The Weekly Take, Issue 381: It's Not Real's City Anymore

It's exceptionally rare that a team is able to get the psychological edge over Real Madrid - a team which has on countless occasions delivered the goods under the highest stakes. However, this is exactly what has turned out to be the case over the past several years with none other than their cross-town rivals Atlético Madrid who, in the latest Madrid derby, once again highlighted the fact that Atlético have now unquestionably gotten into Los Merengues' heads.

Atlético shook off their slow start to the current La Liga season with a 5-2 thrashing of Real on the back of a dominant second half. Atlético opened the scoring in the 14th minute by way of a Robin Le Normand header that finished off a cross sent in by Giovanni Simeone. Later in the first half, Real would fire back with two goals within an 11-minute span - the first from Kylian Mbappé, the second from Arda Güler who had earlier set up Mbappé's goal.

Shortly before the half-time interval, Atlético centre-back Clement Lenglet had a goal waved off by VAR after a check revealed that the Frenchman had handled the ball on its way into the net. Nevertheless, Atlético entered the break on level terms after Alexander Sørloth scored his side's second headed goal of the match in first-half stoppage time.

It was one-way traffic after the break as Atlético completely took over. Following an Atlético corner kick early in the second half, Güler fouled Nicolás González in the penalty area; the ensuing penalty was duly converted by Julián Alvarez. The Argentinian striker scored his second and Atlético's fourth in the 63rd minute with a spectacular free kick. Fittingly, rounding off the victory was a stoppage-time goal scored by none other than the greatest player to ever put on an Atlético jersey: Antoine Griezmann.

At this point, it's remarkable to think that from 1999 to 2013, Atlético did not beat Real even once. Yet at this point, if there's any team that seems to have the blueprint to stopping the 15-time European champions, it would have to be Atlético. Not even Real's greatest rivals Barcelona have had Real's number like this as Real have beaten Barça in five of the last 11 editions of El Clásico.

Despite conceding two goals, Atlético kept Real's attack stymied throughout the match; the two goals which Real scored were their only two shots on target. Real were simply unable to cope with the level of intensity that Atlético brought. Atlético were not only able to have their way with Real's attack for the vast majority of the match; they turned this defensive edge into goalscoring chances of their own on offense.

Real couldn't find any way to counter Atlético's pressing and rotations and on multiple occasions ended up overcommitting because of this. As soon as Sørloth scored the equalizing goal, it almost seemed inevitable that Atlético would run away with the match in the second half. It never really felt as though Real played like they themselves genuinely believed they could beat Atlético - a stunning contrast when compared to what Madrid derbies before 2010 were usually like.

Although Atlético remain six points behind Real who remain in first place in the league despite the loss, a result like this clearly highlights that they can't be counted out in their pursuit of a first league title in five years. There's still more than enough time to make up the ground they've lost in the early going - and if recent history is anything to go by, Atlético will likely take three more points off Real in the upcoming reverse fixture in March as well.

While it may be true that on the surface this was "just one early-season match", the trend has nonetheless been incredibly obvious to anyone paying attention. This wasn't even necessarily entirely an instance of Atlético outstrategizing Real; this most recent victory was all the evidence that anyone could've needed as proof that Diego Simeone's team has entirely reversed the Madrid clubs' respective statuses as far as their history in derby matches is concerned.

The Madrid derby has never held the prestige of its counterparts in London, Milan, or Manchester, among others, largely due to Atlético Madrid's ineptitude for long stretches of time. However, we have clearly entered a new era - one in which Atlético are not only competitive, but the outright favourites to win derby matches.

The Weekly Take, Issue 380: Back on Track at Last?

Last season was by far Manchester City's worst of the Pep Guardiola era. Not only did City not even come close to retaining their Premier League title, they were even knocked out of the UEFA Champions League in the round of 24 - though in their defense, the Citizens had been drawn against Real Madrid for a spot in the last 16. City's elimination at that stage was their earliest since being knocked out of the tournament in the group stage in the 2012-13 season.

As such, City entered the new Champions League season intent on showcasing how they'd bounced back from last season's failure; their opening match would be at home against Napoli. Notably, this match would also mark the return of Kevin De Bruyne - the greatest player in the Manchester club's history - to the Etihad Stadium but this time in the opposing jersey.

De Bruyne's return to the Etihad didn't last long, though - this was because in the 21st minute, Napoli full-back Giovanni Di Lorenzo received a red card after a last-man foul on Erling Haaland just outside the penalty area. This prompted Napoli manager Antonio Conte to make his first substitution of the match; he chose to swap out De Bruyne for Mathías Olivera soon after Di Lorenzo was ejected.

Even having a player fewer, Napoli were able to prevent the Citizens from getting onto the scoresheet before the break. However, the match only remained scoreless a short time into the second half as in the 56th minute, Erling Haaland found the net with a header after having been set up by Phil Foden. It was the 50th Champions League goal of the Norwegian's career; having scored that number of goals in just 49 matches, Haaland thus broke the record for the fewest matches required for a player to score his first 50 Champions League goals.

Not long after, City made the victory safe after Jérémy Doku carved up the Napoli defense before slotting the ball into the bottom corner of the net. Napoli never really stood a chance as soon as Di Lorenzo received his marching orders - they were thoroughly dominated in every facet of play.

Having lost two of their first four Premier League matches this season, City are off to a slow start domestically. As such, this victory over the reigning Serie A champions could have been crucial in order to prevent City's early season from spiralling out of hand.

As they have so often done, City spent heavily during the off-season - however, unlike many of the past few seasons, they only really managed to land one truly big name: goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma who was signed from Paris Saint-Germain for €30 million to replace club legend Ederson. This doesn't quite stack up well against the transfer windows that some other clubs had - most notably Premier League title rivals Liverpool who put together a transfer window for the ages, bringing to Anfield two bona fide superstars in Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak while also adding multiple important supporting pieces.

That said, City's victory over Napoli was an obvious display of the level they can be at when everything is clicking. The current squad makes use of a tactical setup which has somewhat deviated from Guardiola's early days in the blue half of Manchester; although they still place much emphasis on possession, City are now more likely to create chances via medium-length to long through-balls. While neither of City's two goals was scored in this way, the threat of one coming in that way kept the Napoli defense on their toes throughout the match, adding another dimension to City's attack.

Prior to last season, City had won six of the previous seven league titles including one as part of a Treble in the 2022-23 season, so they are to be written off at one's peril. Despite not landing the level of big-name players which they have in the past, City nonetheless have a squad capable of going all the way and winning the Champions League for the second time in four seasons. The issue, however, is the possibility of inconsistency once again rearing its head and derailing City - and if last season is anything to go by, that possibility can't be dismissed.

The Weekly Take, Issue 379: A New Era in Full Swing

Close to the end of the 2024-25 season, Juventus fired then-head coach Thiago Motta in a final push for the last Champions League qualification spot. He was replaced by Igor Tudor, the Croatian who had spent just over seven seasons as a Juve player. At the time, Juve had just lost back-to-back Serie A matches by a combined 7-0 scoreline and had slipped out of the top four.

Tudor was able to turn things around; with him in the Juventus Stadium dugout, the Bianconeri lost just one of their final nine league matches and clinched a spot in this season's Champions League. Subsequently, Tudor signed a contract extension which would keep him in the position until the end of the 2027-28 season.

Though it's still very early in the 2025-26 season, the signs are clear that Tudor has had an obviously positive impact on this team as evidenced by Juve's hot start to the new season - including their recent victory over Inter Milan in a pulsating Derby d'Italia. Lloyd Kelly scored his first goal as a Juventus player after having been set up by fellow centre-back Gleison Bremer. This early lead would, however, only last until the 30th minute when Hakan Çalhanoğlu equalized for the Nerazzurri. Juve would nonetheless enter the half-time interval a goal ahead as not too long after, Kenan Yıldız drilled a shot from well outside the box into the bottom corner of the net.

Çalhanoğlu scored his and Inter's second goal about halfway through the second half - a spectacular volley from just outside the penalty area. Marcus Thuram then netted his third league goal of the season to put Inter 3-2 ahead in the 76th minute only for, of all people, his own brother Khéphren to level the match six minutes later. Finally, in the first minute of stoppage time, substitute Vasilije Adžić scored Juve's winning goal; the Montenegrin midfielder emulated Kelly in scoring his first goal for the club following Jonathan David's assist - and it could hardly have come in more climactic circumstances.

Since taking over at Juve, Tudor has taken Juve to eight wins in 12 league matches and with three in a row to start the new season, they seem to be well-positioned for a real run at a first Scudetto since the 2019-20 season. The club's five full seasons since then have been marked by inconsistency, instability, and even off-field scandals - but the signs that Tudor might be the guy who turns it around are starting to become more evident.

The phrase "club DNA" is something of a cliché by now - but even so, it's perhaps the biggest factor as to why Tudor is succeeding where Motta didn't. As mentioned, Tudor spent a big chunk of his playing career at Juve. Motta, on the other hand, never did and even played for Juve's direct rivals Inter. As such, Tudor has been able to connect with his players in a way that Motta never could - and having earned the trust of the locker room as soon as he has, the team is now in a far more conducive position to push for the league title.

From a tactical standpoint, Tudor has switched Juve's main formation to three at the back, utilizing either a 3-4-2-1 or 3-5-1-1 setup. This has in turn enhanced Juve's ability to create chances and cover space. He's also transitioned Juve away from a possession-heavy, low-tempo playstyle in favour of a more direct approach which emphasizes playing through the centre of the field. This has enabled Juve to force opponent's errors and create additional openings - and these tactical shifts were major reasons why Juve took the W against Inter.

It might actually have helped Tudor that up to now he'd never had any major achievements in any of his prior roles, thus reducing the pressure on him. However, as his and his team's stock continues to rise, that's likely to change. That will likely be the biggest test as to whether he is, in fact, the real deal - can he put it all together for an entire league campaign and not only win it all, but also perhaps even make a deep Champions League run? It's difficult to say, but their chances look better than they have in quite some time.

The Weekly Take, Issue 378: 2026 World Title - Now Loading?

Due to the asymmetrical nature of each group in Europe's World Cup qualifying stage, not all 12 groups commenced play at the same time. Some of them started way back in March while others, including Group D, just began their path towards next year's global showpiece tournament in North America. One of those groups was Group D - a group highlighted by France, in pursuit of a second world title in three World Cups.

As might have been expected, France kicked off their World Cup qualifying campaign with a 2-0 victory over Ukraine in a match that wasn't as close as the scoreline might imply. Bayern Munich striker Michael Olise opened the scoring in the 10th minute after having been set up by Bradley Barcola. Somewhat surprisingly, despite being in total control of proceedings, Les Bleus weren't able to extend their lead before the half-time break.

Midway through the second half, Ukraine had two major chances in quick succession and almost made France pay for their inability to score any further goals. Both were headers; the first was from Artem Dovbyk whose header was cleared off the line by Ibrahima Konaté. Shortly after, Illia Zabarnyi's header came back off the post.

The score remained at 1-0 until the 82nd minute. Midfielder Aurélien Tchouaméni sent a long ball forwards in the direction of Real Madrid teammate Kylian Mbappé who beat Zabarnyi in a one-on-one scenario before finding the bottom corner of the net - his 51st for France, tying him for second all-time with legendary striker Thierry Henry. However, it wasn't all good news for France as prior to that goal, both Désiré Doué and his replacement Ousmane Dembélé left the match injured.

For almost a decade now, France have been the most consistent threat to win major international football tournaments; this match revealed nothing new in that regard. France didn't even need to come close to their peak level in order to easily dispatch Ukraine. Everything about this performance indicates that they will once again be among the favorites, if not the outright favorite, to win the 2026 World Cup.

To say that this team is outrageously stacked would somehow be an understatement. Against Ukraine, players like Dembélé and Hugo Ekitike (the latter of whom was actually playing his first-ever match for his national team) came off the bench while even Marcus Thuram and Theo Hernández, among others, stayed on the bench for the entire match. It's this remarkable depth which has been the backbone of their consistent tournament success dating back to Euro 2016 when they reached the final.

In addition, the fact that France almost always go deep at major tournaments has a "rich get richer" effect on their squad in terms of big-match experience. Many of France's best players aged 25 or younger have a great deal more experience under the highest pressure on the biggest stages than do their peers from different countries. It's entirely possible that this will end up making a major impact at next year's World Cup.

There's also the manner of how France lost in the final of the 2022 World Cup. Having come so agonizingly close to becoming the first team to win back-to-back World Cups in 60 years, France will be especially fired up to win it all in 2026. The memory of their loss in the final in Qatar might just have been the additional fuel they needed to end up being the final team left standing at the end of next year's tournament.

Topping things off, it's often the case that teams which either win or go deep at the World Cup have a core primarily comprised of players from the same club. This is understandable as such cores would have the advantage of pre-existing chemistry. In France's case, they're fortunate enough to have two such cores: one from Real Madrid, another from Paris Saint-Germain. This additional team chemistry was on full display in France's second goal against Ukraine with Real duo Tchouaméni and Mbappé looking as though they had never left the Santiago Bernabéu for the international break at all.

While of course, it's true that it's way too early to make a sweeping statement that France will win the World Cup, there's no question that they're in a really strong position right now. Their decade of dominance is all set to enter a second one with no signs of a end anywhere in sight.