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 European Football (EPL, UEFA, La Liga) › Win Up To 10 Million Playing Ball Gecko FPL by Gball(op): 2:52pm On Aug 02, 2021 |
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| Sports › Tokyo 2020: Test Your Olympics Football Knowledge by Gball(op): 5:10pm On Jul 27, 2021 |
Tokyo 2020 Olympics has officially opened. The 5-year wait is over. The race for 339 events in the Summer Olympics Games has kicked off. Are you an Olympics lover? Let’s see just how well you are familiar with the gods of Mount Olympus with your recall of five-rings trivia. PLAY QUIZ NOW
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| European Football (EPL, UEFA, La Liga) › Re: What Sancho’s Signing Means For Manchester United by Gball(op): 5:58pm On Jul 20, 2021 |
Cc: Lalasticlala , mukina2 , semid4lyfe , Mynd44 |
| European Football (EPL, UEFA, La Liga) › What Sancho’s Signing Means For Manchester United by Gball(op): 5:55pm On Jul 20, 2021 |
In the Spring of 2021, it appeared that moves were being made that would change the landscape of European football for the foreseeable future. For two weeks it looked as though the rogue 12 of Europe’s elite clubs were going to cut away from the rest of Europe and form a parallel league; The European Super League. The plan did not work of course. After threats, negotiations, and what many felt were the clubs coming to their senses, the idea was cancelled or at least shelved, but the earthquake’s aftershocks continued to be felt for weeks. The biggest of them was the wave of protests against the club owners who tried to join the ESL. In that period, few owners felt the brunt of fans’ discontent as much as the Glazers at Manchester United. In addition to protests at the Old Trafford ground, they also had barricades outside the stadium and had a premier league game postponed because protesting fans broke into the stadium. Through all the commotion, one message was clear. “Glazers Out”. The ESL episode was not the only reason fans had been in the streets of Manchester and Twitter demanding for the owners to sell the club or for the Executive Vice Chairman and de facto director of football Ed Woodward to resign. The fans had seen the upper hierarchy make only half-hearted efforts at consistent squad building over the years they have been in charge and had had enough, so the ESL debacle was simply the last straw. Before you say under your breath that Manchester United have spent €1bn on transfers since Sir Alex Ferguson retired, consider this: Since Fergie retired in 2014, United have spent significantly less in transfer windows just after finishes in the top three (average of €80.84m), than in seasons where they finished fourth or lower (average of €193.91m). The problem with this is that this means that they don’t intend to build a team that is the best but rather are okay with the team being just one of the best in the league. This is why when they are outside the top three, they might panic and splash money wherever they can to correct perceived problems but never consolidate on the build. It’s like building a house without a roof and then when forces of nature that the roof would normally have protected against start to chip away at the building blocks breaking some, you run to replace the blocks but never actually get the roof in place. This is why the United board and fans never saw eye to eye. With United putting down a rumoured €85m to sign Jadon Sancho while trying to complete deals for more players after a season where they finished second, the 21/22 season could spell a shift in mentality for The Red Devils. Not only is the signing a step in the right direction in terms of mentality, but also, in terms of what Manchester United need on the pitch as well. During the 20/21 season, United deployed 42% of their attacks down the left side, making their attack the third-most one-sided attack in the premier league and it’s no surprise that the leaders for most offensive metrics for The Red Devils either play on the left or drift towards the left when they play. United were led in progressive passes, passes into the penalty area, progressive carries, shot-creating actions, key passes, and expected assists(xA) by Bruno Fernandes. In all of these metrics, he’s followed in second place by either Luke Shaw (who was first for crosses into the penalty area and carries into the final third) or Marcus Rashford (who was first for dribbles that ended in shooting opportunities and carries into the penalty area). In the 20/21 season, for Borussia Dortmund, Sancho’s output in passes into the penalty area per 90 minutes played (3.56), progressive carries/90 (10.4), shot-creating actions/90 (4.92) and key passes/90 (2.93), will have him above Bruno Fernandes (2.79 progressive passes, 6.8 progressive carries, 4.88 shot-creating actions, 2.73 key passes) when compared to United’s best. In addition to this, he contributed to more attack build-ups without having the final shot or key pass in the sequence than any United player did during the 20/21 season. Showing that he’s still quite creative even when he doesn’t end sequences of play. The introduction of Sancho who, despite being adept on the left or down the middle is expected to set up shop on United’s right-wing will help Ole’s army balance their attacking and especially creative options and make them less predictable and a different prospect to defend against. A much needed tactical addition that came at that high a cost despite a second-place finish in the league already shows that Manchester United’s hierarchy is ready to do what needs to be done to make the team not just one of the best, but THE best team in England and possible further signings of Raphael Varane, and Eduardo Camavinga to bolster other problem areas for United which will take United’s spend for the season well over €100m means that for the first time in a while, the Glazers will not be to blame if eventually, United do not end up with something tangible to show at the end of the season. Source: BALL GECKO
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| European Football (EPL, UEFA, La Liga) › What Next For Lampard? by Gball(op): 11:21am On Jul 09, 2021 |
Frank Lampard has been out of a job since January. He was fired at his beloved club and by a man, he would have claimed to know so well, Roman Abramovich. He spent only 18 months in London as Chelsea boss. They were ninth on the log and 11 points off the top. His team had conceded the most goals per game of any Chelsea team since 1998 and his win percentage of 52.4% was only better than Andre Villa-Boas’ during his time with the Blues. Abramovich doesn’t mix business with pleasure. Some might even say he takes pleasure in hiring and firing. After all, he hired and fired Jose Mourinho twice. The Portuguese is arguably Chelsea’s most successful coach ever. If anything, he paved the club’s real success path. The Russian billionaire paid him off and laid him off. “There are no emotions in business,” he would probably have said. Lampard’s coaching career seemed to be progressing steadily. He would think that he was deserving of the Chelsea job. For him, it didn’t come on a platter- not because he is the club’s highest scorer ever. He had worked his way up to reckoning. He started out as a manager in Derby county, a club in the second-tier of English football, and guided them to the playoffs in that season before getting the offer letter from Marina Granovskaia. It was early but he would claim he was ready. Not just that, his style of coaching wasn’t what he had experienced for large parts of his playing time at Chelsea. He dared to be different. His was free-flowing, conventional, and eye-pleasing. The Chelsea owner had begun to long for that style of play from his team. It was the reason he had hired Maurizio Sarri (Lampard’s predecessor). The Italian won the club the Europa League title in his sole season. Yet, he too was fired. Lampard may also feel that he deserved more time to amend things. He had been a loyal partner who stuck with the marriage when things were rather rough. Chelsea had been banned from the transfer market by FIFA for breaching its articles 18 and 19 which had to do with the transfer of minors and third-party influences. The ban didn’t essentially affect the team because the English boss optimised his squad and guided them to a UEFA Champions League spot. He came close to winning the FA Cup title but lost the final to fellow rookie manager Mikel Arteta and Arsenal. With Olivier Giroud and Tammy Abraham as forwards, Chelsea scored more in the Premier League than 17 other teams. To put that in perspective, only Liverpool (1st) and Manchester City (2nd) scored more goals than Lampard’s Chelsea. Just when the transfer ban was halved by the Court of Arbitration for Sport and £200m was splashed on new players, the 42-year-old was sacked. He only spent five months with the renovated squad. The league season begins just immediately after the continental competitions currently going on. Lampard is still without a job. Even Mourinho that was fired in April will be at the helm at Roma next summer. Who wants Lampard? What club in Europe would he best fit as he seeks a return to management? He has spoken about his addiction to coaching. He wants to return. He was linked with the job at AFC Bournemouth in February, a month after he was fired at Chelsea. He didn’t take the offer. And he says it’s not an “ego” problem. It was probably too early. Bournemouth went ahead to qualify for the play-off after finishing sixth on the log. They couldn’t gain promotion to the Premier League because Brentford beat them in the semi-final. The Bees were simply better. Then, Lampard was linked with a Premier League job- the Crystal Palace job. Roy Hodgson was going to call time on his 45-year old coaching career at the end of the campaign. The 73-year-old had managed to guide the Eagles to a stable 14th position in his final season. The role was vacant. It has been filled now but not by Lampard. Arsenal legend Patrick Viera was announced last week as the new coach. The fact is, Lampard cannot get a job close in status to the one he left. He is still inexperienced with just two and a half years in the business. He also didn’t perform exceptionally during his time in London. At this point, Lampard needs a job that helps him rebuild his reputation. A job with limited expectations and pressure. The top clubs seem to be sorted for coaches ahead of the new season. Wolverhampton Wanderers have just lost their manager, Nuno Espirito Santo to Tottenham Hotspur and the rumours are back. Interestingly, there are no clubs outside England currently interested in the services of the English manager. Maybe, just maybe, the best way up is down and it’s never too late to start from the beginning. Lampard, truly, has said that he doesn’t mind dropping to the Championship and it does look like his best bet. “I would take a view on going into the Championship. If it was the right club, the right project, for sure. I don’t have an ego where I feel just because I’ve managed in the Champions League, that’s the be-all and end-all.” He has shown to be capable of working with limited resources. In his time at Chelsea, he promoted Mason Mount, who has now become one of the most important players at the club and is on the way to becoming world-class. He had previously worked with the 22-year-old while coaching at Derby County. Without a proven striker, Abraham was given more than enough trust by Lampard and the forward repaid the faith by scoring 15 league goals in 34 appearances. Scotland’s Billy Gilmour was handed his senior debut and Andreas Christensen and Kurt Zouma were all given ample chances under him. But for injuries, Callum Hudson Odoi could have got more minutes in the 2019/20 season. He has built a reputation for promoting and working with young players while sticking through with his football philosophy. There are no vacant jobs yet in the EFL Championship. It is probably a good sabbatical for the former Chelsea midfielder- one where he can keep learning without the pressures of competition. One thing is guaranteed, though; there will be managerial rotations in due time and Lampard’s name will be in the mix. Then, his journey back to the top will start all over again but he would have learnt. Source BALL GECKO
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| European Football (EPL, UEFA, La Liga) › EURO 2020: What Each Team Needs To Qualify For The Round Of 16 by Gball(op): 11:06am On Jun 22, 2021 |
It is squeaky bum time for many teams at the Euros. With the final group games in full swing, 8 of the 24 teams face the prospect of leaving the competition prematurely. Turkey and North Macedonia have already been eliminated while Italy, Wales, Netherlands, and Belgium have secured qualification for the round of 16 leaving 12 places up for grabs in the next round from 17 possible teams. So grab your calculators and notepads, let’s find out which teams stand the best chance of qualifying for the next round and which teams might as well start saying their goodbyes. Teams would have to finish in the top two places in the group to qualify automatically for the second round but since the expansion to 24 teams, teams have been afforded another route into the last 16 as one of four best third-place teams from the six groups. It was via this avenue that 2016 champions Portugal made it to the knockout round. Teams tied on points will be separated first by the dreaded head-to-head rule which has become a staple in European football. Teams will be separated first based on the highest number of points gained between teams who are tied, and then the goal difference in only games between the teams in question followed by the number of goals scored in only games between the teams that are tied. This is a situation that Denmark, Finland, and Russia could face in Group B. If there are more than two teams tied, the head-to-head rule is still applied in the same manner. If after the head-to-head rules are applied, two of the three teams are still level, then the head-to-head rules are applied specifically to games between those two teams. However, some knots are even more difficult to break, just ask Alexander the Great. Even these criteria might not be enough to separate teams at the European Championships. If the head-to-head rule fails to separate the sides, then the next tiebreaker to consider would be goal difference across all group matches and then goals scored in all group games. If the teams are still deadlocked, then the total number of wins are considered. A rule specifically designed to separate teams who have had points deducted. My personal favourite tiebreaker is the one which says that if on the last round of the group stage, two teams are facing each other and each has the same number of points, as well as the same number of goals scored and conceded, and the score finishes level in their match, their ranking is determined by a penalty shoot-out. (This criterion is not used if more than two teams have the same number of points.). The penultimate divider is the disciplinary points total in all group matches with the team with lower disciplinary points finishing higher. Disciplinary points are awarded as 1 point for a single yellow card, 3 points for a red card as a consequence of two yellow cards, 3 points for a direct red card, 4 points for a yellow card followed by a direct red card. If all else fails, then a Higher position in the European Qualifiers overall ranking is the final means for separating teams. Group B In group B, Belgium have already made it into the second round with two wins in their first two, but still need at least a point against Finland to secure their place as group winners. Finland are third in the group but a point against Belgium might also be enough to see them clinch at least one of the best third-place spots depending on results in the game between Denmark and Russia. Russia, also on three points, require only a point against Denmark while the Danes need a win with a healthy margin to wipe out their current -2 goal difference. A win for Denmark coupled with a Finland loss would see them qualify automatically as second in the group, if they can’t make it as the second-placed team, a healthy goal difference could help them scale through as one of the best third-placed teams. Group C Group C is more straightforward as Netherlands have booked their place as group winners and North Macedonia have been eliminated as the bottom team in the group so the second automatic spot will be decided by the game between Ukraine and Austria. Whichever team wins will be through as second place leaving the other to battle for the best third-place spot. A draw will see Ukraine finish above Austria as both teams would be level on points and goal difference but Ukraine have scored more goals than Austria. A draw could suit both with four points and a neutral (0) goal difference a healthy starting point to finish as one of the best third-place teams. Group D Czech Republic lead the way in Group D, but a loss against England could see their good start be only enough for a third-place finish. If England win and Croatia beat Scotland, then Czech Republic and Croatia will have to be separated by goal difference to decide who finishes second. A win for Scotland would better their chances of qualifying. A win for Scotland could see them go second on goal difference only if Czech Republic claim all three points against England. A draw between Scotland and Croatia would see both crash out as the two points total would be worse than the current fourth-best on the table of third-placed teams held by Finland who have already gained three points. A draw in the game between England and Czech Republic will see both teams qualify from the group. Czech Republic as group winners and England as runners-up. Group E Emil Forsberg’s penalty against Slovakia has been the only winning goal in Group E so far and has Sweden sitting pretty at the top of the table with four points. They play Poland in the last group game with the Poles needing a win to stand any chance of advancing. Sweden on the other hand can finish top of the group with as little as a draw. Spain take on Slovakia in the final group game needing a win to qualify automatically and a draw to stand a chance as one of the best third-placed teams. Slovakia’s opening day win over Poland and loss to Sweden leaves them needing at least a point against Spain to certainly finish in the top two. Anything less and they will need to hope and pray they can sneak into one of the spots reserved for third-placed teams. Group F Group F has lived up to its billing as a group to watch out for with even Hungary playing their part to shake up the group. After an unfortunate opening day loss to Portugal set them back, the Magyars redeemed themselves with a draw against reigning World Champions France which means that they could qualify from the group if they can *gulp* defeat Germany in their third group game. Against Portugal, Germany were in no mood to hand out favours as they romped to a 4-2 win and it is likely they will continue in a similar vein. They also need at least a point against Hungary to stand a chance as one of the best third-placed teams or three points to qualify automatically as one of the top two. France could have qualified already if they had beaten Hungary in their second group game, but the shock draw means that they enter the final group game needing to claim points against Portugal to qualify for the Round of 16 automatically. A draw against France will help Portugal’s cause but if they draw and Germany beat Hungary, then they will have to settle for a third-place finish where four points and five goals scored (so far) should be enough to see them through. SOURCE Mynd44 , Lalasticlala , mukina2
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| European Football (EPL, UEFA, La Liga) › Re: Arsenal Fans Thread: The Red & White Army: 2025/2026 EPL Champions! by Gball: 3:04pm On Jun 21, 2021 |
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| Sports › EUROS: 4 Fairytale Stories From The European Championships by Gball(op): 5:46pm On Jun 18, 2021 |
he boom boom clap of the fans was deafening and in truth, The Three Lions of England did not stand a chance. A small nation of Vikings literally is what Iceland was when they stormed the 2016 Euros and rocked the tournament, writing one of the most incredible fairytale stories in Euros history. A tournament that has produced such stories as a team ranked second-lowest winning and a team reaching the semi-finals with only 14 available players is one with a rich history of upsets and fairytales. We hope that we can have more of these stories from the 2021 edition but before that, here are four of the finest fairy tales to whet your appetite for what’s to come. Russia 2008 – Semifinal The Russian national team’s fairytale at the 2008 Euros had the same blueprints that another Russian fairytale that occurred barely a month before Euro 2008 started. In the months leading up to the Euros, Zenit St Petersburg beat Marseille, Bayer Leverkusen, Bayern Munich, and Rangers to claim their first ever European trophy and the second in four years for a Russian team after CSKA Moscow’s 2005 win. Russia’s team at the Euros boasted 10 players from those two triumphs. Five each from CSKA and Zenit. These players ended up being the bedrock of the team that shocked Europe. Their journey in the tournament started where it would eventually end. In a defeat to eventual champions Spain. Without their talisman and chief creator Andrey Arshavin who was serving a suspension, Russia crumbled to a 4-1 loss. In the game that followed against defending Champions Greece, still without Arshavin, Russia battled to a 1-0 win with Konstantin Zyryanov who had scored in Zenit’s final win over Rangers getting the winner. They then faced Sweden in a straight duel for the second qualification spot in the group and with Russia needing to win, they were able to call on Arshavin who did not disappoint. He ran the Swedes ragged and after his run had helped Roman Pavlyuchenko open the scoring, he doubled Russia’s lead with a cute finish into the bottom corner. Andrey Arshavin scores for Russia against Netherlands Euro 2008 Russia then had to do battle with the Netherlands who had topped a group that also included France and Italy where they finished top of the group with maximum points beating both Italy and France by three-goal margins. READ MORE
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| European Football (EPL, UEFA, La Liga) › La Liga Season Review by Gball(op): 3:04pm On Jun 16, 2021 |
Luis Suarez was one of the players ‘called’ by Barcelona coach Ronald Koeman at the start of the season. He was told that his services would no longer be needed at Camp Nou. Was Koeman simply a mouthpiece for the club’s board or did the Dutch coach genuinely feel Suarez couldn’t perform at the biggest stage anymore? There would be no need for an answer because the repercussion of that call was grave. It was clear. At full-time, in the game between Atletico Madrid and Real Valladolid at the Jose Zorilla stadium on the final day, an emotional Suarez sat on the turf, his boots and shin pads lying aimlessly beside him, his socks rolled down like a secondary school kid, his left elbow resting on his knee and palm resting on the back of his head. He was on a video call- another call but to his family. He cried as he spoke. This time, these weren’t tears of sadness but joy. A season that started with a devastating call was ending in the best possible way. Atletico Madrid are champions of La Liga and he had played a major role for that to happen, including scoring the winner. He had beautiful pictures of the moments. He would love to send some to his “doubters”. No. He didn’t send the pictures. The former Barcelona striker restrained himself. And Barcelona? How did they fare in the just concluded season? The 2019 champions ended the season in third place but they could have won the title. To be fair, not at the start of the season would anyone have thought so. They had only Lionel Messi to rely on. A Messi they didn’t really have at the beginning. The Argentine had blatantly told everyone that mattered that he wanted out. He communicated via a fax machine. The world stood still. Interested clubs began to speak with their investors and advisors. If Messi was available, what were the possibilities? The Barcelona board did nothing. Well, they went through their captain’s contract meticulously to be sure it couldn’t be nullified and he would leave for free. The forward stayed eventually. Only the first two games were won convincingly. The others, till the start of the new year, were not. They lost four of their first ten matches, including those against Getafe and Cadiz. Oh! They lost for the first time to Atletico Madrid since Simeone became the coach of the Colchoneros. Something happened in February. “Barcelona found themselves,” like a Spanish journalist, Sid Lowe put it. Koeman tried three men in central defence and played Ousmane Dembele as the striker. That was the beginning of the unexpected. They would go on for another 19 matches without losing. As they were winning, their rivals were losing. Come May and Barcelona needed to beat Granda to go top. It had become their title to lose. They lost. Then they won. Then they drew. One more draw and they were out of the race completely. In that time, before the match against Granada, it had become a three-horse race- a four-horse race if you add that Sevilla were, somehow, mathematically in the mix. They were going to fight for it for as long as was feasible. Those weeks, from the end of April, had the fans on an emotional roller-coaster. No one wanted the title. Real Madrid drew with Real Betis and passed the baton to Atletico who lost to Athletic Club before Barcelona lost to Diego Martinez’s men. Atleti lost but remained winners. In truth, it probably shouldn’t have happened the way it did. Diego Simeone’s men were healthy atop the league until February but they dropped points in three of four matches. In March, they played out a goalless draw and the race was blown wide open. It was only four points between them and Barcelona. Now, it would make for an emotional story, seeing that they won the title after ‘suffering.’ Simeone would switch to a back three that allowed for more controlled possession. Typical of his teams, this Atletico were only beaten when the final whistle sounded. The never-say-die attitude was their greatest asset, and it saw them over the line in the final matches of the season. Sevilla ended the season fulfilled, Julen Lopetegui especially. After that nightmare with Spain and Real Madrid. He has rebuilt his reputation pretty quickly. He won the Europa League title- his first major title in his first season. Los Palanganas did not win a title this term but they finished in fourth place- the same position as last season and with 77 points- their highest ever tally in La Liga. When Sevilla tell their season’s story, they’ll say they competed for the title until the final weeks. They would not be wrong. After Atletico Madrid, Real Betis were probably the biggest winners in La Liga. The manner in which they won made it even more enjoyable. Manuel Pellegrini’s side needed to win against Celta Vigo on the final day to qualify for the Europa League. They qualified but they almost didn’t. The script was tampered with- the first 50 minutes particularly. Los Verdiblancos were down by two goals. They were staring defeat in the face. All the work they had done in the new year was going to waste. The win against Granada and Huesca would matter for nothing. Alas! Borja Iglesias stood up again to be counted. He had done so all season. This was different and he knew it. It was against the team where he learnt how to play. First, he dispatched the penalty with calmness after Emerson was brought down to make it 2-1. Nabil Fekir scored directly from a free-kick 12 minutes later and after five minutes, Victor Ruiz completed the comeback. They would have wanted the game to end there and then but one twist was remaining. Two minutes after the goal, no one affiliated with Betis was smiling. They had been reduced to ten men. Cristian Tello was sent off in the 75th minute. 15 minutes would start to feel like 50. Claudio Bravo would have to make a late save to get them over the line. We would have a 40-year-old in the Europa League next season after Joaquin extended his contract for another year. READ MORE 1 Like
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| Sports › Chelsea’s Very African 2012 UCL Win by Gball(op): 1:50pm On Jun 16, 2021 |
It’s been more than nine years since that magical night in Munich where Chelsea overcame all the odds to win their first ever UCL title. It has become the reference fairytale story for Chelsea fans since then. “If this happened in 2012 when we won the UCL, and it’s happening now, then we can win the UCL now”. Who can blame them when they remember the story and the feelings that came with their first ever title? In all of Chelsea’s heroes on the night and the tournament as a whole, nobody can forget the contributions of Chelsea’s African stars in particular in clinching their maiden crown. Chelsea had four African stars in their 2012 team, at the time, the most in a UCL winning squad overshadowing Barcelona’s 2009 and Inter Milan’s 2010 squads who had three African players. This run to the title was so sweet to the eyes because, for most of the 2011/2012 season, there seemed no plausible reason why it should have happened in the first place and it almost did not. An internal crisis had rocked Chelsea and they had been turning out results fit for a team that would be satisfied with a mid-table finish after a strong relegation fight and that simply isn’t who Chelsea are. Changes needed to be made. After players and manager had been at loggerheads for months over playing time, rotation, and respect, the decision to sack manager Andre Villas-Boas had to be made. A good manager in his own stead with a huge reputation following a UEFA Cup win with Porto, Villas-Boas was unable to stamp his authority on the team and found himself unable to win over the movers and shakers of the dressing room. “The communication was not right. From the start of this season, I was one of the key players in the team. But there were a few rotations early on and it was difficult. “You think you have played well in a game and the manager then leaves you out. You don’t know the reason why. Things like this went on through everyone’s head and not just mine” John Obi Mikel The communication was so wrong that it affected results and by the time Villas-Boas was sacked, Chelsea had one leg out of the Champions League. A 3-1 first leg loss against Napoli was not the last straw that broke the Camel’s back but it was certainly the heaviest. Out went Villas-Boas and in came Chelsea icon Roberto Di Matteo who had had a special career with the blues as a player and had served as an assistant manager before being hired as an interim first team manager. Before the second leg of the Napoli tie, the Chelsea players had a heart-to-heart that changed their season. CONTINUE READING
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| Sports › Pep Guardiola: What Next? by Gball(op): 11:43am On Jun 16, 2021 |
Pep Guardiola won the UEFA Champions League at his first time of asking. Leading a crop of Barcelona superstars to a European triumph, his style was distinctive and it earned him a distinction as one of the best managers in the history of football. It’s been a decade since the last time Guardiola placed his hands on the UEFA Champions League, no thanks to near misses, tragic losses, and some overthought approaches to big situations, and of course the VAR. In the final this year against Chelsea, the Spaniard has another opportunity to add to his rich collection of European triumphs. Widely-travelled, highly successful, undoubtedly skilled in the art of coaching, what happens in Porto will go a long way in determining what perception football fans make of Guardiola’s pep talks, his thoughts, and an almost theatric display on the bench. Quarter-losses: A Whole Tragedy Manchester City under Guardiola lost in the quarterfinal of the Champions League four times. A semifinal berth looked impossible for the team with old problems always finding a way to resurface. The pressure must have lived rent-free in Guardiola’s head, as he took over a team that had made it to the semifinal of the same competition under Chilean manager, Manuel Pellegrini. In the Citizens’ exit to Monaco in the 2016/17 season, PSG star, Kylian Mbappe announced himself as a teenage wonder kid to the world. A combination of powerful displays by Bernardo Silva, who coincidentally is now at the Etihad, Tiemoue Bakayoko, and Fabinho ensured the Principality club made it to the semifinal of Europe’s elite competition. If the excuse then was Guardiola not having his dream team to work with, another disappointing exit to Liverpool in the following season was a bite on the face. Overthinking and tinkering excessively again, the Reds gave Man City their marching orders in Europe and made it to the final where they lost to Real Madrid. Guardiola’s English debacle continued in 2019, as Tottenham snatched another semifinal place right under the nose of Manchester City. Raheem Sterling must have thought he has given City a place in the semifinal but a wicked VAR ruling ensured they’d have to wait another year to make progress past what had become a mental finish line. Perhaps the most disappointing of all, and one which caused serious doubts being raised about Manchester City’s European credentials was the loss to Lyon. Played as a one-legged fixture due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Citizens failed at a grand stage again, in the same place, firmly rooted to their old spots. It however sent a signal that there’s the need to fix old troubles with new solutions. Ruben Dias – Change Doesn’t Cost A Lifetime, But A Fortune In Guardiola’s four successive European failures, the constant missing link was a team that needed to hold its own when the stage is grand. The talents were amazing and were probably some of the best in Europe but without the right investments at times, they came short. The former Bayern Munich manager has spent a huge fortune on defensive signings alone and it took him four years to get the missing piece in the jigsaw. Ruben Dias will be in his homeland of Portugal when Man City faces Chelsea in the final in Porto and Guardiola must be delighted he took that one right step to plugging his team’s leakages. READ MORE
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| European Football (EPL, UEFA, La Liga) › Euros 2020: 5 Best Penalty Shootouts At The Euros by Gball(op): 5:14pm On Jun 08, 2021 |
1. Czechoslovakia 5-3 West Germany Euro (1976)Source
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