Another weekend of exciting action has concluded in the Premier League and beyond, throwing a spanner in the works for some teams. For others, it has seen new beginnings dawn with some bitter goodbyes. 

The opening weekend of November’s action has seen more stories written for some of Europe’s top leagues as teams prepare to see players head off into the international break. This break will mean we see little club action from some of the elite sides in November as we see the Nations League groups write their final chapters.

Many teams will be eager for the break to conclude, with one example being Manchester United, who recently ended Erik ten Hag’s time at Old Trafford and are eagerly anticipating the arrival of Ruben Amorim from Portuguese side Sporting. United may have been one of the sides that were a talking point this weekend as they thumped Leicester 3-0, but some bigger stories around Europe are being written as we speak.

Liverpool extend their Premier League lead after Arsenal and City’s poor weekend.

One of the big talking points of the Premier League came at the top of the league as Arsenal and Chelsea played out another of their bumper clashes at Stamford Bridge, while City travelled to the South Coast to take on Brighton, and Liverpool welcomed Aston Villa.

Arne Slot’s Reds took their chances to see off a resilient Villa side 2-0 at Anfield, knowing the top spot was secure from the earlier result in City’s game on the South Coast. Goals from Darwin Nunez and Mohammed Salah were enough to extend their lead to five points over Pep Guardiola’s side.

The Premier League’s unpredictable nature continued at the American Express Stadium as Brighton came from behind to shock the top flight with a victory over the champions; the first time in his managerial career that Pep Guardiola has lost four games in a row after new Manchester United boss set a precedent for his Old Trafford career when he ended the Cityzens unbeaten run in the Champions League in midweek action with his Sporting side.

Sunday afternoon saw an even bigger advantage for Liverpool when Arsenal met Chelsea. The Gunners travelled to Stamford Bridge with a chip on their shoulder with their winless run. Neither side could take advantage of chances that did come up as they laboured to a 1-1 draw in a game which saw few chances. With both teams taking a point, it sees Liverpool nine points clear of both, but Arsenal will thank their blessings for Newcastle’s victory over an in-form Nottingham Forest, who they take on next, as a point for the club would have seen them rise above Arteta’s side.

Have Premier League new boys piled some pressure on Tottenham’s Ange Postecoglou?

Ange Postecoglou’s Tottenham Hotspur could be labelled as one of the most underperforming sides in the Premier League this season. The Australian is now in his second season in charge at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, one he has claimed he always wins trophies.

However, new boys Ipswich Town visited North London and spoiled the party for the club, leaving them tenth in the league going into the international break. It was an interesting fixture ahead of kickoff as the side who have scored the most in the league played host to the team who had conceded the (joint) most, but the visitors picked up their first win of the Premier League season.

The defeat marked a poor week for Spurs, who lost to Galatasaray just three days prior, but they remain in the qualification places in the Europa League despite that loss. With five defeats in 11 in the Premier League, it is clear that the second-season trophy will not be coming via the league, meaning the Europa League or the EFL Cup would be their best chances of a trophy. When league play resumes, the side will take on Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City, who will undoubtedly have a point to prove at the expense of Postecoglou’s side, especially after they eliminated City from the cup.

Real Madrid handed a lifeline with Barcelona slip.

Real Madrid have been handed a lifeline in La Liga this weekend as results seemingly went their way after a poor start to the campaign. Hansi Flick’s Barcelona side came out all guns firing at the start of the season, scoring for fun as they cemented a lead at the top of the ladder.

Madrid have even found themselves victim to the goalscoring form displayed by Robert Lewandoski and Lamine Yamal this season, falling to a 4-0 defeat in the first El Clasico. The misery has only continued to pile on for Madrid as Kylian Mbappe has been below expectations, and the side have fallen to defeat twice already in their Champions League defence.

However, their dreams of more league glory are still very much alive after this weekend. Madrid made themselves a talking point with a Vinicius Jr. hat trick, and Jude Bellingham ended his goal drought. Barcelona will ask questions about their performance at Real Sociedad as they fell to defeat for the second time this season. In a further boost to their title chances, Los Blancos have a game in hand over their rivals after floods in Valencia saw their game postponed.

The Catalan club have been handed a double blow with their defeat after Lamine Yamal missed the game through injury, and it is expected he will miss the international break with Spain after the contusion he picked up during last week’s Champions League game.

The Serie A title race hots up more than ever before.

If you thought the Premier League title race has not been exciting in recent years, we point you in the direction of Italy. Inter Milan celebrated victory over Arsenal at the San Siro in Wednesday’s Champions League action, handing the Premier League giants their first defeat in Europe this weekend and giving them some confidence for a big derby clash.

Juventus remain the only unbeaten team in the division, but that sees them sixth with six draws and six wins. That number six appears to be the magic number as heading into the international break; we see six teams making a statement that they are vying for Italy’s premier title this year. Napoli sits top by one point after their draw with Inter Milan, with the four teams below them, Atalanta, Fiorentina, Inter Milan and Lazio, all level on points, with Juventus trailing a further point behind.

That six-way battle for the title is a fantastic advertisement for Italian football, which, as an article once published here, wrote about the decline of Italian football, which now appears to be rising from the ashes like a phoenix.

Bayern Munich’s vendetta mission marches on.

Our final talking point comes from the German capital of Munich, perhaps one of the least exciting on our list, but all that matters in football is the result; Vincent Kompany’s Bayern Munich are the perfect example of that this weekend. Last season was a huge letdown for Bayern, as Harry Kane’s maiden season in Germany continued his search for a trophy in his career. Bayer Leverkusen’s unprecedented unbeaten run left the side with their first trophyless season since 2012.

This time around, they appear to be taking no chances and have been ruthless in front of goal, hitting nine goals in a European fixture and six in a league fixture. Since their defeat to Barcelona in the Champions League last month, they have continued their winning ways and are yet to concede a goal since scoring 14 along the way. Goals were not as easy to come by this time as they ground out a 1-0 victory over new boys St. Pauli on their travels.

While it does not seem the most exciting of games, it has an important impact on the table following results around them. RB Leipzig laboured to a 0-0 draw with Borussia Monchengladbach, leaving Bayern five points clear at the top, while Leverkusen’s concerning form continues with another draw, marking just one win in their previous five league games.

What was your game of the weekend? Did we miss anyone from this list?