Gabriele MarcottiMay 25, 2026, 07:53 AM ETCloseGabriele Marcotti is a senior soccer writer for ESPN.com. Read his archive here and follow him on Twitter: @Marcotti.

We're just three weeks away from the start of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, and this weekend saw the English Premier League, Spanish LaLiga and Italian Serie A all come to an end, with domestic cups decided in France and Germany as we turn our attention towards the summer. So what did we learn?

Arsenal had already cemented their title and Pep Guardiola had already announced he was leaving Man City, so the big news in England involved Tottenham completing a remarkable, last-day escape to avoid relegation and stay in the English top flight. The real work is just beginning for Roberto De Zerbi & Co. as they begin a painful rebuild.

Elsewhere in Europe, Bayern Munich won another trophy with Harry Kane again in the goals, Como secured a spot in the Champions League through a strong Serie A finish, while Juventus and Milan could not. Barcelona Femeni won the Women's UEFA Champions League with a four-goal romp over OL Lyonnes that was a much closer game than it seemed on paper, and Liverpool bid goodbye to Mohamed Salah and Andy Robertson in an emotional afternoon at Anfield.

It's Monday morning, so what better time for some musings? Let's get into it.

- Becherano: Argentina, World Cup fans on tenterhooks as Messi limps off - Olley: Arsenal finally lift Premier League trophy after 22-year wait - Lindop: Salah, Robertson say goodbye to Liverpool as questions linger

Logic told you it was hugely unlikely that Tottenham were going to be relegated heading into the final day, and in this often illogical sport, logic held on Sunday. Spurs would have needed to lose at home to Everton, a side with nothing to play for, and West Ham would have needed to beat an equally "on the beach" Leeds United. The latter happened, the former did not and Spurs emerged as 1-0 victors thanks to João Palhinha's strike at the end of the first half.

Some got sniffy and criticised Tottenham players for celebrating at the final whistle because, of course, when you have the sixth highest wage bill in the league, you ought to be embarrassed to be in that position. They're wrong; that's not how sports work. Each moment has its own context, and the fact that this underachieving, bedraggled bunch could coalesce the way they did and avoid the drop is very much worth jubilation -- in the moment. That moment is over now and as coach Roberto De Zerbi said post-game, it's now time to get to work on 2026-27. Because what happened this season and last season -- yes, consecutive 17th place finishes -- is a massive embarrassment and can't happen again.

De Zerbi himself seemed to contradict himself post-game when he said: "We have to build a new team ... we have not to change too many players. We have 10, 11, 12 players good enough to stay, good enough as players and especially as people ... Then we have to complete the squad with first-level players."

Maybe he misspoke because otherwise, it doesn't make sense. Tottenham have more than 25 first team players, plus another eight guys out on loan. If only 10 to 12 are good enough to stay, that means changing half your squad, which is a massive reset. The question is who's going to be responsible for it.

Roberto De Zerbi reflects on Tottenham's Premier League survival on the final day of the season.

A year ago Spurs had two sporting directors. Now they have one, Johan Lange, and it's not lost on anyone that he's been there two-and-a-half seasons, which means a big chunk of the current ill-fitting, ill-built squad is down (at least in part) to him. A year ago they also had Daniel Levy, a hands-on executive chairman with plenty of experience in the transfer market; it didn't make him infallible (far from it), but at least made him experienced. Now he's gone too.

De Zerbi and Spurs better be clear on who is doing the build, and they also need to be realistic. Sure, you can bring in 10 new guys this summer, but that also means you need to move 10 guys out and if there's a "fire sale" vibe, you're going to take massive hits on the balance sheet, especially when you have so many players who are coming off injuries and will be tough to move (from Mohamed Kudus and James Maddison to Dejan Kulusevski and Wilson Odobert).

Tottenham's main issue -- at least in terms of a respectable top six or top eight finish -- isn't lack of talent: it's injuries, poor coaching and poor squad construction. If they stay fit (which to some degree is beyond anyone's control), if they are coached better (that will be on De Zerbi), and if they can balance out the squad more rationally (do you need seven central defenders on your books?), they'll make huge strides.

Cesc Fabregas' team -- without Nico Paz because no, it's not a one-man show -- beat up Cremonese away and Roma won at Verona to clinch their spots in the Champions League. Talk about change. Roma return to the Big Show after seven seasons, just around the time that Como began their ascent out of the amateur ranks.

If there's a common thread uniting the two -- and a lesson to be learned by a number of Serie A clubs -- it's attacking football and wanting to do things with the ball, rather than being more comfortable defending and reacting to what others do.

Gian Luigi Gasperini's history at Atalanta speaks for itself. That he could. Have such an impact in his first campaign at Roma is hugely impressive. As for Fabregas, sure, the club spent significant amounts of money (and we'll see how UEFA feel about it), but it's really only a significant amount for a provincial club with a 12,000 seat stadium: in terms of wage bill, they're 10th in Serie A. The point is what they spent, they spent well and Fabregas did a phenomenal job making the whole greater than the sum of its parts.

Contrast this with Juventus and Milan, who kinda did the opposite in terms of using their resources well and playing proactive, attacking football (especially Milan). I'll deal with Milan later, but as for Juventus, they lost their opportunity not on Sunday (when they drew 2-2 with Torino), but the week before, with the home defeat to Fiorentina that meant they no longer controlled their destiny. But as I wrote before, I think they're on the right track with Luciano Spalletti. And, perhaps, a season without the "drug" of Champions League money might force them to be a little smarter and scrappier with their resources. Like Roma and Como have been.

It won't be a consolation for getting eliminated in the UEFA Champions League semifinals, but Bayern reminded us -- as if there was any need -- in Saturday's German Cup final just how devastating they can be when they raise their game.

Sebastian Hoeness' VfB Stuttgart had done a good job limiting them in the first half with a combination of intelligent defending and quick long balls over the top. So much so that, at half-time, Bayern were actually behind both in terms of shots (7-3) and expected goals (0.32 to 0.14). Had it not been for a superb Jonas Urbig save from Maxi Mittelstädt, they would have been down in the score too.

Vincent Kompany is full of praise for Harry Kane, after the striker bagged a hat trick in Bayern Munich's 3-0 win over Stuttgart in the DFB-Pokal final.

After the break, everything was different. Stuttgart managed a single shot (off-target). Bayern pulled ahead with a Kane header, hit the crossbar with Kane again, and then closed out the game 10 minutes from time when he made it 2-0. (He'd later add a third from the penalty spot in garbage time.)

I've gushed over Bayern boss Vincent Kompany all season, so we don't need to go over that again. Suffice to say, after winning back the Bundesliga in his first year, he has now won the double in his second. Treble up next in his third?

But how about Kane? The hat trick takes his seasonal total to 61 in all competitions (in 51 games).

You want context? Only three other players in a Big Five league have ever hit the 60-goal mark. Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi did it twice each. Gerd Muller did it in 1972-73 for Bayern. That's the sort of company that Kane keeps...

10. As Pep Guardiola rides off into history, a reminder that he got one thing badly wrong: Man City's 2025-26 season finished with a home defeat to Aston Villa, but nobody cared. Sunday was about farewells: John Stones, Bernardo Silva and, of course, Guardiola. That's 29 years of institutional memory -- and winning mentality -- gone. It's true that Manchester City won two league titles and three domestic cups in the five seasons before Guardiola arrived, so it's not as if he built this club out of nothing. But it's equally true that he took them to the next level.

This season he won two domestic cups, but for the first time ever, he failed to win the league in consecutive seasons. That speaks volumes. He's City's greatest-ever manager and, arguably, Barcelona's greatest-ever too. That too is eloquent. I want to see him work again one day, so we'll leave the big retrospective for when he actually says he's retiring. But if you allow a personal anecdote, I can't help but think to that day in Doha 22 years ago when I spent several hours with him and he told me that the game had changed and he was sad that he had no future in it. How totally and utterly wrong he was.

Craig Burley talks about the impact Pep Guardiola's departure could have on Manchester City after spending a decade at the club.

9. Lens cap superb campaign with Coupe de France... could they have done even more? On Friday night Lens beat Nice 3-1 to win the Coupe de France. It's their first silverware this millennium unless you count the InterToto Cup (you really shouldn't), and together with their runners-up spot in Ligue 1, marks their finest season since they were French champions back in 1997-98. They finished six points behind Paris Saint-Germain, losing both head-to-head clashes, which, statistically at least, was pretty much the gap between the two. With Luis Enrique's men starting slow post Club World Cup, distracted by Champions League commitments, the league constantly rearranging matches and the benefit of hindsight, might they feel this was an opportunity missed? Possibly, but I don't think so. Truth be told, PSG were a level above and always gave the impression of being able to kick it up another notch if needed.

But that does't change the tremendous season Lens had with their mix of youth (Robin Risser, Samson Baidoo, Pierre Ganiou) and veterans on their way to their last dance (Adrien Thomasson, Matthieu Udol, Wesley Saïd, Florian Thauvin). As for Nice, they battled gamely, hitting the woodwork twice, and next Friday, the eternal Dante (at age 42) will lead them out for another de facto final: the playoff against Saint-Étienne to stay in Ligue 1.

Gemma Soler expects Barcelona's UEFA Women's Champions League dominance to continue, after winning the trophy for the fourth time in six seasons.

8. Why Barcelona's UEFA Women's Champions League triumph is more impressive than past ones: Saturday's final against OL Lyonnes was a far tighter affair than the 4-0 scoreline suggests. It was scoreless until Ewa Pajor broke the ice well into the second half and, at 2-0, Cata Coll snuffed out a one-on-one with Tabitha Chawinga that could have reopened the game. It's their fourth Champions League crown in the past six years, their second Treble in the past three years, and they've lost one game all season long.

What makes this more special are the circumstances. Barcelona built a super-club -- like other European heavyweights -- in part by outspending the competition. But the financial restrictions imposed on the men's team by Spanish FA (dating back to the Jose Maria Bartomeu era) apply to the women's side as well. As a result, over the past few seasons, they've lost important players like Asisat Oshoala, Lucy Bronze, Sandra Panos, Jana Fernández, Ingrid Engen and Fridolina Rolfö, as well as their coach, Jonathan Giraldez (who, ironically, is now the OL Lyonnes coach). To be able to reload (most through the youth ranks) and dominate the way they have -- that's next level impressive.

7. Barcelona's men wrap up season with a few questions: With their LaLiga crown already locked up, it was a classic end-of-season match -- maybe a few even enjoyed letting Valencia (after the nightmare owners they've had to deal with) get the three points with a 3-1 win and celebrate a top 10 finish. As has become the norm since Joan Laporta returned and started pulling levers to mitigate the massive financial hole he inherited, the spotlight now shifts to the bean-counters and lawyers who will have to negotiate with their counterparts at league headquarters. The hope is that they'll reach a "1:1" situation, meaning that for every dollar saved they'll be able to spend a dollar on wages and/or salaries.

The departure of Robert Lewandowski (who scored in his final outing) will offer some flexibility, but it will also leave a hole up front. And many think they could use help at the back too. Throw in the many players with two or fewer years left on their contracts (Ferran Torres, Alejandro Balde, Gerard Martín, Marc Casadó, Raphinha among others) and what to do with the on-loan Marcus Rashford and there are some really big decisions ahead. You can't help but wonder if the club may be tempted to sacrifice one of their attacking midfielders (a position where they're pretty deep) to fund a big signing.

Frank Lebouef remains unconvinced that Bruno Fernandes should've won PL player of the season over Declan Rice despite breaking the single-season assists record.

6. Let the Michael Carrick era begin in earnest at Man United: I'm not a huge fan of how Manchester United arrived at Carrick as their choice of permanent boss. They said it was going to be an "exhaustive" search -- I don't know how "exhaustive" it could have been given the number of potential candidates who were under contract and out of reach when they conducted it. I'm also not sure that the continuous messaging about how Carrick would "keep things simple" and play "the United way" is helpful or even desirable. Football evolves; you want guys who can evolve with it and create an edge for your team. Was Ruben Amorim's 3-4-2-1 hocus pocus really so traumatic that now the game plan is some version of K.I.S.S. (Keep It Simple, Stupid)?

That said, there are some indisputable facts here. Following Sunday's 3-0 away win to Brighton, which saw Bruno Fernandes score and set the single-season assist record, they finish on 71 points. That's a 29-point swing over last season, and Carrick was only there for six months. Having been a club legend offers no guarantees of success (just ask Ole Gunnar Solskjaer), but it does mean you get the benefit of the doubt and a little more patience from the commentariat. That's important because next year will, necessarily, be a transition season, likely with a whole new midfield. Carrick inherited a team that wasn't built for him and made it work. Give him time to see what he can do with a side that's constructed around what he believes he needs.

5. Real Madrid finish with a win, but the story is the election: Crowds at the Bernabeu are nothing if not demanding, so it's not a surprise that Real Madrid's 4-2 win over Athletic Club on the last week of the campaign was something between an after-thought and another chance to boo Kylian Mbappé. There's fury to be vented, sure, but there's also a team to rebuild and, perhaps, a club to reform. The question is how you do it and who gets to do it, because for the first time in 22 years, Florentino Perez will not be running for re-election unopposed.

Enrique Alvear, one of a handful of people on Earth who meets the requirements to run (requirements determined by -- who else? -- Florentino) in the sense that he's been a club member for more than 20 years and can offer personal bank guarantees for 15% of the club's budget (around US$200 million), was in the stands Saturday and his candidacy was approved on Sunday. The election is set for June 7 and Florentino -- who is 42 years Alvear's senior -- is heavily favoured. There's a ton at stake, as rumours about a desire to privatise all or part of the club continue to swirl (so much so that some joke this will be Real Madrid's last election). Wherever you stand on this, Madridistas should be grateful. It's never a good sign for democratic institutions -- whether it's Real Madrid or FIFA or UEFA -- when the incumbent runs unopposed.

4. Win the league, finish second and ... Antonio Conte is out of there! He's different, I think we can agree on that. A year ago, he won Serie A with Napoli. This season, he was second and had it not been for a biblical spate of injuries he likely would -- at a minimum -- have pushed Internazionale all the way. But no, he's leaving.

"I wasn't able to create the unity I wanted," he said. "And without unity, you can't fight. I failed in that regard, though it was still an unforgettable experience."

What next? Well, the Italy job is obviously open (elections are on June 22) and it's not lost on anyone that since 2012, other than Euro 2020, Italy's best results came with him in charge back in 2016. (It's obviously not a very high bar, given the Azzurri failed to qualify for the past three FIFA World Cups, but still...).

Steve Nicol believes Mohamed Salah took the shine off his Liverpool exit after playing his final game for the club.

3. Liverpool will miss Mohamed Salah, though not the 2025-26 version:

They both got their guard of honour and a send-off befitting their enormous contributions to the club, but there was a key difference between Andy Robertson and Mo Salah's Liverpool seasons. The former was effectively phased out when Milos Kerkez arrived last summer; the latter, on paper, was meant to be, once again, central to the club's success, and Salah will be the first to know that he was anything but that.

Much has been written about what went wrong -- we don't need to go over that again -- but one stat stands out to me. A year ago, Arne Slot's wingers -- Salah, Cody Gakpo, Luis Díaz and Federico Chiesa (for all of 108 minutes) -- produced 79 goal contributions in the Premier League. This past campaign (the same corps, only with the youngster Rio Ngumoha in for Diaz), it was down to just 32. Salah's decline is a big part of it, but not the only part. You hope the club -- and Slot, assuming he stays -- realize this and know how to fix it. As for Salah, he turns 34 next month. In the right context (which isn't Liverpool right now), he may still have a lot to give.

2. AC Milan out of the Champions League ... a blessing in disguise? I know it's not what Milan fans want to hear. Not after contriving to lose at home to a Cagliari side with nothing to play for (after taking the lead no less), marking their third defeat in their last five games at San Siro. Not after another hideous performance where they managed zero shots on target after the half-hour mark and gave up 25 shots overall. Not after seeing a front pair of Santiago Gimenez and Christopher Nkunku with Luka Modric on the bench, hanging out with Christian Pulisic and Rafael Leão. (They all came on when things got desperate.)

So what's the silver lining? Well, it's that because they didn't qualify, Max Allegri won't be getting an extension and a raise on his already huge salary. You may think I'm obsessed with the guy. I'm not. But when your biggest selling point is man-management and the ability to get your team over the line when it matters most, well, he came up short. No matter which faction in the absurdist Game of Thrones that is Milan 2025-26 you support -- Zlatan Ibrahimovic? Sporting director Igli Tare? Allegri? Someone else? -- odds are you agree club owner Gerry Cardinale has some big decisions to make. Not being on the hook for another two seasons of Allegri's expensive nonsense at least affords a little bit of flexibility.

Gab Marcotti explains why Chelsea missing out on a European spot could benefit Xabi Alonso.

1. Chelsea out of Europe entirely ... a blessing in disguise Part II? Defeat at Sunderland (who qualify for Europe for the first time in their history and do so as a promoted side ... take a bow, Regis Le Bris) means Chelsea and Xabi Alonso will have no European football next season.

Maybe that's not such a bad thing, because it means they won't have the UEFA Financial Stability inspectors peering into every nook and cranny. Chelsea are already under a settlement agreement for breaching existing rules. They've already been fined a record amount and face further punishments including a European ban if they don't hit their profit and loss targets. (Considering they made record losses last season, it appears unlikely without gutting the squad.) Instead, Alonso gets a less congested fixture list, and the club can focus on shedding players and making their books look a little more presentable. And because they won't be assessed again until a year from now (assuming they qualify for Europe) it buys them a bit of time. It won't be a quick fix, but it may be better than getting into the UEFA Conference League and being kicked right out again.

Source: https://www.espn.com/soccer/story/_/id/48869319/tottenham-premier-league-harry-kane-bayern-munich-history-como-champions-league-musings