The Euro Preview: The genius of Italian coaching, Messi-Ronaldo heats up and more
Italian soccer may not be as fancied as it once was, but the country’s coaches are lighting up Europe, while the Lionel Messi-Cristiano Ronaldo rivalry intensifies.
La Liga
Barcelona may have taken what appears to be an insurmountable 11-point lead over Atletico Madrid in the Liga table, but don’t rule anything out with eight matchdays left on the schedule. The 27 points still up for grabs won’t only decide the title, but also which teams reach next season’s Champions League.
While La Liga has had many success stories this season — Barca’s undefeated season being the biggest — one can’t dismiss Sevilla’s achievement in reaching the quarterfinals of the Champions League. The club switched manager midway through the season, hiring former Italy striker Vincenzo Montella, who had made a mess of things at star-studded AC Milan during the fall.
“I have no regrets about AC Milan,” he told reporters following his side’s 2-1 win against Manchester United. “I wasn’t the manager they were looking for, now I only follow what the team does.”
Nonetheless, Sevilla, currently in sixth place in Spain, are this season’s Champions League Cinderella team after bouncing United from the competition. Anything can happen (the Rojiblancos now face German champion Bayern Munich in the quarterfinals) and it may be no coincidence that they’ve had this success with an Italian manager at the helm. Montella and his players will get to test themselves at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan Stadium against Barcelona on Saturday, when the Liga resumes following the international break.
A Sevilla win would give the Madrid sides, both Atletico and Real, an opening. While Real Madrid are 15 points behind Barca, Cristiano Ronaldo’s recent record-breaking scoring form has his put his side on the list of heavy favorites to win an unprecedented third straight Champions League, not to mention challenging Barcelona’s Lionel Messi for the Pichichi as the league’s top scorer. The Portuguese international could also help Los Blancos get closer to Barca when the rivals meet on May 6 at the Camp Nou, adding further fuel to the rivalry.
Serie A
While Montella looks like a genius at Sevilla, two other Italian managers (Massimiliano Allegri at Juventus and Eusebio Di Francesco at Roma) are showcasing their winning tactics both in Italy and in the Champions League.
Juventus’ treble hopes are still alive. They currently hold a two-point lead over Napoli in the Serie A table, recently reached the quarterfinals of the Champions League and will contest the Coppa Italia final versus AC Milan. For Allegri, it has been a wonderful season. Allegri has been so successful he’s drawn the interest of Paris Saint-Germain.
Whether he leaves Juve at the end of the season remains a big question mark. For now, Allegri knows he has a job to do. Juventus General Manager Giuseppe Marotta said Allegri isn’t going anywhere. Speaking to Mediaset Premium, Marotta said Allegri has no reason to leave.
“Allegri has a contract with us for many years,” Marotta said, according to ANSA. “The relationship with him is excellent, we are still one of the most important clubs in the world and there are no indications [he wants to leave], so it’s not a problem for us.”
Juventus host AC Milan on Sunday, while Napoli travel to Sassuolo the same day. The outcome of both matches could very well see Napoli regain the lead or Juve extend it. Either way, it remains the most-riveting title race in all of Europe.
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Bundesliga
While Bayern Munich are cruising to the league title, Borussia Dortmund can’t help get all the attention this season. From their strong start, sudden losing streak and the recent hoopla over Olympic sprinter Usain Bolt’s time training with the club, it’s never a dull time at Dortmund.
More pressing, however, is the double blow Dortmund received ahead of Saturday’s clash against Bayern at the Allianz Arena, with Marco Reus and Omer Toprak both unlikely to feature. Reus only made his return from a long-term injury just last month. Playing nine matches in 34 days has taken it’s toll on the German international, who is sidelined with muscular problems.
Bayern cruised to a 3-1 win against BVB the last time the sides met in November. The win gave Bayern a four-point lead atop the standings at the time. The match is a must-win for BVB. Bayern have a 17-point lead over second-place Schalke. Dortmund are in third place, just a point behind Schalke.
If the lead atop the table wasn’t enough, Bayern got encouraging news on Tuesday when goalkeeper Manuel Neuer returned to training. The German international fractured his foot this past September after playing in just three league games.