THE STORY
Manchester United was getting eaten up at Watford, and the situation became increasingly clear: Ole Gunnar Solskjær, coach and legend of the Mancuniens, could not stay in post another day.
United have been defeated five times in seven games since September 25. During this period, he was notably humiliated 5-0 by Liverpool and 2-0 by rivals Manchester City at Old Trafford.
Until this 4-1 collapse against Watford on Saturday, the club’s staff wanted to ensure stability at the helm of the ship. No doubt he was inspired by Sir Alex Ferguson’s early years at the helm of United. In 1989, after a streak of six losses and two draws in eight games, fans and journalists demanded his departure. Ferguson would eventually leave Man U in 2013 after winning 13 English Championship titles and two Champions Leagues, among other achievements.
But in Solskjær’s case, it felt like the situation was really getting worse. It was nevertheless a funny timing than to fire him just after the international break. Especially since the best coaches available have already been hired: Antonio Conte is already well in the saddle at Tottenham, for example.
PHOTO JOAN MONFORT, ARCHIVES ASSOCIATED PRESS
Xavi Hernández, new FC Barcelona coach
But while a legend was fired at Old Trafford, another mythical figure found his club in Catalonia: Xavi Hernández took part in his first match at the helm of FC Barcelona this weekend in La Liga, a victory of 1- 0 against Espanyol.
And Steven Gerrard, emblematic figure of Liverpool, found the Premier League. He now runs Aston Villa after coaching Glasgow Rangers for three years in the Scottish Championship. The Birmingham club won 2-0 against Brighton.
THE GAME
We were spoiled for choice for our selection of the match of the week in Europe. The goals were particularly popular in the Premier League.
But let’s move instead to Italian Serie A, where Fiorentina inflicted the first defeat of the season on AC Milan. The Florence club’s 4-3 victory prevented the Milanese from taking the league lead.
You had to see Riccardo Saponara’s goal, just before half-time, which made it 2-0 for Fiorentina.
The Italian, a former AC Milan, reveled in a perfectly placed shot in the right corner of the net, taken from outside the box. Dusan Vlahovic scored two later to secure the victory at La Viola, achievements that will serve to contain Zlatan Ibrahimović’s effectiveness. This is because the Swede allowed his team to get dangerously close to the score with two goals in quick succession after the hour of play.
Inter Milan, for their part, won 3-2 in a suspenseful match against Napoli. The latter continues to lead Serie A on goal differential, his 32 points being tied with AC Milan.
THE GOAL
Lionel Messi finally has his first goal in Ligue 1. And obviously, he scored the most “messiah” goal possible.
Kylian Mbappé hands the ball to the Argentinian and sends it in the last third. This is where the magic takes shape. His strike from outside the box, still disconcerting, bypasses the two defenders in front of him. She sails to the left corner of the net. Paris Saint-Germain leads 3-1 against Nantes, the Parc des Princes is overexcited, the Parisians are all smiles on the pitch.
It’s a bit the opposite of what we saw in Lyon for the clash between Olympique Lyonnais and Olympique de Marseille.
Once again, a Ligue 1 stadium was the scene of an assault by supporters against a player. Dimitri Payet was heading to the corner flag to take a corner when a bottle thrown from the stands landed hard on his head. The match was suspended, the French soccer authorities were, once again, in embarrassment. In fact, it was the sixth time this season that this kind of incident has occurred in the French Premier League.
CANADIANS
Jonathan David was in Edmonton on Wednesday after Canada’s euphoric victory over Mexico. On Friday, he scored two goals for Lille in the first nine minutes of their clash against Monaco.
David is on fire. He is the top scorer in Ligue 1 with 10 goals. Already, clubs like Liverpool and Inter Milan are starting to inquire about a potential transfer in January. If the fame of these teams is interesting, the Canadian may not want to move to a club that does not allow him to play regularly.
David, at 21, is still young. And he has clearly not yet reached the peak of his talent, even if he is developing at a breakneck pace. If he does not leave his club in January, it is highly likely that he will move at the end of the year.
It was quieter for his compatriot Alphonso Davies in Germany on Friday. His Bayern Munich suffered only their second loss of the season, losing 2-1 to Augsburg. Davies returned to 52e minute.
Cyle Larin and Atiba Hutchinson both started for Istanbul Besiktas on Saturday, but they bowed 2-0 against Alanyaspor.