Weekend Football Review

A good return of football!

Community Shield 

Liverpool 1 (4) vs. (5) 1 Man City

The Community Shield was supposed to be a glorified friendlies while Pep and Klopp were supposed to field weakened teams but that was not the case. The managers fielded their strongest lineups with the likes of Salah, Firmino, De Bruyne, Silva, Sane all starting. It took Sterling 12 minutes to give City the lead as the ball was fumbled into the net. Liverpool were extremely poor at the back during the second half as the full backs were getting caught out while Van Dijk and Gomez lacked communication. Liverpool though held on and came out a different side for the second half. Liverpool dominated the second half and their equaliser came in the 77th minute after Matip headed the ball in. Liverpool could easily have won the game in the 2nd half but poor finishing, some brilliant saves by Bravo, balls not crossing the line and hitting the post, and a brilliant goal line clearance form Walker in extra time meant that the game went to penalties. Each team took 5 penalties but Wijnaldum missed his and so City won. It’s clear that we were looking at the teams that would finish 1st or 2nd in either order but City retain their first trophy of the season while Liverpool can take encouragement after a poor pre-season.

DFL Supercup

Borussia Dortmund 2 vs. 0 Bayern Munich

Bayern dominated the game over both halves but lacked the finishing while Dortmund took their chances as Alcacer scored in the 48th minute, and Sancho scored in the 69th minute. Dortmund get their first trophy of the season and seem to be prepared to finish off what they almost accomplished last season. Bayern did really well but face another beast this season in a rejuvenated Dortmund. 

Trophee Des Champions

Paris Saint Germain 2 vs. 1 Rennes

Rennes gave PSG a wake up call as Hunou scored in the 13th minute to give them the lead. Rennes stayed strong for the half as they kept PSG at bay for the rest of the half. PSG then stepped it up in the 2nd half as Mbappe scored in the 57th minute and Di Maria scored a brilliant free kick in the 73rd minute to seal the win and the trophy. PSG are looking good without Neymar and while their Ligue 1 title is always almost certain the real aim for the french team is the Champions League. Neymar is still there and whether he leaves will dominate the next month or so of the European transfer window. 

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Weekend Football Preview

The curtain raiser for the season is upon us!

Community Shield 

Liverpool vs. Man City

Last seasons runner up and Champions League winners Liverpool go head to head against Man City Premier League Champions, FA Cup Champions, League Cup Champions, and Community Shield holders on Sunday. Usually the Community Shield is played between the League winners and the FA Cup winners but considering that City won them both last season Liverpool who finished 2nd in the league get the nod. Liverpool have had a shaky pre-season having played 7 friendlies winning 3, drawing 1 and losing 3. Klopp was without his forward line for much of pre-season with Mane and Salah having participated in the Africa Cup of Nations while Firmino took part in the Copa America. City played 4 friendlies in pre-season winning 3 and losing one on penalties to Wolves. Liverpool played against the likes of Napoli, Sevilla, Dortmund in preparation for the season while City’s most notable opponent were Wolves. Liverpool have had a quite summer with Sepp Van De Berg and Harvey Elliot being their only two signings both of whom are youth products. City have also bought two players a right back in Angelino from PSV, and Rodri from Atletico who is a midfielder. This is for all intents and purposes a glorified friendly and the teams should reflect that with several starters on the bench or not playing. Either way it is a good opportunity for the teams to get one over the other at this early stage of the season.

DFL Supercup

Borussia Dortmund vs. Bayern Munich

Dortmund and Munich go head to head in the curtain raiser for the Bundesliga on Saturday. Dortmund have played four friendlies winning all four of them while Bayern have played 5 winning 3 and losing 2. The teams have made several improvements to their squads over the summer. Dortmund have bought Hummels back from Bayern, Thorgan Hazard, Julian Brandt, and Nico Schulz. Bayern have bought Lucas Hernandez, Benjamin Pavard, Jann-Fiete Arp, and Marco Friedl. The likes of Ribery and Robben left the club in June. Dortmund were rampant until December last season but suffered a burnout in the new year and Bayern who were resurgent edged Dortmund to the title. Dortmund have since added several quality players while Bayern are far more youthful as well. This should be a feisty encounter. 

Trophee Des Champions

Paris Saint Germain vs. Rennes

The ever dominant PSG take on Rennes in the prelude to the Ligue 1 season on Saturday. They Neymar saga and whether he leaves for Barca has dominated PSG’s transfer stories but there have been arrivals. Idrissa Gueye, Abdou Diallo, Pablo Sarabia, and Ander Herrera have all been notable players to arrive over the last few months. Rennes most notable arrival has been M’baye Niang. PSG have played 4 friendlies winning 2 drawing 1 and losing 1. Rennes have played 3 friendlies losing 2 and drawing 1. PSG are the dominant force in french football but Rennes did beat them in the Coupe De France final and so it is all to play for.