European Paper Review

A third straight defeat for Barça as both Madrid sides close in at the top of La Liga. The German press are lost for words after Liverpool’s win against Dortmund, while in Italy Juventus move nine clear at the top of Serie A - but it comes at a price.

“They have to stand up,” was the headline on Monday’s Catalan Daily Sport, complete with a picture of Gerard Pique lying prostrate on the floor after his side lost a third consecutive league game. Barça’s nine point lead has been reduced to a head-to-head advantage five games of La Liga to play.

“What an injustice!” screams fellow Catalan daily Mundo Deportivo, complete with a picture of Barça’s players looking dazed and confused as they regrouped following Valencia’s second goal. “The Barça team had no luck, they had ten chances on goal and didn’t deserve to lose. The situation is in their own hands.”

Not surprisingly, the Madrid papers took a slightly different view. Marca also showed Pique on the floor, though he was on his hands and knees rather than flat out. “A Pique” it said. ‘This league is like no other.

Barça and Atletico Madrid, the team who knocked them out of Europe last week, are on 76 points. Real Madrid, the team whose coach said the league was over in February, are on 75. Madrid probably have the tougher run-in, though Barça have lost four of their last five games and must go to Deportivo La Coruna on Wednesday.

Valencian paper SuperDeporte was understandably delighted, its ‘Come On!’ headline accompanied by a photo of a jubilant Santi Mina, who scored their second goal.

In Germany, the press was almost lost for words after Liverpool’s stunning comeback against Borussia Dortmund on Thursday night. “No way. No way,” said a gobsmacked Tagesspiegel after Thomas Tuchel’s men threw away a two-goal lead in what Süddeutsche Zeitung called Anfield’s “Theatre of emotion.” “King Klopp makes Dortmund cry!” exclaimed BILD whilst Focus magazine called the defeat “Dortmund’s Waterloo.”

Back in the Bundesliga, Dortmund recovered with a 3-0 victory over Hamburg to remain seven points behind Bayern Munich, for whom “the championship is as good as secure.” (Kicker). “A cure for the Anfield hangover” said Spiegel. “Three goals are enough for BVB this time” said the FAZ.

Behind them, Hertha Berlin finally relinquished third place as they slipped to a 2-1 defeat away at Hoffenheim. “It’s all about the cup now!” said the Berliner Kurier, as Pal Dardai’s side prepare to face Dortmund in Wednesday’s DFB Pokal semi-final. They were leapfrogged by Bayer Leverkusen who were the big winners on match-day 30 as they beat Eintracht Frankfurt 3-0, with their European rivals all losing. “Leverkusen on course for the Champions League,” said Welt.

The battle to remain in Germany’s top flight is intensifying with six sides in danger of joining almost-relegated Hannover in Bundesliga 2. Kicker said it was “a black day for Hamburg” following their defeat in Dortmund, and suggested the “HSV curse could be on its way back” – only three points separate the Bundesliga ever-presents and a third consecutive relegation play-off. “And suddenly the spectre of relegation returns” added Welt.

Augsburg went above Stuttgart on goal difference after beating the Swabians 1-0, leaving both sides only two points above the drop zone. “Augsburg overtake harmless VfB” said a disappointed Stuttgarter Zeitung, whilst Süddeutsche Zeitung said it was an “unacceptable performance” from Stuttgart who have now gone five games without a win.

And Werder Bremen could be next to overtake them as they closed the gap with a “surprise 3-2 success” (Spiegel) over Wolfsburg. Fans welcomed the team to the Weserstadion with green balloons and Süddeutsche Zeitung was quick to suggest that Werder’s survival hopes have also been re-inflated, saying: “Bundesliga survival looking more likely again.”

But Eintracht Frankfurt are “on the brink of the abyss” (Deutsche Welle) after their 3-0 loss in Leverkusen left them second from bottom, four points behind Bremen and six points away from safety with only four games left to play. “The lights are slowly going out” said Frankfurter Neue Presse.

The French footballing press reacted poisonously to PSG’s Champions League defeat to Manchester City. “QUEL FIASCO!” screamed L’Équipe, “this failure belongs to Laurent Blanc and the ‘génération Ibrahimovic.’” Le Parisien was equally scathing of “players in their thirties who cannot influence matches at the highest level.” “But is Blanc really the only culprit?” asked France Football, singling out Angel Di Maria, Blaise Matuidi, PSG’s medical staff and the club’s Qatari ownership for PSG’s fourth quarter-final failure in four years.

In Ligue 1, only four points separate Monaco in second and St Etienne in fifth. Monaco beat struggling Marseille 2-1 to go second after 10-man Lyon were held to a 1-1 draw at home to fourth place Nice. “[Alexandre] Lacazette saves Lyon!” said L’Équipe following the 24-year-old’s 82^nd minute equaliser.

“St Etienne and Lille are also revving along nicely!” said Le Figaro after both sides recorded comfortable wins against Bastia (1-0) and Ajaccio (4-2) respectively, leaving them in contention for the European spots.

But the season is going from bad to worse for Marseille. “Marseille abdicate in the Principality” declared Le Point as the Phocéens lost 2-1 in Monaco. “Catastrophic again!” said L’Équipe, as OM slipped to within six points of relegation.

In Italy, Juventus’ 4-0 win over Palermo, combined with Napoli’s 2-0 defeat at Inter, meant the champions went nine points clear at the top. Monday’s La Gazzetta Dello Sport reported ‘Four Goals past Palermo +9’ but highlighted problematic areas for Juventus as Marchisio ruptured his cruciate ligament, meaning the Juve vice captain will be out for six months and miss the Euros.

There are also doubts about the future of coach Maxi Allegri’s future, with La Gazzetta reporting ‘Allegri wants guarantees on transfers’ and quoting him saying ‘Before – and if – I sign a contract we have to plan the future…’

The Corriere dello Sport also went with the Juventus line and a headline of ‘Scudetto within reach, but a champion (Marchisio) is stopped’. ‘A fifth consecutive title at the weekend?’ asks the paper. The headline on the Turin based Tutto Sport is ‘The League for Claudio’ with a picture of the luckless Marchisio. Mid-table in October, Juventus have been in better form than any team in Europe since. And that’s why they’ll be champions.