Half Time Report: European Round-Up

Having mainly focused on the Premier League in my blog, it can almost seem like I don't acknowledge the existence of any other leagues! However, while the English leagues continue on through the winter, many of the main European leagues take a nice break for Christmas. This makes it easy for me to do a succinct, but hopefully useful, roundup of some of the key leagues around the continent, looking at the title battle, the challenge for the European places and the threat of relegation.

Spain

Title

After last year's shocking finale which saw Atletico Madrid usurp the Clasico pair to claim the title, the first time that neither Barcelona or Real Madrid had claimed the title since Valencia's win a decade previously, it's been an interesting opening five months to this year.

Unsurprisingly, given the money spent by both Barcelona and Real Madrid, the pair have returned to the summit so far this season, with Madrid leading the Catalans by a single point with a game in hand. However, the reigning champions have refused to give up, with Atletico just a point behind their neighbours, albeit having played two games more. They may be on the back foot this year, but they seem intent on challenging once more.

Europe

It's all the usual suspects once more, with Sevilla currently in the Champions League spot and Valencia and Villarreal occupying the Europa League places. The only shock is the sudden demise of Athletic Bilbao. Having beaten Sevilla to the final Champions League place last year, Los Leones find themselves only 12th so far this year, and are unlikely to be in the shake-up come the end of the season.

Relegation

Realistically, anywhere from 13th down could be considered to be included in the relegation scrap, with Getafe separated from bottom side Cordoba by just six points. At the minute, Elche and Grenada join Cordoba in the relegation zone, with Levante and David Moyes's Real Sociedad, after an appalling start to the season, clinging on above them. I'm sensing numerous changes in the second half of the season as teams jostle for position, and a run of two or three straight victories may see them out of danger.

Germany

Title

Arguably the most one-sided league in Europe. Following a few years of competition involving Borussia Dortmund, with even a title for Wolfsburg, Bayern Munich have made the Bundesliga title their own in recent years. With the Bavarian side currently unbeaten this year, drawing just three games and conceding only four goals, they lead second-placed Wolfsburg by an unassailable 11 points. It's now more a case of when and not if.

Europe

The real race is for second place, with Wolfsburg separated from 9th place Eintracht Frankfurt by as many points as from Bayern the other way. In reality, the Wolves look strong favourites to cement a place in the Champions League. Other than them, the race is incredibly tight, with 3rd to 8th separated by just four points. With their pedigree, you'd always fancy Bayer Leverkusen to make the top four, but any one of Schalke, Borussia Monchengladbach, Augsburg, Hoffenheim or Hannover could sneak into the final spot, with two of the remaining four being entered into the Europa League.

Relegation

Here is where the biggest shock in Europe lies. Despite having won a pair of titles less than five years ago, Borussia Dortmund find themselves in the relegation zone. With players like Mats Hummels and Marco Reus, there is no way they should remain in this predicament, however, their away form abysmal at present, there is no guarantee that they won't get sucked in. Other than that, any of the bottom half of the table could find themselves in trouble come the end of the year, with Werder Bremen, currently in the relegation playoff spot, separated from 10th placed Paderborn by just two points. This is going to be another tight battle.

France

Title

Despite all of the pre-season talk of a Paris-Saint Germain procession with the demise of Monaco, it hasn't gone entirely according to plan for Raymond Blanc's side. Trailing Marseille by three points, and Lyon by two, the likes of Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Edinson Cavani have yet to reach the highs that we saw last year. Though I do expect them to eventually triumph, Marseille have performed exceptionally well this season, with Pierre Andre Gignac and Florian Thavin singled out for particular praise. 

Europe

With Monaco slightly off the pace of the top teams, the four top places are likely to be the three currently challenging for the title and Saint Etienne, though the order is yet to be conclusively decided. The way the form table is going, I would predict a top four of PSG, Marseille, Lyon and Saint Etienne, but there is still much to be decided.

Relegation

As with a number of Europe's top leagues, this is set to be the largest battle this season. With Caen currently being cut away slightly at the bottom, trailing 17th place Metz by four points already, the difference between Evian in 18th and Nice in 11th is just three. The biggest surprise of the bottom half is European regulars Lille. Despite qualifying for this season's Europa League, Les Dogues have struggled in the league, currently languishing in 18th place. Though I suspect they have more than enough quality to drag themselves away from trouble, it is still a worrying time for their supporters, and put themselves under considerable pressure for the remainder of the season.

Italy

Title

Not quite as sewn up as Germany, but Juventus should be considered the strong favourites. Though they may only lead by three points from Roma, they have shown that they have the experience and ability to convert a lead to championships. If Juventus don't win it, I don't see anyone other than Roma claiming the Scudetto, though.

Europe

Behind the leading pair, a gap of nine points goes back to a trio of teams, and with only a further three points back to 8th place, this is set to be the biggest battle we see this season. Lazio currently occupy the final Champions League place, but with considerable European experience behind them in Napoli, Sampdoria, Genoa, Milan and Fiorentina, I expect to see many twists and turns in this battle going forward. 

Relegation

Surprisingly, this seems to be the only league where relegation is a little more cut and dried. With Parma and Cesena on just six and nine points respectively, they look dead and buried. The only real dispute is over the final spot, currently occupied by Cagliari. With a number of teams congregated on 17 points, five clear of the drop, I'm expecting to see a couple sucked into the struggle come the end of the year.

While it's been an interesting season in the Premier League, we're seeing all of Europe's leagues have prizes being hotly contested. Though in some, the largest honour is not really being contested, there are interesting dynamics being played out across Europe. With a long time to go in the season, there is still much to be decided, particularly involving the qualification for European competition next year.

Tactics Talk: Spot The Difference (Chelsea vs PSG)

Line-ups:

Chelsea (4-3-3): Cech, Azpilicueta, Terry, Cahill, Ivanovic, David Luiz, Lampard, Oscar, Willian, Eto'o, Hazard

Paris Saint Germain (4-3-3): Sirigu, Jallet, Alex, Thiago Silva, Maxwell, Matuidi, Verratti, Motta, Lucas, Cavani, Lavezzi

A slightly new take on the Tactics Talk! With these two only squaring up to one another a week ago, I thought it would be fairly pointless to write a post that would be almost word for word the same thing. On first glimpse, you would be forgiven for thinking the two sides have simply fielded the same 11s that started the first leg in Paris. There are a few subtle differences, that I will address in a moment. However, this post will look at those differences, and how it impacted the overall flow of the match, and perhaps the result.

So, going back to the lineups. Chelsea lined up with the same back line and midfield, with the exception of a like for like swap of Frank Lampard for the suspended Ramires. One area that has changed considerably is going forward. Not only has Jose Mourinho made his intentions to attack clear by pushing the two wingers, Hazard and Willian, further up the pitch from the start, he removed the hard-working but ultimately ineffective Andre Schurrle from that ill-judged 'false 9' role. His replacement: the striker he offended least recently! Maybe that's how he works it?

In all seriousness, Eto'o's reintroduction did offer Chelsea another option. His instinctive finishing ability, coupled with his prodigious pace, offered Chelsea the long ball option behind, and guaranteed that the Cameroonian would be on his bike to make runs behind Alex and Thiago Silva. This is where Frank Lampard's inclusion is perhaps more than the like for like swap that it initially appeared. His ability to pick a pass is second to none, and it must undoubtedly have been in Jose Mourinho's plans to get Lampard threading balls through the PSG defence for Eto'o.

In contast, there was one obvious omission from the Parisians' team: Zlatan Ibrahimovic. The Swedish talisman would be a considerable absence for them, from both a stature and ability standpoint, but their formation and tactics seemed to largely remain the same, with the three holding midfielders offering the pacy wide players the opportunity to break. That is not to say PSG would be parking the bus - they would be looking for goals to put the game to bed.

In the game itself, the opening stages struggled to find the intensity of the week before, with PSG looking comfortable both in possession and without the ball. Unlike the first leg, both sides seemed more than willing to use the wings, with Chelsea particularly favouring the right hand side. This was to be explained 20 minutes in. After a largely anonymous opening quarter, Chelsea playmaker Eden Hazard was forced off with a hamstring injury, bringing Andre Schurrle on in his place. Though not as mercurial as the Belgian wonderkid, Schurrle would have his own impact on the match. Towards the middle of the first half hour, Chelsea began to dictate play, but the never came close to breaking the deadlock as PSG's trio of Motta, Verratti and Matuidi seemed more than capable of mopping up any potential threats. Only a silly free kick conceded on the edge of the PSG area gave Sirigu any real cause for concern the first half hour, as Laurent Blanc seemed to have outwitted his opponent tactically.

However, those who have watched a Mourinho side know that he does not go down without a fight, and a switch or two. By continuing to stretch the Parisians, constantly switching Andre Schurrle and Willian to distract the PSG full backs, Chelsea managed to carve out a number of half chances. The defining moment of the first half though, came from a piece of good fortune. After winning numerous headers in the middle of the park, Chelsea tried a Rory Delap-esque long throw to unnerve the French. It worked perfectly, with David Luiz flicking Ivanovic's throw into the path of Schurrle, who flicked the ball beyond the statuesque Sirigu.

And how that changed the momentum! Suddenly, Chelsea looked a threat down the wings, with Schurrle having half-hearted appeals for a penalty turned down. From set pieces, the Blues reigned supreme, with Gary Cahill missing a guilt-edged chance to level the tie. As the first half lulled to a conclusion, Chelsea will have been extremely happy with their first half performance. This continued into the second period, with an extraordinary period of play seeing both Schurrle and Oscar hitting almost the same spot on the bar as Chelsea cursed their luck. The mistake-riddled Marco Verratti was then withdrawn for Yohan Cabaye to shore up the PSG midfield and give them another attacking option. Though PSG did begin to pressurise, the second third belonged to the Blues.

As time began to run out, that old tactic of throwing men forward began to occur, and Chelsea found themselves being caught on the counter. With both Ba and Torres then thrown on in favour of Lampard and Torres, Chelsea bombarded the PSG box, but with little reward. PSG in contrast, made two defensive subs, bringing off the dangerous Ezequiel Lavezzi for last week's heartbreaker Javier Pastore and 19-year-old centre back Marquinhos in favour of Lucas. However, it didn't work. After Edinson Cavani should really have killed the tie on the break, Chelsea broke through (once again with a stroke of good fortune). A deflection on a Torres shot took the ball straight to the much maligned Demba Ba, who stroked the ball off his shin and into the roof of the net under pressure from the defender.

Try as they might, PSG just could not find a way through, leaving Chelsea in delirium. Perhaps those defensive subs from Blanc came back to bite him in the end, as Marquinhos found himself with a chance that Lavezzi may have buried.

So what changed? Was it simply home advantage, or was there something more tactical? It is certainly true that Chelsea looked more defensively assured with Lampard guarding the back 4, rather than the more attack minded Ramires. It is also true that the movement of Willian and Schurrle caused PSG no end of problems, as it completely took the trio of Motta, Matuidi and Verratti out of the game. Throw in a couple of moments of good fortune and a slice of spirit, and you have a truly remarkable comeback that sees a Jose Mourinho side into the final four of the Champions League for the 5th consecutive year. He can't can he...?

Transfer Deadline Day: A Summer Of Sagas

                         This summer has seen the usual hustle and bustle around Europe, from car-window interviews to gossip columns. The main theme of this transfer window has been sagas, with players such as Bale, Suarez, Rooney and Fabregas all involved in drawn-out proceedings. However, the money that has been spent on players this summer is astonishing, and this post will review the biggest and most important signings and sagas from around the major European nations.

England:

Biggest Fee Paid: Mesut Ozil - Real Madrid to Arsenal (£42.4 Million)

Biggest Fee Recieved: Gareth Bale - Tottenham Hotspur to Real Madrid (£85.3 Million)

Most Active: Crystal Palace (16 new signings)

Most Spent: Tottenham Hotspur (£109 Million)

Review:

                           As is illustrated by the above and below statistics, it is England where the majority of the big money moves have been. English clubs also account for the vast majority of transfer sagas this summer, with Gareth Bale's seemingly inevitable move to Real Madrid taking forever to complete. Another man that commanded a considerable amount of column inches this summer was Luis Suarez. Having stated his displeasure at percieved 'broken promises' from the Liverpool hierarchy, he made his intention to leave clear. Cue two bids from Arsenal, the second designed to trigger a release clause in his contract. Embarrassingly for the Gunners, they had misinterpreted the clause, meaning that no deal had been struck. As the saga dragged on, it became more apparent that the Uruguayan would not be leaving Liverpool without a fight. This eventually culminated in Suarez accepting that he would have to stay at Anfield.

                            The big winners from this window are undoubtedly Tottenham Hotspur. Being able to spend £109 Million and have only effectively spent 25 puts them in good stead for the Financial Fair Play regulations, and gives them an enormous amount of talent at the same time. The big losers: Manchester United. A distinct lack of signings will do little to calm the doubters of David Moyes and Ed Woodward, and the fact that they wasted so much time on the sagas of Cesc Fabregas, Thiago Alcantara, Wayne Rooney and the Everton duo of Marouane Fellaini and Leighton Baines will have further exacerbated matters. To end up with only one major signing this summer is poor, and not what you would expect a championship winning side to manage. Had they decided not to sign anyone, that is a different matter. However, having chased and failed, Moyes's reputation will not have been aided.

                             England's transfer deadline day saw just two big money moves. Of the top 6, only two had failed to spend any money to this point, and it was today (arguably with an element of panic-buying) that saw them finally open the cheque-book. Firstly, Arsenal managed to capture the mercurial German Mesut Ozil from Real Madrid. Though a good signing for the Gunners, I question firstly the £42.4 Million fee, and the fact that midfield is not an area that I would consider weak in the Arsenal squad. They would have been much better off buying defenders or strikers. The second was expected: Marouane Fellaini's move to Manchester United. Though they cut it fine, after their pursuit of Ander Herrera ended shambolically (with reports of imposters attempting to defraud money from the Spaniards), they did manage to finalise the former Everton man. It seems that they did not manage to finalise a deal for Real Madrid's Fabio Coentrao, with documents handed in late and with multiple spelling mistakes. All in all, an eventful final day, but not one United will look back on with fondness.

Total Paid: £624,560,000

Spain:

Biggest Fee Paid: Gareth Bale - Tottenham Hotspur to Real Madrid (£85.3 Million)

Biggest Fee Recieved: Radamel Falcao - Atletico Madrid to AS Monaco (£49 Million)

Most Active: Elche and Sevilla (14 new signings)

Most Spent: Real Madrid (£146.1 Million)

Review:

                                As is the case practically every season, the main Spanish transfer stories revolved around the El Clasico pair, with a case of one-upmanship seemingly prevolent. Real Madrid cast the first stone, signing the hotly rated pairing of Isco and Asier Illaramendi for £20 Million and £34 Million respectively. Barcelona, having not spent at that point, then unleashed what was, at the time, the biggest transfer of the summer, with the capture of Santos wonderkid Neymar. For a fee of £57 Million, he has a lot to live up to at the Catalan club, but what team would not want a strikeforce of Messi and Neymar? Madrid, not to be outdone by their fiercest rivals, had the final say. After a prolonged negotiation, which went on far longer than anyone cared for, they managed to snare their man the day before the deadline. Gareth Bale would join the Galacticos at Madrid for a world record fee of £85.3 Million.

                                 The main winners in this transfer window are probably the pair of them, as they now both have formidable squads that will be envied by most managers around the world, and they are both capable of claiming any title they want this season. It is an extraordinary amount of money to pay for those players, but if they come good, the rewards will be just as substantial. The main loser is probably Atletico Madrid. Although they managed to recoup £50 Million for their talismanic striker Falcao, they failed to adequately replace him. Though David Villa is an excellent signing, his powers are beginning to wane, and I think they will miss the big Columbian's presence up front this season.

                                   Transfer deadline day in Spain consisted mostly of the unveiling of the world's most expensive player, with Gareth Bale paraded around the Santiago Bernabeu in the famous white shirt. The main moves on deadline day were all from Real Madrid, with the need to recoup some of their expenditure. The first move was the Brazilian playmaker Kaka back to AC Milan. After a turbulent few seasons in Spain, which most will consider a failure for the former World's Best Player, he will be glad to have left. Finally, Mesut Ozil's transfer will have helped line the fairly empty Madrid coffers, as £42.4 Million is not to be sniffed at. That made the day a bittersweet one for the Madrid fans, as the German had become a fan favourite, and many were sad to see him leave.

Total Paid: £313,000,000

Italy:

Biggest Fee Paid: Gonzalo Higuain - Real Madrid to Napoli (£31.3 Million)

Biggest Fee Recieved: Edinson Cavani - Napoli to Paris Saint Germain (£55 Million)

Most Active: Parma (29 new signings)

Most Spent: Napoli (£71.7 Million)

Review:

                                    Italian football's summer transfer window was dominated by one club: Napoli. The initial speculation over the future of Uruguayan striker Edinson Cavani culminated in his transfer to Paris Saint Germain. Due to the amount of interest in his signature, Napoli were able to hold clubs to ransom, meaning that the £55 Million release clause in his contract needed to be met. Once that departure had happened, a spending spree could begin. Though six or seven top quality players were signed, the marquee signing was undoubtedly that of Gonzalo Higuain from Real Madrid for a fee of £31.3 Million. However, the Naples side was not the only one investing in a top quality striker, after the surprise news that Mario Gomez had left European Champions Bayern Munich in favour of Fiorentina for a reported fee of £15 Million. The champions Juventus, unwilling to be outdone, managed to snare two: firstly Fernando Llorente on a free, and then Carlos Tevez from Manchester City for a fee of £10 Million.

                                     The main winners of this transfer window in Italy have undoubtedly been Napoli, though Juventus's forward line is now impressive. The trio of signings from Madrid, with Jose Callejon and Raul Albiol joining Higuain, along with Liverpool's Pepe Reina and PSV Eindhoven's Dries Mertens. This side is now well capable of, at least, Champions League qualification, and perhaps even the title. The losers in the window are probably the Milan sides, with AC losing Kevin-Prince Boateng, though they did rectify that somewhat with the signing of Madrid's Kaka. Inter, however, have failed to land that marquee signing, electing instead to sign a few players at around £6-8 Million. How successful that will prove is yet to be seen.

                                        Deadline day was relatively quiet in Italy, with the vast majority of deals done early in the summer. Only Milan were particularly busy, with the initial signing of Real Madrid's Kaka, for a reported fee of £8 Million. This is especially impressive when you consider that they managed to get £56 Million for the Brazilian from the Spaniards just 4 years ago. Further signings of Valter Birsa from Genoa and Alessandro Matri from Juventus may prove good signings, but they pretty much constituted the largest signings on the day itself.

Total Paid: £295,300,000

France:

Biggest Fee Paid: Edinson Cavani - Napoli to Paris Saint Germain (£55 Million)

Biggest Fee Recieved: Mahmadou Sakho - Paris Saint Germain (£18 Million)

Most Active: Bastia and AS Monaco (12 new signings)

Most Spent: AS Monaco (£140.7 Million)

Review:

                                           As was to be expected, the two oil rich clubs almost monopolised the spending in France, with Paris Saint Germain and AS Monaco fighting it out between themselves for the biggest Ligue 1 transfer of the summer. AS Monaco began the spending early, with firstly a £50 Million deal for Radamel Falcao, before a £70 Million double swoop for Porto's James Rodriguez and Joao Moutinho. Not to be outdone, the Parisians then broke the principality's Falcao record with a £55 Million transfer of Edinson Cavani. They backed this up with a £15 Million of Lille's Lucas Digne and a £31.4 Million transfer of Roma's Marquinhos. Monaco then finished the spending with deals for Toulalan, Romero and finally Sevilla's Geoffrey Kondogbia, taking their total past £140 Million.

                                          If both of these sides constitute the winners in this season's transfer market, then Lille and Montpellier have to be the losers. If those two sides want to be challenging for honours and Champions League places then they need to be continuing to strengthen. Lille, in particular, who have lost some of their star talent in recent years, have failed to adequately replace them.

                                           With the two big spenders getting the majority of their deals done early doors, it was over to the sides like Lyon and Marseille to provide the entertainment on deadline day. The days leading up to September 2nd had been dominated by the behaviour of Lille midfielder and Marseille target Florian Thuavin. After some exceptional performances at the back-end of last season, the 20-year-old was advised to request a new contract, despite only having signed in January. The suspicions were raised that this was Marseille's advice, attempting to drive a wedge between the two parties. If this is the reason, it worked to perfection for OM, who managed, eventually, to grab the youngster for £12 Million. This left a very sour taste in the mouths of Lille, who complained that Marseille had unfairly approached their player. Other than this drama, there was little on deadline day to get unduly excited about.

Total Paid: £311,700,000

Germany:

Biggest Fee Paid: Mario Gotze - Borussia Dortmund to Bayern Munich (£32.5 Million)

Biggest Fee Recieved: Mario Gotze - Borussia Dortmund to Bayern Munich (£32.5 Million)

Most Active: Bayer Leverkusen, Eintracht Frankfurt and Stuttgart (9 new signings)

Most Spent: Bayern Munich (£52.5 Million)

Review:

                                   Germany, similarly to Italy, has had a relatively quiet summer in terms of transfers. After much initial speculation about the futures of Dortmund pair Mario Gotze and Robert Lewandowski, their fates were sealed very early on, with Gotze joining Bayern Munich for £32.5 Million, and Lewandowski signing a new contract at Signal Iduna Park. Certainly, these two clubs have been the largest spenders in the transfer market, with the highly rated Thiago Alcantara joining Gotze at Bayern Munich, after being wanted by Manchester United, to further strengthen the midfield. For Dortmund, they added to the forward line early by bringing in the pacy Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang from St. Etienne for around £11.5 Million, and then replaced Gotze with Shakhtar Donetsk's notoriously unspellable Henrikh Mkhitaryan for around £20 Million. The Ukrainian had been tracked by Liverpool and Tottenham before moving to Germany.

                                     Other big transfers from Germany include Mario Gomez's decision to leave the European champions in favour of Fiorentina, Luiz Gustavo's £17 Million move to Wolfsburg and Bayer Leverkusen's signing of Hamburg's highly rated youngster Son-Ming Heun, in order to replace the departed Andre Schurrle. In the final few days of the transfer window, the major transfer deal was that of AC Milan's Kevin Prince Boateng to Schalke 04. A fantastic signing for the Germans, as they had needed that extra bit of creativity. Other than that, very little activity occurred on the final day.

                                     Unlike in the other countries, there does not appear to be many obvious winners or losers in the Bundesliga. Both Bayern and Dortmund bought well, but they also lost a couple of top quality players. Schalke and Leverkusen both added well to their squads to move them closer to the top two. Arguably the only loser is Hamburg, as they failed to replace the top-scoring Son after his departure to Leverkusen.

Total Paid: £216,500,000

Conclusion:

All of the nations have spent big this season, with every league being involved in a transfer over £30 Million. This has caused records to be shattered in England, and I suspect around many clubs too. How well these players will perform is yet to be seen, but the price tags placed on many will put more pressure on their shoulders. This year's deadline day was not as dramatic as those of previous years, but the amount of money spent more than makes up for this.