Sunday’s El Clásico did not disappoint. Arsenal continued their impressive form, while Liverpool and City both stuttered. Here are the key takeaways from the weekend of football.
Vinicius and Bellingham Back to Their 2023/24 Form
In an ominous sign for the rest of Europe, Vinícius Júnior and Bellingham looked back at their best against Barcelona. The pair dominated La Liga in Real’s title winning 2023/24 side, but were comparatively quiet last season as Kylian Mbappé dominated the spotlight.
While Vinícius Júnior has had a strong start to the season, question marks were lingering over how to accommodate Bellingham’s return from injury without sacrificing Arda Güler. The Turkish midfielder has linked up exceptionally with Mbappé when deployed as the central playmaker. In Sunday’s El Clásico, Alonso deployed Bellingham as a wide No.10 with devastating results; the Englishman delivered a goal and assist.
Güler wasn’t at his best on Sunday, but the other three certainly were. If Mbappé, Bellingham and Vinícius Júnior are all firing, Real Madrid will take some beating this season.
Can Arsenal Beat Chelsea’s Defensive Record?
Another week, another clean sheet for the best team in the world right now. Erling Haaland remains the only player to score in open play in the league against Arsenal this season.
Nine games in, they’ve conceded just three times, raising inevitable comparisons with Mourinho’s iconic defence of 2004/05 that conceded just 15 in the league all season. At their current rate, Arsenal are on target to beat that record – made all the more impressive given they’ve already played Manchester City and Liverpool.
Arteta’s tactics won’t be changing anytime soon and they’ve got the depth to be able to cope with injuries to key defenders. With every game that passes, Arsenal matching – or beating – Chelsea’s defensive record looks more and more likely.
Liverpool and City Lose More Ground in Title Race
City lost away to Villa while Liverpool fell to defeat against Brentford.
Neither team has hit top form this season, and the gap to Arsenal at the top keeps growing; City are six points behind, Liverpool are seven.
The pair meet at the Etihad in November in what once was a tantalising title decider, but this season looks more likely to confirm which team is out of contention. Neither team can afford to lose more points should they cling on to hopes of catching Arteta’s men.
Militão Is Back After Years of Injuries
Few players can recover from an ACL injury and hit their previous heights – Éder Militão has bounced back from two consecutive knee-related setbacks to deliver a commanding display in El Clásico.
The Brazilian defender delivered in both boxes, shutting out Barcelona’s forwards whilst providing the assist for Bellingham’s winner.
Momentum Building for United
Three wins on the bounce for Amorim and Manchester United.
Brighton threatened a comeback, but late goals from Bryan Mbeumo secured the three points and earned the Cameroonian a place in our Team of the Week.
United are unbeaten since the introduction of Senne Lammens in goal; his calming presence has been a revelation for a team that previously looked vulnerable at the back. The midfield partnership of Casemiro and Bruno is starting to take shape, and the front three look dangerous.
Cause for optimism over at Old Trafford at last.
Important Win for Napoli
Napoli came away with three decisive points from their top of the table clash with Inter.
Kevin De Bruyne opened the scoring before brilliant solo efforts from Scott McTominay and Frank Anguissa confirmed the victory.
Following last week’s disappointing defeat to Torino, it was vital for Napoli to return to winning form given the strength of the competition in the title race. Roma are joint top on 18 points, with the two Milan giants close behind. Slipping up against Inter would have been a major blow to Conte’s title defence.
Lennart Karl – Remember the Name
Two goals in two games for Bayern’s latest young star.
Lennart Karl opened his account with an early goal against Club Brugge in the Champions League, and continued his goalscoring streak with a thunderstrike against Borussia Mönchengladbach having come off the bench. Having cut in from the right and smashed it in with his left, the comparisons with Arjen Robben were inevitable.
Vincent Kompany is well-placed to mentor the young star, managing his minutes and giving him the opportunities to shine. One to watch.
Tudor Pays the Price for Poor Start
Juventus have parted ways with Igor Tudor after seven months and just 24 games.
The Croatian was brought in to replace Thiago Motta, but was unable to improve the side. Juventus are eight games without a win, having lost their last three games in a row.
8th in Serie A and 25th in the Champions League, the Juve board have decided enough was enough.
Roberto Mancini, Edin Terzic and Luciano Spalletti have been linked to the vacancy, as has Zinédine Zidane. Could this be the managerial opportunity that sees the iconic Frenchman return to the dugouts?
