Manchester City’s comeback was sealed exuberantly enough to postpone some awkward Champions League questionsPerhaps, if Pep Guardiola learned anything from a chaotic night in Germany’s industrial heartland, it was that you cannot keep a good narrative down. Leroy Sané had been left on the bench for his return to the Veltins Arena and, aside from any tactical considerations, it did not seem an unreasonable decision given the imperative that Manchester City went about their business quietly and clinically. Then he set off a rocket and, given the quandary his team had landed themselves in by that point, cool logic could wait for another day. Related: Raheem Sterling gives Manchester City crucial advantage over Schalke Related: Pep Guardiola happy with Manchester...
Even when things are going well with Schalke, you’re only ever half-a-mile away from getting a punctureSometimes you start out with the idea of a refreshing weekend away in Berlin – and end up tired and nursing a headache. Schalke may have arrived in the capital for Friday’s weekend opener with Hertha full of “new dynamism and new self-confidence”, according to their coach Domenico Tedesco beforehand, but their aim of snaring a third successive Bundesliga win didn’t go to plan.Not only that, but the hangover will be felt for most of this week, and perhaps beyond. Tedesco could have few complaints over his side’s efforts, which backed his assessment of an upturn towards the output of his debut season. His...
After a difficult week, the English teenager scored the winner against Schalke as Borussia Dortmund continue their chargeIt was dark when Borussia Dortmund’s bus arrived back at the club’s training ground in Brackel but it couldn’t get in. It was blocked by several hundred supporters, chanting and lighting the winter night with pyro. A couple of the players, Axel Witsel and Achraf Hakimi, got off the coach and joined them.This may already be shaping up to be a special season for Dortmund but if you wondered what this dream start – unbeaten in the Bundesliga, soaring above champions Bayern Munich having beaten them in Der Klassiker last month, through to the Champions League last 16 – was missing, then here...
Three defeats in three games have left Schalke 17th but the club have backed their young manager to turn things aroundWhatever Schalke might be lacking, they can be sure that they have a leader of substance. After the final whistle at Borussia Mönchengladbach on Saturday, as some of his players sat dejectedly on the turf and others wandered around looking lost following a 2-1 defeat, Domenico Tedesco came on the pitch and approached the away fans, waving arms and clenching fists, with passion and defiance clear on his face.The 33-year-old manager won an army of admirers in his debut Bundesliga season and, if he can lead his team out of the hole they have started to dig, he can win...
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...