1. The Ange Postecoglou hire is risky for all parties involved
Nottingham Forest won half their Premier League games last season under Nuno Espirito Santo. After his debut loss to Arsenal on Saturday, Ange Postecoglou has lost 59% of the Premier League games he's managed. He was brought in to lead a team that thrived doing none of the things he wants his teams to do. Replacing Nuno with Postecoglou was an objectively illogical decision made by a man with a reputation for making impulsive ones.
That doesn't mean Postecoglou is doomed to fail. If he does, though, he's probably not getting another opportunity to manage at the top level. His managerial reputation is absolutely at stake, and it's now tied to one of the most erratic men in sports. Tottenham may be too big to get relegated, but Forest are not. He is inheriting a less talented squad that is not equipped to carry out his tactical vision. Forest and Postecoglou appear to be challenging the definition of insanity: doing the same thing and expecting different results.
2. The Manchester derby quietly carried huge significance
Manchester United actually entered Sunday's Manchester derby with more points than their crosstown rivals. It was a chance to finally win two Premier League games in a row under Ruben Amorim and restore a degree of confidence within the club. On the other side was Manchester City, shorthanded and six or more points behind their two likely title rivals at kickoff. A third defeat in four games to start the season would have raised serious questions.
Bad United teams have caused issues for excellent City teams before. This one did not Sunday, to put it kindly. City played like they knew what was at stake. Jeremy Doku, Erling Haaland and Phil Foden were heavily involved in the three goals, which is a great sign. If City are going to challenge for the title, Haaland and Foden, in particular, must have bounce back seasons. It's still too early to tell whether they will, but Sunday’s victory was an important statement.
3. Nobody cares about the plan if progress isn't being made
Mauricio Pochettino emphatically declared that everyone needs to trust his plan in his press conference Monday. His fiery comments were made at a time when his team couldn't beat a quality opponent, a preferred 11 was non-existent and his star player had just returned following a public battle over the summer. It was getting worse, not better. Dismissing criticism and questions so brazenly in that context only further decreases people's trust and confidence.
Everyone who supports this team was happy to go through some growing pains and bad results when Pochettino took over. He was hired to change the way things are done. That hasn't happened, which is why those same people are tired of watching the same thing over and over. Tuesday’s victory against a heavily-rotated Japan side was meaningful for that very reason. It was much closer to what this team was supposed to look like and the first time all the talk was actually backed up on the field.
4. Barcelona’s problems have not gone away
On Friday, Barcelona's women's team fielded a match day squad of only 20 players for its 4-0 victory over Logroño. Two days later, the club's men's team played its first home game of the season, a 6-0 win against Valencia. The game took place at the 6,000-seat Estadi Johan Cruyff because there was nowhere else to play it. Camp Nou was supposed to be ready; it is not. Nobody seems to know exactly when it will be either.
The women's team – a global power featuring numerous World Cup winners – lost half its squad because of the club's financial situation. Work on Camp Nou is dragging on, further damaging its earning potential. Barcelona haven't been hit with any massive sanctions as a result of all their abnormal financing plans and lever pulling, but they are paying a price for failing to properly address their issues. Unfortunately, it's the women's team that's bearing the brunt of it.
5. Ray Hudson found a rare balance that made him a legend
After spending 70 years as a player, coach and commentator, Ray Hudson officially called it quits Tuesday. His extravagant metaphors and unabashed celebration of Lionel Messi made him one of the most distinct color commentators in any sport. However you felt about him, listening to Ray Hudson call a game was an experience. His antics elevated the game rather than took away from it, and that was why his whole shtick worked.
So what if it felt scripted at times? His enthusiasm was so evident that he couldn't help himself; yelps and shrieks were a regular part of the Ray Hudson experience. He actually had something to say about the game too. Commentators should be entertaining and informative. Too much of one without the other is obnoxious or bland. Hudson toed the line brilliantly. He gave you something else to pay attention to without distracting you from what was happening on the field. When something important happened, he made sure you knew. It was a perfect formula.