Gabriele MarcottiMay 4, 2026, 07:57 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
play1:03Nicol: Liverpool look ‘absolutely lost’ under Arne SlotSteve Nicol slams Liverpool’s 3-2 defeat to Manchester United and suggests Xabi Alonso as a replacement for Arne Slot.
play1:46Nicol: Saka could win Arsenal the Premier League titleSteve Nicol says the return of Bukayo Saka to the Arsenal squad could win them the Premier League title.
play2:23Will Barcelona win back-to-back LaLiga titles in El Clásico?Luis Garcia and Craig Burley preview the upcoming El Clásico with Barcelona on the brink of winning another LaLiga title.
play3:30Who will become the new Real Madrid manager?The ‘FC TV’ crew debate who will become the new Real Madrid manager next season.
play2:23Nicol: Spurs won’t go down if they play like they did vs. VillaThe ESPN FC team discusses Tottenham Hotspur’s performance against Aston Villa in their Premier League clash, breaking down what Spurs must do to avoid relegation.
Burley: Man Utd should give Iraola the permanent role (1:45)Craig Burley gives his opinion on who Manchester United should hire as their permanent manager despite Michael Carrick’s success as interim boss. (1:45)
Nicol: Liverpool look ‘absolutely lost’ under Arne SlotSteve Nicol slams Liverpool’s 3-2 defeat to Manchester United and suggests Xabi Alonso as a replacement for Arne Slot.
Steve Nicol slams Liverpool’s 3-2 defeat to Manchester United and suggests Xabi Alonso as a replacement for Arne Slot.
Nicol: Saka could win Arsenal the Premier League titleSteve Nicol says the return of Bukayo Saka to the Arsenal squad could win them the Premier League title.
Steve Nicol says the return of Bukayo Saka to the Arsenal squad could win them the Premier League title.
Will Barcelona win back-to-back LaLiga titles in El Clásico?Luis Garcia and Craig Burley preview the upcoming El Clásico with Barcelona on the brink of winning another LaLiga title.
Luis Garcia and Craig Burley preview the upcoming El Clásico with Barcelona on the brink of winning another LaLiga title.
Who will become the new Real Madrid manager?The ‘FC TV’ crew debate who will become the new Real Madrid manager next season.
Nicol: Spurs won’t go down if they play like they did vs. VillaThe ESPN FC team discusses Tottenham Hotspur’s performance against Aston Villa in their Premier League clash, breaking down what Spurs must do to avoid relegation.
The ESPN FC team discusses Tottenham Hotspur’s performance against Aston Villa in their Premier League clash, breaking down what Spurs must do to avoid relegation.
Manchester United clinch Champions League, while depleted Liverpool will have to wait
Internazionale’s title was a long time coming, but no less impressive
What a difference a Saka makes, gifting Arsenal a goal and confidence boost
Well, the European soccer weekend has been and gone, leaving behind plenty to discuss. Sunday’s big Premier League clash between Manchester United and Liverpool ended with Michael Carrick’s side celebrating a 3-2 win that clinches their Champions League participation for next season. Arne Slot’s side, meanwhile, keep waiting.
Elsewhere in England, Arsenal romped to a big win over Fulham, which was their best performance in months, and it’s no coincidence that it came with Bukayo Saka back in the lineup after weeks of minor injuries. In Italy, Inter Milan clinched the Serie A title and have much to celebrate considering how much was in flux last summer. Give credit where it’s due, to Christian Chivu.
Beyond that, there’s plenty to discuss around Barcelona, Real Madrid, Tottenham, Bayern Munich and more. It’s Monday morning. What better time for some musings? Let’s get into it.
Is it really all down to the absences of Hugo Ekitike, Mohamed Salah and Alexander Isak? Or might it have something to do with the fact that Alexis Mac Allister and Ryan Gravenberch got outplayed — again — in the middle of the park, while Florian Wirtz and Jeremie Frimpong ghost around the pitch, doing little more than occasionally fluttering into view?
Nicol: Liverpool look ‘absolutely lost’ under Arne Slot
As for United, this was not a flawless performance, but they showed cohesion and got the job done, creating more and conceding less than the opposition, which is what you’re looking for. It has sort of been the story of Michael Carrick’s interim tenure. He picked up a side that was in seventh place (and out of every cup competition) and took it into third. He had one job, and he did it.
Does that mean he should get the gig on a permanent basis? Not at all. Not yet, anyway. United should consider him as part of their manager hunt, weigh up the pros and cons, who is available, and take it from there. Because amid all the Carrick pros, there are cons, too.
Like the fact that United’s expected goal difference actually declined (from 0.46 to 0.16) after he took over. Or the fact that next season he’ll have Champions League football, which he has never had to deal with before. Or perhaps more important, that it’s not a question of what you achieved, it’s a question of what the club thinks you can achieve going forward. And whether there are more desirable options out there.
Doubtless all of the above is true, to some degree, but here’s what else is true: Inter had a new boss too, one Christian Chivu, a guy who had won just three games in his career as a top-flight manager before coming on board. He was replacing Simone Inzaghi, who had delivered a title previously and, just as significantly, had walked out after seeing a potential Treble crumble in his hands, culminating with a 5-0 humiliation vs. PSG in the UEFA Champions League final.
And on a team that was showing its age, Chivu started implementing the inevitable succession. Pio Esposito became a viable center forward at 20 years of age. Petar Sucic (22) and Yann Bisseck (25) grew in confidence and performance, as did Luis Henrique (24), who reinvented himself as a wingback. Oh, and Fede Dimarco set a new Serie A assist record along the way.
Inzaghi may have built this Inter team and taken it to two Champions League finals in three seasons. But following in the footsteps of someone like that, especially after a crushing disappointment, was a mountain to climb. Chivu scaled it with confidence and aplomb. This is his team now.
Nicol: Saka could win Arsenal the Premier League title
The ball is back in Man City’s’ court. They face Everton away on Monday and have two games in hand in which to make up six points and four goals, before Arsenal play again on May 10.
But, hey, it’s Bayern. And after delivering the otherworldly at the Parc des Princes, here was Olise finding an improbable equalizer in the 10th minute of time added on. Deserved? Sure. Lucky? Meh, you make your own luck. Moments like these make you think Bayern have some mystical next level they can call upon at any time.
Will Barcelona win back-to-back LaLiga titles in El Clásico?
9. Barcelona beat Osasuna, next shot at clinching LaLiga will be the Clasico: Which, frankly, is not a bad setting to win it: against the eternal rivals. The gap is 11 points and if they don’t win it there, everything points to them still being champions, since Real Madrid would have to win out without Barcelona getting more than a point the rest of the way. And that’s rather unlikely.
The ‘FC TV’ crew debate who will become the new Real Madrid manager next season.
Nicol: Spurs won’t go down if they play like they did vs. Villa
5. Bundesliga’s Champions League race a solid antidote to late season boredom: Let’s be real, the only proper title race left is the Premier League and, due to the screwy schedule, Arsenal have played two more games than Manchester City which doesn’t exactly add to the drama. Most Champions League spots in the big five are decided. But buckle up for the Bundesliga, because it’s a wild ride.
The goals came late, but Atleti had the upper hand against a Valencia side who aren’t quite safe yet and are playing with fear. We even were treated to Nahuel Molina smacking the post with a rocket from just inside the half. The scorers, Iker Luque and Miguel Cubo, were both first-team debutants — with a combined age of 38. And the latter’s goal was created by a moment of genius and quick-thinking from another substitute, one Antoine Griezmann, who came on for a cameo. Man, I miss him already.
As for Como, they had the upper hand in this clash and created the better chances, while also conceding opportunities and seeing Matteo Politano hit the post. It’s a function of Cesc’s brand of attacking football and he’s proving to many that it can work — and work well — in Serie A too.
There are legitimate mitigating circumstances for Slot, just as there have been all season. From the poorly assembled squad (despite the expense and high-falutin names) to the failure of getting center back cover — Virgil van Dijk, at 34, has had had to play every minute of every league game — to the handling of Salah to the injuries. But equally, if you make a list of Liverpool players not named Dominik Szoboszlai who have not regressed this season, well, it’s a very short one. And to some degree, that’s on Slot.
A word on Kobbie Mainoo, too: United will likely need to rebuild their midfield in a few months, and the long-term contract he signed suggests he will be part of the future. He’s technically gifted and one of the smarter players out there, but he’s also a guy who, especially for a younger player, has some pretty evident athletic and physical limitations. His vision, intelligence and reading of the game make up for it, but he needs the right framework and a coach who can provide it … if you believe in him. (Ruben Amorim, evidently, did not.) He needs to be a big part of the conversation with the new boss, whether it’s Carrick or someone else.
There’s a school of thought that says Inter Milan winning Serie A isn’t that big a deal. Napoli were hit by a biblical plague of injuries, AC Milan had a new coach and based their campaign around a 40-year-old (a legendary 40-year-old in Luka Modric, but still …), and Juventus got their strikers wrong and changed coaches early in the season. Meanwhile, AS Roma had a new coach (who ended up fighting with the coach emeritus), Atalanta had a new coach and then had to replace him after losing a couple of their best players, while it’s way too early for Como and Cesc Fabregas.