Another weekend, another chapter for House Chronicles!
From Arsenal getting humbled by Brighton, Chelsea falling apart against Brentford, to Galatasaray getting a serious beating from Trabzonspor…
Plenty to talk about, plenty to learn.
So, what exactly did European football teach us this weekend? Let’s get into it!
1. Arsenal still have a problem when things go wrong.
The 3–0 defeat at Brighton was a proper reality check. Arsenal had started perfectly, but once Brighton disrupted their rhythm, Arsenal struggled to respond. Arteta himself described the performance as poor technically and tactically.
2. Man City can be brilliant AND vulnerable.
5–3 against Sunderland sounds like another City masterclass… until you realise Sunderland scored three. City remain perfect, but conceding three at home shows that Maresca’s team isn’t invincible.
3. Barcelona have found another gear and Raphinha is cooking.
Photograph: Alejandro García/EPA
Seven straight La Liga wins. Raphinha scored a hat-trick against Sevilla and already has 12 league goals. Lamine Yamal assisted two of them. Barcelona are looking scary going forward.
4. The big boys aren’t automatically safe.
Photo by Mateo Villalba Sanchez/Getty Images
Real Madrid lost the Madrid derby, Arsenal got smashed by Brighton, Chelsea lost 3–0 to Brentford, Marseille lost their fifth straight and Manchester United needed a late equaliser to avoid another defeat.
5. Galatasaray learnt that domestic dominance doesn’t make you untouchable.
Image Credit: Murad Sezer/Reuters
They went into the weekend as defending Turkish champions, but Trabzonspor completely blew them away 4–0, with Mohamed Salah scoring three and assisting another.
6. Frosinone are not just making up the numbers.
They beat Como 2–0 and moved to 10 points. What stood out was their efficiency: Como created early opportunities, but Frosinone took theirs and defended their advantage, with goalkeeper Palmisani making several important saves.
7. Bayern are still Bayern.
7–0 against Union Berlin. Seven goals, clean sheet, no mercy. Bayern basically said, “Who dey challenge us?”
