Week 7 results

Twente (1st) v Basel (8th)
Injuries: Pepe, Daniel Fernandes & Ryan Gauld (Twente); Luiz Adriano, Anthony Martial & Nicolas Boilesen (Basel).
Top scorers: Carlos Tevez, 5 (Twente); Paulo Dybala, 2 (Basel).

Twente:

Basel:

Azzy’s analysis:
Basel mixed things up this week with an adventurous 3-4-1-2 formation; alas, this didn’t suit some of the players and with the likes of Kuyt and Depay playing in unfamiliar positions, this meant it wasn’t as effective. Having said that, it created space for de Bruyne, and he pulled the strings for most of the game for Basel. Twente are clear champions, and their midfield three was too much for the Basel defence to handle when they came forward. With Tevez up against Mexes, there were plenty of chances and Twente took just enough of them. This win hands Twente and manager Hero the title - congratulations!

RESULT: Twente 2-1 Basel (Pogba & Tevez; de Bruyne)

Verona (9th) v Genk (3rd)
Injuries: Mark Schwarzer, Mattia Cassani & Adnan Januzaj (Verona); Laszlo Koteles, Sekou Cisse & Morgan De Sanctis (Genk).
Top scorers: Diego Costa, 3 (Verona); Zlatan Ibrahimovic & Alexandre Lacazette, 4 (Genk) 4.

Verona:

Genk:

Azzy’s analysis:
Both teams have strong line-ups and on first XIs alone this was a tough match to cal. However as the game progressed, Ibrahimovic dragged Schneiderlin deeper and deeper which allowed Genk’s midfield three to exert control over the midfield area. With the Genk free-ranging forwards covering the Verona FBs, Verona were pegged back for long periods of the game. When they did get forward, Genk were too strong defensively as Chiellini handled Costa with assistance and the CM3 were a good shield for manager Trebs. Ultimately, Genk’s dominance gave them a rather straightforward victory, with Tadic bursting through onto a Schweinsteiger pass and then Son nicking in behind Jallet to cut back for a Lacazette tap in. A good result for Genk but a disappointing setback for Verona, who have all the tools to be a big success in the league but cannot find the right system at the moment.

RESULT: Verona 0-2 Genk (Tadic & Lacazette)

PAOK (2nd) v Werder Bremen (7th)
Injuries: Ricardo Van Rhijn, Blaise Matuidi & Juan Bernat (PAOK); Raphael Wolf, Clement Fritz & Ilkay Gundogan (Werder Bremen)
Top scorers: Mario Mandzukic, 5 (PAOK); Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, 2 (Werder Bremen).

PAOK:

Werder Bremen:

Azzy’s analysis:
This was a fantastic game for the neutral. Both sides left key gaps in their preparation, but countered that with some clever tactical decisions. Ivanovic and Carrillo had a lot of success against the unnatural LB Ogbonna, and with Menez tasked with supporting Ogbonna PAOK were weak down that flank. Similarly down their right flank, Piszczek and Robben were both great going forward, but Bremen took advantage of their defensive deficiencies. Meanwhile in midfield, Toure and Nainggolan were a very good combination but there was no clear plan for dealing with Eriksen, who had a great game tucked off of Huntelaar. Overall, I felt that Bremen had the much better defense and defensive plan for the occasion and, while PAOK are clearly the better side going forward, their defensive frailties cost them dearly.

RESULT: PAOK 2-3 Werder Bremen (Toure & Robben; Huntelaar x2 & Afellay)

Bordeaux (4th) v Montpellier (6th)
Injuries: Maxime Gonalons, Raphael Varane & Goncalo Guedes (Bordeaux); Ross Barkley, Kostas Manolas & Modou Barrow (Montpellier).
Top scorers: Sergio Aguero, 8 (Bordeaux); Karim Bellarabi & Fernando Torres, 2 (Montpellier).

Bordeaux:

Montpellier:

Azzy’s analysis:
Bordeaux were so consumed with their injury losses that they failed to make the most of their own strengths, focussing more on clamping down on Montpellier’s strengths. This worked to an extent but their setup meant they were under the cosh for long spells. With Pirlo and Clasie patiently controlling play and with Guarin making runs, Bordeaux weren’t setup to deal with them. Had they focussed on exploiting Montpellier’s lack of experience at the back they would likely have won the game – as it was, Aguero rolled past Campagnaro to grab a goal back near the end. Montpellier had no business winning this game on paper but a good tactical setup gave them an unlikely victory.

RESULT: Bordeaux 1-2 Montpellier (Aguero; Lavezzi & Guarin)

Why did you change Dost x2's name?!

Proper analysis. You earned that £1.5m.

Unlucky Nando, good front three though!

Like I said in my analysis, had Nando said "Sterling, Griezmann, Aguero - KILL", then added "oh yeah and we'll do some defending eventually", he'd have been better off. His was the only tactics I read really negatively. Which is sad, as that front three is the best in the league by a country mile.

The Gary Neville of results

Well played Miky

Well deserved win.

I think Twente are champions already now aren't they? Very well deserved too Hero

Illuminati confirmed.

Thanks Afro, good game though of course.

Excellent result layout Azzy I really like it.

Congratulations Hero and FC Twente if that is the championship.