It was another busy weekend across Europe's top soccer leagues as Manchester City were crowned Premier League kings without kicking a ball while there was also late drama in the Bundesliga title race. The Madrid-based battle for second spot in La Liga continues to change hands after more sickening racial abuse of Vinicius Junior and RC Lens ensured that Paris Saint-Germain must wait until the penultimate round of Ligue 1 games to seal a historic 11th French title.
We look at some of the weekend's major talking points.
Vinicius Junior leaving La Liga is inevitable
Enough is enough. Real Madrid's Vini Jr. was once again the target of disgusting racial abuse during Sunday's 1-0 defeat away at Valencia and La Liga was once again shown to be doing not nearly enough to protect the Brazilian superstar from this sort of reprehensible behavior on a seemingly weekly basis. The 22-year-old's understandable reaction to this latest episode suggests that these frequent events could finally take their toll and push Vini Jr. to look outside of Spain with the Premier League a potential destination recently mentioned by his agent Federico Pena.
"I cannot really see that happening right now, but who knows, these things change in football and there are things you would never imagine seeing that happen," the agent told The Telegraph. "I would just say if he were to leave Real someday, it would make no sense for it to be somewhere other than the EPL."
It could be that this was one incident too far for Vini Jr. and that the door has now been opened to the South American needing a move that Real cannot be insensitive to given La Liga's failings to protect him.
Não foi a primeira vez, nem a segunda e nem a terceira. O racismo é o normal na La Liga. A competição acha normal, a Federação também e os adversários incentivam. Lamento muito. O campeonato que já foi de Ronaldinho, Ronaldo, Cristiano e Messi hoje é dos racistas. Uma nação…
— Vini Jr. (@vinijr) May 21, 2023
Thomas Tuchel is in trouble
There is no doubt about it: Bayern Munich and Thomas Tuchel need a miracle this coming weekend if Borussia Dortmund are to not win the Bundesliga title. The German champions have struggled massively since the former Chelsea and PSG boss took over from Julian Nagelsmann and a potential treble has turned into a trophyless season in just a matter of weeks. Should BVB secure their first league title since 2012, then Tuchel will have some major questions to answer regarding what went wrong so spectacularly since his appointment in late March. It is unlikely to be enough to get the 2021 Champions League winner dismissed from his Allianz Arena post, but it does illustrate the size of the task in front of him in Bavaria and the German giants' need for sweeping changes after failure to kick on after their 2020 UCL success.
Brighton face a pivotal summer
Brighton and Hove Albion have secured their place in UEFA competition next season and have two games left this campaign to decide whether that will be via a fifth or sixth-placed finish given that Liverpool are within five points after their draw with final day opponents Aston Villa. Unai Emery's side need to beat the Seagulls to ensure that they finish in seventh and qualify for the UEFA Europa Conference League which makes for a tricky trip to Villa Park. However, the real challenge starts now for Brighton with Roberto De Zerbi, Alexis Mac Allister and Moises Caicedo just a few of the names that are attracting major interest from across Europe. The Tony Bloom-owned club will be even more attractive to prospective signings now that continental competition is on offer, but such success comes at a cost which could be star names departing before the new campaign. Given Brighton's impressive track record of selling well and rarely missing those sold, it could also be a lucrative summer window.
Our first #PL signing secured EUROPE for the first time in our history. 😍 pic.twitter.com/qTTaHvqKTf
— Brighton & Hove Albion (@OfficialBHAFC) May 21, 2023
Lens are Europe's most underrated achievers
PSG's wait for confirmation of their 11th Ligue 1 title continues this week after Lens beat Lorient on Sunday to force the defending champions to go to Strasbourg and avoid defeat. Franck Haise's side have enjoyed a fantastic campaign and this past weekend was likely pivotal to their own incredible achievements as Olympique de Marseille losing away at Lens' bitter rivals Lille OSC opened the door for Les Sang et Or to practically sew up second spot. The prize for finishing behind PSG is a Champions League group stage berth which likely forces OM to go through the rigors of the qualification rounds in order to make it three French clubs in the groups. All the more impressive is that Lens have done this on what is essentially a midtable budget with their ability to extract maximum performance from a sensibly assembled squad almost unrivaled in Europe. Haise and his players will win further admiration in Europe next term while the Northern club's devoted fans will help to put them firmly back on the map after years away from continental soccer's top table. Had PSG's season not been so underwhelming, Lens would certainly be enjoying the greater praise that their achievements deserve given that their budget is roughly more than 10 times smaller than that of the champions-elect.
Italy's UEFA success not necessarily a one-off
Last week saw the three UEFA competitions set their respective finals and each competition boasts an Italian club which is a superb achievement for Serie A. Inter will face Manchester City in the Champions League final while AS Roma are up against Sevilla in the Europa League and Fiorentina will meet West Ham United in the Europa Conference League. The big question beyond these three finals and arguably more important than who wins them with the Italian sides underdogs in at least two of the three games -- if not all three -- is whether or not Calcio can sustain this run. Both the Bundesliga and Serie A have pulled clear in the UEFA coefficient rankings of late with Ligue 1 lagging behind. Much depends on how Milan retool after their semifinal disappointment, what happens with Juventus this summer after their anticipated points deduction and whether or not Inter become more financially stable. If Roma can win UCL qualification against Sevilla in the Europa League, though, there could be five Champions League clubs from Serie A which would be a golden chance for Italy to further boost itself up the European rankings.
