Euro weekend round-up: Mbappe and Messi, Kimmich masterclass, Bielsa downfall

Plenty happened this weekend across Europe, with Mbappe and Messi are starting to build up a partnership, Kimmich bossing the Bundesliga and Bielsa’s time at Leeds coming to an end.

Mbappe & Messi’s connection 

PSG managed to pull further ahead in Ligue 1 this weekend as they cruised past Saint-Étienne to go 15 points clear at the top.

While Neymar had been out injured throughout December and January, Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi started to build on their footballing relationship and right now there’s no stopping them.  

Messi has now established himself as the creative hub of the PSG side, at the weekend he completed six key passes and assisted each of Mbappe’s goals. The pair now lead the way in Ligue 1 when it comes to assists as they have both registered 10 so far.  

Mbappe has more goal contributions than any other player in the French league, with 24 in total as well as having nine goal contributions in the Champions League. Messi has assisted four of Mbappe’s league goals this season and the more they play together, the greater their understanding of each other seems to be.  

Messi has completed 16 through balls this season, which is six more than any other player in Ligue 1. Mbappe’s movement compliments Messi’s vision fantastically well and PSG are now averaging 2.15 goals per game.  

Joshua Kimmich masterclass 

Bayern Munich also pulled further ahead in the Bundesliga this weekend thanks to Leroy Sane’s second-half winner against Eintracht Frankfurt. The headlines, though, are all focused on Joshua Kimmich who delivered a masterclass in midfield.  

Kimmich has brilliantly developed his game over the last few years and is now one of the most complete midfielders in European football. Against Eintracht Frankfurt Kimmich completed 85 passes with an accuracy of 91.4% which included five key passes, four accurate crosses, seven long-balls and three big chances created.  

The German midfielder set up Leroy Sane’s winner with a perfectly-weighted through ball as he grabbed his sixth assist of the season.  

His defensive numbers were just as impressive too as he won nine ground duels and drew five fouls. The 27-year-old has played the majority of the season in central midfield, although he can also operate as a right-back.  

In three out of his last four Bundesliga seasons, Kimmich has made it into double figures for assists and with 10 games remaining, he’s got every chance of doing it again.   

Bielsa’s downfall 

Marcelo Bielsa’s time as Leeds United manager has now come to an end after they fell to another disappointing defeat at the weekend. Last season Leeds were comfortably a top-half side, but this season the drop-off has been dramatic.  

Leeds have faced 152 shots on goal this season, which is more than any other Premier League side. On average they are facing 5.85 shots on target per 90, which is an increase from 4.97 last season.  

The volume of which they have been conceding goals has also rapidly shot up - although Leeds weren’t exactly known for their defensive solidity last season, they only shipped 1.42 goals per game. This season that number has increased to 2.3 goals conceded per game, with Leeds currently having the worst defensive record in the Premier League.  

Illan Meslier has made more saves than any other Premier League goalkeeper this season with 95, which further demonstrates the strain the Leeds United backline is often put under.  

They have also had a problem with defending set-piece situations all season as they have conceded 13 so far, which is the most in the Premier League alongside Leicester and Crystal Palace.  

As Leeds tend to commit a lot of players forward, they have also been susceptible to conceding goals on the break. Leeds have conceded five goals from counter-attacks in the Premier League, with only Brentford having conceded more from these situations.