Despite the summer's transfer window being a thing of the past, and 2019's European Deadline
Day feeling like it was last century, I still think it might be exciting to examine a few European
heavy-hitters. Plus, we can look at some clubs that have been performing below their pay-grade
and see what clubs are worth putting a little money on. If you're going to be betting, make sure
to check out the
Bet365 review on BCP.
Of course, as a Chelsea fan myself, I'm somewhat biased about where to start this discussion.
However, let's be fair. Let's kick things off in the beating heart of worldwide, professional football
— London, England!
Photo by Serkan Turk
/ The Unsplash License
Manchester City
As far as making a splash, City didn't exactly shake things up as much as is usual for the
Chelsea FC. However, that's not to say Manchester City did not shuffle things around loud
enough to be heard this past summer.
For instance, some of the more well-known names signing on to play with "The Blues" include
Atletico's Rodri and Juventus' Joao Cancelo. Specifically, Rodri was the backbone of his former,
Madrid-based team. Not only did he hold the midfield together for an entire Atletico season, but
he has also even been to the world's best, albeit arguably, defenseman and midfielder, Sergio
Busquets.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, Cancelo doesn't seem to bring as much clout to the field
as Rodri. For one thing, the man definitely believes a good offense supersedes a capable
defense, and this shows in his play. That is to say, despite his high likeability factor among fans,
I find him disproportionate, to say the very least.
Among many, many other departures, Danilo split for Juventus, Delph made his way to Everton,
and fabled team leaders Vincent Kompany and Eliaquim Mangala moved on as free-transfers to
Anderlecht and Valencia, respectively.
In any event, Rodri and Cancelo appear to be making the grade in their defensive play — both
reaching the top of the bracket for overall tackles. Similarly, the duo's significant key pass count
speaks to their offensive acumen.
Liverpool
However boisterous the controlling UCL Champions may be, their summer wasn't exactly one
for the record books, especially if you take into account all of the other competition. Now,
several parts of the team may have benefited from experience entering the arena on their side.
Nevertheless, Jurgen Klopp went in the opposite direction with his young blooded picks from the
local academy and immediate region.
Moreover, with Liverpool buying Sepp van den Berg and Harvey Elliot — much less Rhian
Brewster and Yasser Larouci taking on vital roles within the club — the new formation of this
team screams to an unconventional layout. Regardless of the team's credence as a viable long-
term investment, many outside the Liverpool fanbase will surely hark on the team's
amateurishness.
By and large, an inadequate fullback framework and the lack of creativity in the midfield doesn't
look suitable for Liverpool's boys. The team's high-aiming, award-driven ambitions, particularly
against Salzburg and Napoli, might take second seat to their strenuous play-style.
Meanwhile, West Ham's Adrian San Miguel took the place of Simon Mignolet, where Mignolet
decided to follow his dream of becoming a goalkeeper.
By the same token, Liverpool sucked the bones of the GK market dry by drinking from the post-
market Deadline Day pool of free agents. OK, they didn't exactly cannibalize the free-agent
market. But, they did scoop up Andy Lonergan, while simultaneously selling Danny Ings and
allowing several other contracts to expire.
Let's move outside of the UK and parla Italiano!!!
Atalanta
Serie A's high-soaring club from Italia, Atalanta B.C. are the all-around favorite for a variety of
reasons. However, the team's fast and fiery field formation overshadows the somewhat
subdued summer transfer window experienced by the organization.
Among the more noteworthy names to join the ranks in Bergamo are Ruslan Malonovskyi and
Luis Muriel. Meanwhile, more obscure players like Marco Varnier and Marco Pasalic came
aboard after being on loan for some time. Likewise, Simon Kiaer and Guilherme Arana made up
the other "loaners" to "live La Dea loca."
Even though the team may only hold the fifth seat in Serie A, they lead the league with a
whopping 30 goals. What's more, players like Pasalic, Muriel, and Malinovskyi prove quality
plays a much more significant role than quantity when it comes to footy's fieldmen.
Regardless of Atalanta's high-profile snags and solid recruits, their UCL last-place standing
speaks volumes to their group's position.
Più italiano per favore {More Italian please).
Napoli
Napoli's football club remained relatively stable throughout the summer. While the team saw
famous newcomers like Chucky Lazano, Eljif Elmas, and Giovanni di Lorenzo, the team gained
new stability by signing concrete contracts with players on loan.
Mainly, the squad's trifecta of goalkeepers in David Ospina, Alex Meret, and Orestis Karnezis
stuck it out with Napoli throughout a grueling 18-19 season.
Notwithstanding, Napoli's relative strength in solidarity came under question with somewhat of a
mass exodus. For example, Carlos Vinicius, Raul Albiol. Simone Verdi, Amadou Diawara, Adam
Ounas, Vlad Chiriches, Roberto Inglese, and Marko Rog all departed from the area.
Sitting in seventh place and resting a whole 13 points in back of Juventus, the team didn't have
a bad start. However, the club's 0-5 record in their last five encounters has left the team behind
the 8-ball.
Ajax
Last, but not least, Ajax takes the cake as UCL's most formidable football club. Not only is Ajax
leading the Eredivisie with zero losses, but they're also in first place of group H in the
Champion's League.
What gives Ajax such a wide berth on their way to multiple titles is their resilience in the face of
some severe loss of star power. Explicitly, Kasper Dolberg, Matthijs de Ligt, and Frenkie de
Jong were among the more prominent names to leave the club.
One way the team maintained stability through significant losses was through proper financing
and prudent budgeting. Think about it; Ajax grabbed Quincy Promes, Razvan Marin, Kik Pierie,
Edson Alvarez, Lisandro Martinez, and Kiell Scherpen all in one shot!
Plus, the squad assimilated some new blood to the battle-ready boys from Amsterdam. Namely,
the dutchmen recruited Sergino Dest and put him on the field — a lot. Additionally, Lisandro
Martinez remains a defensive staple in the midfield, while only letting nine fly by him in a total of
13 sanctioned matches.
Without a doubt!
There is a great deal more you can say about many other teams on the circuits. That's why
football-lineups.com offers up-to-date information about transfers, team tactics, injuries, and all
of the tournament events.
If you want to learn more about where teams stand today, you can equate the strategy
synonymous with football akin to a game of poker. Alongside being a game of skill, it requires
resolve, resilient, and downright raunchiness to dominate the competition.