This season's enthralling Serie A title race has taken yet another twist.
Lazio edged Inter Milan 2-1 in a crucial top-of-the-table encounter at the Stadio Olimpico allowed the Biancocelesti to overtake the Milan club in the league standings, moving up to second place. Ciro Immobile's penalty equalized for Lazio after Ashley Young had opened the scoring for the Nerazzurri just before halftime. Sergej Milinković-Savić later netted the winning goal for Lazio who are now just one point behind league leaders Juventus.
Serie A's title race this season has been truly enthralling. Juventus, Lazio, and Inter are only separated by three points after 24 matchdays. What makes this title race even more compelling is the fact that Juve have won the league every season since 2011-12. Therefore, this season provides not one, but two golden opportunities for both Lazio and Inter. Lazio have not won Serie A since the 1999-2000 season while Inter have not done so since their historic treble-winning campaign in the 2009-10 season. Thus, both these clubs not only have the opportunity to snap Juve's streak of eight consecutive Scudetti; they also would break their own title droughts by doing so.
It is interesting to note that of these three teams, only Inter made any significant moves during the recently-concluded January transfer window. Although Juventus did bring Swedish winger Dejan Kulusevski for €35 million to the club, the Bianconeri immediately loaned him to Parma for the rest of the season. Juve also loaned Emre Can to Borussia Dortmund after the German midfielder lost his place in the starting 11. Lazio did not make any signings of note; neither did they lose any notable players. Inter, on the other hand, made several noteworthy changes to their squad. They signed English veteran Young from Manchester United as well as Danish midfielder Christian Eriksen from Tottenham. Inter also became the latest club to pick up frequently-loaned Chelsea winger Victor Moses on a temporary basis. Regarding departures, Inter sold Gabriel Barbosa to Flamengo and loaned Valentino Lazaro to Newcastle; although both had come to Inter as intriguing prospects, neither had quite managed to pan out at the San Siro. Barbosa had been particularly disappointing when one considers how much hype he had generated at the time of his signing for Inter.
As the final title run-in approaches, one can clearly see that each club has its advantages and disadvantages. Juve have the most star power which can be seen in players such as Matthijs de Ligt, Paulo Dybala, Giorgio Chiellini, and, of course, Cristiano Ronaldo. However, Juve probably have the most difficult set of matches remaining; they still have to play against Inter, Lazio, and Roma as well as a derby match against Torino. Juve are also the only one of the three title contenders to be playing in the Champions League; thus, they will have to be the most careful with squad management.
Lazio are the only club of the three in the league title race to be no longer involved in European competition. This therefore puts them in a position allowing them to devote all of their attention to the league. However, they have by far the least experience with high-pressure title situations such as this. Thus, it would not come as a major surprise if the Roman club ended up wilting under the pressure, leaving them without their first league title in 20 years.
Inter's main advantage is that they have the best head coach of all three teams in Antonio Conte. The winner of four major league titles and three domestic cups, Conte is arguably the best tactician among all coaches in world football today. They also have probably the easiest title run-in among the title contenders. Nevertheless, although Inter made their intent to win the league evident through their many signings, there is also a possibility that these many new signings will fail to gel and derail their league title bid, their ongoing Europa League campaign, or perhaps even both.
Serie A title races with three contending teams are rare in Serie A; this is only the second time it has happened since the 2001-02 season. Regardless of whether it turns out to be the multiple-time reigning champions, the new faces, or the revived powerhouse under new coaching, whoever comes out on top will have won one of the most hard-earned Scudetti ever.
Tuesday, February 18, 2020
Tuesday, February 11, 2020
The Weekly Take, Issue 101: The Next Great French Defender
Over the years, there have been some truly great defenders to come out of France. Players such as Manuel Amoros, Laurent Blanc, Bixente Lizarazu, Marcel Desailly, Lilian Thuram, Patrice Evra, and Raphaël Varane come to mind.
Before too long, another player might soon add his name to this legendary list. This player is in the midst of a breakout season for RB Leipzig, and his latest performance might very well have been his most impressive yet.
This player is Dayot Upamecano.
The Bundesliga match between Bayern Munich and Leipzig had been much-anticipated because it was a clash between the first- and second-placed teams in the league. It ended in a 0-0 draw - a fact that reflected extremely well on Leipzig's defense. This is because from an offensive standpoint, Bayern were firmly in control throughout. The Bavarians had 70% of the possession, completed almost two-and-a-half times more passes than did Die Bullen, and had 11 corners to Leipzig's three. Bayern's offensive line containing the likes of Leon Goretzka, Serge Gnabry, and of course, Robert Lewandowski were active throughout; however, a gutty, gritty performance by Leipzig's defense successfully neutralized the threat Bayern's offense posed.
Of Leipzig's three defenders, Upamecano was clearly the most impressive. The Frenchman was absolutely dominant at centre-back as he completely shut down Bayern's attacks time and again. The highlights of Upamecano's performance included a perfectly-timed block to prevent what would have been a Lewandowski goal as well as another spectacular block to deny Alphonso Davies from scoring. Although Upamecano did pick up a yellow card, this was also a good play because his foul on Thomas Müller also prevented a possible Bayern goal after Lewandowski headed the ball in the German winger's direction in a dangerous area of the pitch.
Over the past two seasons, Leipzig's defense has been truly impressive, especially when one considers that in 2017-18, the club from Saxony conceded 53 goals and ranked joint-14th in the league in this statistic. Last season, however, Leipzig turned it around impressively by allowing the fewest goals of any team in the Bundesliga. This season, they have continued this trend by conceding just 25 goals thus far. A key reason for this upward trend has been the impressive performance of Upamecano. The player from Normandy has turned into the fulcrum of Leipzig's defense; the team's overall defensive performance has improved in tandem with his own emergence as one of the best young centre-backs in the Bundesliga. His rapid improvement has also been reflected in the transfer market; although a number of clubs have been considering making a bid to lure him away from the Red Bull Arena, his ever-increasing transfer price has thus far ensured that no transfer has yet taken place.
On the international front, it is borderline criminal that Upamecano has never been capped by France. However, at just 21 years old, Upamecano has plenty of time to burnish his international credentials. It will surely not be long before Upamecano makes his Les Bleus debut; he might even be selected as part of the France squad for the upcoming 2020 European Championships. Circumstances permitting, he will likely have a long and fruitful international career to accompany what will probably be an equally impressive club career.
Upamecano has clearly established himself as one of the rising stars of world football. If Leipzig are to make a deep run in this season's Champions League, win the Bundesliga title, or perhaps even both, Upamecano will have undoubtedly played a major role in the club's success. However, it remains to be seen if Upamecano's long-term future will continue to be at Leipzig or instead be somewhere else. It is certainly possible that in the coming off-season, Upamecano inks a deal with a more "glamorous" club, especially if he puts in some impressive performances for France during Euro 2020.
In any case, it appears that the potential of the player whom I believe to be the next great French defender is almost limitless. There is a reason that clubs such as Barcelona and Bayern have been in pursuit of Upamecano even as his transfer value has understandably ballooned to close to €60 million. Regardless of where Upamecano ends up, however, it seems that an impressive career is in store for this talented, exciting young defender.
Before too long, another player might soon add his name to this legendary list. This player is in the midst of a breakout season for RB Leipzig, and his latest performance might very well have been his most impressive yet.
This player is Dayot Upamecano.
The Bundesliga match between Bayern Munich and Leipzig had been much-anticipated because it was a clash between the first- and second-placed teams in the league. It ended in a 0-0 draw - a fact that reflected extremely well on Leipzig's defense. This is because from an offensive standpoint, Bayern were firmly in control throughout. The Bavarians had 70% of the possession, completed almost two-and-a-half times more passes than did Die Bullen, and had 11 corners to Leipzig's three. Bayern's offensive line containing the likes of Leon Goretzka, Serge Gnabry, and of course, Robert Lewandowski were active throughout; however, a gutty, gritty performance by Leipzig's defense successfully neutralized the threat Bayern's offense posed.
Of Leipzig's three defenders, Upamecano was clearly the most impressive. The Frenchman was absolutely dominant at centre-back as he completely shut down Bayern's attacks time and again. The highlights of Upamecano's performance included a perfectly-timed block to prevent what would have been a Lewandowski goal as well as another spectacular block to deny Alphonso Davies from scoring. Although Upamecano did pick up a yellow card, this was also a good play because his foul on Thomas Müller also prevented a possible Bayern goal after Lewandowski headed the ball in the German winger's direction in a dangerous area of the pitch.
Over the past two seasons, Leipzig's defense has been truly impressive, especially when one considers that in 2017-18, the club from Saxony conceded 53 goals and ranked joint-14th in the league in this statistic. Last season, however, Leipzig turned it around impressively by allowing the fewest goals of any team in the Bundesliga. This season, they have continued this trend by conceding just 25 goals thus far. A key reason for this upward trend has been the impressive performance of Upamecano. The player from Normandy has turned into the fulcrum of Leipzig's defense; the team's overall defensive performance has improved in tandem with his own emergence as one of the best young centre-backs in the Bundesliga. His rapid improvement has also been reflected in the transfer market; although a number of clubs have been considering making a bid to lure him away from the Red Bull Arena, his ever-increasing transfer price has thus far ensured that no transfer has yet taken place.
On the international front, it is borderline criminal that Upamecano has never been capped by France. However, at just 21 years old, Upamecano has plenty of time to burnish his international credentials. It will surely not be long before Upamecano makes his Les Bleus debut; he might even be selected as part of the France squad for the upcoming 2020 European Championships. Circumstances permitting, he will likely have a long and fruitful international career to accompany what will probably be an equally impressive club career.
Upamecano has clearly established himself as one of the rising stars of world football. If Leipzig are to make a deep run in this season's Champions League, win the Bundesliga title, or perhaps even both, Upamecano will have undoubtedly played a major role in the club's success. However, it remains to be seen if Upamecano's long-term future will continue to be at Leipzig or instead be somewhere else. It is certainly possible that in the coming off-season, Upamecano inks a deal with a more "glamorous" club, especially if he puts in some impressive performances for France during Euro 2020.
In any case, it appears that the potential of the player whom I believe to be the next great French defender is almost limitless. There is a reason that clubs such as Barcelona and Bayern have been in pursuit of Upamecano even as his transfer value has understandably ballooned to close to €60 million. Regardless of where Upamecano ends up, however, it seems that an impressive career is in store for this talented, exciting young defender.
Tuesday, February 4, 2020
The Weekly Take, Issue 100: 100 Posts, 100 Takes
This being my 100th post, I decided to do something a little different. I will post 100 football-related opinions of which some might be controversial and some might be completely wrong to some of you. Nevertheless, I stick firmly by all of them and will be willing to hear any counterarguments.
So, without further ado:
1) Most underrated player ever: Andrés Iniesta
2) Most overrated player ever: Steven Gerrard
3) Most overrated team ever (international): Brazil 1982
4) Most overrated team ever (club): Arsenal 2004
5) Most important match ever played: Chelsea 2-1 Liverpool, 2003
6) Greatest tactical performance of all time: Inter Milan 3-2 (aggregate) Barcelona, 2010
7) Greatest league title race ever: 2000-01 Bundesliga
8) Best World Cup: 1998
9) Worst World Cup: 2002
10) Most underrated World Cup run (team): Turkey 2002
11) Most underrated World Cup run (individual): Diego Maradona 1990
12) Greatest Champions League season: 2011-12
13) Greatest Champions League match ever: Liverpool 3-3 AC Milan, 2005
14) Most important moment in football history: Neymar signs for PSG, 2017
15) Greatest single-match performance ever (individual): Rivaldo vs Valencia, 2001
16) Greatest single-match performance ever (team): Germany 7-1 Brazil, 2014
17) Most significant tactical innovation: Catenaccio
18) Greatest quote: "Football is a simple game. Twenty-two men chase a ball for 90 minutes and at the end, the Germans always win." - Gary Lineker
19) Rule that needs to be changed: Last man fouls should be a penalty AND a red card even if the foul took place outside the penalty area
20) Most disrespected position: Defensive midfielder
21) Most overrated position: Centre-forward
22) Best era: 1997-2004
23) Worst era: 1975-1980
24) Most overrated coach: Arsène Wenger
25) Most underrated coach: Helenio Herrera
26) Best signing ever: N'Golo Kanté to Leicester, 2015
27) Worst signing ever: Fernando Torres to Chelsea, 2011
28) Worst refereeing decision ever: Francesco Totti's bogus second yellow card vs South Korea, 2002
29) Greatest free kick taker ever: Shunsuke Nakamura
30) Biggest "what if": What if the Hungarian Revolution never happens and the 1950s Hungary team stays together
31) Most overlooked yet impactful transfer: Diego Forlán to Villarreal, 2004
32) Most over-romanticized (not necessarily overrated) player ever: Juan Román Riquelme
33) Most undeserved tournament victory: Barcelona, 2008-09 Champions League
34) Best duel: Cristiano Ronaldo vs Zlatan Ibrahimović (Portugal vs Sweden, 2013)
35) Greatest goal ever scored: Diego Maradona vs England, 1986
36) Greatest rivalry match (club): Barcelona 4-3 Real Madrid, 2014
37) Greatest rivalry match (international): Italy 3-2 West Germany, 1982
38) Biggest one-hit wonder (club): Steaua Bucharest 1986
39) Biggest one-hit wonder (international): Greece 2004
40) Weakest transfer move of all time: Luís Figo to Real Madrid, 2000
41) Most surprising individual season ever: Luca Toni, 2014-15
42) Most disappointing individual season ever: Denílson, 1999-2000
43) Most overrated status: "One-club man"
44) The fate of the universe is on the line, who do I want taking the last shot?: Cristiano Ronaldo
45) Best Women's World Cup match ever: Japan 2-2 United States, 2011
46) Best stadium: Maracanã
47) Best backline ever: AC Milan 1990
48) Best central midfield ever: Barcelona 2011
49) Best wing pairing ever: Bayern Munich 2013
50) Best frontline ever: Real Madrid 1960
51) The next legendary player is: Christian Pulisic
52) The next legendary coach is: Julian Nagelsmann
53) The host of the 2030 World Cup should be: Netherlands/Belgium as joint hosts
54) Something which I would like to see added: A FIFA Hall of Fame
55) Best stadium atmosphere: Signal Iduna Park (okay, maybe I'm a little biased :P)
56) Early pick to win Euro 2020: Netherlands
57) Early pick to win World Cup 2022: England
58) Best position for captains: Central midfield
59) Worst position for captains: Winger
60) Player who should move to a better team: Richarlison
61) Greatest domestic league ever by decade: 1990s Serie A
62) Most overrated tournament: FA Cup
63) Luckiest player ever: Dani Alves
64) Unluckiest player ever: Jari Litmanen
65) Tournament which should be revamped: Confederations Cup
66) Greatest World Cup upset: West Germany 3-2 Hungary, 1954
67) Greatest Champions League upset: Deportivo de La Coruña 5-4 (aggregate) AC Milan, 2004
68) Most undeserving Ballon d'Or winner: Allan Simonsen, 1977
69) Most underrated season by a club: Inter Milan, 2009-10
70) Opinion on VAR: Generally positive but can still be improved
71) Most overrated current player: Karim Benzema
72) Most underrated current player: Trent Alexander-Arnold
73) Most overrated current coach: Claudio Ranieri
74) Most underrated current coach: Maurizio Sarri
75) Rule that needs to be introduced: NBA/NFL-style team-wide salary cap, replacing the current Financial Fair Play rules
76) My Mount Rushmore of coaches: Herrera, Michels, Mourinho, Ancelotti
77) Most impressive league title victory: Atlético Madrid, 2013-14 La Liga
78) Most impressive Champions League victory: Inter Milan, 2009-10
79) How I would improve the Nations League: Disconnect it from Euro qualifying
80) Greatest club team of all time: Real Madrid 2014-18
81) Greatest international team of all time: West Germany 1970-76
82) Greatest player rivalry: Cristiano Ronaldo vs Lionel Messi
83) Greatest coach rivalry: José Mourinho vs Pep Guardiola
84) Biggest fan misconception: A club's history is directly linked to its current status
85) Best derby: Fenerbahçe vs Galatasaray
86) Most overrated domestic league by decade: 2010s Premier League
87) Most unbreakable record: Dino Zoff wins World Cup as captain at the age of 40
88) Biggest "one-season wonder": Riyad Mahrez
89) Next multiple-time winner of the European Golden Shoe: Kylian Mbappé
90) Biggest headcase: Hatem ben Arfa
91) Biggest dumpster fire of a team (international): France 2010
92) Biggest dumpster fire of a team (club): AC Milan 2015
93) Most overhyped signing ever: Gareth Bale to Real Madrid, 2013
94) Most overlooked all-time great team: AC Milan 2003-07
95) Most ill-advised stadium-related decision: Tottenham vacates Wembley
96) Most overrated football move: Rabona
97) Current player who ought to have a statue when he retires even though most would not expect one for him: Giorgio Chiellini
98) Next €100 million player: Lautaro Martínez
99) Next big-money transfer dud: Adama Traoré
100) My all-time XI: 4-2-3-1 formation; Yashin, Cafu, Beckenbauer, Ramos, Maldini, Gattuso, Iniesta, Cristiano Ronaldo, Maradona, Cruyff, Messi. Coached by Mourinho.
So, without further ado:
1) Most underrated player ever: Andrés Iniesta
2) Most overrated player ever: Steven Gerrard
3) Most overrated team ever (international): Brazil 1982
4) Most overrated team ever (club): Arsenal 2004
5) Most important match ever played: Chelsea 2-1 Liverpool, 2003
6) Greatest tactical performance of all time: Inter Milan 3-2 (aggregate) Barcelona, 2010
7) Greatest league title race ever: 2000-01 Bundesliga
8) Best World Cup: 1998
9) Worst World Cup: 2002
10) Most underrated World Cup run (team): Turkey 2002
11) Most underrated World Cup run (individual): Diego Maradona 1990
12) Greatest Champions League season: 2011-12
13) Greatest Champions League match ever: Liverpool 3-3 AC Milan, 2005
14) Most important moment in football history: Neymar signs for PSG, 2017
15) Greatest single-match performance ever (individual): Rivaldo vs Valencia, 2001
16) Greatest single-match performance ever (team): Germany 7-1 Brazil, 2014
17) Most significant tactical innovation: Catenaccio
18) Greatest quote: "Football is a simple game. Twenty-two men chase a ball for 90 minutes and at the end, the Germans always win." - Gary Lineker
19) Rule that needs to be changed: Last man fouls should be a penalty AND a red card even if the foul took place outside the penalty area
20) Most disrespected position: Defensive midfielder
21) Most overrated position: Centre-forward
22) Best era: 1997-2004
23) Worst era: 1975-1980
24) Most overrated coach: Arsène Wenger
25) Most underrated coach: Helenio Herrera
26) Best signing ever: N'Golo Kanté to Leicester, 2015
27) Worst signing ever: Fernando Torres to Chelsea, 2011
28) Worst refereeing decision ever: Francesco Totti's bogus second yellow card vs South Korea, 2002
29) Greatest free kick taker ever: Shunsuke Nakamura
30) Biggest "what if": What if the Hungarian Revolution never happens and the 1950s Hungary team stays together
31) Most overlooked yet impactful transfer: Diego Forlán to Villarreal, 2004
32) Most over-romanticized (not necessarily overrated) player ever: Juan Román Riquelme
33) Most undeserved tournament victory: Barcelona, 2008-09 Champions League
34) Best duel: Cristiano Ronaldo vs Zlatan Ibrahimović (Portugal vs Sweden, 2013)
35) Greatest goal ever scored: Diego Maradona vs England, 1986
36) Greatest rivalry match (club): Barcelona 4-3 Real Madrid, 2014
37) Greatest rivalry match (international): Italy 3-2 West Germany, 1982
38) Biggest one-hit wonder (club): Steaua Bucharest 1986
39) Biggest one-hit wonder (international): Greece 2004
40) Weakest transfer move of all time: Luís Figo to Real Madrid, 2000
41) Most surprising individual season ever: Luca Toni, 2014-15
42) Most disappointing individual season ever: Denílson, 1999-2000
43) Most overrated status: "One-club man"
44) The fate of the universe is on the line, who do I want taking the last shot?: Cristiano Ronaldo
45) Best Women's World Cup match ever: Japan 2-2 United States, 2011
46) Best stadium: Maracanã
47) Best backline ever: AC Milan 1990
48) Best central midfield ever: Barcelona 2011
49) Best wing pairing ever: Bayern Munich 2013
50) Best frontline ever: Real Madrid 1960
51) The next legendary player is: Christian Pulisic
52) The next legendary coach is: Julian Nagelsmann
53) The host of the 2030 World Cup should be: Netherlands/Belgium as joint hosts
54) Something which I would like to see added: A FIFA Hall of Fame
55) Best stadium atmosphere: Signal Iduna Park (okay, maybe I'm a little biased :P)
56) Early pick to win Euro 2020: Netherlands
57) Early pick to win World Cup 2022: England
58) Best position for captains: Central midfield
59) Worst position for captains: Winger
60) Player who should move to a better team: Richarlison
61) Greatest domestic league ever by decade: 1990s Serie A
62) Most overrated tournament: FA Cup
63) Luckiest player ever: Dani Alves
64) Unluckiest player ever: Jari Litmanen
65) Tournament which should be revamped: Confederations Cup
66) Greatest World Cup upset: West Germany 3-2 Hungary, 1954
67) Greatest Champions League upset: Deportivo de La Coruña 5-4 (aggregate) AC Milan, 2004
68) Most undeserving Ballon d'Or winner: Allan Simonsen, 1977
69) Most underrated season by a club: Inter Milan, 2009-10
70) Opinion on VAR: Generally positive but can still be improved
71) Most overrated current player: Karim Benzema
72) Most underrated current player: Trent Alexander-Arnold
73) Most overrated current coach: Claudio Ranieri
74) Most underrated current coach: Maurizio Sarri
75) Rule that needs to be introduced: NBA/NFL-style team-wide salary cap, replacing the current Financial Fair Play rules
76) My Mount Rushmore of coaches: Herrera, Michels, Mourinho, Ancelotti
77) Most impressive league title victory: Atlético Madrid, 2013-14 La Liga
78) Most impressive Champions League victory: Inter Milan, 2009-10
79) How I would improve the Nations League: Disconnect it from Euro qualifying
80) Greatest club team of all time: Real Madrid 2014-18
81) Greatest international team of all time: West Germany 1970-76
82) Greatest player rivalry: Cristiano Ronaldo vs Lionel Messi
83) Greatest coach rivalry: José Mourinho vs Pep Guardiola
84) Biggest fan misconception: A club's history is directly linked to its current status
85) Best derby: Fenerbahçe vs Galatasaray
86) Most overrated domestic league by decade: 2010s Premier League
87) Most unbreakable record: Dino Zoff wins World Cup as captain at the age of 40
88) Biggest "one-season wonder": Riyad Mahrez
89) Next multiple-time winner of the European Golden Shoe: Kylian Mbappé
90) Biggest headcase: Hatem ben Arfa
91) Biggest dumpster fire of a team (international): France 2010
92) Biggest dumpster fire of a team (club): AC Milan 2015
93) Most overhyped signing ever: Gareth Bale to Real Madrid, 2013
94) Most overlooked all-time great team: AC Milan 2003-07
95) Most ill-advised stadium-related decision: Tottenham vacates Wembley
96) Most overrated football move: Rabona
97) Current player who ought to have a statue when he retires even though most would not expect one for him: Giorgio Chiellini
98) Next €100 million player: Lautaro Martínez
99) Next big-money transfer dud: Adama Traoré
100) My all-time XI: 4-2-3-1 formation; Yashin, Cafu, Beckenbauer, Ramos, Maldini, Gattuso, Iniesta, Cristiano Ronaldo, Maradona, Cruyff, Messi. Coached by Mourinho.
Tuesday, January 28, 2020
The Weekly Take, Issue 99: Breaking the Scudetto Streak
There is a very real possibility that this is the year which sees the end of Juventus' streak of seven consecutive Serie A titles. The most obvious challengers to the title are Inter Milan who have revamped their squad, spent heavily and yet prudently, and reaped the rewards accordingly.
However, there is another team which not many would have expected to be in the title race at this point of the season. This is especially true because this is a team which has not been close to winning the league for many years and which does not have any elite-level superstar talent. Despite this fact, they might just claim the Scudetto if everything breaks the right way; as of right now, they are just five points behind league leaders Juve and have played one game fewer.
The latest edition of the Derby della Capitale saw Roma and Lazio split the points in a 1-1 draw. Edin Džeko opened the scoring for Roma, but Francesco Acerbi's equalizer ensured that Lazio would not leave empty-handed.
Lazio's performance was typical of their season thus far: unconventional and yet tenacious and gritty. Fielding a 3-5-2 formation, they had far less possession as well as far fewer shots and corner kicks than their crosstown rivals. In this case, though, it did not seem to be a case of being outplayed. The Biancocelesti came in with the strategy of soaking up Roma's attacking pressure and generally neutralizing it by restricting Roma to low-quality chances; out of Roma's 22 shots, only three were on target.
While it may be the case that Lazio do not necessarily have the one player who is on that level that can change everything for the better for any team, it must nevertheless be said that this is a team which has been intelligently and thoughtfully constructed and in which all the pieces fit perfectly. The club's core players including Ciro Immobile, Sergej Milinković-Savić, Senad Lulić, Lucas Leiva, and Joaquín Correa have combined seamlessly thus far.
Interestingly, this team has not changed much from last season's iteration. Their only new signing who has played much has been Manuel Lazzari, while Portuguese duo Bruno Jordão and Pedro Neto, who both left for Wolverhampton Wanderers, barely featured at all last season.
Furthermore, although I did mention that Lazio do not have a true superstar on their roster, they very well might soon. At just 24 years old, Milinković-Savić appears to have a tremendously bright future with a very high ceiling. The Serbian midfielder has repeatedly been linked with transfers to some of Europe's leading clubs; such transfer rumours are evidence of just how highly he is regarded. With Cristiano Ronaldo clearly on the decline, it is entirely possible that should Milinković-Savić choose to remain in Serie A, whether with Lazio or another Italian club, he could be one of the five best players in the league as soon as next season.
Lazio have also gained much from well-judged redistribution of playing time. The additional opportunities which have been granted to the likes of Luiz Felipe and Correa, who were players who were not certain starters just one season ago, have been of much benefit to them and the club. Correa's positional versatility which is evidenced by his ability to play as a number 10, a winger, or a centre-forward has been a particular bonus for Lazio; it opens up more tactical options whenever he is on the pitch. Backup striker Felipe Caicedo is simply not capable of providing this multi-positional threat; thus, it is no surprise that as Correa's playing time has increased and Caicedo's has declined, Lazio's form has improved in tandem.
The last time Lazio won Serie A was in 2000. In that year, Lazio had an incredibly stacked team coached by Sven-Göran Eriksson and loaded with legendary players including Alessandro Nesta, Pavel Nedvěd, Juan Sebastián Verón, Diego Simeone, and Marcelo Salas. Considering that the current squad does not have any players of that calibre, the fact that Juve and Inter have probably the two best coaches in the league in Maurizio Sarri and Antonio Conte, as well as Juve's stranglehold on the Scudetto since 2012, a Lazio league title 20 years later would be a more remarkable feat by several orders of magnitude.
However, there is another team which not many would have expected to be in the title race at this point of the season. This is especially true because this is a team which has not been close to winning the league for many years and which does not have any elite-level superstar talent. Despite this fact, they might just claim the Scudetto if everything breaks the right way; as of right now, they are just five points behind league leaders Juve and have played one game fewer.
The latest edition of the Derby della Capitale saw Roma and Lazio split the points in a 1-1 draw. Edin Džeko opened the scoring for Roma, but Francesco Acerbi's equalizer ensured that Lazio would not leave empty-handed.
Lazio's performance was typical of their season thus far: unconventional and yet tenacious and gritty. Fielding a 3-5-2 formation, they had far less possession as well as far fewer shots and corner kicks than their crosstown rivals. In this case, though, it did not seem to be a case of being outplayed. The Biancocelesti came in with the strategy of soaking up Roma's attacking pressure and generally neutralizing it by restricting Roma to low-quality chances; out of Roma's 22 shots, only three were on target.
While it may be the case that Lazio do not necessarily have the one player who is on that level that can change everything for the better for any team, it must nevertheless be said that this is a team which has been intelligently and thoughtfully constructed and in which all the pieces fit perfectly. The club's core players including Ciro Immobile, Sergej Milinković-Savić, Senad Lulić, Lucas Leiva, and Joaquín Correa have combined seamlessly thus far.
Interestingly, this team has not changed much from last season's iteration. Their only new signing who has played much has been Manuel Lazzari, while Portuguese duo Bruno Jordão and Pedro Neto, who both left for Wolverhampton Wanderers, barely featured at all last season.
Furthermore, although I did mention that Lazio do not have a true superstar on their roster, they very well might soon. At just 24 years old, Milinković-Savić appears to have a tremendously bright future with a very high ceiling. The Serbian midfielder has repeatedly been linked with transfers to some of Europe's leading clubs; such transfer rumours are evidence of just how highly he is regarded. With Cristiano Ronaldo clearly on the decline, it is entirely possible that should Milinković-Savić choose to remain in Serie A, whether with Lazio or another Italian club, he could be one of the five best players in the league as soon as next season.
Lazio have also gained much from well-judged redistribution of playing time. The additional opportunities which have been granted to the likes of Luiz Felipe and Correa, who were players who were not certain starters just one season ago, have been of much benefit to them and the club. Correa's positional versatility which is evidenced by his ability to play as a number 10, a winger, or a centre-forward has been a particular bonus for Lazio; it opens up more tactical options whenever he is on the pitch. Backup striker Felipe Caicedo is simply not capable of providing this multi-positional threat; thus, it is no surprise that as Correa's playing time has increased and Caicedo's has declined, Lazio's form has improved in tandem.
The last time Lazio won Serie A was in 2000. In that year, Lazio had an incredibly stacked team coached by Sven-Göran Eriksson and loaded with legendary players including Alessandro Nesta, Pavel Nedvěd, Juan Sebastián Verón, Diego Simeone, and Marcelo Salas. Considering that the current squad does not have any players of that calibre, the fact that Juve and Inter have probably the two best coaches in the league in Maurizio Sarri and Antonio Conte, as well as Juve's stranglehold on the Scudetto since 2012, a Lazio league title 20 years later would be a more remarkable feat by several orders of magnitude.
Tuesday, January 21, 2020
The Weekly Take, Issue 98: An Absolute Disgrace at All Levels
Liverpool's dominant, historic, almost superhuman season continued on its unstoppable path with a 2-0 victory over arch-rivals Manchester United. Virgil van Dijk and Mo Salah made their way onto the scoresheet for a team that is now surely one of the greatest football teams of all time.
The way Liverpool are run at all levels, from front office and upper management to scouting to coaching and everything else, stands in stark contrast to what has been happening at United. Manchester United right now are being run in an absolutely disgraceful manner. They have become a textbook example of how not to run a football club.
The first point to note is that of signings. During the past off-season, Manchester United massively overpaid to sign Aaron Wan-Bissaka from Crystal Palace for £50 million, then made perhaps the absolute worst value-for-money signing of the off-season by picking up Harry Maguire from Leicester City for the exorbitant fee of £80 million. These ill-advised signings were then compounded by the sale of Romelu Lukaku to Inter Milan; the Belgian has lit up Serie A with 14 league goals in 20 matches to fuel the Nerazzurri's title push. The Red Devils also let central midfielder Ander Herrera leave for nothing; the Spaniard joined Paris Saint-Germain soon after.
Recently, Maguire was also made United captain following the departure of Ashley Young to Inter. Once again, there was absolutely no thought placed into this decision. The England centre-back has little experience captaining a team, just joined United months ago, and only has 124 Premier League matches over four-and-a-half seasons under his belt. In contrast, David de Gea has been at United since 2011, has captained Spain's under-21 team and has even stepped in as United captain from time to time in past matches, and has played 298 league matches for United. While I normally oppose the idea of a goalkeeper as captain, this is an exception because de Gea should so obviously have been the next United captain; there is no rational reason at all as to why Maguire received the armband instead of de Gea.
In hindsight, the selection of Ole Gunnar Solskjær to coach the team in the wake of the firing of José Mourinho has also proven to be a poor one. It is now evident that the Norwegian's hot start in the Old Trafford dugout has proven to be an outlier; he clearly does not have what it takes to coach at the level required of one in charge of Manchester United. However, it should have been obvious that Solskjær was never going to work out as United head coach; during his only half-season in charge of a club in a major football league, he presided over the relegation of Cardiff City in 2014 and only lasted eight months in total before being fired. Despite this fact, the club owners chose to value sentimentality and "good feelings" over facts and track record, and United are now paying the price because of this poorly-considered decision.
The largest share of the blame clearly has to be placed on the shoulders of owners Joel and Avram Glazer. The brothers have no coherent plan, no vision, and no understanding of what it takes to restore United to its former glory. They are obviously making things up as they go along. For that matter, Mourinho's struggles while he had been in charge at United can largely be blamed on ownership as well. Before choosing to hire the Portuguese coach, the Glazer brothers ought to have considered the fact that all of Mourinho's most successful teams followed a particular archetype with which Mourinho would have been most comfortable. Of course, they did not grant Mourinho the freedom to pursue signing such players and instead saddled him with players who were ill-suited to his team concept and tactics.
When considering how Manchester United are being run as well as the fact that there seems to be no end in sight to the club's woes, I feel fairly confident in saying this: if United continue to be run as they are right now, I believe that in 10 to 20 years, Manchester United will be regarded as an irrelevant club and will have permanently fallen away from European football's top table.
The way Liverpool are run at all levels, from front office and upper management to scouting to coaching and everything else, stands in stark contrast to what has been happening at United. Manchester United right now are being run in an absolutely disgraceful manner. They have become a textbook example of how not to run a football club.
The first point to note is that of signings. During the past off-season, Manchester United massively overpaid to sign Aaron Wan-Bissaka from Crystal Palace for £50 million, then made perhaps the absolute worst value-for-money signing of the off-season by picking up Harry Maguire from Leicester City for the exorbitant fee of £80 million. These ill-advised signings were then compounded by the sale of Romelu Lukaku to Inter Milan; the Belgian has lit up Serie A with 14 league goals in 20 matches to fuel the Nerazzurri's title push. The Red Devils also let central midfielder Ander Herrera leave for nothing; the Spaniard joined Paris Saint-Germain soon after.
Recently, Maguire was also made United captain following the departure of Ashley Young to Inter. Once again, there was absolutely no thought placed into this decision. The England centre-back has little experience captaining a team, just joined United months ago, and only has 124 Premier League matches over four-and-a-half seasons under his belt. In contrast, David de Gea has been at United since 2011, has captained Spain's under-21 team and has even stepped in as United captain from time to time in past matches, and has played 298 league matches for United. While I normally oppose the idea of a goalkeeper as captain, this is an exception because de Gea should so obviously have been the next United captain; there is no rational reason at all as to why Maguire received the armband instead of de Gea.
In hindsight, the selection of Ole Gunnar Solskjær to coach the team in the wake of the firing of José Mourinho has also proven to be a poor one. It is now evident that the Norwegian's hot start in the Old Trafford dugout has proven to be an outlier; he clearly does not have what it takes to coach at the level required of one in charge of Manchester United. However, it should have been obvious that Solskjær was never going to work out as United head coach; during his only half-season in charge of a club in a major football league, he presided over the relegation of Cardiff City in 2014 and only lasted eight months in total before being fired. Despite this fact, the club owners chose to value sentimentality and "good feelings" over facts and track record, and United are now paying the price because of this poorly-considered decision.
The largest share of the blame clearly has to be placed on the shoulders of owners Joel and Avram Glazer. The brothers have no coherent plan, no vision, and no understanding of what it takes to restore United to its former glory. They are obviously making things up as they go along. For that matter, Mourinho's struggles while he had been in charge at United can largely be blamed on ownership as well. Before choosing to hire the Portuguese coach, the Glazer brothers ought to have considered the fact that all of Mourinho's most successful teams followed a particular archetype with which Mourinho would have been most comfortable. Of course, they did not grant Mourinho the freedom to pursue signing such players and instead saddled him with players who were ill-suited to his team concept and tactics.
When considering how Manchester United are being run as well as the fact that there seems to be no end in sight to the club's woes, I feel fairly confident in saying this: if United continue to be run as they are right now, I believe that in 10 to 20 years, Manchester United will be regarded as an irrelevant club and will have permanently fallen away from European football's top table.
Tuesday, January 14, 2020
The Weekly Take, Issue 97: The Final Step Was Never Taken
It is seldom easy for any team to take that final step – the
step which causes them to go from being merely a potential qualifier for the
Champions League to one which is a perennial contender for league titles and from time to time, perhaps even Champions League titles.
Over the last decade, we have witnessed several teams take that step even if some were not always able to maintain their level of performance. Such teams have included Tottenham, Napoli, Liverpool, and Atlético Madrid.
However, one team which has failed to step up to that level has been Roma; this fact was again evidenced by their 2-1 Serie A loss to Juventus. From a statistical standpoint, one might automatically assume that Roma were in complete control of the match. They took 22 shots to Juve's six, had more possession and completed passes, and had 13 corners to Juve's two. Despite these facts, the numbers do not tell the true story of the match. Juve raced out to an early two-goal lead within the first 10 minutes through a Merih Demiral goal and a Cristiano Ronaldo penalty. After scoring their second goal, Juve then switched tactics; they would let the Giallorossi go into all-out attack mode while they themselves soaked up the pressure from the Roman club. Roma did pull one back through a Diego Perotti penalty, but their chances of finishing the match with a draw always seemed unlikely throughout the proceedings.
Not only have Roma failed to ascend to the level of genuine contenders (which is something they had been expected to accomplish at some point), but they have actually regressed over the past two seasons. Last season, Roma finished sixth in Serie A with 66 points and missed qualification for this season's Champions League. With regard to both league position and number of points, it was their worst league campaign since 2013. Roma were also knocked out of the Champions League's round of 16 by Porto; this was particularly disappointing because most expected Roma to have had no trouble in defeating the Portuguese club. Even the firing of head coach Eusebio Di Francesco, who was replaced by Claudio Ranieri, could not put an end to their woes.
This season, Roma's struggles have continued. After 19 league matchdays, Roma currently lie fifth in the league with 35 points. They are on pace to again miss out on Champions League qualification. They even narrowly avoid a Europa League group stage exit, only qualifying for the round of 32 by one point; however, in saying that, it must also be noted that they surprisingly finished ahead of Borussia Mönchengladbach in doing so.
Roma's lack of success this season is even more notable when one considers the fact that on paper, they made many upgrades to their squad over the past off-season. Players such as Pau López, Amadou Diawara, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Leonardo Spinazzola, and Jordan Veretout had been expected to make more of an impact than they have thus far. The likes of Nicolò Zaniolo, Lorenzo Pellegrini, Alessandro Florenzi, and Justin Kluivert have also been underperforming throughout this season. Roma's only player to have lived up to expectations at this point of the season has been veteran centre-forward Edin Džeko.
The hiring of Paulo Fonseca during the off-season to replace Ranieri has not delivered the hoped results either. Ever since having arrived at the Stadio Olimpico from Shakhtar Donetsk, the Portuguese coach has had little to no impact on his new team. This is the first time that Fonseca has coached in a major league, and this lack of experience has been clearly exposed. The coaches of the four teams currently ahead of Roma in the league have over 20 complete seasons' worth of major-league coaching between them. Given this fact, the selection of Fonseca to coach a team which should be a fringe league title contender and a perennial Champions League qualifier was a strange one.
The progress of any football team is not always linear. Sometimes, a team peaks before a time when most expect such to be the case. At other times, a team unexpectedly reaches a new level beyond what most expect. Unfortunately for Roma and their fans, the events of the last two seasons seem to have shown that the club clearly belongs in the former category. Titles of any sort seem a long way off right now.
The progress of any football team is not always linear. Sometimes, a team peaks before a time when most expect such to be the case. At other times, a team unexpectedly reaches a new level beyond what most expect. Unfortunately for Roma and their fans, the events of the last two seasons seem to have shown that the club clearly belongs in the former category. Titles of any sort seem a long way off right now.
Sunday, January 5, 2020
The Weekly Take, Issue 96: An Overlooked All-Time Great
For one reason or another, some of the greatest footballers of their era have been, are being, or will be overlooked and underappreciated by many a fan. One such player had the outstanding individual performance of the most recent matchday.
In a rather one-sided Madrid derby, between Real Madrid and Getafe, Real's Raphaël Varane was absolutely dominant. The French centre-back put the clamps on Getafe strikers Ángel Rodríguez and Jaime Mata; he even led the charge on the offensive end by scoring two goals.
It was another excellent performance in what has become one of the most storied and yet overlooked careers of the current era. At just 26 years old, Varane already has a litany of notable achievements. He has won four Champions Leagues, two La Liga titles, and a World Cup. Varane was also named to the FIFPro World XI in 2018.
Many do not realize that the man from Lille is already one of the greatest defenders of all time. In each of Los Merengue's Champions League title runs as well as France's victorious World Cup campaign, Varane's defensive excellence served as one of the foundations upon which the victories were built. Over the course of his almost nine years at Real, Varane has been a bedrock of stability and consistency. Yet, when one discusses the current Real team, the names that pop off the page for most includes players such as Thibaut Courtois, Eden Hazard, and Luka Modrić as well as some promising youngsters such as Vinícius Júnior, Luka Jović, and Federico Valverde. Varane is even overshadowed by Sergio Ramos, his regular partner in central defense; however, this is somewhat to be expected because Ramos is unquestionably a top-five, and perhaps the greatest, centre-back of all time (personally, I rank him second behind Franz Beckenbauer).
Varane's role in France's World Cup squad was also somewhat overlooked. Players such as Paul Pogba, Antoine Griezmann, Kylian Mbappé, and N'Golo Kanté claimed most of the spotlight. Once again, Varane's position does not entirely explain this situation; he was again not even the most heralded defender on his own team. Benjamin Pavard scored the goal of the tournament against Argentina and, alongside Mbappé, was one of the tournament's breakout stars.
In 2013, former France defender Frank Leboeuf claimed that Varane would someday surpass Real legend Fernando Hierro. This prediction proved to be on point because by many different metrics, he already has. Clearly, it's difficult to understate just how unjustly overshadowed Varane has been throughout much of his career. He has definitely been among the five best centre-backs on the planet since 2014; in fact, for much of this period, he has been among the top three. Almost any other player with Varane's combination of accolades and personal achievements would be far more celebrated than he is. However, for various reasons, such has not been the case for Varane.
Despite this fact, I believe that Varane will be held in much higher general regard by most fans after he retires than he is today. To put it into perspective, only seven players in history have ever won four Champions Leagues and a World Cup. Of these seven players, six are active; at the age of 26, Varane is by far the youngest of these active players. Add this fact to the related fact that Real should be in contention for more Champions League titles in future years as well as the fact that France will be among the primary World Cup contenders in 2022 and one can easily see that Varane could potentially end his career with an almost unmatched list of honours.
Furthermore, as Varane is just entering his prime right now at 26, it is very possible that we have not yet seen peak Varane. If he does indeed take his game to a new level, he could perhaps challenge Liverpool superstar Virgil van Dijk as the world's finest at his position over the next few years. It must be noted that van Dijk is also two years older than Varane.
Raphaël Varane will certainly be remembered as one of the greatest defenders in football history. In spite of this fact, he has been underappreciated by far too many observers. However, do not be surprised if in 20 years' time, Varane is esteemed as one of the 10 or even five best centre-backs to ever step onto a football pitch.
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