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EUROPEAN FOOTBALL WRAP: Seagulls outclass ‘underperforming’ Blues, Blaugrana frustrated at Getafe, Union Berlin title dream fades and more!

Damien Kayat looks back at an action-packed weekend of European football which saw Bayern and Dortmund held in Germany, Barcelona stutter against Getafe, Arsenal and West Ham settle for a point each and more.
EPL

Damien Kayat looks back at an action-packed weekend of European football which saw Bayern and Dortmund held in Germany, Barcelona stutter against Getafe, Arsenal and West Ham settle for a point each and more.

Jamie Moore's Diary - jockey talks Goshen and Ascot rides

Arsenal implode again

What a difference a week makes. The Gunners looked poised for Premier League glory at Anfield, leading 2-0 and playing with the swagger that has come to characterize Arteta’s side.

But the North London giants have somehow conspired to throw away two 2-0 leads in the matter of a week. You can easily justify the result at Liverpool. The fabled atmosphere at Anfield makes it one of the most oppressive cauldrons in world football.

But Arteta has to shoulder some of the blame for their lackluster second-half display against West Ham. One area that has remained a weakness for Arteta is his use of substitutions. Who can forget the way Arsenal fans reacted to his removal of Aubameyang in the European League semi-final?

His decision to remove both Jesus and Martinelli from the fray in the midst of this title race is rather mind-boggling. Saka missed a penalty and arguably had his worst performance of the season. But Arteta seemed reluctant to jerk the teenage superstar. Pep’s City are looking like a juggernaut at the moment.

Their 3-1 victory over Leicester was their 10th consecutive win in all competitions. You can’t give this City side a sniff (just ask Jurgen Klopp). It looks as if Arteta’s side may have to get something from their trip to the Etihad.

Chelsea in Chaos

Under the guidance of Roman Abramovich, Chelsea became a mercurial side that would veer wildly from the sublime to the ridiculous (highlighted by their evolving door policy in regard to managerial appointments). 

And it worked.  For all the ups and downs, Abramovich’s mercenary attitude led to success.  No one could have foreseen the events in Ukraine that led to the swift departure of Roman Abramovich.  But I bet they wish they had their oil-rich Russian oligarch now. 

Todd Boehly seems to be the only person participating in a game of ‘How to destroy a football club’.  The Boehly era has the potential to go down as one of the biggest follies in recent footballing memory. 

Firing Champions League winning coach Thomas Tuchel after just seven games was rather baffling.  Boehly then opted for hipster option Graham Potter at a club that has always thrived under the guidance of big personalities. 

Potter simply replicated Brighton’s brand of intricate, non-productive football on a bigger stage.  After begrudgingly sacking the out-of-his-depth coach, Boehly decided to appoint former manager and club legend Frank Lampard as caretaker manager till the end of the season. 

Lampard couldn’t get Everton out of the relegation zone but is now entrusted with one of the most complex jobs in European football.  Their home defeat to Brighton made it three consecutive losses for the rapidly ageing Lampard.  Not content with destroying the club, Boehly seems intent on taking down a club legend in the process.

Oh, and did I mention that they have spent over 600 million dollars since Boehly’s arrival.  They have more number 10’s than the entirety of Rugby Union and rely on the striking ‘abilities’ of Kai Havertz and Pierre Emerick Aubameyang.  Talk about the blind leading the blind. 

German giants stutter in Bundesliga race

Bayern Munich’s knee-jerk decision to terminate Julian Nagelsmann’s contract mid-season is starting to look like a minor disaster. I’m not saying for a moment that Thomas Tuchel won’t be a success at the Bavarian giants.

But to try and implement his philosophy at a side already perplexed by all of Nagelsmann’s systems was always going to be a challenge. They followed up a chastening Champions League defeat to City with a pretty bog-standard 1-1 draw with Hoffenheim.

It was in many ways a carbon copy of their performance against City. They enjoyed large periods of sustained possession but lacked the cutting edge to hurt Hoffenheim. Die Roten were just fortunate that Borussia Dortmund made such a hash of their trip to VFB Stuttgart.

It’s tempting to think that Dortmund are cursed in their quest to end Bayern’s Bundesliga dominance. But they were really the masters of their own demise. How do you squander a 2-0 lead against a ten-man side?

They somehow managed to retake the lead in the 92nd minute. But this defensively torrid Dortmund side conspired to throw it away once again. I will say one thing: this is turning out to be one of the more chaotic Bundesliga campaigns in recent seasons.

Barcelona lead trimmed to 11 points

FC Barcelona are going to win the La Liga title. But you can’t shake the feeling that there’s something awry at the runaway Spanish leaders. They laboured to a disappointing 0-0 draw at Getafe.

This was the first time in 18 years that they registered back-to-back goalless draws. It’s actually their worst run in front of goal since April 2008. The mood of the camp was summed up by the reaction of Raphinia after he was substituted.

The summer acquisition arrived with plenty of fanfare from Leeds United. And he started his Barca career in blistering fashion, tearing down that right-hand side with complete freedom.

But his form has dipped considerably, and Xavi decided to yank him in the latter parts of the match. He threw a visible tantrum that spoke volumes about the prevailing mood at the club.

It feels as if this La Liga title will feel slightly hollow if Real once again dominate Europe. For their part, Real cruised to a 2-0 away victory at Cadiz. They were able to rest some of their star players with an unpredictable trip to Stamford Bridge awaiting.

European odyssey could be undoing of Milan giants

Jose Mouinrho’s Roma may end up being the biggest beneficiaries of Italy’s strong Champions League showing this year. Let me explain. The AC Milan-Napoli tie stands on a knife-edge while Inter still have to host Benfica this week.

The two Milan giants seem to have taken their eyes off the ball domestically as they look to create European history. That’s probably to be expected after years of underperformance on the European stage.

Inter’s shock 1-0 home defeat meant they have now lost four out of five Serie A matches. AC Milan dropped points against Bologna with one eye on that return leg in Naples. And there you have Jose Mourinho silently making it three wins in a row with Roma.

Napoli and Lazio look comfortably placed in the top two places. But the domestic lethargy of the Milan giants has allowed Roma to open up a little space in 3rd.

Atlanta actually have a chance to leap-frog Inter into 5th with their match against Fiorentina later today. I wonder if Inter and AC Milan could live to regret their myopic focus on Champions League glory.

Player of the Week – Ollie Watkins

Ollie Watkins is perhaps the most potent symbol of Unai Emery’s revolution at Aston Villa. Since the World Cup no player has been involved in more Premier League goals than Ollie Watkins (11 goals and 3 assists).

He absolutely rinsed top-four candidates Newcastle United with a devastating display of speed and power. He scored twice and could have probably had four. He also helped set up Jacob Ramsey for the opener. His goals will prove pivotal as this purring Villa side contemplates European action.

Jamie Moore's Diary - jockey talks Goshen and Ascot rides
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