Weekend Review: Big, bad Bayern are back, Sterling falling short

Another play of headlines, golazos and unpredictable finishes crossed Europe's biggest league is successful the bag. From Bayern Munich hitting apical cogwheel successful a 6-2 thrashing of Mainz, to Chelsea's daze nonaccomplishment astatine Brighton, to Atletico Madrid erstwhile again coming unstuck successful the 99th infinitesimal -- determination was nary shortage of drama.

ESPN correspondents Julien Laurens, Sam Marsden, James Tyler and Mark Ogden interruption down the large worldly you request to cognize astir the weekend.

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Jump to: Talking points | Best goals | Teams successful trouble | MVP of the Weekend

Talking points

Bayern yet hitting stride successful the Bundesliga

It's taken them 8 rounds of matches and astir 2 months of fumbling astir successful league play, but Bayern Munich are yet wherever they expect to beryllium play aft season. Just 1 constituent disconnected the apical aft Union Berlin's last-gasp triumph implicit Borussia Monchengladbach connected Sunday, Bayern showed their fullest connected Saturday, thrashing Mainz 6-2 astatine the Allianz Arena. From here, you'd expect mean work to resume, with 2 slumping teams (Hertha Berlin, Schalke 04) and 2 wildly inconsistent ones (Werder Bremen, RB Leipzig) to play earlier the World Cup and an extended wintertime break, particularly aft different immense triumph that didn't truly necessitate overmuch effort.

Mainz seemed beaten from the opening whistle and were down aft conscionable 5 minutes, giving Serge Gnabry tons of country and clip connected the borderline of the six-yard container to person Sadio Mane's debased centering walk and spot it beyond a flailing Robin Zentner to unfastened the scoring. Another flowing determination connected the half-hour people led to Bayern's 2nd goal, with Alphonso Davies and Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting combining nicely connected the borderline of the container to tee up Jamal Musiala for an emphatic, low-driven decorativeness into the acold corner. Combination play, precision passing and a thumping finish: you person to bask the entertainment, right?

- Watch replay: Bayern Munich 6-2 Mainz (ESPN+, U.S. only)

Mainz did endanger successful what remained of the archetypal half, with Jae-Sung Lee and Jonathan Burkhardt hitting the station wrong seconds of each different arsenic Sven Ulreich was beaten, but Mane made it 3-0, tapping successful from adjacent scope aft Zentner saved his punishment (confirmed by VAR).

After a tally of 3 draws and a decision allowed their rivals to beryllium successful the champions' spot for a fewer weeks, Bayern person softly recovered signifier contempt spells of not playing good with Julian Nagelsmann inactive figuring retired the close combinations successful midfield and attack. Mane looks similar he's ever been a Bayern player, portion Musiala continues to amusement the dynamism and intent successful midfield that should spot him breakout successful beforehand of a planetary assemblage astatine this winter's World Cup.

As for Mainz and the remainder of the Bundesliga, they should support pushing to not fto the Bavarians get excessively acold away, but arsenic accustomed for Bayern these days, it lone seems similar a substance of clip earlier they do. -- Tyler

Sterling falling abbreviated for Potter

Raheem Sterling arrived astatine Stamford Bridge arsenic Chelsea's connection signing earlier this summer, with the England guardant signalling the commencement of the Todd Boehly ownership epoch erstwhile completing a £47.5 cardinal determination from Manchester City.

But the 27-year-old has done small to warrant his big-star presumption truthful acold for his caller nine and Saturday's 4-1 decision astatine Brighton extended his worrying tally of signifier to conscionable 1 extremity successful 11 games.

Manager Graham Potter said past week that Sterling's performances and deficiency of goals were down to corporate problems successful the squad alternatively than a singular contented with the player.

- Olley: Chelsea illness astatine Brighton arsenic Potter's risky tactics falter

But excavation deeper into his publication nether Potter and it is wide that Sterling inactive has plentifulness to bash to person the caller brag that helium tin unrecorded up to his estimation arsenic 1 of the Premier League's astir accordant forwards.

Sterling has completed 90 minutes conscionable erstwhile for Chelsea since Potter replaced Thomas Tuchel arsenic manager successful September has been been substituted successful six of his past 7 games -- the different being a goalless gully astatine Brentford erstwhile helium started connected the seat and replaced Mason Mount aft 62 minutes.

In 16 appearances altogether for Chelsea, Sterling has scored conscionable 4 goals and registered 2 assists, truthful helium is immoderate mode abbreviated of the signifier helium displayed astatine City.

So is helium under-performing astatine Chelsea oregon did helium look a amended subordinate astatine City due to the fact that helium was surrounded by world-class endowment successful Pep Guardiola's team?

Right now, it seems to beryllium the erstwhile and Sterling mightiness beryllium seeing his World Cup starting spot vanish if helium continues to autumn abbreviated for Chelsea. -- Ogden

Serie A's epic conflict astatine the top

With Napoli flying high, 5 points wide astatine the apical of Serie A and not looking similar they are acceptable to dilatory down anytime soon, it is clip to look down them astatine the fascinating contention for the apical four.

Below Luciano Spaletti's men, we find 7 teams wrong 5 points of each other. Between Atalanta, presently 2nd successful the array connected 27 points and Udinese, successful 8th with 22 points, determination is simply a monolithic combat for who volition decorativeness successful the Champions League places. AC Milan, Lazio, Internazionale, AS Roma (with a crippled successful hand) and Juventus are each successful the mix.

Atalanta and Udinese are the lone ones not playing successful Europe this season, though Juventus could articulation them soon successful this category, but they don't person the extent of squads of the 2 Milanese sides oregon adjacent Juve. Next weekend, six of the apical 8 teams volition play each other: Atalanta-Napoli connected Saturday, the Rome Derby betwixt Lazio and Roma connected Sunday, and the Derby d'Italia betwixt Juventus and Inter. Then, the play earlier the commencement of the World Cup, Atalanta volition big Inter, Lazio volition question to Turin and Napoli caput to Milan to look Inter.

The Serie A dogfight is good and genuinely ON. -- Laurens

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Julien Laurens reflects connected Napoli's ascendant tally of matches lately.

Atleti's 99th-minute agony repeat

Atletico Madrid's miserable week ended with much 99th infinitesimal agony connected Saturday arsenic they were beaten 3-2 by second-bottom Cadiz successful LaLiga. Ruben Sobrino struck the winning extremity successful a five-goal thriller 9 minutes into stoppage clip conscionable 3 days aft Atletico had been knocked retired of the Champions League. Atletico would inactive beryllium successful the Champions League, though, if Yannick Carrasco had converted a 99th infinitesimal punishment successful the 2-2 gully with Bayer Leverkusen.

Sobrino's victor astatine the Nuevo Mirandilla came aft the location broadside had squandered a two-goal pb with Joao Felix coming disconnected the seat to punctual manager Diego Simeone what he's susceptible of. Felix, connected his time 1 of the astir talented players successful Atletico's squad, has not started a crippled since Sept. 18 for his nine and his past 5 appearances person accounted for a full of 54 minutes. Against Cadiz, Simeone handed him fractional an hr and his brace looked to person earned Atletico a point.

But past Sobrino struck to permission Atletico 8 points adrift of 2nd spot Barcelona. Cadiz, meanwhile, are up to 10 points, level with a clutch of clubs, including Jorge Sampaoli's Sevilla, who dropped backmost into the bottommost 3 aft losing astatine location to Rayo Vallecano. -- Marsden

CADIZ BEAT ATLETICO WITH A 99TH MINUTE WINNER 😯 pic.twitter.com/Lu4HFEymzv

Goals

De Bruyne's champion hit

There is the extremity itself of course, a fantastic nonstop escaped kick. There is the subordinate who scored it, Kevin De Bruyne successful the speech to beryllium crowned the champion midfielder successful Premier League history. There is the value of the goal, the winning 1 for Manchester City distant astatine Leicester City, successful a crippled without Erling Haaland and wherever the Citizens needed thing peculiar from someone.

And finally, determination is the remark made aft the crippled by Guardiola, astir hinting that KDB was backmost aft going missing for a fewer games, which is simply a spot harsh considering the play the Belgian is having. But sometimes we are astir much demanding of geniuses similar De Bruyne.

Saturday was his time and helium delivered successful the lack of Haaland. This is De Bruyne's archetypal extremity from a nonstop escaped footwear this season, connected his 3rd attempt. Whether you hold with Pep oregon not, KDB's deed connected Saturday was a peculiar infinitesimal successful this season's Premier League. -- Laurens

The champion free-kick ever scored by a City player? 🤔@KevinDeBruyne's sublime free-kick against Leicester 👇 pic.twitter.com/C4da0tdlCb

Summerville's day present

Leeds United person been waiting for 21 years for 1 of their players to people a winning extremity against Liverpool astatine Anfield and Crysencio Summerville yet ended their hold -- a time earlier his 21st birthday.

The past clip Leeds won astatine Anfield, successful April 2001, Rio Ferdinand was connected the scoresheet for the Whites successful a 2-1 win. Summerville hadn't adjacent been born.

But the Dutch guardant showed composure beyond his years with the finishing interaction to people his extremity successful the 89th minute.

Spotting a spread astatine the acold post, the erstwhile Feyenoord youngster poked the shot beyond goalkeeper Alisson to people successful beforehand of the conception lodging the Leeds supporters.

It was the cleanable extremity to the cleanable time for Summerville, who said afterwards that helium would observe by flying to the Netherlands connected his day to walk clip with his family. -- Ogden

🤯 "That is sensational!" pic.twitter.com/onfkRI5jvG

Hey Jude!

Apologies for the atrocious pun astir Borussia Dortmund prima (and apical transportation people of Every Club In The World FC) Jude Bellingham's name, but I shall not accidental atrocious for his superb extremity connected Saturday -- 1 that proved to beryllium the game-winner arsenic BVB racked up an awesome 2-1 triumph connected the roadworthy astatine Eintracht Frankfurt.

Following a fancy flick-on by Youssoufa Moukoko (who is starting to look amended and amended successful that center-forward role), Bellingham surged into the box, chopped beyond 1 defender and near respective others fumbling earlier arrowing a changeable into the top-left corner. It was flair, it was force, it was everything you privation to spot from an attacking midfield endowment similar the 19-year-old England international. That it helped Dortmund prime up each 3 points made it adjacent sweeter. -- Tyler

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Jude Bellingham continues his blistery scoring streak for Borussia Dortmund astatine Eintracht Frankfurt.

Teams successful trouble

Leverkusen trending down

There's a occupation astatine Bayer Leverkusen, and it's evident that aft the Oct. 5 coaching alteration -- goodbye Gerardo Seoane, hullo Xabi Alonso -- and conscionable 1 league triumph since the extremity of August that it volition instrumentality rather immoderate clip to fig out. The endowment is determination -- Moussa Diaby is electrical connected the wing, Robert Andrich remains persistent successful midfield -- but the results conscionable don't adhd up and that was existent again this weekend, wherever Leverkusen went to Leipzig and managed conscionable 5 shots (0.14 xG) successful a alternatively boring 2-0 defeat.

Things could surely alteration erstwhile immoderate large players yet instrumentality from semipermanent injuries (you tin spot wherever they're missing Florian Wirtz to knit everything unneurotic successful the last third), but it's apt that the existent enactment won't statesman until the World Cup break, which means that signifier and assurance apt won't instrumentality until the caller year. It shouldn't beryllium excessively precocious to prevention their season, but it's going to necessitate a batch of saving. -- Tyler

Marseille can't halt the rot

Marseille were already my squad successful occupation past week, but they person to beryllium up determination again aft different disappointing effect -- this clip astatine Strasbourg.

Three days earlier the biggest crippled of their season, astatine location against Tottenham Hotspur successful the Champions League to marque it to the past 16 oregon not, they could not spend to support their antagonistic spiral successful Ligue 1 going. After 3 defeats successful a row, they had to get backmost to winning ways. Despite a bully archetypal half, Igor Tudor's broadside made the aforesaid mistakes arsenic successful their past league encounters and conceded 2 precocious goals to lone spell location with a point.

It is not bully capable astatine the infinitesimal for the Marseillais and the unit is going to beryllium massive, not conscionable connected Tuesday against Spurs but besides connected Sunday against Lyon astatine the Velodrome. The Olympico is simply a immense juncture and 1 l'OM cannot lose. -- Laurens

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Julien Laurens and Craig Burley preview the Champions League matchup betwixt Tottenham and Marseille.

Weekend MVP

Lewa keeps his chill for Barca

There whitethorn person been amended performances than Robert Lewandowski's successful Europe this play but fewer volition person been arsenic important arsenic the Barcelona striker's astatine Valencia. Lewandowski struck the victor successful the 94th infinitesimal of a hard-fought crippled astatine Mestalla to gain his squad 3 points, cancel retired the disapproval which would person followed a gully aft Champions League elimination successful midweek and, astir significantly, determination Barca to wrong 1 constituent of leaders Real Madrid, who were held by Girona connected Sunday.

Xavi Hernandez has spoken astir the request to link much with Lewandowski but the Poland planetary ne'er disconnects from the game, nary substance however overmuch of the shot helium sees. That was evident against Valencia. When Raphinha's transverse dropped into the container successful the 4th infinitesimal of stoppage time, helium was switched connected and diversion capable to nutrient a superb decorativeness backmost crossed the goalkeeper. It was his 18th extremity of the play and, to date, possibly his astir important for Barca truthful far. Time volition archer conscionable however cardinal it was erstwhile the points are added up astatine the extremity of the season. -- Marsden