And we’re back.Totally back, not just a little bit back like last week. Even Germany is back. Well, it’s almost February now. They’re selling Creme Eggs already.Speaking of the creme, this is the part of the season when it starts to rise to the top. With Chelsea pulling even further clear at the top of the Premier League table, perhaps it’s time you started looking to the European leagues as your source of competitive title races. Never thought you’d be doing that, did you?But title races we have all around us. If you don’t believe me, take a look:
Germany
If I had told you at the start of the season that, by this stage, Bayern Munich would be top of the league and three points clear, you would probably have said, ‘only three points? Christ, Dortmund must be doing well!’ In fact, it’s still newly promoted RB Leipzig. Both won their games this weekend, though Leipzig more convincingly than Bundesliga overlords Bayern, who relied on a piece of Robert Lewandowski last minute magic to complete a comeback victory over Freiburg on Friday night.
Leipzig won again convincingly at home, though, and their home form has been incredible all season. They have won every home game apart from the very first one of the season, where they drew 2-2: meaning they’ve only dropped two points at home all season.
This time, though, they were surely grateful to Eintracht Frankfurt goalkeeper Lucas Hradecky for getting himself sent off in bizarre circumstances only two minutes into the game.
That solitary home draw for the Roten Bullen, though, came against Hoffenheim, which is no mean feat. Julien Nagelsmann’s side beat Augsburg this weekend to stay in third and one point above Borussia Dortmund – and to remain the only unbeaten team in the Bundesliga. In fact, they are the only unbeaten team in all of Europe’s top five leagues. In fact, only really the likes of Celtic in Scotland and Copenhagen in Denmark can boast that sort of record – though they can also boast about being numerous points clear of the chasing pack. Hoffenheim, meanwhile, are 11 points behind the Munich machine. It goes to show unbeaten records aren’t all they’re cracked up to be.
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Dortmund are still in the Champions League places, though, after a slow start, and Hoffenheim must feel Tuchel’s side breathing down their necks. Although top scorer Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is missing thanks to his involvement with hosts Gabon at the African Cup of Nations – though the hosts are now out of the competition, so Dortmund’s talisman will be back sooner than expected.
Italy
Saturday’s big game at the top of the table in Italy saw AC Milan come up against a resurgent Napoli. Although this Milan is a young side with plenty of potential, it looks as though the early-season promise that they might run Juventus close for the title, or even just nick a Champions League spot, is fading.
A 2-1 defeat drops the Rossoneri all the way down to seventh place in the league, and a full 11 points behind Juve at the top. They do, however, have a game in hand on most of the teams above them thanks to the Italian Supercup, which they won on penalties against the champions. That was held in Qatar, and gives both Milan and Juventus a game in hand over the rest of the top seven.
But whilst Napoli’s win moved them into a Champions League spot, it was only because Juventus did them a favour by beating Lazio. After defeat to Fiorentina last weekend, it was back to business for Juventus, who celebrated their new badge’s unveiling by beating Lazio – a team whose eagle-adorned badge is perhaps the scariest in the league.
Elsewhere, Roma, Inter and Atalanta all managed victories as the teams at the top marched on, and piled pressure on Milan in the race for Europe.
France
Ligue 1 now has new outright leaders: Monaco’s emphatic 4-0 victory over Lorient saw them take advantage of Nice’s draw with Bastia. That means Nice have produced three Ligue 1 draws in a row, as well as defeats in both cup competitions both sides of the Christmas break. In fact, their last victory – over newly-promoted Dijon on December 18th – is their only win in all competitions since December 8th.
Is the fairytale over for Mario Balotelli’s side this year? Perhaps, given they are still in second and a point clear of Paris Saint-Germain, it’s premature to predict their demise.
PSG, though, are starting to hit an ominous vein of form. Although they’ve been nowhere near their best up until now, Unai Emery’s team have won their last five games on the spin in all competitions, and with an aggregate score of 17-0 to boot. New signing Julian Draxler got off the mark last week, and this week a victory over Nantes (who hadn’t conceded a goal in four games) was emphatically sealed by a stunning Edinson Cavani free kick.
That game, however, wasn’t without its odd moments:
Elsewhere, Olympique Marseille’s resurgence under Rudi Garcia stuttered somewhat at the new home of their fellow ‘Olympiques’, those of the Lyonnais variety, as an Alexandre Lacazette-inspired Lyon ran out 3-1 victors. It was also a notable game for a goal scored (but not celebrated) by Mathieu Valbuena against his old club.
Lyon have a game in hand over the rest of the top three – their game against Metz had to be abandoned after Metz fans threw a flare at Lyon keeper Anthony Lopes, and will be replayed behind closed doors – but if they win that, they could be eight points behind Monaco at the top: hardly unassailable given how well they’ve started to play recently.
Spain
After the craziness of last week, it’s back to business again for Real Madrid this week. Last time out, it was a last minute Stevan Jovetic goal that nicked a win for Sevilla over the league leaders, and it was a goal which ended Madrid’s record-breaking unbeaten run.
This week, a 2-1 victory over Malaga saw them bounce back from defeat. Some things never change, though: Madrid owe their victory to a brace from Sergio Ramos. The central defender is on serious goalscoring form this season, having matched his best La Liga total of 6 goals already this season. And we’re only in January.
And some things never change for Sevilla, too. Aside from Real Madrid and Barcelona, Sevilla have scored the most goals in the league, but no one in the top seven has conceded more. And this weekend, a 4-3 victory over Osasuna in a topsy turvy game summed up their season: with ups and downs, goals for and against, but in the end turning out to be victorious and quite exciting.
They stay one point behind the leaders Madrid, and one point ahead of Barcelona.
The Catalans, meanwhile, did manage a victory this weekend over Eibar – 4-0 actually, and that means they’ve won their last two La Liga games with an aggregate score of 9-0. Perhaps Real Madrid should start to fear a Barcelona comeback again.
The battle for fourth place is also on, as Atletico Madrid could only draw with Athletic Bilbao and Real Sociedad also managed to win, putting them level on points with Diego Simeone’s side.
It was a bad weekend for Villarreal, though, as they are now four points off a Champions League spot after defeat at home to Valencia, who move away from the bottom three – now six points clear with a game in hand. Once again, it’s Voro the caretaker manager to the rescue!
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