Bayern Munich vs Borussia Dortmund preview: Rivalry is becoming less of a concern for Dortmund

Bayern Munich vs Borussia Dortmund preview: Rivalry is becoming less of a concern for Dortmund

 

 

As the clash of the German titans occurs on Saturday evening, the form and morale of these two sides couldn't be more contrasting. Dortmund head into the toughest place to travel in Germany, the Allianz Arena, with four losses in a row and currently sit in 15th in the Bundesliga table. Bayern are top of the tree, after continuing their outstanding form from last season, scoring 21 goals and conceding just two goals. The thing that has always made this derby so globally recognised in recent years is the trio of Robert Lewandowski, Mario Gotze and Marco Reus. They were the stars of Dortmund's time that rose up from nowhere in the 2009/2010 season and won the Bundesliga two years in a row (2011 and 2012). But, as happens in football, players left for a bigger club.

 

 

First went Mario Gotze in the summer of 2013 for  €37m (£31.5m) to Bayern Munich. Many Dortmund fans have felt that Gotze was blinded by money and left the club when he could have offered them so much more. Lewandowski then left in the summer of 2014 but left for free as he left with dignity and respect from the Signal Iduna Park faithful. The final piece of the Dortmund formula would be ex-Borussia Monchengladbach player Marco Reus. It seems however that Reus is one of a rare breed of footballers who seem to be happy with what they've got and has said he doesn't want more than his £35,000 a week salary (which would suit me just fine!). The worldwide media will be all over the friendship between these three players, as the game is being watched in over 200 countries worldwide. In terms of what it means for the overall teams, Dortmund need to come away with something to stop this rut that they're in. It may be easier said than done again Bayern away but this seems like an early test for Jurgen Klopp's men in what their season will amount to.

 

 

As for Bayern, they will turn up with the aim to stop any kind of Dortmund revelation and do so with their cast of star players. I think that this derby may became more about the teams and how the result effects them, instead of how one player feels after leaving for more money and potentially a lot of trophies.

 

 

For more Bundesliga news, go to Bundesliga.com

 

Follow me on Twitter @Weston1878

 

 

 

 

Marco Reus' response when asked about moving to Bayern Munich.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

Burnley vs Everton review: Eto'o shows that class is permanent

Burnley vs Everton review: Eto'o shows that class is permanent

 

 

Going into the game on Sunday, no team felt that they had offered their best efforts to gaining a significant start to the season. Burnley however went into the game without a win in eight games and a sense of growing depression in wanting that vital first win of the season. As for Everton, they had only just started to show signs of starting the form that show them finish fifth last season. This game gave Martinez's side a chance to add to their momentum and gains some goals. The combination of playing both Samuel Eto'o and Romelu Lukaku up front created Burnley a lot of defensive problems and Eto'o showed his doubters, such as ex-boss Jose Mourinho, that he still has pure football excellence by driving home a quality header from a Baines' cross in the 4th minute. His fellow striker Lukaku had a mixed game though. Lukaku gave an awkward backpass which lead to Burnley's goal but did repay the travelling fans by scoring nine minutes after his mistake.

 

The moment of the match came in the 85th minute of the game, when substitute Steven Piennar passed to the eventful man of the match, Samuel Eto'o. Eto'o played it cool and slowly turned towards the goal and curled the ball superbly into Heaton's goal from 25 yards. Watching this goal, I think that many football fans would say that he's been scoring that type of goal since his early playing days with Real Madrid. Any club would let Eto'o join on a free as his footballing class is something that only a few players keep throughout their career.

 

 

Follow me on Twitter @Weston1878 

 

 

 

 

Romelu Lukaku looks to the sky after scoring Everton's second goal of the game to make it in 2-1 in the 29th minute.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Champions league groups review: 21-22 October 2014

 

Champions league groups review

 

 

This week in the Champions league has been one of real competition and big scorelines, such as Bayern beating Roma 7-1 in the Italian capital on Tuesday and Schalke beating Sporting Lisbon 4-3 in an epic encounter, as Roberto Di Matteo returned to the competition which he famously won the with Chelsea in 2012. Which goals and quality players stacked into all clubs across the Champions league groups, I run down the latest happenings in club football's top competition.

Group A

Group A is the only group that features all domestic champions and Atletico Madrid enjoyed a 5-0 home win over Swedish champions Malmo. Barcelona target Koke scored and provided three assists as Diego Simeone's men paved their way into second. The biggest shock of the week was Greek champions Olympiakos beating Juventus 1-0 in Greece. The atmosphere in Greece proved a key factor is moving Olympiakos top of Group A.

Group B

Group B features the current holders, Real Madrid, Bulgarian side Ludogorets, Basel and five time winners Liverpool. Real Madrid beat Liverpool for the first time in history with a 3-0 win at Anflied on Wednesday. Real probably should have had more but Liverpool were never a match for the ten time winners. Ludogorets left it late, until the 93rd minute, to beat Basel on Wednesday night as they became the first Bulgarian team in history to achieve points in the Champions league group stage. Real Madrid sit top with second place not yet decided at all.

Group C

Group C contains Bayer Leverkusen, Zenit, Benfica and big-money bags Monaco. Monaco and Benfica played out a goal-less draw with very little excitement and talking points. Bayer Leverkusen beat Zenit 2-0 to move top of the group. Bayer seem like the only top that reach any form in this group as Benfica, Zenit and Monaco don't look ready for the next round of this competition.

Group D

Group D is topped by Borussia Dortmund after they maintained their 100% record this season in the Champions league after beating Galatasaray 4-0 in Turkey. Dortmund aren't having such a fun time in the Bundesliga as they lost for the fourth game in a row today. Arsenal won 2-1 away to Anderlecht as Gibbs and Lukas Poldoski gave the gunners an unlikely win to gain some momentum in getting out of the group. Anderlecht and Galatasaray have a point each and look out of making a challenge to getting out the group.

Group E

Bayern Munich ripped apart Roma on Tuesday as the German champions won 7-1 in a purely excellent football. Roma are a good side but Bayern are going to be on a quest to win the Champions league after they were humiliated by winners Real Madrid at the Allianz Arena in last season's semis. Manchester City remain winless after drawing with CSKA Moscow in a closed door game. Having been cruising at 2-0 thanks to Aguero and Milner, Doumbia changed the game and scored and won a late penalty to leave the Etihad faithful shaking their heads.

Group F

PSG seem to on their way to potentially winning the group as they won 1-0 over Apoel Nicosia thanks to Cavani's late goal. Even without Zlatan Ibrahimovic, PSG look like a real threat and could go further than expected in this tournament. Barcelona have been slightly ropy lately (which showed in El Clasico on Saturday) but they did win 3-1 against Ajax, meaning they stay on PSG's tail.

Group G

Chelsea absolutely destroyed Maribor 6-0 with club legend Drogba scoring his first goal for Chelsea in the Champions league since he gave them the trophy in 2012. Schalke and Sporting faced off in an epic 4-3 battle, which Sporting have conversationally contacted UEFA over the game being replayed which involved the late penalty that Schalke received to win the game. Never the less, Schalke are two points behind Chelsea in top spot and Sporting and Maribor linger towards the bottom of the group.

Group H

Group H leaders Porto have scored the joint highest goals this season (10, along with Real Madrid) and beat bottom placed Atletico Bilbao 2-1 in remain top. Shakhtar Donetsk tied the highest away victory in Champions league history as they beat Bate Borisov  7-0. Luis Adriano also became the second player in history, behind Lionel Messi, to score five goals in a Champions league game.


For more Champions league news, go to BBC Sport Champions league

Follow me on Twitter @Weston1878

Cristiano Ronaldo opens the scoring for Real Madrid against Liverpool on Wednesday.

 

Lille vs Everton review: Everton secure point in overshadowed game

Lille vs Everton review: Everton secure point in overshadowed game

 

 

Everton secured a point in France on Thursday night after a hard fought game against Eden Hazard's former side, Lille. The game has unfortunately been overshadowed by events before the game in the city of Lille, with two Everton fans being taken to hospital on Wednesday night following an attack by Lille ultras. On the pitch, the game seems to be quite evenly contested, with Lille having a few early drives through the centre of Everton's defence and Liverpool's Origi (on loan at Lille) causing Baines some cause for concern. Samuel Eto'o made Everton get a foothold in the game mid-way through the second half with displays of skill that has seen him win the Champions league three times. The big turning point however was the introduction of Romelu Lukaku. Having had a mixed start to the season, including three Primer league goals, Lukaku added that extra firepower that Everton needed but ultimately the score line reflected the feel of the game, as no side really deserved to take all three points.

 

 

Huge credit to Everton fans as nearly 10,000 fans turned up to support the toffees on a night in which they had claimed their position at the top of Group H after three matchdays.

 

 

Follow me on Twitter @Weston1878 for sport related tweets!

 

 

Roberto Martinez watches his side fight to a 0-0 draw against Lille on Thursday night.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

Club football is back with a bang!

Club football is back with a bang!

 

After what seems like a very long and extremely unexciting international break, club football is back with a bang and in the Premier league there has been a lot of drama and surprises. Southampton's 8-0 demolition of Sunderland added to the growing idea among fans and reporters that Southampton may actually have a successful season after losing some many of their star players from last season. Four penalties were awarded during Manchester City vs Tottenham, which for me raises the question on weather referees feel pressure to give penalties in high profile games. Just a thought. Stoke beat Swansea 2-1 and put in a decent display against a team who have started well to this season. With big games such as Liverpool vs Real Madrid and Galatasaray vs Borussia Dortmund right around the corner, it sure feels good to have the international break done and dusted for the time being.

 

 

 

 



Everton vs Aston Villa review: Everton claim vital win to restore direction of season

Everton vs Aston Villa review: Everton claim vital win to restore direction of season

 

Everton claimed their first Premier league win at home this season with a comfortable 3-0 win over

Aston Villa. Goals from Jagielka, Lukaku and the returning Coleman in the 18th,48th and 76th minutes respectively showed real determination from Roberto Martinez's side to ensure that they recovered from a uneasy start to the season. The atmosphere around Goodison Park was one of nervousness and potential anxiety before and during most of the game but it seemed that Everton kick started their season, in terms of performance.

 

Villa came to Goodison in a current spell of tough fixtures, having faced Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City. They didn't seem to create much when they had short periods of possession and seemed to rely on the recently returned Christian Benteke to provide chances for them. Brad Guzan's poor goalkeeping, which lead to Lukaku's third league goal this season, knocked the little drive and character out of Villa and they were very prone to lacking few numbers at the back when Everton countered in the closing stages of the game. The only positive for Paul Lambert and his side is that they next play teams without extreme depth in quality e.g. QPR and Tottenham.

 

Although Everton have some star players such as Mirallas and Oviedo still injured coming into the winter phase of the Premier league, the return of Barkley and Coleman to first-team action for a long time lifted the sprits of the Goodison Park faithful as they provided the firepower that Everton had been missing upfront in tough matches against Manchester United and Liverpool. There were some defensive concentration slips at times as Tim Howard didn't command his box like he would have towards the end of last season, but a win is a win at the end of the day.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



Ticket pricing lets the Premier league down

                                          Ticket pricing lets the Premier league down

The Premier league is debatably the best league in the world along with the Liga BBVA and the Bundesliga. You could say that that it has the largest range of quality players across the entire division and not just near the top of the table, like with Barcelona, Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid. However, the factor off the pitch that let's the Premier league down is the pricing of tickets. In recent seasons, with Britain's economy and employment opportunities being unstable, some fans have been forced to give up their season tickets because of the owner's wanting the most out of the world's largest and watched sport. For example, Arsenal's most expensive matchday ticket for the 2014/15 season is £97. With the cost of travel included, Arsenal fans could be looking at spending near to £120 on one matchday! It seems that location is a factor that can relate to how a club charges for a match day ticket. You can watch Newcastle for £15 at St James' Park(which is surprising based on who owns the club and his attitude towards football).


In Germany, many clubs like Schalke 04 and Borussia Dortmund are mostly owned by the fans and many supporters of the two clubs say that you wouldn't get the same fans going to the game if you increased ticket prices. I can see how a club will increase the season ticket prices and matchday ticket prices if the team has a very successful season but I do not agree that ticket prices should be raised for the sake of money opportunities. Even in Portugal, the top clubs such as Benfica, FC Porto and Sporting Lisbon charge under £100 (€126) for a season ticket which is less than any club in Britain. They may not be big European clubs but they understand the value of the fans support. It does seem that football is being coming more of a business these days and I wonder just how long this argument goes on before a lot of supporters turn their back on football.

3 reasons why Everton need to win against Aston Villa

 

3 reasons why Everton need to win against Aston Villa

 

 

 Motivation

 

Results in the Premier league have been hard to get for Everton this season. A 2-0 away win at West Brom in September is the only three points that Roberto Martinez's side have gained in their familiar struggle to a Premier league season. Although they have faced high quality teams such as Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal, they should beaten Arsenal at Goodison Park but failed to do so after thinking that the game was finished at 2-0. A win against Aston Villa would give the squad confidence going into a run of 3 games in 10 days and restore faith from the fans that this season will not be struggle.

 

Giving last season's team dignity

 

The current Everton team is not much different from the team that finished fifth last season and automatically qualified for Europa league football (apart from the handful of loanees). Everton fans feel that they haven't really hit top gear yet this season and the uncomfortable thing is that we are past the 'it's early days' stage and into the first real testing period of the season (October- Christmas). This adds to the fact of how this team played such entertaining and flowing football not so long ago and now struggle to provide both attacking threat and defensive stability in a game.

 

Points on the board

 

Everton linger just above the relegation zone and even though it has only been seven match games for the toffees in the Premier league this season, it isn't a great feeling seeing your tem hang around the bottom of the table. As an Everton fan, I don't see relegation being a worry in the long term for us. However, in the world's most competitive league, every point counts towards a team's objective so it is better to get wins under Everton's belt now than in a few months time when the season comes to a climax. From the team's point of view, going into the end of October with only one league win would not help morale and once morale is low, especially with the extreme nature of the Premier league, it can take a while to get back on track in terms of performance and results.