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

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

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

The club I am speaking about is Eintracht Frankfurt.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Weekly Take, Issue 47: The Best Signing Nobody Is Talking About

The recent Serie A match between AC Milan and Napoli was largely devoid of excitement or action, finishing in a goalless draw. On the surface, the only incident of the match was Napoli midfielder Fabián’s late red card.

However, in the 71st minute, there was a moment which, in years to come, AC Milan fans may come to remember as the beginning of some truly special years.

New signing Krzysztof Piątek came on as a substitute. The Polish centre-forward replaced Patrick Cutrone.

As the January transfer window approaches its end, I believe that despite the lack of hype surrounding his signing, the Rossoneri made the best signing of the window by landing Piątek.

Although many have not taken notice, Piątek has been in the midst of a breakout season. Piątek signed for Genoa from Ekstraklasa club Cracovia during the previous off-season, and in the half-season he played for the Rossoblù, he scored 13 league goals in 19 games. That figure puts him fourth in Serie A. What makes this even more impressive is that Genoa have been absolutely horrendous this season – currently 15th in Serie A. Piątek has been responsible for more than half of all their league goals scored this season.

Piątek’s impressive form at club level also earned him a first cap for Poland in a friendly against Ireland. A few weeks later, in just his second game for the 

national team, Piątek scored his first goal for Poland in a 3-2 loss to Portugal.

In hindsight, Piątek should have been part of Poland’s World Cup squad. The Biało-czerwoni were abysmal during the tournament, finishing last in a group containing Colombia, Japan, and Senegal – three teams that they were expected to beat. Piątek’s presence would likely have changed this outcome, especially since superstar striker Robert Lewandowski greatly underperformed in all three games.

So, it should have come as no surprise when Milan signed Piątek for €35 million. Yet, this signing did not receive the attention it deserved.

I had been of the belief that AC Milan were one of those clubs who were one key piece away from being serious contenders, both domestically and in Europe. Now, I genuinely feel that Milan have got their man.

Even better for Milan is the fact that they will no longer be fielding the overrated and ageing Gonzalo Higuaín up front, but the 23-year-old Piątek instead. This is not only a massive upgrade for Milan’s future, but also an upgrade for the present. As of right now, Piątek is a better centre-forward than “El Pipita”.

Although Piątek is still at least two or three years away from his prime, the man from Lower Silesia has already shown what a force he can be in front of goal, even when lacking quality teammates. Now, with the likes of Ricardo Rodríguez, Lucas Paquetá, Suso, Franck Kessié, and Hakan Çalhanoğlu around him, Piątek might just be able to take his game to the next level.

Some of the greatest centre-forwards of all time have plied their trade for AC Milan. Names such as Gunnar Nordahl, Marco van Basten, Andriy Shevchenko, and Pippo Inzaghi have all shone in the famous red-and-black jersey.

Now, Milan may just have brought in the “heir to the throne”.

When the topic of who the best players in the world will be in five years’ time is brought up, names such as Marco Asensio, Bernardo Silva, Kylian Mbappé, Frenkie de Jong, Christian Pulisic, and Jadon Sancho are frequently mentioned.

If Piątek can sustain his form at Genoa through the second half of the season, he deserves to be in that conversation, for it would prove that he is no flash in the pan.

This season, Piątek might not be able to display all he is capable of for Milan. This is because they are already out of the Europa League and are so far behind in Serie A that their only realistic target for this season is qualification for next season’s Champions League.

But if AC Milan continue to surround their rising star with solid pieces during the next off-season and if Piątek continues on his current career trajectory, next season’s team could be their best since the 2012 squad that finished second in Serie A and made the Champions League quarterfinals.

The Weekly Take, Issue 46: Go South, Young Man

Chelsea’s troubled season has hit a new low.

The Blues did not put up any resistance whatsoever in a 2-0 London derby loss to Arsenal.

It was a disgraceful performance that was devoid of any heart, spirit, or verve – they were easily and systematically taken apart by the Gunners. So dismal were Chelsea that after the game, head coach Maurizio Sarri publicly questioned the team’s character and desire, and understandably so.

To put it in perspective, much-hyped players such as Jorginho, Mateo Kovačić, Pedro, and even the usually excellent N’Golo Kanté were completely dominated by the less-heralded likes of Mattéo Guendouzi, Lucas Torreira, and Sokratis Papastathopoulos.

But the problems at Stamford Bridge go beyond the pitch.

This club is dysfunctional to the core. Spending big money on players who went on to underperform greatly, firing coaches willy-nilly, giving up on players before they get their chance to shine – you name it, Chelsea since 2015 have done it.

Their poor results over the last three-and-a-half years speak for themselves.

One Premier League title which increasingly looks like an outlier. One FA Cup. No Champions League runs beyond the last 16. An average of 73 points per season at the time of writing, which would have seen them miss this season’s Champions League entirely (which, incidentally, they actually did). Absolutely nothing else to show for their immense spending.

I’ll go even further: there are only two reasons Roman Abramovich and his Chelsea team are not complete laughingstocks.

The first is because unlike the NBA or NFL, for example, European football has no salary cap. Abramovich’s immense wealth serves as a shield from his own incompetence as a club owner.

Abramovich just assumes that throwing major money at whatever the problem may be will solve it, regardless of the true situation.

I would even say that Chelsea are the New York Knicks of European football.

Impatient. Mismanaged. Don’t develop young prospects properly. Disastrous talent evaluation skills.

Like the Knicks, the only things Chelsea have going for them are their wealth and the large, glamorous market they play in.

The second reason may soon no longer apply to Chelsea. This reason is none other than Eden Hazard.

Ever since the Belgian superstar came to London in 2012, he has been let down by the club time and again in terms of surrounding him with the best possible supporting cast.

This team shipped out players such as Romelu Lukaku, Kevin De Bruyne, Mo Salah, and Filipe Luís before any of them had spent much time on the Chelsea roster.

It only gets worse when one considers that in that same timespan, Chelsea’s five most expensive signings have been Kepa Arrizabalaga, Álvaro Morata, Jorginho, Tiémoué Bakayoko, and Danny Drinkwater.

Taking all of this into consideration, as well as the facts that Hazard is in his prime at 27 years old and linked with Real Madrid, it is clear: for the sake of his career, Eden Hazard needs to leave the dumpster fire that Chelsea currently is and head for the Santiago Bernabéu.

A player as great as Hazard is does not deserve to be placed in the situation he finds himself in at Chelsea. What’s more, ever since Cristiano Ronaldo left Real for Juventus, Real have been struggling to fill the void left behind by the Portuguese legend.

Hazard’s arrival would change that. We have seen how great he is, whether in the Premier League, Champions League, World Cup, or European Championships. If he were to leave in this current transfer window, he would fit in seamlessly alongside the likes of Luka Modrić, Gareth Bale, Raphaël Varane, and compatriot and former Chelsea teammate Thibaut Courtois.

What’s more, in a few years’ time, Hazard might be expendable at Chelsea anyway. The London club have just signed the much younger but incredibly talented Christian Pulisic from Borussia Dortmund, who plays the same position that Hazard does. It’s as though even Chelsea themselves expect Hazard to leave.

Even if he were to stay at Stamford Bridge, Eden Hazard will be remembered as an all-time great and the finest footballer to ever come out of Belgium. Hazard is also arguably already the greatest player to ever wear the royal blue of Chelsea.

But if he is to truly cement his legacy, he has to go – the sooner, the better – for his club has failed him one too many times and will likely continue to do so, should he stay.

The Weekly Take, Issue 45: The Greatest Goalscorer of All Time

Everyone knows that in any football match, it is always the goalscorers who hog the limelight and take the majority of the plaudits.

Over the years, there have been some truly remarkable marksmen who have taken to the pitch and staked their claim as the greatest goalscorer in football history.

Players such as Ferenc Puskás, Alfredo Di Stéfano, Pelé, Gerd Müller, and Cristiano Ronaldo come to mind.

However, during the previous matchday, the player who has surpassed them all as a scorer reached a milestone that may never be equalled.

In Barcelona’s La Liga game against Eibar, Lionel Messi scored the 400th La Liga goal of his career. It was the second goal in Barça’s 3-0 victory over the Basque club.

Let that figure sink in for a moment. Four hundred league goals. With every single goal having been scored in a major league.

I can already hear some of you saying “but what about Pelé/CR7/ whoever”?

I will now proceed to show why Lionel Messi is the greatest goalscorer in the history of football.

Although he was a part of three World Cup-winning teams and scored 650 career league goals, I cannot put Pelé over Messi for two obvious reasons: he never played in a major league, and the overall level of competition was not as deep in the 1960s as it is today. Admittedly, he has scored 18 goals in international tournaments to Messi’s 14. However, I would definitely say that 400 La Liga goals is more impressive than 650 Campeonato Brasileiro and NASL (the MLS before the MLS, for the uninformed) goals.

Similar to Pelé, Ferenc Puskás also played in a weak era and only played in a major league for the last eight seasons of his career. Furthermore, his career total of 598 goals is by far the lowest of all the feasible greatest goalscorer candidates.

By far the most common comparison to Messi is Cristiano Ronaldo. However, as a goalscorer, even the Portuguese legend does not stack up well against his Argentine rival.

Although Ronaldo has scored 409 major-league goals in his career and like Pelé, has 18 international tournament goals, his career total of 673 goals has come in 932 official games, while Messi has found the net 667 times in 842 official games. Game-for-game, it isn’t even close. And before anyone says “but Ronaldo won the Euro!”, this is not about titles. I’m strictly talking about goalscoring prowess.

Next, we come to Gerd Müller.

Müller boasts an unbelievable goal-to-game ratio, with 722 in 770 across all his official games. However, a considerable number of his goals came in less important matches. He scored 417 goals in either a major-league game, the European Cup, or an international tournament. Messi, on the other hand, has 520 in such high-leverage games. To me, the 103 extra goals in important games outweigh the 55 career goals more that Müller scored.

But it’s not just about the “how many” that make Messi so great, but the “how” as well.

Although his left foot is truly legendary, he can do it with his right and even the occasional header in spite of his short stature.

One-on-ones, set pieces, tap-ins, long-rangers – you name it, Messi can score it.

No other player has ever been as prolific or has had quite the goalscoring repertoire of “La Pulga”. Whether playing for Barça or Argentina, there is a reason that Messi is the most feared goalscorer there has ever been. Even his mere presence on the field is a game-changer, for it affects the other team’s approach to the game.

Arguably even more astonishing is the fact that, despite now being on the wrong side of 30, Messi’s goalscoring rate does not seem to have dipped at all.

Would I say that Lionel Messi is the greatest player of all time?

I would not. To me, that accolade goes to Diego Maradona; however, I have Messi second all-time behind his World Cup-winning compatriot. That said, I do believe that Messi is closing the gap with each passing year.

But, as I mentioned, where there is no debate is as a scorer. In the more than 100 years of professional football, there has never been a player who has been able to put the ball in the net quite like Lionel Andrés Messi Cuccittini.

The Weekly Take, Issue 44: City’s Most Underrated Player Steps Up

Heading into the recent match between Manchester City and Liverpool, the two Premier League powerhouses were first and second in the league, with Liverpool ahead of City by seven points. Thus, there was a tremendous amount riding on the outcome of this clash.

The game at the Etihad Stadium ended in a 2-1 victory for the Citizens, with Leroy Sané scoring City’s winning goal to cap off what was arguably his best performance of the season.

The German winger absolutely torched the Reds’ defence, making the normally solid defensive pairing of Dejan Lovren and Virgil van Dijk look like complete amateurs.

But here’s the interesting part – despite being an integral part of City’s Premier League-winning team of last season, many do not truly appreciate the value that Sané brings to the table. While he did win the PFA Young Player of the Year award last season, the award seemed to do little to enhance his standing with the average fan.

When people think of Manchester City, they will usually think of players such as Bernardo Silva, Vincent Kompany, Kevin De Bruyne, Raheem Sterling, and, of course, Sergio Agüero. Leroy Sané is frequently overlooked.

This is unfortunate because Sané has been one of City’s best players ever since joining the Manchester club from Schalke in 2016.

Sané first arrived at the Etihad to much fanfare, and rightly so – he was, and still is, considered one of Germany’s best young prospects. Sané garnered a tremendous amount of hype during the 2015-16 season, his last with Schalke. It didn’t take him long to make an impact – despite missing almost a third of the season due to injury, Sané quickly established himself as a mainstay of the team and was named the club’s Player of the Month in February and March.

The following season was a career-best season for Sané as he helped City win the Premier League with a remarkable 100 out of a possible 114 points. His Young Player of the Year award was a fitting conclusion to a campaign in which he was one of City’s standouts, scoring 10 goals and handing out 15 assists. In doing so, Sané established himself as one of the best players at his position in the league. However, despite winning the award, Sané was twice snubbed at the end of the season – first by PFA experts who inexplicably selected Christian Eriksen of Tottenham over him in the Premier League’s best 11 of the season, then by Germany coach Joachim Löw who did not select him as part of Die Mannschaft’s World Cup squad. Löw’s decision backfired in shocking fashion as Germany were sent packing in the group stage; many believed that had Sané been playing, he would have made a difference and helped Germany advance to the round of 16.

These two snubs appear to have fuelled Sané this season, as he is clearly playing with a chip on his shoulder and a point to prove. His performance against Liverpool only gave further evidence of this fact.

So why has he been slept on? In my opinion, here are some of the reasons why.

1) He plays for Manchester City. This is a loaded team with two clearly superior players in Agüero and De Bruyne. Furthermore, players such as David Silva, Sterling, and Kompany seem to resonate more with the average fan.

2) He is not British. Last season, some of the other nominees for the Young Player of the Year award that Sané won were Harry Kane, Sterling, and Marcus Rashford. While Kane is certainly a better player than Sané, the other two are definitely not. What do all three of these players have in common, though?

Exactly.

Once again, the British media has overhyped its own players to such a degree that better players are overlooked.

3) He hasn’t done much at international level (yet). He has only played 17 games for Germany thus far and has featured in just 11 minutes of tournament play – against France in Euro 2016. Despite this, more opportunities should surely come his way in the future, especially since Germany failed without him at the World Cup.

If he continues on his current path, it won’t be much longer before fans and media begin to take more notice of the man from Essen.

The Weekly Take, Issue 43: The FIGC’s Own Goal

Sometimes, things happen in the world of sports that go beyond the game itself.

Regrettably, such an incident took place in the recent Serie A game between Inter Milan and Napoli.

The match finished 1-0 to Inter, with Lautaro Martínez scoring the only goal of the game in stoppage time.

However, to focus on that aspect of the game would both be incredibly offensive and miss the broader point.

Throughout the match, many Inter fans directed racist insults at Napoli player Kalidou Koulibaly. Koulibaly later responded by sarcastically applauding referee Paolo Mazzoleni, who refused to stop the game despite the requests of various Napoli players, as well as Napoli coach Carlo Ancelotti. However, not only was Mazzoleni unmoved, but he even handed out a second yellow card to Koulibaly for his response.

This was not the only major flashpoint to take place during this explosive clash.

Before the game, there had been clashes between Inter and Napoli fans outside the stadium. This violence led to the death of one Inter fan. Four Napoli fans were also stabbed.

Incredibly, despite the shocking scenes that took place both before and during the game, Italian Football Federation (FIGC) president Gabriele Gravina refused to suspend Serie A action until further notice. The only punishment given was a two-game suspension of fan attendance against Inter Milan, to be followed by a partial closure of the San Siro for the subsequent home game.

By refusing to take a stronger stance regarding such issues, the FIGC has shown blatant disregard for the welfare of players of colour, as well as that of those affected by fan violence.

Time and again, the FIGC has failed to take a hard enough line against such important issues.

In January 2018, the FIGC did not punish Cagliari when their fans directed racist chants towards Juventus midfielder Blaise Matuidi. The league’s disciplinary record claimed that there was no evidence that Matuidi was the victim of the offensive remarks, despite the fact that Matuidi openly stated that he had the racist volleys targeted at him. Cagliari’s club authorities also apologized to Matuidi for their fans’ actions. Despite being presented with this array of evidence, however, the FIGC did not take any action.

In 2014, the FIGC was once again involved in a racism controversy. Then-FIGC president Carlo Tavecchio received a six-month suspension from UEFA after making offensive comments about African players, whom he believed were stealing roster spots from Italian players.

While racism is certainly present everywhere in the world, the fact that it was the country’s highest football authority who made such remarks highlights the shocking state that Italian football has reached.

The FIGC has also failed to adequately address fan violence.

During last season’s Champions League semifinal between Liverpool and Roma, Liverpool fan Sean Cox was assaulted by Roma fans. Although Cox has not fully recovered from his injuries sustained in the attack to this day, not once did the FIGC do anything to address the issue, nor did they even release a statement condemning the assault.

If we go back even further, once again to 2014, before that year’s Coppa Italia final between Napoli and Fiorentina, a fan tossed smoke bombs at and shot a group of Napoli fans, severely injuring some of them and casting a pall over Napoli’s eventual victory.

To this point, the FIGC has only paid mere lip service to these issues. In the wake of the incidents surrounding the Inter-Napoli match, Gravina claimed that the association would make it easier for referees to halt games in similar instances of offensive epithets launched by fans and also claimed that the incidents would not ruin Italian football.

However, Gravina may have said all the right things, but what have he and his association actually done?

Fan misconduct, whether in the form of racism, violence, or anything else has blighted Italian football for decades. While other countries have experienced similar issues, they have generally made efforts to deal with them; Italy has not.

Although I am understandably sceptical that they will do so, I implore the FIGC to take stock of where Italian football is right now, consider the social problems damaging it, and work towards dealing with these problems and thus prove that the country’s football scene is not beyond saving.

The Weekly Take, Issue 42: An Expected Departure

The seemingly inevitable has now happened.

After Manchester United’s 3-1 loss to arch-rivals Liverpool, José Mourinho was fired as the Red Devils’ coach after just over two years in the position.

To say that Mourinho’s time as United coach was turbulent is an understatement.

Mourinho was known to have had personal issues with a number of United players, including Paul Pogba, Anthony Martial, Alexis Sánchez, and Andreas Pereira. He also clashed with vice-chairman Ed Woodward over the money he was allocated for the purpose of signing players.

It cannot be said that Mourinho’s stint as United coach was a complete failure, especially given the fact that the squad he had at his disposal was not flooded with the sheer amount of talent that the likes of Manchester City, Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid, or Barcelona had. Second place in the Premier League last season can be considered a success, considering that they finished ahead of arguably more fancied teams such as Chelsea and Tottenham. However, it must also be noted that in his first season at United, Mourinho’s team only finished sixth in the league, only qualifying for the Champions League by winning the much less prestigious and competitive Europa League.

Although Mourinho’s time at the helm of United didn’t go the way many a United fan had hoped, the reality is that this Manchester United team was never the right fit for the Portuguese coach.

Consider all the other teams which experienced much success under Mourinho. What did all of them have in common?

Every one of them was built around an elite playmaking central midfielder – a player who was equally adept at playing the number 8 or 10 roles.

Mourinho had Deco on his roster at Porto, Frank Lampard at Chelsea, Wesley Sneijder at Inter Milan, and Mesut Özil and Luka Modrić at Real Madrid.

United do not have a player of such calibre in that position. Juan Mata currently occupies that role, but, while a solid player, is nowhere near the levels of the five players just mentioned.

Mourinho has also always favoured a defense-first approach. Once again, his personnel at other clubs allowed him to do that with ease, but not so at United.

He had Paulo Ferreira, Jorge Costa, and Ricardo Carvalho at Porto. At Chelsea, he had John Terry, as well as Ferreira and Carvalho again. His Inter Milan team had Javier Zanetti, Maicon, and Iván Cordoba. Then, when he coached Real Madrid, he had Sergio Ramos and Marcelo on his roster.

United’s current backline is led by Luke Shaw and Victor Lindelöf. That’s simply not going to cut it at the highest level.

To put it simply: this Manchester United team was not set up to favour a coach like Mourinho.

Furthermore, as Mourinho has pointed out, the team has clearly been hampered by the lack of signings made. Over the previous off-season, United made three signings, all of whom have mostly been limited to the bench. Diogo Dalot, Fred, and Lee Grant have combined for just 14 starts and five substitute appearances this season. United stood still while their rivals moved ahead and strengthened their teams by making key signings.

Of course, José Mourinho himself must shoulder a good deal of the blame. Publicly airing his personal problems with his players was a horrible look, and it clearly destabilized the team. To make matters worse, three of the players he fell out with – Pogba, Sánchez, and Martial – are arguably three of United’s four best players. A coach of Mourinho’s calibre and experience ought to know that a team’s best players often have to be dealt with differently. However, Mourinho clearly failed to get the memo, as far as his interactions with his players are concerned. This played a major role in the club’s making the decision to fire him.

No one should cast any doubt on Mourinho’s coaching skill. With two Champions Leagues, eight league titles, four domestic cups, two doubles, and a treble, he is, in my opinion, the greatest coach in football history.

Despite his track record, though, his United stint never came close to the heights he once hit, proving that no matter how great the coach, if the coach doesn’t fit the club well, success will be difficult to come by.