The Weekly Take, Issue 138: So Much for All of That

Over the opening weeks of the current La Liga season, it seemed as though Real Sociedad might have been mounting a genuine challenge to win their first league title since 1982. The Basque club started the season in red-hot form and even led the league at one stage. However, the Txuri-urdinak's form has declined dramatically in recent weeks, so much so that they now face an uphill battle to even finish in the top four and qualify for next season's Champions League.

Real Sociedad's woes continued with a 2-0 loss to Atlético Madrid. Goals scored by Mario Hermoso and Marcus Llorente handed Real Sociedad (yes, convention dictates that they do not have a "short" name) their third consecutive loss in the league. Real Sociedad are also now winless over their last six league matches, picking up just three points out of a possible 18 over that span.

Even more alarmingly, they have already played more matches than each of the clubs directly trailing them. Villarreal, Sevilla, Granada, and most worryingly of all, Barcelona are poised to overtake Real Sociedad and knock them out of the top four in the process.

It's not as though this is a team without much talent. Real Sociedad have several solid players on their roster including Nacho Monreal, Mikel Oyarzabal, and Mikel Merino. What's more, they have a youngster who has been tipped to have a breakout year soon in Swedish striker Alexander Isak. On top of all of this, they landed perhaps the biggest signing in club history by bringing in legendary midfielder David Silva from Manchester City during the past offseason.

Real Sociedad came into this season with higher expectations than in most previous years. They were building on a season in which they finished sixth in the league, qualifying for the Europa League by doing so. They also reached the final of the Copa del Rey. As was mentioned, the acquisition of Silva only served to boost the mood around the club when the season started.

It looked good at first. After a slow start, Real Sociedad reeled off six consecutive league victories to take possession of first place in the league. However, in spite of all this success, one key fact was overlooked: during this winning streak, the club from San Sebastián did not defeat even one club in contention for either the league title or a Champions League spot except for Granada. From their five matches to date against clubs in the top seven of the league, they have won one, drawn two, and lost two.

In the upcoming January transfer window, it would be in Real Sociedad's best interest to sign another striker. Right now, their attacking line is simply not cutting it. Their strikers have combined for just nine of their 25 league goals to date. To put this figure into perspective, the player who currently leads La Liga in goals scored is Villarreal's Gerard Moreno; he alone has scored eight goals.

Willian José has been especially disappointing in this area. Over the past four seasons, the Brazilian has averaged 12 league goals per campaign. However, with the halfway point of this season approaching, he is on pace for just seven league goals. This would be the lowest haul of his career since becoming a regular La Liga starter for Las Palmas in the 2015-16 season.

That isn't all. If Real Sociedad don't make next season's Champions League, they might very well have to say goodbye to Oyarzabal soon. Clearly their best player right now, the Eibar-born winger has courted interest from several leading European clubs. At just 23, his best years have likely not yet come. Oyarzabal will probably leave soon; however, Real Sociedad can delay his departure by landing their first top-four league finish since 2013.

It may be true that Real Sociedad's hot start to the season was not sustainable. That being said, their recent slump has seen them drop points where they shouldn't have. Dropping points against Alavés, Eibar, and Levante is simply unacceptable for a club with Champions League aspirations. They can't afford many more slip-ups like those.

Though making the top four is still a realistic goal, it doesn't look good at the Anoeta right now.

The Weekly Take, Issue 137: Lads, It's Tottenham

First of all, my apologies to Tottenham fans for the title of the post; however, the opportunity was too obvious not to be taken. I just had to, you know?

Anyway, on to the main point of the post.

The latest set of Premier League features included a showdown between the league's first- and second-placed teams. In a pulsating match which saw much action from opening kickoff to the final whistle, Liverpool beat Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 at Anfield. Roberto Firmino's header just before stoppage time ensured that the Reds left the match with all three points. The victory also ensured that Liverpool overtook Spurs in the league standings, becoming the new league leaders as they pursue back-to-back Premier League titles.

Despite a valiant effort, Tottenham were once again left to lick their wounds. Even though this season has gone better than most fans of the North London club could have expected at its beginning, their strong league form hit a wall in this most crucial of matches.

There is arguably nothing more difficult in the sporting world than overcoming both history and a mental block. Often, as is true with Tottenham, the two are intertwined. Consider the fact that this is a club which have not won the league since 1961. What's more, Tottenham have not won a trophy of any sort since the 2008 League Cup, and if you restrict the criteria to just major trophies (i.e., the league, main domestic cup, and main European competition), the drought dates all the way back to the 1991 FA Cup.

Unfortunately, there is a reason why "lads, it's Tottenham" has become an inside joke among football fans the world over. Time and again, Tottenham have folded when the stakes have been at their highest. The most striking recent example has to be the 2015-16 Premier League season. For most of that season, Tottenham were embroiled in a tight battle for the league title with Leicester City. However, in the final stretch of the season, Tottenham's form declined so dramatically that they not only surrendered the league title to the Foxes; much to the chagrin of their fans, they even lost second place in the league to North London arch-rivals Arsenal.

The very next season, while they did not implode as they had a year before, they again lost the Premier League title in a way that detractors would say "only Tottenham could". In 2016-17, they scored the most league goals while conceding the fewest at the other end. Their points tally of 86 was the highest in the club's history, and by finishing second in the league, they obtained their highest final league position in 54 years. Harry Kane also claimed his second consecutive Premier League Golden Boot.

In spite of all these factors working in their favour, Tottenham somehow managed to lose the Premier League title to London rivals Chelsea. They finished seven points behind the Blues, missing out on yet another golden opportunity to snap their league title drought. On top of this, they were knocked out in the group stage of the Champions League, then were subsequently upset by Belgian club Gent in the Europa League's round of 32.

At this point, it's clear that many of the issues plaguing Tottenham right now are mental. On paper, they seem to have it all - perhaps the greatest coach of all time in José Mourinho, a superstar duo leading the line in Kane and Son Heung-min, and a solid supporting cast featuring players such as Pierre-Emile Højbjerg, Tanguy Ndombele, Hugo Lloris, Eric Dier, and Toby Alderweireld. Yet, as always seems to be the case with this club, it just feels as though a cloud of uncertainty continues to hang over Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

This is exactly why I believe that the hiring of Mourinho to take over from Pochettino was an absolute masterstroke. There is perhaps no coach in world football today who is better at playing the mental game than the Portuguese legend. That being said, he faces a challenge in this area unlike any other he's ever faced. Inter Milan, Real Madrid, and Manchester United are all clubs with glittering histories full of titles upon titles. While Chelsea's history hadn't been as trophy-laden as those three clubs, they had won an FA Cup in 2000, just four years before Mourinho's arrival. Even Porto had a European Cup title to their name in 1988. None of these clubs were battling the burden of history to the extent that Tottenham are.

It's still early in the season; however, Tottenham's loss to Liverpool is definitely a worrying sign. It seems as though they're not quite over their mental block.

The Weekly Take, Issue 136: They Surely Can't Fire Him Now

The standout fixture of the latest La Liga matchday was the latest edition of the Madrid derby. Real Madrid emerged with an impressive 2-0 victory over city rivals Atlético Madrid. Casemiro opened the scoring in the 15th minute. In the second half, an own goal scored by Jan Oblak off Dani Carvajal's shot that struck the post ensured Real's victory.

Real's win put Los Merengues within three points of Atlético, who currently lead the league. It also eased the pressure on head coach Zinedine Zidane. Rumours that Zidane might soon be fired have been circulating for some time now. They only intensified after a recent slump in form.

However, the events of the derby showed that not only would it be a colossal mistake on Real's part if they were to fire the Frenchman; the club's top brass ought to pull out all the stops to make sure that Zidane remains in the Santiago Bernabéu dugout for the foreseeable future.

Consider the fact that although Zidane was going up against one of the top five overall coaches and perhaps the best pure strategist in the world in his Atlético counterpart Diego Simeone, it was in large part thanks to Zidane that Real Madrid came away victorious. His tactical setup was on point, his substitutions were timely and effective, and he ably adjusted to everything Simeone threw at him. It's not often that a great coach like Simeone is so decisively countered. Yet, that's exactly what happened against Real.

I'd actually say that "Zizou" is the most underrated coach in world football at the moment. After all, no one else has ever led a team to three consecutive Champions League titles - that fact alone speaks for itself. While his detractors may claim that his Real Madrid team of 2016 to 2018 was carried to those titles by Cristiano Ronaldo, consider this: to win those three straight European crowns, Real beat Simeone's Atlético in 2016, Massimiliano Allegri's Juventus in 2017, and Jürgen Klopp's Liverpool in 2018. For those counting, that would be two all-time great coaches and one excellent one.

Last season was Zidane's first full season in his second stint at the helm of Real. Notably, it was also his first full season as Real head coach since Ronaldo's departure for Juve in the 2018 off-season. Despite having a squad which was clearly weaker to that of his first go-around, Zidane led Real to the league title, finishing ahead of arch-rivals Barcelona by five points. This league triumph came despite key players such as Eden Hazard and Gareth Bale missing large portions of the season through injury.

What Zidane had to deal with upon his return to Real cannot be overlooked either. When he replaced Santiago Solari in March 2019, Real were a club in disarray. They were nowhere near either Barça or Atlético in the league. They had also been knocked out of the Champions League in the round of 16 after an upset loss against Ajax. Fast forward almost two years later and Real, despite currently trailing Atlético in La Liga, are likely to claim back-to-back league titles for the first time since 2008. They also topped a tough Champions League group containing Inter Milan, Shakhtar Donetsk, and Borussia Mönchengladbach.

Real's front office is notorious for being trigger-happy with regard to coaches. However, if they break with their history and retain Zidane's services for an extended time period, the club will be likely to experience much current and future success. Given Zidane's track record to date, there is no reason why he shouldn't remain at Real for at least a decade, racking up titles along the way while establishing himself as perhaps the greatest coach in Real's history - and maybe, just maybe, of all time.

It is beyond crucial that Real do not act in their usual knee-jerk manner, especially if results start going against them later in the season. Zidane has clearly built up a body of work which clearly proves that he is an outstanding coach. Firing him would be an epic mistake of almost unparalleled proportions.

The decision should be obvious. Only one question remains: will Real finally "get it", or will they revert to type?

The Weekly Take, Issue 135: The Newest One-Man Team?

The most recent Champions League matchday saw Borussia Dortmund and Lazio play to a 1-1 draw. Raphaël Guerreiro opened the scoring just before halftime to put Dortmund a goal ahead. Ciro Immobile would later secure Lazio a share of the points against his former club by converting his 67th-minute spot-kick.

However, probably the biggest talking point of the match was not about who was on the field, but rather, who was not: none other than Dortmund's young ace Erling Håland. The Norwegian centre-forward missed the match with a hamstring injury. He will be out of action until January.

The difference between Dortmund with Håland and Dortmund without him was glaringly obvious against Lazio. Die Schwarzgelbe lacked that final touch up front which Håland would normally have provided. In place of the Yorkshire-born number 9, Marco Reus started up front. While Reus is a solid player in his own right, he does not even come close to approaching Håland's level. Moreover, Reus is neither a natural centre-forward nor a false nine. He was well out of position against Lazio, and it showed.

Dortmund's performance against Lazio also raises a pertinent question: has the team from the Rhine region become too dependent on their young star? Consider the fact that Håland alone is responsible for almost half of Dortmund's Bundesliga goals thus far this season.

The gap between Håland and the rest of Dortmund's players is not only larger than many might think: as Håland is still just 20 years old, this gap will continue to grow until he hits his prime or (and it pains me as a Dortmund fan to say this) inevitably leaves the club.

Any team overly dependent on just one player is playing with fire. We've seen this story before with many other clubs. Think of the following examples: Luis Suárez at Liverpool, Lionel Messi at Barcelona, and Gareth Bale during his first stint at Tottenham, just to name a few. What happened when the superstar couldn't play? And in the cases of Suárez and Bale, what happened to the team after they left? That's right - the team ended up playing nowhere near its full potential.

For Dortmund, it would be especially disappointing if they have, in fact, become too reliant on Håland. Dortmund have an intriguing group of youngsters including Jadon Sancho, Jude Bellingham, and Gio Reyna. While these players' potential is obvious and they will likely go on to successful careers in their own right, it is somewhat concerning that already, in many situations their modus operandi appears to be "let Håland take care of it". This mentality certainly won't be to their benefit as they go forward in their careers.

This is a Dortmund team which on paper, you'd have expected to easily handle Lazio even in Håland's absence. The fact that they were unable to do so is not a good sign for the coming weeks as Håland goes through an extended spell on the sidelines.

Although it's never been the "Dortmund way", if Dortmund are to make a serious push for a first Bundesliga title since 2012, make a deep Champions League run, or both, they might need to take out the big bucks and make a splashy signing in the January transfer window. They need a player who, while not necessarily on Håland's level, is one who will be the clear-cut second-best player on the team. Such a player will not only benefit the team in general; he would also give Håland the help he needs. If Håland were to miss a match or have a below-par performance, this other guy could step in, take charge, and lead Dortmund to the win.

Considering the fact that Dortmund is a small-market, relatively unglamorous team, Håland will probably leave Signal Iduna Park at some point. Thus, time is of the essence with regard to finding his sidekick. With the right running mate for Håland, once Dortmund's youngsters develop more, this team could potentially contend for titles.

It's not as though this is a Dortmund team without any hope. After all, the draw against Lazio did seal their place in the last 16 of the Champions League. However, if they are to come close to the glory days of the Jürgen Klopp years any time soon, they need to get Håland some help, pronto.

The Weekly Take, Issue 134: A Legend Like No Other

"There goes (Diego Armando Maradona), the best there ever was in this game." - modified quote from The Natural

There really could only be one topic for this week's post.

Diego Maradona, considered by many (myself included) to be the greatest footballer to ever walk this planet, died of a heart attack yesterday at the age of 60.

If you ever wanted to know Maradona's true impact, consider the following:

- Alberto Fernández, the president of Argentina, declared three days of national mourning after the legendary number 10's passing. Unsurprisingly, Maradona will also receive a state funeral
- FIFA postponed its annual awards which would have been held on December 17 as a show of respect for Maradona
- In Buenos Aires, electronic signs around the city which would normally have been used for public transport updates were modified to pay tribute to Maradona
- All over Naples, murals and other tributes were displayed on walls of buildings across the city.

These are but a small snapshot of what the kid from the slums grew up to mean to so many.

If you're still not convinced that Maradona is the greatest of all time, I'd like to bring up a few points.

Most of you probably remember his legendary 1986 World Cup campaign in which he put Argentina on his back and dragged them to a world title which almost no one could have expected. It is regarded by many as the greatest individual tournament performance of all time and was highlighted by his iconic quarterfinal performance against England. Maradona memorably gave Argentina the lead after controversially fisting the ball over Peter Shilton's head and into the net. The infraction, of course, went uncalled. Soon after, Maradona scored perhaps the greatest goal in World Cup history, torching England's defense with a blistering run before putting it in to make it 2-0 to the Albiceleste.

But with that being said: his 1990 World Cup campaign was arguably even better. Argentina were a much weaker team than they had been four years prior. Maradona carried a team which had no business making it to the final all the way to the showpiece match against West Germany. Somewhat ironically, Maradona was denied an even more incredible World Cup victory by a refereeing error: Roberto Sensini's tackle on Rudi Völler was incorrectly ruled as a foul, allowing Andreas Brehme to score the title-winning penalty for West Germany.

Although the record books say that Maradona was never a Ballon d'Or winner or the FIFA World Player of the Year, the Ballon d'Or was not open to non-European players until 1995, while the FIFA award did not exist until 1991.

Had Maradona been allowed to contend for the Ballon d'Or throughout his career, he would have probably won it in 1983, 1984, 1986, 1987, 1990, and 1991. He'd also have been, at the very least, in the top five every year from 1981 to 1992 and in the top three in most of those years.

That's not even all. Consider the fact that on many occasions, Maradona was denied the opportunity to play in what was then the European Cup because this was before countries could send more than one representative. Under the current rules, Maradona would've featured in the tournament in 1983, 1984, 1987, 1989, and 1990. The last two appearance would have seen Maradona's Napoli run headfirst into an AC Milan dynasty. However, who's to say that his Barcelona teams of 1983 and 1984 or his Napoli team of 1987 couldn't have been a contender for Europe's biggest club prize?

Such was the shadow Maradona cast over all his successors that many an Argentina number 10 between Maradona's retirement and the emergence of Lionel Messi wilted simply by wearing the iconic number. Ariel Ortega, Andres D'Alessandro, Juan Roman Riquelme - none were scrubs by any means, but it is almost a travesty that they all wore the 10 for Argentina in a major tournament.

It's almost impossible to believe, but somehow, in spite of his unquestioned brilliance on the football field, Maradona might very well actually be underrated. Never has there been a player who could carry a team as he did. Similarly, never has there ever been a player who forced opposing teams to craft game plans specifically to account for him to the extent that Maradona did.

Anyone who does not have Diego Maradona on, at the very least, their Mount Rushmore of footballers is flat-out wrong. For me as well as so many others, he is the greatest there has ever been and perhaps the greatest there will ever be.

I can't say anything else except RIP to the GOAT.

The Weekly Take, Issue 133: Still on the Outside Looking In

Unquestionably, one of the most memorable league campaigns in recent memory (and indeed, of all time) was Leicester City's victorious 2015-16 Premier League season. The Foxes capitalized on various errors and slumps by their more established title rivals to defy the odds and claim a maiden league title. With a team armed with players such as Jamie Vardy, Riyad Mahrez, Kasper Schmeichel, Wes Morgan, and of course, ace midfielder N'Golo Kanté, the future looked extremely bright at the King Power Stadium.

Unfortunately, the fairytale came to a screeching halt almost as soon as it had begun. Kanté left for Chelsea in the off-season of 2016. It soon became evident that the Frenchman had been the lynchpin of Leicester's title run; despite fielding a largely unchanged squad from the previous season, Leicester only finished 12th in the league. They then continued to struggle over the following two seasons.

Things began to turn in the 2019-20 season. Leicester were on course to return to the Champions League for the first time in four years but lost their last two league matches to surrender fourth place and the last Champions League spot. Nevertheless, there was cause for Brendan Rodgers' team to be optimistic heading into the 2020-21 campaign; perhaps this would be the season in which they would seal their return to Europe's biggest stage.

However, during the most recent Premier League matchday, Leicester received a stern reality check, losing 3-0 to Liverpool. To make matters even worse for Leicester, only Schmeichel's excellent performance between the posts prevented the Reds from really running up the score on a completely overmatched Leicester team.

Leicester had come into the match on the back of three consecutive Premier League victories and were actually ahead of Liverpool by one point in the league. Despite these facts, it became clear as the match unfolded that Leicester are not likely to be top-four material come the end of the season unless some major changes are made during the upcoming January transfer window.

This is a team which is quite simply not on the level of other top-four contenders. The other teams which are most comparable to Leicester at the moment are Everton, Manchester United, and Tottenham Hotspur; despite currently leading the league, Tottenham are likely to fall back into the pack at some point, while Manchester City will probably begin their climb up the standings before too long.

When you look at Spurs, you can see that in Harry Kane, they have someone who is capable of putting the team on his back and single-handedly willing them to victory when the pressure is at its highest. Kane is ably supported by Hugo Lloris, Son Heung-min, Eric Dier, and Pierre-Emile Højbjerg. With José Mourinho in the dugout on top of all of that, there's no reason why Spurs shouldn't be in the top four.

Looking at Everton and Manchester United, while neither have a player of Kane's calibre, both nevertheless have squads which, player for player, are clearly better than what Leicester are currently fielding. Everton can boast of the likes of Jordan Pickford, James Rodríguez, Dominic Calvert-Lewin, and Lucas Digne while also being coached by Carlo Ancelotti. United, meanwhile, have Bruno Fernandes, Marcus Rashford, Scott McTominay, and David de Gea, among others.

Leicester just do not stack up. They have done well to be where they are right now. However, as was shown by what happened against Liverpool, staying there will be a tall order indeed. It is one thing to beat the odds with the level of players they had four years ago. It is quite another to do it with their current roster.

It's much too early in the season to jump to any conclusions about Leicester. That being said, it is beginning to appear somewhat likely that their achievements last season might very well represent the high point for this iteration of the team.

If Leicester are to make a genuine push for the top four this season, they need to strengthen the squad in January. However, this time they face the problem of a relative lack of financial might. Every other team around them can easily outspend the Midlands club if they so desire.

It might not be impossible for Leicester to make next year's Champions League, but the outlook is definitely grim.

The Weekly Take, Issue 132: Who Will Pick Up the Torch?

The latest round of UEFA Nations League fixtures saw Portugal take on France in a match which would see its winner qualify for the Nations League Finals. France emerged with a 1-0 victory and thus became a part of the tournament's final four. N'Golo Kanté scored the only goal of the match to give the reigning world champions an opportunity to add a Nations League title to their world title from 2018. They also denied Portugal the opportunity to claim back-to-back Nations League titles.

As for Portugal, the match revealed a harsh truth which they will soon have to confront. Cristiano Ronaldo was not quite at his usual excellent standard against Les Bleus. Thus, the task fell to Portugal's supporting cast to step up and chip in when it counted most, but none of them managed to do so.

This fact becomes particularly worrying when one realized that Ronaldo is now 35. He does not have much longer at this level. With this in mind, the big problem facing Portugal right now which was also made evident against France was this: who is going to become the leader and driving force of this team after Ronaldo's looming decline and retirement?

One name which might come to mind for some is Bruno Fernandes. The Manchester United midfielder has been extremely impressive for his club ever since signing for the Red Devils in January. He has already established himself as the club's best player and has also shown considerable leadership qualities, leading many United fans to tout him as a future United captain.

However, his performances for his club have thus far not translated on the international front. This was once again evident against France; apart from a few moments when he set up teammates for goalscoring chances, he largely looked lost on the field as he was completely outplayed by his United teammate Paul Pogba. The evidence to date seems to paint Fernandes as the type of player who thrives for his club but struggles for his country.

Some might claim that João Félix could become Portugal's next ace. At just 21 years old, the Atlético Madrid winger has begun to live up to his lofty price tag after having endured a slow start to life in the Spanish capital. He already looks as though he is the future for Atlético; what's more, at his young age, he is likely years away from his peak.

Unfortunately, that may also be the problem for Félix: just how high is his peak? Does he truly have the potential to become, if not a Ballon d'Or contender, at least one of the five best players in the world at some point? As great as he has been thus far, the signs currently do not point to Félix having that kind of sky-high ceiling.

Looking at the rest of this Portugal team, there are a lot of very solid, above-average players who will be key contributors both now and in the future. Bernardo Silva, Diogo Jota, Francisco Trincão, and Rúben Neves come to mind. Unfortunately, it is even more unlikely that any of these players will ever be good enough to be the centrepiece of a team contending for international silverware.

Portugal clearly have a collection of formidable young players who will form an impressive core for the next four to six years. The problem, however, is that any team intending to truly contend for a World Cup title or even a European Championship requires, at the very least, that one guy who can say "give me the ball and get out of my way" and take over a match all on his own. After Ronaldo leaves, who do Portugal have who can even come close to filling the void? At the moment, their best player is Fernandes, but as I mentioned earlier, he hasn't quite figured it out for Portugal the way he has for United.

It is somewhat ironic that Portugal won Euro 2016 with a far inferior squad to the one that they will be taking to Euro 2020 (yes, it's retaining its name despite the postponement) or the 2022 World Cup, yet they have almost no chance of winning either of the two upcoming tournaments.

The Ronaldo years have been truly incredible for Portugal, but now the future looks murkier than it has in a long time.