Last year, at Vicente Calderon Stadium, in the Champions League, against Atletico Madrid, Bayern Munich were painfully eliminated from a competition they had every right to think they could win.
This year, at Vicente Calderon Stadium, in the Champions League, against Atletico madrid, Bayern Munich had this happen to them:
Noticing the talent of Christian Pulisic and believing he’ll have a great career should no longer be classified as jumping on the hype train. The term 'hype train' is like the plans for a high-speed rail in the United States, a theoretical concept that’s been touted since 1965 but has never materialized. 'Hype train' infers that nothing is settled, that everything is still in the balance.
What would’ve otherwise been a non-story had Real Madrid managed to hold on to their 2-1 lead over Las Palmas on Saturday, Cristiano Ronaldo's 72nd minute substitution has since blown up following Sergio Araujo’s 85th minute equalizer.
Las Palmas held Real Madrid to a 2-2 draw, diminishing Los Blancos' lead at the top of the La Liga table to a single point. The main talking point from the match has now switched to Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane's decision and Ronaldo's reaction.
Barcelona traveled to Gijon on Saturday for a difficult match against Sporting. Barcelona made their travels without Lionel Messi, who will be sidelined for three weeks with a groin injury suffered against Atletico Madrid on Wednesday.
In his stead, Neymar and Luis Suarez inspired their side to a resounding 5-0 victory. Neymar registered a brace and Luis Suarez scored Barca's opening goal in the 29th minute.
Barcelona and Atletico Madrid tied 1-1 at the Camp Nou in a very well-played soccer game that was overshadowed by the best player in the world, Lionel Messi, going off with an injury.
Ivan Rakitic scored a header from a corner kick for Barcelona and Angel Correa took advantage of a Javier Mascherano slip for Atletico Madrid, but the real story was Messi's injury in the second half, which will keep the reigning World Player of the Year out for around three weeks.
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.
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.