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EURO WRAP: Auba takes flight, Reus magic Premier League race back on and more!

Damien Kayat looks back at the weekend’s European football which saw City pegged back in the Premier League, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang start life at Barcelona with a bang and more!
Pep GUardiola of Manchester City - Premier League
Image Copyright - Steve Haag Sports

Damien Kayat looks back at the weekend's European football which saw City pegged back in the Premier League, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang start life at Barcelona with a bang and more!

Two women looking excitedly at cellphone

Premier League Title race torn open

It must be tormenting to be a Spurs fan. You know the old adage, “they are going to Spurs it up”. That sentiment does tend to reflect what tends to happen at crunch time for North-London’s 2nd greatest institution.

But they also have the ability to pull out a sensational Premier League result from seemingly nowhere. And Saturday was no exception. They blew the title race wide open on Saturday, beating City at the Etihad with a devastating display of counterattacking football.

I don’t think I can remember the last time I saw a City side so clueless in possession. They moved the ball laterally with no incision whatsoever. Harry Kane essentially operated as Spurs’ quarterback, picking up the ball on the half-turn and directing the tempo of their counterattacks.

Liverpool’s emphatic comeback victory against Norwich has given them all the momentum in this newly reinvigorated title race. Write Guardiola off at your peril. But it is starting to look like their lack of a conventional number 9 may come back to haunt them (as it did in last year’s Champions League final).

United find derby relief

In the first top-flight Pennines derby to be held at Elland Road in 19 years, Man United achieved something they hadn’t yet managed under Rangnic: they won a match after surrendering the lead.

The weather added to the drama, with a rain and windswept Elland Road lending an epic grandiosity to the vicious derby atmosphere. It irritated me somewhat to see Harry Maguire sliding on the floor like a hero after scoring the opening goal.

I get that he must have felt vindicated after all the intense media scrutiny. But I just don’t think he’s a United quality player and I think he will let them down again. But you can’t help but admire the evolution of Jadon Sancho.

We are finally starting to see that dynamic, creative force that dominated the Bundesliga. And what about Marcus Rashford’s future? Rangnick, chasing the game at Elland Road, brought on both Elanga and Fred before opting for the English superstar.

I don’t like indulging in conspiracy theories about dressing room dynamics. But could this be a sign that Rashford’s influence at the club is on the wane?

Auba takes flight

Let’s be honest: the Arteta-Aubameyang situation was untenable. We will likely never know the entire story behind that protracted melodrama.

But certain sections of the Arsenal fanbase will be feeling slightly exasperated with his performance against Valencia this week. He scored a brace and looked a constant threat for Xavi’s progressive Barcelona side. And he looked quick.

I don’t remember the last time I saw Aubameyang ripping defenders in that manner. Real Madrid bounced back from their last-gasp defeat to PSG last week, reasserting their dominance in the LaLiga title race with an impressive 3-0 victory against Alaves.

Karim Benzema- returning from injury- brought cohesion back to their attack despite not looking fully fit. They need him to be 100% should they stand any chance against PSG next week.

And you can’t help but praise Atletico’s fighting spirit this week. They picked up a result on the eve of a crunch Champions League tie with Manchester United (one could argue that both club’s seasons will ultimately be defined by their European success).

Joao Felix came in from the cold to score while Luis Suarez broke his goal-scoring drought in fabulous fashion, scoring a wrong-foot 40-yard piledriver reminiscent of a David Villa strike in the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

Bayern reassert themselves

It’s really a case of ‘as you were’ for the German title contenders after this week’s action. Bayern needed an adrenalin boost after two lacklustre performances.

First came that shock loss to Bochum. Then they failed to win their opening tie against rank outsiders Salzburg in the Champions League. And they might have feared the worst after going behind against Greuther Furth at home.

But they rallied in typical fashion, with the remarkable Lewandowski scoring yet another brace. Serge Gnabry really upped the ante when he came on, giving Munich a directness that they lacked in the 2nd half.

Dortmund needed a result after their humbling defeat to Rangers in the Europa League. Despite missing top marksman Erling Haaland, Dortmund kept the pressure on Bayern in spectacular fashion.

They destroyed Monchengladbach 6-0, with Reus and Malen rendering Haaland’s absence academic.

Italian plot thickens

In Italy, both Milan giants dropped points in a weekend that has made the Scudetto race even less predictable.

Simone Inzaghi’s Inter looked slightly chastened in the aftermath of Liverpool’s ‘smash and grab’ victory last week. And they failed convert any of their 17 shots against a spirited Sassuolo outfit.

AC Milan were similarly underwhelming against Salernitana, with star winger Rafael Leao failing to have a positive impact in the match. This has opened the door for Napoli to take the lead come Monday night.

Wouldn’t it be a wonderful story if Luciano Spalletti’s side could finally clinch Napoli’s first title since 1989/1990? To put that into context- Diego Maradona was still a Napoli player when they last won the title.

They have finished runner-up four times over the last decade and could break a significant hoodoo this year.

And I have to mention Jose Mourinho. You can’t accuse him of not caring. His Roma side came back to draw 2-2 with Verona this weekend. But the Portuguese manager was not best pleased with the officiating, sent off for kicking the ball following the final whistle.

He also gave the ref a cryptic telephonic gesture that is indicative of football’s arch-prankster. Some things never change.

Player of the week- Marco Reus

Marco Reus has always been one of the unsung talents of German football. And the Dortmund captain was in spectacular form at the weekend, scoring two goals and assisting three more in Dortmund’s 6-0 rout of Monchengladbach.

He also showed his selflessness, giving Emre Can the chance to score from a late spot-kick despite being on a hat-trick. He stepped up to the plate in a big way in the absence of a certain Norwegian phenomenon.

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