The Through Ball

Bayer Leverkusen 0 Bayern Munich 0

What should have been the marquee game of the Bundesliga weekend turned out to be anything but. The pre-match talk was focused on how Pep Guardiola’s decision to join Manchester City next season impacted Bayern’s players. There were rumours of player dissent and all sorts of disharmony within the squad.

How much of this is true is hard to say, but looking at things on the pitch, it was the most disjointed that Bayern have looked in a while. Despite having Douglas Costa, Arjen Robben and Kingsley Coman on the pitch, Bayern didn’t create much. The only time they looked like scoring was when Thomas Müller came on in the second half, but the German international blazed over two presentable chances. Meanwhile, injuries and suspensions continue to dog Bayern as Xabi Alonso was sent off after two yellow cards.

With a red-hot Javier Hernandez, one would have expected Leverkusen to cause Bayern serious problems. However, the home side looked liked they didn’t really believe they could win. While Ömer Toprak was excellent in defence, Roger Schmidt’s much-vaunted attacking quartet of Hernandez, Stefan Kießling, Hakan Calhanoglu and Karim Bellarabi simply failed to sparkle on the big night.

All said and done, a point for each side isn’t the worst result. Yes, Bayern are expected to win every game in the league, but a point away to a Champions League side is still an acceptable result. Conversely, Leverkusen will look at any point taken from Bayern as a bonus. They are still alive in the race for the top four and a draw keeps their recent momentum in tact.

Southampton 1 West Ham 0

Southampton were deserved winners in this clash of upwardly mobile teams. In simple terms, Saints were the better team, while the Hammers were quite poor. The visitors never really got into their stride, even when they were playing against ten men for more than half an hour. Southampton are now only two points behind West Ham, who themselves are just two behind Manchester United. An argument could be made that both teams have actually played better football than the Red Devils this season.

The most interesting thing that struck me in this game is the aptitude of both managers. Southampton were in a serious rut until the middle of January. Since then they have won four and drawn one of their last five league games. The catalyst for this has been Ronald Koeman’s decision to switch to a back three. Coinciding with the change in formation has been the return of Fraser Forster between the sticks. Saints haven’t conceded a goal in this run. It is always good to see a manager find solutions with tactics rather than relying solely on the transfer market to solve problems in the middle of the season.

In the opposite dugout, it was interesting to see that Slaven Bilic tried to match Koeman’s formation. This was a brave — some may even say unnecessary — decision. West Ham haven’t played three at the back this season and to do it against opponents in fine form was very risky. This showed in the first half an hour as Southampton ran riot. However, even though it backfired, I find myself applauding Bilic’s decision. Here is a manager who actually put some thought into the game and in stead of being obstinate in his style of play, prepared for an opponent that had a unique formation. That it didn’t come off should not be a slight against Bilic. The execution failed this time around, but experience suggests that more often than not, such proactive tactical thinking breeds positive results.

There is justifiable excitement about the possibility of Pep Guardiola, Jose Mourinho and Jurgen Klopp managing in the Premier League next season. However, if mid table clubs sign managers with the fortitude and tactical flexibility of Koeman and Bilic, the quality of the league can only be further enhanced.

Angers 0 Lyon 3

The result of this game was never in doubt once Thomas Mangani was sent off in the 16th minute. For the first time this season, Lyon have strung two dominant wins in a row. Winning 3-0 against both Bordeaux and Lyon puts Bruno Genesio’s men right back in contention for Champions League qualification.

Such is the seesaw nature of the Ligue 1 chasing pack that these two wins have pushed Lyon up from 10th in the table to just a point behind their vanquished opponents, with Nice and Saint-Étienne only three points ahead. Of course, critics will say that Lyon should really have been comfortable in second or third considering their exploits last season and the quality of their squad. A whole host of issues from injuries to differences within the squad resulted in a depressing first half of the season.

However, there are signs that things are starting to click for last season’s runners up. Mathieu Valbuena is finally showing the form that made him such a star in Ligue 1 when he was at Marseille. While the defence still looks vulnerable, they are now playing with more calmness and authority. Significantly, the young stars who broke out in the last campaign are now recovering their mojo. Corentin Tolisso dominated the game in midfield, orchestrating some beautiful moves and capping his fine display with Lyon’s third goal. Meanwhile Rachid Ghezzal continues to improve with each passing game. The young Algerian is filling the void left by Nabil Fekir’s injury and if he continues his progression then Genesio will have quite the selection dilemma when all his attacking players are fit. With most of their toughest fixtures out of the way, Lyon should now, at the very least capture third spot.

On the other hand, Angers’ fine start to the season is catching up to them. A tough run of fixtures since January has seen three defeats in five matches. Angers entered the new year with only nine goals conceded, but that figure has now ratcheted up to 23. It is a testament to their fine start that they still have the third best defence in the league. However, some indiscipline is costing Stéphane Moulin’s men. Moulin’s organized approach requires all the players to sing from the same hymn sheet, but it is not a system that can work with ten men.

It shouldn’t be forgotten that survival alone would have constituted a successful season for Angers. European qualification always seem fanciful, however there is no reason why Angers shouldn’t finish in the top ten. If Moulin can get his players to regain their composure, this tough spell can be ridden out. There are plenty of points to be won for Angers to finish comfortably in mid table.

Tottenham 1 Watford 0

Was this match the most dominant 1-0 win ever? It certainly felt like that. 65 % possession. 25 shots to 3. Heurelho Gomes deservedly won man of the match. Qique Sanchez Flores graciously admitting that Tottenham were just superb. By every indicator, tangible and intangible, Spurs were clearly the superior team. Not many teams have been described as such when coming up against Watford this season.

Spurs are now second in the league. In terms of momentum, they are now second only to Leicester. Mauricio Pochettino’s men are playing some sublime football in midfield and attack while simultaneously boasting the best defence in the league. So, can Spurs win the league?

It’s a tricky question. Spurs don’t exactly have a successful history when it comes to close races against other teams. In recent seasons, Spurs have had eight-point leads in the battle for fourth as late as March and still bottled it. Keeping that in mind, most Spurs fans would be hesitant to boast considering they are still level with the Gunners on points. There is also the nagging fear that if something happens to Harry Kane, then what? These are valid points in support of the naysayers.

On the flip side, there are plenty of reasons to dream in this crazy season. Nothing has happened to Harry Kane yet. There were fears of him being a one-season wonder which have proven to be emphatically unfounded. Then there is the phenom that is Dele Alli. The young Englishman is playing some phenomenal football, propelling Spurs forward with excellent passing and finishing some glorious goals. Most importantly however, is the consistency in defence. Never has a Tottenham defence looked so solid. Eric Dier has done a great job as defensive shield, while Toby Alderweireld has to come into the reckoning when discussing the signing of the season. There was trepidation at Jan Vertonghen’s injury, but Kevin Wimmer looked just as smooth and confident alongside Alderweireld. Then there is the leadership and stature of Hugo Lloris. It’s often said that the tightest defences usually win leagues and that is the best omen for Spurs.

The fixture list provides a stern test. Home games against Arsenal and Manchester United are still to come, while they are still to travel to Chelsea and Liverpool. First up however, are City at the Etihad next weekend. Like Leicester before them, Spurs have an opportunity to make a statement. Whether they do will go a long way in determining Tottenham’s title credentials.

Atletico Madrid 3 Eibar 1

In most La Liga seasons this matchup would be considered a gimme for Atletico Madrid. However, this Eibar team are a different beast altogether. The Basque team made Diego Simeone’s men sweat for the three points and ultimately the result was decided on the prowess of Koke’s set piece delivery.

The three points were crucial for Los Colchoneros, enabling them to stay in the hunt for the title. While that is the most important outcome of the match, two other aspects of the game stand out.

The first is that Saul Niguez started as centre back, covering for the suspended Diego Godin. This obviously speaks volumes about the versatility that the young Spaniard has. In his nascent career, the 21-year old Spaniard has been touted at various different times as an attacking midfielder, playmaker or false nine. Now, we can add centre back to his skill set. What this also tells us is that there may be no better manager in the world than Simeone when it comes to driving defensive discipline in his players. The romantics, including this writer, may ponder how attractive Atleti could be if their manager allowed his players to express themselves with a few more risky through balls or dribbles in a tight area. Simeone however, will rightly point out that the Rojiblancos have never had it this good. Intensity, focus and efficiency have resulted in unprecedented success for the club. That Simeone can mould all his players — veterans, superstars and youngsters — to his desired template is of immense credit to the Argentinian.

The other noteworthy aspect of the game is something that could ultimately come to restrict Atletico in the big games. Even against an opponent that chose to sit back, the home side only managed 50 % of the possession. Possession of course, isn’t everything in football. However, it does suggest that for all his attention to detail, Simeone has not been able to come up with a solid plan B. Recent results against Barcelona and Real suggest the traditional top two have become used to Simeone’s nuances and Atleti could face similar troubles against the continent’s established elite in the Champions League. While their willpower, physical fitness and desire to win can never be discounted, a little tactical variety and flair could enable Atleti to dream of even bigger things.

Schalke 3 Wolfsburg 0

A true confidence-boosting win for André Breitenreiter and Schalke 04. Klaas-Jan Huntelaar finally got on the scoresheet again, the defence kept a clean sheet and the Royal Blues are now in the all-important fourth spot, just two points behind Hertha Berlin in third.

In my opinion however, the bigger story here is Wolfsburg. Dieter Hecking and Wolfsburg have problems. Since beating Manchester United to qualify for the last 16 of the Champions League, the Wolves seemed to have lost all momentum. Exactly why this has happened is hard to pinpoint. A squad that contains the attacking talents of Julian Draxler, Daniel Caligiuri, Max Kruse and Andre Schürrle should not be eighth in the table behind Mainz 05. In mitigation, Wolfsburg are not a team that are used to competing on two fronts. Dealing with the greater exposure they have this season requires experience.

Following up on last season’s excellent second place was always going to be difficult. However, the fans would have expected to be in the fight for the top four, not cut off six points adrift in eighth. Hecking has to find a solution that utilizes his attacking talents in the best possible way. Perhaps, the return of the Champions League will get the team more focused. A winnable last-16 tie against Ghent could give the club the shot in the arm it needs to get their domestic campaign back on track.

Hertha Berlin 0 Borussia Dortmund 0

A game pitting third against second that simply failed to ignite. Pal Dardai’s Hertha Berlin have been one of the most amazing stories in European football this season. Coming into the game with only defeat in their last nine matches, Hertha were in unchartered waters at third in the table. However, there are signs that their momentum is stalling since the resumption of the Bundesliga, as they have drawn all three league games in 2016.

Considering the fact that Bayern had a tough away game against Leverkusen, Thomas Tuchel would have hoped for three points to cut the deficit against the league leaders. In stead, a point was all BVB got. Despite having 62 % of the possession, Dortmund failed to ignite against a resolute home defence.

The only gain that both managers could take from the game was that their defences were superb. After a few shaky performances, Sokratis and Mats Hummels were outstanding against Salomon Kalou and Vedad Ibisevic. On the other side, John Brooks and Sebastian Langkamp kept Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Marco Reus quite, with the able support of defensive midfielder Fabian Lustenberger. All in all, Hertha will be the happier side with the point as it keeps them in third, while Dortmund remain eight points behind Bayern Munich.

Monaco 1 Nice 0

For the first time in ages, the Derby de la Côte d’Azur had a lot riding on it in terms of league position and points. In a season where PSG have just run away with the league, Monaco and Nice have come closest in terms of establishing some sort of consistency. It’s not often that this has been a game of second vs third, hence there was a lot of excitement heading into the game.

Unfortunately, the match didn’t live up to expectations. Monaco won 1-0 despite playing with ten men from the 48th minute onwards. Joao Moutinho’s excellent floated free kick found Tiemoué Bakayako’s head for the winner in the 81st minute. It was a classic sucker punch from a team that has mastered the art of winning functionally. Deprived of the cash and superstars that originally accompanied them on their return to Ligue 1, Leonardo Jardim has done well to find a system that is efficient and brings the results and accompanying points to the Stade Louis II.

As far as Nice are concerned, Claude Puel’s men missed an opportunity to make a statement. Despite being the away team, Nice had more supporters in the stadium than their hosts. Win, and they would jump above their rivals in second place. In stead, Les Aiglons put in a feeble performance. Other than getting Danijel Subasic to pull off one world class save in the first half, Nice just didn’t create any clear-cut chances. Most disappointingly for Puel, his three stars of the season — Hatem Ben Arfa, Valère Germain and Jean Seri — failed to grab the game by the scruff of the neck, even when they had the man advantage.

With a six-point lead over Nice and Saint-Étienne, Monaco are now clear favourites for direct qualification to the Champions League. They are the most consistent team after the champions and also have the experience of finishing the season well, something that the other teams in Ligue 1’s chasing pack don’t possess. Nice on the other hand, are right in the mix of one of the most competitive races for third in the league’s history. Level on points with Saint-Étienne with an improving Lyon just three points behind, Nice will have to show greater verve and stronger fortitude in the run-in to ensure the efforts of a promising first half of the season are not wasted.

Manchester City 1 Leicester City 3

Great analysis on the brilliant Football365 as always. I think Matt Stead has made some great observations on the match in this piece.

Finally, the tide has turned. Each previous Leicester victory had passed with disbelief, but qualified disbelief: ‘They will fall away eventually’, ‘wait until they play the big teams’, ‘Leicester won’t win the league; they can’t.’ Such an accomplished win away at their closest challengers is all it took for the Foxes to be taken seriously as contenders. Hell, contenders? Leicester are favourites. Favourites to win the Premier League. Christ

The consensus seems to be that Leicester are at the top of the table and in the hunt for the title because they have unstoppable momentum. In any sport, the importance of momentum can’t be denied, especially when it comes to improbable wins or late surges. However, as in life, not every situation in the world of sports is the same.

In the 2013-14 season, Liverpool’s incredible dash for the title had incredible momentum. With Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturbridge in full flow, Liverpool were smashing their way past teams scoring three or four goals a game, sometimes even five or six. The problem was that they often conceded two or three as well. It took one team to stop them from scoring to derail their title bid at the bitter end.

While not scoring at the remarkable rate of that Liverpool team, Leicester are still tied for the most goals scored in the league with Manchester City. The major difference however, is that Leicester have displayed an ability to find solutions when they’ve had trouble scoring. Even when Jamie Vardy didn’t score for a month and Riyad Mahrez missed two penalties that resulted in four dropped points, the Foxes lost only once. This, despite facing a set of fixtures that would have been difficult for the any of the league’s established elite, let alone this season’s upstarts.

To me, this speaks of great reservoirs of mental strength as well as the squad’s tactical versatility. It could all still fall apart, but if Leicester do win the league, I would rate Claudio Ranieri’s acumen and the squad’s focus and work ethic as the primary reasons for success above momentum.

Serie A State of Play Post Round 22

Some thoughts after an exciting round of Serie A games filled with glorious goals and enterprising play.

Top two pull away

It was only a few rounds ago that everyone was claiming this to be the most exciting Serie A season in modern times as the top five were separated by just three points. However, with Roma and Inter both going through a rough patch of results recently, that merry band was whittled down to just three. Now, after Fiorentina’s goalless draw at Genoa the title race is down to the top two of Napoli and Juventus. The Viola are now six points behind second place Juventus, with Napoli a further two ahead of the champions. Paulo Sousa’s men will now focus on holding on to the all-important third place and the Champions League play-off spot that comes with it.

Meanwhile, the two best teams in the league continue to march on. Matching each other in strut, class, grit and beautiful goals, Napoli and Juve are both performing at a peerless standard. The neutral can only hope that this remains the case as we enter April. It would be a disappointing anti-climax for Serie A fans if Juve pull away in comfortable fashion as they always tend to do.

Juve were first up this weekend. The clash away to Chievo was meant to be a tough one, however the Bianconeri took to their task immediately when Alvaro Morata opened the scoring in the sixth minute. If fans of the Old Lady were worried about missing Mario Manduzkic they needn’t have been, as the underrated Spaniard once again proved his value to the team. He got his second after some excellent interplay between Juve’s midfield and attack and his chemistry with Paulo Dybala suggests that Max Allegri may well stick with the Argentinian-Spanish partnership even when Mandzukic returns. Juve romped through the second half courtesy of an excellent assist from Paul Pogba (does he do normal assists?) for Alex Sandro, before the young Frenchman finished exemplarily (does he do normal goals?) himself. Remarkably, it was the first time this season that Juve climbed atop Serie A.

With the gauntlet laid down, Napoli welcomed the excellent Empoli at the San Paolo. Maurizio Sarri’s former club came to town to face their old boss under the stewardship of Marco Giampaolo. While not many would have predicted Sarri’s positive impact at Napoli, Giampaolo’s achievements with the Azzuri this season have arguably been more impressive, guiding his men to the top half of the table.

What was always bound to be a difficult encounter seemed even harder after Leandro Paredes’ deflected free kick gave the visitors the lead. This Napoli team are a different beast however. Five minutes later, the player of the season brought the hosts level. Gonzalo Higuain finishing with a beautiful header off an equally excellent Lorenzo Insigne cross. Insigne then gave Napoli the lead with a delightful free kick. What could have been a nervous second half was anything but, as Sarri’s men put their foot on the throttle and ran out 5-1 winners courtesy of some enterprising attacking play.

While some may despair at how quickly this has become just a two-horse race, the sheer quality that Italy’s top two are demonstrating, makes this a battle to savour. The excitement is only going to ratchet up when Juve welcome Napoli in two weeks time.

Milan rivals moving in opposite directions

Compared to recent iterations, this Derby della Madonnina actually delivered on the hype. On an action-filled night at the San Siro, supporters got to see goals, attacking play, good saves, controversy and everything else that a football fan wants to see in a big game.

It seems like only yesterday that Sinisa Mihajlovic was on the verge of the sack as the Rossoneri were struggling to get results. Unless this huge win against their rivals is followed up by an unfathomable sequence of defeats, it now seems like the Serbian will at least get to see out the season.

The most encouraging signs for Mihajlovic during the derby were that some of this season’s underperforming players came to the fore. Keisuke Honda put in his best performance in a while, delivering the cross for Alex to head in Milan’s first goal and generally being a nuisance against Inter’s full backs. For once Honda outshone the excellent and understated Giacomo Bonaventura, who had another fantastic game. M’baye Niang has been showing greater maturity in recent months and the young Senegalese finally delivered in a way that Milan fans have been waiting ages for. He set up Carlos Bacca for the team’s second goal with a peach of a cross, before finishing a counterattack to secure victory with an excellent finish for the third goal.

Meanwhile, the usual suspects maintained their consistency. Carlos Bacca continues to reaffirm his pedigree with each passing game. The Colombian now has 11 goals for the season, a remarkable stat considering he gets very few chances presented to him. Then there is 16-year old Gianluigi Donnarumma. The goalkeeper made some crucial saves as Inter tore into the Milan backline for most of the second half. The momentum of the game could easily have turned but for the teenagers heroics and regardless of where they finish in the table, Donnarumma is now clearly going to be Milan’s biggest gain of the season.

Milan have now lost only one game in their last six, winning three and drawing two. Their last two home games have delivered wins against Fiorentina and Inter, both, teams above them in the table. Meanwhile their last two away games were draws against Roma and the dangerous Empoli. From a season that seemed devoid of any progression, the Rossoneri now have positive momentum that could yet result in qualification for Europe.

Meanwhile the Nerazzurri now seem to be going in the opposite direction. Four points clear at the top at one point, Inter are now nine points behind the league leaders. Contrary to their rivals, Inter have won just one game in their last six, losing three and drawing two. To make matters worse, this sequence of results includes draws with Carpi and Atalanta and a careless loss to Sassuolo.

It’s a tricky situation judging Roberto Mancini’s team. Arguably, they were playing worse football when they were at the summit. Those results were largely achieved through the brilliance of Samir Handanovic and the centre back pairing of Miranda and Jeison Murillo. However, as good as Handanovic is, he can’t stop everything and it was only a matter of time before a few shots from opponents actually found the back of the net. Meanwhile Miranda and Murillo have also seen a slight dip in form which has coincided with Inter conceding some soft goals.

The problem is that while conceding goals is an eventuality that even the best defences have to face at some point in time, it’s at the other end that Inter aren’t doing enough to redress the balance. The creativity and pace that Adem Ljajic, Stevan Jovetic and Ivan Perisic bring to Inter’s forward play is evident, however goalscoring is clearly become a big hindrance for the team. For whatever reason, Mancini hasn’t been able to get Mauro Icardi to replicate his efforts from last season. Yet, he remains the most natural goalscorer in the team, so it was bizarre not to see him starting the game. That Mancini decided to give new signing Eder his debut at the expense of the Argentinian was even more surprising. The former Sampdoria man may well prove his worth in goals for the Nerazzurri, but Eder’s style is easily compatible with Icardi’s more approach. If Mancini wants more goals, playing Icardi and Eder while dropping one of Ljajic, Jovetic or Perisic may just be the way to go.

While the two Milan teams seemed poles apart as recently as the beginning of December, the gap between Inter and AC is now just five points. Mihajlovic has demonstrated the ability to find solutions in recent games. The onus is now on Mancini to do the same.