Another weekend of action from Europe's top leagues is in the books, and as always, we have plenty to break down! So let's begin with the big game of the Premier League weekend, Sunday's north London derby, where Arsenal stuck to a winning formula in thumping rivals Tottenham 4-1 to remain in charge (for now, anyway) of the title race.

In LaLiga, Real Madrid slipped back behind Barcelona in the title race after a shocking, frustrating and familiar defeat -- this time 2-1 at Osasuna -- as manager Alvaro Arbeloa continues to struggle with figuring out the right tactics and personnel. (On the Barcelona side of things, they picked up an easy win over Levante, though it was marked by Lamine Yamal's outburst not long before full time.)

- Arsenal answer title pressure with resounding derby win at Spurs
- Hamilton: How Milner broke Premier League's appearances record
- Tighe: Why it's so difficult to break into the Premier League's top six

Elsewhere, there's plenty to talk about around Manchester City (who switched things up to winning effect, as Pep Guardiola often does), Bayern Munich (who keep winning but also make life hard for themselves), Paris Saint-Germain (are they back to their best?), Liverpool (who won, but still look a mess), Chelsea (who dropped more points), Atletico Madrid (who won big), and much, much more.

When you hit a road bump -- and four points dropped against Brentford and Wolves in 10 days is just that -- you can either change what you're doing, or do the very same things, but do them better. It's a truism, but not for that reason any less applicable to Arsenal (or to life).

Mikel Arteta went into Sunday's North London Derby knowing that Manchester City had pulled to within two points and that the head-to-head clash on April 18 was on their turf. To stay in front, to avoid turning that match into a potential de facto "must-win" he had to get all three points against Spurs.

To some, that might have been reason to change things up, not least because the context here was different, as you would expect from a derby against a fierce rival coming off a 12-day break and with a new manager (Igor Tudor) at the helm. Maybe restore Martin Odegaard, who hadn't started a league game in nearly a month, to the starting XI. Or put your faith in a rejuvenated Gabriel Jesus. Or simply adopt a more patient approach -- less of the ball, more of the counter -- against an opponent coming to terms with their first test under Tudor.

Nope. It was very much the Arsenal game plan they've had most of the season, with Bukayo Saka shifting back to the wing and Eberechi Eze slotting in at No.10. They outmuscled and outhustled Spurs, racking up 72% first half possession against an opponent that attempted to play on the break, but could only muster just three shots until Richarlison's backheel with six minutes to go. They took the lead early in the second half with a stunning Viktor Gyökeres strike and then picked off Spurs on the counter, adding two more in the 4-1 win. Other than the lack of set piece goals, it was pretty much what we've seen from Arsenal all year.

Changing the plan after dropping points and winning shows that your coach and your team that you're flexible and creative, which is good for confidence. Sticking to the same plan and winning after dropping points builds confidence and shows your manager was right to begin with.

Could things have gone differently? At a stretch, maybe. Gabriel making a meal of Randal Kolo Muani's push that led to the disallowed Spurs goal (that would have made it 2-2) was dicey. For me, two hands on the back is always a foul. Then again, we've seen it called and not called in the Premier League this season, and it could have easily gone the other way.

Similarly, David Raya's scramble to keep out Richarlison's finish isn't the sort of thing you want to rely on, because it's so improbable. Then again, if you want to bring up the unusual and unplanned, you can throw in Declan Rice's mistake on the first goal which was a one-off. (Correction: a two-off, assuming that's even a word, because he also screwed up against Sunderland and the fact that we even remember it tells you how rare it is.)

As for Tottenham, that streak of Tudor winning on his debut with a new team ends at five. It's not really a meaningful stat anyway, and here he has a ton of mitigating circumstances, such as the 11 unavailable players and Dominic Solanke on the bench with a sore throat. Most people -- even Spurs fans -- probably couldn't recognize any of his unused subs if they saw them at the local supermarket, and that speaks volumes about what he had to work with.

The table says they're two places (four points) from the drop zone, which weirdly is actually one place better than where they finished last season (without the biblical plague of injuries). I don't see them going down. Tudor will bring enough tactical order, guys will finally be fit again and it's silly to think in those terms right now. It does, however, feel like another wasted season ... and that will sting.

Pep Guardiola hit the managerial scene for his "3 Ps" -- possession, passing and pressing -- at Barcelona. To his credit, he has evolved and tweaked his approach over the years, from Bayern Munich to at least two different iterations at Manchester City. This season, we're reaching the point where his team's approach seems to change from game to game.

Against Newcastle United -- fresh off a long away trip to Azerbaijan in midweek -- Guardiola opted for a "muscular" approach based on strength, speed and athleticism, leaving out the likes of Phil Foden and Rayan Cherki and leaving most of the playmaking duties to 20-year-old Nico O'Reilly (a gifted player, but a big unit at 6-foot-3 too). His front four (O'Reilly, Omar Marmoush, Antoine Semenyo and Erling Haaland) seemed designed to blunt whatever physicality Newcastle could muster.

Directness, rather than control -- there's nothing wrong with that. It's just that it's different from what we're used to and, with hindsight, it might have made the game that little bit more difficult for City. No matter: they won 2-1, kept the pressure on Arsenal and discovered that yes, they can win this way too. Maybe not as smoothly -- Newcastle battled gamely and had chances to equalize (Gianluigi Donnarumma had to pull off his usual miracle off, this time to deny Harvey Barnes) -- but they can get it over the line, nonetheless.

Is there a method to Guardiola's changes? Earlier in the season, it felt like it was primarily a case of trial and error (especially before Rodri's return). Now, I don't know. But I'm tempted to give him the benefit of the doubt not just because City keep winning, but because there are positive side effects to the changes. O'Reilly stole the show with his two goals, intelligence and vision on the ball. He was fine at left back, but returning him into a role where he can do more attacking damage (and where he played in City's youth team) adds another dimension.

Haaland, with Marmoush next to him, showed much more of an all-around game than we usually see when he's the lone attacking terminus. And Rayan Ait-Nouri at left back is like having an extra winger. What XI would Guardiola put out if the UEFA Champions League final were tomorrow? I have no idea, other than the fact that, I imagine, Donnarumma, Haaland, Rodri and, when fit, Josko Gvardiol would start. But that's a feature, not a bug of Pep's City this season.

Three defeats but seven wins, he might argue. Sure, but it was the manner of what happened Saturday at El Sadar that is cause for concern. Osasuna away are a tough out: Alessio Lisci's team like to park the bus and force you to beak them down. The problem is that to break down opponents as a team, you need patterns of play, kind of like what Xabi Alonso was trying to do -- otherwise you're left with relying on individuals. And sure, sometimes the individuals do individually brilliant things (witness Vinícius Junior's goal against Benfica), but sometimes they don't, and that's when you're in trouble.

Arbeloa's setup of late has basically been a four-man midfield with three holding players plus Arda Guler (who, by the way, is still 20 and in his first campaign as a regular) shielding the back four. The game plan consists of denying space, winning the ball and waiting for Vini and Kylian Mbappé to do something up front. I'm exaggerating a little, but really, only a little.

Real Madrid might have been a bit unlucky with Osasuna's penalty -- then again, stepping on a foot is always a foul these days -- but they also needed an absurdly special Thibaut Courtois save from Ante Budimir before that. As for Osasuna's winner -- from giving the ball away cheaply, to Trent Alexander-Arnold's slow-motion recovery, to Raul Asencio getting duped as if Raúl García was vintage Neymar -- the less said, the better.

As for the other end? The goal came from a bulldozing Federico Valverde run (converted by Vini), That goal was also the first chance they generated from open play with an xG greater than 0.02, and it came in the 73rd minute. On any given day, Mbappé or Vini or somebody else can conjure something out of nothing, Courtois can dispense his miracles, and Real Madrid can beat anybody. But that's not how a team of this magnitude ought to operate. And the upshot is defeat against Osasuna, who hadn't beaten Real Madrid in 15 years and 24 attempts -- not to mention they've fallen behind Barcelona again in the LaLiga table.

Published By Anthony Joseph.