Solskjaer’s reign ends in Manchester
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer bid goodbye to Manchester United after he was sacked by the club, post-united’s 4-1 defeat at Watford. Europe also saw the debuts of Xavi and Steven Gerrard as managers of their new clubs — Barcelona and Aston Villa.
This fortnight in European football was the end of the road for one but the start of a fresh journey for many. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer bid goodbye to Manchester United after he was sacked by the club, post-united’s 4-1 defeat at Watford. Europe also saw the debuts of Xavi and Steven Gerrard as managers of their new clubs — Barcelona and Aston Villa.
Premier League
The biggest news in the Premier League was Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s sacking as Manchester United manager. Under pressure for a long time due to unfavourable results, United’s 4-1 defeat to struggling Watford was the final nail in the coffin for the Norwegian. The result left United languishing at eighth, with 17 points from 12 matches.
While it was the end of the road for Solskjaer, it was the beginning for a lot of managers in the league. Steven Gerrard managed Aston Villa in his first game as the boss and saw his team clinch a 2-0 win against Brighton and Hove Albion. Dean Smith, in charge of his first match at Norwich City, saw his team notch a 2-1 comeback win against Southampton.
While league leader Chelsea won comfortably (3-0) against Leicester City, Liverpool thrashed Arsenal 4-0 and ended the Gunners’ unbeaten run to stay third in the table.
It was an easy 3-0 win for Manchester City against Everton, which keeps it second in the table.
Tottenham Hotspur won 2-1 against Marcelo Bielsa’s Leeds United, which means the London club is still unbeaten under Antonio Conte. It is now 12th on the table with 19 points.
After matchday 12, Chelsea stays top with 29 points followed by Manchester City and Liverpool. David Moyes’ West Ham, which has started impressively this season, stays on fourth with 23 points.
La Liga
Xavi’s first match as Barcelona coach started with a 1-0 win against Catalan rival, Espanyol.
Defending champion Atletico Madrid edged a 1-0 against Osasuna and table-topper Real Madrid showed a dominant performance in its 4-1 thrashing of Granada.
Sevilla drew 2-2 with Alaves thanks to a late equaliser and dropped to third in the table with a game in hand.
After matchday 14, Real Madrid is at the top with 30 points followed by Real Sociedad, Sevilla, and Atletico Madrid in second, third, and fourth. Barcelona remains at sixth with 20 points, 10 behind arch-rival, Real Madrid, having played the same number of games.
Bundesliga
Bayern Munich’s 2-1 loss to Augsburg hogged the limelight in the Bundesliga’s most recent matchday.
RB Leipzig, which finished runner-up last season, has not enjoyed a good run in the league till now and its poor form continued with a 2-0 loss to Hoffenheim, which left the club eighth in the table with 18 points from 12 matches.
Borussia Dortmund clinched a 2-1 victory against VFB Stuttgart.
SC Freiburg, a team on form this season, lost 2-0 to Eintracht Frankfurt but stayed third on the table with 22 points.
After matchday 12, Bayern stays top despite its loss on 28 points while Dortmund is breathing down Bayern’s neck on second with 27 points. SC Freiburg is followed by Bayer Leverkusen in fourth place.
Serie A
Defending champion Inter won a 3-2 thriller against Napoli, but Luciano Spalletti’s team still tops the table despite the defeat on goal difference.
Juventus continued to struggle with a 2-0 loss to Lazio, adding to manager Massimiliano Allegri’s woes as his team now sits seventh with 21 points from 13 matches.
Milan lost a 4-3 thriller away to Fiorentina but managed to hold on to second place in the table with 32 points from 13 matches.
Atalanta enjoyed a 5-2 thrashing of Spezia and is fourth on the table with 25 points from 13 matches.
After matchday 13, Inter and Atalanta are in third and fourth place respectively with 2■ and 25 points.
Ligue 1
It was a game week of mixed emotions for Paris Saint-germain in its 3-1 win against Nantes. Lionel Messi scored his first league goal for PSG but goalkeeper Keylor Navas saw red in the 65th-minute for his challenge on Ludovic Blas after he was through on goal.
Defending champion, Lille drew 2-2 with Monaco, which left the club 12th in the table with 17 points from 14 matches.
The Lyon-marseille game was abandoned after Dimitri Payet was struck by a bottle thrown from the stands.
After matchday 14, PSG stays on top with 37 points from 14 matches enjoying an 11-point lead. Nice and Rennes occupy the second and third positions in the table.