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In terms of population the cities of Frankfurt and Düsseldorf both rank in the top ten in Germany. Last season, neither city had a team gracing the top flight of German football. How times can change rapidly in football. After five games of the new season, the promoted pair of Eintracht Frankfurt and Fortuna Düsseldorf each occupy a place in the top five of the Bundesliga.

Their starts are made even more impressive when you consider that between the two teams, they signed an incredible 33 players (Eintracht 13, Fortuna 20) over the summer. The next time a coach complains about the fact his side needs more time to gel, frustrated directors and chairmen would do well to point to the case of Eintracht and Fortuna, who have acclimatized to the Bundesliga with ease. Tuesday night really emphasised this.

With the Bundesliga having an “English week” by playing midweek fixtures, it gave the duo another chance to show their performances in the first four games of the season have been no fluke. Neither Eintracht Frankfurt or Fortuna Düsseldorf disappointed either.

Fortuna actually faced up to the third team promoted from the 2. Bundesliga, Greuther Fürth. Their opponents haven’t been too bad this season but Fürth are the smallest of the trio to arrive in the division. Facing Bayern Munich and Schalke hasn’t helped their cause early on. Still, playing Fortuna Düsseldorf would have been seen as opportunity to get their first home win of the season. The visitors from North Rhine-Westphalia had other ideas as Oliver Fink and Ken Ilsö ensured a 2-0 win Norbert Meier’s side in Bavaria.

It also meant a fifth consecutive clean sheet for Fortuna, leading to Klaus Hoeltzenbein, in Süddeutsche Zeitung, describing Norbert Meier as the man who invented “The Rhine Catenaccio.” These days, when you hear the word “catenaccio” being used, it’s usually in a negative context. Meier can, and should, take it as a compliment, because Fortuna are the only team in Europe’s top leagues who haven’t conceded a goal this season.

You certainly won’t hear any such comparisons for Armin Veh’s Eintracht Frankfurt. They’ve entertained the division and became the first promoted side on Friday night to win their opening four games of the season. Their fifth game was always going to be tricky as they faced up to the current Champions of Germany, Borussia Dortmund.

The way Borussia have started the season has raised questions over whether they’ll be holding onto that tag for a third successive year. Bayern Munich look great, Dortmund’s defence appears dodgy and despite being 31 games unbeaten until last Saturday, BVB have struggled to find the rhythm with which they finished the previous campaign.

Things were going smoothly against Eintracht on Tuesday night. A deflected shot from Lukasz Piszczek and a sumptuous strike from Marco Reus gave Dortmund a two goal lead at half time. “When you lead 2-0, there is the iron law that it cannot be thrown away,” noted Jürgen Klopp.

In the second half Eintracht Frankfurt were to break this iron law as in the financial capital of Germany, Borussia Dortmund paid the price. Within six minutes of the restart the home side were level. Stefan Aigner netted the first with a magnificent half volley before setting up Takashi Inui for the equaliser. Dortmund went back in front through Mario Götze but after wasting further chances, BVB were pegged back again. Anderson headed in a second equaliser for Frankfurt, earning the home side a spectacular point.

“It was the best performance I’ve ever seen from a Frankfurt team,” claimed Klopp, sent to the stands late on for squaring up to an official (and making one of the more incredible facial expressions of the season so far). His frustration would not have been quelled in the knowledge that Bayern Munich had won comfortably against Wolfsburg, leaving the Champions seven points behind the Bavarians.

In contrast, newly promoted Eintracht Frankfurt are just two points off the top of the league. Along with Fortuna Düsseldorf, they’ve started the season in sparkling style. Now the real challenge begins for both – maintaining it. A word of warning must go to Eintracht especially. In November 2010, they were 4th in the Bundesliga but ended up getting relegated after a wretched run of form.

Survival remains the goal for both sides. Still, Frankfurt and Düsseldorf may be in Germany’s top ten cities for size and come May, they might each have a team in the Bundesliga’s top ten too, should Eintracht and Fortuna continue their excellent form.

For more on the Bundesliga, follow @archiert1 on Twitter

Matchday 5 Results:

Bayern Munich 3-0 Wolfsburg

Eintracht Frankfurt 3-3 Borussia Dortmund

Fürth 0-2 Fortuna Düsseldorf

Schalke 3-0 Mainz

Augsburg 1-3 Bayer Leverkusen

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Freiburg 1-2 Werder Bremen

Gladbach 2-2 Hamburg

Hannover 4-1 Nuremberg

Stuttgart 0-3 Hoffenheim

Table

Rank

Club

Matches

W*

D*

L*

G*

GD*

Pts.*

1

FC Bayern Munich

5

5

0

0

17:2

+15

15

CL*

2

Eintracht Frankfurt

5

4

1

0

14:7

+7

13

CL*

3

Hannover 96

5

3

1

1

14:8

+6

10

CL*

4

FC Schalke 04

5

3

1

1

10:5

+5

10

CL* Qual.

5

Fortuna Düsseldorf

5

2

3

0

4:0

+4

9

EL* Qual.

6

Borussia Dortmund

5

2

2

1

11:8

+3

8

EL* Qual.

7

SV Werder Bremen

5

2

1

2

9:8

+1

7

8

Bayer 04 Leverkusen

5

2

1

2

7:7

0

7

9

1. FC Nuremberg

5

2

1

2

7:9

-2

7

10

Borussia Mönchengladbach

5

1

3

1

7:7

0

6

11

1899 Hoffenheim

5

2

0

3

10:12

-2

6

12

SC Freiburg

5

1

2

2

7:8

-1

5

13

VfL Wolfsburg

5

1

2

2

2:8

-6

5

14

Hamburger SV

5

1

1

3

7:10

-3

4

15

1. FSV Mainz 05

5

1

1

3

4:8

-4

4

16

Greuther Fürth

5

1

1

3

2:8

-6

4

Play-offs

17

VfB Stuttgart

5

0

2

3

3:12

-9

2

Relegation

18

FC Augsburg

5

0

1

4

2:10

-8

1

Relegation

Table from Official Bundesliga Website

It is never easy for foreign players to settle immediately into life in the Premier League, particularly those that arrive at the mid-point of the season.

Cenk Tosun joined Everton from Besiktas in the January transfer window, and the Turkey international certainly took his time to settle at Goodison Park.

A record of five goals in 13 Premier League appearances is impressive, however, and the centre-forward has shown plenty of positive signs ahead of the 2018-19 campaign.

Everton have not exactly played the most expansive of football in the Premier League this season, but the 26-year-old has certainly been a threat in the final third of the field.

The Everton fans have continually criticised head coach Sam Allardyce over the last few months, but it seems that they are extremely happy with Tosun’s contribution.

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Indeed, the Turk, who is valued at £21m by transfermarkt.co.uk, is seen by a number of the club’s supporters as Everton’s most important player moving forward.

A selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below:

On the surface, an error-prone defender is the last thing Arsenal need. Arsene Wenger takes great pride in the fact the Gunners have recovered the second-most points from losing positions of any Premier League side this season, but there is a very good reason for that – the Gunners have a habit of conceding cheap goals.

So bringing David Luiz, a centre-back famed for complacency in defensive situations even at the age of 30, into a team that already lacks the consistent organisation you’d expect of a top six Premier League side seems somewhat counter-intuitive. But when his qualities are put into the right context, Luiz can transform from recurring liability into one of the best in the business at what he does.

Only since returning to Chelsea and working under Antonio Conte, a manager now who appears to have lost faith in him, has this truly come to light. While Luiz’s technical and physical qualities have always been clear to see it was the introduction of a back three at Stamford Bridge, with the Brazilian playing the central sweeper role, that highlighted his weaknesses and covered up his flaws.

As Ruud Gullit discussed amid Chelsea’s 13-game winning run last season, the three-man set-up actually leaves Luiz in one of the freest roles on the pitch, both with and without the ball.

“When Luiz plays in a four-man defence and he needs to mark, that can be a problem for him. In this 3-4-3 system, however, he is more of a sweeper and makes fewer challenges than Chelsea’s other defenders.

“That suits him more, firstly because he rarely finds himself in trouble so is not in danger of making a mistake, and also because he is the player with the most freedom in that Chelsea team.Luiz can bring the ball out or play it forward and he uses it very well, which is so important when Chelsea look to break quickly.”

The errors become less prevalent because Luiz isn’t marking a direct opposite number – his primary task is to cover the space behind the other two centre-backs or step into midfield when necessary – and his well-established ability in possession becomes more evident because he’s in a deep-lying, central role that allows him time on the ball and copious options to find.

Nobody has ever doubted Luiz’s ability to spread a pass, or whether he has the athleticism needed to (theoretically, at least) cover for his defensive partners.

Seemingly surplus to requirements in west London, although Wenger has denied an approach for the 56-cap international, that makes Luiz a shrewd potential January target – the perfect man to anchor Shkodran Mustafi and Laurent Koscielny and complete what would be a rather formidable Gunners back three.

The consequential question, however, is Wenger’s level of commitment to playing 3-4-2-1 long-term. While Luiz has shown remarkable improvements in terms of reliability and consistency since becoming Chelsea’s sweeper, all of the current evidence suggests he’s still something of a liability in a back four – when he isn’t licensed the same defensive and offensive freedom.

On the most-part this term, Wenger has shown a commitment to a system which Conte directly inspired, using it 18 times from a possible 21 Premier League fixtures, so it makes sense to acquire what was previously one of the Italian’s most important cogs in making it work, especially one with the vast experience of Luiz.

But it always had the feeling of a temporary arrangement at Arsenal to resolve a bout of poor form and some would argue its run its course – there are still square pegs in round holes and Arsenal have conceded more than one goal per game using the formation this season.

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In theory, signing Luiz – who Transfermarkt value at £27million – would address that, improving defensive performance and subsequently results by putting something of a three-at-the-back specialist at the base of the team.

But should Wenger revert back to a four-man defence as his primary setup, which certainly isn’t implausible, Arsenal will end up having the old, error-prone, ever-exposed Luiz on their hands.

Liverpool’s Luis Suarez will always be one of the most controversial footballers the Premier League has ever seen. His rap sheet to date contains a series of incidents that have broken almost every footballing taboo.

The striker burst onto the scene at the 2010 World Cup, but blemished his rave reviews by handballing on his own goal line for Uruguay against Ghana and subsequently celebrated in no humble fashion when Asamoah Gyan missed the following penalty, essentially ending the biggest chance an African team has had in the international tournament throughout my life time, as well as making himself a pantomime villain throughout the continent.

Then, a year later, he arrived at Anfield with a preceding reputation from his 81 goals in the Eredivisie. Suarez’s talent from the offset was impossible to deny, despite his low output during his first two campaigns with the Reds, but it wasn’t long before the Uruguayan was once again in the media for the wrong reasons.

In October 2011, he was accused of racially abusing Manchester United’s Patrice Evra, and subsequently punished by the FA. The eight-match ban still remains a controversial issue for many reasons; Suarez himself claimed cultural ignorance, whilst Liverpool drew criticism for avidly supporting a player, t-shirts and posters to boot, that had openly admitted to using a racial slur, albeit with a different understanding of the word in comparison to the British public.

[cat_link cat=”liverpool” type=”tower”]

Some gave Suarez the benefit of the doubt, especially as his form picked up momentum last term. The Reds forward finished up with 23 goals and eight assists in 33 Premier League appearances, and throughout the 2012/2013 campaign won over many of his critics with his talismanic, all round displays. It wasn’t just his output, it was his quality on the ball, his ability to dribble past any opponent, his confidence to take on whole defences on his own, and his undying work-rate and passion to succeed.

Just as the footballing world were debating whether or not such a controversial figure, who had once admitted he’d sell his own grandmother for a goal, and once celebrated a goal by performing a dive in front of David Moyes’ dugout during a Merseyside derby, should be considered for the PFA Player of the Year award, Suarez nipped any hope of winning the individual accolade in the bud by biting Chelsea’s Branislav Ivanovic in the arm, witnessed by a packed Anfield crowd and the millions watching at home. What’s more, it wasn’t even the first time in the 26 year old’s career he’d bitten someone – in Holland, he’s referred to as ‘The Cannibal of Ajax’ for taking a chunk out of Otman Bakkal with his teeth in 2010.

But for me, it’s Suarez’s actions this summer that will cement his place in the annals of Premier League history as the master of controversy. Throughout his villain role at the 2010 World Cup, his tribunal with the FA and the Ivanovic incident, the Liverpool forward could at least claim that it was the lust for victory, propelled by the loyalty he feels towards his club and international side, that caused him to commit such on-pitch atrocities. That saving grace however, has now gone out the window this summer, as Suarez plots a move to Arsenal.

Even a matter of months ago, the striker’s views were understandable. He insisted that he wanted to leave England behind him due to the intense pressure and scrutiny the British media put on him, and there’s little doubt the claim was true; no newspaper article discussing Suarez could leave out his checkered past, and no facebook feed could be complete without a Suarez meme poking fun at the Uruguayan. At the same time, his hot form made it quite clear that he’d outgrown the Reds, with consistently exceptional displays and prolific end product for a club who had struggled to make it into the top half of the Premier League for the most part of last season.

But the fact Suarez waited until he was about as far away from Merseyside as possible, in Brazil to be precise, to condemn the club for a lack of loyalty and the British press for their bully mentality, suggested that there was far more opportunism to his decision to leave Anfield that met the eye.

Now we are edging into August, and rather than leaving England to take up the opportunity of a life time at Real Madrid, leaving not too many hard feelings behind at Liverpool, Suarez’s priority location is North London, to join up with the Gunners, citing a need to play Champions League football.

But will playing Champions League football, for a side who’ve made it past the quarter-finals just twice since 2000, actually benefit the Uruguayan’s status, or career? He’s already regarded as one of the most talented single entities in Europe, and is already liked with every major club on the continent. Similarly, on the domestic front, the Reds have claimed more silverware than Arsenal in the last eight years, with the Gunners’ trophy cabinet alarmingly bare since their last triumph in 2006, whilst both clubs are still miles away from the Premier League title race with their current rosters.

Overall, Suarez is causing Liverpool a lot of problems for very little personal gain. Arsenal are just about the most insignificant Champions League club out there – constantly rewarding themselves for qualification, but rarely impacting on the competition itself – and in the Premier League they’re amid an almost decade long malaise. Moving to the Emirates won’t give Suarez the opportunity to play with a particularly better or more star-studded cast, and Arsene Wenger is hardly likely to offer the striker a lucrative wage package considering Theo Walcott had to let his contract wind down and play bluff to secure a not particularly competitive £100k per week deal.

What’s more, it shows a disgraceful lack of loyalty towards his current club. Liverpool have constantly stood by Suarez throughout his lust for controversy, and their ‘Support Suarez’ campaign during his eight-match ban for racial abuse undoubtedly contributed to Kenny Dalglish’s decision to step down at the end of the 2011/2012 season.

The Uruguayan’s claim that the Reds haven’t stuck by him enough during the recent biting incident smacks of hypocrisy and delusion – Brendan Rodgers could hardly give him a pat on the back after such a shocking episode, and was right to condemn the striker in public regardless of his status as Liverpool’s only current world-class talent; anything else would have put the club’s integrity into serious disrepute.

Along the way, Suarez’s demeanour has been ungentlemenly to say the least. At one end, he’s refused to make a formal transfer request, in fear of losing out on his contractually tied loyalty bonus, whilst on the other hand and in public, he’s regularly insisted that Brendan Rodgers should adhere to his demands and sell him. He couldn’t even do his club the good grace of keeping the issue behind closed doors, and has used the public domain and the British media to do his bidding, despite insisting they are the ones who conspire against him.

It’s bound to have an effect on the striker’s selling value, despite Liverpool adamantly maintaining that they hold all the cards around the negotiating table. And whilst at one point this summer, it seemed he would at least spare Liverpool some embarrassment by switching to La Liga, he will now be plying his future trade for one of the Reds’ closest divisional rivals, and one of the few teams that stands in their way of Champions League qualification – Rodgers’ ultimate aim that his Anfield tenure will eventually be judged upon.

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Suarez is and will always be the epitome of controversy; fans will always feel divided over whether to judge an exceptional player on his footballing ability, or his questionable morality. But for me, the Emirates move is the final straw for a player who people have constantly found excuses for. His lack of loyalty is disturbing, his demeanour this summer despicable, and his careerist mentality is a shocking condemnation of the culture of the modern footballer.

All that fuss, all those bridges burned at Anfield, betraying Brendan Rodgers and the Liverpool faithful along the way, for the sake of finishing three places higher in the Premier League, and regular elimination in the quarter-finals of the Champions League. The king of controversy strikes again.

Should Suarez be condemned for seeking a move to Arsenal?

Join the debate below!

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Newcastle new-boy Gael Bigirimana admits to having not yet decided which nation he wants to represent at international level.

The Journal report that the 18 year old is already on Stuart Pearce’s radar after an impressive Premier League debut on Tyneside.

Previously the young midfielder has been called up to the England under 19s squad, but could yet choose his country of birth, Burundi.

Bigirimana discussed the situation with the publication, “International football is a privilege and I would be honoured to play it. As long as I’m playing for one and moving forward I don’t mind what nationality I will play for.”

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“England is like a second home but it is difficult for me because I have two homes. England has grown in me and I have met many fantastic people and mentors who are English. That does not mean I don’t like Burundi. That is where I was born, where I saw my first sunset.”

Newcastle United manager Rafa Benitez has made two changes to the side that was beaten 1-0 by West Bromwich Albion at St James’ Park last weekend for the trip to Watford on Saturday, and Magpies fans have been quick to react.

Javier Manquillo and Jacob Murphy come in on the right-hand side in place of DeAndre Yedlin and Matt Ritchie, who both drop to the substitutes’ bench alongside Joselu and Mikel Merino, while Dwight Gayle, whom Toon fans on Twitter want to be sold, also starts.

The Tyneside outfit won’t want to let their Premier League season peter out following successive defeats against Everton and the Baggies, with them still needing points to ensure that they end what has been a successful season in the top-half of the table.

Newcastle supporters took to social media to give their thoughts on Benitez’s selection, and while one said “not great”, another said “not sure about this… hopefully I’m wrong”.

Here is just a selection of the Twitter reaction…

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After what seemed like an age, Petr Cech finally completed his move across London when he signed for Arsenal earlier this week. The Chelsea legend cost the Gunners around £11m and brings a wealth of experience gained during a trophy-laden spell at Stamford Bridge.

Signing Cech is exactly the short-term ruthlessness Arsenal have been craving for so long. No longer worried about the development of Wojciech Szczesny, or how David Ospina might fare having settled in for a year, Wenger has paid over ten million pounds for a 33-year-old. The mentality behind it is what winners are made of, as proved by Sir Alex Ferguson.

Ten years ago, Fergie took Edwin van der Sar from Fulham for what now seems a steal, with a reported fee of £2m putting the Dutchman between the sticks at Old Trafford. Perhaps not the most sound financial business for a ‘keeper then well into his 30s, but the player himself proved that age is just a number time and time again.

The purchase of Van der Sar finally put an end to the desperate attempts to replace the Great Dane, Peter Schmeichel. Already a Champions League winner from his time with Ajax, Sir Alex knew he was buying success. And success is what he got.

Four Premier League titles followed, with the stopper breaking the Premier League record for consecutive clean sheets along the way. The success story hit its highest peak when Van der Sar saved Nicolas Anelka’s penalty in the famous 2008 Champions League final, winning the trophy for the Red Devils.

Could Arsenal’s capture of Cech lead to similar success? The glove seems to fit. The parallels in this signing and Sir Alex’s stroke of genius are striking. Like Manchester United a decade ago, it seems Arsenal are finally addressing their ‘keeping conundrum. Just as Schmeichel proved nigh on impossible to replace, the Gunners have found it notoriously difficult to replace their own iconic shot stopper, David Seaman. Jens Lehmann might argue with that, though.

Arsenal are also buying a proven winner. Cech’s stoic performances in West London rightly earned him the right to call himself the best ‘keeper in the world. Though ageing, his heroics in the 2012 Champions League final can’t be so quickly forgotten.  Only the emergence of Thibaut Courtios, an exceptional ‘keeper with age on his side, could keep Cech from being the undisputed No. 1 at Stamford Bridge for many more years to come.

Wenger himself may have looked to the Van der Sar deal as a precedent. Signing a European Cup winner the wrong side of 30 to improve your squad in the (relative) short-term is the complete opposite to his entire philosophy during the eight barren years spanning from the 2005 FA Cup win to the 2014 repeat.

The Arsenal boss is now buying success rather than potential, an approach the Gunners have desperately needed for many a year now. The Cech signing has the potential to replicate the van der Sar deal near enough a decade its previous. Whilst Wenger before may have recruited an obscure teenager from God knows where, he has pulled off perhaps the biggest transfer coup in ten years.

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This ‘keeper holds the key to success.

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Arsenal and Manchester City could reignite their interest in Paraguayan striker Lucas Barrios, who has admitted that he is keen to make a summer move, according to reports from talkSPORT.

The 28-year-old moved to Chinese side Guangzhou Evergrande last year, but is already considering his options after failing to settle in the Far East.

It is believed that he is currently embroiled in a contract dispute with his employers, which is similar to that suffered by Didier Drogba.

The Ivorian was eventually allowed to move on for free, and now plays for Galatasaray.

Barrios admitted recently that he is far from happy with the situation and is looking to leave in a bid to get his career back on track.

Prior to his switch to Guangzhou Evergrande, the South American hot-shot impressed with Borussia Dortmund, averaging a goalscoring record of almost one in every two games.

This alerted both City and Arsenal, although they were unable to match the financial lure of Chinese football.

But now they could rekindle their interest and offer Barrios a European lifeline.

The duo are both in the market for attacking reinforcements, with City particularly short on forward threats having sold Carlos Tevez.

Arsenal are reportedly closing in on Gonzalo Higuain, but could turn to Barrios if the deal collapses.

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Would Lucas Barrios be a Premier League hit?

Tell us what you think below!

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Newcastle United boss Alan Pardew has ruled out a move for former Toon striker Andy Carroll as he appears to be looking for young, fresh targets before the window slams shut.

Newcastle have been linked with a move for Liverpool’s out of favour striker all summer but the shrewd mover of the transfer market, Pardew, appears to be looking elsewhere to bolster his European Newcastle outfit.

Pardew made it clear that he is looking to add youth to his experienced set up at the Sports Direct Arena ahead of Friday’s transfer deadline and he didn’t seem interested in talking about Andy Carroll at all.

“I don’t think so,” Pardew told talkSPORT. “We’re talking more of a younger player who could perhaps take the club forward.

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“We’ve taken two or three younger players this season who have done very well for us. It depends if the price is right and everything fits the bill.”

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Tottenham Hotspur suffered a shock defeat away to relegation candidates West Bromwich Albion on Saturday, conceding a goal in the last moments of the game to lose 1-0.

It was former Spurs man Jake Livermore who found the winning goal, giving the Baggies a slither of hope in their battle to beat the drop to the English Championship.

From Spurs’ perspective it was a damaging defeat, given they are still not guaranteed a top four finish. A Chelsea victory on Sunday against Liverpool would put them two points behind Mauricio Pochettino’s side with two games to play.

Fans were left fuming with the performance and had particular criticism for midfielder Victor Wanyama, whose style of play was not suited to breaking down a packed and organised West Brom defence.

Some believe he hasn’t been good enough for a while though and they’re looking for him to be sold this summer. Is that a harsh assessment?

Supporters took to Twitter to share their thoughts…

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