European Football Roundup: 5 Talking Points From the Past Week As Manchester City Draw and Serie A Heats Up

European Football Roundup: 5 Talking Points From the Past Week As Manchester City Draw and Serie A Heats Up

Byron Pillay
updated at April 12, 2023 at 7:58 PM
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  • Manchester City dropped points as they drew with Crystal Palace yesterday in the English Premier League
  • The race for the Serie A title heats up as AC Milan, Napoli and Inter Milan are all still in the running
  • Lionel Messi and Neymar were booed as PSG won, while Benzema was on the scoresheet once again for Real Madrid

The battle for supremacy in Europe’s top leagues heated up thanks to some big wins for some and surprising results for others.

With as many as ten games still to be played by each team in the major leagues across Europe, no team has yet to wrap up their respective league titles.

European Football, Manchester City, Serie A, English Premier League, Bundesliga, Ligue 1, La Liga, Soccer
Karim Benzema, Kylian Mbappe and Cristiano Ronaldo all scored this weekend as their teams secured big victories. Image: Gonzalo Arroyo Moreno/ Xavier Laine/ Xavier Laine
Source: Getty Images

Among the five major leagues in Europe, only Paris Saint-Germain look assured of claiming the title as they hold a 15 point lead over Marseille.

But this past game week’s action proved that anything is still possible as the football season sprints to the finish.

Here are five talking points from the recent European football action.

1. Manchester City feel the pressure – English Premier League

At one stage Manchester City appeared to be cruising to another league title as they held a 14 point lead over Liverpool. Fans were already comparing the English Premier League to a farmer’s league, where only one dominates. That feeling has long since been erased, much like City’s lead. The Citizens were held by Crystal Palace last night and now only hold a four-point lead over The Reds, with Liverpool having a game in hand.

Liverpool takes on Arsenal tomorrow with a chance to cut that lead to just a single point. In other fixtures in the English Premier League, Manchester United bounced back to winning ways thanks to a Cristiano Ronaldo hat-trick, while Chelsea and Arsenal continued to cement their top four spots as they picked up big wins over Newcastle United and Leicester City respectively.

2. Lionel Messi and Neymar booed – French Ligue 1

Paris Saint-Germain stretched their lead to 15 points over Marseille with a 3-0 win over Bordeaux, but much of the focus was on how the fans reacted to the team. Following their sudden collapse against Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League, many fans were still unhappy with their side and booed Lionel Messi and Neymar. Even Neymar scoring a goal didn’t win fans over. Kylian Mbappé, who scored against Real Madrid, received praise and cheers from fans when he scored.

In other news, Marseille also picked up a good win over Brest while Nice missed a chance to go second on the log as they drew 0-0 with Marseille.

3. Real Madrid roll on as Barcelon impress - La Liga

Real Madrid roll on as Barcelona impressSevilla in La Liga as they comfortably beat Mallorca 3-0. Karim Benzema is in red-hot goalscoring form and bagged himself a brace in the game. While Madrid appears to be running away with the tile, Barcelona are also turning heads with their performances.

The Blaugrana beat Osasuna 4-0 and closed the gap to second-placed Sevilla to just five points. Sevilla dropped points this weekend as they drew with Rayo Vallecano.

4. AC Milan and Napoli win, Inter Milan draw - Serie A

The race for the Serie A title promises to go down to the wire as AC Milan, Inter Milan and Napoli are still in the running. AC Milan beat Empoli 1-0 to retain the top spot on the table, but they’re only three points ahead of Napoli.

Napoli returned to winning ways as they beat Verona 2-1, and have Nigeria’s Victor Osimhen, to thank for the victory.

Inter Milan dropped points as they drew with Torino, thanks to a late goal by Alexis Sanchez. Inter remain 4 points behind the log leaders but have a game in hand. They are now also a single point behind Napoli.

5. Bayern Munich drop points as Borussia Dortmund win - Bundesliga

Borussia Dortmund closed the gap on log leaders, Bayern Munich, thanks to a 1-0 win over Arminia Bielefeld. Dortmund are still without Erling Haaland but are ensuring that they take the fight right to the last games.

Bayern Munich are only seven points ahead of Dortmund but have played one game more. Munich dropped points this weekend as they drew with Hoffenheim.

Arsenal star Thomas Partey sheds light on the difference between English Premier League and La Liga

Ghana international Thomas Partey has drawn the line between the English Premier League and the Spanish topflight, Sports Brief earlier reported.

The 28-year-old midfielder is enjoying his best spell for the Gunners since he switched Spain for England and is fast becoming a cult hero with his superlative displays.

Thomas' purple patch of form was rehashed with his crowning as the player of the month for Arsenal in the month of February while playing a major role in Arsenal's Champions League pursuit.

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Byron Pillay
Byron Pillay is a sports writer and Head of the Department at Sports Brief (joined in 2022) with over 10 years of experience in community journalism and a degree in journalism from Caxton's Cadet School.
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