GOAL U.S. writers take a look at some of the biggest storylines in European soccer, including Mo Salah's future, Vinicius Jr's exit rumors, and the Premier League title race
The Christmas period is uncharacteristically quiet this year. This is supposed to be the bit where soccer takes off, where players get hurt, where titles are won or lost based on little more than fitness and vibes. Yet in the Premier League, at least, things look a little different. There are no Boxing Day games. The league hasn't shoehorned a title decider in December. You might even call it a little tame.
Yet that doesn't mean that there's a lack of drama in Europe. Two weeks ago, Mohamed Salah gave an explosive seven-minute interview where he tried to force a transfer out of Liverpool. Arsenal are the best team in the Premier League, but are doing a pretty good job of failing to consistently prove it. Meanwhile, no one seems to want to win La Liga, with Barcelona and Real Madrid graciously allowing each other back into a title race with respective barren spells. The result? Rumors that Xabi Alonso could be sacked before Christmas.
And elsewhere, there's the Bundesliga, where Bayern are cruising. Harry Kane is enjoying the best season of his career. Luis Diaz is chipping in. But will that be enough to make some noise when the Champions League games start to matter? GOAL U.S. writers debate all of that and more in another edition of… .
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Has Mo Salah played his last game for Liverpool?
Tom Hindle: Surely, at this point. Arne Slot put him in the squad for the Brighton game last week to avoid a PR nightmare and only brought him on due to injuries elsewhere. There will probably be a Saudi Pro League offer. It will probably be for a lot of money. Cash in, Liverpool. A fit and firing Salah makes them immensely better – that much is clear. But sometimes you've gotta let the money talk.
Ryan Tolmich: Probably not, largely because it's in the best interest of everyone here to figure this out. For Liverpool, it's important to give Salah something of a fitting send-off, one that wouldn't burn any sort of bridge. It's also crucial to have him in the team, considering he's just six months removed from an all-time great Premier League season. For Salah, leaving Liverpool quietly and unceremoniously isn't befitting for a player with his legacy. Because of that, both sides should find a way to stick it out until summer before giving Salah a proper sendoff.
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Who's more likely to win the Premier League title: Arsenal or Man City?
TH: It really should be Arsenal, but Man City are starting to look scary aren't they? Manager Pep Guardiola has figured out his formula, and even without Rodri, they could still compete at a high level. They won't be the defensive juggernaut of a few years back, but there are goals throughout the team. Then again, Arsenal are the most complete team in Europe at the moment, and have ground out results week in, week out. It will be Arsenal, but it might be very, very close.
RT: If Arsenal don't do it this year, when will they do it? City are very good, but flawed. Liverpool have fallen apart. Chelsea have had growing pains, while Tottenham and Manchester United are nowhere near it. That leaves Arsenal by default, in reality, even if they are a great but probably not elite team. Again, this is a good a chance as any for them to change that perception and claim a long-awaited Premier League crown.
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When will it be time for Madrid to seriously consider moving on from Alonso?
TH: Alonso is an excellent young coach who was handed an imbalanced squad. Still, that doesn't necessarily mean he was the appointment. Alonso is a tactician and an ideologue. Madrid tend to need a vibes guy. The question is: is Alonso good enough of a coach so that the teething issues can be overlooked? Who knows. He always seems to be one loss away from the sack, which really isn't fair. In an ideal world, he gets three full years. In the world of Madrid, he could be out any week. Conclusion: he gets sacked in the summer. Football isn't fair.
RT: Stop. When you hire a young coach, you understand that there will be certain growing pains, particularly early. If you weren't prepared for that, you shouldn't have hired a young coach. Alonso was a genius as a player and has already shown that he is a fantastic coach with the work he did at Bayer Leverkusen. Give him time, and let whatever players are causing him problems know that they have to fall in line. Either that, or acknowledge that this job is only possible for two or three coaches on the planet, which would say a lot about the state of your club if so.
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Should Real Madrid sell Vinicius jr?
TH: Yep, and they should make loads of money doing so. Madrid have made the mistake of owning three of the best five left wingers in the world, all of which have little apparent interest in playing anything but left wing. Vinicius and Kylian Mbappe have started to look a little better playing together. But they're still not on the same page, and are undoubtedly restricting each other and the club is still figuring out how to work in Rodrygo. If a big offer comes in: PSG, Saudi – wherever – Florentino Perez should at least consider it.
RT: They could consider it, for sure. The attack is surely crowded and, if you were to pick one player to sell, you could say it's. Doing so would raise a bunch of funds that could be spent elsewhere while also freeing up space for Kylian Mbappe to play on the left. Could you take that huge fee and get a true No. 9 as well as some other key pieces? Probably. It's an idea worth considering, even if it is all dependent on what exactly the club thinks it can do with that money.
