Page 6 - Monthly Archives: October 2015
- October 09, 2015
Back in the summer, right after the UCL group stage draw was announced, Champions League 2015 - 2016 Group G looked like one of the tournament's more predictable segments. Portugal's Porto FC and England's Chelsea FC seemed destined to take the top two slots in the group while Ukraine's Dynamo Kyiv and Israel's Maccabi Tel Aviv seemed almost sure to be also-rans. After all, Chelsea were fresh off a thoroughly dominant run in the always-competitive Premier League, and Porto went all the way to the UCL quarterfinals last year.
Trouble for Chelsea?
Now, though, with two of the six game-days officially on the books for Group G, things are looking a bit shaky for Chelsea. The Blues lost what could end up being a key group stage match on Tuesday, September 29th, falling 1-2 to Porto. Dynamo Kyiv, meanwhile, skated into the top two with a 2-0 victory at Maccabi Tel Aviv.
Should Chelsea fans start to worry that - October 08, 2015
This season has already been an interesting one in the Dutch Eredivisie. In the first eight matches of the 2015 2016 campaign, PSV Eindhoven-the reigning Netherlands football champs-have looked markedly weaker than they did at any point last season. AFC Ajax, meanwhile, who missed their chance at a fifth straight Eredivisie title in 2014 2015, have looked like a team headed back to the top of the podium. The two soccer clubs were expected to continue playing those disparate roles in their Sunday, October 4th rivalry match. Ajax were favored as both the home team and the team with the better record while Eindhoven were coming off a tough loss in last week's Champions League game. Surprisingly, though, PSV beat Ajax in 2015 showdown and ended up looking stronger than anyone expected.
- October 08, 2015
Two games into the Champions League group stage, Bayern Munich are potential tournament frontrunners. That's not just because they've performed well, either, though they certainly have. The Bavarians clinched their second UCL win of the fall on Tuesday, September 29th, crushing Dinamo Zagreb in a peerless 5-0 master class. In addition to their strong play in Champions League 2015 - 2016 Group F, Bayern Munich could benefit from the fact that Barcelona, the reigning UCL champs, will be playing without Lionel Messi for the next two months.
Assessing the Other Prospects
Four of the last five Champions League titles were won by either FC Barcelona (2015 and 2011), Real Madrid (2014), or Bayern Munich (2013). The fifth belongs to Chelsea, who won the UEFA tournament back in 2010.
Of those four clubs, both Chelsea - October 07, 2015
A lukewarm 1-1 draw with Everton in the Merseyside Derby on Sunday, October 4th was the last straw for Brendan Rodgers, it seems. After the match, the world was informed that Liverpool sack Brendan Rodgers from his position as their manager. The decision is not surprising after rumors have swirled in recent weeks that Rodgers might be replaced by anyone from former Borussia Dortmund boss Jurgen Klopp, to former Real Madrid and Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti. Still, Brendan's sacking marks the end of an era for Liverpool-an era that saw the football club get closer to winning a Premier League title than they had in more than two decades.
Still, while Rodgers' almost broke Liverpool's title drought in 2013 2014, his soccer squad declined sharply last season and has continued the free fall this season. The 1-1 draw with Everton dropped Liverpool to 10th place on the 2015 2016 Premier League table. With one-fifth of the season gone, it was time for Liverpool FC - October 07, 2015
For a good portion of the 2014 2015 season, Olympique Marseille were leading the way in the French Ligue 1. By winning eight matches in a row between late August and late October, Marseille established a lead that held throughout the 2014 portion of the season. Indeed, when the league broke for Christmas and New Year's, the Olympians were still holding down the top spot, with defending champions Paris Saint Germain stuck back at third. During the second half of the season, though, Olympique Marseille were markedly less consistent, dropping to fourth place by the time the 2014 2015 Ligue 1 had wrapped up in late May. Paris Saint Germain, meanwhile, made a comeback to win a third straight French soccer championship. And now after a strong start PSG continue 2015 - 2016 Ligue 1 domination with a win over the Olympians.
PSG's Spotless Season - October 06, 2015
What's going on at Borussia Dortmund? When the 2015 2016 Bundesliga campaign got underway, it looked as if the Black and Yellows might have had what it took to take on Bayern Munich this year. Sure, the Bavarians might be shooting for their fourth straight top-flight title this season-something that no German team has ever done before. However, Dortmund kicked off their season in such strong fashion that some Munich fans had to be worrying about their football club's frontrunner status. After all, in the first month or so of Bundesliga competition, BVB weren't just winning all of their games, but they were also scoring more decisive victories than Bayern Munich. But this past weekend, the outlook changed in dramatic fashion as Bayern Munich annihilate Borussia Dortmund in what could be a key fixture of the 2015 - 2016 Bundesliga campaign.
Dortmund's Downfall
That all seems to be over now. After two back-to-back draws in - October 06, 2015
La Liga is one of the most exciting football leagues in Europe at the moment, but what happened at the
first Madrid derby 2015 - 2016, was the outcome as expected? By all accounts, Real Madrid should be dominating the Spanish La Liga right now. After all, FC Barcelona are in crisis. Lionel Messi is out for two months, and an ongoing FIFA transfer ban has left the team in crisis. And even though Barca still have Neymar and Luis Suarez, they've shown weakness with a handful of losses in recent weeks. Add the fact that Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema have both been playing great football this season, and the Vikings should be as far ahead in the La Liga as Bayern Munich are in the Bundesliga.
Somehow, - October 05, 2015
Polish soccer sensation Robert Lewandowski excels at the start of 2015 - 2016 league play, he has always been a very good player but has truly dominated headlines so far this season. In 2013 2014, he was the top scorer in the Bundesliga with 20 goals. He's been a part of three Bundesliga titles, including two with Borussia Dortmund and one with Bayern Munich. And he's been named the "Polish Footballer of the Year" for four years running. After a massive start to the 2015 2016 season, though, it looks as though the 27-year-old striker could ascend to Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo levels of greatness this year. Could a Ballon d'Or nomination be in his future?
The 2015 2016 Season so Far
Consider this: in 2014 2015, Robert Lewandowski, along with Arjen Robben, led Bayern Munich to the
Bundesliga title. The two players tied for second on the list of the league's most prolific scorers, both with 17 points. Lewandowski - October 05, 2015
Just when we were all starting to wonder whether or not Man Utd might have what it takes to reclaim the Premier League title in 2016, Arsenal dominate against Manchester United to complicate matters significantly. The Gunners defeated the Red Devils 3-0 in Sunday's biggest Premier League showdown. The win put Arsenal in second place and dropped United from first to third. Manchester City, meanwhile, who United replaced at the top of the table just last weekend, reclaimed the top spot thanks to a massive 6-1 victory against Newcastle.
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Arsenal's Surprising Dominance
Though Arsenal had the home field advantage in their Sunday, October 4th match against Manchester United, many soccer analysts expected the Red Devils to dominate. Louis van Gaal's - October 04, 2015
It's been a tumultuous few seasons for Mainz 05, we take a look at the clubs recent history and ask can Mainz 05 edge into the Bundesliga top 10 again this season? When Borussia Dortmund hired Thomas Tuchel to take over as their head coach following the resignation of beloved former manager Jurgen Klopp, virtually no one was surprised. Klopp had decided, after a devastatingly poor 2014 2015 season, that he was no longer the right man to coach Dortmund. And Tuchel, on a brief sabbatical from coaching football, following a successful stint at FSV Mainz, seemed like precisely the right man for the job.
The Thomas Tuchel X-Factor
What Tuchel did at Mainz was impressive, to say the least. When he came to the soccer club in 2009, the O-Fives had just been promoted up from the 2. Bundesliga. In his first season at Mainz, Tuchel took a recently-promoted soccer squad and turned them into top-10, top-flight German football
