Russia – Zenit at the Zenith
As predicted and largely expected, Zenit St. Petersburg wrapped up their latest Russian League Championship and in some style too, thrashing Rostov 5-0. Despite a nervous run in, with two defeats in three games before the Rostov rout, Zenit eventually eased home with a couple of games to spare, once nearest challengers CSKA Moscow could only muster a draw.
Ever since the start of the season in March, Italian manager Luciano Spaletti’s side has been in irrepressible form, smooth, efficient, and exuding a touch of class. In most games, one wondered not if Zenit would score, but when. After Rubin Kazan and Spartak Nalchik made the early running, one wondered if Zenit would be able to catch up. But the latter overhauled the pair’s early lead in some fashion, going unbeaten for the majority of the campaign, before those two late blips against Moscow pair, CSKA and Spartak.
Truth be told, Spaletti was too good a tactician for the rest of the league and having the best squad simply made his job even easier. He collects the double in his first season, having come on board in December 2009, with the defeat of FC Sibir Novosibirsk in May’s Russian Cup final. With consistent continental contention still a few years away, domestic supremacy was the basic remit for the experienced Italian manager. New recruits Bruno Alves (from Porto), Danko Lazovic (PSV), Alexander Kerzhakov and Sergey Semak (both Rubin Kazan) blended into an excellent system that attacked at will, retained possession and looked solid in defence. After week seven, when Zenit rose to second place, there was an eventuality of the league crown’s ultimate destination and the Blue-White-Light Blues duly delivered.
The season read out like a trumpet roll for the St. Petersburg club as they set several new records, including 24 matches without defeat in all competitions and nine consecutive league wins. With Zenit now free to concentrate on the Europa League, in which they are well placed, don’t count out the possibility of yet more silverware arriving at the Hermitage next spring.
Spare a thought for CSKA Moscow, plucky challengers for the better part of the season; who are also doing very well in Europe, sitting atop their Europa League group with a perfect record. Along with Rubin Kazan, the club from the capital fought a successful battle for second place and the second automatic Champions’ League spot. Despite not having a tearaway striker, they relied on timely goals from Vagner Love and Thomas Necid to stay in contention while being the only team to give Zenit a real fight. Rubin Kazan, led by Belarus striker Sergey Kornilenko (14 goals), finish third, while Spartak Moscow rounds out the top four.
CSKA’s Brazilian striker Welliton led the league with 19 goals while Lokomotiv’s Oleksandr Aliev is the highest scoring Russian, with 14 strikes.
Portugal – Potent Porto
At the other end of mainland Europe, on its Western extremity, FC Porto have more or less ensured the return of the domestic league crown from its unexpected and, to Porto fans, one year loan to capital side Benfica. Having stormed into an early lead, Porto have built on their lead in imperious fashion. Still unbeaten, they have only dropped points in a solitary draw at Guimares. Second placed Benfica were ruthlessly dispatched 5-0, in a recent summit clash, while only Braga have managed to give the club from Oporto a fight, scoring twice before going down 3-2. Their lead is practically insurmountable and three Porto players feature in the scoring chart’s top five.
Among the other big clubs, Sporting are adrift in fourth place while last year’s runners-up Braga are floundering in lower half obscurity. Among the surprises is Guimares, sitting pretty in third and will no doubt feature in the fight for the remaining European places. But the league title is Porto’s already, as they look to cement their strong start in the Europa League as well (10 points from four games in Group L).
Porto striker Hulk still leads all players with 11 goals in 11 games.
Scotland – Still the Same
The more things change, the more they remain the same. For the umpteenth time, the domestic league is a straight race between the two Glasgow giants – Celtic and Rangers. Despite the odd defeat and occasional controversy over affiliations, poppy wearing and the national team’s latest debacle, the Scotch focus remains firmly on the Old Firm.
Rangers lead the table, having drawn and lost a game each. Celtic, by virtue of two defeats, sit a point behind. Both clubs have 11 wins from 13 and as expected, have steamrolled the rest of the division. Amongst the perennial also-rans, Heart of Midlothian and Motherwell are doing well, the former in third, having beaten Celtic; while the latter sit in fourth. But the sad reality is that the only thing stopping Rangers from winning the title is Celtic and vice versa. In the first derby of the season, the blue half of Glasgow had cause to celebrate, as they ran out 3-1 away victors, but expect the pendulum to swing back in successive weeks. A special mention must be made of Hibernian, who beat Rangers 3-0 at the latter’s own ground. Still, such results are too few and far in between.
Rangers’ Kenny Miller leads all scorers with 15 goals while Motherwell’s Nick Blackman has notched 9.
Holland – Perennial PSV
PSV Eindhoven underlined their title credentials with an emphatic 10-0 win over Feyenoord, the latter former champions themselves, having won as recently as 1999. The former treble winners look to seal yet another league title in the 21st century, having lost out to Twente (2010) and Alkmaar (2009), the past couple of seasons. The league table seems to suggest they will regain the crown, as they sit on top of the standings, with 33 points and an astonishing 43 goals from 14 games. Twente are two points behind, but trail heavily on goal difference, as the Eindhoven team have been tallied an impressive +31. Usual suspects Ajax trail in 3rd place, with Alkmaar in 5th. Surprises Groningen are tied with the Amsterdam club on points and are hovering in fourth, just outside the Champions’ League places.
The Eredivisie is always a lucrative league for strikers and this season is no different. However, with Ajax on its way back to the top, tussling with the likes of Twente, Alkmaar and Groningen, the outcome and makeup of the league’s apex will no doubt make for interesting reading.
Ajax’s Mounir El Hamdaoui and Nijmegen’s Bjorn Vleminckx lead all scorers with 11 goals apiece.
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