We are in for a layered and intense relegation battle – with Stuttgart, Hertha and Gladbach all in serious trouble This was meant to be the second-tier season to beat them all in Germany, and not just in a domestic context. Schalke and Werder Bremen filling the relegation places in May 2021 meant they joined Hamburg, Hannover, Fortuna Düsseldorf and Nürnberg in Bundesliga 2, before we even get to names such as St Pauli and Dynamo Dresden. This weekend, Werder won a five-goal thriller at Hamburg in the Nordderby to stay top of the table.After a turbulent season which has included the departure of coach Markus Anfang after a federal investigation into him faking a vaccination certificate (for which he...
Pointedly left on the bench by Thomas Tuchel, the Belgian striker has rarely looked more peripheralStamford Bridge was a crisp, clear, boisterous place at kick-off in this last-16 first leg, the air crackling with a comforting midweek energy under those low white lights. And for the next 90 minutes two things happened.First up there was that unavoidable sense of wider turmoil. What a strange, fraught occasion this was for the world’s most guilelessly weaponised sport, another turn as the hot dog seller in the background of history, a bumbling tourist on the front line of world events. Continue reading...
Having lost a club legend in ‘Mauri’ two days previous, Athletic’s 4-0 demolition of Real Sociedad felt like a fitting tributeEleven villagers were enough to bring down a giant, so it goes. On the day the 1958 World Cup final was played in Solna, another game took place 2,200 miles south, which wasn’t where they wanted it but that made it better in the end.Athletic Club de Bilbao – Atlético then, by dictatorial decree – had requested the final of the Copa del Generalísimo be held in a neutral city, but the Generalísimo wasn’t going anywhere which meant that nor were they. At best, they were told, Spain’s showpiece game could be moved to the Metropolitano so they said let’s...
Five of the top six played at the weekend but none won. Napoli may yet be the beneficiaries of the latest slip-ups in title race Massimiliano Allegri looked like a man clutching at straws as he stared down the lens of a TV camera on Friday night and insisted that the single point his team had collected from a home game against Torino could help them qualify for the Champions League. By Sunday night, his words sounded prophetic.Despite throwing away a lead in the derby, Juventus improved their advantage over fifth-placed Atalanta, reduced the gap to title favourites Inter and did not lose ground to any direct rival. Five out of Serie A’s top six played over the weekend, but...
The manager utilised his talent-packed bench to snuff out a rampant Inter and the Champions League tie in eight minutesJürgen Klopp had seen enough. With almost an hour played at San Siro, Internazionale cutting his team to ribbons and the home crowd buoyant, the Liverpool manager retreated to his bench in dim spirits. There were a few seconds of discussion with his coaches. Training tops were peeled off, tactical instructions issued, last-minute warm-ups executed. And then, the flourish: a triple substitution in the 59th minute.Off came Sadio Mané, Fabinho and Harvey Elliott. Diogo Jota had already gone off injured at half‑time. It was Klopp’s inimitable way of telling his players that he wasn’t angry, just disappointed. Continue reading...