“Barcelona head into this La Liga season with the chance of achieving something special. Winning the Spanish top-flight title for the third year in a row would make Hansi Flick’s team the first to do that since Pep Guardiola’s Barca in 2011. There would be nice symmetry in them doing that against Jose Mourinho’s Real Madrid — while they also have unfinished business in the Champions League. The Catalans have made some exciting signings in Rodri, Anthony Gordon and Karim Adeyemi. But they still lack a senior centre-forward, with their pursuit of Atletico Madrid’s Julian Alvarez so far proving fruitless. This is what to expect from the coming season. …”
NYT/ATH
Barcelona 2026-27 season preview: Will Rodri, Gordon and Co help them win three in a row?
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“Over the last couple of seasons, Ryan Gravenberch has been Liverpool’s bellwether player. When the Dutchman has been on form, Liverpool have been on a title-winning level. When Gravenberch has looked tired and struggled to make a positive impact, Liverpool have often been wretched. There’s a chicken-and-egg debate to be had there, but Gravenberch was magnificent in the first half of 2024-25 in 
“After a weekend on which 
“Julian Alvarez was whistled and insulted by Atletico Madrid fans as he made his first appearance for the club since expressing his desire to move away, amid interest from Barcelona and Arsenal. Alvarez’s name was jeered by the Atletico supporters at the Metropolitano when it was read out before their La Liga game against Villarreal, while many gestured and made their feelings clear towards the Argentina striker when he began to warm up around the hour mark. …”
“For an opening-game upset of the season, Hull City’s win at home against 20-time champions Manchester United was rather convincing. They were 2-0 up after 38 minutes and managed the game with control and comfort in the second half to see out a statement victory. Not a bad start for the Championship play-off winners up against last season’s third-place side, especially as they have the least ‘valuable’ squad in the Premier League, 
“THE Premier League may feel as though it has been constantly dominated by Manchester City over the past decade, but there are plenty of leagues that have been far less democratic. Most competitions have one or two clubs that consistently finish in the top places; there is an air of predictability in France, Germany and Spain and there are no surprise teams at the summit in Italy. The Netherlands and Portugal are effectively both run by three teams, while Scotland has almost always been bossed by two clubs from Glasgow. ….”
Scissors Kick 