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The downside turned into an advantage, the new banker and the next hit: the monthly power rating

The long-awaited comeback of Liverpool, the valuable asset of Chelsea, the successor of Bruno Fernandez at Sporting, and also: the absence that costs Bayern dearly, the surprising difficulty of Real and the complications of PSG.

Our European top 10, including Guardiola's rare challenge

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• Liverpool

• Chelsea

• Manchester city

• Real Madrid

• sporting Lisbon

• Ajax

• Paris Saint-Germain

• Inter

Guy Cliff

Tuesday, November 30, 2021, 3 p.m.

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Summary: Bundesliga goals in the 13th round (Sport 1)

It is said that in the months of selected breaks, it is very difficult to learn what the teams did, that the sequence they produce is interrupted because they do not play for about a week and a half.

The events of November 2021 have shown how far this is from reality.

With two critical rounds of the Champions League, top-flight battles in the major leagues and renewed rivalries, this month has provided quite a bit of food for thought for some of Europe’s top teams.

Some made impressive progress, some stood still, and some did everything to not get into the top ten.

So just before approaching the final round of the Champions League and the Christmas period in European football, who are the top ten teams on the continent?

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To the full article

10th place: Atletico Madrid (3-)

A look at the recent results of the Colchoneros indicates that a distinction must be made between what is happening in the league and what is happening in the Champions League. It is true that the Spanish champions have been drawn for the House of Death with Liverpool, Porto and AC Milan, but one can be disappointed that after five rounds it has only one victory, when he too was a dubious Pendel in extra time. Diego Simeone arrived at Anfield, saw Jürgen Klopp's players score twice in twenty minutes and realized that the teams were simply not at the same level.

In the next round of the Champions League, Atletico hosted Milan, who seemed to have finished the campaign. Add to that the Rossoneri's injuries and their poor fitness, and you get a game that should end in three points. Atletico did not manage to take advantage of this, surrendering in the 87th minute and complicating themselves significantly towards the locking cycle.

In the league she is four points away from the top, but there she looks better.

Simeone enjoyed a smooth and impressive 0: 3 over Betis, saw Felipe from a late 0: 1 draw over Osasuna and also the 1: 4 in Cadiz was not an obvious result, with all the attacking members winning except Luis Suarez.

The warning light came before the break, at 3: 3 away against Valencia, so Hugo Doro scored a double for the locals deep in extra time.

It is very uncharacteristic of Atletico to drop an advantage in this way, and if the defense does not stabilize, even the talented attacking squad will not be enough to fight for titles.

The one who continues to show good ability this season is Yannick Crasco, who, like the Belgian team, functions as a left winger in the three-brake lineup.

With two touchdowns this month, his offensive abilities stand out as a major reason for his coach's lineup change.

The main reason for the change in the lineup.

Yannick Crasco (Photo: Reuters)

Ninth place: Sporting Lisbon (new entry)

On 28 September, the Portuguese champions lost 1-0 to Dortmund and were left without a point after two rounds in the Champions League. Three rounds later, she secured her place in the quarter-finals with a 1-3 draw over the same Dortmund. Since that game in Germany the team has played 11 times - and recorded 11 victories.

So true, you could say that the Portuguese league is far from the eye of the average spectator, but according to the UEFA ranking it is already the fifth best league in Europe, above the French. Boast the most representation from her.

In the same period Sporting scored 27 goals and conceded only five.

The Portuguese scored eight goals in two games against Besiktas, did not have a hard time scoring a hat-trick against Dortmund, and also easily surpassed the rivalry in the local league.

The winner of the concert is midfielder Pedro Gonzalez.

The king of league goals last season is a candidate to become the Greens' next exit, Bruno Fernandez 2.0. The 23-year-old national team player is in top form, and in five games in November he scored seven goals and cooked twice.

The deadly attack is completed by Paulinho and Pablo Sarabia, who maintained his position in the Spanish national team despite moving to a less glittering league.

In the upcoming league round Sporting will host Benfica for a hot derby, and four days later will host Ajax.

While Sporting will not be able to finish at the top, an impressive display in Amsterdam will send a signal to the rest of the continent ahead of the quarter-final draw - think twice before you long to meet us.

The next exit?

Pedro Gonzalez (Photo: GettyImages, Soccrates Images)

Eighth place: Ajax (=)

The Dutch champions finished the previous month with nine goals in less than a week for the Dortmund and PSV Eindhoven network.

In Amsterdam they were on the roof of the world, but in November something calmed down a bit.

Two consecutive 0: 0 results in the league reopened the championship race, and the 1: 3 over Dortmund away in the Champions League came a lot thanks to a scandalous red card suffered by Mats Hummels.

Ajax are mostly known for the sweeping football on offense, but many forget to pay attention to its defense as well.

The team has conceded just two goals since early October, and both have come from penalties.

Brother Eric Tan found the lineup that stabilized the defense.

Daley Blind returned to the left-back position, while Eureen Timber, originally a right-back, moved to the center of defense and was placed next to Lisandro Martinez, who may in the not-too-distant future become Argentina's leading brake.

On the offensive side, Sebastian Haller continues to be passionate, scoring a double and arranging for the Dutch to make an outside outing against Besiktas.

Along with Robert Lewandowski, the Ivory Coast striker is the king of Champions League goals with nine goals after just five games.

Haller will soon travel to the African Championship and leave his team without the opening striker, but with Dusan Tadic, Anthony and Steven Brachhaus, the brother-in-law will likely have solutions.

On the way to becoming the leading brake of the Argentina national team?

Lisandro Martinez (Photo: GettyImages, ANP Sport)

Seventh place: Inter (=)

After a stuttering season opener and a chase after Napoli and AC Milan, the Italian champions are back to being the hottest team in boot country. Simona Inzaghi met the two leaders this month and scored four points out of six, including a 2-3 draw at Napoli in what was the Southerners' first league loss of the season. The two new acquisitions in the champions' squad, Cannes Colognevillo and Edin Dzeko, have played a significant part in the improvement. The Turk who crossed the road from Milan brings a link that includes Niccolò Barla and Marcelo Brozovic an offensive dimension that was lacking even last year, and seems to have finally found the place where he can flourish.

Unlike Celenhoilo, Dzeko had to step into big shoes - those of Romulo Lukaku.

The Bosnian striker has not scored in the league this month, but he has become the only player to score in the last four meetings between Inter and Shakhtar Donetsk.

A pair within six minutes against the Ukrainians secured Narazuri a place in the quarterfinals for the first time in a decade, without unnecessary complications ahead of the lockout cycle.

Inter will arrive in the last round of the Bernabeu full of confidence, knowing that a victory over Real Madrid will set them at home.

Finally blooming.

Cologne Cologne (Photo: Reuters)

Sixth place: Paris Saint-Germain (1-)

The team of Lionel Messi, Neymar, Killian Ambape and Angel Di Maria has yet to win an away game in the Champions League this season. This is not a mistake. After the 2-2 draw at Leipzig, PSG reached an away game in Manchester City knowing that a loss would eliminate their chances of finishing in first place at home. Many remember Messi's beautiful debut goal in Paris against the Blues, but do you remember that the English champion dominated the pitch, even though she lost? At Etihad we got a replay.

Pep Guardiola came into the game without a few stars on offense, but that did not stop him from proving to the Parisians that they have a long way to go. The attack does not put pressure on the English defense, lets it move a ball, and just waits for explosive attacks. From the staff built in the City of Lights one should expect more. PSG came to lose in Manchester and finish in second place at home, and now they could get a tough draw already in the round of 16.

The French capital was disappointed with the injury that will shut down Neymar for 6-8 weeks, but in any case can be encouraged that Messi got into things locally as well.

In the French league, too, the constellation tends to be dragged into unnecessary complications, when in the home game against Nantes it was left with ten players and absorbed an equalizer about a quarter of an hour before the end.

Luckily, a few minutes later an own goal came and at the end Messi finished with a league goal that set 1: 3.

Against Saint-Etienne, the Argentine finally got into things.

Perhaps in his best display in the new uniform, Messi cooked three times on the way to a makeover and another 1-3.

To move up to the top five of the rankings before the knockout stage of the Champions League, the new Golden Ball winner should provide such displays more often and hope that his team does not get stuck on wheels in simple games on paper.

Finally got into things in the league as well.

Lionel Messi (Photo: Reuters)

Fifth place: Real Madrid (1+)

Out of the Blancos' last six games, in five, Carlo Ancelotti has put Casmiro, Tony Cross and Luca Modric together. The Croatian has been given a rest in one game, but other than that the Italian coach just can’t give up on the iconic trio in midfield. Federico Valverda and Eduardo Camavinga are undoubtedly players with great potential, but at the moment even with record ability they can not move their veteran colleagues out of the squad.

Real's link controls what happens in almost every game and allows Vinicius and Karim Benzema to do the work on the offensive side. Cross, by the way, added a wonderful goal in the game against Sheriff that raises the question that has been heard for years - why does he not kick more off the field?

Real's only concern is actually the home games.

The Blancos hosted Shakhtar Donetsk, Rayo Vallecano and Sevilla this month.

Although all the games ended in a 1: 2 victory, in these meetings there were too many minutes in which Real was caught a little unprepared, let the opponent attack and sometimes even paid dearly for it.

The Ukrainians equalized before the half and even caused the Bernabeu residents to whistle contempt in the drop to the break, while Sevilla who were already leading 0-1 felt a miss coming out of the Spanish capital without a point.

Shkriel Tova does not have many teams that will be able to stop her, now she has to express her superiority for longer periods of time.

The home games in particular are worrying.

Carlo Ancelotti (Photo: GettyImages)

Fourth place: Bayern Munich (2-)

The German champions went on holiday with an impressive 2: 5 over Benfica and 1: 2 over the surprising Freiburg, but since then something has been squeaking. The main reason is probably the absence of Yuzua Kimish, who recently caused a stir outside the lawn due to Corona's affairs. The German midfielder is far from a brilliant player, but he is at least one of the three most important players in the team's lineup. There is a drastic drop in level between Kimish and his replacements in the position.

Julian Naglesman gave Marcel Zavitzer a chance against Augsburg, but crashed with a 2-0 deficit at the half and replaced the Austrian in the 52nd minute. From there the coach moved to Corinthian Tolisso, who will almost certainly leave in the summer. Although the Frenchman provided a beautiful cooking for Kingsley Koeman in a 2-1 win over Dynamo Kiev, the Ukrainians pressed towards the end and almost pulled a draw. Also in the last league game against Arminia Bielefeld, the bottom team reached a number of situations at the Allianz Arena until Leroy Sana made it 0-1 in the 71st minute.

Many claim that last year Bayern were far from an injury of Robert Lewandowski in the national team uniform against Andorra from a second consecutive Champions League win.

So it is true that Kimish is due to return soon and his absence is short-lived, but the recent period reveals how difficult it is for the Germans to manage without him.

Absence that costs dearly.

Yuzua Kimish (Photo: GettyImages, Adam Pretty)

Third place: Manchester City (=)

According to the last month, all the parts are working on Pep Guardiola's machine. Even with Kevin de Bruyne, Jack Grilish, Phil Puden and Fran Torres off the field, the Citizens have enough solutions in the offensive game. To Guardiola's credit it should not be said that this is not the offensive squad, but the whole team.

Look at Joao Canselo, who in three games was in charge of five assists from the left-back position. Take a look at Bernardo Silva and Raheem Sterling, two players who were with a foot out of the club, marching the team to impressive displays. At 0: 2 over Manchester United in the derby, the Reds came out cheap. In 1: 2 against Paris Saint-Germain, control was complete and the Blues showed they were more prepared and mature for a title fight in the crucial stages of the season.

City are now entering a nine-game streak in December.

De Brauna is expected to recover from Corona and return soon, but for the rest of the missing there is uncertainty.

A lot of times players feel they are not getting enough minutes, but this time it may be the opposite.

Guardiola faces a challenging period in which he has to walk a tightrope and not erode his roster.

But if he can put Oleksandr Zinchenko in the link against PSG and the young Cole Palmer on the edge in a league game, trust the Spaniard he knew how to find solutions.

Five cooks from the left defender position.

Joao Canselo (Photo: Reuters)

Second place: Chelsea (2+)

The glittering acquisition of the blues, Romulo Lukaku, was injured about a month ago and raised questions about how the team would do without him. Without the Belgian, the European champions have sent a message to the whole continent: We are not dependent on any player. The month opened with a limp, with a narrow 0: 1 of the team substitutes over Malmo and 1: 1 not reflecting at home against Burnley, but it seems that the break did Thomas Tuchel only good. Chelsea reached the away game in Leicester and won 0: 3, and that is without three more goals disqualified.

It was such a powerful display from Chelsea, one that was reminiscent of Liverpool's 0-4 win at King Power Stadium in the Championship season two years ago. It is too early to announce that Chelsea will indeed win the title, but it is a game that undoubtedly sends a message. Three days later the team managed to rise once again with a sweeping 0: 4 over Juventus, which showed that the old lady is far from the level of the young blues.

Whoever has taken a few steps forward this season on the team is right-back Reese James.

Along with Mason Mount, the Englishman is one of the good things that Frank Lampard left behind and in Tuchel's three brake line he is flourishing.

He has scored three goals and netted two more in the last six games, and his impact on the team is reminiscent of what Trent Alexander Arnold has over Liverpool.

Compared to the red defender, James is more physical and contributes on the defensive side, so he becomes an asset for the club and a player capable of staying at the top of the world for at least the next decade.

Significant leap.

Reese James (Photo: Reuters)

First place: Liverpool (=)

The Reds went into the national team break with a bitter taste in their mouths. After a great period, Jürgen Klopp was stopped with a 3: 2 loss to West Ham and said he would like to return to the pitch immediately after that loss and that the break is not good for the team. Liverpool's goal balance since then stands at 0: 8, and Klopp really can not complain about the ability his team displays. Upon returning from the break, the recovering Arsenal came to visit Anfield and suffered a resounding quartet. A few days later Klopp hosted Porto, in a game that was important to the guest and for him was for the record only. He gave the lineup shirt to youngsters from the edge of the bench like Tyler Morton and Neko Williams, and it still ended in a light 0-2 draw.

But perhaps Liverpool's biggest news this month comes from the direction of Thiago Alcantara.

The Spanish midfielder joined a year and a half ago from Bayern Munich, after being a significant screw in the Bavarians' win in the Champions League.

For over a year they waited at Anfield for the relationship that looked like a shadow of itself to see sparks, and Klopp's patience paid off.

The Spaniard was good against the Gunners, scoring against Porto and Southampton, and it is possible that he reserved his place in the squad for the near future in light of injuries to some of his teammates in the link-up.

Anfield has been waiting for him for over a year.

Thiago Alcantara (Photo: Reuters)

Many claimed at the start of the season that Liverpool's link is weaker than that of their rivals at the top, but it turns out that the opposite is true.

It does not matter who is in the squad, because everyone contributes, and when in the other squads in the team players like Muhammad Salah and Trent Alexander Arnold are in top form, it is not clear who will be able to stop Liverpool.

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