25 Nov Soccer Insights – Nov Vol. 4

With the final international break of 2014 done and dusted, club football returned this weekend to the delight of fans everywhere (unless your team lost!). Let’s take a look at the major stories and talking points from the latest round of fixtures in Europe, Mexico and the US.

Premier League

Results
Arsenal 1-2 Manchester United
Aston Villa 1-1 Southampton
Chelsea 2-0 West Brom
Crystal Palace 3-1 Liverpool
Everton 2-1 West Ham
Hull 1-2 Tottenham
Leicester 0-0 Sunderland
Manchester City 2-1 Swansea
Newcastle 1-0 QPR
Stoke 1-2 Burnley

Table
1. Chelsea 32pts
2. Southampton 26pts
3. Man City 24pts
4. Man United 19pts
5. Newcastle 19pts

Talking points
• Liverpool fell to defeat at Palace to make it three league defeats in a row, with Manager Brendan Rodgers under increasing pressure.
• Arsenal are off to their worst league start in 32 years, losing to a Manchester United side that only registered one shot on target in their first away win of the season.
• Newcastle have won five in a row to sit in fifth in the table, a remarkable turnaround for Alan Pardew’s men.

La Liga

Results
Athletic Bilbao 3-1 Espanyol
Atletico Madrid – Malaga
Barcelona 5-1 Sevilla
Deportivo 0-0 Real Sociedad
Eibar 0-4 Real Madrid
Elche 2-2 Cordoba
Granada 0-0 Almeria
Levante 2-1 Valencia
Rayo Vallecano 1-0 Celta Vigo
Villarreal 2-1 Getafe

Table
1. Real Madrid 30pts
2. Barcelona 28pts
3. Atletico Madrid 26pts
4. Valencia 24pts
5. Sevilla 23pts

Talking points
• Leo Messi became La Liga’s all-time greatest goal scorer after a hattrick took his tally to 253. Still only 27 years old, the Argentine may well set a mark that can never be beaten.
• Ronaldo scored two more in Madrid’s easy win, taking him to 20 league goals before the end of November!
• Atletico Madrid snapped Malaga’s five game winning run to remain on the heels of the top two.

Bundesliga

Results
Bayern Munich 4-0 Hoffenheim
Borussia Monchengladbach 1-3 Frankfurt
Hamburg 2-0 Werder Bremen
Hannover 1-3 Bayer Leverkusen
Koln 1-2 Hertha Berlin
Mainz 2-2 Freiburg
Paderborn 2-2 Borussia Dortmund
Schalke 3-2 Wolfsburg
Stuttgart 0-1 Augsburg

Table
1. Bayern Munich 30pts
2. Wolfsburg 23pts
3. M’gladbach 20pts
4. Leverkusen 20pts
5. Hannover 19pts

Talking points
• Bayern look relentless. A 4-0 win moves them seven points clear, undefeated and they have only conceded three goals in 12 games.
• Dortmund threw away a two goal lead to draw with Paderborn, in a game which saw Marco Reus pick up another injury which rules him out of the rest of 2014.
• Hamburg moved off the bottom courtesy of two late goals in the win against fellow strugglers Werder Bremen.

Serie A

Results
AC Milan 1-1 Inter Milan
Atalanta 1-2 Roma
Cesena 1-1 Sampdoria
Genoa 1-1 Palermo
Lazio 0-3 Juventus
Napoli 3-3 Cagliari
Parma 0-2 Empoli
Torino 0-1 Sassuolo
Udinese 1-1 Chievo
Verona 1-2 Fiorentina

Table
1. Juventus 31pts
2. Roma 28pts
3. Napoli 22pts
4. Sampdoria 21pts
5. Genoa 20pts

Talking points
• The Derby Della Madonnina finished in a stalemate that helps neither side. A classy Menez volley for Milan stood out as a rare piece of quality in a poor game.
• Juventus negotiated a tricky trip to Lazio in style, Paul Pogba the star of the show with a brace.
• Napoli twice threw away the lead in a six goal thriller with lowly Cagliari.

Ligue 1

Results
Bastia 0-0 Lyon
Guingamp 0-1 Rennes
Lorient 1-0 Lens
Marseille 3-1 Bordeaux
Metz 2-3 PSG
Monaco 2-2 Caen
Montpellier 2-0 Toulouse
Nantes 0-0 St Etienne
Nice 0-0 Reims

Table
1. Marseille 31pts
2. PSG 30pts
3. Lyon 27pts
4. Nantes 24pts
5. Bordeaux 24pts

Talking points
• PSG had Ezequiel Lavezzi to thank for a late winner after they had let slip a two goal lead.
• Marseille came from behind to defeat Bordeaux and stay one point clear of PSG at the top.

Liga MX

Results
America 1-2 Atlas
Chiapas 2-1 Queretaro
Morelia 1-2 Guadalajara
Pachuca 1-0 Veracruz
Puebla 3-3 Santos
Pumas 4-2 Monterrey
Tigres 2-1 Toluca
Tijuana 3-2 Leon
U. de G. 1-1 Cruz Azul

Table
1. America 31pts
2. Tigres 31pts
3. Atlas 31pts
4. Toluca 29pts
5. Chiapas 28pts

Talking points
• A win for Atlas over America means it’s a three-way tie at the top of the table heading into the play-offs.
• Ronaldinho’s Queretaro came unstuck against Chiapas as his side’s indifferent season concluded.

MLS

Results
LA Galaxy 1-0 Seattle Sounders
NY Red Bulls 1-2 NE Revolution

Talking points
• The Galaxy take a narrow lead to Seattle in the Western play-off final thanks to a second half strike from Salvas.
• In the Eastern Conference final, New York have an uphill task after a home defeat, Jermaine Jones winning it five minutes from time.

What to look out for next week

• Champions League – Manchester City face a make-or-break home tie against Bayern Munich later today
• Premier League – Surprise package Southampton will face a stern test when Man City visit on Sunday
• La Liga – Barcelona travel to fourth place Valencia on Sunday evening
• Bundesliga – Second takes on third when Wolfsburg host Monchengladbach
• Serie A – Juventus will be hot favourites against Torino in the Turin derby
• Ligue 1 – Marseille play on Friday so have a chance to move four points clear with a home game against Nantes
• Liga MX – The first round of the play-offs get underway on Wednesday and conclude over the weekend
• MLS – The second legs of the Conference finals are on Saturday and Monday