Man United collapse at Man City, Milan take Serie A lead over Napoli, lucky Liverpool, Bayern's woes continue

Rangnick is getting less blame than his predecessors in the role, and that's understandable. He's an interim manager, he has no real power beyond the tactics (and generally, they haven't been the problem), he was missing three strikers and half his starting back-four, and you have the distinct impression that the decision-makers at the club don't listen to him, which may explain why they made zero signings this past January.

So the focus shifts to the players. Not just over quality, but over effort, lack of leadership and the continual drip of leaks from the training ground: who doesn't like who, who they want as their next manager, how funny it is that Chris Armas sounds like Ted Lasso.

There's obviously a ton to work on there. Maguire cost a ton of money, wears the armband and is in danger of becoming a punchline of Phil Jones-ian proportions. You either give him the support he needs internally, or you don't play him. And if he has been getting support and it's not working? Well, you make a tough decision.

Then there's Rashford. He's the homegrown golden boy, a young man who is universally admired for his maturity and intelligence off the pitch, and his willingness to speak out on issues like child poverty as well as address them directly. He should be the face of United; instead, even when three other forwards are out, he can't get into the starting lineup.

Sure, he was injured early in the season and missing that penalty in the Euro 2020 final was a big psychological blow, but he wasn't playing at Rashford levels last season either. In fact, he was more productive at 20, 21 years of age than he is now at 24. Getting him back to his levels ought to be a club priority -- also because he becomes a free agent in 15 months' time.

Let's not forget Ronaldo, either. He missed training on Friday and Saturday with a hip flexor problem, and he wasn't at the Etihad on Sunday. Some criticised him for not showing up to support his teammates. I have less of a problem with that -- not all players get treated equally, he knows his body best and if he feels he can heal better at home, so be it -- and more of a problem that, again, United let the story spin out of control. All they had to do is say "Ronaldo has a hip injury, he's working to recover" and then tell us where he's recovering, whether that be Manchester, Lisbon, Madeira or Disneyland. They could have left it at that rather than leaving enough room for rumours to be stoked.

There's plenty more dysfunction here -- you could venture into Wan-Bissaka, Victor Lindelof or Scott McTominay territory, but this is enough for now -- but the point is that there are issues of harmony and messaging here that need to be fixed, as well as players who need to be nurtured.

United have long operated in the most traditional English manner when it comes to this sort of thing. The manager is the face of the club: we never hear or see the director of football or sporting director or anybody else. But maybe that's where we ought to be looking for answers, because Rangnick has enough on his plate and his power is dulled anyway by his short-term contract. Never mind job titles -- United have a raft of guys in those roles, from Darren Fletcher to Mike Phelan to John Murtough. You'd think some of this would be their job. You'd think somebody would held them to account. Instead, it feels like they're just counting the days until Rangnick leaves and the next sucker takes the job.

As for City, they made it look easy ... again. Kevin De Bruyne and Mahrez took the accolades, but I was hugely impressed by Jack Grealish and Phil Foden. Both have had their issues this year, both were dealt with and reintegrated, and both are now key contributors. And no: while Guardiola no doubt played a big role, it wasn't entirely down to him. He has people below him, around him and even above him who work on this sort of thing. That's how you run a successful club.

Milan take three points at Napoli, Serie A gets its third league leader in three days

The stakes were massive at the Stadio Maradona on Sunday night, and both Napoli and Milan were up for it. The difference, as often happens in tight games, is clear-mindedness.

Napoli offered plenty of effort, but not enough lucidity, apart from Victor Osimhen, whose runs gave Milan fits until eventually he too ran out of gas. Milan focused on disciplined pressing, forcing errors and waiting for an opportunity. And when it arrived -- Davide Calabria's wayward shot/cross popping up for Olivier Giroud to stroke home -- they seized it.

It might have been different if Osimhen had been awarded a penalty for contact with Fikayo Tomori, but I thought Milan were worthy winners, on the balance of play, and Stefano Pioli set them up in the right way.

Forgoing a No.10 for a midfield trio of Sandro Tonali, Ismael Bennacer (who was exceptional) and Franck Kessie gave them the necessary platform to withstand Napoli's quality in the middle of the park. He resisted the temptation to send Zlatan Ibrahimovic (who was returning from injury) in too early, he stuck with Rafael Leao as the "out ball" even when things weren't clicking, and he believed in defender Pierre Kalulu when others turned their nose up at him.

Inter are two points behind, but they do have the game in hand. Napoli, just three back, aren't out yet either. Serie A is going down to the wire and for neutrals, it's a treat.

Nice lean on Thuram Jr, Kluivert Jr to treble over PSG

OK, so now we can safely say that we've found Paris Saint-Germain's kryptonite: Christophe Galtier. Last season, while coaching Lille, he pipped PSG to the Ligue 1 title. This year, at Nice, he beat them home and away in the league, and he also knocked them out of the French Cup back in January.

Never mind the fact that the winner, courtesy of Andy Delort, came late (the 88th minute). Nice's 4-4-2 formation outclassed PSG, particularly down the flanks with Justin Kluivert and Khephren Thuram (sons of Patrick and Lilian respectively). Sure, Achraf Hakimi and Kylian Mbappe were unavailable and yes, they're obviously thinking ahead to the Champions League and Real Madrid. But this was more of what we've seen too often: a team that takes the Ligue 1 title for granted and too often mails in performances domestically.

Most disconcerting was Georginio Wijnaldum, who somehow contrived to get just nine touches in the first half. That's downright hard to do when you're playing midfield on a team that has the bulk of the possession. Wijnaldum has had a rough time in Paris; it's hard to believe this is the same guy who was so instrumental for so many years at Anfield.

Liverpool stretched by West Ham, but three points keep them in the title hunt

Jurgen Klopp said it wasn't Liverpool's best performance; that was a euphemism. He might have described the 1-0 victory over West Ham as a "dirty win," to borrow a phrase he used earlier this season. Despite playing without Declan Rice, West Ham created far too many clear-cut chances -- the two best fell to Manuel Lanzini and Michail Antonio -- for Klopp's liking. And while Liverpool had their opportunities too, you do wonder whether they've lost a bit of the sharpness at the minute. Or, rather, if it's something they can't quite wheel out every game.

You can praise them for being determined and tough in the face of adversity and sure, that's important. But nor have they been consistently dismantling opponents game after game, the way they have done at times in previous seasons. It's not slowing them down in terms of results -- 11 wins in their past 12 across all competitions, 12-for-12 if you count the shootout against Chelsea -- but they've had to rely on guts and grit more than they're accustomed to in recent weeks (Norwich, Burnley and Leicester in the Premier League, plus Inter Milan in the Champions League).

Bayern Munich's woes continue, but Manuel Neuer is on his way back

There's no denying the fact that Bayern Munich are going through a rough patch and that the February blues followed them into March, as shown by Saturday's 1-1 home draw against Bayer Leverkusen. (Last time they played them, they had scored five before half-time.) Folks point a finger at the back three, but I saw more of an issue in midfield where, in the absence of Corentin Tolisso and Leon Goretzka, Julian Nagelsmann has to put square pegs in round holes (the latest being Jamal Musiala).

- Highlights: Muller's bizarre own goal leads to Bayern draw (U.S.)

Still, this was a Bayer Leverkusen side without their top scorer, Patrik Schick, and all it took to befuddle Bayern was to attack via Amine Adli and Mouse Diaby in wide areas and use Florian Wirtz as some sort of withdrawn striker. Wirtz himself had a quiet game, but it was enough to clog the spaces and stop Bayern from creating chances (they actually lost the expected goals battle).

Business will pick up when they get Kimmich help in central midfield, when somebody not named Omar Richards plays down the left and when Manuel Neuer returns between the posts. You wouldn't ordinarily expect a keeper to have such an impact further up the pitch, but when it's Neuer and Bayern? That's a different story. At least that's what they're telling themselves.

Camavinga comes of age as Real Madrid extend LaLiga lead

Eduardo Camavinga has basically been a starter since before the pandemic -- and that feels like ages ago -- so it's easy to forget he doesn't even turn 20 until November. So yeah, when you take somebody that young (even a €40m signing) and drop him into a midfield containing Toni Kroos and Luka Modric on the world's biggest stage, it may well take him a little while to adjust.

- Highlights: Real Madrid move eight points clear with big win (U.S.)

Yet the kid showed against Real Sociedad that he belongs. Not just for his stunning equaliser (after Real Sociedad had taken the lead from the penalty spot), but for the maturity and intelligence he showed in replacing the absent Toni Kroos. Another fine goal from Modric immediately after tipped the match Real Madrid's way and they never looked back, adding two more late to win 4-1 and extend their lead over Sevilla (who were held to a scoreless draw Friday) to eight points with 11 games remaining.

More generally, this was a front-foot Real Madrid: They enjoyed the bulk of possession, pressed high and created chances (while limiting danger at the back; the visitors didn't have a single shot other than the penalty). It's exactly what Carlo Ancelotti wants to see ahead of the PSG game on Wednesday, down 1-0 on aggregate heading into their last-16 second leg. They can win on the counter, sure, but they can also take the game to the opposition. That's a dimension of Madrid we haven't seen often enough this season, and one we'll need to see more of if they're going to succeed in Europe as well.

Arteta vindicated as Arsenal jump into top four