Joyous title celebrations at the Etihad but what view will future generations take about the wealth that enabled this success?The fans were warned not to invade the pitch. There was a message on the big screen a few minutes before the end, a reminder on the public address system that entering the playing surface was strictly illegal and would not be tolerated. There was a line of stewards and police officers poised like sprinters by the touchline, ready to secure the turf as soon as the game ended.And then the game ended and within seconds the grass was engulfed by stampeding boots and pounding steps and one little girl doing cartwheels, which to be fair was very cute. “PLEASE LEAVE...
The south coast club are not the only case where a manager inherits a legacy that proves crucial for the success he buildsImagine that Thomas Tuchel had not been sacked by Chelsea at the beginning of September and that Graham Potter had not been lured from Brighton to replace him. Potter, presumably, would still be in charge at the Amex. Would Brighton’s situation now be better or worse? Would they be heading into Sunday’s game against Southampton sixth in the Premier League table and likely to qualify for the Europa League?Brighton had begun this season well, taking 13 points from the first six games – which, of course, is why Potter was appointed by Chelsea. Would Todd Boehly and Behdad...
Real Madrid just had to be good enough against opponents resembling a sinking vessel peopled by castawaysWell, there goes the season. Perhaps summer budget too. Who knows maybe the entire Chelsea 3.0 Blue Sky Project Stage One?With 28 minutes to go in a Champions League second leg Chelsea always seemed to be losing, even when they were threatening vaguely to win it, the home bench took a deep breath, cleared its throat, and coughed up £260m of randomly assembled attacking talent. Continue reading...
Manchester City are peaking at the right time, Brentford risk their season petering out and Spurs live in the land of uncertaintyAfter Manchester City’s 3-0 humbling of Bayern Munich, next up at the Etihad is the Premier League’s second-bottom team, Leicester. This will be the champions’ last league game before a seismic clash with Arsenal on 26 April. Pep Guardiola’s men are in ripe form just as the treble roves into sight, with next Wednesday’s return at Bayern in the Champions League coming three days before a Wembley trip to take on Sheffield United in the FA Cup semi-finals. Erling Haaland is adding assists to his goal-gluttony, Bernardo Silva’s dancing feet are back, and Rúben Dias is a colossus in...
Timid display in Madrid yet another example of their expensive attack being confused and misshapenNot many visiting players are given a standing ovation at the Bernabéu. Ronaldinho got one after destroying Real Madrid for Barcelona in 2006 and Andrés Iniesta’s greatness was recognised after a stunning performance at the clásico in 2015, so Mykhailo Mudryk can consider himself part of a pretty exclusive crowd.It was a special moment for the Ukraine winger. He was a relative unknown at Shakhtar Donetsk when they visited the Bernabéu in November 2021, but he destroyed Dani Carvajal. It finished 2-1 to Madrid, Karim Benzema scoring twice, but that was by the by. All eyes were on Mudryk, who had the home fans on their...