Real Madrid, Barcelona, PSG, Juve and others have become short-termist as domestic success has bred complacencyJust wait for the knockout phase of the Champions League. That’s when the season really gets going, that’s when the real football begins. That’s when you get the festival that justifies the tedium of the group stage, the greatest football ever played, the glorious pay-off for the grotesque iniquities of the game’s financial structure.Ah. Related: Pep Guardiola expects 'incredibly aggressive' Manchester United in derby Atalanta’s story is romantic but this is the first season in which the last 16 all come from the richest five leagues Continue reading...
Barcelona, PSG, Bayern and Juventus have won 25 of the last 28 league titles. Europe has become the only testing groundD id you feel it? The great disturbance in the force, as though millions of voices cried out in hope? Last weekend, something remarkable happened: none of the champions of Europe’s big five leagues won (a statistic that admittedly loses some of its potency when it is acknowledged that Serie A hadn’t started: Juventus kicked off their Serie A campaign on Saturday with a 1-0 win at Parma).Last season was the first time that each of the big five leagues had been retained, but here was the little man striking back: Barcelona lost, Paris Saint-Germain lost, Manchester City drew, Bayern...
Many Lyon fans are crying out for a new manager but the club’s veteran president is likely to stay loyal to Bruno GenesioBy Adam White and Eric Devin for Get French Football NewsThis week could prove pivotal in the recent history of Lyon. A cup semi-final and a decision over embattled coach Bruno Genesio’s future will go some way to shaping the club’s longer term prospects. Outspoken yet inspirational president Jean-Michel Aulas looks likely to persist with Genesio, whose stewardship of the team has fluctuated wildly during his three years in charge, in a decision that will incite fan ire and ignore flirtatious glances from José Mourinho. Aulas’ stubbornness may have finally gotten the better of him.During Aulas’ 32-year presidency,...
Pep Guardiola’s refusal to countenance a two-horse race for the title may have merit and other leagues look similarly openWhen Pep Guardiola was asked whether he thought the Premier League was turning into a two-horse race last week, before Manchester City’s trip to Liverpool, he shook his head and said no. There were still Chelsea and Arsenal to be considered, he explained, not to mention Tottenham and Manchester United.This was received at the time as diplomatic headline avoidance, with Guardiola smartly sidestepping the trap of writing off rivals’ chances so early in the season, though the odd suppressed snigger could be heard at the mention of Manchester United. Looking at the Premier League table after the last round of matches...
Olivier Dall’Oglio’s side have managed to strike a balance between adapting to the league and playing the kind of attacking football with which they ascendedBy Adam White and Eric Devin for Get French Football News“We wanted to play high and hinder Lyon’s recovery, it worked rather well. We try to play. When it does not work so well, I’ll be fired, but I want to continue anyway.” Dijon are not the most fashionable or famous of Ligue 1 clubs but, as manager Olivier Dall’Oglio confirmed, they have the right attitude as their unusual blend of fluidity and physicality fast becomes one of Ligue 1’s most eye-catching styles. For a side only promoted last season, despite a substantial top flight history,...