Another weekend of European football is in the books and plenty of action to sink our teeth into. The Bundesliga title race is set up for a thrilling finish, while in the English Premier League, the season is going from bad to worse for Tottenham Hotspur.
In LaLiga, Barcelona are comfortably ahead of Real Madrid as the season winds down, and a hat-trick from Riyad Mahrez inspired Manchester City into the FA Cup final.
ESPN correspondents Rob Dawson, Julien Laurens, Sam Marsden, James Olley and James Tyler break down the most interesting and important stuff you need to know about the weekend.
Talking points
Tottenham embarrassed by Newcastle
Newcastle versus Tottenham on Sunday was supposed to be a tight battle between two sides targeting Champions League qualification. Instead, it was a one-sided humiliation.
The Magpies thrashed Spurs 6-1 at St James’ Park to put clear daylight between the two clubs as they battle for a top four spot. But more than that, it raises deeper questions about Tottenham’s current malaise and just how badly they have squandered the promise of last summer.
Last August, they had Antonio Conte, Champions League football and money to spend. Yet after a season of poor decisions and internal tension, Spurs now find themselves managerless and rudderless, staring at the loss of their top four place to Newcastle, whose rich owners and shrewd investment suggests they are on a sustained upward curve. Finding a new head coach is an urgent priority for Tottenham but whoever the new man is, it may not be enough to convince Harry Kane to stay at the club beyond the summer.
Kane scored a fine goal on Sunday but it stands as a mere footnote to a hugely damaging afternoon for the club where he has one year left on his contract but almost no reason to suggest his desire to win a trophy can be sated in the next 12 months. Spurs badly need to reestablish a sense of direction. Newcastle increasingly look like they can’t be stopped. — Olley
Does anyone want to win the Bundesliga?
Let’s review: Bayern Munich thumped Borussia Dortmund 4-2 in Thomas Tuchel’s first game in charge (we still don’t get it either), which seemed to end any title talks for BVB. But then Bayern drew with Hoffenheim, giving Dortmund another opening, though they squandered it with an inexplicable 3-3 draw at Stuttgart that allowed the Bavarians to once again take control of the race.
Then early Saturday, Bayern took the lead at Mainz only to lose 3-1, and Dortmund responded later in the day with an emphatic 4-0 win over Eintracht Frankfurt to reclaim top spot. It wasn’t a close game, either: Jude Bellingham (goal), Julian Brandt (assist), Donyell Malen (two goals) and Karim Adeyemi (goal, assist) thrived behind Sebastian Haller in a fluid and furious attack, seizing a 3-0 lead before half-time and rarely looking troubled in front of a frenzied home crowd at Signal Iduna Park.
The weekend results mean Dortmund hold a one-point lead over Bayern with just five rounds of matches remaining, and Dortmund will know they can’t finish level on points given their rival’s superior goal difference (+46 to BVB’s +27) over the course of the campaign. With Bayern having a slightly tougher run-in — hosting RB Leipzig in the penultimate matchday could be a fun spoiler scenario for former BVB manager Marco Rose — all eyes are on Dortmund when it comes to closing this out. After all, finishing things they’ve started hasn’t exactly been their strong suit in recent seasons. — Tyler