Manchester City manager has been uber-serene of late but his clash with Ángel Correa on Tuesday night was instructiveThere was a glaring reveal towards the end of Manchester City’s deserved victory against Atlético Madrid on Tuesday. With Jack Grealish on the floor, Ángel Correa smashed the ball into the No 10’s face. It was on the touchline. It was right by Pep Guardiola. And City’s manager did not like it at all.So: he entered the pitch and shoved Correa. He stuck up for his player. Bravo. He might also have been booked or even sent off. But Istvan Kovacs ignored the seething 51-year-old and booked Correa. Continue reading...
The winger, unbeaten against the Portuguese side in eight matches, scored one and set up another in the 3-1 victoryIn the end, it had to be him standing there before them. Four minutes remained when Luis Díaz was sent dashing way, stepped past Odisseas Vlachodimos and rolled the ball into the empty net to finally secure a victory that had looked like it might slip through Liverpool’s hands during a second half in which they had been made to suffer more than anyone expected. Released at last, he ran to the corner, leapt and screamed. In the stands, Benfica’s supporters did too, a flag pole sent flying his way.They had whistled him all game and indeed before it. Díaz stood...
Foden started on the bench but after little more than a minute on the pitch his dribble and pass led to Manchester City’s goalKevin De Bruyne scored the only goal of the game, and Manchester City’s players gathered by the corner flag in front of their fans. “Celebrated” would probably be pushing it a bit. For the curious thing about City’s winning goal was how deeply unimpressed they all seemed about it. De Bruyne’s features were contorted into a growl. Bernardo Silva bellowed defiantly into the stands. Nathan Aké, to be honest, just looked buzzing to be there.On the touchline Pep Guardiola angrily hurled a water bottle to the ground, furious at himself for feeling such relief. Continue reading...
Scarred by an elimination as Bayern’s coach, the manager’s urge to take chance out of last-four ties undermines City’s chancesThe biggest obstacle to Pep Guardiola winning another Champions League, it is widely accepted, is Pep Guardiola. There cannot be a Manchester City knockout tie in the Champions League without talk of his tendency to overthink.The most dramatic moment of last season’s final came when the lineups were released an hour before kick-off and neither Rodri nor Fernandinho were included. It’s what elevates Guardiola above the throng: he is not merely a great manager, but also a flawed hero: he is Faustus, he is Oedipus, he is Charles Foster Kane. Continue reading...
Competition authorities need to find a model for a more culturally interesting European league, not the most lucrativeWhat unites us in Europe? In the current crisis, when the world is changing from a rule-based to a power-based order, Europe is moving closer together and remembering its most important principle: rules and laws apply. This has been agreed in Porto and Helsinki, Bruges and Athens, Warsaw, Prague and Ljubljana.Football is a mosaic of social life. It contributes to negotiating and communicating values. Whether it finds acceptance and whether western society identifies with it depends on whether its competitions are fair and subject to good rules, ie whether many are allowed to participate with a chance of success. Continue reading...