City eased to a comfortable 4-0 victory over Chelsea in the FA Cup 3rd round while Real Madrid suffered a shock 2-1 defeat to Villareal – Damien Kayat looks back at an action-packed weekend of European football.
Pressure Mounts on Potter
Pep Guardiola has always been someone who absorbs every moment. And you could argue that City’s Champions League final defeat to Chelsea was arguably the darkest moment of his managerial career (Pep overthinking and all that).
So, it’s understandable that he would harbour some resentment towards the Blues. And boy have they come back for their revenge. They just humiliated Graham Potter’s under-fire Chelsea side with a 4-0 FA Cup training exercise. That off the back of a Premier League defeat that leaves Potter’s men languishing in 10th place in the table (their worst start since 2010).
Remember, City also eliminated Chelsea from the League Cup earlier this year. How long is Todd Boehly going to stand by his man? I always thought that the Potter appointment was a hipster choice that took little cognizance of the on-the-ground realities of running Chelsea football club. I think the manager of this club needs to carry a certain gravitas (think Jose Mourinho or Carlo Ancelotti).
It was simply too big a leap for Potter, going from the money-ball style overperformance of Brighton to one of the most demanding jobs in European football. Sure, they have been awash with injuries. But their squad is surely big enough to beat Nottingham Forest. Their overreliance on right-back Reece James’ creative output is a damning indictment of where Chelsea are at.
Chelsea have been knocked out in the first stage of both domestic cups for the first time in 34 years.
— CfcSheikh (@CfcSheikh) January 8, 2023
Graham Potter is rolling back the years 🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/nJ2EK5xkJD
Liverpool Frustrations Escalate
Liverpool- reeling after their terrible league performance at Brentford- will have looked at their FA Cup assignment against Wolves with a degree of relish. It offered them a chance to forget their league woes in a quest to make it back-to-back FA Cups. Boy, were they mistaken.
If anything, a 2-2 draw was perhaps the worst result they could have imagined. It once again highlighted their gaping midfield issues while giving them yet another fixture in a simply absurd post-World Cup schedule. Cody Gakpo made his Liverpool debut this weekend after a shocking late-game twist that left Manchester United without a prom date. But I was looking at Gakpo and wondering: should this have really been their priority? They have plenty of forward players. I’m sure that Gakpo will prove his worth Merseyside. But they are crying out for a dynamic central midfielder who can cover ground.
Fabinho looks like he has aged 10 years while the technically gifted Thiago Alcantara sometimes demands just a little too much time on the ball. This team is screaming for a transformative figure ala Casemiro. Surely Klopp and FSG should be prioritizing the midfield area. One bright note: Darwin Nunez broke his goal-drought this weekend. I still think the rangy Uruguayan is going to find his feet and score plenty of goals for the Reds.
A moment to forget for Alisson in Liverpool's 2-2 draw with Wolves 🫣pic.twitter.com/oMqh2WkLUa
— SuperSport Football ⚽️ (@SSFootball) January 8, 2023
Madrid falter as Barcelona pile misery on Diego Simeone
One positive for Liverpool this weekend was the performance of their next Champions League opponents: Real Madrid. Los Blancos went down 2-1 to Villareal in a performance earmarked by calamitous defending.
The Alaba-Rudiger central-defensive partnership looked like an accident waiting to happen. And the Yellow Submarine exploited this fragility time and time again. Real were actually lucky to keep the score at 2-1, with Thibaut Courtois making a couple of absolutely crucial saves. Barcelona had to fight tooth and nail for a character-building victory at arch-spoilers Atletico.
Ousmane Dembelle scored the only goal in a typically feisty encounter at Vicente Calderon Stadium. It wouldn’t be an Atletico match without a brawl, right? Savic and Ferran Torres were both shown red cards for a bit of WWE-inspired off-the-ball shenanigans. While Barcelona were not at their clinical best, it’s impressive to see the evolution of the Gavi-Pedri midfield axis. There are certainly shades of Xavi and Iniesta in this burgeoning relationship.
Barcelona go three points clear at the top of #LaLiga 🆙 pic.twitter.com/Hk4jXliKwz
— SuperSport Football ⚽️ (@SSFootball) January 8, 2023
Napoli Bounce Back
Luciano Spalletti’s Napoli bounced back from their 1-0 defeat to Inter with a fairly routine 2-0 victory at Sampdoria. It was just what the doctor ordered as Napoli continue in their quest to win a 21st century Scudetto.
Victor Osimhen came in for some criticism after his lacklustre display at Inter (a defeat that broke a streak of 11 consecutive wins for the Blues). But the Nigerian opened the scoring here and looked back to his opportunistic best. And that could prove to be hugely significant given AC Milan’s late collapse against AS Roma. The Serie A champions were cruising to a victory that would have cut Napoli’s lead to just five points.
But Milan completely capitulated, conceding two goals in the closing stages of the game to hand the title initiative back to Napoli. And I have to give major credit to Juventus. Max Allegri looked destined for the sack after a slow domestic start and elimination from the Champions League. But the Bianconeri have roared back to relevance in a massive way, wining their last eight matches on the domestic front. Allegri’s men now sit just seven points behind the ebullient Napoli.
Their 1-0 victory over Udinese had added poignancy with the sad passing of Juventus, Sampdoria and Chelsea legend Gianluca Vialli. He would have admired the pluck and courage that Juventus showed despite not playing their best football.
Napoli extend their lead at the summit of the #SerieA thanks to Osimhen & Elmas 🟦 pic.twitter.com/HriiDNjrGH
— SuperSport Football ⚽️ (@SSFootball) January 8, 2023
Player of the Week – Marcus Rashford
Is Marcus Rashford on the verge of finally realizing his massive potential? He has always been one of England’s most effervescent young talents. And he rose to prominence with his charitable feats during lockdown. But I really think that his elevated role as an ambassador of the game was too heavy a burden for a young man.
And his game ultimately suffered. But he looks resurrected this season, clearly thriving under Erik Ten Haig’s strict tutelage. He looks physically stronger, and he has rediscovered the art of goal-scoring. He was directly involved in all three of United’s goals against Everton, helping to camouflage a somewhat lacklustre team performance. His pace and dynamism will prove crucial in United’s quest for top four football.
Seven goals in his last seven games at Old Trafford.
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) January 6, 2023
Marcus Rashford is back 👏 pic.twitter.com/3tV3vqdL5X
