While Watford work wonders, another blank match for Cristiano Ronaldo causes some concerns in Serie A – here are the weekend winners and losers
Winners
Watford
If Leicester City did it, then surely Watford can have a go as well. A few people have been thinking this way after Watford beat Tottenham to grasp their fourth win in four Premier League games, showing solidity, yet attacking football and being able to turn things around against one of the top teams in the league to get all three points. Impressive to say the least. Whether or not they can win the title is a different matter.
Massimiliano Allegri
Yet another press conference in which the media accused him of making Juventus play boring football, and yet another reply, both off and on the pitch. His idea of beauty, like that of most Bianconeri, is victory. If you win, it’s all good.
[fve]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oCd_dMAJc6w[/fve]
Joaquin Sanchez
The oldest man to score in a Seville derby in the 21st century at the age of 37. And Joaquin loved it, as proved by the photos of him celebrating that are all over the place. He is Betis through and through, and what it meant for him and for his people to win the derby is what football is all about.
[fve]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5jXuOjOiRqg[/fve]
Radja Nainggolan
Hugely criticised in Italy for pictures of him in a Milan club, whilst recovering from the injury that kept him out of the first two Serie A games – in which Inter got just one point – the Ninja came back in style, scoring a beautiful and vital goal for the Nerazzurri to break the deadlock in what was a difficult match away to Bologna, and pave the way for the victory, proving his worth on the pitch.
Celtic
Glasgow is green, as Brendan Rodgers beat his former player Steven Gerrard in the Old Firm derby. The great atmosphere was rewarded with a deserved win.
[fve]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MYnhe88kuUg[/fve]
Losers
Cristiano Ronaldo
Three Serie A matches, 270 minutes played, zero goals scored. What is happening to CR7? He seemed nervous, and really wanting to score. It’s probably not a big deal, but it definitely wasn’t his best weekend.
Alisson
He is great with his feet, but constantly taking risks can lead to ugly mistakes. It happened in a game that Liverpool won, but imagine the criticism had the Reds lost on the weekend? It’s part of his game, but be careful, Alisson!
“I am angry that I made a mistake that put the team in a difficult situation.”https://t.co/GXwZ0t4JUY
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) September 1, 2018
West Ham
A lot of spending on the transfer window doesn’t necessarily bring results. And West Ham prove it yet again. But being bottom of the table without a single point is the worst possible scenario.
Napoli
The international break will be a tough two weeks for Carlo Ancelotti, as Napoli got demolished 3-0 away to Sampdoria and the first comparisons with Maurizio Sarri’s team are starting to be made. They are different coaches, and require time to work. But Ancelotti needs to find a solution quickly, or else Juventus will be too far away to catch up.
[fve]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDWn-Drv8k4[/fve]
Roma
It’s difficult to integrate 12 new players in a squad, but a team that reached the Champions League semifinal has to do better. Roma got four points from their opening three matches, and even if they were difficult opponents on paper, Eusebio Di Francesco needs to change things as soon as possible.
