This week’s soccer questions: were we wrong about Man City and does the Ballon d’Or ignore Americans?
We look at Enzo Maresca’s takeover in Guardiola’s shadow, shifting dynamics in women’s soccer and Raphinha’s incredible form at Barcelona
Were predictions of Manchester City's post-Pep drop-off overstated? It appears not, as the team still plays the familiar possession-hungry soccer. Erling Haaland continues to score goals, and the new manager Enzo Maresca shares similarities with their previous coach Pep Guardiola. Even with significant turnover at the club, City have already demonstrated their ability to compete for top prizes this season.
The Ballon d'Or Féminin, however, continues to overlook the USA's top players. This season, only Rose Lavelle was nominated among the 30 candidates, despite the USA's reputation as a women's soccer powerhouse. While there may be factors contributing to this trend, such as the shifting power dynamics within women's soccer, it seems more likely that the omission is simply due to a lack of standout performances from American players.
Meanwhile, Barcelona's Raphinha has proven his doubters wrong, becoming one of the game's most productive wide attackers and elevating himself to an even higher level as Barcelona's new No 9.
Written by urgent.news from Yahoo Sports's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
