Serie A:
It’s hard to believe that Francesco Totti is about to turn 38 on Saturday. But it’s probably harder to believe that he remains an important figure at Roma. In a similar way to Ryan Giggs’ final few years at Manchester United, the playmaker doesn’t feature in every game but when he is called upon to deliver, he still has it.
Midweek, the side from the capital paid a visit to Parma and came away with a 1-2 victory. Totti created the first for Adam Ljajic before Miralem Pjanic conjured a late free-kick to rack up all three points.
It was their fourth straight win of the campaign and they head into the weekend assignment against Verona level on points with Juventus at the top of the table. Buoyed by a solid defence (they lost Mehdi Benatia to Bayern but gained the impressive Kostas Manolas), their manager Rudi Garcia, formerly of Lille, will fancy their chances of running Juve relatively close again this term.
Also keep an eye on:
For all fans of Football Italia on Channel 4 in the mid 90s (or Italian Soccer as it was called on Network 2), here’s Marciano Vink scoring an incredible goal for Genoa against Sampdoria during the 1993/94 season.
The Derby della Lanterna (Derby of the Lighthouse) takes place this weekend with both teams looking to build on their solid starts to the league season.
Bundesliga:
There’s only one story in German football over the coming days and that’s the Ruhr derby between Schalke and Borussia Dortmund. For a long time, the Gelsenkirchen side had Dortmund’s number. But although Jurgen Klopp‘s side have struggled against their local rivals at home, they do enjoy heading to the Veltins-Arena. From their last four trips, they’ve claimed a win on three occasions.
What makes things more interesting is the fact that neither side have begun the domestic season very well. Dortmund head into the clash having lost their last two games while Schalke have won once from their first five. A neat subplot is the battle between two Japanese players – Shinji Kagawa and Atsuto Uchida.
Also keep an eye on:
Though Kagawa’s return to the Bundesliga was certainly a big story, there’s another Shinji on the scene. Mainz striker Shinji Okazaki has scored four times in his four appearances so far, including a brace against Dortmund last weekend. His goals have pushed the club to 4th and tonight they face Hoffenheim. Don’t rule out Okazaki getting on the mark again.
La Liga:
For fans of Spanish football, the Valencia teams under Rafael Benitez that won two league titles and a UEFA Cup were something to behold. Given everything they’ve experienced since, it’s good to see them back on top of the table, however briefly. But attention now turns to the chasing pack and whether Barcelona and Sevilla can return to the summit. The latter face an intimidating trip to Atletico Madrid while Barca have it a little easier at home to Granada. On paper, of course.
Earlier this week, they dropped their first points of the season in a goalless draw against Malaga with Luis Enrique admitting his side have to be more imaginative in the final third if they want to break opponents down.
Also keep an eye on:
With the on-going Ronaldo saga not gaining much traction in Spain, the local journalists in Madrid still have plenty to talk about. Allegedly, both Keylor Navas and Iker Casillas are unhappy with the Real goalkeeping coach Villiam Vecchi and feel his methods are outdated. At a press conference on Friday, Carlo Ancelotti faced a litany of questions about it, as well as who will actually start in goal. He grew weary quite quickly.
Ligue 1:
Things are going well at Marseille and (whisper it) there’s talk of the title already. Marcelo Bielsa is overseeing a refreshed OM and they’ve been scintillating early on. A victory over Saint-Etienne on Sunday would make it 18 points from a possible 18 and they will be buoyed by their recent 5-0 thumping of Reims in which Andre-Pierre Gignac scored twice.
The striker signed for the club four years ago after excelling for Toulouse. But, he struggled to find form at the Stade Velodrome until last season when he finished on 16 goals. But he’s already scored eight this season and would’ve grabbed a hat-trick against Reims were it not for a missed penalty. Keeping the rate up is key but he’ll certainly break the 20-goal mark which gives Marseille a huge advantage already.
Their opponents on Sunday will have a familiar face in their ranks: ex-Norwich striker Ricky van Wolfswinkel. On Thursday, he scored for the first time in a year against Bordeaux. But, they will be tough to beat. From their last 17 league games, they’ve suffered just two losses – both away to PSG.
