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It was the Champions League but not as Guardiola used to know it | Paul Wilson

Manchester City’s manager went through the full range of emotions on a night when reckless defending by his side and Monaco produced a thrillerIt is perhaps a measure of how uncomfortable Manchester City still are on the European stage that Pep Guardiola chose life and death imagery in his pre-match assessment. While relaxed insouciance is what the manager generally aims for, he hardly struck that tone when observing Monaco had “killers” in the box in Radamel Falcao and Valère Germain, or noting glumly that critics would “kill” his City side if they did not succeed.This is almost certainly not the can-do, positive approach City thought they would be getting when employing the former coach of Barcelona and Bayern Munich, although...

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Lincoln City make history amid FA Cup drama – Football Weekly

The podders look back on an historic weekend in the FA Cup. Plus, Manchester City look to stop Monaco’s awesome attack, while Leicester head to Sevilla Subscribe and review: iTunes, Soundcloud, Audioboom, Mixcloud, Acast & Stitcher. And join the discussion on Facebook and TwitterJames Richardson returns to the helm for this edition of Football Weekly, ably assisted by Barry Glendenning, Iain Macintosh and Paolo Bandini. Continue reading...

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Arsène Wenger’s exit music grows louder after Arsenal capitulate in Munich | Barney Ronay

The embattled manager saw his team fold at disturbing speed against Bayern despite the efforts of a frustrated Alexis Sánchez, and the end now seems a lot nearerAt times, as Arsenal’s players flickered in and out of focus during a traumatic second half in Munich, it was almost possible beneath the roars and whoops and gurgles of a sated home crowd to hear the sound of something else. Departures, farewells, changing trains, a little distant exit applause.For 15 first‑half minutes this Champions League last 16 first leg had swung wildly on its axis. From 1-0 down Arsenal were led back into the game by a passage of thrillingly angry, high-energy centre-forward play from Alexis Sánchez, who became briefly an embodiment...

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Barcelona and Luis Enrique: Is there any way back from this humiliation? | Sid Lowe

The 4-0 hammering by PSG has raised questions about a team that has been called a mess tactically and physically, with no youth system or leadership“We tried to score to get back into the tie but they got the third goal and then the fourth,” the Barcelona manager, Luis Enrique, said at the end of his darkest night. His words were telling but not even entirely true.It was not that Paris Saint-Germain had scored a goal; it was that they had scored a third and then a fourth, and anyway it was not as if the visitors had been caught chasing the game, a quick counter or some fluke goal cruelly ending it. When Ángel Di María curled in the...

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