Will Atletico Madrid end up with nothing?

Atletico Madrid go to the Camp Nou tomorrow with the hope of becoming the first Spanish team other than Real Madrid or Barcelona to win La Liga since 2003-04. Atletico themselves haven't won it since 1995-96.

They only need to avoid defeat.

But should they lose, they will then travel to Lisbon the following Saturday to play city rivals Real Madrid in the Champions League final. Lose that one too and they could end up with nothing to show for their fantastic season.

Diego Costa has been the first player in ages to get close to Ronaldo and Mess's haul of goals. Koke has provided more assists than anyone bar Angel Di Maria, and Thibaut Courtois has been so good in goal that he's either going to be the starter for Chelsea or Barcelona next year.

But is this their last chance for a while to win something? Diego Simeone is a coach in demand, Costa seems set to leave along with Courtois, whose loan expires.

Unfortunately, teams who have unexpected success seem to have their best players taken from them before they get the chance to build and threaten the long-term domination of the big boys. No doubt Sevilla will have some of their player cherry-picked after their Europa League success, while Southampton seem set to lose Adam Lallana and Luke Shaw after a great Premier League campaign.

I hope Atletico win La Liga or the Champions League (or both). It's nice to see a great group of players mix it with the big spenders. And while players like Costa and Courtois may find more success in their careers, Atletico fans may not get another chance to win something for another 20 years.

Just an average Clasico!

Where do you start when trying to summarize El Clasiso?

Goals, controversial penalties, the usual Sergio Ramos red card, another Messi hat-trick, more broken records? It had it all.

Ronaldo and Ramos are already complaining about the refereeing, and I hope that doesn't become the focus of the debate, but you feel it may actually aid Real, who will now feel like everyone is against them and spur them on to the title. The decisions weren't horrible, they just happen at such speed, and the referee only gets one look. He could have done with some help from his assistants, but you have to applaud the fact he was brace enough to make the big decisions. Yes, we'd love him to be right every time, but calling for technology to intervene is stupid - and an argument that's not even worth having. Even with 10 replays, it's hard to know if Cristiano was fouled outside, if the foul continued inside, if it a red card etc. The beauty of the game is the human element - so enough of that discussion.

Messi is a beast, he's so cool under pressure. Ronaldo too is on another level - he didn't have his best game, but every time he gets on the ball the excitement level builds. Bale and Neymar on the other hand aren't at that level yet. The Welshman looked a little out of his depth. Angel Di Maria took the game to Barca in a way that Bale should be doing. If Karim Benzema could have converted more than 2 of the changes Di Maria made for him then Real would have been out of sight.

Neymar prefers a broken game I think. He preys on 1 on 1 match-ups and the ability to utilize the open spaces in behind. Barca play so slow that those opportunities don't always arise in the big games. Teams now let Xavi, Iniesta and Fabregas try and pass them to death, knowing that they just need to contain Messi and they'll be ok (ok, no one can contain him, but they at least know the game plan!).

And so with Barca not really able to break Madrid down, it was left for one man to do it. Sergio Ramos. 19 red cards in La Liga, 180 yellows - impressive. But time and again he finds himself in positions he shouldn't be in. He's a fantastic player on some levels, but he commits reckless fouls and often finds himself as the last man. Foul there and quite often the red will follow. And he can't help himself. He just about nicked Neymar, but ultimately, he had no idea where the Brazilian was, and that's why he had to foul.

If Ramos stays on, Real win in my opinion. They were the better team, but Messi was the difference. Nothing phases him (apart from an Argentina shirt). The La Liga title is wide open again - and as much as we complain about Barca and Real meeting too often these days, there probably aren't two other teams in Europe that could have created the excitement of yesterday's game.

Just how good (or bad) is MLS?

Let me start this discussion with this.... this article is not meant to criticize MLS, just discuss how it compares with other leagues. It's not a case of liking one and hating another - it's all football, just there are just different qualities in different leagues.

People say the Premier League is the most exciting league, that Serie A is the most technical, but that La Liga has the best individual players - and you can't forget the the Bundesliga had both last year's Champions League finalists, and boasts a team that has gone 50 games unbeaten in the league. But there is no consensus on which league is the best - essentially as it's a game of opinions, and that's usually why we all enjoy discussing it.

I don't think there's much of an argument to say that the New York Red Bulls (last season's winner of the Supporter's Shield for the best record in the MLS) or Sporting Kansas City (the MLS Cup winners) could compete in the European Champions League, but I wonder how and where they would fit-in when compared to regular league teams.

If you look at the players, there are stars like Thierry Henry, Michael Bradley, Landon Donovan etc, that could probably still get into any team ranked 4-10 in any European League (like a Tottenham, Real Sociedad or Sanit-Etienne), but probably no one in MLS that could get into the starting XI for a Barcelona, Chelsea or Juventus. But that's why they are the strongest teams in Europe - they have the resources and prestige of being the best of the best. There are good teams and players in Brazil, Russia, Mexico etc, but the best players want to be at those top teams competing for the top trophies.

But how does MLS fare against the mid-range teams in the top leagues? Seattle v Toronto had a crowd of almost 40,00, with US, English and Brazilian internationals on show - but it also had Djimi Traore! It's hard to even argue that you'd prefer to watch Sunderland v Crystal Palace or Elche v Real Betis than seeing that MLS game.

Unfortunately though, there are not enough games of that quality (yet) and much of the league has very average players who aren't improving the game in the US. Why the Red Bulls would sign Bradley Wright-Phillips (and Luke Rogers before him) from the lower reaches of the Championship in England rather than try and develop an American player is beyond me. It's nothing personal against those players, but they aren't adding anything to the league here - Jermain Defoe is, Tim Cahill has, Robbie Keane has. Getting good foreign players helps, developing home-grown talent helps the league and the National team.

And that's where I think MLS struggles to compete, and why it is perceived to be of a lower quality than the European leagues. There's no doubt the top talent is in Europe, but while MLS continues to take players that didn't really do much in Europe, then it will be viewed as lower quality league or a place to go to retire.

The league is growing and developing, but I think every team in MLS would finish in the bottom 3 of the EPL, La Liga or Serie A over a full 38 game season. At the moment, it's a league that has a few too many aging foreigners, not enough trust in youth and is technically a bit behind on coaching and tactics.

But the key thing to remember is that MLS is improving every year and is already great to watch. It may not be quite up to the top club standard in the world, but it's getting there.

Some people shouldn't comment after a shock result

Barcelona lost. They are now joint top with Atletico Madrid, with Real Madrid just 3 points behind. The Catalans have won 13 of 15. They lost a game, and it coincided with Lionel Messi not playing. Queue stupid Messi/Ronaldo comparisons, memes, drama, overreaction.

It's the end of the world for Barcelona if you read too much online. Barca are nothing without Messi, Real are still lions even when Cristiano is injured because they now have Gareth Bale.

One loss. All those World Cup winners, European Champions, league winners and some of the best players of their generation are nothing without Messi. Comparing Neymar to Bale? You deserve to be shot.

Twitter, Facebook etc, are great socila media tools, but there is a reason some people don't deserve to be heard. If you don't know anything about football, please don't comment. It just makes you look stupid.

Congrats to the Welshman on his hat-trick. Let's not forget it came against a team in the bottom 3 of La Liga. A great achievement, and hopefully he'll encourage more talent to experience football abroad.

***

Liverpool and Manchester United are done, Arsenal are battling Chelsea and Manchester City for the title. This may prove to be true in January of February, but let's just enjoy a team and a player (Mr. Aaron Ramsey) playing some great stuff. City also look good and are scoring loads of goals. Both City and Arsenal are making the others look bad, but no-one in the top 8 is out of it yet - Newcastle and Southampton may not last with the big boys, but there's real competition this year, and that's something to be enjoyed.

Fulham sacked Martin Jol after their shocking display at West Ham. Some managers get a rough deal when they are fired so early in a season, but the Cottagers were awful against the Hammers. Carlton Cole scored. While the criticism around him is harsh, you know you're in trouble when he scores. West Ham could have had 6, and that's saying something for a team that has struggled to score goals all season. Fulham were lucky to get 0 - they didn't have a shot in the game that troubled the keeper.

***

Bayern and PSG are both still unbeaten. I'll take the Germans lasting longer in that competition, but I'll probably enjoy watching PSG more. Zlatan makes me smile. He loves the game, and does things that you should pay money to go and see. Bayern dominate teams and make their superiority show, and they are fun to watch, but Zlatan is worth the entrance fee on his own.

The divide in European soccer is growing

I'd like to write about other European leagues and how great they were to watch this weekend, and there sre great teams in Serie A, La Liga, the Bundesliga and Ligue Un, but they are only getting competition in the Champions League.

Barcelona are unbeaten in the first 14 games of the season and have scored 42 goals in that time, conceding just 9 goals. Bayern beat Dortmund this weekend to extend their run to 13 unbeaten to start this season, and they have won 11 of those, letting in just 7 goals. Juve are top again in Serie A, starting 11-1-1, with Roma close, but only because they started at an unbelievable rate and have an amazing defense. PSG are also unbeaten, topping Ligue Un on 34 points from 14. Lille are second, rivaling Roma for tightest defense, conceding just 4 in 14.

So there is somewhat of a story there, but it's no surprise really. The top teams just get stronger and the competition gets weaker. Every major league in Europe, apart from England, still has at least one unbeaten team with about a third of the season gone. That may be great for stats and records, but there is a real gulf in class among the teams now, and it's not great to watch - teams are seeing a 2-0 loss as an acceptable result, because Barca, Real, Bayern and PSG are putting 4,5, 6 or 7 past teams. And that leads me into the Premier League - Man City have put 7 past Norwich and now 6 past Spurs, and Tottenham spent about $150 million this off-season. What hope do other teams have of competing if City can smash 6 past a team who were tipped for the top 4?

The gulf is growing, and not in a good way people. That European Super League we all dread may actually make the domestic season better - but that's another discussion.

***

So City, Chelsea and Arsenal all had pretty easy wins this weekend. Games that had the potential to trip them up. They look like the strongest three teams in the division. Liverpool are close, but they're pretty evenly matched up with Manchester United this season. Spurs don't look like they are going to make the top 4 again, but they still have a chance to crack it - they just need to learn to defend, and to get some supply to a striker that cost a huge chunk of that Gareth Bale money.

The Merseyside derby was fantastic. Lead changes, great goals, a yellow that should have been a red, and that man again....Romelu Lukaku. Yes, I could have said Luis Suarez, and he deserve s a mention, but the young Belgian is an absolute beast. He is the ultimate lone striker. Big, strong, good in the air, quick, can finish and is just 20! But lest we forget, Chelsea own him. So Everton's shot a the top 4 is realistic, but they won't find another Lukaku next year, and Chelsea won't loan him out again.

West Ham and Fulham are in trouble. Both teams look weak, and their game next week is a real 6-pointer. Neither team is playing well, and the excuses given by Martin Jol and Sam Allardyce are not enough anymore. West Ham need Carroll back, but to expect him to come in and score 15+ in the second half of the season is unrealistic. Fulham can't defend right now, and as good as he is when they win, Berbatov becomes a liability when they're behind.

Some rich league football to keep us entertained this week - so we don't need to worry about the little teams too much. 

Huge clash in Germany; Chance to forget Milner has 44 caps

So watching Ronaldo was fantastic (by far the best player in the world right now), seeing France come back was inspiring (although many people wanted them to miss out), and some of the African qualifiers were great - but now we have the 32, it's all set. International friendlies are awful, as anyone who watched England v Germany will testify. So let's get back to some club football, see some quality, and not wonder how James Milner has 44 caps for England.

***

So Everton v Liverpool eh? Martinez v Rodgers. Personally I think Roberto is a better manager and seems to be able to get teams to actually play. He sticks to his principals and has inherited a very good Everton team - the face they have Romelu Lukaku too seems a little unfair, but so be it. Liverpool are very strong going forward, but as we saw against Arsenal, Rodgers doesn't seem to have a Plan B. If Sturridge and Suarez are not firing, Coutinho and Gerrard need to boss the game - because Jordan Henderson, Victor Moses and Joe Allen have all been poor. To say Liverpool need another striking option seems excessive at this point, but they do if they want to really contend.

Arsenal need someone other than Giroud too. A huge game at home against Southampton. It may not sound right, but they need Walcott and others to take the burden off the Frenchman (because he's not that good).

Some early relegation games loom too. Hull v Palace, Stoke v Sunderland and Cardiff v Manchester United! We're coming into a key period where teams need to win games rather than draw, and not let themselves get detached from the pack. West Ham need a win, as do Fulham, but so does everyone I suppose!

***

A repeat of last year's Champions League final in Germany this weekend. Dortmund against Bayern. First against second, with the reigning champs unbeaten, conceding just 7 goals in 12 games.  Bayern haven't lost away in the Bundesliga for 24 games, which is just unreal, but they will be without Frank Ribery who was injured for France. Everyone is injured for Dortmund, with their defense really suffering - and as no one can stop Bayern scoring, don't be surprised if Mario Gotze notches against his old team. He's bound to get a lot of abuse from the fans, and should probably avoid Jurgen Klopp screaming at him too!

***

I'm bored of La Liga. It's so early to say that, but there isn't a game that really interests me this weekend. Barca without Messi, Real without Khedira and Alonso - yeah, big losses, but those two giants have so many other players. Just means we get to see more of Neymar and Isco.

The top 5 in Serie A are breaking away too, but perhaps it's more interesting to see how bad AC Milan are. 10th after 12 games, no away wins, 19 points behind Roma already and nothing too bright on the horizon. They still have Mario tho, and he's worth admittance on his own.

Of course van Persie would score; Don't rush Messi

Robin van Persie was bound to score the winner against Arsenal. It was a reminder that Manchester United are far from out of the title race, and Arsenal aren't the clear favorites for the league. Both teams will be there or thereabouts in the run up to Christmas, but much will depend on the strength of their squads when the league, cup and European games are coming thick and fast.

One player United won't be bragging about in their squad is Marouane Fellaini - if Tom Cleverly is coming on before you in a big game, you cant be that good. He doesn't fit in at Old Trafford, and I can only think that Moyes wanted him as a familiar face around the place - but he really wanted Leighton Baines, and seems to have ended up with Fellaini when he couldn't get anyone else.

Manchester City, Chelsea and Spurs are 3 teams I just can't work out. Great one week, awful the next. Spurs probably haven't been great all season, but they should be so much better. They don't create anything, and Soldado looks completely lost. Andros Townsend was the savior of England a few weeks ago, but cutting in and shooting every time you get the ball is probably the reason he wasn't offered a second month's loan spell at Leyton Orient. In the words of John Barnes, 'there's only one way to beat 'em, get round the back.' Soldado needs crosses to score, surely that's why they have all these wingers.

City are a strange team. They have no excuses (Joe Hart wasn't playing) for not beating Sunderland. Smashing Norwich by 7 doesn't mean much if you are going to allow Phil Bardsley to bully his way into the box and finish (and yes, he did finish well, I'll give him that).

Chelsea were saved by a dive to maintain Mourinho's run at home. Get Lukaku back as soon as you can/play Mata/sell Obi Mikel/get Courtouis back to replace Cech. Because no one else can understand why you haven't done these things already.

***

PSG are going to win Ligue Un. Zlatan is just too good. End of.... Juventus are going to win Serie A. Not as certain on this one, but Roma are coming back down to earth after their amazing start, Napoli couldn't live with Juve yesterday, and Tevez, Pirlo, Llorente and Pogba have all the quality they need to compete in multiple competitions... Bayern Munich are too good.

***

Will Barcelona miss Lionel Messi? What do you think? But they need to be patient. His hamstring injury could keep him out a few months, but they still have more than enough quality to beat the majority of teams in La Liga. Xavi, Iniesta and Neymar don't become bad players because Messi isn't there. Real Madrid will be hot on their heels now that Ronaldo, Bale and Benzema seem to be clicking, but the overall quality of the opposition in La Liga means that Barca should be able to at least keep pace until Messi's return in late-January.

Moyes probably won't have the answers for Arsenal

Arsenal against Manchester United on Sunday - any interest? No, didn't think so!

People keep expecting Arsene Wenger's team to fail, but we're now over a quarter of the way through the season and they are top of the league and have the most in-form player in the Premier League, if not Europe right now.

David Moyes on the other hand spent 27.5 million pounds on Marouane Fellaini. He wasn't that good at Everton, and looks completely out of his depth at Manchester United. He deserves time to find his feet, but maybe he can't see them through all that hair - i know, the tumbleweed is rolling right now, and I'm ok with it.

United have to hope they can outscore Arsenal, as it's unlikely they will dominate the ball, even at Old Trafford.

A defeat for Arsenal isn't the end of the world, and while it's another reason to question what is going on with Moyes's team, it's not the end for them either. They are more than capable of going on a streak, but a defeat here would create a lot of questions that the Scotsman doesn't appear to have the answer for.

I can't see Palace or Sunderland picking up points against Everton or Manchester City, and you have to fear for both of them already. West Ham against Norwich isn't quite a 6-pointer yet, but if the Hammers fail to score again, the decision to put all the eggs in the Andy Carroll basket will look even worse.

***

It seems we just wait for El Clasico in Spain now, or for one of them to face Atletico. Really not much to say about La Liga except that we hope for a shock result rather than another record to be broken by Messi or Ronaldo.... German and French football don't have any huge games this weekend, but I do appreciate that they start the weekend fixtures on a Friday night - really helps me through the day!

***

And then there's Juventus v Napoli. Roma have made a great start in Serie A, but these two are teh pre-season favorites and have both started really well. Hopefully the midweek European ties won't have turned this into a defensive game, but then it's Serie A, so expect some of that anyway! Tevez has been running riot in Italy, with Higuain, Hamsik and co. likely to play their own brand of counter-attacking football.

Rafa Benitez deserves a lot of credit, but Antonio Conte has built a formidable team, with Paul Pogba developing into a top-class player. Juventus have the home advantage and that puts them in poll position, but who cares who wins?* It's just another great game in another fantastic weekend of football.

*I care who wins, and I hope it's Juve - but not sure why. Oh that's right, I have money on it! 

Liverpool out of the running, Roma disaster...

You'd think Liverpool had lost the league after their 2-0 defeat to Arsenal on Saturday. They were away, against the league leaders, and didn't play well. Realistically, people shouldn't have been talking them up as title contenders anyway. Brendan Rodgers has done well to develop a team worthy of competing, but they are weak at the back and are not quite ready to compete with Arsenal, Chelsea or the Manchesters. They may be able to contend for that 4th spot, but they didn't force the pace against Arsenal and stood off when they needed to start dominating the game - with the second goal a key example.

Arsenal were good, and will contend. They haven't won anything yet.

Chelsea were bad, but will contend. Don't rule them out yet.

And Manchester United and City won games easily that they should when they spend the money they do. Let's not get carried away with that. Just be thankful you don't support Norwich.

***

Roma didn't win their 11th straight Serie A game. Most people probably thought they'd only win about 10 all year after finishing 7th last year, not qualifying for Europe and selling 3 of their best players. They are still top, although Napoli and Juventus are both looking good.

AC Milan are 19 points behind Roma, and just 3 above the relegation places. Mario Balotelli to Chelsea in January? Unlikely, but why not? He's going to lose his mind at some point, and maybe a few months away from Italy ahead of the World Cup will benefit him.

***

Zlatan didn't play, Monaco lost...not much else to say there! ...Bayern are now 36 games unbeaten in the Bundesliga - don't pretend there is anyone who can compete with them at the moment. A great side, and one that must still be favorites to win the Champions League too....Messi hasn't scored in 4, the world is going to end. Barcelona are still top, Atletico are holding on and Real Madrid are still a close third - but after that, the 4th placed Villareal are miles back - 14 points behind Barca with only a quarter of the season gone. Fair to say that La Liga isn't very competitive.

Almost 25 years, and it's worth watching Arsenal v Liverpool again!

Is it really almost 25 years since Michael Thomas lifted the ball over Bruce Grobbelaar to give Arsenal a 2-0 win and the league title at Liverpool? It doesn't seem like yesterday, but I can't believe it's from the 1988-89 season.

Those two meet again this weekend with far more at stake! Just kidding, but it is the game in the Premier League this weekend. Arsenal are at home and are two points clear of Liverpool (and Chelsea), although some people are already questioning if Arsenal can maintain their strong start after losses to Dortmund and Chelsea - neither of which was in the league.

Arsene Wenger wants to win the league again, make no mistake. I think he knows the Champions League is out of their reach unless they sign another striker, a 'keeper and another centre-back. So the league it is, and they have looked good so far. Aaron Ramsey has been immense, making Jack Wilshire look a shell of the player he was expected to be this year - Wilshire's struggles to get a starting place will help him in the longer term, but there's no doubt it's Ramsey and Mesut Ozil's team right now.

Liverpool are humming, Suarez and Sturridge are the league's two top scorers, they create a load of chances and have good support players competing for places. They look stronger at the back, although I still fancy an error or two from Skrtel or Kolo Toure.

Liverpool don't need to dominate the ball like Arsenal and will try and hit the Gunners on the break at the Emirates, but Arsenal have been a little more ruthless with their chances this season. As long as Giroud stays on, they have the upper hand in my opinion, but Liverpool will score - they just pose too many attacking threats right now, and are brimming with confidence.

It's by far the most interesting game of the weekend in the Premier League, although Everton v Spurs on the Sunday should be good viewing too.

***

Roma play tonight and Sunday, and will be hoping to go 11 for 11. They are fun to watch and aren't conceding goals. It's what you want your team to be, but then who doesn't want to watch Totti win games - apart from fans of Lazio, Inter, Juve, Sampdoria, oh wait, only neutrals and Roma fans love Frank.

***

Gareth Bale scored in midweek, twice. He's worth the money. He's not, he's still a very good player, but I reckon I'd have 5 or 6 in La Liga by now. Barcelona are averaging 3 goals a game and are still unbeaten - don't expect either of the big two to lose anytime soon.... Zlatan is out injured, so no need to watch Ligue Un! Just kidding, Falcao and Cavani are mustard too... Go to a Bundesliga game, don't watch it on TV. If you can't, search for a video of teh Dortmund fans at the Emirates last week - it'll give you goosebumps. 

Gervinho flying in Italy; Man United continue to struggle

I'm going to start with Italy as I still don't know how to describe Arsenal's first goal, either of the first two goals in the Chelsea game or why Manchester United will be lucky to finish fourth.

Roma are legit. There's no doubting that. 8 wins from 8 is fantastic in any league, but they have beaten Inter, Napoli and local rivals Lazio, scoring 22 goals and conceding just one. In four away wins, they have yet to let one in. And who plays for them? If I told you Gervinho was looking like a real footballer, no one would believe me. But he is, and Totti and De Rossi hold the team together, allowing Adam Ljajic, Miralem Pjanic and Allesandro Florenzi to flourish. When they sold Dani Osvaldo to Southampton, and labored (a little) to a 3-1 win over the MLS All-Stars, I thought mid-table may be their best bet this year. It may still be as Napoli, Juventus and Inter are all going to be sniffing around, but for now, Roma deserve the praise they are receiving - including Gervinho.

A hat-trick for Giuseppe Rossi for Fiorentina against Juve was nice in a World Cup season, he'll be in Brazil - but could have been the star the US really needs.

***

Barcelona could only draw and Atletico lost, with yet another late dubious penalty for Real Madrid ensuring they made up some ground on the early front runners.... Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund are starting to pull away, but Bayer Leverkeusen are still riding the coattails right now... PSG and Monaco remain unbeaten, but it's to be expected with the money they spent.

***

Okay, so I had a chance to think about the Premier League and what went on this weekend. Arsenal looked great and scored a fantastic goal - in fairness they threaten goals like that most weeks, just this time it came off. Chelsea's goal is bizarre to me. I don't think it should count. The ball is in the goalkeeper's possession, and that's nine tenths of the law in my view. The fact Samuel Eto'o couldn't finish when Hazard passed back to him, then got hit in the head on the floor was some rough justice, but it is just going to lead to more hassle. 'Keepers don't need to bounce the ball, and hopefully this will cut that out, or they'll be argument of consistency.

Manchester United look average at best. Southampton are a good side, and bossed it at times, but United should still fancy themselves, even with a $40 million microphone in midfield. Fellaini isn't bad, but he's not good. Moyes couldn't get anyone else and overpaid, but the Belgian is just not up to it - he can play, but he's not the leader they need in midfield. And what it comes down to me is that Fergie got out at the right time. Rooney and van Persie are still quality players, but there isn't much else right now. They have no structure or creativity, hence the excitement about Adnan Janujaz - he could be great, but wouldn't be the focus yet if United had other players on form right now.

Liverpool and Newcastle heading in different directions

It's back, it's back.

No-one cared about those pesky qualifiers, allowing Mexico yet another chance to qualify, or anything like that.

All we wanted was club football back. Ok, that's not technically true as there were some great games, high drama and a few good goals too.

***

The Premier League kicks-off with Newcastle v Liverpool - which has some great (relatively) recent history - but now pits too teams who seem to be going in different directions. Liverpool look like a fun, exciting team to watch, with players that will always create chances. Newcastle have Loic Remy,  Hatim Ben Arfa and Yohann Cabaye. That's it. When they don't play well, they look a shocking team. Papiss Cisse seems a shell of the player he was, and I don't expect much after coming back from trying to help Senegal qualify for Brazil 2014.

The drama at Newcastle is not really in the dressing room, but in the board room. Alan Pardew doesn't know if he's coming or going. If someone can explain what Joe Kinnear does, I'd love to know. It's not personal with him, he just doesn't have a place in modern football. He could be the boss of the Crazy Gang, because things were different then. I doubt he knows much about how the game works now, and maybe knows less than the 'confused' Spurs-fan chairman Mike Ashley.

Suarez and Sturridge are firing for Liverpool right now, but I think they miss Coutinho. Creating chances for them isn't a problem, but they need more from Victor Moses, Joe Allen and Jordan Henderson once the fixture list starts piling up.

West Ham v Man City is the other game that stands out to me, but most of my interest will be in whether teams can find some consistency after the International break. Arsenal were playing well, Spurs need a win and Gus Poyet has to get his team going. The next month should be interesting.

***

I hope Gareth Bale gets going against Malaga - the pressure isn't on yet, but it will be if he doesn't start producing by Christmas. Barcelona and Atletico are still 100%, with 8 wins from 8 in La Liga. Let's see who falters first.

Roma v Napoli tonight kicks of the weekend nicely, with Porto v Sporting Lisbon an interesting game in Portugal. 

There's so many games on this weekend, that I think the delivery man is going to be kept busy. 

European Leagues starting to take shape

So who was the biggest winner this weekend? PSG? Roma? Liverpool? West Ham?

It all depends on who you support, so you can never really say! See, summed that up perfectly.

Dortmund lost for the first time this season, Bayern Munich were held. Juventus and Napoli are hot on the heels of Roma, who thumped Inter 3-0 and made it 7 from 7 in Serie A. Barcelona and Atletico Madrid moved to 8 wins from 8, and Real Madrid had another 94th minute winner - seems those top teams need another 5 minutes to win games, even when there were no injuries of subsitutions! Big spending Monaco and PSG sit atop Ligue Un, with Falcao leading the way with 7 goals. And I didn't pause for breath to mention the Dutch League (Twente and PSV top) or Portugal's top flight (Porto are top).

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The leagues are starting to take shape all over Europe, and it makes you worry if your team is in the relegation zone, or makes you dare to dream if you're in contention.

Take Southampton and Sunderland. One is sitting in the top 4, playing well and already have a third of the points they will need to survive, from just 7 games. The other have 1 point from 7, have sacked their manager, lost their best striker to injury and look a bit of a shambles. Yes, Sunderland played well against both Liverpool and Manchester United in the last 2 weeks, but they're already 6 points from safety and I can't see them winning 1 game, let alone 2 to rejoin the pack. If they are still bottom and in single digits by the end of November, it's all pretty much done and dusted.

And then there were questions about Southampton last year. They sacked Nigel Adkins after all he had done for the club and took a new direction. They have spent a lot of money, become very hard to beat at home, and could be this season's West Brom. It's not necessarily that they are doing things right, but they started well, got points on the board and can now build without having to worry too much about what's going on beneath them.

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And so on to another International week. They seem to come around far too often for my liking, but usually just because England are painful to watch. Gives the Geezer a chance to rest though, and who doesn't want to take some time to reflect on a huge win at White Hart Lane!

Pirlo's back, Zlatan the 3rd, Moyes on watch - the Weekend preview

Italy is where the action is this weekend. Inter v Roma and Juventus v AC Milan. Roma have won 6 of 6 in Serie A, with Inter unbeaten in 4th after a surprisingly strong start to the season. Gervinho is scoring goals (which can't be true), but he is playing with Totti, who could lay chances on that even Emile Heskey couldn't miss.

Inter are a bit of a team of no-names, but it's working for them. Gone are the big stars of the Mourinho era, but Walter Mazzari is building a strong team, and Diego Milito is back to prove that he can score from more than 6 yards out - I've never seen it, but it has to happen soon.

Juve against Milan is always a good game, or at least has a great history. Van Basten, Gullit, Vialli, Baggio etc. Who can't love names like that? The memory of Baresi, Maldini, Zoff and Del Piero makes it so easy to watch - and it's always great to see Pirlo show Milan why they were fools to let him go.

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I'll be looking at how the Premier League teams deal with post-European fixtures this week. Spurs have a (relatively) tough derby with West Ham, Swansea may struggle at Southampton after playing Thursday, and 3 of the 4 Champions League entrants have tough away games. City are at home against Everton after being schlapped by Bayern Munich in the week. Bayern are the best team in Europe right now, but Everton are unbeaten in the league, scoring lots of goals and have a red-hot Romelu Lukaku.

David Moyes will be in more hot water if United lose away at Sunderland. The Black Cats are a shambles, but they played well against Liverpool for large periods of the game, and are due a result. Arsenal are the form team, with people treating Mesut Ozil like he's the second coming of Diego Maradona. They've been good, but a loss away at West Brom and Arsene Wenger will have those fickle fans on his case again. Samuel Eto'o is going to score soon. Sorry Norwich fans, but he is.

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7 from 7 for Barcelona and Atletico Madrid - who's going to buckle first. Probably Atletico, but if Barca lose when Messi is out injured, some idiot is going to say they're a one-man team. Probably Jamie Redknapp or Alexi Lalas.

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The pick of the other European games for me is Marseille against PSG. Mainly because of this quote from Zlatan on Wayne Rooney... "if he did join, he would have to get used to the fact that Zlatan scores even better goals than he does." Zlatan, in the third person, telling it how it is. Love him.

Who saw that coming? Apart from Fergie

Bit of a strange one this weekend - it felt like 1989. Manchester United and City both lost, Arsenal are top and Liverpool second.

Some unexpected results in the Premier League, but United's struggles are not that shocking. It's a largely aging first team, there are a lack of creative players and they find it hard to score if Rooney or van Persie are out or off form. 

Fergie saw it coming. Giggs and Scholes are done, Rio is almost done, Young, Valencia and Nani aren't up to that level. Fellani was a panic buy and Moyes seems a bit overwhelmed. They may have an average year, but United will spend, and be back soon. 

City's loss was more of a surprise. They need to find some consistency. 

West Ham, Palace and Sunderland will find it hard going. They can't score goals, and that makes winning very hard. The saving grace for the teams below 7th or 8th is that they are all pretty average. Teams will take points off each other all year, so there are no lock in favorites for relegation....yet. 

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Atletico won the Madrid derby to stay perfect. A big surprise? Yes, but no. Bale, Ronaldo etc. are still working it out. I'm glad they lost as it shows that it's still a team game and buying the best players doesn't make you a team straight away. Real will still be very strong this year and don't be too surprised if the Champions League is their number 1 priority.

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Juventus won the Turin derby on an offside goal by Paul Pogba. I bet Manchester United wish they still had him. Serie A is shaping up to be as competitive as the English Premier League this year. Atletico are trying in Spain, but hopefully this year will keep us guessing the whole way. 

Will Bale play in the Madrid derby? Does Jose miss Fergie?

Will Gareth Bale play in the Madrid derby this weekend? With help from referees, Real probably don't need him as they'll get another 95th minute penalty if the result isn't going their way anyway. Someone should let the officials know that General Franco died in 1975, so they don't need to fear being sent to a forced labor camp if they don't give Real all the decisions. Oh wait, there is money involved? Bribery and match fixing? Or you just want to be loved by millions of fans rather than the 50,000 that the smaller clubs have?

Anyway, getting off topic. Bale has already earned close to $1.5 million in his brief time with Real Madrid, and I'm sure he'll want to start showing he's worth the money. He's not fit, but he'll have to be on his game if Real are to beat Atletico. Diego Costa, Raul Garcia and David Villa have led Atletico to a perfect 6 wins form 6 to start La Liga, keeping them tied with Barcelona and 2 points ahead of their city rivals.

Should be a great game on Saturday night.

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The early game on Saturday in England pits Porto's best two managers of recent times against each other. Jose Mourinho takes his Chelsea team to White Hart Lane to face Andre Villas-Boas' much improved Spurs team. The two managers have been having a little spat ahead of the game, but most of that is probably due to the face Jose misses Alex Ferguson. He's got no-one to really duel with anymore, and he's tired of calling Arsene Wenger a 'voyeur'. 

Spurs seem to know their best XI, although Jermain Defoe must be pushing for a start as he keeps scoring whenever he gets a chance. Mourinho on the other hand has a lot of options, but can't seem to get his strikers to find their form yet. I'd go with Torres, but Eto'o is likely to play (and he's due a goal)/

Steer clear of the Sunday games, there's nothing to see there. Not too much else on the Saturday either, although it will be interesting to see if Manchester City can maintain some of their recent form, and wether United can win against West Brom without van Persie or any other creative players (as Kagawa still can't get a start).

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The pick of the other games in Europe for me is the Turin derby. Juventus against Torino should be a good game, and I'm interested to see Alessio Cerci who is the top scorer with 5 in Serie A so far.

Manchester derby, Rome derby and PSG V Monaco - a great weekend ahead

I wasn't sure I'd ever type this again, but Liverpool can extend their lead at the top of the table when they play Southampton at home on Saturday. And they still have Luis Suarez to come back. I think Liverpool will contend this year (maybe not for the title, but for the top 4). I'm predicting lots of home wins in the Premier League this weekend, and  yes, that does include City winning the Manchester derby on Sunday.

Yaya Toure is in beast mode at the moment, with Sergio Aguero starting to find some form. United weren't that convincing in Europe in midweek despite their 4-2 win. Rio Ferdinand is off the pace a little, Fellaini is still finding his feet (they could be lost in that afro) and, although I think they'll score, they just don't look solid at the back.

Every week is a big week, but you feel West Brom and Sunderland both need to win to get their season's started. It's still September, but this already feels like a 6-pointer. Palace also need a win - a game against Swansea isn't an easy one, but after a away trip in the Europa League, now may be as good time as any for the Eagles.

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More than a couple of huge games in France and Italy this weekend. PSG v Monaco on Sunday night at the Parc de Princes is huge. Cavani, Ibra and Falcao all on show. Probably the best 3 forwards in the world once you take Ronaldo and Messi out of the equation. This already seems like a title game, and Zlatan tends to step up when he's needed. A relatively slow and incident-free start to the season for the big man isn't really his style. He'll either notch or get sent off. Take your pick.

Then there's the Rome derby (with Totti just signing a new deal, he's bound to score) and Milan v Napoli. Rafa Benitez has had a perfect start to his career in Naples, but Balotelli & Co will be a real test, although Hamsik and Higuain are going to score a lot of goals this year. 

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Nothing too interesting in La Liga this weekend, although I'm sure Messi will get 4 if Cristiano gets another hat-trick. It's just the way they compete. Shalke 04 v Bayern is the big one in the Bundesliga. I have a feeling Pep may drop some points there. Not sure why, just have that Friday feeling. And don't forget Ajax v PSV too - the DVR is getting punished this weekend!

Is the season already over? Perspective people.

Arsenal and Spurs are first and second, Barcelona, Athleico Madrid, Borussia Dortmund and Napoli still have 100% winning starts to the season. I'm sure fans of those teams want the season to end now (maybe not Spurs fans finishing behind Arsenal), but let's have some perspective.

Just because Real Madrid spent a billion euros (or whatever it was) on Gareth Bale, then failed to win the next game, doesn't mean they are suddenly awful. Even though Newcastle won and Man City didn't, it doesn't mean the Geordies are now title contenders. West Ham haven't scored for 3 games, yet it doesn't mean they never will again - not sure on that point actually, it could be Christmas before Kevin Nolan decides he needs some goal bonus money to buy an extra turkey or two.

Although we are about a tenth of the way through the season already, let's get some perspective. Teams are still forming, players are getting used to each other and managers are trying to find the right system. It doesn't mean a manager won't get sacked before the end of September - that's just football.

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Neymar grabbed another assist for Barcelona as they made it 14 goals in 4 games. Critiano Ronaldo signed a new contract as he didn't think 50 million euros a year was enough to pay for his spray tans and hair cream. Rafa Benitez is killing it in Italy - there is a real chance we'll never have to watch him play chess on a BBC Football interview again. The Derby d'Italia finished 1-1, with Inter looking a much better team than they did last year. Dortmund won 6-2 with Lewandowski looking back to his best - Pep is going to have a tough time at Bayern Munich. It's not that his team aren't one of the best in Europe, it's just impossible to really improve on what they did last season.

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Oh, and Falcao scored again as Monaco remain top of Ligue Un.

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In other news, Kaka is already injured....bet he wishes he had a pal like Dani Alves, who apparently offered Eric Abidal part of his liver to aid his recovery....Mario Gomez is out injured again, those 2 yard tap-ins are going to miss him. 

Weekend preview - A few new signings, and the Derby d'Italia

Can Arsenal forge a German connection like the Inter team of the 90s?

There are plenty of new signings that I'm looking forward to seeing this weekend - Mesut Ozil, Cristian Eriksen, Samuel Eto'o and potentially Gareth Bale. Most of them are injured or lacking match fitness, which makes you wonder what they were doing during the International break. (I didn't want to mention it, but there you go - and that's all you're getting).

The Geezer can be match fit in 14 minutes, and most of that is because I can't tie the laces on my boots and drink a can of Stella at the same time.

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In Serie A this weekend is the Derby of Italy - Inter and Juventus have both won their opening two games, but this should be a real test for Inter. Juventus have spent all the money and brought in some quality players, but Inter have a chance and may even see the return of Diego Milito - maybe not a huge fan favorite, but he knows how to notch, and that's all you can ask.

The always attack-minded Rafael Benitez has started with 2 wins as well, and keep and eye out for Marek Hamsik at Napoli. He's by no means a new signing, but he's got 4 in 2 and Benitez said he's "priceless" is Bale is worth 100 million - can't really disagree as the Welshman is never worth the fee paid for him.

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In England, Mesut Ozil should destroy Paulo Di Canio's Sunderland team. Put your money on an Arsenal win. Sunderland lost to their own under 21s team, so can't see them beating Arsenal. Looking forward to seeing how Spurs gel, and whether Jose Mourinho can somehow fit Willian and Eto'o into the starting lineup. Typical bad luck for Romelu Lukaku too - can't get a game at Chelsea, so goes on loan to Everton, only to be unavailable as the Toffees play Chelsea this week! 

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Not too much that really jumps out in the Bundesliga, France, Portugal or Spain this week. Bale may play for Real Madrid, but I doubt it. He's not fit, with speculation he may get the last 15-20 if they are 4-0 against Villareal. But all in all, I'm glad European club football is back - as I need to enjoy a beer, not cry into one.

Mourinho to learn new names in Super Cup...West Ham to sign Kaka?

It seems like the Premier League is all about Sunday again – not too many great games on Saturday (Palace v Sunderland seems the low point), but then Liverpool v Man United and Arsenal v Tottenham on September 1.

The transfer window remains open until Monday, so don’t be surprised if Mark Hughes or Sam Allardyce makes a panic buy depending on who wins the West Ham v Stoke game. Big Sam to pick up Kaka after he requested a transfer from Real Madrid – could he be the next Okocha, Hierro or Djorkaeff?!

I’m hoping the Bale deal will be done by the time you read this. He’s going to Chelsea, we’ve known it all along. They are woefully short of midfielders, and he could play with some of the best strikers from 2008 if he went there. I don’t really understand the financial fair play rules, but Chelsea have a squad of 53 and pay them all a fortune – I wouldn’t be surprised if they are still paying Winston Bogarde!

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We have to wait until Sunday for Marseille v Monaco in Ligue Un – should be a good one, with a proper crowd seeing as Marseille are at home. Juventus v Lazio and Valencia v Barcelona are the two other standout games for me this weekend. Should be interesting to see how Tevez and Co are blending into a team, and how Valencia do now that they have sold Soldado to Spurs.

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And then there’s the Super Cup between Bayern Munich (the Champions League winners) and Chelsea (the Europe League winners). It’s being played in Prague – which is in the Czech Republic for those of you who failed geography (near Russia for Americans) – and is the first time in 15 years this game has been played anywhere but Monaco. Falcao bagged a great hat-trick for Atletico Madrid v Chelsea last year, and Jose Mourinho’s team may struggle again this year.

Bayern are a very strong team that have been playing together for a few years. Mourinho would have to be a genius just to remember the names of all the players in his squad – it might mean games for Victor Moses, Ryan Bertrand and Marco van Ginkel, and surely Paulo Ferrera will play in another big game (he must still be there, surely). 2-1 to Bayern for me, but I lose so much money gambling, that it’s best to bet against me.