Almost a third of the season has been completed in the big leagues. We bring you the latest news and keep you current.
Always Opinionated, Only Arjblog.
France:
Ligue 1 received a welcome respite from the familiar theme of PSG winning at a canter, as the league leaders and title favourites were held at Bordeaux in the late game on Sunday. While PSG still lead the league, their dropping of two precious points would have been a massive filip to the chasing pack. Sadly however, all five teams behind the Parisians in the top six all dropped points, with Lyon contriving to lose altogether, going down 2-1 to Sochaux.
Montpellier, in second, and Lille, the champions, who are third, both drew 1-1, as did Rennes. Toulouse joined Lyon in the loser's column with a 2-0 loss at Auxerre that sees them fail to make up ground on the teams ahead of them. One wants to see a contest with several teams doing the best they can to catch and possibly overtake the outright favourites PSG. However with a third of the season completed it appears that very few teams have the consistency and ruthlessness required to make this into a real race for the title.
Despite remaining unbeaten for their last six games, Montpellier are on 27 points, three behind PSG while Lille are on 24. Kevin Gameiro, of PSG, and Montpellier's Oliver Giroud were both held scoreless this round, but remain tied atop the scoring charts with eight goals each.
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Germany:
And the cream appears to have risen to the top with Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund occupying the top two spots in the Bundesliga, with commanding goal differences to boot. Bayern are in the lead with 28 points from their 12 games, having completed their second straight win, 2-1 at Augsburg, after their damading loss, three weeks ago. Dortmund are unbeaten in five games, with four wins in that stretch and sit on 23 points, in second spot. Their latest win was a 5-1 shellacking of Wolfsburg at home, a result that sees their goal difference improve to +17. Bayern are on +28.
While Dortmund are tied on poins with both Gladbach and Bremen, one gets the impression that the latter two will settle for a fight for third while the former are left to attempt to catch Bayern on their own. Both Bayern and Dortmund are firing on all cylinders and look ready to begin their murderous assault on the title, threatening to leave the rest of the league far behind, choking in their dust.
The jostling for the remaining two Champions League spots, as predicted, will make for an interesting following this year as six different teams will be vying and eyeing a route into Europe. While Werder and Gladbach, both winners this round, are the nominal favourites at this stage, the prospects of Stuttgart, Schalke, Hannover, Leverkusen are nothing to be scoffed at.
Interestingly, while the top four teams in the table all won this round, the next nine all dropped points, typical of the ravenous feeding that goes in midtable every year. Only seven points separate second in the table and 11th with only Wolfsburg and Hamburg, the big guns who have been cut adrift. However with the partiy in this league, anything is still possible.
Bayern's Mario Gomez leads Bremen's Claudio Pizarro 13 goals to 11, in the scoring charts.
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England:
While Arsenal were struggling at the start of the season, bereft of star quality, confidence and it appeared, a proper playing corps, Liverpool were radiant, infused with a summer of both ownership and managerial rejuvenation and bolstered by an off-season of ambitious and fervent transfer activity. And as the season started Liverpool were mentioned as one of the contenders for the title while Arsenal consigned to a humiliating lower half finish.
How things have changed. After an impressive start has petered into a familiar theme of lukewarm performances both intrepid in intent and tepid in delivery, Liverpool are clearly not going to win the title. After a slow and steady recovery following an abject and pitiful start, Arsenal have crept back up the table to sit in the top six. Both clubs are tied on 19 points with Liverpool's difference of a couple more goals being the margin keeping them above the Gunners in fifth. Neither team will win the title. Arsenal will not even finish in the top five and may even drop to seventh or eighth. Liverpool will challenge for the last Champions' League spot. However, what a difference a month can make.
On the other hand, Tottenham continue to rack up the points, if not necessarily impressing, with their latest win, 3-1 at Fulham owing more to luck and refereeing ineptitude than to ability and competence. Still, a win is a win and they remain odds on favourites for fourth spot, if not third. Perhaps a sign that Spurs are among the elite can be gleaned from the generosity of officials in their win at Craven Cottage definitive proof that they are a big club ?
Ahead of them it was very much business as usual with the big three all winning in familiar fashions. Manchester City had too much in reserve for a plucky QPR, United laboured to an eventually comfortable 1-0 win over a team managed by an old boy (Sunderland) while Chelsea beat relegation threatened Blackburn in a stodgy performance that suggested that while their best days are behind them, the Blues can still win a game, they don't deserve to.
Setting the cat very much among the pigeons however is the continued excellence of Newcastle, who remain third, three points ahead of Chelsea. Their latest win was a bit fortuitous, as they escaped with a 2-1 win over Everton, but their positivity and intent is palpable in every performance. They remain unbeaten and are making a mockery of those who predicted them to struggle in their season back from The Championship.
Robin Van Persie is now the outright leader with 11 goals.
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Spain:
Real Madrid has opened up a promising lead over Barcelona in the second instance of an advantage being held in this season's sprint to the Spanish Primera Liga title. With Barcelona labouring to a draw as they were held 1-1 at San Mames by a resurgent Athletic Bilbao, Real's 7-1 hammering off Osasuna, earlier in the weekend, was more than academic. Jose Mourinho's men sit three points clear at the top of the table, having fallen behind themselves, earlier in the season. Their loss at Levante was a shock to the system that saw them turn things around and begin a summary destruction of opponents on a weekly basis. This, coupled with Barcelona's own sudden turgidity, has seen the deficit wiped out and the placing reversed at the top. While Barcelona remain unbeaten, successive draws and narrow wins have seen them surrender the advantage, and slip from second to third, while Real moved up from third to first. Many twists remain in the title race but Marca will be crowing about the prospects of the Madrileno Millionaires.
Previous leaders Levante, who led the league for a good month as they reeled off seven successive wins, including the slaying of Real, lost for the second time in a row, at local rivals Valencia. After a promising, nay, astonishing start, Levante's season threatens to revert to type as they drop down the table like a rock in the ocean, to resume their familiar struggle with relegation. Initial leaders Real Betis are well on their way to seeing their own promising season unravel at an alarming rate with their latest game bringing the respite of a point from a draw. They had lost six in a row after winning their first four games.
Early season front runners and formerly unbeaten Sevilla continued their slide, dropping points for the fourth game in a row and failing to right the ship after their first loss of the campaign last week. their goalless draw at Mallorca was a damp squib to open Round 11. Although Levante remain fourth, now five points off the summit with 23 points, they are pipped by city rivals Valencia, in third on 24 points. Real are on 28, three ahead of Barcelona, who have drawn two of their last four games.
Lionel Messi still leads all scorers with 14 goals, one ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo and two in front of Gonzalo Higuain.
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Italy:
Udinese continue to insist they are the real deal, as they remain very much in the forefront of an intriguing race for the Scudetto that is developing in Serie A. With their latest win, 2-1 over Siena, Udinese move to the top of the table after ten rounds, as Juventus were schedule to play their game against Napoli on Tuesday (Incidentally as this column was being written). They lead the table by a single goal, sitting on 21 points, tied with Lazio.
Their campaign has been consistent and competent if not necessarily flashy and although their schedule, has so far, been rather generous, one can only beat those they play, while retaining focus and maintaining consistency. Thay they have only lost once in their ten games, a 2-0 loss to Napoli, is as much a credit to both their coaching and confidence. Behind them Lazio have been similarly busy, with an identical 6-3-1 record, during which they have seen off city rivals Roma and like Udinese, held Milan, defending Champions as it were to a creditable draw. Far more impressive however, has been their league leading four away wins, two third of their tally of victories. Lazio have also scored more goals than Udinese but the latter have the best defence in the league.
However, it appears that the stay at the top of the table may be short for both teams as behind them Milan are bulding up a real head of steam in third place. Their latest win was their fifth in a row as they absolutely levelled Catania 4-0 at the San Siro. their loss at Juventus now seems a distant memory as Milan's last five league games have seen them storm to third place, racking up 15 points and 18 goals akong the way, including stirring away wins at Roma (3-2) and Lecce (4-3) respectively. The Rossoneri are very much the form team in Serie A at the moment.
City rivals Inter continue to struggle, lurching from shambling performance to insipid outing. With them idle this week on account of their match at Genoa being postponed till December, they sit one spot above the drop zone with a paltry eight points and two wins from nine games. Their season is over.
Palermo and Napoli promised much but have had to play second fiddle to Udinese and Lazio this season, in their quest to emerge from the group of talented secondaries, promising clubs outside the private club of privileged Northerners. the latter have stumbled of late and remain sixth, whule Palermo, despite beating Bologna, are only fifth. Finally, early season's form team Atalanta got back on the winning trail after a couple of dull games, beating Cagliari 1-0, a result that keeps them in midtable.
Antonio Di Natale, the Udinese captain, leads all scorers with eight strikes.
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The format of this column will be changing again. It shall evolve to condensed updates for each league with occasional features on a specific theme or team as the season continues.
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