European Football Wrap: Predictable City, RB Leipzig succumb to 2nd half Bayern blitzkrieg

A United victory was never outside the realms of possibility. United- regardless of the depths to which they have sunk- often elevate their performance on derby day. But I can’t remember the last time that United schooled City to this extent. It was a chastening day for Guardiola’s men, surely ending their title ambitions. Donnarumma was the one City player preventing this from entering the realm of total humiliation, making a slew of tremendous first-half saves. United also had other close calls, hitting the woodwork twice and having three goals ruled out for offside. But United’s dynamic counterattack was rewarded after the hour mark, with Bryan Mbeumo applying the finishing touches to a classical counterattack. And United put the game to bed soon after that, with Cunha setting up the magnificent Dorgu to seal all three points.

Predictable City

Honestly, the match was almost a parody of City’s worst instincts under Guardiola. The pointless side to side movement was headache inducing. Both of United’s fullbacks- Shaw and Dalot- were cautioned in the opening stages of the match. Why on earth did Doku and Semenyo remain so passive on those wings? United always seemed to have an extra man in midfield, with Casemiro and Mainoo monopolizing the 50/50 challenges. Ruben Amorim must be feeling a bit sheepish after seeing Carrick successfully deploy four at the back. To be fair to Amorim, the return of Mbeumo and Diallo gave Carrick a bit more tactical flexibility. But I give Carrick credit for employing Dorgu on the wing. Dorgu shone on the wing against Newcastle (one of the rare occasions that Amorim relented and went to a back four). He abandoned that approach soon after. Carrick just made a few commonsense tweaks and ruthlessly exposed a floundering City side. While Arsenal dropped a few points at the City Ground, this current City side doesn’t look like it has the stomach to get back into it.

RB Leipzig succumb to 2nd half Bayern blitzkrieg

Ole Werner must have been a very happy man going into the break at home to Bayern. His side tactically outmaneuvered the runaway leaders in the first half, dominating a midfield lacking Kimmich’s calming influence. Leipzig could have scored twice within the first ten minutes but eventually made the breakthrough midway through the half, with Cardoso finishing off Raum’s defence-splitting pass. Leipzig has more opportunities and went into the halftime break in the ascendancy. Kompany must have given his team a good rollicking at the break because they were a different animal in that 2nd stanza, equalizing through Gnabry in the 50th minute. But it was the introduction of Ballon d’or candidate Michael Olsie that turned the game completely on its head. The virtuosic French winger was efficiency personified, providing three assists before rattling in the 5th and final goal himself, capping off a wonderful Bayern comeback. Elsewhere, Emre Can spared Borussia Dortmund’s blushes with a late penalty against relegation-threatened St Pauli, ensuring a narrow 3-2 win for Die Schwarzgelben.

Arbreloa picks up first win as Real manager

What a start to the Alvaro Arbreloa era. The Spainard first presided over Real’s humiliating Copa del Rey exit at the hands of 2nd tier Albacete. He then got Real back to winning ways in La Liga, overcoming a sluggish start to eventually beat Levante 2-0. Real were a shadow of their best selves in the first half, with large sections of the Madridstas booing the likes of Vini Jr. It was a bitter, uncomfortable atmosphere that was hardly conducive to swashbuckling football. To his credit, Arbreloa made his first positive input as Real manager by bringing on Arda Guler at the break. The stylish Turk enlivened the Real midfield, feeding Kyllian Mbappe before the Frenchman was brought down for a penalty. Mbappe cooly converted the spot-kick and it was smooth sailing from that point on, with Ascensio rising to meet a delicious Guler corner to make it 2-0. The result was a much-needed salve following that bitter cup debacle. It was made all the sweeter following last night’s melodrama at the Reale Arena.

Barca somehow lost at Real Sociedad

Last night must have been the work of witchcraft. That is the most plausible explanation for what I witnessed at the Reale Arena, as Barca’s La Liga lead was cut to just one point following a 2-1 defeat at Real Sociedad. But how on earth did Bara not win that game? They had three goals disallowed in the first half alone (not to mention they had a penalty chalked off by VAR). They would also hit the woodwork five times in the match, producing an xG of 3.69. It was one of the biggest discrepancies between xG and actual goals that you are ever likely to see. Oyarzabal punished Barcelona for their misfortune, brilliantly volleying Sociedad ahead just after the half-hour mark. Rashford made an immediate impact after coming on in the 2nd stanza, nodding Barca level to set up a grandstand finish. But Sociedad hit back almost immediately, with Guedes finishing after Barca failed to clear their defensive lines. I hesitate to be too critical of Barca. They played excellent football last night, with Lamine Yamal head and shoulders above every player on the field. It was just one of those days (doesn’t change the fact that a poor Real Madrid side trail them by just one point).

Inter lead Milan by three points after very Italian weekend

This was a weekend of reinforcing footballing stereotypes in Serie A, with several key title protagonists involved in 1-0 scorelines. Table-topping Inter remain top of the standings following a deserved 1-0 win at Udinese. Lautaro Martinez was once again the talisman for the Nerrazzuri, showing strength and composure to side-foot Inter into the lead in the 20th minute. Napoli kept their title defence alive with a far less convincing 1-0 home win over Sassuolo. Defensive midfield lynchpin Stanislav Lobotka surprised himself with an incredible 7th minute volley, netting his first goal for Napoli since 2022. Conte’s side would suffer for the remainder of the match, as Sassuolo created a raft of insane chances. Milinkovic-Savic was up to the task, helping Napoli end a streak of three successive draws. AC Milan continued the 1-0 extravaganza yesterday, showing great spirit to eventually triumph 1-0 over a dogged Lecce. Milan were the superior side but would get on the scoresheet in the 76th minute, with West Ham loanee Füllkrug heading home emphatically to cut Inter’s Serie A lead to three points. So, it’s as you were for the major title protagonists this weekend.

Sidenote: Juventus’ faint title hopes came to a crushing end after a 1-0 defeat at relegation-threatened Cagliari. Juventus needs to dust themselves off as they have a big week ahead, hosting Benfica in Europe before a crunch clash with Napoli on the weekend.

Player of the Week- Michael Olise

At the risk of becoming as predictable as a 90’s rom-com, I have opted to go for Michael Olise for the 2nd week running. I’m running out of superlatives for the devastating French winger. Kompany opted to rest the Frenchman ahead of Bayern’s trip to RB Leipzig (one of the great luxuries of having a virtually unassailable Bundesliga lead). But Die Roten were sluggish in the first half, prompting Kompany to bring on his maverick winger in the 2nd half. Olise didn’t disappoint, picking up three assists and a thunderbolt finish in his little cameo. If this were the movies, Olise’s performance would be the frontrunner for this year’s Best Supporting Actor Oscar.