Barcelona win Supercopa, Man United exit FA Cup, Spurs’ Frank in trouble, more

The European soccer weekend is over, but it’s left us A LOT to talk about and unpack on Monday! For a start, the Supercopa de España concluded in Riyadh on Sunday with Barcelona — led by the incandescent attacking stylings of Raphinha — defeating Clásico rivals Real Madrid 3-2 to claim the crown. Xabi Alonso did try to play more conservatively despite his tactical tendencies, and it still didn’t work, so … what will they do next?

In England, it was the weekend of the FA Cup third round and we got plenty of shocks to unpack, from nonleague Macclesfield FC dumping defending champions Crystal Palace out of the competition — the biggest upset in tournament history — to Manchester United, still with an interim manager in Darren Fletcher, losing to Brighton in one of the few ties to pit Premier League teams against one another.

Then, in Italy, we had a top-of-the-table clash — and classic Antonio Conte meltdown — when Inter met Napoli, plus talking points galore around Tottenham (more pressure on Thomas Frank), Bayern Munich (who won 8-1), the Africa Cup of Nations (as Nigeria and Egypt both booked semifinal places), Liverpool (who face a defensive crisis), Chelsea (who welcomed new boss Liam Rosenior to the touchline), Milan, and much, much more.

It’s Monday morning, so what better time for some musings? Let’s get into it.

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– Ogden: FA Cup reminds us why we love soccer
– Olley: The clock is ticking for Thomas Frank at Tottenham
– Marsden, Kirkland: Raphinha shines in Barca’s Supercopa win

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Too much Barcelona, too much Raphinha even for a ‘safety first’ Real Madrid in Supercopa

Some might say it’s not really «safety first» when, with Kylian Mbappé not yet fit enough to start, you still line up with three forwards (Vinícius Jr., Rodrygo and Gonzalo García) plus Jude Bellingham. But it’s not just about the names; it’s about what they’re asked to do.

Bellingham held his position, adding density to the midfield. Garcia and Rodrygo doubled back to disrupt (or try anyway) the Pedri–Frenkie de Jong creative access. Fede Valverde was essentially a wingback and, of course, there was no Arda Güler in the starting XI, with some suggesting it was part of cloak-and-dagger shenanigans.

The Turkish playmaker was in the lineup announced prior to kickoff only to disappear 20 minutes later, with Real Madrid citing «human error.» Was it that, or was it come sort of «curveball» to confuse Barcelona? We might never know, but given Hansi Flick rarely reacts to the opposition and generally always plays the same way, you want to give Madrid the benefit of the doubt.

The upshot was Barça with a whopping 76% possession in the first half and, to be fair, the plan might have worked if Gonzalo or Vini had taken their chances in the first half hour. But they didn’t, Raphinha did and Real Madrid were down. Then, because Barça are Barça(even Jules Koundé) and Vini can go beast mode at any time, Real Madrid equalized in a wild injury period at the end of the first half, which saw three goals in five minutes: Vini’s solo run, Pedri setting up Lewandowski to make it 2-1 and then Garcia’s equalizer after the penalty box pinball.

At halftime it was 2-2, but the script was familiar. Barça scored through movement and patterns of play, Real Madrid relied on individual brilliance and set piece chaos. The latter is simply not a sustainable formula for a big club, but in Jeddah they played with the humility of a small club taking on a more gifted opponent.

And so, it came to pass that if Raúl Asencio or Álvaro Carreras had taken their late chances — after Raphinha’s winner to make it 3-2 — we would have had a draw, then penalties, and then maybe a different narrative. But fundamentally the substance wouldn’t have changed.

The game was entertaining and there were positives, like Vini reminding us what he can do or the fact that some of Xabi’s superstars showed they can be humble, work hard and follow instructions. But this is a reactive Real Madrid, not a proactive one. This is Xabi Alonso cosplaying as Jose Mourinho or Carlo Ancelotti. You can justify it, perhaps, in a one-off game like this one; week in, week out, he’ll have to change or the club will change him with another manager.

As for Barcelona, Raphinha obviously stands out thanks to the two goals — the winner was scored while falling over, which takes some doing — but overall they simply looked more like a team. A flawed team, perhaps, and we can second-guess Flick until the cows come home (from the defensive line to the substitutions), but they have a very clear identity and that matters. He’s making his 12-month head start over Xabi count.

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Manchester United bounced out of FA Cup, but at least they’re close to appointing a manager

OK, that’s a bit of a «troll» from me. It wasn’t the only silver lining to another disappointing weekend for the club: The 2-1 home defeat marks only the third time in 41 years that they exit the competition at this stage.

The players Darren Fletcher sent out showed pride and even production — they had more shots and a higher xG than the opposition. Sure, it was a largely second-string Brighton side — no Bart Verbruggen, no Jan Van Hecke, no Lewis Dunk, no Yankuba Minteh, no Yasin Ayari, no Carlos Baleba, no Mats Wieffer, no Maxim De Cuyper, no Kaoru Mitoma — but still, it was a reminder there is talent in the team.

The problem is that United feel like they’re in a holding pattern, and that won’t change until they get a manager. Monday morning was full of rumors that the appointment of Michael Carrick as interim boss — I guess Fletcher is the «interim interim boss» — through the end of the season was imminent. Carrick is liked and respected, though lest we forget he finished 8th and 10th in his last two full seasons at Middlesbrough, eventually getting sacked last June.

If they do get a new boss, a couple things seem logical.

Their next game is the Manchester derby. Maybe making it his debut — when there’s a risk of a heavy defeat at Old Trafford and further negativity — isn’t the greatest idea. Be clear, too, about what the club goals are: Champions League football (they’re one point out of fifth place, lest we forget) and finding someone to take the club forward next season.

And please remember your own history, and what happened the last time you brought in a club legend to take you through the summer on an interim basis (Ole Gunnar Solskjaer): No matter how well he does, stick to the original plan and bring in a permanent boss in the summer. No matter how much Carrick’s old teammates in the commentariat tell you that you should just stick with him.

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Antonio Conte goes ballistic over VAR penalty as Inter and Napoli draw

It was one of those classic cases where the letter of the law leaves match officials no real option. Step on an opponent’s foot, and it’s a foul: That’s what the directives for referees say. So when Henrikh Mkhitaryan got to the ball a split-second before Amir Rrahmani and the latter came down on his foot, technically it should be a penalty.

In real life, for anyone who has played the game at any level, it doesn’t seem right. Referee Daniele Doveri waved play on, but VAR called him to the screen (reportedly because he didn’t have a clear view) and at that stage, he had to give it. That’s when Conte lost his cool, got in everyone’s faces and got himself sent off.

It was unprofessional, but relatable, if not understandable. However, those are the protocols, and unless we all grow up and accept errors, then we need to have protocols. Even if they’re somewhat inflexible.

You can see why Conte was angry. After conceding an early goal, Napoli actually played very well, equalizing via Scott McTominay, and at that point of the game (20-ish minutes to go), they appeared to have the upper hand. After Hakan Calhanoglu converted from the spot, Napoli got their deserved 2-2 scoreline thanks to McTominay, making the draw a fair result. (Inter did also hit the woodwork late, too.)

So what did we learn? Inter reminded you that they are the best team in Serie A even on a day when their big guns don’t really fire (Lautaro Martínez was uncharacteristically anonymous). Napoli showed that when Conte gets them purring, they can punch well above their weight and challenge anyone. Even when, as McTominay pointed out postgame they are missing key players (Romelu Lukaku, André-Frank Zambo-Anguissa, David Neres, Kevin De Bruyne).

«I’d like to see how they would have fared against us if they had been missing the guys we were missing,» McTominay said. He’s right. Then again, Napoli have one of the better coaches around (when he’s not getting sent off), and Inter are coached by a guy who had half a season of top flight experience until last August.

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Vibes matter, and they go from bad to worse for Tottenham following Aston Villa defeat

If there’s a damning indictment of Thomas Frank’s tenure as Tottenham manager, it’s that they’ve won just six of 15 home games since he took over. Three of those were in the Champions League against Slavia Prague, Villarreal and Copenhagen — the former two almost certain to exist in the group stage, the Danes possibly — while the other three were against Brentford, Burnley and Doncaster Rovers. That’s Frank’s previous team, the second-bottom side in the Premier League and a club in the League One relegation zone.

I realize a win away is worth (points-wise) just as much as one at home. The difference is the vibe, the crowd and the mood. If your fans only see you beat no-names and generally see you play poorly, it has a multiplying effect of negativity. Frank is like Pig-Pen from Peanuts, the kid with the cloud following him everywhere, and he can’t shake it.

Tottenham weren’t terrible against Aston Villa in the 2-1 defeat that knocked them out of the FA Cup at the third-round stage, and they did show fight. They just weren’t particularly good and, worryingly, showed little clarity. Frank’s football is almost mechanical (and not in the good, «patterns of play,» way either) and against a better coach like Unai Emery, he gets outfoxed pretty quickly. Throw in the fact that many of his players are a bundle of nerves (even when Cristian Romero isn’t there) and it’s not a good recipe.

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Quick hits

10. Nigeria storm past Algeria, and we’re going to miss them this summer: I get it. It’s how World Cup qualifying works, and Nigeria were really poor in CAF qualifiers. They failed to win their first four games, they failed to beat Zimbabwe at home and they lost their playoff final to Congo on penalties. That’s why they won’t be at the World Cup.

That said, it’s hard to argue they’re not in the top 20 — let alone top 48 — in the world right now. At this Africa Cup of Nations, Nigeria have five wins in five games, 14 goals scored and a resounding quarterfinal victory Saturday over Algeria, who were undefeated in their last 22 competitive games. They won 2-0, though it could have been five or six (their xG was 3.36).

There’s a ton of focus on the sparkly front three of Ademola Lookman, Akor Adams and Victor Osimhen, but the back line has been getting stronger as the tournament has progressed — Algeria were held to three shots for a combined xG of 0.13 — which is a testament to the job coach Eric Chelle has done.

If you can, watch their toughest test yet in Wednesday’s semifinal against hosts Morocco. And be sad you won’t get to see him at the World Cup.

9. The biggest upset in FA Cup history? Technically, yes: Macclesfield’s 2-1 win over FA Cup holders Crystal Palace was just that. There are 117 places between the National League North side and Oliver Glasner’s crew, and that’s a far greater gap than any other «giant killing» in the history of the cup. Of course, if you want to be a buzzkill, you can point out that Palace were without most of their first choice XI, that Macclesfield are a «phoenix club» (born out of the ashes of Macclesfield Town, who went bust in 2021) with far more resources than their peers in their division, and that Palace have other priorities right now.

But that wouldn’t change the substance: This was a seismic feat and Palace’s XI, you’d imagine, would probably walk the National League North undefeated. And yet on Saturday, they were comprehensively beaten. This wasn’t some kind of smash-and-grab: Macclesfield had more shots, more goals and a higher xG. Not to mention, of course, they had far more drive and desire.

8. Bayern Munich pick up where they left off: It was their first game in three weeks, they had a young untested midfield (Aleksandar Pavlovic and Tom Bischof), no Joshua Kimmich … you wondered if ring rust might get to Bayern for the visit of Wolfsburg. You can argue that to some degree, it did just that in a somewhat contested first half in which they took just four shots, but that served only to unleash the hounds of hell after the break.

It was a 45-minute blast that saw them score six goals (it could have been more) while racking up 71% possession (no, they don’t take their foot off the gas and play on the counter when they’re out of sight) en route to an 8-1 win. We saw Harry Kane score a worldie, Michael Olise show (again) that he’s the most important creative force on the team (at least until Jamal Musiala returns), and the sort of collective hunger coaches crave. The Champions League is on notice.

7. Gabriel Martinelli doesn’t want to be Arsenal‘s odd man out: Big squads like Arsenal’s are a wonderful thing until one of two things happens. Either the bean counters insist on cutting costs, or players realize that while winning is great, playing is even greater. Because, fundamentally, you can’t rotate all the time and there is always a hierarchy.

Gabriel Martinelli’s hat-trick (he should have scored four) in the 4-1 FA Cup win at Portsmouth is a reminder of just what he can do. Yet with Leandro Trossard sticking round and the additions of Eberechi Eze and Noni Madueke, it’s pretty evident he’s not top of the pecking order. He has started just six league this season and, if someone out of that group is expendable, on paper it’s him. At 24, he’s the youngest, he’s been there the longest, and his deal is up in 2027 (2028, if the club pick up his extra one-year option), which means he could still fetch a sizable transfer fee. It would be a shame, because he brings something different and likely has no desire to leave, but with a squad this size, coaches have to make tough decisions.

6. Free from commitment, could Villarreal actually do something in LaLiga? They are pretty much out of the Champions League, where they’ve been atrocious (one point in six games, same as Kairat Almaty, I kid you not) and they were knocked out of the Copa del Rey a month ago. LaLiga is all they have and if the old trope about making lemonade with lemons holds, they owe it to themselves and their fans to do something really special, because who knows when they’ll have another chance like this?

Well, Saturday’s 3-1 win over Alaves means they’re third, with a game in hand. Win that (it’s second-bottom Levante away, so it’s doable) and they’ll be one point behind Real Madrid and five behind Barcelona, who are second and first respectively. Just finishing third would be a feat — only once in the past 17 years has someone other than Barça, Real or Atletico Madrid finished in the top three — but they have a genuine shot at aiming higher. No football other than LaLiga means fewer injuries, a full week to prepare and the ability to play with higher intensity. And anyone who has watched Barcelona and Real this season can point out plenty of flaws and weaknesses in both teams. Marcelino has a pretty unique opportunity here.

5. Antoine Semenyo is a «teachable moment»: The winger scored on his debut for Manchester City (a 10-1 FA Cup trouncing of third-flight Exeter City) and some are debating whether the £64 million ($85M) fee to sign him from Bournemouth represents «good business.» My take, TLDR version? Probably not given he just turned 26, but if you’re City and Pep Guardiola, the last step to put you over the top is often the priciest.

More interesting, I think are two Semenyo-related factors. One is that it’s probably not so much about what he can contribute offensively — City already have the most goals, the highest xG and more guys who can score than anyone else in the Premier League — but rather what he does off the ball. Semenyo comes from a hardcore pressing system at Bournemouth and has the athleticism, mindset and intelligence to work his backside off out of possession more than any other City forward or winger. That’s particularly important if Guardiola is going to continue playing midfielders at fullback and leave them solo to defend in space.

The other is that Semenyo (if we accept the £64M fee) represents a collective failure of the football and talent ID system. He was born and raised in London, which is teeming with scouts, he failed a trial at 15 with Crystal Palace, and he was generally unattached for a couple years before signing with Bristol City at 17. Given the number of professional clubs in the capital and their armies of scouts, did nobody realise his potential? He didn’t make his Premier League debut until he was 23 and, before that, he was in and out at Bristol City in the championship. Again, did he get a lot better all of a sudden or did 99% of the Talent ID system take a collective nap? There’s a lesson there…

4. Liam Rosenior’s Chelsea looking a lot like that of his predecessors: At least when it comes to systems and rotation and at least in his first outing, a 5-1 FA cup win at Charlton, that is. And that’s entirely normal and understandable. Not just because he’s had hardly had any time to work, but also because Enzo Maresca left because of deteriorating relationships, not issues with tactics or personnel deployment.

And so we saw a very familiar 4-2-3-1 formation with a fullback (Jorrel Hato, in this case) stepping into midfield in possession with a midfielder moving into the hole, creating a de facto 3-2-2-3. Guys like Hato, Filip Jorgensen, Facundo Buonanotte and Marc Guiu got the start just as they would have under Maresca and the football, for better or worse, was Maresca-like. If Rosenior succeeds, it won’t be because he fiddles with the way Chelsea play: It will be because he does a better job getting some guys to live up to their transfer fees, and because he does a better job managing up.

3. Egypt down Ivory Coast to follow the script (sort of): They had won 10 of 11 games against the Elephants and like many of their previous wins, this was about guile and mental fortitude. Egypt took the lead when Omar Marmoush punished Odilon Kossounou’s error, went 2-0 up on a set piece and managed the game en route to a 3-2 win that sets up a semifinal against Senegal on Wednesday.

Where it deviated somewhat was that the Ivorians showed a ton of fight and reopened the game at 2-1, before Mohamed Salah (who else?) on the counter made it 3-1. Still the Ivorians fought, clawing another one back with Guela Doué (you might be familiar with his little brother, Desire) and setting up a tight finale. This could easily have gone the other way, and it’s a reminder of how much the Ivorians have grown. Egypt can’t coast on their big names or their innate ability to punish opposing mistakes against Senegal. They need to raise it another notch.

2. Liverpool needed defensive help before, now even more so: You feel for Conor Bradley, whose season ended on Thursday night in the 0-0 draw at Arsenal, when he went down injured. And you feel for Northern Ireland fans, as he’ll miss the World Cup playoffs. The difference, of course, is that Liverpool can sign a replacement, whereas Northern Ireland can’t.

We’ve pointed out the club’s lack of defensive depth all season long, but that was at centerback — now there’s a gaping hole at right back too. Can you play whack-a-mole with some combination of Jeremie Frimpong (who is coming off an injury and more of a wingback), Dominik Szoboszlai (who is an attacking midfielder), Andy Robertson (who is a left back) and Joe Gomez (who is injury-prone and more of a center back)? Sure you can. But you shouldn’t, not unless you want to be the guy who drops half a million on a Ferrari but refuses to get insurance, figuring he can always get spare parts from his old, rusty Ford Fiesta. Logic dictated one center back signing this window. Now, after injuries to Bradley and Alexander Isak and whatever is going on with Mohamed Salah, they probably need three (but might have to do with one).

1. Wasteful Milan drop points again (and it could have been worse): Sometimes you do the right thing, possibly for the wrong reasons, and it boomerangs and bites you in the backside. Away to relegation threatened Fiorentina and with a trip to Como coming up midweek, Milan manager Max Allegri opted to give a number of regulars — Rafael Leão, Luka Modric, Adrien Rabiot, Youssouf Fofana, Davide Bartesaghi — a breather. It worked in the sense that Milan looked bright and created plenty in the first half, with Christian Pulisic fluffing a couple of chances. It didn’t work in the sense that Milan didn’t score and got markedly worse after the break. They went a goal down and only equalized in the final minutes, and it could have been worse: «Magic» Mike Maignan had to make a key save in injury time, and Fiorentina somehow hit the woodwork.

Allegri is by nature conservative, but he made a bold choice here. It worked in terms of performance — ironically — until he sent on the big guns with half an hour to go. But because they dropped points (again) he’s going to get slaughtered in the media and likely become even more conservative next time out.