One of those weekends when everything seemed to fall in place. In the world of football over the last few days has been high-octane non-stop action.
From the direct style of play of the English Premier League to the defensive tactical rigours of the Italian Seria A, to the aesthetic intricate play and control of the Spanish La Liga, there simply was something for every football enthusiast whatever tickles your fancy. To spice it all up, it kept coming to us at breathtaking pace.
We had the ever titanic Manchester United vs Arsenal clash, Mourinho vs Wenger showdown, the biggest shocker of the day from the Crystal Palace vs Manchester City game, the frustration of the Reds at St Mary's, goal-laden affair at White Heart Lane, the shock at the Camp Nou, the Madrid derby with Ronaldo obliterating the Rojiblancos, Der Klassiker in Germany, the continued rise of the underdogs: Leipzig in Germany and Nice in France, Chelsea's rise to the summit, Derby di Milano in Italy etc. Weekends do not get much better than this in footballing sense.
The weekend kicked off in quite stunning fashion with the clash between Mourinho and Wenger. The match lineup brought with it an interesting surprise. Carl Jenkinson started at Right Back for the Gunners (due to Bellerin's injury absence), his first start in about 2 years now, Wayne Rooney was dropped even in the absence of the suspended Zlatan Ibrahimovic. The match ended in a stalemate. The jinx Mourinho has on Wenger does not seem likely to end anytime soon but this time it was Wenger who would be thanking his stars, emerging from the clash with a barely deserved draw. He had Giroud the super sub to thank for that. As always we had the ever eccentric Mourinho to let it sink in with his post match remark of Arsene Wenger finally winning him after the draw because it felt more like a defeat. Well Mourinho is still undefeated against Arsene Wenger in 12 meetings between the two in English Premier League, 8 defeats for Wenger, the jinx continues!!
Then came the greatest shock wave of the weekend, Yaya Toure started a game under Pep Guardiola. The frenzy across the globe on social media was almost akin to the stock market skyrocketing. It was truly very pleasing and yet totally shocking to see Yaya Toure on the field in Manchester City colours. He apologized for comments made by his agent and that seemed to have done the trick. Toure did not miss a beat on his comeback and true to the scripts, he was decisive, 2 match winning goals, 3 points in the bag, well and truly Yaya Toure is back. Well then Vincent Kompany had to go off injured for the umpteenth time.
Liverpool failed to push clear at the summit, playing out a goaless draw with Southampton, and Leicester city continue to struggle after their surprise title win last season, they lost on the road to Watford.
Over to Spain where Barcelona squared off to Malaga. Messi had to be replaced just before kickoff, the club cited illness (stomach bug) as the reason for the absence. Suarez had accumulated his share of the cards and was suspended for the clash. Suddenly the Malaga match looked a lot trickier than they had envisaged. Paco Alcacer, Luis Suarez replacement on the day, looked totally lost and bereft of any form of confidence, he did not even record a touch of the ball between the 10th and 41st minute of the 1st half, it does not get worse than that. In the end, a goaless draw ensued, disallowed goals, penalty claims, and Carlos Kameni heroics all meant Barcelona recorded a blank at Camp Nou for the first time since February 2015, the man responsible back then Carlos Kameni yet again. He always comes with his A game to the Camp Nou.
Up next, Germany's Der Klassiker. It does not get much bigger than Borrussia Dortmund vs Bayern Munich in the German top flight. This particular episode was settled by a Pierre Emerick Aubameyang strike. Sweeping move from Dortmund led to Gotze feeding it into the area for Aubameyang and he duly slid in to score. Bayern tried to claw their way back into the contest but it was not to be. End to end thrilling encounter and as a result of Dortmund's victory, the title race has been blown open in Germany.
Back in England, Tottenham vs Westham served up lots of goals and a new hero to the White Heart Lane faithful, his name Harry Winks. It was his first Premier League start and one he will always remember, scoring on his debut start. Harry Kane still emerged with the headlines though as his double ensured Tottenham battled hard and emerged with maximum points from the clash.
The biggest clash of the day: The Madrid Derby, derby matches do not come much bigger than this in Europe. It had the usual intensity, aggressiveness, quality and poise on display, but one man was out to make a statement, Cristiano Ronaldo. Prior to the clash, a lot had been said about Real Madrid's less than desirable results in La Liga clashes against their neighbour. Also Ronaldo's recent stats (2 goals in his last 11 matches) against Atletico came to the fore. In the end only one man had his name on the Newspaper front pages, Cristiano Ronaldo. He totally dominated the game with a Hattrick (freeekick, penalty, far post finish off a Gareth Bale run). It was the total performance from all Real Madrid players not lacking one bit in intensity. As a result, Madrid pull away at the top of the standings, 4 points clear of Barcelona, and 9 points clear of Atletico. Atletico Madrid have some catching up to do now.
Chelsea back to the summit of English top flight courtesy of Diego Costa. Costa reacted quickest to a loose ball in the area after a corner kick putting Chelsea in front, Valdes was in top form against the Blues, repelling attack after attack but was powerless to Costas finish. As a result, Costa is the most prolific player in EPL, involved in the most goals+assists so far this season.
To crown the weekend was the Milan Derby, AC Milan vs Inter Milan might not be the force it used to be due to the dearth of quality in the league but they still served up a scintillating match for the football community. Suso grabbed a double, Perisic equalised right at the end, the spoils were shared and the Milan Derby lived up to its billing. Suso had promised to walk back home if he scored a double in the Derby, he did just that but luckily for him we wont hold him by his words. It would have been quite a journey for him.
It has been a captivating weekend of football across the globe, entertainment emanating from Leagues world wide, records shattered, shock waves sent, goals galore, gripping and spell binding all round action.....MORE OF THE SAME PLEASE!!!
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