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Hello! Manchester City have won fewer games than San Marino in the past month and Mohamed Salah could leave Liverpool. It’s all happening.
Premier storylines: Why are City so fallible?
Every once in a while, the Premier League throws up a genuinely seismic result that feels like it symbolises the end of an era.
Liverpool’s 7-2 hiding at Aston Villa in 2020 springs to mind, as does Manchester United’s 5-0 walloping at Newcastle in the 1990s. To see the reigning English champions humiliated and humbled in such a manner is a very rare event.
It’s not an exact science (United still won the Premier League that season) and Manchester City have a habit of sweeping all opposition aside in the second half of a campaign, but their crushing 4-0 defeat at home to Tottenham Hotspur felt consequential, as did the sight of one of the game’s greatest-ever managerial minds looking powerless to stop it.
There are many reasons Pep Guardiola’s team are so fallible — specifically, 16 reasons according to our City reporter Sam Lee — but it’s hard to look past injuries and an ageing squad.
Erling Haaland’s goals were masking deficiencies (and since throwing the ball at Gabriel’s head, he has scored just two goals from an xG of six, according to FBRef), but without Rodri and Mateo Kovacic and as Ilkay Gundogan, Kyle Walker and Phil Foden struggle for form, City have a softer centre than a melted marshmallow (giving up 2.8 Opta-defined ‘big chances’ per game, almost double the most they’ve previously conceded under Guardiola). They are vulnerable like never before under their Spanish boss.
And boy did Spurs expose them, chiefly via the dexterous genius that is Dejan Kulusevski and the rejuvenated James Maddison.
For all City’s inadequacies, Ange Postecoglou’s positional ploy was a masterstroke, with Kulusevski surprisingly moved out wide and Maddison brought in to exploit the gaps that were forged by the runs of team-mates.
It was not a new tactic from Postecoglou (who we’ll assume isn’t in danger of the sack anymore), as expertly analysed by Ahmed Walid, who has pinpointed how Spurs dragged City’s defenders in directions they didn’t want to head in.
Salah: I’m more out than in at Liverpool
The direction of Mohamed Salah’s future remains unclear, especially after a forthright post-match interview with James Pearce in which Salah, who, like Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold, is out of contract in the summer, says he’s “more out than in” in terms of a new deal and hasn’t received any offers from the club.
Contractual hokey cokey aside, Liverpool continue to fly despite having to rely on three early Christmas presents from Southampton’s extremely generous defence on Sunday — with Salah sparking the comeback when Alex McCarthy was caught hopelessly out of position (below).
That’s 12 league games and 10 wins for Arne Slot’s side. Only two teams in the Premier League era have registered a start that good and not gone on to win the title (Arsenal in 2022-23 and the aforementioned Newcastle in 1995-96).
Hello and goodbye
This was also the weekend we said a proper hello to Ruben Amorim and his new-look Manchester United who, in keeping with the old Manchester United, struggled in front of goal (only three teams have scored fewer than United’s tally of 13). Otherwise, it was a fairly non-eventful start against a fiercely committed Ipswich Town. Welcome to the Premier League, etc.
It was also goodbye to Steve Cooper, sacked by Leicester City after only a few months in charge. Cooper was tasked with keeping them up at all costs but seems to have paid the price for being nothing like his predecessor, Enzo Maresca. To be fair, we could have told them that.
- Sky Sports pundit Roy Keane was involved in an altercation with a supporter at Portman Road following United’s draw. Sky is working with those on the ground to establish the facts.
Tales from America: Galaxy stars repay $20m spend
Remember when LA Galaxy used to be good? Superstar David Beckham, talisman Landon Donovan, Robbie Keane at his boyhood club, etc? Yeah, it’s been a while.
Well, they’re back. For the first time since 2014, Galaxy have reached the Western Conference final, where they face Seattle Sounders next weekend. They spent $20million (£15.9m) in transfer fees on designated players Gabriel Pec — who scored twice — and Joseph Paintsil to get there, which is looking like money well spent.
In the Eastern Conference, Inter Miami’s conquerors Atlanta United were knocked out by Orlando City, who take on the victors of the New York derby, New York Red Bulls, on Sunday for a place in the MLS Cup final.
Messi and Mascherano: A good match?
Someone hoping to be there next year is Javier Mascherano. No, not as a guest in Lionel Messi’s executive box, but as manager of Inter Miami.
Has Messi had anything to do with the potential appointment of his former team-mate? Of course he has. Miami co-owner Jorge Mas directly asked Messi: “What is important to you and what is important to get the best out of our roster and starting XI?” Messi’s the sporting director as well as their best player, it seems.
Marta, her mother and a dream come true
Orlando Pride and Marta have won their first NWSL championship. The 38-year-old Brazilian has rolled back the years with her best club season in living memory. And her mum was there, too, watching live for the first time in the United States. It’s a feel-good tale.
Tributes in Spain: Games return to Valencia after floods
Dermot Corrigan witnessed Valencia’s incredibly emotional return to football at the weekend, almost a month after 221 people died in floods that were the worst natural disaster in Spain’s recent history.
Valencia beat Real Betis 4-2, but football was a sideshow to the tributes paid in a region that is deep in mourning. Players were in tears and many fans wore black as a mark of respect. The game also produced one of the most powerful images of the football season to date.
Elsewhere in La Liga, Real Madrid president Florentino Perez had a pop at UEFA and FIFA over the packed schedule. “The calendar is linked to an alarming increase in injuries,” he said. “UEFA and FIFA have added 14 matches of their own, equivalent to two and a half months of competition.”
Madrid, who have suffered seven ACL injuries in the past 12 months, didn’t look too badly off on Sunday. Kylian Mbappe and Jude Bellingham scored in a 3-0 win at Leganes, but news of Vinicius Junior picking up an injury is not ideal as they welcome Liverpool in the Champions League on Wednesday.
Nevertheless, it was an important victory as Lamine Yamal-less Barcelona dropped points again, letting a 2-0 lead slip in the final six minutes to draw at Celta Vigo.
Around The Athletic FC
(Getty Images; design: Eamonn Dalton)
- If you want to feel old, Nicolas Pepe is 29 already. Almost a veteran. Anyway, he’s been speaking to Jack Lang about the millstone around his neck that was the £72million fee Arsenal paid for him in 2019. “Arsenal spent a lot of money on me and I paid the price for it.”
- Michele Kang has become a very important name in U.S. women’s soccer. Meg Linehan tells us how and why Yang is splashing the cash.
- What’s the best football song of all time? Obviously Freed From Desire by my mate Gala.
- Here to discuss 29 goals in nine games, one sacking and one early shout for manager of the season are the experts (and one idiot called Tim) on the Totally Football Show.
- What’s the best half-time football entertainment you’ve ever seen? When the Wolves mascot had a fight with some pigs. Clearly.
- Most clicked in Friday’s TAFC: Tim Howard labelling Christian Pulisic “stupid” for his Trump dance celebration.
Quiz answer
In Friday’s TAFC, we asked you to put some Premier League moments, labelled A-E, in chronological order (from oldest to most recent). Here is how it should look…
B: A player records a hat-trick of assists in a Premier League game (Tommy Wright vs Leeds, August 1992)
C: The first Premier League headed hat-trick is scored (Duncan Ferguson vs Bolton, December 1997)
E: Ian Wright scores his final Premier League goal (April 1999)
D: Chelsea name the first ‘foreign XI’ in a Premier League game (December 1999)
A: David Beckham unveils his shaved head at Filbert Street (March 2000)
Catch a match (Times ET/UK)
Premier League: Newcastle United vs West Ham United, 3pm/8pm — USA Network, Fubo/Sky Sports; Serie A: Empoli vs Udinese, 12.30pm/5.30pm — CBS Sports, Paramount+/OneFootball; Venezia vs Lecce, 2.45pm/19.45pm — CBS Sports, Paramount+/OneFootball.
And finally…
How was your weekend? Didn’t make a fool of yourself on a debaucherous Saturday did you? Don’t worry, it won’t have been as embarrassing as what goalkeeper Jared Thompson did here. Sorry Jared… but what were you doing? Clearly trying to pass the ball out from the back — but can you really blame Storm Bert for sucking it into the top corner of your goal?
Still, at least his team, Gloucester City, came from 4-0 down to draw at Walton & Hersham, so it could have been worse.
(Top photo: Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty Images)
