Another European soccer weekend is in the books, so let’s review! Chelsea‘s big win over newly crowned Premier League champions Liverpool showed both their potential and their lingering questions, while Monday morning’s announcement from Trent Alexander-Arnold that he would be leaving the Reds at the end of his contract offered more reflection for Arne Slot & Co. as to what’s next.
Napoli — yes, Napoli — took a huge step toward another Serie A title as well this weekend, as Antonio Conte’s magic appears to be working in his first season in charge, while Bayern Munich clinched the German Bundesliga title — and, as it turns out, the first trophy of Harry Kane‘s professional career. There were also talking points galore around Manchester United, Barcelona, Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain, Real Betis and Atlético Madrid, among others. Here are some musings and reactions to the most memorable moments of the weekend.
Chelsea’s win over Liverpool is a reminder of how far they have to go, while Alexander-Arnold’s exit can be an opportunity for Slot & Co.
Timing matters. Had Liverpool not secured the Premier League last weekend, this game could have been a far harder nut for Chelsea to crack. As it happened, Arne Slot started Harvey Elliott, Wataru Endo and Jarrell Quansah, almost as a reward to three guys who contributed to the title, but were simply often shut out of the lineup by better players.
The upshot was a pretty evident lack of chemistry, motivation and, perhaps, a mental and emotional hangover from the just crowned champions. Chelsea capitalized with a 3-1 win marked by a whopping 3.13 expected goals.
It’s a big win for Chelsea because Champions League qualification is pretty much a nonnegotiable goal if they’re going to continue to grow, what with their huge expenditure and restrictions of the Premier League’s Profit & Sustainability Rules (PSR). It also served as a reminder of how many question marks persist and how much work needs to be done because their squad — other than Wesley Fofana, whose injury record is atrocious, and Christopher Nkunku, whose bags are already packed — is pretty much at full strength.
Romeo Lavia looked good in midfield, but really, other than keeping your fingers crossed, there’s no way to judge a guy who has managed 10 league starts in two seasons. Moisés Caicedo — arguably Chelsea’s best player not named Cole this season — did well too, but again, the whole right back-stepping-into-midfield thing doesn’t feel long-term when you already have two competent right backs … and one of them is your club captain. At the back, Trevoh Chalobah was picked ahead of Benoît Badiashile and Tosin Adarabioyo, which bodes well until you remember that this time last year, they were trying to get rid of him every which way — and, in fact, loaned him out … only to bring him back in January.
Pedro Neto and Noni Madueke romped happily down the wings, but it also made you wonder whether they have another level to which they can go or whether this is their ceiling — if it is, is that ceiling high enough for a title-challenging side? And, of course, Robert Sánchez in goal continues to divide opinion between those who want to drive him to the airport and those who expect him to take public transportation: his past blunders have been so big that it would take a flawless six months for him to regain some people’s trust.
In other words, this is a team that still has more questions than answers.
Pushing the youngsters the way Chelsea have done is always a feast-or-famine exercise: you know some won’t make it, and you know some will become stars. That’s normal. What’s difficult is when you have a bunch of “tweeners” — guys who perform well enough that you don’t want to ship them out, but don’t quite show enough development to convince you they’ll become players who can carry a team. How long do you keep them around? Who makes the call? And how much faith do you have in them?
It feels as if, again, it boils down to what I wrote last week — and what Enzo Maresca said postgame — this team will go as far as Cole Palmer and Nico Jackson carry them. Needless to say, they need help.
I’m not going to crown them just yet because stranger things have happened, but it’s pretty evident that Napoli have one hand (and three or four fingers of the other) on the Serie A title. Manager Antonio Conte is now talking openly about it: “If we finish second, in two or three years’ time, nobody will remember us and the season we had. If we win the title, everybody will remember us forever.”
At this stage of the season, you don’t judge the threat posed by opponents by where they are in the table, but rather by how badly they need points. So the trip away to Lecce — just one point clear of the relegation zone — was the classic trap game, but Saturday’s 1-0 win leaves them three points clear of Inter at the top of Serie A. Even if Inter run the table the rest of the way, Napoli could still afford to win two and draw one and given the opposition — Genoa and Cagliari at home, Parma away (all teams that appear to be safe from the drop) — you expect them to get it done.
Conte, of course, won’t see it that way, because that’s how he’s wired. The tension is set to 11, always and everywhere; he’ll also be talking about how the pressure is off their opponents, and every single one is a major banana skin, and that they need to be vigilant and risk nothing. That’s how he works and that’s what got him this far — fair enough.
Two things are evident here. Once again, he’s on the verge of winning the title in his first season at a club, just as he did at Juventus, Inter and Chelsea. That’s a major feat, particularly when you consider he lost Khvicha Kvaratskhelia to Paris Saint-Germain in the January transfer window. (Conte-haters will point out that he also had the luxury of no European football: sure, but most teams have that luxury and they don’t go on to finish top of the league.)
The other is that he has forged a very clear defensive identity. Napoli have the stingiest defence in Europe’s Big Five leagues, and they’ve yet to concede a set piece goal. They’re comfortable taking a lead — often through their physicality — and then playing on the counter.
That’s kinda how they beat Lecce. Jack Raspadori’s free kick put them ahead in the first half, they battened down the hatches, endured Kialonda Gaspar hitting the woodwork and then slowed the game to a crawl, conceding 0.17 xG in the second half. It may not be a style to everyone’s taste — and as I’ve noted before, it’s riskier than some people think — but few will remember that if Napoli win their second Serie A title in three years. On the other hand, as Conte notes, they’ll remember this title for a long, long time.
Bayern crowned champions “on the sofa?” It feels appropriate…
Dan Thomas is joined by Craig Burley, Shaka Hislop and others to bring you the latest highlights and debate the biggest storylines. Stream on ESPN+ (U.S. only).
Still, let’s remind ourselves that Vincent Kompany was no more than the sixth or seventh choice to manage this club. That for much of the season he had to deal with star players (Joshua Kimmich, Alphonso Davies, Leroy Sané) in contract negotiations, which is never helpful. That his best player, Jamal Musiala, saw his season end in early April due to injury and that Kompany — who had never worked in Germany or at a club of this magnitude anywhere — had to navigate the usual array of second-guessers, backstabbers and Game of Thrones wannabes that earned this club the nickname “FC Hollywood.”
So yes, it feels a little flat, possibly because it doesn’t feel like the start, middle or end of a cycle of success. Club legends Thomas Mueller and Manuel Neuer (you imagine) will move on. Probably Leon Goretzka too. Harry Kane, who finally won a league title, turns 32 in July. Other than Musiala, Michael Olise, Davies and Aleksandar Pavlovic (if he can stay fit), not many in the current squad are the sort you build the future around.
Kompany showed he can do the man-management side of the job. There’s room for improvement everywhere else, though — you hope the club both realize this and support him in the journey. Because for all the bitterness of what went wrong this season — starting with the elimination from the Champions League (with a final in Munich no less) at the hands of Inter — it might have been far worse without Kompany at the helm.
Quick hits
10. I did tell you this would happen, as Borussia Dortmund are on track for Champions League spot after Wolfsburg win: When Nico Kovac was appointed manager back on Feb. 2, with Borussia Dortmund lying 11th in the Bundesliga, I made the point that a Champions League spot had to be the expectation otherwise there was no point in bringing him in. Some thought it was excessive; others thought I was being mean to Kovac (I admit, I’ve been very critical of him in the past). That wasn’t the case. It was a realistic, albeit difficult, goal and it was time folks were held to account at Dortmund. Lest we forget, this is the club with the second-highest wage bill in the league and was in the Champions League final less than a year ago. Guess what? Twelve games later, after the 4-0 win against Wolfsburg, Dortmund are right up there, just one point behind fourth place Freiburg with two games to go.
2:35
What’s allowed Antony to find form at Betis?
The “ESPN FC” crew discuss what has allowed Antony to flourish for Real Betis where he previously struggled at Manchester United.
9. Antony and Giovani Lo Celso shine as Real Betis’ magical run continues: Yeah, I know the difference between causality and correlation, but before Antony signed on loan from Manchester United on Jan. 25, Betis were 12th in the table. After Sunday’s 2-1 dramatic late comeback win — Lo Celso beating two guys and firing home with five minutes to go, Antony inventing a curler in injury time — they’re sixth and knocking on the Champions League places door. Oh, and they’re also well-placed to reach the Europa Conference League Final, holding a 2-1 lead from the first leg against Fiorentina. Antony has chipped in with four goals, two assists and just the sort of performances that prompted Erik Ten Hag to chuck €100m at Ajax to secure him a few years ago. Betis are already joking about starting a crowdfunded or even kidnapping him to keep him around. The reality is given the size of his fee and amortisation, it’s highly unlikely that Manchester United will be able to shift him in the summer, but another loan makes sense for everyone — possibly with an obligation to make permanent if certain goals are met.
8. Inter’s B-team keeps the thread of hope alive, barely: Manager Simone Inzaghi was suspended for the visit of Verona to the San Siro, but as he has done all season, he stuck to his rotation and his percentages. With Barcelona coming up in midweek in the second leg of their Champions League semifinal, Yann Bisseck was the only likely starter in his first XI, despite the fact that they’re still chasing Napoli and have a (slim) shot at winning the league. However, I don’t think it means he was giving up on Serie A. He has rotated heavily all season long, he was facing a team that aren’t quite safe from the drop yet (but will be), and he knows that highly motivated second-stringers looking to impress will often outperform regulars with their heads elsewhere. As it happened, Verona gifted Inter an early penalty (converted by Kristjan Asllani) and never properly threatened. The win is just enough to keep the pressure on Napoli.
7. Rotation backfires for Barcelona at Valladolid, but big guns turn it around: I guess it helps (a lot) when you can bring on the cavalry. At half-time, with Barcelona’s reserves (plus Pedri and the returning Marc-André tea Stegen) a goal down to bottom of the table Valladolid (whose fan, by the way, are furious at their own, the original Ronaldo), Hansi Flick sent on Frenkie de Jong and Raphinha. Lamine Yamal had come on in the 38th minute and by the hour mark, they had turned it around to 2-1. The game loves its narratives, so you can imagine what might have been if Valladolid had hung on: talk of arrogance and negativity and enough controversy to derail the second leg against Inter in the Champions League, not to mention the prospect of Real Madrid moving within a point and with a shot of nosing ahead after next week’s Clasico. (Never mind the fact that Barcelona played well in the first half or that Iván Sánchez‘s goal came courtesy of a big deflection.) They likely would have turned out anyway, without the extra minutes for Raphinha and Yamal, but you’re not going to blame Flick for wanting to make sure.
2:10
Should Arteta have rotated his Arsenal side before facing PSG?
Gab Marcotti and Julien Laurens wonder if Mikel Arteta made the right call in playing all of his stars in Arsenal’s 2-1 defeat to Bournemouth before facing PSG on Wednesday.
6. Mikel Arteta does his own thing, and Arsenal lose to Bournemouth: Of the four Champions League semifinalist dealing with a league fixture sandwiched between their first and second leg games Barcelona made nine changes, while Paris Saint-Germain and Inter (who had the most at stake) made 10. Arsenal? Just two: Ben White and Thomas Partey, both of whom are likely starters in midweek anyway, and Arsenal lost at home, 2-1. Arteta said after the game he was hoping to build momentum for the second leg in Paris; instead, he says, they’ll have to channel their frustration at the defeat. I don’t think there’s a right answer here, but it does tell you a lot about the mindset. The other three teams clearly prioritised injury avoidance and rest ahead of the confidence that comes from a win at the weekend. Arteta evidently values the latter more. In the grand scheme of things, it won’t matter at all come Wednesday night.
5. PSG’s second-stringers lose, but it’s more about Strasbourg: João Neves was the only holdover from the midweek victory at the Emirates against Arsenal, and was even asked to play a different position (right back). With the title wrapped up, it’s no surprise Luis Enrique chose this approach, because fresh legs are critical. You saw even against Arsenal how PSG had to drop the breakneck pace we saw in the first half; no matter how young and fit your team is, you can only maintain that tempo for so long. More than the 2-1 defeat, the story here is Strasbourg. Liam Rosenior’s side were 13th, four points above the drop at the end of 2024. After getting more points than anyone — even PSG — in 2025 they are now joint-fourth, two points out of second place. Given they are owned by BlueCo, the holding company that also owns Chelsea, you can expect them to be put in a Blind Trust next season, just like Sir Jim Ratcliffe did with Nice. It only reinforces the notion that this is the B-team, which is a bit of a shame for their fans.
1:48
Why Mbappe will have a ‘decisive role’ in El Clasico
Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti has revealed that Kylian Mbappe will play a “decisive role” in the El Clasico against Barcelona.
4. Real Madrid make life hard for themselves (again) in 3-2 win: Between injuries, suspensions, uncertainty and despair, Real Madrid are running on fumes right now, so maybe it would be best to just focus on the positives. Like what happened in the first 65 minutes or so, when they raced out to a 3-0 lead over Celta Vigo, with Arda Güler and Kylian Mbappé scoring gorgeous goals and Thibaut Courtois having to make just one really big save. That was quite a reaction from a side that had been knocked out of the Copa del Rey and Champions League in the previous two-and-a-half weeks. Except then the bottom fell out. A botched clearance from Lucas Vázquez, a stone-footed reaction from Aurélien Tchouaméni and it was 3-2, with Celta pushing for the equalizer. The gap with table-topping Barcelona is four points so arithmetic — and history — say they’re still alive… just. But what we saw in the last half-hour doesn’t bode well for next weekend’s Clasico. Slip up there, and Barca will win LaLiga.
3. Manchester United’s issues are systemic and go beyond Ruben Amorim: United’s league results are largely irrelevant; all that matters is performances and whether they’re learning Amorim’s 3-4-2-1 set-up. On the evidence of Sunday away to Brentford, they’re not. With a Europa League semifinal return leg against Athletic Club on Thursday, he sent out a very young side — the third youngest in the history of the Premier League, to be precise — and the 4-3 defeat (and it could have been worse, two of United’s goals came late) was more a function of lack of tactical execution than lack of talent. But if it looked like many of the players were unfamiliar with what’s required to make Amorim’s 3-4-2-1 tick, well, that’s because they were. Wayne Rooney said the club’s Under-21 side don’t play the formation, but rather a back four. If that’s the case — and I’m assuming he would know — then it makes little sense. The U-21 side exists solely to develop players for the first team. Why have them play a different scheme, especially when the first team’s is so different and so tricky to metabolize? It’s hard enough to turn this club around without all the self-inflicted damage…
1:18
Leboeuf says Man United players should be ‘ashamed’ after Brentford loss
Frank Leboeuf rips into Manchester United following their 4-3 defeat at Brentford in the Premier League.
2. Juventus pay hefty price for not killing off the game against Bologna: Sure, they were away from home and Bologna are a good side (heck, they have one point fewer than Juventus). But after taking an early lead with Kephren Thuram, Juventus again made the mistake of not pressing home their advantage against a Bologna who were distinctly unimpressive. Without Dusan Vlahovic and Kenan Yildiz, they seemed far too content at sitting back, slowing things down and waiting for improbable counterattacks by Nico Gonzalez and Randal Kolo Muani. And, of course, when they did get the chance, Alberto Costa squandered his shot at the winner. A Champions League spot is pretty much non-negotiable at this stage, yet Juventus are going to have to work for it. They’re on 63 points, level with Lazio (who they play away next week) and Roma (unbeaten in the league in 2025, and winners of 10 of their last 12). Oh, and Bologna are just one point back. It’s going to be a tough May…
1. Alaves and Atletico Madrid set new records of futility in scoreless draw: This isn’t really about Alaves. They aren’t safe from relegation yet: a point at home to Atletico is a good result, and once they figured out the opposition wasn’t going to attack, they settled. This is about Atleti and comfort zone. It boggles the mind — for all the stereotyping of Diego Simeone and hunger and intensity — how this team, with virtually all the regulars starting, could only muster their first shot in the 57th minute. (In fact, the first half was dire in that regard, with Alaves edging the xG 0.03 to 0.00.) I mean, that’s objectively hard to do. Blame the comfort zone, I guess. This is a team whose resources are dwarfed by Real Madrid and Barcelona, but who also dwarf everybody else in the league, which explains why they finished top three in 11 of the past 12 seasons. Once it became evident they were finishing third and had no cup competitions to stay sharp for, they ended up settling for days like these. I like to think Simeone had a good rant about it, because pride isn’t something you should be turning on and off.
