Europe’s new season delivers early shocks as Barcelona shine and Liverpool falter

The 2026-27 European football season has begun with a series of striking results, including Liverpool’s unconvincing draw at Newcastle United, Jose Mourinho’s narrow return victory at Real Madrid and Barcelona’s emphatic 5-0 win over Elche.

The opening weekend offered more than a first round of fixtures. Across England, Spain, Germany, Italy and France, new managers were tested, major signings faced their first significant scrutiny and tactical ideas were exposed to the pressure of competitive football.

Liverpool’s performance at St James’ Park on Sunday was the clearest early warning. Andoni Iraola’s team appeared fragile and disjointed, showing little resemblance to the intensity, cohesion and relentless pressing associated with the manager’s previous sides at Bournemouth.

A single match cannot determine the success of an entire project, but Liverpool’s display suggested the problems may extend beyond the difficulty of playing Newcastle United away. Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak both struggled to impose themselves and appeared ill-suited to Iraola’s preferred approach.

With Hugo Ekitike unavailable until the new year, Iraola must adapt his methods to a group of players who do not naturally fit his footballing philosophy. That is a challenge likely to require considerable time.

Liverpool’s point was secured only in stoppage time, after a careless challenge by Lewis Hall conceded a penalty that Dominik Szoboszlai converted. Newcastle United also missed two clear opportunities through Yoane Wissa. Iraola highlighted Liverpool’s 36 touches in the opposition penalty area, but his body language afterwards suggested he was far from satisfied.

The two Manchester clubs experienced sharply contrasting weekends.

Manchester City fell behind at home to Bournemouth but recovered in familiar fashion, scoring twice in the final five minutes to complete a 2-1 victory. The result, however, concealed defensive uncertainty. Marc Guehi’s experiment in midfield may not work every week, while Erling Haaland failed to reach his usual level.

For Manchester United, Michael Carrick’s first match as permanent manager ended in a damaging 2-0 defeat by newly promoted Hull City. Carrick remained positive afterwards, but his team’s weaknesses were obvious.

The 4-2-3-1 formation required midfielders capable of covering spaces quickly. Youri Tielemans and Andre Santos were unable to provide that protection, leaving United vulnerable to counter-attacks. The decision to use Matheus Cunha in the leading role, rather than build the attack around Benjamin Sesko, also raised questions, while United looked vulnerable from set-pieces.

With the Champions League fixtures approaching, Carrick will have limited time to work on those issues. Even the signing of Carlos Baleba alone would not resolve all of them.

Mourinho returns with a typically pragmatic win

Jose Mourinho’s return to Real Madrid after 13 years was neither romantic nor entertaining. Instead, it was a difficult and pragmatic 2-1 victory over Espanyol in the opening round of La Liga a result that reflected the Portuguese manager’s approach.

Real Madrid looked physically formidable, with Denzel Dumfries, Dean Huijsen, Ibrahima Konate and Jude Bellingham contributing to a powerful-looking side. Mourinho also relied on one of football’s oldest principles: when a team needs a goal, look for height.

Carlos Espe, signed for 25m euros this summer, was introduced with 11 minutes remaining. The 193cm forward scored the winning goal, showing not only his aerial strength but also a composed touch and impressive balance.

Although Espe may be the least naturally gifted attacker in the squad, his physical presence could make him one of the most important additions because he gives Real Madrid a dimension that others do not.

The victory also exposed a lack of understanding within the team, something understandable given how little time the players have spent training together. The defending for Alex Calatrava’s goal was poor enough to anger Mourinho, while Vinicius Junior and Kylian Mbappe drifted in and out of the game.

The partnership of Bernardo Silva and Federico Valverde could not fully reproduce Aurelien Tchouameni’s role. Questions also remain over how Diomande will combine with the attacking trio and where Arda Guler will fit into the team.

Barcelona, by contrast, made a powerful early statement by beating Elche 5-0. The performance underlined Hansi Flick’s ability as he seeks a third title in three years.

What made the result particularly impressive was the heavily rotated line-up. Pedri, Rodri, Jules Kounde, Pau Cubarsi and Dani Olmo were all absent, yet Barcelona remained dominant.

Flick found solutions through vertical attacking play and tactical flexibility. Raphinha operated centrally behind Fermin Lopez, while Karim Adeyemi and Lamine Yamal repeatedly attacked the goal.

With the young midfield pairing of Marc Bernal and Gavi, Barcelona demonstrated that it can operate without a traditional striker when Raphinha provides such energy and movement. Even though Elche offered limited opposition, the performance sent a clear message: Barcelona possess a system capable of overcoming individual absences.

Strong starts in Italy and Germany

Inter Milan began the campaign with a 4-1 victory over Monza, led by the 21-year-old Francesco Pio Esposito. The forward scored with an elegant backheel and created another goal.

His size and aggression suggest he could form part of a four-man attacking group alongside Lautaro Martinez, Marcus Thuram and Bonny under Cristian Chivu. Inter did show some defensive rust, particularly through Manuel Akanji and Alessandro Bastoni.

At AC Milan, new manager Ruben Amorim showed faith in 19-year-old attacking midfielder Alfadjo Cisse against Torino. Cisse responded with a goal and an energetic display as Milan won 2-1.

The decision reflected Amorim’s willingness to follow his own plan, even as Rafael Leao remains isolated while searching for a new club.

In Germany, Nathaniel Brown described as a “Swiss Army knife” because of his versatility helped Bayern Munich beat Borussia Dortmund 2-1 in the Super Cup. Brown has played at left-back and right-back, but was used as a number 10 in place of the injured Jamal Musiala. He opened the scoring and was one of the outstanding players.

The match also demonstrated the danger of judging players solely by their listed positions. Bayern, inspired by the unstoppable Michael Olise, controlled the first half and deserved more than two goals.

Tottenham were beaten 3-0 by Roberto De Zerbi’s side. Spurs’ manager was candid afterwards, saying: “We are not ready and lack spirit.”

Tottenham’s midfield collapsed against Lucas Bergvall, Conor Gallagher and Sandro Tonali. With a long injury list and potential deals for players such as Savinho and Omar Marmoush still awaited, De Zerbi must improve the team significantly before the situation worsens.

Paris Saint-Germain were also forced to recover from a difficult start against Rennes. After a slow first half in which they fell 2-0 behind, Luis Enrique made bold substitutions, removing Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Ousmane Dembele and introducing Jodts and Ferran Torres.

Torres, signed for 55m euros, produced a striker’s header and made an intelligent run to secure a 2-2 draw.

Chelsea’s defensive problems from last season have continued. Although the Blues beat Fulham 3-2 in their opening Premier League match of the new 2026-27 campaign on Monday, they conceded twice.

According to Squawka, “Chelsea have failed to keep a clean sheet in 17 consecutive Premier League matches”, extending a negative run that highlights their continuing difficulties at the back.

The weekend’s results and performances can be discussed in greater depth on the Kooora forums.