The Bundesliga, Premier League and Ligue 1 will start again on Friday. LaLiga and Serie A start a week later.
Everything is a bit different this year: the Winter World Cup starts in Qatar in mid-November, and until then the football calendar is even fuller than usual. Anyone who doesn’t deliver right away runs the risk of quickly falling behind.
Five Eurosport editors have dedicated themselves to the story that will be particularly important in the respective leagues.
Premier League
Fan group with bad criticism of Haaland: “Plays for blood money”
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YESTERDAY AT 07:46
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It’s (of course) about Bayern, the umpteenth restart of Manchester United, Real’s offensive, Mourinho’s big chance and Lionel Messi.
Is FC Bayern Munich good enough for the top of Europe without Lewandowski?
By Robert Bauer (Eurosport Germany)
Robert Lewandowski left Bayern Munich after eight years and joined FC Barcelona. With Sadio Mané, Bayern have brought in a top star for the offensive as a replacement, but he is not a classic center forward like Lewandowski. Bayern boss Oliver Kahn emphasized that there will probably be no one-to-one replacement for Lewandowski this summer. There is no question that Bayern’s squad is very well positioned across the board – especially on the offensive – but Lewandowski has scored at least 48 goals (!) in all competitions in the past three seasons – that has to be compensated for first. The Bundesliga is a kind of compulsory program for Bayern, the Champions League is the crowning glory. After FC Bayern were surprisingly eliminated in the quarter-finals against Villarreal last year, they reacted this summer with a transfer attack. The big goal is the next Champions League title, but it is doubtful whether that can be achieved without Lewandowski’s goal machine.
FC Bayern is going into season one after Robert Lewandowski
Fotocredit: Getty Images
Can Erik ten Hag save Manchester United?
By Pete Sharland (Eurosport UK)
Manchester United are the biggest club in England, but that’s no longer the case since Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement. David Moyes, Louis van Gaal, José Mourinho and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer have all tried to get United back to where they belong – and failed. They struggled to control a dressing room full of egos and deal with a board of directors who don’t seem to know what they’re doing. Now, with Erik ten Hag, a new coach should get United back on course. The Dutchman has been praised for the way he made his Ajax side play but it will be his toughest task yet. Can he get United players to accept his idea of football? Can he handle the shadow of Cristiano Ronaldo that still hangs over the club like a bad smell at the time of writing?
The problem with the style Ten Hag is aiming for is that it easily collapses without real acceptance – something Solskjaer has also had to experience. If Ten Hag can click at United then the talent is there to get back into the top four – which would be a great result. Then Manchester United could play for titles again. And if it goes wrong? Then in two years you can expect another press release stating that a new manager will “change the club in new and exciting ways.”
Can Real Madrid go through another season on Benzema’s goals alone?
By Edgar Saiz (Eurosport Spain)
Kylian Mbappé’s non-signing has changed all of Real Madrid’s plans for the 2022/2023 season. President Florentino Pérez will not make a high-priced transfer, he would only have done so for Mbappé or Erling Haaland. Pérez also understood that no player on the market is better than the key players in the current team. His idea is still to sign players whose contracts are expiring (Antonio Rüdiger) and who have a bright future ahead of them (Aurélien Tchouaméni). But the truth is that Real Madrid need a replacement for Karim Benzema on the bench because Borja Mayoral and Luka Jović are gone and Mariano is out of the question for Ancelotti. The options are to convert Rodrygo or Eden Hazard into the ‘false nine’ or to go on the market again. Raúl de Tomás, Timo Werner, Edinson Cavani or Edin Dzeko could be the chosen ones to make the Champions League winner a bit better across the board and to (finally) relieve Karim Benzema.
Once again Real’s sole entertainer in the storm: Karim Benzema
Fotocredit: Getty Images
Serie A championship battle: can Inter and Roma ‘threaten’ Milan?
By Simone Eterno (Eurosport Italy)
AC Milan clinched the Scudetto in 2022 with a side that didn’t cost much. The Rossoneri have very clear ideas about how they want to spend their money. Paolo Maldini built a young but competitive side. Milan won the league with the youngest average age since 2000: 25 years and 344 days. Nobody has done better in Europe’s top 5 leagues: Bayern Munich (27 years, 135 days), Manchester City (27 years, 160 days), PSG (28 years, 36 days), Real Madrid (28 years, 97 days). ). The top transfer this summer was Belgian Charles De Ketelaere, who came from Club Brugge for 32 million euros. A great talent in attacking midfield, 21 years young – Milan’s new path on the transfer market. But the competition doesn’t sleep either: Inter Milan brought Romelu Lukaku back. He can positively influence Inter’s game, he proved that two years ago. And then there’s that unpredictable variable: José Mourinho’s AS Roma. The Giallorossi won their first European title last season, signing a world-class player in Paulo Dybala. For the first time since 2001, the Scudetto in Rome seems possible. The upcoming Serie A season is more open than ever.
José Mourinho is aiming for the first league title since 2001 with AS Roma
Fotocredit: Getty Images
Will Ligue 1 see the ‘real’ Lionel Messi?
By Vincent Bregevin (Eurosport France)
Lionel Messi’s first season in Ligue 1 was a disappointment. He was far from his level from his Barcelona days. While he had the most assists in the league (14) behind Mbappé, he only scored five goals and never showed the dominance of a player who has won seven Ballon d’Ors. He wasn’t scheduled to leave Barcelona, he only arrived in Paris in mid-August. It was the first time he moved to another club, he had to get used to a new league. But the adjustment period is over, you have to be able to expect more from a player of his caliber. There are no more excuses: Messi should now be able to bring out the best in himself and show Ligue 1 he’s still got it.
Messi return to Barca? Laporta: “Have moral guilt”
Premier League
Aguero slams City over transfer: ‘Strange decisions’
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08/02/2022 UM 20:18
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Premier League
The island is calling: is Aubameyang fleeing Lewandowski?
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5 HOURS AGO
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