Tuesday Roundup

EUROPEAN FOOTBALL ROUNDUP 10/3/2020

PREMIER LEAGUE (HIGHLIGHTS IN THE HEADLINES)
Reds close in on the title. Ole’s double delight. Foxes tear through Villa. Chelsea win the battle of the Blues. Seagulls snatch a point from Wolves. Blades’ consistency checks Canaries’ revival. Clarets settle for a point against turgid Tottenham. Gunners emerging from Spurs’ shadow. Hornets crash back down to earth. Maximin adds a goal to his attacking menace. (TABLE)

LA LIGA WEEK 27 HIGHLIGHTS
The leadership changed hands yet again this week as a Messi penalty and a late winner for Betis meant victory for Barca over Sociedad and defeat for Real. Just below there were draws as Valencia gained a point at Alaves and Getafe were held by Celta at home; Atletico and Sevilla also ended up all square, as did Levante and Granada . Things are getting tight at the bottom, with Mallorca getting an away win at Eibar and Leganes stunning Villarreal at the Ceramica. Valladolid are very much back in the relegation mix after a heavy home defeat to Athletic, but Espanyol have been cut adrift after losing at El Sadar. (TABLE)

SERIE A WEEK 26 HIGHLIGHTS (PARTS I AND II)
There will be no more action in Italy until April, as the government seeks to slow the spread of the coronavirus. The postponed Week 26 fixtures were completed this week behind closed doors with the Derby d’Italia ending in a victory for the Old Lady that could well have ended Inter’s title challenge. The other fixtures were from the other end of the table, as Genoa, Samp and SPAL all picked up key wins over higher-ranked sides to leave the relegation battle extremely tight. It was not such good news for bottom side Brescia, who lost in Sassuolo, or for Udinese and Fiorentina, who shared a draw that leaves them both precariously poised. (TABLE)

BUNDESLIGA WEEK 25 HIGHLIGHTS
The Lewandowski-less Bayern juggernaut rolled on past Augsburg this week; familiar foes Dortmund now seem the only side capable of stopping them after they won the battle of the Borussias. Leipzig dropped more points at the Volkswagen Arena, while Bayer’s Havertz-inspired charge, which resulted in a 4-0 win this week, seems to have come too late. The Billy Goats won yet again to leave Paderborn in huge trouble alongside Werder, who threw away a two goal lead and two points they can ill afford at Hertha. Elsewhere, Freiburg got a confidence boosting win over Union, Schalke and Hoffenheim shared the spoils and a late Fortuna equaliser kept them just about in touch with Mainz. (TABLE)

LIGUE 1 WEEK 28 HIGHLIGHTS
PSG’s trip to Strasbourg became the first coronavirus cancellation in France this week, but the other nine fixtures went ahead. A last-gasp two goal comeback from the Unicorns stunned the Velodrome and gave the visitors the tiniest glimmer of hope for survival, whilst extinguishing any Marseille may have harboured for the title. Rennes trounced Montpellier, despite resting Niang, and the Great Danes snuck past OL to close the gap to second. Reims and Nice underlined their European ambitions with home wins, with the Eaglets’ win over local rivals Monaco coming courtesy of a Dolberg double. At the bottom, Toulouse made it an incredible 1 point from the last 51 as they lost to struggling Dijon, Nimes fell again to Metz and Les Verts had to settle for a single point at home to Girondins. Angers defeated Nantes 2-0 in the remaining fixture. (TABLE)

EUROPEAN FOOTBALL ROUNDUP 3/3/2020

PREMIER LEAGUE (HIGHLIGHTS IN THE HEADLINES)
Liverpool lose (not a typo). Lewis lifts Canaries. Alonso the main man up front. VAR rescues Man U as Carlo sees red. Another former player, another loss. Clarets keep misfiring Magpies at bay. Gulls all at sea. Fans lift Hammers, slam owners. (TABLE)

LA LIGA WEEK 26 HIGHLIGHTS
Real put their recent troubles behind them to return to the top with a 2-0 victory in El Clasico, while Sevilla squeaked past Osasuna 3-2 to go third, despite having led 2-0 with a man advantage. Getafe regained fourth with a win at Mallorca, and home wins for Sociedad and Valencia made it a miserable week for Atletico, who were very fortunate to come away from El Prat with a point. Espanyol’s fellow strugglers, Celta and Leganes, both drew as well, but Eibar went one better with a comfortable 3-0 home win over Levante. In the remaining fixture, Villarreal’s hopes of European football were dented by a loss at San Mames. (TABLE)

SERIE A WEEK 26 HIGHLIGHTS
Only four matches survived the coronavirus this week, but none disappointed. Lazio went top with a win after both they and Bologna scored two goals, the difference being both of Bologna’s were disallowed. At Lecce, Atalanta scored seven for the third time this season, Zapata returning to form with a hat-trick. In the other matches, Napoli’s revival gathered in strength with a 2-1 home win, and Roma got four of the seven goals registered in their showdown in Cagliari, Kalinic bagging a brace. (TABLE)

BUNDESLIGA WEEK 24 HIGHLIGHTS
Bayern have truly clicked into gear now, running in six unanswered goals at Hoffenheim. That’s bad news for the chasing pack, but at least Dortmund and Monchengladbach were able to keep pace with narrow victories. Leipzig and Bayer dropped back a little as they took two points off each other. At the bottom, Mainz took a key three points off Paderborn, while Hertha completed a stunning three goal comeback away at Fortuna, who have now been cut adrift. Elsewhere, the flying Billy Goats beat a sinking Schalke 3-0, and four headed goals were shared between Union and Wolfsburg. (TABLE)

LIGUE 1 WEEK 27 HIGHLIGHTS
Kylian Mbappe moved top of the goalscoring charts with a couple in a 4-0 win for the champions-elect over Dijon. A Benedetto hat-trick in Nimes kept Marseille in notional contact, whilst third-placed Rennes won at Toulouse, who are now on the worst run in the history of French top flight football. Lille got a key win at Nantes to stay fourth, and OL moved back into fifth with a Dembele double sealing the derby win at the Groupama. At the bottom, the Unicorns are in deep trouble five points from safety after losing to Metz at home. Elsewhere, there were wins for Montpellier and Angers, while Monaco Reims and Bordeaux Nice both ended up one apiece. (TABLE)

EUROPEAN FOOTBALL ROUNDUP 25/2/2020

PREMIER LEAGUE (HIGHLIGHTS IN THE HEADLINES)
Precious points slip through Fabianski’s fingers. Leicester pay the penalty for VAR inconsistency. Apprentice wipes floor with master (Part II). Bruno boost for United. Maupay makes a point. Jota getting hotter. Massive improvement on the reverse fixture. Bournemouth burden hard to shoulder. Saints take advantage of villainous showing. Magpies no match for Eagles. (TABLE)

LA LIGA WEEK 25 HIGHLIGHTS
A late screamer for Levante knocked Real off top spot as the Braithwaite snatchers ran riot against Eibar 5-0 (another Messi hat-trick). Braithwaite’s cutting edge was sorely missed by the victims of the La Liga endorsed heist, Leganes, who now look doomed after falling to defeat to ten-man Celta. Getafe’s recent struggles continued as they lost 3-0 at home to Sevilla, who now occupy the Champions League spots with Atletico after downing the Yellow Submarine. Sociedad lie just behind Getafe in 6th with a game in hand after a 3-0 win over Valencia, while two rocket strikes from Machis inspired Granada to a 3-0 win at El Sadar. At the bottom, Alaves and Valladolid distanced themselves from the drop with key victories and Mallorca grabbed a crucial point at Betis in a six-goal thriller. (TABLE)

SERIE A WEEK 25 HIGHLIGHTS
Coronavirus containment saw four matches cancelled in Veneto and Lombardy, which allowed the Old Lady and the Eagles to put more space between themselves and Inter with narrow away wins at SPAL and Genoa. Roma emphatically ended their recent poor form with a 4-0 trouncing of Lecce, while Napoli’s late comeback win at Brescia saw them move ahead of Milan thanks to ten-man Fiorentina’s late equaliser at the Artemio Franchi. Bologna also knocked in a late goal to rescue a point at home to Udinese in the remaining fixture played. (TABLE)

BUNDESLIGA WEEK 23 HIGHLIGHTS
Bayern needed an 88th minute Lewandowski winner to see off a valiant Paderborn 3-2, but Leipzig and Timo Werner have reawoken behind them, knocking in five unanswered goals in Gelsenkirchen. Haland got another as Dortmund took revenge for their cup exit to Werder, but Monchengladbach paid the price for squandering numerous opportunities to put Hoffenheim away. Bayer’s fantastic post holiday form secured another three points that puts them back in the title picture, while Brekalo kickstarted the Wolves to an impressive 4-0 win over Mainz that makes Europe a possibility. At the bottom, Uwe Rosler’s Fortuna picked up a crucial three points in Breisgau, while the Hertha honeymoon is over for Alexander Nouri, who saw his side smashed 5-0 at home by Karneval celebrating Koln. Monday’s match was a mid-table comedy of defensive errors with Union coming out on top. (TABLE)

LIGUE 1 WEEK 26 HIGHLIGHTS
Edinson Cavani’s double century of goals for PSG made up for a Neymar red and some disastrous keeping from Sergio Rico, as the Parisians snuck home 4-3 against Girondins; they extend their lead over OM, who slipped to a shock home defeat to the Canaries. A Niang double snapped the Crocodiles’ winning streak and has Rennes back at the races in third, but Lille are just behind after a perfunctory win over moribund Toulouse. At the bottom, Amiens and Dijon picked up important points against European hopefuls Strasbourg and Monaco, while Metz fell to OL. Elsewhere, St Etienne had to settle for a point after an injury time equaliser from Reims, Brest came from behind to draw 2-2 at the Allianz Riviera, and SCO edged Montpellier 1-0 at the Jean-Bouin. (TABLE)

EUROPEAN FOOTBALL ROUNDUP 18/2/2020

PREMIER LEAGUE (HIGHLIGHTS IN THE HEADLINES)
Not bored of winning yet, Reds fans? Wolves and Foxes leave each other unscathed. The battle for 4th (and 5th?) hots up. Zero to hero to zero for Engels. Gunners too strong for muted Magpies and jaded Joelinton. Burnley back in business. (TABLE)

LA LIGA WEEK 24 HIGHLIGHTS
Leaders Real were held 2-2 at the Bernabeu by a courageous Celta, as Barca cut the deficit at the top by beating 3rd placed Getafe; Atletico Valencia also ended two goals apiece. The teams at the other end are starting to dig in, as Leganes drew with Betis, Espanyol managed a point at the Sanchez Pijuan and Mallorca took all three against Alaves. Elsewhere, the Yellow Submarine has re-emerged in the European race, while Granada and Osasuna consolidated mid-table security with wins over Valladolid and Bilbao. (TABLE)

SERIE A WEEK 24 HIGHLIGHTS
The big game this week saw Lazio take up the position of prime challenger to the Old Lady with a win over Inter, as Juve returned to top spot. La Dea is sitting pretty in fourth after beating her closest rival, Roma, at home, while Napoli and Milan continued their recent uptick in form with 1-0 wins. Genoa are also on a roll and have closed back in on Samp, who fell 5-1 at home to Fiorentina. Elsewhere, Lecce gained some breathing space with victory over SPAL, Parma defeated the Neroverdi and Hellas were held by Udinese. (TABLE)

BUNDESLIGA WEEK 22 HIGHLIGHTS
There were satisfying Champions League warm-ups for Bayern, Dortmund and Leipzig, who all cruised to victories by 3-goal margins. The Foals went one better by putting four past Eintracht, who will also be in European action. Bayer were just able to keep in touch with the top four as a last gasp winner made it 3-2 at Union. The Wolves also won 3-2 away at Hoffenheim, while Hertha brushed off Klinsmann’s sudden departure with a key win at the Benteler Arena. Elsewhere, Augsburg drew 1-1 with Freiburg and Mainz Schalke finished goalless. (TABLE)

LIGUE 1 WEEK 25 HIGHLIGHTS
PSG were involved in a most unexpected 4-4 thriller at the Stade de la Licorne coming back from 3 goals down to lead 4-3 only to pegged back at the death. OM now lie 10 points behind after they pulled off their own comeback against Lille. Rennes’s poor recent league form continued with a defeat to Reims and Monaco have come out of nowhere to be back in the Champions League picture in fifth after they saw off Montpellier. At the bottom, the Crocodiles won their fourth straight to go 17th ahead of Dijon, but Toulouse lost again with a couple of red cards to boot. St Etienne are also looking edgy in 16th as they lost their fourth straight game to Brest. The remaining games ended in draws. (TABLE)

EUROPEAN FOOTBALL ROUNDUP 11/2/2020

PREMIER LEAGUE (HIGHLIGHTS IN THE HEADLINES)
Bournemouth comeback sets Blades on course for Europe. The rise and rise of Carlo’s Blues. Amex relegation clash ends a point apiece. (TABLE)

LA LIGA WEEK 23 HIGHLIGHTS
Real and Barca both came from behind for wins to salve the wounds inflicted by their midweek Copa del Rey exits; their Basque conquerors met at Anoeta with Sociedad edging out Bilbao 2-1. Getafe consolidated their hold on third with an impressive 3-0 win over Valencia, while Atletico slipped back into the top four with a win against Granada, taking full advantage of Celta’s victory over Sevilla. The Celestes move out of the relegation zone with the bottom three locked together on 18 points each after Espanyol’s crucial win over Mallorca and Leganes’ defeat to Levante. Elsewhere, Alaves took the other Basque derby and the battle of the ten letter teams beginning with V finished level. (TABLE)

SERIE A WEEK 23 HIGHLIGHTS
Hellas Verona had an incredible few days, first holding Lazio at the Olimpico before going on to defeat Juve at home. This made it a fantastic week for Antonio Conte, who saw his Inter come back from two behind to take the Derby della Madonnina 4-2 and go top. It was a good week for Atalanta, too, as they staged a comeback at the Artemio Franchi that capitalised on a shock home defeat for the Giallorossi against Bologna. Napoli were also stunned at home by a Lapadula inspired Lecce, while there was no new manager bump for Il Toro as they slumped to a Sampdoria defeat. At the bottom, Genoa got a win that keeps them just about in touch with 17th, but a solitary point for Brescia and none at all for SPAL leaves them both in deep deep trouble. (TABLE)

BUNDESLIGA WEEK 21 HIGHLIGHTS (TO COME)
The goal machines both fell silent in the much anticipated top of the table clash between Bayern and Leipzig, as did Dortmund’s Haland for the first time since his move. His teammates did, however, manage to knock in three, but Bayer scored four to move up to fifth. Not to be outdone, Frankfurt’s five unanswered goals continued their excellent post holiday form and secured a return to the top half. Mainz moved clear of the bottom three with a win in Berlin thanks to a Robin Quaison hat-trick, while Freiburg edged a mid-table clash with Hoffenheim that arrests their recent stuttering form. Fortuna and Paderborn picked up respectable points at Wolfsburg and Schalke, but Werder lost to Union, upping the pressure on boss Florian Kohfeldt. The Foals and Billy Goats had their match cancelled due to an approaching storm. (TABLE)

LIGUE 1 WEEK 23 HIGHLIGHTS WEEK 24 HIGHLIGHTS
Six sides managed to take six points from six this week. PSG and OM were two of them, as they consolidated their probable finishing positions of first and second. Lille also won both to move within one point of a Rennes side running out of steam in third, while Strasbourg and Monaco’s wins put them back in the running for Europe. Perhaps the most crucial double, however, was that of Nimes, as the Crocodiles snapped back into form and out of the automatic relegation spots. That leaves Amiens marooned in 19th and Toulouse all but sunk 11 points from the potential safety of the relegation play-off. (TABLE)

EUROPEAN FOOTBALL ROUNDUP 4/2/2020

PREMIER LEAGUE (HIGHLIGHTS IN THE HEADLINES)
Lethal Liverpool move 22 (twenty-two) clear. Steven and Son make City pay for Zinchenko’s sins. Rudiger rescues a point at Leicester. Blades looking good for a European spot. Watford’s relegation worries return. West Ham worries deepen too. Breathing space for Bournemouth. European yawn. Mid-table yawn. Relegation yawn. (TABLE)

LA LIGA WEEK 22 HIGHLIGHTS
Benzema brushed Atletico aside in the Madrid derby, but Real’s lead remains a mere three points thanks to an Ansu Fati double for Barca. An impressive win at San Mames put Getafe in the dreamland of third spot level on points with Sevilla, who were held at the Sanchez Pijuan. Fifth-placed Valencia left it late to claim all three points against Celta, who remain deep in relegation trouble alongside Espanyol and Mallorca (who lost) and Leganes (who picked up a crucial three points thanks to a 94th minute strike against Sociedad). Elsewhere, Villarreal won comfortably at La Ceramica and Eibar drew at home with Betis. (TABLE)

SERIE A WEEK 22 HIGHLIGHTS
A pair of highly suspect spot kicks made it 9 scoring games in a row for Ronaldo and left Fiorentina fuming. Inter and Lazio kept pace with Juve as a Lukaku brace gave the Nerazzurri 3 points at Udinese, while the Biancoceleste ran riot at home to SPAL. Roma fell to a shock defeat to the Neroverdi allowing La Dea to slip into fourth, despite their failure to defeat Genoa. The Europa League battle remains as tight as ever with the teams from sixth to ninth all drawing with each other. Napoli and Bologna took advantage to catch up with wins over Samp and Brescia respectively. In the remaining fixture, Torino shipped another four unanswered goals against Lecce leaving Mazzarri nowhere to go but out. (TABLE)

BUNDESLIGA WEEK 20 HIGHLIGHTS
Dortmund are the new Leipzig, bashing in another five this week, but Haland had to settle for just the two in his first start. Bayern won at Mainz to move top, taking advantage of RB’s comeback draw after the Foals were reduced to ten men. Paderborn also lost a man, but battled gamely against the Wolves before going down 4-2. They returned to the bottom after Fortuna managed a draw with Eintracht. Werder remain deep in trouble after a loss in Augsburg, but Koln have now moved well clear of the drop, showing off their newfound confidence with a dismantling of Freiburg. Elsewhere, Hoffenheim defeated Bayer and Hertha Schalke ended goalless.(TABLE)

LIGUE 1 WEEK 22 HIGHLIGHTS
PSG whipped Montpellier to increase their lead to 12 points at the top as Marseille failed to end their incredible 42 year hoodoo at Girondins. The Breton derby was taken in dramatic fashion by third-placed Rennes, who trailed Nantes as late as five minutes into injury time. Lille moved into fourth with a win in Strasbourg, while OL slipped to a Dolberg double defeat in Nice. The champagne was on ice for Reims, too, as they ran out 4-1 winners at Angers. At the other end, wins for Dijon and Metz have left the bottom three marooned. The Crocodiles did manage to pick up three points at least as Monaco’s miserable season took another turn for the worse. Amiens and Toulouse, their basement buddies, played out a goalless draw at the Stade de la Licorne. (TABLE)

EUROPEAN FOOTBALL ROUNDUP 28/1/2020

PREMIER LEAGUE (HIGHLIGHTS IN THE HEADLINES)
Firmino fires in late to make it 22 from 23. Sergio sneaks one in in Sheffield. Hammers sinking fast. Lamps laments Gunners let-off. New nadir for United. Lo Celso looking the business. Saints’ ascent continues. Moise keener under Carlo. Crucial win brightens Bournemouth’s evening. Mings takes sting out of Hornets. (TABLE)

LA LIGA WEEK 21 HIGHLIGHTS
It may be a case of better the devil you know for Barca as new boss Setien slipped to a Maxi Gomez inflicted defeat at the Mestalla. Real took full advantage by sneaking past Valladolid to move clear at the top. Sevilla closed the gap to the Blaugrana with a comfortable win over Granada, but their city rivals fell to a contentious penalty loss at Getafe; the Azulones move into fourth past Atletico, who were held by basement dwellers Leganes. Celta and Espanyol, their companions at the bottom, both drew, but the fixture in Catalonia was mired by racist abuse directed at Inaki Williams. Both teams move closer to Mallorca in 17th, who were well beaten at the Anoeta. Elsewhere, there was a home win for Osasuna and an away one for Villarreal. (TABLE)

SERIE A WEEK 21 HIGHLIGHTS
The mighty were humbled this week as Lazio’s winning run finally came to an end in a Rome derby draw, Inter failed to defeat Cagliari at home (losing Lautaro to a red card for petulance in the process), and Sarri was defeated by his old side at the San Paolo. The ultimate humiliation was reserved for Il Toro, however, as they were put to the slaughter 7-0 at home by an Atalanta side furiously bouncing back from a loss to SPAL. Donnarumma heroics and another Rebic strike from the bench kept the Rossoneri’s revival going in Brescia, whilst Parma and Hellas solidified their top ten positions with comfortable home wins. Bologna moved well clear of the drop zone with a win at SPAL, and the other games finished goalless. (TABLE)

BUNDESLIGA WEEK 19 HIGHLIGHTS
We’ll begin with Borussia again, as Haland made it 5 goals in 57 minutes for Dortmund in a 5-1 thumping of the Billy Goats. Bayern were in similarly intimidating form as they swept aside Schalke 5-0. Perhaps the most surprising result, however, was a Leipzig shutout from a reenergised Frankfurt, with the league leaders going down 2-0. The other early pacesetters, Monchengladbach, returned to winning ways with victory over Mainz, Hertha and Union moved further clear of danger with wins over Wolfsburg and Augsburg, while Paderborn made it off the bottom with a shock victory in Freiburg. There was little cause for celebration for Werder and Dusseldorf, however, who both lost 3-0 and are staring relegation full in the face. (TABLE)

LIGUE 1 WEEK 21 HIGHLIGHTS
It was a week for reflection this week in Ligue 1, as Nantes and Bordeaux (0-1) paid tribute to Emiliano Sala a year after his passing. Neymar paid his own tribute to Kobe Bryant after netting his second at Lille in a 2-0 victory. Marseille and Rennes were both limited to a point, allowing Montpellier and OL to close the gap by two points on the Champions League places. At the other end, the bottom four all lost, as Metz moved closer to safety with a victory in champagne country. Elsewhere, Wahbi Khazri scored a brace as he continues to rediscover his form for St Etienne, but Monaco’s fell off a cliff with a dreadful home defeat to Strasbourg. (TABLE)

TUE 21ST JAN 2020

PREMIER LEAGUE

Reds close in on Number 19 as chasm in class widens. Sergio’s scoring fails to clip Eagles’ wings. Flustered Foxes fall again to Dyche’s delight. Magpies master the art of smash and grab. Imagine how high up the table Wolves would be if they stopped conceding the first goal every time. Fleck fires Blades to a point. Tedious, toothless Tottenham halt Hornets’ flight. Honours even a fair result at the London Stadium. At the AMEX too. Howe long will the league’s longest serving manager hold on?

LA LIGA

WEEK 20 HIGHLIGHTS
A soft red opened the door to Messi and three points for Barca against Granada as Casemiro channelled Sergio Ramos for Real to keep pace with a victory over Sevilla. Their closest contenders, Atletico, fell to a disappointing 2-0 defeat in Eibar, while the other capital derby saw Getafe multiply Leganes’ woes with a 3-0 win at the Butarque. There was better news for other clubs at the bottom, however, as Mallorca stunned Valencia 4-1, and Espanyol took all three points from the Ceramica. Celta could have done the same in Bilbao, but dropped two points late on as per. Elsewhere, Betis remain comfortably ensconced in mid-table after seeing off Sociedad, Alaves picked up a handy away victory at Levante and the scorers remained untroubled at El Sadar.

SERIE A

WEEK 20 HIGHLIGHTS
Mancosu made it an unhappy homecoming for Conte in Lecce as Inter dropped another 2 points, allowing a CR7 fuelled Old Lady to open up the biggest gap of the season so far at the top. Lazio have a game in hand on both and ran riot against Samp with Immobile bagging a hat-trick. Roma claimed fourth spot with a win at newly bottom Genoa, who were overtaken by SPAL after their shock comeback victory in Bergamo. Cagliari arrested their alarming slide with a point at Brescia, who lost Balotelli to a red card just seven minutes after coming on. The Rossoneri were instantly rewarded for finally letting Ante Rebic off the bench as he netted a brace in a 3-2 thriller against Udinese, but Gattuso’s Napoli’s misery continued with a 2-0 home defeat to Fiorentina, who seem to have turned a corner themselves. Elsewhere, Berardi fired the Neroverdi to a win over Il Toro while Bologna and Verona shared the spoils.

BUNDESLIGA

WEEK 18 HIGHLIGHTS
The Bundesliga exploded back into action with players refreshed and raring to go; none more so than Erling Braut Haland, who took just 23 minutes to score a hat-trick on his BVB debut in a 5-3 victory in Augsburg. The champions were also firing from the off as they ran in four second half goals in Berlin to move up to second. They remain 4 points behind Leipzig, however, as Timo Werner rattled in another brace with speculation mounting on a move to the Premier League. Schalke remain in the equation after a convincing win over early pacesetters Borussia MG sealed by a debut strike from Michael Gregoritsch. Nils Petersen has been at Freiburg a bit longer and decided he no longer wanted to share his record goal-scorer title with Jogi Low as they won in Mainz. The Billy Goats and Jhon (not a typo) Cordoba’s excellent pre-Christmas form continued in a 3-1 win against the Wolves, while Peter Bosz celebrated a new contract with a 4-1 win at the Benteler. Finally, a new year has brought new hope to both Werder and Eintracht, who picked up long overdue victories after dreadful runs of form.

LIGUE 1

Rennes and PSG both picked up three points from their games in hand midweek, whilst the Unicorns battled to a much-needed point against Reims. The weekend’s action was the Coupe de France last 32, with the only shock coming in Bordeaux’s loss at Pau. Elsewhere, Lyon nearly squandered a three goal advantage in a 4-3 win at the Beaujoire, whilst PSG left it late to scrape a 1-0 win at Lorient. Reunion side JS St Pierroise fell to defeat after journeying across Africa for their tie.

TUE 14TH JAN 2020

PREMIER LEAGUE (HIGHLIGHTS IN THE HEADLINES)
Spurs miss two late sitters as the Reds’ run rolls on. Sergio smashes records in Villa romp. Saints’ divine run of form continues. Four defeats on the bounce have Clarets looking over their shoulder. Red Devils torment crocked Canaries. Fabianski’s injury leads to yet another goalkeeping calamity inflicted defeat. Almiron scores his best so far to secure point for Magpies at Molineux. Aubameyang anguish spells trouble for Arteta. Toffees moving clear of danger Carlo’s way. Two sides on very different trajectories as Pearson leaves Bournemouth wandering Howe they can turn things around.

LA LIGA
The aristocrats were busy chasing petrodollars in the desert whilst the plebs scrapped for crumbs back home in an early Copa Del Rey round bereft of interest or surprise thanks to a seeding system that stacks everything in favour of the wealthy. A reflection of the world today…and Valverde’s been given the old heave-ho after two awful seasons of winning the league.

SERIE A WEEK 19 HIGHLIGHTS
After the antipasti of last week, the main dishes were served up. Inter held on for a point against a dominant Atalanta at the San Siro, but relinquished top spot as Juve won at the Olimpico against Roma. It is no longer a two-horse race at the top, though, as a run of ten straight wins for Lazio has put them very much in the title picture. With no European distractions from here on in, could this be their year? Cagliari’s fourth straight defeat, sealed by Zlatan’s first goal on his return to Serie A, has Parma and Torino snapping at their heels for the final European spot after they both secured home wins. The bottom four all lost again this week and have now been cut four points adrift, with the worst defeat seeing Brescia destroyed 5-1 by Samp, who have reached safer waters with Ranieri at the helm. Udinese’s three game winning streak has propelled them to mid-table mediocrity, a 3-0 home win against Sassuolo securing the points this time out.

BUNDESLIGA
Still on their hols. Bis bald!

LIGUE 1 WEEK 20 HIGHLIGHTS
Robert Moreno’s tenure at AS began positively as Monaco’s return to health was confirmed by a 3-3 draw in the capital. In Brittany, a late Kevin Strootman strike at 3rd place Rennes put Marseille within five of the leaders and well clear of the chasing pack. There were signs of recovery for OL as well, who dominated in a victory in Bordeaux. Their main rivals Saint-Etienne, meanwhile, lost at home to the Canaries in a match played behind closed doors due to the unscheduled fireworks display that took place last time out at the Geoffroy Guichard. At the bottom, the Crocodiles picked up a key win over Reims to close the gap on the Unicorns, who are in dire need of some magic. Elsewhere, the Derby de l’Est was taken by Metz, record goal-scorer Julio Tavares eased Dijon past Lille, Angers drew with Nice, and Brest smashed Toulouse 5-2, scoring four goals in the last 20 minutes as the bottom side continue their somewhat inevitable progress towards Ligue 2.

TUE 7TH JAN 2020

PREMIER LEAGUE HOLIDAY HIGHLIGHTS
LIVERPOOL – Was it ever going to be anything other than = 9pts
SOUTHAMPTON – Fine capital dining for Hasenhuttl = 7pts
WATFORD – 3rd manager lucky? Resurgent under Pearson = 7pts
MAN CITY – Bye bye title challenge = 6pts
LEICESTER – Bounced straight back after defeats to big two = 6pts
EVERTON – Toffees back on track after Carlo coup = 6pts
MAN U – Ole Ole Ole Ole (except for the Arsenal game) = 6pts
VILLA – 2 out of 3 ain’t bad, especially in a relegation fight = 6pts
PALACE – Roy’s Eagles continue their serene glide = 5pts
ARSENAL – Arteta’s Arsenal a harder nut to crack = 4pts
CHELSEA – Consistently inconsistent = 4pts
SPURS – Team and manager both breaking down = 4pts
BRIGHTON – A respectable return = 4pts
WOLVES – A win over City, but Reds a bridge too far = 3pts
WEST HAM – Moyes and Fabianski steady the ship = 3pts
NORWICH – Points thrown away late on to Spurs and Palace = 2pts
BOURNEMOUTH – Eddie’s biggest crisis thus far? = 1pt
SHEFFIELD UNITED – Tough fixtures. They’ll be back = 1pt
BURNLEY – Back in trouble? 3 games, just 1 goal = 0pts
NEWCASTLE – Solid season, terrible Christmas = 0pts

LA LIGA WEEK 19 HIGHLIGHTS
A Varane double saw Real claw back the two points they’d let slip just before the winter break away to Getafe, as a Frenkie de Jong red card paved the way for a late Wu Lei equaliser in the Catalan derby. City rivals Atletico followed suit as they caught up with Sevilla in third, who were unable to see off Athletic at the Sanchez Pijuan. A few points further back, Valencia caught up with 5th placed Sociedad, who lost late on Villarreal. At the other end, Mallorca slipped into the relegation zone after defeat in Granada, but will be thankful that both Leganes and Celta (for the umpteenth time) conceded late goals to limit the damage. In the remaining match, a Joaquin penalty miss meant Betis had to settle for a solitary point in Alaves.

SERIE A WEEK 18 HIGHLIGHTS
Mario Balotelli scored the first Serie A goal of the 2020s, as he had done in the 2010s, and it was very much a case of different year, same story in Italy. Same racism issues, same late Lazio fightback (nine wins in a row), same scoring machines on fire (Immobile, Lautaro and Lukaku, the entire Atalanta lineup), same expected victories for the title contenders, same struggles for Milan (despite Zlatan’s return), Napoli and Fiorentina, same steadfast Hellas defence. The main change to the script this week was a win for Il Toro at Roma, although the goals came from the predictable source of Belotti, and Genoa bouncing off the bottom with a win that sends toothless SPAL bottom.

BUNDESLIGA
Frohes Neues Jahr! With their lengthy winter holiday, four fewer league games and a solitary straight knockout cup competition, I can see why the likes of Lewandowski are happy to stay here. I can’t help but feel the Germans are getting it all right with their scheduling.

LIGUE 1
No league action this weekend, but the players were not on holiday. The early stages of the Coupe de France got underway with Cavani and co running riot against lesser opposition. No massive shocks.