The Weekly Take, Issue 34: The Sleeping Ruhr Giant Reawakens

This is the post that I have been hoping to make since the beginning of the season, though I never believed I would be doing so.

As a Borussia Dortmund fan since 2011, I was pessimistic about my beloved Schwarzgelbe’s chances of success heading into the season. In the Bundesliga, Bayern Munich looked like an unstoppable juggernaut which would roll to yet another league title, while in the Champions League, Dortmund were drawn into a tough group, as they were forced to play against Atlético Madrid and Monaco – two teams which I would not have been surprised to see Dortmund lose both group games to.

Yet, after approximately two months of the season, Lucien Favre’s team are top of the Bundesliga, and even more impressively, recorded a 4-0 Champions League victory over Atlético to remain top of the group.

This season is looking far more promising for Dortmund than last season, when they were only fourth in the league and were knocked out in the group stage of the Champions League, then the Europa League’s round of 16.

So just how were they able to improve so rapidly?

The most obvious factor has to be their off-season acquisitions. After the departure of superstar striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to Arsenal in January, Dortmund struggled because they had no replacement ready to step in for the Gabonese ace.

However, that is no longer the case.

On August 28, 2018, Borussia Dortmund brought in Spanish striker Paco Alcácer on loan from Barcelona. Alcácer had been languishing on Barcelona’s bench, but almost immediately upon his arrival at Signal Iduna Park, he began to put the football world on notice.

The Valencian has been absolutely sensational thus far this season. At the moment, he is the Bundesliga’s joint-top scorer with seven goals, equal with Luka Jović of Eintracht Frankfurt. Alcácer even managed to score a hattrick as a substitute, leading Dortmund to a 4-3 win over Augsburg in doing so.

Two of Dortmund’s other signings have also made understated but important contributions.

Midfield duo Thomas Delaney and Axel Witsel, who arrived at Dortmund from Werder Bremen and Tianjin Quanjian respectively, have fit perfectly into Favre’s system and tactics. Although both signings went somewhat under the radar, particularly that of Delaney, when Dortmund play, the impact of both players can clearly be seen.

The appointment of Favre as coach has also been crucial.

Lucien Favre is one of the most underrated football coaches. In four years at the helm of Borussia Mönchengladbach between 2011 and 2015, he led Die Fohlen to two top-four finishes in that span, a feat they had not achieved since finishing fourth and third respectively in 1986 and 1987.

He also led Nice to third place in Ligue 1, their highest league finish in years.

Neither Gladbach nor Nice were expected to play at the level that they did under Favre, thus proving the former Switzerland international’s credentials as an excellent coach.

Dortmund’s young talent has also begun to blossom.

Jadon Sancho, Manuel Akanji, Christian Pulisic, Abdou Diallo, Mahmoud Dahoud, and Jacob Bruun Larsen have all been key contributors for Dortmund thus far this season. All six are between the ages of 18 and 23.

Thus, this team is not only set up well for this season, but for the future as well. If most of their young core stays together, Alcácer signs a permanent deal as is expected, and their veterans such as Marco Reus, Mario Götze, and Łukasz Piszczek continue to provide stability and guidance for Dortmund’s young stars, this could go on to be Dortmund’s strongest team since the Jürgen Klopp era.

Dortmund look like a contender to not only win their first Bundesliga title since 2012, but also make a deep Champions League run. Though it is unlikely that the Ruhr club will go on to win the biggest prize in European club football, this team has been defying expectations throughout this season, so who’s to say?

Borussia Dortmund are a club known for their extremely passionate fanbase. During home games, the “Yellow Wall” is truly a sight to behold. Now, after some difficult years, these fans, myself included, have once again been granted the privilege of witnessing their team perform at an elite level.

The Weekly Take, Issue 33: Barça’s Pyrrhic Victory

Every team would like to win every match, but sometimes, a victory can feel more like a loss.

In a highly-anticipated clash between two teams entering the match first and second in La Liga, Barcelona defeated Sevilla 4-2. Barcelona’s superior star power helped the Catalan club take control of the match and earn a comfortable victory, with Philippe Coutinho, Lionel Messi, Luis Suárez, and Ivan Rakitić making their way onto the scoresheet. This win also put Barça back on top of the league, just one week after surrendering it to Sevilla.

However, the result was not the main talking point of the game.

In the 26th minute, Messi had to be substituted after breaking his arm following a collision with Sevilla midfielder Franco Vázquez. The injury to the Barça legend could potentially alter the course of the season, for he is expected to be out of action for three weeks.

This means that Messi will miss two Champions League matches against Inter Milan, and, most crucially, the upcoming El Clásico match against Real Madrid. Although Real are currently mired in a slump, El Clásico is exactly the sort of match that would fire up Los Merengues and see them produce a performance at a level we have not seen from them for a while now.

There is a term which I would like to bring up now; that term is “Pyrrhic victory”.

According to Dictionary.com, a Pyrrhic victory is “a victory or goal achieved at too great a cost”.

It must be kept in mind that Barça only lead now second-placed Sevilla by one point, and Real by four. Thus, if Barça go on to lose El Clásico – a distinct possibility considering that they will be without their ace - their lead over Real would be cut to just one, and the Blaugrana would probably also surrender their position as La Liga leaders.

This is not the first time that some of Barça’s victories came back to bite them. In fact, such a scenario occurred just last season.

Throughout the season, Barcelona really went all out to win La Liga and the Copa del Rey. However, their domestic exertions ultimately ended up costing them in Europe when they were knocked out of the Champions League by Roma, as the Serie A team pulled off a comeback for the ages to send a gassed Barça out of the tournament.

Despite the fact that Barcelona went on to win a league and cup double, the disappointing end to their Champions League campaign caused most around the club to regard Barça’s 2017-18 season as a failure. In fact, there was even speculation that coach Ernesto Valverde would be fired, solely because of their loss in the Champions League.

Had Barça taken a more measured approach to the league and domestic cup, it is certainly possible that they would have gone on to win the Champions League. While victories build confidence within a team, when a team goes too hard in less important matches, they risk running their players into the ground, risking injury, or causing fatigue. This would then lead to underperformance in the matches that matter most.

Now, with not only Messi, but also Samuel Umtiti and Thomas Vermaelen injured, Barça’s season hangs in a precarious position. Not only is their La Liga lead at risk, but now there is also a chance that they might only qualify from their Champions League group as the second-placed team, which would likely give them a round of 16 match against a title contender. That in turn could lead to an early exit for the second consecutive year.

At the beginning of the season, Messi openly declared that Barcelona’s primary focus this season would be to win the Champions League. Right now, it’s still far too early for Barça to panic – after all, they still have the La Liga lead and are still among the favourites to land the Champions League title – but one thing is clear: if Barcelona are to bring the European title to Camp Nou for the sixth time in the club’s history, they have to change the way they approach La Liga and the Copa del Rey. Their current strategy appears to be unsustainable.

The Weekly Take, Issue 32: The Beasts from the East Are Legit

Croatia’s remarkable run to the World Cup final defied all the odds and captivated global audiences.

The Vatreni stunned the world by almost going all the way, taking out Argentina, Russia, and England in the process, before losing to France in a memorable final.

However, there was still one question to be asked after the World Cup: was this Croatia team a one-hit wonder, or had they truly arrived as a new powerhouse of international football?

After the first game of the Nations League, it appeared that Croatia’s World Cup success may have been a one-off, as they were demolished by Spain, losing 6-0 and looking like a mere shadow of the team that achieved so much in Russia.

However, just when it looked like Croatia were ready to be dismissed as a flash in the pan, they earned a 0-0 draw against England, a match that was a World Cup semifinal rematch, in an empty Stadion HNK Rijeka.

Although Croatia weren’t able to leave with the victory, they were nonetheless able to back up their World Cup achievements with another solid performance against one of the world’s most exciting up-and-coming teams. Despite being unable to score a goal, Croatian players such as Luka Modrić, Ante Rebić, and Ivan Perišic caused problems for England throughout the game, sparking memories of their 2-1 World Cup semifinal victory.

So many times in the history of football, a team has a miracle run at a major tournament, only to fail miserably soon after, thus revealing that team as a one-hit wonder.

Teams such as Denmark 1992, Turkey 2002, Greece 2004, and Iraq 2007 can attest to this.

However, this Croatia team is different.

Generally speaking, teams that fizzle out after an amazing underdog run do not have a superstar-level player. This is not true of Croatia, for they have two: Ivan Rakitić and, of course, newly-crowned FIFA player of the year Modrić. The duo served as the foundation for Croatia’s run to the World Cup final and have emerged as arguably the most formidable midfield pairing in international football today.

On top of that, this Croatia team is deeper that most realise. Croatia’s supporting cast includes the likes of Mateo Kovačić, Perišić, Andrej Kramarić, Marko Pjaca, and Rebić. Many, myself included, overlooked this fact heading into the World Cup because of Croatia’s history of underachievement at the tournament, but the reality was that this is a team full of high-level talent.

They also have an underrated coach. The previously-unheralded Zlatko Dalić had not achieved much success in his coaching career prior to the World Cup. However, since then, more and more people are beginning to realise that, while he might not be on the level of, for example, Jürgen Klopp or Diego Simeone, he has clearly now become a top-tier coach.

Furthermore, it’s not as if this team is a “here-and-now” team, because they do have some younger players who will carry the team after Modrić and Rakitić retire. Kovačić is 24, Rebić is 25, Pjaca is 23, Tin Jedvaj and Duje Ćaleta-Car are 22, and Ante Ćorić is 21. While they will likely not reach the same heights as their seniors, they should still be able to keep Croatia as a tough, competitive team.

I would even go so far as to say that the current Croatia team is the second-greatest international football team to ever come out of Eastern Europe, only trailing the legendary 1950s Hungary team.

Stack Croatia up against the likes of teams such as 1960-66 USSR, 1958-62 Yugoslavia, and 1974-82 Poland, and they actually look quite good. Although the USSR did win the European Championship in 1960, that was the inaugural tournament, when only four teams contested it.

With the possible exception of USSR great Lev Yashin, not one of those teams had a player at the level of Modrić. None of them had the squad depth that this Croatia team can boast of having, and, of course, none of those other teams reached the final of the World Cup.

Not only have Croatia proven that they are here to stay, but they have also made sure that years from now, when the story of international football from this era is told, they will be an important part of the narrative.

The Weekly Take, Issue 31: Where’s the Second Star?

During the latest Champions League matchday, Tottenham faced off against Barcelona at Wembley, with Barça coming out on top, winning 4-2. Lionel Messi scored two of Barça’s goals and assisted on the other two.

However, what was notable about this match was the fact that Barça’s fourth goal was only scored in stoppage time. Thus, Tottenham were able to keep it close against a team which are among the contenders to win it all.

While it was a commendable performance by the London club, especially since they were missing Dele Alli, Christian Eriksen, and Jan Vertonghen through injury, the fact that the match played out the way it did raises an important question: why didn’t Tottenham sign anyone during the previous transfer window?

This is a team that should obviously be built around one of the world’s best centre-forwards in Harry Kane. Tottenham have thus surrounded him with a capable supporting cast which includes the likes of Eriksen, Alli, Lucas Moura, Kieran Trippier, and Mousa Dembélé, among others.

But here’s the problem: if they are to genuinely contend for the Premier League or Champions League, they need at least one other player who is of the same star-level calibre as Kane.

Looking at their domestic rivals, in terms of true superstar players, Chelsea have N’Golo Kanté and Eden Hazard; Manchester City have Sergio Agüero and Kevin De Bruyne, and, while Liverpool only have one player at such a level in Mohamed Salah, they are coached by Jürgen Klopp, a coach so great that he has a similar impact to a star player. While Mauricio Pochettino is no slouch himself, he does not even come close to the level of the man in the Anfield dugout.

It’s the same story when the leading Champions League contenders are looked at. Real Madrid boast a remarkable four superstars: Raphaël Varane, Luka Modrić, Gareth Bale, and Thibaut Courtois. Barcelona can say the same, as they have Ivan Rakitić, Philippe Coutinho, Luis Suárez, and Messi. Bayern Munich? Manuel Neuer, Joshua Kimmich, and Robert Lewandowski. Paris Saint-Germain? Kylian Mbappé, Edinson Cavani, and Neymar. Atlético Madrid? Antoine Griezmann and Jan Oblak. Juventus? Cristiano Ronaldo and Giorgio Chiellini.

The main point is this: a team need at least two superstars to challenge for the Champions League title. Tottenham do not have that.

Over the last three years, Tottenham have made some solid signings who have proven to be important contributors to the team’s success, such as Moura, Davinson Sánchez, Son Heung-min, and Toby Aldeweireld. However, when considering the fact that the signings of Moura and Sánchez cost a combined ₤67 million, one realises that Tottenham missed out on the likes of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Mohamed Salah, who cost ₤56 million and ₤34 million respectively and signed in that same season. If Tottenham did not have Moura and Sánchez, but did have either Aubameyang or Salah, I have no doubt that they would be genuine Premier League and Champions League title contenders.

Even looking at just the Champions League match against Barça, you can’t help but think that if Tottenham did have a second star player to pair with Kane, they would have left with a draw or perhaps even a win.

By failing to sign even one player during the summer transfer window, Tottenham have all but guaranteed yet another season of near-misses. It’s not like they can’t attract players, either. They have a rich history, are near the top of the Premier League, are based in London, play at Wembley, and, as I already said, are one star away from becoming one of the best teams on the planet.

If, as I expect, Tottenham once again come up short in all competitions this season, the blame must be placed upon the team’s front office. This was their opportunity to really elevate the club to a new level, and they blew it.

The reality of club football right now is that solid players may win you games, but superstars win you titles. Unfortunately for Tottenham Hotspur and their fans, that is “superstars” as in plural, not singular. Although I do think Tottenham will have a good overall season which will probably include a high league finish and a deep Champions League run, it is likely to once again end without a single trophy to their name.

The Weekly Take, Issue 30: Snub of the Year

The FIFPro World XI, comprising the players deemed to have been the world’s best at their position over the last year, has been named. Some of the world’s biggest football stars, such as David de Gea, Raphaël Varane, Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, and newly-crowned FIFA player of the year Luka Modrić, were all named to the team, and deservedly so, for they have all truly excelled over the course of the year.

However, this year’s team contains one glaring omission.

This player was the star of a team that finished second in a major European league and also won the Europa League.

Despite not being a pure target man, he scored 29 goals in all competitions for his club, including 19 in the league.

He also played an extremely important role in his country’s World Cup run and was man of the match in the final. He also won the Bronze Ball at the tournament.

This player is Antoine Griezmann.

Those of you who have followed my column from its inception may remember that the first thing I ever wrote was about how underrated Griezmann’s club, Atlético Madrid, is. In that sense, it is somewhat apt that Griezmann was overlooked for a spot on the team of the year.

Nevertheless, it is clear that Griezmann deserves the honour.

The two wingers selected to the team were Eden Hazard and Kylian Mbappé.

Now, with Mbappé, it’s an interesting comparison. Both Griezmann and Mbappé were absolutely essential to France’s World Cup triumph. The duo combined for eight goals and two assists during the tournament. Mbappé also won the Best Young Player award.

At club level, it is also fairly close. While Mbappé’s PSG team did win a league and cup double, Ligue 1 and the Coupe de France are significantly less competitive than La Liga and the Copa del Rey. PSG also failed to make a deep Champions League run. However, while Atlético did win the Europa League, it’s not even close to the level of difficulty of the Champions League.

It is also close from a statistical standpoint, as Mbappé managed 21 goals from 44 appearances.

However, this number must be contextualised: as I said, Mbappé plays in a much less competitive league than Griezmann does. Although Mbappé has the higher ceiling, given the fact that he is still only 19 years old, it cannot be definitively said that he is a better player than Griezmann right now. Regardless, you could easily make a case for either being on the FIFPro team.

Now we come to Hazard.

As great a player as Eden Hazard is, he has absolutely no business being selected ahead of Griezmann.

Hazard’s Chelsea team were knocked out of the Champions League in the round of 16 and only finished fifth in the Premier League, missing out of Champions League qualification. Hazard’s form had also been fairly inconsistent during certain parts of the season.

At the World Cup, Griezmann’s France knocked out Hazard’s Belgium in the semifinals. The only area in which Hazard could conceivably be said to have been ahead of Griezmann was the fact that Hazard won the Silver Ball at the World Cup. However, as has been mentioned, Griezmann won the Bronze Ball, so this small advantage in favour of Hazard should not even have been close to enough to overhaul the advantage that Griezmann had already built up.

Honestly, the biggest reason why Griezmann was snubbed was because he plays for Atlético. Had he achieved what he did for a more well-known club, there is a significant chance that he would have made the team over Hazard, Mbappé, or perhaps even both.

Nevertheless, what Griezmann needs to do in the coming season is use this snub to fuel his inner fire and show the voters how wrong they were to exclude him.

We have already seen what he is capable of under normal circumstances, but an angry yet motivated Griezmann could really take his game to the next level.

Should Griezmann go on a successful “revenge tour”, he could end up being the catalyst for a campaign in which Atlético might even win La Liga or the Champions League, and though it may be unlikely, he could perhaps even lead them to a double.

The Weekly Take, Issue 29: More than a Dynasty

The UEFA Champions League is now underway, and with the exceptions of Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain, all of the teams expected to be in contention for the title came away with victories.

One such team are three-time defending champions Real Madrid, who swept aside Roma in a dominant 3-0 win and in doing so, sent a clear message that they will not give up their stranglehold on the Champions League easily.

What made this all the more impressive was that it was Real’s first Champions League game after losing Cristiano Ronaldo to Juventus. This victory also came against last season’s semifinalists.

Despite having lost their superstar in the off-season, Real do not seem to miss Ronaldo at all, with the likes of Isco, Gareth Bale, and Luka Modrić all producing excellent performances throughout the season so far.

I have mentioned before that last season’s Champions League victory, Real’s third in a row and fourth in five years, made the current Real Madrid team the greatest football team of all time.

However, I will go a step further: if Real were to win this season’s Champions League, they would become the greatest dynasty in the history of team sports.

Consider the contenders from other team sports.

I will begin by eliminating all national teams, regardless of how dominant they were. With apologies to the likes of Brazil 1958-70 (football), New Zealand 2010-present (rugby), Germany 2002-12 (hockey), and Australia 1999-2007 (cricket), international sports have a huge element of luck involved, as they often come down to which country happens to have the most elite players born there.

As I consider Real Madrid 2014-present to have already surpassed all other football teams, I will now compare them to the greatest club dynasties from other team sports: the Crusaders 1998-2008 (rugby), the New England Patriots 2001-16 (American football), the Chicago Bulls 1991-98 (basketball), and the New York Yankees 1947-62 (baseball).

Over 11 seasons, the Crusaders won eight Super Rugby titles and were runners-up twice. While that is a truly staggering mark in terms of sheer dominance, Super Rugby only had 12 teams between 1998 and 2005, and 14 from 2006 to 2010.

In contrast, Real Madrid are currently on an eight-season streak of semifinals or better in the 32-team Champions League, including, as mentioned, four titles in the last five seasons. This eight-season streak is an all-time record.

Thus, I would rank Real Madrid ahead of the Crusaders.

Since 2001, the New England Patriots have reached eight Super Bowls, winning five. They have also reached at least the conference championship 12 times in 17 seasons. This statistic is fairly similar to the Real streak I just mentioned. Furthermore, like the Champions League, the NFL contains 32 teams.

It’s close, but I would put the Patriots ahead of Real because of their dynasty’s sheer longevity. However, a deep run by Real this season would cause me to change my mind on this, because in 2002 and 2008, the Patriots missed the playoffs. This gives Real a clear chance to surpass them.

Throughout the 1990s, the Chicago Bulls were the NBA’s dominant force. Between 1989 and 1998, the Bulls won six NBA championships and, over those 10 seasons, reached at least the Eastern Conference Finals eight times. All six championships came as part of a three-peat, and the Bulls also won a then-record 72 games in 1996.

For those reasons, I currently rank the Bulls ahead of Real; however, if Real were to win the Champions League this seasons, they would move ahead of the Bulls, because in 1994, without Michael Jordan, the Bulls only made the conference semifinals before being knocked out by the Knicks. Real have an opportunity to win the Champions League without Cristiano Ronaldo, and thus outdo the Bulls in this regard.

Finally, we come to the New York Yankees, who won 10 World Series titles in 16 seasons. This was easy for me: Real are ahead of the Yankees. In the 1950s MLB, there were hardly any non-white or non-US players, and expansion had not yet taken place, so the league was much smaller than it is today. The 1950s Yankees are not even on the same planet as 2010s Real.

All things considered, this Real team continues to make more history with each game. However, only time will tell if they end up “only” the greatest football team of all time, or something beyond even that accolade.

The Weekly Take, Issue 28: The Mad Genius of Merseyside

Things have been going well for Liverpool.

Last season, they made an unexpected run to the Champions League final, only losing to Real Madrid because of goalkeeping errors by Loris Karius.

Superstar striker Mohamed Salah has been named one of the three nominees for FIFA’s Player of the Year award.

This season, the Reds have begun their Premier League campaign by winning five consecutive games, including an impressive 2-1 victory over Tottenham, their latest triumph.

During the match, it was clear that despite the close final scoreline, Tottenham were clearly overmatched, as Liverpool proved themselves to be a formidable team who will be in contention to win titles, both domestically and in Europe.

It is interesting to note how things have turned around so rapidly for the Merseyside club.

Between 2010 and 2016, Liverpool only finished in the top four of the Premier League once, reached the FA Cup semifinals twice, and never made it out of their Champions League group. The only moments of note during this stretch were a second-place Premier League finish in 2014, a Carling Cup victory in 2012, as well as runs to the FA Cup final and Europa League final in 2012 and 2016 respectively.

So how did this turnaround happen?

In my opinion, the person who deserves the lion’s share of the credit is the coach, Jürgen Klopp.

“Kloppo” has always been a coach who has shunned conventional strategies in favour of his own idiosyncratic ways.

Before Klopp came to Liverpool, his unique outlook on the game had already brought great success to Borussia Dortmund.

In seven seasons as Dortmund coach, Klopp led the Schwarzgelbe to two Bundesliga titles, a DFB-Pokal, and a Champions League runners-up finish. He had transformed a relatively low-budget team from an unglamorous city of less than 600,000 into a powerhouse and a perennial contender for titles, and his unique tactics and coaching genius had won him many admirers across the football world.

Thus, when he replaced Brendan Rodgers at Anfield in October 2015, much was expected of him.

Klopp’s first season at Liverpool had mixed results.

Although Liverpool only finished eighth in the Premier League, they did reach the finals of the Capital One Cup and Europa League.

Furthermore, Philippe Coutinho was beginning to emerge as the star Liverpool were desperate for ever since the departure of Luis Suárez to Barcelona.

The following season saw further improvement.

On the field, Klopp’s tactics were starting to work, the team was beginning to gel, and aided by off-season pickups Sadio Mané and Georginio Wijnaldum as well as Coutinho’s continued excellent play, Liverpool made the Champions League for just the second time in eight years by finishing fourth in the league.

The following season, Klopp would put together arguably his best season as a coach since his 2012-13 campaign at Dortmund.

The main story of Liverpool’s season was their acquisition of Salah from Roma and how he had by far the best season of his career, scoring 44 goals in all competitions including 32 in the league, leading Liverpool to the Champions League final, and winning multiple awards.

However, it is worth noting that as soon as he joined Klopp’s Liverpool, Salah went from being a solid striker to a true football superstar.

That is another testament to Klopp’s greatness as a coach: how he is able to get the best out of his players.

Some other players whom Klopp has been able to make stars out of include Robert Lewandowski, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Coutinho, and Mats Hummels.

All are among the world’s best players today, and none would be where they are now if it weren’t for Klopp.

Jürgen Klopp has always marched to the beat of his own drum. He has never coached a team in a way one would expect, his tactics have sometimes been derided as gimmicky and unsustainable, and he even seems to go out of his way to cultivate this image sometimes.

And yet, though some may call him crazy, he’s more like a “mad genius” and clearly one of the best coaches in world football today. With the man from Stuttgart at the helm, as well as a fully-loaded team containing the likes of Mané, Salah, Roberto Firmino, and Virgil van Dijk, this could turn out to be one of Liverpool’s best seasons in a long time.