Great powers creaking ahead of European tests

The past week or so has been so tricky for some of Europe’s elite clubs that they might be looking forward to the Champions League as a welcome diversion, writes David Shonfield

Manchester United go into tonight’s match against Valencia looking like a potential car crash, but their Spanish opponents are hardly in better shape. They did beat Real Sociedad 1-0 on Saturday, thanks to their new striker Kevin Gameiro, but it was their first win of the season, and it needed a penalty save from their Brazilian goalkeeper Neto to secure the points.