European Football 2020

Some normalcy! The Premier League starts up this weekend, and most if not all leagues will be firing away by Saturday of next week! Quick little flyer: COVID has really broken me down. While I’m an introvert at heart, I love, love, love seeing others succeed. To have my family cooped up in the house for the last 6 months has been very difficult, but we do have our lives, and we do have our health. Not everyone can say that. So while I’m excited about what’s to come in the wide world of sports, we’ve also been very humbled this year. Hug your loved ones close, and remember your blessings! Now I’m going to talk about mine!

Premier League:

Champions: Manchester City

Champions League: City, Liverpool, Manchester United, Chelsea

Europa League: Tottenham, Everton, Leicester City

Relegation: Aston Villa, West Bromwich, Southampton

F.A. Cup: Arsenal

Carabao Cup: Tottenham

Recap: All this only happens if Manchester United get Jadon Sancho, City gets 1 or 2 more reinforcements and Thiago Alcantara doesn’t join Liverpool. Things change drastically if these things don’t happen. Chelsea made tons of moves, but not in the places I expected them to. I thought Mason Mount, Tammy Abraham and Mateo Kovacic were good enough, but yet here come Kai Havertz, Timo Werner and Hakim Ziyech. More talented players, sure, but the Premier League is much tougher defensively than the Bundesliga and Erdivisie.  I like what Ancelotti is doing, and I think Everton will be very difficult to beat this season. Plenty of draws will keep them far from the top 4, but they should have enough to get to Europe. I also think Dominic Calvert-Lewin will be the Premier League’s breakthrough player. He has the midfield to supply him with assists, and he’s always had the goal scoring ability to get to the next level. Crystal Palace, Leeds, Brighton and Burnley will experience quiet seasons. No long cup runs, no push for Europe, but another year in the top flight. I’m sure Leeds will elevate from those expectations and a few more additions could get them back to glory. Wilifred Zaha is still on Crystal Palace, which shocks me. He would look very good on a European night. I’m shocked that a Lyon wouldn’t consider him for a Memphis replacement or Ajax for a Ziyech. Newcastle and West Ham both added well, look for them to find safety at an early date. I hope we don’t say goodbye to Aston Villa, but something doesn’t sit right with me. An unbalanced eleven, maybe? West Brom feels safe, Southampton continues to sell.

Ligue 1:

Champions: PSG

Champions League: Rennes, Lyon

Europa League: Nice, Lille, Marseille

Relegation: Montpellier, Brest, Dijon

Coupe de France: Nice

Recap: PSG might experience a hangover this year, after losing such a close final to Bayern in Champions League. That said, I think even more distracting will be Real Madrid’s quiet pursuit of Kylian Mbappe. More on that later. But they do have tons of firepower, and I don’t think they’re quite finished shopping for players. It’ll be an interesting final weeks on who they bring in, if anyone. If they get Eduardo Camavinga, look out! Speaking of which, he might be good enough at 17 to help push Rennes into the Champions League again. It’s amazing what they were able to get from their team last year. I could see them surprising many others again, if they’re able to keep Camavinga. Lyon should be better this year, I’m baffled to how a roster that talented finish 7th last year and out of Europe. Look for them to bounce back. Nice is my favorite team in France right now, and Patrick Vieira is attempting to build something special. I just hope his eyes don’t get turned west. But they should battle for a European place. Lille and Marseille both had good campaigns last year, and I expect more of the same.

Bundesliga:

Champions: Bayern Munich

Champions League: Borussia Dortmund, RB Leipzig, Hertha Berlin

Europa League: Bayer Leverkusen, Borussia Moenchengladbach, VFL Wolfsburg

Relegation: Arminia (I love that they’re back though!), Union Berlin, FC Schalke (playoff spot)

DFB Pokal: Bayern Munich

Recap: Bayern is a cut above the rest of Europe and would really have to take a big fall to not win both trophies again this year. Bayer sold their best players, Leipzig sold their #9, Dortmund will probably sell Sancho before the deadline and Gladbach didn’t take that big step, although I do love their front 3 of Marcus Thuram, Breel Embolo and Alassane Plea. I really like the Hertha Berlin side that came out of COVID; Matheus Cunha and Lucas Tousart should be Bundesliga stars. It also helps that they lost in the first round of the Pokal, so they can redouble their efforts on finishing top 4. Wolfsburg is close too; Josip Brekalo could be a breakout star this year. John Brooks is everyone’s favorite American and their midfield is very deep. If anyone surprises for Champions League, my guess it’s VFL. I would miss FC Schalke if they left, but they need to do something and quickly. Their business strategy of losing top end talent for free at the end of their first deals is losing steam, and it’s not a very talented roster. If Amine Harit leaves before the window, my ambitious prediction may look a little more realistic.

Serie A:

Champions: Inter Milan (I’ve picked Juventus (correctly) last 8 years, may as well take a shot)

Champions League: Juventus, AC Milan, Atalanta

Europa League: AS Roma, Napoli, Lazio (as cup winners)

Relegation: Benevento, Crotone, Spezia

Italian Cup: Lazio (before the fire sale)

Recap: Probably the league I watch the least of the big 5, which is sad, because there are some really talented teams in this division. Atalanta made it all the way to the QF’s of Champions League, and had PSG until the final moments of their match. If they continue to improve (also in for Harit), they should be back in Champions League for a 3rd straight year. I’m excited that Lazio qualified for Champions League this year; their roster is very underrated and they have one of Europe’s best strikers in Ciro Immobile formerly of every semi-big club in Europe. Not sure if they’re ready for a title challenge, but they could be in a Euro place. If not, I could see them being strong enough to win the Coppa Italia. Inter Milan and Juventus should go down to the final weekends like last season, and I think Inter does have the squad to make that big push and bring a Serie A trophy back to the city of Milan for the first time since 2011. I’m excited for Achraf Hakimi, while I understand he’s not the greatest FB defensively, he is the best wing back going forward in all of Europe, if not the entire world. Juventus did make some good long-term acquisitions for the club; Weston McKennie will be a big one to watch, not only for Juventus, but fans of the US National Team as well. A prominent role in this club, could mean future captain for our country.

La Liga:

Champions: Real Madrid

Champions League: Barcelona, Atletico, Villarreal

Europa League: Sevilla, Real Sociedad, Osasuna

Relegation: Cadiz, Huesca, Deportivo Alaves

Copa Del Rey: Atletico

Recap: It’s weird watching all the Spanish teams sell, but not really buy. Valencia needs every dollar, and now they might be gone for awhile. Ferran Torres was a great signing for Manchester City, same goes for Dani Parejo at Villarreal. He is about as close to this generation that gets a Xavi as we will see, and he tried to stay loyal until the end. Every other week, Atletico is expected to sell Thomas Partey, who I believe is one of the best midfielders in Europe and makes things so easy for Saul, Koke, Carrasco, etc. As long as Jan Oblak stays, they will continue to have a chance. I’d love to see Joao Felix take another step this year, he was getting close at the end of last season, and he impacted the game against RB Leipzig almost immediately, even though it wasn’t enough. Real and Barcelona should be dueling it out for a title; I think Zidane is getting it right, but I still thought they might try and sneak in Kylian Mbappe this year. He just seems destined to be a Real Madrid player eventually. The same way Luis Figo, Zidane, both Ronaldo forwards and Beckham all were. James is off the books though, and they have the youth to replace him now. Vinicius, Rodrygo and Odegaard are ready for big La Liga minutes. Barcelona – I could spend an entire blog on their off-season. Let’s just say for the sake of someone’s legacy, I hope they get things right. If not, it’s going to be a very “messy” divorce. 

Champions League: Well this will probably be a crap shoot with all the different league starts and crowd capacity expectations. I think the usual suspects will probably be even better, as tactical and technical abilities make up for the lack of atmosphere. So the Marseille’s and AZ Alkmaar’s of the world might have tough time getting results. I finally got a final correct last year, let’s try for two in a row!

QF’s: Atletico, FC Bayern, Juventus, Inter Milan, Man City, Real Madrid, PSG, Liverpool

SF’s: FC Bayern, Juventus, Man City, Real Madrid

Final: Real Madrid vs FC Bayern. They just seem to strong not to make it. I think Zidane discovers the eleven that gets him success this year, and Eden Hazard will be much better. Pirlo will struggle to get past FC Bayern, and without a trophy, might get canned after being a Juve legend. I really like FC Bayern to go back-to-back, but as we’ve seen, only Zidane seems to know how to win “Rabbit Ears” on consecutive occasions. Real Madrid in a bit of an upset for me in 2021. 

Europa League: Every year I pick Sevilla to win, and you know what? I’ve been right more than I’ve been wrong. Let’s do it again.

Sevilla vs Tottenham I could see Jose using this as a platform to try and qualify for Champions League. The EPL looks really difficult this year, and while I think he’s added to the depth of Tottenham, I’m not sure if they’re any better. It would be a shock if they finished top 4 to me. Sevilla will be out of the La Liga race early, but I think it always sets up really well for them. Ivan Rakitic will captain his old side to their 5th (!!!) Europa League title with some huge wins along the way.

Nate’s 9 – World 11

GK: Jan Oblak

LB: Alphonse Davies

CB: Jose Maria Gimenez

CB: Andreas Christensen – haha just kidding, Virgil Van Dyke

RB: Trent Alexander-Arnold

10: Kevin De Bruyne

8: Toni Kroos - Goretzka if Bayern wins Europe

6: Casemiro

LW: Eden Hazard – Back in his rightful place

CF: Robert Lewandowski

RW: Kylian Mbappe

Nate’s 9 – My Favorite 11

GK: Dean Henderson – It’s time

LB: Alphonse Davies – He is a joy to watch

CB: Mats Hummels – rough year, but oh captain my captain

CB: Harry Maguire – forget the price, transformed United backline, played every minute 

RB: Aaron Wan-Bissaka – For years to come

6: Declan Rice – West Ham is relegated without his play

8: Paul Pogba – Transformed United when he came back

10: Bruno – Transformed United when he signed

LW: Marcus Rashford – Class guy, my favorite player

CF: Erling Haaland – I still can’t believe Dortmund got him. Destined for greatness

RW: Jadon Sancho – Either way, I win.

Nate’s 9 to watch out for:

1. Eduardo Camavinga. Will change the way 6’s play in the next generation 

2. Ferran Torres. Probably won’t get many minutes this year, but flew down the wing for Valencia

3. Mason Greenwood. Excited for year 2. Could score 20 goals this season

4. Fabio Silva. People don’t know it yet, but Wolves got the signing of the decade 

5. Vinicius Jr. If Real is to win almost everything, I need for Vinicius to be special

6. Gio Reyna. Dortmund almost needs to break these kids in early because they get sold so fast

7. Ansu Fati. He can help Messi get to where he wants to be again

8. Naci Unuvar. Ajax just keeps pumping them out. I hope he gets more minutes this year

9. Rodrygo. A hat-trick in his first Champions League start, best of the young Real 3

NFL 2020

 This is going to be a season unlike any other, and I believe that predictions are going to be next to impossible to make. Still doesn't mean that I won't do them! If you consider that I won't take the lack of a crowd into consideration and when/if they show up in the later weeks, then that's all I need. The NBA and NHL have proven that it's been a bit of a crap shoot when it's come to guessing who's going to run the show. Even MLB has been a little unusual, the Rangers and Red Sox usually challenge for playoff places and this year they are in contention for a top 5 pick in next year's draft. In any case, football is back! 

7 playoff teams now instead of 6. I will use an * to designate which teams I think will make the playoffs.

The playoffs if they happen are going to be insane if there are no fans. Anyone could beat anyone without the distraction of crowd noise and "abusive" environments. (Bye Eagles)

NFC East

1. Dallas Cowboys*

2. Philadelphia Eagles*

3. New York Giants
4. Washington DC Team

I think Dallas runs away with it here. They are really set up to run for the next two or three seasons, and dare I say it, but they kind of look like the 1998 Minnesota Vikings with their offensive talent. Should be fun to watch if Dak can put it all together. I think Eagles and Giants will be extremely close, maybe even down to final weekend. Eagles get Washington while Giants get Dallas, and I'm guessing that's the difference. DC Team are quietly building one of the NFL's best defenses, but that offense... it's awful. A Trevor Lawrence could make things really interesting in years to come. 2-14 might not be all bad.

NFC North
1. Green Bay Packers*
2. Minnesota Vikings*
3. Chicago Bears
4. Detroit Lions

Such strange teams all. Packers are drafting like a rebuild, but have a roster built to win now. Coach Mike Zimmer blew up his defense, let go of Linval Joseph and Everson Griffen, and traded away Stefon Diggs, but may have replaced everyone they lost. If Jefferson can win a OROY award, the offense shouldn't lose a step. Chicago is now a few players away, where I felt like last year, they were only a QB away. Jimmy Graham was a weird signing considering their draft, and I'm not sure Anthony Miller is a bona fide #2 WR. Love their defense though. Roquan Smith might be best OLB in the league. Khalil Mack is a monster. Lions are another strange team right now. Loaded on offense, and D'Andre Swift could be another OROY. Defense they lost Darius Slay, and there's no depth at all. I like Patricia, but his time is running out.

NFC South
1. New Orleans Saints*
2. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
3. Atlanta Falcons
4. Carolina Panthers

The Saints keep attempting to create a team that can win a 2nd Super Bowl for Drew Brees and always seem to come up short. This finally might be their year, and they added a few nice pieces. I look for Emmanuel Sanders to be big in the clutch, and Taysom Hill to provide big moments to potentially get them over the hump. Tampa Bay did everything in their power to give Tom a team capable of going to the super bowl. It's going to be close, but I think with their difficult schedule and lack of depth on the defense that they end up short of the playoffs. But it will be the most exciting team to watch. Atlanta and Carolina are both very talented teams, experiencing a lot of changes. Todd Gurley will break in the Atlanta O, and Matt Rhule will introduce some very interesting formations to the Panthers. 2021 might be a better bet for both of these teams.

NFC West

1. San Francisco 49ers*
2. Arizona Cardinals*
3. Seattle Seahawks
4. Los Angeles Rams

Toughest division to predict. I think the Cardinals will be the surprise package and sneak into the playoffs at the expense of the Bucs and Seahawks. Big bet for me. Russell has a bit of help again on the defensive side, but I think the offense takes a step back. The 49ers should probably be the team that doesn't have quite the good season, but I think that defense has a chip on their shoulder for such a poor 4th quarter against the MVP. Kyle Shanahan keeps the offense exciting and interesting and maybe one step ahead of the rest. The Rams will be the best last placed team in the league, but trying to even win 3 games in this division might be a little tough. They have the league's best defensive player, but if Jared Goff can't take that jump, it might be a long year for a talented team.

AFC East

1. Buffalo Bills*
2. New England Patriots*
3. Miami Dolphins
4. New York Jets

The dynasty is finally over! And Bill will probably prove all of us wrong and get the best out of Cam Newton, but I'm going to take my shot here. I really, really like the Bills and their defense could be one of the best in the league. Assuming the Bills don't blow any easy games (they have 5), they should be able to win 10-11 games and pull off the division. Bill Belicheck will push them to the end. I just think they lost to many players to the virus list and losing Tom Brady would affect any franchise. Miami could be on a really quick turn around, and challenging for a title in a year or two, assuming that Tua is as good as we were led to believe before injuries. They've put a bit of talent on this roster. New York is in disarray, and losing Jamal Adams will hurt. Le'Veon seems upset, Robbie Anderson is gone, but hey, they should have a good offensive line!

AFC North

1. Baltimore Ravens*
2. Pittsburgh Steelers*
3. Cleveland Browns
4. Cincinnati Bengals

This division is deceptively tricky to me. All these picks get blown up if an injury happens to any QB. I really believe that Joe Burrow can have the Bengals close to the Browns, even this year. He is confident and he is good. I liked the Browns more last year, and they weren't very good. Any team with Jarvis Landry, OBJ, Nick Chubb and Baker Mayfield shouldn't be having problems. But they continue to do so. The division will be won on Ben Roethlisberger's return. If they don't miss a beat, I think they can jump ahead of the Ravens. But they have their own chip, and I do think Lamar plays 16 games. So I'll give the Ravens the nod here.

AFC South

1. Indianapolis Colts*
2. Tennessee Titans*
3. Houston Texans
4. Jacksonville Jaguars

The top 3 in this division are really difficult to choose from. I think Jacksonville is doing everything in their power to finish 3-13, but Gardner Minshew might be able to get a few wins out of this team. DJ Chark is a WR1, and the defense still has some pieces. The Colts, Titans and Texans will probably all battle until the final weekend, and I really like the rushing duo of Jonathan Taylor and Marlon Mack to get the Colts to the end. Nothing to say of Derrick Henry who is also great, but the Titans have a tough December. Houston is counting on Duke and David Johnson, which I'm not to high on, but they still have a solid defense. I'll give it to the rejuvenated Philip Rivers. 

AFC West

1. Kansas City Chiefs*
2. Denver Broncos
3. LA Chargers
4. Vegas Raiders

I think everyone believes that the Kansas City Chiefs are the heavy favorites to make it back to the Super Bowl this year. They're probably not far off; this is as loaded of a roster as I've seen since some of the Patriots top teams. Not the recent winners that won with Tom and Bill outmaneuvering but the teams with Willle McGinest, Teddy Bruschi, Ty Law and all those other guys. They have the best QB in the league, arguably a top 3 WR, a top 3 TE, a top 3 O-Line and loads of talent on the defensive side. One of the best coaches in football, my real favorite for OROY (CEH) and a die hard fan base. But missing that last thing could hurt, also the Super Bowl hangover that seems to affect most teams. Denver is nice, but just lost their best player today to a season ending injury. I'll keep them 2nd because I had them there prior, but it's definitely an opening for the Raiders and Chargers. LA is a QB away, and we'll see if Austin Ekeler can be the horse. I don't watch Vegas, I don't care to watch Vegas, so putting them in last just felt like the right thing to do. Would love to see them prove me wrong.

NFC Playoffs:

1 seed: Dallas Cowboys
2 seed vs 7 seed: N.O. Saints vs Arizona Cardinals - Saints
3 seed vs 6 seed: S.F. 49ers vs Philadelphia Eagles - 49ers
4 seed vs 5 seed: G.B. Packers vs Minnesota Vikings - Packers

1 seed vs 4 seed: Dallas Cowboys vs G.B. Packers - Cowboys
2 seed vs 3 seed: N.O. Saints vs S.F. 49ers - Saints

1 seed vs 2 seed: Dallas Cowboys vs N.O. Saints - Saints

AFC Playoffs:

1 seed: Baltimore Ravens
2 seed vs 7 seed: K.C. Chiefs vs N.E. Patriots - Chiefs
3 seed vs 6 seed: Indianapolis Colts vs Pittsburgh Steelers - Steelers
4 seed vs 5 seed: Buffalo Bills vs Tennessee Titans - Titans

1 seed vs 6 seed: Baltimore Ravens vs Pittsburgh Steelers - Ravens
2 seed vs 5 seed: K.C. Chiefs vs Tennessee Titans - Ah what the hell, Titans.

1 seed vs 5 seed: Baltimore Ravens vs Tennessee Titans - Finish last year's business, Titans.

Super Bowl: Tennessee Titans vs New Orleans Saints

I didn't think I would be here. It makes sense in a lot of ways, both teams have unfinished business left over from the last season, but I don't think they're the two most talented teams in the league (Chiefs, Cowboys). But in regards to the Cowboys, I don't think they're ready for the big moment, and for the Chiefs, maybe that hunger disappears? I never predict my Super Bowls, but I think this would be a delicious matchup of styles and head coaches. Two different ways to win. But with COVID lingering and fans missing anything can happen. Should be a great ride!

Nate's 9 to watch:

RB - Clyde Edwards Helaire. You're already seeing it tonight. Burrow was great, but CEH was right there.
WR - Brandon Aiyuk. Could be the 49ers #1 WR by end of year.
Chargers D-Line - Whoa!
Gardner Minshew - Least talented roster in the league, can he make magic!?
Drew Lock - Weapons galore! How long of a leash does Elway give him?
Dak Prescott - See above, but with Super bowl aspirations.
Jordan Love - Haha yeah right. My least favorite draft pick of all-time.
Darius Slay - I thought Eagles needed help elsewhere, but he might be motivated by a Super Bowl chance.
COVID - has a lot of power, could end our season at any time. 😔

NCAA Football Preview

What's that you say? Clemson and Alabama are still playing?

NCAA Championship game: Clemson vs Alabama