FOUR THINGS WE LEARNED: Kylian Mbappe is marvellous and Unai Emery's Arsenal are looking awesome
LONDON: As we head into the international break we take a look at all
the action across Europe after a testing weekend for a few big-name
sides.MOROSE MANAGERS
Across Europe there are at least three high-profile managers wondering
whether they will have a job at the end of the international break. Real
Madrid’s Julen Lopetegui, Manchester United’s Jose Mourinho and Bayern
Munich’s Nico Kovac are all in the spotlight with the axe looking set to
fall on them at any moment. United’s come-from-behind 3-2 win over
Newcastle may well have given Mourinho a bit of breathing space, but for
Lopetegui and Kovac the end would appear to be nigh. The Real boss is
without a win in four matches (the dictionary definition of “crisis” at
the Bernabeu) and Saturday’s 3-0 loss to Borussia Mönchengladbach made
it four games without a win for Bayern (likewise, a full-blown
catastrophe for the Bavarian giants). Both clubs are not shy to pull the
trigger, so expect at least one of the pair to get his marching orders
soon.
Lopetegui is under a lot of pressure at the Bernabeu.
AWESOME ARSENAL
The Gunners 5-1 thrashing of Fulham on Sunday meant that they extended
their winning run to an impressive nine matches — a sequence that only
Herbert Chapman, George Graham and Arsene Wenger have overseen at the
north London club. Slowly, and very quietly, Unai Emery is turning
things around at the Emirates. They still have to display the same verve
and ambition as they did at Craven Cottage against the “big” clubs, but
the idea that Arsenal can mount some sort of title challenge is no
longer as ridiculous as some would have suggested a month ago.
Arsenal have won nine times in a row and are looking good to mount a title challenge this season.
NEYMAR OVERSHADOWED
BY MBAPPE
Such is the regularity with which his antics annoy everyone, it is hard
to feel sorry for Neymar. So it is with a small dose of schadenfreude
that we react to the fact that the Brazilian left Barcelona for Paris
Saint-Germain, not just for the huge pay packet, but also to escape the
sizeable shadow of Lionel Messi, only to end up in the French capital to
be overshadowed by Kylian Mbappe. Since his brilliant performances in
the World Cup the teenage star has, if anything, got better and never
was this better seen than by his scoring four goals in just 13
second-half minutes during PSG’s 5-0 demolition job against Lyon. Aged
just 19, it is frightening to think just how good Mbappe can become. Not
lacking confidence, he said he thought he was a strong contender for
the Ballon d’Or. If he were to win the prize, we wonder how Neymar would
react?Mbappe is once again proving that PSG are far from just the
"Neymar Show." DRAB DRAW
Everyone assumed that Sunday’s Liverpool vs. Manchester City clash was
going to be a humdinger; a display that made you sit up, take notice and
remember why you love football so much. In the end it served up the
sporting equivalent of a sleeping tablet. The clash saw both teams and
managers at their most pragmatic, a reminder that for all their verve
and attacking instincts, Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp know that
ultimately they will be judged on results and not just the ability to
entertain.Klopp and Guardiola are known as swashbuckling coaches, but on
Sunday they proved they can be pragmatists as well.
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