Gabriele MarcottiFeb 2, 2026, 08:31 AM ETCloseGabriele Marcotti is a senior soccer writer for ESPN.com. Read his archive here and follow him on Twitter: @Marcotti.Follow on XMultiple Authors
play1:48Laurens: Thomas Frank is not the right man to manage TottenhamGab Marcotti and Julien Laurens discuss Tottenham’s 2-2 draw with Manchester City and explain why Thomas Frank may not be the right manager to take Spurs forward.
play2:39Laurens: There was a complete lack of effort from Real MadridGab Marcotti and Julien Laurens analyse Real Madrid’s performance in their 2-1 win over Rayo Vallecano and discuss what needs to change within the squad.
play1:10Is the race for a top four spot down to Manchester United and Liverpool?The “ESPN FC” crew discuss who they think will finish in the top four of the Premier League.
play1:26What has Michael Carrick changed at Manchester United?Mark Donaldson and Shaka Hislop discuss how United have looked different since Michael Carrick replaced Ruben Amorim.
play1:27Nicol: Arsenal were perfect in 4-0 win vs. LeedsSteve Nicol reacts to Arsenal’s 4-0 victory against Leeds in the Premier League.
play1:09Laurens: Wirtz & Ekitike are building a special relationship at LiverpoolJulien Laurens reacts to Liverpool’s 4-1 win over Newcastle with goals for Florian Wirtz and Hugo Ekitike.
play1:12Garcia: Barcelona ‘played with fire’ by not putting Elche awayLuis Garcia says Barcelona should’ve won their match with Elche by a much larger margin than 3-1.
play1:58Why did Luis Enrique drop Désiré Doué and Ousmane Dembélé?Gab Marcotti and Julien Laurens discuss why PSG manager Luis Enrique dropped Désiré Doué and Ousmane Dembélé in their game against Strasbourg.
play2:35Did Chelsea deserve to get booed at halftime vs. West Ham?Gab Marcotti and Julien Laurens discuss Chelsea’s comeback 3-2 victory over West Ham.
Borussia Dortmund cut the Bundesliga gap to six points, but also remind you why they (probably) won’t win the title
Is this Pep Guardiola’s final season at Manchester City? (1:48)Gab Marcotti and Julien Laurens debate whether Pep Guardiola could leave Manchester City at the end of the season. (1:48)
Laurens: Thomas Frank is not the right man to manage TottenhamGab Marcotti and Julien Laurens discuss Tottenham’s 2-2 draw with Manchester City and explain why Thomas Frank may not be the right manager to take Spurs forward.
Gab Marcotti and Julien Laurens discuss Tottenham’s 2-2 draw with Manchester City and explain why Thomas Frank may not be the right manager to take Spurs forward.
Laurens: There was a complete lack of effort from Real MadridGab Marcotti and Julien Laurens analyse Real Madrid’s performance in their 2-1 win over Rayo Vallecano and discuss what needs to change within the squad.
Gab Marcotti and Julien Laurens analyse Real Madrid’s performance in their 2-1 win over Rayo Vallecano and discuss what needs to change within the squad.
Is the race for a top four spot down to Manchester United and Liverpool?The “ESPN FC” crew discuss who they think will finish in the top four of the Premier League.
What has Michael Carrick changed at Manchester United?Mark Donaldson and Shaka Hislop discuss how United have looked different since Michael Carrick replaced Ruben Amorim.
Mark Donaldson and Shaka Hislop discuss how United have looked different since Michael Carrick replaced Ruben Amorim.
Nicol: Arsenal were perfect in 4-0 win vs. LeedsSteve Nicol reacts to Arsenal’s 4-0 victory against Leeds in the Premier League.
Laurens: Wirtz & Ekitike are building a special relationship at LiverpoolJulien Laurens reacts to Liverpool’s 4-1 win over Newcastle with goals for Florian Wirtz and Hugo Ekitike.
Julien Laurens reacts to Liverpool’s 4-1 win over Newcastle with goals for Florian Wirtz and Hugo Ekitike.
Garcia: Barcelona ‘played with fire’ by not putting Elche awayLuis Garcia says Barcelona should’ve won their match with Elche by a much larger margin than 3-1.
Why did Luis Enrique drop Désiré Doué and Ousmane Dembélé?Gab Marcotti and Julien Laurens discuss why PSG manager Luis Enrique dropped Désiré Doué and Ousmane Dembélé in their game against Strasbourg.
Gab Marcotti and Julien Laurens discuss why PSG manager Luis Enrique dropped Désiré Doué and Ousmane Dembélé in their game against Strasbourg.
Did Chelsea deserve to get booed at halftime vs. West Ham?Gab Marcotti and Julien Laurens discuss Chelsea’s comeback 3-2 victory over West Ham.
Kylian Mbappe helps Real Madrid avoid dropped points, but not the Bernabeu boos
That’s three wins on the spin for Man United, but this was a different challenge
– Ogden: Carrick or someone else? Man United must decide soon – Olley, Dawson: Man City’s blown lead could end their title charge – VAR Review: Man United’s disallowed penalty, more
His place in football lore is secure and, obviously, Pep Guardiola has a job for life at Manchester City. But it’s hard to ignore the evidence in front of us. His team may be second in the Premier League, but they’re on pace to pick up 74 points in the league. That would be his second-worst point total since 2016, worse only than the aberration that was last season.
Now, we all agreed that last year was a weird one-off: four defeats in a row for the first time in his career, one win in eight between Halloween and Boxing Day, no Rodri due to a long-term injury, Phil Foden on the shelf, etc. So why is this season heading in that same direction?
Could it be the massive squad overhaul, with six new first-team players (Rayan Aït-Nouri, Gianluigi Donnarumma, Antoine Semenyo, Marc Guéhi, Tijjani Reijnders, Rayan Cherki) coming in? Maybe. Pep Lijnders coming in as assistance coach to change the pressing patterns? Maybe. Rodri only recently returning to fitness and not quite being himself? Possibly. A defense that should have been overhauled sooner and now has two missing starters? Probably.
To varying degrees, it’s all of those things. What’s evident is that City aren’t the road-grading powerhouse they were until the summer of 2024. They haven’t experienced last season’s November-to-December horror show — though with the 2-2 draw at Tottenham it’s now one league win in six, which isn’t great — but they have meekly dropped points here and there on a consistent basis.
Laurens: Thomas Frank is not the right man to manage Tottenham
Laurens: There was a complete lack of effort from Real Madrid
That lack of clear thinking set the tone for the game. Real Madrid went 69 minutes without a shot on target, from Arda Güler’s effort in minute 19 to Brahim Diaz in minute 86. They did hit the woodwork twice along the way, but in the meantime Rayo equalized and should have taken the lead with Andrei Ratiu.
Arbeloa’s response? Send on more forwards: first Gonzalo García, then Rodrygo. The upshot being a disorganized, top-heavy mess that pushed furiously for the equalizer, especially after Rayo had a man sent off, with little other than individual runs. Nampalys Mendy’s wild “air kick” hit Diaz, leading to the penalty that Mbappe put away in the 101st minute. That earned Real the three points, but with even more frustration and confusion than before.
Is the race for a top four spot down to Manchester United and Liverpool?
The “ESPN FC” crew discuss who they think will finish in the top four of the Premier League.
Fulham, however, presented an entirely different challenge relative to the Premier League’s top two opponents. While they were on a good run and had risen to seventh, on the road at Old Trafford they would likely have settled for a point, and as often happens with Marco Silva sides, they’re comfortable playing on the counter. United would have to break them down.
Taking the lead through Casemiro (who has stepped up big time) in the first 20 minutes and doubling it via Matheus Cunha just before the hour mark made things a heck of a lot easier … Until it wasn’t. Things spun out of control in the last 15 minutes (maybe not coincidentally after Casemiro came off). Harry Maguire cleaning out Raúl Jiménez to concede a penalty was needless, Kevin’s wonder strike was unstoppable and suddenly it was 2-2.
In the end, Benjamin Sesko’s late winner — and some questionable defending from Fulham — bailed out United and secured the three points. In some ways, if Carrick can spin it correctly to his players, he got the best of both worlds: a win and a largely convincing performance, plus a whole bunch of teachable moments and obvious areas where United can improve.
What has Michael Carrick changed at Manchester United?
Ok, second in the table against cellar dwellers under the Yellow Wall … easy peasy, right? Keep the ball, take advantage of the counter, make them chase you and see this one out, right? Oh no, this is Borussia Dortmund. First, Guirassy wasted his chance at a hat-trick by slamming his penalty well over the crossbar. Then the Keystone Kops defending of yesteryear resurfaced, with Arijon Ibrahimovic and Mikkel Kaufman coming within a whisker of the equalizer.
Steve Nicol reacts to Arsenal’s 4-0 victory against Leeds in the Premier League.
Laurens: Wirtz & Ekitike are building a special relationship at Liverpool
7. Juventus break 4.0 xG mark for first time in four-and-a-half years: Old-time Juve watchers simply aren’t used to this. Away to Parma, Juve didn’t just win 4-1: they had 61% possession and xG of 4.14. They hadn’t gone that high since a win over Spezia back in the 2020-21 season. They’re through in the Champions League knockout phase, they’re up to fourth in the table and, most encouragingly of all, manager Luciano Spalletti appears to have changed their mentality and approach.
6. Barcelona are a Faberge egg, gorgeous but fragile: I’ll just let the number speak. At half-time of their away trip to Elche, Hansi Flick’s crew had taken 17 shots on goal (to 4), hit the woodwork three times and recorded an absurd 4.56 xG (to 0.31). And yet somehow they were only 2-1 up, victims of bad finishing (ahem, Fermín López…) and an even worse high defensive line.