A Tale of Woe Before Brazil 2014 Begins: 6/6/2014

The injured list for the run-up to the World Cup in Brazil has become rather populated of late. Even since my last post, France's Franck Ribery and Clement Grenier (who play at Bayern Munich and Lyon respectively) have been forced to withdraw from the tournament due to fitness concerns. England will be without Theo Walcott while Spain will miss Victor Valdes (although they do have Iker Casillas who would have doubtless started in goal). Part of the reason why Germany may be seen as having a weaker defense than they have fielded in the past is the fact that both Holger Badstuber and Ilkay Gundogan have been ruled out. One danger for Italy is the fact that midfield partner of Andrea Pirlo, Riccardo Montolivo, has been sidelined with an injury similar to the one Mexico's Luis Montes has experienced: a serious fracture in the leg. To clarify: Andrea Pirlo was NOT the one who was injured. Riccardo Montolivo was. The pair in the Italian midfield had only been brought up due to the fascinating football they have been playing up to this point. Add to that the fact that Croatia are without three class acts - Ivo Ilicevic, Niko Kranjcar, and Ivan Strinic - and you may just wonder whether a conspiracy exists to get the Brazilians to lift the World Cup on home soil. With absentees such as Kaka and Alexandre Pato (through the decision of the coaching staff, not injury) you can't say that everything looks great for the hosts, but it certainly could be worse. Personally, I hope that the likes of Bernard, Luiz Gustavo, and Maicon are able to perform. If so, the Brazilians might just take the world by storm.

Domestic Round-up: Where the Leagues Stand After a Thrilling Weekend - 3/2/2014

Brilliant games around the world this week as most leaders continued their dominance, increasing their margins over their nearest rivals. Spain was a notable exception to this case as Real Madrid were only able to keep a one point cushion after Atletico Madrid - who sit in third with 61 points - were able to tie with their cross-town rivals 2-2. One point behind Real, in second place, are Barcelona who have 63 points after a 4-1 victory over Almeria this weekend. Besides these three though, the league title appears to be out of the reach of fourth position Athletic Club who have 50 points. Villarreal occupy fifth position with 44 points while Real Sociedad are hot on their heels and seventh position Sevilla have 38 to their name. Over to Portugal where, after many years of dominance by the northern side Porto, Benfica have claimed the top spot with 52 points. Their rivals Sporting Lisbon sit second with 47 while the dragons of Porto hold third with 43. Estoril is still in the title race with 39 points in fourth while it is a slightly longer shot that CD Nacional or Vitoria - in fifth and sixth respectively with 34 and 30 points - could challenge. North now to France where Paris Saint-Germain are eight points clear at the top of the table with 64 points to the good. Monaco are in second with 56 points while LOSC Lille are in third with a lot on their plate: Saint Etienne are in fourth with 48 while Marseille and Lyon have 43 and 42 respectively. Stade de Reims are in seventh with 42 meaning the next round or two of games will go a long way to determining who ends up having a chance at taking a swing at either PSG or Monaco. East now, in Germany, Bayern Munich are twenty points clear at the top of the Bundesliga. Dortmund are the side in second with 45 while Bayer Leverkusen are in third with 43. Schalke meanwhile, who have played a style of football that can only be described as abominable, somehow sit in fourth with Wolfsburg and Mainz particularly close to overtaking them. Down in Italy, Juventus are the side that are looking most likely to win Serie A this time around. While Bayern are without a doubt the team with the largest cushion, Juve have amassed an eleven point gap between themselves and closest pursuers Roma, who have 58 points. Napoli sit third with 52 while Fiorentina, Inter Milan, and Parma sit in the forties. Finally, to the north where England has seen Chelsea cement their position with 63 points. Both Liverpool and Arsenal have 59 while Manchester City have 57 and Spurs hold 53. United are in the top seven though, right under sixth place Everton who have 48 points from 27 matches played. Finally, and I know you are all concerned about this one, Celtic of Scotland have collected a grand total of 75 points from 28 games, losing just once and drawing thrice. Aberdeen and Motherwell are their closest competition - in second and third - though the bhoys should feel secure in their position. Dundee United and Inverness round out the top five with 44 each. Keep following and I hope you got to catch some of the games!