All posts by h79snht.top

Following a 3-0 victory over relegation rivals Norwich City last weekend, the momentum is unquestionably with Sunderland in the Premier League’s race for survival.

Indeed, the Black Cats may be in 18th place but they boast a game in hand over the Canaries and local rivals Newcastle United – who are currently one point and one position below them in the league table.

In truth, Sunderland have made phenomenal progress under Sam Allardyce; it’s been long forgotten that the Stadium of Light outfit picked up just three points from the eight games before he was appointed in October; but the fight to maintain their top flight status isn’t over just yet.

If Sunderland are to beat the drop this year, the firepower of Jermain Defoe will likely be the pivotal factor. The veteran striker is currently seventh in the Premier League’s scoring charts with 13 goals in 29 appearances this season – including three from his last five outings.

And if Defoe’s attacking prowess leads Sunderland to score twice against Arsenal this weekend, you could be eating half-price pizza for the rest of the season courtesy of our good friends at Papa John’s. All you have to do is sign up to Papa John’s special offer, free of charge, select Sunderland as your team and hope they hit the net twice in Sunday’s 14.05pm kick-off.

What are the chances of that, I hear you ask? Well, Sunderland have scored two goals or more on 14 occasions from 33 games this season – giving you a near one-in-two chance of winning half-price pizza. They’re also facing an apathetic Arsenal side who won’t be too interested in matching Lee Cattermole in the tackle department – let alone chasing down Defoe as he hones in on another league goal!

With Everton set to miss out on any form of European qualification this season – unless they can win the FA Cup – the Merseyside club could well have a job on their hands holding onto some of their star names.

John Stones, Ross Barkley and Gerard Deulofeu may all be in demand this summer, with clubs participating in the continent’s top tournaments sure to be alluring for these young stars.

However, arguably the most in-demand of Everton’s prized jewels will be Romelu Lukaku, who continues to impress on Merseyside.

The Belgium international has recently admitted that he wants to be playing Champions League football in the near future and his performances this season show that it is something of a travesty for him not to be. Lukaku has always been full of potential since he burst onto the scene as a fresh-faced teenager at Anderlecht, but this promise is starting to reap real dividends now.

The former Chelsea striker has scored 18 Premier League goals this season, but what has been more impressive has been the improvement of his hold-up play and all-round game. Unfathomably, Lukaku is still only 22, despite it feeling like he has been around for years, and as such he must be one of the most valuable centre forwards in the European game.

Although they will face stiff competition for his signature, Manchester United would be best advised to break the bank to land the former West Brom loanee. The Red Devils have been touted as one of the teams keeping tabs on the powerful attacker, and taking him to Old Trafford would be a real statement of intent.

United’s attacking play this season under Louis van Gaal has been largely uninspiring, with a lack of potency in front of goal. The Manchester outfit have been overly reliant on Anthony Martial in his debut campaign in English football, while 18-year-old schoolboy, Marcus Rashford, has provided a few moments of magic to keep the team in the top-four hunt.

However, if a player of Lukaku’s ilk were to arrive at Old Trafford to lead the line, United’s attack would strike fear into the hearts of opposition rearguards next season. Having the creativity of the likes of Wayne Rooney, Juan Mata, Jesse Lingard and Ander Herrera providing chances to the Belgian would surely be a winning combination and offer Van Gaal’s side something they have lacked this term.

Rooney is getting older and lacks the same mobility in his game that was apparent in his youth, while Martial is more of a threat in behind defences and is still learning the finer details of holding the ball up.

Having a complete No.9 like Lukaku in their squad would make United’s attack more versatile, but more importantly it would add a physical and clinical edge to a unit that has been toothless at times in 2015/16.

Looking at the rate of the centre forward’s progression and the fact that Everton paid £28m for him two years ago, an astronomical fee will be needed to convince the Toffees to sell. Despite this potentially taking a large proportion of United’s available funds, it would be worth every penny.

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This morning brought the news that Roberto Di Matteo was expected to become the new full time Aston Villa manager, with Sky Sports reporting that the deal is very close to becoming official.

A number of names were linked with the vacant managerial position last held by Remi Garde, with figures including David Moyes and Nigel Pearson mentioned in the search for new leadership.

However, now it looks like Di Matteo has emerged as the primary candidate, and Villa fans appear pleased with the proposed appointment.

Di Matteo certainly has the credentials for the role, having previously had the top job with Chelsea and Schalke respectively.

But what would the Italian offer the Villans? Let’s take a look…

He has experience at the top

There is no doubting that Roberto Di Matteo has the managerial quality to succeed. This was made clear during his stint at Chelsea, where he won both the Champions League and the FA cup.

Despite Roman Abramovich spending hundreds of millions of pounds firing and hiring new managers; it was the interim boss that won him the grandest prize of them all.

Of course his team during this period was of a much better quality than he will inherit at Villa, but it still takes managerial prowess and talent to mould a good team into a team of European champions.

Marketability

Because of his success with Chelsea, a club who are well known globally, Di Matteo is a hugely recognisable figure on both a national and global scale.

This is a particularly beneficial tool for the clubs prospective new owner, Tony Xia, who sees Aston Villa as a project that he seeks to extend throughout China and beyond.

Whilst this does not offer much to the Villa faithful immediately, it will likely increase funding for the club, which can only be a good thing.

Bringing in a manager as well known as Di Matteo will undoubtedly have benefits on the field, but his recognisability will be invaluable of it – especially as Villa look to rebuild their reputation globally.

Experience At All Levels

Although Di Matteo is mostly recognisable for his time with Chelsea in the Premier League, it is also significant to note that he has experience throughout a number of other leagues. In particular, he has experience at a lower level, which of course is important given that Villa will be competing in the Championship next season.

Between 2008 and 2009 Di Matteo was manager of MK Dons, leading the club to a League One play off semi final. This was a feat that he bettered one year later, obtaining automatic promotion to the Premier League with West Brom in 2010.

There are few managers with as much of a varied CV as the Italian, and this will certainly benefit Villa should he join the club, with experience at the highest and lowest levels of English football.

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A Fresh Manager For A New Look Villa

Despite his many accomplishments ,however, it is also important to note that Di Matteo is still a relatively young manager, who has experience beyond his years.

Because of this, he offers a fresh outlook on the sport compared to many of those competing for the job.

This is particularly important given that Villa, as a club, are largely seeking a fresh start.

Not many young managers would be willing to take up the mantle at a club in so much danger that needs so much work, and Di Matteo’s credentials appear perfect for the club.

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Are There Any Better Alternatives?

To get a true perspective of Di Matteo as a candidate, you also have to look at who is competing with.

The first contender for the job was David Moyes, a manager who has been largely disappointing and uninspiring since leaving Everton to take up the Man United job, which was followed by a disappointing spell in Spain. On top of this, he falls short of the level of experience that Di Matteo has at the lower levels of league football.

Nigel Pearson was another name that was suggested for the role, but his controversial nature that led to the end of his tenure with Leicester is something that Villa will be looking to avoid.

Di Matteo is a low key, no nonsense candidate with the CV to back it up, something that none of the other proposed figures can match, meaning that Di Matteo is simply the best candidate for the role.

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West Ham target Simone Zaza took and missed one of the worst penalties in European Championship history on Saturday as Italy crashed out of the competition at the hands of Germany on penalties.

The £20million rated man would have been hoping that his Azzuri team-mates could have rescued him and convert the remaining penalties and ultimately render his awful spot-kick irreverent; but there was no such luck.

Further misses from Graziano Pelle, Leonardo Bonucci – who had converted a penalty during normal time – and Matteo Darmian sealed Antonio Conte’s side’s misery, as the Euro 2012 finalists were sent home in comedic shoot-out fashion.

The penalty was one the Juventus striker will remember himself for a long time to come, and he even took to his Instagram to apologise for a move that he will ‘live with for a lifetime’. And there is absolutely no chance the punishing world of social media will let him forget it either.

Here some of the best videos/memes and vines following Zaza’s atrocious spot-kick..

https://vine.co/v/5ab01gXgAt5/embed/simple

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For the second year in a row, Arsenal suffered a home defeat on the opening day of the Premier League season as the Gunners went down 4-3 to Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool – a result that may force Arsene Wenger to re-think his transfer strategy ahead of deadline day. After a reasonable start, the North Londoners failed to inspire confidence for long spells and were well beaten by a dangerous looking Liverpool side.

However, Wenger has no excuses – Arsenal’s lack of investment this summer has hindered their chances of winning the title and the Gunners now face an anxious fight for a place in the top four. Arsenal signed Granit Xhaka earlier this summer but their transfer activity since has been sub-par at best. Whilst Liverpool and the two Manchester clubs have spent huge sums of money, Arsenal have been lackadaisical in the market and it WILL cost them.

On current form, it is hard to see Arsenal finishing ahead of United, City, Liverpool or even Chelsea this season; which would give the Gunners a fifth-place finish at best. And even then, the likes of Tottenham Hotspur, Leicester City and West Ham may give Wenger’s men a run for their money. Arsenal fans won’t exactly be optimistic ahead of the campaign, especially if Wenger fails to act before the transfer window slams shut later this month.

The Arsenal hierarchy need to take quick, effective action if the Gunners are to stand any chance of success this season. Lyon striker Alexandre Lacazette, who scored a hat-trick in their opening day victory at Nancy, is still available and Wenger must do everything in his power to sign the Frenchman before deadline day. In today’s day and age, Lacazette is an absolute bargain and he will score goals – that is a certainty. As of August 16th, Arsenal are 4/5 to finish in the top four in bet365’s football betting odds and the 25-year-old could be the difference-maker if Arsenal manage to sign him in the next few weeks.

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But the Gunners are also plagued by defensive issues and it would be foolish to head into the new campaign with just a few fit defenders. Arsenal have been missing a commanding central defender for quite some time and Germany international Shkodran Mustafi is just one of the players to be linked with a move to the Emirates Stadium. The Valencia man was decent at Euro 2016 and most Arsenal fans would be happy if the 24-year-old joined the club in the coming weeks.

Right now, Arsenal are in big trouble. The Gunners are struggling to inspire confidence on the pitch and their fans are divided off it. Arsene Wenger’s incompetence and inability to act in the transfer market has split supporters once again and it is only a matter of time before the Frenchman has to bear the brunt of their anger. And unless the side improves in their upcoming fixtures, Wenger may be under severe pressure when the transfer window slams shut on August 31st.

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Things have been far from plain sailing so far this season for West Ham.

They were knocked out of Europe by Astra Giurgiu, the second time in as many years, before missing out on a number of high profile transfer targets.

Moving to their new home was meant to be a step in the right direction too but as we’ve all seen, the London Stadium has had far from an easy start to life as a Premier League football ground.

Then, thrown into the mix, the club’s awful start to this season has only aggravated matters and the club find themselves in a pretty difficult situation.

Nevertheless, the club have the chance to start turning things around this weekend against Southampton and here at FootballFanCast we think these three things will allow them to take the win…

Start brightly

The Hammers fans need to be appeased quickly after what’s happened so far this season and a quick start would certainly do that. They got underway quickly against Watford but threw it away, so this time they need to do that and hold onto it against the Saints. The crowd want to make the atmosphere like it was at Upton Park but the players need to do their bit too.

Give the ball to Payet

As obvious as it sounds in West Ham’s current plight they should just give the ball to the man who is still making things happen. Payet won the game against Accrington Stanley in the EFL Cup with a classy free kick and also produced a sublime rabona assist against Watford so his confidence clearly is still there. He has the ability to win games alone and that’s what the team need to start doing.

Roll the dice up front

Simone Zaza was meant to be the answer to West Ham’s striking woes with Andy Carroll still having injury worries but he looked very out of place against West Brom last weekend. He still has time to settle in of course but the Hammers need a fix quickly and it could come in the form of Ashley Fletcher. The youngster has no fear, and that’s what the club need most.

At the start of this season, one of the key battles Premier League fans were eager to see was between the red and the blue side of Manchester.

With an eventful past when Mourinho and Guardiola were managers at Real Madrid and Barcelona respectively, the stage seemed set for a true managerial rivalry we haven’t seen since Wenger and Ferguson. Two of the biggest teams in the league, two of football’s most successful managers; and both the antithesis of the other.

Guardiola is seemingly the man of new, innovative ideas in football. Regardless on your views on “how easy” he’s had it, it’s hard to deny his influence on expansive, attacking and possession-based football.

Mourinho, on the other hand, focuses more on disciplined performances. Holding positions, being effective on the counter and grinding out the results. Both methods can yield results, so how have they fared this season?

It’s fair to say Guardiola is currently coming out on top. City currently have six wins out of six and are averaging three goals a game. They also beat United 2-1 in the derby. United on the other hand are in sixth and, while it’s not the worst start, the gulf between the two sides is already showing in other areas.

One difference is that Guardiola has immediately come in, stamped his authority and made the club his own. Most of the players seem to be buying into his philosophy, regardless if they are new signings or those were present in Pellegrini’s reign. Those who have refused, or don’t seem up to the task, have either been exiled (Yaya Toure) or shipped out on loan (Hart, Nasri, Mangala).

Mourinho is apparently having a tougher time winning his men over. Bar the easy early season wins against Southampton and the 4-1 win over Leicester at the weekend, United haven’t looked especially inspiring or played with any identity, particularly in their three consecutive defeats to City, Feyenoord and Watford. The Portuguese even went on record as saying United’s players are still under Louis van Gaal’s influence.

If that’s the case, it isn’t the Dutchman who is to blame, but Mourinho.

Rather than the players being “indoctrinated” by van Gaal, perhaps Mourinho just isn’t doing enough to make them forget. After all, City have seemingly wasted no time in motivating themselves to move on from Pellegrini.

There are two factors which could explain why Guardiola is succeeding where Mourinho isn’t; a difference in personalities and a difference in philosophy.

Mourinho’s way in handling his staff has been well-documented in the past. As was discussed in the Sunday Supplement this weekend, Guardiola and Mourinho have had similar problems to deal with – you could write pages alone about the differences in how Toure’s and Schweinsteiger’s cases have been dealt with – and it seems as though the Spaniard’s methods have fared better.

The other factor could simply be down to the tactics. The most successful managers this season have brought something new to their sides. Klopp has brought his ‘Gegenpressing’ to Liverpool while notably working with the same core squad available to Brendan Rodgers and Pochettino has also brought in a high-pressure game to Spurs using mostly what AVB had available to him, securing them Champions League football and making them into title challengers.

Pundits have been waxing lyrical about Guardiola since the opening day against Sunderland. The way the full-backs are sitting narrower to play through the middle, or wingers like Sterling and Nolito are stretching the play. It’s by no means his finished product, but the Spaniard is undoubtedly managing playing his way and backing it up with results.

Mourinho did this once. When the Portuguese came to our shore most clubs played 4-4-2, but Mourinho brought in his 4-5-1 formation to Chelsea and won the league. After that, one-striker formations became the norm for the majority of clubs.

The problem for Mourinho is that was the 2004-05 season, and he has barely moved on in 12 years. He had great success at Inter but was often found wanting in La Liga. He won the league with Chelsea playing 4-2-3-1 in 2014/15 but was soon sacked after performances went down the drain. He is now playing with the same formation in a style not much different to Louis Van Gaal’s and is again looking like he’ll struggle.

No one manager will ever find a ‘win all’ tactic in the ever changing game. The man who came closest, at least in the Premier League, was Sir Alex Ferguson. But even he adapted to respond to Mourinho by changing his formation. It is the mark of a successful manager.

Unfortunately for United, Mourinho seems to be stubbornly sticking to his guns with a 4-2-3-1 formation. Fellaini and Pogba are struggling in a pivot as Fabregas and Matic did. While drafting in Herrera yielded a win at the weekend, it would be very surprising if it sold the problem long-term.

And if Mourinho fails to adapt, it’ll be the blue side of Manchester cheering more often than not.

Following relegation to the Championship, Newcastle have spent big on new players in a bid to bounce straight back up.

But that spending has been offset by a number of big-money departures from the club. And so Newcatle’s net spend is very much in the black this window.

That stands the club in good stead for the next couple of years, especially if Rafael Benitez can mastermind a swift return back to the Premier League and all the riches that entails these days. And if they can then build upon the young and hungry squad they currently have, Newcastle could have a very bright future.

For a Championship club they’ve spent very big this summer, but we all know Newcastle aren’t a Championship setup. And in order to delve a little deeper into that odd concept, we’ve dipped into transfer site TransferMarkt.com in a bid to see just how much Newcastle’s squad is worth at the moment (108.25m, apparently) and their top 10 most valuable players – so here they are!

10.Cheik Tiote – £4.25m

He’s only played once so far, and only for 16 minutes, but despite falling out of favour with the new manager and falling behind Isaac Hayden, Jonjo Shelvey and Jack Colback in the starting XI, Tiote is still one of Newcastle’s most valuable players.

His value has been declining steadily over the past few seasons, and although Tiote is valued at £4.25m, if he wants to leave the club quickly in January, the club may need to accept a slightly lower fee.

9. Mohamed Diame – £5.10m

Mo Diame has been around the Premier League block a bit, though last season his biggest contribution was to score the winning goal in the Championship playoff final for Hull City.

If he can make the same contribution to Newcastle this season then he could fire himself and his team into the top division again – and perhaps be in a position to make a better stab of it than Hull City are this season.

TransferMarkt seem to think Newcastle bought Diame for around about his market value, so if he can have the same sort of promotional impact, they’ll think it money well spent.

8. Dwight Gayle – £5.10m

Having moved from Crystal Palace to Newcastle, there’s quite a bit of pressure and expectation on Dwight Gayle’s shoulders. This could be a make or break season for the 25 year old, and so far his goals are keeping Newcastle on track.

If he can lift his side to the Premier League, he’ll have the chance to become the Premier League marksman he never really turned into at Crystal Palace – from the top of the Championship this season he can get a running start at it. And if that happens, he’ll be worth far more than the £5m or so he currently is.

7. Matz Sels – £5.53m

Newcastle bought Matz Sels for pretty much spot on his market value, according to TransferMarkt, and he has already established himself as the club’s number one stopper.

It was a good piece of business from Newcastle, it seems, from a financial point of view: they knew what they wanted and they went out to get it. And at 24, his value will only get higher, allowing Newcastle to sell for more money if they feel he isn’t up to the standard of the Premier League.

6. Jack Colback – £5.53m

Jack Colback’s market value has fluctuated somewhat over the years. His move to Newcastle from Sunderland on a free transfer in 2014 made him public enemy number one in Wearside, but at Newcastle he is playing an important role in the side this year in the most valuable team in the Championship.

5. Ayoze Perez – £6.80m

After relegation to the Championship in the summer, Newcastle have worked hard to get the transfers right, and keeping hold of Ayoze Perez will probably be a big plus as the season wears on.

Over his eight appearances this season, Perez has scored only one goal and made one assist, but it’s a long season when you play in the Championship, and if he hits a purple patch at some point, his contribution could be vital. He is a very good player, and that’s reflected in the fact he’s one of the most valuable players at the club.

4. Matt Ritchie – £6.80m

Paying over the odds for a player who is already 27 years of age is probably not a smart business move, but in footballing terms, Newcastle’s signing of Matt Ritchie could turn out to be one of the signings of the summer.

He is a player who knows he can perform brilliantly in the Championship and starred for Bournemouth in their promotion campaign as well as last season in the Premier League. If he can do the same for Newcastle, it won’t matter how much they paid for him – he’ll be worth his weight in gold (and Premier League TV money).

3. Chancel Mbemba – £8.50m

Another player that Newcastle signed for above his market value last summer, Chancel Mbemba is young and still raw, so that won’t be too much of an issue – if Rafael Benitez can turn him into a Premier League class defender, his value will certainly go beyond the £10m they paid for him a year ago.

In terms of this squad, though, Mbemba is one of its top valued players, and his value to the squad will be priceless if he can form a partnership with Jamaal Lascelles – a partnership that could blossom into something special as both players are still only 22.

2. Jonjo Shelvey – £9.35m

Jonjo Shelvey was quite a big signing for Newcastle last January when he was brought in from Swansea, but although he couldn’t keep the Magpies in the Premier League last season, Shelvey is still a player with great quality who is simply too good for the Championship.

He is Newcastle’s second most valuable player, but on the pitch, if he can find form and lead by example, he could be the perfect player for their charge back to the big league.

1. Aleksandar Mitrovic – £10.20

Newcastle’s most valuable player is one who they paid quite a bit of money for only last year. Around £15m may not seem like money particularly well spent, given the fact that he’s always liable to be sent off or do something stupid, but Mitrovic’s ability as a footballer can’t be in doubt.

He is big and powerful and should be the perfect fit for a season in the Championship, although only one league start so far this season casts some doubt on whether or not Rafael Benitez actually believes this is true. Either way, he is Benitez’s most valuable player.

Club football is back, and it’s always tough to get back into the swing of things again. After two weeks of complaining about missing football, when it does come back you realise you’ve found other things. Then you snap out of it and profess your love to football once more.The saving grace of the international break is that the fixtures just afterwards are usually interesting ones. You can’t spend two weeks in the wilderness complaining about football only to find out that the biggest game of the first weekend back is the fourth placed team playing a midtable mediocrity.The weekend just past didn’t disappoint like that. Oh. No.We had massive games in Germany, Italy and Spain as well as in England, where the Euro Roundup kept a smug eye on the fairly dull occasion that was Manchester United v Arsenal, and a jealous eye on Tottenham v West Ham.This week’s Euro Roundup is concerned that English football might get its groove back…

Germany

It all kicked again in Germany on Friday night, minimal waiting for club football to return.

And what a kick off it was: RB Leipzig defeated Bayer Leverkusen 3-2 after trailing 2-1 at half time in a game which saw two goals in the first five minutes. The Euro Roundup is always baffled by the hatred elicited by RB Leipzig given the lack of hatred there seems to be for the likes of Bayer Leverkusen, a club whose name is given by the German pharmaceutical company whose company owns Monsanto, the manufacturer of the controversial (!) agricultural chemical Roundup.

Well, in the Capitalism derby, Bayer (whose name is allowed to appear on Leverkusen’s badge, were defeated by Red Bull (whose name isn’t).

That victory laid down a marker to the rest of the league and put Leipzig on top spot in the Bundesliga table ahead of Bayern Munich’s trip to Dortmund for the biggest game of the weekend.

It turned out it was a huge game, in fact, as Dortmund beat Bayern thanks to an early Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang goal, leaving Bayern three points off Leipzig at the top, and only three points ahead of Dortmund below them. This season could get interesting at the top yet. Or Leipzig could run away with it.

Elsewhere, Schalke’s climb up the table continued with a win over Wolfsburg and high-flying Hoffenheim could only manage a draw at home to bottom of the table Hamburg, whose position at the bottom of the table was actually improved with that point. But they’re still five points adrift of safety. Hoffenheim, on the other hand, are currently on a run of 11 Bundesliga games without defeat, which is their best top flight run ever.

France

The international break in Ligue 1 ended before it finished anywhere else, as Monaco took on Lorient in an early Friday tea-time fixture and managed a comprehensive 3-0 win to keep the pressure on PSG – who played on Saturday – and Nice – who played on Sunday.

So onto PSG, who rested players ahead of their midweek Champions League showdown with Arsenal to see who will top that group. PSG didn’t have it all their own way, An injury to Angel di Maria was a downer for the Parisians – though his first goal of the season was definitely a plus – whilst they had Kevin Trapp to thank for some wonderful saves before they finally put the game to bed in a 2-0 win.

And then it was on to Nice who maintained their lead at the top of the table thanks to a 1-0 win away to St Etienne. It’s as you were, then in Ligue 1.

Italy

Of all the leagues in Europe, the one we expected to be the least competitive in terms of a title race was probably France, but with the money that Juventus spent in the summer poaching the best players from other clubs in their own league, perhaps it shouldn’t be surprising that Serie A is the league which looks least likely to have a title race this season.

That said, the intrigue in Italy isn’t in who wins the title – Juve are now a full 7 points ahead of Roma who were defeated this weekend – but in the battle for the league’s other two remaining Champions League spots.

Only six points separates second place from eighth place, but only two of those seven teams can make it into the Champions League. Napoli, Fiorentina and Joe Hart’s Torino all won this weekend, whilst Atalanta’s victory over Roma lifted them into the Champions League chase. The 2-2 draw in the Milan derby means that the only two clubs in the top eight who didn’t win were second and third placed Milan and Roma. So just when you think there may be a chance of a title race, it’s only the teams just below Juventus who lose….

Spain

There was a time only a few weeks ago when the Euro Roundup was bragging about Spanish football and telling everyone it met about how tight the top of the table was. You had the normal three powerhouses towards the top of the table, but Sevilla, Athletic Bilbao and Villarreal were up there, too. Well, not any more.

Real Madrid opened up a four point gap at the top of the table this weekend: their 3-0 victory over city-rivals Atletico left them nine points ahead of Diego Simeone’s side, four above Barcelona, and kept their status as the only unbeaten side in the league intact. It also leaves Cristiano Ronaldo with yet another broken record….

And as we always say about Barcelona, they are incredibly vulnerable after the international break: with so many of their main players having to travel to South America for international duty, it’s hardly surprising that their worst results seem to come in the first game back.

Their 0-0 draw with Malaga meant it was a great weekend for Real Madrid, and also for Sevilla, who came from behind to beat Deportivo La Coruna 3-2 thanks to yet another late showing.

Elsewhere, Valencia’s curse continues: they drew 1-1 with Granada and are currently only two points above the relegation zone. But if Osasuna win the Monday night game against Leganes, that gap will be cut to only one point. It seems a long time ago that Valencia were challenging for European places, let alone titles.

Poor old Jesus Navas. The flying Spanish winger whipped in a cross to ‘assist’ Gary Cahill’s own goal to hand Manchester City the lead vs. Chelsea, but he’s still been panned on Twitter.

The Citizens’ wide-man has been around the squad for a while now and despite many speculating he may well have fallen out of favour following Pep Guardiola’s arrival over the summer, he remains a player that flits in and out of the XI and was selected by his boss for, arguably, the biggest game of the league season so far today.

Aaaaaaaaand that decision has paid off, with Navas’ cross having resulted in an unorthodox clearance from Cahill, which flew past Thibaut Courtois and into his own net.

You’d think he’d get some praise then, right? Well, no! The 31-year-old has been slammed on Twitter, which isn’t a shock considering he’s gained a reputation for his lack of end product in the sky blue shirt…

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