Napoli Title chase seems to Slow down

Napoli were realistically seen as the only title challengers for Juventus in the Italian Serie A this season.

However, they now have appeared to have title on a plate for Juventus after losing 3-1 to Udinese in an ill-tempered game. Striker Gonzalo Higuain, who has been a major factor in the club’s push for the league title with more than 25 goals already, took his league tally to 30 goals with a fine effort to equalise after Bruno Fernandes had converted the penalty inside the opening 20 minutes.

However, the game changed dramatically just at half-time when Fernandes restored the advantage for Udinese while Théréau’s goal just before the hour mark helped the club put a lot of distance between them and the title chasing team. Any hope of a comeback came to an end after Higuain received his marching orders for a second yellow card in the 75th minute. Napoli have been unable to score goals in the absence of the former Real Madrid striker and this had a huge consequence on the moral of the team. The loss has allowed Juventus to open a seven-point advantage with seven games left. Despite the sizeable advantage for the reigning champions, Napoli boss Maurizio Sarri is refusing to give up on the title. Continue reading “Napoli Title chase seems to Slow down”

There has not been much of a winter break for the Spanish clubs

There has not been much of a winter break for the Spanish clubs – especially Barcelona due to their involvement in the Club World Cup – but this does not seem to affect Luis Enrique and his men.

The manager was recently named as the coach of the year at the FIFA Ballon d’Or awards. Despite many being sceptical about his appointment, Enrique managed to match the achievements of great managers like Pep Guardiola by winning a whole host of trophies in one campaign. Repeating the feat will be a major task, but Barcelona appear to be in a strong position as far as defending the league is concerned.

The club are up against Granada just a few days after the 4-1 win over arch rivals Espanyol. Enrique has called for focus from his players and also not to underestimate the opponents. Three points will be a major necessity for the club after having recently conceded the top spot in the la Liga to Atletico Madrid. The latter have been able to go two points clear by virtue of playing one game more than the Catalan club. Barcelona have recently been strengthened by the arrivals of several young players and Arda Turan. The club have been unable to complete the signing of the former Atletico Madrid star due to the transfer ban, which has now been lifted. Continue reading “There has not been much of a winter break for the Spanish clubs”