After 196 days of hard work and waiting, Jamal Musiala finally made his return to action for Bayern following the broken leg and ankle he suffered against Paris Saint-Germain in the quarter-finals of the Club World Cup. And to top it all off, he provided an assist on his comeback in Saturday's 5-1 win away at RB Leipzig in the Bundesliga.
Raphinha was once again the star performer of the game for Barcelona as they secured a 2-0 win over CA Osasuna this past weekend. In a game where Barcelona struggled to find space, it was Raphinha who broke the crucial deadlock in the 70th minute. He latched onto a pass from Pedri, controlled it on the run, and unleashed a precise strike to make it 1-0, with the Brazilian eventually scoring the second 15 minutes later.
A lot of eyes were on Ardon Jashari as he made his return to the starting line-up, and the first signs were positive. As La Gazzetta dello Sport recall, Jashari's last start in a competitive game was on 25 May, for Club Brugge. More than six months have passed since then, and this must be the first necessary condition to consider before analysing the Swiss midfielder's performance against Lazio.
Pedri made a welcome return to action for Barcelona against Alaves on Saturday, playing 30 minutes in the 3-1 win at Camp Nou. The word is now that the Spain star will start on Tuesday when Barca take on Atletico Madrid in a big La Liga game at Camp Nou. According to Diario Sport, Pedri will return to the starting XI for the game and could play for around an hour against Diego Simeone's side.
It's not like tight end George Kittle has been missing in action since returning a little more than a month ago from a torn hamstring. He's been as relentlessly positive as ever, cracking up teammates while at the same time inspiring them to do greater things. It's no accident the 49ers' two best rushing games against Atlanta and the New York Giants came with Kittle delivering key blocks and setting a physical tone.
I think if there's one thing that you kind of got to keep in mind during the rehab process, like, it's a very controlled environment, which is great for anybody that's hurt. But when you go out there and the guardrails are off, you know there's a lot of unexpected things that can happen. And so, to be able to just be myself without any hindrance and pain is extremely important.
At the 12:50 mark in the fourth quarter of the Lions' Week 2 game against the Chicago Bears, Aidan Hutchinson took five gleeful steps toward the near sideline. First, he angled his head down and flanked his arms like airplane wings. Then, as his pace slowed, he stretched them out wide and lifted his head toward the Ford Field ceiling.
