Bayern profit from inconsistent rivals in Bundesliga title race
No matter what happens to Bayern Munich, its German rivals just can't seem to take advantage.
Despite the disruption caused by the coronavirus pandemic, despite underwhelming form, despite a squad creaking under the strain of a packed schedule, Bayern has a tighter hold on the Bundesliga trophy this January than in recent years.
Bayern has lost two of its six games this month — against Borussia Mönchengladbach in the league and second-tier Holstein Kiel in the cup — after losing just once in all competitions in the whole of 2020. Few recent wins have been convincing.
Despite that mini-slump, and admittedly without hope of repeating last season's treble following the German Cup exit, Bayern has extended its league lead to seven points over Leipzig and could be 10 clear by Saturday night.
Leipzig, Bayer Leverkusen, Borussia Dortmund — all have briefly looked capable of ending Bayern's record run of eight consecutive titles. Dark-horse challengers Gladbach and Wolfsburg have had their moments, too. But they've all been taking points off each other, making easy games look hard and letting Bayern stroll away.
Dortmund's recent form under interim coach Edin Terzić has been generally poor, except for beating Leipzig 3-1 on Jan. 9 to stop Leipzig overtaking Bayern for the top spot. (backslash)
Leverkusen was on top of the table in mid-December, then won just one of its next six games, against Dortmund.
Meanwhile, Dortmund and Leipzig dropped points against Mainz, making a squad from the relegation zone look like the swashbuckling, giant-killing Mainz team once coached by Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp and new Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel.
Second-placed Leipzig and third-placed Leverkusen play each other on Saturday, with Leverkusen expected to be without midfielder Nadiem Amiri after the club revealed on Thursday he tested positive for the coronavirus. If Leverkusen comes out on top, that means Bayern would lead by 10 points with a win over struggling Hoffenheim. It won't be all plain sailing for Bayern, though.
Hoffenheim was the only team to win any competitive match against Bayern in 2020, by a stunning 4-1 in September. Results since then have been wildly inconsistent, but Hoffenheim looks on form after backto-back 3-0 wins. Andrej Kramarić scored twice in the win over Bayern and has been outstanding recently with four goals from his last two games.
February might be the last chance for any other team to take the fight to Bayern. For Hansi Flick's team, next month means a trip to Qatar for the Club World Cup and an away Champions League last 16 game at Lazio. If Bayern can keep its Bundesliga lead for another month, the record-extending ninth title will be as good as won.
Frenkie de Jong making big strides in Barcelona's midfield
Frenkie de Jong is already playing like the future star Barcelona hoped he would be.
The 23-year-old Netherlands midfielder, who joined from Ajax two years ago, has scored four goals this month while also playing a key part in creating other goals with his passing.
De Jong has been at his best over the past week. Last weekend, he scored one goal and set up another in a 2-0 win at Elche to lead the team with Lionel Messi suspended. On Wednesday, De Jong made a key pass that put Antoine Griezmann in position to assist Messi in a 2-1 victory at Rayo Vallecano in the round-of-16 of the Copa del Rey.
Barcelona's streak of four league wins — all on the road — have kept the team from falling completely out of the league title race, which is led by Atlético Madrid. Barcelona, along with Sevilla, is also among the favorites to win the Copa del Rey with Atlético and Real Madrid eliminated.
"We are on a good run," De
Jong said after match at Rayo. "We are playing well as a team, growing each week, and we just need to keep it going."
Barcelona will have its next test at home on Sunday when it hosts a vastly improved Athletic Bilbao team under coach Marcelino García Toral.
Two weeks ago, Bilbao upset Barcelona in the Spanish Super Cup final. The Basque team equalized in the 90th minute and snatched a 3-2 victory on Iñaki William's injury-time goal. The disappointing loss for Barcelona was made worse as Messi earned his first ever red card for the club and was suspended for two matches for hitting an opponent in the final minutes.
While Barcelona coach Ronaldo Koeman has toyed with his lineups this season, De Jong has been a constant fixture, along with Messi and young playmaker Pedro "Pedri" González.
De Jong's ability to pick his moments for runs into the area has given Barcelona an added dimension that Koeman has insisted is key to getting the team back to playing its best. De Jong scored two goals in 42 games last season. He already has five in 27 this season.
"I am arriving more to the area and that means I am scoring more than before," De Jong said.
For Koeman, De Jong is an even better player than the one that helped Ajax reached the 2019 Champions League semifinals after ousting both Real Madrid and Juventus. Barcelona paid 75 million euros ($85.5 million) to bring him to Spain that season.
"We need him. We need our midfielders to be attackminded," Koeman said. "He is a very technically skilled player.
He helps us build the attack from the midfield. We talked with him about helping more in attack, scoring more than just one goal per season. He is a more complete player now than when he played for Ajax."
Bilbao will be heading to the Camp Nou on an impressive run after beating both Madrid and Barcelona to win the Spanish Super Cup before routing Getafe 5-1 in the league.
Earlier on Sunday, Atlético will visit Cádiz looking to extend its run of seven straight victories in the league. The team is seven points clear of second-place Madrid with a game in hand. Barcelona is another three points back.