The Wenger Watch took the weekend off because we care deeply about work-life balance, but we're back to chart Arsene Wenger's career prospects as he and Arsenal venture into the Europa League group stage.
After much deliberation we have decided to put the Wenger-O-Meter in the MIDDLE. We are AMBIVALENT at this time. It could go EITHER WAY.
FC Cologne hasn’t won the Bundesliga since 1978. They are currently ranked 122nd in the UEFA club rankings, and they’re the mighty Arsenal’s opponent in the Europa League tonight, something Gooner supporters have been mocked endlessly about by people who started supporting Manchester City or Chelsea in 2010.
August was a kind month for Manchester United and France midfielder Paul Pogba. United currently sit atop the Premier League table after trouncing West Ham, Swansea and Leicester by a combined scoreline of 10-0, with Pogba scoring two goals and registering an assist in three dominating individual displays.
He was duly awarded the club’s Player of the Month award, and with Nemanja Matic now anchoring the midfield alongside him, the Frenchman used August as a showcase of things to come.
So yeah, the linesman has his flag up for offside, negating the reality of Marseille goalkeeper Steve Mandanda’s actions here, but the attacker for NK Domzale doesn’t know that. He’s going full bore, which really makes this combination Cruyff Turn/Rolled Nutmeg bloody murder.
The 32-year-old French international set the tone with this skill check. Is it any surprise, with the Stade Velodrome suddenly set to lit level 10, that Marseille scored the opener only 12 minutes later?
Everton held a narrow 2-0 advantage heading into their second leg Europa League qualifying playoff against Hajduk Split in Croatia. After Josip Radosevic narrowed the advantage to 2-1 with a 30-yard rocket in the 43rd minute, Everton came out for the second half knowing that their Europa League participation was well and truly in the balance.
But less than a minute after the restart, the 35,000 packed into the Stadion Poljud in Split were silenced by what could be the best goal in the competition all season.
On Tuesday, Swiss club Young Boys scored an excruciating last-minute own goal to lose 1-0 to CSKA Moscow in a Champions League playoff. On Thursday, Turkish club Fenerbahce showed the Europa League's standard of own goal is just as high as the Champions League's.
A wonderfully invented goal from Isco and a successful foray forward from Casemiro were enough to overcome Romelu Lukaku’s first competitive Manchester United goal on Tuesday, and Real Madrid captured an early piece of silverware in their 2017-18 campaign by defeating Manchester United in the UEFA Super Cup.
Last June, Real became the first club to successfully defend their European title in the Champions League era, and based off the evidence here, they have to be firm UCL favorites this season as well.
Manchester United players Phil Jones and Daly Blind are in trouble with UEFA's anti-doping arm, but not for having actually doped. Before the Europa League final in May, Jones reportedly insulted a doping control officer and Blind reportedly wasn't following the controllers' directions.
Phil Jones charged with insulting & directing abusive language towards doping control officer, given two-match European ban + €5,000 fine
It probably goes without saying, but Rivaldinho is the 22-year-old son of Brazilian legend Rivaldo. The two even managed to play together for Mogi Mirim in the Brazilian Serie B in 2015, actually scoring in the same game in July of that year.
Now, little Rivaldo plays for Dinamo Bucuresti in Romania, and his side were handed a difficult draw in the third qualifying round of the 2017-18 UEFA Europa League against Spanish side Athletic Bilbao.