After a holiday break there is time to watch and
comment European football again. Welcome to Arthur’s Football Comments in 2013!
The
major match of the week:
After Arsenal’s bright year end, where they smashed
Newcastle scoring whole seven goals in the Premier League match, and a
successful FA encounter against Swansea, it was time to meet giants Manchester
City and Chelsea. The home match against the defending champions of England
went wrong. Now it was the time to meet the champions of champions, who, just a
reminder, lost their chance to defend that title. So the snowy London invited to
a London derby. Chelsea’s absolutely overwhelming performance in the first half,
spiced with marvelous passes, long crosses, wide play, and quick attacks, where
Arsenal’s fullbacks and the two central defenders have no chance to catch
Chelsea’s flying midfielders. Especially good was Azpilicueta’s pass, which
created the first goal. Arsene Wenger’s team, without Podolski and
Oxlade-Chamberlain, had nothing in the first half but a couple of possibilities
for Walcott, but the young star was not having his best match that day. Arsenal
was more inspirational from the first minutes of the second half. They were lots
of times caught offside during the whole match, but only on the 58th
they managed to cheat the Chelsea defenders. It was Cazorla who sent that
cunning ball to Walcott. Arsenal got a hope. The team started to look for the
second goal, thus creating space for Chelsea counterattacks. Torres clearly
outran Vermaelen a couple of times, but couldn’t direct himself for a final
action. Arsenal’s final storm brought four corners in the last 2 minutes. They
were all wasted thanks to Chelsea’s reliable defensive play. Arsenal’s former
player Ashley Cole deserves full credit for containing the dangerous Walcott.
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It’s going fine with Manchester United. The team keeps
on winning thanks to Robin van Persie’s goals. There is a difference of 5
points between the two Manchester teams,
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The four Champions League participants from Spain, who
all are still in the game, were stuck in a week of déjà vu. Valencia and Real
Madrid had to meet in a Primera match between the two matches of the national cup,
while Malaga and Barcelona had the same three matches to play against each
other. In the end of the day the wealthier teams won all they came for. Real
and Barcelona are in the semifinals of the Copa del Rey, while the difference
between them is now 15 points in La Liga. Barcelona has just lost its first
match of the season’s domestic league,
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In the first match of the year the German champions
Borussia showed their muscles, destroying Werder Bremen away at home. They need
to liquidate the 12-point difference with Bayern, if there is a strict plan to
defend the title,
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In the most cheerful European match of the week
Schalke 04 managed to win, conceding 4 goals in the match against Hannover. The
Gelsenkirchen team is on the 5th position,
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Flying Jackson Martinez has now scored 14 goals and is
leading the topscorer-list of the Portuguese league. The two league leaders
Porto and Benfica still go hand in hand,
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Juventus is the leading force in the Italian football
and the picture is getting clearer now, as the Italian champions have an
advantage of 5 points over the closest opponents and have just beaten Milan in
the national cup quarterfinal,
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Milan’s topscorer El Shaarawy has had a weak period,
thus letting Cavani and di Natale outstrip him with the number of goals scored
in Serie A,
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France’s last Champions League participant, PSG, is in
a great form. They are on the top of the table again,
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Samaras and Hooper keep on scoring for Celtic, which
is now at least 12 points clear over the followers in the domestic league.
The
upcoming weekend:
Arsenal plays a lot of matches these days. They have
another big match ahead against the legendary Liverpool, which is only three
points behind the Gunners. The Turkish league will be in the focus again, as
the top clubs Galatasaray and Besiktas will clash in a hot derby.
| Club | Last Matches | Next match | Position in the domestic league |
| Arsenal (England) | 22.12 Wigan (A) 1-0
29.12 Newcastle (H) 7-3
01.01 Southampton (A) 1-1
06.01 Swansea (Cup) 2-2
13.01 Manch. City (H) 0-2
16.01 Swansea (Cup) 1-0
20.01 Chelsea (A) 1-2
23.01 West Ham (H) 5-1 | 26.01 Brighton (Cup)
30.01 Liverpool (H) | 6 |
| Man. Utd. (England) | 23.12 Swansea (A) 1-1
26.12 Newcastle (H) 4-3
29.12 West Brom. (H) 2-0
01.01 Wigan (A) 4-0
05.01 West Ham (Cup) 2-2
13.01 Liverpool (H) 2-1
16.01 West Ham (Cup) 1-0
20.01 Tottenham (A) 1-1 | 26.01 Fulham (Cup)
30.01 Southampton (H) | 1 |
| FC Barcelona (Spain) | 22.12 R. Valladolid (A) 3-1
06.01 Espanyol (H) 4-0
10.01 Cordoba (Cup) 5-0
13.01 Malaga (A) 3-1
16.01 Malaga (Cup) 2-2
19.01 Real Soc. (A) 2-3
24.01 Malaga (Cup) 4-2 | 27.01 Osasuna (H) | 1 |
| Real Madrid (Spain) | 22.12 Malaga (A) 2-3
06.01 Real Soc. (H) 4-3
09.01 Celta (Cup) 4-0
12.01 Osasuna (A) 0-0
15.01 Valencia (Cup) 2-0
20.01 Valencia (A) 5-0
23.01 Valencia (Cup) 1-1 | 27.01 Getafe (H) | 3 |
| Valencia (Spain) | 21.12 Getafe (H) 4-2
05.01 Granada (A) 2-1
08.01 Osasuna (Cup) 2-1
12.01 Sevilla (H) 2-0
15.01 Real M. (Cup) 0-2
20.01 Real M. (H) 0-5
23.01 Real M. (Cup) 1-1 | 26.01 Deportivo (A) | 8 |
| Malaga (Spain) | 22.12 Real Madrid (H) 3-2
05.01 Deportivo (A) 0-1
08.01 Eibar (Cup) 4-1
13.01 Barcelona (H) 1-3
16.01 Barcelona (Cup) 2-2
19.01 Celta (H) 1-1
24.01 Barcelona (Cup) 2-4 | 27.01 Real Mallorca (A) | 5 |
| Bayern (Germany) | 19.01 Greuther F. (H) 2-0 | 27.01 Stuttgart (A) | 1 |
| Borussia D. (Germany) | 19.01 Werder (A) 5-0 | 25.01 Nurnberg (H) | 3 |
| Schalke 04 (Germany) | 18.01 Hannover (H) 5-4 | 26.01 Augsburg (A) | 5 |
| Porto (Portugal) | 30.12 Estoril (Cup) 2-2
05.01 Nacional (H) 1-0
09.01 Vitoria S. (Cup) 1-0
13.01 Benfica (A) 2-2
19.01 Pacos de Fer. (H) 2-0
23.01 Vitoria S. (A) 3-0 | 28.01 Gil Vicente (H) | 2 |
| Galatasaray (Turkey) | 23.12 Trabzonspor (A) 0-0
18.01 Kasimpasa (A) 1-2 | 27.01 Besiktas (H) | 1 |
| Juventus (Italy) | 21.12 Cagliari (A) 3-1
06.01 Sampdoria (H) 1-2
09.01 Milan (Cup) 2-1
13.01 Parma (A) 1-1
19.01 Udinese (H) 4-0
22.01 Lazio (Cup) 1-1 | 26.01 Genoa (H) | 1 |
| Milan (Italy) | 22.12 Roma (A) 2-4
06.01 Siena (H) 2-1
09.01 Juventus (Cup) 1-2
13.01 Sampdoria (A) 0-0
20.01 Bologna (H) 2-1 | 27.01 Atalanta (A) | 6 |
| PSG (France) | 21.12 St. Brestois (A) 3-0
06.01 Arras (Cup) 4-3
11.01 Ajaccio (A) 0-0
20.01 Bordeaux (A) 1-0
23.01 Toulouse (Cup) 3-1 | 27.01 Lille (H) | 1 |
| Shakhtar D. (Ukraine) | 01.12 Kryvbas (A) 2-0
05.12 Juventus (H) 0-1 | 02.03 Volyn (H) | 1 |
| Celtic (Scotland) | 15.12 St. Mirren (H) 2-0
22.12 Ross County (H) 4-0
26.12 Dundee (A) 2-0
29.01 Hibernian (A) 0-1
02.01 Motherwell (H) 1-19.01 Hearts (H) 4-1
22.01 Dundee Utd. (H) 4-0 | 27.01 St. Mirren (Cup)
30.01 Kilmarnock (H) | 1 |
