The Weekly Take, Issue 281: No Skipping Steps

The group stage of this season's Champions League is now halfway done. As many might have expected, Group G, the tournament's "Group of Death", is no closer to a resolution after the third slate of matches.

Newcastle United missed the opportunity to go top of the group after succumbing to a 1-0 loss against Borussia Dortmund. A match that could have easily gone either way was decided by a Felix Nmecha goal shortly before half-time. The result also kept Dortmund firmly in contention for a spot in the last 16; they are now in second place in the group. A loss would have put them in last place, six points behind Newcastle.

At the beginning of this season, to say that Newcastle had big dreams would have been a severe understatement. Ever since being acquired by the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia in October 2021, the Magpies have gone from strength to strength. The large amounts of oil money invested in the club bore results in short order - last season, the Tyneside club finished fourth in the Premier League. It was their best league finish in 20 years and earned them their first Champions League berth since then.

During the off-season, Newcastle didn't ease up on the spending at all. The club paid a total of £134 million to sign players including Harvey Barnes, Tino Livramento, and most notably of all, defensive midfielder Sandro Tonali for a fee of £55 million - an eye-popping sum given Tonali's position.

It was therefore understandable that Newcastle and their fans entered the 2023-24 season full of enthusiasm and optimism - perhaps a Premier League title challenge, a deep FA Cup run, and maybe even a deep Champions League run could have been on the cards. However, this season to date has been nothing short of a reality check for Newcastle.

Newcastle are currently in sixth place in the Premier League, seven points behind early leaders Tottenham Hotspur. Although it may still be early in the season, this suggests that Newcastle are not yet ready to be serious title contenders. A group-stage Champions League exit would certainly not be a good look either.

At this point, the most important thing for Newcastle to keep in mind is to avoid the temptation of "taking a shortcut" to the top. Even Manchester City and their immense wealth didn't skip steps on their road to becoming an elite club. Although Khaldoon Al Mubarak acquired City at the beginning of the 2008-09 season, it would not be until the 2010-11 season when the Citizens qualified for the Champions League for the first time. The next season, they won the Premier League title for the first time in 44 years and the rest, as they say, is history.

On the opposite end of the scale, the quintessential cautionary tale has to be Málaga. Abdullah Al Thani's acquisition of the Andalusian club led to a first-ever Champions League qualification by finishing fourth in La Liga in the 2011-12 season. This was followed by a run to the Champions League quarter-finals; at this point it seemed as though Málaga were on the verge of a true breakout. Instead, the opposite happened. Having made their way up in a fundamentally unsound manner, it didn't take long for the whole thing to come crashing down. Los Blanquiazules were relegated at the end of the 2017-18 season and again in 2022-23; they now play in the Primera Federación.

If Newcastle are to be here to stay, they must not act in haste in the upcoming January transfer window. This is a process that can't be forced; attempting to do so can and will ruin a club no matter how rich it may be. Restraint in January with just one or two key signings, none being for major money, at positions of need is likely the way forward for Newcastle.

Being a club with plenty of money, especially oil money from a foreign government, is not as simple as "spend money, buy players, win trophies". Newcastle United are finding that out right now. It might not be this year, but with the right moves it might not be too long before silverware returns to St. James' Park for the first time in almost three-quarters of a century.

The Weekly Take, Issue 280: Back Out of the Wilderness

Over the past few seasons, Juventus have certainly been through the wringer. The club's decision to inexplicably fire then-head coach Maurizio Sarri at the end of the 2019-20 season despite winning a ninth consecutive Serie A title led to a downward spiral that saw the Turin club end up not even being close to title contention for the next three seasons.

Away from the field, Juve's issues have been even more dire. Last season, the club's financial violations incurred a 10-point penalty that saw the Bianconeri slip to seventh in the league. Earlier that season, the club's board of directors, including chairman Andrea Agnelli and vice-chairman Pavel Nedvěd, resigned en masse following the Plusvalenza scandal involving capital gains and false accounting violations.

It therefore came as no surprise when Juve were unable to attract any major names to the Allianz Stadium this past off-season. Juve's most notable acquisitions were Timothy Weah, who was signed for €10.3 million, as well as his fellow American Weston McKennie who returned from a loan stint at Leeds United. Understandably, expectations were somewhat tempered as the season got underway.

Even more adversity recently came Juve's way with the suspensions of midfielders Nicolò Fagioli and Paul Pogba. Fagioli received a seven-month suspension after having been found guilty of violating betting rules while Pogba has been provisionally suspended after testing positive for performance-enhancing drugs. While neither have been among Juve's key players this season, these incidents could potentially end up destabilizing the team if not handled adequately.

However, it now appears that Juve are once again bona fide Serie A title contenders. Their 1-0 away victory against AC Milan kept them just two points behind league leaders Inter Milan. Manuel Locatelli scored the only goal of the match in the second half as Juve took advantage of a first-half red card issued to Milan centre-back Malick Thiaw following an ill-advised tackle attempt on Moise Kean.

Perhaps the primary reason behind Juve's much-improved performance thus far this season has been their tactical shift. Juve currently field a 3-5-2 formation with one of the two up front not being a classic centre-forward; usually either Kean or Federico Chiesa. This setup has afforded Juve more freedom and space up front in comparison to last season. Massimiliano Allegri's team have displayed an edge in the final third that had largely been absent for the majority of the last two to three years. Despite having less possession, Juve did far more with it than Milan did. On another day, Juve could have won by more than one goal.

Juve's depth was also clearly shown in this match. Chiesa and Dušan Vlahović both came off the bench as both had recently sustained injuries. Daniele Rugani, meanwhile, started at centre-back in place of the injured Danilo, while Andrea Cambiaso played just 35 second-half minutes. Despite these changes to their regular starting line-up, Juve didn't miss a beat as, assisted by excellent performances in midfield by Manuel Locatelli and Adrien Rabiot, the backups proved more than capable. This will undoubtedly serve Juve well as they attempt to reclaim the Scudetto. The league campaign of 38 matches can only be described as a grins, so in what will likely be a title race which will go down to the wire, every extra bit of depth helps.

If there was any element of Juve's performance against Milan which could come in for criticism, it would have to be their general decision-making after Milan were reduced to 10 men. In a post-match interview, Allegri lamented his team's over-reliance on making passes in tight channels as well as their frequent attempts to take on opposing players in one-on-one situations as these caused Juve's play to become somewhat forced and stilted. Nevertheless, the general vibes surrounding Juve right now are mostly positive - something which hasn't been the case for more than a little while now.

At this point, Juventus have to be taken seriously as potential Serie A title contenders. This is a team which evidently came into this season vastly underrated but have begun to make other teams take notice. Although Allegri himself has downplayed Juve's chances of claiming a record-extending 37th Scudetto, the way things are going, he might soon want to revisit that statement.

The Weekly Take, Issue 279: An Abrupt End to a Legendary Career

After a career spanning three clubs and almost 16 years, one of the greatest players of this era has hung it up.

On Tuesday, Real Madrid winger Eden Hazard announced his retirement via an Instagram post. At just 32 years old, Hazard is much younger than most other players would be at the time of their respective retirements. However, to say that this was an unexpected announcement would clearly be incorrect. Ever since joining Real in 2019, the Belgian had been battling a series of severe injuries which restricted him to just 76 matches over all competitions during his four years in the Spanish capital.

The fact that Hazard has gone out with a whimper rather than a bang has caused him to have become seriously underrated by many. The story of Hazard's football career goes all the way back to his time at Lille, where at just 18 he was already a regular starter. It wasn't long before Hazard established himself as more than just a promising young talent - such was the potential that Hazard showed that by 2011, a 20-year-old Hazard was hyped as a generational prospect who would be likely to become one of the all-time greats. By the end of the 2010-11 season, Hazard was already a two-time Ligue 1 Young Player of the Year as well as the Player of the Year that same season. Most importantly, he spearheaded Lille's first domestic league title in 57 years.

All of that was just a taste of what was to come. In his breakout season of 2011-12, Hazard absolutely dominated the league, scoring 20 goals en route to another Ligue 1 Player of the Year honour. That off-season, he was by far the most coveted player in any transfer window in years. Hazard eventually signed for Chelsea for what was in hindsight a remarkably low transfer fee of €35 million. To say that the expectations placed on Hazard were through the roof at this point would be a gross understatement.

Things started well for Hazard at Stamford Bridge. A PFA Young Player of the Year award in 2013-14 was followed by one of the greatest individual seasons in recent memory. Hazard put together a year for the ages to lead Chelsea to a dominant Premier League title victory. Hazard, as expected, won the Premier League Player of the Season award and even had a puncher's chance at the Ballon d'Or - a remarkable feat in the era of prime Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.

From that high point, however, things began to go sour. Chelsea would finish just 10th in the league the next season - a campaign notable for the first protracted slump of Hazard's career. Chelsea did bounce back the following season by winning the league after the addition of legendary defensive midfielder N'Golo Kanté; however, this would prove to be the outlier of the back half of Hazard's Chelsea stint. Questionable signings, unnecessary coach firings and hirings, departures of players who would go on to be stars elsewhere, and general mismanagement essentially wasted most of Hazard's last four years at Chelsea - culminating in his departure to the Bernabéu in 2019.

It was never supposed to have ended like this for Hazard. His €100 million signing by Real ought to have sealed his legacy in the modern-day pantheon once and for all. But of course, "Father Time is undefeated" - and in fact, Hazard's standout play as a youngster ended up giving Father Time a head start.

Every now again, a player comes along who puts together a tremendous career full of highlights and honours - and yet somehow still falls short of the hype. While that certainly describes Eden Michael Walter Hazard, that must also never detract from the following:

The second-greatest player to ever come out of Belgium even amidst its Golden Generation. Arguably the best to ever suit up for Chelsea. The Eden Hazard Sweepstakes of 2012. The 2014-15 season. His outstanding play at the 2018 World Cup. The countless defenders left chasing shadows behind his otherworldly dribbling and once-searing speed. And though his powers had long been diminished by then, his moment of ultimate catharsis when Real won the 2022 Champions League.

Most importantly of all, when telling the story of world football in the 2010s, Eden Hazard's name will appear again and again.

The Weekly Take, Issue 278: "Limitless Potential" Is an Understatement

Ordinarily, most would not consider a transfer fee of €103 million to be well below what would be deemed adequate. However, this has been exactly the case at Real Madrid - a fact once again on display in their recent Champions League match against Napoli.

Off-season signing Jude Bellingham continued his remarkable run of form, scoring a spectacular solo goal and providing an assist to lead Real to a 3-2 victory over Napoli. Leo Østigård opened the scoring for Napoli in the 17th minute, but it would not be long until Bellingham took over. In a seven-minute first-half span, Bellingham set up Vinícius Júnior's equalizing goal before leaving the Napoli defense in his dust to add another standout moment to his burgeoning highlight reel. After the break, Victor Osimhen earned a penalty for Napoli which Piotr Zieliński converted, only for Los Merengues to claim all three points following Alex Meret's own goal from Federico Valverde's shot.

Even at this early stage of the season, it's becoming difficult to continue listing superlatives to describe Bellingham's play. Although he had already had a breakout campaign at Borussia Dortmund last season while also making a major impact for England at the 2022 World Cup, almost no one - not even many of the staunchest Dortmund fans (myself included) could have seen Bellingham's ascension coming. In just one off-season, the young man from the West Midlands has gone from being a promising young talent to arguably the best player on the planet - and this at the age of just 20.

There are many clubs who could have afforded to sign Bellingham this past off-season. A fee of €103 million is well within the means of most of Europe's top clubs. Additionally and more importantly, Bellingham is the type of player around whom a club should absolutely build its transfer window strategy. If there were ever a player about whom it could be said "forget our transfer plan. We have to sign him", Bellingham is unquestionably one of them. Real did so and are now reaping the rewards.

Bellingham has shattered every expectation thrust upon him. When he arrived at the Santiago Bernabéu, most expected him to be an important contributor to the team. However, if one had said "he will be far and away their best player from day one", almost nobody would have believed that person. Yet, this is exactly what has happened.

Despite still being at this nascent stage of his career, Bellingham already ranks among the world's best central midfielders in each of the following areas: playmaking, finishing, dribbling, through balls, and general technical skill. Even his defensive skills are at the very least above average. When Bellingham signed for Real, he chose to wear the #5 jersey in honour of the player he idolized: Zinedine Zidane. This statement would have sounded blasphemous just six months ago but now might actually be somewhat plausible: "Jude Bellingham's ceiling might rival Zidane's."

I will go a step further - there is a realistic possibility that Bellingham might win the 2024 Ballon d'Or and break Ronaldo Nazário's record as the youngest to ever claim the honour. At the moment, most power rankings have him third behind Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappé; however, there's still a lot of the season to be played. If Real go on to win the Champions League for a record-extending 15th time and the second time in three seasons, Bellingham would likely be in prime position to capture the first Ballon d'Or by an Englishman since Michael Owen won it in 2001. This would especially be the case if Real were to beat Haaland's Manchester City, Mbappé's Paris Saint-Germain, or both en route to the title.

Barring anything truly calamitous, Jude Bellingham has a glittering future ahead of him. Ballon d'Or titles, La Liga titles, Champions Leagues - and maybe even a World Cup: all these honours await him if he continues on his current trajectory. Given the fact that Bellingham's absolute peak likely won't be seen for another five to 10 years, it boggles the mind to imagine the player he could someday become.

Real Madrid legend and perhaps England's greatest player ever in the making? Don't be surprised if Bellingham turns out to be both.

The Weekly Take, Issue 277: One Departure Made All the Difference

It's often said that people don't know what they've got until it's gone. In the case of Lazio, their struggles this season have been a clear representation of this adage.

During the most recent off-season, the Roman club saw their best player, Serbian midfielder Sergej Milinković-Savić, leave the Stadio Olimpico for a lucrative pay cheque in Saudi Arabia. Al Hilal signed Milinković-Savić for €40 million. The impact of his departure has been obvious - despite having used that same money to fund several other signings, Lazio are nowhere near the team that finished second in Serie A last season - their best result since winning the league in the 1999-2000 season.

Lazio's struggles continued in their league match against AC Milan. The Biancocelesti were by and large no threat to Milan and went down rather tamely. Goals scored by Christian Pulisic and Noah Okafor clinched Milan's third consecutive league victory. The result also left Lazio in 15th place with just seven points thus far - 11 points behind league leaders Inter Milan after seven matchdays.

It's obvious that Lazio would not have been in this predicament had Milinković-Savić still been on board. Their current midfield rotation is just not cutting it. Loan acquisition Matteo Guendouzi looks out of his depth thus far, while the likes of Luis Alberto, Nicolò Rovella, and Danilo Cataldi, while all decent players, do not even come close to significantly moving the needle.

The absence of Milinković-Savić was keenly felt in the match against Milan. Every member of the starting Lazio midfield trio was easily outplayed by their counterparts in red and black. Milan's superiority in midfield went on to serve as their foundation for victory; additionally, Guendouzi has to be singled out for a particularly poor performance - and not for the first time this season.

Milinković-Savić was the driving force behind Lazio's recent success during the club's most successful period since the turn of the century. His impressive versatility, playmaking skills, defensive capabilities, and physicality and athleticism made him one of Serie A's best midfielder and a player once coveted by many of Europe's leading clubs including Milan, Real Madrid, Barcelona, Manchester United, and Arsenal over the course of his eight-year tenure at Lazio.

On top of this, Lazio have been even further hamstrung by Milinković-Savić's relatively low transfer fee. At 28, he still has four or five good years left in him and could easily have gone for €55 million or €60 million. Certainly, leaving money on the table when it comes to transfers like this is not the way to challenge for a top-four spot.

While it is unlikely that Lazio will remain this far down the Serie A table for too long, they will probably find it very difficult to make their way back into the chase for a top-four spot and a place in next season's Champions League. Players of Milinković-Savić's calibre don't end up at clubs like Lazio all that often. Based on what has been seen so far, it does not seem particularly likely that Lazio will even be able to qualify for any continental tournament, let alone the Champions League.

Not even the prospect of the upcoming transfer window in January is likely to change Lazio's fortunes. Lazio have never been a club able to attract many top players in the transfer window. Players on the level of Milinković-Savić don't come around all that often anymore - this club has fallen a long way from the glory days when legends like Pavel Nedvěd, Alessandro Nesta, Diego Simeone, Marcelo Salas, and Siniša Mihajlović donned the sky blue and white. More than likely, Lazio will come up empty once again.

This could even have a knock-on effect upon the man who has surely become one of the most luckless coaches in world football history: Maurizio Sarri. A final league position well down the ladder could cost Sarri his job just one year after taking Lazio to their best league finish in almost a quarter-century. Somehow, ever since leaving his hometown club of Napoli, Sarri has developed a knack of taking over right when everything begins to fall apart. It's starting to look as though his Lazio stint will be another example of such.

Although not even a quarter of the league campaign has elapsed, it really doesn't look good at Lazio - and so much of it is down to one single transfer.