Liverpool throw the kitchen sink at Wolves after break to turn game around“WTF” was Jurgen Klopp’s description of parts of the first half, and it’s very apt. Liverpool found themselves down a goal almost straight away and could muster just one shot in the first 38 minutes, by which time they could have been two or even three down.
Some of the chaos was beyond Klopp’s control — witness the unavailability of Trent Alexander-Arnold and Virgil Van Dijk, with the latter forcing him to give Jarell Quansah his first top-flight start — but some of it, like playing Alexis Mac Allister in front of the back four fresh off the flight from international duty, which included a game at altitude in Bolívia, was down to him.
That said, Klopp was bold in trying to turn things around. He yanked Mac Allister and sent on Luis Díaz, switching to a de facto 4-2-4, with Dominik Szoboszlai and Curtis Jones as his sole midfielders. They found their mojo, Mohamed Salah served up three assists and they won 3-1 (with a bit of good fortune perhaps).
Credit Klopp’s courage, and credit the fact that Salah was true to his word in turning down the lure of Saudi Arabia. But if you’re a Liverpool fan, you’ll be hoping that first half was just a blip.
Real Madrid overcome Real Sociedad, Kubo to stay perfect (and Bellingham fails to score)
Yeah the last bit is a joke just to remind us that the guy is a midfielder, not a striker. And, in fact, he had a great chance at the end of this game (and would have had an excellent chance earlier, if Rodrygo hadn’t beaten him to it with an ill-advised overhead kick). The main thing is that Real Madrid’s 2-1 win over a quality side like La Real, with Takefusa Kubo playing out of his skin, leaves them perfect on the season, and that’s not something to be taken for granted when you’re without Thibaut Courtois, Éder Militão and Vinicius.
The trio of absentees, who also happen to be the best at the club in each area of the pitch, leaves a gaping hole, but the good news is that Real Madrid’s midfield showed it can be good enough to make up for it. And role players like Fran García (not a patch on Ferland Mendy defensively, but a very effective provider) and especially Joselu, who hit the woodwork and scored the winner, are there to capitalize on what the midfield builds.
Speaking of Joselu, we haven’t seen a center-forward like him playing regularly at the Bernabeu since the days of Ruud Van Nistelrooy nearly 20 years ago. Carlo Ancelotti loves the added dimension he gives them, to the point that I’m not sure it’s a given that when Vinicius returns he’s going to make way from the starting XI.
Arsenal outlast Everton as Arteta defies conventional wisdom when it comes to goalkeepers
Hummels the hero makes history as Dortmund find new ways to make their lives complicatedMats Hummels entered the history books with a bullet header and a scrambled winning goal in Borussia Dortmund’s 4-2 road win against Freiburg. He has now scored in 16 consecutive seasons, equalling the mark set by Olaf Thon. Whatever else you think of the guy and whether he should even be starting at this stage — goodness knows, I’ve been critical — it’s significant and you can only be happy for him.
Beyond that, it was a big win on the road for Borussia Dortmund and it should alleviate some pressure on Edin Terzic. It showed plenty of character and self-belief, with the final two goals in the 4-2 win coming in the final two minutes. The performance itself was better than in recent weeks, though not yet where they want it to be. And this being Dortmund, they found new ways to engage in self-harm, like conceding two goals in first-half stoppage time, to go from 1-0 up to 2-1 down.
It’s better, I guess, than the Keystone Kops defending we’ve seen on other occasions, but it’s hard to explain how this stuff happens at this level. Still, you take the points — and the positives — and move on.
It takes them a while, but Manchester City thoroughly outclass West Ham
Napoli held at Genoa: is Rudi Garcia guilty of not being Luciano Spalletti?Napoli went into the international break off the back of a bad 3-1 defeat away to Lazio. Until 15 minutes from the end, they were 2-0 down away to newly promoted Genoa, prompting many to think things were going from bad to worse. Late goals from Jack Raspadori and Matteo Politano got them the 2-2 draw, but this was far from the Napoli version we saw last season.
Three players in particular appear to have regressed: Stanislav Lobotka and Andre-Frank Zambo-Anguissa in midfield, and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia out wide. When stuff like this happens, naturally you put the blame on the coach and, of course, Rudi Garcia had a big job in replacing Luciano Spalletti. But that’s a bit of a simplistic reading.
Garcia was never going to be a plug-and-play manager, simply there to impersonate his successful predecessor. He’s finding the right balance and deserves time to do so. And the fact that his side battled back the way they did suggests the players are backing him.
Injury-hit Chelsea draw at Bournemouth, but Pochettino is not concerned by relegation pace
Vlahovic, Chiesa and McKennie are back to power Juventus in statement win over LazioOK, they were there last year too, simply not playing on this level, but now all three are back to their best and they showed it in the 3-1 win against Lazio.
Dusan Vlahovic is young and you always felt that once he got some continuity and overcame some of his physical ailments, he’d be OK. With the other two, it’s not just about rebuilding confidence and overcoming injuries; it’s about formation too and here, you need to give Max Allegri some credit. The 3-5-2, with Chiesa free to roam and Weston McKennie at right wing-back, seems obvious now as it frees both up to do what they do best, but it took the club a long time to get there.
Juventus are now second in Serie A and it inevitably raises the question of whether they’re in the conversation for the title. And yeah, they are, no matter how much Allegri tries to play things down. This is a top-four squad in terms of talent and the fact they won’t be playing in Europe moves the needle.
Frankly, those who point to the fact that in the summer they only added Tim Weah and lost a range of big names (Ángel Di María, Leo Bonucci, Leandro Paredes, Juan Cuadrado), plus Paul Pogba (whose future is in doubt) are missing the point. Those five guys may be World Cup winners and recognizable stars, but they contributed very little last season and, in some cases, even less the year before. Juve have moved on — by necessity, admittedly — and putting faith in the youngsters is the way forward.
It is enough to win the title? Maybe not. But it’s enough to be better than last season.
Simeone says 3-0 defeat at Valencia may have been worst performance since he took Atletico Madrid job 11 years ago … and he might be right
One of the nice thing about Diego “El Cholo” Simeone is that he can be refreshingly blunt. And he certainly was after the 3-0 beating Atletico Madrid took on Saturday away to Valencia — a club that, lest we forget, have an owner who is hated, a fanbase in a state of perpetual agitation and a team of youngsters because (almost) anybody worth shifting for money has been let go.
Simeone said it might have been the worst performance in the 11 years he has been at the club, and it’s hard to disagree. Atletico were a by-word for sterile possession (and they had plenty) against Valencia, Antoine Griezmann was M.I.A., and they even lacked the characteristic bite and intensity you expect. It’s best not to make excuses here, and Simeone knows that.
Anything but ‘Spursy’ as Richarlison late show gives Tottenham all three pointsThis was one of the games in which a weaker team (Sheffield United) frustrate a stronger team on the road and nick a goal to take the lead, leaving the home side sweating late on. Tottenham had enjoyed the better chances and 70% of the possession, but this promised to be another Spursy moment.
Instead, Ange Postecoglou put his faith on the guy he had dropped — the man who had cried a few days earlier after being substituted for Brazil, the striker who said he would seek “psychological help.” That’s right: it was Richarlison equalising with a trademark header in the eighth minute of stoppage time, and then setting up Dejan Kulusevski‘s winner two minutes later.
Whether or not he does seek help is his call, but you suspect days like Saturday can only help his state of mind. And that of Tottenham fans, too.
