Weekend Review: Ten Hag walking on thin line as Hansi Flick suffers first league defeat

It was a weekend to forget for both Manchester United and Barcelona in their respective league matches. 

Another new week is here, meaning it is time to relive some of the sporting actions that went down the weekend. 

Last weekend was a strange one as there were not too many sporting activities aside from football games across Europe’s domestic leagues, ATP and WTA events and the NFL. 

European football delivered, though, with a few upsets as the new season begins to grow momentum. 

In usual fashion, Housebets take a look at some of the talking points from last weekend’s sporting action. 

Erik Ten Hag on the verge as Man Utd suffer another loss 

It was another weekend to forget for Manchester United and Erik Ten Hag after the Red Devils suffered a disastrous 3-0 defeat at home to Tottenham Hotspur. 

The pressure was on both Ten Hag and Man Utd place to put up a solid performance against a big six rival, having lost 3-0 to Liverpool earlier this month. 

They also came into the game on the back of a disappointing 1-1 draw against FC Twente in their first Europa League game of the season. 

However, the home side got off to a bad start as Micky van de Ven went on a brilliant run from his half after intercepting Marcus Rashford’s loose ball. 

The Netherlands centre back beat a couple of United players with his run before setting up Brennan Johnson, who tapped into the net inside five minutes. 

It was the worst possible start for United but their misery was compounded after Bruno Fernandes was sent off minutes before half-time for a dangerous tackle on James Maddison. 

This left United with a mountain climb going into the second half, but they failed as Spurs took advantage of the situation. 

The Lilywhites doubled their advantage two minutes after the break, courtesy of a fine finish from  Dejan Kulusevski. 

It went from bad to worse for United as Dominic Solanke scored his second goal of the season and Spurs third to complete a comprehensive win for the away side. 

As for Man Utd, the result piles more misery on Ten Hag, who is now walking on a thin line at Old Trafford. 

The defeat was United’s eighth loss in their last 20 league games under Ten Hag at Old Trafford. 

It’s also the fifth time that Ten Hag’s United have lost a home game by a 3-0 scoreline.

With Porto to come in the Europa League and Aston Villa at the weekend, this may well be Ten Hag’s final week as Manchester United’s boss. 

Flick suffers Barcelona reality check 

Barcelona are still top of LaLiga, but they suffered a reality check as they were beaten 4-2 in their clash against Osasuna. 

The result also opened Hansi Flick’s eyes, having won all his seven league games as Barcelona manager before Saturday night. 

Flick made a host of changes on Saturday night, with an eye on the Champions League clash against Young Boys. 

Both Raphinha and Lamine Yamal were missing from the starting lineup, and that affected Barca’s rhythm. 

The Catalan giants were second best for most of the match, struggling to keep up with the home side. 

Osasuna took the lead in the 18th minute through Ante Budimir’s brilliant header from Bryan Zaragoza’s cross. 

Zaragoza then turned from provider to scorer as he doubled the home side’s advantage in the 28th minute, ensuring they went into the break with a two-goal lead. 

Barca did come back with more energy in the second half and got their reward, courtesy of a goal from Pau Victor. 

But just as it looked like they would find their way back into the game, Budimir scored a penalty in the 72nd minute before Abel Bretones added a fourth in the 85th minute. 

Although Yamal reduced the deficit in the 89th minute, it was a mere consolation, with Osasuna earning their deserved win. 

Controversy reigns as Madrid derby ends in a draw 

The biggest game in Europe last weekend was the Madrid derby between Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid. 

The match was expected to be violent and it indeed lived up to billing, although it was not a good look. 

Real Madrid star Vinicius Jnr was the number one enemy in the stadium as he was subjected to some disgusting racist abuse. Also, Thibaut Courtois was hit by a lighter thrown from the section of Atletico’s ultras. 

The game itself was suspended for a few minutes to allow things to calm down. As for the action, Real Madrid took the lead in the 64th minute through a superb effort from Eder Militao. 

The goal appeared to be pushing Madrid towards the three points until Angel Correa beat the offside trap to slot past Courtois and rescue a point for Atletico.