Q: Bayern Munich’s performance against PSG surely makes them favourites to win the Uefa Champions League?
@purplehassan1 via X
A: Bayern Munich start every season among the favourites because they always have the power and pedigree to lift the trophy. But I agree with you, that performance and victory against the current champions of Europe was a statement victory. Coming into this game, much was made of their 15 consecutive wins and I was sceptical about whether they could overcome PSG. Bayern winning domestic games has become so routine that it no longer feels special – could they overcome the best and biggest in Europe?
Much has been said about their attacking line, which continues to perform at a ridiculous level despite the absence of chief creator Jamal Musiala. More on Harry Kane below, but Luis Diaz has added so much spark and they have now scored 56 goals in all competitions. What has impressed most, though, is their defence.
They are an attacking side, yet remain resolute, largely because of how combative they are across the pitch. Their hunger to win back possession, close down opponents and win duels is relentless. Joshua Kimmich covered more than 13 kilometres, tracking runners and helping his side control the game. Bayern made it look easy to overwhelm PSG and provoke simple errors.
When Diaz was sent off after that awful challenge on Achraf Hakimi, they might have faded. Instead, their willingness to suffer, absorb pressure and work tirelessly to protect their lead was hugely impressive. That ability to adapt, accept the conditions and put in the hard yards is exactly why Bayern must be considered genuine Champions League contenders – this is the best they have looked in a long time.
Q: Real Madrid lost to Liverpool, only their second loss this season and they lead La Liga but I can’t help but think they've looked poor. Am I wrong?
@HamadNahl via X
A: You’re not alone in feeling that way. Something is missing from this Real Madrid side. Liverpool, like Atletico Madrid before them, fully deserved their win. Madrid still lead La Liga, but they don’t feel like Madrid. They’re missing that swagger, that arrogance, that sense of inevitability when a galactico would step up, flip a match on its head and remind everyone who they were. That aura has faded.
My opinion is that Real Madrid differ from other sides in that they don’t win because of sound structure. Their greatness has always come from emotion, from self-belief, from the conviction that talent and character would eventually find a way. When Carlo Ancelotti’s side lost that fire last season, he took the blame – rightly so – for a team that looked passive and disorganised. Xabi Alonso has since brought discipline and tactical clarity, but in doing so, some of that electricity has drained away. They now look efficient more than inspired.
Q: How good is Granit Xhaka?
@Sbulch via Instagram
A: It’s still early in the season, but Sunderland are already one of the stories of this campaign. To be level on points with a Liverpool side that spent over €400 million in the transfer market, and to sit fourth in the table, is exceptional for a club making the step up to the Premier League.
Xhaka definitely deserves the plaudits. He’s been Sunderland’s most influential player, not just for the leadership and experience he brings to a newly promoted team, but for the sheer quality of his performances. In Monday’s 1-1 draw with Everton, he scored the equaliser and was named man of the match, prompting pundits to debate whether any player has had a greater impact on a single club this season.
In early October, Opta reported that only seven players have run further in the Premier League this season than Xhaka’s 66km, and all of them are at least three years younger. He ranks in the league’s top 15 for interceptions, has regained possession 28 times, and made more clearances than any non-defender. Sunderland, with just 43.2 per cent possession on average, rely on his work rate and composure to survive long spells without the ball. He is a huge reason why the club have conceded only eight goals this season. Only Arsenal have done better.
Q: Who is the best striker in the world out of Erling Haaland, Kylian Mbappe and Harry Kane?
@daariuz via Instagram
A: This is a question that will always divide opinion. If we start with the numbers and compare the three purely on goal involvements in the Champions League and their domestic leagues, then Kane leads the way. He has 17 goals and three assists in 927 minutes, which means a goal involvement every 46 minutes. Mbappe has played 1,221 minutes with 18 goals and 2 assists, averaging a goal involvement every 61 minutes. Haaland sits in a similar range with 17 goals and 1 assist in 1,114 minutes, also a goal involvement every 61 minutes.
Looking deeper into their league performances gives a fuller picture. Mbappe’s numbers stand out. He averages 4.34 progressive carries, 4.72 progressive passes and 6.99 shot-creating actions per 90 minutes in La Liga. Kane’s figures are also impressive with 1.03 progressive carries, 4.37 progressive passes and 4.88 shot-creating actions. Haaland’s output is lower with 2.32 progressive carries, 0.63 progressive passes and 1.69 shot-creating actions.
But numbers only tell part of the story. If I were picking one for my team, I would choose Mbappe. He has the highest ceiling, combines creativity with ruthless finishing and delivers in the clutch moments. Kane, though, has been extraordinary this season for Bayern and perhaps my favourite striker to watch. He has always worked hard for the team but the positions that he’s taken up this season, the way he has adapted his game to help provide as well as finish for the team has been immense.
Haaland remains the most devastating finisher of all, but perhaps not yet the complete all-round player that the other two have become. But he too is progressing nicely.
Q: Are Roma title challengers in Serie A this season?
@Ian._.Mac via Instagram
A: They are second in the table and I don’t think anyone saw that coming. Gian Piero Gasperini may be the hero of Atalanta’s Europa League triumph over Bayer Leverkusen’s 'Invincibles', but history shows that his teams usually take time to absorb his philosophy. This time, he has adapted quickly. Roma are not yet playing the full 'Gasperini way', but he has built on the foundations Claudio Ranieri laid last season.
The problem is that the squad is not ideally suited to his football – and more importantly, they lack clinical finishers. Artem Dovbyk and Evan Ferguson are not providing the firepower. Paulo Dybala’s missed penalty against Milan was costly, but his injury is worse.
He is their only genuine creative force in attack. Roma can dominate matches, as they did against Max Allegri’s Milan with 71 per cent possession and three shots on target inside 15 minutes, yet they remain timid in front of goal. They can play beautifully until it’s time to deliver the final blow.
There is progress, no doubt, but until they strengthen in January and bring in a more ruthless forward line, I can’t see them sustaining a title challenge. For now, my money is still on Milan.
