An extraordinary weekend of European football saw Manchester United given 5 at home by Liverpool, Barcelona slump to ElClasico defeat, Messi fires more blanks and more as Damien Kayat looks back on the weekend that was!
Hellish day for Red Devils
You know that things are looking bad for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer when his old chum Gary Neville characterizes the pressure on him as ‘intolerable’. United’s humiliating 5-0 defeat to Liverpool was the stuff of Mancunian nightmares. Salah didn’t even have to go into his recent Messi mode to score his hat-trick.
Luke Shaw’s positioning throughout the match was at best naïve, at worst a dereliction of duty. Paul Pogba came on, gave a goal away, then proceeded to get sent off for a horror tackle. I’m tired of the debate as to whether Pogba is world-class or not. if he was, we wouldn’t have to have the debate. Has Solskjaer’s position become untenable? Let’s look at some of the facts.
They have only managed 14 points out of a possible 27 in the Premier League. In their last three matches they have conceded 11 goals. United fans labelled Paul Scholes a curmudgeon for his post-match analysis of the Atalanta tie. But he was completely right. Their heroic come-from-behind victory papered over glaring defensive cracks that Liverpool ruthlessly exposed.
Liverpool fans will remember this one for a long time 🌟
— B/R Football (@brfootball) October 24, 2021
(via @LFC) pic.twitter.com/FaUBPha0Hm
Three horse title race
This weekend highlights just how incredible this Premier League title race could be. Chelsea, City and Liverpool won this weekend at a combined aggregate of 16-1.
Chelsea mercilessly outclassed a hapless Norwich side. The Canaries- the perennial Premier League yoyo side- were savaged by a Chelsea side minus Kante, Lukaku and Werner. Tuchel’s side have showcased the ability to win ugly and pretty (an essential characteristic in any title contender’s arsenal).
City went to an upwardly mobile Brighton and bored the lights out of us again. City’s brand of possession-based dominance tends to deliver quite antiseptic spectacles. Still, Guardiola will be impressed with the way that English duo of Foden and Grealish are starting to vibe.
And then you have Liverpool. They may not have the same level of depth as either of the aforementioned sides, but their first eleven is right up there with the European elite. This promises to be an epic season.
Inch perfect! 📏 pic.twitter.com/HHwFZoJO5u
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) October 24, 2021
Koeman’s car mobbed after Clasico defeat
Barcelona couldn’t afford this. Roland Koeman’s under-fire Barcelona side have lost the first ElClasico of the post-Messi era. The result extended Madrid’s best Clasico run since 1965, leaving Barcelona mired in mid-table mediocrity.
On top of that, the Blaugrana have suffered a pair of 3-0 defeats in the Champions League. Having said that, I was appalled by those horrendous post-match scenes of his vehicle being attacked. The magic of the Messi era has resulted in a disturbing sense of entitlement amongst the Catalunya faithful.
For Madrid’s part, Vinicius Junior looks to be the heir apparent to Messi and Ronaldo as chief protagonist in these derbies. And a little word for Sevilla. Julen Lopetegui’s side are up to 3rd in the table courtesy of a spectacular 5-3 victory against Levante.
The match was played in a carnival-like atmosphere and was highlighted by a spectacular volley by Oliver Torres. It had shades of Marco Van Basten at the 1988 Euros.
Fans mobbed Ronald Koeman's car after Barcelona's defeat in El Clasico 😬
— B/R Football (@brfootball) October 24, 2021
(via @1899Gallego)pic.twitter.com/tb7EywWDM0
Roma end Napoli’s perfect start
Now this match was far more reminiscent of your stereotypical Italian dogfight. Roma held table-topping Napoli to a 0-0 draw at home, bringing some necessary stability to proceedings following that horrendous 6-0 Conference League defeat to Bodo/Glimt.
It wasn’t without its controversy. Both Mourinho and Napoli boss Luciano Spalletti were given their marching orders in a match that featured more firepower in the dugout than on the field. As Mourinho gets a little older, I feel like his enfant terrible persona becomes slightly more undignified.
Pablo Dybala rescued a point from the spot as Juventus clawed their way back into their match against Inter. But Milan were certainly the biggest winners this week, stealing a march on all their rivals who could only manage draws.
They were fairly underwhelming but still managed to score four away goals at Bologna. Zlatan Ibrahimovic returned in characteristically flamboyant fashion, scoring a goal and conceding an own goal during their 4-2 victory. That’s Zlatan.
After 8W in a row, Napoli drop points for the first time 📉 pic.twitter.com/el1gSxzhZy
— 433 (@433) October 24, 2021
Crowd trouble as Messi fires more blanks
This has actually been a weekend of pretty shameful behaviour across European football. As if Koeman’s car attack and the antics during the Roma-Napoli match weren’t enough, certain members of the Marseille crowd brought further shame and embarrassment on a league that is becoming synonymous for unruly behaviour.
The Classique ended as a turgid 0-0 draw. To be fair to Messi, he looked far more dangerous going forward than Neymar and Mbappe. Something just isn’t right with this gross assembly of talent at PSG. Arsenal fans probably thought that could have a weekend off Arteta-bashing after their victory on Friday night. But the performances of William Saliba and Guendouzi must be a source of proper consternation amongst the Gooners.
WHAT IS THIS NONSENSE ????
— Ziad is in less pain (@Ziad_EJ) October 24, 2021
MESSI WAS ON AN ATTACK, AND A FAN/PITCH INVADER COMES INTO THE FIELD TO INTERRUPT HIM ???
WHERE IS THE SECURITY?????
This game between PSG and Marseille…
pic.twitter.com/mIXZCBhBaw
Player of the Week- Jude Bellingham
Mo Salah made this a difficult choice with his headline-grabbing performance at Old Trafford. But in all honesty, I don’t think he had to get out of first gear during that match.
This week I’m opting for a guy who is turning out stellar performances every week. I decided not to cover the Bundesliga in much detail this week. Everything went according to script. Bayern won 4-0 in what is becoming a weekly cycle of ominous domination.
But you can’t help but be impressed by the manner in which Dortmund are keeping tabs on their Bavarian rivals. Even without the talismanic Erling Haaland, they still managed to outclass Arminia Bielefeld 3-1. That was largely thanks to another special performance from 18-year-old Jude Bellingham.
His solo goal was fit to slot into the Messi or Salah portfolio. If any big English side is daft enough to prioritize Declan Rice over this kid, then I’m sorry. He can play at 6 or 8 and he has a huge eye for goal. He is the future of England’s midfield.
Jude Bellingham. WOW. 🪄
— B/R Football (@brfootball) October 23, 2021
(via @Bundesliga_EN)pic.twitter.com/Udtll4n8jH
