Gabriele MarcottiJan 12, 2026, 08:13 AM ETCloseGabriele Marcotti is a senior soccer writer for ESPN.com. Read his archive here and follow him on Twitter: @Marcotti.Follow on X
play1:25Is the Manchester United job ‘attractive’ for Amorim’s successor?Ale Moreno questions whether the “reality” at Manchester United could hinder their manager search despite competing for a top four spot in the Premier League.
play1:19Are Inter favourites in the Serie A title race?Gab Marcotti reacts to Inter’s 2-2 draw vs. Napoli following Scott McTominay’s brace against the league leaders.
play2:18How long does Thomas Frank have left at Tottenham?ESPN’s Steve Nicol and Julien Laurens react to Tottenham’s 2-1 defeat to Aston Villa in the third round of the FA Cup.
play1:39Colin Udoh: This is the best Nigeria team I’ve seen!Colin Udoh reacts to Nigerian’s excellent display vs. Algeria in the quarterfinals of AFCON.
play2:26Is Macclesfield beating Crystal Palace the biggest upset in FA Cup history?ESPN’s Steve Nicol and Julien Laurens react to Macclesfield FC beating Crystal Palace 2-1 in the third round of the FA Cup.
play1:45Moreno: Musiala & Karl ‘difference makers’ for Bayern’s Champions League hopesAle Moreno assesses Bayern Munich’s Champions League chances after extending their lead at the top of the Bundesliga table.
play1:06Will Man City’s 10-1 victory vs. Exeter give them confidence?ESPN’s ‘FC TV’ crew react to Manchester City’s 10-1 thrashing of Exeter City in the third round of the FA Cup.
Garcia: Real Madrid’s Supercopa performance a boost for Xabi Alonso (1:20)Luis Garcia reacts to Real Madrid’s performance during their Supercopa de España defeat vs. Barcelona and what it means for Xabi Alonso’s future. (1:20)
Is the Manchester United job ‘attractive’ for Amorim’s successor?Ale Moreno questions whether the “reality” at Manchester United could hinder their manager search despite competing for a top four spot in the Premier League.
Ale Moreno questions whether the “reality” at Manchester United could hinder their manager search despite competing for a top four spot in the Premier League.
Are Inter favourites in the Serie A title race?Gab Marcotti reacts to Inter’s 2-2 draw vs. Napoli following Scott McTominay’s brace against the league leaders.
Gab Marcotti reacts to Inter’s 2-2 draw vs. Napoli following Scott McTominay’s brace against the league leaders.
How long does Thomas Frank have left at Tottenham?ESPN’s Steve Nicol and Julien Laurens react to Tottenham’s 2-1 defeat to Aston Villa in the third round of the FA Cup.
ESPN’s Steve Nicol and Julien Laurens react to Tottenham’s 2-1 defeat to Aston Villa in the third round of the FA Cup.
Colin Udoh: This is the best Nigeria team I’ve seen!Colin Udoh reacts to Nigerian’s excellent display vs. Algeria in the quarterfinals of AFCON.
Is Macclesfield beating Crystal Palace the biggest upset in FA Cup history?ESPN’s Steve Nicol and Julien Laurens react to Macclesfield FC beating Crystal Palace 2-1 in the third round of the FA Cup.
ESPN’s Steve Nicol and Julien Laurens react to Macclesfield FC beating Crystal Palace 2-1 in the third round of the FA Cup.
Moreno: Musiala & Karl ‘difference makers’ for Bayern’s Champions League hopesAle Moreno assesses Bayern Munich’s Champions League chances after extending their lead at the top of the Bundesliga table.
Ale Moreno assesses Bayern Munich’s Champions League chances after extending their lead at the top of the Bundesliga table.
Will Man City’s 10-1 victory vs. Exeter give them confidence?ESPN’s ‘FC TV’ crew react to Manchester City’s 10-1 thrashing of Exeter City in the third round of the FA Cup.
ESPN’s ‘FC TV’ crew react to Manchester City’s 10-1 thrashing of Exeter City in the third round of the FA Cup.
Too much Barcelona, too much Raphinha even for a ‘safety first’ Real Madrid in Supercopa
Manchester United bounced out of FA Cup, but at least they’re close to appointing a manager
Antonio Conte goes ballistic over VAR penalty as Inter and Napoli draw
Vibes matter, and they go from bad to worse for Tottenham following Aston Villa defeat
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.
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.
Is the Manchester United job ‘attractive’ for Amorim’s successor?
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.
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.
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.
Colin Udoh: This is the best Nigeria team I’ve seen!
Colin Udoh reacts to Nigerian’s excellent display vs. Algeria in the quarterfinals of AFCON.
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.