“Through the first five matches of the Bundesliga season, Borussia Dortmund held the best record in the league, having scored more goals than even Bayern Munich. That streak ended with two straight draws, but it doesn’t take away from BVB’s impressive resurgence under 42-year-old new manager Thomas Tuchel. Tuchel studied under Pep Guardiola during his own sabbatical after resigning from Mainz in 2014, and on Sunday, they go head-to-head in their first Klassiker. Tuchel based his style of play at Dortmund on the same system Guardiola has used since his days at Barcelona.” SI
Thomas Tuchel’s inspiration sparks Borussia Dortmund’s revival
October 2, 2015Premier League: Need for speed behind counter-attacking success
October 2, 2015“A lot has been made of the rise of counter attacking as a tactic in the Premier League this season, but there is nothing particularly new about it. It is not as if more teams are doing it than before, but it is being highlighted because the likes of West Ham, Leicester and Crystal Palace have had notable successes playing that way. What I think has changed is that more managers understand the need for pace.” BBC
Who wants to win Serie A?
October 2, 2015
“We are six games into the Serie A season and the major Italian clubs seem unwilling to win the league. Juventus, winners of four successive league titles, have completely given up on winning or playing well. They were terrible on Saturday night against Napoli. This was mostly because of Napoli’s performance, as the Partenopei did a wonderful job in pressing and harassing Juventus whenever they had the ball. Juventus’ misery was also self-inflicted, as they misplacing pass after pass when in possession, and even their famed defence looked shaky at best.” backpagefootball
Champions League: Who makes our team of the week?
October 2, 2015“5-0 win over Dinamo Zagreb. After defeats for Arsenal and Chelsea on Tuesday, Wednesday wins for Manchester City and Manchester United see three Premier League players make the XI. And Cristiano Ronaldo – who extended his lead at the top of the all-time Champions League goalscoring charts with two more for Real Madrid – keeps his place.” BBC
Why AS Roma have an opportunity for the Scudetto
October 2, 2015“The appointment of Rudi Garcia as manager for AS Roma signaled a change in fortune for the Italian capital club. Garcia joined Roma from Lille after his 2011 exploits won them their first Ligue 1 title since 1954. They were by far the most exciting team to watch in France with an abundance of attacking talent in a fast paced and zippy 4-3-3 formation. With Hazard and Gervinho flanking Moussa Sow, they resembled a French version of the mighty Barcelona.” Outside of the Boot
“Idiotism, they shame us” – Russian clubs foul up again
October 2, 2015“I gave my tickets to last Saturday’s Spartak Moscow – Zenit St. Petersburg showdown to a German friend and his colleague. They were mad to taste something local and, like the vast majority of ‘Western’ residents, never had the chance or initiative to score tickets. I’d an idea to take Timur, but since he’s a Lokomotivnik I figured best not to confuse the child. He’d already started supporting Mayo this August when I took him to Croker. He figured it was okay as they have the same colour shirts of Lokomotiv. Even when pointed out to him the difference between Gaelic Football and Soccer, he simply said ‘Football is football.’ Hard to argue with a child’s logic.” backpagefootball
What English clubs can learn from the transfer mastery of Shakhtar, Lyon and Porto
October 2, 2015“At first glance, there’s really not a lot of similarity between war-torn Donetsk, debt-ridden Porto and metropolitan Lyon. The urban trio are not the surprise frontrunners for European city of culture, nominated by a hipster whose concerns are more esoteric than realistic, nor are they the latest cities to be twinned with Slough, a dystopia desperate to ship its industrial reputation for a bright European future. The answer, in truth, lies with three men you’ve likely never heard of.” backpagefootball