Most USMNT fans know Fabian Johnson is a baller left back, but some might be surprised to find that's not normally where he plays for his club, Borussia Monchengladbach. In Germany, Johnson is primarily deployed as a winger, and this 84th-minute equalizer against RB Leipzig shows why.
Johnson would probably feature on the wing for Jurgen Klinsmann's squad too if good left backs weren't so difficult to come by.
Let me explain what I mean by "Sergio Ramos Hat Trick" before you guys get mad at me online. A Sergio Ramos hat trick does not occur when Sergio Ramos scores three goals. A Sergio Ramos Hat Trick occurs when Sergio Ramos concedes a penalty, gets a yellow card and scored from a set piece, creating the ultimate Sergio Ramos performance.
That's what happened against Villarreal Wednesday.
Arriving into the weekend, Internazionale were perfectly poised to implode as only they can. One of Italy’s most consistently self-defeating clubs, the Nerazzurrri had spent mid-week losing (at home) to the third-best team from Israel. Far from being a freak result, the Milanese club had been thoroughly outplayed.
A glance at the current Premier League table reveals an improvement of sorts for Chelsea. Their catastrophic title defense last season resulted in them finishing 10th, while their defense, so renowned for their frugality, shipped 53 goals — more than 15th-place Crystal Palace.
This season, Antonio Conte has been charged with returning Chelsea to their domineering displays of old. The problem for Conte is that Chelsea are nowhere near their peak personnel wise. John Terry, while still a force, will turn 36 in December.
Borussia Dortmund made it a sensational 17 goals in their last three matches following their 5-1 victory over Wolfsburg on Tuesday. This match, combined with their 6-0 weekend victory over Darmstadt and 6-0 Champions League triumph against Legia Warsaw, makes them the hottest team in Europe.
Dortmund climbed to the top of the Bundesliga table, albeit momentarily as they’ve played one more match than Bayern Munich, and Dortmund striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang couldn’t hide his excitement.
One of the most fun things about the EFL Cup is when big clubs get upended by Championship and lower-level clubs, like Everton going down to Norwich City earlier today. Watching giants get humbled by minnows is a delight to everyone not a fan of that particular giant, and it's of particular amusement to fans of giants that made it through to the next round.
Michael Laudrup was a sensational playmaker for Juventus, Barcelona, Real Madrid and the Denmark National Team during his extensive playing career. Lauded as one of the greatest players of his generation, Laudrup earned his fame as a phenomenal passer of the ball.
In the intense and sometimes ruthless environment that is modern day soccer, depth is no longer a unique trait that teams can do without. It is a necessity. Unfortunately for Barcelona, they were one of the latest and greatest examples of this new reality.
Last season was shaping up to be one of the best for the Blaugrana, with their striking trio on top form and the rest of the starting XI playing their part. However, by Barca’s ridiculously high standards, things didn’t necessarily go to plan over the final few months of the season.
When Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers signed Scott Sinclair from Aston Villa during the summer transfer window, the winger was a known quantity to the bench boss. . .but few others.