Category: Football

 

Newcastle United midfielder Bruno Guimaraes has revealed his hope that a close friend and former teammate could some day join him in England’s northeast.

Brazilian international Guimaraes, of course, made the move to St. James’ Park during the January transfer window.

And, after something of a slow start to life in Newcastle’s colours, the 24-year-old has since exploded into life over recent weeks.

Three goals and an assist across his last four appearances have proven central to Eddie Howe’s troops getting their campaign firmly back on track, to climb to the dizzying heights of the top half of the Premier League table.

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LOOK AT WHAT IT MEANS 🤩

Bruno Guimaraes registers his first-ever Newcastle goal at St James’ Park after a long VAR check! 💪 pic.twitter.com/k0GS2mlQH6

— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) April 17, 2022

Guimaraes’ influence, though, in truth runs so much deeper, with the South American having looked the standout performer almost every time he has stepped foot on the pitch over the course of the last month.

In turn, it will no doubt excite the Newcastle faithful to hear of their new cult hero calling for a one-time midfield partner in crime to join him on Tyneside at some point in the near future.

Speaking in an interview with ESPN in his native Brazil on Friday, Guimaraes was drawn on recent speculation that the transfer team at St. James’ are readying a fresh raid on Olympique Lyonnais, this time round for Lucas Paqueta.

Gifted technician Paqueta has proven something of a standout performer amid a difficult campaign for Lyon, racking up ten goals and seven assists from his attacking midfield berth.

And, evidently, Guimaraes, who spent the opening half of the season lining out alongside his fellow countryman at the Groupama Stadium, is of the opinion that Paqueta would prove an excellent addition to Newcastle’s ranks.

“It’d be my dream. Paqueta is my best friend,” the Magpies standout began.

“We had a relationship, not only on the field, but we lived together all the time outside. Our wives together too. It was a brotherly relationship. We still talk every day. It would be really cool if he could come here, but I can’t do this [recruitment] job [alone].”

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🇧🇷New quotes from Bruno have just dropped from Brazilhttps://t.co/bDittN0YS9#nufc

— Lee Ryder (@lee_ryder) April 29, 2022

‘In the clouds’

From here, Guimaraes was also keen to discuss his impressive start to life in the Premier League, with a particular emphasis on the warm welcome provided by Newcastle’s supporters.

“Few clubs in England have a fanbase like Newcastle”, the midfielder continued.

“Playing against us at home is very difficult. I honestly didn’t expect so much and so fast.

“Where I go is crazy, madness, in a restaurant, in the stadium. I win a free-kick and the crowd goes ‘Bruno, Bruno’, so it’s something I hadn’t experienced yet.

“I was a great idol at Athletico, I think it’s the same level here. I’m in the clouds.”

 

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A triumphant return to west London looks set to be short-lived when it comes to Belgian international striker Romelu Lukaku, as the Chelsea frontman appears to be primed for a guaranteed exit from Stamford Bridge this summer.

Chelsea shelled out just shy of £100-million to bring the Antwerp-native back to the Premier League after he never got a real chance at the club before going on to prove himself at West Brom, Everton, and Inter Milan, despite a hot and cold two years with Manchester United.

But for the price that the Blues paid to bank on his goalscoring expertise helping the club push for Premier League honors this season, both parties have accepted that a partnership will be short-lived, and La Liga giants Barcelona could turn to Lukaku to solve their own issues at center-forward starting in the summer.

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Barcelona are ‘ready to launch plan C’ to sign the Chelsea striker… #CFC https://t.co/z0ecqRc8kG

— Football365 (@F365) April 29, 2022

According to reports in Marca (cited by Football365), Lukaku has ‘entered the equation’ for Barcelona as the Catalan outfit prepare to source a third option for recruitment as their top two summer targets look to be out of reach.

Previously interested in Bundesliga goal machines Erling Haaland and Robert Lewandowski, Barça suffered a blow in both pursuits as the former is all but guaranteed to wind up at the Etihad this summer to join forces with Pep Guardiola and company, while any deal for Lewandowski that could potentially be struck is viewed as ‘complicated’ even though the Polish star was tipped as being interested in the destination.

The fact that Lukaku is prepared to depart Chelsea makes his potential acquisition that much easier for Barcelona, though the Belgian star is said to be attracting interest from a few clubs around Europe.

Unfortunately for Chelsea, an exit for Lukaku could pile the pressure on boss Thomas Tuchel who is already set to lose Antonio Rüdiger to Real Madrid, with Andreas Christensen (in line to join Barcelona) another gap to fill for the club. Not only that, but the Blues also may have to fend off interest – again from Madrid – in star right-back and England international Reece James.

The Cobham academy product has been a leading light for Chelsea this season and put in another outstanding performance against Manchester United in midweek. Should James draw the attention of arguably the biggest club on the planet, the loss of Romelu Lukaku in the summer may just be a drop in the bucket.

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This article was edited by
Conor Laird.

 

Footage of Manchester City’s Academy outfit running riot during a meeting with Everton has come to the fore on Friday.

For those not aware, the Sky Blues’ latest crop of up-and-coming talent clinched fresh glory last weekend, sealing a 2nd successive Premier League 2 crown courtesy of a 3-1 win at Elland Road.

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🏆 #PL2 CHAMPIONS! 🏆 pic.twitter.com/lpYOEWrg5f

— Man City Academy (@ManCityAcademy) April 29, 2022

Brian Barry-Murphy’s troops, in turn, returned to action earlier this evening, aware that they had little to play for in a meeting with relegation-battling Everton.

City’s stars, though, certainly didn’t allow what could have been viewed as a lack of motivation to affect their eventual performance on Friday.

Instead, the Etihad hosts absolutely ran riot, to emerge on the right side of a head-turning 7-0 scoreline.

The highly-regarded Cole Palmer unsurprisingly prove central, bagging a brace, including a stunning set-piece strike, to guide the Citizens into a 3-goal advantage inside the 40-minute mark.

And the onslaught only continued across the 2nd-half, as Kayky, Liam Delap (2) and Oscar Bobb added to Rico Lewis’ earlier effort, to round out another stellar night’s work on the part of the Premier League 2 champions:

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Breaking deadlock in style! 🔥

WATCH: https://t.co/uC90hoKylA

🔵 1-0 🍬 #ManCity #PL2 pic.twitter.com/LS8R7LoHdD

— Man City Academy (@ManCityAcademy) April 29, 2022

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IT’S TWO! 🌟

WATCH: https://t.co/uC90hoKylA

🔵 2-0 🍬 #ManCity #PL2 pic.twitter.com/vb5Ix0CIiy

— Man City Academy (@ManCityAcademy) April 29, 2022

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SENSATIONAL! 🤩

WATCH: https://t.co/uC90hoKylA

🔵 3-0 🍬 #ManCity #PL2 pic.twitter.com/IECROeqRCw

— Man City Academy (@ManCityAcademy) April 29, 2022

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Making it FOUR! ⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️

WATCH: https://t.co/uC90hoKylA

🔵 4-0 🍬 #ManCity #PL2 pic.twitter.com/pw67ES13di

— Man City Academy (@ManCityAcademy) April 29, 2022

Peacocks clash

Turning attentions back towards the senior setup on the blue half of Manchester, Pep Guardiola’s troops will of course be hopeful of taking their own fresh step towards silverware this weekend.

Sitting a point clear of Liverpool at the Premier League’s summit, City are set to make the trip to Yorkshire for a meeting with Jesse Marsch’s resolute Leeds United.

The champions, though, could actually have slipped to 2nd in the table by the time kick-off rolls around at Elland Road, with Liverpool primed to feature in Saturday’s lunch-time kick-off, at St. James’ Park.

 

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Gameweek 35 of the 2021/22 Premier League season is set to play out over the upcoming weekend.

The action kicks off on Saturday afternoon with a huge clash between Newcastle United and Liverpool.

The gameweek will then draw to a close on Monday evening when Ralf Rangnick’s Manchester United face off with Brentford in the latest edition of Monday Night Football.

Ahead of the weekend’s action getting underway, 101 have therefore picked out five key talking points.

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The Klopp dynasty continues

If 2021/22 has showcased anything, it is how lucky fans are to have both Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp managing in England at the same time.

The managers have put together two simply sensational sides that can go toe-to-toe with any team in Europe. The pair have also given birth to one of the most entertaining rivalries in modern football, with every match between the pair always a spectacle.

Now, we look set to see at least one of those bosses stick around a little while longer as Jurgen Klopp has signed a new deal at Liverpool until 2026. Should Pep Guardiola follow suit in Manchester, we are sure to be treated to many more classic encounters between the two powerhouses.

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We are delighted to announce Jürgen Klopp has signed a new contract to extend his commitment with the club! 🔴

— Liverpool FC (@LFC) April 28, 2022

Top-four race heats ups

The race for 4^th spot looks set to go down to the final day of the Premier League campaign.

After a recent blip from Tottenham, Arsenal now occupy 4^th spot, sitting two points clear of their north London rivals.

However, the Gunners face a fairly tough trip to West Ham this weekend whilst Tottenham play host to Leicester City. Both games have the potential to cause upsets with just five games left to play in 2021/22.

Brighton can make history

Brighton are on course to make history in 2021/22. Despite Graham Potter sometimes catching the ire of the Seagulls fans, the former Swansea man is set to guide Brighton to their most successful season in Premier League history.

The south coast outfit have spent the previous four campaigns in the Premier League, with their highest points total 41.

Now though, Brighton are already on 41 points with four games to play – meaning a simple draw vs Wolves would be enough to break the record.

Liverpool’s tough test

Liverpool and Manchester City are neck and neck in the 2021/22 Premier League title race.

Just one point separates the pair with five games left to play apiece. Now though, Liverpool are set to face one of their tougher tests in recent weeks.

Newcastle causing Liverpool any sort of problem was unthinkable six months ago. However, Eddie Howe, with the help of his big-spending January, has transformed Newcastle into a side with a formidable home record. The North East outfit are unbeaten in their last seven home league ties. Will Liverpool have enough to break them down after a gruelling test vs Villarreal in midweek?

Everton in danger

The prospect of Everton being relegated from the Premier League this season is now very much turning into a reality.

The Toffees have slipped into the bottom three and, thanks to a mini Burnley resurgence, are now two points from safety.

Granted, Everton do have a game in hand on the Clarets, but Everton must face off with Chelsea this weekend, whilst Burnley have a much easier test vs a Watford side who have won just six games all season and are in possession of the second-worst defence in the Premier League.

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Cristiano Ronaldo has taken to social media to send a message to the Manchester United faithful, on the back of the club’s meeting with Chelsea.

Ralf Rangnick’s troops were of course back in action a short time ago.

Fresh off the back of a pair of alarming defeats at the hands of Liverpool and Arsenal, the Red Devils welcomed Thomas Tuchel’s Chelsea to Old Trafford, desperate for a return to winning ways amid the club’s pursuit of European football.

And, when all was said and done on Thursday, though they failed to bag all three points, United did manage to come away from proceedings with a credible share of the spoils.

Chelsea, as expected, dominated the clash both in terms of possession and chances created, but, in the end, could only muster up a solitary goal courtesy of Marcos Alonso’s opener on the hour mark:

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!

It’s fair to say it’s been coming and it’s Marcos Alonso who fires Chelsea into the lead at Old Trafford pic.twitter.com/6jkAFJFLCU

— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) April 28, 2022

And the Blues’ profligacy soon cost them dear, as, just minutes later, Cristiano Ronaldo levelled things up in typically clinical fashion, rounding out the scoring in Manchester:

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Cristiano Ronaldo, who else.

Listen to the crowd as the striker fires Utd level – at Old Trafford! pic.twitter.com/TCh7lCkecr

— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) April 28, 2022

In the process of bagging his 23rd goal of the campaign, meanwhile, Ronaldo too managed to set himself even further apart in an altogether impressive Premier League-based category.

As per Sky Sports Statto, the Portuguese superstar has now found the net on no fewer than eight occasions against the English top-flight’s current top-five across the season to date, double the tally managed by any other player:

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Most @premierleague goals this season against the current top 5:

8️⃣ – Cristiano Ronaldo
4️⃣ – Mohamed Salah
4️⃣ – Sadio Mane
4️⃣ – Odsonne Edouard
4️⃣ – Diogo Jota

pic.twitter.com/hOBDxsrWXB

— Sky Sports Statto (@SkySportsStatto) April 28, 2022

‘Amazing’

And, evidently, despite United ultimately falling short in their pursuit of what would have been a timely victory on Thursday, Ronaldo remained in good spirits post-match.

Taking to his official social media platforms, the 37-year-old sent a personal message to the Red Devils faithful, thanking all to have made the trip to Old Trafford for their ‘amazing’ support:

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Thanks for the support in Old Trafford tonight. As always, our fans were amazing in their effort to help the team. pic.twitter.com/Xc9pJBIJUI

— Cristiano Ronaldo (@Cristiano) April 28, 2022

 

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Result

A stout defensive display on the part of Scottish heavyweights Rangers ultimately proved to be in vain this evening, as the Light Blues were put to the sword by a frankly superior RB Leipzig outfit.

The two sides went toe-to-toe at the Red Bull Arena a short time ago, aware that securing a first-leg advantage could prove absolutely vital in ultimately booking a spot in the Europa League’s showpiece occasion.

And, when all was said and done, it was the evening’s hosts who emerged with precisely that.

A solitary goal proved all that was needed to put Rangers on the back foot ahead of next week’s return leg in Glasgow, lashed home by former Manchester City man Angelino in stunning fashion five minutes from time:

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Rangers’ resolve is broken! 💔

Angeliño rifles the ball in from outside the box to give Leipzig the advantage.#UEL pic.twitter.com/4UBNApwZoM

— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) April 28, 2022

In truth, though, had it not been for repeated profligacy on the part of Leipzig’s attackers, then the result could have proven far more lopsided.

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Rangers’ hearts collectively skip a beat! 😳

Christopher Nkunku blazes the ball wide with the goal at his mercy.#UEL pic.twitter.com/nglO95TySV

— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) April 28, 2022

Nevertheless, it remains all to play for in front of what will no doubt prove a raucous Ibrox crowd a week from today.

Player Ratings

RB Leipzig

Peter Gulacsi – 6

Lukas Klostermann – 7

Josko Gvardiol – 7

Marcel Halstenberg – 6.5

Benjamin Henrichs – 7

Tyler Adams – 7.5

Konrad Laimer – 6.5

Angelino – 8

Dani Olmo – 6.5

Dominik Szoboszlai – 6

Christopher Nkunku – 6.5

Rangers

Allan McGregor – 6.5

James Tavernier – 6

Connor Goldson – 5.5

Calvin Bassey – 6

Borna Barisic – 6.5

Ryan Jack – 6.5

John Lundstram – 6

Joe Aribo – 7

Glen Kamara – 7

Ryan Kent – 6.5

Scott Wright – 5.5

What the players said

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“It’s one great strike, but we could have prevented it.

“We know 1-0 going to Ibrox we’re still well in the game. We know what we can produce at home with our fans behind us.”

James Tavernier remains confident Rangers can turn this tie around in Glasgow.

🎙 @Sports_EmmaD#UEL pic.twitter.com/EBaGaobN5m

— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) April 28, 2022

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“We know what can happen at Ibrox and we’ll have the fans backing us 100%.

“We can’t wait for it.”

Joe Aribo insists Rangers still have plenty to play for as he shifts his focus to Thursday’s second leg after a 1-0 defeat.

🎙 @Sports_EmmaD#UEL pic.twitter.com/lIgLUF6XOK

— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) April 28, 2022

What the fans said

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Said from the start I’ll be content to go back to Ibrox 1-0 down… this is such a winnable Semi Final. Aslong as the right Rangers turn up with the crowd fully behind them, this’ll be ours to take 🔴⚪️🔵

— Cameron Taylor (@CamDGTaylor) April 28, 2022

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Not the worst result in the end, still in the tie but we lacked so much quality going forward also that pitch was an absolute disgrace tonight never seen so many players slip about in my life.

— GC66 (@gavincook_66) April 28, 2022

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I’ll take it

But never play Scott Wright in Europe again.

— – (@Rfc1872I) April 28, 2022

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By no means a disaster and definitely game on next week BUT we need to drop mccgregor….for me that corner with nobody near him he has to come and collect and take all the pressure off the team….happens to many times

— Peter Adam (@petera1872) April 28, 2022

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Well done lads. Its always hard to score loads when a team parks the bus. But you did it and at the perfect time. All German final incoming.

— ShinyBat95 (rebranding) (@DanielMcArdle3) April 28, 2022

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yous outplayed us for majority of the 90, deserved to win

— the (@CrookVsTheWorld) April 28, 2022

What you may have missed

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Rangers fans marching to the Red Bull Arena ahead of their match against RB Leipzig 🇬🇧 pic.twitter.com/g2Fsh2omtl

— Casual Ultra (@thecasualultra) April 28, 2022

Read more:

Player Ratings, fan reaction & more: West Ham suffer woodwork woes as Eintracht secure first-leg advantage

Cristiano Ronaldo earns Manchester United a valuable point in lopsided draw against Chelsea: Player Ratings

 

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This article was edited by
Ben Browning.

Liverpool have opened talks with Jurgen Klopp’s agent about the prospect of extending the German’s stay on Merseyside beyond his current deal, which expires in 2024, in what could prove a major development.

Klopp was widely assumed to be set to leave the club upon his contract expiry, and had suggested as much to the press previously, but in the past months has appeared more keen to stay and admitted he could choose to stay ‘at the last minute… if I have the energy levels for it’.

And, following their 2-0 win over Villareal in the Champions League semi-final first leg, which saw them take another step in their chase for an unprecedented quadruple, it has been reported by multiple media outlets that negotiations are ongoing about a potential extension to the deal, that would take Klopp’s stay on Merseyside beyond a decade.

The Guardian claim that  ‘Liverpool’s owner, Fenway Sports Group, has opened talks about extending Jürgen Klopp’s contract beyond 2024’ with the manager having been ‘enthused by the club’s long-term planning’ that has seen the likes of Luis Diaz and Ibrahima Konate join the club.

Can Liverpool win the quadruple?

Eight games. That is all that separates this Liverpool from immortality.

An FA cup final against Chelsea and a likely Champions League final against Manchester City (Though Real Madrid cannot be ruled out) seem small fry by comparison to the Premier League title, where the Reds still need to rely on Pep Guardiola’s side to slip up in their remaining five games, while being perfect themselves.

Currently, the Quadruple seems a longshot, despite already having banked one of the four trophies. But something special is happening at Anfield, and you just cannot rule it out.

Read more:

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Chelsea could be on for a major midfield reshuffle this summer if the latest reports are to be believed, with suggestions that Jorginho could be seeking pastures new while Timoue Bakayoko is set for yet another return to Stamford Bridge.

The Italian midfielder, who came third in the Ballon D’or after helping his side to Champions League success and Italy to Euro 2020 success, is thought to be keen on a move away from the club which had made him their heartbeat, but now look as though they may need a different sort of operator in midfielder.

Worse still for the Blues, Jorginho’s contract expires in 2023, meaning that this summer is the last opportunity to get any return on their hefty investment on the Italian in a financial sense, though they will point to their success on the pitch as return enough.

And, as per Nizaar Kinsella, a return to Italy is the favoured outcome this summer.

‘He and his entourage want to come back to Italy, #Juventus seems to be the strongest club on him at the moment’, he told Calcio Mercato Italy.

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🎙️@NizaarKinsella to CMIT TV: “#Jorginho has a very close relationship with Thomas Tuchel but his contract will expire in 2023. He and his entourage want to come back to Italy, #Juventus seems to be the strongest club on him at the moment”

— calciomercato.it (@calciomercatoit) April 27, 2022

Bakayoko to return

And, in other Chelsea news, it seems as though Tiemoue Bakayoko could be on his way back to Stamford Bridge following yet another underwhelming loan spell in Serie A.

The French midfielder was sent on loan to AC Milan, but has not played a minute since January, with the Italian side now not obliged to buy the midfielder after failing to meet the appearance requirements.

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It looks like Tiemoue Bakayoko will be back at Chelsea after AC Milan avoided paying the obligation to buy which was activated on appearances. He hasn’t played a minute of football since January. https://t.co/tLs3gEnDBG

— Nizaar Kinsella (@NizaarKinsella) April 27, 2022

It could finally be time to cut ties with the midfielder, and accept the hefty loss on the former Monaco man, unless Thomas Tuchel sees something in him that previous Blues bosses didn’t.

Read more:

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Chelsea look to have created a shortlist of centre-backs they are interested in signing this summer.

This comes with the Blues set to lose two of their main defenders at the end of 2021/22.

Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen will be out of contract at the end of June and are both expected to make the switch to Spain.

Rudiger is looking likely to join Real Madrid who, after their recent display vs Manchester City, quite clearly need some fresh legs in defence. Christensen, meanwhile, will be joining Madrid’s bitter rivals, FC Barcelona.

This leaves Chelsea with the ageing duo of Thiago Silva and Cesar Azpilicueta plus the inexperienced pair of Malang Sarr and Trevoh Chalobah to cover three positions.

Granted, Reece James can also play as a right-sided centre-back in a three, but that then greatly diminishes Chelsea’s attacking prowess from the right.

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Chelsea eyeing centre-backs

So, it does seem obvious that Chelsea will need a centre-back or two this summer.

And now, according to Nathan Gissing, Wesley Fofana, Jules Kounde and Max Kilman are all of interest to the Blues:

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Wesley #Fofana is an option for Chelsea at centre-back. Man City, Man Utd are also interested. Real Madrid were last summer, Ancelotti is a fan. 🇫🇷

Jules #Kounde remains a key target for Chelsea.🇫🇷

Max #Kilman is a player #CFC have watched closely this season. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

— Nathan Gissing (@Nathan_Gissing) April 26, 2022

Both Fofana and Kilman have experience in the Premier League and both are accustomed to operating in a back-three.

Kounde, meanwhile, though lacking Premier League experience, is regarded as one of the best centre-backs in La Liga.

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Pep Guardiola and overthinking in the Champions League, something that has, unfortunately for Manchester City, become synonymous with the Spaniard in recent years.

There are few that would argue that Pep Guardiola is not one of the greatest tacticians of the modern game and maybe even of all time. However, when it comes to knockout football in the Champions League, the person who normally bests Pep is himself.

101 have taken a deep dive into Pep Guardiola’s biggest Champions League blunders, and you can read more about that here.

For now, though, we are focusing on how Guardiola performed in Manchester City’s first semi-final leg vs Real Madrid.

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Line-up

The first thing we will examine is Manchester City’s starting eleven on the night.

One of the most obvious signs Guardiola has overthought a game comes in the team selection.

The Sky Blues generally operate with a 4-3-3 that sees one of Rodri or Fernandinho in the holding role. However, vs Chelsea in the 2021 Champions league final, Guardiola started without a single defensive midfielder. The season before that meanwhile, the City boss switched to a back-three to match up with Lyon (who they lost to), deploying Fernandinho as a centre-back on that occasion.

Vs Madrid, though, Guardiola had to make do without Joao Cancelo (suspension) and Kyle Walker (injury).

This led to the former midfielder having to use John Stones as City’s starting right-back on the day.

As a result, though it may look like an overthinking job from Pep, City’s defence vs Madrid was pretty standard given the circumstances as he started with Ederson, Zinchenko, Aymeric Laporte, Ruben Dias and Stones.

Midfield was also fairly standard with the favoured trio of Rodri, Kevin De Bruyne and Bennardo Silva in from the off.

Finally, Pep Guardiola opted for a front three of Phil Foden, Gabriel Jesus and Riyad Mahrez to start on Tuesday. Again, this was a pretty normal pick from Pep. Admittedly, there could have been a case for Sterling over one of Mahrez or Jesus. However, Jesus has just scored four goals in one game whilst Mahrez has an excellent record in the Champions League over the last two campaigns.

So, from the line-up at least, Pep Guardiola did not overthink vs Real.

Tactics

Pep began the match in a 4-3-3 with Gabriel Jesus as the centre-forward, which though it seems obvious, was somewhat of a change as the Brazilian has played most of his football from the wing over the last two years.

However, barring playing Jesus through the middle, Pep made very few major tactical changes. And even Jesus being deployed up top worked out well.

When out of possession the South American and KDB formed a make-shift front-two, pressing high to disrupt Madrid’s attempts to play out from the back and find the likes of Modric and Kroos.

On the flanks, meanwhile, Foden and Mahrez stayed wide in and out of possession to stretch and press Madrid, which worked very well, especially in the first 45.

This left Bernardo Silva to drop deeper and sometimes form a midfield pivot with Rodri. This is nothing new though, as we have seen the Portuguese perform this role on a number of occasions recently. And, for the most part, it worked well, allowing Man City to bypass Madrid’s midfield either via quick passing or Silva bringing the ball from deep to start an attack.

Further back, meanwhile, Man City were set up as normal despite missing their two main full-backs.

John Stones (also Fernandinho when he replaced him) and Zinchenko looked largely comfortable moving into a midfield role to provide attacking support when needed, showcasing that, as long as Pep sticks to his normal tactics, the personnel is not the most important thing due to how well the full squad is coached.

Yes, Fernandinho did struggle to deal with the pace of Vinicius Junior, but as already mentioned, Cancelo and Walker were missing for the game and Stones asked to be brought off, leaving Pep with very few options at right-back.

He could have brought on Ake and played him out of position at right-back, but the Dutchman is not exactly known for his pace either, so it is easy to see why Pep went for the experience of Fernandinho who also provided an assist on the night.

And whilst some fans were likely not happy when Man City were only 2-1 up at half-time. That was down to the wastefulness of some City players and the sheer brilliance of Karim Benzema, rather than anything tactical from Pep.

It was a similar story at full-time. Man City probably should be taking, at the very least, a two-goal lead to the Bernabeu. But missed chances, Vinicius’ pace and a stupid decision from Laporte means that is not the case.

However, it is hard to argue that Pep Guardiola actually overthought his tactics on Tuesday.

Body language

Finally, we will take a look at Guardiola’s body language from the game.

And, whilst the City boss cut an animated figure on the sidelines for much of the 90 minutes, that is nothing new for Pep.

Amongst his most noticeable touchline outbursts vs Real came when he screamed at Mahrez for not crossing to Foden 26 minutes in, when he was booked minutes after Man City went 3-1 up, and after Laporte’s handball when the Spaniard was spotted sat on the stairs looking dejected.

As already mentioned, though, all of these actions are pretty standard for the passionate, intense, demanding manager. Even getting booked right after his team went 3-1 up is fairly normal behaviour. Pep is well known for continuing to push his side to the limit even if a game looks won and his side are dominating, with Tuesday no different.

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