Who Is Hot and Who Is Not in World Football After Weekend of September 19-21
The weekend in the footballing world brought us another host of names and faces who performed above and beyond their normal call of duty, along with more than a handful of those who were decidedly below par.
While the big teams in Spain might have taken victory by impressive margins, the same couldn't always be said in England, Germany or France this weekend, giving us a range of players to focus on at both ends of the scale.
We take our usual look at who is hot and who is not by this time sticking to some of the biggest names in the game, from the best leagues and the most prominent matches. Leave your thoughts below!
Hot: Lionel Messi
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Starting in La Liga, Lionel Messi looks well and truly back on form for Barcelona, combining his on-the-ball genius with a renewed appetite and hunger for supporting the team, battling for the ball and looking to make things happen.
He scored, assisted and created in a 5-0 rout of Levante at the weekend, even missing a penalty to little effect, as he was the catalyst for his side's comfortable victory which resulted in them spending another week atop Spain's top flight.
Other performers contributed to the team, too, but Messi was exceptional throughout and looks ready to spark another title charge.
Not: All of Manchester United's Defence
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Conceding four goals in 20 minutes is not a good thing. Ever.
But even more so when you've only won one game all season after spending £150 million and are 3-1 up away from home against a newly promoted side. That's what Manchester United managed to do against Leicester City this weekend, ending up on the wrong side of a 5-3 scoreline which leaves them one point above the relegation zone in the fledgling Premier League table.
Jonny Evans left injured after an uncertain-at-best performance, while Chris Smalling actually made the side worse when he came on. Tyler Blackett was sent off, Marcos Rojo was woefully exposed, and Rafael committed a daft foul to concede a penalty after a decision went against him.
The normally excellent David De Gea was left to fend for himself...and failed to save a single shot. Five for five, United down.
Hot: Marcelo Bielsa
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Marcelo Bielsa took over as Marseille manager in the summer and has set about making the team competitive in Ligue 1 once more, with a 3-0 win this weekend over Rennes sending OM to the top of the table.
It's early in the season, sure, but Marseille have won four from six, are the highest scorers in Ligue 1 and look impressive and assured in their performances, in the main.
The former Chile and Athletic Bilbao coach is tasked with improving on Marseille's sixth-place finish from last season, and early on at least, he looks well capable of doing so.
Not: Tim Howard
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Goalkeeping errors were a common theme of the weekend in various leagues, but Tim Howard made perhaps more than most—and they were high-profile, costly ones.
The Everton keeper was culpable for two of Crystal Palace's three goals, resulting in a 3-2 home defeat for the Toffees, giving them the unwanted tag of having the leakiest defence in the Premier League so far this season.
Howard first took out an opponent to concede a cheap penalty and then completely missed a high ball into the box, basically handing the lead to Palace after Everton had initially taken control of the game.
Hot: Cristiano Ronaldo
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Back to La Liga now and, of course, Barcelona were not the only side to rack up a huge victory at the weekend. Real Madrid trounced Deportivo La Coruna 8-2 away from home, with Cristiano Ronaldo back to his best in front of goal as he notched a hat-trick.
A very impressive headed goal was his first, diving away from goal to direct the ball into the far corner, before customary powerful and accurate finishes completed his treble.
He was a constant threat as always for his side, and Depor simply had no answer to his prowess in front of goal.
Not: Dejan Lovren
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Darting back to the Premier League, Liverpool have not hit the ground running this season and suffered another poor defeat at the hands of West Ham United at the weekend.
While most of the defence need to up their game, new £20 million signing Dejan Lovren has simply not managed to improve the structure, organisation or indeed ability of the back line at all so far, putting in another substandard display against the Hammers.
He was easily beaten for movement for the first goal, clashed with a team-mate in an aerial duel and was caught between keeping shape and stepping out for the killer third. A very poor start to life at Anfield, all told.
Hot: Ricardo Rodriguez
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Into the Bundesliga now and Wolfsburg picked up a resounding win at the weekend over Bayer Leverkusen, with more than a little help from their impressive left-back, Ricardo Rodriguez.
The Swiss international scored twice, one from the penalty spot, and he also laid on an assist for his side in the 4-1 win. Having created eight chances, per WhoScored, this season already, he is once again proving his worth as a marauding, offensive full-back who will be key to Wolfsburg's hopes for the new season.
Last season, he managed five goals and nine assists in the Bundesliga.
Hot: Andre Villas-Boas
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Always wanting to finish on a positive note, we'll end this week's hot or not with a deserving name: Andre Villas-Boas.
The Zenit St. Petersburg coach almost won the Russian Premier League last season after replacing Luciano Spalletti in March, but this year looks as though he has the team set up exactly the way he wants and capable of achieving greatness.
Zenit beat Rostov 5-0 at the weekend, their eighth straight win at the start of the new season, and they are flying six points clear in the Premier League already.
