Sports
Lessons from Man United’s victory at Arsenal; Real Madrid win ugly; more
What a weekend! Europe’s top five leagues had a number of big games, and they delivered plenty to talk about. How about Manchester United, shocking Premier League leaders Arsenal and winning 3-2 at the Emirates to open the door for the chasing pack in the title race? (And what a start for Michael Carrick as United’s stand-in boss, with wins over Man City and the Gunners in his first two games at the helm…)
In LaLiga, Real Madrid swapped flair for pragmatism to get a big win on the road against a strong Villarreal side, and Juventus showed their class in Serie A with a big victory over struggling Napoli that puts them back in touch with the top four. Plus there was more panic for Liverpool, as they lost at Bournemouth with a last-gasp goal that bumped them out of the top four.
Elsewhere, we got talking points galore from Bayern Munich (who lost another game), Chelsea (who keep winning, this time thanks to Estevao), Barcelona (who won, but really miss Pedri), Atletico Madrid (what’s happened to Julián Álvarez?), Milan (who snuck a victory over Roma), Tottenham (is Thomas Frank on the brink?) and much, much more.
It’s Monday morning, so what better time for some musings? Let’s get into it.
– Ogden: Is the Premier League title race wide open again?
– VAR Review: Breaking down PL’s biggest calls of the weekend
– Lindop: Liverpool’s inconsistencies continue to hold them back
At this stage, it’s about selling for Arsenal and Man United
As in selling ideas, which is what coaches, leaders and bosses do all the time anyway: they get buy-in from the folks they look after. And the message from Gunners boss Mikel Arteta and his opposite number Michael Carrick ought to be the same after the 3-2 United win at the Emirates: Keep doing what you’re doing.
From United’s perspective, it’s evident there’s a feel-good factor and a lightness to the side after Ruben Amorim’s departure. How much of that is just a “new boss” effect and how much is value-add from Carrick is hard to judge, but clearly, maintaining this working environment matters going forward. Probably more than what happens on the pitch, in fact, because this setup — with Matheus Cunha and Benjamin Sesko, £130-odd million of recently arrived strikers, on the bench — is not a long-term option that makes sense. Nor is three shots on target and a cumulative xG of 0.71 something to write home about. Even if you’re not a numbers person, the fact that two goals were low-probability wonder strikes and the other was a gift from Martín Zubimendi should remind you how long the road back is football-wise.
And that’s OK. Carrick has had two games, and he’s not the permanent coach anyway. Results matter because finishing in the Champions League spots matters (a lot). But in terms of the future, what you’re looking for is a drama-free environment where players are happy and productive, where they can perform and where — crucially — the club can evaluate them and better understand where and if they fit in under whoever leads them next season (which, of course, is TBD). And that’s exactly what Carrick is offering right now, which, frankly, is a lot.
1:09
Frank Leboeuf: This performance was like the 90’s Man United
The ESPN ‘FC TV’ crew react to Manchester United’s 3-2 victory over Arsenal in the Premier League.
Across the way, the worst thing Arteta could do is ratchet up the second-guessing. Recognize the facts: a home defeat, Man City (and Villa) four points back, an uninspired attacking performance. But you can’t change the first two facts; all you can do is use them to learn how to affect the third fact.
If you do, you might realize, there’s not much you can tweak here and even less that you should tweak. Yes, it would be great if Martin Odegaard and Bukayo Saka were spraying passes, scoring goals and dishing out the ball to get assists at the level they were at before. They’re on pace for a combined 18 goal involvements (goals+assists) this season. Compare it to 2024-25 (27), 2023-24 (43) or 2022-23 (47), and it’s an evident design. But the counter to that is Arsenal are playing a different brand of football this year and they’re in first place, which they weren’t in past seasons.
There’s a yin to the yang there. Arsenal’s defensive solidity has been critical to their success this year. So have Arteta’s attacking rotations, which should yield even more benefits later in the season. Fiddle with those to get your best players (and, yes, those two — along with Declan Rice — are Arsenal’s best players) better numbers, and you risk losing what got you where you are.
There’s also a Viktor Gyökeres issue and, no, it’s not that stat you’ve probably been reading about how Premier League winners usually have double-digit goal scorers up front and the big Swede is on pace to end up with just eight. That part is not important as long as the team as a whole are scoring, which Arsenal are. It’s more the fact that he’s adapting to a new league and getting a totally different sort of service that he was getting at Sporting last year. It takes time to adjust, and I say this as someone who is not a Gyokeres guy at all. (Regular readers will know I’m “Team Havertz” all the way.)
Arteta talked after the match about how it’s a game of small margins and how Arsenal’s performance “made them even smaller.” Against United, that’s pretty much what happened, and they paid the price. But it’s not a reason for him to go in another direction midseason.
Real Madrid go blue collar to get it done
As always, you need to separate the result from the performance. The former was, well, huge. It’s a big 2-0 road win against a side that were threatening to be a direct opponent. Had this gone the other way, Villarreal would have been four points back with a game in hand and whatever goodwill was generated in the 6-1 Champions League drubbing of Monaco would have evaporated. Villagers with pitchforks and torches would be gathering outside the Bernabéu. But it didn’t, and the upshot is Alvaro Arbeloa & Co. are one point out of first place in LaLiga. And that matters… until the next setback, anyway.
2:58
Are the Real Madrid players happier under Álvaro Arbeloa?
The ESPN ‘FC TV’ crew react to Real Madrid’s 2-0 victory over Villarreal in LaLiga.
Performance-wise, the purists might stick up their nose. Both goals came from — who else? — Kylian Mbappé and both were gift-wrapped: Pape Gueye not sorting out his feet for the first one, Alfonso Pedraza mistiming his tackle and giving away the garbage-time penalty for the second. Take those out of the mix, and Real Madrid’s xG is a pedestrian 0.73. And at the other end, Dani Parejo conjured up two clear-cut chances for Gerard Moreno, both squandered.
Maybe so, but there are several reasons to give Madrid a pass on style points. One is that while both played midweek, Villarreal — essentially eliminated long ago from the Champions League — were able to rest nine guys, Madrid were not. Another is that you’re still playing a top three LaLiga side away from home: Not everything will come easy. And, perhaps most importantly, it looked as if they were working far harder — especially off the ball — than in previous games. There was a defensive intensity, led by Jude Bellingham, and a humility that simply wasn’t there in recent outings.
Will it last? Is this an actual blueprint that can take them where they want (need) to be? I don’t know. But it makes for a nice change.
On the pitch and off, Liverpool are hurting themselves
1:41
Could Arne Slot really be replaced this season?
The pressure mounts for Arne Slot after Liverpool suffer a last minute defeat to Bournemouth.
Amine Adli‘s buzzer-beating goal means Liverpool left Bournemouth empty-handed on Saturday after a 3-2 defeat. Combine it with Sunday’s results (wins for Chelsea and Manchester United) and they tumble to sixth in the table, two points ahead of, ahem, Fulham. Conceding a goal like that, after a goal-mouth scramble, with the last kick of the game is going to hurt. But it shouldn’t take away from how you got there, because the simple fact is that Liverpool deserved to lose this game.
Two shots on target from open play is not an acceptable return. Individual mistakes — like Virgil van Dijk’s, which led to Evanilson‘s opener — can happen. Collective brain farts — like playing for seven minutes a man down because they couldn’t put the ball out of play, which would have allowed Wataru Endo to come on for the injured Joe Gomez — cannot happen. Not at this level.
There are issues up front and issues at the back and Slot’s solution — packing more and more midfielders into the team — is not a long-term option. The 4-2-2-2 formation can work as something more than a way of shoe-horning Mohamed Salah into the side — so much for the knee-jerk brigade who assured us he was definitely off to Saudi Arabia, eh? — but it has to be worked on. Otherwise you get what we had for stretches of the first half: Dominik Szoboszlai, Salah and Jeremie Frimpong all in the same space, getting into each other’s way.
2:33
Nicol: This was Virgil van Dijk’s worst performance for Liverpool
ESPN’s Steve Nicol believes Virgil van Dijk played his worst game for Liverpool during their 3-2 defeat to AFC Bournemouth.
Off the pitch, things need to be sorted too. As I’ve been banging on about all season, they were down a top center back when the window closed (and, presumably, they agreed, since they tried to sign Marc Guéhi). Since then, they lost another center back (Giovanni Leoni) and right back (Conor Bradley) for the rest of the season. They’re three defenders down. And what do they do? Nothing, other than toy with the idea of letting another defender go (Andy Robertson, who was linked with Spurs), though thankfully it looks like he’s staying).
Liverpool’s recruitment guys are too smart not to realize this. Maybe there’s a good reason for the inactivity to date, but they had better do something between now and the end of the transfer window, in five days’ time.
Juventus’s upward surge continues against depleted Napoli
Sunday’s 3-0 win over Napoli continued to leave folks with egg on their face. People who slammed Jonathan David (who continues to excel), people who thought Manuel Locatelli was just a hacker (some might say that list once include Juve coach Luciano Spalletti himself) and people who didn’t think Spalletti was the right choice as manager (I’m in that category, though still not sold long-term).
The good news is that Juve go from strength to strength defensively (Bremer‘s return helps tremendously), individual players are growing (not just David, but Khéphren Thuram and Weston McKennie too) and Kenan Yildiz once again asserted himself as one of the most exciting young players in Europe. They are one point out of third place, have bought into the Spalletti Therapy and, on the pitch at least, it’s making them healthy again.
That said, you need to grade this on a curve because Napoli are the walking wounded right now. With half a dozen starters out, plus Romelu Lukaku and Sam Beukema only fit enough for the bench, just as Napoli were getting back into the game at 1-0 down, Juan Jesus gifted Juventus a second goal which meant it’s lights out. Throw in the fact that Napoli, understandably, were looking ahead to that decisive Champions League clash with Chelsea in midweek, and you don’t want to get overly carried away.
Still, Juve’s resurgence suggests the issue wasn’t lack of talent pre-Spalletti, it was the wrong coaches in the wrong place.
Quick hits
10. Ethan Nwaneri lands with a bang in Marseille: Arsenal’s decision to send him on loan was undoubtedly the right one. He’s a huge talent, one they’ve committed to with a contract through 2030, but minutes have been hard to come by this season and he was playing substantially less than last year, which isn’t great at age 18. Where some might have had some reservations was with the destination. On the plus side, you get a progressive, attack-minded coach in Marseille with Roberto De Zerbi; on the minus, you’re joining a volatile club with a ton of fan pressure, which might not be the best place to develop.
De Zerbi obviously had few reservations, chucking him straight into the mix against league-leading Lens at the Velodrome, just a few days after their Champions League humiliation at the hands of Liverpool. Sink or swim. And he soared, scoring a peach of a long-distance goal with confidence and class. The ever-under appreciated Amine Gouiri bagged the other two and Marseille (who initially rested Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Mason Greenwood) rolled to a 3-1 win.
Good news for PSG who had played (and won) on Friday, but from a l’OM perspective, it was confirmation that they got over the Liverpool hangover very quickly.
1:18
Should Man United be looking at Unai Emery as a potential manager option?
ESPN’s Dan Thomas and Janusz Michallik react to Aston Villa’s 2-0 victory over Newcastle in the Premier League.
9. Do not adjust your device, as Aston Villa are really just four points off the top: It was another game that could have gone the other way, but instead broke Aston Villa’s way. In ordinary circumstances, we’d be taking about variance and randomness, but Villa’s 2-0 win away to Newcastle marked the umpteenth time the metrics said the opposition deserved it more and yet came up empty-handed. And that kinda makes me think the metrics just aren’t built to measure what Unai Emery does.
Sure, sniff all you like about how Sandro Tonali was unlucky early on, while Emi Buendia scored on an improbable 0.05 xG screamer. But Emery pulls stuff like this out of his backsides most weeks, and he does it in very tough conditions, against a backdrop of injuries and departures. (I know a Villa fan who insists Boubacar Kamara and John McGinn are their two most important players … OK, both were out at St James’ Park and they didn’t miss a beat.) Other than Emi Martinez, who is a world champion, how many of these guys made a quantum leap forward since they started working with Emery? Probably more than those at any other club, with any other coach. That’s why what he’s doing is so special.
8. Atletico down Mallorca as Julian Alvarez’s drought continues: There was plenty for Diego Simeone to cheer in the 3-0 win over Mallorca. They dealt with Vedat Muriqi well, Pablo Barrios continues to grow, the much-criticized Thiago Almada got on the scoresheet and, of course, the win puts them back into third. Most of all, they’ve metabolized the fact that unlike the glory days of yesteryear, when they’re a goal up they need to continue attacking and, while the other two goals came late, they did just that and looked comfortable doing so.
On the flip side, Alvarez has to be an issue at this point. His last league goal from open play came all the way back in September. Away from home, in all competitions, he has scored twice in 14 appearances and his current drought, in all competitions, extends all the way back to Dec. 9. Diego Simeone, as he should, continues to defend him. At some point though, maybe a break is called for, especially since Atleti have shown they can leave Alexander Sorloth up front on his own have enough wingers and attacking midfielders to keep him well supplied.
1:06
Michallik: Chelsea still need to improve defensively despite victory vs. Crystal Palace
ESPN’s Dan Thomas and Janusz Michallik react to Chelsea’s 3-1 victory over Crystal Palace in the Premier League.
7. Estevao shines, but questions linger for Chelsea: It’s now three wins on the spin for Blues manager Liam Rosenior after the 3-1 victory at Crystal Palace and they’re up to fifth place, which is important. We’ve also seen that Estevao is one of the top three or four 18-year-olds in the world. The combination of technical ability, athleticism, maturity and work ethic is uncommon at that age, especially for a guy who moved continents six months ago.
Rosenior was beaming outwardly, but inwardly he’s likely being more cautious. The Palace win needs to be graded on a curve: Oliver Glasner was grumbling, Marc Guehi left for Man City, Jean-Philippe Mateta is seeking a move, and they have injuries everywhere. This was a victory over a wounded opponent. The absence of Cole Palmer, and the fact that on a different day, Moisés Caicedo could have been sent off, are also things to think about. Those are your two best players and you need them on the pitch down the stretch. Still, they’re moving in the right direction, and that’s a lot to be said for a coach who, a month ago, was working at a different club in a different league.
6. Borussia Dortmund can be grown-ups after all: This was a trap game and given this club’s recent history, you sort of expected Nico Kovac’s crew to fall right into it. Union Berlin away can be a tough nut to crack, especially when sandwiched between a Champions League defeat at Tottenham and the crucial visit of Inter on Tuesday. They weren’t awful Spurs — Daniel Svensson being sent off after 24 minutes affected the game — but it still leaves a hangover. And while they were a goal up at halftime, they had also conceded some huge chances.
At the break you wondered if Kovac’s decision to rest Julian Brandt and Karim Adeyemi might come back to haunt him. Instead, Dortmund pretty much shut the door (giving up just one shot on target) and added to their total, scoring with Nico Schlotterbeck and Maxi Beier to round out the 3-0 win. It was the sort of performance that builds confidence and confirms them as the Bundesliga‘s Best of the Rest.
2:04
Do Barcelona have the best attacking options in the world?
The ESPN ‘FC TV’ crew react to Barcelona beating Real Oviedo 3-0 in LaLiga.
5. Barcelona can afford to nap half the game vs. Oviedo: There’s a reason Barcelona are top and Oviedo are bottom. And there’s a reason Barça fans know it’s an entirely different team when Pedri — who is currently injured — isn’t out there. Hansi Flick’s side celebrated the return to the Camp Nou Sunday with a communal sleepwalk that covered the entire first half (one shot on target, five overall) and a good chunk of the second too. Nope, don’t let the two goals at the start of the second half fool you either: They were neat finishes from Dani Olmo and (especially) Raphinha, but they would never have happened without some grotesque Oviedo errors in the buildup. (The third? Nah, that was legit and spectacular from Lamine Yamal. Max respect.)
But the point stands. Without Pedri to turn on the light, Barça were in the dark, even against a side that haven’t won a game since September (no joke), relying instead on individual quality and opposition mistakes. It’s hard to play that way and be successful on a regular basis, unless you ratchet up the intensity and force errors. Against Oviedo, they needed to do that only occasionally. Against others, it’s likely to be a different story.
4. Referee blunder shouldn’t obscure the fact that Man City lasted only 45 minutes: The big talking point out of Manchester City‘s 2-0 win over Wolves is referee Farai Hallam. He was officiating his first Premier League game, he went to the VAR monitor and did not overturn his on-field call. (Points for showing personality: This almost never happens in the Premier League.) That’s the good news. The bad news is that in the view of many — including yours truly and, more importantly, Pep Guardiola — he should have, because he made a big mistake. Wolves fullback Yerson Mosquera has his arms way out by his side when Omar Marmoush flicks it back, and the ball hits him just above the elbow. Intent doesn’t matter; it’s not a natural position, and it should have been a penalty.
Did it impact the game? Nope. City were a goal up and they scored another before the break; all it meant was they won 2-0 instead of 3-0. More of a concern, I think, ought to be what we saw from them in the second half: just four shots, all off target for an xG of 0.18. Even the introduction of Erling Haaland, Phil Foden and Jérémy Doku (all initially rested) didn’t change much. It’s a marathon, not a sprint, and they did more than enough to win. It’s just that defending the lead and seeing games out doesn’t feel like this team’s strong suit either.
1:24
Does Antoine Semenyo play with more freedom than other Man City players?
The ESPN ‘FC TV’ crew react to Manchester City’s 2-0 victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Premier League.
3. Derby defeat is Bayern’s first in the league in 10 months: Which, obviously, tells you there’s no need to panic or spot a dark trend. In fact, nobody other than Arsenal and, on Saturday, Augsburg have beaten Vincent Kompany’s side this season. Yet this doesn’t mean it’s not a teachable moment.
Bayern took the lead through Hiroki Ito and dominated the first half before falling 2-1, which tells you how important it is to put opponents away when you get the chance. Take Jonathan Tah out of the mix and the other four members of the back five (including keeper Jonas Urbig, who was at fault for the equalizer) had 18 starts between them this season: Chemistry matters. Lennart Karl was sub-par: when you’re 17, you’ll have your ups and downs so let him be a kid, especially now that Jamal Musiala is back. And, finally, it’s a derby and Augsburg are fighting to avoid relegation: Sometimes it’s worth remembering the other team also gets paid and can also lift their game.
2. Minimalist Milan get a draw at Roma, but is this progress? I’d suggest no. But sure, if you just look at the scoreline and the table, you’d conclude that Max Allegri was a genius. Park the bus in the first half, take the sting out of the game and nick a goal on a set piece. They might even have won it had it not been for a somewhat unlucky penalty conceded late on. But hey, a point against a direct opponent on the road, in a week that Napoli also lost, is a really good result. It keeps Roma at bay (four points back) and consolidates second place.
Except that reading is all wrong. It ignores the fact that it’s late January and, simply put, Milan — who, lest we forget, don’t have European football and therefore should have a built-in fitness advantage — shouldn’t be playing at two miles an hour and attempting a single shot in the first 45 minutes. Especially when that sort of approach doesn’t actually work. Sure, Roma didn’t score until the penalty, but Donyell Malen missed a hat trick of chances and “Magic” Mike Maignan performed a minor miracle on Zeki Çelik. If you want to go all-in, short-term, to win now, fine. But then go for it. The way they’re going, they’re building very little and will be back to square one in the summer. All the Milan talk means less space for Roma, which isn’t fair, but yeah, they were good. And they have a legitimate chance of being back in the Champions League.
1:14
Is the end near for Thomas Frank and Tottenham?
Janusz Michalik questions how long Thomas Frank has left as Tottenham head coach after their 2-2 draw with Burnley.
1. Thomas Frank will likely pay, but Spurs’ issues go way beyond him: I have no idea if Spurs will fire their manager by the time you read this after they needed an injury time equalizer to avoid defeat at Burnley. Put your sensible, reasonable hat on and you’ll note that Tottenham hit the crossbar, forced some dandy saves out of Martin Dúbravka and likely deserved to win. But we’ve gone way past sense and reasoning. And if they were a little unlucky? Hey, it’s karma for the Borussia Dortmund sending off that paved the way to victory in the Champions League next week. (Plus, lest we forget, Burnley are second-from-bottom and haven’t beaten anyone since October.)
You might or might not think Frank is part of the problem. What’s evident is that it’s hard to see how he’s part of the solution. We saw nominally gifted defenders making craven blunders at the back (including Micky van de Ven, who was put on his backside not by vintage Neymar, but by Jaidon Anthony). We saw Yves Bissouma, who was mysteriously M.I.A. from the starting lineup since the Europa League final last season, picked in the first XI. We saw a team with a ton of the ball, and little idea how to use it. We get the injuries, the chaos, Daniel Levy’s departure, questionable recruitment and all that. But it looks like trial and error is his preferred solution to fix things, and that’s not a way forward. Not in this toxic environment.
All good things must come to an end. Even Mohamed Salah — the epitome of a good thing for Liverpool over the past eight-and-a-half years — cannot go on forever.
On Tuesday, the Egypt international shocked the football world by confirming he will depart Anfield at the end of the current season. But while the timing of Salah’s announcement was unexpected, the past few months have increasingly appeared to be setting the stage for his Liverpool curtain call.
After all, it was less than four months ago that serious doubt was cast over the forward’s immediate future. Following the Reds’ 3-3 draw with Leeds United, he sounded off to reporters, claiming he had been “thrown under the bus” amid the team’s poor run of form.
The situation initially seemed irretrievable — and yet, after being omitted from Liverpool’s travelling party for their subsequent trip to Inter Milan, Salah was later reintegrated into the squad.
It is a testament to his mental fortitude — and to that of head coach Arne Slot — that a civil resolution was able to be reached. Salah had once again become a nearly ever-present for Liverpool after returning from the Africa Cup of Nations in late January, before he was forced to miss the weekend’s clash with Brighton & Hove Albion with a muscle problem.
Had the 33-year-old been ushered out of the back door in the January transfer window, it would have felt like an abrupt and unbecoming end to one of the all-time great Liverpool careers. Now, supporters have the opportunity to give Salah the farewell he deserves.
“I never imagined how deeply this club, this city, these people would become part of my life,” Salah said in an emotional video posted to his social media accounts on Tuesday.
The feeling, it is safe to say, is mutual.
Since joining the club from AS Roma in 2017, the forward has emphatically carved his name into the annals of Anfield history. He is third on the club’s all-time leading goalscorer list, having netted a staggering 255 times in 435 appearances.
Salah has won eight major trophies, including two Premier League titles and the UEFA Champions League in 2019. During his time on Merseyside, he has registered 189 goals and 92 assists in the Premier League — the highest number of goal contributions managed by any player for one club in the competition’s history.
His brilliance is so great that it now seems he cannot step onto the pitch without sending another record tumbling. And yet his impact is such that it cannot and should not simply be distilled into matches played and trophies won.
Over the past nine years, Salah has become a cultural phenomenon. To a generation, he is Liverpool Football Club, with his importance extending far beyond the realms of the sport itself. In 2019, the Egypt international was featured on the cover of TIME Magazine, having been named among the most 100 influential people in the world.
In 2020, he was honoured with a wax statue at London’s Madame Tussauds. In 2021, a study in the American Political Science Review determined Salah’s transfer to Liverpool had led to a 16% reduction in hate crimes in the city, as well as reducing Islamophobic online rhetoric.
There is barely a corner of Merseyside that is not in some way marked by the Liverpool forward, whether that be with an elaborate piece of street art or by the sight of a child with his name emblazoned on the back of their shirt. He has become woven into the tapestry of the region, and his legacy will endure long after he says his Anfield farewells.
From a football perspective, Salah’s impending exit leaves Liverpool with a huge void to fill. The Egyptian has failed to live up to his own impossibly high standards this term — his current tally of 10 goals in 34 games puts him on course for his least productive season in a red shirt — and yet it is still almost impossible to imagine Liverpool without him.
From a financial perspective, the move has both positive and negative repercussions for the club.
Sources have told ESPN Salah will leave on a free transfer, despite him having only signed a new two-year deal last April. While the agreement reached with Liverpool means the club will not be able to recoup a significant transfer fee this summer, his early exit will unburden them from paying his astronomical weekly wages next season, freeing up vital capital to help continue the Reds’ rebuild.
Most poignantly, though, Salah’s departure is perhaps the biggest sign yet that the sun is setting on what was a golden era for the club under previous manager Jürgen Klopp. While he is not the first of Klopp’s most favoured lieutenants to leave Anfield, he is irrefutably the most high-profile, and next season will provide the opportunity for a new face to take over the role of Liverpool’s main man.
Salah, though, is not quite done yet. With Liverpool battling to secure European qualification and through to the quarterfinals of both the Champions League and FA Cup, the season is still very much alive and Reds supporters will hope their long-time talisman is poised to go out on a high.
Should Liverpool defy expectations to clinch a trophy or two in the coming months, it would certainly be an ending fit for an Egyptian King.
We had one final weekend of European league action before the international break (in which the final spots will be clinched for this summer’s World Cup) and, well, it was a doozy, delivering plenty for us to talk about. Let’s begin with the English Carabao Cup final, where Manchester City outsmarted and outdueled the favorites, Arsenal, to settle the first trophy both sides are battling for. Either way, the game was a reality check for both as they prepare for the home stretch in their Premier League title battle.
Spain‘s LaLiga was highlighted by Sunday’s Madrid derby, which saw five lovely goals and Alvaro Arbeloa’s Real Madrid come out on top 3-2 over Diego Simeone and Atletico Madrid. Barcelona remain top of LaLiga with a four-point lead thanks to their 1-0 win over Rayo Vallecano, but the title race is finely poised.
Elsewhere, we have talking points galore around Chelsea (has Liam Rosenior been set up to fail?), Bayern Munich (who rolled to another big win despite a heavily rotated team … scary), Inter Milan (who dropped points to open Serie A‘s title race a little), Liverpool (who looked dreadful vs. Brighton), Tottenham (who lost their relegation six-pointer) and much, much more.
It’s Monday morning, so what better time for some musings? Let’s get into it.
– City beat Arsenal in Carabao Cup, so is Premier League title race not over?
– Ogden: Tottenham hurtling toward relegation after limp loss to Forest
– Lindop: Where is the real Liverpool? Inconsistency defines their season
Carabao Cup final is a reality check for both Man City and Arsenal
Once the elation for the trophy — pump those brakes because it’s the League Cup, and Pep Guardiola already had four of them in his trophy cabinet — the main value of Sunday afternoon is as a health check for the Premier League run-in and, in Arsenal’s case, the Champions’ League knockouts.
Man City are nine points back, with a game in hand and — crucially — a head-to-head tie at the Etihad on April 19. For them to have a shot at the Premier League, they will almost certainly need to win both.
Arsenal were hugely disappointing at Wembley, far more than the 2-0 scoreline suggests. After the early Kai Havertz and Bukayo Saka chances (credit James Trafford there), their expected goals after the 12th minute was a paltry 0.26 against a back four missing its two best defenders (Rúben Dias, Josko Gvardiol). The trope that this season’s version of the team is less of a footballing side (as in possession, movement, patterns of play, chance creation, where they’re fourth in the league) than a water-tight defending, transitions and set piece side might be a cliché, but it’s accurate.
And so, when you miss your early opportunity to score, when you get just three corner kicks in the whole game (half as many as your average), and when your keeper makes a mistake leading to the opener just past the hour mark, it’s going to be very difficult to turn things around. Particularly when your most gifted player (yes, it’s still Bukayo Saka in my book) has a quiet game and you struggle mightily to impose your football on the game.
1:52
Burley brands Arsenal an ‘absolute disgrace’ for Carabao Cup performance
Craig Burley slams Arsenal for their approach to the Carabao Cup final after a 2-0 defeat to Manchester City.
The absences of Martin Odegaard and Eberechi Eze (and Mikel Merino, frankly) in attacking midfield weigh heavily here — particularly since the stand-in, Havertz, has hardly played in that role for the past two and a half seasons. Jurriën Timber being out doesn’t help either, nor does picking Piero Hincapié over Riccardo Calafiori at left back. But it’s more the ethos and mindset of Arsenal this season that is less creative and technical than before. It’s vindicated by the fact they’re top of the Premier League and still on track for a domestic/European treble, but it comes at the expense of being able to react in situations like these, against opponents like this.
As for City, you can only praise the reaction after the disappointing draw at West Ham and the Champions League defeats to Real Madrid. They were a bit fortunate with both goals, but they were in control throughout and Guardiola’s decision to put his faith in Rayan Cherki (a no-brainer in my view, but lest we forget, he had started just three of seven league and Champions League matches going into the final) was vindicated. Abdukodir Khusanov had Viktor Gyökeres (17 touches in 90-plus minutes, just two of them in the City box, no shots) in his pocket all game long, both fullbacks were impactful and Trafford showed no nerves between the posts. It’s a weird thing to say, but it didn’t matter that Erling Haaland was shut down, barring that one shot.
From here on out, much will depend on how the two managers spin the reaction to the game.
0:59
Should Arteta have started Raya over Kepa vs. Man City?
ESPN FC’s Janusz Michallik reacts to Manchester City beating Arsenal 2-0 in the Carabao Cup final.
Having fiddled with formations and approaches all season long, I think this setup — despite perhaps conceding a little bit in the pressing game — simply works for Guardiola, obviously with the return of Ruben Dias when he’s fit again. With no Champions League football to worry about, it’s pretty much plug-and-play ahead of the head-to-head with Arsenal, and the fact they have two marquee opponents in the immediate buildup (Liverpool in the FA Cup quarterfinals, Chelsea away in the league) is a bonus in terms of maintaining focus.
You assume Arteta will have Odegaard fit again after the break (though we’ve heard this before) but he’s unlikely, given the season he’s had thus far, to be an instant fix. One of the trickiest decisions coaches can be asked to make at this stage of what is (lest we forget) a hugely successful campaign is what, if any, changes to make after a defeat. Do you chalk it up to a bad day? Or do you tweak what has been a winning formula?
There are lessons to be learned, but very little time to implement them. That’s what Arteta will be thinking about over the international break.
Time to praise Alvaro Arbeloa: Brave choices are rewarded
2:22
Marcotti: Arbeloa is getting the best out of Vinícius Júnior
Gab Marcotti and Stewart Robson react to Real Madrid’s 3-2 win over Atletico Madrid in LaLiga.
I’ve been hard on him, mainly because the results weren’t great, the football wasn’t great, he seemed out of his depth and the safety-first-and-wait-for-Vini-or-Kylian-Mbappe-to-do-something approach was maddening. But he gets a tip of the cap for what we saw from Real Madrid in Sunday’s 3-2 derby win.
Make no mistake about it: Real could have dropped points. The Dávid Hancko on Brahim Díaz penalty, converted by Vinícius Júnior, looked harsh and if Julián Álvarez‘s stunning finish had arced a smidgen more to the right, this game could have gone the other way. But when you factor in the goal-line clearances from Giuliano Simeone, Federico Valverde hitting the crossbar and the fact that Vinícius stepped up big time, it’s evident Real Madrid fully deserved the win.
Arbeloa resisted the temptation to chuck Kylian Mbappé straight back in after his 22 minutes against Manchester City; he put his faith in Dani Carvajal and Fran García and, at 11 vs. 11 in the second half, limited Atleti to just one shot on target (Nahuel Molina‘s wonder-strike). Most of all, he’s getting the very best out of a devastating Vinícius, something Xabi Alonso was unable to do.
2:00
Will Real Madrid’s comeback spark a LaLiga title push?
Luis Garcia reacts to Real Madrid’s comeback win over rivals Atletico Madrid in LaLiga.
Real Madrid are still chasing, of course, but to come from behind and be the better side in a game like this, after the City clashes in the UEFA Champions League and without relying on Thibaut Courtois‘ routine miracles (because he’s injured … Andriy Lunin was in goal) is significant.
As for Atleti, they played with freedom more than with vigor, and that’s understandable. Diego Simeone will never admit it, but it’s OK if their minds are focused on the two seasonal trophies they can still win: the Champions League and the Copa del Rey. They’re not getting into the LaLiga title race and their top-four spot is secure. In some ways, that freedom can make them even more dangerous and creative: Witness the Giuliano backheel to set up Ademola Lookman‘s goal, or the improbable howitzer Molina unloaded to briefly make it 2-2.
Liam Rosenior has been left cleaning up someone else’s mess…
1:21
Hislop: Liam Rosenior’s Chelsea future is in danger
Shaka Hislop and Steve Nicol debate Liam Rosenior’s future after Chelsea’s 3-0 loss to Everton in the Premier League.
… and I’m genuinely not sure whether he’s part (a small part) of the problem or part of the solution, because the folks who put this Chelsea team together (co-directors of football, Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart) haven’t explained what they’re trying to do or why they felt Rosenior was an upgrade over Enzo Maresca when they appointed him in January.
Saturday’s 3-0 defeat at Everton makes it four on the spin in all competitions. They’re sixth in the Premier League table, one point off the Champions League places because Liverpool lost, but there are four teams separated by three points vying for one slot, and that’s not a comfortable place to be. Rosenior has won 10 of 19 games since his appointment, which looks impressive until you realize that three were against lower-league opposition, one was against Pafos, and two were against sides in the relegation zone. Another was against a Crystal Palace side that hadn’t won in eight league games. What does that leave? Aston Villa away, Brentford at home and an injury-riddled Napoli away.
Spells of pretty football, like they showed against Paris Saint-Germain, don’t make up for the reality that this is a poorly constructed side. Or that neither Filip Jorgensen nor Robert Sánchez look able to do what he wants them to do in goal. Or that the constant churn of center backs is unhelpful. Or that having built a squad based on genuine wingers — presumably that was the recruitment plan, otherwise they wouldn’t have added Estêvão, Jamie Gittens and Alejandro Garnacho in one go — they’ve done a handbrake turn under Rosenior shifting Cole Palmer wide and sticking another central midfielder in there.
He doesn’t help himself with some of his decisions, but make no mistake about it: Rosenior is being asked to clean up someone else’s mess.
Quick hits
2:42
Kane reflects on Bayern Munich’s ‘really good’ win over Union Berlin
Harry Kane reacts to Bayern Munich’s 4-0 win over Union Berlin in the Bundesliga.
10. Bayern Munich go direct and absolutely level 1. FC Union Berlin: The thing about Bayern this season isn’t just that they’re deep, pedigreed and boast this year’s likely Golden Shoe winner in Harry Kane. It’s that they can beat you in many different ways. Saturday’s opponents, Union Berlin, aren’t much to watch, but they’re solidly midtable and can pack the box with the best of them.
Faced with the prospect of a ton of possession at home and plenty of human density separating them from the opposing goal, Bayern boss Vincent Kompany opted for directness rather than patient, intricate passing. The upshot is they won 4-0, hit the woodwork twice and racked up 5.53 expected goals, while limiting Union to one shot on target. All this with five starters out (plus Nicolas Jackson suspended), which is pretty scary.
9. Dro Fernández makes it 100 goals for PSG against Nice: It took them a while to break through because Khvicha Kvaratskhelia‘s shooting boots weren’t quite right, and the penalty that broke the ice towards the end of the first half was a bit generous, but PSG handily outclassed Nice away to go back on top of Ligue 1. The 4-0 win — against an opponent whose last home win was in October and is fighting to avoid relegation — looks gaudier than it was (Nice went down to 10 men early in the second half), but PSG did what they had to do post-Champions League with aplomb.
Along the way, they scored their 100th goal in all competitions, courtesy of substitute Fernandez. The 18-year-old, picked up for a song in January (€8 million due to a release clause and the fact he wouldn’t extend his Barcelona contract) was a La Masia crown jewel, drawing comparisons with Andres Iniesta. Time will tell whether he lives up to the hype or goes down the path of previous La Masia prodigies such as Riqui Puig or Carles Alena, but his departure from Barca still raises questions. However hard a bargain his people were driving, it feels counterintuitive to throw money at Marcus Rashford or Roony Bardghji when this guy was coming through.
8. Are AC Milan learning their lesson?: The narrative around Milan all season long has been that Max Allegri is a genius for getting so much production and toughness out of Luka Modric and Adrien Rabiot. That, and the usual stuff about being tough and uncompromising because they get outplayed but “find a way to win.” Regular readers will know I think that’s a bunch of nonsense. Yeah, Modric and Rabiot have been exceptional; when you play once a week, it’s a lot easier to excel at their age. As for getting outplayed, that’s never a good thing.
There are signs, however, that even Allegri recognizes this, and that’s a good thing. Against Torino on Saturday, they played a wretched first half (0.2 xG at home tell their own story), taking the lead through a long-range Strahinja Pavlovic effort and then conceding on a defensive blunder. Standard operating procedure for Allegri would have been to just continue, keep it tight and hope for something positive to happen. This time, however, he was proactive: He sent on a high-energy winger (21-year-old Zachary Athekame), switched to a back four, got his players to commit to attack and was rewarded with two team goals en route to a 3-2 win. Better late than never, you might say.
7. Redemption for Ramy Bensebaini in Borussia Dortmund‘s comeback: The Algeria defender had made just one start since that game against Atalanta in Europe, when he endured one of the worst nights a professional footballer can endure (and was partly and largely responsible for four conceded goals). On Saturday, he came on at halftime for young Luca Reggiani (who has having the sort of game Bensebaini had in Bergamo), steadied the ship defensively and bagged two penalties as Dortmund scored three times in the last 17 minutes to beat Hamburg SV 3-2.
It was the sort of up-and-down performance to which Dortmund has us accustomed (still, that 4.08 xG in the second half looks gaudy), but the win keeps them well on track for second place. With little left to play for, there’s only so much you can ask of this team. Still, head coach Nico Kovac felt the need to send on the departing Julian Brandt at the end of time added on. It felt pointless; you hope it wasn’t puerile message-sending, and that he at least gets an appearance bonus.
6. It’s the center forward blues as Juventus drop points: Strange but true. Juventus’ squad for the visit of Sassuolo included four center forwards. Summer singings Loïs Openda and Jonathan David as well as holdovers Dusan Vlahovic (out since November) and Arkadiusz Milik (out since June 2024 … yes, you read that right). All four were on the bench, as Luciano Spalletti opted to start a winger like Jérémie Boga up front instead.
That’s sort of a snapshot of where Juve are right now: two free agents-to-be returning after long layoffs (Vlahovic and Milik), and two big signings who don’t have the coach’s trust (Openda and David, who didn’t come on at all). They needed three points at home against a small club that has achieved its version of success this year (midtable) and couldn’t get over the line, because, after scoring early, they stopped being dangerous and paid a price for an individual error on the Sassuolo equalizer. Manuel Locatelli‘s missed penalty did the rest, but the save was poetic justice given what an absurdity of a call it was in the first place. The race for top four is alive, but Spalletti has plenty to figure out over this international break.
1:05
Nicol: Man United should have been awarded 2nd penalty vs. Bournemouth
Steve Nicol and Shaka Hislop disagree over the decision not to award Man United a second penalty against Bournemouth.
5. Manchester United make a formal complaint … but why? I understand why Michael Carrick was so angry (though he used the term “baffled”) after Manchester United’s 2-2 draw at AFC Bournemouth on Friday. Like him, I thought Adrien Truffert‘s pull on Amad Diallo merited a penalty. (Though, unlike him, I’m not sure that was similar to the penalty Harry Maguire conceded later.) The fact that after the no-call, Bournemouth went up the pitch and scored obviously made things worse and had a material impact on the outcome.
I’m not sure what a “formal complaint” to the referees’ association will achieve. They’re not going to re-referee the game, and at best, they’ll suggest that if the penalty had been given, it would not have been overturned. It simply wasn’t — in their view — a “clear and obvious” error. They already know United are unhappy with the decision. If, privately, Howard Webb and his evaluators feel referee Stuart Attwell and VAR Craig Pawson screwed up, they’ll talk to them. Beyond that, there’s not much they can do. So why ratchet up the pressure like this?
4. Battle-weary Inter draw in Florence, shrinking their Serie A lead to six points: Inter’s 1-1 draw on Sunday makes it three straight games without a win in the league, smashing whatever notion we may have had that the humiliation against Bodo/Glimt would have led to an Inter side locked in on the Serie A title. Against Fiorentina, they scored straight away with Pio Esposito (him again) and tried to manage the game, unsuccessfully, as it turned out.
Christian Chivu is getting a lot of criticism this morning, but I’m not ready to go Chicken Little. Getting outhustled by a side that played on Thursday night isn’t a great look, but it’s worth remembering Fiorentina are fighting to avoid relegation and are more talented than the league table suggests. Starting players who are returning from injury like Denzel Dumfries and Hakan Calhanoglu will result in less short-term fitness and intensity, but will, Chivu hopes, pay dividends after the international break. Inter remain on track for the double. It might be good to remind themselves of this.
1:21
What’s behind Liverpool’s drop-off from last season?
Gab Marcotti and Stewart Robson speak after Liverpool’s 2-1 loss to Brighton in the Premier League.
3. Galatasaray was a blip, because Liverpool haven’t turned the corner: That 4-0 hammering in the Champions League evidently had more to do with Galatasaray’s frailty than Arne Slot’s progress. And judging by what we saw in Saturday’s 2-1 defeat at Brighton & Hove Albion, Liverpool are closer to what they were the week before against Tottenham Hotspur, or away to Wolverhampton Wanderers. Which is: not good.
Mohamed Salah was unavailable (but how much of a factor is that really, when he seems to be a favorite scapegoat for the side’s failures this season?) and more importantly, they lost Hugo Ekitike to injury after eight minutes. But that doesn’t explain the ineptitude, particularly in a second half that saw them take just four shots for a combined xG of 0.21. Slot brought up the lunch-time kickoff after a Wednesday night game, but that was at home. Fatigue is an issue, and that’s down to the way this squad was built. Ibrahima Konaté and Virgil van Dijk were poor, sure, and they had three different right backs in the first half alone. But that’s not all on Slot. As we’ve pointed out before, they’re down three defenders after failing to address it in January, and now they’re paying the price. Ten defeats in 31 games is something we hadn’t seen since the Brendan Rodgers era. That they’re still in the hunt for the Champions League has more to do with the shortcomings of others than any real progress this season.
2:51
Were Barcelona lucky to beat Rayo Vallecano?
The ‘ESPN FC’ crew react to Barcelona beating Rayo Vallecano 1-0 in LaLiga.
2. Barcelona look ready for the international break: As in, maybe some time away will help them regain their senses and realize what it takes to win LaLiga. Because Sunday’s 1-0 win over Rayo Vallecano was a compendium of everything that’s wrong with the team and should be a wakeup call to coach Hansi Flick. (No, I’m not holding my breath … are you?)
Rayo played well, but if not for a few huge Joan García stops (vs. Carlos Martín, Unai López and Álvaro García) they would have lost this game. Some of it was down to the usual “high line” hijinks, some of it was down to Rayo looking far sharper (which is odd, because they played Thursday), some of it was down to the fact that a back four that includes Gerard Martín, João Cancelo and Ronald Araújo (though he did score the only goal) will struggle to be watertight.
Complacency? Fatigue? Who knows? But at this stage of the season, Flick shouldn’t be taking things for granted.
0:54
Robson: Tottenham should sack Tudor after loss to Nottingham Forest
Gab Marcotti and Stewart Robson discuss Tottenham’s 3-0 loss to Nottingham Forest in the Premier League.
1. Tottenham back to bad, old ways in relegation battle head-to-head: It was set up so nicely for them. For the previous three halves of football — the second 45 against Liverpool and the home tie against Atletico Madrid in the Champions League — Spurs had actually looked good and (just as important) looked as if they believed they were good. Their fans greeted them as if it was a cup final for the visit of Nottingham Forest.
But once they stepped on the pitch, the usual demons quickly resurfaced. They played with fear and switched off just before the break and at the hour mark, as Forest went 2-0 up (Taiwo Awoniyi would add another later in a 3-0 result). Fans started to leave, confidence dropped, chances were missed. I don’t know if Igor Tudor, who missed the postgame media activities due to a family bereavement, will be back after the international break, but I want to believe that the one and a half games against Liverpool and Atleti at home were more meaningful than Sunday.
Mohamed Salah, one of Liverpool’s greatest-ever players and the driving force behind the club’s modern era of success, will leave Anfield at the end of the season.
The Egyptian forward, whose goals, durability, and iconic moments helped deliver two Premier Leagues, the Champions League, and a host of other major trophies, confirmed his departure in an emotional video on his social media accounts on Tuesday.
“Unfortunately the day has come. This is the first part of my farewell,” Salah said. “I will be leaving Liverpool at the end of the season.
“I never imagined how deeply this club, this city, these people, would become part of my life,” the 33-year-old added.
“Liverpool is not just a football club, it’s a passion, it’s a history, it’s a spirit. I can’t explain in words to anyone not part of this club. We celebrated victory, we won the most important trophies, and we fought together through the hardest time in our life.”
Signed from AS Roma in 2017, Salah established himself as one of the best players in the club’s history, helping Liverpool to two Premier League titles, the Champions League, FIFA Club World Cup, UEFA Super Cup, FA Cup and two League Cups, as well as a Community Shield.
Third-highest goalscorer
He has scored 255 goals in 435 appearances, making him the club’s all-time third-highest goalscorer, just behind Ian Rush and Roger Hunt, while he has won the Premier League Golden Boot on four occasions.
“Salah expressed his wish to make this announcement to the supporters at the earliest possible opportunity to provide transparency about his future due to his respect and gratitude for them,” the club said in a statement.
Salah came into this season on the back of a 2024/25 campaign that was widely regarded as one of the finest individual seasons in league history.
He scored 29 Premier League goals and made 18 assists in 38 matches, equalling the league record for most goal involvements in a single season while setting the record for a 38-game campaign.
He was named Premier League Player of the Season and won the Golden Boot and Playmaker Award, becoming the first player to win all three in a single campaign.
But this season has been markedly different. He has struggled for form from the outset and endured lengthy stretches of games without scoring.
Benched for key matches
His slump saw him benched for several key matches, including Champions League fixtures, as his confidence and influence waned.
The on‑field struggles were later compounded by a public flare‑up with Liverpool boss Arne Slot.
In early December, after being left out for the third straight match, Salah accused the club of “throwing me under the bus” and suggested that his relationship with Slot had broken down. He was linked to a potential big-money move to Saudi Arabia.
Slot later attempted to downplay the rift, but the episode underscored just how strained things had become during a season in which Salah, long a defining presence at Anfield, found himself out of favour.
A recent improvement in form saw him score a jaw-dropping goal in Liverpool’s 4-0 win over Galatasaray last week in their Champions League last-16 tie, Salah’s 50th in Europe’s elite club competition.
Salah, the “Egyptian King”, is beloved by fans, whose affection is reflected vividly in the many murals, mostly depictions of Salah’s signature goal celebrations, that have coloured the streets around Anfield.
“Leaving is never easy,” Salah said. “You gave me the best time of my life, I will be always one of you. This club will always be my home to me and to my family. Thank you for everything. Because of all of you, I will never walk alone.”
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