This week, we have a special Thursday edition instead of the regular Wednesday so we could include the Europa League draw in the analysis.
Unfortunately, Sporting bowed out of the competition with a disappointing exit in the hands of Villarreal, who has struggled mightily in La Liga. Meanwhile, Benfica has made it through to the next round with an impressive road win in Turkey. While the home draw was a bit of a letdown, the team is still rolling! Should be interesting to see who they get in the next round
Benfica has been a delight in the league, winning what was a difficult game against Aves. Portuguese league right now has two principle candidates, Porto and Benfica. Braga's disappointing loss to Sporting over the weekend puts their hopes at a farther reach. It will be very difficult for Braga to recover from this.
Champions League is halfway through the Round of 16 of the knockout stage. So far, the big results are a Juventus away loss, massive Dortmund loss and a 2-0 Man United loss. Because we are only halfway, I just want to note the disappointments. The second half of these legs could be very different, as we have seen many times in these encounters. Still too early!
Onto North America. Let's start with the Maple Leafs. It's been a struggle lately, and the blame has been falling on Mike Babcock. It's the first time during his Leafs tenure this has occurred. Babcock is a coach stuck in his ways, he likes to roll out the same line combinations and does not like change much. With young players nowadays being creatures of constant change, I am beginning to wonder if this voice is the right one in their ears. I have learned recently that Babcock's job will be analyzed at season's end if he doesn't make it far in the playoffs. Babcock likes things a certain way, and with all his experience and victories it makes sense. But there's no doubt in my mind these players aren't reacting well to what the coach is preaching. And it starts right at the top with Matthews. Should be interesting to see where this goes.
Also interesting is where Marcus Stroman goes from here. He is one of the best pitchers the Jays have had in recent seasons, but his current status as a clubhouse veteran has put him in a position of possible exit. No doubt that Stroman is a very strong ego'd athlete who thinks very highly of himself and his abilities. The fact the Jays haven't offered him a deal leaves him puzzled. His stats show why the Jays aren't jumping to sign him. He's a decent pitcher many times, but others he isn't in the top 30 in overall stats. Stroman spoke too much of what the Jays are doing, and in my opinion it was a little too much. But this is what Stroman is, an outspoken pitcher who likes to tell it how he sees it. Stroshow still has a lot to learn.
Kawhi Leonard, meanwhile, has learned a lot about Toronto already. He knows snow is a part of Toronto, and his decision will be known at the end of the year will let us see where he stands. My theory is if the Raptors do their job on the court and do good public relations off the court, they will be able to sign Kawhi because he will love it so much. If the Raps do everything in their power, I will be happy if or if not they sign him.
That is all for today! We shall see what the next week brings us!
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