The winter break: A catalyst for catastrophe or shot in the arm?

FOOTBALL in Europe is a season of two halves. True, the winter break has become more like a pause in Spain; they start back on Saturday, while Portugal, Italy and Greece have a few more days leave.

But in France and Germany the break lasts ‘til mid-January, and the Dutch have a whole month off this season.

Some of this is simply because of the weather. Austria has a break till February 12 and in Poland the season only restarts at the end of the month. But the break is also part of a football tradition, and one that often has a big effect on the team performance. Sides that have been performing unusually well seem to lose steam while the break seems to act like a shot in the arm for the underperformers.

There are some big clubs hoping that’s how it will be this time as well, because so far, teams such as Lyon, Marseille and Ajax have been well below par, while both last season’s Champions League finalists are virtually out of the race.

Inter have had the excuse of injuries and wear and tear, and if they can win their two games in hand, with Leonardo having replaced Rafael Benitez they will count as contenders, although still seven points down on Milan.

Bayern’s performance perhaps looks worse than it is because Borussia Dortmund enjoyed such a fantastic first half: 14 wins in 17 games. But for Germany’s powerhouse to be 14 points behind at the halfway stage is a genuine shock, especially after all the praise that was heaped on Louis Van Gaal’s bright young team last season.

With some of last season’s champions struggling – Benfica are another example – the title race seems more open and competitive.

Dortmund and Porto have dominated in Germany and Portugal, but there are some unfamiliar names in the leading positions.

Mainz are this year’s surprise outsiders in the Bundesliga. Ninth last season was their best-ever finish, but they began like an express train, recording wins against Stuttgart, Werder Bremen and Bayern, even if they looked like running out of steam at the start of December.

In Portugal’s Super Liga the outsiders are Leiria and Guimaraes. Both Braga and Sporting have suffered a bit, perhaps because of their successful efforts in the Europa League.

It is the other way round in Serie A. Just one club through to the last 32 of the Europa League – and Napoli only managed that with literally seconds to go. But Napoli now look like being genuine contenders for a place in the Champions League for the first time, while Lazio – under Napoli’s former manager Edy Reja – are re-emerging as a force after almost 10 years of financial turmoil and match-fixing scandals.

Milan’s re-emergence is less of a surprise – they spent some cash last summer. However, moulding those new players into a good unit is down to a bright new coach.

Massimiliano Allegri had no experience of managing big name players, but like Andre Villas-Boas at Porto he’s obviously someone who relishes a challenge, and has the personality and the ideas to rise to the top.

It seems to be a good season for less well-known managers to make their mark. Jurgen Klopp at , like Allegri, is 43. The man of the moment in France is Rudi Garcia, who again has very little experience in the top-flight.

His Lille side are currently top of the league after a strange first half to the season in which no team has won more than eight games. As a result the top half of the table is extraordinarily close: Montpellier in 10th place are only five points behind the leaders, despite averaging less than a goal a game.

What a contrast with La Liga where Real Madrid just about managed to keep pace with Barcelona before Christmas thanks to a late win against Sevilla, with everyone else out of contention as expected. It’s a situation that leaves many Spanish fans frustrated, despite Spain’s international success. It also once again raises the question of what UEFA calls financial fair play.

Real Madrid’s extravagant spending on players is well-known. Barcelona are always held up as an example of “growing your own”. It’s largely true of their first-choice side, but they have also spent some €278 milllion on 13 players in the three seasons that Pep Guardiola has been in charge.

As a spectacle the best of Spanish football is second to none. But for the time being the real competitions are elsewhere.