Liverpool’s opponents in the Champions League semi-finals did not expect to get this far but their manager’s tactical nous produced a magnificent comeback to stun BarcelonaIt is 34 years since Roma reached a European Cup semi-final. And only one month less than that since Liverpool beat them on penalties in the final. Older fans still wince at the memory, hardly surprising when you consider it took place at their very own Stadio Olimpico.Times change, though, and this two-leg tie has a very different context. Roma, bluntly, did not expect to come this far. When they were drawn against Shakhtar Donetsk in the last 16, their captain, Daniele De Rossi, said there were “two or three teams in this season’s Champions...
Champions League exit against Roma was proof ageing team can no longer rely on Lionel Messi to get them out of troubleIf it was possible for Barcelona not to become overwhelmed by despair when they fell to Juventus last season, there was no way for them to rationalise their stunning collapse against Roma on Tuesday. Succumbing to the best team in Italy and a fellow European giant did not feel like a drama, even though they had started the tie as slight favourites. But folding so meekly against Roma has exposed a deeper malaise.Roma should not be patronised given they have taken some serious scalps, from finishing top of a group that contained Atlético Madrid and Chelsea to overcoming the...
The Champions League is full of sides losing by three goals or more – and that includes the latter stages. Even domestically dominant sides can be found wantingExplain this: Juventus, top of Serie A, having kept clean sheets in 21 of their previous 25 games, horribly defensively exposed by Real Madrid last week, letting in three. And yet on Tuesday night Roma, third in Serie A, 21 points behind Juve, hammered Barcelona, who remain unbeaten in La Liga and stand 15 points clear of fourth-placed Real Madrid. How can this be?Eusebio Di Francesco, rightly, took credit for his switch to a back three. “I made this choice,” the Roma coach explained, “to create more width, allow more counterattacks and bring speed, but what...
Uefa’s president wants to improve competitive balance but the top clubs’ financial dominance equates to power too, and it is unlikely his mooted measures will make a significant differenceFor football people raised on the foundational European Cup feats of Manchester United’s home-schooled Busby Babes and Celtic’s 1967 triumph with a team of local lads, the modern Champions League is a mixed blessing. Over the last 23 years the tournament has constructed a glittering stage for Lionel Messi and the world’s greatest players but European football’s concentration of wealth is delivering the final rounds and trophy itself to the same few richest clubs. Related: Chelsea given painful reminder of declining European status by Barcelona | Dominic Fifield The measures Ceferin has...
Serie A matches were postponed after Davide Astori’s death on Sunday, casting Saturday’s dramatic results into insignificance It felt so all-consuming on Saturday night. A last-minute winner, a six-goal thriller, a title race turned on its head. Then a young man died, and suddenly it did not seem to matter at all.The passing of Davide Astori put all of Italian football into mourning. Genoa and Cagliari’s players were already on the pitch at Marassi, warming up for their lunchtime kickoff, when news filtered through. Several wept as they retreated to the changing rooms. An announcement that the match had been abandoned was met by the fans with applause. Related: Leader Davide Astori is fondly remembered as Serie A falls quiet...