Daily Archives: February 20, 2024

How Chelsea stopped City initially – and the tactical tweak that earned Guardiola an equaliser


“When a team performs below their normal standards, questions are often asked about the manager’s decisions and the players’ output. Yet, it takes two sides to play a game of football. The opponent’s level could be one of the reasons a certain team aren’t as good as usual on a given day. ‘It’s in general, when you perform like this always there are many reasons, not just one,’ said Manchester City manager, Pep Guardiola, when he was asked about his team’s performance in the first half of their 1-1 home draw against Chelsea on Saturday. …”
The Athletic

Victor Osimhen and the stuttering season indicative of Napoli’s title defence


“Walter Mazzarri reintroduced himself to Victor Osimhen over the weekend. They had met three months ago when Napoli brought the amicably garrulous Tuscan who had been their manager from 2009-13 back in a caretaker role following Rudi Garcia’s dismissal. Mazzarri looked forward to working with the reigning Capocannoniere in Serie A. There was a time when he had a reputation in Italy for turning OK strikers into good ones (from Rolando Bianchi and Nicola Amoruso to Claudio Bellucci) and for taking Edinson Cavani from unfulfilled talent to one of the best centre-forwards of his generation. …”
The Athletic