Football

The Midas touch of Nuno Espirito Santos in the early stages of the Premier League seems to be history too early as Tottenham Hotspur were thrashed in the North London Derby by Arsenal, who were among the strugglers and Mikel Arteta has been under immense pressure since the new season kicked off. Well, the smile is back at the Emirates as London is Red today.

While Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid cut a frustrating figure this weekend, their heavyweight rivals, Barcelona bounced back from the wilderness with a thumping victory against Levanter. This victory was much needed to boost the morale of a unit that has been heavily down over the past few months.

Real Madrid were flying and lavishing praises were showered on them, but here comes a night when nothing went right for the Los Blancos as they fired blank against a resolute Villarreal of Unai Emery. Real Madrid returned to earth after last night.

When the smaller teams attempt to punch above their weight, without a doubt, the contest becomes simmering and Liverpool experienced a tough going against Brentford in their away match yesterday. Jurgen Klopp was seen shaking his head after the final whistle but he would agree that it was a Brentford side that never stopped believing.

At Old Trafford, Manchester United digested a shocking defeat against Aston Villa. At Stamford Bridge, Manchester City ended Chelsea’s unbeaten run. And, at Mendizorroza, the La Liga Champions were stunned by Deportivo Alaves.

Old Trafford was buzzing because weekend football is back and the kind of form the Red Devils have been at the moment, yet another party was expected. Sadly, the match ended up with deafening silence at the Theatre of Dreams.

Pep – the master tactician – has studied Tuchel’s Chelsea this season in detail and the plan for Manchester City was to remain calm and composed, apply the pressing game create a zone in the half-space for his players to exploit and stay as narrow as possible at the back. It might have taken the style out of City, but in return, it brought full points and ended the brilliant run of Chelsea – especially at Stamford Bridge.

Karim Benzema scored his first LaLiga goal for Real Madrid on September 20, 2009, and on September 22, 2021, he reached number 200. A lot has happened in 12 years and the Frenchman has changed, too.

Some players take time to flourish. But when they do flourish, they become a box-office hit and continue to shine. Vinicius Junior is taking time to flourish and at the moment, he is showcasing his talent on a consistent basis. Maybe we are not very far from witnessing one of the best in world football in the coming days.

After escaping the Granada scare, Barcelona dished out a frustrating display against Cadiz and things are not looking good at the moment in Camp Nou. The team is lacking an attacking plan in the final third, the confidence is low and Ronald Koeman seems to be running out of ideas.

With the two goals and two assists he registered in Real Madrid's 6-1 win against Real Mallorca on Wednesday night, Karim Benzema has a total of eight goals and seven assists so far this season.

At Santiago Bernabeu it was a goal-fest where Real Madrid enjoyed scoring goals after goals to stamp their authority in this season’s La Liga – they are not only a serious title contender but are well poised to challenge the might of the best teams in Europe. Carlo Ancelotti promised an attacking and fluid football and till now, he has kept his promise.

Ronald Koeman limited himself to reading out a statement before leaving the press room during Wednesday's pre-match press conference.

The blessing of having a striker like Luis Suarez is that he knows how to get out of a pressure situation in style. Suarez, one of the best strikers in the history of football, proved his worth yet again in the tight game against Getafe where the La Liga holders bagged full points.

Lionel Messi, one of the best players of this generation, came to Paris from Camp Nou as if a superstar had landed on the French soil to attend the gala of Emmy or Academy Awards. He would don the shirt of Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) with the intention to fulfil their expectations at the top level of European competitions. On paper, PSG look like an unbeatable force, but on the pitch, they have failed to satisfy everyone and their superstar – Messi has failed till now.

After their 3-0 thumping by Bayern Munich in the Champions League last week, Barcelona were glad to return to league action at Camp Nou. Barca have been unbeaten in their three games so far this season and, a victory would ensure the highest point total from their first four games of a league campaign since 2018/19 when they ended up as the champions. Well, they just put up a dismal show.

Over the years AC Milan have elevated their game and they are not mere pushovers these days. They are hungry for success whereas, the Kings of Italian Serie A – Juventus have been struggling since last season and still, now they are winless after being halted by Rossoneri at Turin.

It was known that it would not be an easy task for Real Madrid at Mestalla – one of the toughest venues in Europe. No matter how big the opponents, they would always have travelled through the choppy waters and steer the ship at the shore. As usual, the going was tough for the Los Blancos and the never say die attitude which was nurtured under Zinedine Zidane paid rich dividends.

It was a day when Tottenham Hotspur lost one of their greatest heroes – Jimmy Greaves, whose influence in North London and English had been immense. It was a day to mourn and transform the sadness into strength in the memory of the great Greaves. But it turned out to be yet another sweetest day for the Blue machine of Thomas Tuchel – Chelsea.

The Hammers took the lead. Cristiano Ronaldo equalized. The villain at Switzerland, Jesse Lingard made it 2-1. At the fag end of the match, the Hammers were awarded a penalty. David de Gea saved it and ensured full points.