A big week for \u2026<\/p>\n
Paris Saint-Germain beat Barcelona 4-2 on Tuesday<\/a>, but the reigning champions lost the best player in last season\u2019s tournament, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia. This autumn has seen much lobbying for the Ballon d\u2019Or, with the Georgian a popular choice, despite his absence from the World Cup. He is expected to be out for six months, although Rodri\u2019s comeback from serious injury \u2013 he was rested by Barcelona on Tuesday until coming off the bench in the 60th minute \u2013 shows it can take far longer than that for players to rediscover their highest level.<\/p>\n \u201cWhy me?\u201d Kvaratskhelia asked his Instagram followers. The PSG policy of resting players in Ligue 1 to save them for the Champions League<\/a> failed to protect him. By resting Rodri, Barcelona followed a wider practice among major clubs in European competition of saving stars\u2019 legs for big domestic occasions. Barcelona face Real Madrid this weekend though Lamine Yamal is not being spared; his brilliant goal in Paris made it 10 goals, matched by 10 assists, from 10 matches.<\/p>\n Another heavyweight battle saw Arsenal lose Bukayo Saka<\/a> to a first-half quad injury in an entertaining 2-2 draw at Bayern Munich<\/a>. Declan Rice powered in a late equalizer after Harry Kane had put on a show that included a goal and an assist. Does the Ballon d\u2019Or beckon for Kane? The prediction markets suggest so.<\/p>\n Matching Barcelona\u2019s perfect record this season at home and abroad are Manchester City, who continue to thrive amid infamy. A resurgent Phil Foden scored a hat-trick and new signing Allan impressed. The official crowd for their 5-1 defeat of AEK Athens<\/a> was 40,402, but it looked smaller, and mockery duly descended on the club. There is mitigation for those who stayed away, including high ticket prices for Champions League matches in tough economic times, and a run of five home matches in 17 days. Still, City remain in the crosshairs, and the empty seats raise eyebrows for a club reporting record revenues. Equally, it is fair to point out that Anfield was not full, either, for Liverpool\u2019s 4-3 defeat of Villarreal.<\/p>\n A clean sweep of wins for Serie A, with three of their clubs scoring four goals. Inter let the side down with their 1-0 defeat of Shakhtar Donetsk. Roma defeated Slovan Bratislava 4-0, and Como beat Manchester United 4-1<\/a>, but the game of the week came in Naples. Scott McTominay scored twice, his first goals since a procedure on a benign heart arrhythmia as Napoli beat Bod\u00f8\/Glimt 4-3<\/a> for their first win of the group stage. \u201cI still need to find my best form, but I am not far away,\u201d said McTominay.<\/p>\n Player of the week<\/p>\n Liverpool were a mess in the first 30 minutes against Villarreal and it was Rio Ngumoha who led the recovery. The 18-year-old played off the right, supplying two assists with his left foot: the long-term replacement for Mohamed Salah may already be at Anfield. Liverpool<\/a> have nursed Ngumoha along, though this was his fifth start of the season. \u201cEveryone is chipping in but for him to work with Mo [Salah] last year was obviously massive,\u201d Virgil van Dijk said of the teenager.<\/p>\n Club in focus: Como<\/p>\n With traditional Serie A giants Juventus and Milan in the Europa League, Como are enjoying their first season in the Champions League. If Manchester United<\/a> were dreadful on Wednesday, Como\u2019s rise hit its highest point yet. The club\u2019s success carries echoes of Brighton and Bournemouth\u2019s ascents, although Como\u2019s is even more remarkable. They were a Serie D club in 2008, and the city is now known for something beyond its glorious scenery. Champions League winner Thierry Henry is among the investors in the club as is Como\u2019s coach, Cesc F\u00e0bregas, although the prime financiers are the Indonesian billionaire Hartono brothers.<\/p>\n Jamestown Analytics, the Brighton owner Tony Bloom\u2019s company, has been consulting Como<\/a>. Ars\u00e8ne Wenger, Pep Guardiola, Jos\u00e9 Mourinho and Antonio Conte are the elite coaches F\u00e0bregas played under, and he has forged a high-pressing style against Italian orthodoxy. As United labored, they were swarmed by Como\u2019s worker bees. Real Madrid have a buy-back option for Nico Paz, bought by Como in 2024, and the scorer of two fine goals against United. Argentina\u2019s latest Messi replacement is rather beefier than his country\u2019s idol.<\/p>\n As Como deepened Michael Carrick\u2019s plight, thoughts moved to potential replacements. F\u00e0bregas has been mentioned, though United fans will recall the summer of 2013\u2019s unsuccessful chase for him. Had a deal been done, his midfield partner would have been \u2026 Carrick.<\/p>\n Nico Paz piled misery on Manchester United. Photograph: Kieran McManus\/ShutterstockThey said it<\/p>\n Another week, another Manchester United PR crisis. This one involved Carrick hitting back at his players, a rarity in his managerial career. \u201cIt\u2019s a decision from the staff to not press man-to-man and sometimes leave space behind and try to get the ball, wait for them, but sometimes when you give space to these teams they get confidence,\u201d Bruno Fernandes said.<\/p>\n Carrick\u2019s riposte: \u201cIf you don\u2019t run and you don\u2019t run forward and you don\u2019t run back, you ain\u2019t going to win.\u201d<\/p>\n On CBS, Jamie Carragher weighed, saying of Fernandes: \u201cThey all think he\u2019s working hard. He\u2019s not. He\u2019s killing the rest of the team doing it.\u201d<\/p>\n The Amazon All or Nothing documentary series currently in production for United\u2019s season will be appointment viewing.<\/p>\n Looking ahead<\/p>\n After two consecutive weeks of action, we have a fortnight off. Will Carrick still be at United by the time they host Roma on 3 November? Aston Villa, who have three wins from three and are second place in the table, have a glamour trip to Barcelona<\/a>. Real Madrid, another side on three wins, travel to AEK.<\/p>\n