{"id":12578,"date":"2023-12-03T12:21:12","date_gmt":"2023-12-03T09:21:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wikidollar.net\/12578\/european-soccer-news-arsenal-go\/"},"modified":"2023-12-03T12:21:12","modified_gmt":"2023-12-03T09:21:12","slug":"european-soccer-news-arsenal-go","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wikidollar.net\/?p=12578","title":{"rendered":"European soccer news: Arsenal go fast, Real Madrid stay top"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>European soccer news: Arsenal go fast, Real Madrid stay top\u060c<\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Ah, another weekend of football in Europe&#8217;s biggest leagues is fast approaching, which means jubilation, heartbreak and a bit of schadenfreude \u2013 depending on who you support, of course.<\/p>\n<p>The weekend started in the Premier League with Arsenal securing a somewhat mixed victory, while Manchester United were edged out by a superior Newcastle United.  In La Liga, Toni Kroos produced a splendid comeback for Real Madrid while Girona &#8211; the surprise No.2 in the table &#8211; staged a thrilling comeback.  The Bundesliga was partially snowed in and, in Serie A, Christian Pulisic scored to give AC Milan a comfortable victory.<\/p>\n<p>There&#8217;s a lot to do, so why not stop procrastinating and get to it then?<\/p>\n<p><strong>&#8211; Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga and more (US)<\/strong><br \/><strong>&#8211; Read on ESPN+: Can other teams copy Aston Villa&#8217;s top four?<\/strong><\/p>\n<hr\/>\n<h2><b>SATURDAY REVIEW<\/b><\/h2>\n<h3><b>Saturday&#8217;s lead: Arsenal finally get off to a fast start, but still keep their cool in win over Wolves<\/b><\/h3>\n<p>There has been a lot of talk around Arsenal this <a class=\"wpil_keyword_link\" href=\"https:\/\/wikidollar.net\/tag\/week\/\"   title=\"week\" data-wpil-keyword-link=\"linked\">week<\/a> about &#8216;states of the game&#8217; &#8211; and that will continue despite Arsenal&#8217;s 2-1 win over Wolves on Saturday at the Emirates Stadium.<\/p>\n<p>Manager Mikel Arteta has put the lack of fluidity in some of the Gunners&#8217; games this season down to their inability to score early and change the state of a match in their favor, creating tensions they might otherwise have avoided.  After beating Lens 6-0 in midweek, it looks like Arsenal have made further progress as they improved on their fast <a class=\"wpil_keyword_link\" href=\"https:\/\/wikidollar.net\/tag\/start\/\"   title=\"start\" data-wpil-keyword-link=\"linked\">start<\/a> on Saturday by taking a 2-0 lead over Wolves after just 13 minutes.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"inline inline-photo full\">\n<figure><picture><source data- media=\"(min-width: 376px)\"><source data- media=\"(max-width: 375px)\"><img class=\" lazyload lazyload\" data-image-container=\".inline-photo\" height=\"320\" width=\"570\"\/><\/source><\/source><\/picture><figcaption class=\"photoCaption\">Arsenal players celebrate Martin \u00d8degaard&#8217;s second goal in a 2-1 win against Wolverhampton.  Although the Gunners got off to a fast start, they remained nervous in the end. <cite>Stuart MacFarlane\/Arsenal via Getty Images<\/cite><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/aside>\n<p>To underline the point Arteta made, Saturday was the first time this season they had scored in the first 15 minutes of a Premier League match &#8211; and some of the <a class=\"wpil_keyword_link\" href=\"https:\/\/wikidollar.net\/tag\/football\/\"   title=\"football\" data-wpil-keyword-link=\"linked\">football<\/a> Arsenal played was sublime.  Bukayo Saka continued his influential form by weaving his way through the Wolves defense to score on six minutes.  A magnificent team goal brought Oleksandr Zinchenko and Gabriel Jesus together for a pullback, which Martin Odegaard converted with aplomb.<\/p>\n<p>Yet although Wolves offered little threat, Arsenal managed to inject some danger into a game that had been there for a long time.  Zinchenko lost the ball cheaply in his own area, allowing Matheus Cunha to shoot four minutes from time to set up an unnecessarily nervous finale.  Substitute Eddie Nketiah missed a glorious chance to finish off Wolves two minutes later, hitting the post while in net.<\/p>\n<p>Although no damage has been done, Arteta will know that there is still work to do to transform Arsenal into the same ruthless machine that Manchester City have long been in matches like this.  That said, the Gunners spent Saturday night enjoying a four-point lead at the top of the table with Luton in midweek.<em> -James Olley<\/em><\/p>\n<hr\/>\n<h2><b>Saturday Talking Points Around Leagues<\/b><\/h2>\n<h3>Kroos turns back time and leads injured Real Madrid to another victory<\/h3>\n<p>Injuries mean Real Madrid are currently without Aur\u00e9lien Tchouam\u00e9ni, Eduardo Camavinga and Luka Modric in midfield &#8211; but as long as Toni Kroos is at the heart of the team, they don&#8217;t have too much to worry about.<\/p>\n<p>Yes, the German&#8217;s legs aren&#8217;t getting any faster at 33 &#8211; coach Carlo Ancelotti compensates for Kroos&#8217; lack of pace by playing perpetual motion machine Fede Valverde alongside him &#8211; but his speed of thought remains unmatched .<\/p>\n<p>At the Santiago Bernabeu on Saturday, Kroos provided a moment of exceptional quality in Madrid&#8217;s 2-0 La Liga win over Granada with a contribution that showcased his ability to execute faster and with more precision than anyone other.  In the 26th minute, Kroos met Brahim D\u00edaz&#8217;s pass infield with a cushioned first-time ball that split Granada&#8217;s defense and put Diaz one-on-one with replacement goalkeeper Andr\u00e9 Ferreira.<\/p>\n<p>Diaz&#8217;s finish was calm and precise, but the fact that so many teammates &#8211; including David Alaba, Antonio R\u00fcdiger and Jude Bellingham &#8211; ran to congratulate Kroos before turning to celebrate with Diaz spoke volumes.  That was as much Kroos&#8217; goal as Diaz&#8217;s.  And it was a demonstration of why, whenever he can, Ancelotti always finds a place for Kroos in midfield.<\/p>\n<p>It wasn&#8217;t just the help.  Kroos has made more touches (148) and completed more passes (124 out of 132 attempts) than any other player on the pitch at the Bernabeu.<\/p>\n<p>There were also notable roles for Bellingham \u2013 who will have been disappointed not to score \u2013 and Rodrygo Goes, too, who followed up when the Englishman&#8217;s second-half shot was saved to score his seventh goal in five games .<\/p>\n<p>But the star was Kroos.  Let&#8217;s enjoy him while we still can. <em>-Alex Kirkland<\/em><\/p>\n<hr\/>\n<h3>Manchester United&#8217;s defeat against Newcastle raises a question: where is Varane?<\/h3>\n<p>Of all the problems currently facing Manchester <a class=\"wpil_keyword_link\" href=\"https:\/\/wikidollar.net\/tag\/united\/\"   title=\"United\" data-wpil-keyword-link=\"linked\">United<\/a> (and there are many), the disappearance of Rapha\u00ebl Varane from manager Erik ten Hag&#8217;s plans is a significant one.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"inline editorial float-r\" data-behavior=\"article_related\">\n<h2 class=\"editorial-title\">Editor&#8217;s Choice<\/h2>\n<p>2 Related<\/p>\n<\/aside>\n<p>Against Newcastle on Saturday, Varane was left on the bench again as Ten Hag selected Harry Maguire and left-back Luke Shaw as central defenders.  Midweek against Galatasaray, Victor Lindel\u00f6f was selected ahead of him and, since the 3-2 defeat to the Turkish champions at Old Trafford on October 3, Varane has started just one of United&#8217;s last 11 games.<\/p>\n<p>United have lost 34 goals in 21 matches in all competitions &#8211; including 14 in five Champions League games &#8211; and the French World Cup winners are still unable to get a game.<\/p>\n<p>It&#8217;s possible that by January, Ten Hag will also have Lisandro Mart\u00ednez and Jonny Evans fit and available &#8211; and it would be no surprise if there was significant interest in Varane in the next transfer window.  The 30-year-old has been linked with moves to Bayern Munich and the Saudi <a class=\"wpil_keyword_link\" href=\"https:\/\/wikidollar.net\/tag\/pro\/\"   title=\"Pro\" data-wpil-keyword-link=\"linked\">Pro<\/a> League and if other clubs are calling your name, you might understand the temptation to make a fresh start elsewhere.<\/p>\n<p>Yet Maguire&#8217;s resurgence has shown that, even in the most unlikely of cases, there is a way back for Ten Hag players &#8211; but Varane would have every right to fidget on the bench. <em>&#8211;Rob Dawson<\/em><\/p>\n<hr\/>\n<h3>Girona&#8217;s thrilling return, the latest clue that La Liga&#8217;s joint leaders are set for a special season<\/h3>\n<p>Something special is cooking in Girona &#8211; and not just the huge paella served to supporters outside the stadium ahead of Saturday&#8217;s thrilling late victory over Valencia at Montilivi.<\/p>\n<p>Michel&#8217;s team plays up front and after scoring a goal in Valencia, they have not abandoned their principles.  They insisted until the end and got their reward in the final 10 minutes, with substitute Yan Couto setting up Cristhian Stuani for both goals.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey move you around and play with you,\u201d Valencia striker Hugo Duro said at full-time.  &#8220;They&#8217;re a magnificent team. There&#8217;s a reason they&#8217;re at the top.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>The winning goal sent Michel rushing to the touchline to celebrate with his players in front of a packed house of 13,343 spectators.  With Girona tied on points with Real Madrid in the La Liga table, the belief that they can achieve something historic this season is growing.  With 38 points out of a possible 45, it&#8217;s not difficult to understand why.<\/p>\n<p>They once again end the weekend as joint leaders with Real Madrid.  Next Sunday?  The small matter of a trip to Barcelona&#8217;s Catalan neighbors. <em>-Sam Marsden<\/em><\/p>\n<hr\/>\n<h2>Americans Abroad: Koleosho Scores First Premier League Goal;  Pulisic reaches Serie A goals record for USMNT <\/h2>\n<p>Fans of the U.S. men&#8217;s national team may not have heard of Luca Koleosho, but after this weekend, that could change.  The American-born winger scored his first Premier League goal on Saturday in Burnley&#8217;s victory against Sheffield United.  It was the fourth goal in a five-goal loss, but it remains a milestone for Koleosho.<\/p>\n<p>The 19-year-old was born in Connecticut, but moved to Spain at a young age to pursue his football career, where he found himself in Espanyol&#8217;s youth system and joined the senior team last year .  He joined Burnley during the last summer transfer window on a four-year contract.<\/p>\n<p>Koleosho is eligible to represent the United States, Canada, Nigeria and Italy.  He made a few appearances for the USMNT at youth level, but since then he has represented Italy, making his debut for the under-21 team last month.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Burnley beat FIVE against Sheffield United in a dominant performance at Turf Moor! <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/24S2iahRdl\">pic.twitter.com\/24S2iahRdl<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2013 NBC Sports Football (@NBCSportsSoccer) <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/NBCSportsSoccer\/status\/1730995328550056127?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">December 2, 2023<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Meanwhile, Christian Pulisic scored his fifth league goal for AC Milan since joining the club in the summer, netting the winner as Milan beat Frosinone 3-1 on Saturday in Serie A.<\/p>\n<p>Pulisic has five Serie A goals in 12 appearances, matching Weston McKennie&#8217;s 2020-21 season for Juventus, which remains the most American league goals in a single season. <em>-Caitlin Murray<\/em><\/p>\n<hr\/>\n<h2><b>News of the day<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>\n<p>The draw for the 2024 edition of the European Championship took place on Saturday, and Spain and France were both placed in difficult groups.  All Euro groups, as well as analyses, are here.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p>The UEFA Women&#8217;s Champions League format will undergo a major overhaul for the group stage from the 2025-26 season, while a second-tier competition will be launched, the UEFA Women&#8217;s Champions League has announced. UEFA on Saturday.  The UWCL&#8217;s new format will consist of &#8220;an 18-team league stage with three home and three away matches followed by the round of 16&#8221;, UEFA said, with more details on the new competition to be found. come.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p>A frustrated Luis Enrique said on Saturday that his Paris Saint-Germain side were not simply relying on striker Kylian Mbapp\u00e9 to score goals.  The coach was asked about the big gap in goal production within the team, but dismissed his concerns: &#8220;There are a lot of players who have scored. We don&#8217;t just depend on Kylian,&#8221; a- he declared in part.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div data-behavior=\"video_scroll\" class=\"contentItem__content contentItem__content--media-card contentItem__content--fullWidth contentItem__content--inline\">\n<figure data-video=\"watch,640,360,39026682\" data-cerebro-id=\"656b750dbe6ab325061c66d7\" data-title=\"EURO 2024 draw reaction: You want to be the best, you've got to beat the best\" class=\"media-wrapper_image video\" data-source=\"espn\"><picture class=\"media-wrapper_image\"><source data- media=\"(min-width: 376px)\"><source data- media=\"(max-width: 375px)\"><img class=\" lazyload lazyload\"\/><\/source><\/source><\/picture><span class=\"video-play-button\" data-id=\"39026682\">play<\/span><figcaption class=\"media-caption\">\n<p>1:46<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<div class=\"contentItem__contentWrapper\">\n<p>EURO 2024 draw <a class=\"wpil_keyword_link\" href=\"https:\/\/wikidollar.net\/tag\/reaction\/\"   title=\"reaction\" data-wpil-keyword-link=\"linked\">reaction<\/a>: You want to be the best, you have to beat the best<\/p>\n<p class=\"contentItem__subhead\">ESPN&#8217;s Mark Ogden gives his immediate reaction to the Euro 2024 draw, with England in Group C with Denmark, Slovenia and Serbia.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<hr\/>\n<h2><b>And finally &#8230;<\/b><\/h2>\n<p>Bayern Munich&#8217;s match against Union Berlin, scheduled for Saturday at the Allianz Arena, had to be postponed due to heavy snowfall, which also led to the cancellation of hundreds of flights in Germany.<\/p>\n<p>Look at the photos and it&#8217;s easy to see why, although a <em>Snow class<\/em> It could have been fun.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"inline inline-photo full\">\n<figure><picture><source data- media=\"(min-width: 376px)\"><source data- media=\"(max-width: 375px)\"><img class=\" lazyload lazyload\" data-image-container=\".inline-photo\" height=\"320\" width=\"570\"\/><\/source><\/source><\/picture><figcaption class=\"photoCaption\">A view of the Allianz Arena on Saturday after heavy snow canceled Bayern Munich&#8217;s match and flights across Germany. <cite>Jan-Philipp Burman\/City-Press GmbH Bildagentur via Getty Images<\/cite><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/aside>\n<p>Squint your eyes and you can see workers on the roof of the Allianz Arena clearing snow.  Safety first! <em>-Murray<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>European soccer news: Arsenal go fast, Real Madrid stay top\u060c Ah, another weekend of football in Europe&#8217;s biggest leagues is fast approaching, which means jubilation, heartbreak and a bit of schadenfreude \u2013 depending on who you support, of course. The weekend started in the Premier League with Arsenal securing a somewhat mixed victory, while Manchester [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":12579,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[439,2740,2667,2184,714,2183,1599,950,357],"class_list":["post-12578","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news-sports","tag-arsenal","tag-european","tag-fast","tag-madrid","tag-news","tag-real","tag-soccer","tag-stay","tag-top"],"blocksy_meta":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wikidollar.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12578","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wikidollar.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wikidollar.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wikidollar.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wikidollar.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=12578"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/wikidollar.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12578\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12580,"href":"https:\/\/wikidollar.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12578\/revisions\/12580"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wikidollar.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/12579"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wikidollar.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=12578"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wikidollar.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=12578"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wikidollar.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=12578"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}