Man City’s No. 1 headache, Mbappé saves Real Madrid, more

What a weekend! The European soccer schedule didn’t disappoint over the past 48 hours, giving us plenty to talk about.

On Saturday morning, Thomas Frank and Tottenham turned up at the Etihad and rolled to a convincing 2-0 win over Manchester City, a game in which individual errors were punished in full and Pep Guardiola was given a few headaches. In LaLiga, Real Madrid needed a late scoring surge — and some typical Kylian Mbappé magic — to earn a comfortable win over newly promoted Real Oviedo, and Barcelona appear to still have some big defensive issues.

Arsenal fans should be thrilled after beating Leeds 5-0 on Saturday, but the panic around minor injuries to Martin Ødegaard and Bukayo Saka suggest that they’re still lacking a little depth. Oh, and Milan still look very much like a work in progress after losing to tiny Cremonese, though we hope manager Max Allegri doesn’t panic and make too many changes. Elsewhere, there are talking points galore for Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain, Bayer Leverkusen, Napoli, Bayern Munich and Manchester United, with Liverpool‘s trip to Newcastle still to come on Monday afternoon.

– Ogden: New season, same Man United issues
– VAR Review: Man United’s penalty, why Trafford escaped red card
– Dawson: Spurs win shows transfers aren’t everything

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Tottenham beat Man City (again) as goalkeepers loom large

It’s not often that Pep Guardiola gets outcoached, but Tottenham’s 2-0 win at Manchester City on Saturday morning can arguably fall into that category, not so much for the result — a direct outcome of individual errors — but for how the game unfolded. We’ll get to that in a minute, but you can’t help but start with the goalkeeping situation, and here, you can’t help but feel for James Trafford.

With Ederson a year away from free agency (and no closer to a new deal, which is why Galatasaray are pushing hard to sign him), he joined Manchester City in a £27m ($36.5m) deal, a record for British keepers. Trafford, 22, had spent eight years on City’s books before moving to Burnley in 2023. Last year, he produced ridiculous numbers in helping them win promotion to the top flight as Burnley conceded just 16 goals off an xG conceded of 38.4. You don’t need to be an analytics nerd to know those numbers are just ridiculous and can only be the result of an outstanding keeper, a boatload of statistical variance or both.

It looked as if Trafford might share time with Ederson this season and become the club’s long-term No. 1 … but then came Gianluigi Donnarumma‘s acrimonious breakup with Paris Saint-Germain. And suddenly, one of the best keepers in the world was available. City are one of the few clubs who can satisfy his wage demands, and while they may have had different plans back in June, the temptation to bring in Donnarumma — who is just 26, lest we forget — at a reasonable fee may be too strong to resist. Especially after what we saw Saturday.

Rúben Dias‘ slip may have facilitated Spurs’ opener (though Trafford might have done better), but the second goal is squarely on the young keeper and his poor decision to try to play out from the back. Given Guardiola’s insistence on building from the back and treating his keeper as an extra outfield player (something Ederson excels at), it’s hard to imagine a worse day for Trafford. The irony, of course, is that Donnarumma isn’t exactly Franz Beckenbauer with the ball at his feet, one of the reasons PSG are supposedly comfortable with letting him go.

This is where Guardiola needs a reality check. You have to play to your players’ strengths. Having your 6-foot-6, 22-year-old keeper exit his comfort zone against a high-pressing side like Spurs is taking an unnecessary risk. If Ederson goes, he’s going to have to adjust this, regardless of whether it’s Trafford or Donnarumma between the sticks.

That wasn’t the only questionable decision Guardiola made, though it’s the one that drew the most attention. Against a Spurs side that locked things down defensively but sent the front men to press aggressively, it felt like Bernardo Silva was missed. All that said, take the two individual errors that led to the goals out of the mix, and the xG were still 1.55-0.60 to City, which is to say, this is a hugely gifted team that can and will compete for the title.

Back to Spurs. Three different appearances, three different game plans (and lineups) from new manager Thomas Frank. There’s nothing wrong with tailoring your approach to the opposition, and he’s doing just that. As long as he keeps the buy-in from the players and if they get some more help in the window, they’ll turn heads this year.

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Baby steps from Xabi Alonso’s Real Madrid in 3-0 win, but at least Kylian Mbappé is around

There’s so much talent on this Real Madrid side that you can afford to experiment and still get results, which is what Xabi Alonso is doing. It’s true that, with eight minutes left and Madrid up by a single goal, Kwasi Sibo hit the post and the narrative could have been very different. But it’s also true that Real had 26 shots and an xG of 2.67 against a fired-up Real Oviedo team making their home debut after 26 years out of the top flight. And when you have Mbappé capable of the wizardry he showed on the first goal, things get a whole lot easier.

Alonso opted to change up his wingers compared to the opener: out went Vinícius and Brahim Díaz, in came Rodrygo and Franco Mastantuono. It’s not necessarily what was expected. Rodrygo hadn’t started since the Club World Cup opener, while Mastantuono is just 18. It wasn’t easy to find space (and they didn’t find much), but Rodrygo looked focused (and annoyed when he was taken off).

Was it just a crude ruse to try to get him a move before the window shuts? Or a legit audition (on his favored left flank, no less)? I’m leaning toward the latter.

Dani Carvajal, fit again, took over the right-back spot from Trent Alexander-Arnold, which probably shouldn’t be a surprise. Their profiles as players are so different that alternating based on the characteristics of the opponent can only help both (and the team). With Antonio Rüdiger back from suspension, Éder Militão made way at center back; again, it seems like those roles are still up for open auditions.

Most encouraging, if you’re a Real Madrid fan (other than the Mbappé magic), was Arda Güler in the middle of the park. This team is crying out for passing creativity, and thus far, Alonso seems willing to trust him to deliver it.

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Arsenal demolish Leeds, but Bukayo Saka and Martin Ødegaard terrify Gunners fans

And understandably so. Both went off injured in Saturday’s 5-0 hammering of Leeds United. Ødegaard is Arsenal’s captain. Saka missed three months of last season and his injury arguably derailed their title chances. Coming off Kai Havertz‘s injury last week, Mikel Arteta needed this like he needed a hole in the head.

Thankfully, while Havertz likely won’t be back until November, it appears the other two won’t miss much time, if any, and it’s a major boost for Arsenal because it would have overshadowed a day in which everything else seemed to go right. Viktor Gyökeres scored his first two goals, looking far more mobile and effective than he did in the opener against Manchester United. Ethan Nwaneri came on for Ødegaard and looked sharp and hungry. Jurriën Timber bagged two goals, and David Raya had to make just one save all day (a tough save, mind you, but still).

It also speaks to how Arsenal have changed in 12 months. A year ago, losing Havertz, Ødegaard and Saka in one go would have meant curtains. Now, while they are obviously far better with them than without them, it seems they have options that weren’t there before. Gyokeres is the obvious one, but Noni Madueke (though he started on the left) has several years’ experience at Chelsea, mostly on the right wing. Nwaneri is a year older and locked up until 2030, and now Eberechi Eze is on board, too. At the back, they have two or three options for every position and even Martín Zubimendi has his off-brand alternative in Christian Nørgaard.

Oh, and then there’s Max Dowman. He made his debut at age 15 and has gotten so much hype in he Arsenal academy that you’ve probably already seen clips of him. Until recently, I would have argued that there’s no reason for a kid to be playing top-flight football before his 17th (let alone 16th) birthday, but this kid was a 13-year-old playing with Arsenal’s under-18s two years ago. The progression feels natural, and heck, it worked for Lamine Yamal.

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Milan humbled at home, but panicking now would be disastrous

Losing to a newly promoted side like Cremonese at home, after a disastrous campaign in which you missed out on Europe, is obviously a kick in the privates. But for once, I agree with AC Milan coach Max Allegri (not something that happens often). Milan payed a dear price for lacking what he called “the ability to perceive danger,” and that’s something that can be coached.

Ultimately, Milan’s 2-1 loss is down to individual errors that are more mental than technical. From the way Federico Baschirotto isn’t picked up for the first goal, to the way Santi Giménez gives it away in a dangerous area for the second, to the way nobody gets near Federico Bonazzoli when he unleashes his overhead kick — it’s just a defensive horror show.

Now look beyond that. Cremonese’s xG was 0.21 (to Milan’s 1.88). They managed just four shots in total. Milan had their chances, without dazzling (other than Luka Modric, who still has the old magic). There are a lot of question marks surrounding this club — from the back three, to whether Rafael Leão (who was injured) can regain his mojo, to whether Allegri can still hack it at this level. There also seems to be a lack of clarity in their transfer strategy. They went from having zero midfield playmakers last year to three (Modric, Samuele Ricci, Ardon Jashari). They seem determined to play a back three, when they’re by no means deep in central defense. And how you go from Victor Boniface to Conrad Harder up front in the transfer market is a mystery.

Yet Cremonese was an aberration. The worst thing to do would be to overreact and do a 180-degree turn. You’ve picked a path, give it time to work.

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Quick hits

10. No Cole Palmer, no problem! João Pedro steps in for Chelsea vs. West Ham: Curing Chelsea of Palmer dependency was one of manager Enzo Maresca’s priorities this season. West Ham are a mess right now, so take the 5-1 away win with a grain of salt, but it’s evident that getting Joao Pedro to step into the role is much more rational and functional than what he had to do last season, when Enzo Fernández stepped into the No. 10 slot in Palmer’s absence. Pedro scored a headed goal and dished out two assists, Estêvão Willian ran rampant down the right and Pedro Neto reminded us he can be useful, too. There’s only so much you can learn in a game like this, but at a minimum, it’s a boost in confidence. Much will depend on what happens transfer-wise in the next week: Chelsea, once again, need to shift players and perhaps find cover for injured defender Levi Colwill (though Wesley Fofana appears to be fit … for now). Palmer is irreplaceable, but this version of Joao Pedro is a very tidy Plan B.

9. Napoli and McTominay the winger (!) hit the ground running: Even without the injured Romelu Lukaku, they made it look easy in their debut 2-0 win over Sassuolo to open the Serie A season. And again, Antonio Conte threw out a curveball, sticking with a 4-2-3-1 system and deploying Scott McTominay out on the wing. (Folks like to say “false nine,” so why not “false wing”?) He was never going to race down the wing, but he did pop up for the opener, hit the crossbar and helped Napoli keep their shape off the ball. So much for labels. Also, McTominay out wide allowed Napoli to give Kevin De Bruyne a free role. He was responsible for the second goal, but more than that, he linked up beautifully with Stanislav Lobotka and André-Frank Zambo Anguissa. See? You can play three ballers in midfield. I don’t know how often we’ll see this again — Conte does have two more traditional winger options off the bench in Noa Lang and David Neres — and I imagine he’ll be tempted to switch to his favored back three now that he has legitimate center back options. The buzz now is that with Lukaku out, they need a center forward because Lorenzo Lucca‘s 6-foot-7 frame makes them somewhat one-dimensional. They’ve been linked to Man United’s Rasmus Højlund, but we’ll see. If he can turn McTominay into a winger, why not turn him into a center forward?

8. Issues remain, but Bayern’s attack looks frightening in 6-0 romp over sorry RB Leipzig: Harry Kane scores a hat-trick and reminds us why he’s the Don of Finishing. Michael Olise cuts inside and becomes unplayable on his way to scoring two goals. Luis Díaz is all grit and substance down the left (and also scores). And Serge Gnabry delivers a brilliant assist for Diaz’s goal and strikes the woodwork. You never know when Gnabry might go AWOL, but that front four looked devastating and will be even better once Jamal Musiala returns. That said, there’s work to do elsewhere. Defensively, there were wobbles, and Leipzig came closer to scoring more often than Vincent Kompany would have liked. The main issue with the front four is straightforward. They lost four guys from last season (Kingsley Coman, Thomas Mueller, Leroy Sané and, until Christmas, Musiala) and brought in only Luis Díaz, which means they’re three men down. Lennart Karl is an exciting prospect, but expect to see a new face before the transfer window closes.

7. Juventus open with convincing win over Parma, but now it’s time to choose Vlahovic over Kolo Muani: The goals came late, but the match itself was decidedly one-sided, with Juventus imposing themselves on Parma 2-0 and creating plenty of chances, something we didn’t see often last year. Jonathan David looked good on his Serie A debut, Kenan Yildiz delivered two assists and the much-maligned back line held its own, too. With financial constraints and a bloated squad, the next week will have a big impact on the rest of Juve’s season. All summer long, the narrative is that the club needed to shift Dusan Vlahovic and his monster contract (which has one year left) so they could make Randal Kolo Muani’s loan deal permanent. It might have made sense had there been serious offers for Vlahovic in June or even July. Now, it’s time to ditch that plan not just because Vlahovic scored, but because by all accounts, he’s laser-focused on doing well. There were a few boos when he came on, but his work rate and the reaction to his celebration made it clear the fans have no issue with him. Sure, sticking with him means running the risk of losing him in the summer if he doesn’t agree to a pay cut. But guess what? Unless he really ramps it up, he’ll end up taking a pay cut if he goes elsewhere anyway. Why not keep him and roll the dice, especially since PSG want a whopping €60 million for Kolo Muani? Even if you can negotiate them down, you’re still going to pay through the nose for a guy who is older than Vlahovic and not as talented. You’re better off with Vlahovic, especially since David can play behind the striker, alongside Yildiz in the 3-4-2-1 formation.

6. ‘Preseason PSG’ go minimalist again, but at least Donnarumma gets the farewell he deserves: No matter how you spin it, a 1-0 victory (courtesy of Fabián Ruiz) over tiny Angers at the Parc des Princes on Friday night is nothing to write home about, especially when you wheel out your first XI, as Luis Enrique did. The PSG boss insists it’s still “preseason” for his team, given they returned late after their Club World Cup exertions, and because he’s the coach of the reigning European champions, he’s enjoying the benefit of the doubt. Besides, it’s two wins in two, six points in the bank, and you can’t get any more than that. More relevant, perhaps, is what happened after the final whistle, when jeans-and-hoodie-clad Donnarumma — who was shown the door by the club after failing to agree to a new contract — joined his teammates on the pitch. They were the ones who pushed him right under the end occupied by the PSG Ultras, who serenaded with chants and a rousing ovation. It was a nice gesture, especially considering that just 48 hours earlier, it wasn’t clear he’d get to say adieu at all considering the acrimony around his (failed) contract negotiations. Under pressure from both Ultras (and “civilian”) supporters alike, however, the club agreed to have him pitch-side as they showed off the five trophies they won last season. The Parc des Princes crowd did the rest. Donnarumma has written PSG history and helped put them on the (big) map. He deserved this.

5. Barcelona’s comeback can’t mask their deficiencies: Let’s get the glass half-full segment out of the way first. Lamine Yamal is special, Pedri is immense. It takes self-belief to come back from two goals down at halftime, like they did away to Levante on Saturday in a 3-2 win. And sure, there was no Frenkie de Jong, while Robert Lewandowski and Jules Koundé only came off the bench. Fine. But you can’t get beaten on a counterattack the way they were for Levante’s opener (which, by the way, saw Pau Cubarsí get bamboozled by Iván Romero). Or for that matter, you can’t allow the events leading up to the penalty (which, by the way, was the correct decision; just because you stand sideways doesn’t mean your arm doesn’t need to be by your side) that was converted by the eternal Jose Luis “Comandante” Morales. Ferran Torres was busy, but wasteful. Moving Raphinha central to accommodate Marcus Rashford makes little sense. And post-Iñigo Martínez, thinking you can get away with some combination of Ronald Araújo, Andreas Christensen or Eric García as your “other” starting center back is folly. I know money is (really) tight, but they have assets they can shift. Do it and get some help at the heart of the back four before the window closes next week.

4. Manchester United slip back again in draw at Fulham: And to think they had started so well. Matheus Cunha hit the post early, before winning (and missing) a penalty. But after taking the lead early in the second half, United found themselves slipping back and incapable of keeping the initiative, ultimately conceding an equalizer. Manager Ruben Amorim said afterward that United want to win “so badly” that they “forgot how they play.” Whatever, I’m not even going to try to decipher that. It did feel as if their high press got a bit out of control at 1-0 up and they left a lot of space for Fulham, but surely some of that is on Amorim, who took off Casemiro for Benjamin Sesko in the 53rd minute and, after taking the lead, didn’t send on a defensive midfielder until 20 minutes from time. Also, a word on the match officials and what’s happening in the Premier League: Bruno Fernandes‘ penalty was given after a long VAR review determined Calvin Bassey manhandled Mason Mount to the ground. Bassey himself complained that he was the victim of a two-handed shove from Leny Yoro for United’s opener. Physical contact is one thing; grabbing, holding and shoving is pretty much out of control. The VAR needs clear instructions. Personally, I don’t particularly enjoy this sort of stuff, some of which is dreamed up by set-piece coaches who borrow screens and the like from other sports. It’s something for IFAB to think about.

3. Adrien Rabiot (and his mom) on the hot seat again as Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang saves the day: With 20 minutes to go, Olympique Marseille had let a two-goal lead slip away at home to newly promoted Paris FC, and it was 2-2. Given what the club had been through in the previous week, you had the sense things were going to get real ugly. Up stepped Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, 36 years young, to exploit an errant pass, make it 3-2 and open the floodgates en route to a 5-2 win. L’OM needed that not just for the opening day defeat, but because of the nasty situation involving Jonathan Rowe and Adrien Rabiot. The two had come to blows after the defeat at Rennes last week, and coach Roberto De Zerbi had determined that they wouldn’t just be suspended, but moved on. Except that’s sort of a tall order to stick a big “for sale” sign on a player with just over a week to go in the transfer window. De Zerbi says it wasn’t because of the fight (“I come from the streets,” he said) but because Rabiot’s apology came too late. Rabiot’s mother (and agent) Veronique fired back, saying “fights happen all the time” and that this was actually about money: Her son is a free agent at the end of the season and has refused to extend his contract. “It’s football,” she said. “Everybody lies.” I’m not going to argue with the last bit, but this situation seems so self-destructive that I struggle to believe the prodigal son won’t return.

2. New season, same old Borussia Dortmund, from 3-1 up with four minutes to go, they drop two points: You can throw in Serhou Guirassy‘s penalty miss too, for good measure. Yes, they were 3-1 up away to St. Pauli in the dying minutes when Filippo Mané got himself foolishly sent off on his Bundesliga debut, conceding a penalty injury in the process. It was duly converted, and Eric Smith’s wonder-strike did the rest. I don’t like to overemphasize the psychological side of the game, but in Dortmund’s case, you have to make an exception. No team — no big team, anyway — engages in as much self-harm as this club does. They weren’t great against St Pauli (they didn’t need to be, since their opponent was really poor), but once more, they self-destructed. At some point, you start to believe there’s some curse in play, and Nico Kovac’s job only gets more difficult.

1. Party’s over post-Alonso as Bayer Leverkusen crash in Erik ten Hag’s Bundesliga debut: What’s the right place to relaunch your career after getting sacked by a big club? Former Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag picked Bayer Leverkusen, and in some ways, it was a head-scratcher. Having excelled under Alonso (and spent some serious cash), the club — not surprisingly for a side who play in a stadium with a capacity of 30,210 — spent the summer shedding pricey assets. Florian Wirtz, Jeremie Frimpong, Granit Xhaka, Amine Adli and Jonathan Tah all left. (Victor Boniface, despite his failed medical at Milan, is likely on his way too.) And while some of the transfer revenue (and wage savings) was reinvested, they ended up taking in around €88m ($100m) more than they invested. So it’s only right to grade Ten Hag’s first outing on a curve. That said, it doesn’t mean it was good, because it wasn’t. They fell 2-1 at home to a Hoffenheim side that finished one place above the relegation playoffs last season. (It could have been worse, given Hoffenheim hit the woodwork as well.) Time will tell, but on the surface it’s not clear Ten Hag chose the right spot to rebuild his reputation.