weekly Take, Issue 176: A Dozen Matches from GOAT Status

This season's Champions League is now underway, and perhaps the most anticipated fixture of the tournament's first matchday saw Inter Milan host Real Madrid. Real left the San Siro with all three points after winning 1-0. Rodrygo's late goal proved to make the difference.

Real's victory came in spite of the fact that Inter had the majority of the goalscoring opportunities. However, Los Merengues held firm throughout the onslaught, then took full advantage of their chance to snatch the win when it came.

This Champions League season could potentially have historic ramifications for Real. If they go on to win it all, one person at the Santiago Bernabéu will end the season as the greatest of all time.

I'm not talking about a player. The person I'm referring to is Real head coach Carlo Ancelotti, who returned to the Spanish capital this past off-season for his second stint at the club.

At the moment, I currently rank Ancelotti fourth all-time behind José Mourinho, Rinus Michels, and Helenio Herrera. However, another Champions League title would catapult the man from Emilia-Romagna ahead of all three and become, in my opinion, the unquestionable GOAT.

Ancelotti already has three Champions League title to his name: two with AC Milan in 2003 and 2007 as well as one with Real in 2014. It's difficult to overstate just what a fourth title would do for his reputation. If Real were to win the Champions League, Ancelotti would have four Champions League titles and stand alone as the all-time record holder. Even more remarkably, he would have won those four titles over a 19-year span.

Let that figure sink in. Nineteen years. That is unheard of. It would be an achievement which would likely never be repeated.

To put it into perspective, consider the three coaches who I currently rank ahead of Ancelotti. Mourinho won his first Champions League title in 2004. It has been 17 years since; he now struggles to keep pace with the tactical evolution which has taken place in recent years.

Nineteen years after Michels led Ajax to the 1971 European Cup, he was a year removed from an eighth-place finish in the Bundesliga with Bayer Leverkusen. Herrera, meanwhile, retired from coaching in 1981; this was 17 years after his first European Cup title.

Ancelotti isn't only defined by his longevity; his consistency is also absolutely astonishing. In addition to his three Champions League titles, he has reached the semifinals of Europe's leading club competition on four further occasions. These seven runs to the semis or better were achieved at the helm of four different clubs over 16 years, proving that Ancelotti is truly a coach who can extract outstanding results out of any squad and with just about any set of tactics, his blip at Everton notwithstanding.

If Ancelotti were to deliver a Champions League title to Real, it would easily rank as the greatest achievement of his legendary coaching career. Real are not among the favourites to win this season's tournament. Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester City, and reigning champions Chelsea are all seen as more likely to claim the title. One of the main reasons why I currently rank Mourinho as the greatest ever is the fact that he won both his Champions League titles as the coach of an underdog team. For Ancelotti to emulate the legendary Portuguese coach combined with everything else he has already done would end the GOAT debate.

In the more than two decades since Ancelotti first emerged as one of the best coaches on the in the world, the football landscape and metagame have changed numerous times. The fact that he has been able to remain so successful this entire time in spite of all these changes is a testament to his strategic genius and his immense knowledge of the players at his disposal and their strengths. Yet, in spite of all of this, Ancelotti continues to remain underrated by many fans as well as the media.

A victorious Champions League run this season would likely change that. Though it might not make Ancelotti the consensus pick for greatest football coach of all time, it would likely put him much closer to that status than most would think.

The Weekly Take, Issue 175: One Man Makes All the Difference

This past off-season, former Bayern Munich head coach Hansi Flick left the club to take over at the helm of Germany's national team. Much to the dismay of every other club within the Bundesliga (especially RB Leipzig) as well as Bayern's fellow Champions League title contenders, Bayern would soon bring in Flick's Leipzig counterpart Julian Nagelsmann, a coach with remarkable tactical nous and in-game decision-making skills belying his relative inexperience.

In a Bundesliga match during the most recent matchday which saw Nagelsmann's current club face off against his former one, the effect of the Bavarian coach's presence in the dugout was evident. Bayern had absolutely no trouble notching a 4-1 away victory against Leipzig in a match which saw last season's Bundesliga champions gain what should prove to be a vital three points against last season's league runners-up.

It was obvious from the beginning that Nagelsmann's successor Jesse Marsch was clearly overmatched. From a tactical perspective, as might have been expected, Nagelsmann proved why even at just 34 years old, he is already regarded as one of the world's best coaches. Nagelsmann already seems as though he has been in charge at Bayern for years.

Nagelsmann's track record speaks for itself. Having been coaching for just over five years, he has led both Hoffenheim and Leipzig to impressive results over that time. He rose to prominence after leading an unfancied Hoffenheim team to back-to-back top-four league finishes in the 2016-17 and 2017-18 seasons, then followed that up by clearly establishing Leipzig as the second-best team in Germany behind Bayern. He even took Leipzig on an unexpected Champions League semifinal run in the 2019-20 season which included an impressive upset victory over Atlético Madrid in the quarterfinals.

This is the first time in Nagelsmann's coaching career that his team is the favourite - not only in the Bundesliga, but also in the Champions League. In fact, I'd go so far as to say that Bayern's acquisition of Nagelsmann makes them the favourite to win a second Champions League title in three years. Though Flick is not an incompetent coach by any means, Nagelsmann is quite simply on another level - he might very well rise to the "pantheon" level of coaches someday.

Where Nagelsmann truly excels can be seen in the phrase "the sum of the parts is greater than the whole". When you look at the players he had at Hoffenheim and Leipzig, no one would have expected him to lead both clubs to the results which he did. Now that he is at a loaded Bayern team boasting the likes of Dayot Upamecano, Manuel Neuer, Leroy Sané, Alphonso Davies, and of course, Robert Lewandowski, the potential which his squad now has is almost incomprehensibly high - if he could extract such success out of a more limited squad, imagine what he could do with what he has to work with now.

On top of that, Nagelsmann will bring even more tactical flexibility to Bayern. During his time at Leipzig, Nagelsmann was known to rotate formations, switching between three and four at the back or sometimes even playing without a true centre-forward. This once again reflects well on Nagelsmann because it shows he can and will adapt his setup to specifically counter the opposing team - something the vast majority of coaches do not do.

Many coaches in charge of star names for the first time might sometimes struggle with managing the personalities and egos within the locker room. Fortunately for Nagelsmann, this will not be a problem at Bayern. This is a squad which truly buys into the team-first approach from Lewandowski all the way down to the end-of-the-bench backups. Thus, Nagelsmann can expect to avoid any internal drama which could threaten to derail an elite club's season.

Due to his comparative lack of coaching experience, there is something of a reluctance to acknowledge Nagelsmann as one of the world's best coaches. However, everything seems to have aligned in such a way that Nagelsmann will never have a better chance to win a Bundesliga-Champions League double and enter that top tier where he truly belongs.

This season, Nagelsmann could hardly be in a more enviable position. He not only has a great chance to lead Bayern to another Champions League title; but reputation-wise, he also has so little to lose and so much to gain.

The Weekly Take, Issue 174: A Potentially Derailing Incident

A much-anticipated CONMEBOL qualifying match for the 2022 World Cup between arch-rivals Brazil and Argentina ended in shambolic scenes. The match was abandoned after Brazilian police entered the field to arrest four of Argentina's players. These players allegedly falsified information on documents pertaining to Covid-19.

Giovani Lo Celso, Emiliano Buendía, Emiliano Martínez, and Cristian Romero had allegedly claimed to have arrived in São Paulo from Venezuela without mentioning that they had also been in the UK, a country on Brazil's "red list". All four players are based in the Premier League.

The fact that Lo Celso and Romero were involved should certainly be a cause for concern at their club Tottenham Hotspur. The current Premier League leaders have confirmed that they intend to fine both players for their respective offenses. However, this incident was exactly what Tottenham did not need after a tumultuous off-season which almost saw star striker Harry Kane leave for Manchester City.

Although neither of the two players involved are regular starters for Tottenham, this is exactly the type of incident which can destabilize the team and distract them as they continue their quest for a top-four Premier League finish - just what they don't need at this early stage of the season. Last season, the North London club finished seventh in the league; it was their worst league finish since 2009. If they do not have a bounce-back campaign this season, the next off-season might see Kane finally depart Tottenham Hotspur Stadium after what would be 11 years at the club.

During the next transfer window in January, it might also be in Tottenham's best interest to ship Lo Celso out if possible. Not only is the midfielder from Rosario not a key part of the squad; he has also once again proven himself to be a complete knucklehead. This recent incident was Lo Celso's second violation of Covid-19 regulations. Last December, Lo Celso was one of three Tottenham players who found themselves in trouble after having attended a Christmas party; an act which contravened lockdown regulations in force in the UK at the time. If Tottenham can find another club willing to overlook Lo Celso's baggage, they should seek to make a deal as soon as possible.

This incident may also prove to be a major distraction to Argentina's national team. Fresh off winning the Copa América, the Albiceleste are currently second in the CONMEBOL World Cup qualifying standings. They cannot afford to be thrown off by recent events because a slump might see them slide out of the top four; only four of the 10 teams in the qualifiers will advance to the tournament in Qatar next year.

Should Argentina finish fifth, they will enter a two-legged playoff against a team from a different continent. Though Argentina will undoubtedly be favoured to beat that other team, anything can happen over just 180 minutes.

Another significant matter for Argentina has to be the fate of goalkeeper Martínez. The Aston Villa player was the breakout star of Argentina's victorious Copa América run. He was selected as the tournament's best goalkeeper just a month after making his national team debut. Within just a few short months, Martínez has firmly established himself as Argentina's first-choice goalkeeper. To put into perspective just how meteoric his rise has been, Martínez had never been a first-choice goalkeeper at any point during his career until the beginning of the 2020-21 Premier League season. Martínez was almost 28 at the time.

Thus, the incident at the Neo Química Arena has left Argentina head coach Lionel Scaloni in a major quandary. None of Argentina's other goalkeepers are even close to the level of Martínez. In addition, the increased scrutiny will add even more pressure to the team's upcoming matches. It would therefore not be all that surprising if they were to drop cheap points in their next few matches, causing them to lose ground in the chase to claim a World Cup spot.

Both Argentina and Tottenham now find their campaigns at a crossroads due to the sheer irresponsibility of their players. How both teams respond to this latest turn of events will play a major role in determining the eventual final outcomes of their World Cup qualifying matches and Premier League and UEFA Conference League seasons respectively.

The Weekly Take, Issue 173: Title Contenders Overnight

Just last week, if you had asked me about what I thought of Manchester United's chances of winning a title this season, I'd have said "slim to none". In a best-case scenario, I'd have expected the Red Devils to have reached the Champions League quarterfinals and finished third in the Premier League. Do note that this would've been my prediction for what I thought would've been the absolute best results that this season's United team could've achieved.

Of course, all of this changed with just one transfer. In a stunning move that will have surely changed the landscape of European football, Cristiano Ronaldo signed for Manchester United after having spent three years at Juventus. Ronaldo will begin his second stint at United after having played there from 2003 to 2009. During his first six years at United, Ronaldo won the Champions League and Ballon d'Or in 2008 as well as three Premier League titles.

Remarkably, the transfer was made for the astonishingly low price of €25 million. This figure would ordinarily be understandable, given the fact that Ronaldo will be 37 in February. However, even at his age, the Portuguese legend has shown no signs of slowing down and could easily have commanded triple the price.

Ronaldo's arrival has turned United into genuine contenders for both the Premier League and Champions League titles. With Ronaldo on their roster, United now possess arguably the most potent attacking force in world football. They add Ronaldo to an attacking line which already includes Bruno Fernandes, Jadon Sancho, Marcus Rashford, Mason Greenwood, and Anthony Martial. It's more than likely that this season, there will be an avalanche of goals at Old Trafford.

It almost seems as though this United team was set up for Ronaldo's return at any time. Prior to United's acquisition of Ronaldo, Fernandes had been their best player. However, as great a player as Fernandes is, he seems to have hit his peak at a level just below that of "centrepiece of a Champions League-winning team". That's not a knock on Fernandes by any means. There are fewer than 10, and sometimes five, such players in the world at any given time.

Ronaldo, on the other hand, is one of those players. In addition to the many goals he will undoubtedly score for United, he will bring intangibles to the team - more than any other player in the world could. He is perhaps the most clutch player in the history of football. Where do we even begin with this? His five Champions League titles, four of which came as the best player of 2013-18 Real Madrid - the greatest dynasty in the history of club football? Coming out on top in an epic duel with Zlatan Ibrahimović with a spot in the World Cup on the line? Or the countless times he almost single-handedly willed his United or Real teams to victory? This is the mentality with which he will infuse this United team - it might just be the X-factor that United need.

On top of that, no one can say that this United team is not a balanced one. In addition to their attacking prowess, United can boast of the likes of Harry Maguire, Luke Shaw, Paul Pogba, and Scott McTominay - a solid foundation which will provide their attackers with what they need behind them.

Additionally, it really is now or never for head coach Ole Gunnar Solskjær. After almost three years at the helm, Solskjær has not yet led United to any titles. While this would not have been expected prior to Ronaldo's arrival, everything will certainly have changed now. If United once again finish the season empty-handed, it will be extremely likely that the Norwegian will lose his job.

This is probably United's most talented team since the 2008-09 edition, the last time Ronaldo was on the team. That team also featured Nemanja Vidić, Wayne Rooney, Patrice Evra, and Carlos Tevez; it would only be denied back-to-back Champions League titles by a Barcelona team which, quite simply, went "god mode".

It's much too early in the season to conclusively say anything, but there seems to be no reason why United fans shouldn't consider their team in contention to clinch the fourth Champions League title in the club's history this season.