The Euro XI: Chaotic El Clasico lives up to 'classic' billing, Ruben Amorim is a genius, and Scott McTominay gives Napoli title hope

Real Madrid's first big game of the year was a 5-2 battering at the hands of Atletico Madrid. Xabi Alonso's side were miserable that day, and thoroughly deserved the loss to their crosstown rivals. But for Barcelona, they had a plan.

Alonso got tactically groovy, used left-footed Eduyardo Camavinga as a right midfielder, and coaxed an excellent performance out of Jude Bellingham. The result? A 2-1 win that could have been 5-0 - with some bonus chaos at the end.

And just like that, Alonso is a good manager again.

So, this is the world we live in now. Manchester United are a proper soccer team. Well done, Ruben Amorim. Football nerds will tell you that their underlying numbers - the moneyball stuff - has been looking pretty good for a while now.

They are, statistically, to good to be in the bottom half of the table. But the nerdy bits don't always align with the actual results. They have now. United have won 3(!!) in a row, highlighted by an impressive yet immensely uncomfortable 3-2 beating of Brighton. Is there hope?

This is how soccer works. There must always be a crisis club. Even clubs that are probably only underperforming a little bit are in crisis. It's usually an act of hyperbole. "Crisis" is a bit much, especially considering this is just a game in which 22 people kick a ball.

Well, sound the actual klaxon for Liverpool, who are in truly miserable form of late. They have now lost four straight, highlighted by a miserable 3-2 defeat against Brentford. This feels like rock bottom. The question: Do they stay there?

Here's a fun fact. Arsenal are 19th in the Premier League in goals from open play. That's a relegation number. Here's another fun fact. Arsenal have allowed just one goal from open play. That's title winning form.

They did the business against Crystal Palace on Sunday to the tune of a 1-0 win (yes, their goal came from a set piece). They are now four points clear atop the Prem. Yes, there are the "early days" caveats here, but the Gunners look like title faves.

We always told you that Erling Haaland is massively overrated. Forget the fact that he was on pace to break his own Premier League goalscoring record this season. He's now washed. Haaland managed more touches in his own boxes than the Aston Villa one as City dropped points thanks to a remarkable strike from Matty Cash. This Premier League season just loves yielding content.

Scott McTominay was named Serie A player of the Year last season after turning in a memorable debut campaign with Napoli. Thus far, this season hasn't been as easy. Napoli are top of the league, but Antonio Conte is very much in beta-testing mode.

But he showed up when it mattered, scoring the second goal for Napoli as they bested Inter, 3-1, in what could have been an early title decider.

This is the Kevin De Bruyne problem: his legs don't work. The Belgian is a glorious footballer, a Premier League great, and will go down as one of the better passers to ever kick a ball. But fitness has proved elusive in recent years.

And so it goes again. The Napoli man sustained a serious muscle tear against Inter, and is facing months out. And his misfortune means we have a title race again.

Finally, El Clasico has some of its needle back. This fixture has felt a bit tame for a few years now. There's no bite, no oomph. There should be tension, anger, drama. And one 18-year-old helped bring it back.

Lamine Yamal joked a few days before Sunday's game that referees favor Madrid. He then doubled down on his comments on the eve of the derby. And then, after the game, he got into it with Dani Carvajal, a grown man, who told an 18-year-old to shut up. Silly, sure, but finally some drama.

Juventus have returned to the normal Serie A way of things: sacking a manager for fun. This time, Igor Tudor is the guy to go. Juventus are winless in eight, and were miserable in their 1-0 loss to Lazio over the weekend.

Tudor said before the game that he was excited to have the opportunity to fight for his gig. He was shown the door 12 hours later. Football is harsh.

Milan love self-sabotage.The Rossonieri had a glorious chance to go top of the league last weekend when they hosted last-place Pisa. This should have been an easy win, enough to give them daylight ahead of Napoli atop the table. Cue the (almost) crisis.

Milan were miserable, went 2-1 down, and needed a 93rd minute equalizer to secure a 2-2 draw. Youngster Zachary Athekame didn't even seem that happy to score.

Borussia Monchengladbach are proudly mid-table. That's kind of their thing. They push for Europe now and then, but are never quite good enough to make it. Relegation is never really on the cards, either; they're typically too good for that.

Well, here's a way to test the limits. They have taken just three points from their first eight games, sit in dead last, and there is scattered talk that they could fire their manager for the second time this season. What a club.