Gabriele MarcottiApr 6, 2026, 08:14 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
play2:30What can Man City achieve this season?The ‘ESPN FC’ crew react to Manchester City beating Liverpool 4-0 in the quarterfinals of the FA Cup.
play1:06Nicol: Arne Slot is in big trouble after defeat vs. Man CitySteve Nicol worries for the future of Arne Slot at Liverpool after a 4-0 defeat to Manchester City in the FA Cup quarterfinals.
play2:54Has Real Madrid’s loss to Mallorca ruined their LaLiga title hopes?Alejandro Moreno reacts to Real Madrid’s 2-1 loss to Mallorca in LaLiga.
play2:26Can Real Madrid’s Champions League aura carry them past Bayern?Sid Lowe and Mario Suárez debate who will be the favourites when Real Madrid and Bayern Munich meet in the Champions League.
play1:21Gibbs: Chelsea’s huge Port Vale win ‘a step in the right direction’Kieran Gibbs reacts to Chelsea’s much-needed FA Cup win over Port Vale after an eventful week off the pitch.
play1:25Hutchison praises West Ham’s late comeback despite FA Cup exitDon Hutchison and Nedum Onuoha react to Leeds United’s penalty win over West Ham to book a spot in the FA Cup semifinals.
play1:46Will Arsenal’s season derail after shock FA Cup exit?Kieran Gibbs reacts to Arsenal’s 2-1 loss to Southampton in the FA Cup.
Mario Suárez is ready to crown Barcelona LaLiga champions (1:33)Mario Suárez tells the ESPN FC team that Barcelona won’t be caught after opening up a seven-point lead in LaLiga. (1:33)
What can Man City achieve this season?The ‘ESPN FC’ crew react to Manchester City beating Liverpool 4-0 in the quarterfinals of the FA Cup.
The ‘ESPN FC’ crew react to Manchester City beating Liverpool 4-0 in the quarterfinals of the FA Cup.
Nicol: Arne Slot is in big trouble after defeat vs. Man CitySteve Nicol worries for the future of Arne Slot at Liverpool after a 4-0 defeat to Manchester City in the FA Cup quarterfinals.
Steve Nicol worries for the future of Arne Slot at Liverpool after a 4-0 defeat to Manchester City in the FA Cup quarterfinals.
Don Hutchison believes Arne Slot won’t be Liverpool manager at the start of next season following their FA Cup exit to Manchester City.
Has Real Madrid’s loss to Mallorca ruined their LaLiga title hopes?Alejandro Moreno reacts to Real Madrid’s 2-1 loss to Mallorca in LaLiga.
Can Real Madrid’s Champions League aura carry them past Bayern?Sid Lowe and Mario Suárez debate who will be the favourites when Real Madrid and Bayern Munich meet in the Champions League.
Sid Lowe and Mario Suárez debate who will be the favourites when Real Madrid and Bayern Munich meet in the Champions League.
Gibbs: Chelsea’s huge Port Vale win ‘a step in the right direction’Kieran Gibbs reacts to Chelsea’s much-needed FA Cup win over Port Vale after an eventful week off the pitch.
Kieran Gibbs reacts to Chelsea’s much-needed FA Cup win over Port Vale after an eventful week off the pitch.
Hutchison praises West Ham’s late comeback despite FA Cup exitDon Hutchison and Nedum Onuoha react to Leeds United’s penalty win over West Ham to book a spot in the FA Cup semifinals.
Don Hutchison and Nedum Onuoha react to Leeds United’s penalty win over West Ham to book a spot in the FA Cup semifinals.
Will Arsenal’s season derail after shock FA Cup exit?Kieran Gibbs reacts to Arsenal’s 2-1 loss to Southampton in the FA Cup.
Statement win for Man City; Liverpool need to move on
We’ll begin in LaLiga, where Barcelona took advantage of a second-string Atlético Madrid team to win 2-1 and take charge of the title race in the wake of Real Madrid’s shocking last-gasp defeat in Mallorca. Barca’s lead is now seven points with eight games to play, though Atleti will be a much tougher test for them when the two sides also meet in the Champions League quarterfinals, which begin this week.
Elsewhere, we have talking points galore around Bayern Munich (who enjoyed yet another electrifying comeback win), Inter Milan (who are back to their winning ways), Monaco (who keep getting goals from U.S. star Folarin Balogun), Chelsea (who got a seven-goal mood boost of a win in the FA Cup), Lazio (whose fans are boycotting the team), PSG (who have goalkeeper woes) and much more. It’s Monday morning, so what better time for some musings? Let’s get into it.
– Reaction: Haaland dazzles as Man City add to Liverpool misery – Ogden: It’s make-or-break time for Arsenal, Mikel Arteta – O’Hanlon: What would Premier League table look like without set pieces?
One of the quirks of Barcelona’s trip to face Atlético Madrid on Saturday is that they’ll face off twice more in the Champions League in the next 10 days. Coaches often don’t like to show their hand in situations like this, and with Real Madrid losing earlier in the day, this game had sort of turned into a free hit, which meant Barcelona had every reason to rest their regulars.
But Hansi Flick is often counterintuitive (for better or worse), and so, with the exception of the fullbacks, center forward and possibly Eric García in midfield, this was pretty close to the best Barca XI available. Pretty much the opposite of Atlético coach Diego Simeone: with nothing to play for in LaLiga, he kept his powder dry.
The chance of knocking Barcelona out of a cup competition for the second time this season (and topping it off by winning the Copa del Rey) is still very much intact.
I suspect he has pretty much found it in the setup that demolished Liverpool 4-0 on Saturday in the FA Cup. You can debate the central defenders when Josko Gvardiol and Rúben Dias are available, and you slot in Gianluigi Donnarumma for James Trafford, but the fullbacks, midfield and front four look like the winning formula.
The takeaway? Semenyo and O’Reilly make City much better, and you imagine this will be Pep’s setup the rest of the way. But (and this may seem to be a no-brainer), Pep’s team is substantially worse when he has to turn to his bench, or when he fiddles with his approach.
Nicol: Arne Slot is in big trouble after defeat vs. Man City
The worry is that, as Arne Slot put it, they got the “basics” wrong, which is what they’ve been doing for much of the season. When that happens with experienced, quality players, it’s probably not rocket science, but fatigue: This squad is deep in the wrong places, and woefully thin in defensive midfield and at the back.
As for the failure to create (and convert) chances — something else Slot bemoaned — that’s down not to a lack of talent, but to a lack of cohesion, acquiring players without figuring out how they fit, and without the time to make them fit. How much of that is on Slot, and how much on chief football officer Michael Edwards, is something the owners will figure out in the summer.
Has Real Madrid’s loss to Mallorca ruined their LaLiga title hopes?
Alejandro Moreno reacts to Real Madrid’s 2-1 loss to Mallorca in LaLiga.
Madrid’s first half wasn’t terrible — Leo Román came up big several times in the Mallorca goal — and you can argue Manu Morlanes’ goal was against the run of play. But the second half was pretty dire — before Éder Militão’s late equalizer, they managed just five shots for an xG of 0.33 which isn’t good when you’re chasing the game — and conceding Muriqi’s goal just three minutes after making it 1-1 is unacceptable.
Were it any other team, you’d expect fallout affecting them in the Champions League. We know Real Madrid are a bit different, so nobody should write them off on the back of this. But it’s clearly not the best way to go into a tie that will define whether their season is over by mid-April.
Can Real Madrid’s Champions League aura carry them past Bayern?
As for Roma, the first half was pretty even, but as coach Gian Piero Gasperini himself said, they crumbled after the break. Manu Koné and Wesley were badly missed and, especially now that they’re out of the Europa League as well, it’s increasingly looking they won’t be in the Champions League next season. Gasperini will be under pressure, given the way results have dropped off in the past two months, but the underlying numbers are solid and a change in the summer would be silly.
Gibbs: Chelsea’s huge Port Vale win ‘a step in the right direction’
7. Bundesliga’s Champions League race is still uncertain: With the top two places locked up, there’s still plenty of drama to come in the Bundesliga in the battle for the Champions League places. Which, as of this writing, could go to the top four or top five, depending on European results between now and the end of the season.
6. Goalkeeper is the thing that can stop PSG’s juggernaut: There’s a growing feeling that PSG are getting stronger as the season progresses, much like last season when they were anonymous through January, only to be devastating after. Ousmane Dembélé is back to his best (11 goals — including two Friday night — in his last 17, all from open play, tell their own story) and the 3-1 win over Toulouse means they’re four points clear with a game in hand at the top of Ligue 1.
5. Smash-and-grab for Borussia Dortmund as Stuttgart are pegged back: Metaphorically, their season might as well be over now. Borussia Dortmund are out of all cup competitions, and with six points to go, they won’t catch Bayern (who are nine points clear) and won’t slip out of the Champions League places (the gap is 14 points). Niko Kovac can start planning for next year, putting performance and development ahead of results.
Hutchison praises West Ham’s late comeback despite FA Cup exit
3. Leeds’ FA Cup quarterfinal win risks being a poisoned chalice: Don’t get me wrong, an FA Cup semifinal after 39 years is definitely worth it and will probably be the club’s second-biggest cup game since 2000-01, when they lived the dream and reached the Champions League semifinals. But watching them advance past West Ham on penalties on Sunday doesn’t necessarily make you more confident that they’ll stay up.
Will Arsenal’s season derail after shock FA Cup exit?