-
Champions League – Week 3 Predictions (Groups E – H)
A week that brings us the bigger matches, at least on paper, in the group stage, with the number one and two seeded teams clashing. This means Arsenal and Dortmund, the two best teams in the group of death, playing in London, while the classic yet less evened out match between Milan and Barcelona at the San Siro will surely draw plenty of attention.
-
Manchester United: David Moyes Is Still a Small-Time Manager
At some point, maybe Manchester United will start picking up points at the rate we’re used to seeing from them. However, until that day happens, the fingers will still be pointed at David Moyes for every wrong decision he makes and takes, and the comparisons between him and the great manager he replaced will weigh heavy on his shoulders.
-
Francesco Totti & The Amazing Numbers at Old Age
While it is arguable whether or not Francesco Totti is actually playing well as Roma tear from the Italian league, it’s hard denying his efficiency, which is quite easy to demonstrate through numbers, making him quite a phenomenon at the advanced footballing age of 37.
-
Chelsea FC – At Their Best When Eden Hazard Plays
The goals and wins are coming for Chelsea as they find themselves perched second in the Premier League, but the ability continues to be somewhat of an issue, even against some of the league’s weaker sides. One thing evident from the last couple of weeks? Eden Hazard has to be on the pitch for the team to reach its full potential.
-
AS Roma Are the Only Undefeated Team Left in Italy
While we have seen the “new” Juventus under Antonio Conte lose from time to time (not much really), it’s rare to see them collapsing as they did in the 4-2 loss against Fiorentina, which makes Roma the only team still undefeated in the Serie A, not to mention perfect, alone in that manner compared to the rest of Europe.
-
No One Running Away With the Dutch Eredivisie
After ten matches in the 2013-2014 season, there is no team with more than five wins in the Dutch Eredivisie. While there shouldn’t be any clear champion at this point, having only six points separate the top team (Twente) and the 11th place club (Go Ahead Eagles) does make for a very exciting league, which we usually do have in the Netherlands.
-
Jose Mourinho Knows Substitutions Better Than Anyone
An excellent case study of Premier League managers making substitutions this season so far highlights what an excellent job Jose Mourinho does when replacing players during matches, being the only one from the top 7 clubs to still not lose potential points due to one of his subs coming on, while as expected, David Moyes has done worse than anyone.
-
Bayern Munich – Mario Götze Shows He’s Worth the Wait
To say Mario Götze hasn’t really shown anything in Bayern Munich uniform so far would be an understatement, but there’s just too much talent between the young German’s feet to hide for much longer, and now that the injures have wore off, suddenly the European champions find themselves with a player who doesn’t need more than a second to set up the likes of Arjen Robben, Thomas Muller and Mario Mandzukic with easy scoring opportunities.
-
FC Barcelona – Fabregas Can’t Always Fill in For Messi
Some matches require more than just close to your best, even if the opponents don’t have the most impressive of names. Lionel Messi came on too late to change anything for Barcelona, who failed in their attempts to be led by Cesc Fabregas and Neymar as they failed to win for the first time this season, heading into one of the more difficult weeks they’ve had in quite a while.
-
Manchester United – Adnan Januzaj Can’t be the Best Player
The David Moyes crisis becomes worse, as his Manchester Untied lacks confidence, courage and the ability to actually finish off matches that should be automatic three points for them, especially at home. While Adnan Januzaj continues being the right choice and the official fresh maker for the team, the awful signing of Marouane Fellaini is cancelling out any positives there are to be drawn from another disappointment.