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Bayern Munich – Bastian Schweinsteiger Makes the Pep Guardiola System Work
It was simply impossible for a Bayern Munich team so talented no to start putting in impressive performances at some point. Apparently, the return of Bastain Schweinsteiger to full health and form is the difference between Pep Guardiola being misunderstood and berated than the same manager talked about as a tactical genius.
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FC Barcelona – Pedro Gives Lionel Messi a Break From Scoring
Hard to tell if the new Barcelona is really less about possession and simply more about being direct and finishing off matches later rather than sooner, but if it gives the chance for Pedro to steal the spotlight from Lionel Messi with an impressive hat trick, you won’t hear too many complaining about it.
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Liverpool FC – Steven Gerrard Can’t Be This Bad With Luis Suarez Still Out
In what might be his worst performance in a very long time, Steven Gerrard showed that for Liverpool to continue counting on him to hold their midfield on his own is asking for trouble, while manager Brendan Rodgers didn’t really help his team by insisting on Iago Aspas or playing with a weird, 4-centre back formation.
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Chelsea FC – Oscar Makes Jose Mourinho Look Like a Genius
The best thing Jose Mourinho could have hoped for after explaining to everyone why Juan Mata isn’t as important to him as he was for other Chelsea managers over the last couple of years was having Oscar start, play well and score, making the ‘Special One’ seem like the man with an answer to everything.
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Liverpool FC Screwed Over by Neil Swarbrick & Brendan Rodgers
Who plays without full backs, instead opting for a lineup that includes a defensive line of four centre backs? Brendan Rodgers has the answers. However, Liverpool can also complain about the decisions made by Neil Swarbick, not giving them a clear penalty in the first half after Daniel Sturridge was fouled by Dejan Lovren but because he didn’t dive, no foul was called.
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Winners & Losers From the New CBA in the NBA
While having money to spend over the luxury tax is never a bad thing, the CBA entering its third year in the NBA has made it more about wise financial management more than ever. Teams like the Brooklyn Nets, Houston Rockets and Memphis Grizzlies have made the right choices, each in its own way, while the Los Angeles Lakers, Boston Celtics and Dallas Mavericks have been on the wrong end of the new agreement.
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Texas Longhorns – Mack Brown Refuses to Acknowledge the Truth
It’s hard for elite programs to realize the moment when they become regular like everyone else, and it seems the same process is very difficult for Texas and especially it’s head coach, Mack Brown, who keeps insisting that things will be OK, and the fans pressure is nothing but a response to a trend, which can be fixed by simply winning games.
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NFL Referees – Evaluated by Tiers, not Grades Anymore
The decreasing level of refereeing in the NFL, despite the visual aids, it something that calls for immediate action. It seems that the first step taken by the league in order to fight the “epidemic” is changing the way they evaluate the officials. No more ranking them based on a numerical system, but instead keeping them in tiers that will determine if they can be part of a playoff crew or not.
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Juventus FC – Why Fernando Llorente Isn’t Playing
One of the surprising absentees from the Juventus lineups this season has been Fernando Llorente, signed this summer as answer to the club’s forward problems, but so far has seen only one minute of action in the Serie A and Champions League matches.
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Most Watched PPV Fights in Boxing History
Whatever the end results of the PPV count from the fight with Saul Canelo Alvarez, Floyd Mayweather continues to be the reigning king (with a little Mexican help) of PPV fights, as either his fight against Oscar De La Hoya or his most recent bout are the most ordered fights on Pay-Per-View, with the top 10 made up of fights that involve either him or Mike Tyson except for two.