A few weeks ago I was pondering the tight race for the Spanish La Liga title and marvelling at what was shaping up to be a really open race with no less than six credible contenders.
Well, no more. It may still be December but it’s become pretty clear that Catalan giants Barcelona will more than likely be crowned champions come season’s end. In fact, it will take a collapse of monumental proportions for Barca to lose their grip on what would be a wonderful debut season for new coach Josep Guardiola.
It’s not just that Barcelona’s 2-1 defeat of Villarreal on Sunday now puts them 10 points clear of second-placed Sevilla, even though that would be enough to stake their claim. It’s more the manner in which they have brushed aside all opposition in the last few weeks. And it’s not been your run of the mill, mid-table opposition either.
Barca’s last three fixtures have seen them play three of their title rivals and they’ve comprehensively dismissed each of them with stylish aplomb. Fourth placed Valencia were the visitors at the Nou Camp a fortnight ago when Thierry Henry’s hat-trick paved the way to a 4-0 dismissal. Then, arch-rivals Real Madrid, hardly having a vintage season and now sitting in 5th place, came calling last week and finished on the wrong end of a 2-0 score line. Villarreal are just behind Real in 6th place, and they actually took the lead on Sunday – the first goal conceded by Guardiola’s team in three matches – before Malian Seydou Keita tied the game and Henry put away the winner.
So, three games against teams in the top six have yielded maximum points, eight goals scored and just one conceded. But that still doesn’t tell the full story of Barcelona’s dominance. In particular, you may wonder how they have fared against their closest title contenders, 2nd placed Sevilla and 3rd placed Atletico Madrid, both of whom the played much earlier in the season.
Well, let’s just say it’s been more of the same. Atletico found themselves 3 goals down after 12 minutes at the Nou Camp and eventually lost 6-1; Sevilla, on the other hand played hosts at Montjuic and lost 3-0 in front of their own fans.
So, if we revise that table, in 5 games against the toughest teams in La Liga, Barcelona have won all 5, scored 17 goals and conceded 2! If that’s not championship winning form, then I sure don’t know what is.
And it’s not just the big boys that have felt the wrath of Barca’s blistering form. Since surprisingly losing their opening day match to Numancia, Barcelona have simply been in unbeatable form, winning 13 of their last 15 games, and bashing in a bucketful of goals in the process.
On this form, you might as well break out the champagne and crown Barcelona champions right now.
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Thursday, December 18, 2008
The “Africanisation” of French Football
You’ve all heard about globalisation, right? It’s certainly no new phenomenon in the world of football, with Brazilians all over the globe, Spaniards and Frenchmen starring England, Dutchmen dominating in Spain and all that.
Yet, the situation in France takes all this to a whole different level. Indeed, it’s not just globalization where French football is concerned; it’s what I’d describe as the “Africanisation” of French football.
Consider this: No less than 100 players of African descent currently ply their trade in French Ligue 1 – that’s an average of more than 5 players per club. Of course, this being France, a good number of those players are African in name only, having been born and raised in France – like the now-retired Zinedine Zidane. Then, there are those who were born in Africa but have made France their home from a young age and have either opted to represent their adopted nation – think Patrick Vieira – or have reached back to represent the country of their forebears – like Ivory Coast striker Didier Drogba.
A third category would be African players who have arrived France as full-fledged professionals, like Nigerian Taye Taiwo, at Marseilles.
Still, African is African and there’s no mistaking the African names when any two French clubs do battle in Ligue 1 these days. Don’t even get me started on the number of Traores playing in France! Perennial champions Lyons boast no less than five Africans of different stripes; Les Bleus defender Alain Boumsong was born in Douala, Cameroon, while his national teammate Karim Benzema was born and raised in France. On the other hand, defender John Mensah (Ghana) and winger Kader Keita (Ivory Coast) already made their names elsewhere before moving to France.
Lyons are hardly unique too. Marseilles have six Africans on the books, Toulouse have seven and Nice lead the way with no less than eight African players in their first team squad.
Yet, this preponderance of Africans in Ligue 1 tells only half the story of the Africanisation of French football; Africans are also taking over at national team level.
You can argue that African players are no new thing at this level – and you’d be right too. Mali born Jean Tigana was a star of the great French team of the 1980s; Basile Boli was a fixture under Michel Platini in the early 1990s and more recently, Zidane, Vieira and Congo-born Claude Makelele have been national team icons.
But never have there been so many African players in and around the French national team and the prospect of an All-African French national team isn’t as far-fetched as you might imagine.
You think I’m exaggerating? Well, just consider this eleven:
Goalkeeper
Steve Mandanda (Marseilles) – born in Kinshasa, Congo, this 23-year-old is already club captain and boasts 6 caps for France.
Right Back
Bacary Sagna (Arsenal) – born in France of Senegalese parents, he was voted best right back in the Premiership last season. The 25-year-old has 5 caps.
Left Back
Patrice Evra (Man Utd) – born in Dakar, Senegal and arguably the best left back in England. Evra, 27, made his name with Marseilles and has 16 caps.
Centre Back
Jean Alain Boumsong (Lyons) – experienced 29-year-old born in Douala, Cameroon. Has 24 caps and should win more with Lillian Thuram now retired.
Centre Back
Adil Rami (Lille) – the only uncapped member of this eleven, but has been called up for recent games. Born in France of Moroccan parents, Rami, 23, is an up and coming Ligue 1 star.
Right Midfield
Lassana Diarra (Portsmouth) – heading to Real Madrid in January after bouncing around England with Chelsea, Arsenal and Portsmouth, the 23 year-old Diarra is of Malian descent and has 16 caps.
Defensive Midfield
Alou Diarra (Bordeaux) – 27-year-old captain of Bordeaux and also of Malian descent, he has 17 caps
Attacking midfield
Samir Nasri (Arsenal) - coming of age at Arsenal, he is of Algerian descent and at 21, already boasts 14 caps (2 goals)
Left Midfield
Hatem Ben Arfa (Marseilles) – gifted midfield star who came to the fore at Lyons. Born in France of Moroccan descent, the 21-year-old has 7 caps.
Striker
Bafetimbi Gomis (St Etienne) – surprise choice at the Euros in June, the 23-year-old of Senegalese descent has scored twice in his 4 appearances for Le Bleus.
Striker
Karim Benzema (Lyons) – the new golden boy of French football is already a big star and national team regular at 21. He has 19 caps (5 goals).
In a nutshell: Mandanda – Sagna, Boumsong, Rami, Evra – Diarra.L, Diarra.A, Nasri, Ben Arfa, - Gomis, Benzema
Obviously, these lads aren’t all first choice for France right now. Yet, the prospect of a good number of them starting together for Les Bleus in the near future is very likely.
It might just be fitting for the most African league in Europe – and most appropriate for the first African World Cup Finals in 2010.
Yet, the situation in France takes all this to a whole different level. Indeed, it’s not just globalization where French football is concerned; it’s what I’d describe as the “Africanisation” of French football.
Consider this: No less than 100 players of African descent currently ply their trade in French Ligue 1 – that’s an average of more than 5 players per club. Of course, this being France, a good number of those players are African in name only, having been born and raised in France – like the now-retired Zinedine Zidane. Then, there are those who were born in Africa but have made France their home from a young age and have either opted to represent their adopted nation – think Patrick Vieira – or have reached back to represent the country of their forebears – like Ivory Coast striker Didier Drogba.
A third category would be African players who have arrived France as full-fledged professionals, like Nigerian Taye Taiwo, at Marseilles.
Still, African is African and there’s no mistaking the African names when any two French clubs do battle in Ligue 1 these days. Don’t even get me started on the number of Traores playing in France! Perennial champions Lyons boast no less than five Africans of different stripes; Les Bleus defender Alain Boumsong was born in Douala, Cameroon, while his national teammate Karim Benzema was born and raised in France. On the other hand, defender John Mensah (Ghana) and winger Kader Keita (Ivory Coast) already made their names elsewhere before moving to France.
Lyons are hardly unique too. Marseilles have six Africans on the books, Toulouse have seven and Nice lead the way with no less than eight African players in their first team squad.
Yet, this preponderance of Africans in Ligue 1 tells only half the story of the Africanisation of French football; Africans are also taking over at national team level.
You can argue that African players are no new thing at this level – and you’d be right too. Mali born Jean Tigana was a star of the great French team of the 1980s; Basile Boli was a fixture under Michel Platini in the early 1990s and more recently, Zidane, Vieira and Congo-born Claude Makelele have been national team icons.
But never have there been so many African players in and around the French national team and the prospect of an All-African French national team isn’t as far-fetched as you might imagine.
You think I’m exaggerating? Well, just consider this eleven:
Goalkeeper
Steve Mandanda (Marseilles) – born in Kinshasa, Congo, this 23-year-old is already club captain and boasts 6 caps for France.
Right Back
Bacary Sagna (Arsenal) – born in France of Senegalese parents, he was voted best right back in the Premiership last season. The 25-year-old has 5 caps.
Left Back
Patrice Evra (Man Utd) – born in Dakar, Senegal and arguably the best left back in England. Evra, 27, made his name with Marseilles and has 16 caps.
Centre Back
Jean Alain Boumsong (Lyons) – experienced 29-year-old born in Douala, Cameroon. Has 24 caps and should win more with Lillian Thuram now retired.
Centre Back
Adil Rami (Lille) – the only uncapped member of this eleven, but has been called up for recent games. Born in France of Moroccan parents, Rami, 23, is an up and coming Ligue 1 star.
Right Midfield
Lassana Diarra (Portsmouth) – heading to Real Madrid in January after bouncing around England with Chelsea, Arsenal and Portsmouth, the 23 year-old Diarra is of Malian descent and has 16 caps.
Defensive Midfield
Alou Diarra (Bordeaux) – 27-year-old captain of Bordeaux and also of Malian descent, he has 17 caps
Attacking midfield
Samir Nasri (Arsenal) - coming of age at Arsenal, he is of Algerian descent and at 21, already boasts 14 caps (2 goals)
Left Midfield
Hatem Ben Arfa (Marseilles) – gifted midfield star who came to the fore at Lyons. Born in France of Moroccan descent, the 21-year-old has 7 caps.
Striker
Bafetimbi Gomis (St Etienne) – surprise choice at the Euros in June, the 23-year-old of Senegalese descent has scored twice in his 4 appearances for Le Bleus.
Striker
Karim Benzema (Lyons) – the new golden boy of French football is already a big star and national team regular at 21. He has 19 caps (5 goals).
In a nutshell: Mandanda – Sagna, Boumsong, Rami, Evra – Diarra.L, Diarra.A, Nasri, Ben Arfa, - Gomis, Benzema
Obviously, these lads aren’t all first choice for France right now. Yet, the prospect of a good number of them starting together for Les Bleus in the near future is very likely.
It might just be fitting for the most African league in Europe – and most appropriate for the first African World Cup Finals in 2010.
Thursday, December 11, 2008
No Prem Monopoly on Exciting Football
If all you watch is the English Premiership, trust me, you’re selling yourself way short. Now, I’m not even going to get into that debate about which country’s league is best – that’s one for another day. Suffice to say there’s loads of exciting football going on all over the place, and even if the English game (can we still call it that with all the foreign players?) is well known for it’s pace and overall attacking emphasis, it by no means holds a monopoly in this regard.
I had the pleasure of catching a few really great games last weekend and not one of them was in the Prem. Oh, just to be clear, I did watch a number of Prem games, but I can’t quite bring myself to describe any of them as exciting. I suppose the dramatic Everton – Aston Villa clash - with two goals in injury time – would probably fit the bill, but since it wasn’t one of the games I saw, I wouldn’t really know.
Anyway, my odyssey started Saturday afternoon with Barcelona serving up another masterpiece to dismiss a decent Valencia side. Thierry Henry’s hat-trick helped the Catalans to a 4-0 win and an almost insurmountable lead at the top of the table. Barcelona are really looking the business this season and Josep Guardiola has quickly put his stamp on a team that was badly off kilter last season. New buys Dani Alves and Seydou Keita have settled in superbly, and even home-grown talent – the young Sergio Busquets, in particular – are making an impact. Barca look to be running away with La Liga this season and this comprehensive dismissal of one of their main rivals would boost their confidence no end. They host Real Madrid in what should be another thriller this weekend, even if the defending champions shocked everyone by appointing Juande Ramos (ex-Sevilla, ex-Tottenham) in place of the embattled Bernd Schuster on Tuesday.
That followed another Real defeat, this time at home to Sevilla, in what should go down as one of the matches of the season. It finished 4-3 at the Bernabeu and featured as many twists and turns as a Formula 1 circuit. It’s been a while since I enjoyed the pleasure of two teams going all out for the win, no holds barred, but this was a fast paced display of attacking football from both sides. Real probably had little option anyway, after finding themselves 3-1 behind at the break, but they were irresistible just after the break when Dutchmen Royston Drenthe and Arjen Robben turned up the heat and it was no surprise that they clawed back to level terms with 20 minutes to play. Robben’s subsequent red card probably turned the tide, but all credit to Sevilla who never let up on the attacking end and had their own star performers in goalkeeper Andres Palop, winger Jesus Navas and striker Freddie Kanoute.
Sevilla were pretty impressive and they have certainly recovered from the departure of star players Alves, Keita and Christian Poulsen, and they looked pretty solid, especially in central midfield, where the duo of Romaric Ndri (from Ivory Coast) and Argentine veteran Aldo Duscher have been surprisingly effective.
My weekend ended, oddly enough, where it should have started. I mentioned Friday’s top of the table Bundesliga clash between Bayern Munich and surprise league leaders TSG Hoffenheim last week, and just as I expected, what a cracker it turned out to be – even if I ended up watching the taped game on Sunday.
Bayern took the spoils, handing the new boys their first defeat of the season, but it took a deflected Phillip Lahm equaliser and a late, late Luca Toni strike to see off the upstarts from Hoffenheim. Before then though, Hoffenheim did a lot to win over new friends, yours truly included. If this team from a village of 3000 people are top of the Bundesliga, it’s strictly because they deserve to be.
Ralf Ragnick’s side matched – and often surpassed - the Bayern millionaires on their own turf for the better part of a thrilling game, and their star striker Vedad Ibisevic more than confirmed all the good things I had heard about him. He troubled Lucio for a full ninety minutes and grabbed the opening goal with a superb touch, spin and volley in the Bayern box. Little wonder he’s now scored 18 goals in 15 games of his first season in the top flight. I wouldn’t be too surprised if he ends up at Bayern in a few years. The Bavarians have that annoying habit of snatching up the best young talent from around their league – although if it’s down to cash Hoffenheim benefactor Dietmar Hopp can prove more than a match for Bayern.
Hoffenheim isn’t just about Ibisevic though. They play a high-energy, all-for-one brand of football, closing down opponents from well upfield and attacking with pace and purpose once they have possession. They kind of remind one of the Energizer bunny – always going, never stopping. Captain Marvin Compper leads by example in the heart of the defence with fullbacks Andreas Beck and Andreas Ibertsberger pushing up at every opportunity.
In midfield, Tobias Weis and Brazilian Luis Gustavo do all the heavy lifting, chasing and harrying opponents as well as starting up Hoffenheim’s quick-fire raids. But it is the quartet upfront that really gives this team its edge. Nigerian Chinedu Ogbuke (Obasi) and Brazilian Carlos Eduardo start in the wide positions, with Demba Ba and Ibisevic filling the middle. In practise though, Hoffenheim adopt a really fluid formation, with lots of inter-changing and they easily flex from a 4-5-1, when defending to an aggressive 4-2-4 when on the offensive.
Bayern’s win puts them level on points, but Hoffenheim’s superior goal difference leaves them one win away from being crowned winter champions when the Bundesliga takes a break next week.
If they can keep up the tempo – and Ibisevic keeps scoring – they could take the whole thing come April.
I had the pleasure of catching a few really great games last weekend and not one of them was in the Prem. Oh, just to be clear, I did watch a number of Prem games, but I can’t quite bring myself to describe any of them as exciting. I suppose the dramatic Everton – Aston Villa clash - with two goals in injury time – would probably fit the bill, but since it wasn’t one of the games I saw, I wouldn’t really know.
Anyway, my odyssey started Saturday afternoon with Barcelona serving up another masterpiece to dismiss a decent Valencia side. Thierry Henry’s hat-trick helped the Catalans to a 4-0 win and an almost insurmountable lead at the top of the table. Barcelona are really looking the business this season and Josep Guardiola has quickly put his stamp on a team that was badly off kilter last season. New buys Dani Alves and Seydou Keita have settled in superbly, and even home-grown talent – the young Sergio Busquets, in particular – are making an impact. Barca look to be running away with La Liga this season and this comprehensive dismissal of one of their main rivals would boost their confidence no end. They host Real Madrid in what should be another thriller this weekend, even if the defending champions shocked everyone by appointing Juande Ramos (ex-Sevilla, ex-Tottenham) in place of the embattled Bernd Schuster on Tuesday.
That followed another Real defeat, this time at home to Sevilla, in what should go down as one of the matches of the season. It finished 4-3 at the Bernabeu and featured as many twists and turns as a Formula 1 circuit. It’s been a while since I enjoyed the pleasure of two teams going all out for the win, no holds barred, but this was a fast paced display of attacking football from both sides. Real probably had little option anyway, after finding themselves 3-1 behind at the break, but they were irresistible just after the break when Dutchmen Royston Drenthe and Arjen Robben turned up the heat and it was no surprise that they clawed back to level terms with 20 minutes to play. Robben’s subsequent red card probably turned the tide, but all credit to Sevilla who never let up on the attacking end and had their own star performers in goalkeeper Andres Palop, winger Jesus Navas and striker Freddie Kanoute.
Sevilla were pretty impressive and they have certainly recovered from the departure of star players Alves, Keita and Christian Poulsen, and they looked pretty solid, especially in central midfield, where the duo of Romaric Ndri (from Ivory Coast) and Argentine veteran Aldo Duscher have been surprisingly effective.
My weekend ended, oddly enough, where it should have started. I mentioned Friday’s top of the table Bundesliga clash between Bayern Munich and surprise league leaders TSG Hoffenheim last week, and just as I expected, what a cracker it turned out to be – even if I ended up watching the taped game on Sunday.
Bayern took the spoils, handing the new boys their first defeat of the season, but it took a deflected Phillip Lahm equaliser and a late, late Luca Toni strike to see off the upstarts from Hoffenheim. Before then though, Hoffenheim did a lot to win over new friends, yours truly included. If this team from a village of 3000 people are top of the Bundesliga, it’s strictly because they deserve to be.
Ralf Ragnick’s side matched – and often surpassed - the Bayern millionaires on their own turf for the better part of a thrilling game, and their star striker Vedad Ibisevic more than confirmed all the good things I had heard about him. He troubled Lucio for a full ninety minutes and grabbed the opening goal with a superb touch, spin and volley in the Bayern box. Little wonder he’s now scored 18 goals in 15 games of his first season in the top flight. I wouldn’t be too surprised if he ends up at Bayern in a few years. The Bavarians have that annoying habit of snatching up the best young talent from around their league – although if it’s down to cash Hoffenheim benefactor Dietmar Hopp can prove more than a match for Bayern.
Hoffenheim isn’t just about Ibisevic though. They play a high-energy, all-for-one brand of football, closing down opponents from well upfield and attacking with pace and purpose once they have possession. They kind of remind one of the Energizer bunny – always going, never stopping. Captain Marvin Compper leads by example in the heart of the defence with fullbacks Andreas Beck and Andreas Ibertsberger pushing up at every opportunity.
In midfield, Tobias Weis and Brazilian Luis Gustavo do all the heavy lifting, chasing and harrying opponents as well as starting up Hoffenheim’s quick-fire raids. But it is the quartet upfront that really gives this team its edge. Nigerian Chinedu Ogbuke (Obasi) and Brazilian Carlos Eduardo start in the wide positions, with Demba Ba and Ibisevic filling the middle. In practise though, Hoffenheim adopt a really fluid formation, with lots of inter-changing and they easily flex from a 4-5-1, when defending to an aggressive 4-2-4 when on the offensive.
Bayern’s win puts them level on points, but Hoffenheim’s superior goal difference leaves them one win away from being crowned winter champions when the Bundesliga takes a break next week.
If they can keep up the tempo – and Ibisevic keeps scoring – they could take the whole thing come April.
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Arsenal, Liverpool..Hoffenheim
First word is for Arsenal fans. Kudos on that win at Stamford Bridge on Sunday, where Robin van Persie’s impressive brace overturned Chelsea’s first half lead and put Arsenal back in the hunt for the title - technically, at least. Even if the Dutchman’s first goal was clearly offside, there is no denying the quality of the winning goal and you guys must be pretty pleased to have put an end to that worrying sequence of losses.
Chelsea’s second home loss of the season - and Liverpool’s second straight goalless return at Anfield – leaves the Gunners “only” 8 points off the top after 15 matches, and if you guys need any encouragement you need only look back to last December. Then, it was Arsenal flying high at the top, and eventual champions Man Utd trailing by five points. Of course, all that changed by the end of the season when Wenger’s boys fell apart in the run in and could only finish in third place.
In that light, Arsenal are certainly still in the title race, especially with both Chelsea and new leaders Liverpool looking anything but solid at the moment. The main worry for you guys must be that the five losses the Gunners have suffered so far have come against Stoke, Fulham, Hull, Man City and Aston Villa – even if they have beaten both Chelsea and Man U. They’ll have to avoid any further slip-ups to stand any chance of taking the title, and they still have to visit Anfield, Old Trafford, Villa Park…..you get the picture.
Liverpool surely know a thing or two about slip-ups, having claimed just two points - and zero goals – from their last two home matches against Fulham and West Ham. A win from either of those games would have given Liverpool a three point cushion at the top. Instead they endured the bizarre sensation of getting booed off at Anfield even as they reclaimed top spot from Chelsea by one point on Monday night.
Liverpool remain very strong at the back – just 8 goals conceded so far - but they are struggling to score goals, especially against hyper-defensive teams at Anfield. Fernando Torres’ continued injury trouble leaves Benitez’s side short of firepower upfront, especially with Robbie Keane still struggling to settle in. Liverpool will have to find a new path to goal, at least until Torres’ returns to form, otherwise that slender lead will soon vanish and it’ll be another disappointing season. It must surely be worrying for Benitez that his team have only scored 21 goals this season – the lowest tally of any of the top six clubs and one goal less than 6th placed Premiership new boys, Hull City.
The good news for Liverpool is, despite the goal shortage and some below par performances, they are still top of the table with nearly half of the season gone. If their form improves they should still be in the title chase come the spring. But they’ll do well to heed the lessons of Arsenal’s fall last season – just as the Gunners, ironically, take some encouragement from it.
A league with a less familiar look at the top of the table is the Bundesliga, where newly promoted TSG Hoffenheim hold a three point lead over giants Bayern Munich. The small town club, funded by billionaire and SAP founder Dietmar Hopp, have surpassed all expectations in their first ever top flight sojourn, winning 11 of their 15 games to date and impressing with their attractive attacking game.
Not that Hoffenheim are much loved in Germany though. In truth, they are widely despised by fans of other teams – Hopp recently received death threats from Borussia Dortmund fans – and there are those who believe they have simply spent their way to the top, kind of like Chelsea.
But while it’s true that Hopp has sunk millions into the club, I don’t think the Chelsea comparisons come even close. The London club were already one of the Premiership’s top four before Roman Abramovich’s millions took them to back-to-back titles. Besides, Chelsea’s riches have led to an influx of world-renown stars at the very top of world football – Essien, Drogba, Shevchenko, Ballack, Anelka, Carvalho, Deco.
On the one hand Hopp has been sinking money into Hoffenheim for the past 20 years and the club were still playing the in 3rd division just five years ago. Besides, Hoffenheim’s star players – “big-money buys” - are little-known Brazilian Carlos Eduardo, the impressive Vedad Ibisevic, Senegalese Demba Ba and Nigerian Chinedu Ogbuke. Hardly household names, if you ask me.
Okay, maybe they were big names by Bundesliga 2 standards, and they certainly secured promotion in grand style, but these are hardly big money buys by Bundesliga standards. Take their main rivals and defending champions Bayern Munich, who are so packed with big-name players that national team striker Lukas Podolski struggles to get a game.
Apart from the attacking duo of Luca Toni and Miro Klose, Bayern also boast French star Frank Ribery, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Mark van Bommel, Ze Roberto, Lucio, and Phillipe Lahm.
If it were about money, Bayern should be well ahead of the pack and Hoffenheim struggling in mid-table.
That should make this Friday’s clash between the two sides a must-see. Hoffenheim have been excellent so far, but this top of the table clash against the Bavarian giants will prove their toughest test yet. We’ll see how they do.
Chelsea’s second home loss of the season - and Liverpool’s second straight goalless return at Anfield – leaves the Gunners “only” 8 points off the top after 15 matches, and if you guys need any encouragement you need only look back to last December. Then, it was Arsenal flying high at the top, and eventual champions Man Utd trailing by five points. Of course, all that changed by the end of the season when Wenger’s boys fell apart in the run in and could only finish in third place.
In that light, Arsenal are certainly still in the title race, especially with both Chelsea and new leaders Liverpool looking anything but solid at the moment. The main worry for you guys must be that the five losses the Gunners have suffered so far have come against Stoke, Fulham, Hull, Man City and Aston Villa – even if they have beaten both Chelsea and Man U. They’ll have to avoid any further slip-ups to stand any chance of taking the title, and they still have to visit Anfield, Old Trafford, Villa Park…..you get the picture.
Liverpool surely know a thing or two about slip-ups, having claimed just two points - and zero goals – from their last two home matches against Fulham and West Ham. A win from either of those games would have given Liverpool a three point cushion at the top. Instead they endured the bizarre sensation of getting booed off at Anfield even as they reclaimed top spot from Chelsea by one point on Monday night.
Liverpool remain very strong at the back – just 8 goals conceded so far - but they are struggling to score goals, especially against hyper-defensive teams at Anfield. Fernando Torres’ continued injury trouble leaves Benitez’s side short of firepower upfront, especially with Robbie Keane still struggling to settle in. Liverpool will have to find a new path to goal, at least until Torres’ returns to form, otherwise that slender lead will soon vanish and it’ll be another disappointing season. It must surely be worrying for Benitez that his team have only scored 21 goals this season – the lowest tally of any of the top six clubs and one goal less than 6th placed Premiership new boys, Hull City.
The good news for Liverpool is, despite the goal shortage and some below par performances, they are still top of the table with nearly half of the season gone. If their form improves they should still be in the title chase come the spring. But they’ll do well to heed the lessons of Arsenal’s fall last season – just as the Gunners, ironically, take some encouragement from it.
A league with a less familiar look at the top of the table is the Bundesliga, where newly promoted TSG Hoffenheim hold a three point lead over giants Bayern Munich. The small town club, funded by billionaire and SAP founder Dietmar Hopp, have surpassed all expectations in their first ever top flight sojourn, winning 11 of their 15 games to date and impressing with their attractive attacking game.
Not that Hoffenheim are much loved in Germany though. In truth, they are widely despised by fans of other teams – Hopp recently received death threats from Borussia Dortmund fans – and there are those who believe they have simply spent their way to the top, kind of like Chelsea.
But while it’s true that Hopp has sunk millions into the club, I don’t think the Chelsea comparisons come even close. The London club were already one of the Premiership’s top four before Roman Abramovich’s millions took them to back-to-back titles. Besides, Chelsea’s riches have led to an influx of world-renown stars at the very top of world football – Essien, Drogba, Shevchenko, Ballack, Anelka, Carvalho, Deco.
On the one hand Hopp has been sinking money into Hoffenheim for the past 20 years and the club were still playing the in 3rd division just five years ago. Besides, Hoffenheim’s star players – “big-money buys” - are little-known Brazilian Carlos Eduardo, the impressive Vedad Ibisevic, Senegalese Demba Ba and Nigerian Chinedu Ogbuke. Hardly household names, if you ask me.
Okay, maybe they were big names by Bundesliga 2 standards, and they certainly secured promotion in grand style, but these are hardly big money buys by Bundesliga standards. Take their main rivals and defending champions Bayern Munich, who are so packed with big-name players that national team striker Lukas Podolski struggles to get a game.
Apart from the attacking duo of Luca Toni and Miro Klose, Bayern also boast French star Frank Ribery, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Mark van Bommel, Ze Roberto, Lucio, and Phillipe Lahm.
If it were about money, Bayern should be well ahead of the pack and Hoffenheim struggling in mid-table.
That should make this Friday’s clash between the two sides a must-see. Hoffenheim have been excellent so far, but this top of the table clash against the Bavarian giants will prove their toughest test yet. We’ll see how they do.
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