12:14 PM
There is plenty to talk about after the weekend of European club soccer. There was a lot of drama in the Italian league, LaLiga and the FA Cup. The other teams also had to put in some effort. Barcelona got another goal from their "unwanted" strikers, Luuk de Jong, and they were lucky to get a result against Villarreal.
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The biggest moments in the world of football are discussed by Gab.
Sevilla keep winning, Ibra makes history, and Gordon stars for the Reds.
Chiesa's injury is a huge blow to the Bianconeri.
The 4-3 win by AS Roma over Juventus on Sunday was one of the most exciting games of the season in Italy's top flight.
There is life in the Old Lady. They showed they believe in the slogan #FinoallaFine, which is something they showed they believe in. They somehow roared back after they were down by three, with Federico Chiesa having hobbled off the pitch. They scored three times in seven minutes and had a penalty saved by Szczesny. They did it on the road, with Daniele Rugani and Mattia De Sciglio on the pitch.
When a team concedes three goals after being 3-1 up at home with 20 minutes left to go, it's natural to blame them rather than praise the opposition, but in this case, more than one thing can be true. This season, we haven't seen a drive like that from the Bianconeri. I don't think I'll ever be writing that, Arthur changed the match after he came on, and half-time substitute Alvaro Morata played well.
For the first 70 minutes or so, it was Roma who had the upper hand. The way they took the pitch with intensity and determination was the way they dictated the game. It looked like old-school Jose Mourinho when his teams were confident and worked hard. Only a gorgeous strike of the sort he doesn't deliver often enough, as well as the goal of Paulo Dybala, was enough for the Bianconeri.
After Locatelli's goal cut the lead to 3-2, the coach sent on Eldor Shomurodov for Felix, a strong, powerful forward. It was a positive change, we have another aerial specialist on the pitch for the set pieces, and we will have the strength to defend the lead higher up the pitch, but it didn't change the inertia of the game. It wasn't awful, but maybe he shouldn't have stayed on the pitch for 90 minutes given he hadn't had a training session in 24 hours.
The Bianconeri paid a heavy price with the injury suffered by Chiesa, but they still pulled off a remarkable comeback victory.
After the game, he praised the referee, lamented his team's collapse and said he had too many nice guys. He did some management of expectations. He said he was not used to teams of this level. There must be a reason for Roma to finish seventh last season. We'll be the same as last year.
After being in the top four for most of the year and reaching the semifinals of the Europa League, Roma finished seventh. There were reasons, including a sporting director who was named later, a change in ownership, and the star center-forward Edin Dzeko missing the whole season through injury.
That was not the case last season. This season, Roma spent more than any other team in the league, hired one of the most expensive managers in the world (Mourinho), and they're about to bring in another from Porto as well. It's a little bit disconcerting to hear that they'll be in and around seventh place again.
I thought it would be easier to improve these players. The easiest way to improve is to bring in five or six expensive players, but I respect the owners and we can't go crazy in the transfer market.
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The impact of Chiesa's injury on Italy's World Cup qualification chances was discussed by Gab and Julien.
They lacked leadership, mentality, and were fragile. His reaction was somewhat unexpected. A lot of managers focus on the positives of the first 70 minutes rather than the late collapse, but not Jose.
We don't know what Chiesa will be like when he returns, as he won't be with us for a long time. It's a body blow for Italy, as much as it is for Juventus, heading into the World Cup playoffs.
Vinicius and Benzema play for Real Madrid.
Vinicius and Benzema scored two goals each as Real Madrid defeated Valencia. I think the penalty that Madrid opened the scoring with should not have been given. Valencia's account made a joke about the number of prostitutes in Madrid. It's an age-old theme, referees favouring big clubs or, in this case, bigger clubs, specifically Real Madrid, but it was pretty puerile coming midgame from an official club account.
The penalty was very soft, but not highway robbery. If the refs were going to put together a pro-Madrid conspiracy, it would have been simpler to give a penalty for the handball by the Portuguese player. Leave aside the fact that Madrid dominated the game statistically, with 67% possession, 3.87 xG to 1.62, 23 shots to 12 and a 91% win probability. Valencia left-back Jose Gaya was honest in his assessment of the penalty and even Valencia coach Javier Bordalas was not as honest in his assessment of the penalty.
Valencia's message basically amounts to: Let's accuse the opponents of thievery while dressing it up as a joke, and then tag the "Money Heist" account in the process. I'm all for making fun of match officials, but if you think there is bias against you, then come out and say it, and face the consequences. These little cracks are weak and cowardice. Do you have something to say? Say it.
Benzema scored two goals in Real Madrid's victory over Valencia.
Benzema and Vinicius are the top two LaLiga scorers with 17 and 12 respectively. They've scored more than all but six LaLiga sides. Benzema scored his 300th and 301st goals for the club, and he's fourth on the all-time charts, behind only CristianoRonaldo, Raul and Alfredo Di Stefano. The three guys behind him are Santillana, Puskas andnchez.
Benzema's numbers are remarkable, because he was often platooned with Gonzalo Higuain early in his career. He spent his first nine seasons at the club with one of the greatest goal scorers of all time. He became the club's designated penalty-taker after the departure ofRonaldo. He had just three penalties in the nine years before, but has 12 now.
Football historians should study Benzema's status as the club's "cult Galactico" all these years.
There is no silver lining to the FA Cup exit.
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The FA Cup is out of reach of the Gunners after they were beaten by Forest.
Sometimes when clubs play weakened teams in the FA Cup and get dumped out early, we talk about how they can focus on other competitions, how the fixture list becomes a little less cluttered and so on. I'm not sure it will work that way with the team. The Carabao Cup semifinal is the only thing left for them. They will need to come in ahead of West Ham, Manchester United and Spurs to win.
It's not impossible, but it's not easy.
I think Mikel Arteta underestimated the forest. Two-time European champion who are currently ninth in the league are not a non-League outfit. The players took the pitch.
It's easier to get a result against the Reds than it is to do it.
Marco Rose makes a mess of things, but it's the usual mess.
Marco Rose's team have clawed back three points on the Bavarians and are now six behind, thanks to the COVID-affected defeat on Friday night. It's proof of the team's fighting spirit when they come back from two goals down to win on the road. It's something we say should be a given, but often isn't.
It's hard to comprehend what Rose had in mind when he left Emre Can and Mats Hummels woefully exposed defensively, as well as contributing to their own downfall. Donyell Malen hasn't found his position yet, he may not be in a front two with a diamond behind him, and Julian Brandt is not convincing as a holding player. They're second because they have enough talent to beat most teams. The Rose Revolution is taking too long.
The 10-man Barcelona held on for a draw.
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The two men discussed Barcelona's performance in their draw with Granada.
Many of us have become numb to the slaps that this club has taken in the past nine months. The weight of absents is something we should remind ourselves of.
Frenkie De Jong, Pedri, Ansu Fati, and Memphis Depay were missing from the Barcelona lineup. Those are his four best players. You can watch Real Madrid without Benzema, Vinicius, Luka Modric, and the rest. Real Madrid has one of the most experienced managers around in Carlo Ancelotti, and they are not on the verge of insolvency.
It's good to remember this when assessing Barcelona. It's fair to question their inability to defend a lead by keeping the ball in the opposition half, but it's also worth remembering how young this group is. Xavi can complain about the two dropped points, but he can also draw inspiration from the way the players are responding to him, and maybe even reexamine some of what we took as read.
For the second game in a row, Luuk De Jong came up big, scoring a goal for the second game in a row. Even though many want him to leave the club, he can give Barcelona something that isn't only different, but also worthwhile.
Spurs avoid embarrassment vs. Morecambe and Conte calls in the cavalry.
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In the FA Cup, the Spurs defeated the Morecambe team by a score of 3-1.
It looked like Spurs could be going the same way as the other team. They were down by a goal against the League One side. With 20 minutes to go, he called on the big guns and they turned it around to win.
Arteta had an egg on his face if Spurs had lost. Yes. The circumstances are different.
At some point, he needs to figure out if Dele Alli and Tanguy Ndombele can contribute, and league games are too important to be used as a proving ground. He has only been in charge for a few months. Spurs are at a different stage in their development compared to the other team.
Sevilla will not go away.
It took an early goal by Rafa Mir and a mistake by David Soria, but Julen Lopetegui's train rumbles on. The win over Getafe was not pretty, but it was enough to get them three points, as this was their second defeat in their last nine games.
Real Madrid has a five point lead. The head-to-head against Carlo Ancelotti's crew is at home as they have a game in hand. This is going to continue as long as he can because he has an ax to grind.
Study in contrast to the game between Chelsea and Chesterfield.
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Check out the top goals from the FA Cup third round.
This weekend's FA Cup third-round tie between the two teams was what you often get with ties of this nature: duty vs. dreaming.
The home side had to play and so Thomas Tuchel set out to pick his lineup. He rested anyone who had a hanging toenail, he named a kid who only turned 17 in October to the starting XI, and he gave minutes to guys like Malang. He rolled to a victory. Even though they are not in a football league, they were able to hang with the big boys and even score a goal. Their fans liked it.
There is not much more to it. The third round of the FA Cup is underway. It's football, but not as we know it.
The youth team was tapped into by Pochettino.
Without Lionel Messi, Paris Saint-Germain found themselves a goal down early on in their away fixture against Lyon. On paper, Lyon have good players, but in real life, they're a bit of a mess. With 20 minutes to go, Mauricio Pochettino turned to youngsters like Xavi and Eduard Michut to power the middle of the field.
It was the sort of choice that shows how comfortable he is with the youngsters. It was a smart choice because the kids will need to be used, whether to aid the first team or balance the books. It was a bold choice that paid off when Thilo Kehrer scored the equalizer.
Milan made history by staying second.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic's strike after two minutes gave Milan the lead and they went on to win.
If this club feels like it's been through a lot this year, it may be because of growing pains and needing to have a good season. In wide areas, where the drive of Theo Hernandez, Rafael Leao, andAlexis Saelemaekers is non-negotiable, Matteo Gabbia and Pierre Kalulu are fourth and fifth-choice but still got the job done.
He added two records to his collection. He has scored against 80 different clubs in his career, a record only matched by one other player, and he has scored in 23 different years. The Ibrahimovic-Olivier Giroud rotation can work for Milan this season, too, and it's possible that he cares more about the team's success than his own.
If Milan are going to have a chance at the title, they need to keep it that way.
Good fortune was on the side of Atleti Madrid in their game against Villarreal.
Unai Emery is a person that you have to feel a little bit for. He hasn't caught many breaks domestically this season and on Sunday, his side was held to a 2-2 draw by a late goal and a ridiculous Angel Correa finish. In between, Atleti seemed to be succumbing to the old demons.
Jan Oblak made another mistake, we saw a 4-4-2 formation that didn't work, and we saw a team that is still finding itself. It wouldn't be a reason to worry, but we're halfway through the season and Diego Simeone has been there for a long time. They have lost in six games.
Kids come for the game.
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Fabinho shows his skills on the spot.
You wouldn't fault a guy for tanking the FA Cup third round. I would have given him a pass if he played the kids and bowed out early of the competition with all his players absent.
The kids did not bow out because of the huge gap between the two towns, but he did play them. Kaide Gordon, who arrived from Derby last year, has the personality and footwork of a player many years his senior.
Does it mean he's going to take over from Mohamed Salah in a couple of years? No. You can say "Rhian Brewster" quicker than "pump the brakes". Gordon showed that he's not intimidated by the big stage of the FA Cup and full house by scoring a goal in the 4-1 win. That is already something.
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