Who's Hot and Who's Not in World Football After Weekend of Sept 13
Domestic football returned to action following the international break this weekend, with a number of surprising results and illuminating performances across Europe.
In Spain there was shock as Atletico Madrid continued Real Madrid's awful start to the season with an away win at the Santiago Bernabeu, while in England Manchester United got their season back on track with a 4-0 victory over Queens Park Rangers—as Chelsea continued their imperious 100 percent start.
Elsewhere there was a nine-goal thriller in Serie A—who says Italian football is boring?—while the finger-pointing and back-biting has already begun at one German club following one particular Bundesliga result.
Picking apart the pieces from those talking points and many more, here's who's hot and who's not following the most recent round of league games.
Hot: Jeremy Menez
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Perhaps no player is "hotter" this Monday morning than Jeremy Menez, after the mercurial Frenchman scored what some have already proclaimed the goal of the season in AC Milan's truly bizarre 5-4 victory over Parma on Sunday night.
The attacker, whose application to the cause does not always match his natural ability, took advantage of a mistake in the Parma defence to score a sumptuous late goal. Words can barely do it justice, so watch for yourself:
"Jeremy Menez with a sick back heel http://t.co/KucONhRjfO
— Football Vines (@FootballVines) September 14, 2014"
To take the ball around the goalkeeper (and run the other side of him) was inspired, but to round it off with a backheel that went OVER the diving goalkeeper Antonio Mirante was almost the perfect marriage of inspiration and arrogance.
Truly wonderful stuff.
Not: Florentino Perez
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Three games so far in La Liga, two defeats already for Real Madrid. The weekend's result was the most painful of the two—a home loss to arch-rivals Atletico Madrid that exposed the many weaknesses in the Real side at the moment.
Many of those problems seem self-inflicted, after the summer transfer activity of a side that had just won the Champions League for a 10th time. But the ensuing World Cup meant president Florentino Perez could not resist a wave of new vanity purchases, dismantling parts of his squad to make way for the likes of Toni Kroos, James Rodriguez and Keylor Navas.
"Poor Real Madrid. #DiMaria pic.twitter.com/vAPSY8AP6U
— KICKTV (@KICKTV) September 14, 2014"
The sales of Xabi Alonso and Angel Di Maria have drawn plenty of ire, especially after the disjointed start to the campaign. For Perez, he will hope coach Carlo Ancelotti can resolve the tactical problems soon—before he faces even more pointed questions about his methods.
The Italian told reporters (per Goal.com):
"We need to analyse things and try to fix them fast. The first half was good. In the second we were slower and less aggressive.
There's nothing wrong with the system, it's the lack of intensity. It hasn't been a good start to the season, but it's just the start. We'll sort things out.
"
Hot: Cesc Fabregas
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With his two assists against Swansea City on Saturday, Cesc Fabregas became the first player in Premier League history to record assists in six successive games (dating back to his two final games as an Arsenal player). The 27-year-old has returned to England and is dictating play in historically unprecedented fashion.
Chelsea came short in the pursuit of any trophies last season, with their lack of cutting edge cited as the primary cause. That was probably the case, and Diego Costa's seven goals since his summer arrival have seen him hailed as the difference-maker for the Blues' 2014-15 ambitions.
The ex-Atletico Madrid man has undoubtedly given Chelsea an added dimension, but Fabregas's influence should not be overlooked simply because he is not the man taping the chances into the net.
He has made Chelsea cleverer on the ball and more composed in the final third, turning what was a typically Mourinho side—solid at the back and on the counter, but frequently unimaginative when trying to break teams down—into one with the ability to adapt its strategy to any opposition.
Fabregas is the brain of this new Chelsea, and Costa (and Hazard, and Oscar, and Andre Schurrle) will all benefit from it over time.
"Cesc Fabregas leads the assists chart with six in the Premier League this season - http://t.co/a4Q8xi1lTs pic.twitter.com/F4EtZhtOph
— Squawka Football (@Squawka) September 14, 2014"
Not: Mesut Ozil
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Fabregas is not the reason why Mesut Ozil is struggling for form at the moment, but he is a factor in the discussion around him. As the Spaniard continues to go from strength-to-strength and dictates the action around him, the German's inability to do the same at Cesc's old club becomes ever more obvious.
The fact Arsenal had first option to re-sign Fabregas does not need dwelling on in any further depth, but Arsene Wenger's decision not to take up that opportunity did make a certain amount of sense. With Ozil, Jack Wilshere and Aaron Ramsey (not to mention Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and, coming through, Gedion Zelalem) the club already had a strong crop of playmaking midfielders, and perhaps needed to strengthen other areas first.
The problem, of course, is that Fabregas has come back and proven himself to be superior to every one of those players at that time—while Ozil has served to create more headaches than assists in that same period.
The German looked tentative and bereft of confidence again in the match with Manchester City, unable to stamp his authority on the game in the way Wilshere ultimately did. He had some nice touches—he always does—but, after a year at the club, now really is the time fans expect to see more from him.
Hot: Paul Lambert
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Aston Villa already have 10 points this season! They are effectively a quarter of the way to Premier League safety after only four games! How on earth did this happen?
Paul Lambert has generally presided over a dour period for Aston Villa—the team has either lacked quality, experience, or a frustrating combination of the two for much of his reign—but his reputation is improving with every passing game as his Villa side slowly, very slowly start to show signs of a bit more quality than seasons past.
It is too soon to make any definitive judgements—a backs-to-the-wall win at Liverpool is just a one-off until it is repeated at other grounds—but, with Roy Keane alongside him, Lambert finally seems to be hitting upon a more successful formula with the Midlands club.
Not: Schalke
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Klass-Jan Huntelaar, as quoted by the official Bundesliga site after Schalke's 4-1 defeat to Borussia Monchengladbach at the weekend:
"There are probably lots of reasons why our results have dropped off so significantly. It’s difficult to explain, but we’ve got to pull together as a team and discuss the mistakes.
"
It is never a good sign when one of your best and most experienced players is calling for a full inquest into a club's problems... after the first three games. Schalke have just one point to their name so far, a sorry return for a club expected to contend for Champions League qualification once again.
The defeat to Gladbach was especially embarrassing, with the Ruhr side looking disorganised and disinterested as they were ripped apart with ease by Andre Hahn and Co.
Schalke's Champions League campaign gets underway this week. On paper they should be able to qualify from a group that also contains Chelsea, Sporting Lisbon and Maribor. To do so they will need to work out what has gone wrong so far this season, however, and quickly.
Hot: Footballing Entertainment
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Neutral fans were treated to brilliant football across the entire weekend, with games in all different leagues providing brilliant excitement and drama.
To start the weekend off, Arsenal's draw with Manchester City was an engrossing spectacle, while the Madrid derby later that day did not lack for drama or talking points.
Then, on Sunday evening, AC Milan and Parma played out a scarcely-believable 5-4 for win for the Rossoneri; in terms of sheer entertainment value, if there is a better game in Europe this season we will be extremely fortunate to witness it.
After the international break, club football wasted no time in reminding us all exactly why we love it.
Not: Alan Pardew
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A 4-0 defeat at Southampton raised further questions about the future of Alan Pardew, as a sorry Newcastle United team put in an early contender for worst team performance of the season.
Losing 4-0 once at St Mary's would be considered bad enough, but this was the second time in as many seasons that Pardew has seen his team ravaged by a side many Newcastle fans would consider an equal.
The defeat led to renewed speculation about the manager's future with the Magpies—while he probably has at least another game in charge, it is hard not to wonder if the endgame is arriving for an individual who has long been one of the most unpopular managers in the Premier League.
