Man Utd on brink, Chelsea-Spurs gets feisty, Madrid rally while Barca sputter

With Spain’s LaLiga and Italy’s Serie A kicking off this weekend, all of Europe’s major football leagues are back in action. And even though the seasons are barely underway in leagues such as England’s Premier League and the Germany’s Bundesliga, there already has been plenty of drama and storylines.

ESPN correspondents Rob Dawson, Alex Kirkland, Julien Laurens, Sam Marsden and James Olley all break down the big stuff you need to know about the weekend.

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Jump to: Talking points | Best goals | Teams in trouble | MVP of the Weekend

Talking points

Martinez’s woes on Ten Hag?

There are plenty of issues for Erik ten Hag to wade through following Manchester United’s 4-0 humiliation at Brentford on Saturday, and Lisandro Martinez is one of them. There has been debate about whether the Argentina man can handle the physicality of the Premier League since his move from Ajax Amsterdam, and it was noticeable that he was targeted by Brentford with long balls up to Ivan Toney.

– Social media reacts to Man Utd’s shocking loss

Ten Hag replaced Martinez at half-time and brought on Raphael Varane in his place, and while it’s still very early, there will be concern that Ten Hag has got one of his key summer signings wrong. You only have to look at the players brought in and the other names linked with moves to see that Ten Hag has been central to United’s recruitment this summer, and Martinez’s performance at Brentford does not reflect well on the new manager. — Dawson

Conte and Tuche ignite new rivalry

Thomas Tuchel and Antonio Conte previously only had nice things to say about each other, but Sunday’s tempestuous 2-2 draw between Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur featured clashes that will surely ignite a fresh managerial rivalry.

On an unusually hot London afternoon, the temperatures were at their highest on the touchline as first Conte and then Tuchel…