Harry Kane? Michael Olise? Lamine Yamal? Kylian Mbappe? Or someone else..? With less than a week to go before the 2026 Ballon d'Or winner is crowned in London, The Athletic ranks the top 10 contenders for the final time 📝 @anantaajith 🔗 nyti.ms/4zHEOmD

It is rare for a league match in October to be termed a ‘final’, but Alvaro Arbeloa saying so has emphasised the gravity of the situation at Fulham. His team sit bottom of the table, with two points from six games, and face high-flying Hull City at Craven Cottage on Saturday. But have Fulham been tactically flawed, or just unlucky, through the early weeks of the season? 📝 Analysis from @anantaajith 🔗 bit.ly/4yq7rUi

Bradley Barcola produced his finest performance for Liverpool since his summer transfer as he scored a hat-trick in what was a confident Champions League victory over an outclassed LASK in Linz. There will be tougher opponents, but Liverpool continued their winning ways in Europe with a second win in as many games and this was a much-needed confidence-boosting performance after Sunday’s thumping against Manchester City in the Premier League. Perhaps most crucially was the sight of Barcola and Florian Wirtz working so well together in a much-changed line-up. 📝 @adjones_journo and @anantaajith 🔗 nyti.ms/4dCn9Ep

🔵 Brighton: the league's biggest overperformers 🔎 More midlands issues as Nottingham Forest and Aston Villa search for consistency 🔴 Arsenal's xG per shot surge 🎯 And how Xabi Alonso taught Chelsea to shoot from distance The Premier League is back, and The Athletic's Expected Table examines the situation through the prism of xG. 📝 @anantaajith Free to read: bit.ly/4yEcOA8

Kiki Ramos was adopted at nine months old, after the devastating earthquake in 2010. The 17-year-old is now one of the brightest prospects in Argentina - and could become the first Black player to represent the country since the early 1980s. 📝 @ThomHarris_ 🔗 nytimes.com/athletic/7608020…

Seven games played, 31 goals scored — Barcelona look unstoppable this season. It is the best goalscoring start from a team in La Liga, Serie A, Ligue 1, the Bundesliga or the Premier League since 2019, and they have done it all without a recognised No 9. As @anantaajith explains, that is part of what makes their fluid attack so unpredictable. 🔗 nyti.ms/4yko04K

Alex Baena came on at Wembley with Spain's long unbeaten run under threat. Instantly, the forward added technical quality in tight spaces at the top of the team, helping them both to control possession and be more incisive in the final third. 📝 @ThomHarris_ 🔗 nyti.ms/4jr0r5K

Manchester United this season. Good, bad or unlucky? As with most teams, it's a bit of each but with Michael Carrick's team having picked up only five points from their opening five games, there are three key issues he needs to fix: 🔴 Back post defending and giving opponents high-quality chances 🔴 Deciding what sort of out-of possession approach to take 🔴 And taking too many-low value shots, Bruno Fernandes included @LiamTharmeCoach and @Anantaajith analyse the situation at Old Trafford — free to read ⬇️ 🔗 nyti.ms/4xJYbtL

“I always wanted to break records and (make sure) that people remembered my name. “But I have to be honest, I didn’t expect to be the top scorer of all time at the World Cup, at 27." @DTAthletic's exclusive interview with Kylian Mbappe. ▪️ Making World Cup history ▪️ Asking for a ‘Zidane’ haircut ▪️ Mid-air transfer talks with Liverpool ▪️ Why this could be his year for Ballon d’Or ▪️ The lure of being a ‘ghost’ ▪️Why he will never be silenced 🔗 nyti.ms/4cWI1pw

Beyond individual lapses, there are issues in Manchester United’s defensive approach that start far further from their own goal. Trying to create chances from high-turnovers is pleasing to fans when United pull it off. Supporters, and Michael Carrick, want to be excited by United’s football — but at the moment, attempts to press more aggressively are backfiring. On average, United’s last defender is 33.4m away from their own goal without possession — the highest in the league. The graphic above, where United’s defensive end is on the right, demonstrates how opponents are bypassing United in wide areas. That Brighton lined up in a back three with wing-backs — which was unusual for Fabian Hurzeler’s side — signifies that pace on the flanks is becoming a recognised way to get at Carrick’s side. Not only do United look easier to play through, but they are also finding it increasingly difficult to escape opposition pressure. Brighton won the ball 13 times in United’s defensive third, the highest figure recorded by any visiting side at Old Trafford over the last eight seasons. United simply could not live with their brilliantly coordinated, relentless press. 📝 @reallycerys & @Conor0Neill_ 🔗 nyti.ms/4y0XInZ