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Tag: French Ligue 1

  • Weekend Review: Are Napoli Europe’s most in-form team?

    Weekend Review: Are Napoli Europe’s most in-form team?

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    Another weekend of headlines, golazos and unpredictable finishes across Europe’s biggest league is in the bag. From Napoli‘s gritty 1-0 over AS Roma in Serie A, to Liverpool‘s shock loss to Nottingham Forest, there was no shortage of drama.

    ESPN correspondents Rob Dawson, Julien Laurens, Sam Marsden, James Tyler and Mark Ogden break down the big stuff you need to know about the weekend.

    – Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, MLS, more (U.S.)

    Jump to: Talking points | Best goals | Teams in trouble | MVP of the Weekend

    Talking points

    Dembele turns it on for Barca

    Ousmane Dembele delivered a dazzling display to help Barcelona beat Athletic Club 4-0 on Sunday. Dembele opened the scoring with a header, his first for the club, and then claimed a hat trick of assists, setting up goals for Robert Lewandowski, who took his tally for the season to 17, Sergi Roberto and Ferran Torres.

    Dembele, 25, has been consistently backed by coach Xavi Hernandez, who was the key to him signing a contract renewal in the summer, and is now repaying that faith on the pitch. What he now needs to do, after receiving some criticism for his performance in last weekend’s loss to Real Madrid, is be more consistent and, above all, make the difference in the biggest games.

    – Watch replay: Barcelona 4-0 Athletic Club (ESPN+, U.S. only)
    – Marsden: Dembele guides Barca to emphatic win over Athletic

    Barca’s win against Athletic concluded a good few days for Xavi’s side after they beat Villarreal 3-0 on Thursday. There was an element of disappointment lurking around the club after Champions League and Clasico setbacks, but two big home wins — Sunday’s was played in front of over 84,000 fans at Camp Nou — has helped lift the mood around the club.

    It has also kept things interesting at the top of LaLiga. Barca remain just three points back from leaders Madrid after 11 games. Madrid are still unbeaten after they beat Sevilla 3-1 on Saturday. Barca have lost just once, that reverse to Madrid last weekend. — Marsden

    Danks a part of the new wave

    Steph Curry probably didn’t keep a close eye on events between Aston Villa and Brentford on Sunday, with the Golden State Warriors player more likely to have been preparing for his own encounter with the Sacramento Kings later the same day, but whether he knows it or not, the NBA superstar helped pave the way for Villa caretaker-manager Aaron Danks to win his first game in charge.

    Danks is perhaps the biggest unknown ever to take charge of a Premier League team, with even the most ardent Villa supporter unlikely to know too much about the 37-year-old who has been installed as interim boss following the sacking of Steven Gerrard last week.

    Having never played the game as a professional, Danks has risen through the coaching ranks in England, initially as academy coach at West Bromwich Albion before becoming head of specialist coaching with the English FA and a stint working with England undder-20s when they won the 2017 U20 World Cup.

    It was during his time with the FA that Danks travelled to San Francisco to study the methods of seven-time NBA champions Golden State, shadowing Curry and his individual development coach while working on his three-point shooting.

    Danks has since worked alongside Vincent Kompany at Anderlecht before moving to Villa as assistant to Dean Smith and Gerrard, but with Gerrard fired after a disastrous start to the season, he now has the chance to become the latest coach to prove that a big reputation as a player is not required to become a top coach.

    Villa are almost certain to turn to a proven coach as the permanent successor to Gerrard, but clubs are now hiring managers who have worked their way up as coaches and Danks is the polar opposite of Gerrard, who was one of the best players of his generation.

    The new wave of coaches spend years honing their skills and studying the best in all sports, just as Danks has done with Curry and the Golden State Warriors. — Ogden

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    Gab Marcotti and Julien Laurens discuss the possibility of Mauricio Pochettino taking the manager’s job at Aston Villa.

    Napoli are the real deal

    Maybe Gab Marcotti’s slogan for Victor Osimhen, “The best is yet to come,” should be the same for Napoli. The Nigerian striker scored the winning goal against AS Roma at the Olimpico on Sunday night, proving once more that this Napoli side is the real deal, both in Italy where they are top of the table, and in Europe where they have been the best team in the Champions League so far.

    The game in Rome felt like a real test for Luciano Spaletti and his players. They passed it and even if they didn’t have their usual attacking mojo, they were still solid and efficient. They are still unbeaten this season after having beaten Lazio and AC Milan on the way too.

    Napoli’s upcoming fixtures (Sassuolo, Atalanta, Empoli and Udinese) mean that they can definitely stay at the top of Serie A until the World Cup. Sunday night showed that they can do it in different ways: with flair and scoring goals or with grit and defensive cohesion. — Laurens

    Time to say goodbye to Union’s title hopes?

    Sunday’s dour 2-1 defeat at Bochum should precipitate the eventual return of the Bundesliga’s status quo at the top end of the table, especially with so little time until the expanded World Cup winter break and with everyone else steadily closing the gap. It’s a shame, too: Cinderella stories are always a treat, made more thrilling that the gaps between rich clubs and the remainder getting ever-wider. Union Berlin’s style of football can be tough on the eyes and is reliant upon forcing mistakes from opponents, which works most of the time; however, being reactive is never going to work for a team that wants to contend. Great teams bend others to their will rather than waiting for gifts.

    Heading into the game knowing that the five teams immediately below them — Bayern Munich, Freiburg, Eintracht Frankfurt, Mainz and Borussia Dortmund — all won this weekend, Sunday saw Union muster just three shots on goal and only found the net in the 93rd minute, with the game well beyond them at that point. Depth was always going to be a concern in a title race that always felt like a brief novelty, especially as the likes of Bayern were able to rotate a little and still pick up three points.

    A stubborn Bochum served as inhospitable hosts, forcing mistakes and profiting from individual brain-farts. Philipp Hofmann scored two very different goals — the first a header off a corner in which Union barely prevented him glancing it beyond Frederik Ronnow, and the second a sliding finish after a slick counter-attack caught Union flat-footed. Only when two goals down did Union really show spark, and they’ll wish Milos Pantovic had a second chance at a penalty after a super save by Manuel Riemann, but this should force a refocus and restatement of season goals by Union that helps them remain in the top 7-8. With two Europa League games and league dates with Borussia Monchengladbach and Bayer Leverkusen in the next 14 days, there’s little time to dwell. — Tyler

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    Watch the Game Highlights from VfL Bochum vs. FC Union Berlin, 10/23/2022

    Goals

    Another Haaland masterclass

    The pass from Ederson is absurd, but so is the turn of pace from Erling Haaland to nick the ball away from Robert Sanchez and also the strength of the Norwegian to flatten Adam Webster before rolling the ball into an empty net. After being kept out by Liverpool last weekend, it was Haaland’s 16th Premier League goal of the season. By full-time, he already had No.17 — the same number as Harry Kane managed in total last season. — Dawson

    Reyna notches his first headline of the season

    It’s been another difficult season for United States star Giovanni Reyna at Dortmund; not because of his form (he’s always good), but because of his fitness. As usual, minor injuries have kept him from getting up a head of steam before the World Cup — he’s played just 19% of the available minutes at the club level this season — but he was superb throughout during Dortmund’s 5-0 rout of hapless Stuttgart on Saturday, even scoring his first goal in 421 days. The win also helps BVB feel like they’re in the title race, creeping up to fifth place, just four points behind league leaders Union Berlin.

    Reyna’s goal was the cherry on top of his excellent performance in midfield, dazzling alongside the equally effervescent Jude Bellingham. With BVB 2-0 up on the cusp of half-time, Reyna got his chance following some neat approach play by Julian Brandt and Youssoufa Moukoko. The ball was slid into Reyna’s path on the left side of the box and after a couple of touches, he curled it beautifully beyond a helpless Florian Muller and inside the far post.

    It was elegant and emotional in equal measure; even non-USMNT fans will have welled up a little at the sight of him celebrating, face down, in the corner while his teammates sprinted to give him a hug of encouragement and a pat on the head. More please, Gio. — Tyler

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    Gio Reyna fires one in with his right foot before halftime, giving Borussia Dortmund the 3-0 lead.

    Valverde’s hot streak continues for Madrid

    At this stage, teams should probably stop letting Federico Valverde shoot from distance, although that is presumably easier said than done. The Uruguayan’s latest rocket hit the back of the net before Sevilla goalkeeper Yassine Bounou had a chance to blink on Saturday and sealed an impressive 3-1 win for Real Madrid, who remain unbeaten at the top of LaLiga.

    It was Valverde’s third goal in a week. His strike and performance in last weekend’s Clasico victory over Barcelona led teammate Toni Kroos to brand him one of the top three players in the world right now. That praise did not go to his head and he followed up that display with crackers against first Elche and then Sevilla. That is seven goals in all competitions for the all-action midfielder. He only scored six in his first four seasons with Madrid. — Marsden

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    Federico Valverde goal 81st minute Real Madrid 3-1 Sevilla FC

    Teams in trouble

    Liverpool stumble again

    The worry for Liverpool is that they were supposed to be back. Back-to-back league wins over Manchester City and West Ham should have signalled a turning point in their season but they suffered another set-back at bottom side Nottingham Forest.

    Liverpool will perhaps feel that they should have earned at least a point, particularly after Forest needed an unbelievable late save from Dean Henderson to keep out Virgil van Dijk‘s header, but they certainly didn’t do enough to win the game. Jurgen Klopp says he already believes Liverpool are out of the title race but if they were to go on another poor run, their place in next season’s Champions League would also be under threat. — Dawson

    Three down for Marseille

    Between Aug. 7 and Sept. 30 — so seven weeks — Marseille didn’t lose a single Ligue 1 match. They were riding high, just behind Paris Saint-Germain in the table, playing well and being solid, giving their fans high ambitions and hopes. Between Oct. 8 and Oct. 22 — two weeks — they have now been beaten three times in a row, two of them at home at the Stade Velodrome.

    All the good things that we saw at the start of the season are gone. In the defeat against Ajaccio, the first one of the bad run, the Marseillais defended badly. In Paris, PSG were better but Marseille played well but couldn’t take their chances. And against Lens at home, it was both. Igor Tudor and his players have a huge game in the Champions League (where things have been better) next week but right now, the camp is down and full of doubts. From a strong second in the table, there are now fifth and on a real negative spiral. –Laurens

    Weekend MVP

    Atleti’s ‘new signing’ Griezmann

    Antoine Griezmann has been like a new signing for Atletico Madrid in their last three league matches, perhaps because technically he is. On Oct. 10, Atletico confirmed that Griezmann’s two-year loan from Barcelona had been made permanent for an initial fee of €20 million. Prior to that, he had been reduced to 30-minute cameo roles in the second half of games due to a clause in the loan agreement with Barca which could have forced Atletico to pay €40m for him. Freed from the uncertainty that generated surrounding his future, he has led Atletico’s charge to third in the table.

    His latest exploits came on Sunday at Real Betis, where he scored twice in a 2-1 win as Atletico established themselves as Real Madrid and Barcelona’s biggest challengers once again. His first goal was direct from a corner and his second was squeezed between goalkeeper Rui Silva‘s legs. Three of his five league goals and one of his two assists have come in his last three games.

    But Griezmann 2.0 at Atletico is about more than goals. He is Diego Simeone’s No.2 on the pitch. He is his team’s playmaker. He is, at the moment, the difference between Atletico and the rest of the chasing pack, as Betis, who were level on points with Atletico heading into the weekend, found on Sunday at the Benito Villamarin. — Marsden

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  • Kylian Mbappe, PSG and Real Madrid: It’s complicated

    Kylian Mbappe, PSG and Real Madrid: It’s complicated

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    Kylian Mbappe wants out at PSG and Real Madrid are keen, but what’s really going on? ESPN’s Insider Notebook has the latest.

    Jump to: Xabi Alonso tipped as potential Real Madrid manager | Man Utd wary of Barcelona’s Dalot interest | Man City identify key area to rebuild

    Kylian Mbappe’s complicated relationship with Real Madrid

    Real Madrid aren’t considering yet another move for long-time top target Kylian Mbappe, sources told ESPN, after they were scorned by his last-minute U-turn that saw the star forward snub them to stay at Paris Saint-Germain last May.

    ESPN reported on Tuesday that Mbappe, 23, is pushing to leave PSG — just five months after signing a new contract — after his relationship with club executives broke down over what he views as broken promises regarding team tactics and recruitment. PSG sporting director Luis Campos has denied the reports, saying Mbappe has expressed no desire to leave in the January transfer window.

    Sources said Madrid are not planning on reigniting their longstanding interest in Mbappe, and while a move cannot be entirely ruled out should he become available, the LaLiga club are now focusing on other targets.

    – Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, MLS, more (U.S.)

    Mbappe was expected to join Madrid on a free transfer last June, bringing an end to a years-long saga which had seen him become a top priority for president Florentino Perez. Yet Mbappe’s late change of heart saw the France international spurn Madrid to extend his deal at the Parc des Princes did not go down well at the Bernabeu.

    Mbappe initially cited PSG’s “sporting project” as having convinced him to stay, but later said he had come under pressure from president Emmanuel Macron to continue his career in France. Sources told ESPN that Mbappe now feels that assurances he received about his role in the PSG team — he would like to play alongside a conventional No.9 and wanted an exit for teammate Neymar — have not been met.

    Madrid chose not to bring in an alternative after missing out on Mbappe, putting their faith in Brazil forwards Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo Goes to deliver alongside Karim Benzema. Vinicius, 22, has followed his winner in the Champions League final by scoring seven times in all competitions so far this campaign, while Rodrygo, 21, has contributed four goals in Madrid’s unbeaten start.

    In the long-term — and when the time comes to replace Benzema, now 34 — the club could revive their interest in Erling Haaland, after their pursuit of Mbappe and Benzema’s career-best form saw them drop out of the race to sign him this year. Haaland has made a spectacular start to life in the Premier League with Manchester City, scoring 20 goals in his first 12 games.

    Javier Tebas, the president of LaLiga, told ESPN the league would welcome a player of Mbappe’s calibre if Real Madrid were to press ahead with a move.

    “When I talk about Madrid, I do it thinking of most of their fans, who always are looking for exceptional players and top world quality. And Mbappe is one of those players,” he said.

    “I can see it’s difficult for the club because it hurts what he did to Madrid in the summer, but I don’t think fans are going to say no to adding such a player to their squad. If Mbappe comes, he will be applauded, cheered, followed … I am convinced.” — Alex Kirkland and Rodrigo Faez

    Real Madrid watch Xabi Alonso’s managerial progress

    Real Madrid will be watching Xabi Alonso’s performance as Bayer Leverkusen manager with interest, sources told ESPN, viewing the former Liverpool, Madrid and Bayern Munich midfielder as a potential candidate to take charge at the Bernabeu.

    Alonso, 40, was appointed by Leverkusen on Oct. 5 as the Bundesliga club look to turn around a dreadful start to the season in which they took just five points from their first eight league games. Madrid will be monitoring Alonso’s progress closely, sources said, as the LaLiga giants believe that he fits the profile of a possible future Real Madrid manager.

    The former midfielder had the opportunity to play for and learn from some of the most successful coaches of recent years including Rafa Benitez, Jose Mourinho, Carlo Ancelotti and Pep Guardiola. Alonso is a familiar face at Madrid, having followed his five-year spell there as a player by managing their under-14s through the 2018-19 season in his first coaching job. He went on to impress in his three years in charge of Real Sociedad’s B team, leading them in 2021 to their first promotion to Spain’s Second Division in 60 years.

    Madrid now want to see how Alonso develops in this next phase of his coaching career with Leverkusen, which is his first top-flight appointment. Alonso had an immediate impact, beating Schalke 4-0 in his debut last week, although a 3-0 home defeat to FC Porto in midweek left them bottom of Champions League Group B with two rounds of matches remaining. — Alex Kirkland and Rodrigo Faez

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    Rob Dawson talks about Cristiano Ronaldo after the Manchester United striker scores his 700th career club goal.

    Man Utd fight off Barcelona interest in Dalot

    Manchester United will activate an extension in Diogo Dalot‘s contract to ward off interest from Barcelona, sources told ESPN. Dalot is into the final year of the deal he signed after joining from Porto in 2018 but United have an option to extend his stay until 2024.

    Barcelona are one of a number of clubs monitoring his situation, but the 23-year-old will not be available on a free transfer next summer.

    Dalot has established himself at the first-choice right-back since Erik ten Hag’s arrival as manager, playing 11 games in all competitions so far this season. The Portugal international is into his fifth season at Old Trafford and approaching 100 appearances for the club. He spent the 2020-21 campaign on loan at Milan but has since become a key part of the squad at United.

    He is also set to be part of the Portugal squad at the World Cup in Qatar alongside club teammates Cristiano Ronaldo and Bruno Fernandes. — Rob Dawson

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    Janusz Michallik reacts to Manchester City’s 0-0 draw with FC Copenhagen in the Champions League.

    Man City’s focus on centre-midfield in transfer market

    Manchester City have made a central midfielder their priority ahead of next summer’s transfer window, sources have told ESPN.

    The club are looking at options to strengthen their midfield including Borussia Dortmund teenager Jude Bellingham. City spent an initial £42 million to sign England midfielder Kalvin Phillips from Leeds United last summer and they are set to invest again at the end of the season. There remain doubts over the futures of both Ilkay Gundogan and Bernardo Silva. Gundogan has entered the final year of his contract and could leave for free at the end of the season.

    Bernardo, meanwhile, is still a target for Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain. — Rob Dawson

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