Manchester United’s escape from the storms of Manchester to a week on Spain’s Costa del Sol means sunny 20C temperatures – 15C above home, where rain and high winds are forecast all week.United haven’t visited southern Spain since a 2018 draw in Sevilla which was the beginning of Jose Mourinho’s downfall. And they haven’t taken a training break there for over 20 years.United are in the hills of Benahavis, 10 miles west of Marbella and 40 of Malaga, Spain’s sixth biggest city. It’s a shame that most tourists turn right out of Malaga airport and miss out on the fine city of Malaga itself.Malaga CF, Champions League quarter finalists under Manuel Pellegrini in the year United last won the league,...
Last season was an agonising one for supporters of Leeds. The appointment of Marcelo Bielsa in summer 2018 represented a major coup. The Argentinian arrived with a glowing reputation for high-octane football, and he did not disappoint.Bielsa arguably overachieved in reaching the play-offs with a team that had finishedthe previous campaign in 13th. However, Leeds fans still felt deflated after their side failed to win automatic promotion having occupied a top-two spot for so long.The Yorkshire outfit were then favourites to win the play-offs, but they fell at the first hurdle against Frank Lampard's Derby. The fear for Leeds now is that history could be repeating itself.A 2-0 defeat by Nottingham Forest at the weekend means Bielsa's side have won...
Seven minutes are on the clock and there are 27 clubs to guessRemember to tweet your scores@FourFourTwo, and challenge some friends while you're at it.THEN TRY:Quiz! Can you name the 30 most successful clubs in world football? Some weeks, the game was over before it had it even begun.Eden Hazard was a phenomenon like we've rarely seen in the English game. Intricate dribbling ability, a ferocious finish, incredible vision.You knew that even when he wasn't on his game he could do still shock the world. Just ask Tottenham, who were fighting for the title. Or the Swansea ballboy.Since Jose Mourinho graces our cover this issue- out in all good stores today - we thought we'd look at back at some...
How enjoyable was your Sunday night? Whatever the answer, it probably wasn't as good asBong Joon-ho's.The South Korean film director won four Oscars at the awards ceremony at the Dolby Theatre in California.His movie,Parasite, was a major success. A black comedy thriller, the film grossed$167.6 million worldwide. Nevertheless, its success at the Academy Awards was something of a surprise.Parasitewon best picture, best director,best original screenplay and best international film.1917,Ford v Ferrari, Joker and Once Upon a Time in Hollywoodalso scooped prizesat the 192nd edition of the Oscars.Bong isthe first Asian nominee to win best original screenplay, an award he shared with co-writerHan Jin-won."When I was young and studying cinema, there was a saying that I carved deep into my heart,...
Ten minutes are on the clock and there are 50 winners to guess.Remember to tweet your scores@FourFourTwo, and challenge some friends too!THEN TRYQuiz! Can you name the home stadium of every club in the Premier League and Football League? There's been precious little Premier League football on this weekend - but there's plenty on elsewhere in Europe.Despite the English winter break, Bayer Leverkusen shockedBorussia Dortmund4-3 withRB Leipzig holdingBayern Munich0-0 in the Bundesliga. Elsewhere, there was a Basque derby as Real Sociedad beatAthletic Bilbao 2-1 and Quique Setien sawnew club Barcelona beat old club Real Betisin Spain 3-2, whilst Porto beatBenfica3-2 in Portugal, PSG beatLyon4-2 in France, andAC Milan took a two-goal lead againstInter Milan, only to lose 4-2in Italy. Phew.To...