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FC Barcelona – Lionel Messi Doesn’t Mind the Changing Styles
As Barcelona continues to change under the hands of a coach that hasn’t come out of its own system, there’s one obvious thing that stays the same: Lionel Messi, who might not actually care about all the records he’s breaking or coming very close to setting, but with some huge help from Neymar is getting very close to one of the most prestigious in European soccer.
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Arsenal FC – Aaron Ramsey Thriving For the First Time Ever
Complaining about squad depth didn’t come with warrant, but at the moment, there isn’t too much wrong with Arsenal, who have now won six consecutive matches in all competitions, and are enjoying, maybe for the first time, an Aaron Ramsey they dreamed about when he first arrived from his Welsh club, and was seemingly lost forever after his awful injury.
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Chelsea FC – Eden Hazard Needs Some Stability Around Him
At some point, defeats and disappointments can’t be laughed and shrugged off arrogantly. Chelsea have a strong team, but a manager who continues to be infatuated with rotating his most important players, leaving Eden Hazard with two different sidekicks every match, and left with a lineup that struggles to create chances.
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Champions League – Week 1 Results & Tables (Groups E – H)
There’s no doubt that the result of the first week in the Champions League belongs to FC Basel shocking Chelsea and Europe with a 2-1 win at Stamford Bridge, making it quite complicated in Group E, while Barcelona had no problem dispatching of Ajax with a 4-0 win, getting three goals from Lionel Messi.
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Arsenal FC – Luis Suarez Would Have Been a Better Signing Than Mesut Ozil
Even if Mesut Ozil is an excellent signing for Arsenal, being able to get Luis Suarez from Liverpool would have been better for the club in terms of both getting the better player and filling in an actual need.
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FC Barcelona – Gerard Pique Isn’t the Only Defensive Problem
The defensive problems for Barcelona aren’t going away, and it’s not only on the head of Gerard Pique and Javier Mascherano at the heart of the defense, although they certainly are the easiest players to blame for the goals they concede.
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Liverpool FC – Mamadou Sakho Has a Bright Future at His New Club
It seems like Mamadou Sakho arriving at Anfield has come just in time, with Daniel Agger picking up a rib injury that might keep him out for at least one match. The French centre back isn’t completely match fit, speaking English or in sync with any of his defensive partners, but there’s plenty to be optimistic about.
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Juventus FC – Fernando Llorente Needs to Start Playing
With Juventus playing in a two striker formation or something that’s very similar to it, it’s hard to understand why Fernando Llorente has seen only one minute of football so far this season, making way for small, quicker forwards, even though it might be better to try and combine the Spaniard with a different player in order to get the best out of both worlds.
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Real Madrid – Cristiano Ronaldo Has Isco to Count On Now
The start of the Champions League campaign and the chase after the Decima couldn’t have gone any better for Real Madrid, with Cristiano Ronaldo getting his scoring groove on with a hat trick while Isco provided another example of why he has been the perfect signing for the club this summer, leaving his fingerprints on almost anything good that happened on the pitch before he was substituted.
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Manchester United – Wayne Rooney Back in a Happy Place
All transfer rumors are gone; all thoughts of leaving disappeared. Wayne Rooney is simply happy to be playing football again; starting, scoring, leading. Manchester United enjoyed his influence as they opened the David Moyes era in the Champions League with a dominant display, that could have gone a bit easier if it wasn’t for some hair-raising misses, mostly coming from Robin van Persie.