The Week that was – 23rd August 2020

Background

So what happened this week? Bayern beat Neymar’s PSG to win the UCL final. Neymar was in tears and the future of Thiago was confirmed to be away from Bayern.

Article

Bayern are deserved UCL winners

Let’s get it right, the best team does not always with the champions league. Bayern themselves have first hand experience of this from 1999 and 2012. But this year, there is little doubt that they were the outstanding team in the tournament. They won every match in the group stages including beating Tottenham, last years finalist, 10-3 on aggregate. At the time, it felt like this was due to Pochettino and Tottenham, hindsight tells us a different story. This was followed by a 6-2 aggregate win over Chelsea, 8-2 in a one off match against Messi’s Barcelona followed by two solid victories in the semi final and final respectively. To summarise, they have won every single match in this years champions league scoring 30 goals in 11 games, not bad! More than that, it was aesthetically pleasing football on the eye, a work ethic unmatched and the relentless pressing of the team. It flowed, it sang, there was rhythm, it was brutal, relentless and at times, simply breathtaking. The side stories of an inexperienced manager in Flick, the emergence of the simply magnificent Alphonso Davies, a true role model in these difficult times, seeing Lewandowski just score and and score and score at the age of 32, the dynamic runs of Gnabry, the brilliance of Neuer not only as a goalkeeper but a sweeper as well, the technical ability of Thiago passing for fun, a solid centre half pairing, the ever young Muller who seems to have been around for ever, the ridiculous high line which made their opponents feel as if they back in their primary school playground in a congested football pitch, yes, Bayern are well deserved champions this year.

Why is it hard to feel sympathy for Neymar?

We all remember Gazza crying on the pitch the moment he realised he would miss the world final which England may have got to, the look on Bobby Robson’s face when the dream was over, just a single tear, but when seen in retro with the emotional song by Pavarotti, transported that tear to our eyes thirty years later, those Newcastle fans crying as they realised the title would not arrive in 1996 and even Suarez covering his face with his shirt as Liverpool lost their grip on the 2014 premier league crown. All of these may have bought sympathy from the neutral but Neymar’s tears had no such affect. Indeed, maybe even some laughter from fans. Why is this? Neymar is a genius footballer but away from that, there is not a general admiration of him. We don’t know what he is like and yet we judge him not as a footballer but as a person. He carried the weight of winning the world cup for the host nation in 2014 when staged in Brazil, massive, massive pressure. Still no sympathy, that’s just part of the job. When ignored for Ballon D’or’s and in Messi’s shadow despite being the best Brazilian player on the planet, well we felt he should just accept this. When PSG paid his buy out clause of £198m, well, FFP was his fault as well. In this mini UCL tournament, he has worked hard, becoming the creator as opposed to the finisher, running more than he has ever done and yet, many felt that they didn’t want him to win it. Why? There is the doubt in minds whether he wanted to win it for the club, their fans or was it so he could tell the world he was now better than Messi. And the only way to remove that doubt is to become a proper team player like Messi is despite his individual brilliance, at least on the pitch, which will lead to dual rewards of being admired and winning the champions leagues and world cups for club and country, The talent is there but now is the time to integrate it within the team structure because as the victors in the final showed, real titles are won by teams and not individuals.

Thiago is the one player Liverpool really need

Let’s not forget, Liverpool had the premiership title done and dusted seven games before the end. They eventually got to 99 points despite going into party mode long before the end. If there were any questions of how to improve the first team, the answer was made crystal clear in the UCL mini world Cup. Thiago is the name every Liverpool fans have on their wish list, Bayern have admitted that he will be leaving and give their blessings with the saddest of hearts and journalists across Europe are predicting this move to Liverpool. Some in Germany say that if he goes to Liverpool, they will win everything. A view probably diluted by the emergence of the brilliant Bayern team, however, a stark warning to Liverpool’s domestic rivals. Schooled at Barcelona and then tutored by Pep Guardiola at Bayern, he is technically superb, creative, intelligent and hard working. He can play the holding role or slightly further when needed. He seems like a positive influence in the dressing room and very influential on and off the pitch. He would solve Liverpool’s backup centre half issue allowing Fabinho to play there when needed. Against the teams who sit deep, he will pick that lock to find the willing runners of Mane, Salah, Trent and Robertson. In games against City, his presence will make up for their technical inferiority they have in the middle of the park. And of course, he will definitely weaken Liverpool’s main obstacle to winning next years champions league, Bayern. Whatever the costs, this deal is in the same priority list that Van Dijk was on and surely, will get done.

Bayern vs Liverpool – the battle for Europe looks exciting

Ok, the UCL final has just finished and the qualifiers have started. Let us fast forward six months or hopefully, nine months, the next champions league final. Over the next few years, we could have a truly memorable rivalry at European level. Two clubs well run, two good managers, two well balanced teams from an age and technical perspective. Both pressing machines, relentless domestic dominance, rock and roll football and front lines brimming with pace and power. Coincidently, both are on six European titles and will want to go ahead of the other. In the film heat, we saw Al Pacino and Robert De Niro go head to head with that epic meeting at the end. Things could end up the same here. This next battle will be won in May and June. Until. then, they will simply swat aside the also rans to make it to that point. Having overcome Manchester City, the next challenge awaits Klopp which he will be relishing. The last time he was in this mix, he was coming from a disadvantaged place having Bayern pinch his best players as and when needed. No longer is this the case and he will be fighting them from a level playing field. We will get the chance to see these red relentless machines warm up from September to April, until that day arrives when the two juggernauts will surely meet. Until that day, let’s enjoy the warm up games until next summer.