Tag Archives: Football Manager

Switzerland 1 Germany 1: Fullkrug is the saviour but hosts look vulnerable

“This was the night Germany’s party almost fell flat. The Euro 2024 hosts had looked imperious at this tournament, winning both of their opening games, but Switzerland seemed certain to bring that momentum to a halt in Frankfurt as they led 1-0. But Niclas Fullkrug’s stoppage-time equaliser ensured a point for Julian Nagelsmann’s side and means they progress to the last 16 as group winners. …”
NY Times/The Athletic
Guardian: Germany relieved to qualify top after Füllkrug denies Switzerland at the last

Mexico 1-0 Jamaica takeaways: Alvarez’s agony, Arteaga strikes

“A wonderful left-foot strike from Gerardo Arteaga, drilled low and hard across goal from just outside the box, gave Mexico a winning start at Copa America. El Tri recovered from the loss of West Ham United midfielder Edson Alvarez in the first half after the Mexico captain limped off in agony, having fallen to the ground unchallenged clasping his left hamstring. …”
NY Times/The Athletic

Belgium 2 Romania 0: Lukaku denied again, a 73-second goal and the tightest of groups

“Belgium came into their game with Romania on Saturday as the only team yet to score at Euro 2024, but they fixed that particular issue after only 73 seconds, with Youri Tielemans scoring his nation’s quickest goal at a major tournament. Domenico Tedesco’s side dominated the remainder of the first half, but they couldn’t add the second their pressure deserved. For their part, Romania improved significantly after the break, but an entertaining game was sealed when Kevin De Bruyne latched onto a long kick from Belgian goalkeeper Koen Casteels to make it 2-0. …”
NY Times/The Athletic
Guardian: De Bruyne and Tielemans sink Romania to get Belgium back on track

Turkey 0 Portugal 3: Win secures top spot, a calamitous own goal and pitch invaders target Ronaldo

Portugal’s midfielder #10 Bernardo Silva celebrates scoring his team’s first goal during the UEFA Euro 2024 Group F football match between Turkey and Portugal at the BVB Stadion in Dortmund on June 22, 2024.
“Portugal began Euro 2024 as one of the teams strongly fancied to win the competition, so they hardly needed the huge helping hand given to them by Turkey in Dortmund. Bernardo Silva’s strike midway through the first half put Portugal in control, but this game will surely be remembered for their second, when a calamitous mix-up in the Turkey defence led to an own goal by Samet Akaydin, gifting the 2016 champions a 2-0 lead. …”
NY Times/The Athletic
Guardian: Portugal into last 16 as Silva and Fernandes sink Turkey

Georgia 1 Czech Republic 1: Flawed entertainers, Czech misfortune and Schick’s injury blow

“Georgia and the Czech Republic will head into the final round of matches with little room for error after they couldn’t be separated in Hamburg. The Czech Republic’s Adam Hlozek had a goal ruled out for handball before his side were penalised in the opposite penalty area for the same offence, Robin Hranac judged to have handled, allowing Georges Mikautadze to give Georgia the lead from the spot. …”
NY Times/The Athletic
Guardian: Mikautadze and Georgia denied historic victory as Schick saves Czech Republic

Edson Alvarez the ‘Machin’ – Mexico’s most important player

“There were two key moments for Edson Alvarez in 2010. Together they proved to be a turning point in his journey to becoming Mexico’s most important player. The first came when he was released from his first club, Pachuca, for being small. Alvarez’s parents encouraged him to continue playing and were it not for their intervention, he would have quit football. The second key moment came that summer. Alvarez and his family watched Mexico beat France 2-0 in the group stage of the World Cup in South Africa. He made a promise to his parents that would one day play for the national team. He vowed not to break it. …”
NY Times/The Athletic

Netherlands 0 France 0 – Why was Xavi Simons’ goal disallowed? Should Rabiot have shot?

“The Netherlands and France played out the first 0-0 draw of Euro 2024 as both moved closer to qualification for the knockout stages. The first-half was defined more by a strange decision than anything else. Adrien Rabiot was played through on goal courtesy of a flick from Marcus Thuram. Just yards away from the net, he chose to try and pass the ball to Antoine Griezmann rather than shoot. The ball was slightly behind Griezmann, and his attempt did not trouble Bart Verbruggen in the Netherlands goal. …”
NY Times/The Athletic
Guardian: Netherlands have to settle for draw with France after VAR rules out Simons strike

Poland 1 Austria 3 – Arnautovic shines as Rangnick’s changes prove effective

Manager Ralf Rangnick
“An impressive Austria beat Poland 3-1 in Berlin, thanks to goals from Gernot Trauner, Christoph Baumgartner and a Marko Arnautovic penalty. Poland, who were again unable to start Robert Lewandowski, offered little throughout and will now need to beat France in their final group game to have any chance of reaching the knockout stage after losing their first two matches. …”
NY Times/The Athletic

Ukraine prove their football is alive: ‘The strong man is the one who can get back up’

“They came down the Rhine, at first in flecks and clumps and then in a yellow and blue torrent from the centre of Dusseldorf to the football ground on the city’s northern edge. After the Russian invasion in February 2022, the presence of any Ukraine fans in Germany feels improbable. Their domestic league has been shattered, their squad scattered across Europe. And for the first 150 minutes of this tournament, defiant support appeared to be all Ukraine had brought to Euro 2024. …”
NY Times/The Athletic
Guardian: Ukraine show ‘different spirit’ as Yaremchuk completes comeback in win over Slovakia – Jonathan Wilson

Spain 1 Italy 0: Calafiori own goal settles ‘European Clasico’, Nico Williams shines

“Meetings between Spain and Italy rarely disappoint and this one was no exception — even if it was an own goal that decided the contest. Spain manager Luis de la Fuente described Thursday’s Euro 2024 Group B match as a ‘European Clasico’ in the build-up, and his players certainly came out motivated to impress. They completely dominated the first half, and Italy only went in level at half-time thanks to several key saves from goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma. After the break, Spain’s luck changed and they finally found the goal they’d been pushing for when Italy defender Riccardo Calafiori turned into his own net after Donnarumma palmed out an Alvaro Morata header. …”
NY Times/The Athletic (Video)
Guardian: Spain race into Euro 2024 last 16 after Calafiori’s own goal floors Italy

England 1 Denmark 1: Kane scores but struggles, England drop deep, Hjulmand wonder goal

“It was a familiar story for Gareth Southgate’s England in their second game at Euro 2024, as they took the lead against Denmark before dropping deep and allowing their opponents back into the game. England started brightly and took the lead in the 18th minute through their captain Harry Kane, but after that produced little. Denmark’s influence grew and grew and they scored a deserved equaliser through Morten Hjulmand after 34 minutes. The result means England are top of Group C with four points, going into the final round of matches and play Slovenia on June 25. Denmark are second in the group with two points and play Serbia in their final game. …”
NY Times/The Athletic
Guardian: England hit new low with dire performance too bad to be boring – Jonathan Liew

Slovenia 1 Serbia 1: 95th-minute Jovic equaliser leaves Group C in the balance – The Briefing

“The games in the early slot at Euro 2024 have generally provided sensational entertainment so far. It took a fair while for the Group C encounter between Slovenia and Serbiain Munich today to ignite, but it eventually delivered the now-customary drama. As they were against England, Serbia were subdued in the first half, with Slovenia the more aggressive and impressive side. What chances Serbia did create were invariably squandered by Aleksandar Mitrovic, which almost proved costly when Zan Karnicnik put Slovenia 1-0 up with 20 minutes to go. …”
NY Times/The Athletic
Guardian: Luka Jovic rescues Serbia with last-gasp header to deny Slovenia historic win

The retro kick-off tactic that is proving popular (and effective) at Euro 2024

“It was the first act of Euro 2024, it led to Albania’s goal against Italy (the fastest in the competition’s history), and is also a tactic used regularly by the top two in the Premier League, Manchester City and Arsenal. Back with a vengeance, it is the old-fashioned hoof up the park at kick-off. Aimless punts may seem like a relic of a bygone age in today’s football, largely a revolving battle between one team pressing high and the other trying to find space to play through, but this more rudimentary approach is back in fashion. …”
NY Times/The Athletic (Video)

Scotland 1 Switzerland 1: Shaqiri’s stunner, own goal confusion, Tierney’s agony – The Briefing

“To Stuttgart then for Scotland and Hungary — where a winner will like guarantee one of them a passage through to the round of 16. After being thumped 5-1 by Germany in the opening game of the competition Scotland responded in style. A fine move down the left ended with Scott McTominay’s scuffed shot going in off Switzerland defender Fabian Schar after 13 minutes. The lead did not last long though and the equaliser was a stunner — Chicago Fire’s Xherdan Shaqiri firing home from the edge of the box after Anthony Ralston’s woeful pass. A pulsating battle ensued as both sides pushed for a winner with Arsenalfull-back Kieran Tierney carried off in clear pain with a leg injury. …”
NY Times/The Athletic (Video)

Germany 2 Hungary 0: Nagelsmann’s tactics, Neuer’s revival and hosts through first

“Host nation Germany are through to the knockout stage of Euro 2024 after a convincing 2-0 win over Hungary in Stuttgart. A 22nd-minute strike from Jamal Musiala put Julian Nagelsmann’s side in front and then captain Ilkay Gundogan made sure of the three points midway through the second half. Hungary didn’t roll over like Scotland did in losing Friday’s tournament opener 5-1, however — with veteran goalkeeper Manuel Neuer making several key saves to keep Marco Rossi’s side from scoring. …”
NY Times/The Athletic
NY Times/The Athletic: Manuel Neuer offers Germany glimpses of past brilliance but remains a figure under scrutiny

Croatia 2 Albania 2 – How did Croatia let it slip? How far can Albania go? Unluckiest own goal?

Albania’s Klaus Gjasula looks on in horror as he scores an own goal that gives Croatia the lead.
“Just when it looked as though Croatia had disproved their doubters by coming from behind to beat Albania, they let it slip at the end. As against Italy in their first game, Albania scored with their first shot. Against Italy, it was after just 23 seconds. This time, it came after 11 minutes, via Qazim Laci’s header. But despite struggling in the first half, Croatia took the lead in the second half, with Andrej Kramaric equalising before an unfortunate own goal shortly after. But then Klaus Gjasula, who had scored the own goal, equalised to rescue a 2-2 draw for Albania. Both sides, with one point each and one game to play, can still reach the knockouts. …”
NY Times/The Athletic
Guardian: Klaus Gjasula strikes late after own goal to snatch Albania draw with Croatia – Jonathan Wilson

French far-right leader condemns Mbappé’s anti-extremism remarks

“The French far-right leader Jordan Bardella has criticised the footballer Kylian Mbappé over his call for young people to vote against the ‘extremes’ in parliamentary elections this month. ‘I have a lot of respect for our footballers, whether Marcus Thuram or Kylian Mbappé, who are icons of football and icons for youth … But we must respect the French, we must respect everyone’s vote,’ Bardella told CNews TV on Tuesday. …”
Guardian

Arda Guler: Choir-boy looks, thunderous foot and the hearts of Ancelotti, Montella and Turkey

“Giorgi Mamardashvili pawed the free kick away. As he did, his Georgian team-mates ran over to celebrate as if he had scored. His compatriots in the press tribune in the Westfalenstadion turned to their colleagues, grasped their arms and said: ‘The best in the world. The best goalkeeper in the world.’ Mamardashvili was the hero when Georgia qualified for a European Championship for the first time since gaining independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. When the 23-year-old goalkeeper flew to his left and saved Tasos Bakasetas’ penalty in the play-off against Greece, he flew his nation to Dortmund too. …”
NY Times/The Athletic (Video)
Guardian: Arda Guler brings the thunder as Turkey survive storm to beat Georgia

Francisco Conceição comes off Portugal bench to break Czech Republic hearts

“A night of mayhem and confusion, of futures and pasts dragging each other in different directions, and at its climax a goal of pure catharsis. Portugal, one of the tournament favourites, are away: a poacher’s goal by the 21-year-old Francisco Conceição sealing victory in the first minute of injury time and underlining the bench strength available to Roberto Martínez. And this was a redemption of sorts for Martínez too, a coach who knows that he will need to shed Portugal’s past if he is to shed his own. Perhaps unfairly maligned as the man who inherited Belgium’s golden generation and won nothing, …”
Guardian

France’s altered defensive shape worked against Austria – but game state was a crucial factor

“When Didier Deschamps was asked a question about the pairing of N’Golo Kante and Adrien Rabiot in midfield after France’s 1-0 victory against Austria, he politely interrupted it to make a small correction. … France’s switch to a midfield three featuring the Atletico Madrid forward has continued throughout the European Championship qualifying campaign and into the tournament, but they slightly adjusted their shape off the ball in their opening game against Ralf Rangnick’s Austria. Usually, France’s 4-3-3 moves to a lopsided 4-4-2 when they are out of possession, with Kylian Mbappe maintaining a high position, while the right winger drops deeper to form a midfield four and the left midfielder is tasked with defending the flank. This way, Deschamps frees Mbappe of any defensive responsibilities and keeps him in an advanced position to be a threat on the transition. …”
NY Times/The Athletic

Belgium’s Romelu Lukaku endures another painful 90 minutes at a major tournament

“Romelu Lukaku wants to be considered one of the best strikers in the world and, by most metrics, he is. The 31-year-old has been a consistent scorer at every club he has played for and has had moments when he has appeared world-class. Unfortunately, the Belgian is prone to performances like Monday’s against Slovakia, when he looked a long way short of that exalted level while his team surprisingly lost 1-0 in their opening Euro 2024 group game. Domenico Tedesco’s side arrived at this tournament unbeaten in 14 matches (10 wins) and with an attacking plan catering to Lukaku’s strengths. …”
NY Times/The Athletic

Romania 3 Ukraine 0: Stanciu’s scorcher, defensive steel and a memorable Romanian triumph

“Romania returned to the European Championship in rip-roaring style with a historic victory over Ukraine in Munich. Edward Iordanescu’s side failed to qualify for Euro 2020 and had only scored three goals in a European Championship match once before, during their famous 3-2 win over England at Euro 2000, but in Munich, they got their Euro 2024 campaign off to the perfect start courtesy of goals from Nicolae Stanciu, Razvan Marin and Denis Dragus. …”
NY Times/The Athletic
Guardian – ‘Radical change’: resurgent Romania seek to forge new legacy at Euro 2024

England start Euro 2024 with a win – but there was that familiar issue of losing control

Harry Kane
“Jude Bellingham wasn’t having it. He wasn’t having Serbia forcing their way back into this match and, once it was over, he wasn’t having anyone rain on his or England’s parade. It was put to him in the post-match news conference that while the first half against Serbia had shown why England are among the favourites to win Euro 2024, the second half had shown the shortcomings that might ultimately be their undoing. …”
NY Times/The Athletic
Guardian: Jude Bellingham gives England winning start but Serbia make Southgate sweat

Christian Eriksen shines and scores but Denmark held late on by Slovenia

“When Christian Eriksen collapsed in Denmark’s opening game of the European Championship three years ago, his unconscious body surrounded by his teammates as he received CPR, what then would have seemed a reasonable hope for the future? To survive? To lead a relatively normal life? To resume his career? Did anybody in those dreadful moments think he might play at Euro 2024? Even the most optimistic, surely, could not have foreseen a performance quite like this. But brilliant as Eriksen was, his display was not enough to deliver a win for Denmark. …”
Guardian

Wout Weghorst rescues Netherlands after Poland give them a shock

“There was the unforgettable star turn off the bench in the World Cup quarter-finals against Argentina in the artificial surrounds of Lusail, and now Wout Weghorst can stash away another compelling piece of evidence of his nose for goal in a Netherlands shirt at a major tournament. In Qatar, Weghorst scored his first goal within five minutes of coming off the bench; the second goal, straight off the training ground from a Teun Koopmeiners free-kick, came in the 11th minute of stoppage time to force extra time. …”
Guardian

Spain 3 Croatia 0: Lamine Yamal makes history as youngest Euros player – The Briefing

“It was the first real heavyweight meeting of Euro 2024 — and the result was much more one-sided than many expected. Spain got their campaign off to an impressive start with a 3-0 win over Croatia at Berlin’s Olympiastadion thanks to goals from Alvaro Morata, Fabian Ruiz and Dani Carvajal — all scored before half-time. Real Madrid full-back Carvajal’s strike was assisted by Barcelona winger Lamine Yamal, who became the youngest player at a European Championship, aged 16 years and 338 days old. …”
NY Times/The Athletic
Guardian: De la Fuente delights in variety of Spain attack spearheaded by Lamine Yamal

Italy 2 Albania 1: Bajrami scores fastest goal in Euros history, Barella leads fightback – The Briefing

“If Italy wanted a wake-up call in their defence of the European Championship they got one — after 23 seconds. Nedim Bajrami stunned the holders when he capitalised on woeful defending to score the fastest goal in the tournament’s history. The response was simply brilliant from Luciano Spalletti’s team — Alessandro Bastoni heading them level after 11 minutes and Nicolo Barellafiring them in front five minutes later. …”
NY Times/The Athletic
Guardian: Italy bounce back from first-minute shock as Barella strike sinks Albania

Marvel of Eriksen’s recovery reminds us that glory comes in many forms – Jonathan Wilson

“It was the third game of the Euros. There was a slow sense of familiarity returning. The night before, Italy had beaten Turkey 3-0 in Rome. Earlier in the afternoon, Wales and Switzerland had drawn 1-1 in Baku. In Copenhagen, Denmark would face Finland. Covid restrictions meant there would be only 13,700 at Parken. But a year after it should have been played, the fact Euro 2020 was going ahead at all was a symbol that, whatever the lingering effects of the virus, something approaching normal life could return. …”
Guardian

Hungary 1 Switzerland 3: Duah gamble pays off and Embolo’s comeback – The Briefing

“Switzerland got their Euro 2024 off to a winning start thanks to a hugely impressive first-half performance from Murat Yakin’s team — and a welcome late return from Breel Embolo. Having gone 2-0 down in the first half, Hungary battled back after the break and halved the deficit through a Barnabas Varga header. There were some nervy moments for the Swiss until Embolo punished Willi Orban for a misplaced header and lifted in a third on his first international appearance since the 2022 World Cup. …”
NY Times/The Athletic
Guardian – Breel Embolo: the rebellious Swiss striker with a charitable cause

Germany 5 Scotland 1 – Germany’s new era, Scotland’s nightmare and why is Kroos retiring? – The Briefing

“Euro 2024 got underway on Friday night as tournament hosts Germanytook on Scotland in Munich. Thousands of Scots had travelled to support their side in Bavaria, hoping to see a team — who have never previously progressed out of a group at an international tournament — record a famous result. Instead Germany taught them a footballing lesson, Julian Nagelsmann’s side 3-0 up at half-time and a man to the good after Ryan Porteous was sent off for a horror tackle on Ilkay Gundogan. …”
NY Times/The Athletic
Guardian: Germany look like a team intent on writing their own history

Georgia and Albania’s presence at Euro 2024 is sign of eastern resurgence – Jonathan Wilson

“On 14 July, the European champions will be crowned in Berlin. No one really expects a former communist country to win in the city whose division once symbolised the cold war but perhaps, finally, 35 years after the Wall came down, the eastern part of the continent is beginning from a football perspective to regather its strength. Not including Germany (two players in their provisional squad were born in the east), 11 of the 24 teams at the Euros will be from the former Soviet bloc, as opposed to eight in 2020 and 2016. Even including the two hosts, Poland and Ukraine, five of the 16 were from the east in 2012; there were five in 2008, 2004 and 1996 and four in 2000. …”
Guardian – Jonathan Wilson

Euro 2024: F – Turkey, Georgia, Portugal, Czech Republic

Turkey Euro 2024 squad guide: ‘The Little Airplane’, silky playmakers and calls from Erdogan “The manager: The Little Airplane, as the 5ft 8in (173cm) Vincenzo Montella became known in his playing days because of his arms-out goal celebration, quickly achieved lift-off as Turkey manager after getting the job last September. The opening goal of his reign, by Baris Alper Yilmaz the following month, was historic in more ways than one, because it condemned Croatia to their first ever home defeat in a European Championship qualifier. Then in November, Turkey surprised Germany in another away game, coming from 1-0 down to win 3-2 in a Berlin friendly. …”
NY Times/The Athletic

Georgia Euro 2024 squad guide: Kvaratskhelia in attack but defence is untested “The manager: If you lead a national team to their first major tournament, it is a fair bet that you will be adored. Former France full-back Willy Sagnol took over Georgia at a difficult time four years ago, when they had narrowly failed to qualify for Euro 2020 after losing to North Macedonia in their Path D play-off final. The game was delayed and played without fans because of Covid-19 restrictions, leaving Georgia without their vociferous home support. …”
NY Times/The Athletic

Portugal Euro 2024 squad guide: The complete package, if the balance is right “The manager: After falling short of winning a title with one country’s ‘golden generation’ of players, Roberto Martinez is now tasked with going one better with another set. Martinez led Belgium to the top of FIFA’s world rankings and kept them there for more than half of his six-year tenure but, across three major tournaments, they couldn’t go that final step. They lost to World Cup winners France in the semi-finals in 2018 and European Championshipwinners Italy in the quarters in 2021. Martinez’s reign ended horribly in 2022 with an embarrassing group-stage exit from the Qatar World Cup, bowing out after drawing 0-0 with Croatia when the only target Romelu Lukaku hit was the dugout in a post-match rage. …”
NY Times/The Athletic

Czech Republic Euro 2024 squad guide: Expect unadulterated no-thrills football “The manager: ‘The pressure was already enormous. Sometimes, I didn’t understand it myself.’ Those were the words of Jaroslav Silhavy, who stepped down as Czech Republic head coach in November after successfully qualifying for Euro 2024. In his place came the experienced Ivan Hasek, 60, a former midfielder who captained Czechoslovakia to the World Cup quarter-finals in 1990. …”
NY Times/The Athletic

Euro 2024: F – Belgium, Ukraine, Romania, Slovakia

Belgium Euro 2024 squad guide: Talisman Lukaku, Bakayoko one to watch – but Courtois left out “The manager: Marc Wilmots and Roberto Martinez finished empty-handed despite having Belgium’s golden generation in their prime. Now, Domenico Tedesco has the task of trying to claim the national team’s first major silverware with its remaining stars now the wrong side of 30 and their successors still growing into their potential. Belgium are yet to lose a game since Tedesco took over in February 2023, with the new man typically setting up his team in a 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1 formation. …”
NY Times/The Athletic

Ukraine Euro 2024 guide: A strong squad and La Liga’s top scorer – but the war weighs heavy “The manager: There was an element of destiny to Sergei Rebrov becoming Ukraine’s head coach. Andriy Shevchenko had a go, leading his country at the last European Championship, but his former strike partner and fellow national hero took over in 2023. If it was a sentimental appointment, you can understand why: if ever a national team needed an emotional connection to its manager, it is Ukraine right now. The war with Russia is into its third year and they have not played a genuine home game since March 2022. …”
NY Times/The Athletic

Romania Euro 2024 squad guide: Iordanescu has a settled defence but Coman could star “The manager: The name of Romania’s coach might ring a bell. Probably not from his playing career: Edward Iordanescu was a journeyman midfielder who shuttled around a series of relatively minor Romanian clubs. Maybe not even for his coaching career either: he won the league with CFR Cluj in 2021, but otherwise there’s not much that would stand out to an outside observer. …”
NY Times/The Athletic
Slovakia Euro 2024 squad guide: A familiar blend of experience led by a former coffee-seller “The manager: There can’t be many more unusual stories in international management than Francesco Calzona. Calzona didn’t have much of a playing career to speak of and, in fact, split his younger days between amateur football and selling coffee. He eventually became part of Maurizio Sarri’s coaching staff at five clubs, including his most successful years at Napoli, which is where the seeds of his appointment as Slovakia manager were sown. …”
NY Times/The Athletic

Euro 2024: D – France, Netherlands, Poland, Austria

France Euro 2024 squad guide: A squad of stars. Proven winners. All other teams, beware “The manager: Didier Deschamps is the third longest-serving manager of a European nation and has overseen France’s return to the top of the world game. He was appointed in 2012, in the aftermath of a chaotic World Cup in South Africa two years prior. Blessed with an outstanding talent pool, he has turned France into a team to be feared again. His winning mentality was forged by a hugely successful playing career, which saw him win the Champions League twice, with Marseille and Juventus, before his crowning moment at the World Cup in 1998, where he lifted the trophy as captain of the national team on home soil. …”
NY Times/The Athletic

Netherlands Euro 2024 squad guide: Big names like Van Dijk and De Jong, but still lacking firepower “The manager: When Koeman arrived for his second term as Netherlands manager, replacing a 71-year-old Louis van Gaal who had just completed three spells, it caused little excitement. Koeman returned to the role off the back of failures in his last two club roles — at Everton and Barcelona — though his short spell in charge of the national team between 2018 and 2020 was more successful than might have been remembered. After missing out on qualification to the 2016 Euros and 2018 World Cup, the 61-year-old ensured a no-drama qualification for the delayed finals of Euro 2020, though stepped down to take over at Barcelona before the tournament. He also led the Netherlands to the final of the first Nations League in 2019. …”
NY Times/The Athletic

Poland Euro 2024 squad guide: Few strengths beyond a fading Lewandowski and a very tough group “The manager: Michal Probierz likes a 3-5-2 — and a controversial remark. Probierz was a promotion from within. In September 2023, he was coach of Poland’s under-21s when Fernando Santos was dismissed. Santos, who led Portugal to their unlikely Euro 2016 success, was not popular. His team were not good, either. A friendly win over a very poor Germany was a rare high point of a nine-month reign and Santos was sacked following an awful 2-0 defeat to Albania in their European Championship qualifying group. …”
NY Times/The Athletic

Austria Euro 2024 squad guide: Revitalised under Rangnick and eyeing upsets in Group D “The manager: After working in club football for the best part of four decades, his six months managing Manchester United in the 2021-22 season appear to have put Ralf Rangnick off. Over the past two years, he has shifted into the international game for the first time, preparing Austria for a close-to-home European Championshipjust over their northern border and, whisper it, appears to have positioned them in something approaching the ‘dark horses’ category… if they can get out of a really tough group also containing France, the Netherlands and Poland. …”
NY Times/The Athletic

Euro 2024: C – England, Denmark, Serbia, Slovenia

England Euro 2024 squad guide: More justifiable tournament favourites than ever before “The manager: This will be Gareth Southgate’s fourth major tournament with England. No manager has taken the team to as many since Sir Alf Ramsey. Whatever happens in Germany, Southgate is the most consequential England manager of the modern era and this will be the tournament that defines his legacy and his future. His contract expires at the end of this year and if England disappoint in Germany, that will be the end of his eight-year tenure. He may leave with a sense of not quite fulfilling the resources available to him, but if England win — or get close — this summer, then a contract extension is on the cards and one last attempt at the World Cup in the U.S. in two years’ time. …”
NY Times/The Athletic

Denmark Euro 2024 squad guide: A lack of evolution fuels doubts hanging over Hjulmand’s side “The manager: Kasper Hjulmand has been in the job almost four years and is now leading Denmark to what will be, slightly surprisingly, their first back-to-back European Championship appearances since they competed in the 2000 and 2004 editions. However, his popularity is on the wane and the mood surrounding him is not what it was back in 2021. Denmark’s progress through to the semi-finals of those Euros certainly occurred under exceptional circumstances following Christian Eriksen’s cardiac arrest during their opening group match on home turf in Copenhagen, but it also created a swell of goodwill around the team which would actually flow into Danish football as a whole. …”
NY Times/The Athletic

Serbia Euro 2024 squad guide: Tactical issues, a defensive shortage and an unpopular manager “The manager: Dragan Stojkovic is not popular. This is the second successive tournament that he has taken Serbia to. Nevertheless, his team have been in a lull since Qatar, where they failed to win any of their games (against Brazil, Cameroon and Switzerland). They qualified for Germany in second place, but they still lost home and away to Hungary, displaying tactical issues that continue to compromise their talent. …”
NY Times/The Athletic

Slovenia Euro 2024 squad guide: Oblak and Sesko give these underdogs real bite “The manager: If at first you don’t succeed, try and try again. Whether that is Slovenia coach Matjaz Kek’s motto, it certainly applies as, in his second spell in charge of his homeland’s national team, he has got them to the Euros at the third attempt. His first crack at the job — which began in 2007 and included their qualification for the 2010 World Cup — ended in 2011 following the failure to reach the following summer’s Euros. He returned in late 2018 and while he was unable to guide the team to Euro 2020, they won Nations League promotion to its second tier in 2021 and are now off to only their second European Championship, after their debut in the 2000 tournament. …”
NY Times/The Athletic

Euro 2024: B – Italy, Spain, Croatia, Albania

Italy Euro 2024 squad guide: Trepidation for a team yet to be moulded in Luciano Spalletti’s image “The manager: Luciano Spalletti was supposed to be on sabbatical. He left newly-crowned Serie A champions Napoli last summer with the intention of spending a year on his country estate in Tuscany. The only vintage Spalletti planned to concern himself with was the latest Sangiovese from his vineyard. Not the 2024 Azzurri. But in August, the president of the Italian FA, Gabriele Gravina, called. Roberto Mancini had quit, citing differences over a reshuffle of his coaching staff. A reshuffle he initially endorsed. …”
NY Times/The Athletic

Spain Euro 2024 squad guide: A teenage record-breaker and Rodri in the middle, but the scandal lingers “The manager: Even Luis de la Fuente himself was surprised when he was promoted to take over Spain’s senior team by Luis Rubiales, who had fired previous coach Luis Enrique following Spain’s last-16 exit to Morocco at the 2022 World Cup. De la Fuente was a double La Liga champion at left-back with Athletic Bilbao in the early 1980s. After moving into coaching, he worked with different generations of Spain’s national teams, winning an Under-19 European Championships in 2015, the Under-21 Euros four years later and getting the under-23s to the final of the most recent Olympics in 2021. …”
NY Times/The Athletic

Croatia Euro 2024 squad guide: One last hurrah or a tournament too far? “The manager: Zlatko Dalic is the third longest-serving international manager at Euro 2024 and it’s a testament to what he has achieved with Croatia that he remains one of the most popular in his homeland. That would have been tough to predict when he was appointed in 2017, with his previous jobs being boss of Slaven Belupo, Al Faisaly, Al Hilal and Al Ain. He won the UAE Pro League with the latter and a report in Croatia at the time of his appointment with the national team stated he had earned enough money for three lifetimes, let alone one, which was helpful because the Croatian FA didn’t have much to pay him at the time. …”
NY Times/The Athletic

Albania Euro 2024 squad guide: A group of unlikely heroes in more ways than one “The manager: Sylvinho! You know, the old Arsenal and Barcelona left-back? Yeah, he’s Albania’s manager. Interesting, right? The Brazilian’s playing days ended in 2010 after a brief stint at Manchester City, then he spent the best part of a decade earning his corn as a coach at Cruzeiro, Sport Recife and Nautico in Brazil, then as Roberto Mancini’s assistant at Inter Milan, then Tite’s assistant with the Brazil national team. …”

Euro 2024: A – Germany, Scotland, Switzerland, Hungary

Germany Euro 2024 team guide: Wirtz and Musiala provide spark but defence is a concern “The manager. It’s strange to talk of a 36-year-old manager or head coach as being in a career recovery phase — and perhaps that is too strong a term — but Julian Nagelsmann is certainly on the rebound after leaving Bayern Munich. Until that sacking in March 2023, Bayern had just seemed like the natural next step of his ascension. It was not to be. Amid grumbling about his clothes, his temper and, in one instance, his skateboarding, the shine came off the penny when he was fired just 18 months on from his appointment. …”
NY Times/The Athletic

Scotland Euro 2024 team guide: Greater than the sum of their parts and aiming high “The manager. As the man who took Scotland to their first major tournament in 23 years, Steve Clarke’s legacy was secured the moment David Marshall saved the decisive penalty in the qualification play-off shootout against Serbia in November 2020. Making it to back-to-back Euros has elevated him to certified royalty, but a run into the knockout stages this summer would see him go down as arguably the best manager in Scotland’s history. …”
NY Times/The Athletic

Switzerland Euro 2024 team guide: An under-fire manager and an underpowered front line “The manager. Quite a few people in Switzerland are surprised that Murat Yakin is still there. As a playing great for the national team, his appointment in 2021 was welcomed but after being pulverised 6-1 by Portugal in the round of 16 at the World Cup, the last year or so has been a disaster. In their last seven qualifiers, they only beat Andorra and limped to the tournament by finishing second in a weak group. …”
NY Times/The Athletic

Hungary Euro 2024 team guide: Solid foundations and Szoboszlai magic cause for hope “The manager. ‘He could be filmed knocking over grandmothers in front of parliament, and people would still love him,’ says one supporter, summarising the popularity of Hungary head coach Marco Rossi. The 59-year-old Italian has been in charge since 2018 — making him the country’s longest-serving coach since the legendary Lajos Baroti in the 1960s, who was the final manager of a golden generation known as the Mighty Magyars. …”
NY Times/The Athletic

Euro 2024 favourites: how England, France, Spain and others are shaping up

Barcelona’s Pau Cubarsi has earned a first senior Spain.
“The last international break before the end of the European club season will give those national teams who fancy their chances of winning Euro 2024 a vital opportunity to try out new players, and maybe swing the axe at a few of the old guard, too. France — World Cup finalists in 2022 — will be looking to finesse a seriously impressive squad, Euro 2020 runners-up England will be plotting to go one better this time around, while tournament masters Germany will be desperate to improve on the disappointments of the last European Championship and World Cup. The Athletic assesses how those teams and the tournament’s other big hitters are shaping up… ”
NY Times/The Athletic (Video)

Xabi Alonso’s evolution: How an elite long-range passer turned against long balls

“It’s no exaggeration to suggest that Xabi Alonso’s first full season in management should be considered one of the most impressive campaigns in the history of the European club game. To end Bayern Munich’s 11-year winning run is remarkable in itself. But Alonso took charge of Bayer Leverkusen a couple of months into the 2022-23 season, when they were second-bottom after just eight matches. To oversee such a dramatic turnaround was almost unthinkable in itself — but Alonso’s side have also gone the league season undefeated. On Wednesday, they will contest the Europa League final against Atalanta, and then they are heavy favourites to complete a domestic double in Saturday’s DFB-Pokal final against second-tier strugglers Kaiserslautern. …”
NY Times/The Athletic – Michael Cox
Guardian: Atalanta win Europa League as Lookman hat-trick ends Leverkusen’s unbeaten run – Jonathan Wilson

VAR vote: What Premier League fans want their clubs to do

Everton fans have been battling the Premier League most of the season. They’re not alone.
“With five minutes left in his team’s penultimate game of the Premier League season, Manchester City Manager Pep Guardiola found the tension just a little too much. As a rival striker bore down on his team’s goal, Guardiola — crouching on his haunches on the sideline — lost his balance and toppled over onto his back. Lying on the grass and expecting the worst, he missed what may yet prove to be the pivotal moment in the Premier League’s most enthralling title race in a decade. But the striker did not score. His effort was parried by goalkeeper Stefan Ortega, sending Manchester City above its title rival Arsenal in the standings and positioning it, if it can win again on Sunday, to become the first English team to win four consecutive championships. …”
NY Times
The Athletic – VAR vote: What Premier League fans want their clubs to do
Guardian – Two points in it: the fine margins that could haunt Arsenal in title battle
W – Video assistant referee: Criticism

Anthony Gordon scores the controversial goal for Newcastle that condemned Arsenal to defeat in November.

Scandal Brought Reforms to Soccer. Its Leaders Are Rolling Them Back.

Gianni Infantino, the FIFA president, center, in Washington in April. He has overseen the weakening of changes he championed as a candidate for the position.
“The 12-page report was intended to save soccer’s governing body, FIFA, in its moment of existential crisis. Filled with reform proposals and drawn up by more than a dozen soccer insiders in December 2015, the report was FIFA’s best chance to show business partners, U.S. investigators and billions of fans that it could be trusted again after one of the biggest corruption scandals in sports history. In bullet points and numbered sections, the report championed high-minded ideas like accountability and humility. It also proposed concrete and, for FIFA, revolutionary changes: transparency in how major decisions were reached; term limits for top leaders and new limits on presidential power; and the abolition of well-funded committees widely viewed as a system of institutional graft. And there on the report’s final page, deep down a list of its authors, was the name of the man positioning himself as FIFA’s savior: Gianni Infantino. …”
NY Times

The Real Jurgen Klopp, part 1: The ‘normal guy from the Black Forest’

“After almost nine years in charge and seven major trophies, Jurgen Klopp is leaving Liverpool. He has been one of the most transformative managers in the club’s history and in English football’s modern era. To mark his departure, The Athletic is bringing you The Real Jurgen Klopp, a series of pieces building the definitive portrait of one of football’s most famous figures. …”
NY Times/The Athletic (Video)

Fluid poetry has beaten brutality in the battle for football’s evolution

The 1970 FA Cup final replay was a dirty affair. Here, Alan Clarke (left) of Leeds United takes a shot while Chelsea defenders Ron Harris (left) and Dave Webb approach, as the sides take time out from kicking one another.
“I recently watched a recording of the 1970 FA Cup final replay with my 12-year-old son. You can find the match by searching for ‘football’s most brutal game’. I was attempting to show him how football has ‘evolved’ and it made me smile that the first thing you see in the BBC coverage is an upfront trigger warning that ‘some viewers might find the video disturbing’. That in itself tells us how much society has changed over the past 50 years, before you see the Leeds manager, Don Revie, smoking a cigar in the dugout while Leeds and Chelsea play out a game that today looks like a combination of football and mixed martial arts. …”
Guardian

Geopolitics comes to Vitesse: how ‘Chelsea B’ were swallowed by Abramovich associates

Fans of the Eredivisie club hoped takeovers would transform their fortunes, but instead they face an existential threat to their future
“Vitesse Arnhem are a cautionary tale. At first glance, it is possible to fall into the trap of thinking that they hit the jackpot 14 years ago. Vitesse, a Dutch club with little history of success, had their identity transformed after a takeover led by the Georgian former footballer Merab Jordania. Allegations of links between Jordania and Roman Abramovich, the Russian oligarch and former owner of Chelsea Football Club, were always denied. Vitesse, whose highest finish in the Eredivisie was third in 1998, trundled along. …”
Guardian
Guardian: Abramovich loans fund owner of Dutch football club, leaked documents suggest

Manchester United 0 Arsenal 1: Title race still alive, Trossard key again, Casemiro blunder

“Arsenal beat Manchester United 1-0 at Old Trafford to return to the top of the Premier League, with just one match remaining for Mikel Arteta’s side this season. Leandro Trossard scored the all-important goal from close range following Kai Havertz’s pass. It now means the title race will go to the final day with Manchester City — who are a point behind Arsenal on 85 — playing their game in hand against Tottenham Hotspur on Tuesday. …”
The Athletic

Biscuit Town to mega-towers: Millwall win modern land battle in Bermondsey

‘Millwall FC is another part of Bermondsey’s history that will, as of this week, get to remain in place while the neighbourhood is repackaged around it.’
“The club has been awarded a 999-year lease on the Den and its surrounds, bringing down the curtain on a fraught few years. Bermondsey has always been a fluid, ever-changing kind of place, shoved up into a bend of the Thames, surrounded on all sides but also oddly isolated. For hundreds of years that whole strip of land south of the city was an interlude of leisure and licentiousness. In his biography of London Peter Ackroyd mentions ‘bear pits, stew-houses and pleasure gardens’, plus a flourishing grassroots industry of cutpurses and dandy highwaymen, a place where ‘flashy women come out to take leave of thieves at dusk and wish them luck’. …”
Guardian

Dortmund’s famous win vs Paris Saint-Germain was built on both luck and judgement

“There’s a tendency to frame football matches in black and white: the winners got it right, the losers weren’t up to the task. But the reality is usually somewhere in between — an individual mistake here, or a shot that hits the post and stays out there, moments that can change the game state and momentum. More often than not, the 90 minutes and more played on the pitch are a shade of grey, and Borussia Dortmund’s 1-0 away win against Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday to take them into next month’s Champions League final, 2-0 on aggregate, was the perfect example of that. …”
The Athletic

Real Madrid 2 Bayern Munich 1: Real off to Wembley after yet another extraordinary turnaround – The Briefing

“The right to face Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League final at Wembley on June 1 was the mighty prize on offer on Wednesday evening as Real Madrid took on Bayern Munich. 2-2 from the first leg, this encounter between two of Europe’s most relentlessly successful clubs was finely poised — and it showed in a cagey first half where the two goalkeepers dealt expertly with the few decent chances that were created. The closest either team came to scoring was a Vinicius Junior shot after 13 minutes that was touched onto the Bayern post by Manuel Neuer. …”
The Athletic

How to win a Premier League penalty: A deep dive into the best masters of the dark arts

“Arsenal are still level with Bournemouth after 41 minutes and are getting frustrated. They need a win to keep the pressure on Manchester City, who play Wolverhampton Wanderers later that day, in the battle for the Premier League title. Kai Havertz has made a career of finding pockets of space and does so again, gliding into the penalty area to meet Martin Odegaard’s through ball. He uses the outside of his left boot to flick the ball away from onrushing goalkeeper Mark Travers — before keeping that foot down on the turf, elongating it towards the floor like a ballerina performing an axel turn. Travers cannot avoid it and makes contact. …”
The Athletic (Video)

Why progressive actions are football’s most important metrics

“Every sport needs a currency, some basic stat to keep track of the important stuff that happens along the way to scoring and winning. A good currency should be easy to count and have an obvious relationship to the point of the game. … Progressive actions are not advanced metrics. You can see them with your eyes instead of a statistical model. If you got bored enough, you could sit in the stadium and tally them up with a Sharpie on some accommodating seat-mate’s bald head. But simple as they are, progressive actions are fundamental to how the game works and can give you a pretty good idea of which teams and players are good at it. …”
The Athletic

Echoes of errors: why has VAR sparked so much fury this season?

“Seven months ago Englandthe country came the closest yet to entering thermonuclear war over a refereeing decision. When the referee Simon Hooper mistakenly ruled out a Luis Díaz goal at Tottenham for offside and the video assistant referee Darren England failed to correct him, the initial response was heated and only bubbled up from there. … The next morning, Liverpool released a statement arguing ‘sporting integrity had been undermined’ the supporters’ group Spirit of Shankly said that ‘VAR and PGMOL are not fit for purpose’ and the club’s former striker John Aldridge alleged corruption. …”
Guardian

Liverpool have run out of steam. But Klopp’s legacy is already cemented

“And so there will be no glorious farewell for Jürgen Klopp. Saturday’s 2-2 draw with West Ham, coupled with victories for Manchester City and Arsenal, means any realistic hope of a second Premier League title is effectively over. Klopp is exhausted, his team is exhausted and the manic emotional energy that gripped the side during the League Cup final and immediately after has dissipated. …”
Guardian – Jonathan Wilson
The Athletic – Liverpool squad audit: Who could be the winners and losers under Slot?

How Inter Milan Returned to the Top of Italian Football Under Simone Inzaghi

“In the summer of 1999, Simone Inzaghi left boyhood club Piacenza and joined Lazio, where he would enjoy a fruitful first season by winning the Coppa Italia as well as their first Scudetto in 26 years (and their last to date). He would spend the following decade at the Biancocelesti before hanging up his boots, quickly transitioning into coaching with Lazio’s youth sides and eventually taking the reins as Lazio manager following Stefano Pioli’s sacking. Inzaghi’s interim spell in charge would last just a couple of months, but after his replacement Marcelo Bielsa walked away after less than a week at the helm, the Italian became the club’s permanent manager. Over the next five years, Inzaghi would lead Lazio to two trips to the Coppa Italia Final, winning the 2018/19 edition and coming away with the Supercoppa Italiana on two occasions. …”
Breaking the Lines
W – Simone Inzaghi

The Demise of Dutch Football

“After another embarrassing failure from the national team, Dutch football has plummeted to a new low that marks a spectacular fall from its golden days of club and international glory. The 2-0 win over Sweden in their final qualifying game on Tuesday couldn’t prevent Netherlands missing out on the 2018 World Cup, but the country had given up hope long before then. After reaching the finals and semi-finals of the last two World Cups, Oranje find themselves the laughing stock of Europe and the latest slip leaves the country wondering once again where its national game is headed. …”
GOAL

Tottenham 2 Arsenal 3: Quick start key again? What is Havertz? How unlucky were Spurs?

“The title race remains on. Arsenal made sure of that at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. For Spurs, though, the race for a top-four spot looks less likely to be won after a chastening defeat to their north London rivals. This derby victory put Mikel Arteta’s side four points clear at the top of the Premier League before second-placed Manchester City’s match against Nottingham Forest. City’s victory means there is now one point between the top two, with City having a game in hand. …”
The Athletic
The Athletic: Nottingham Forest 0 Man City 2: Haaland’s impact? Champions League exit benefit? – The Briefing

Gernika Club, Picasso’s painting and Spain’s flawed reckoning with its traumatic past

“‘Franco burned Gernika… but Franco, for me, was Spain’s saviour from everything.’ Rafael Madariaga is talking about the bombing of the northern Spanish town of Gernika on April 26, 1937, during the country’s Civil War. Carried out by the air forces of Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini at the behest of Spain’s dictator, General Francisco Franco, it was one of the first aerial bombings of a civilian population — and it inspired one of the world’s most famous paintings: Pablo Picasso’s Guernica. …”
The Athletic
W – Gernika Club

How Arne Slot plays football – and can it work at Liverpool?

“Arne Slot is set to become the next man in charge at Anfield. On Friday night, Liverpool agreed a compensation package with Feyenoord that will allow the 45-year-old to become Jurgen Klopp’s successor following the conclusion of the current season. Slot’s pedigree has grown across European football in the past 18 months after he led Feyenoord to only their second Eredivisie title in 20 years last season, losing just two games in the process. …”
The Athletic

How long do you give a ‘project manager’?

“When asked at which point a club gives up on a ‘project’, a mixture of current and former directors at Premier League clubs tend to arrive at the same answer. ‘When the fans say so,’ says one of them, who would like to remain nameless because he does not really want to admit publicly that, in the past, he has helped pull the trigger because of the pressure he and his colleagues were under. …”
The Athletic

Everton 2 Liverpool 0: Klopp’s first-ever Goodison defeat all but ends title dream – The Briefing

“Wednesday evening’s Merseyside derby was as intense as so many of its predecessors. As they have so often in recent weeks, Jurgen Klopp’s team began the game sloppily, handing Everton the advantage in a crucial game for both sides. VAR ruled out an early penalty for the home side for offside but one of the most slapdash goals of the entire Premier League season put Everton into the lead midway through the first half. Liverpool fought back, but their other constant current issue — wayward finishing — ensured Sean Dyche’s team led at half-time. …”
The Athletic (Video)

Slot, Amorim, Lopetegui; Liverpool, Bayern – which managers are going where?

“The transfer window for players will open when the season ends but the movement of managers has no deadline — anyone can switch roles at any point. Jurgen Klopp’s announcement in January that he would be leaving Liverpool at the end of this season after nine years at Anfield kicked off speculation over who would replace him. Soon after, Xavi said he would be stepping down as Barcelona head coach this summer before Bayern Munich joined the party in February by confirming they would be parting ways with Thomas Tuchel, leaving three of the biggest jobs in European football open for applications. However, Xavi has now reversed his decision and will stay on at Barca. A disappointing season for Manchester United, meanwhile, has also led to questions over Erik ten Hag’s future and a potential vacancy at Old Trafford. So who are the managers expected to be on the move in the coming months and who is staying put? …”
The Athletic