theScore examines the most important Premier League developments from the weekend, dissecting the biggest talking points after a busy slate of action.
Xhaka: The unwanted face of Arsenal
The Kroenke family’s inattentive ownership is at the very core of Arsenal’s failings. The all-around negligence dates back to Arsene Wenger’s over-indulgence of inconsistent attacking players and continues into the modern day, where Aaron Ramsdale – a goalkeeper who could cost as much as £30 million – watched from the bench as Manchester City’s £25-million attacker Ferran Torres scored two past No. 1 shot-stopper Bernd Leno on Saturday.
While a single person can’t be scapegoated, certain individuals have become ugly figureheads of this dire period. Granit Xhaka’s destructive presence – both his tactical and behavioral indiscipline – has been one of the few things you can rely on at Arsenal over the past five years. Xhaka’s on-field concentration has actually improved under Mikel Arteta, but addressing his anger and self-centeredness may be too much to ask of any manager.
Xhaka’s two-footed lunge on Joao Cancelo was mindless, yet not surprising in the slightest. The 28-year-old has cost his teammates in so many matches during his time with the club, but the Gunners’ rudderless regime has rewarded such stupidity with the captain’s armband and a contract extension in recent times.
The Swiss international isn’t solely responsible for Arsenal’s struggles, but his peculiarly elevated status in the first-team squad neatly represents the club’s woeful mismanagement from top to bottom.
Childish Richarlison creates unnecessary drama
If there’s a handbook on how to engineer a transfer away from any given club, it surely has a chapter explaining the thought process behind Richarlison’s unprovoked squabble with his teammates Saturday amid speculation that he wants out of Everton.
As Seamus Coleman writhed in pain after winning a penalty, the Paris Saint-Germain-linked Richarlison was busy throwing a tantrum after designated penalty taker Dominic Calvert-Lewin rightly tried to collect the ball. The awkward situation heightened when the Brazilian attacker refused to give up the ball before Coleman hobbled over to intervene and put an end to the needless display.
Richarlison’s selfishness only added to an already pressure-packed situation for Calvert-Lewin. Luckily, the English forward scored, and the good times continued to roll for an Everton side that is unbeaten through three games.
With just days before the transfer window closes, Richarlison could soon find out if his antics worked.
Caglar concerns
Caglar Soyuncu’s at-times impulsive defending wasn’t a huge issue for Leicester City. Defenders Jonny Evans and Wesley Fofana were often there to cover the positional lapses and over-exuberance of the Turkish center-half with their mature, composed graft at the back.
However, following a lengthy run with no notable mistakes, Soyuncu has made a string of errors in a matter of days.
Soyuncu had a torrid time in last Monday’s landslide defeat to West Ham United – he dove into tackles, gifted a goal with a wayward backpass, and was easily turned by Michail Antonio. Leicester fared better on Saturday with a 2-1 win at Norwich City, but Soyuncu was a liability once more as he conceded a penalty with an ill-advised challenge on Pierre Lees-Melou.
Daniel Amartey was meant to be the weakness in Brendan Rodgers’ backline during Evans’ and Fofana’s injury absences, but it may now be Soyuncu who surrenders his spot in the backline to recent arrival Jannik Vestergaard.
‘We want Brucie out!’
Steve Bruce, his captain Jamaal Lascelles, goalkeeper Freddie Woodman, and makeshift wing-back Jacob Murphy all acknowledged the importance of Saturday’s visit from Southampton. Newcastle United’s season needed to get started after two Premier League defeats and elimination from the League Cup at the hands of Burnley.
Actions speak louder than words, though, and most of the first-half action took place in Newcastle’s half. Soon, after more Magpies passes went astray and the Saints increased the pressure on Woodman’s goal, choruses of “We want Brucie out!” rung around St. James’ Park for the first time this campaign.
Newcastle started to perform better near the end of the opening period, but it was destined to be a disappointing afternoon for the hosts. After referee Paul Tierney consulted the monitor and ruled Lascelles illegally upended Adam Armstrong in the box, James Ward-Prowse converted a 96th-minute penalty to make it 2-2.
Bruce used last season’s final international break to great effect, changing his formation and triggering an upturn in results to end the campaign. Over the next two weeks, he needs to do something similar.
Organized display boosts Chelsea’s title credentials
The outcome of Saturday’s game was only worth one point, but no one’s batting an eye at Chelsea for celebrating a draw at Anfield like it was a win.
Liverpool looked like a lock to collect three points after Chelsea lost Reece James to a red card and Mohamed Salah scored the ensuing penalty in the final moments of the first half. But Thomas Tuchel’s men persevered with a superb defensive performance in hostile territory, preventing Liverpool’s elite attacking unit from finding the winner.
The organized and calm display was no fluke, as Tuchel’s tactical substitutions at halftime helped offset James’ absence. The Blues’ impenetrable defensive scheme – anchored by Jorginho, Antonio Rudiger, and Edouard Mendy – frustrated Liverpool throughout the second half, as Jurgen Klopp’s men seemingly couldn’t figure out how to take advantage after the visitors were reduced to 10 men.
The performance not only deserves to be celebrated but also proves why Chelsea are one of the best-coached and disciplined teams in the Premier League.
Elliott at home in Liverpool’s midfield
Harvey Elliott displayed maturity and poise in just his second career Premier League start, and more importantly, a growing understanding with Trent Alexander-Arnold and Salah on the right flank. Though his job became easier once Chelsea went down a man, the 18-year-old managed the game well in a position he has only recently tested out. A winger by trade, Elliott has embraced the workload in midfield, parlaying an impressive series of preseason matches into a spot in Jurgen Klopp’s XI.
Elliott was confident in virtually all areas of the pitch. Liverpool looked more positive whenever he was in possession, and Chelsea’s midfielders backpedaled, showing him respect despite his tender years. Elliott completed a team-high 75 passes, won possession 11 times, and covered a game-high 11.88 kilometers.
“When you are old enough to drive a car, you should be old enough to play football games,” Klopp told the BBC afterward. “He’s in the right place. He’s a smart player. He didn’t look tired for a second and kept going.”
Taylor made excellent call on James
The decision to send off James for a deliberate handball seemed harsh at the time. Referee Anthony Taylor didn’t even take more than a second to review the incident on the pitchside monitor. But despite the initial outrage, further replays proved Taylor correct.
The International Football Association Board, which lays out the laws of the game, is clear: When a handball offense denies a clear goal-scoring opportunity, it always results in a red card, no matter where it occurs on the pitch. James was just unlucky that it happened right on the goal line. While the ball did brush off of his thigh before hitting his arm, he ultimately motioned his hand toward the ball and kept it from going in.
Tuchel said afterward that he doesn’t like it when referees give out early red cards, arguing it kills otherwise great contests. But that’s beside the point. If it’s a red-card offense, there’s no asterisk. It simply is.
Taylor, however, could’ve sold the call a little bit more. The official only consulted a second of footage, raising doubts that he’d judged the incident too quickly. And he only ever saw a still shot of James handling the ball, not the entire play. Maybe he knew it right away, but to everyone else, it was unclear until further examination.
Cornet should offer Burnley injection of creativity
Burnley earned their first point of the Premier League season, but Sean Dyche’s men will be disappointed they didn’t collect all three after a hard-fought encounter against Leeds United. Overall, it was the type of gritty performance – featuring two horrendous first-half tackles that could have resulted in red cards for the hosts – commonly associated with a Dyche-led Burnley squad.
But change could be on the way, as the Clarets are getting a much-needed injection of creativity in the form of Maxwel Cornet. The Ivorian international, who joined the club from Lyon for €15 million ahead of Sunday’s game, could prove invaluable to Dyche and offer Burnley a new weapon on the flank capable of generating opportunities in attack.
The versatile 24-year-old can also be deployed in defense, but chances are he will likely find himself in more advanced positions given Burnley’s lack of creative assets.
Watford are under construction
There could be no clearer demonstration that Watford are entering a new era: Troy Deeney, one of English football’s most influential captains over the past few years, is in talks to join boyhood club Birmingham City after 11 full seasons with the Hornets, according to The Athletic’s Adam Leventhal and Gregg Evans.
To further underline Watford’s fresh identity, Will Hughes left for Crystal Palace on Saturday after a four-year residency in the Hornets’ midfield.
Xisco Munoz is also working it out as he goes along, tweaking the starting lineup each week to try to work out his best team and most effective tactical approach.
EPL matches
Changes from previous league outing
Result
Aston Villa (h)
8
3-2 win
Brighton & Hove Albion (a)
2
2-0 loss
Tottenham Hotspur (a)
4
1-0 loss
There’s no doubt that the Hertfordshire club needed strengthening for its top-flight return, but if Xisco doesn’t get a clearer idea of his best XI soon, a squad refresh could lurch into an identity crisis reminiscent of those Fulham suffered in their two recent relegations from the Premier League.
Seven of Watford’s 13 summer signings are yet to start a Premier League match, so we could still be a few weeks away from knowing what this team really looks like.
Greenwood can’t lose place when CR7 arrives
Mason Greenwood will likely lose playing time when Cristiano Ronaldo makes his triumphant return to Manchester United, and that’s a great shame. With three goals already – including the winner Sunday at Wolverhampton Wanderers – the 19-year-old has stood out as United’s best player of the early season.
What more can he do to earn a permanent spot in Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s starting XI? When available, six players – Greenwood, Ronaldo, Edinson Cavani, Jadon Sancho, Marcus Rashford, and Anthony Martial – will vie for minutes in three positions. That’s a good problem to have, but Greenwood’s development is too important to simply cast him aside. Maybe Rashford will play fewer minutes when he returns from injury, because Greenwood arguably has a higher ceiling than even his 23-year-old teammate.
Greenwood’s striking ability is as good as any of his teammates, and as only the second teenager in Premier League history to score in the first three games of a campaign, he has undeniable momentum right now. Making sure he continues to grow is Solskjaer’s biggest task to date.
Breaking down thrilling EPL title race with 10 games left
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One of the most intoxicating title races in Premier League history is, mercifully, ready to resume.
The quirks of the calendar – an FA Cup weekend succeeded by an agonizing international window – means the titanic tussle between Arsenal, Liverpool, and Manchester City will have been on hiatus for a full three weeks before it gets back underway on Sunday.
But there are no more impending interruptions. With 10 matches remaining for each title contender, we’re barreling toward a resolution to the type of three-way battle that’s exceedingly rare in England’s top flight. There’s never been a season in the Premier League era where three teams went into the final day with a chance to hoist the trophy. This could be it. The last time it happened was the 1971-72 campaign, when Derby County won an incredible four-team fight, narrowly beating Leeds United and, ominously, Liverpool and Man City to the crown. We’re overdue for that kind of drama.
That three sides have converged this way at all is, frankly, remarkable.
These are the three best teams in the country by an enormous margin. They’re the only ones with an expected goal difference per game of plus-1.0 or greater this season. The next best mark, surprisingly, belongs to Mauricio Pochettino’s erratic Chelsea team at plus-0.36. So, yeah, it’s not close.
The three of them are also on a tear and show no signs of slowing down. Arsenal have won all eight of their league games in 2024, scoring 33 goals in the process; Liverpool have collected 22 of a possible 27 points in that time; reigning champions Manchester City have racked up 23 of 27 points. They’ve combined for just one loss since the calendar flipped – Liverpool’s 3-1 defeat against Arsenal in early February.
The only sides that look capable of halting their progress are each other, which makes this weekend’s clash between Manchester City and Arsenal at the Etihad all the more significant.
Euro 2024 playoffs: Miraculous Ukraine comeback, big result for Wales
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Wales, Greece, and Poland registered statement wins Thursday, joining three other teams in next Tuesday’s playoff finals for the three remaining places at Euro 2024.
Ukraine staged an incredible late comeback against Bosnia and Herzegovina in its semifinal to keep its Euro dream alive.
The highest-placed team in FIFA’s rankings that’s no longer in contention to reach the tournament in Germany is 60th-placed Finland.
Here’s how the playoff semifinals across Path A, B, and C played out.
Path A
Mateusz Slodkowski / Getty Images Sport / Getty
Poland 5-1 Estonia
Estonia barely stood a chance. Down to 10 men as early as the 27th minute, the northern Europeans could only muster a consolation goal in a 5-1 loss to Poland. The Polish achieved the rout without Robert Lewandowski getting on the scoresheet and remain unbeaten in 21 Euro qualifiers at home, a magnificent run dating back to September 2006. Poland is trying to make up for a poor qualifying campaign in which it finished third in Group E, four points behind the Czech Republic and Albania. The country hasn’t missed the Euros since 2004.
Wales 4-1 Finland
The Red Wall might descend on Germany this summer. Wales’ raucous supporters have legitimate hopes of traveling to another major tournament after the Dragons scorched Finland without the retired Gareth Bale and with Aaron Ramsey, 33, on the bench after more injury problems. Teemu Pukki gave the visiting team some hope just before halftime following well-taken finishes from David Brooks and Neco Williams. But Wales needed just 73 seconds of the second period to restore its two-goal cushion via Brennan Johnson’s tap-in. Daniel James took advantage of a defensive error before rounding the goalkeeper in the 86th minute to give the host a resounding victory.
Playoff final: Wales vs. Poland, Tuesday 3:45 p.m. ET
Path B
David Balogh – UEFA / UEFA / Getty
Israel 1-4 Iceland
Iceland’s Albert Gudmundsson stole the show with an emphatic hat-trick against Israel on Thursday. His stunning free-kick into the top right corner canceled out Eran Zahavi’s opening goal for Israel, and he created a nice cushion for his country with a pair of markers in the final 10 minutes. Just before that, Zahavi blew an incredible opportunity to equalize the match at 2-2, missing a penalty awarded for handball against Iceland’s Gudmundur Thorarinsson. A red card to Israel’s Haim Revivo didn’t help the trailing side. Iceland is now a game away from making only its second-ever appearance at the Euros following its quarterfinal run in 2016.
Bosnia and Herzegovina 1-2 Ukraine
Ukraine scored twice with just minutes remaining in regulation to snatch what seemed to be a sure victory from Bosnia and Herzegovina on Thursday. Bosnia controlled play for most of the match and took the lead in the 56th minute when Mykola Matviyenko turned in Amar Dedic’s shot into his own net. But a colossal defensive lapse cost the Bosnians a chance to make it a record four countries from the former Yugoslavia at Euro 2024. Roman Yaremchuk came off the bench to equalize in the 85th minute and teed up Artem Dovbyk’s sensational winning header three minutes later to turn the playoff semifinal on its head. Ukraine now faces Iceland with a third consecutive Euro appearance at stake.
Playoff final: Ukraine vs. Iceland, Tuesday 3:45 p.m. ET
Path C
GIORGI ARJEVANIDZE / AFP / Getty
Georgia 2-0 Luxembourg
Two clever finishes from Budu Zivzivadze in Tbilisi assured Georgia of a place in Path C’s final – and all without the help of suspended talisman Khvicha Kvaratskhelia. But it wasn’t that simple for the host. Luxembourg thought it equalized during the second half, only for the goal to be eventually snatched away due to Maxime Chanot’s apparent foul 45 seconds earlier. Luxembourg’s Chanot was controversially sent off for denying a clear goal-scoring opportunity, and Zivzivadze effectively ended the match six minutes later with his second strike. Kvaratskhelia is available for the final.
Greece 5-0 Kazakhstan
Anastasios Bakasetas lashed home a penalty, Dimitrios Pelkas headed into the net’s roof, Fotis Ioannidis tapped in from close range, and Dimitrios Kourbelis added another header. And that was all before halftime. Kazakhstan’s impressive 2022-23 Nations League campaign and notable Euro 2024 qualifying wins over Denmark, Northern Ireland (twice), and Finland suddenly seemed ages ago, as Greece recorded its biggest halftime lead since October 1978 (5-0 against Finland). Aleksandr Marochkin’s embarrassing own goal in the 85th minute made Kazakhstan’s day even worse.
Playoff final: Georgia vs. Greece, Tuesday 1:00 p.m. ET
Look: Nike unveils beautiful kit selection for Euro 2024, Copa America
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Nike released a stunning batch of threads ahead of Euro 2024 and Copa America on Monday.
Days after Adidas launched its lineup for the summer’s top two tournaments, Nike followed suit with an array of colorful designs.
The U.S. manufacturer also announced redesigns for Canada and Poland, even though they’ve yet to qualify for their respective tournaments. The Canucks face Trinidad and Tobago in a one-off Copa America qualifier on Saturday, while Poland must navigate a four-team playoff to reach Euro 2024.
(All images courtesy of Nike)
Euro 2024
Croatia
Home
The square-shaped design that gives Croatia its unique look gets a slight upgrade. The home shirt features larger squares than ever before.
Away
Croatia’s away shirt plays on the national flag, with the traditional checkered pattern now on a slant.
England
Home
Influenced by England’s 1966 training gear, the home shirt has a classic feel with a rich blue collar and gorgeous trim along the cuffs.
Away
England embraces a deep purple hue for its away selection. The crest stands out with a contrasting off-white tint that makes the three lions pop.
France
Home
France’s home shirt may have the biggest crest of all of Nike’s offerings. The oversized rooster defines this shirt as much as the royal blue that’s made France’s kits a crowd-pleaser.
Away
The pinstripes mirror the colors of France’s national flag and span the width of the shirt in a simple, yet elegant design.
Netherlands
Home
Nike could’ve offered anything orange here, and it would’ve been perfect. But the Netherlands has something bolder and better to wear. The zig-zag pattern adds edge.
Away
The orange collar and cuffs pop alongside the three shades of blue Nike has chosen to create the abstract design on this work of art.
Poland
Home
Poland dedicates premium real estate on the country’s home shirt to its imposing crest.
Away
Poland’s away shirt is a daring choice. The graphic treatment adds texture, giving it a rugged feel while separating from the red tones of years past.
Portugal
Home
With possibly the best home shirt in Nike’s collection, Portugal leans heavily into its traditional red-and-green motif with a polo collar and thick cuffs. The logo sits prominently as well. A smash hit.
Away
Here’s another winner. Portugal’s away strip has a stunning textile imprint that gives off a cool summer vibe.
Turkey
Home
This is a menacing look. Turkey will look like a whirring red army with these imposing shirts.
Away
The classic red band returns to Turkey’s away uniform. Like the others, it features an oversized crest in the middle of the shirt.
Copa America
Brazil
Home
Nike goes big with Brazil’s crest and adds an intricate design to the same yellow hue the Selecao have used for decades.
Away
Brazil’s secondary strip feels like the beach. A horizontal wavy pattern covering the entire shirt mimics the country’s picturesque coastline.
Canada
Home
The only blemish in Nike’s lineup. Why is there a circle around the swoosh? And why are the shoulders so much darker than the body? None of it makes sense.
Away
The 13 pinstripes are supposed to represent the 10 provinces and three territories that make up Canada. Unfortunately, the rest of the shirt looks incomplete.
United States
Home
The United States men’s national team gets a classic home shirt with patriotic detailing along the color and sleeves.
Away
The gradient works perfectly with the red shorts the U.S. will wear at the Copa America.