Soccer Monday: Arsenal dominates, Barcelona falters and waiting for Messi
Soccer Monday: Arsenal dominates, Barcelona falters and waiting for Messi
There was plenty of soccer played to start the new year
It’s the first Monday of the year and there was lots of soccer played over the past few days.
We will bring you the three big stories that took place over the weekend every Monday from across the soccer world.
Here we go …
3. Arsenal continues to fly high
The Gunners continue to dominate the Premier League, closing out the calendar year on Saturday with a 4-2 win against Brighton. The win opened a seven-point gap on Manchester City in the Premier League table, another sign Arsenal are starting to pull away.
Arsenal’s rivals, meanwhile, did miss a step. Manchester City’s surprise 1-1 draw at home to Everton and Newcastle being held to a scoreless draw by Leeds meant Arsenal could celebrate the end of 2022 in style.
The club managed by Mikel Arteta is hoping to stay on course for the title following the World Cup break. Up next for them is a date at home on Tuesday against third-place Newcastle.
“Now we have to focus again,” Arteta told reporters. “We have to review the Brighton match, there were a lot of things we did really well and a lot of things to still improve and take that into the next match.”
2. Barcelona fail to get past Espanyol
With the Christmas break behind us, many of Europe’s top leagues are returning to action. Spain’s top flight was back this past weekend. So is the Barcelona-Real Madrid fight for the La Liga title.
The two-horse race will captivate fans over the next few months. Real Madrid, on the road Saturday against Valladolid, managed a 2-0 win. The following day, Barcelona, hosting Espanyol, were held to a 1-1 draw at home. The result ended Barca’s five-game winning streak.
It turned out to be a tumultuous derby. Spanish referee Antonio Mateu Lahoz, who recently officiated the chaotic Argentina versus Netherlands quarterfinal at the 2022 World Cup, had another bad game.
Barcelona and Real Madrid are tied at the top of the table with 38 points — but the Catalan giants remain first due to their superior goal difference.
1. Waiting for Messi to return
Many don’t give Ligue 1 much attention because it is dominated by a single team. It’s also true Paris Saint-Germain gets all the attention in France — and for good reason.
The club is stacked with stars, including recent World Cup champion Lionel Messi, France star Kylian Mbappe and Brazilian striker Neymar.
But Messi isn’t back yet. He’s expected to return on Jan. 11 for the team’s league match against Angers. In his absence, PSG (also without the suspended Neymar) lost 3-1 Sunday on the road to second-place Lens. It marked PSG’s first defeat of the season.
As a result, PSG now hold a four-point advantage in the Ligue 1 table. It’s a title race once again as we await Messi’s return.