TOP 10 TEAMS IN FOOTBALL (RIIIIIGHT NOW) PT. II

THE TOP 10 TEAMS IN THE WORLD 

(RIGHT NOW) 

PART II

5. JUVENTUS 

          There's been almost nothing redeeming about watching Juventus trip over the first quarter of the season...if you made it through a full match, I congratulate you on your ability to smash yourself over the head with nonstop back-passing, Blaise Matuidi used as an attacker, manager Sarri drunkenly unaware he doesn't have the personnel for his tactics, Miralem Pjanic displaying the roughest edges of his game (and little else) all while a rotating cast of egos disguised as world class players fray the perspective of their careers by the minute (Can, Khedira, Rabiot, Bernadeschi, Douglas Costa, need I continue?).
             Juventus has only scored 9 goals in their last 6 matches, indicating a complete lack of understanding in the final third and although Ronaldo hasn't been at his scorching best (as he is vs Lithuania, Luxembourg and Albania 😂😂), without his paltry 6 goals in 14 appearances (Messi has 9 in 11 apps.), who knows where Juve would be.            
             Without Wojciech Szczesny's 42 saves Sarri's Juve would be lost as well. 
             The Juventus defense contains a bevy of options: Bonnuci, Alex Sandro, De Sciglio, ex City man Danilo and former Ajax captain Matthijs De Ligt...so one would suspect Juve to be solid at the back.
            Instead, they've been more open than an invitation for an acid trip from Hunter S. Thompson, maintaining only 6 clean sheets on the campaign. 
           Still, their defense has pulled off some gutty last ditch blocks and tackles, keeping the chances and goals total low for opponents with only 14 conceded (well below Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Liverpool's totals).
              The only reason we had to place them so high on the list was the fact they lead an incredibly competitive Serie A and their slim 3 point advantage in their UCL group over Atletico...we can't tell you how they've done it other than they have. 
              Under Sarri we feel this unit has much more to offer, lest they be trampled underfoot in Simeone's wake in 10 days when they face Atletico in Turin.

TEAM MVP: CRISTIANO RONALDO
             (6 goals, 1 assist)

4. LEIPZIG 
         This high flying club flew from the third division all the way to finishing 3rd in the Bundesliga, competing in the Champions League and appearing in a DFB Pokal final all in such a short time span. 
           Though many wouldn't know who to congratulate for this tidal wave of success, most of this rapid ascendancy is all thanks to the hard work and vision of long time sporting director Ralf Rangnick. 
           And though he has departed to wade in a pool of hard-earned Red Bull cash, he's left the club in a fantastic position under prodigious manager Julian "wish this guy managed Barcelona" Nagelsmann. 
         Scoring 44 goals through the ides of November is a riotous statistic, 2nd only to Bayern Munich in Germany and 4th in Europe behind City, Liverpool and the aforementioned Munich (a domestic rival they held to a 1-1 draw).

          Season after season, Leipzig fly high and dare Bundesliga rivals to face their aggressive, Klopp-esque brand of football; campaign after campaign, Leipzig retain their biggest players, all of whom have / had massive transfer prices on their heads and in the end, Leipzig somehow manages to expand their squad.
         Out of the original gang that was part of Leipzig's inaugural Bundesliga season (Sabitzer, Werner, Keita, Forsberg, Poulsen) only Naby Keita was sold and at least his talents were lost for a massive fee in return....quite an unbelievable streak of business right there, but no there's more:
           Judging by Leipzig's squad, I think we've found one of the younger and more irresponsibly awesome squads in football: Klostermann, Upamecano, Werner, Nordi Mukiele, former Premier League youngster Ademola Lookman (a shocking talent), the dreadlock'd Welshman Ethan Ampadu (another Premier League castaway on loan from Chelsea), African midfield sensation Amadou Haidara and former PSG man Christopher Nkunku, a winger who's had 3 goals and 4 assists already in 19/20.
            Many will still criticize their all-out-attacking ethos and their open play, pointing out their lack of clean sheets and frequency of goals allowed, yet they've shut out more teams than Liverpool this season. 
           Also, Leipzig have the same number of shutouts as Barcelona in 19/20, so tell me...when you compare the Catalan payroll at the back next to the thinly paid Leipzig defense, is there really that much to criticize? 
            No there isn't much to rip on, and with Forsberg and Poulsen fighting for minutes with impressive displays, Sabitzer proving to be one of the great unsung orchestrators of his generation and Timo Werner's metamorphosis from hot German transfer to superstar stunner, Nagelsmann has quite the squad on his hands...one firrmly capable of taking the Bundesliga from Bayern.


TEAM MVP: TIMO WERNER 
(created 15 goals in his last 4 apps inc. 2 goals & 2 assists and 2 UDGC vs Wolfsburg, 3 goals and 3 assists vs Mainz)
         
3. LEICESTER 
        Where are those Brendan Rodgers memes now, I wonder? 
        Yes, he still looks like a creepy sex scandal waiting to happen, I know, but daaaaamn this is the second different EPL club he's taken this high up the table in EPL contention....evidence of his managerial quality.
        What a last 5 years Leicester City have had as a football club, from Championship upstarts to Premier League winners then Champions League quarterfinalists; this Cinderella period was followed by the supposed death lull limbo: a wilderness period in which the Foxes fired Ranieri, sold off their best players (Mahrez and Kante) and tripped down the EPL table. 
         But now...Leicester have come back around full circle...
         Numbers and performances tell us  Leicester are almost as thoroughly solid as Liverpool and Manchester City since Harry Maguire's exit, Youri Tielemans' arrival, Brendan Rodgers' appointment and the club being able to keep Wes Morgan, Demarai Gray and Jamie Vardy from the clutches of many an English club.
         Leicester have fantastic depth in all areas, perhaps not enough to win the Premier League (though Leicester did that with less) but the names like diamond right back Ricardo Periera (54 tackles, 20 interceptions, 35 clearances), Turkish international Caglar Soyoncu 
(the Turkish defender who's made every Leicester fan forget Harry Maguire existed), assist-machine Ben Chillwell, hat trick hero Ayoze Perez, Kelechi Iheanacho (a superbly talented, underrated striker) and youth product Hamza Choudhury are names that roll off of the tongue. 

         But it's been Rodgers' undying faith in the spine of the team that's sent Leicester to 3rd place in the EPL: 
         From retaining the crucial 2015/16 title-winning keeper and center back partnership Kasper Schmeichel and Wes Morgan, grabbing the midfield of Wilfred Ndidi (aka the tackling machine who led European football in tackles completed for 2 of the last 3 seasons) and the Belgian prodigy Youri Tielemans displaying fantastic command in his passing, goal creation and work ethic; then in attack the ultra-creative James Maddison (who's free kicks are only behind Messi's concerning deadly accuracy, 2 so far this season and counting) and of course, Jamie Vardy, a striker with the finishing touch of Fowler and the night life of Bellamy who was supposed to be a one season wonder but has scored no less than 13 EPL goals per season & created no less than 19 every Premier League campaign since. 
             Rodgers hasn't only improved and expanded the personnel at his disposal, he's using the perfect tactical template, one made to adapt like a chameleon to any and all situations: 
         Leicester can win it ugly, they can play beautiful football, they can counter using Vardy's vicious pace in behind and they're exceptional at aerial dueling, recovering the ball in scrappy transition play and providing a calculated threat from set pieces, scoring 5 goals on the season.
            With results like a narrow, last second 2-1 loss to Liverpool, the comfortable 2-0 dismissal of Arsenal, administering the largest beatdown in EPL history with their historic 9-0 win over Southampton, a 1-1 draw against Chelsea, and a victory over Tottenham, the Silver Foxes definitely have the fire, the depth and the spirit to challenge Liverpool or Manchester City in the fight for 2nd place, but we won't know whether they have the minerals to steal the Premier League title away from either of the top two until they play them both in consecutive matches on December 21st vs City and on December 26th at the King Power vs Liverpool. 
             After Boxing Day, we'll know if Leicester are title contenders or merely Champions / Europa League qualification thieves.
          
TEAM MVP: 
WILFRED NDIDI / YOURI TIELEMANS
         

2. MANCHESTER CITY 

         Guardiola's lads lost 3-1 to Liverpool in a match that felt like a hazy trip back to the 2018 UCL quarterfinals defeat against the same side, in the exact scenario and with the same awful feeling for City fans.

         City had the ball, they created enough chances and they engineered glorious build-up play, but in committing too many numbers forward, going without extremely underrated goalkeeper Ederson (injured) and having to stick Fernandinho and John Stones at center back, this makeshift defense (as well as City's obsession with dominating the ball around an opposition box) helped Liverpool's attacking trio and high-octane fullbacks expose Angelino, Stones and Fernandinho's lack of pace and familiarity.   
          Sterling, De Bruyne and co lost this match due to their lack of energy in transition, a battle many clubs will find themselves losing when facing the feisty, athletic and technically dangerous Liverpool midfield.

          Guardiola's men are clearly suffering without Aymeric Laporte and Ederson in the center (two rock solid City performers) while on the wings City have also shuffled through Benjamin Mendy, Angelino, Zinchenko and even Cancelo in the left back spot, Pep proving incapable of settling on a fixed starter...at least until their best option, Benjamin Mendy, fully recovers (Pep is taking all precautions in Mendy's gradual rotative return from nearly 2 full seasons out). 
          This has hurt City ever since Mendy first went down: Guardiola's preferred style of play requires both fullbacks bombing forward to generate space in the middle for his creators to pick apart, and with such a lack of bodies in crucial spots, it's actually alarming how good City have been without so many players.
          Which club would win 8-0 in a league match without their two starting center backs and a winger on par with Leroy Sane on the surgeon's table? 
          How many clubs could stay undefeated in Europe and only drop three EPL fixtures with their three best center backs, their #1 goalkeeper, their World Cup-winning €65 million left back and Leroy Sane, all out injured (Sane: 84 goals in 134 appearances)??? 
           Could Liverpool achieve that same record without VVD, Robertson and Mane?
           I'm not so sure...
           While losing so many defenders to injury, Guardiola's men have still kept 8 clean sheets, double the amount of Barcelona and nearly triple Liverpool's total; plus, to make the stat far more impressive, 6 of those 8 shutouts were achieved after Laporte went down vs Brighton.

           Without Leroy Sane and dual fullbacking threats, City become too narrow and easier to defend. 
           City fans haven't missed Sane too blatantly (since winger Riyad Mahrez has proven to be a consistent contributor) although what Sane provided on the left balanced the team: Sterling is at his commanding best on the right and Mahrez playing in the team forces Raheem over to the left wing...an obvious issue.
          However, Pep Guardiola trusts Mahrez even less than he trusted Sane, with Pep using the midfielder Bernardo as an auxiliary right winger. 
          This conservative tactic has been deployed by Guardiola for the biggest of matches and it's not an effective blueprint...in fact, it shows the fear Guardiola has when it comes to the biggest moments under the brightest lights.
          Ever since Pep left Barcelona, he hasn't found success in the Champions League, and for a manager known for swashbuckling attacking play, when the lights shine brightest, Pep seems to shy away from what makes his team great out of fear of results.
               
TEAM MVP: KEVIN DE BRUYNE
(10 assists, EPL leader in assists with 9, set up 3 shots off the post, created 58 chances)

1. LIVERPOOL

      Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool are something special. 
      During their 3-1 dismantling of Pep Guardiola's infallible Manchester City, Liverpool exuded a menacing uber-confidence when they handed City the ball and the territory; Klopp knew his guys had the energy, the desire and the better gameplan to outlast and punish any City siege around their box with a bevy of exacting counters headed the other way.
      The game plan from Klopp was nothing new in his approach to possession teams, it was just executed to a frightening degree. They allowed City possession to the point it lulled the ball-hungry Citizens to sleep, instead of the Reds. 
       Liverpool didn't break their organized lines to chase or rambunctiously hunt the ball deep into City's territory; remarkably, Henderson, Fabinho and Wijnaldum receded into a perfect shell while Salah, Firmino and Mane pressed the City back-line into a myriad of outlet balls to nowhere. 
         Once City crossed the center circle, Henderson and Fabinho aided in the press and came exploding out of the traps to win second balls quicker than Guardiola's men usually pass. 

        Once possession changes hands, Liverpool contain such a wide-ranging pool of attacking talent (all with pace for decades) that they can't help but light up opponents in transition.
        Almost all of Liverpool's match strangling early goals come from this kind of combative scenarios, but the rewards were especially apparent against Guardiola's Citizens.
        The first goal (in part one of the "title decider") came from a poor clearance by Fernandinho, the Brazilian uncomfortable in defense when his kick away assisted Fabinho's net throttling blast, a goal that surprised everyone including the Brazilian midfielder.
 
         Then, minutes later after disrupting a strong City attack, Klopp's guys only took three passes to rupture City's goal: one pass out of the back to Alexander-Arnold up the wing, one diagonal (home run ball from TAA) across to the streaking left back Andrew Robertson, and the final delightful cross from the Scottish international that sailed above and through all-comers before bouncing perfectly for Salah, the Egyptian doing well to negotiate his header into the corner. 
          Later when Gundogan was more concerned with attacking, the defensive gap Ilkay vacated on their left wing stranded an isolated Angelino in a 2 v 1 situation. When Jordan Henderson wisely kept running out wide and sent in a riotous cross for Sadio Mane to power home, it sent shockwaves throughout the footballing world as Manchester City stared down a 3-0 deficit.

    
        Manchester City players glared at each other in disgust, Raheem Sterling was livid with frustration for the first time all year (to the point he later choked Joe Gomez) and none of their fans, from the Gallagher Brothers to Nicolas Harbert, had any goddamn clue how it all happened.
        That's because of how fast Liverpool were in erasing the highest caliber of collective attacking quality in Europe...
       After watching the 3-1 spectacle at Anfield, some casual football fans would claim Liverpool to be a "counter attacking" side, however their dominance in possession as well as in transition  makes the highly talented (and still very young) Merseysiders impossible to beat in 2019.
       When you have players who work hard (and display world class flair) on both sides of the ball, when your squad possesses a solid mix of athletically superior veterans and the energetic fearlessness of youth and the operation is run by a manager who's tactically prepared, respectful and respectable as well as knowledgeable in the way his team must play, results will always be positive.

        But Liverpool are beatable. 
        Though their embarrassing statistic of 23 goals allowed and 3 clean sheets may be down to the early season injuries to #1 keeper Alisson and Joel Matip, the Brazilian keeper's been back in between the sticks for weeks now and still, Liverpool instigate shocking moments of disarray at the back.
          A back line containing VVD, TAA, Andy Robertson and Adrian or Alisson in goal have no business going from September 28th until now without a shutout.
         Sure, it's a small issue...nearly harmless, but in April and May, one of these shockers could cost Klopp's destiny-soaked Reds right at the Premier League finish line.
          But would every Liverpool fan take an undefeated start to the season buoyed by a 9 point lead, a 3-1 destruction of City, a fantastic Champions League group stage thus far all without Alisson and Matip?

          
TEAM MVP: SADIO MANE

if you missed Part One, click this link
thank you for joining us!
this was written by LONN PHILLIPS SULLIVAN