The thrashing at Newcastle exposed flaws in the Spaniard’s gameplan – a glitch or a real measure of his side’s standing?Heavy defeats perhaps aren’t what they used to be. Spain won the Women’s World Cup despite a 4-0 defeat to Japan in the group stage. Manchester United finished third in the Premier League last year despite losing 7-0 at Liverpool. Brighton came sixth despite losing 5-1 at home to Everton. There may still be a stigma to a heavy loss, but it is perhaps not the indicator of fundamental flaws it once was.Still, it was intriguing to hear Sir Alex Ferguson say that Aston Villa had played “fantastic football” in their 5-1 defeat at Newcastle on the opening weekend of...
The Villarreal manager had to watch as his goalkeeper went walkabouts and his defender headed into his own net in the 95th minuteOh Mandi. All that and it ended like this, everything falling apart on the stroke of midnight. Sunday became Monday and Atlético Madrid had just taken their 16th corner, their last chance gone, when it happened. Villarreal had not taken any and they had only two shots, compared to Atlético’s 23, but both had gone in and so here they were about to beat the league champions. After 14 attempts, Unai Emery was actually going to defeat Diego Simeone. And then a ridiculous 95th-minute own goal changed everything, leaving those who weren’t falling down falling about.Villarreal led 2-1...
The Villarreal manager had to watch as his goalkeeper went walkabouts and his defender headed into his own net in the 95th minuteOh Mandi. All that and it ended like this, everything falling apart on the stroke of midnight. Sunday became Monday and Atlético Madrid had just taken their 16th corner, their last chance gone, when it happened. Villarreal had not taken any and they had only two shots, compared to Atlético’s 23, but both had gone in and so here they were about to beat the league champions. After 14 attempts, Unai Emery was actually going to defeat Diego Simeone. And then a ridiculous 95th-minute own goal changed everything, leaving those who weren’t falling down falling about.Villarreal led 2-1...
Early exit of Unai Emery was no surprise in these times, so now Mourinho’s no-frills, quick-fix style is the perfect strategyIt was fortunate Liverpool emerged victorious against Salzburg on Tuesday because otherwise they might have been out of the Champions League, with speculation growing that Jürgen Klopp was for the axe. I jest, of course, though it’s not quite as an absurd idea as it may sound.Klopp has worked wonders at Liverpool, creating arguably the finest team in the world at the present time. In all competitions the only side to beat his team so far this season are Napoli. But it should be noted the manager of that Napoli team, Carlo Ancelotti, a three‑times winner of the Champions League,...
As so often when big clubs go bad, the manager carries the can for errors in recruitment and in the boardroomA nd so the grumbling of the Emirates has claimed another victim. By the end, Unai Emery cut a hapless figure, mumbling incoherently after defeat to Eintracht Frankfurt as the world collapsed around him. He was a scapegoat, as managers always are, barely less a patsy in his role as Arsène Wenger’s successor than he had been as Neymar’s minder at Paris Saint-Germain. He certainly should not be immune from criticism, but equally nobody should think his replacement will bring about improvement merely by not being Emery.Emery joined as a Europa League manager for a Europa League club; he will...