European football talking points: Liverpool's ‘ugly win’ reignites title race, Atletico Madrid’s rejuvenation and more

There is something dramatic about gameweeks that follow international breaks, isn’t it? There is always a team that was in a good run of form suddenly shooting blanks while other teams pick up their lost momentum as if to suggest a little time away from the club was all the players needed to recharge their batteries. Bundesliga, arguably, saw the biggest impact of the enforced break this weekend with in-form and seemingly unstoppable Bayern Munich only managing a draw against SC Freiburg and in the process, handing over the top place in the league to Borussia Dortmund, who beat Wolfsburg 2-0. [caption id=“attachment_6364191” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Atletico Madrid’s Thomas celebrates with teammates after scoring against Deportivo Alaves. AFP[/caption] Atletico Madrid, who lost to Athletic Bilbao in the gameweek preceding the break, turned around their fortunes for the good though with a 4-0 victory over Deportivo Alaves, which ensured they maintained a two-point lead over Real Madrid in the race for second place in the LaLiga. Luckily for Premier League leaders Manchester City, there were no such problems as they beat Fulham 2-0 to maintain their excellent run of form and a lead over Liverpool who beat Spurs 2-1 on Sunday. Here are four talking points from the top leagues across Europe: Liverpool leave it late ‘Ugly’ isn’t a word you often associate with a Jurgen Klopp-managed football side. Especially one filled with attacking talents such as Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane. But against Tottenham, on the weekend, Liverpool showed everyone they were capable of playing ugly if the occasion demanded it. With the match heading towards a draw ― a result that would have meant Manchester City pulling slightly ahead in the title race ― Liverpool threw the kitchen sink at Spurs and forced a mistake out of Hugo Loris which ended up as an own goal. To be honest, Liverpool looked nervous for most parts of the game. It had looked like the pressure was finally getting to them with the team a Gerrard-esque slip away from falling off the title challenge. But this is a new Liverpool ― one that keeps fighting even when the going gets tough. And the victory, to be fair to the reds, wasn’t born out of luck. Their relentless pushing and their remarkable use of full-backs as an attacking force pushed Spurs into making a mistake. In fact, there are certain characteristics to this Liverpool team that remind you of those good Manchester United sides under Sir Alex Ferguson ― marauding full-backs, never-say-die attitude and an incredible passion that binds the entire team together. “There are 500 ways to win a football game. Today was slightly ugly. But who cares?” said Klopp after the match. Nobody! Except maybe Manchester City, Jurgen! Bundesliga title race far from over Only two weeks ago, we were writing off Borussia Dortmund and handing over the Bundesliga title to Bayern Munich. But as we have repeated over and over again, unpredictability runs through the veins of football and it is hence not surprising to find Dortmund in the front seat once against after Bayern struggled to unlock a stubborn Freiburg side in the weekend. It wasn’t all smooth sailing for Dortmund either and the results could have well been the reverse had Bayern (and especially Robert Lewandowski) been more clinical up front or had Paco Alcacer not struck twice in the stoppage time. The Spanish forward has now scored four times in his last four matches for Dortmund, and the third of those ― a curling free-kick from just outside the box that unlocked the Wolfsburg defence ― might prove most critical. With the battle so closely fought, next weekend’s Der Klassiker, or the German Clasico, between the teams will certainly have a huge say in the title race. Roma in trouble Desperate times call for desperate measures but Roma might be regretting their decision to make Claudio Ranieri the manager after the sacking of Eusebio Di Francesco and the departure of director of football Monchi. The new manager has barely managed to lift the spirit of the side and the 4-1 rout at the hands of Napoli in the weekend only further highlighted how very little Ranieri has to offer. Roma need a fresh change desperately and the former Premier League winning manager is certainly not the answer or even the stop-gap solution. In fact, the Rome team would have probably been better off giving the caretaker job to a former player like Francesco Totti (who watched the game from the stands) till they find a manager capable of donning the role. With Maurizio Sarri struggling at Chelsea, Roma have an opportunity to bring in a manager who impressed in the Serie A but the team, currently seventh in the table, will need to find some inspiration from within if they are to challenge the Milan sides for a place in the Champions League with Napoli and Juventus already securing their spots. The Atletico resurrection Atletico Madrid needed the international break more than anyone else. A few weeks ago they were favourites to overcome Juventus in the Champions League and secure the second place in the LaLiga but a torrid run of form saw they lose out on both fronts. Therefore, the 4-0 victory against Alaves couldn’t have come at a better time for Diego Simeone’s side who now seem to have a steady hold over the second position in the table despite city rivals Real Madrid winning 3-2 against Huesca in the Gameweek. Most importantly for Atletico, their strikers Diego Costa and Alvaro Morata scored in the victory which will do their confidence a world of good as the league enters the final flurry of matches. Barcelona maintained their 10-point lead at the top of the table with a 2-0 win over Espanyol in the Catalan derby courtesy of a Lionel Messi brace. The Argentine forward has now scored 41 goals this season, with 32 of them having come in just 29 league games.