Did anything happen in soccer this weekend? In addition to the announcement of a Tremendous League — with a Q&A breaking it down — sure, we had loads of on-pitch motion too. Man Metropolis’s quadruple quest was crushed at Wembley by Chelsea within the FA Cup semifinal, whereas Tottenham adopted the Tremendous League information by firing Jose Mourinho. There was additionally a trophy for Barcelona as Lionel Messi led the “disaster” membership to Copa del Rey glory.
It is Monday, and Gab Marcotti reacts to the most important moments on the earth of soccer from the previous weekend of internationals in Europe.
Leap to: Messi’s Copa magic | Why Spurs fired Mourinho | Man City’s quashed quadruple quest | Bayern, Flick drama
Messi shines as Barcelona move their technique to the Copa del Rey
There is a fairly acquainted trope when Barcelona are in what we used to name “Tiki-Taka” mode and are racking up possession dominance north of 60 p.c per sport. In the event that they rating, the knee-jerk response is to reward. But when they do not, they’re fools for “making an attempt to move it into the again of the web” and “not having a go.”
Barcelona’s Copa del Rey last in opposition to Athletic Bilbao heading in direction of the latter in a scoreless first half, earlier than reverting to the previous after the break as Ronald Koeman’s crew rolled to a Four-Zero victory. And, the truth is, that possession represents two sides of the identical coin.
Towards a Bilbao staff that sat very deep and congested the house, Barca selected to maintain the ball, to maneuver it, probe, check and finally exhaust — mentally and bodily — the opposition. That is the purpose of this model of play. They scored 4 targets after the break, and will have had seven or eight if not for some good Unai Simon saves, and a number of it needed to do with the injury accomplished to the opposition within the first half, psychologically if not when it comes to targets.
Oh, after which there was Lionel Messi. He bagged two, his first a factor of magnificence. It got here from a kind of classic runs the place he performs a one-two with a teammate (this time, Frenkie De Jong) with uncanny precision, accelerates into house and buries it. His second was courtesy of his previous associate in elegant, Jordi Alba.
Outcomes elsewhere imply Koeman now has a sport in hand and a five-point deficit to make up in La Liga’s title race, however greater than that, he has a facet that, whereas removed from excellent, is clicking and brimming with confidence. Even Antoine Griezmann — who lined up as a center-forward alongside Messi, a job he was supposedly unable to play — seemed good in opening the scoring, whereas De Jong reminded us simply why he stays among the best all-rounders within the sport.
Mourinho by no means felt like a pure match at Tottenham… particularly with no followers
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Julien Laurens believes Jose Mourinho is not a viable alternative for prime golf equipment after his time at Spurs.
You realize issues must be fairly unhealthy once you half methods with a supervisor per week earlier than your first cup last in six years and with a shot at European soccer (perhaps even a Champions League place) nonetheless within the stability. That is why it is exhausting to simply accept that Jose Mourinho is not Tottenham Hotspur supervisor merely based mostly on outcomes — particularly when, as late as mid-December, this staff had been prime of the Premier League.
Was is it merely the case — as may need occurred with Chelsea when they replaced Frank Lampard with Thomas Tuchel — that they turned satisfied Mourinho wasn’t going to ship a prime 4 end and so that you would possibly as nicely transfer on now?
– Tottenham fire manager Jose Mourinho
Probably, however that may imply they’ve their alternative lined up, as Chelsea did with Tuchel. It will have to be any individual out of labor and on condition that we’ve not heard a peep, they’d have needed to have moved swiftly and quietly. Given the bookies’ favourites to switch Mourinho (RB Leipzig’s Julian Nagelsmann, Leicester Metropolis’s Brendan Rodgers) are each gainfully employed, that situation seems unlikely.
Somewhat, you get the sense that the scenario had merely change into unsustainable on a private degree as nicely. It isn’t simply that the staff appeared to regress each when it comes to outcomes and efficiency; it is the way in which Mourinho’s personal manner appeared to decay because the season wound on. All that wide-eyed enthusiasm he displayed in his welcome video when he joined the membership — he talked about how the coaching floor was “the most effective on the earth” — and in his early months, after they completed the 2019-20 season on a excessive, was changed by the haggard look of a man who was going to work down a coal pit.
It is true as nicely that there could have been breakdowns in private relationships with sure members of the squad. There is a acquainted sample when a supervisor is let go, significantly at a prime membership, whereby tales all of the sudden seem to assist justify his departure. They might be true; they might be exaggerated or self-serving. It occurred after Mourinho was let go by Manchester United, Chelsea and Actual Madrid earlier than that. Count on it to occur right here as nicely.
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Julien Laurens believes the entire of Tottenham’s dressing room turned on Jose Mourinho leading to his sacking.
Mourinho by no means fairly felt like a rational match for Spurs. The place he is had success up to now, it has normally include successfully managing massive gamers with massive gamers and large personalities. (Massive salaries, too.) Typically he did it by making a siege mentality and typically by clashing with the membership, however at all times — when he was profitable — with fan assist.
But Tottenham did not have the large, vocal star personalities. (Not that they do not have nice gamers; it is extra that the likes of Harry Kane and Heung-Min Son merely have totally different personalities than, say, John Terry.) Nor did they’ve the huge sums to safe them, like a few of his earlier golf equipment. And so far as clashing with membership administration, few have taken on Daniel Levy and lived to inform the story, in order that was by no means going to occur.
As for the followers? Nicely, it is exhausting to construct a rapport pitch-side when there’s no person within the seats behind you. Perhaps this had an impression too, significantly within the new stadium.
And so that you surprise what occurs subsequent. Mourinho has burned bridges at each membership he is been at, bar Porto and Inter. Portugal, after Fernando Santos, is smart on paper, and he has expressed an curiosity up to now. There’s additionally a really gifted technology of gamers with whom to work. (However, there’s additionally an getting old Cristiano Ronaldo, and the 2 usually have not seen eye-to-eye up to now.)
Wherever he goes subsequent — and sure, I stated this when he was sacked from Chelsea the second time and sacked from Manchester United — quite a bit depend upon what classes he has realized from his latest experiences. You usually be taught extra from defeats than from victories. It is possible his finest likelihood to get again into the limelight.
The quadruple won’t be televised… not this 12 months, anyway
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Shaka Hislop is befuddled by Zack Steffen’s positioning on Chelsea’s successful objective vs. Manchester Metropolis.
Pep Guardiola did not like listening to discuss of a Quadruple in 2021 primarily as a result of he is aware of that in knockout competitions, it takes little or no to throw you off. Little question you are feeling for him. Saturday’s 1-Zero FA Cup semifinal defeat to Chelsea means he could must accept a Treble (probably), a Double (in all probability) or simply his third Premier League title in 4 years.
It wasn’t a very entertaining sport. Chelsea defended stoutly, as is Tuchel’s wont today, and the distinction was a run by Timo Werner and a stretch by Hakim Ziyech. Kudos to Chelsea; we all know they will get outcomes this fashion. That they created little besides in transition does not matter an excessive amount of as they are not being judged in opposition to Metropolis’s normal (not but, anyway).
– Ogden: Guardiola was right about quadruple impossibility
However it was noteworthy that Guardiola made eight adjustments from midweek. Certain, the fixture checklist is congested, he has one other sport on Wednesday (Aston Villa within the league), adopted by the Carabao Cup last on the weekend and the primary leg of the Champions League semifinal in opposition to Paris St Germain after that. Nonetheless, eight adjustments is quite a bit and until you have got blind (and, frankly, unjustified) religion in your staff’s potential to retain chemistry and high quality even when your XI is a revolving door, it speaks to greater than normal rotation. In spite of everything, this was an FA Cup semifinal and in contrast to League Cups, Premier League titles, Champions Leagues, Liga and Bundesliga crowns, DFB-Pokals and Copas del Rey, he solely has a kind of at residence.
I believe the manifold adjustments had extra to do with Metropolis’s run of type in latest weeks and perhaps desirous to ship a little bit of a shock to his crew. Over their previous three video games, they wanted an injury-time winner in opposition to Borussia Dortmund, they misplaced to Leeds United they usually went a objective right down to Dortmund within the return leg of the Champions League quarterfinal, having fun with the advantages of some massive refereeing calls alongside the way in which. They did not essentially play poorly, however the execution wasn’t there. It wasn’t actually there in opposition to Chelsea, both.
It isn’t a purpose to fret, although. In spite of everything, you can also make the purpose that from right here on out, there are simply three video games that matter: the League Cup last and the 2 semis in opposition to PSG. (Plus, in fact, the Champions League last in the event that they make it.) So if Pep realized one thing from the Metropolis sport, extra energy to him. In any other case, the one upshot is that there can be no Quadruple.
Bayern present character in direction of Wolfsburg… and a little bit of nasty in direction of Flick
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Jan Aage Fjortoft praises Bayern Munich’s potential to attain targets with out their chief Robert Lewandowski.
Bayern Munich’s Three-2 win over Wolfsburg was considerably overshadowed by what occurred post-match, when coach Hansi Flick went off-message and stated he want to go away on the finish of the season. It actually should not have been, as a result of the win over third-placed Wolfsburg — coming because it did just some days after elimination from the Champions League in opposition to PSG — was an enormous deal. It took their Bundesliga lead again as much as seven factors after Leipzig’s scoreless draw Friday, it confirmed the facet’s perennial bounce-back-ability (yeah, that is a phrase) and it reminded us what a gem they’ve in Jamal Musiala. It wasn’t simply the 2 targets he scored, however the way in which he took accountability in Bayern’s midfield and the intelligence with which he tracked again. It is easy to overlook that he solely turned 18 two months in the past.
However again to Flick, who confirmed in public his intention to maneuver on. (The good cash is on him taking the Germany job, post-Euros.) Bayern issued the tersest of statements, saying that that they had agreed with their supervisor that they’d broach the topic of his departure after the sport with Mainz on April 24, and that “FC Bayern disapproves of the unilateral communications issued by Hansi Flick and can proceed talks after the match at Mainz, agreed.”
Not fairly heat and fuzzy in direction of the man who helped ship the Treble final 12 months, was it?
Probably the most simple studying is that Bayern resent what seems to be an try by Flick to get them to launch him from his contract in June. Wonderful. However the actuality is that no membership goes to maintain a supervisor in opposition to his will — not until they are going to pay him to take a seat round and do nothing. It isn’t as if Flick is on the lookout for an enormous pay-out both: if he was, he would not be going to the Germany job. So why deal with him like just a little child who’s speaking out of flip?