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EUROPEAN FOOTBALL WRAP: United and Chelsea stumble as Arsenal and City win, Serie A set alight and more!

Arsenal made lightwork of Man United in England, while Spanish giants also recorded late wins in La Liga. This and more in the latest edition of the European Football Wrap!
Inter's forward Marcus Thuram
EPA/MATTEO BAZZI

Arsenal made lightwork of Man United in England, while Spanish giants also recorded late wins in La Liga. This and more in the latest edition of the European Football Wrap!

Two women looking excitedly at cellphone

Arsenal scrape through despite themselves

Kai Havertz must have some uncompromising material on Mikel Arteta. It’s the only sound explanation for the German’s continued presence in the side. Arsenal emerged victorious in a fairly uninspired heavyweight clash with Man United.

They were quite unimaginative going forward while United showed brief glimpses on the counterattack, with a few late goals skewing the scoreline 3-1. But the Gunners got the result they wanted, with an inspired Declan Rice popping up with the most crucial goal of his nascent Arsenal career. Rice really bossed Casemiro in their much-ballyhooed midfield clash, intercepting with alarming regularity.

Antony had another absolute shocker while new signing Rasmus Hojgaard showed some commendable energy when introduced in the second stanza. I would feel slightly disturbed if I was a United fan. There are no discernable patterns of play emerging and the Lisandro Martinez injury left Evans and Maguire as the central-defensive partnership.

How retro is that? This is just not a side that can negotiate a minor injury crisis. In any event, Arteta’s men showed some laudable grit to keep the pressure on a runaway City.

Chelsea abysmal again

I don’t want to get too hyperbolic, but this Chelsea side has the potential to go down as the single greatest fiasco in Premier League history (Derby included). They have spent close to a billion and I’m just not sure where the quality is.

They might as well have launched a world-record bid for Mbappe- it would have at least guaranteed goals. The 45-million-pound acquisition of Cole Palmer is the latest head-scratching bit of business done by the profligate Todd Boehly. The effervescent young winger could barely get on the pitch at City and he’s your man to take this team to the next level?

Sheer madness. Their 1-0 home defeat to Forest laid bare all the flaws in this stuttering side. I almost feel sorry for Poch. I think anyone would struggle with this random assortment of players. He needs to organize a strategy quickly if he wants to avoid being the first managerial casualty of the season.

Spanish giants leave it late

Real Madrid and Barcelona left it late but still managed to scrape wins in their respective matches. Real Madrid really struggled against a resolute Getafe. Modric picked up his first start of the season but it was the second-half introduction of Toni Kroos that really gave Los Blancos control of the match.

But it was once again left to midfield maestro Jude Bellingham to steal the headlines. The Englishman scored an injury-time winner that further cemented his burgeoning reputation as a big-moment operator. Xavi’s Barcelona also needed to dig deep against a pugnacious Osasuna. Frenkie De Jong was gigantic in midfield while master marksman Robert Lewandowski slotted home a late penalty to seal the points.

It was a vital moment as Barcelona can’t really afford to lose more ground on this Bellingham-inspired Real side. Sidenote: Ilkay Gundogan had an absolute howler in midfield. Honestly, I don’t think he ever dropped a performance like this in a City shirt.

RB Leipzig looking ominous

Bayern Munich continued their perfect start to the season with a workmanlike 2-1 win at Borussia Monchengladbach. Leroy Sane continued his electrifying goal-scoring form, latching onto a beautiful through-ball from playmaker Joshua Kimmich and slotting home.

Dortmund once again showed how much they are going to miss the controlling influence of Jude Bellingham, drawing 2-2 at home to relegation-fodder Heidenheim. But it was RB Leipzig who shone brightest this weekend, impressively dismantling a ten-man Union Berlin side.

Xavi Simmons was exceptional, scoring a worldie and completely dictating the tempo of the match. He was instrumental in consigning Union Berlin to their first home defeat in Bundesliga history. I really think this Leipzig side are more plausible title challengers than the current Dortmund crew.

Milan giants set early Serie A pace

The Milan clubs have started this year’s Serie A in absolutely brilliant fashion. Inter were sensational this weekend, routing a formidable Fiorentina side 4-0 to catapult themselves to the top of the table. Lautaro Martinez has been emboldened by the Inter captaincy, netting yet another brace for the Nerazzurri.

AC Milan had a far tougher assignment, grinding out a 2-1 win at Jose Mourinho’s Roma. I was really impressed with the midfield trio of Loftus-Cheek, Krunic and Reijnders. I am particularly chuffed for Ruben Loftus-Cheek. He was mishandled at Chelsea. Surely the Blues could have found a way for incorporating the midfield general into their plans.

He has brought a real physicality to the Rossoneri and he could be one of the low-key signings of the summer. Lethal winger Rafael Leao struck an acrobatic winner as Milan took advantage of Napoli’s uncharacteristic slip-up.

The defending champions went down 2-1 at home to Maurizio Sarri’s Lazio. Napoli coach Rudi Garcia was left visibly incensed at star-striker Victor Osimhen’s efforts at the weekend. Could this be the first step in a potential departure?

Player of the Week – Erling Haaland

Erling Halland celebrated being named PFA Player of the Year with a typically ruthless 2nd half hat-trick against Fulham. He also bagged an assist, taking his goal contributions to a staggering 51 in just 39 matches! He is the figurehead of this attack and Pep must be delighted with how he has started this season. With Gundogan gone and De Bruyne currently on the treatment table; Haaland’s goals will probably be even more vital this campaign.

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