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European football: Ten talking points from the weekend

By Daniel Mercieca

VERONA, ITALY - AUGUST 18: Cristiano Ronaldo of Juventus FC looks on during the Serie A match between Chievo Verona and Juventus at Stadio Marc'Antonio Bentegodi on August 18, 2018 in Verona, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)
VERONA, ITALY - AUGUST 18: Cristiano Ronaldo of Juventus FC looks on during the Serie A match between Chievo Verona and Juventus at Stadio Marc'Antonio Bentegodi on August 18, 2018 in Verona, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images) /
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DROCHTERSEN, GERMANY – AUGUST 18: Head coach Niko Kovac of Bayern Muenchen laughs prior to the DFB Cup first round match between SV Drochtersen-Assel and Bayern Muenchen at Kehdinger Stadion on August 18, 2018 in Drochtersen, Germany. (Photo by TF-Images/Getty Images)
DROCHTERSEN, GERMANY – AUGUST 18: Head coach Niko Kovac of Bayern Muenchen laughs prior to the DFB Cup first round match between SV Drochtersen-Assel and Bayern Muenchen at Kehdinger Stadion on August 18, 2018 in Drochtersen, Germany. (Photo by TF-Images/Getty Images) /

7. Niko Kovac suffers scare in cup debut with Bayern Munich

The German Bundesliga is the final major European domestic league still eagerly awaiting its return after a long summer.

DFB-Pokal action swept over Germany this weekend, with minnows hoping to spring the ultimate surprise in the early rounds. Some big scalps have already been claimed, with Stuttgart and Eintracht Frankfurt unable to negotiate lesser opposition.

Bayern Munich were fully expected to thrash their fourth-tier opposition Drochtersen-Assel, and when a lineup including stars such as Robert Lewandowski, Arjen Robben and Thomas Muller was announced, the result pretty much became a foregone conclusion.

The champions were held for 82 minutes, to everyone’s surprise, and eventually Lewandowski managed to get them out of jail. It was a chastening, almost mortifying experience for a club with such success, and the tiny Drochtersen-Assel were agonisingly close to becoming historic.

Niko Kovac desperately needs improvements ahead of the Bavarians’ Bundesliga opener against Champions League-hunting Hoffenheim.

8. Unai Emery shouldn’t be judged yet

Arsenal have lost their opening two Premier League matches to Manchester City and Chelsea, and are still waiting to get off the mark under new manager Unai Emery.

Some Gunners fans already believe there is reason to be concerned, however the key theme in a whirlwind clash at Stamford Bridge was wasteful finishing. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Henrikh Mkhitaryan squandered a collection of chances, but Arsenal’s general play provided encouragement that Emery is creating something worthy of following Wenger’s legacy.

Arsenal could and should have gotten more against Chelsea, especially based on their attacking performance. There are things that certainly need improving at the other end of the pitch, but with Sokratis and Stephan Lichtsteiner still gelling with the team, Emery has time to sort the issues out.

It is unjust for anyone to be jumping down the Spaniard’s throat at this early point. Arsenal are six points behind Chelsea, Manchester City and Tottenham, they haven’t been exemplary at any stage but an incredibly difficult start was always going to prove tough for Emery.

The former PSG boss has endured a baptism of fire, however pressing the panic button now is only going to intensify unnecessary pressure.

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