European football: things to look out for this season
Champions League
The single greatest annual football competition is back in action. With 32 top-tier European clubs fighting for the honor of being crowned European Champions in the group stages, here are a few things worth mentioning:
The clubs that currently top their group are the following: Manchester United (A), PSG (B), Chelsea (C), Barcelona (D), Sevilla (E), Manchester City (F), Besiktas (G), Real Madrid (H).
Real Madrid, after defeating Juventus in a 4-1 win last season and Atletico Madrid in a penalty shootout the prior season, have been crowned champions for two consecutive years. With their evident dominance in the football realm, Real are favorites to win the Champions League once again. If this was to happen, it may signify a new era of dominance by Real and this could mean many things, especially for their long time rival- Barcelona.
La Liga (Spanish League)
For years, Barcelona and Real have leveled against each other, often recognized as two of the greatest clubs to ever exist. The two club’s clash has also been given a name – El Clasico, meaning “The Classic”. It is among the most watched football matches in the world and is well-known due to the two clubs’ intense rivalry. However, with Real’s possible dominance comes Barcelona’s drop in form. The famous Barcelona trio – Messi, Suarez, and Neymar (referred to as MSN)- has broken apart after Paris Saint Germain bought Neymar for a whopping 222 million euros. This sparked anger in many Barcelona fans as Neymar was a young prospect well-liked by the fans. Soon after Neymar’s departure, Barcelona faced Real Madrid in two matches for the Super Cup, losing both games. Real beat Barcelona with an aggregate score of 5-1. However, it is still too early to determine if Barcelona will indeed fall into the shadow of Real Madrid. As of now, Barca has won all league and Champions League matches and are still going strong despite Neymar’s leave. In comparison, Real are falling behind on the league table with 14 points in 7 games. Barcelona’s new 18-year-old addition, Ousmane Dembele, can also be a deciding factor of the club’s performance this season.
Bundesliga (German League)
Dembele, before arriving at Barcelona to play alongside some of the most talented players, was a part of the German club, Borussia Dortmund. Prior to Dortmund, Dembele had not been able to participate in larger club competitions as his club was second-tier in the French league. He strived in the Bundesliga and soon became a target of many transfer rumors due to his young age and potential. Dortmund were unwilling to sell a young prospect like Dembele, but he began skipping practice and defying the club’s orders due to his wish to play in his dream club – Barcelona. His lack of gratitude toward Dortmund angered many fans. This is a rather significant loss to Dortmund and the impact is not yet clear. However, Dortmund are unaffected and are topping the league table with 19 points in 7 games. It would be interesting to see where Dortmund would end up on the table in comparison to their previous seasons. (last season – 3rd place).
Premier League (English League)
Manchester United ended their last season with a disappointing sixth place in the Premier League. However, the club went on to win the Europa League, which paved way for their participation into this season’s Champions League. Unlike last season, United are also thought to have a much greater chance of winning the Premier League after some mentionable additions to the team. Romelu Lukaku, a forward bought from Everton, has already scored 10 goals in nine games. Manchester United has not yet lost a game since the season started and is currently topping the league table. The fans are holding high hopes.
On the other hand, Arsenal has been experiencing a less-than-satisfactory season. Not only are they out of the Champions League, their Premier League journey so far has been less than ideal, putting them 5th place on the table with 13 points in seven games. The club won four games against Leicester City in the first round, Bournemouth in the fourth , West Bromwich Albion in the sixth and Brighton in the sixth. However, the second and third games of their Premier League season were losses, losing 1-0 to Stoke City and then a shocking 4-0 against Liverpool. This is resulting in great discontent among Arsenal fans for their long-term manager Arsene Wenger. Many of them want “Wenger Out” and hopes that their club will get back on track.
Serie A (Italian League)
This season’s Serie A, compared to the past few years, seems more competitive. Juventus have won six consecutive seasons, making them the most successful club in Serie A in recent years. With some of the best players such as Dybala and Buffon on the team, Juventus have also entered the final in the Champions League twice in the last three seasons. However, one of the most shocking transfers of the transfer window this summer was of Juventus defender Leo Bonucci leaving to rivals AC Milan. Milan were perhaps the most active club in transfers, buying new players for almost every position on the pitch. As of now, Juventus are having a more successful season with 19 points in seven games and Milan with 12. However, Napoli are currently topping the league table with 21 points after Juve’s recent tie against Atalanta. It remains to be seen whether or not Juve will be able to secure a seventh consecutive scudetto.
One of the key players to focus on in Serie A this season is Paulo Dybala, who has taken on the Juventus legendary number 10. The Bianconeri are now putting great hopes in him to continue playing in Juve and to become an icon. He has scored two hattricks within the last month and 10 league goals in seven games. At the age of 23, Dybala still has his best years ahead of him.
Ligue 1 (French League)
The club to pay most attention to in Ligue 1 this season is undoubtedly PSG. During the summer transfer window, they weren’t necessarily the most active but most definitely the club that spent the most on players. With the surprising transfers of Mbappe and Neymar came a huge cost of around 370 million Euros. However, the investment seems to have been somewhat worth it, as PSG are topping the league table and has not lost a game (including Champions League) since the beginning of the season. Neymar has scored 8 goals in eight games and Mbappe 3 goals in seven . It would also be interesting to see how well PSG will continue to do in the future.
Overall, the 2017-18 season of European Football is an exciting one, and with the 2018 Russia World Cup on its way, it’s going to be a great year for football fans.
Here are a few October games that might be worthwhile to stay up the night for:
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE
- 17 Manchester City v. Napoli
- 18 Real Madrid v. Tottenham
- 19 Chelsea v. Roma
PREMIER LEAGUE
- 14 Liverpool v. Manchester United
- 22 Everton v. Arsenal
- 22 Tottenham v. Liverpool
- 28 Manchester United v. Tottenham
LA LIGA
- 15 Atletico Madrid v. Barcelona
SERIE A
- 2 Milan v. Roma
- 15 Juventus v. Lazio
- 16 Inter v. Milan
- 29 Milan v. Juventus
BUNDESLIGA
- 15 Dortmund v. Leipzeig
- 29 Bayern v. Leipzeig