GOAL US unpacks the main storylines from the international break and World Cup qualifying in The Euro XI
Goodbye, international break. Welcome back to the soccer. The slate of games after international competition are always a little odd: slower, tactically clunkier. It seems as if everyone is still trying to find their feet.
The result, so often, is a sense of drama and jeopardy. And if you subscribe to that theory, then this was an excellent weekend of evidence. Liverpool lost to Man United at home (which is a weird sentence). Ange Postecoglou got sacked after 39 days (a predictable sentence). And Como are the best story in European football (a charming sentence).
Elsewhere, El Clasico looks pretty intense, and it's still a week away. Man City are maybe back for real this time. And La Liga, in general, is just fed up with everything.
GOAL US presents The Euro XI, with 11 key observations from the weekend.
Getty Images Sport1Slot feeling the heat?
Four losses in a row. The first time Man United have won at Anfield since 2016. Who could have predicted all of this? There were always going to be some growing pains when Liverpool signed a load of good players for a load of money. It reeked of a surprise slow start.
But that really should have meant a draw or two, perhaps a defensive lapse here and there. Now, Slot is left looking at the loss every Liverpool fan despises, with not much time to piece things together.
AdvertisementGetty Images Sport2Ruben Amorim buys himself time
Is the real narrative here the fact that Man United won? It's sports, so there's a requirement that you pick one or the other, right? No two things can be true at the same time. Those are the rules. But this seemed big for United. They were composed. They defended well. They took their chances.
These are the basics that haven't happened there for a few years now. Calling this a "turning point" would be a stretch. Still, they can take heart from a solid performance – and enjoy a win over their biggest rivals.
Getty Images Sport3Kane hits 400
It was a bumper weekend for Harry Kane, who, in bagging against Borussia Dortmund, reached 400 career goals. That is, objectively, a lot. Yet somehow, he seems to be constantly underrated. It's hard to see why – maybe the Bundesliga distorts things. Still, he's 32, has plenty of soccer left, and likely has many more goals to come. Oh, and Bayern won 2-1.
Getty Images4Como on fire
Como are the classy version of the American-owned club that most Europeans hate. Forget J.J. Watt or Ryan Reynolds. Here's part owner Thierry Henry looking cool in the stands. And the thing is, unlike Burnley when they got promoted the first time, or Wrexham – stuck(ish) in the Championship – Como are really rather good, something they proved by beating Juventus, 2-0.
They are undefeated in their last five, with Cesc Fabregas turning out to be a smart man at the middle of the project. But the real standout? Real Madrid loanee Nico Paz, who won't be in Italy for long, at this rate.
