European football returned with a bang! Italy’s top two, Juventus and Inter Milan, registered comfortable wins, Chris Smalling scored and assisted two for Roma while Atletico drew, again. Here are the Winners and Losers form European football: November 22-24. Bet on football here.
WINNERS
RB Leipzig and Bayern Munich
Two of Bundesliga’s title contenders registered huge wins over the weekend in one of the most exciting title race in recent memory. Second-paced Leipzig beat Cologne 4-1 to register their fifth straight win in all competitions. Julian Nagelsmann’s side have now scored 24 goals in their last five competitive games. They now sit second with 24 points from 12 games. Bayern’s revival under interim manager Hansi Flick continued after they picked up a third win on the spin after beating Fortuna Düsseldorf 4-0 away from home. The reigning champions are tied with Leipzig on 24 points but the Bavarians have an inferior goal difference.
Chris Smalling
Chris Smalling scored a goal and created two more as AS Roma moved into the top four of Serie A with a 3-0 win over Brescia. The on-loan Manchester United defender fell out of favour with United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer last season but has made a brilliant start with Roma. Since moving to the Red Devils in 2010, the Englishman never became the linchpin many expected him to develop into and was the epitome of United’s defensive failures in the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era.
Juventus and Inter Milan
Juventus and Inter Milan’s neck-and-neck race at the top of Serie A continued when both teams secured comfortable away wins on Saturday. Juventus won 3-1 at Atalanta while Inter won 3-0 at struggling Torino. The Bianconeri sit top of the table with 35 points while Inter are second with 34. Maurizio Sarri’s team have won the last eight Scudetto but the Nerazzurri mean business this season. They will be aiming to win their first Serie A title since 2010.
LOSERS
Lucien Favre
Borussia Dortmund coach Lucien Favre’s job is hanging by a thread following Dortmund’s underwhelming 3-3 draw with bottom club Paderborn on Friday. Dortmund were 3-0 down at halftime and were booed off the pitch by their own fans. The draw puts the Swiss under severe pressure on the back of their 4-0 defeat at Bayern a fortnight ago. Favre has also come under heavy scrutiny following a possible feud with Jadon Sancho, who was fined and hauled off after 36 minutes in their game against Bayern. They face Barcelona at the Camp Nou in their next encounter and things might get worse.
Bundesliga chasing pack
Bundesliga is witnessing one of the most intriguing title races in recent times. Borussia Monchengladbach’s lead at the top of the table was cut to one after they lost away to newcomers Union Berlin. Hoffenheim suffered a humiliating 5-1 defeat at home against Mainz while Bayer Leverkusen were held at home by Freiburg, who remain fourth in the table while Leverkusen dropped to ninth. Still, only six points separate first from ninth and with Leipzig and Bayern engaging a higher gear at the moment, the chasing pack will need to pull up their socks.
Atletico Madrid
Atletico Madrid are fourth in La Liga with the joint best defence in the league. However, they have been underwhelming this season. They have drawn seven of their last ten league matches and won just three. They’re still feeling the heat of their significant summer overhaul of the squad. Athletic Bilbao and Real Sociedad are hot on their heels and, although they are still adjusting their team, time is not on their side and they will need to improve their attack. They have the second-worst attack among the top ten. Diego Simeone’s team has a reputation for its impregnable defence but they’ll need to up the ante in the attacking department soon.