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soccerlegendsme · 4 years

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Champions League 2020-21: Who will be kings of Europe? Our experts' predictions

Fifty eight days after Bayern Munich lifted the trophy in Lisbon, the Champions League is back.

Last season's disrupted competition ended with an unlikely final four of Bayern, Paris St-Germain, Lyon and RB Leipzig.

So who will triumph this time? And who will be the surprise packages? We asked our European football writers to make their predictions.

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Andy West, Spanish football writer

What are the prospects for the Spanish sides?

Real Madrid are, of course, always dangerous in this competition and will have added motivation after failing badly in the past couple of years with consecutive last-16 exits.

Barcelona have started the season brightly but realistically the squad is too shallow and blighted by too many flaws for them to be considered among the favourites.

Atletico Madrid, though, could go a long way: they will be strong at the back as always, and if the new strike pairing of Luis Suarez and Joao Felix fulfils its potential they'll be hard to stop.

And Sevilla? Underestimate them at your peril.

Who is your tip to win the Champions League and why?

Right now it's hard to look past Bayern Munich, considering how superior they were to every other team at the end of last season.

But winning the competition two years in a row is notoriously difficult, and I have a feeling we'll see a very strong challenge from the team who historically like to believe they own this competition: Real Madrid.

Zinedine Zidane can call upon genuine world-class quality throughout the squad and has plenty of match-winning options in attack, especially if Eden Hazard can get fit, stay fit and start to show his true ability. So I'll take Real Madrid.

Which team could be the surprise package?

Sevilla have made the Europa League their own, winning it four times since 2014. And under the leadership of canny coach Julen Lopetegui, they look ready to step up to the Champions League. The Andalusians don't have the quality in attack to be potential winners, but they could go deep into the knockout stages.

Constantin Eckner, German football writer

What are the prospects for the German sides?

Bayern Munich addressed the issues regarding their squad late in the transfer window and remain among the strongest teams in Europe. They are capable of defending the title, but it is more likely we will see a slight drop in performance this season.

Borussia Dortmund should win their group and reach at least the quarter-finals if they manage to keep the defence healthy.

RB Leipzig could battle Manchester United for second spot in Group H. Even without Timo Werner, last season's semi-finalists are tough to beat thanks to Julian Nagelsmann's analytical mind and a squad full of highly athletic players.

Borussia Monchengladbach should see their participation in this year's competition as a chance to learn and grow.

Who is your tip to win the Champions League and why?

I don't see a clear-cut favourite this year, as the two previous winners have to deal with some issues that might hinder them from winning it again.

So my money is on Real Madrid. They are the total package with a mix of veteran players and rising stars, and an experienced coach on the sidelines.

Federico Valverde, Martin Odegaard and Vinícius Júnior represent the new generation, while Karim Benzema, Toni Kroos and Sergio Ramos have enough left in the tank to get one more Champions League trophy.

Zidane might not be the tactical genius that some of his peers are, but he knows how to manage a tight schedule and guide a team through the obstacles of a knockout stage.

Which team could be the surprise package?

Borussia Dortmund have the raw talent to be the dark horse in this year's Champions League. They are able to beat any team in the world on a good day and will only get better, as most of their key players are fairly young.

Phil McNulty, BBC Sport's chief football writer

What are the prospects for the English sides?

Liverpool, with their past record of success, are England's best prospect to win the Champions League. Manchester City have the talent but there is something about this competition that always seems to trip them up. Is it lack of belief? Is it Pep Guardiola's tactical mistakes?

I can see Chelsea making it out of a group that is relatively kind but in their current form and condition I do not see Manchester United getting anywhere near the knockout stage when faced with the likes of PSG and RB Leipzig. Things can change in that time for United, but they would have to change a lot.

Who is your tip to win the Champions League and why?

At this stage I would say my two favourites would be Liverpool and the holders Bayern Munich.

Liverpool still look so strong, although they did not get past the last 16 last season when they went out to Atletico Madrid, but now of course they have Thiago Alcantara, such a key figure in Bayern's triumphs.

The usual suspects such as PSG, Barcelona and Real Madrid will be involved but I will go for a straight fight between Liverpool and Bayern - with Liverpool my tip.

Which team could be the surprise package?

Hard to see anyone coming out of the traditional pack but Atletico Madrid, under the inspirational leadership of Diego Simeone, are always a threat, as Liverpool found to their cost last season.

Atletico have had so many near misses with the Champions League but they have added to their squad with Luis Suarez and no-one will want to draw them.

The other possibility? Sevilla - they showed once again what European specialists they are by winning the Europa League.

Ian Holyman, Ligue 1 podcast producer

What are the prospects for the French sides?

It's hardly sticking my neck out to suggest PSG will challenge strongly again.

Yes, they've lost Thiago Silva, but with Marquinhos replacing him in central defence and as captain, and Danilo Pereira's arrival in midfield, Thomas Tuchel's men are stronger and better balanced.

Andre Villas-Boas worked a miracle to get Marseille back into the competition for the first time since 2013-14, but even with Florian Thauvin fit again, the squad looks thin - a helpful draw might see them sneak into the knockout stages though.

Group-stage debutants Rennes will surely struggle with the step up in class, and grabbing third place would be a success.

Who is your tip to win the Champions League and why?

Can you look beyond Bayern Munich? The Champions League is a notoriously fiendish title to defend, but the 2019-20 winners' success in Lisbon in the summer will motivate, not sate, them. They have not stood still since either: Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting (don't laugh!) is great back-up to Robert Lewandowski, and though Thiago has left, Bayern already had an upgrade in Joshua Kimmich.

Their veterans, Manuel Neuer and Thomas Muller, enjoyed one of their best seasons last term, and young talents such as Serge Gnabry and Leroy Sane will only keep improving.

Hansi Flick's men will again be the team to beat.

Which team could be the surprise package?

They've been drawn in the toughest section of all, but Istanbul Basaksehir will be no meek victims of Group H. The Turkish champions - that already says something about their quality - have former Manchester United defender Rafael and ex-Liverpool man Martin Skrtel at the back, while ex-West Ham United, Newcastle United and Chelsea forward Demba Ba is up front.

Daniele Verri, Italian football journalist

What are the prospects for the Italian sides?

It is difficult to imagine an Italian club winning the Champions League.

You can't rule out a team fielding Cristiano Ronaldo but Juventus have a young manager in Andrea Pirlo, are in the process of rejuvenating their squad and lack quality in midfield. Their quest to end a 24-year wait will continue.

Inter proved their worth as they reached the final of last season's Europa League and have since signed Achraf Hakimi and Arturo Vidal. Their focus will be on the league title though, something Antonio Conte sees as a necessary step to form a winning mentality.

Lazio do not have the depth to fight on the domestic and European stage and will struggle to keep up on both.

Who is your tip to win the Champions League and why?

Not even the Oracle of Delphi can predict in October who is to win the Champions League in May! Form, injuries and Covid-19 will all play a role. Will there be another lockdown? Who is going to be the fittest when it really comes to it?

In my opinion, the eventual winner will come from England. Spanish clubs haven't invested enough, a second win for Bayern seems unrealistic and Italian clubs lack that extra bit of quality.

Liverpool and Manchester City, as long as Sergio Aguero recovers and Ruben Dias proves capable of filling Vincent Kompany's boots, are my favourites, with PSG their main danger.

Which team could be the surprise package?

Atalanta already reached the quarter-finals in their maiden Champions League campaign and could do even better.

The Nerazzurri have gathered European experience in the past few years and this will be Gian Piero Gasperini's fifth season in Bergamo. His team play with heart and are a joy to watch. If Josip Ilicic reaches top form they will be a threat to anyone.

‘SOCCERLEGENDS NEWSDESK’

#news #soccer #uefa #predictiction #victory

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freenewstoday · 3 years

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New Post has been published on https://freenews.today/2021/04/26/madrid-chelsea-city-psg-focus-on-ucl-semis-after-super-league-drama/

Madrid, Chelsea, City, PSG focus on UCL semis after Super League drama

The semifinals of the 2020-21 Champions League are upon us, and there will be a new name on the trophy with holders Bayern Munich eliminated in the quarterfinals. Those games seem like a lifetime ago: first came the ill-fated Super League breakaway, then came confirmation of the reconfigured Champions League format for next season, then news of the Super League dissolving as quickly as it launched.

Phew.

But after the most turbulent of weeks, we can focus again on the Champions League. The schedule starts in Spain on Tuesday with Real Madrid hosting Chelsea, and then on Wednesday attention shifts to France where Paris Saint-Germain face Manchester City.

Here’s the state of play ahead of this week’s Champions League semifinals.

Real Madrid vs. Chelsea | Tuesday, 3:00 p.m. ET

Narrative: While the on-field matters will be fascinating, keep your eyes on the socially distanced stands. It could get spikey.

– Marcotti, Ogden: Super League fallout: UEFA, Champions League reform again? – Olley: Premier League after Super League collapse: Big Six facing legal issues? – Lowe: How Spain reacted to Barcelona, Real Madrid, Atletico split

You’ve got Real Madrid president Florentino Perez, who was seemingly the chief architect of the breakaway Super League, sat in close proximity with his Chelsea counterparts, the suits who kick-started the fall of the house of cards when they got cold feet over the concept due to the very public fan backlash. Perez said he thought the protests outside Stamford Bridge last week were orchestrated and maintains his Real Madrid side are still keen on the Super League concept, despite it looking like it’d be Madrid vs. Juventus for the rest of time. Chelsea have since pleaded mea culpa.

For a team who have thrown plenty of shade at the Champions League last week, it’ll be fascinating to see how Real Madrid and their fans approach Tuesday’s match, or if Perez becomes the only individual in history not to succumb to the irresistible urge of humming along to the always catchy Champions League theme tune.

Zinedine Zidane, the Real Madrid manager, said his team will be “screwed” if they pay any attention to the off-field strife this week. So on the pitch you have the fascinating subplot of Eden Hazard up against his former side Chelsea, operating under the ever-pragmatic Thomas Tuchel.

Why Real Madrid will win: Real Madrid are sweating on the fitness of a number of key figures ahead of Tuesday’s match. Ferland Mendy has been ruled out, and they are unlikely to have Lucas Vazquez, Sergio Ramos and Federico Valverde available, who all missed their 0-0 draw with Real Betis on Saturday. Toni Kroos also sat out that match, but will be fit for Tuesday, they also have Hazard back after his slow start to life in Spain through injury. Zidane said the Belgian international came through the Betis draw unscathed, but you imagine they’ll be keeping him in bubble wrap in the build-up to Tuesday’s game.

With La Liga now out of their hands (second place, two points behind Atletico Madrid), the pressure is on Zidane to deliver this piece of silverware — although whether Perez still rates it, is another thing. But the challenge for Real Madrid is to score goals. They’ve had three 0-0 draws in their past four games, and are reliant on Karim Benzema to get the goals.

The good news for Madrid is while they are perhaps profligate up front, they are sturdy at the back. Despite having Ramos out injured, Eder Militao has done a wonderful job partnering Raphael Varane — who has been linked with a move away from the club given that his contract expires in 2022 — and they have conceded just two goals in six games. Thibaut Courtois and Hazard will love coming up against their old side, but Zidane knows what it takes to get his team through these matches and will relish the chance play in another Champions League final.

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Why Chelsea will win: Bar their remarkable defeat to West Bromwich Albion, Chelsea’s Tuchel is a team built on defensive stability and transitions. Come Tuesday, they will look to suffocate Real Madrid, starving them of possession and space before hitting them on the counter.

First the attacking side: they have one of the best midfielders in Europe at the moment in Mason Mount, and Timo Werner should feel a huge weight lifted off his shoulders following his winner against West Ham United on Saturday. Factor in the ridiculously talented Kai Havertz, Christian Pulisic and Hakim Ziyech, along with the double pivot of N’Golo Kante and Mateo Kovacic and you have a settled attacking unit that can trouble the best. But what’s key to Tuchel’s Chelsea is their ability to stifle opponents. They operate with a five-man defence, which then transitions into a 3-4-3. Taking out the anomaly of that 5-2 defeat to WBA, they have conceded just three goals in 21 games since Tuchel took over.

They managed to hop over the tricky FC Porto hurdle in the quarterfinals, and dispatched Atletico Madrid 3-0 on aggregate in the round of 16. Citing their wins in Europe and the semifinals of the FA Cup, Tuchel hopes they’ll take that “inner belief” to Madrid on Tuesday where they’ll look to play “adventurous football.” Tuchel also has the Champions League acumen to guide Chelsea through this tricky tie, having led PSG to the final last season.

Key players: For Real Madrid, it’s all about Benzema and his ruthless finishing. The French striker has 12 goals in 13 games across all competitions, and has scored more than a third of Real’s goals this season. Kante will be key for Chelsea on Tuesday; he’s the pivot for the rest of the team, and will be essential in shutting down Madrid’s attack, as he did in the second leg against Atletico.

Key stats: Zidane has managed Real Madrid in three Champions League semifinals and he’s won all three: 2016 over Manchester City 1-0, 2017 over Atletico Madrid 4-2 and 2018 over Bayern Munich 4-3. Tuchel is unbeaten against Spanish clubs in the Champions League as manager; his record reads three wins and three draws (2016-17: two 2-2 draws against Real Madrid with Borussia Dortmund; 2019-20: a 3-0 win and 2-2 draw with Real Madrid as PSG boss; 2020-21: 1-0 and 2-0 wins as Chelsea boss over Atletico Madrid).

Who will actually win: Real Madrid will edge the first leg 1-0 and just do enough to reach the final. It will be a nervy one on Tuesday and despite a Chelsea fightback in the second leg, Madrid will go through on away goals.

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Alessandro Del Piero on how Man City will deal with playing in the Champions League vs. PSG.

Paris Saint-Germain vs. Manchester City | Wednesday, 3:00 p.m. ET

Narrative: It’s been an interesting week for both teams off the field. PSG have emerged from the Super League fandango as the good guys, having turned their back on an offer to join the cabal. They were meant to be one of the 15 “founder” teams, but instead joined the likes of Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund in reaffirming their love (on the face of it) for UEFA and the Champions League.

Manchester City were the first to officially backtrack on joining the Super League, dropping out on Tuesday evening once reports of Chelsea’s withdrawal emerged. While fans of Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur have made their anger clear towards their respective owners, City’s supporters have seemingly kept a lower profile.

On Sunday at Wembley, City’s fans were basking in the glow of further domestic success, with Pep Guardiola steering them to their fourth League Cup on the trot. It’s a strange cup for City to have such a strong affinity with, but Guardiola has traditionally tried to use it as a springboard for further success in a season. With the FA Cup gone, Guardiola wants to tie up the Premier League as quickly as possible, before turning attention to the one trophy that has eluded him as City boss: the Champions League.

Mauricio Pochettino knocked Guardiola’s City out of Europe back in his Tottenham days and the expectations are huge at PSG, having beaten Bayern in the quarterfinals to avenge last season’s defeat in the final. But this will be a tantalising battle between two teams who so desperately want to add a Champions League to their overflowing trophy cabinets.

– Stream ESPN FC Daily on ESPN+ (U.S. only) – ESPN+ viewer’s guide: Bundesliga, Serie A, MLS, FA Cup and more

Why Paris Saint-Germain will win: Expect PSG fans to be keeping everything crossed on Kylian Mbappe’s fitness. The brilliant forward limped off against Metz at the weekend, but Pochettino says they “think he’s OK” and should be ready for Wednesday. But PSG are far more than just Mbappe. With Neymar, Mauro Icardi and Angel Di Maria all in fine form, they have one of the most potent groups of forwards in the world. Icardi has been a little out of the spotlight recently through injury, but he has five goals in three matches, including a hat-trick in the French Cup against Angers. But such is their ridiculous strength in depth, there’s a good chance Icardi will have to settle for a spot on the bench for Wednesday.

Their prospects of booking a spot in a second final in as many years will greatly increase if Marquinhos is fit. The Brazilian defender has been out with a hip injury since their 3-2 win at Bayern Munich on April 7, and PSG are hopeful he’s fit in time to face City. Yet PSG have proven over the past year that they are more than just a flash in the pan in Europe. They have Champions League pedigree, including knocking out Barcelona and then the imperious Bayern in the quarterfinals. This was no fluke, either; it was a victory built on defensive stability and counterattacking ability of Mbappe, Neymar and Di Maria all seamlessly slotting into Pochettino’s preferred 4-2-3-1. Both legs against Bayern were true Champions League epics, and we’re hoping for more of the same this week.

For PSG to beat City, though, they have to play as a unit rather than a team of individuals and in that regard, Pochettino’s PSG remain unpredictable. Their Champions League form has been superb, but their Ligue 1 run has been patchy (they’ve lost to Nantes, Lorient, AS Monaco and Lille). If the “good” PSG rock up on Wednesday, then expect this to be a classic.

Why Manchester City will win: Guardiola’s City were magnificent against Tottenham on Sunday in the League Cup final; they completely controlled the match with the 1-0 scoreline a gross disservice to their dominance. But this is like a freshly evolving City. They are playing without a recognised striker, with Kevin De Bruyne, Phil Foden or Riyad Mahrez all slotting into the false nine role, and the results are impressive. Raheem Sterling, who has struggled in front of goal recently with one goal in his past 11 games, was superb at the weekend, and caused the Spurs wing-backs all sorts of trouble, so he may have forced his way into the starting XI after a magnificent performance.

Dan Thomas is joined by Craig Burley, Shaka Hislop and others to bring you the latest highlights and debate the biggest storylines. Stream on ESPN+ (U.S. only).

So they have the threats up front, but a settled group at the back. City’s Achilles’ heel has been their defence in recent times, but the recruitment of Ruben Dias has been a masterstroke. Joao Cancelo’s versatility is remarkable, while Kyle Walker is in superb form. Then you have the midfield generals, Fernandinho, Rodri and Ilkay Gundogan. In short, City’s depth is unrivalled in Europe, and this is how they can juggle a three-pronged attack in 2021.

With City just a couple of wins away from the Premier League title, Guardiola has had one eye on this PSG match for a while. He can juggle his squad accordingly but what’s absolutely essential is City’s ability to keep them all match ready. Rest is key; some of his City players looked leggy towards the end of the League Cup final and after an exhausting season, Guardiola’s man management will be essential if they are to navigate this tricky tie.

Key players: PSG’s attacking lineup is the envy of most teams in Europe, with Di Maria, Neymar, Mbappe and Icardi in superb form. But it’s Marco Verratti who enables the team to sing. The versatile midfielder can play as a No.10, a No. 8 and a No. 6, and it’s his chameleon-like ability to switch between positions that makes him such an unpredictable quantity. While City will likely play with their preferred false nine formation, it’s down to Dias to keep the defence resolute and impenetrable. The Portuguese defender is one of the signings of the season and is their rock at the back. With City’s attacking riches rightly attracting plenty of praise, it is Dias who ensures they have firm foundations to allow the forwards to flourish.

Key stats: Pochettino and Guardiola have faced each other 18 times as managers. The record is lopsided in Guardiola’s favour, partly because of the calibre of club. In those 18 matches — with Pochettino in charge of Espanyol and Tottenham, while Guardiola was managing Barcelona and City — Pochettino has won just three, with Guardiola taking 10. But one key victory was Tottenham’s 1-0 quarterfinal first-leg win in 2019, which led to them knocking Guardiola’s City out on away goals.

Mbappe’s stats are ridiculous: He has 19 goals in his past 14 PSG appearances, and is third on their all-time goal-scorer list in Ligue 1, despite being just 22 years old. He is on 89 Ligue 1 goals, with Edison Cavani on 138, and Zlatan Ibrahimovic on 113. He has eight in this season’s Champions League, including that hat-trick against Barcelona in the round of 16.

Who will actually win: It’s finally time for Guardiola’s City to book a spot in their first Champions League final. We expect a 2-2 draw on Wednesday, and for City to edge through in the return leg with Guardiola’s team going on to win the trophy.

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#Chelsea #Manchester City #Paris Saint-Germain #Real Madrid #UEFA Champions League

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junker-town · 4 years

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Tactically Naive: Liverpool have broken the Premier League

Liverpool’s massive gap over the Premier League may say less about them, and more about everyone else.

Hello, and welcome to another episode of Tactically Naive, SB Nation’s weekly soccer column. Do columns come in episodes? Did your correspondent mean to type “edition” but miss? For the answer to neither of these questions, read on ...

The Premier League has a Liverpool problem

On Saturday, Spurs played Liverpool. That’s a big game, right? You know it is. Spurs. Liverpool. Big teams equal a big game. Premier League. Lions roaring. Let’s do this.

Also on Saturday, a mid-table team under new management played another team that was 28 points ahead of them (and half that ahead of everybody else). That second team hasn’t lost a league game in living memory, and is on course to be champions before the crocuses bloom.

As games go, that second one doesn’t sound particularly big, does it? You might watch if you had nothing else on. You wouldn’t expect much. But! What if we told you that the two games described were the same game.

[The crowd gasps. There is scattered applause, some screaming. Three people faint. Tactically Naive is chased out of town by an armed posse.]

We played ourselves, of course. We turned up and tuned in expecting the first game — Spurs! Liverpool! — and got the second. After the event, Jose Mourinho got it in the neck for Spurs’ approach, which was typical for Mourinho but atypical for Spurs: ew, no, we don’t want the ball. You can have the ball. Go on, take it. Please. Phew.

TN can’t help but think that some of the criticism against him is a little harsh. Mourinho only got the job because Spurs were looking pretty miserable under the last bloke, and he’s had it less than two months. Harry Kane is crocked, and Christian Eriksen transferred his mind over the summer, though his body has yet to catch up. And hey, they nearly nicked a point. Now, if they’re still playing like dedicated miserabilists in a year’s time — and the odds are good — then TN will be pitchforking it up with the best of them. But not yet.

Also, Liverpool. It is obviously stupid to suggest that a team can win a title too well, but Liverpool’s lead, now at 14 points with a game in hand, is so vast that it is distorting the rest of the competition.

This has two consequences. The first is long term: if Liverpool keeps picking up points at the same rate they are now, they’ll finish close to 30 points ahead of Manchester City. We may get to a point where their lead is so big that it stops being about Liverpool. Win a league by 10 points, and you’re brilliant. Win a league by 30 points, and something weird has happened.

Imagine a child, 50 years from now. To kill a quiet moment in the Third Water War, they’re looking back at old league tables. They get to 2019-20, and see a 30-point gap. Do they think, “Well, they must have been good?” Or do they think, “What the hell was everybody else up to?”

The more immediate effect is that the big games — the tentpoles of the Premier League project, the things that make Sundays super — are having the Bigness drained out of them. Manchester United go to Liverpool next weekend, hoping to make a dent into a 27-point gap. Manchester City host Liverpool on April 4th, and the title race could be over by then. Actually over, that is; not just obviously over, as it is now.

Absolutely none of this matters to Liverpool fans, of course, and nor should it. But it does put the rest of the Premier League season in an odd place. Maybe Sky could pivot coverage over to the relegation race early? Or we could all go watch Serie A, where— oh man, Juventus are back on top. Come on.

Valverde does what needs to be done

For most of a football match, the red card rule is a perfectly acceptable way of policing football’s rogues and renegades. But for the last few minutes, it becomes a liability. There is a point when it is worth risking a red card over a near-certain goal. The former becomes less of a punishment as the time in a match dwindles down. By the end, it’s almost no punishment at all.

Which is why Fede Valverde was able to win the Spanish Supercopa for Real Madrid with this poem, this gem, this vision of glittering, cynical beauty:

Federico Valverde with a cynical foul even Diego Simeone must have been proud of #RealMadridAtleti #Supercopa2020pic.twitter.com/riFoWdk4TT

— Football Whispers (@FB_WHISPERS) January 13, 2020

Obviously, a sport that makes doing this sort of thing sensible is, in an important sense, a little bit broken. But on the other hand, a sport that can have a cup final swing on such a moment is, in a significantly more important sense, very funny.

And there is a certain kind of clear-eyed focus that goes into these moments. A lesser person would have panicked and tried to make a clean tackle, or gone too far the other way and done something dangerous. Valverde went at this like a surgeon. No wonder Diego Simeone was impressed.

In truth, it was a fitting end to this strange Supercopa, a tournament that was expanded to four teams, just in case one of Real Madrid or Barcelona managed to miss it, and played out in Saudi Arabia, because it’s a lovely place this time of year. Cynicism begets cynicism. Never has a man of the match award been so deserving.

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gadgetsrevv · 5 years

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Juventus show why they hired Sarri in beating Inter. PLUS: Are Man City in crisis?

Another busy weekend in Europe means it’s time for another bumper edition of Monday Musings. Gab Marcotti is here to recap the big stories around soccer.

Sarri and Juve simply too good for Inter

So this is why Maurizio Sarri was brought in. Why Juventus embarked on that cultural and tactical 180-degree turn. Why Max Allegri was effectively shown the door after five years of success. Everything came together on Sunday night as Juve won away to Inter.

Sarri made some big calls — Paulo Dybala ahead of Gonzalo Higuain, Federico Bernardeschi in the attacking midfield hole, Emre Can and Rodrigo Bentancur coming on to safeguard the three points — and gave his Juve side the right tactical impetus. (Witness the 24-pass build-up to Higuain’s game-winning goal.) The rest was about setting great players free to make their quality count, with Miralem Pjanic‘s metronomic point guard play, Dybala’s run and strike and the two Ronaldo efforts: the first, crashing against the bar with raw violence, the other disallowed (correctly) after a give-and-go with Dybala.

– Horncastle: Sarri pulled the right strings vs. Inter – Replay: Stream Juve vs. Inter on ESPN+ (U.S. only)

When your opponents are more talented and well-coached, there’s only so much you can do. Antonio Conte did it, which is why one Italian TV pundit was probably correct when he said “Sarri won this game, but Conte didn’t lose it.” You need fight and desire, creativity and individuals to turn the tide in those circumstances. Conte’s Inter has plenty of the first two but the latter two are pretty much trapped in the same man, Stefano Sensi, and he went off after 30 minutes due to injury. That’s when the creative light went out and it left Inter relying on willpower alone. Not enough.

Juventus passed their biggest test of the Serie A season with full colours when they took down Inter on Sunday.

It remains remarkable how Dybala and Higuain, two guys who weren’t even supposed to be here, should prove to be so important to Juve. And equally, that a guy like Sarri — a tactical nerd supposedly not exactly well-versed in man-management — is getting production out of both of them and even rotating them. In fact, speaking of guys who were not supposed to stick around, you can make the same point about Blaise Matuidi and Sami Khedira, both of whom are proving to be invaluable in Sarri’s set-up. At the back, penalty aside, Matthijs de Ligt continues his journey: it remains a bumpy ride but it certainly helps to grow on a winning team rather than one in turmoil.

As for Inter, their last two games pitted them against superior opponents stacked with superstars (Barcelona and Juventus). It’s a process for them too and it’s also a discovery of their squad. Romelu Lukaku still hasn’t found his feet, not for lack of trying either. It’s the sort of thing Conte can fix on the training ground. Diego Godin in the back three, especially as a wide center-back, isn’t convincing. And for a team that plays two up front, they probably could have used a serviceable fourth striker rather than forcing Matteo Politano (nice player, but more of a winger) to adapt. Still, there’s plenty to go. And these are the sort of games that tell you a lot about yourself.

Are Man City in crisis?

It had been flagged up by plenty, including yours truly. For Manchester City, letting Vincent Kompany leave without replacing him would most likely be fine unless something bad happened. Well, that happened with the injuries to Aymeric Laporte and John Stones. And now chickens are coming home to roost because there is no insurance policy.

Both Fernandinho and Nicolas Otamendi started each of the past five games that matter (i.e. Champions League and Premier League). They played every minute, except for the last half-hour against Watford, when Otamendi came off because they were up 7-0. It’s not just their limitations — Fernandinho is 34 and not a central defender, Otamendi is 31, not the second coming of Walter Samuel and started only 14 league games last year — it’s also about how Pep Guardiola tried to mask them. It’s not gone well.

You knew what was going to happen when Wolves came to visit because we’ve seen it before from Nuno Espirito Santo on the road against Big Six sides. He’d sit tight, create human density in front of Rui Patricio and try to hit on the counter: the inclusion of Adama Traore was as obvious a “tell” as you’re going to get. Wolves did it brilliantly. In the first half alone, they had four dangerous counterattacks, each of which could (should?) have led to a goal.

– Miller: Man City are fading fast – Man City ratings: Otamendi 3/10 in defeat

Otamendi and Fernandinho aren’t suited to defending out in the open, especially against speedy opponents. It’s hard to fathom why Guardiola failed to address this after the early scares. Instead, he took off Kyle Walker (probably City’s quickest defender) at half-time, and sent on Oleksandr Zinchenko, switching Joao Cancelo to right-back. That made it two D.I.N.O.s (Defenders In Name Only) in the back four.

All around, a bad day at the office for Pep. It can happen even to the very best. And if the front five had done their job properly rather than managing just two shots on target, it might not have been an issue because they might have scored three or four. But Wolves kept them out and, at the end, with City gambling and lopsided, they sunk Pep’s battleship.

Stones will be back soon, you’d imagine, and that will help. At least there will be an extra option. But on days like these, Pep has to coach his way out of the mire. And against Wolves, he failed to do it.

Barcelona ride their luck again… and it works again

Two games in a row doesn’t quite make a trend, but if you don’t learn your history you’re condemned to repeat it. Just as happened against Inter in midweek, Barcelona were battered for long stretches, could have conceded three or four times and then turned things around thanks to individual brilliance. Sevilla came out of the gates with gusto on Sunday and with somebody other than Luuk de Jong (even another Luke… Hemmings, Harper, Campbell from 2 Live Crew even though he’s 58 years old) might have converted the many chances they created. De Jong hasn’t scored in nearly six months for club or country and, for a center-forward, that’s not good.

Luis Suarez keyed the turnaround with a highlight-reel overhead kick, Arthur and Arturo (Vidal) connected to make it two and an Ousmane Dembele “worldie” made it three. All in the space of eight minutes. Lionel Messi made it four with his first goal of the campaign. So while the turnaround was stunning, you can’t get overly carried away no matter how gaudy the scoreline.

– Barca ratings: Messi 7/10 in victory

Dembele’s performance in his first start since Week 1 was as encouraging as his bonehead sending-off was discouraging. Maybe referee Mateu Lahoz was harsh in showing red after Dembele said, in his limited Spanish, “you are very bad,” but there’s no excuse to get sent off when you’re 4-0 up. The same applies, of course, to Ronald Araujo‘s red, though given it was his debut and he’s 20, you’re going to be a bit more lenient.

Dembele is heading for a likely suspension, which means Antoine Griezmann will probably be back and that will dampen any controversy over Ernesto Valverde’s decision to leave him out, at least for a while. Griezmann has had some rough spots, but that’s more than understandable when you’re adapting to Barca after five years under Diego Simeone at Atletico. Suarez turns 33 in January and will need breathers so he’s realistically not just competing with Dembele for tie.

Man United are bad. Real bad

Strip away the heartwarming story of two Longstaffs, one of them scoring on his debut, and the Geordie Nation discovering more tales they can pass on to their grandchildren and you have what Manchester United is right now: not a good side, with plenty of issues.

Craig Burley made the point on Sunday’s FC TV show that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is getting an easier ride than his predecessors, Jose Mourinho and Louis Van Gaal. He’s probably correct, though you’re also tempted to say it’s down to two factors: He hasn’t had the transfer support that Mourinho and Van Gaal enjoyed and, equally, he’s a much more pleasant, affable guy.

– Ogden: Are United in a relegation fight?

What grates is how one-dimensional this Man United team is. Other than playing in transition, there’s not much they know how to do (and they don’t always do it well). There’s little creativity with Paul Pogba out and, while they’re better defensively, you expect more if not in terms of execution, at least in terms of ideas.

Solskjaer is just one of many issues at this club. It’s a long list. Crucially, though, he’s the manager, which means he’s also the easiest to fix. That may offer a short-term boost, but it will also be a meaningless one unless they get under the hood and fix the structural issues. That will take time, but will also require a real appetite for change on the part of the owners.

Will the real Real Madrid please stand up?

Six weeks into the 2019-20 season and you’re still not sure what to make of this Real Madrid team. Last in their Champions League group and coming off a nervy home draw with Bruges, it seemed like once again they’d bounced back straight away after an hour or so against Granada. They were 3-0 up, Eden Hazard opened his account, Luka Modric scored a peach of a goal. Everything was fine (other than Toni Kroos‘ muscular injury, the club’s 12th of the campaign) and then came the Alphonse Areola horror show.

The Frenchman, standing in for the injured Thibaut Courtois, foolishly gave away a penalty and then looked anything but sound as Granada pulled one back and then another. It was a nervous, messy ending, the sort where you could feel the Bernabeu boo-birds going full Pavlov’s dog in terms of salivating for a “panolada.” The nerves lasted until James Rodriguez scored the fourth, to make it 4-2.

This Real team has tons of quality, no question. But we still don’t know how they are. Will the real “merengues” please stand up? Please?

Rose is making Gladbach bloom

Remember that old trope whereby it takes hundreds of millions and four or five transfer windows to change a club’s culture and fortunes? Yeah. It’s nonsense. Provided you have the right people and structure, of course.

Borussia Monchengladach leapt to the top of the Bundesliga with a 5-1 win over Augsburg and while they may not stay there — there are 7 teams within two points — long-term, manager Marco Rose has already proven the point. An alumnus of the Ralf Rangnick school of football, he arrived at Gladbach after two title-winning seasons at Salzburg and immediately turned things around.

They were flat in terms of net spend and lost Thorgan Hazard, arguably their best player last year, and just three of Gladbach’s summer signings — Stefan Lainer, Breel Embolo and Marcus Thuram (yes, it’s you-know-who’s son — have had significant playing time yet the style has been radically transformed from the Dieter Hecking grind-them-out days.

Rose is understandably one of the hottest young managers in Europe, shaped by both Rangnick and Jurgen Klopp. But it’s one thing to do it at Salzburg, with the Red Bull machine taking care of your every need. Quite another to hit the ground running at Gladbach in a totally different environment.

Liverpool keep finding new ways to win

Another week, another case of Liverpool squeaking a win without necessarily impressing. As we’ve written before, it’s either a sign of maturity or a sign that you’re getting the breaks now, but you’d better shape up because you might not get them later. Klopp is evidently working on finding the right mix up front, as evidenced by his reshuffling with Roberto Firmino and Mohamed Salah.

Equally though, while the penalty at the end may be contentious — and Marc Albrighton‘s clumsy tackle on Sadio Mane was a gift from the heavens — this is no time to go Chicken Little. Leicester didn’t have a real chance until Denis Praet’s speculative effort with 20 minutes to go. Defensively, Liverpool held up nicely.

The gap between them and Manchester City is eight points. Avoid defeat on November 10 against Guardiola and you’re half-way there.

Bayern follow up win at Spurs with stunning defeat

Bayern Munich’s first Bundesliga defeat since February came thanks to two goals scored by a 26-year-old who was playing amateur football until two years ago and who was making his first-ever start. Sargis Adamyan punished a hungover Bayern side with the sort of clinical precision we normally see from his opposite number, Robert Lewandowski (oh, he scored too).

The 2-1 defeat leaves the Bavarians in a third-place cluster mess with four other clubs, behind Wolfsburg and table-topping Borussia Monchengladbach. It’s a bit of a cliche to chalk it up to a comedown after the 7-2 win over Spurs, but you wonder why manager Niko Kovac didn’t see fit to do some rotation here. A home game against Hoffenheim, who hadn’t won since August, might have been a logical place to find some minutes for the likes of Ivan Perisic, Javi Martinez and, of course, Thomas Muller.

Milan scrap it out vs. Genoa

I’m not sure if it was quite the “worst half of Milan’s season” as my colleague Matteo Bonetti suggested, but those first 45 minutes against Genoa were a cartoonish synthesis of Marco Giampaolo’s season so far. Poor personnel choices, poor tactics, listless performance.

At half-time, he made the changes most would have begged for — Hakan Calhanoglou and Krystztof Piatek off, Lucas Paqueta and Rafael Leal on — and within 15 minutes, Milan went from 0-1 down to 2-1 up. It was still a wild second-half culminating in Pepe Reina‘s penalty save (Gianluigi Donnarumma had helpfully injured himself in the warm up) and if reports are to be believed, Giampaolo is still hanging onto his job by a thread. But it showed there’s fight in this team.

Now, if he can just find the right tactics to get the quality out — yes, there’s quality too, not a lot, but more than we’ve seen — maybe this season won’t be a write off. Assuming he’s still around after the international break, that is.

What’s going on with Ozil?

I don’t know what it says about Arsenal that they’re third in the Premier League table despite not exactly firing on all cylinders this season. Unai Emery has had injuries, sure, but so have other top four contenders. I guess the good news is that there is a lot of room for improvement and they’re grinding out results, like the 1-0 win over Bournemouth, while stil finding themselves.

Less understandable is the Mesut Ozil situation. Despite being fully fit, he was left out of the 18 both in the Europa League and against Bournemouth. This is the same Ozil who was made one of the three highest-paid players in the Premier League just 20 months ago. Emery simply says “others deserve a place in the squad more than Ozil.”

Maybe one day we’ll find out what’s going on. And yeah, I like to think there’s something going on, mainly because I don’t want to believe this guy is simply mailing it in while collecting a (huge) paycheck.

Is Pochettino to blame for Tottenham’s slump?

It’s well and truly finger-pointing time at Tottenham, which is what happens when you concede t10 goals over two games between Europe and the Premier League. Saturday’s 3-0 defeat at Brighton was a massive blow. The issues run far deeper than Mauricio Pochettino — see what fun it is when you have three key players on expiring deals — but it’s also pretty evident that that this team just plays differently.

It’s not just the 4-3-1-2 we saw the last few games, it’s also the lack of intensity and pressing, which had been Pochettino hallmarks earlier in his tenure. Some of it may be by choice and some of it may be forced upon him, but it looks like a whole other team, despite the fact that many of the names are the same.

The silver lining? Pochettino’s mega-contact makes him extremely difficult to sack, which means he’ll have plenty of time to take on what may be the biggest challenge of his career.

Dortmund’s flaws hurt them again

OK, this isn’t funny anymore. Borussia Dortmund threw away yet another opportunity to nose their way into the Bundesliga hunt, drawing 2-2 at Freiburg. You can budget for that sort of result — Freiburg are a good side — but it’s hard to fathom how you twice let a lead slip away, eventually dropping two points on an own-goal with a minute to go.

Fingers will be pointed at defender Manuel Akanji but the truth is that Dortmund broke down further up the pitch, wasting opportunity and simply taking their foot off the gas with a 2-0 lead. Lucien Favre has been around the block and has a reputation as a cerebral boss. Time for him to live up to it. And, if necessary, crack the whip.

Stop worrying about Pulisic at Chelsea!

I was thousands of miles away from the ESPN studio in Bristol when we were asked for the umpteenth time about Christian Pulisic and Frank Lampard, but even then I could sense Craig Burley rapidly reaching his boiling point. I covered this last week, so no need to get into it again, but no, an assist for Michi Batshuayi in garbage time of a 4-1 away win against Southampton isn’t going to move the needle for him in terms of playing time.

What will move the needle is what he shows every day in training and the performance of the guys who play his position. So far, those performances have been so good that Lampard rightly put his faith in other players. Leave Pulisic alone: he turned 21 last month, let him reach the level he’s going to reach. Hopefully though, the 11 minutes he got after being left out of the squad entirely in midweek might convince some Lampard doesn’t bear a personal grudge against him.

Icardi stars as PSG dismantle Angers

Technically, it was a top-of-the-table clash but you wouldn’t have known it given the way Paris Saint-Germain disassembled Angers at the Parc des Princes in Ligue 1. With Kylian Mbappe and Edinson Cavani still out, Mauro Icardi notched his first Ligue 1 goal, turning in a typically minimalist performance (just 21 touches) on the way to a 4-0 win.

The big question is what happens when Cavani returns. Is Icardi just a guy to eat up minutes and bang in goals while the veteran Uruguayan (who goes out of contract in June) saves himself for the big games? Time, and Thomas Tuchel, will tell.

Atletico still a work in progress

If you want to insist on seeing the glass as half-full, you’ll note that Atletico Madrid are on track in the Champions League for a spot in the round of 16 and are third in La Liga, three points off the pace. If you’re more of a glass half-empty inclination, then “Cholismo 2.0” is proving to be a dud.

Joao Felix, Alvaro Morata and Diego Costa all started together for the first time this season and achieved something close to nothing away to Valladolid, who also managed to miss a penalty. The tinkering continues but the impression is that we don’t need to see this trio again. Not unless the midfield suddenly kicks it up a notch.

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#Uncategorized #blog - marcotti Juventus show why they hired Sarri in beating Inter. PLUS: Are Man Ci

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lewisvinga · 1 month

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federico valverde.

smau,

the better team !

written,

coming soon !

#football smau #footballer x y/n #football social media au #football player x reader #football x reader #footballer x reader #football imagine #football imagines #football scenarios #federico valverde x reader #fede valverde x reader #federico valverde imagines

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tipsoctopus · 4 years

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"Swap with Pogba": Many MUFC fans react to "bonkers" update on target "no better than McTominay"

Loads of Manchester United fans have been reacting on Twitter after a report by Diario Madridista, via The Mirror, suggested they would have to pay a €500m (£450m) release clause to bring Real Madrid midfielder Federico Valverde to Old Trafford.

Having enjoyed a breakthrough campaign at the Bernabeu Stadium, the La Liga giants clearly have no intention of letting the Uruguay international considering the quite ridiculous fee it is claimed it would take for him to be prised away from the Spanish capital.

The Mirror says that while the Red Devils aren’t expected to go near Valverde’s reported price tag, they are expected to spend heavily during the next transfer window as they look to build on this season – they currently lie just outside of the top four in the Premier League as we wait for the 2019/20 campaign to resume.

Meanwhile, their South American target has scored two goals and provided a further four assists in 32 appearances in all competitions for Real this term.

Many supporters simply laughed off the report, with one individual calling it “bonkers”.

Quickfire Questions: Can you get 100% on this Man United prodigies quiz?

Considering it would be more than double the current world-record £200m fee that took Neymar to Paris Saint-Germain from Barcelona and given what is going on in the world right now, that is a fair conclusion.

Real Madrid wanted Pogba for 60m lol and now they want 500m for valverde lol they are crazy and embarrassing

— butlerryan2146 (@butlerryan21461) March 29, 2020

That’s is crazy with that five hundred million manchester can get like 6 players in

— Mohammed Emad Uddin (@MohammedEmadUd3) March 29, 2020

Lol are you serious

— christopher leighton (@redevil2011) March 29, 2020

Slow news day. No club will spend £450M let alone £200M on any player once the Pandemic is over.

Clubs are still paying ridiculous wages to players with no matchday income coming in, and yet somehow some mental journalist thinks £450M for Valverde makes sense?

B O N K E R S https://t.co/lqXeL2EU2X

— The United Stand (@UnitedStandMUFC) March 29, 2020

Rubbish

— PHAROOQ (@pharooq___) March 29, 2020

We don’t need him

— Mohammed payanki (@MohammedPayanki) March 29, 2020

Others compared the central midfield target with current United man Scott McTominay, who has been a regular fixture in the starting XI for United in 2019/20 – the Scot does have five goals in 27 games for the Red Devils this term.

Watch Manchester United Videos With StreamFootball.tv Below

Some of these comments may come with an added bit of tongue in cheek, but there is certainly little to suggest that Valverde is any better, especially when you take his release clause into consideration.

Imagine buying a poor man McTominay 😂😂😂

— B L A C K—C H Y L D (@ogbasaeed) March 29, 2020

He’s no better than mctominay https://t.co/zbz9NZD9T6

— #BORN #MUFC #FAN (@itzalvinvictor) March 29, 2020

He’s not even better than Mctominay.

— MikeScofield (@MikaelScofield_) March 29, 2020

Others chose to speak about Paul Pogba, who continues to be a divisive character at Old Trafford.

The France international has been linked with a move to Real Madrid countless times, with one fan suggesting a swap deal.

Another suggestesd that if Valverde is going to cost £450m, then Pogba must be worth £750m. Silly season, indeed.

Just 450? Pogba would be 750 then

— Abdurrauf (@Abdurraufibrah) March 29, 2020

Swap with Pogba https://t.co/Siom423Sjb

— Alawi (@alawiabdul) March 29, 2020

In other Manchester United news, Red Devils fans have been swooning over a 17-year-old talent on Twitter…

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soccerdailyuk · 11 months

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Shaka Hislop collapses live on air in terrifying moment at Real Madrid vs AC Milan

Shaka Hislop collapses live on air in terrifying moment at Real Madrid vs AC Milan During the live broadcast of the Real Madrid vs AC Milan pre-season friendly for ESPN, former Premier League goalkeeper Shaka Hislop experienced a sudden collapse. Hislop, renowned for his career with Newcastle United, West Ham United, and Portsmouth, has transitioned into a successful pundit in the United States following his retirement from professional soccer. The alarming incident occurred while he was on-air with his broadcasting partner, Dan Thomas, in Pasadena, California. While speaking, Hislop appeared disoriented, staggering back and forth before eventually falling to the ground. The crew immediately reacted with concern, cutting away from the coverage and rushing to assist him. Fortunately, it was later reported that the 54-year-old Hislop remained conscious and was able to communicate. ESPN provided a positive update, mentioning that he was "a little bit embarrassed" about the situation. His colleague conveyed the latest information during half-time, after Hislop had received medical attention. Shaka Hislop just collapsed/fainted(?) Seriously hope everything is okay and he will be alright. pic.twitter.com/mWP1HO3NH8— ◡̈ (@forskzmaniac) July 24, 2023 "That (the first half) was of course very much secondary to what happened ahead of the game," Thomas said. "Obviously my mate Shaka is not here, but as it stands, it's good news. "He's conscious, he's talking, I think he's a little bit embarrassed about it all. He's apologised profusely, not a man who likes people to make a fuss of him. "Obviously it's too early to make any sort of diagnosis but the important thing is Shaka's conscious and we've spoken to his family as well, imagine seeing that happen live, there can't be many more things that can scare you amongst the family. "We spoke to his wife and things are looking OK. Thank you for all your love, and as it stands, it looks like Shaka's going to be alright." On the day of the game in Pasadena, the weather was warm, with temperatures in the mid-80s Fahrenheit (around 30 degrees Celsius). As news of Shaka Hislop's collapse spread, fans took to social media to express their concern and well-wishes for the popular former goalkeeper turned pundit, who has garnered a significant following on both sides of the Atlantic. During the game, AC Milan took a 2-0 lead at half-time, with goals scored by Fikayo Tomori and Luka Romero. Notable players like Jude Bellingham, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, and Christian Pulisic featured in the match, having recently moved from their previous club, Chelsea, to AC Milan. At half-time, Real Madrid made eight changes to their lineup, while Bellingham was one of the two outfield players who played more than 45 minutes. Federico Valverde, another player who played beyond half-time, quickly scored two goals to bring Real Madrid level in the second half. Both teams will continue their pre-season preparations, with Real Madrid facing Manchester United in Houston, Texas, on Wednesday, and AC Milan staying in California to take on Italian rivals Juventus in Los Angeles on Thursday. Shaka Hislop collapses live on air in terrifying moment at Real Madrid vs AC Milan Read the full article

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ultrasfcb-blog · 6 years

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Champions League: With Cristiano Ronaldo gone from Real Madrid is it more open than usual?

Will one of these be celebrating in Madrid in May?

The 2019 Champions League final will be held in Madrid, a city which has dominated the competition in recent years.

Real Madrid have lifted the trophy in four of the past five seasons – and the past three in succession – while city rivals Atletico have appeared in two of the past five finals.

But, after a summer of sizeable change – at Real in particular, is this the year when their monopoly on Europe’s biggest club prize is ended?

We take a look at some of this year’s key Champions League talking points.

Is this the most open CL in years?

Real Madrid’s dominance of the Champions League in recent years reached unprecedented levels last season, when they became the first team to win the competition three times in a row.

No side had even managed back-to-back successes in the competition’s current format before Real achieved it in 2017.

That hat-trick of titles came under manager Zinedine Zidane, and with Cristiano Ronaldo as the central on-field character. Both have since departed the Bernabeu.

Football analysts Gracenote assess every team’s chances of winning the trophy using their Euro Club Index and, for the first time in three seasons, Real do not start the competition as the most likely winners.

In fact, Gracenote say the Spanish giants’ chances of winning have dropped from 30% at the start of 2017-18 to 19.4% this season.

The data also suggests there is now a larger pool of potential champions. Twelve months ago, there was a 69.4% chance of the winner being one of Real, Barcelona or Bayern Munich, whereas that figure now stands at 59.5%.

So who has the best chance of winning this season?

Are Real noticeably weaker without Ronaldo?

Spanish football expert Guillem Balague

The real question now Ronaldo has gone is whether Real have that ‘get out of jail free’ card that he brought to the table.

The individual quality is there, and manager Julen Lopetegui has added more control and more passing, which can easily mix with their usual and lethal counter-attacking game.

That mix of styles suits striker Karim Benzema – it will give him more responsibility, more touches of the ball, and more shots at goal. He has already scored five goals in as many appearances this season.

And Gareth Bale, who demanded a bigger role, is now able to fill in a lot of the spaces previously occupied by Ronaldo.

But the concern lingers: will they have that extra factor Ronaldo gave them? Although he did not score in last year’s semi-finals and final he has made the difference so many times over the years.

Ultimately, a player who was directly involved in exactly 50% of Real’s goals in the Champions League from 2009-10 to 2017-18 (105 goals, 27 assists) could well be missed when it really counts.

Did you know? Real are playing in the Champions League for the 22nd consecutive season, the longest run in the history of the competition. They have always made it out of the group stages, reaching the semi-finals in the past eight seasons.

With Ronaldo on board, is this the year Juve make that final step?

Italian football expert Mina Rzouki

Juventus have won Serie A seven years in a row, the domestic double for four consecutive seasons and reached the Champions League final twice in four years, only to be torn to shreds by the Spanish opponents they faced.

Their tactics always versatile, their squad united, the only problem manager Massimiliano Allegri pointed to was that Juve, unlike Barcelona and Real Madrid, did not boast a world-class difference-maker to win in Europe.

Cue the arrival of Ballon d’Or holder Ronaldo.

The Portuguese superstar scored his first two Serie A goals on Sunday, a clear sign he is coming to terms with the league’s suffocating style of defending. Paulo Dybala, Federico Bernardeschi and Douglas Costa will be tasked with providing assists and goals.

Juventus sold Mattia Caldara, the youngster set to be the next great Italian defender, to bring back 31-year-old Leonardo Bonucci, another move in the transfer market designed to bring success now rather than in years to come.

Juve are notoriously slow starters under Allegri and have yet to play with fluidity, but they already find themselves top of Serie A with a three-point advantage.

They are expected to challenge for the treble, and reaching the Champions League final is the least that is expected in Turin.

Did you know? Allegri is preparing for his 77th game as a manager in the Champions League, taking him third among Italian coaches with the most games managed in the competition behind Carlo Ancelotti (153) and Fabio Capello (78).

La Liga or Champions League – Messi sparks Barcelona debate

Spanish football expert Guillem Balague

Lionel Messi’s speech to Barcelona fans at the Nou Camp in the team presentation this summer made it quite clear they were hurt by their quarter-final loss to Roma last season, when a 4-1 first-leg win was followed by a 3-0 second-leg loss and a painful elimination. There is no doubt he wants to make a major impact this time around.

Former captain Carles Puyol also mentioned that perhaps Europe should be the main priority and an interesting debate started.

Defender Gerard Pique and others in the club responded by saying the league has to be the priority and, if you compete well in that, you have a better chance in the Champions League.

Either way, if Barcelona do not progress beyond the quarter-finals – the stage at which they have been knocked out in the past three seasons – it will be considered a failure.

The squad certainly needed to be improved and they have done that with Arturo Vidal, the Xavi-like Arthur, Malcom and Clement Lenglet.

Messi is happy with the strength and depth of the side, and manager Ernesto Valverde feels he has a team ready to compete on all fronts.

Did you know? Valverde has never progressed further than the quarter-finals of the Champions League.

Who are the most likely English challengers?

BBC chief football writer Phil McNulty

The Champions League is the ultimate goal for Manchester City – and, after failure at the quarter-final stage against Liverpool last season, that desire will be even more acute.

Blues manager Pep Guardiola knows what it takes to win this tournament, City’s players will have learned from their experiences and they have every reason to hope this can finally be their year.

Or could Liverpool be the first English team since Chelsea in 2012 to lift the trophy?

Jurgen Klopp’s side have a tough group alongside Paris St-Germain and Napoli, but if they make it into the last 16 their devastating attack can do maximum damage. Liverpool have the perfect style, not to mention the power of Anfield, to mount another serious challenge.

Jose Mourinho is another with experience of winning the Champions League and cannot be discounted with Manchester United. They will certainly reach the knockout stage, but it is a stretch to imagine them as potential winners.

Spurs showed their pedigree in outclassing eventual winners Real Madrid in the group stage last term, and five minutes of carelessness cost them against Juventus in the last 16.

They have the capacity to beat any team in the tournament on a given day, but once again they must be ranked as outsiders to win.

Did you know? Guardiola has reached the semi-finals in seven of his nine seasons as manager in the Champions League but hasn’t taken a team to the final since 2011.

A surprise package? Or a Buffon fairytale?

Gianluigi Buffon has played in three Champions League finals but is yet to win the competition

For all the dominance of the continent’s traditional superpowers, in recent seasons there has been space in the latter stages for some surprise packages.

In 2017-18, Roma and Liverpool made it to the last four, a year after Monaco reached the semi-finals in scintillating style.

Could anyone cause an upset this time?

A totally left-field winner is highly unlikely but, in its own way, PSG going all the way would be a shock.

Despite their lavish spending (Neymar for £200m, Kylian Mbappe for £165.7m), the French club have not made it to the last four in the competition since 1994-95. They failed at the last-16 stage last season, and were eliminated in the quarter-finals in the four years before that.

Should PSG fulfil their undoubted potential and emerge victorious in Madrid on 1 June, it would be a first Champions League success for keeper Gianluigi Buffon, who left Juventus this summer after 17 years at the club.

Alternatively, the trophy could stay in Madrid, even if Real’s dominance is ended.

Atletico Madrid’s Wanda Metropolitano will host the final, giving their manager Diego Simeone added incentive to add to his achievements at the club.

He has twice guided them to the final, losing on penalties to Real in 2015-16 and coming within a 93rd-minute Sergio Ramos goal of winning it in 2013-14, only to then lose 4-1 after extra time.

With Antoine Griezmann committing his future to the club in the summer, some made them favourites for the domestic title, and Simeone knows what it takes to reach the latter stages in Europe.

Did you know? This is Atletico’s sixth consecutive Champions League campaign, the longest run in their history.

BBC Sport – Football ultras_FC_Barcelona

ultras FC Barcelona - https://ultrasfcb.com/football/12377/

#Barcelona

#Football

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lewisvinga · 1 month

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hey I understand that your requests are closed but if possible please write this whenever you are free if you want. Please write valverde x fem reader who is a barca fan. I feel as if it would be fun to read. I totally understand if you're too busy tho.❤️

here !

fede valverde 😫😫 thank u for requesting him cus he is sooooo underrated omg

#football smau #football x reader #football imagines #federico valverde x reader

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realmadridfamily · 5 years

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Mina Bonino and her feelings about pregnancy: “There is a side that nobody tells you, I don't feel full or with that special shine”

The sports journalist is waiting for her first child with football player Federico Valverde, with whom she is living in Madrid.

“It's always said that pregnant women are the prettiest, that they have a special shine, that they feel full. But there is also a site that nobody tells you about. Every woman processes it the way she can. In my case I have never felt full or with this special glow.” According to her words, Mina is happy because : “it was a very wanted baby”. But she also explains that she feels distressed to notice that her clothes are small because of the growth of her belly and admits that she had to get used to “a new body” (she increased six kilos). “I changed the bra size from 85 to 120 and it grows more and more every day. It's hard for me to dress up or change all eating habits, because pregnancy makes you hate everything you've eaten. You also need to get used to new symptoms, experience different flavors, feel bad smells.” A 26-year-old journalist - who has been living in Spain with Real Madrid footballer since March - describes pregnancy as a “rare condition”. “It's beautiful because you have life in you, and when you see ultrasounds or hear his heart, it's hard for you to assimilate that you are creating another being. I read the stories of many pregnant mothers who survived so much emotion that when I first had an ultrasound and heard a heartbeat, I was not excited and I felt guilty. Or I thought I'd be a bad mother and wondered : "Why? If everyone gets excited when they are pregnant, they love their children before birth ... " Bonino says there were days when he" forgot "that she was pregnant: "I had no symptoms, no abdomen. I lived normally.” "I didn't upload the photo to social media and didn't write "I love you, son." I felt that everything was very abstract, but nobody reads these things, it's always: “It changes your life, it's a unique state.” And when you feel something different, you feel guilty, because you also think that there are so many women who want to have children and they can’t, and I, who could, I am selfish and care about my body. But in fact everyone lives their own way. This is not good or bad. We are different. At least it happened to me. I have friends who, during pregnancy, didn't even make nails in fear and searched the Internet every day for differences between normal delivery and Section C. And others, like me, who took it in a more relaxed way. My son was completely wanted, we are waiting for him and from the day I knew I was pregnant, it was a joy. But I think this true love and feeling will come with him." - says Mina, who is waiting for Benicio to arrive in February, in Madrid - “However, the months go by and I can imagine things ... Daddy is very happy and gives me great enthusiasm, just like my family. I may be colder and more relaxed, but what made me feel guilty at first I realized that this is part of the process and is still happening to many of us.” Mina emphasizes that social media play a role, especially on issues such as motherhood: “This also contributes to our belief that everything is pink in pregnancy. The same goes for breastfeeding. A few days ago I uploaded some photos on Instagram showing the bottles that I was given. Many responses were critical.I hope I have the opportunity to breastfeed, but it doesn't depend on me one hundred percent. What if I don't understand? What if my mastitis catches me? Or worse, if I take medication and can't breastfeed? How would this mother feel if she wants to breastfeed but can't because of the medicine? Frustrated. She would feel even less mother, because with all the things you read it seems that if you don't give a tit there is no such connection between mother and her baby.” “I think it's very important to emphasize this because many women suffer if they can't give it. And even if they don't want to. It's your decision, your body. The same applies to natural or imperial delivery: they tell you about natural, as if there was no other alternative. I would like to be able to do it naturally, but I understand that if my child is not in position, or it weighs 4300 - as in my own case - and is counterproductive, I don't endanger his health or mine. It seems that today breastfeeding and natural births make you a mother, while in reality we only read rubbish.” “The most important thing is for the child and mother to have the best health possible. I think about it now and thought about it before I got pregnant. There are many posts, photos and texts that even tell you that you have to choose where to give birth, because it's appropriate. And it's perfect! But I'm not going to give birth to my son in my home, in the tub, with Zen music in the background and with no doctor. Because it's logical that if something is complicated, I have no tools or wisdom to know how to get out of the situation. It's always said that every woman does what she wants with her body, but it doesn't affect it or tells you how to do it, because it's very frustrating if later you cannot do what you thought was best. And there is nothing better, but only one, create the healthiest for both of you.” “This is my experience. Of course, many may feel identified and others may not. Today I live this way. I understood that every woman experiences pregnancy differently.” Fede keeps telling me I'm beautiful. Then I think "He's lying to me!"

#Mina Bonino #Federico Valverde #Fede Valverde #Real Madrid #Baby Boom 2020 #interview

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gadgetsrevv · 5 years

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European transfer review: Where did your club fail?

The transfer window for Europe’s major leagues is closed again for the rest of the year, but how did your team do? Did they leave any gaps?

Our correspondents assess how the top clubs failed to address their weaknesses this summer.

BARCELONA: Too few attackers, too many midfielders

Barcelona did a lot of good business this summer. Much of it was done early, too. Frenkie de Jong helps rejuvenate an aging midfield and Antoine Griezmann brings quality in attack. The arrival of goalkeeper Neto cancels out the departure of Jasper Cillessen and Junior Firpo provides competition at left-back for Jordi Alba.

They managed to shift a number of players, too, with Malcom bringing in a good sum of cash and Philippe Coutinho‘s loan to Bayern Munich shifting a big earner from the wage bill. However, those two left with the idea another attacker would join — namely Neymar. That didn’t happen and they’re left with just four (admittedly very good) forwards for three positions: Griezmann, Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Ousmane Dembele. The problem is, Messi and Suarez are both now 32 and Dembele is injury prone. Youngsters Carles Perez and Ansu Fati could have a bigger role to play than they expected.

The opposite is true in midfield, where seven players will compete for three places. It may be a long season for one of Ivan Rakitic, Carles Alena or Arturo Vidal.

At the back, they stick with what they’ve got having missed out on Matthijs de Ligt to Juventus. An injury to Gerard Pique — who’s also the wrong side of 30 now — would leave them at the mercy of Samuel Umtiti‘s knee. Umtiti is the only real backup to Pique and Clement Lenglet, with young Jean Clair Todibo still untested. — Sam Marsden.

REAL MADRID: A weaker midfield and no leader in attack

Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane did not add Paul Pogba from Manchester United as he wanted, nor were the club successful in acquiring Sporting Lisbon’s Bruno Fernandes or Tottenham’s Christian Eriksen.

Madrid, in fact, weakened a midfield line they meant to strengthen. Los Blancos sold Marco Llorente, Casemiro’s natural replacement, to Atletico while Dani Ceballos, the alternative to Toni Kroos and Luka Modric, was loaned to Arsenal. Much is expected from Federico Valverde but he has clocked just eight minutes in Madrid’s opening three league games. After being widely expected to leave, Gareth Bale and James Rodriguez stayed with Madrid not receiving suitable offers.

Madrid spent over €300m in the transfer market but only one of their six-summer signings, Eden Hazard, is expected to start. Newcomers Ferland Mendy, Luka Jovic and Eder Militao are set to be back-ups to Marcelo, Karim Benzema and Raphael Varane, respectively, while Rodrygo will play for Madrid’s reserves until he gains some experience.

The loss of Marco Asensio to an ACL injury, a lack of spark from Vinicius Jr. and the absence of an injured Hazard in the opening three games, has highlighted another weakness in Madrid’s team: there is no leader in attack. Hazard will provide quality but is far from reaching the goal-scoring numbers that Cristiano Ronaldo once did. Neymar could have filled that void. — Adriana Garcia.

ATLETICO MADRID: Nothing. But another striker would have been nice

Atletico got pretty much everything they needed in the summer window, including beating off the whole of Europe to sign wonderkid Joao Felix from Benfica for a club record €126m — arguably the biggest scoop in La Liga, and that includes Eden Hazard’s €100m transfer to Real Madrid!

Atletico had plenty of work to do after losing defensive trio Diego Godin, Juanfran and Filipe Luis as free agents, while Lucas Hernandez, Rodri and Antoine Griezmann departed as Bayern Munich, Manchester City and Barcelona, respectively, activated their release clauses.

But the Rojiblancos delivered by signing eight players for €245m — spending less than what they pocketed from sales. Atletico bought defenders Mario Hermoso, Kieran Trippier, Renan Lodi and Felipe, then added Hector Herrera and Marcos Llorente in midfield. They strengthened the attack with Ivan Saponjic and secured Alvaro Morata‘s permanent transfer from Chelsea in July 2020.

The only negative was that Atletico were unable to offload Argentine forward Angel Correa despite weeks of negotiations with AC Milan, and that scuppered a move for Rodrigo. Atletico and Valencia had reached a verbal agreement on a €60m deal but Correa had to leave first. Atletico also were interested in adding James Rodriguez from Real Madrid but again needed Correa to depart. James or Rodrigo would have been the cherry on top on what was a great window. — Adriana Garcia.

JUVENTUS: An aging front line and failure to sell well

The €75m signing of Matthijs de Ligt feels like an awful long time ago now but don’t lose sight of it. The Ajax centre-back had his pick of Europe’s elite and chose Juventus, while the acquisition of fellow centre-back Merih Demiral from Sassuolo for €18m should also go down as one of the bargains of the summer

Sporting director Fabio Paratici continued Juventus’ tradition of working the free transfer market with aplomb; Adrien Rabiot and Aaron Ramsey, in theory, skill-up a midfield that lacked angles and imagination last season. The team looks stronger and the squad deeper than ever. But therein lies a problem.

Selling proved very difficult for Juventus this summer. Gonzalo Higuain dug his heels in, as did Paulo Dybala and Mario Mandzukic. Moving on Sami Khedira and Daniele Rugani also hit obstacles. A fortnight ago, Juve vice-president Pavel Nedved insisted the club were under no pressure to sell but their actions up until deadline day suggested otherwise.

Juve’s attack in particular looks old after the sale of Moise Kean to Everton and hard choices await the Old Lady when it comes to deciding who’s in and who’s out of the 23-man Champions League squad. New manager Maurizio Sarri has never been big on rotation and the risk of disgruntlement among a number of high profile players is high. — James Horncastle.

INTER MILAN: Depth still not enough to challenge Juve

Inter Milan may have had strengthened in almost every area — including the manager — this summer, but that does not mean they are necessarily ready to challenge Juventus for the Serie A title.

Last season they were short in attack, after the exclusion of Mauro Icardi, leaving only Lautaro Martinez to play up front and the 22-year-old only managed six goals Serie A goals in 27 appearances. While Inter have brought in Romelu Lukaku from Manchester United for a club-record fee of €80 million, the Belgium international arrives simply as a replacement for Icardi, who left for Paris Saint-Germain on loan.

Lukaku’s ex-United teammate Alexis Sanchez has also joined on loan — and he can play in attack as well as on the wing, where Inter lost Ivan Perisic following the Croatia international’s loan move to Bayern Munich. Injuries could prove fatal to any title bid for the Nerazzurri. In central defence, they have superb options for Antonio Conte’s preferred back three in Stefan de Vrij, Milan Skriniar and Godin. However, injury to De Vrij meant Conte had to call upon ex-Hull City man Andrea Ranocchia. — Andrew Cesare Richardson.

PSG: Both full-back positions needed upgrading

Understandably, PSG’s summer business is being interpreted as risky by some less familiar with the French champions’ peculiarities — mainly the loan addition of attacker Icardi to a troubled dressing room in recent years.

For those well-versed with the Ligue 1 giants’ recent issues, however, arguing that this summer has not been a success is hard. PSG added quality in depth in certain areas and regenerated others, with central midfield getting a long overdue boost through Ander Herrera and Idrissa Gueye‘s arrivals, while restructuring with Keylor Navas, Sergio Rico and Marcin Bulka ends years of farcical goalkeeper uncertainty.

Abdou Diallo brings depth and versatility in defence, while Pablo Sarabia and Icardi give coach Thomas Tuchel options in attack – particularly after Kylian Mbappe and Edinson Cavani‘s recent injuries and the ongoing Neymar saga.

One minor complaint is that both full-back positions have not received greater attention this summer, despite sporting director Leonardo’s efforts to restock, as well as an exodus of homegrown talent.

Overall, though, PSG finish the summer with a very strong squad on paper, particularly after keeping hold of Neymar, and authority over an unruly dressing room finally appears to have been restored through Leonardo’s return at the expense of the inept Antero Henrique. — Jonathan Johnson.

BAYERN MUNICH: A lack of options up front

Bayern spent most of the summer chasing a big money move for Leroy Sane. But once the Manchester City winger sustained a long-term knee injury, the club turned to brilliant loan deals for Philippe Coutinho and Ivan Perisic, two experienced internationals to fill the gaps left by Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery.

There was a changing of the guard at the back as the arrival of France’s 2018 World Cup winners Lucas Hernandez and Benjamin Pavard replaced Mats Hummels, who returned to Dortmund, and Jerome Boateng, who has dropped down the pecking order. While Michael Cuisance came in to take the place of the ineffectual Renato Sanches, sold to Lille, in midfield.

Bayern have added some depth in the middle of the park, however they are still too reliant on Robert Lewandowski. The 31-year-old is Bayern’s most important player and is indispensable up top. He already has six goals in three league games and, with only 19-year-old Fiete Arp joining as his backup from Hamburg, he is still without any competition. They’ll probably have enough to claim another Bundesliga title but any long-term injury for the Pole could serve as a major blow to Bayern’s hopes of winning the Champions League.

BORUSSIA DORTMUND: Also lack of options up front

Dortmund stormed out of the blocks and took an early lead in the transfer market to sign Germany internationals Nico Schulz and Julian Brandt, as well as Belgium international Thorgan Hazard, right after the end of the season.

They also re-signed Mats Hummels from Bayern Munich but, with focus shifting to offloading high-earning fringe players such as Andre Schurrle, Maximilian Philipp, Shinji Kagawa and Omer Toprak, Dortmund roughly invested some €130m (which included Paco Alcacer‘s permanent transfer from Barcelona) and just about broke even if you add Christian Pulisic‘s €64m move to Chelsea in January.

Yet despite adding quality and reducing squad numbers, Dortmund still have a few things to work on. In Alcacer and Mario Gotze, BVB have two attackers who aren’t a No. 9. Coach Lucien Favre has said he does not need a target man in the box but the lack of alternatives up front could become a major problem.

At right-back, Lukasz Piszczek remains Dortmund’s first-choice. But with age slowly taking its toll, the 34-year-old club legend could become a liability. Real Madrid loanee Achraf Hakimi has yet to show he is mature enough to both defend and attack, while 19-year-old Mateu Morey, who joined on a free from Barcelona, is the future but his start to life at the club has been delayed by a shoulder injury. — Stephan Uerseld.

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#Football News European transfer review: Where did your club fail?

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gadgetsrevv · 5 years

Text

European transfer review: Where did your club fail to buy?

The transfer window for Europe’s major leagues is closed again for the rest of the year, but how did your team do? Did they leave any gaps?

Our correspondents assess how the top clubs failed to address their weaknesses this summer.

BARCELONA: Too few attackers, too many midfielders

The opposite is true in midfield, where seven players will compete for three places. It may be a long season for one of Ivan Rakitic, Carles Alena or Arturo Vidal.

REAL MADRID: A weaker midfield and no leader in attack

ATLETICO MADRID: Nothing. But another striker would have been nice

JUVENTUS: An aging front line and failure to sell well

INTER MILAN: Depth still not enough to challenge Juve

Inter Milan may have had strengthened in almost every area — including the manager — this summer, but that does not mean they are necessarily ready to challenge Juventus for the Serie A title.

PSG: Both full-back positions needed upgrading

BAYERN MUNICH: A lack of options up front

BORUSSIA DORTMUND: Also lack of options up front

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#Articles #European transfer review: Where did your club fail to buy? European transfer review: Where

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