Another European soccer weekend is in the books, and we have lots to talk about. Real Madrid gritted out a win ahead of their UEFA Champions League quarterfinal, second leg, vs. Arsenal, though Kylian Mbappé‘s reckless challenge (and deserved red card) shows that all is not well with Los Blancos. In the Premier League, Manchester United were thumped 4-1 at Newcastle in a result that shows how lost they are, while Liverpool rallied to beat West Ham and remain on course for the title.

Elsewhere, Bayern Munich and Vincent Kompany learned a lot in an entertaining Der Klassiker draw with Dortmund, and we have plenty to unpack from Barcelona‘s narrow win at Leganes, Arsenal’s draw with Brentford, the Rome derby and much more. Here are some musings and reactions to the most memorable moments of the weekend.

Kylian Mbappe loses it and Real Madrid are stretched, but survive

This is when you’re tempted to put on your amateur psychologist hat and offer some thoughts on Mbappe.

On Tuesday, he (along with his Real Madrid teammates) was humiliated by Arsenal at the Emirates losing their Champions League quarterfinal first leg, 3-0. On Thursday, his lawyers filed a raft of lawsuits against his old club, Paris Saint-Germain, in an effort to recover the €55 million ($60m) in unpaid wages and bonuses he believes he’s owed. And on Sunday, probably frustrated at the way his game was going, he earned himself a straight red with a horrendous tackle that even his coach — Carlo Ancelotti’s son, Davide, in this case since dad was suspended — said was “a clear sending off.”

Elite athletes often operate in a finely tuned equilibrium of ego and confidence, and that’s a lot for anyone to take on. How he responds to this week will have a huge impact on the rest of Real Madrid’s season not just in whether they bounce back against Arsenal on Wednesday, but also in their run at another LaLiga title and the Copa del Rey. It’s a run that sees them keep pace with Barcelona following the 1-0 victory at Alaves on Sunday, which leaves them four points back.

Truth be told, things don’t look great and not just because Mbappe will now be suspended for two games. Sunday was their first clean sheet in nine games, and their last five wins have all come by a single goal. It was the usual mixed bag of individuals doing something special (Eduardo Camavinga‘s goal, the customary Thibaut Courtois saves) and individuals contributing very little — Arda Güler (though, to be fair, Mbappe’s red card forced him to play more a striker, which is clearly not his jam) and Rodrygo (who is really having a rocky time of late) spring to mind.

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Burley slams Mbappe for ‘disgraceful’ red card challenge

Craig Burley expects Kylian Mbappe to face severe punishment for the challenge that earned him a red card in Real Madrid’s win vs. Alaves.

Positives? Vinicius Jr. looked sharp when he came on and played a big part in the Alaves sending off that made it 10 vs. 10 for the final twenty minutes, and Dani Ceballos is back from injury (though probably not ready to start on Wednesday).

It’s pretty to wild to think that Ceballos’ return could be so critical at this stage of Madrid’s season. But given the ham-fisted, unbalanced way this team was put together, that’s where we are.

Motivation looms large in Newcastle’s drubbing of Manchester United

Newcastle United didn’t just defeat Manchester United 4-1 because they have something to play for — finishing high enough in the table to qualify for the Champions League — whereas United’s only meaningful games (in terms of results, anyway) the rest of the way will come in the Europa League (and, depending how things turn out Thursday night vs. Lyon, it might just be one more game). On the day, they had a better goalkeeper, better central defenders, better wingbacks, better midfielders and a better centerforward, so yeah, there was that too.

But you can’t strip enthusiasm and purpose out of the football equation. I argued several months ago that they should focus on cup competitions because the league was entirely irrelevant to them as anything other than a classroom to learn Ruben Amorim’s football. That, plus professional pride, should be motivating enough. But — and it’s only human — it’s hard to test a machine when key elements in that machine aren’t going to be around.

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Will Onana return to Man United’s XI vs. Lyon?

Gabriele Marcotti and Stewart Robson discuss André Onana’s potential return to the Manchester United squad after being left out against Newcastle United.

Altay Bayindir probably won’t be United’s first-choice keeper, regardless of what happens to André Onana ahead of him in the depth chart. Victor Lindelöf and Christian Eriksen are out of contract and will be gone. Odds are that Alejandro Garnacho will be on his way too, because he can bring in some transfer funds. Joshua Zirkzee‘s future at this club — if he has one — likely won’t be at centerforward.

So when you have a system so built on chemistry and coordination, how are you even refining it when you know key parts aren’t going to be there? And what are you actually going to learn from games like this?

Roll on the Europa League.

Der Klassiker points the way forward for Vincent Kompany and Bayern Munich

Saturday’s affair ended 2-2 and if you’re a Debbie Downer type, you might conclude that it wasn’t a great weekend for Bayern since they ended up dropping points and failed to beat a mid-table Borussia Dortmund still smarting from the midweek hiding at the hands of Barcelona in the UEFA Champions League. Take a step back, though, and this was pretty good all-around for Kompany given the circumstances.

Sure, if Pascal Gross’ late chip had been a little more precise, they could have actually lost the game, but on the run of play they were probably the better side. And while it’s true that Dortmund were coming off a big defeat in the Champions League, psychologically losing at home to Inter when you top the Bundesliga is as tough a blow (if not tougher). Yes, it would have been nice to win this and get the chance to wrap up the title next weekend, but in truth Bayer Leverkusen‘s 0-0 draw at home to Union Berlin means Bayern are one step closer to the inevitable.

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Moreno: Dortmund exposed Bayern’s defensive vulnerabilities

Alejandro Moreno breaks down Bayern Munich’s defensive weaknesses as Dortmund come from behind to earn 2-2 draw.

More important, I think, is this game showed Kompany what mistakes not to repeat in the return leg against Inter, where they will have to overturn a 2-1 deficit at San Siro. For one, Thomas Müller is in great form and with Jamal Musiala unavailable, it’s a no-brainer that he gets more than the 15 minutes he got in the first leg. So too is Serge Gnabry, whose 28-minute cameo saw him bag a goal, an assist and plenty of highlight reel material. Raphaël Guerreiro is far more effective as an attacking fullback than he is in the hole, and Aleksandar Pavlovic came through nearly half an hour unscathed, which means he too can give you an option on Tuesday night.

(On the flip-side, Harry Kane is having a rough time right now. But it’s not as if he’s going to be dropped partly because he can turn it on at any time, partly because there’s literally nobody else.)

If you’re Dortmund, you take the point and note that you’re eighth in the table, while you were 11th less than a month ago. The first half was pretty turgid, but the direction of travel is evident and upward. The main question, with five games to go, is whether they’ll get where they want to be (top 4) before they run out of Bundesliga games.

Liverpool running on fumes, but makes no difference to imminent title celebrations

Smart PR people know how to space out good news.

Late last week, we had the announcement that free agent-to-be Mohamed Salah had extended his deal through 2027. I imagine we’ll get club captain Virgil Van Dijk, also out of contract in June, to make a similar announcement this week. (The way, when asked whether he knew anything about it, he smiled and said “he didn’t, but he did” is a dead giveaway.) And then, the following week, after Tottenham Hotspur at home on April 27, roll on the title celebrations.

Jurgen Klopp’s crown, in 2019-20, was historic because it was the first since 1990, but that one was in the COVID-19 era. This one will feel different if only because the fans will be a huge part of it.

Following Sunday’s 2-1 win over West Ham, Liverpool are 13 points clear. Like a lot of their recent outings, it was far from flawless. They started well, took the lead and then fell away, going through a rough patch and eventually conceding a freak (but deserved) equalizer. Then it was Van Dijk, fittingly, who headed home the winner.

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Nicol: Van Dijk is impossible to replace

Steve Nicol believes Liverpool captain Virgil Van Dijk is “impossible” to replace and is hopeful he will sign a new contract with the club.

Liverpool’s form over the past few months will no doubt have played a part in the club’s decision over Salah’s new deal. With Michael Edwards and Richard Hughes calling the shots, it was never going to be a case of “pay him what he wants.” The bump in salary (around 10%) and the fact it’s a two-year contract (not three) suggest they didn’t get carried away and, if anything, they understand the need to address the squad in the summer, given the spring dip.

Salah’s gem of an assist for Luis Díaz‘s goal reaffirms the fact that he can do things with the ball few others can. But if they get things right in the summer, he’ll be the cherry on top, and not as central to the club’s fortunes as he was this year.

Quick hits

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How the Premier League top-5 race landscape has changed

Craig Burley wonders if Nottingham Forest are no longer a lock to finish in the Premier League top five this season.

10. Man City’s comeback only makes you want Kevin De Bruyne to stick around: The Belgian international scored a goal, delivered an assist, hit the woodwork and generally showed how a quick mind and gifted feet can wreak havoc with any opponent, even at age 33. Manchester City went two goals down at home to Crystal Palace and you wondered if the wheels were, once again, going to come off for Pep Guardiola against one of the better counterattacking sides in the league. It didn’t work out that way, largely because of De Bruyne’s contribution, as they went on to win 5-2 and stay on track for a Champions League spot. De Bruyne knows his body better than anyone, but it’s curious how he was an unused sub — fit enough to be on the bench, but evidently not fit enough to come on even with five subs — on five occasions this season. Despite this, he has already played more league minutes than last season and, more tellingly, he has more goal contributions than every single Manchester City player except for Erling Haaland. Are we sure he doesn’t have another season or two in him at the highest level?

9. Barcelona get the kind of win some say wins you titles: You know, those days when things get ugly, you’re not playing well, you get out of jail but you still gut it out? That’s what Barca’s trip to face Leganes — who had already beaten them at Montjuic this season — was like. LaLiga’s second-from-bottom club only lost thanks to Jorge Saenz’s own goal, which only came about because Óscar Rodríguez attempted a needless backheel in the middle of the park, giving the ball away to Gerard Martín. Beyond that, Wojciech Sczcesny had to make some big saves and Iñigo Martínez made a huge tackle. Hansi Flick did give some starters (Frenkie de Jong, Pau Cubarsí, Gavi) a rest and Barca also had (some) chances, but the game ought to have been a reminder that when their intensity and focus drops just a little, they become vulnerable.

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Why Barca will look back on Leganes victory if they win title

Craig Burley says Barcelona’s narrow 1-0 win over Leganes could be significant for their LaLiga title hopes.

8. Dusan Vlahovic? Fixed (minus the goals). Kenan Yildiz? Fixed. Teun Koopmeiners? Almost… Juventus made the right choice: It doesn’t mean that Igor Tudor is a great manager or even a particularly good one, just that Juve made the right decision in getting rid of Thiago Motta. Maybe Motta really was a genius with an outside-the-box, hyper-sophisticated brand of football. The problem is, history littered with misunderstood geniuses and when, on top of nobody having the foggiest notion of what is being asked of them, they’re also disliked by their players and they don’t get results, there’s only one outcome. Tudor’s football — as we saw in the 2-1 win against Lecce — is simpler, but it has the great merit of being absorbed and understood by his players, especially the big guns. Dusan Vlahovic, who didn’t score but delivered two assists, is productive again (and playing). Kenan Yildiz was man-of-the-match — meaning the Alessandro Del Piero comparisons don’t seem that fanciful — and Koopmeiners actually scored, looking as good as he has since he arrived at the club. What Tudor is doing isn’t rocket science, but it’s exactly what Juve needed.

7. Oihan Sancet delivers when it matters as Athletic Club break their streak: Three straight scoreless draws, including the first leg of their Europa League clash with Rangers on Thursday, suggested things might be going south for Ernesto Valverde’s crew, especially with tricky away ties against Real Madrid and Real Sociedad to come. But it was Oihan Sancet who came through big time and cued the 3-1 comeback win against Rayo Vallecano that give them breathing room in La Liga (they are six points clear of fifth place). Sancet has had his critics at times, but the numbers speak for themselves. He is the fourth leading scorer in LaLiga despite not being an outright centerforward and despite starting just 17 league games.

6. Rome derby ends in draw, but Lazio have the upper hand: There are two big takeaways here, as I see it. One is that Lazio are a better team. Maybe not a more talented one, but more of a team, a group put together to play a certain way under coach Marco Baroni. And that matters. That probably explains why they’re sixth, three points out of the top four and while they’re still alive in Europe despite their defeat away to Bodo Glimt in their Europa League quarterfinal, first leg. As for Roma, they look like what they are: a haphazardly assembled group of individuals who rely on moments of brilliance, like Matìas Soulè‘s equalizer. That said, let’s remember Roma were 15th in early December, just two points from relegation and now they’re seventh. A lot of the credit has to go to Claudio Ranieri who became Roma’s third manager this season and who, if he retires in June (as he says he will), will ride off into the sunset undefeated in the Rome derby. For a guy who is Rome born and bred, that’s some achievement.

5. Monaco crush Marseille as Roberto De Zerbi’s project hangs in the balance: I was excited to see what De Zerbi could achieve in Marseille given the highs he reached with Brighton. Second place behind Paris Saint-Germain seemed like a minimum hurdle — given they have the second-highest wage bill in the league — but as much as results, you were looking for growth. De Zerbi’s football isn’t easy to metabolize, but with no European games, you figured they’d get stronger as the season wore on. Instead, they’ve now lost five of their last seven games and the 3-0 defeat at Monaco could have been worse if not for some big saves from Gerónimo Rulli. De Zerbi (and Marseille) have some thinking to do…

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Are Arsenal distracted by their Champions League campaign?

Luis Miguel Echegaray and Janusz Michallik discuss as to why Arsenal have been less than impressive in the Premier League in recent weeks.

4. Mikel Arteta may deny it, but Arsenal are focused on Real Madrid as they should be: No manager is going to say they’re giving up on the league, but actions speak louder than words and when you saw Arsenal’s lineup — Kieran Tierney at left back, Jorginho and Oleksandr Zinchenko in midfield and, most importantly, Martin Odegaard and Bukayo Saka on the bench — it was obvious what was going on, and it was the right call too. Never mind the 3-0 advantage they hold from their first-leg vs. Real Madrid: ninety minutes (plus stoppage time) can be an eternity at the Bernabeu. And, if anything, the second-stringers who came in were highly motivated, as evidenced by the fact that Arsenal could easily have won this game rather than settling for a 1-1 draw. Brentford aren’t Real Madrid and Yoane Wissa isn’t Mbappe, but the fact that they limited them to three shots and an xG of 0.24 bodes well…

3. Simone Inzaghi rotates his team, Marko Arnautovic devastates and Inter Milan stay top in Serie A: The first bit isn’t a surprise: making five changes from the midweek win over Bayern is the sort of thing Inzaghi has been doing all season long. The second part is a nice bonus, though, as Arnautovic opened the scoring, thundering through the area before smacking it into the roof of the net and his no-look around-the-corner assist for Lautaro Martínez was a gem too, as Inter won 3-1 against Cagliari. Arnautovic is now 35 and anyone who has followed his career knows that you rely on him at your peril, because he can be maddeningly inconsistent. But his skill set (size, strength and creativity) is a nice complement to Inzaghi’s other options — Mehdi Taremi‘s workrate and whatever it is Joaquín Correa offers — off the bench.

2. Chelsea come back to snatch a point at home vs. Ipswich, but dependency on Cole Palmer is still a big issue: At half-time, 2-0 down, they were booed off the pitch. In the end, it finished 2-2 and Chelsea might have won if not for two huge Alex Palmer saves. (But then, so could Ipswich if Liam Delap’s finishing had been better.) The draw leaves Chelsea sixth, one spot outside Champions League qualification. They can still turn it around, but it’s striking how much this team looks for Palmer at every turn. The back four (at least the one that played on Sunday) aren’t much of an attacking threat, so he’s the one who has drop deep to collect the ball. The wingers (other than Jadon Sancho who scored a stunning equalizer after coming on) tend to slow things down, and their crosses disappear into a throng of bodies in the Ipswich box. Nico Jackson, probably still not fully fit, struggled against two big central defenders, which meant Palmer had to end up taking more shots on goal than anyone. We can blame youth all we like, but this remains a poorly constructed squad (relative to the resources spent) and one that will only get better when it weans itself off of Palmer. Productive as he is, he’s only 22 and he can be much more effective if the parts around him are working as they should.

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Robson: ‘Mole gate’ is the least of Postecoglou’s problems

Stewart Robson believes that news leaking from the Tottenham Hotspur camp is the least of Ange Postecoglou problems after suffering a 4-2 defeat to Wolves at the Molineux Stadium.

1. Tottenham’s problems are leaks at the back, not to the media: Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou set himself up for it when he complained about injury information and the like finding its way into media reports and vowing “to deal with the mole.” Sure, dressing room trust is a thing and when it’s violated things can get very bad, very quickly. But that’s not what appears to have happened here and, believe it or not, news of Wilson Odobert‘s calf pain is not hugely relevant in the grand scheme of things. The more pressing concern is Tottenham’s defending, which was all over the place in a 4-2 defeat to Wolves. Postecoglou rightly mixed things up with a view towards the Europa League return leg against Eintracht Frankfurt this week, but some of the worst culprits on the day — like Cristian Romero and Guglielmo Vicario — are likely to start in Europe, so you can’t even blame that.