Chelsea are world champions, Barcelona saved by Luuk de Jong again, Tottenham in trouble

It was another fun weekend in European soccer as Chelsea became world champions, Bayern Munich capitulated defensively, while Real Madrid and Barcelona struggled to draws. Elsewhere, Manchester City and Liverpool won, as Manchester United and Tottenham dropped more points. We also saw AC Milan claim top spot in Serie A as Juventus, Napoli and Inter Milan drew.

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It’s Monday, and Gab Marcotti reacts to the biggest moments in the world of football.

Jump to: Chelsea are world champions | ‘Other’ De Jong saves Barca | United not playing like a Rangnick team | Bayern’s horror show | Tottenham lose again | Napoli, Inter share spoils | Juve given a reminder | Liverpool get ‘dirty’ win | Bale back for Real Madrid | Man City in cruise control | Rafael Leao sends Milan top | Depleted Dortmund bounce back | Atletico still can’t defend

Chelsea are world champions, but what does it mean?

Few things are as culturally divisive (in a football sense) as the Club World Cup. My colleague Craig Burley called it a “tinpot” trophy. At the same time, tens of thousands of Palmeiras fans made the trek to Abu Dhabi and the final against Chelsea was treated as one of the biggest the team have played in recent years (and lest we forget, the Brazilian side won the last two Copa Libertadores titles).

Chelsea certainly celebrated like it meant something, and it does: This was the only trophy the club had not won, and memories of 2012, when they were the last European side not to triumph, left a sense of unfinished business. It certainly wasn’t a cakewalk, though maybe that says more about the current state of the team. Chelsea have blown hot and cold for the past few months, and the absence of manager Thomas Tuchel (who only arrived from his COVID-19 self-isolation a few hours before kickoff)…