General Update! 12/18/11.

So! A lot is happening in the world of football right now. First of all, how about a brief overview of the leagues of Europe? Well, in England Manchester City have maintained their hold on the league title - though things are still very close between them and their cross-town rivals United who are in 2nd with 39 points: just 2 points less! Tottenham Hotspur aren't looking too bad either, holding 3rd by 2 points as well, but they should be confident: they've been playing very nice football this season. Chelsea are right behind them in 4th with 32 points. Arsenal and Liverpool round out the top 5 as they are both tied for points with 29 after 16 games. Newcastle are a surprise though: they have not fallen out by any stretch of the imagination! Instead, they are in 7th with 27 points - right on the heels of the Gunners and Liverpool. Down in Spain meanwhile Real Madrid remain on top of the league despite the loss in El Classico to 2nd place Barcelona. The two sides are divided by 3 points with Madrid holding 40 and the Catalans holding 37. Valencia meanwhile occupy 3rd with 33 points which gives them a very small comfort zone over the likes of 4th-place Levante who have 29 points. CA Osasuna have 5th position with 25. On now to Italy where Juventus have reclaimed their place at the top of the table with 33 points from 15 games. AC Milan are right on with them though, more than willing to take the top if the Old Ladies slip. AC are just 2 points behind - as are Udinese Calcio! Lazio hold 4th quite nicely though, defying 5th-placed Inter Milan to catch up with them with a 6 point spread. Lazio have 29 to Inter's 23. Over in Germany things are also competitive with Bayern holding 1st by just 3 points. Borussia Dortmund and Schalke 04 each have 34 in 2nd. Borussia Monchengladbach aren't out either though, just 1 point shy of the 2nd place sides. Werder Bremen hold 5th though, making 29 points from 17 matches played. In Portugal, Porto have drawn level with Lisbon rivals Benfica with both sides holding 33 points from their first 13 matches. Sporting Lisbon occupy 3rd, 27 points from 13 games isn't too bad however 4th place SC Braga have a game in hand and 22 points already. If they play their cards right and Sporting drop some points, Braga may be looking at a shot at the title. CS Maritimo are in a similar position though they have already played their 13th game. In the Netherlands AZ Alkmaar actually control the league - just by a point though! 2nd place PSV have 37 which means the pressure is really and truly on. FC Twente are 4 down in 3rd with Ajax right with them. Feyenoord are in 5th with 31. In Scotland Rangers are leading by 4 points over Celtic in 2nd who have 44 points - this hasn't been a good year for the B'hoys. Having said that though, they still have a full 10 points over 3rd place Motherwell. Motherwell do have a game in hand though. Now then. In other news, Barcelona are the best club on earth! It's official! They claimed victory earlier today with a 4-0 drubbing over Brazilian side Santos in the Club World Cup. What is there to say about the affair? Well, Barca were up to their usual title flair with massive amounts of possession and great goals too! Lionel Messi was the man of the match, Xavi helped control the ball-game, and the likes of Dani Alves and company made sure Barca dominated from back to front.