Bayern Munich have one hand on the title but Borussia Dortmund’s display against them called into question their right to be part of Der Klassiker“Die Bundesliga ist für uns vorbei.” Pep Guardiola’s infamous declaration in a 2014 press conference, with the title in the bag, that Bayern Munich’s league campaign was over might have been off the cuff, but he spent a long time afterwards trying to live it down. The drop in intensity that followed his words prefaced a pair of sluggish performances in the Champions League semi-finals against Real Madrid, and Guardiola would later openly admit his error. It was probably the biggest mistake of his enthralling three-year spell at the Allianz Arena. Jupp Heynckes is not about...
Away from the Neymars and Coutinhos, the continent’s top clubs are increasingly targeting players between 16 and 18, such as Jadon Sancho and Willem GeubbelsJadon Sancho’s move last summer from Manchester City to Borussia Dortmund made a clear statement: here was an elite prospect who would no longer wait patiently for an opportunity to play senior football.Sancho exploded on to the scene at youth international level last year while also proving his quality for City’s various development squads and the reason the 17‑year‑old swapped England for Germany was clear: he felt he was ready to play first-team football. It was a statement that resonated around Europe. Related: How Premier League starlets are cutting ties and going to Germany and Portugal...
A 19th century half-back for hire, Fernando Morientes making his parent club suffer, Ossie Ardiles at PSG and moreIn December 1884 Blackburn announced a deal had been struck for them to field Haworth, Accrington’s captain, in that season’s FA Cup. He would continue to play league fixtures for his parent club, or anyone else who wanted to borrow a decent defender (he also played a bit for Preston that season). But before their quarter-final against West Brom, something happened. The finer details are hard to ascertain but it seems the club hadn’t joined the British Football Association, which was trying to force them to do so by blocking the Haworth deal. Related: The Joy of Six: unlikely football career twilights...
Wolfsburg’s continued plummet down the league has led to genuine fears they could finish bottom this seasonWhen Bruno Labbadia arrives in a new post, it’s with a certain label attached– that of relegation battle specialist, and it’s one well-earned in successful fights against the drop at Stuttgart and Hamburg. If there’s a bright side to be looked upon after a tough couple of opening weeks at Wolfsburg, with one point taken from his opening four games in charge, it’s that he has the perfect situation in which to fulfil that reputation.Saturday’s heartbreaking late defeat to high-flying Schalke, sealed by Robin Knoche’s unfortunate 86th-minute own goal, was hardly deserved but the result is very much the bottom line in Wolfsburg’s current...
Midfielder led by example in a game which produced a 3-1 win over Milan which was not as simple as the scoreline suggestedThere was a bit of a debate going on before this match. Hey, this is Arsenal we’re talking about after all. Anyway, the theme this time was whether the Milan match was something of a hiding to nothing for the Gunners. Win it and they earn no congratulation, lose and it’s not worth contemplating. Would the fans care? Would they even turn up?Perhaps in the hope of sweetening the deal, the club put on a light show before kick-off. It was pretty good. The main floodlights rippled on and off in a limited impersonation of the Beijing Bird’s...