Manchester United, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich are 3 of European heavyweights representing the English premier league, Spanish La Liga and German Bundesliga respectively, but their individual performances of late is a fowl cry of what soccer followers knew them to be.
Wednesday night's results in the UEFA champions league might be inconsequential as far as the 3 giants' quest to qualify for the next stage of the competition, but the results left little or nothing to admirer of them.
MANCHESTER UNITED:
Manchester United, arguably the most successful club in the EPL (Liverpool fans will disagree), lost 1-2 to Valencia, a struggling team in the Spanish La Liga. It was not the result that was cause for concern but United performance on the night and in recent matches in all competitions. United coming from an EPL-match 4-1 trashing of Fulham, are brimming with confidence and are expected to get a respectable result in Valencia, but they did not. The old Red devils under Sir Alex Ferguson would have gotten atleast a point in Valencia. Manchester United now have just 1 win in 4 in all competitions and placed a distance 6th on EPL log table, an unfamiliar territory as far as their pedigree tells. Are Manchester United a club in decline? or their rivals are just getting stronger? It is a big question mark.
REAL MADRID:
Real Madrid had had their fair share of a turbulent season, and had already sacked a coach as quickly as they hired him. In came a new coach, Real ship seems to be steady and cruising, it seems Real have turned the corner, but yet, Real cannot muster a run of 5 straight win this season. Last night 0-3 lost at home ground Santiago Bernabeu to a lesser competitor in CSKA Moscow is just not acceptable to Reals fateful irrespective of the players paraded by Real on the night. The all conquering Real don't lose at home, Santiago Bernabeu was suppose to be a fortress, it looks like it isn't, not anymore, Real had already lost a La Liga match this season at home 1-2 to lowly Levante and are also sitting in 4th position on Spanish La Liga log table surprisingly club like Seville above them. Will Real Madrid put together a good run of result and move back to where they belong, at least 2nd position behind old rivals Barcelona on the La Liga log table? It is a big ask.
BAYERN MUNICH:
Another European giant which has been disappointing by their own standard is the Bundesliga big gun Bayern Munich. Bayern played an entertaining 3 all draw in Holland against a youthful Ajax Amsterdam side on Wednesday night. A match in which Bayern led 3-2 on 90th minutes and yet conceded a goal in the 95th minute to lose the 3 points and earned just a point, the old Bayern would not have struggled against this Ajax team, taking away nothing from the Ajax team, their steady resurgence is not going without notice. Bayern performances this season have raised eye-brows, they have been unconvincing even in some victories, They already lost at home to Bayern Munchingladbach and lost away at arch rival Borussia Dortmund, couple with some other poor results now sits on 3rd position on the German Bundesliga log table, surprisingly behind their 2 conquerors in Dortmund and Munchingladbach respectively. Can Bayern turn things around? they have it in them.
These 3 clubs in Manchester United, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich have raised a standard so high for themselves, that a couple of bad results will quickly raise eye brows and questions about them.
Will these faultering giants turn around their fortune before the end of the season? Time will tell.
Thanks for your usual supports.
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