FIL - Football Isn't Luck

Friday 14 October 2016

Serie A - September update

SERIE A

Same old story in Italy, with Juve already creating a gap between themselves and the rest of the league. They won almost every match, being surprised by Inter Milan guided by a superb João Mário. Apart from that, Allegri is having a stroll while the fight for second is already growing intense.

JUVENTUS

The team adapted well to the absence of Pogba and without put too much effort is already at the top of the league with four points over Napoli. Pjaca and Pjanic have worked very well together and Higuain has been bagging the goals that Juve paid for, and everything looks to be well in Turin.

SSC NAPOLI

It was all going well, keeping up with Juve after the Vecchia Signora’s slip at the Meazza, but the defeat at Atalanta sent Napoli back to a 4 point distance and now they now they can’t miss any points until they travel to Turin in the end of the month for an important clash to determine if Napoli can contend for the title.

AS ROMA

It hasn’t been brilliant, but the win against Inter put Roma back in third and with sight set on Napoli for their clash at the San Paolo. The odds are against Spalletti’s team, though, as their form shows they have been losing their away fixtures, and Napoli will want to show they are title contenders. For Roma is about trying to get a result that will elevate the morale and make them try and go for bigger things.

The League

As said, Juventus is starting to run away and the run until November will be decisive to show if anyone can really match Allegri’s squad as they will travel to San Siro (a stadium where they lost already) and they will finish October hosting Napoli. The Milan teams were able to put a good run of form, but they still lack consistency to threat the top. Fiorentina and Udinese are down in the bottom and are big disappointments so far.

Top Goalscorers

Next Fixtures

Liga Nos - September update

LIGA NOS

Champions Benfica have been fighting through an injury crisis, but looking at their results and displays on the pitch, it seems everything is fine. The rivals haven’t been able to keep the invincibility and so the Big 3 are already at their spots, whilst newly promoted Chaves is a surprising 5^th placed.

SL BENFICA

If Benfica goes on to win the league, we’re going to look back to round 5 as one of the decisive moments for that eventual title. Benfica was to host Braga on Sunday, but Porto and Sporting played and dropped points on Saturday, allowing Rui Vitória’s squad to take advantage and grab the top of the league. They stayed strong in the next two matches and they know they need to grab wins to put pressure on Porto ahead of their clash in early November.

SPORTING CP

It’s not a free fall, but 8 goals conceded in 3 matches in a very poor stat to hold and Jorge Jesus will surely have used this international break to find a way to stop this defensive crisis that has hindered Sporting’s league campaign. The games against Estoril and Vit.Guimarães showed they can score goals, but they lose focus and throw away easy wins, and now they are punished by trailing to their bitter rivals knowing Benfica loses few points during a season.

FC PORTO

Two convincing wins and André Silva growing in confidence, helped by the goals he scored for Portugal, make us think that FC Porto can be a threat as much as Sporting or Benfica to go and get the title. The quality of game isn’t still quite there but as long as they keep getting the points, Porto has a chance to get back to title contention

The League

Benfica and Porto will meet in the beginning of November and they will want to win both matches that precede that big clash, one that will be very important to see if Porto can actually fight for the title. For Benfica it has been a stroll but they know they cannot have any slips prior to go to Estádio do Dragão, as they have a good lead to defend. Sporting needs to sort out their defense and soon, if they want to capitalize on the match and consequent loss of points of one of the rivals.

Top Goalscorers

Next Fixtures

Ligue 1 - September update

LIGUE 1

Entretaining and unpredictable have the words to describe Ligue 1, a league that was expected to be dominated by PSG again, but Emery has been struggling and seeing teams like Monaco and Nice taking advantage of that and fighting for the top spot. PSG has work to do to confirm their status but it seems it will be tough for them.

PARIS SAINT-GERMAIN

It hasn’t been a great start for Unay Emery in France. The Spanish inherited a team that needed strong motivation for the league, after the easy wins from last season, but without Ibra that seems to be a harder task and PSG sits only in third spot. They were defeated again, at Toulouse, but took advantage of their slip to get back in the podium, but PSG is still very away from their potential. Di María and the defensive problems have been a big issue and if things don’t get better soon Emery might face some backlash.

AS MONACO

Thomas Lemar and Bernardo Silva. Two young prospects that have been the highlight of the good start of season that Monaco has been having. Jardim is known to give his young players all the freedom, and this two are ones to making the most of the chance. Falcao will never get back properly to fitness, you feel, but when is on the pitch he attracts the attention and has allowed Monaco to prosper, with a big blip at Nice that took the lead of the league from them.

NICE

Did Mario Balotelli finally found his home? Inspired by Ibrahimovic, a league where he can do his football and a club that maybe will put up with some of his antics if he produces on the pitch, like he knows. So far, the return is five goals in three games and only good news coming from this relation. The win against Monaco, a team known for their defensive consistency, showed that Nice will try and fight for Champions League football. And with PSG lacking consistency, maybe more.

The League

The top two teams will have big games on Friday to decide if they can actually big contenders to the title or if PSG will, inevitably, get the top spot to never let it go. Monaco will travel to Toulouse, a team that is also around the top of the league and already defeated PSG at their home ground. For Nice, Lyon and Lacazette are the opponent, and if the striker is on form he’s always likely to score. Down the table, Marseille needs a win to not get dragged into a fight that’s under their status.

Top Goalscorers

Next Fixtures

La Liga - September update

LA LIGA SANTANDER

It’s been a very competitive start for La Liga, with the big teams being regularly surprised and makes the points difference still residual. Barcelona has been very inconsistent, Real got Ronaldo back but, weirdly, seems to have lost their touch, and Atlético put behind their bad start due to their rivals slips. It can turn out to be a very exciting season in Spain.

FC BARCELONA

The injury of Messi just made a shaky start worst for FC Barcelona. Their form in the league hasn’t been the best and they have dropped down to fourth due to another surprising loss, this time in Vigo at the Balaidos. It’s far from being over, obviously, and Arda Turan seems to be enjoying is time now, but Luis Enrique needs to bring this team back together, as 2 defeats in 7 games is not an acceptable result.

REAL MADRID

With their big rivals starting the season with their own problems, Real Madrid had a great opportunity to start to build up a lead and attack a title that have been out of their grasp in recent years. Instead, in true Merengue fashion, they start drawing games, with the Las Palmas trip marked by the Cristiano Ronaldo substitution. It’s always a bit shambolic at the Bernabéu at Zidane needs to bring their team back together.

ATLÉTICO MADRID

Does anyone remember how they started the season? Surely Simeone does but Atleti kicked back from the draws that threaten to be decisive, but ended up being a good tonic that was mixed with Barca and Real’s slippery starters and resulted with the Colchoneros in the lead after the October international break. The defense is now even more solid as Oblak is growing in quality and leading the rock in front of him.

The League

Last time we had said the surprises weren’t happening. How things have changed, with the graph of form showing that the teams at the top had a difficult time to cope with the beginning of European season. Even Real and Barca had their troubles, though Zidane’s team is still unbeaten but haven’t won in three matches in a row. Everything is still tied up, Valencia still struggling at the bottom, and Atletico pushing through to the top with their solid defensive efforts.

Top Goalscorers

Next Fixtures

Bundesliga - September update

BUNDESLIGA

It has been a very standard start for the German top flight, with the giant that dominates imposing themselves and seeing the rest of their opponents fighting it out to get the “best of the rest” place. It’s still early days, of course, but it’s very hard to predict that anyone will challenge Bayern in their route for another title.

BAYERN MUNICH

Things remain pretty much the same since the last update for Ancelotti and his team that already has a small gap between themselves and the rest of the league. Strong in defense, deadly in attack, Bayern keeps the same foundations from the Guardiola years. You don’t want to mess with a winning formula and only Hummels has been a new face regular in the starting XI, with young wonderkid Renato Sanches still adapting to a new, more intense football. They were finally stopped by in-form Koln, but it was probably just a blip in the radar.

BORUSSIA DORTMUND

Injuries have been a thorn in Tuchel’s shoe, has the absences of Reus, Gotze, Bartra, Bender, Durm and now Guerreiro have been decisive to keep a consistent run of form going. It seemed it was coming with some demolition jobs, but the trip to Leverkusen ended in defeat and Bayern is starting to go. Dortmund is also missing the voice of Hummels to lead them in tougher games but if they fix that issue, with their offensive prowess, Dortmund can still have a word in the fight.

HERTHA BERLIN

Pal Dardai has been receiving some praise for the start of season that he was able to produce with Hertha and you can understand why. Only one defeat, a normal one in Munich at the Allianz Arena, but with results coming up their way in the next round, Hertha got themselves in between Bayern and Dortmund, a place they will defend at Dortmund in the big match of round 7.