Hello friends, good vibes to all.
> The ball has finally started rolling in most of the major leagues on the continent. La Liga and the Premier League have already tipped off what will be the start of another season. From this weekend, I want to highlight two matches I watched. On Saturday, the Spanish champions made their debut against Mallorca, and yesterday, Arteta's Arsenal opened the curtain on their run against Manchester United. A match that, for a matchday one, was quite interesting, so let's start with that match and share our impressions.
> Last season, Arsenal were already a great team that knew what they were playing for and had a very good starting 11 in their squad. All of this changed for the better, and with the additions the Gunners made (Zubimendi, Gyokeres, Madueke), it seemed that the team had strengthened significantly. With a 4-3-3 formation and a natural number 9, the visitors came out to face a Manchester United side that, contrary to what one might think, put on a great performance. The first half was very even, with Arsenal taking advantage of what they do best: goals from set pieces. Calafiori opened the scoring with a header, almost a rebound, amid a sea of players in the six-yard box. Up until that point, there had been a certain parity, but the real chances were for the "Red Devils."  [Fuente!](https://www.si.com/soccer/man-utd-player-ratings-vs-arsenal-premier-league-8-17-25)
> The scoreline wouldn't budge, and although Arsenal were victorious, the truth is that they had a generally weak game. If we talk about the Gunners' substitutions, the same should be said for Amorin's United: Matheus Cunha and Cameroonian Bryan Mbeumo were the most important and put in a great performance offensively. Cunha's vision was great, because I think he should have played deeper than he did yesterday, and Mbeumo's power on the right wing to generate attacks in that area gave the team a wealth of opportunities. The issue is their lack of effectiveness; 22 shots, 7 of which were on target, without a single goal, is an important statistic.
> With work, Manchester can at least compete at the top of the table in Europe. I see the team looking better than last year. Arsenal, without a good game, took the three points. United stood up to them well, and they had a slow pace, especially in the second half. It was a very entertaining match worthy of the Premier League. It's impressive how good their matches can be. But for entertaining, or rather eventful, matches, there was the one at Son Moix in Palma de Mallorca, where the home side were already losing in less than 10 minutes and by the end of the first half, they were playing with nine players, two of whom were sent off just six minutes apart.  [Fuente!](https://www.marca.com/mx/futbol/la-liga/cronica/2025/08/16/68a0df2222601df5288b457e.html)
> Forging an analysis based on these conditions is complicated because we're facing a completely broken game. Barcelona won 3-0, and Flick wasn't happy. Surprisingly, Mallorca managed to hold on with nine players, but in part, it was because the Catalans slowed down, and that's unacceptable to the German coach, to the point that he complained about it in a press conference and hinted that he would reprimand the players for their attitude. This seems perfect to me because Flick knows the potential of this squad. I think that if they had played seriously, they could have easily won by at least five goals.
> So, what did we see? - the continued excellent form of the Raphinha-Lamine duo. The former with a goal, and the latter with an assist and a great strike late in the match. Rashford's arrival will give the attack more depth. But it's not all good news. I think with the departure of Iñigo Martínez, the Catalans are losing power and defensive leadership, and Ronald Araujo is far from his best. Yes, Barcelona won, but at half speed and against a depleted team. Still, the fundamentals are evident, and this club is poised to win everything this season.
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> Well, that's all for today, everyone. I hope you enjoyed it. ¡Hugs to everyone, see you next time! Posted Using [INLEO](https://inleo.io/@javyeslava.photo/espeng-se-mueve-el-baln-en-europa--kqn)