1. Real Madrid got the better of Barcelona … twice
The most important development in Sunday's El Clásico was what occurred in the first 15 minutes. Real Madrid came out and immediately took the initiative. They thought they'd scored and drawn a penalty before Kylian Mbappé broke the deadlock after 22 minutes. It was a stark contrast to the Carlo Ancelotti era, when they often waited until the second half to do anything meaningful in attack. Their reward was three points and a game that was played on their terms from start to finish.
Finally getting the better of Barcelona was the culmination of a very productive week for Los Blancos. They also played a notable role in getting Barcelona's game in Miami cancelled. The player protests across La Liga were certainly a factor too, but La Liga isn't passing up financial and marketing opportunities because players are unhappy. It might do so because of potential legal action from what is probably the most powerful club in the world. On and off the field, Real Madrid came away victorious.
2. The Messi era in Miami made it to a second stage
Until Lionel Messi officially extended his contract with Inter Miami past 2025 on Thursday, there was no guarantee it would happen. Two of his closest friends are retiring. He could have ended his career playing for Argentina at the World Cup next summer or just come back to finish the 2026 season. Barcelona are always an option if he doesn’t care about the money. Saudi Arabia would love to have him too.
While it was extremely likely Messi would end his career in Miami, he is not exactly the world’s most predictable person. Signing through 2028 sends an important message about his dedication to the club. It means he’s willing to stick around while Inter Miami rebuilds a new team with less familiar faces around him. This is evidently about more than staying fit for the World Cup and being able to manage his workload. No one could be completely sure of his intentions until the extension was announced.
3. Sheffield Wednesday players and fans deserve better
The pressure was building on Sheffield Wednesday owner Dejphon Chansiri from multiple sides. Players weren't getting paid. Fans were boycotting to encourage him to sell. His Majesty's Revenue & Customs was getting ready to act. Finally, the club was placed into administration Friday. The ideal solution would have been for Chansiri to sell much earlier, as the Owls are 16 points from safety after their 12-point deduction.
It is a positive step at least. While relegation is almost guaranteed at this point, there is now a clear path to new ownership. Most importantly, at long last, there is hope. The boycott has already ended. Wednesday fans can go back to supporting their team without having any mixed emotions or guilt. Clubs like Wednesday should be too big and too important to get into messes like this one, but it's happened before and will probably happen again. These clubs mean too much to too many people to be run so poorly without severe consequences. Good on the Owls’ supporters for forcing the issue.
4. Nottingham Forest are back where they started
Nottingham Forest conceded a goal in all 11 games they played prior to Sean Dyche’s appointment. Seven times they allowed multiple. In his first game in charge, they kept a clean sheet and got their first victory in the Europa League. His job is obvious: Get the defense organized and return Forest to the style of play that was so successful last season. If the club wasn't going to keep Nuno Espirito Santo around, Dyche was undoubtedly the best man to carry on his legacy.
The question this summer is the same one Forest must answer now: How much should last season impact their expectations and their evaluation of managers as well as players? The numbers make it abundantly clear that they were extremely fortunate in 2024-25. Dyche is the perfect guy for the stabilizing phase Forest are in right now. It’s up to him to prove he’s the right man to take them into the next phase too.
5. The Premier League’s newly promoted teams are doing just fine
Sunderland walked off the field at Stamford Bridge second in the Premier League table. They were still there when they woke up Sunday morning. Less than 24 hours before, Leeds United scored twice in the first 15 minutes to beat fellow relegation candidate West Ham. The day after Sunderland’s famous victory, Burnley went into Molineux Stadium and won a second game in a row. By the end of the weekend, the newly promoted teams were in fourth, 15th and 16th.
All three of them are at least five points from the relegation zone. They have won 11 of the 27 games they've played. Last season's three promoted teams combined to win 12 games the entire campaign. Many expected a similar story this season, and it has been anything but. All three clubs have every right to be confident about what they're doing. While that doesn't necessarily mean all three will be able to stay up, that could not be said at any point last season or the season before.