Four games ago, Bayern trailed Borussia Dortmund by five points – but victory on Saturday has now put them six points clear at the top of the BundesligaIt was the sort of evening after which crumbs of comfort had to be searched for, and Borussia Dortmund’s website did exactly that after Saturday’s defeat by Bayern Munich. “BVB edge stats despite defeat,” said the headline, before going on to explain how their team had the upper hand in terms of shots, corners and pass completion. The players, it seemed, were in no mood for gentle consolation. “We weren’t ready to play,” said Christian Pulisic, one of the team’s few bright spots, after the game. “Bayern did whatever they wanted.” Gonzalo Castro...
Marco Giampaolo is playing down talk of special season for a Sampdoria side flying high with a dynamic midfield trio of young 20-somethings at its heartDon’t call it fake news. If you ask the Sampdoria manager Marco Giampaolo, the idea that his team might compete for a Champions League spot this season is more like “science-fiction”. That was the term he used on Saturday night, after guiding his team to victory in the Derby della Lanterna. Why would we moot such a possibility? A 2-0 win only kept them in sixth place – five points outside the top four. It was not a surprising result on its own terms; Genoa started and finished the day in the relegation zone. The...
Zinedine Zidane’s side arrive in London after their worst start in the league since the José Mourinho era but the Champions League has often been their escapeOn the plane back from defeat in Girona on Sunday evening Zinedine Zidane went over the game again while in the rows behind him his players quietly watched films or TV series, keen to clear their minds of what had just happened. “It wasn’t a nice feeling,” Sergio Ramos admitted, and it didn’t make for good viewing either. “I’m not worried,” the Real Madrid manager had said as he sat in front of the media after the match; now, as he sat in front of his captain flying west, and with no need to...
As the crisis in Catalonia reached fever pitch outside the ground, the minnows of Girona beat Real Madrid in a symbolic but richly-deserved winPablo Machín stood by the table football in the middle of the Montilivi dressing room where two teams lined up rigidly in 3-3-4, one in blue, the other in white, and told his players – the real ones in red – they should be proud. He didn’t speak for long, just a few seconds standing there among the socks, bandages and bottles on the floor, and when he finished there was applause from everyone and for everyone. There was no cava, Girona’s coach said, but there was a celebration and, he admitted, euphoria. “Maybe it’s the coach’s...
Juventus’s Gonzalo Higuaín proved the difference at San Siro as the top five teams’ dominance continued, as did talk of reducing Serie A from 20 teamsThe debate about how many clubs should compete in Serie A never really went away. Italian football’s top division has expanded and contracted many times in almost 90 years of existence. At its smallest, it has contained only 16 teams, and at its largest, an awkward 21. Right now, we are back at 20 but there has been a growing clamour to reduce that figure. The Italian Football Federation’s own president, Carlo Tavecchio, has repeatedly stated his belief that 18 teams would be “perfect”. On the evidence of this season so far, you could make...