The Hunter Returns

This week the Bundesliga makes it's return. We have not seen any Bundesliga action since before Christmas because of the winter break and the return of Europes most exciting league is good news for all football fans.

Bayern under Guardiola have been unstoppable so far but they face perhaps their toughest test so far, maybe even tougher than Dortmund. They travel to Borussia park to play Gladbach. Before the winter break Gladbach where very much in form having climbed into third. More so they are actually unbeaten at home this season, them and Bayern boasting the only unbeaten home records in the league. Bayern are unbeaten both at home and on the road so on Friday night something has to give as the pair clash.

Two underperforming sides this season, Borussia Dortmund and FC Schalke will be hoping for a better second half to the season. Dortmund have been plagued by injuries this season, key midfielder Ilkay Gundogan has not even kicked a ball this campaign and Schalke find themselves as low as seventh in serious danger of losing out on a Champions League spot for next season.

Off the field but, they are two sides perhaps heading in opposite directions. Dortmund having just lost their best player 8 months ago are now facing the prospect of losing their next best player to the same rivals, this time for free. Schalke however have added Bayern defender Jan Kirchoff to boost their ranks and in the summer Sidnei Sam will join from Leverkusen. Add that to the speculation that Lewis Holtby could be set for a Vetlins return and Schalke are in a very strong position. They face Hamburg this weekend, the first time the sides met this season was on the opening day and they shared the points in a thrilling 3-3 draw. Klass-Jan Huntelaar netting twice on that occasion. 

Huntelaar has only played twice in the Bundesliga this season, a knee problem which required surgery has kept him out since August. The news for the Gelsenkirchen based side is very positive and he could even make his return against Hamburg this weekend. Huntelaar is a player who devides opinion. Some look at his work rate and feel it is below par, for a tall player he is not particularly renowned for holding the ball up particularly well but there can be no question when he is fit, he is potentially one of the best natural finishers in Europe.

The passes to Huntelaar from his team mates are genuinely direct. Long high balls or else low through balls to feet are his speciality, preferring the ball to feet rather than into the channels or space. One thing that cannot be denied about Huntelaar however is that he is extremely clinical. Against Hamburg on the opening day he took 3 shots to score his 2 goals. His other shot was blocked. 

This means that the Hamburg goalkeeper had nothing to do against Huntelaar for 90 mins except pick the ball out of his net twice.

In his best season for Schalke, Huntellar netted 29 times in 32 games in the Bundesliga. He was also the top scorer in Euro 2012 qualifying but was second choice come the tournament, a move which angered the Dutch public. In the season for Schalke he was on fire, his shots per goal rate was exactly 3. To put that into perspective, at the moment Suarez is averaging 5.6 shots per goal, Lionel Messi 4.8 and the recent Ballon D'Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo is averaging 7.9.

With the World Cup coming this summer and Schalke's drive for a Champions League spot, this second half of the season will be very important for Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, and the stats do not lie. When he is fit and in form, he is the most lethal finisher in the world, the challenge now for him and his club, is getting him back to full fitness and form. Quick.

Nemanja Matic

Price tag aside, there can be no mistaking that Chelsea's new (old) boy fits the bill as to what Jose Mourinho looks for in a defensive midfielder. At Real Madrid Xabi Alonso was sometimes the pivot of the midfield, a natural playmaker from deep rather than a natural ball holder. Mourinho's sides have most often featured a strong powerful midfield presence, blessed with the ability to both read the game and the physical ability to dominate. His first spell at Chelsea allowed for the likes of Makalele, Essien and Obi Mikel to flourish. 

He has been back at Stamford Bridge for a few months and his side tactically looks a bit different from his first spell. His midfield shape has changed, he no longer features the pivot with two centrally midfielders in front of him, instead a bank of two in support of a number 10. Mikel and Essien are still present although the Ghanian has not featured much this campaign and looks to be heading for the Stamford Bridge exit. This is where old boy Nemanja Matic comes in.

At 6'4 he is a more dominating presence than Ramires, and at Benfica he has had practice at both playing in the pivot, and as a more defensive minded holder in a flat midfield two behind the number 10. He already sounds perfect for a Mourinho side. 

He cannot play for Chelsea in the Champions League having already played in it this season for Benfica, where some of his performances caught the eye. In particular in Benfica's opener. A two nil win over Belgian champions Anderlecht. His performance that night was particularly dominant, making 8 tackles succesfull completing 7 of them. 

He played centrally and to the left of the Benfica midfield, occasionally shuttling out to the flank to make tackles and stop opposition breaks. This will come in useful for a Chelsea side who's left full back wether it be Azpillacueta or Cole, likes to bomb on. Matic's cover would allow this without fear of counter.

In Benfica's last group stage game they managed a 2-1 victory over PSG. Without the ball for large periods of time they had to play on the counter, getting the ball forward with little build up. This again is much like how Jose Mourinho likes his sides to play.

Against Anderlecht Matic's passes forward where mostly short ones into the feet of Perez in the number 10 role, often no more than five or ten yards. Contrast this to his range of passing against PSG which was much more direct.

No question about it that Matic ticks all the right boxes, physically he is strong, he reads the game really well and has a range of passing that could help Chelsea against weaker opposition by feeding short passes to likes of Hazard, Oscar, Willian. Then he can influence games against the top sides snuffing out danger, getting the ball forward quickly and countering. Price tag aside, no doubt Cheslea have got themselves a talented prospect and at 25 he is no longer the inexperienced rookie that left Stamford Bridge a few years ago. 

Juventus Resurgance

After a slow start to the season Juventus have now opened up a sizeable lead at the top of Serie A and look to be on their way to a third successive Scudetto under Conte. The slow season was perhaps down to a number of factors, Roma and Napoli stole most of the thunder and the spotlight in Serie A, Roma in particular with their strong unbeaten start to the campaign. Juventus had two major personnel changes up top, with Carlos Tevez and Fernando Llorente joining the Turin giants. Both had never played in Italy before, and although Tevez initially made a goal scoring impact it took a while for the pair to settle and show their best performances

Vice Captain and midfield mystro Claudio Marchisio started the season on the treatment table needing surgery, drafting Paul Pogba straight into the starting XI. The Frenchman had impressed last season after leaving English champions United but had mostly been a rotational option for Juventus, rather than a first choice when everyone else was fit. His performances, coupled with that of Arturo Vidal meant that even after Marchisio's return the Italian struggled to move back into the starting XI. Even then his form hasn't been great, he was noticeably poor against Galatasary as Juventus crashed to a 1-0 defeat that eliminated them from Europe. It is with the Pirlo Vidal-Pogba combination that Juventus have been strongest with this seasons and has been firing them towards the league.

The above chalkboards came from the 3-0 victory of rivals Roma. Pirlo often sits behind the midfield which moves high up, giving him more space to operate within. His passes received are mostly central, contrast that to Vidal who's are mostly skewed centrally to the right. Pogba's (not shown) is very similar but to the left. This gives rival midfields problems, Vidal and Pogba maraude around and if unchallenged can either assist or create for the two up top. Vidal has 8 goals and 4 assists this campaign in the league and Pogba has 5 with 3 assists. If midfields then relent the pressure on Pirlo to cope with the midfield runners then the Italian has the world class passing ability to change games and carve teams open.

As shown against Cagliari at the weekend in a 4-1 win, Juventus have now got 2 strikers firing on both cylinders. Llorente grabbed a double and Tevez has 11 in the league. Juventus' traditional rivals (I.e the Milan clubs,) have been struggling financially and this has resulted in massive cutbacks. Juventus' current title rivals are Roma and Napoli, but Juve dealt with both those clubs well, inflicting 3-0 defeats on the pair. For Roma this represented their only league defeat so far this season but too many draws have cost them and now Juventus have been able to open up a commanding 8 point lead.

Where others drop points Juventus can use their experience, skill and midfield power to clinch vital and sometimes commanding victories. However the exit from the Champions League will hurt them both in the dressing room and in the board room. Serie A is not as rich a league as others in Europe and as proven at Milan over the last few seasons, even the very best players have their prices. Pirlo was linked with a move away as he was out of contract this summer but put pen to paper to extend his stay, but the sharks will circle around key assets Arturo Vidal and Paul Pogba with speculation linking them with Premiership moves. Marchisio's lack of playing time will do little to discourage interest from him particularly from the red half of Manchester but at the moment, they remain Juventus players and look set for another Scudetto in Turin.