Paris Saint-Germain’s long unbeaten run finally over

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Paris Saint-Germain were finally beaten in the French Ligue 1 on Sunday evening by Olympique Lyonnais at the Parc Olympique Lyonnais. It means they won’t go the entire league campaign, but fared incredibly well to go so many games unbeaten. Laurent Blanc’s men went 27 games without losing in the league this season, and their run in domestic competitions lasted 11 months in total.

The PSG manager will be desperate to ensure it was a minor blip and nothing that sees them stuttering in the title-race, although the Parisians are so many points clear it’s hard to see any other side toppling them now. The Blues are 13 points clear at the summit with 10 games remaining. They have won 23 of their 28 games, conceding just 15 times.

Blanc will take the credit for transforming the cash-rich club into European heavyweights, and now their performances in the prestigious continental competition is what they will be judged on. PSG boast an incredible squad of individual talent, but on the pitch they are unified and buying into their manager’s philosophy to dominate France. Many are even tipping them for success in the Champions League this season.

PSG went 46 domestic games without defeat so there won’t be a major inquest into the defeat, but a positive response is the minimum expectation going into their next outing. “A wake-up call is exactly what I have told the players. To win in a wonderful stadium it is not enough just to stand there. I hope we will remobilise for the future. We beat the record anyway and that will always be there,” he said following the game.

“Lyon deserved to win – they had the technical quality and the aggression to get there. They were in the best of moods. This game was totally unexpected. Nothing in our preparation suggested we would play so poorly. Were we too relaxed preparing? I don’t know. We must use this to regroup. We expected a difficult game, but not as hard as this. We were missing many things, including the mindset and commitment required to win,” Blanc added.

Lyon are certainly in good company this season, with only Real Madrid having got the better of the French giants, but PSG can’t dwell too much as they have some important games to come. After hosting Montpellier on Saturday, they have a big European encounter to against Chelsea for a place in the quarter-finals.

CR7 vs. MSN

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El pique en Champions está servido a base de goles. Si no era suficiente con la Liga y su Pichichi tan disputado, Cristiano Ronaldo se enfrenta a otro reto. Marcar más goles él solo que toda la MSN junta. En otras palabras, ¿será el luso más efectivo en Europa que Messi, Suárez y Neymar? Por ahora están en tablas.

Ronaldo lleva 12 goles en Champions, una cifra nada desdeñable para toda la competición, y mucho menos si se tiene en cuenta que tan solo se han disputado 7 jornadas. Shakhtar, Malmö y Roma se reparten el saco de tantos que le han aupado como el máximo goleador. No obstante, la MSN suma los mismos. Messi y Suárez han anotado 5, más los 2 de Neymar.

La verdad es que anotar más goles que toda la MSN es un reto realmente complicado, incluso para un solo equipo. Prueba de ello es la estadística apabullante que refleja sus 58 tantos en Liga (solo superados por Real Madrid y PSG entre los 98 equipos de las principales ligas europeas). Un dato que también se aplica a todas las competiciones, donde los madrileños y los parisinos son los únicos equipos que mejoran los registros de apenas 3 jugadores.

Por tanto, el reto de Cristiano es más grande que nunca, pero lo puede conseguir. Ya anotó 17 tantos la temporada de la Décima y lleva 3 años seguidos ostentando el galardón al máximo anotador, además de que es el máximo goleador histórico de la Champions. Todo lo cual refuerza la idea de que esta es su competición preferida. La clave de este choque puede pasar por las eliminatorias, jugar o no más partidos será decisivo, por no hablar de un día bueno para cualquiera de las dos partes que lo decante con una buena dosis de goles.

El morbo está servido en otro duelo que tiene a CR7 como protagonista, quien no solo aspira a ser el que más veces cruce la línea de gol, sino también mejor que el tridente más letal de toda Europa.

Asensio, la perla blanca que sigue puliéndose

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Asensio es una de las revelaciones de la temporada. El flamante fichaje del Madrid llegó este verano al club procedente del Mallorca como una gran promesa con vistas a un futuro cercano. Cuando se formalizó el traspaso apenas tenía 19 años recién cumplidos, no obstante, la Directiva Técnica consideró que lo mejor era cederle a otro club de la Liga. A un equipo de media tabla para que jugase todo lo posible y cogiese experiencia en Primera división.

Por ese motivo ha recalado en el Espanyol, un club de nivel en el que está disputando muchos minutos. Marco ya se ha hecho con un hueco como titular indiscutible en el equipo perico y su nivel está incluso por encima de lo esperado. El centrocampista recupera muchos balones, de hecho es el que más lleva con 107, y tiene un excelente control del balón. Este talento se ve plasmado en sus asistencias, por el momento lleva 6 que le convierten en el máximo asistente de su equipo con diferencia. Euro Fantasy League también lo valora como el mejor jugador blanquiazul, a los puntos y su media nos remitimos. Por tanto, Marco Asensio se perfila como una apuesta segura y de calidad.

El debut en Primera del balear está siendo excelente y clave en muchos aspectos, lo cual se plasma con mejores resultados en sus habituales convocatorias por la sub-21. El futuro de Asensio aún está en el aire, pero muchos equipos de primer nivel ya se han fijado en su talento y pretenden hacerse con los servicios del jugador. Una de las opciones más probables es que regrese al club que le cedió; sobre todo si la sanción de la FIFA se confirma para el Real Madrid. Sea lo que sea que le depare, no cabe duda de que los ojeadores del conjunto blanco hicieron una excelente labor y que la decisión de cederle fue la más acertada (en Madrid habría calentado banquillo y frenado su proyección). Pero ahora que comienza a despuntar, mucho tendrían que cambiar las tornas para que tarde o temprano no acabe vistiendo la elástica blanca para deleite del Bernabéu.

10 motivos para defender que la Liga aún no está perdida

Cristiano Ronaldo

A falta de 13 jornadas de Liga, o lo que es lo mismo 39 puntos en juego, el Barcelona destaca al frente de la clasificación. Los pinchazos del último fin de semana del Madrid y del Atlético le han hecho ampliar su ventaja a 8 puntos (más golaveraje) sobre los rojiblancos y 9 sobre los merengues. Sin embargo, aunque todo parezca decantado a favor de los azulgranas, hay motivos para confiar en la remontada.

  1. Las matemáticas no fallan, y mientras haya posibilidades no hay nada descartado. Cosas más raras se han visto en fútbol.
  2. El Barça lleva muy buena racha, pero confiarse puede ser un grave error. Si no sale motivado en los partidos, dejará escapar muchos puntos por el camino.
  3. La Champions puede desempeñar un papel fundamental. Si los equipos de Madrid cayeran eliminados, gozarían de semanas enteras para prepararse los encuentros de Liga. Y si el Barça sigue vivo, notaría el cansancio acumulado que le dejaría en desventaja.
  4. Los enfrentamientos directos pueden ser decisivos. El Real Madrid aún tiene que jugar en su estadio frente a los rojiblancos y viajar al Camp Nou. No son solo 6 puntos en juego, el golaveraje también participa.
  5. La moral sube y baja. En solo un par de partidos pueden cambiar mucho las tornas.
  6. Días malos pueden tenerlos todos, hasta las estrellas. Hay que aferrarse a que la MSN falle lo que suele acertar normalmente para recortar algún punto.
  7. Darlo todo por salvar la temporada. El Madrid, tras el ridículo en Copa, no puede permitirse más errores. Y, tanto ellos como sus vecinos del Manzanares, son conscientes de que la Champions es a vida y muerte y de que cualquiera podría verse fuera de la noche a la mañana. Por tanto, la esperanza recae en el campeonato de la regularidad: la Liga.
  8. Tienen plantilla para ganar todo. Cristiano, Griezmann, Modric, Koke, Ramos, Godín, Oblak, Keylor… En cualquiera de las líneas de juego hay calidad de sobra. Si estos no tuvieran opciones de remontar, el fútbol perdería el sentido.
  9. Se han disputado dos tercios de Liga. Veamos cómo llega cada equipo al tramo final que es, sin duda alguna, el más exigente.
  10. Si uno no confía en sí mismo, nadie lo va a hacer por él. Tanto el Cholo como Zidane tienen que transmitir esa seguridad a sus equipos.

Pressure Mounting on Martinez At Under-Achieving Everton

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Everton are one of those clubs that you feel are capable of breaking the Premier League top four monopoly held by the big clubs seemingly year in, year out. Operating on a relatively shoestring budget, the Toffees have breached the top six under former boss David Moyes and current manager Roberto Martinez.

With outstanding performances comes great expectations – even if over-achievement has been the name of the game when transfer budgets are concerned. Martinez has worked a minor miracle at Goodison Park: transforming Romelu Lukaku become the striker we all feared he could be at Chelsea, getting the best out of Gareth Barry and harnessing the huge potential of youngsters like Ross Barkley and Gerard Deulofeu. Factor in an aesthetically-pleasing brand of football and you should seemingly have a recipe for success.

But not so. Everton are down in 12th in the Premier League table; below the likes of Watford, Stoke and West Ham. While, financially speaking, that may be an accurate reflection of the spending of their rivals, the Toffees faithful expect more….much more.

It’s obvious where the problem lies: Everton have scored 46 goals in 26 Premier League matches – the fourth highest tally in the division. But they’ve conceded 35 into the bargain; the tenth worst record. You could argue that Martinez simply hasn’t got the balance right….hence the pressure.

Money Talks

The intensity of the spotlight on the Spaniard has just been turned up a few notches with the news that billionaire Farhad Moshiri has purchased a 49.9% stake in the club. As we’ve seen elsewhere with foreign investors, they expect an almost immediate return on their equity….or face the consequences.

So Martinez needs to get things right – and pronto. It would be safe to assume he has 12 games to save his job, as foreign investors have a habit of seeking a headline-making managerial appointment when things aren’t going well on the pitch.

For a club aiming for a top six finish, Martinez has a lot to do. “With a new investor and fresh blood into our club, all of a sudden you have a new opportunity to get to those aspirations quicker,” he told a press conference. “The chairman and myself will embrace that pressure and that need of delivering the right outcome as we have a strong belief in what we are doing.

“Farhad Moshiri will bring us a different dimension. It is a big moment in the club’s history with a new investor coming in – and every single department will be assessed.”

Roma’s Pharaoh firing capital club towards Europe

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“I am very pleased by Stephan El Shaarawy’s performances,” Adriano Galliani insisted. Probably through gritted teeth. He had just seen the striker, still owned by Milan, put two past Empoli as Roma recorded a sixth straight victory.

It’s a victory which keeps the Giallorossi above Galliani’s Milan by six points, in what is an increasingly congested race for third. Before Fiorentina’s clash with Napoli this evening, it’s a position owned by Roma.

And after scoring just three times for Monaco in all competitions on loan earlier this season, El Shaarawy is living up to the potential he showed in Milan. His double on Saturday took the Little Pharaoh past his Monaco total in only six appearances. El Shaarawy’s first after only five minutes was a stunning, curled effort into the top corner.

El Shaarawy’s remarkable start to life in the capital has coincided with Roma’s climb back into Champions League contention under Luciano Spalletti. It was the start he had to have. After struggling for game-time in Monte Carlo, Roma fought hard for his signature. He joined on an initial loan spell and an option to buy for €13m. Roma’s chase is proving astute. And vital for the Italian international. “I knew that I couldn’t make a mistake this time. I started well, have to continue like this and find consistency in my performances and goals.”

Italy Coach Antonio Conte had an assistant watching from the Stadio Carlo Castellani stands and El Shaarawy’s response was perfect. Asked about it afterwards, the former Milan man said he is targeting France. “I came here to give my all, give my career a turning point and target a place at Euro 2016.”

Four Serie A strikes already puts El Shaarawy in Roma’s top five on the scorers list – January departure Gervinho netted six. Given the furore over the Francesco Totti interview and subsequent dropping from the squad which beat Palermo, Edin Dzeko’s inconsistency and Mohamed Salah’s unpredictability, should El Shaarawy continue from where he has started then Roma have in their grasp a dangerous attacking weapon. “He is a talent,” Spalletti enthused. “He has technique, creativity and speed. And he can resolve games on his own.”

Roma meet Fiorentina, Real Madrid and Inter this month, then contest the Derby della Capitale in early April. It’s make or break for Spalletti’s side and so El Shaarawy’s goals are timely for the Giallorossi.

Borussia Dortmund not giving up in the Bundesliga title race

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Borussia Dortmund refuse to relinquish the Bundesliga title to fierce rivals Bayern Munich without a fight this season. Thomas Tuchel’s side have impressively been matching Pep Guardiola’s men step for step in 2016, picking up 16 points from 18 since returning from their winter break.

BVB have impressively racked up four clean sheets in the six games and will lock horns with Bayern next month off the back of fantastic form. They will know victory over Bayern could be the catalyst to them pipping the defending champions to the league crown, and Guardiola will be somewhat wary as a result.

Bayern Munich are still winning games in the league, but if they do have an achilles heel it’s their away form. The leaders have dropped points on the road this season, and will come up against a Dortmund side unbeaten in their own backyard. The gap could be cut to five points with still to play for, and Tuchel’s men are sensing Bayern could yet slip up.

Supporters are venting their fury at Guardiola for announcing plans to move to Manchester City at the end of the season despite there being months to go of the current campaign, so there’s a chance the players might respond negatively to the media furore coming the manager’s way.

It’s clear Borussia Dortmund aren’t going to give up in the title race, and they have in fact matched Bayern point for point over the last 10 league games. Their destiny isn’t quite in their own hands, but victory over their title rivals could ignite a slump in form.

Regardless, BVB will be furious of their own dip in results between September and October where they went three games without a win, losing to Bayern at the Allianz Arena for their troubles too. It’s left them with a mountain to climb in the table, but their recent run of results mean Bayern are going to have to keep winning to keep Dortmund off their back.

“My players love the challenge. They can really show what they’re made of. Taking (the title-race) step by step is the only way for us. It doesn’t make sense to hope and to get distracted (by what is happening at Bayern). The situation for Bayern is just as it is, and for us the situation is just as it is. It is very important that we show ourselves, that we follow our own way, and only our way. We need to maintain the unconditional spirit of this group,” said Tuchel.

Can Borussia Dortmund catch Bayern Munich?

Could Real come unstuck to Atleti in Saturday’s El Derbi madrileño?

Cristiano Ronaldo

Real Madrid welcome fierce rivals Atletico Madrid to the Santiago Bernabeu on Saturday afternoon, with the two sides desperate for a win to try and make up the deficit on league leaders Barcelona. The visitors have 55 points from 25 games, while Real are one point adrift in third, but this weekend’s clash could well go the way of the travellers given their form on the road and in the El Derbi madrileño.

Both sides are in good form ahead of Saturday’s meeting, but Atletico Madrid boast the best away form in the league and have been dominant in this fixture for the last three years. Real haven’t beaten their rivals in La Liga since April 2013, and they haven’t even picked up a point in their own backyard to Atleti since.

Diego Simeone’s men boast three wins and two draws from their last five league meetings with Los Blancos, and have relished away games this season. No side have picked up as many points on the road as Atleti this season, and their outstanding defensive record will also see Real somewhat fearful given their poor record in this fixture of late.

Victory for the visitors could see them going four points clear of their rivals with 12 games to go, and potentially cutting the deficit to Barcelona to five points. Real are no slouches, however. Zinedine Zidane’s men have been in fantastic form ahead of the derby game, boasting seven wins and three draws from their last 10 league outings.

They’re immediately coming off the back of a 2-0 win to AS Roma in the Champions League too so they can’t wish for better preparations ahead of such an important clash. They’ll have Karim Benzema back too, and his form this season could be the difference in a difficult game to come. Atleti are known for their physicality and indiscipline in such ties, so Real need to avoid engaging if they are to come out on top.

Victory for Zidane would elevate his name among the supporters, and could see him in line to keep his job past the summer. However, Atletico are masters at disrupting a side’s momentum, and they have a strong side available to play against their rivals. Zidane is under no illusions of their threat at the Santiago Bernabeu, hailing Simeone’s work at the club in the last few years, but what will the outcome be this weekend? Will Atleti continue their dominance over Los Blancos?

Hertha BSC’s impressive campaign refreshing in a predictable German Bundesliga season

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Hertha BSC recently enjoyed a 1-0 win away to Koln to go four points clear of fourth place in the German Bundesliga, and manager Pal Dardai celebrated a big win in their quest for an automatic Champions League spot. The Berlin outfit have already surpassed last season’s points tally by four, and they still have 11 games to play in the division.

Dardai has been heavily praised for his hard work in bolstering the side’s defence and grinding out results with the limited resources given. The club hardly spent in the summer, but instead it has been existing players hitting new levels that have made the difference. Salomon Kalou is one of them. He’s scored 11 goals in 20 league starts, and has been key in Hertha’s rise to prominence.

Striker Vedad Ibisevic has scored seven times in 15 starts this season, bagging the winner against Koln, and the two players have contributed for almost 60% of their goals in the league this campaign. The club’s success has been built on strong foundations with Hertha having the joint-third best defence in the league, but they have managed to fashion out results too.

Only Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund have won more league games than Die Alte Dame this season, and Friday’s victory against Koln sealed their 10th clean sheet of the campaign – the second-highest return. Such a solid defensive record can stifle their attacking instincts, but Drdai’s philosophy is clearly paying dividends overall.

This time last season, Hertha were 17th in the table and on course for relegation. They finished just one place above the relegation playoffs in 2014/15, but haven’t been looking over their shoulders this campaign. Suffering only one defeat on home soil, while boasting the third best away form in the division, Hertha have been refreshing in 2015/16.

The Bundesliga title race has gone as expected with Bayern Munich leading the way and Borussia Dortmund standing along in second place. Few predicted Hertha Berlin would be third in the league as March approaches, but they won’t be resting on their laurels given how much can still change in the league in the coming months.

They recently overcome a five-game winless run – albeit having lost just once in this time – and aren’t conceding many goals for their troubles either. Die Alte Dame regularly posted low points tallies in the Bundesliga, and have been relegated twice in the last six years, but they are now dreaming of Champions League football as things stand. Where will Hertha BSC finish this season?

Should Arsene Wenger drop Olivier Giroud for Arsenal’s weekend clash with Manchester United?

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Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is forced into making one change from his attack ahead of Sunday’s Premier League clash with Manchester United due to the knee injury suffered by Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, but he may be considering another shakeup due to the poor form of striker Olivier Giroud.

The French international has gone eight games in all competitions without a goal for the Londoners, and it’s seen Arsenal scoring only six times and registering three wins. Wenger has been outspoken in his criticism for his side missing so many chances in games, and ahead of a crucial league clash he may consider an alternate option to spearhead the attack.

Danny Welbeck has only recent returned from a lengthy injury layout, but he’s impressed in the game time afforded to him in the Premier League and Champions League this season. Arsene Wenger has been full of praise, and doesn’t have many other choices but the England international to start against his former side in truth.

Theo Walcott is expected to come in for Oxlade-Chamberlain out wide, and Welbeck is the only natural centre-forward in the squad to replace Giroud. While still Arsenal’s top scorer in the Premier League this season with 12 goals in 20 starts, his barren run is costing them results in games. Welbeck deserves his chance if he’s deemed fit enough to start, as Arsenal can’t afford to be shut out on Sunday.

Supporters want to see Welbeck come up against his old club, given the last time he faced off with Manchester United it was in the FA Cup quarter-finals and he scored the winning goal to send Arsenal into the semis. Nevertheless, Wenger is still unsure the 25-year-old is ready to start this weekend.

“It is not the case that it does not look like he has been away. People are quick to make assessments like that. He has been out for a while, we still need to be cautious with him. I haven’t picked my team yet for Sunday. I cannot tell you that now at the moment. He is still in the squad and he is not completely over his knee problem. He has done really well and is very fit. I have to analyse that,” said the Arsenal manager.

Olivier Giroud has scored only one goal past Manchester United in seven meetings, so does Danny Welbeck deserve his chance in the attack on Sunday? Should Giroud’s goal drought see him making way for the resurgent Englishman?