It was a bumper bank holiday weekend of soccer action across Europe. There was movement at the top and bottom of the Premier League and Bundesliga while Serie A, Ligue 1 and La Liga also served up some interesting storylines. Napoli might not have sealed their first Scudetto since 1990 just yet and Paris Saint-Germain are making hard work of getting their historic 11th Ligue 1 title over the line, but the German title race took another twist while a Major League Soccer star is currently excelling in Spain.
Leeds turn to Big Sam, truly ending the era of Bielsa
Leeds United have confirmed the departure of Victor Orta by mutual consent and Javi Gracia is expected to follow him out of Elland Road to make way for Sam Allardyce in a desperate final throw of the dice from the Whites as they try to salvage their Premier League status. With four losses from their last five and three of those heavy blowouts, only goal difference is keeping Leeds out of the bottom three.
Factor in an unenviable run-in against Manchester City, Newcastle United, West Ham United and Tottenham Hotspur, it is tempting to say that the writing is already on the wall for the men from West Yorkshire. However, perhaps most saddening in this season which will have now seen four different managerial figures on the bench from Jesse Marsch to Allardyce through Michael Skubala and Gracia is the fact that Marcelo Bielsa's legacy is well and truly gone.
Fond memories of the cult Argentine tactician remain, but everything that he did to reconnect the club and its players with their loyal fanbase has been eroded since his departure over a year ago. Bielsa turned Leeds into a positive club with an undeniable feelgood factor which made the decision to split so painful. Orta's exit now confirms the failure of the South American's succession.
There were moments when Marsch hinted at making a success of himself as Leeds' American contingent grew with Tyler Adams and Brenden Aaronson before Weston McKennie joined in, but ultimately the Whites have been on a downward spiral since Bielsa's magic wore off. The worst defensive record in the Premier League tells its own story as does a desperate turn to Allardyce who suffered the first topflight relegation of his storied career with West Bromwich Albion in 2021.
Taty Castellanos' La Liga tear
Few players in Europe are in such fine form as Taty Castellanos at present, with the Girona man scoring again over the weekend in an impressive 2-0 win away at Sevilla in La Liga. The 24-year-old Argentine is still on loan from MLS outfit New York City FC and he now has six goals from three games thanks largely to his incredible quadruple against Real Madrid recently.
Castellanos is a shining example of the quality MLS exports can bring to the European game and his uptick in form has coincided with a strong run of form for Girona which has suddenly launched them into late European contention. Four wins from seven and just one defeat places Michel's men just five points adrift of Real Betis who occupy sixth spot.
With six games to go in Spain, Castellanos could yet inspire the City Football Group-owned side to continental action. The penultimate of those, at home to Betis, could be decisive for both as they hope to clinch some form of UEFA involvement.
Dortmund waste top spot (again)
Bayern Munich are once again back at the Bundesliga summit after Borussia Dortmund threw away yet another golden chance to make top spot theirs. A 1-1 draw away at VfL Bochum on the Friday opened up the chance to retake the summit to Thomas Tuchel's men against Hertha Berlin on Sunday and the Bavarians seized it with a late 2-0 win.
One point now separates the two and although Bayern could yet drop more points given their own rocky season, Dortmund seem to find new ways to allow their German rivals back into it. Edin Terzic's men have a decent run-in all things considered while the champions face Leipzig in one of their final games but surely there will not be more than one final opening for BVB to get it right.
Inter hit their hot streak
The Nerazzurri have put their UEFA Champions League semifinal distractions behind them with important Serie A and Coppa Italia wins to set up an interesting final few weeks of the season. A late 3-1 home win at Lazio has dragged Inter back into the top four while a 1-0 success against Juventus has set up a winnable cup final with Fiorentina.
Simone Inzaghi has been on the hot seat for a while now but the Italian tactician could yet lead Inter to a UCL return as well as domestic silverware -- regardless of the outcome over two legs in the all-Milan semis. Not bad for coach supposedly on his last legs for months now.
One blood-pumping game wrapped up into three minutes ❤️🔥
— Inter (@Inter_en) May 1, 2023
The best of the action from #InterLazio is here 👇 📺#ForzaInter pic.twitter.com/HpXYQgDbCq
Ligue 1 Angers go down
One of European soccer's sadder stories reached its inevitable conclusion this past weekend as Angers SCO were confirmed to be dropping out of Ligue 1. A 4-2 loss to Stade Rennais confirmed their descent into Ligue 2 and things could get much worse with the embattled club now hit by a transfer ban this summer and next winter after wave upon wave of scandal.
PSG's 3-2 home defeat to Lorient might have caught the eye but who joins Angers next is equally intriguing with Brest, Nantes, Strasbourg and Auxerre all battling to avoid being dragged down with Ajaccio and surely Troyes.
