We’re back! The first weekend of the 2025-26 European club football season left us with a plethora of talking points and drama to analyze. Although only the English Premier League, LaLiga, and Ligue 1 have officially kicked off, Italy’s Serie A and Germany’s Bundesliga will join the fun this week.
We had a big clash in England that saw Arsenal escape Manchester United with a 1-0 victory and three points to start their campaign, and more problems for Ruben Amorim.
We also witnessed a dominant start from Barcelona against a nine-man Mallorca (although Hansi Flick still found something to complain about), as well as Bayern Munich claiming the Super Cup over Stuttgart in the traditional curtain-raiser of the German season. Liverpool began the defense of their title with a 4-2 victory over Bournemouth, making it clear that their defense is a work in progress, Tijjani Reijnders shone for his new club, Manchester City, and Chelsea looked a bit tired (and no wonder, given their efforts in the Club World Cup) in a goalless draw with Crystal Palace.
Reaction: Arsenal defeats Manchester United in a clash of depth and errors.
Liverpool overcomes an emotional night to defeat Bournemouth.
Here are Gab Marcotti’s reflections and reactions on the most memorable moments of the weekend.
Much to celebrate for Manchester United despite Arsenal’s victory
The numbers say that Manchester United have lost eight of their last 13 home league games, which is obviously terrible. But not all defeats are equal, and United supporters, who were wondering with concern how their team would look with the new signings and, more importantly, with a full pre-season under Ruben Amorim, got their answer on Sunday.
It wasn’t the same as always. Bryan Mbeumo and Mathias Cunha were seen as sharp and aggressive, proving to be quick learners and, in general, United had the best chances (David Raya shone for Arsenal on more than one occasion) despite the 1-0 defeat.
Regarding Ricky Calafiori’s goal, on another day it would never have counted, but it was awarded due to a combination of factors, namely that Altay Bayindir was not particularly good, that VAR did not intervene (I understand the concept of “high threshold”, but in a crowded penalty area there are some things that a referee simply will not see clearly) and that English football decided to do its thing with respect to goalkeepers in the six-yard box.
No, that doesn’t mean you can’t challenge the goalkeeper, but there’s a middle ground between not being able to touch him at all and designating your big center back to hit him every time a corner comes in. The mere fact that we’ve reached the point where teams defending set pieces have to deploy an extra defender just to protect the attacker who might interfere with the goalkeeper is, if you think about it, absurd. What’s next: putting an attacker to protect the defender, who is supposed to protect the attacker who challenges the goalkeeper? At that point, why not put a defender to protect the attacker, who protects the defender, who protects the attacker who challenges the goalkeeper? You see where I’m going with this: it doesn’t add anything to the game, other than people pushing each other in the hope that a goalkeeper will drop the ball. Is that why we love this game?Legend: 2:22 Why Marcotti thinks Arsenal’s goal was a foul against Man United. Gab Marcotti and Julien Laurens debate whether Altay Bayindir was fouled by William Saliba during Arsenal’s 1-0 victory over Manchester United.
Of course, there’s still a long way to go. I don’t particularly like the Mbeumo and Cunha deals at those prices, but they were very effective (as was, ahem, Mason Mount) at disrupting Arsenal’s build-up, as well as tightening the screws on the opposing four-man defense. Bruno Fernandes in midfield means deploying your biggest offensive threat away from goal, which is suboptimal. (Then again, if you put him further forward, who’s going to pass from midfield?)
Bayindir is obviously not a solution between the posts, but if André Onana plays like he did last season, neither is he. Casemiro seems to be ready, Patrick Dorgu had his moments and the three-man defense looked good. In fact, if you take away Calafiori’s shot, Arsenal were limited to an xG of 0.4 during the 90 minutes.
This latest statistic, of course, is also due to the performance of the Gunners, which was far from impressive. In the battle of the new center forwards who could easily have ended up on the opposing team, Viktor Gyökeres was outplayed by Benjamin Sesko, who came on in the last 26 minutes. Despite playing more than twice as many minutes as Sesko (60 to 26), Gyokeres managed fewer touches in the opposing area (three against Sesko’s four) and not a single shot on goal (against Sesko’s two). Obviously, he needs time to adapt and, to be fair to him, apart from some moments from Martin Ødegaard, Arsenal were not good at giving him the ball.
Martín Zubimendi also didn’t seem to be in top physical form, which didn’t help, but more generally, Arsenal seemed like a team that prioritized substance over style after taking the lead. That’s fine, of course, until you remember how many points they lost from winning positions last season, partly because, instead of pressing and asserting themselves, they sought to manage the game.
It’s only the first week, so you don’t want to be hasty with your opinions. What seems clear, however, is that, given Gyokeres’ skills, you would expect Mikel Arteta to modify his team’s approach: more crosses, more transitional play, bringing his teammates closer to him.
Hansi Flick’s criticism of his own players after the 3-0 victory seems exaggerated: it makes no sense to increase the score
Barcelona began their LaLiga campaign with a 3-0 away win against Mallorca on Saturday, but coach Hansi Flick was not happy with the way they played. “I didn’t like the match,” he said. “The points are important, but I didn’t like the way we played with 50 percent intensity with two extra men and a two-goal lead.”Legend: 1:26 Why Darke believes Lamine Yamal is currently the face of world football. Ian Darke and Steve McManaman praise Lamine Yamal after his goal in Barcelona’s 3-0 victory over Mallorca in their first LaLiga match of the season.
Now, I’m all for coaches demanding 110 percent and all that, and I understand that Flick knows his players and what motivates them best, but this felt strange. Barca scored early with Lamine Yamal’s surgical pass that found Raphinha, and then went 2-0 with Ferran Torres in the 23rd minute. (They were quite lucky with that second goal, which came with the game continuing even though Mallorca’s Antonio Raíllo was hit in the head by a Yamal shot and collapsed on the ground… so much for head injury protocols). In the 39th minute, Mallorca had two players sent off and, evidently, the match was over.
Now, 11 against 9, especially when you already have a two-goal lead, isn’t football. It’s something else. And demanding that your players execute and give their all in those conditions, when it’s August in Mallorca, is a bit silly. You’re not going to lose points and you’re really not going to learn anything because you probably won’t play 11 against 9 again this season. Why not take your foot off the gas a bit, conserve energy, and avoid injuries?
And, perhaps, while you’re at it, celebrate some of the good things we saw at 11 against 11? Like Yamal already in top form. Or Torres demonstrating (again) that he can do the job as a substitute for the absent Robert Lewandowski. Or Ronald Araújo, who is scheduled for more minutes than many would like after the departure of Iñigo Martínez, looking competent against Vedat Muriqi.
Bayern Munich wins the German Super Cup, but there’s a lot of work to be done
They celebrated with enthusiasm, which is what Vincent Kompany-led teams usually do when they win. But the fact is that this 2-1 victory could easily have gone either way, with Deniz Undav and Nick Woltemade coming very close for Stuttgart. When your 39-year-old goalkeeper has to shine more than once, well, that’s suboptimal. Especially when said goalkeeper (Manuel Neuer, in case you’ve been living under a rock) has started in less than half of Bayern’s league matches in the last three seasons for one reason or another.
There’s a problem on the right side, either Sacha Boey or Konrad Laimer should start, and of course, Josip Stanisic is a center-back playing as a left-back on the other flank. (Alphonso Davies will return from his injury, yes, but that won’t be until December at the earliest), but the real problems are in the front four, where there’s a hole the size of Jamal Musiala to fill. Michael Olise can do a job there, but the pieces around that part of the field have to work, and there’s little reason to think Serge Gnabry has much of anything. I guess that’s why Bayern has been so aggressive in their pursuit of Woltemade, although Stuttgart seems to have closed the door on that effort.
How will Bayern fix it? Well, if Woltemade (or another signing like Christopher Nkunku) doesn’t materialize, you’re looking at one of the youngsters (like Tom Bischof or Lennart Karl) or, once Aleksandar Pavlovic is fit, you adjust your team to a formation that more closely resembles a 4-3-3. After all, it’s not written in stone that you have to go with a 4-2-3-1 even when Musiala isn’t there.
There were bright spots. Jonathan Tah has adapted perfectly in the back and Dayot Upamecano showed why he is a good partner against someone like Woltemade. Harry Kane scored, Luis Díaz looks sharp and motivated (and also scored, commemorating it with the PlayStation celebration of his former teammate Diogo Jota) and the often-criticized Leon Goretzka connected well with Joshua Kimmich in midfield. But there is no escaping that with Thomas Mueller, Kingsley Coman and Leroy Sané out and only Díaz coming in so far, they are missing several bodies in the final third.
Quick notes
Legend: 1:15 Will Tijjani Reijnders be the signing of the season? Gab Marcotti and Julien Laurens debate whether Tijjani Reijnders will be the signing of the season after scoring on his debut with Manchester City.
10. Tijjani Reijnders shines in Man City’s demolition of Wolves: Tijjani Reijnders was one of the best players in Serie A last season with Milan, so perhaps we shouldn’t be surprised that he scored a goal and an assist, and, in reality, the way he set up Oscar Bobb for Erling Haaland’s first goal should be worth another assist, in Saturday’s 4-0 victory. The conventional wisdom in Italy (and among some of the analysts) was that, as talented and productive as he was, Reijnders was a “tweener”, neither a midfield playmaker, nor a guy who could play in the hole. I’m glad Pep Guardiola saw through this. Reijnders adds dynamism to a City team that already looks more energetic than last season. (Pep’s decision to line up Bobb and Jérémy Doku on the wings also suggests he’s looking for immediacy). Haaland debuting from the start is also a good sign. Now, just wait until Rodri returns, which is expected after the September international break.
9. Nico Williams on a roll to start the season for Athletic Club: He had the world at his feet after the Euros, but Bilbao observers will tell you that last season wasn’t Nico Williams’ best. Maybe it was the crazy transfer valuations and links outside the club; maybe it was just the fact that he was a 22-year-old kid who, in many ways, is still unpolished. That said, he delivered a standout performance in Athletic’s 3-2 victory over Sevilla. He won and converted a penalty (generous, to say the least), delivered two assists, and was a constant threat while on the field. It seems clear that Bilbao is making him the centerpiece of their attack (at least while Oihan Sancet is out) and is seizing the opportunity. It’s early, but this could be the year he solidifies his status.
8. Despite the 0-0 draw, Newcastle is well ahead of Villa in the clash of the party crashers: The traditional “Big Six” of the Premier League have a built-in advantage in terms of revenue and influence that requires a superhuman effort or a superhuman mistake (or both) for any other team to enter the mix. Both Aston Villa and Newcastle United achieved this last season, and both have had a difficult transfer summer (the former with a “dead” transfer window, the latter with the Alexander Isak saga). In terms of performance, Newcastle looked far superior when they met at Villa Park on Saturday. Villa failed to manage a single shot at home in the first half. Morgan Rogers didn’t live up to expectations, Youri Tielemans served as a reminder of why he’s an 8 (or a 6) and not a 10, and Ezri Konsa got himself foolishly sent off. Unai Emery’s team simply doesn’t look good. Contrast this with Newcastle, who responded in the best possible way to Isak’s absence. They deployed Anthony Gordon up front, ran with heart, could and should have scored a couple of goals.
7. Christian Pulisic and Rafael Leão on the mark for Milan as Max Allegri’s era begins: This is important because one of the keys you want when you bring in a new coach (especially one as well-paid as Allegri) is for your big players to respond to him. Well, Pulisic and Leão are two of Milan’s biggest and the first signs are positive. They partnered up front in a 3-5-2 formation, and both scored (Pulisic also hit the crossbar) in the 2-0 Coppa Italia victory over Bari in a sold-out San Siro on Sunday night. There are a lot of question marks about this Milan team: their choice of Allegri, the arrival of Igli Tare as sporting director and many more known unknowns, but what seems evident is that these two have to be at the center of the project and get along with the new boss. Leão (who went off with a muscle injury, although it seems to be just a precaution) had an exceptional pre-season and you wonder if, with this scheme in place, the club really needs to go out and get another top-level striker when they already have Santi Giménez.Legend: 1:38 Why Hislop still favors Liverpool over Man City to be champions. Shaka Hislop explains why he has predicted that Liverpool will be crowned Premier League champions again.
6. Bournemouth’s match confirms that Arne Slot will have a big decision to make at Liverpool: Last season, Liverpool’s only newcomer (Federico Chiesa) played a total of 108 league minutes. This season, Arne Slot has new full-backs (Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong) and new attackers (Florian Wirtz and Hugo Ekitike) in his starting eleven. And because the new starters have different skill sets than those they replaced (Trent Alexander-Arnold, Darwin Núñez, Luis Díaz), the style and approach are also being modified. Some of this makes sense and is inevitable. Frimpong is a recycled north-south winger, not the recycled creative midfielder that Alexander-Arnold was. Kerkez doesn’t have the defensive guile of Andrew Robertson (at least not yet: he’s only 21). But putting Wirtz at number 10 in a 4-2-3-1 seems more like a high-risk/high-reward roll of the dice. It’s not where he played most of his career, and certainly not with full-backs like these. Crucially, it leaves Liverpool with two midfielders to patrol the center of the field and provide cover for the marauding full-backs, which is a big task. We saw it against Palace in the Community Shield and, again, on Friday night in the 4-2 victory. Slot might be able to make it work, and everything could be fine once Ryan Gravenberch returns, but it will take time to build the kind of chemistry and there are no guarantees. The question is how much time he dedicates to this “project” if the results don’t come immediately.
5. We have confirmation that Thomas Frank’s Tottenham will change shape this season: Against the mighty Paris Saint-Germain in the Super Cup last week, Frank only played with two attacking players, renounced possession and parked the bus. At home against Burnley, Frank replaced a central defender with a striker, switched from a 5-3-2 formation to a 4-3-3 and had 67% possession in a 3-0 victory. We saw Frank do this at Brentford last season (conservative against the big clubs, marauding against their peers) and this would suggest that we will see it this season. While some coaches of big clubs make adjustments based on the opposition, such radical changes are not often seen by the heavyweights (or, after last season’s 17th place, the aspiring heavyweights). Partly because they value chemistry, partly, you suspect, because they see adapting to the other teams as a sign of weakness. Frank, who began his career at 21 coaching an under-8 team, has no such inhibitions. In that sense, he is a model of humility in relation to some of his peers.Legend: 1:38 Hislop: Burnley didn’t do enough to deal with Kudus. Shaka Hislop and Mark Donaldson discuss Mohammed Kudus’ performance in Tottenham’s 3-0 victory over Burnley, in which he contributed 2 assists.
4. Paris Saint-Germain’s B team gets three points with a deflected goal as they continue their “pre-season”: Yes, the B team, that’s what Luis Enrique calls it, and you can see why. After their run to the Club World Cup final, they’ve been training for only about 10 days or so, so he’s rotating his team as if we were in the middle of training camp and this was a friendly. Hence the nine changes from the Super Cup team for the visit to Rennes. He’s lucky to have that luxury, unlike Chelsea, Real Madrid and other teams that went deep into the Club World Cup. On the field, the second string took their time to break down Rennes. It only happened after Luis Enrique was forced to send in the cavalry (Achraf Hakimi, Nuno Mendes, Désiré Doué, Ousmane Dembélé) and thanks to a deflected shot from Vitinha for a final score of 1-0, but that has more to do with Rennes closing up shop than with the B team playing poorly.
3. Antoine Semenyo is a victim of racial abuse and immediate action is taken, which is how it’s supposed to work: Obviously, it’s not something to celebrate or accept in any way, but since these things happen, the best thing is for them to be dealt with immediately. And that’s what happened when Bournemouth’s Antoine Semenyo was subjected to racial abuse by someone in the stands half an hour after their match at Anfield on Friday. He alerted referee Anthony Taylor, who applied the protocol. The match was suspended…
