European Football Wrap: Arsenal humbled by the Saints, Manchester City embarrass Liverpool to heap more misery on Slot

But let’s just rewind the clock back a bit. Arsenal were quad-chasing a few weeks back, with Piers Morgan- always the most sensible of voices- claiming that they possessed the best squad in the history of European club football (Morgan’s ability to put his foot in his mouth would make a professional gymnast blush). Arsenal never looked comfortable in their FA Cup quarterfinal clash with Championship side Southampton, with Mosquera forced into some heroic last-ditch defending in the early stages of the clash. And Southampton would take a 1-0 halftime lead, with the hapless Ben White misjudging a cross and allowing Ross Stewart to blast the ball past Kepa. Southampton had chances to bury the game and looked like they may live to regret them, as super-sub Gyokeres equalized after some crisp build-up play by the largely ineffectual Havertz. Southampton would have the final say, with Shea Thomas brilliantly finishing off an incisive counterattack. Could this be the start of a truly iconic bottlejob?

Manchester City embarrass Liverpool to heap more misery on Slot

Luis Enrique and the rest of the PSG coaching staff must be salivating at the prospect of Liverpool’s trip to the Parc de Princes. The Slot machine looks like it has well and truly run dry, as the Reds were embarrassed 4-0 by one of the least convincing City sides of Guardiola’s reign. Interestingly, Liverpool looked quite comfortable in the first half-hour or so, picking off the Citizens with typically efficient counterattacks. But Virgil van Djik’’s ill-judged 37th minute foul on Nico O’Reily shifted the momentum, with Erling Haaland converting the resultant penalty to make it 1-0. Haaland doubled their advantage just before the break, cooly guiding the ball home after an exquisitely clipped Semenyo delivery. Ryan Cherki toyed with Liverpool all afternoon and slipped in Semenyo to claim City’s 3rd. Haaland completed the rout in emphatic style, thumping home from O’Reilly’s cutback to capture yet another hat-trick. Salah was once again impotent in attack, squandering the chance to convert a consolation from the spot. Regardless of what happens with PSG, Slot looks like the proverbial ‘dead man walking’.

Bayern youth power comeback of the season

Vincent Kompany’s side could have been forgiven for going quietly into the night during their trip to Freiburg. Die Roten have an almost unassailable Bundesliga league and are gearing up for tonight’s crucial Champions League trip to the Bernabeu. Bayern tend to take some time to acclimatize after an international break and Kompany used their trip to Freiburg as a chance to do some heavy rotation. Bayern struggled against the home side’s press, creating a slew of uncharacteristic defensive errors. They were equally flummoxed going forward, unable to break down a textbook low block. I don’t think that anyone really saw Bayern coming back after they went 2-0 down in the 71st minute. 20-year-old Tom Bischof has largely played out of position this season, manfully stepping in to both fullback roles when required. Kompany allowed Bischof to drift into his more accustomed role during the latter portion of this match and the effect was astonishing. The versatile 20-year-old gave Bayern some hope in the 81st minute, rasping home a right-footed thunderbolt from a full 30 yards. He then showed Cazorla levels of ambidexterity, firing home a left-footed equalizer from just outside the box to give Bayern home of a miraculous comeback. And yet more youth was at the ready to apply the finishing touches, with Bayern wunderkind Lennart Karl neatly tapping in after some exceptional play by Davies on the wing. 2nd placed Dortmund produced some last-gasp heroics of their own, scoring two goals deep into injury time to claim victory at Stuttgart. And 2023/2024 champs Leverkusen produced one for the record books, twice coming from behind to win 6-3 against Wolfsburg.

Real Madrid stumble to hand Barca title initiative

Even with a Clasico looming large on the horizon, it would appear as if this year’s La Liga race is run. Real Madrid had the first bite of the cherry on Saturday, travelling to relegation-threatened Real Mallorca knowing that nothing less than a victory would really do. And Real predictably bossed possession, with Kylian Mbappe’s blistering pace threatening to open up Mallorca on several occasions. But the Frenchman was perhaps guilty of trying to do too much, drifting into wide areas when he could have been better suited adopting a more central role (ala CR7). Real were made to pay for their profligacy in front of goal, with Camavinga failing to track Morlanes, who gave Mallorca a slim 1-0 lead. Los Blancos pushed for the equalizer in the 2nd period, and it would eventually come in the form of a brilliant Militao header. But Mallorca would have the final say, with the indefatigable Muriqi blasting home the winner just when Real’s comeback was on. It was a chastening blow for Real ahead of tonight’s clash with Kompany’s free-scoring Bavarian unit.

Barca victorious in first of three pivotal Atletico clashes

Barcelona took full advantage of Real’s slip-up, grinding out a 2-1 victory at the Metropolitano Stadium to put one hand on this year’s La Liga trophy. It was also a statement win ahead of their Champions League quarterfinal tie against the same side. Barca were full value for their victory but were made to work hard in that first half. Yamal looked mesmerising throughout and had a few decent first-half opportunities. But Atletico took the lead against the run of play, as Guiliano Simeone thumped the ball home to send his father into delirium. The lead lasted just three minutes, as Marcus Rashford scored an excellent solo goal just after Barca went behind. Nicolas Gonzalez then produced a match-defining moment of madness, lunging in on the slippery Yamal to earn a straight red deep into first-half injury time. Barca monopolized the ball in the 2nd stanza but still struggled to break down Atletcio’s stubborn defensive line. It was ultimately a bit of good fortune that got Barca over the line, as Juan Musso’s parried save rebounded fortunately off Lewandoski and into the net. The Pole will say he instinctually guided that one in, but I’m not that convinced. Regardless of the intention of Lewandowski’s actions, Barca now have a plump seven-point La Liga league as we enter the final salvos of the campaign.

Dream weekend for Nerazzurri

Cristian Chivu’s Inter Milan stopped the bleeding in some style on Sunday, demolishing Roma 5-2 to reassert their Serie A dominance. Inter haven’t been themselves since that humbling Champions League exit at the hands of Bodo/Glimt, going into the recent international break on their first three-game winless league streak since 2023. But the return of captain courageous Lautaro Martinez galvanized the side, propelling them to arguably their best performance of the calendar year. Martinez set the tone in typically predatory fashion, nipping in front of his marker to give Inter the lead within 60 seconds. Roma would equalize in the 40th minute but a Hakan Calhanoglou showstopper ensured Chivu’s men went in ahead at the break. The 2nd stanza turned into a procession, with Martinez and strike partner Marcus Tuhram each getting on the scoresheet. It was a consummate performance that harkened back to the first few months of Chivu’s tutelage. Napoli made the result even sweeter, grinding out a 1-0 victory over Milan to extend Inter’s lead to seven points.

Player of the Week- Lautaro Martinez

It was obviously tempting to go with Erling Haaland’s headline-grabbing hat-trick. But I think you can’t ignore the impact that Martinez had on an Inter side that has been in zombified in his absence. His enthusiasm rippled through the Italian outfit, bringing it back from the dead ala Dr Frankenstein. We live in an age of marquee strikers, with Mbappe, Kane and Haaland regularly fighting for top billing. I think that Martinez could very well be the most underrated striker in European football.