The Weekly Take, Issue 64: Aging Like Champagne

All of Europe’s major domestic football leagues have now been completed. To the surprise of very few, Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Manchester City, and Juventus came out on top in their respective countries.

The end of the league season also signalled the end of the race for the European Golden Shoe. For the third season in a row and record-extending sixth time in his legendary career, Leo Messi finished as Europe’s leading goalscorer. The Argentine notched 36 league goals, three ahead of runner-up Kylian Mbappé’s effort.

However, the most remarkable performance in this season’s Golden Shoe chase, in my opinion, came from the player who finished third.

Sampdoria striker Fabio Quagliarella scored 26 league goals to finish third on the final leaderboard. Quagliarella scored almost half of Sampdoria’s 60 league goals. He was a rare bright spot in what was otherwise a forgettable, nondescript season for the Genoa club.

That was not the most impressive part about the Campania-born player’s exploits this season, though.

How about the fact that this was his age-36 season?

At an age when the vast majority of players, especially centre-forwards like him, have either retired or become a shell of what they once were, Quagliarella seemingly discovered the fountain of youth to record by far the best season of his career.

This might arguably be the greatest individual season by a player of his age or older. Nevertheless, there have been equally incredible seasons by older players in past years as well.

In the 2016-17 season, Zlatan Ibrahimović was Manchester United’s ace at the age of 35. The Swede scored 17 league goals. This figure was almost triple Juan Mata’s six; Mata was United’s second-highest goalscorer that season. “Ibra” also helped United to triumphs in the EFL Cup and Europa League. He was also shortlisted for the PFA Player of the Year award.

Another United player who had an outstanding season at an advanced age was Edwin van der Sar. The then 38-year-old van der Sar had perhaps the best season of his career in the 2008-09 season. The Dutchman was an almost impenetrable wall in goal as he served as a key part of United’s Premier League title-winning campaign and run to the Champions League final. Shortlisted for PFA Player of the Year, van der Sar even managed an unbelievable 11 league clean sheets in a row that season, setting an all-time Premier League record.

Quagliarella is not the only Italian striker to have one of the best seasons of his career at a late age. In the 2014-15 season, 38-year-old Verona striker Luca Toni scored 22 league goals, leading Serie A in this statistic. He had not had such a successful goalscoring season since 2007-08, when he had 24 for Bayern Munich. In fact, Toni’s 42 league goals over the two-season span of 2013-15 was more than what he scored over the previous five seasons put together.

Arguably the greatest player to ever come out of Italy was Paolo Maldini. The defender spent his entire 24-year career with AC Milan, winning seven Serie A and five Champions League titles along the way. Incredibly, perhaps his best season was the 2004-05 season, when he was 37 years old. The Rossoneri captain played a major role in their run to the Champions League final. He was also vital to Milan’s second-place finish in Serie A. For his efforts that season, Maldini was named to the FIFA FIFPro XI and UEFA Team of the Year.

There is just something special about watching older players dominating in this way. This is because of how unexpected such excellent play is.

Just when most thought that these players were no longer capable of playing an elite level, they went on to defy their age, their critics, and the odds. They stunned everyone watching with many “turn-back-the-clock” performances as despite their diminished physical abilities, they were able to outplay players who were five, 10, or 15 years younger. What they lacked physically, they compensated for through their in-game knowledge, experience, and veteran guile. “Age is just a number” may be a cliché, but it certainly applied in these cases.

Although Father Time remains undefeated, these players certainly gave him a real run for his money.

The Weekly Take, Issue 63: La Liga’s Second-Most Underperforming Team

With La Liga having just concluded its latest season, it can easily be seen that the biggest underachievers this season have been Real Madrid.

A dysfunctional Los Merengues side accumulated just 68 points in the league, finished 18 points behind league champions and arch-rivals Barcelona, were knocked out of the Copa del Rey semifinals, and most shockingly of all, lost to Ajax in the Champions League’s round of 16. Two coaching changes did nothing to save their season.

Such has been Real’s underperformance this season that the underachievement of another team a little further down the league table has gone unnoticed by many. Given the personnel on their squad, this team ought to have done far better.

This team is Sevilla.

Despite wrapping up their La Liga campaign with a 2-0 win over Athletic Bilbao, Sevilla failed to qualify for next season’s Champions League. They lost out to Valencia by two points.

Certainly, more would have been expected of Los Rojiblancos this season. Compared to Valencia and Getafe, who both finished ahead of Sevilla in the league, they clearly have much more talent. Despite not having a superstar player, Sevilla have players such as Tomáš Vaclík, Wissam Ben Yedder, Éver Banega, Pablo Sarabia, and Simon Kjær on their roster. All of these players would be the best at the club if they played for either Valencia or Getafe. Yet, despite this squad depth, they only finished sixth in the league.

It didn’t go well for Sevilla in Europe either. They were expected to have no problems in dispatching underdogs Slavia Prague in their Europa League round of 16 tie. However, it was not to be, as the Czech club recorded an upset victory, eliminating Sevilla and costing head coach Pablo Machín his position at the club.

This leads to the all-important question: how did it go so wrong for Sevilla this season?

The bulk of the blame has to be placed on Machín’s shoulders. Throughout the season, he evidently failed to get the most out of his squad. Evidence of this can be seen in a dismal eight-game league run from January 13 to March 2, during which the Andalusian club lost six games and picked up just four points. During this slump, Sevilla lost to teams such as Celta Vigo, Huesca, and Villarreal. They also drew against Eibar.

At some point during the slump, one would think that Machín would have realized that something was not working and modify his tactics accordingly. However, he failed to do so, and this tactical inflexibility eventually led to his own and the club’s downfall.

Another key factor that contributed to Sevilla’s poor season was their failure to adequately replace key personnel. During the previous off-season, Sevilla lost French duo Clément Lenglet and Steven Nzonzi to Barcelona and Roma respectively. They then proceeded to sign Sergi Gómez and Roque Mesa as replacements. These two are nowhere near the levels of Lenglet and Nzonzi. Making this even worse is the fact that Sevilla could’ve easily spent more money on better players. The sales of the two Frenchmen made the club a total of €61.9 million. In total, they made almost €90 million from player sales this season. Despite this fact, their most expensive signing was Quincy Promes, who was brought in for €20 million from Spartak Moscow. This lack of investment ultimately translated into below-par results on the pitch.

Finally, we also have to take a look at some of the players who were supposed to be among Sevilla’s key contributors this season. Players such as Promes, André Silva, Kjær, and Franco Vázquez did not play at the standards expected of them this season.

This overall underperformance could go on to hurt Sevilla even more. Do not be surprised if the likes of Ben Yedder or Sarabia, who tied for first in league assists this season, go on to depart the Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán for a bigger team in the coming off-season.

It is not impossible for Sevilla to bounce back from this difficult season. They need to make the right signings and perhaps hire a better head coach to replace incumbent Joaquín Caparrós. However, as things are, the situation at Sevilla looks rather grim.

The Weekly Take, Issue 62: Stalling the Bayern Freight Train

This season’s Bundesliga title race will go down to the wire.

Having been leading arch-rivals Borussia Dortmund by four points with two matchdays remaining, all Bayern Munich needed to do to clinch the title with one matchday remaining was beat RB Leipzig at the Saxony club’s Red Bull Arena.

However, this was not to happen. Leipzig held the Bavarian giants to a 0-0 draw, keeping the title race alive. Leipzig’s defense deserved particular credit, with players such as Lukas Klostermann and Marcel Halstenberg having excellent performances to stymie Bayern’s potent frontline.

Ever since earning promotion to the Bundesliga in 2016, Die Bullen have established themselves among the league’s leading clubs. After an incredible Bundesliga debut season in which they finished second to Bayern, Leipzig did have somewhat of a decline last season. They only finished sixth in the league and failed to qualify for this season’s Champions League. This season, though, they have bounced back impressively. They will finish third in the league and have reached the final of the DFB-Pokal, in which they will again face Bayern.

Despite the mass disdain and scorn Leipzig have received for their overt, unvarnished commercialism, it cannot be denied that although this is a team without any superstars, it is nevertheless a formidable unit with above-average players at most positions.

Anchored by the likes of Willi Orban, Klostermann, and goalkeeper Péter Gulácsi who has been arguably the most improved player in the league, Leipzig’s defense has been the most impenetrable in the Bundesliga. Having conceded just 27 league goals this season, their back five have built the foundation of Leipzig’s success this season.

Moving into midfield, it can be seen that Leipzig have not missed a beat despite losing Naby Keïta to Liverpool. Marcel Sabitzer, Kevin Kampl, and Diego Demme have all had solid seasons. These are not names which stand out at first glance, but they have gelled nicely to form an understated but effective midfield.

Up front, Leipzig start Yussuf Poulsen and Timo Werner. The two have combined to score half of Leipzig’s 62 league goals this season. Since Werner’s arrival at the club in 2016, they have formed one of the Bundesliga’s best strike pairings. Their ascendances have not gone unnoticed by their national teams; both were in their country’s World Cup squads last year. At just the ages of 24 and 23 respectively, Poulsen and Werner should have many more productive years ahead of them.

I have saved the most important piece for last: the club’s best player, Swedish winger Emil Forsberg. Although Forsberg has missed large portions of the past two seasons through injury, there cannot be any doubt about his ability. An excellent playmaker, Forsberg is one of the most underrated passers in world football today. Ever since his breakout season in 2016-17 when he was named to the Bundesliga’s Team of the Season, he has been the primary creative force behind Leipzig’s success.

Despite their gaudy corporate exterior, Leipzig can be said to be an example of a club that has done it “the right way”. Since earning promotion to the Bundesliga three years ago, Leipzig have not brought out big money to sign stars. Instead, they have made smart, under-the-radar signings such as Kampl, Werner, Ibrahima Konaté, and Keïta. This past off-season, they proceeded to sell Keïta to Liverpool for €60 million, thus ensuring that they will have ample money to work with during the next transfer window.

Although Bayern are still likely to once again win the Bundesliga, should they fail to do so, Leipzig’s draw in a pivotal late-season game will be a big reason for that. Leipzig might even deny Bayern both halves of a Double by beating them in the DFB-Pokal final – an outcome which is not outside the realms of possibility.

RB Leipzig’s success has proven that a club does not necessarily need either tremendous amounts of money or a history of being one of European football’s “blue bloods” to reach the heights that it has. Their remarkable rise over the last half-decade will have surely made them the envy of, and an example for, smaller teams across Europe who dream of making it on the biggest of stages someday.

The Weekly Take, Issue 61: A Step Closer to an Unwanted Title

In the world of sports, it is harsh but true that the victory does not always go to the most deserving.

There is an extensive list of legendary athletes who never claimed their sport’s greatest honour. Names such as Dan Marino, Chris Paul, and Jonah Lomu come to mind.

This equally applies to coaches. Some of the greatest coaches in the history of European football have never won the European Cup or Champions League. The likes of Valeriy Lobanovskyi, Hennes Weisweiler, Bill Shankly, and Diego Simeone have fallen short of the most prestigious title in club football.

Another all-time great coach can be added to this list. What’s more, he may very well be the greatest of the lot. In fact, he is close to being, if not already, the holder of the unwanted title of “greatest coach to have never won the Champions League”.

This is someone who revolutionized European football when he first burst onto the scene; has demonstrated incredible skill in getting the best out of his players throughout his coaching career; led a fallen giant back to excellence with two league titles, a domestic Double, and a run to the Champions League final; and revived the fortunes of another fallen giant which he also took to the Champions League final. Yet, despite all of this, it looks like once again, the biggest prize in European club football will once again elude him.

The coach I am referring to is Liverpool’s Jürgen Klopp.

After a crushing 3-0 loss to Barcelona in the first leg of their Champions League semifinal, Liverpool have almost certainly been knocked out of Europe’s leading club tournament. What made the loss even more galling for the Reds was the fact that the scoreline did not reflect the balance of the game. Liverpool were certainly not outclassed and, for much of the match, held their own against Barça. The difference lay in the fact that while Luis Suárez and Leo Messi converted their chances, Mo Salah and Sadio Mané did not.

For Klopp, this represented yet another near-miss in the Champions League. This has become familiar territory for the German.

In 2013, he took Borussia Dortmund to the final, only to be denied by arch-rivals Bayern Munich. A year later, Dortmund were knocked out in a nail-biter of a quarterfinal against eventual champions Real Madrid. Just last year, Klopp led Liverpool to the final, but he was once again denied by Real.

For a coach of his calibre, Klopp has won far fewer titles than one would think. In his 18-year coaching career including stints at the helm of Mainz, Dortmund, and Liverpool, Klopp has only amassed two Bundesliga titles and one DFB-Pokal. He even experienced relegation to the 2. Bundesliga while coaching Mainz in 2007.

Now, it is true that with coaches, number of titles won does not always tell the whole story. Klopp has also seldom been blessed with squads full of stars and laden with talent. That being said (and I write this next part as the biggest admirer of Klopp), at what point does he no longer get a pass for these late-tournament failures?

There can be absolutely no doubt of his coaching acumen from a tactical standpoint as well as a man-management one. His “Gegenpressing” strategy changed the football metagame and made early 2010s Dortmund truly a team to be feared. He has also helped players such as Robert Lewandowski, Mats Hummels, Salah, and Virgil van Dijk blossom into superstars.

However, the fact that the man who is supposedly perhaps “the best coach in the world” only has three titles to his name this deep into his coaching career also tells its own story. “Kloppo” is undoubtedly a great coach, but if he is to ever put himself in contention for “Mount Rushmore” status, he needs at least one (but probably more) Champions League title. It is these titles which separate one who is a “great coach” from one who is “one of the greatest coaches of all time”.

With all that Jürgen Klopp has already done, a Champions League title would serve as the ultimate boost to his legacy. Unfortunately for him, however, it appears as though this title might not arrive for quite some time.

The Weekly Take, Issue 60: The Emptiest of League Title Victories

It is not often the case that when a team wins a league title in one of the major football leagues, the victory ends up being hollow and largely devoid of meaning.

Yet, that is exactly what has happened to Juventus this season.

In their latest Serie A match, the Bianconeri, who have already clinched the league title, only managed a 1-1 draw against Inter Milan in the season’s last Derby d’Italia.

As is often the case with teams which no longer have any meaningful matches to play, Juve seemed to play with little spirit and desire and were outplayed by the Nerazzurri for most of the match. Only the 600th club goal of Cristiano Ronaldo’s legendary career prevented a Juve loss.

When Juve look back at how their season unfolded, they will surely regard it as a failure despite winning Serie A.

At the beginning of the season, Juve were among the teams with a genuine chance of winning a Treble. However, this would not even come close to materializing.

In January, Juve suffered a stunning 3-0 upset loss against Atalanta in the Coppa Italia quarterfinals. This loss to the underdogs from Bergamo meant that the Turin-based juggernaut would fail to win the cup for the first time since 2014. Coincidentally, Juve were also knocked out in the quarterfinals that year.

Juve’s Champions League exit this season was arguably an even bigger shock.

Having drawn the first leg of their quarterfinal tie against Ajax 1-1, Juve headed back to Italy in command of the tie. Although they did not win their first-leg match, they were already the heavy favourites to advance to the semifinals. The fact that they had been able to bag an away goal in Amsterdam further bolstered their position.

However, in an astonishing turn of events, the Dutch club scored a 2-1 victory in the second leg to knock Juventus out of the tournament.

When the season commenced, it was obvious that Juve were eyeing the Champions League more than any other title. This was understandable, as they had not won the tournament since 1996; the years since then had been littered with near-misses including four losses in the final. With this fact in mind, Juve spent heavily during the off-season. Players such as Emre Can, Douglas Costa, Leonardo Bonucci, and of course, Ronaldo were brought in. Juve spent the eye-popping total of €239.9 million, of which €100 million was expended to bring in Ronaldo, on player signings – a figure that most clubs could only dream of and a clear signal that they were hell-bent on bringing the continental title to Turin for the first time in 23 years. Unfortunately for Juve, even this massive outlay for Juve would prove insufficient.

What makes this even more galling for Juve is that this may have been their best chance to win it all for quite some time. Had they advanced to the semifinals, they would have been favoured to beat Tottenham. In the final, they would have played against either Barcelona or Liverpool. These are both teams against which Juve would have had a genuine chance of winning.

It is interesting to note the massive margin by which Juve won the Serie A title. With just four matchdays remaining, Juve have an insurmountable 18-point lead over second-placed Napoli. Yet, this may be part of the cause of their failings in Europe this season.

The fact that Juve have been unchallenged in the league all season long has allowed them to coast for large portions of the season. This has led to their relative lack of sharpness in the Champions League, while teams who have faced stern fights in their own domestic league, such as Tottenham and Liverpool, have been able to parlay this continued high-level, high-effort play into European competition and make deep Champions League runs.

So, as strange as it may sound, if Juve are to win next season’s Champions League, they may need Napoli, Inter Milan, and AC Milan to step up.

Juve’s feat of winning eight consecutive Serie A titles, as well as their large margin of victory this season, does deserve due credit.

However, a season that yields a league title, a Coppa Italia quarterfinal, and a Champions League quarterfinal does not even approach what Juventus would consider a successful one.

The Weekly Take, Issue 59: What Did It Cost City? Maybe Everything

This season’s Premier League title race will likely come down to the wire.

During the most recent matchday, Manchester City took a significant step forward in the chase for the title. The Citizens beat Tottenham 1-0, with Phil Foden scoring City’s winning goal. It was also City’s second victory over Spurs in less than a week. City beat Spurs 4-3 in the second leg of a Champions League quarterfinal thriller, though that victory was in vain as City were knocked out on away goals.

This latest victory put City just two points behind league leaders Liverpool; however, in City’s favour is the fact that they have four matches remaining while Liverpool have three.

However, City’s victory might have come at a tremendous cost; it could even potentially end up ruining their league title bid.

In the 38th minute, City’s star midfielder Kevin De Bruyne was forced off due to a hamstring injury. He was replaced by Fernandinho.

While it is never a good time for a team to lose their best player through injury, this could not have come at a worse time for City.

City’s next Premier League match will be a derby against bitter rivals Manchester United. What makes this particular Manchester derby even more dangerous for City is the fact that United are coming off a crushing 4-0 loss to Everton. Thus, the Red Devils will be desperate for redemption and especially eager to prove themselves in what is already one of world football’s fiercest rivalry matches.

With City set to be short of their Belgian ace, this derby represents an excellent opportunity for United to boost their bid for a spot in next season’s Champions League. However, the match will have even greater significance than that alone.

Adding to the intrigue surrounding the upcoming derby is the fact that it could decide who wins the Premier League this season.

Liverpool’s final three league matches will be against Huddersfield Town, Newcastle United, and Wolverhampton Wanderers. Meanwhile, after the Manchester derby, City will close out their league campaign against Burnley, Leicester City, and Brighton & Hove Albion.

Both the Reds and Citizens will be expected to finish their respective league seasons with three wins. Thus, should everything else go as expected and neither side choke during the final stretch of matches, the Manchester derby will end up becoming the title decider. A United win or a draw will see Liverpool win the league; for City, only a victory for them will suffice.

The importance of De Bruyne to this City team cannot be overstated.

De Bruyne is arguably the best passer in world football today. Prior to this season, De Bruyne had recorded 64 assists in 133 league matches over the preceding four seasons. In doing so, he led his league in assists three times: once in the Bundesliga with Wolfsburg in 2015 and twice in the Premier League with City in 2017 and 2018.

His passing genius formed the foundation for City’s formidable offense as they won last season’s Premier League title by a massive 19-point margin. One could also easily argue that De Bruyne was robbed of Premier League Player of the Season title; it was Liverpool striker Mo Salah who claimed that accolade.

But it’s not just about the passing when it comes to De Bruyne’s overall game.

Very few players today are able to survey the match situation, then make the correct play as consistently as De Bruyne does. His play might not be as flashy as that of the likes of Luka Modrić, Ángel Di María, or his compatriot Eden Hazard, but it is no less effective.

De Bruyne’s current season has been ravaged by injury. He has played in just 14 of City’s 34 league matches thus far this season. Given De Bruyne’s track record regarding injuries, this is an unpleasant surprise; this figure represents the most matches he has ever missed in a season by a long way. It also looks as though this latest injury could be the most critical of all.

Although Manchester City’s win over Tottenham meant that they maintained control of the league title race, the injury sustained by Kevin De Bruyne in that victory might have caused City to lose the war despite winning the battle.

The Weekly Take, Issue 58: Is Another Miracle About to Happen?

As the first leg of this season’s Champions League quarterfinal ties commenced, one could be forgiven for overlooking the Ajax-Juventus match, as it was one expected to be very one-sided in Juventus’ favour. This was despite the fact that Ajax had just recorded an astonishing victory over Real Madrid to send Los Merengues packing in the round of 16.

However, the Amsterdam club once again defied the odds, holding the Bianconeri to a 1-1 draw, with David Neres equalizing after Cristiano Ronaldo had opened the scoring for Juve. Even more impressive was the fact that statistically speaking, Ajax outplayed Juve for large portions of the game. They had more shots on target, corners, possession, and completed passes. Ajax’s passing accuracy was also 10 percentage points higher than Juve’s.

It was a steady, assured performance from Ajax, with players such as Hakim Ziyech, Frenkie de Jong, Neres, and Daley Blind causing major problems for their favoured opponents.

Even though Ajax only began appearing on most people’s radars after their stunning win over Real, this team is actually much better than these people assume. Their core of de Jong, Ziyech, Matthijs de Ligt, Lasse Schöne, Dušan Tadić, and Nicolás Tagliafico is good enough to worry any top team in Europe. Despite their lack of a bona fide superstar, Ajax clearly have a formidable starting 11 and a generally deep roster.

Like many underdog teams that have found success, Ajax have often had to resort to unconventional tactics when playing against more fancied opponents, and these tactics seem to have worked very well indeed. Against Juve, attacking midfielder Tadić started at centre-forward, something he seldom does in Eredivisie matches against weaker teams, but usually does in Champions League matches, especially when Ajax is the underdog. Just as he did in the round of 16 match against Real, the Serbian thrived in the “false nine” role, picking up where he left off and having another excellent game against the Turin club’s much-vaunted defense. Ajax also typically field a 4-3-3 formation in domestic league play but adjust to tough Champions League opponents by fielding a 4-2-3-1 formation. This tactical switch has obviously paid off up to this point.

In this regard, Ajax head coach Erik ten Hag deserves a tremendous amount of credit. When he took over in December 2017, Ajax were a team in disarray. They had failed to qualify for the Europa League, had been knocked out of the KNVB Cup, and were on their way to once again failing to win the Eredivisie title; PSV would go on to take it by four points. However, had ten Hag not taken over from Marcel Keizer when he did, it could easily have been so much worse. Ten Hag’s appointment put new life into the team, as unlike Keizer, he was able to get the best out of what many would consider to be a team which was relatively financially constrained. This momentum carried over into the current season, reaching its high point with the victory over Real.

Ajax has always prioritized the development of its young players. This mentality has undoubtedly been facilitated by its iconic youth academy. In their current squad, de Ligt, de Jong, Neres, Donny van den Beek, and André Onana are all regular starters who are 23 years old or younger; all five are products of Ajax’s youth academy and played for Ajax’s youth team Jong Ajax. This young core has formed a formidable, home-grown nucleus throughout this season.

Considering what European club football today has become, this season could represent Ajax’s best chance to reach the Champions League semifinals for the first time since 1997 when coincidentally, they were knocked out by Juve. De Jong is already Barcelona-bound, and after Ajax’s impressive run this season, there will surely be no shortage of elite clubs chasing their other key players in the coming off-season.

With this in mind, Ajax really have nothing to lose as they enter the second leg in Turin. They have already surpassed expectations by reaching the quarterfinals and are once again expected to lose, so the pressure is off.

Having said that, if Ajax were to record another upset victory, it would write another chapter to what has become a breakout season.