The Dortmund coach renewed a tired club with a way of working ‘never seen before’ – it is understandable why he is being linked with a move to north LondonAfter a disappointing Saturday afternoon, at least the funders of one of those aeroplanes hired to fly over The Hawthorns might have been pleased by news emerging from Germany the following day, as it was claimed that Arsenal had made Thomas Tuchel an offer to succeed Arsène Wenger. Even if the Bild story has been flatly denied by Arsenal and seems like a deal highly unlikely to come to fruition right now, the Borussia Dortmund coach’s name is beginning to be more and more consistently linked with the Gunners. It’s viewed...
The strugglers’ new manager felt his job would be an emotional one as well as a tactical one – and his players delivered on all fronts at RiazorPepe Mel packed a bag, climbed behind the wheel and headed north from Seville, taking his staff and a little happiness with him. He did not stop until the village of Villafranca del Bierzo, León: 744km gone, 222km to go. It was dark, late and they still did not know if the journey was going to be worth it, ready to turn back if needs be. Unemployed since he left Betis in January 2016, Mel had published his third novel – about football and aimed at kids this time – but coaching is...
The Dutch manager presided over a surprise victory against RB Leipzig to boost relegation-threatened Wolfsburg’s hopes of avoiding the drop If ever there was a weekend to get it right, it was this one. In its afterglow, Wolfsburg’s win at second-placed RB Leipzig looked like a tremendous bonus on Saturday evening. 24 hours later, after Hamburg rolled over the in-form Borussia Mönchengladbach, it looked more like an absolute necessity. Neutrals dismayed at Bayern Munich’s ease towards another Bundesliga title, as much through the inconsistency of their rivals as their own strengths, at least have the promise of the battle at the bottom to keep them going. Everybody is picking up points – even rock-bottom Darmstadt won this weekend, for goodness’...
Juventus’s last-gasp win over Milan all-but settled the title but the race is on for a top-three spot and Inter’s 7-1 destruction of Atalanta gives them reason to believeA stool smashed, a lamp shattered, graffiti scrawled across the walls. The only thing more dramatic than Juventus’s last-gasp win over Milan at J-Stadium were the reports of what came afterwards, with claims that members of the losing side had gone on a rampage in the changing rooms. Displays celebrating the Old Lady’s 2004-05 and 2005-06 title wins – officially revoked following the Calciopoli scandal – were said to have been daubed with the word “THIEVES”.Such actions cannot be condoned, but it was easy to understand how Milan might have felt robbed...
Unexpected promotion meant Osasuna were always going to struggle in La Liga this season. Now, with 12 games still to go, that struggle seems overEnrique Martín Monreal was in Madrid when his club called, the phone ringing as he headed back to the hotel from an awards ceremony held by Marca in early November. He hadn’t won – the award for the second division’s best manager in 2015-16 went to Leganés’s Asier Garitano – but he had been a candidate, having unexpectedly brought Osasuna back up to primera, and that was quite something. Besides, he was there representing the club and in the absence of the president, Luis Sabalza, who had a cold, there could be no one better. Represent...