On the portal "EuroFootball.com" - a new section. From now on, expert Dainius will present his opinion on the current football news in Europe and Lithuania to the fans.
"Hello, website visitors! I have been actively interested in football since around 1994, I have watched many matches and I hope that my sharp remarks will provoke fruitful discussions in the portal's comments," said the expert, who asked to be simply introduced as Dainius.
"Let's review the main European leagues. Why, in your opinion, are the current champions stumbling in England?
- There are no surprises in England. "Chelsea"'s playing style is outdated, the players are unmotivated because they easily won the title last year. Yes, 15th place is too low even for a London team, but their rise in the rankings will be influenced more by the play of their main rivals for 3-4 places and their decisions to make changes.
The first two places are reserved for Manchester clubs. It would be naive to expect that the "Man Utd" that did not earn the title of the biggest spendthrift in the world during D.Moyes' time will continue to languish. Even with such players, coach L.van Gaal can compete for the championship title. "Man City" is currently in a slump, but they will eventually recover and challenge the "Red Devils."
"Arsenal" traditionally holds third place, while the fight for fourth place will be between the hopeless coach B.Rodgers-replaced "Liverpool," "Tottenham," and the aforementioned "Chelsea."
- Similar surprises are happening in the "Serie A" championship.
- "Juventus" took the same path as "Milan" a few years ago. When did the downfall of the "red and blacks" and the rise of the "zebras" begin? It began when the conductor general Andrea Pirlo moved from the fashion capital to Turin. Without the legendary and one of the best Italian players of all time, "Milan" did not win a single title, the last one being in 2011.
Since then, the domination of "Juventus" in "Serie A" began. Of course, striker C.Tevez and midfielder A.Vidal are also missed.
I don't know what the leaders of "Juventus" were thinking, but disbanding a cohesive team requires significant abilities.
Adding the aging G.Buffon, the coach with questionable skills M.Allegri, and a bunch of mediocre newbies, the result is adequate. I do not rule out the possibility that even such a weak Turin team will quickly rise to 2-3 places in the weakened Italian championship, as neither "Inter" nor "Fiorentina" are strong enough clubs to accumulate a safe point advantage.
- What are your impressions of the championships of Germany and Spain?
- In Germany, as always, everything is clear before the season - these are the most uninteresting championships. I would say there is more intrigue even in this year's Bundesliga.
Meanwhile, it will be difficult in Spain. "Barcelona," without the heavily injured L.Messi, will have to find a new leader. The number one candidate is Neymar. If the young man who has not yet matured stops playing and starts playing serious football, the Catalans may survive the crisis. But "Barcelona" will need to score many goals, as goalkeeper M.ter Stegen is a disaster. Obviously, not every German is O.Kahn or M.Neuer.
On the "Real" front - the unexpected "supplier" R.Benitez has surprised many. Such a confident start to the season probably surprised him as well. Of course, everything depends on C.Ronaldo's desires and whims. But if the Portuguese confidently scores penalties, "Real" can go far. Well, at least in the Spanish league.
- The second round of the Champions League is approaching. Which match would you highlight, and in which stadiums can we expect surprises?
- "Porto" - "Chelsea." I think the former club of Jose Mourinho will set a trap for the compatriot and celebrate a victory of 1:0 or 2:1. This season, the Portuguese have not tasted defeat yet and it is unlikely to happen against the English bus.
In Italy, the two underdogs from the "Serie A" and "Primera" leagues - "Juventus" and "Sevilla" will compete. I do not know what M.Allegri will think, as the top priority now is the Italian league and it is necessary to save players to overcome the crisis. In this case, both clubs will most likely play evenly, although there is no psychological burden in the Champions League, so we can expect a productive and pretty football.
I am intrigued by the thought that our Belarusian neighbors will produce a surprise in Group E. BATE is definitely capable of surprising "Roma" and playing at least on par.
For those who enjoy watching matches with a lot of goals, I would recommend matches in Munich, Malmo, and London.
