Soccer 360 Issue 93: The 2021 Champions Issue

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MAGAZINE 93

THE GOOD THE BAD & THE UGLY

CHELSEA

MPIONS HOW THE CHA WON LEAGUE WAS

GROWTH , GOALS, & DISAPPOINTMENTS

EUROPA LEAGUE

BARCA LADIES

THE RISE OF THE YELLOW SUBMARINES

TAKE THE FIRST

FAN- TASTIC!

COACHES SHUFFLE

WE’RE BACK!

EPL • SERIE A • LA LIGA • BUNDESLIGA

WHERE ARE THEY?

CHAMPIONS

CROWNED! EUROPA

STATS • TABLES • RANKINGS • RELEGATED • STARS

GOING FOR THE GOLD!

CONCACAF GOLD CUP TOKYO 2020 PREVIEW!

MLS CONFERENCE COLUMBUS

LEAGUE

WHAT IS IT?

A BRAND, A CREW, A SCAR?

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SOCCER360

MAGAZINE

JULY / AUGUST 2021 | ISSUE 93

TM

EDITOR Steven Davies

EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Rob Paton ASSISTANT EDITOR Nick Calabretta ADVERTISING DIRECTOR Bill Asaro GRAPHIC DESIGN Gary Robinson Nick Libertucci SUBSCRIPTION COORDINATOR Tamara Hausner WEB MASTER Nick Libertucci

6 WHAT'S INSIDE...

EUROPE 06 10 38 40 42

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english premier league 14 ONE TO REMEMBER 18 THE GOOD, THE BAD & THE UGLY

serie a

20 INTER ON TOP 24 THE GOOD, THE BAD & THE UGLY

la liga

26 PUPAS NO MORE 30 THE GOOD, THE BAD & THE UGLY

bundesliga

WOMEN'S SOCCER

50 BARCA WOMENS TAKE THE FIRST

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EXTRAS FIRST WORD 2021 CONCACAF GOLD CUP PREVIEW TOKYO 2020 GOLD CHASERS FAN-TASTIC! FANS ARE BACK! NEWS FROM AROUND THE GLOBE LAST WORD

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MAGAZINE

32 ONE FOR THE AGES 34 THE GOOD, THE BAD & THE UGLY

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT Dale Evans

44 CROSSING OVER 46 COLUMBUS CREW REBRAND

04 48 52 60 62 80

PHOTOGRAPHY Les Jones & Doug Boufford - Covershots Inc., EPA, Action Images, Getty Images, Dale MacMillan, MLS Soccer, NWSL, ISI Photos MARKETING DIRECTOR Mario Calabretta

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CHAMPIONS LEAGUE EUROPA LEAGUE FLIPPING COACHES CHAMPIONS LEAGUE GOALS EUROPA CONFERENCE LEAGUE

CONTRIBUTERS Mike Barnes, Susy Campanale, Luca Cetta, Oli Coates, Sean Duffy, Thomas Unsworth, Stephen Donovan, Bradley King, Les Jones, Antonio Labbate, Alasadair Mackenzie, Lauren Maharaj, Alex Mott, Luca Persico, Adam Williams, George Rinaldi, Terrance Ross, Aman Sehdev, Andrew Tuft, Cronan Yu, Diego Jokas, Andrea Tallarita, Marco D’Onofrio, Gaby McKay, Livio Caferoglu, Judy Rauliuk

93

THE GOOD THE BAD & THE UGLY

CHELSEA

MPIONS HOW THE CHA WON LEAGUE WAS

GROWTH , GOALS, & DISAPPOINTMENTS

EUROPA LEAGUE

BARCA LADIES

THE RISE OF THE YELLOW SUBMARINES

TAKE THE FIRST

FAN- TASTIC!

COACHES SHUFFLE

WE’RE BACK!

WHERE ARE THEY?

EPL • SERIE A • LA LIGA • BUNDESLIGA

CHAMPIONS

33 WHERE TO FIND US 4

CROWNED! EUROPA

MLS

CONCACAF GOLD CUP TOKYO 2020 PREVIEW!

A BRAND, A CREW, A SCAR?

STATS • TABLES • RANKINGS • RELEGATED • STARS

GOING FOR THE GOLD!

CONFERENCE COLUMBUS LEAGUE WHAT IS IT?

COVER FEATURE: CHAMPIONS LEAGUE WINNERS, CHELSEA

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FIRST WORD

THE LAST DANCE? WE’RE WITNESSING THE END OF AN ERA, THE FINAL YEARS OF TWO PLAYERS WHO HAVE DEFINED A GENERATION. GABY MCKAY LOOKS AT THE CONCLUSION OF THE AGE OF LIONEL MESSI-CRISTIANO RONALDO…

W

hen it comes to Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo there’s no shortage of facts and numbers to be amazed about. The goals, the assists, the trophies and Ballons d’Or speak to two players who are legitimately in the conversation to be named the greatest of all time. What can be under-appreciated though is the longevity of the pair, whose rivalry has ruled football for well over a decade.

Take a look at the list of winners of the Ballon d’Or and you’re hard-pressed to come up with anything to match that consistency.

Ronaldinho’s thrilling peak lasted three or four seasons at Barcelona, Zinedine Zidane retired at 33 and Michael Owen was quite literally hamstrung by injuries by his mid-20s.

Since Kaka’s win in 2008 all but one Ballon d’Or has gone to either Messi or Ronaldo, Luka Modric in 2018 the only interloper. Both men have hit over 700 career goals and share 67 major trophies between them as well as 11 Ballons d’Or. When Juventus and Roma were drawn against Ronaldo’s Real Madrid and Messi’s Barcelona respectively in 2018 one Italian newspaper simply splashed ‘The Martians Are Coming’ on their front page.

Time waits for no man or Martian though, and the coming season has the feel of being

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SOCCER360 JULY • AUGUST 2021

‘BARCELONA ARE FACING UP TO A FUTURE WITHOUT MESSI’ potentially the last dance in a rivalry for the ages. Both men are still posting incredible numbers – they each hit more than 30 goals in 2020-21 – but neither can claim the unquestioned God-like status to which they’re so accustomed.

In an individual sense Ronaldo, now 36, cannot be accused of failing to deliver for Juventus.

The Portuguese has smashed in 101 goals in 133 games since 2018 and yet there remains a sense that his €100m transfer was a mistake.

Juve haven’t won the Champions League, the express purpose of signing CR7, and have actually gone backward. His enormous salary has hampered the job of rebuilding elsewhere and Ronaldo was left on the bench for the final, crucial match of the Serie A season.

They wouldn’t say so publicly, of course, but in the final few months there was a real sense the Bianconeri would quite like to shift their superstar forward.

For Messi the polar opposite is the case. The Argentine famously tried to force an exit from Barcelona last summer, only to back down in the face of a protracted legal battle.

The prospect of Messi moving for free in the summer of 2021 would, in normal times, have clubs on alert all over the continent. Only two teams could realistically afford him though, and Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain weren’t overly keen on breaking the bank for a player who would turn 34 before his Barça contract expired.

It was even suggested that moving on Messi, once unthinkable, would be the smart business move for the Catalan club – particularly when details of a contract worth up to €138m per season were leaked. The election of Joan Laporta turned the tide, but the possibility of a future without Messi remained.

Barring catastrophe neither man is going to hang up their boots in the next 12 months but it’s clear the end is in sight and it’s worth considering what comes next for the game as a

ABOVE: Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have dominated the Ballon d’Or voting LEFT: Despite an incredible goal return Ronaldo’s move to Juventus has been questioned BELOW: Time is ticking on Messi’s career

whole. It’s no exaggeration to say that millions of kids have grown up knowing nothing but the Messi-Ronaldo rivalry. In a sport that’s moving ever more to the individual, how is that replaced?

The obvious answer is with Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappé but the comparison isn’t perfect. Messi and Ronaldo shared extraordinary numbers but little else. Barcelona vs. Real Madrid, guile vs. power, God-given talent vs. single-minded drive. It’s a lot of work to place Haaland and Mbappé at two such poles. A much memed Rio Ferdinand clip sees the former England defender urging people not to compare and “just enjoy ‘em”. You only had to look at the comments on any news story about either to know that’s never going to happen, but Ferdinand has a point.

The end is approaching for both players, and their status at the top of the game not as undisputed as it once was. We may never see two of history’s greatest battling it out like this again, and you don’t want to take your eyes off the final rounds.

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‘CHELSEA HAD NOT BEEN ONE OF THE FAVOURITES TO WIN THE COMPETITION AT THE BEGINNING OF THE SEASON’

HOW THE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE WAS WON

BLUES RULE A MID-SEASON

ABOVE (MAIN): Chelsea’s 2020-21 Champions League win goes down as a minor surprise TOP RIGHT (OPPOSITE PAGE): Kai Havertz scored the final’s only goal as he exploited the space in Manchester City’s midfield BOTTOM ROW (L-R): N'Golo Kante Killian Mbappe Oliver Giroud

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COACHING CHAN GE PUT CHELSE A ON COURSE FO R A SECOND CH RECAPS THE BL AMPIONS LEAG UES’ ROAD TO GL UE SUCCESS. DA ORY… N ROBERTS

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE 2020-21 AWARDS CESAR AZPLICUETA LIFTED THE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE ITSELF ON BEHALF OF CHELSEA BUT WHO DESERVES GONGS FOR PLAYER AND COACH OF THE TOURNAMENT – AND MORE?

SOCCER360 JULY • AUGUST 2021

PLAYER OF THE TOURNAMENT – N’GOLO KANTE (CHELSEA) The humble Chelsea midfielder is an anomaly in the cash-drenched Champions League in that he quietly goes about his job and doesn’t seek plaudits. But his defensive and attacking work, especially in the latter stages of the tournament, was one of the main reasons for Chelsea’s ultimate success.

COACH OF THE TOURNAMENT – THOMAS TUCHEL (CHELSEA) If Kante was influential on the pitch for Chelsea, it was Thomas Tuchel’s work off the field that brought the Premier League club its second Champions League title.

He wasn’t even at Chelsea when the campaign began, but he was able to completely turn around the squad and outthought every other head coach in the competition.

A

fter 125 games and more than 350 goals, it was Chelsea that lifted their second Champions League trophy after defeating fellow Premier League side Manchester City in the final, originally set for Istanbul, Turkey but rearranged to take place in Porto, Portugal. It had been a long and gruelling season for everyone involved – but in the end, it came down to two clubs from the same domestic league playing out a final in front of a reduced capacity crowd to crown Chelsea kings of Europe.

Chelsea had not been one of the favourites to win the competition at the beginning of the season – and it is probably fair to say that they were the least likely out of even just the four English sides to go all the way. But, even with a change of manager after the end of the group stage, Chelsea added another Champions League triumph to their only previous title back in 2012.

It was a fully deserved victory for Chelsea though, as Thomas Tuchel once again outwitted Pep Guardiola to win his third game against the Spanish coach. Kai Havertz scored the only goal of the tie after being put clean through by Mason Mount, but the likes of N’Golo Kante and Antonio Rudiger were just as important to the eventual outcome.

It should be noted that Guardiola’s curious switch of tactics and line-up was also a huge factor in Chelsea’s victory. As much as Tuchel has become Guardiola’s own personal nemesis this season, the absence of both Rodri and Fernandinho in the midfield allowed the Chelsea forwards to attack at will and seemed to confuse the way the City players performed as well.

Back at the start of the campaign, it was former player and fans’ favourite Frank Lampard in charge of the team, of course.

Chelsea had qualified for the Champions League by sneaking in ahead of an imploding Leicester City at the end of the previous season. The fourth place finish didn’t force the need for any qualifying games and Chelsea was handed a relatively straightforward group consisting of Sevilla, Krasnodar and Rennes.

A goalless draw at home with Sevilla on matchday one was regarded as a good result as far as the group went – and four straight victories followed, including a 4-0 thrashing of Sevilla in Spain on matchday five. Qualification for the Round of 16 had already been assured by the time Chelsea drew 1-1 with Krasnodar in front of 2,000 fans at Stamford Bridge at the beginning of December. Frank Lampard had navigated his team through its first European test and Chelsea were sitting pretty in third in the league. Everything seemed to be going well for the English manager – but he would be gone by the time the Champions League

SHOCK OF THE TOURNAMENT – BARCELONA 1-4 PARIS SAINT-GERMAIN Manchester United’s 5-0 drubbing of RB Leipzig in the group stage almost took this award, but for pure drama, it had to be PSG’s victory in the Camp Nou. It is not as if Barcelona enjoyed a particularly good season, but the way the French side handed out this beating away from home was still a huge shock.

MATCH OF THE TOURNAMENT – BARCELONA 1-4 PARIS SAINT-GERMAIN The shock value of the scoreline alone doesn’t automatically mean that this was the match of the tournament as well. But it did herald a changing of the guard, as Lionel Messi made way for a new, younger star in Kylian Mbappe. The Frenchman’s injury meant that he is still to lift the cup, but it is surely only a matter of time – whoever he is playing for.

ONE THING WE HOPE TO SEE NEXT SEASON For traditionalists, it would be nice if there were less predictability in the Champions League. But that would need an overhaul of the competition in a way that the ‘Super League’ clubs would not allow. So, a knockout stage featuring a few less familiar sides would be a start – and a final that people talk about for generations. Is that too much to ask?

SOCCER360 JULY • AUGUST 2021

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knockout rounds started in February.

There had been some tactical misgivings about the way Lampard had been setting out his team towards the end of 2020. By late January, with Chelsea having won only two of the previous eight league games, Lampard was let go and Tuchel was brought in to save the season. The German head coach had lost the Champions League Final the season before with PSG, but getting anywhere near the final again seemed to be very far down on his list of priorities.

But, as performances and results vastly improved in the domestic league and cup competitions, Chelsea also kicked into another gear in the Champions League. The Round of 16 draw saw Chelsea heading to Bucharest [because of COVID travel restrictions] to take on Atletico Madrid. Not many gave the English club a chance against Diego Simeone’s famously tight defensive side, yet a stunning overhead goal in the second half from Oliver Giroud gave Chelsea the victory. But even that away goal seemed not to be enough ahead of the second leg. However, in a far more open game – and cheered on by a very animated Thiago Silva in the stands – Chelsea’s forwards were just too much for Atletico and goals from Hakim Ziyech and Emerson saw them through to the quarter-final stage.

With the draw for the last eight and the semifinals being made at the same time, Chelsea discovered their potential route to the final in the middle of March. Of the eight clubs remaining, Porto was probably the best draw Tuchel could have hoped for. But he also found out that if his side were to progress to the last four, they would be facing the winner of the Real Madrid vs. Liverpool tie.

Due to the continuing travel restrictions, both quarter-final legs were played at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan Stadium, scene of Chelsea’s comprehensive victory over Sevilla in the group stage. It was a gritty display from Chelsea in the first leg, with Porto probably enjoying more of the game until Mason Mount’s goal on the half hour. A second from Ben Chilwell just before the end gave Chelsea the win and a very good first leg lead. A far quieter second game was punctuated by a spectacular goal from Porto in stoppage time.

But by then the tie had been won and Chelsea was heading for their first Champions League semi-final since 2014.

Their opponents would be Real Madrid, who had beaten Liverpool in the quarter-finals.

With Manchester City drawn against PSG in the other semi, the all-Premier League final was still on. But Tuchel would need to use all his tactical nous to overcome a Real Madrid side that had forced their way back into the running in La Liga and fancied adding another Champions League triumph to their long list of honours.

Real Madrid played their entire season in the smaller stadium at their training complex because of COVID and the lack of fans at

BEST ELEVEN

THERE WERE SOME IMPRESSIVE INDIVIDUAL PERFORMANCES IN THE 2020-21 CHAMPIONS LEAGUE. DAN ROBERTS PICKS OUT A LOP-SIDED XI OF THE PLAYERS WHO CAUGHT THE EYE THE MOST…

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SOCCER360 JULY • AUGUST 2021

GOALKEEPER: EDOUARD MENDY – CHELSEA The Chelsea shotstopper just pips Manchester City’s Ederson to the No 1 jersey after keeping an incredible nine clean sheets in 12 Champions League games – including the final.

‘BY LATE JANUARY FRANK LAMPARD WAS LET GO AND THOMAS TUCHEL WAS BROUGHT IN TO SAVE THE SEASON’

DEFENDER: CESAR AZPILICUETA – CHELSEA The Chelsea captain, who eventually lifted the famous trophy in Porto, led by example throughout the competition and consistently did the ‘boring’ work while others in the squad made the headlines.

DEFENDER: RUBEN DIAS – MANCHESTER CITY Pep Guardiola relied on his Portuguese defender for the majority of the season and he was a major reason why the club won the Premier League title. He was let down by his manager’s formation in the final, though.

DEFENDER: MARQIUNHOS – PARIS SAINT-GERMAIN One of the less celebrated players in the PSG squad, Marquinhos is just about an ever present in the first team and even popped up with important goals throughout a Champions League campaign that fell just short.

DEFENDER: ANTONIO RUDIGER – CHELSEA Rudiger is just one of a number of players given a new lease of life by Thomas Tuchel when he took over as head coach at Chelsea. The Germany international was a rock at the back for his club.

LEFT (MAIN) Appointed in January, Thomas Tuchel righted the Chelsea ship and set a course for Champions League success LEFT (TOP): Praised for his work rate, talent and humility, N’Golo Kante won praise from all sides for his performance LEFT (MID): Pep Guardiola tinkered with the City midfield and left his defence exposed LEFT: (BOTTOM): Paris SaintGermain’s hammering of Barcelona was the game of the season BOTTOM RIGHT: The absence of Fernandinho in the midfield allowed the Chelsea forwards to attack at will

MIDFIELDER: N’GOLO KANTE – CHELSEA Able to play in his preferred position, N’Golo Kante was hugely impressive during the knockout rounds for Chelsea. His never say die attitude – and refreshing humility – is a huge asset for Chelsea.

MIDFIELDER: PHIL FODEN – MANCHESTER CITY He had only just turned 21 when the Champions League final kicked off and, if this season is anything to go by, he will be featuring in a few more showpiece occasions in the next few years.

MIDFIELDER: ILKAY GUNDOGAN – MANCHESTER CITY With all the attacking talent in the City squad, it is somewhat surprising that Gundogan ended up the top goalscorer for the season. He didn’t quite achieve that in the Champions League – but he always struck an inspirational figure.

FORWARD: ERLING HAALAND – BORUSSIA DORTMUND Dortmund only made it to the quarterfinal stage, but without Erling Haaland the Bundesliga club may have crashed out much earlier. The Norwegian striker was the top goal scorer in the competition and strikes fear into the heart of any defence.

the imposing Santiago Bernabeu definitely helped Chelsea as they outplayed the hosts throughout. Christian Pulisic scored the opening goal after just 14 minutes, with Karim Benzema levelling the tie in the pouring rain before half time. Chelsea had been the rank outsiders of the last four but now held a precious away goal to take back to Stamford Bridge for the second leg.

Kante was, once again, outstanding as Chelsea thoroughly outclassed Real Madrid in London.

A goal apiece for Timo Werner and Mount gave the home side a well-deserved victory and a 3-1 aggregate score that only flattered the Spanish side. With Manchester City winning both legs of their semi-final tie against PSG, the all-England Champions League final was set in place. City had already won the Premier League by the time the game came around – but Tuchel could point to FA Cup and league wins against Guardiola’s side. Chelsea would be the underdog, but it was sure to be a close run thing.

And so it proved. In a final short on real drama and excitement, Kai Havertz scored the winner and capped off an excellent four months in charge for Thomas Tuchel. His belief in players like Rudiger, Havertz and Werner – as well as the seemingly obvious decision to play Kante in his preferred role – had seen Chelsea finish in the top four and had now brought a second Champions League triumph for the club.

It is easy to point to Chelsea’s extravagant spending as a reason for its success but, at a Champions League level, there are other clubs spending much more. There are a number of factors to how Chelsea won Europe’s biggest prize this season, but the main one is that the club was ready to ditch a club favourite for a tried and trusted head coach at a crucial stage of the season. Tuchel understood how to get the best out of the very good squad of players he inherited and was able to beat the tactics of opposing managers at every turn. A German midfielder might have scored the goal that gave Chelsea the victory – but it is their German coach that made it a possibility in the first place.

FORWARD KYLIAN MBAPPE – PARIS SAINT-GERMAIN Mbappe has been immense all season but his six goals against Barcelona and Bayern Munich in the knockout stages suggested that PSG could win it all. But an injury meant that he could only watch from the bench as City beat his side in the semi-final.

FORWARD – RIYAD MAHREZ – MANCHESTER CITY This one is a little bit of a cheat as Mahrez is nominally a midfielder.

But his attacking input in the quarterfinal against Dortmund - and the semi against PSG in particular – merits inclusion in this XI.

SOCCER360 JULY • AUGUST 2021

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“EL MADRIGAL WAS A FORTRESS THROUGHOUT THE COMPETITION”

YELLOW SUBMARINES ROCK NEARLY A CENT URY AFTER THEIR FORMATION, VI LLARREAL HAVE FINALLY LIFTED ASSESSES HOW A MAJOR TROP THE EUROPA LE HY. HERE, OLI CO AGUE WAS WON ATES .

BEST ELEVEN

THE 2020-21 EUROPA LEAGUE SAW SOME STANDOUT PERFORMANCES, PARTICULARLY FROM CENTRE-BACKS, WHILE MORE THAN ONE PLAYER ROLLED BACK THE YEARS…

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GOALKEEPER: GERONIMO RULLI – VILLARREAL Signed as a back-up goalkeeper last summer, Rulli has only made two appearances for Villarreal in La Liga. The 29-year-old Argentine was first choice in the Europa League though, keeping six clean sheets in 13 appearances and scoring the winning penalty in the final.

SOCCER360 JULY • AUGUST 2021

DEFENDER: PAU TORRES – VILLARREAL A cultured operator in a defence which was able to shut down the opposition time and again. Superb in both semi-final games against Arsenal and in restricting Manchester United to a single goal in the final.

DEFENDER: RAUL ALBIOL – VILLARREAL A rock alongside Torres, 35-year-old veteran Albiol rolled back the years in the heart of Villarreal’s defence.

Commanding and with superb organisational skills, he never looked like missing his penalty in the final.

DEFENDER: HARRY MAGUIRE – MANCHESTER UNITED Keenly missed in the final, Maguire’s absence highlighted just how important the United captain is to his team.

A great organiser who reads the game brilliantly, the England centre-back was crucial in guiding United to a vital clean sheet against Milan at the San Siro.

DEFENDER: LEONARDO SPINAZZOLA – ROMA Featured in 11 of the Giallorossi’s 14 games, as they topped their group and reached the semi-finals. Had a night to forget in the first leg of the semis against Manchester United though.

S LEFT (MAIN): Villarreal lifted the first major trophy in their 98-year history in beating Manchester United in the Europa League final LEFT (SMALL): Gerard Moreno (C) of Villarreal celebrates with the trophy after the UEFA Europa League final TOP RIGHT: Unai Emery is the most successful manager in the history of the Europa League, winning the competition four times with Sevilla and Villarreal

MIDFIELDER: DANI PAREJO – VILLARREAL The pass master at the heart of Villarreal’s midfield, former Valencia man Parejo is an experienced operator in the middle of the park. A stunning way to cap his first season at El Madrigal, the 32-year-old was a contender for player of the tournament.

MIDFIELDER: BRUNO FERNANDES – MANCHESTER UNITED Another player of the tournament contender, Fernandes top scored in last season’s Europa League and managed another eight this term. The lynchpin of this United side, the Portuguese playmaker was at his best in the semi-finals against Roma.

ubmarines are supposed to sink, aren’t they? Yet on 26 May 2021 in Gdansk, Poland, some 98 years after Villarreal were founded, El Submarino Amarillo rose to unprecedented heights by overcoming the might of Manchester United to win the Europa League.

Yes, Villarreal may have won the Tercera Division in 1970, and the Intertoto Cup in 2003 and 2004. But their Europa League triumph was something altogether different from winning the title in the fourth tier of Spanish football, or a UEFA competition which carries very little prestige.

This was monumental, memorable and a truly momentous occasion for a team who could only manage a seventh-place finish in La Liga.

There’ll be no Europa Conference League next season for Villarreal; they go straight into the group stages of the Champions League.

The Yellow Submarine went through the group stages of the Europa League unbeaten, winning five of their six matches against Maccabi Tel Aviv, Sivasspor and Qarabag. They remained unbeaten through the knockout rounds, despite the big boys entering the competition from the Champions League and having to face some ambitious clubs along the way.

Red Bull Salzburg were vanquished in the Round of 32 having exited the Champions League in the group stage, courtesy of a 2-0 away win and a 2-1 triumph back at the Estadio de la Ceramica. Dynamo Kyiv were defeated 2-0 home and away, with Dinamo Zagreb seen off 3-1 on aggregate.

Despite the lack of supporters, El Madrigal was a fortress throughout the competition.

Villarreal won all eight of their fixtures on home soil, with their 2-1 semi-final victory over Arsenal giving them the platform to complete the job back in London courtesy of a dogged defensive display and a 0-0 draw at the Emirates Stadium.

MIDFIELDER: PAUL POGBA – MANCHESTER UNITED An influential figure for United in the latter stages of the tournament. Pogba scored the winning goal away to Milan to put his team into the quarterfinal, and was also on target in the semis against Roma.

FORWARD: NICOLAS PEPE – ARSENAL The Ivorian winger netted six goals during Arsenal’s run to the semi-finals. That included strikes home and away to Slavia Prague in the quarters, and a penalty away to Villarreal in the semis which gave the Gunners a great opportunity to reach the final.

The warning signs were there for Manchester United, Villarreal’s opponents in the final.

Runners-up in the Premier League, the English side went into the showpiece as the strong favourites, having lifted the trophy four years ago under Jose Mourinho.

The Red Devils entered this year’s competition at the Round of 32 stage, following their elimination from the Champions League. The Old Trafford club were immediately installed as the favourites after losing in a one-off semifinal against Sevilla in the last running of the tournament.

United certainly lived up to that tag, thrashing a decent Real Sociedad side 4-0 away from home in their first game in the competition.

Things were far tenser in the last 16 against Milan, with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side progressing 2-1 on aggregate.

After beating Granada 2-0 home and away, Roma were next for United. Despite being 2-1 down at half-time in the first leg of their semifinal encounter, the Reds came out with all guns blazing and producing a superb offensive performance to beat the Giallorossi 6-2.

United may have lost the second leg 3-2 in Rome, but their performance the week before meant they were fully expected to see off Villarreal in the final. Unai Emery and his players, of course, had a very different idea of what would happen.

The Yellow Submarine produced a superb defensive performance, with their use of a back three and wing-backs denying United any space to operate out wide. Emery also crowded the midfield to limit Bruno Fernandes and Paul Pogba’s movement between the lines, while Villarreal stayed deep and compact to negate the threat of United’s most potent weapon, the counter-attack.

Without injured captain Harry Maguire, United’s weakness at set-pieces was exposed once more, as Gerard Moreno netted his 30th goal of the season from a free-kick. United

FORWARD: GERARD MORENO – VILLARREAL The 29-year-old Spain international has enjoyed the season of his life, netting 30 goals in all competitions.

Seven of those were in the Europa League, with all of them coming in the knockout rounds. That includes the opener in the final.

FORWARD: EDINSON CAVANI – MANCHESTER UNITED The Uruguay international proved his class with six goals in just five Europa League appearances. Cavani bagged braces home and away against Roma in the semis, and his equaliser in the final provided United with the platform to go on and win the game, which they were ultimately unable to do.

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EUROPA LEAGUE 2020-21 AWARDS THERE’S LITTLE SURPRISE WHO GETS THE NOD AS COACH OF THE TOURNAMENT – THE SERIAL EUROPA LEAGUE WINNER WHO MASTERMINDED VILLARREAL’S SHOCKING SUCCESS…

“VILLARREAL ROSE TO UNPRECEDENTED HEIGHTS”

did get back on level terms through Edinson Cavani in the second half, but for all their possession, the Reds failed to produce many clear opportunities after that.

Whereas Emery shuffled his pack and made five substitutions inside 90 minutes, Solskjaer was afraid to ring the changes and didn’t make any subs until the 100th minute. Even then it was to remove a genuine goal threat in the form of Mason Greenwood, replacing the young Englishman with defensive midfielder Fred. Although the United boss clearly felt those on the bench wouldn’t strengthen his team, hindsight shows his reluctance to make any changes was detrimental to United’s chances. They looked out on their feet in extra-time and created almost nothing, while Villarreal were buoyant and looked the far more likely team to win. It’s easy to look at the experience of both coaches in this instance.

Villarreal had Emery calling the shots, a man who won the Europa League three years in a row with Sevilla between 2014 and 2016.

United, on the other hand, had a relative novice in Solskjaer.

The Norwegian may have had the far more illustrious playing career, netting the winner in the 1999 Champions League final to complete a historic treble for Man United. However, it appeared his fear of failure took over in this final, while Emery’s bolder substitutions kept his team fresh and in charge.

The differing mentalities of the two sets of players was also noticeable. Whereas Villarreal appeared together and positive at both the end of 90 minutes and the first half of extratime, there was finger-pointing and poor body language from United’s cohorts.

None of that, though, could have foreseen what was to happen once the game went to a penalty shootout. The standard of the spot kicks was top drawer, although Villarreal’s

penalties tended to be better placed and less saveable than United’s.

There were no saves or misses after 10 kicks each though, meaning the two goalkeepers were forced to step up. Villarreal stopper Geronimo Rulli scored one of the best of the lot in slamming his effort home, while United’s David de Gea produced a much more timid attempt, which was duly saved by his opposite number.

The manner of the shootout, which finished 11-10 to Villarreal, will certainly be a memorable feature of the final. What will truly go down in history though, is the Yellow Submarine’s importable triumph in beating one of Europe’s biggest names.

There’s no little irony in the fact that the relative minnows of Villarreal were able to produce an upset of this magnitude on such a big stage against one of the clubs who were at the forefront of the attempted European Super League breakaway. Not least because the Yellow Submarine also knocked out Arsenal en route to the final.

Football often delivers moments of poetic justice, with some more glaringly obvious than others. In this instance, Villarreal serving punishment to a club who felt they were better than the vast majority of all the other institutions across Europe felt like a seminal moment. Even the very notion of teams entering the Europa League after failing in the Champions League feels strange. On the one hand, it devalues the competition by acknowledging it needs the influx of bigger clubs to give it some extra clout. On the other, it makes it a more difficult competition to win.

Villarreal will be very much feeding off the latter. The Yellow Submarine won 13 of their 15 fixtures on the way to Europa League glory, writing their name into the history books in the process. Sink or swim? How about soar?

PLAYER OF THE TOURNAMENT – BRUNO FERNANDES (MANCHESTER UNITED) The Portugal international scored eight goals in last season’s Europa League for Sporting Lisbon and then Manchester United. He was crucial in the Red Devils’ run to the final, producing a stunning display with two goals and two assists in the semi-final first-leg clash with Roma, as United blow the Serie A side away 6-2 at Old Trafford.

COACH OF THE TOURNAMENT – UNAI EMERY (VILLARREAL) There’s really no other choice here.

Out-thought and outmanoeuvred Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in the final, producing a finely tuned game plan which worked to perfection. Also set his team up superbly in prior games, setting him on the path to a record fourth Europa League triumph.

ABOVE: Cultured midfielder Dani Parejo was a central figure in his first season at El Madrigal BELOW: Villarreal goalkeeper Geronimo Rulli saves the penalty of Manchester United stopper David de Gea to win the Europa League for Villarreal BOTTOM RIGHT: Player of the tournament, Bruno Fernandes

SHOCK OF THE TOURNAMENT – VILLARREAL GO ALL THE WAY Although honourable mentions go to Slavia Prague, Granada and Dinamo Zagreb for their respective victories over Leicester City, Napoli and Tottenham Hotspur, Villarreal produced the biggest upset of the tournament by beating Manchester United in the final. The disparity in the size of the clubs, their budgets, the circumstances of the failed European Super League and the dramatic penalty shootout only contributed to the occasion.

MATCH OF THE TOURNAMENT – DINAMO ZAGREB 3-0 TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR Spurs thought they were home and dry after securing a 2-0 victory at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in the first leg of this last 16 tie. Dinamo Zagreb and Mislav Orsic had different ideas. The Croatian forward scored his second goal of the game late on to send the tie to extra-time, before completing his hattrick in the additional period to dump out Tottenham and Jose Mourinho.

ONE THING WE HOPE TO SEE NEXT SEASON UEFA need to get a grip on their VAR experience. Yes, it’s tricky when local directors have control over TV pictures, especially as we work our way through the pandemic. However, there’s little excuse for leaving viewers at home in the dark over decisions as they unfold, never mind fans actually inside the stadium.

“VILLARREAL WERE BUOYANT AND LOOKED THE FAR MORE LIKELY TEAM TO WIN IN EXTRA-TIME” 14

SOCCER360 JULY • AUGUST 2021

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PREMIER LEAGUE

WITH THE 2020-21 PREMIER LEAGUE CAMPAIGN IN THE REAR-VIEW MIRROR, GREG MURRAY LOOKS BACK AT THE KEY TALKING POINTS FROM THE FIRST SEASON OF THE NEW DECADE…

ollowing the disruption of the 2019-20 season due to the COVID-19 crisis, an uninterrupted 2020-21 was eagerly anticipated by fans and players alike.

However, whether due to a shortened summer break, increased financial inequality or a number of other external factors, for many the campaign failed to live up to its billing.

Manchester City’s third Premier League title in just four years came as a surprise to no one, with Pep Guardiola’s side favourites from the beginning of the season. The Blues may have started their campaign uncharacteristically shakily but turned on the style in December, winning 15 consecutive matches.

Without a shadow of a doubt City were the best team in the country, if not the world, for the latter half of the season and had established a 10-point lead in the table with 15 matches to go. Despite wrapping up the title with a third of the season yet to play, Guardiola did so in a manner uncharacteristic to former victories.

Whereas in previous eras Man City were known for their overwhelming attacking displays, it was their defensive acumen that earned them

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the title this time. The arrival of Ruben Dias in the summer for £62m turned out to be worth every penny as the Portuguese centre-back revolutionised the City back-line. The presence of a dominant centre-back partner, and injury to Aymeric Laporte, saw John Stones reclaim and retain his place in the starting XI, having previously looked to be on his way out of the Etihad Stadium.

On the other hand, for all of City’s brilliance, the main reason they won the league was due to the lack of a competitor. At 86 points the league was won by the lowest total since Leicester City’s victory five years ago, while last season’s winners Liverpool had a thoroughly underwhelming campaign.

After winning the Premier League for the first

FINAL TABLE

A third title in four years came Manchester City’s way after a dominant winter run BOTTOM RIGHT: Mohamed Salah

Man. City

86

Man. United

74

Liverpool

69

Chelsea

67

Leicester City

66

West Ham

65

Tottenham

62

Arsenal

61

Leeds United

59

Everton

59

Aston Villa

55

Newcastle

45

Wolves

45

Crystal Palace

44

Southampton

43

Brighton

41

Burnley

39

Fulham

28

West brom

26

Sheffield

23

Champions League Europa League UEFA CONFERENCE LEAGUE

Relegation

MOST GOALS Harry Kane

23

Mohamed Salah 22 B. Fernandes

18

Patrick Bamford 17 Son Heung-min

17

D. Calvert-Lewin 16 Jamie Vardy

15

Ollie Watkins

14

A. Lacazette

13

Ilkay Gundogan 13

‘MANCHESTER CITY’S THIRD PREMIER LEAGUE TITLE IN JUST FOUR YEARS CAME AS A SURPRISE TO NO ONE’ 17

PREMIER LEAGUE

‘A HOST OF INJURIES RESULTED IN LIVERPOOL STRUGGLING TO ESTABLISH ANY CONSISTENCY IN THE LEAGUE’ time last year, and the Champions League the season before, much was expected of Jurgen Klopp’s Reds. Unfortunately a host of injuries, which saw influential centre-back Virgil van Dijk out for the majority of the season, resulted in Liverpool struggling to establish any consistency in the league.

Missing a number of key players was fundamental to their disappointing performance, yet the poor form of the likes of Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino should not be underplayed. Throughout Liverpool’s 18 months of success much was made of how Klopp rarely rotated his side, with his players maintaining remarkably consistent high standards.

As a result, it seems almost inevitable in hindsight that injuries and a dip in form were on the horizon, and whereas Manchester City have reinforced year-in, year out, Liverpool have paid this price this season for a lack of investment in the summer after they lifted the title.

The blame should not be laid solely at the feet of the former champions, as the teams that made up the rest of the top four, Manchester United and Chelsea, also failed to put pressure on the eventual winners, although the latter

PREMIER LEAGUE SUMMER TRANSFERS Harry Kane could be the headline mover in the Premier League this summer and some of his England teammates are attracting attention too…

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Injuries and key players losing form meant Liverpool’s title defence barely got started

did best City in the Champions League Final.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side came closest in the table, though finishing 12 points behind their cross-town rivals despite not partaking in the Champions League knock-out stages can hardly be seen as a success. Likewise, Chelsea’s resurgence under Thomas Tuchel came too late in the season to ever come near to Manchester City, despite beating Guardiola’s side every time they met.

At times the 2020-21 season looked set to break the monopoly of the Premier League giants, with Tottenham and Everton both enjoying spells at the top of the table in early weeks. As with much of the narrative, this unpredictability was firmly over by the mid-season point as Jose Mourinho’s Spurs tenure came to an end after a spell of just eight league wins in five months. For Everton, consistency was the problem as despite winning three consecutive games three times in the season the team had similarly lengthy spells of defeats.

This season did witness a change in the Premier League’s regular top six as Leicester and West Ham were able to break in at the expense of the North London clubs. While the prospect of European football is undoubtedly

Tottenham Hotspur threatened an early title challenge only to fall away – with Jose Mourinho sacked in the spring

There is one rumour that is expected to dominate the summer transfer headlines: where next for Harry Kane? The England captain revealed his desire to leave Tottenham Hotspur as the season was drawing to a close and is widely expected to be granted his wish.

However, with three years remaining on his contract, and Daniel Levy a competent negotiator, the question remains which clubs will be able to afford what is expected to be a record-breaking transfer fee. Of course, the club that immediately comes to mind is Manchester City, the big-spenders having seen Sergio Aguero leave after 10 years this summer.

Sheikh Mansour is one of few owners that has the cash to stump up for Kane who is likely to want to remain in England.

City’s only real financial competition within the Premier League are Manchester United and Chelsea. The former have other areas in the squad that they are likely to invest in over the summer whilst the latter have regularly refused to deal with Tottenham and that isn’t likely to change now. Thomas Tuchel already has a host of forwards in his squad, and other departments need addressing more urgently if Chelsea are to build on winning the Champions League with a Premier League title challenge.

WHAT TO EXPECT IN 2021-22 The prizes were shared around the Premier League in 2020-21 and English clubs nearly dominated Europe too. Does that point to a more competitive season?

Thomas Tuchel’s Chelsea beat Manchester City in the league and in Europe but he arrived too late to spark a title challenge

positive, especially for David Moyes’ Hammers, qualification for the Europa League comes as an anti-climax, with both teams pushing for Champions League football for much of the season.

At the other end of the table, the relegation battle was even more lacking in suspense than the title race. After finishing ninth last season, Sheffield United failed to win a Premier League match in the first four months of the season.

With relegation all-but nailed on the Blades slightly improved their performance, securing seven wins and two draws but controversially parting ways with Chris Wilder.

Come the end of the season Sheffield United secured more wins than the other two relegated teams, West Brom and Fulham.

Neither side ever really looked like escaping the bottom three despite Scott Parker’s side attempting a resurgence during a five-game unbeaten spell at the beginning of 2021. The only major news to emerge from West Brom’s relegation was the fact that Sam Allardyce was unable to mastermind yet another great escape – having made his career on beating the relegation odds.

In the end, perhaps the biggest surprise of the 2020-21 season was that there were no

surprises. The clubs that were best suited to contend with financial and fatigue-based problems of the COVID-19 pandemic did best, whilst those with limited resources and squad depth struggled.

However, after the stop-start nature of the previous season a bit of familiarity was arguably exactly what was needed. With the disruption hopefully over and the chaotic drama of the European Super League resolved, the stage is set for the Premier League to return in 2021-22 closer to its best.

Elsewhere in the league there are a number of players who are either up for sale or highly coveted by other teams. Yet another captain that may be on the move over the summer is Jack Grealish. The Aston Villa skipper is attracting interest from most teams in the traditional big six, with Manchester United and Arsenal reportedly the keenest. An impressive Euro 2020 for the 25-year-old will only have seen his value increase.

Grealish’s England teammate Declan Rice is another player who has been attracting consistent interest. The defensive midfielder, who grew up in Chelsea’s youth system and is

a close friend of Mason Mount, could well be on his way to Stamford Bridge this summer despite West Ham’s unwillingness to sell.

Tammy Abraham, who is out of favour with Tuchel, could be used as a makeweight, as David Moyes’ side are in despite a need of a forward. It’s a rare transfer that could suit all parties, unlike the Kane saga, which has the hallmarks of a long-running, acrimonious affair.

BELOW: Chris Wilder

If the results of 2020-21 are anything to go by, Premier League fans are in for an interesting upcoming campaign.

For the first time since 2005 a different English side won one of the Premier League, FA Cup and the Champions League, while Manchester United were a penalty shootout away from Europa League victory. The strength of English football should make for a fascinating season, especially with a number of ambitious teams, such as Leicester and West Ham, looking to improve on last season’s performance.

Manchester City have a difficult job on their hands as they look to replace Sergio Aguero, hoping to find the final piece of their Champions League jigsaw.

The victors in Porto, Chelsea, will aim to improve on what was a disappointing domestic season with Thomas Tuchel likely to be handed a sizeable war-chest for his first summer transfer window in charge of the Blues.

Liverpool are already moving to avoid another poor season, having secured the services of centre-back Ibrahima Konate.

Most importantly, Jurgen Klopp will be able to count on the services of Virgil van Dijk and will hope that his team bounces back to the levels of 2019-20 under the Dutch defender’s guidance.

Outside this season’s top six, both Tottenham and Everton will have new managers come August. Antonio Conte, fresh off lifting the Scudetto with Inter, was strongly linked with a return to London for the former job, and Mauricio Pochettino was also touted with a sensational return to his old club despite barely half-a-year at Paris Saint-Germain.

For Everton, the departure of Carlo Ancelotti to Real Madrid has thrown off their project, with the club looking at the likes of Nuno Santo and Graham Potter, both of whom have impressed in the Premier League.

Ascending automatically to the Premier League are Norwich and Watford, both of whom have returned having been relegated just one season previously.

This season’s newcomers are Brentford, who made it through the play-offs on the second time of asking to become the 50th different team to participate in the Premier League. The Bees are also playing in the top flight for the first time in 74 years.

RIGHT: Can Manchester City replace the great Sergio Aguero LEFT (OPPODITE PAGE): England captain Harry Kane wants to win trophies and feels he can’t at Spurs – is he bound for Manchester City?

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PREMIER LEAGUE

"THE ATTACKING MIDFIELDER WENT ON TO SCORE EIGHT TIMES IN THE SPACE OF 14 APPEARANCES AND REMARKABLY IN EVERY ONE OF HIS LAST SEVEN"

BY: STEPHEN DONOVAN

LOANED GOALS THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY

THE GOOD When Newcastle United signed Joe Willock on loan from Arsenal in the January transfer window, they seemed to have made a potentially useful addition to their squad for what looked set to be a prolonged battle to avoid relegation. However, the impact he made was simply extraordinary and went far beyond anyone’s expectations, with his record breaking achievements in front of goal helping to guide the Magpies to comfortable safety.

The attacking midfielder went on to score eight times in the space of 14 appearances, and remarkably in every one of his last seven.

That saw him become the youngest player ever to score in seven games in a row in the Premier League, and also equal the Newcastle club record set by Alan Shearer back in 1996, raising optimistic hopes in the North East of a permanent move.

After scoring only 16 minutes into his debut against Southampton, he failed to find the net in any of the following six matches and was dropped from the starting XI, but then a late equaliser against Tottenham after coming off the bench would change everything and

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GOING UP His goals may not have been quite enough to help Leicester City into the Champions League, but Kelechi Iheanacho has finally rediscovered the form that had previously made him one of the Premier League’s best striking prospects, finding the net no fewer than 15 times in all competitions from the beginning of March.

from there he didn’t look back. Two more goalscoring contributions as a substitute earned his side four valuable points, and once back in from the start he was similarly unstoppable, capping things off with a fine solo effort at Fulham on the final day.

Pacey and direct, with an impressive ability to not only get into scoring positions but to also put chances away, Willock has well and truly emerged and it remains to be seen what lies in wait for him back at Arsenal next season.

Coach Mikel Arteta has begun to increasingly place faith in talented youngsters and the 21-year-old has now done more than enough to force his way into the Emirates Stadium reckoning.

THE BAD Never have the Premier League’s three relegation places been decided earlier than in 2020-21, as with three rounds of fixtures still left to play, a hapless trio of clubs were already condemned to the Championship. Fulham, West Bromwich Albion and Sheffield United were all up against it right from the beginning, and ended some way adrift due to a chronic lack of quality on the pitch.

There was rarely a time all season where these sides didn’t make up the bottom three, and as far as Sheffield United are concerned it was very quickly a lost cause as they took just two points from the opening 17 games. Despite improving after the turn of the year, a lack of goal threat and a string of costly errors meant relegation was inevitable.

There never looked like being any realistic hope for West Brom either, as a total inability to put together a run of positive results meant the gap to safety was always considerable.

Even the arrival of survival specialist Sam Allardyce in December failed to bring about a resurgence, with several strong performances going unrewarded through wasteful finishing.

Of the three, only a determined Fulham appeared remotely capable of maintaining their Premier League status. Following a dreadful start they tightened up at the back and became a competitive outfit, but abysmal home form and a constant failure to turn pressure into goals was too much to overcome.

Opportunities to rise above the dotted line came and went, and in the end they fell too far off the pace.

The English top-flight is used to seeing dramatic relegation battles that go down to final day or involve one team pulling off a great escape, but this time there was simply a gulf in class between the bottom three and the rest that just proved insurmountable.

TOP (OPPOSITE PAGE): Newcastle's Joe Willock reacts after the English Premier League soccer match between Newcastle United and Manchester City BOTTOM LEFT (OPPOSITE PAGE): Manager Mikel Arteta of Arsenal reacts during the English Premier League soccer match BOTTOM RIGHT (OPPOSITE PAGE): Joe Willock will be going back to Arsenal next season ABOVE: West Bromwich's Manager Sam Allardyce BELOW: Chelsea fans stage a demonstration against the European Super league before the English Premier League soccer match between Chelsea FC and Brighton & Hove Albion FC TOP RIGHT: Leicester's Kelechi Iheanacho celebrates after the English FA Cup final BOTTOM RIGHT: Everton’s manager Carlo Ancelotti

THE UGLY The proposed European Super League brought unprecedented levels of fury from all corners of the game as it threatened to tear apart all the fundamental values and traditions on which it is founded. Of the clubs that signed up to take part, six of them were from the Premier League and despite the fact they pulled out within days and issued lengthy apologies to supporters, for many it was simply not enough and so the backlash will likely be felt for a long time to come.

As the plan was driven by the clubs’ owners, who have been accused of extreme greed and showing a lack of respect and understanding towards football’s heritage, they have been on the receiving end of much of the anger.

This has led to some sets of fans to call for their removal, with high-profile former players endorsing Spotify founder Daniel Ek’s bid to take over Arsenal, but it is at Manchester United where the situation has really boiled over. There has been a feeling of discontent towards the Glazer family at Old Trafford ever since they purchased the club back in 2005 which has seen its occasional flashpoints, but the European Super League has tipped things over the edge. Protests outside the stadium were a constant factor for United’s final home games of the season, and their clash with rivals Liverpool - another one of the clubs involved - even had to be postponed after about 2,000 people managed to force their way inside and on to the pitch.

When the fixture was rearranged special measures had to be put in place to ensure the safety of the players, emphasising the ongoing strength of feeling. Co-chairman Joel Glazer responded with an open letter where he promised to communicate more with supporters, but he faces a major uphill battle to get them on side.

GOING DOWN After a brilliant start to the season which saw them set the early pace, Everton gradually faded away to finish in a very disappointing 10th position. That was compounded by Carlo Ancelotti’s decision to return to Real Madrid, leaving the Toffees scrambling to replace a worldclass coach.

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SERIE A

INTER SWEPT AWAY ALL BEFORE THEM ON ROUTE TO A SERIE A TITLE WIN BUT COULDN’T BANISH THEIR CRAZINESS FOR LONG AS NO SOONER HAD ANTONIO CONTE LIFTED THE SCUDETTO WAS HE OUT THE DOOR, CIRO DI BRITA WRITES…

ntonio Conte led Inter to their first Scudetto in 11 years and broke the strangle hold that Juventus had on the Serie A title for the past nine years.

In what was the first full year without fans in the stadiums due to COVID regulations, the Nerazzurri were the only side to maintain their consistency throughout the season while others, such as Milan, Napoli, Atalanta and the Old Lady fell by the wayside.

For a team that has just won the title, you would expect some sort of stability heading into the summer. Not at the club nicknamed Pazza Inter, though, as the champions live up to their ‘crazy’ moniker. From asking their players to go without wages for four months to losing their coach in the space of a few days, it has been chaos at the San Siro for the league winners. And it wasn’t plain-sailing through the season either, which only underscores the

‘MILAN FINISHED THE SEASON IN SECOND PLACE HAVING BEEN THE WINTER CHAMPIONS AND REMAINED UNBEATEN UNTIL EARLY JANUARY’ 22

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FINAL TABLE Inter Milan

91

AC Milan

79

Atalanta

78

Juventus

78

Napoli

77

Lazio

68

Roma

62

Sassuolo

62

Inter ended Juventus’ dominance of Serie A with a commanding Scudetto win

Sampdoria

52

Verona

45

BOTTOM RIGHT: Cristiano Ronaldo, Serie A's leading goal scorer this year

Genoa

42

Bologna

41

Fiorentina

40

Udinese

40

Spezia

39

Cagliari

37

Torino

37

Benevento

33

Crotone

23

Parma

20

Champions League Europa League UEFA CONFERENCE LEAGUE

Relegation

MOST GOALS C. Ronaldo

29

Romelu Lukaku

24

Luis Muriel

22

Dusan Vlahovic

21

Simy

20

Ciro Immobile

20

Lorenzo Insigne

19

Lautaro Martinez 17 D. Berardi

17

Joao Pedro

16

23

Antonio Conte guided the Nerazzurri to glory but quit just a few days later

SERIE A

‘INTER WERE THE ONLY SIDE TO MAINTAIN THEIR CONSISTENCY THROUGHOUT THE SEASON WHILE OTHERS FELL BY THE WAYSIDE’ achievement of the now-departed Conte in whipping Inter into shape.

Il Biscione were good value for their title triumph. A home derby defeat and an away loss to Sampdoria were their only losses until a controversial 3-2 reverse at Juventus came after they had mathematically won the league.

Simone Inzaghi has replaced Conte in the San Siro dugout and it remains to be seen if the former Lazio trainer can inspire Inter in the manner of his predecessor.

Juventus parted ways with Maurizio Sarri last summer despite the chain-smoking, Charles Bukowski-reading tactician overseeing the Old Lady’s ninth straight Scudetti. He was replaced by novice Andrea Pirlo, himself let go

by Juve at the conclusion of the season and replaced by Max Allegri after limping into the Champions League places on the final day of the season.

Pirlo’s side underwhelmed in 2020-21, winning only 23 of their 38 matches. A shock 1-0 home defeat to relegated Benevento in March was probably the lowest point, coming shortly after Juve exited the Champions League in the last 16 against Porto. Pirlo was heavily criticised for his stubbornness in refusing to change his style of play despite it not appearing to suit his

SERIE A SUMMER TRANSFERS Serie A summer transfers The transfer market is often busiest in Italy but the summer of 2021 stands to be one of the most complicated in years as clubs prioritise balancing their books…

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players, and dropped points against Crotone, Hellas Verona and Benevento – who took four points off Juve – meant they never got going.

Dropping Cristiano Ronaldo for the must-win final game of the season may also point to an unhappy relationship with the Portugal striker, who has been linked with a move away from Turin this summer.

Milan finished the season in second place having been the Winter Champions and remained unbeaten until early January, when they lost to Juventus. That defeat was followed up by three more, against Atalanta, Spezia and, most damagingly, Inter in the Derby della Madonnina.

Coach Stefano Pioli arguably overachieved this season by delivering Champions League qualification for the first time since 2014 and few last August tagged Milan as title challengers. The presence of veteran superstar Zlatan Ibrahimovic certainly helped, bringing confidence and experience to what is a young side. Milan were also helped by the award of 20 penalties, converting 15 of them.

Atalanta again impressed in finishing third with 78 points, the same total as Juventus but La Dea topped the head-to-head record between the teams. Gian Piero Gasperini’s side have

The experience of Zlatan Ibrahimovic helped Milan but the Rossoneri still fell away in the spring

This could possibly be the most confusing transfer market in recent Serie A history with the carousel of coaching changes that began hours after the final whistle of the 2020-21 campaign the main catalyst for upheaval.

The uncertainty of who will arrive or depart several of the bigger clubs in Italy – be it due to the pandemic, Euro 2020 or clubs’ parlous finances – make this a difficult window to predict. The early transfer saga involved Milan goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma, as his contract ran down at San Siro and he became available on a free transfer. Juventus and Paris Saint-Germain were both linked with the

Azzurri international but Max Allegri’s return to Turin reportedly left PSG free and clear, as Allegri is said to be happy with current No 1 Wojciech Szczesny.

Fans have of course been absent from Serie A stadiums for more than a year and the resulting loss of revenue is part of why clubs are looking for cheaper options, including those out of contract at their current clubs.

Napoli pair Nikola Maksimovic and Elseid Hysaj should have a host of suitors, and the same goes for Milan’s Turkey international Hakan Calhanoglu, Nicolas N’Koulou of Torino and Inter’s utility man Danilo D’Ambrosio. Probably

WHAT TO EXPECT IN 2021-22 Five of last season’s top seven clubs have changed coach – which could be the opening the stable Milan and Atalanta need…

Champions Inter may have lost Scudettowinning coach Antonio Conte and could be forced to sell some of their key players – Achraf Hakimi is among them although Romelu Lukaku has said he wants to stay – but they should still be the team to beat next season.

Milan should be encouraged by their 2020-21 and, along with Atalanta, are the only side from 2020-21’s top seven to be heading into the new season with the same coach. Money is a little tight for the Rossoneri but they should be able to add to their squad – indeed, they’ll have to as they balance Serie A with their return to the Champions League.

Three top four finishes in a row will leave Atalanta hopeful of taking the next step to become genuine title contenders – not plucky outsiders fighting against the odds.

A decent summer of recruitment – and holding on to their key player and, most importantly, coach Gian Piero Gasperini – could see La Dea take advantage of the upheaval around them.

Juventus will be expecting better as Max Allegri returns to the club. But the Old Lady will have to rebuild what is an old squad, with Cristiano Ronaldo flirting with a move to first club Sporting, a return to Manchester United or a spell in MLS. Giorgio Chiellini and Leonardo Bonucci aren’t getting any younger either and while there is talent in the younger members of the squad, they don’t have the same leadership qualities as their older teammates. Matthis De Ligt, Weston McKennie, Federico Chiesa and Paulo Dybala could be the spine for the next period of success, if the players around them are up to scratch.

Napoli, Lazio and Roma all want to be in the Champions League places this time next year but seven into four just doesn’t go. Jose Mourinho won’t want to fail again after being sacked by Chelsea, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur, and he has happy memories of winning in Serie A with Inter.

Some big names could leave Inter this summer but Romelu Lukaku has said he wants to stay

now qualified for the Champions League for three straight years, getting out of the group stage again in 2020-21 and only losing to Real Madrid in the Round of 16.

It was though a poor start to the season for Atalanta, as they recorded three defeats and two draws in their first 10 games and fell 16 points behind leaders Milan. They ended the season only a point behind the Rossoneri – and 13 points behind Inter – with the goals of Colombian pair Duvan Zapata and Luis Muriel a major reason for their recovery. The strikers scored 15 and 22 goals respectively and ensured the Bergamo club didn’t feel the loss of captain Papu Gomez too much after he joined Sevilla in January following a falling-out with Gasperini.

Napoli were involved at the top of the table early in the season, winning their first four matches before back-to-back home defeats to Sassuolo and Milan took the wind out of their sales in November. The Azzurri dropped too many points at home against sides they were expected to beat, including on the final day when they blew a lead against Verona.

That 1-1 draw allowed Juve to steal fourth place after a nine-game unbeaten run appeared to have put Napoli on course for Champions

League qualification. Gennaro Gattuso decamped soon after the end of the season to take over from Beppe Iachini at Fiorentina, to be replaced by Luciano Spalletti, whose remit is clear: qualify for the Champions League.

Neither Roma nor Lazio ever really looked like genuine title contenders at any point in the season and the capital clubs ended up finishing seventh and sixth respectively. The Biancocelesti only scored once in their final five games, while La Lupa failed to beat any of the other top seven sides – other than a home win Lazio in the Rome derby. And both sides are facing a rebuild this summer as Simone Inzaghi quit Lazio for Inter, and Jose Mourinho was announced as replacing Paulo Fonseca before the season was over.

Ultimately Inter’s Scudetto win was about consistency. The teams around them were either hampered by bad spells or never got going, whereas Conte’s charges powered through, inspired by Romelu Lukaku and Lautaro Martinez in attack and a well-drilled team behind them. But what could have been the start of a dynasty under Conte may now go down as a one-season wonder, and Serie A bathes in uncertainty once again.

the biggest name of the summer to watch is Cristiano Ronaldo, who has been linked with PSG, a return to first club Sporting and a move to MLS. Meanwhile, Inter could reluctantly lose some of their title-winners in an effort to balance to books, and Achraf Hakimi is the name most commonly mentioned – again in connection with PSG. Italy internationals Emerson Palmieri, Matteo Pessina, Manuel Locatelli, and Andrea Belotti will all be subject to transfer speculation throughout the summer and some of the standouts from Serie A who do not currently

grace the bigger clubs – including Udinese talisman Rodrigo De Paul, Josip Ilicic of Atalanta and Sassuolo’s swashbuckling winger Jeremie Boga – could all have the top sides fighting for their signatures this summer.

RIGHT: A surprise appointment, Andrea Pirlo struggled as Juventus coach and was dismissed at the end of the season LEFT: Hakan Calhanoglu could potentially move LEFT (OPPODITE PAGE): Gianluigi Donnarumma's contract at the San Siro is up

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SERIE A

"THE ROSSONERI WERE EXPECTED TO BATTLE FOR A EUROPA LEAGUE BERTH BUT FINISHED AS RUNNERS-UP AND WILL RETURN TO EUROPE’S PREMIER TOURNAMENT IN 2021-22."

BY: NICK VALERIO

MATURE MILAN THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY

THE GOOD There was widespread shock when ex-Inter coach Stefano Pioli was brought in to replace Marco Giampaolo in October 2019. The welltravelled tactician took his place in the San Siro dugout after Giampaolo took charge of just seven matches and with Milan in 13th, before guiding the Rossoneri to a very respectable sixth spot, earning European football in the process.

Pioli deservedly saw his temporary spell in charge made permanent last July and his young guns remarkably led the 2020-21 standings for a considerable chunk of the term. Milan ultimately clinched second behind bitter rivals Inter, and, arguably, are ahead of schedule given the fierce competition in Serie A and the youthful makeup of the squad.

The Rossoneri were expected to battle for a Europa League berth but saw off Juventus, Napoli, Atalanta and both Rome clubs to finish

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GOING UP

as runners-up and their reward will be a return to Europe’s premier tournament in 2021-22.

Brahim Diaz, Jens Petter Hauge, Sandro Tonali, Fikayo Tomori, Alexis Saelemaekers, Diogo Dalot and Pierre Kalulu may not have represented glamorous options, but Pioli and Paolo Maldini’s new direction for Milan handsomely paid off in the final contest away at Atalanta and the current crop can only benefit from delivering when it mattered most.

Other standout performances included the 3-0 triumph at the Bianconeri on Matchday 35, dispelling any concerns over the staying power of Pioli’s group, and hitting Torino for seven just 72 hours later. Crucially, both must win showdowns were achieved without talisman Zlatan Ibrahimovic, further highlighting the impressive maturity of Pioli’s squad.

Milan had the fourth lowest average age in Europe’s top five leagues and, if Maldini can again recruit smartly, the Italian heavyweights should enjoy another year of growth as they bid to re-establish themselves as a force on both the domestic and continental stage.

Only Cristiano Ronaldo, Romelu Lukaku and Luis Muriel scored more than Dusan Vlahovic and without the young Serbian’s goals, Fiorentina would have likely suffered relegation. Manchester United, Liverpool, Inter, Juventus, Real Madrid and Milan are all tracking the giant attacker but Rocco Commisso is expected to firmly rebuff any summer approaches.

THE BAD For all Maurizio Sarri’s shortcomings, the former Chelsea and Napoli coach did win the Scudetto. The Neapolitan was ultimately judged on Juventus’ performance in Europe and lasted just 14 months in the job. The Bianconeri hierarchy reportedly made Pep Guardiola their top target to replace Sarri, and, while there remains a belief the Spaniard will one day coach in Italy, Juventus were unable to tempt him last summer.

Step forward Andrea Pirlo, who only nine days before he got the Juve job was named the Old Lady’s U23-coach, and was still in the process of earning his UEFA Pro Licence. The World Cup winner had no experience in the dugout and, while he won six of his first 12 matches in charge, it quickly became apparent Juventus would struggle to keep up with Antonio Conte’s eventual title winners.

Like his predecessor, Pirlo crashed out of the Champions League to a modest outfit and the pressure quickly intensified on the novice from Flero. Zinedine Zidane, Max Allegri, ex-international and club teammate Gennaro Gattuso, Igor Tudor and Antonio Conte were all linked to the Bianconeri post at various stages over the last six months but, to chairman Andrea Agnelli’s credit, Pirlo was given the full campaign.

The 42-year-old scooped Coppa Italia and Supercoppa medals, but it was not enough to survive at Italy’s grandest club and Pirlo received his marching orders at the end of May. Fortunately, Juventus will be competing in the 2021-22 Champions League, though it was largely made possible by favours elsewhere.

The Bianconeri went in to matchday 38 in fifth, relying on favours from Atalanta and Hellas Verona and it was Napoli who fell out of the much-coveted top four places, despite comfortably outscoring Juventus and winning more matches than the Turin outfit.

In truth, two trophies and squeezing in at the expense of the Azzurri papered over the cracks and it promises to be a fascinating summer of incomings and outgoings under the returning Max Allegri.

ABOVE (OPPOSITE PAGE): Stefano Pioli reacts during a Serie A game BOTTOM LEFT (OPPOSITE PAGE): Even without Zlatan, Milan proved their maturity to win key games BOTTOM RIGHT (OPPOSITE PAGE): Milan's manager Paolo Maldini prior to the Italian Serie A soccer match Parma Calcio vs AC Milan ABOVE: Juventus' Alvaro Morata (L) celebrates with his coach Andrea Pirlo (R) after scoring BELOW: Inter's Coach Antonio Conte during the Italian Serie A soccer match FC Inter vs Hellas Verona TOP RIGHT: Dusan Vlahovic BOTTOM RIGHT: Parma is looking to rebuild and be better

champions to balance the books.

Simone Inzaghi was swiftly brought in for his compatriot but it remains to be seen if the 45-year-old can keep Inter at the top of the standings, particularly with Max Allegri making a hero’s return to Turin.

Like Conte, Inzaghi was also embroiled in a high-profile spat with his president. Claudio Lotito blasted the man who spent 11 years of his playing career in the capital, followed by five years on the touchline, after the young brother of Pippo went back on his word of signing a new contract.

The 2018-19 Coppa Italia winning coach was all set to extend his time in Rome until 2024 but the opportunity to manage the new Scudetto holders was too difficult to refuse and Inzaghi is unlikely to be received too fondly when he takes Inter to Stadio Olimpico next campaign.

Meanwhile, Gattuso was the latest in a long line of tacticians to feel the wrath of outspoken Napoli patron Aurelio De Laurentiis.

Remarkably, the Azzurri owner desperately tried to keep the popular Calabrian in Naples but Gattuso accepted Fiorentina’s offer and Luciano Spalletti is now in the San Paolo hot-seat. 23 days after being appointed at Fiorentina, Gattuso has left following a disagreement with ownership over transfer strategy.

GOING DOWN Much-loved Parma endured a miserable season from start to finish and will be plying their trade in Serie B during the 2021-22 campaign. The Crociati won just three of their 38 league matches, finishing bottom of the table and new boss Enzo Maresca has a huge rebuild on his hands with Gervinho leading the exodus.

THE UGLY In a quite astonishing series of events, four of the coach who finished in the top six had either resigned or been dismissed less than a week after the 2020-21 Serie A season ended.

Andrea Pirlo, Antonio Conte, Simone Inzaghi and Gennaro Gattuso followed Paulo Fonseca out the exit door but the departure of the former Chelsea boss was the most controversial.

Conte ended former side Juventus’ nine-year dominance in Serie A but not even 72 hours had passed before he had left his post in the Nerazzurri dugout. Inter’s financial problems have been well documented and, rather than building on their title success, the fiery Lecce native was told he would lose some of his

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LA LIGA

ATLETICO MADRID FOUGHT OFF THE MIGHTY CLASICO DUO OF BARCELONA AND REAL MADRID TO CLAIM THEIR FIRST LA LIGA TITLE SINCE 2014. DAVID WHITWORTH EXPLAINS HOW IT WAS DONE…

here was a beautiful moment postmatch on the final day of the season when Diego Simeone’s daughters Francesca and Valentina sang the Atletico Madrid hymn live on television with their father. It was beautifully emotive and a moment of bliss, a moment to savour for the Simeone family after a hard fought title race.

For the first time in seven years, Atlético Madrid are champions of La Liga and proved worthy winners. Los Colchoneros started the season like a rocket and led by 10 points, with a game in hand, by January. Based on Atlético’s form during the first half of the

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2020-21 La Liga season, it appeared the club was on its way to a second league title under their stoic Argentine coach. They lost only once through the first 22 matches, a 2-0 defeat at Real Madrid. Following that defeat Atlético won eight straight and accumulated a total of 50 points at the halfway point of the season.

With a rock solid defence that conceded only 10 goals through the first 19 matches, along with a revitalised attack thanks in large to the pivotal signing of Luis Suárez, Simeone’s men comfortably led La Liga by double-digits, with no indications that their impressive form would drop off. This, coupled with a poor start to the season by Barcelona and Madrid, established

FINAL TABLE

Atletico Madrid lost only once through the first 22 matches.

BOTTOM RIGHT: Lionel Messi

Los Rojiblancos as clear title favourites.

However, Atlético hit a poor run of form beginning in February, where in a span of three days, they drew and lost to Levante, providing their title rivals with an opening. A disappointing draw at home to Los Blancos a few weeks later, conceding in the 88th minute, began to further sow doubt as to whether the ‘pupas’ [jinx] curse would return to haunt the club. A further implosion saw a loss to Sevilla and a draw to Real Betis in back-to-back matches early April.

But Barcelona and Madrid proved unable to take advantage of Atlético’s poor run of results, with the Catalans winning only twice in their final six matches, including losing at home to Granada. Real too, dropped points

Atletico Madrid

86

Real Madrid

84

Barcelona

79

Sevilla

77

Real Sociedad

62

Real Betis

61

*Villarreal

58

Celta Vigo

53

Granada

46

Athletic Club

46

Osasuna

44

Cadiz

44

Valencia

43

Levante

41

Getafe

38

Alaves

38

Elche

36

Huesca

34

Valladolid

31

Eibar

30

Champions League Europa League Relegation * As Europa League winners, Villarreal have qualified for Champions League next season.

MOST GOALS Lionel Messi

30

Gerard Moreno

23

Karim Benzema 22 Luis Suarez

21

Y. En-Nesyri

18

Alexander Isak

17

Iago Aspas

14

A. Griezmann

13

Morales

13

Rafa Mir

13

‘ATLETICO’S AGONIZING DEFEATS TO REAL MADRID ENHANCED THE CLUB’S INFAMOUS ‘EL PUPAS’ [THE JINXED ONES] MANTRA’ 29

LA LIGA

Atletico Madrid’s second title win under Diego Simeone was a credit to the Argentine

‘DIEGO SIMEONE DECLARED THAT ATLETICO WERE ENTERING ‘THE LUIS SUAREZ ZONE’’ at home to Sevilla in early May. Therefore, the onus remained with Atlético, who knew if they were to win their final three matches, they would be crowned champions.

First, Atlético defeated fifth-placed Real Sociedad, in a hard-fought 2-1 home victory.

Next came 11th-placed Osasuna, also at Atlético’s Wanda Metropolitano. Despite dominating the match with over 70% possession, Simeone’s side could not find a breakthrough. Then, out of nowhere, Osasuna scored in the 75th minute from a goal from Ante Budimir. Meanwhile, Madrid were in front 1-0 against Athletic Club, meaning if the results held, Atlético would end the day in second place, with the title race out of their control.

Enter Renan Lodi. A 66th-minute substitute, the left-back received a brilliant pass from another substitute in Joao Felix and thundered the ball into the top corner with his left foot.

Simeone’s substitutions worked, but Atlético still needed another goal.

Enter Suárez. The former Barcelona striker, cast away by the club last summer, made the most of his opportunity to prove his old employers wrong. Pre-match, Simeone declared that Atlético were entering ‘the Suárez Zone,’ due to the striker’s innate ability

LA LIGA SUMMER TRANSFERS The season had barely finished before talk turned to the transfer market. Barcelona have already been busy – which are the other names to watch this summer?

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to score crucial goals throughout his career.

And in the 88th minute, Osasuna and the rest of Spain discovered what that zone was. A brilliant cross into the box by Yannick Carrasco was met by Suárez, who calmly struck the ball into the net, causing pandemonium amongst his teammates and coaches. The 34-year-old Uruguayan saved Atlético’s season, but there was still one more match to go.

On paper, Atlético’s final match against Valladolid, the second-worst team in La Liga, seemed a formality. In fact, over the last 11 matches between the two sides, Atlético had won 10 of them and drawn the other. But the ‘pupas’ curse has a way of rearing its ugly head in the most unpredictable moments.

Like in the 18th minute, when Valladolid rightwinger Oscar Plano put his club ahead through a brilliant counter-attack, expertly placing his shot past the outstretched arms of Jan Oblak.

Once again, Atlético faced a deficit, knowing if it stayed that way they would most likely finish in second place and lose out to their city rivals, once again.

After falling behind for the second consecutive league match, it could be understood if the Atlético Madrid players, coaches and supporters began to wonder if another

Real Madrid clinched second but – aside from a mid-season wobble – Atletico were always clear

Both Real Madrid and Barcelona are braced for substantial changes on the pitch. Madrid have re-appointed Carlo Ancelotti and Barca are sticking with Ronald Koeman, but both squads look set for an overhaul.

Lionel Messi’s future was no clearer even as Barca unveiled compatriot Sergio Aguero, one of a number of high-profile free transfer signings with which the Catalans were linked.

Memphis Depay has left Lyon, and followed Aguero to Camp Nou. In Madrid, captain Sergio Ramos will look for a fresh experience after 16 years in the capital while Gareth Bale has Euro 2020 to put himself in the shop window as

his Tottenham Hotspur loan concludes. Kylian Mbappe will be a name mentioned frequently, too. Is he heading for Santiago Bernabeu?

In Seville, Real Betis will face a fight to retain France international Nabil Fekir, and Sevilla will spend the summer fending off interest in their fantastic defensive duo of Diego Carlos and Jules Koundé. If either do leave, it will be for big money. Gerard Moreno of Villarreal will be another La Liga player on many clubs’ radars. The striker plundered 23 goals last season and will represent Spain this summer at the European Championships. His colleague Pau Torres has been a rock for the Yellow

WHAT TO EXPECT IN 2021-22 Atleti’s title win was something of a surprise for 2020-21. Will next season see one of the Clasico pair return to the summit?

Cast off by Barcelona, Luis Suarez proved he had plenty still to offer with 21 goals

devastating collapse was written in the stars, especially considering a potential defeat would enable Real Madrid to surpass them once again. Like in the 2014 and 2016 Champions League finals, when Atlético’s agonizing defeats to their city rivals enhanced the club’s infamous ‘El Pupas’ [The Jinxed Ones] mantra.

After leading La Liga so convincingly in January, losing the league title on the final day would be typical for Atlético. One could even consider it the club’s destiny.

But not this year. Just like against Osasuna, Simeone’s side responded. This time it was forward Ángel Correa, scoring a stunning goal from outside the box in the 57th minute, built up by his brilliant movement through the Valladolid defence. 10 minutes later, Atlético entered ‘the Suárez Zone’ once again, as the striker latched on to from a terrible pass by Sergi Guardiola, breaking free to go one-onone with the goalkeeper. It was fitting Suárez scored the winner to clinch the league title, as he put together an incredible season for Atlético with 21 league goals.

Suárez was a standout and Atleti the team of the year, but others impressed too. Real Betis returned to Europe after a run of two defeats in 25 games to secure sixth, promoted Cádiz

Submarine and is attracting attention from Manchester United, having contributed to beating the Red Devils in the Europa League Final at the end of May. A bargain buy could prove in the shape of forward Rafa Mir. The Wolverhampton Wanderers marksman was on loan at Huesca last season and banged in 13 goals. It was an impressive total for a relegated club and he will attract a lot of attention this summer, particular as his parent club go through a change in coach.

claimed 12th and beat both Barca and Madrid and Elche, having had 13 days to prepare for the top flight, secured safety on the final day.

But it was Atlético and their eighth trophy under Cholo Simeone that took the headlines and banished the club’s long-standing curse.

BELOW: Barcelona are rebuilding in summer 2021 but financial pressures mean relying on big-name free transfers

Expect a fierce retort from Real Madrid and Barcelona to prove a stern test of Atlético Madrid regaining their crown. Real Madrid will look to bounce back in their renovated Santiago Bernabéu stadium, whilst Barcelona will look to inject fresh impetus and money into the club long-term thanks to new president Joan Laporta, who wasted no time in signing Sergio Aguero, Eric Garcia and Emerson Royal.

Atleti, Madrid and Barca are almost guaranteed to make the top three – the only question is in what order. The remaining Champions League place should be fought between a well-run Sevilla outfit and a vibrant Villarreal side who have improved greatly as last season went on.

An emotional moment could come to pass in the form of Real Betis legendary winger Joaquín Sánchez Rodríguez. The all-time outfield La Liga appearance holder with over 800 games under his belt could be set for his final bow in Spanish football.

The evergreen Joaquín will be 40 years old when the new season commences, and supporters of all clubs will be sorry to see him go when he finally does hang up his boots.

Valencia will aim to be fighting for European places after a torrid campaign where Los Che finished a lowly 13th position. The Mestalla club are hamstrung by financial and institutional troubles so a return to Europe might be a forlorn challenge. Stability will be their main aim this time round.

In terms of the new kids on the block, Real Mallorca and Espanyol will both be aiming to make an impression of the likes of Cádiz and Elche as they bounced back from relegation to return to the elite.

RIGHT: The question is not who will come top three, but in what order will Barcelona, Real Madrid, and Atletico finish in at the top of the table.

LEFT: Eric Garcia is another free agent signing for Barcelona.

LEFT (OPPOSITE PAGE): Depay will reunite with former Netherlands coach Koeman at Barcelona

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LA LIGA BY: FEARGAL BRENNAN

NEW FUTURE THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY

"MESSI’S FUTURE APPEARS TO BE EDGING CLOSER TO A POSITIVE CONCLUSION" THE GOOD Barcelona’s chances of securing a marquee multi-million euro signing this summer have been heavily reduced by the ongoing financial crisis at the Camp Nou. New club president Joan Laporta was elected into office on the promise of two main targets – securing Lionel Messi’s future at the club and increasing Ronald Koeman’s transfer budget.

However, despite Laporta’s election campaign optimism, he appears to have changed tact once in office.

Messi’s future appears to be edging closer to a positive conclusion and that has bought him some extra time in terms of budgeting.

The Catalan businessman has subsequently repackaged his budget structure to Koeman as having the flexibility to pay huge salaries provided they are secure via free transfers. Enter Sergio Aguero. Aguero’s long-awaited arrival in Catalonia was greeted with huge positivity as he remains confident of recapturing his best form and not running out the clock on his distinguished career.

On the one hand, La Blaugrana fans are likely to be disappointed over the club’s inability to battle for targets including Erling Haaland or Kylian Mbappe this summer but the Atletico Madrid renaissance of Luis Suarez has given them pause for thought.

The Uruguayan was dismissed as having too many miles on the clock by Koeman at the start of 2020-21, however, 21 league goals later, he is now a La Liga champion with Diego Simeone’s side. Koeman is keen to avoid a similar misjudgement over an experienced striker, and Aguero looks to still have plenty to offer at the highest level. His return to Spanish football adds another ingredient to the mix for 2021-22 and

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GOING UP

few would deny him a strong season if he and Messi click into gear as they do for Argentina.

THE BAD

Espanyol and Real Mallorca completed an immediate return to La Liga following their 2020 relegation from the top flight. The Catalans just about edged out Mallorca as champions on the final day to clinch promotion as Segunda Division champions with Leganes amongst those battling for a La Liga return via the play-offs.

Managerial changes have rocketed across Europe at the back end of the 2020-21 season with La Liga no different. One of the earliest movers in the market is Valencia’s decision to sack Javi Gracia from his post at the Estadio Mestalla and replace him with Getafe head coach Jose Bordalas.

Valencia’s ugly civil war has though continued into the summer as Los Che fans continue to oppose Peter Lim’s ownership of the club and the Singaporean businessman shows no signs of leaving. However, the disconnect between the fans and the club proved pivotal in costing Gracia his job as their poor performances meant he had no bargaining chips – such as fan support – with which to counter Lim. The move for Bordalas looks to have pleased no one in the early stages – despite being a Valencian native – as the fans have objected to him mirroring Getafe’s pragmatic style on the Spanish east coast. On the flip side, the move has also upset Getafe fans, despite their own poor end to the 2020-21 season.

Bordalas was responsible for leading the club back to La Liga and into the Europa League, where his straightforward tactical approach secured the club from the outskirts of Madrid some historic results in Europe.

The supporter base is split over his exit with some claiming he has betrayed the club at the point where they need his leadership the most.

However, other have focused their ire at club president Angel Torres, with Bordalas citing his lack of a budget as the main reason for moving on from the Estadio Coliseum Alfonso Perez.

Bordalas’ exit could also be compounded by some key on-field exits sanctioned by Torres with Djené Dakonam attracting interest again.

It’s a sad end to Bordalas’ time at Getafe, and a bad start to his time at Valencia. He will be hoping it hasn’t set the tone for his tenure in his new job.

THE UGLY Zinedine Zidane has never let the dust gather under his feet during his coaching career at Real Madrid, with his second spell ending as abruptly as his first. The Frenchman cut a frustrated figure in the final weeks of the 2020-21 season as his side bowed out of the Champions League against Chelsea and were unable to haul back Atletico Madrid in the title race. Zidane was clearly irked by media intrusion in his final days as he was forced to deny leaks that he had told the squad he was leaving just hours before their final game of the campaign. Within days of the end of the season, he demanded talks with club president Florentino Perez, with his exit confirmed inside less than 24 hours.

However, that proved to be just the start of the soap opera between each party, with Zidane citing a lack of respect from both Perez and the club as the reason for his hurried departure. Zidane has consistently demanded respect to be paid up front and his trophy cabinet backs that up but any hint that his decision would not be final did not sit well with him. Rumoured objections to his team selections in certain games and a disregard over his request for a summer transfer budget proved to be the breaking point. Perez has typically fug his heels in over the situation claiming the club have acted in accordance with his direction.

But, based on Zidane’s almost universal popularity, this headache is unlikely to go away quickly for Perez or Real Madrid in the coming months. The return of Carlo Ancelotti, six years after he was sacked by Perez, may not be enough to steer Madrid in the right direction.

The Italian said when he returned to Madrid that ‘the only thing that changes here is the coach’ and he isn’t wrong. Perez is still the president, and few expect a smooth second act to Ancelotti’s time under the 74-year-old supremo.

GOING DOWN ABOVE (OPPOSITE PAGE): Lionel Messi's future is becoming positive MIDDLE (OPPOSITE PAGE): Sergio Ageuro has been signed by Barcelona

Eibar’s seven-season stay in La Liga came to a disappointing end in 2020-21 as the Basque side slipped down to the second tier. Fellow relegated sides Real Valladolid and Huesca will join them on the long road back to La Liga from next season.

BOTTOM (OPPOSITE PAGE): Ronal Koeman has been granted a much larger transfer budget ABOVE: Getafe head coach Jose Bordalas reacts RIGHT: Zinedine Zidane reacts during one of his last games as Real Madrid's Manager BELOW: Florentino Perez, President of Real Madrid TOP RIGHT: Espanyol celebrates BOTTOM RIGHT: Eibar's Bryan Gil, disheartened

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BUNDESLIGA

BAYERN MUNICH WON THE 2020-21 BUNDESLIGA TITLE BUT THERE WAS INTEREST UP AND DOWN THE DIVISION EVEN AS THE BAVARIANS MAINTAINED THEIR DOMINANCE, MICHELLE OSEI BONSU WRITES…

‘BAYERN MUNICH HAD TO WORK A LOT HARDER THAN THEY HAVE IN SOME PREVIOUS YEARS TO HOLD ON TO THEIR TITLE’

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ayern Munich are champions is a phrase heard every year in Germany since the end of the 2012-13 season as Die Roten close in on a decade of dominance. But the 2020-21 season was at least one of the more interesting in those nine years, even at the top of the table. For a handful of fleeting moments, someone other than Bayern led the way and had a realistic shot at winning the title until the final weeks of the season.

Indeed, Bayern had to work a lot harder than they have in some previous years to hold on to their title. Surprise package Bayer Leverkusen even topped the table at one point, while RB Leipzig, led by the young, talented and Bayernbound Julen Nagelsmann, looked like chasing Bayern all the way for a grandstand finish.

Ultimately, a 1-0 home defeat to Bayern – and a run of two wins in the seven games that followed – saw Leipzig finish 13 points adrift.

Then there were Eintracht Frankfurt and Wolfsburg, who experienced a purple patch in January and February. Both sides went from barely involved in the Europa League fight to banging on the door of the Champions

Bayern Munich’s end-of-season title celebrations have become a familiar sight in the last nine years BOTTOM RIGHT: Andre Silva

League. It made for a congested top seven, with only 15 points separating second and seventh. Wolfsburg claimed fourth, joining the top two and Borussia Dortmund in next year’s Champions League.

The form of the teams below them kept Bayern on their toes. They knew that any slip-up could see not only the title disappear but also their top four place – but, as they always do, Bayern found a way. Wins in Der Klassiker ensured Dortmund were kept at bay and, ironically, Die Schwarzgelben did Bayern a favour by beating Leipzig on matchday 32. That result ensured Bayern, who had suffered a shock 2-1 loss to Mainz in the prior round, would be champions regardless of their result against Borussia Monchengladbach – they still romped to a 6-0 win for good measure.

Still, keeping the trophy in Munich came at a cost as Hansi Flick, the man who made Bayern history by winning six trophies in a single season in 2019-20, announced the relationship between himself and the club would end at the conclusion of the 2020-21 season. Flick’s public departure didn’t go down well with the Bayern hierarchy as it became clear he was lined up to succeed Joachim Low as Germany coach,

FINAL TABLE Bayern

78

RB Leipzig

65

Dortmund

64

Wolfsburg

61

Eintracht

60

Leverkusen

52

Union Berlin

50

Monchengladback

49

VfB Stuttgart

45

SC Freiburg

45

Hoffenheim

43

Mainz

39

Augsburg

36

Hertha

35

Arminia

35

Koln

33

Werder

31

Schalke

16

Champions League Europa League UEFA CONFERENCE LEAGUE

Relegation

MOST GOALS R. Lewandowski 41 Andre Silva

28

Erling Haaland

27

Wout Weghorst 20 Andrej Kramaric 20 Sasa Kalajdzic

16

Lars Stindl

14

Thomas Muller

11

S. Wamangituka 11 Lucas Alario

11

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BUNDESLIGA

SCHALKE MADE HISTORY FOR ALL THE WRONG REASONS’ Schalke had a torrid season that ended in relegation

but Bayern moved quickly to find a successor – and managed to hamper a rival in the process.

Nagelsmann’s work with Hoffenheim and Leipzig had won him a host of admirers and it was not a surprise that he was identified by Bayern to succeed Flick. Jesse Marsch was drafted in from Red Bull Salzburg to take the Leipzig post.

Bayern eventually ran away with the title but the Champions League race stayed tight until the very end. For Frankfurt, an historic chance was beckoning – Die Adler had never qualified for the competition and for much of the season it appeared Adi Hutter’s men, spearheaded by the goals of Portugal international Andre Silva, would secure their place in the tournament next season. But a heart-breaking loss to already-relegated Schalke meant that despite beating Freiburg in the final round, they missed out by a single point to Wolfsburg.

Speaking of Schalke, that win over Frankfurt was a rare positive experience in a nightmare season. By the time they edged out Frankfurt in a 4-3 thriller, they had already been condemned to 2.Bundesliga. Die Königsblauen made history for all the wrong reasons –

BUNDESLIGA SUMMER TRANSFERS The Bundesliga is home to some of Europe’s most wanted players – none more so than Borussia Dortmund’s Erling Haaland – but the future of another striker might be worth watching…

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SOCCER360 JULY • AUGUST 2021

having five managers in one season was just the start of the disaster. Young American forward Matthew Hoppe was all that stood between Schalke and a distinctly unwanted record.

Hoppe scored a hat-trick in the January 9 game against Hoffenheim as Schalke won 4-0.

Then 20, Hoppe’s goals meant Schalke avoided a 31st straight defeat in the Bundesliga, which would have tied the record set by Tasmania Berlin during the 1965-66 season. Hoppe also became the first American to score a hat-trick in the Bundesliga and ended the season as Schalke’s top scorer – though three of his six goals came in that January game.

Schalke were relegated on matchday 30, April 20. They had previously brought back veteran striker and fan favourite Klaas-Jan Huntelaar but a 1-0 reverse to Arminia Bielefeld saw Schalke relegated for the first time in 33 years.

One record that did fall was for goals, and it was of course beaten by Robert Lewandowski.

The Poland ace has had a bountiful career in Germany since bursting onto the scene with Borussia Dortmund in 2010, but he took it to new levels in 2020-21 and entered the history

Julian Nagelsmann nearly took RB Leipzig to the title – and next season will be in charge of the champions

Borussia Dortmund’s Norwegian starlet Erling Haaland has been taking up a lot of column inches and generating a lot of buzz since even before he wore the black and gold of BVB, and it’s only going to increase this summer. Given his agent is the prolific Mino Raiola, nothing less should be expected.

Die Schwazgelben’s decision to bring in Marco Rose from Borussia Monchengladbach could then be viewed in the context of Haaland’s future – the two worked together at Red Bull Salzburg. While all angles would have been considered when picking a permanent successor to Lucien Favre, the relationship

that exists between Rose and Dortmund’s star player couldn’t have gone unnoticed.

Rose’s appointment is then a clear sign that Dortmund intend to keep Haaland at Signal Iduna Park, and the club have publically insisted they will not sell. For his part Haaland has made noises about respecting his contract, but time will tell if he is still a Dortmund player at the start of the 2021-22 season.

Former Dortmund striker Robert Lewandowski is always someone to follow closely and while it is expected he will have at least another year in Bayern Munich colours, there have been whispers that he will seek a new challenge

WHAT TO EXPECT IN 2021-22 Experienced players leaving Bayern Munich and a new coach in the dugout means it’s hard to know what to expect from the champions – and it’s no clear at some of the Bundesliga’s other clubs…

Bayern Munich have a new coach, RB Leipzig’s Julian Nagelsmann, and are going for a tenth consecutive title. But Nagelsmann joins just as a trio of vastly experienced players leave – David Alaba, Javi Martinez and Jerome Boateng, all on free transfers as their contracts expire – and more could say auf wiedersehen to the Allianz Arena. Bayern have depth on the pitch, but they might be have lost some of their nous.

Complacency creeping in is a major concern at Bayern after every title win – and other clubs that have dominated their domestic division and changed coach have suffered, including Juventus in Serie A in 2020-21. The Bianconeri were also going for a tenth consecutive league title and barely scraped fourth place. Nagelsmann is more experienced than Andrea Pirlo, but it’s a warning from across the Alps nonetheless.

Nagelsmann’s replacement at Leipzig, Jesse Marsch, will be eager to make a big impression. He arrives on the back of a successful spell at Leipzig’s sister club, Red Bull Salzburg, where he became the first American to coach a team in the Champions League. He’ll link up with United States Men’s National Team youngster Tyler Adams, and how he rallies Leipzig’s hungry and ambitious team into another serious challenge to Bayern will be one of the stories to watch – particularly given that it is Nagelsmann who is now in charge in Munich. Leipzig have tried and tried to overtake Bayern and need to finally do it if they are to be seen as a real force, not serial pretenders.

Borussia Dortmund’s new man in charge is Marco Rose, who was succeeded by Marsch at Salzburg in 2019 when he left for Borussia Monchengladbach. Rose takes over from interim boss Edin Terzic and BVB have taken a huge gamble on Rose, rather than sticking with Terzic, who led his team to Dortmund’s first DFB Pokal since 2017 but still stepped down.

The onus is on Rose to repay Dortmund’s faith – with a genuine challenge for the Bundesliga title.

A record that stood for nearly 50 years was broken by Robert Lewandowski

books. Lewandowski scored 41 goals in 202021 to overtake a record set by the great Gerd Müller in the 1971-72 season, some 49 years ago. Der Bomber’s haul was predicted to stand for eternity as it seemed inconceivable that in the modern age, one player could surpass 40 league goals in a single season. Next on Lewi’s agenda is the individual record for being the season’s top scorer – Müller claimed seven Torjägerkanone prizes, and Lewandowski, 33 in mid-August, has six.

Could he equal Müller in 2021-22? Perhaps.

Few would put it past one of the most prolific strikers of his generation, but that’s to come.

What’s for sure is that next season has a lot to live up to as, though 2020-21 may have ended in a familiar way, it was a year of broken records and twists and turns. The top three all have new coaches – Dortmund appointing Marco Rose from Gladbach to succeed interim boss Edin Terzic – and that brings a level of uncertainty rarely seen in German football.

Bayern will still be the team to beat, but it’s all to play for in 2021-22.

instead. Turning 33 as the new season begins, Lewandowski still has years at the top level – but not that many of them.

There’s little left for Lewandowski to do in German football. He’s already broken Gerd Müller’s nearly 50-year-old record for goals in a single season and has six Torjägerkanone trophies for being the season’s top scorer to his name. That’s one fewer than Der Bomber but Lewi has won the last four in a row, something Muller never achieved.

Winning the Champions League was the main reason Lewandowski left Dortmund for Bayern in 2014, and he did that at the end of the 2019-

20 season. This then could be his last chance to test himself elsewhere, and even in his early 30s there will be a queue of clubs happy to have him if he does seek a new opportunity.

ABOVE: Thomas Muller during a Champions League match RIGHT: Jerome Boateng leaves Bayern LEFT: Marco Reus LEFT (OPPODITE PAGE): Could Erling Haaland be on the move this summer?

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BUNDESLIGA

"FLICK IS TO TAKE UP THE BIGGEST JOB IN GERMAN FOOTBALL AS HEAD COACH OF THE NATIONAL SIDE" BY: FEARGAL BRENNAN

COACH SHUFFLE THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY

THE GOOD The start of the 2021-22 Bundesliga season will see a huge game of musical chairs of coaches in the German top-flight play out. It is HansDieter Flick’s decision to leave Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich at the end of 202021 that has triggered a major reshuffle of coaches.

Flick is to take up the biggest job in German football as he replaces Joachim Low as head coach of the national side, with Low stepping down at the conclusion of Euro 2020 after 15 years in charge. That gaping hole at the Allianz Arena will be filled by Julian Nagelsmann, with the highly-rated coach ending his tenure at RB Leipzig to head to Bavaria.

The domino effect has continued from there with Nagelsmann’s rising stock rewarded by a chance to test himself inside the white-hot atmosphere of Bayern Munich and RB Leipzig leaning on their RB Salzburg connections to bring in Jesse Marsch. The Wisconsin-born former New York Red Bulls boss has impressed in his first head coaching role in Europe, winning the Austrian Bundesliga in 2019-20 and 2020-21.

However, the most interesting possible chain reaction involves Borussia Dortmund, Borussia Monchengladbach and Eintracht Frankfurt.

Edin Terzic’s uninspiring spell in charge of Dortmund in 2021 has persuaded the club to remove him and bring in the exciting figure of Marco Rose from Borussia Monchengladbach.

Rose’s loss will be felt deeply by

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GOING UP

Monchengladbach and they have opted to bring in the experienced figure of Adi Hutter to steady the ship, with Frankfurt unlikely to name a replacement until the start of the new season. Each change represents a fresh start for each club and a new set of hurdles for each coach, but the main focus will be on Nagelsmann at Bayern as he looks to follow Flick’s path and avoid the mistakes of Niko Kovac’s spell in charge.

VfL Bochum secured their return to the top-flight for the first time since 2010 after clinching the second-tier title in 2020-21 with Greuther Fürth also playing Bundesliga football again after a nineyear exile. However, Holstein Kiel will not be joining them after losing 5-1 in the promotion play-off against relegation threatened Köln.

THE BAD A new-look Bayern Munich is expected for the 2021-22 Bundesliga season as Julian Nagelsmann puts his stamp on the team.

The transition between the new man and the departing Hansi Flick has been swift in nature but there is a string of long-established names that have slipped through cracks during the changeover.

Nagelsmann’s brief of blooding more young players is clear, however, there is growing concern over the amount of experienced players being allowed to leave. Flick and the Bayern board did attempt to keep hold of versatile star David Alaba in the final months of his contract but it was to no avail as he opted to leave and sign for Real Madrid on a free transfer. Fellow veterans Javi Martinez and Jerome Boateng have also been allowed to drift out of the exit door at the Allianz Arena after more than 600 appearances between them for the club.

That void of experience shows little signs of being filled based on Nagelsmann’s previous record and he will be relying on players such as Kingsley Coman and Benjamin Pavard to step up another level. Supporters will also be looking further down the line as Leon Goretzka, Corentin Tolisso and Niklas Sule all enter into the final year of their contract this summer with no extension talks planned at this stage and the growing threat of three highprofile free exits in 2022.

However, despite speculation over their respective futures, attacking duo Thomas Muller and Robert Lewandowski are not on their way out of the club as part of Nagelsmann’s reshuffle. As long as Bayern have the goals of Lewandowski they should still be able to achieve their goals, but the Poland international is himself 33 in August.

Bayern have excelled in maintaining their dominance over German football for the past decade and replenishing the squad when necessary, but they have perhaps never had to do so on such a scale in a short space of time.

THE UGLY Joachim Low’s decision to leave his role at the helm of the Germany national team has brought to an end one of the longest running international appointments in world football.

However, the circumstances over his exit have led to criticism from certain quarters over the rebuilding job he is leaving for Hansi Flick in the months ahead.

When Low took over from Jurgen Klinsmann following the 2006 World Cup he inherited a team which had just finished third in the competition. In the immediate aftermath, he led the team to a runners-up spot in Euro 2008 before remoulding them into world champions in 2014.

However, he leaves the biggest job in German football on the back of some low-key showings in international tournaments with an ageing squad at his disposal. His decision to reverse his international exile for Mats Hummels and Thomas Muller ahead of Euro 2020 was met with positivity and scepticism in equal measure. Their recalls provided a boost for Low’s squad but he was criticised for acting in the interests of his own legacy after previously hinting they were not up to the job at international level anymore. Low had wanted to focus on blooding a next generation but after some members of that group struggled to live up to their predecessors, he turned to Hummels and Muller again.

GOING DOWN ABOVE (OPPOSITE PAGE): Dieter Flick will take over the German National Team after Euro 2020 BOTTOM LEFT (OPPOSITE PAGE): Julian Nagelsman will take over the coaching position at Bayern Munich BOTTOM RIGHT (OPPOSITE PAGE): American-born Jessie Marsch will be taking over at RB Leipzig

Köln survived what had looked like their doomed fight with a dramatic turnaround in the play-offs but Werder Bremen and Schalke 04 are two of the biggest clubs to suffer relegation in recent seasons.

Bremen will being playing in the second tier for just the second time in their history as a Bundesliga side in the post-1963 era with Schalke down for the first time since 1991.

ABOVE: David Alaba of Bayern Munich during the German Bundesliga soccer match between FSV Mainz 05 and Bayern Munich RIGHT: The new-look Bayern will look to continue their dominance BELOW: Joachim Low TOP RIGHT: SpVgg Greuther Furth celebrate BOTTOM RIGHT: Bremen's Leonardo Bittencourt (C) reacts during the German Bundesliga soccer match

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COACHES SPOTLIGHT

"TOP COACHES LIKE ANCELOTTI, MOURINHO, ALLEGRI, NAGELSMANN, SARRI, SIMONE INZAGHI, AND GATTUSO HAVE ALREADY FOUND NEW HOMES."

A

s expected, the summer transfer window has opened all across Europe. Despite the endless list of matches currently going on in European and South American championships, that has made it look like the season has not ended, club sides are busy plotting how the next season will go.

The window is usually the time teams set aside to bring in additions to their squad to do better in the coming season. In a typical window, there are a lot of outgoings and incomings with some money-spinning moves the chief attraction of the summer.

But this summer the mood is different across Europe. Clubs are increasingly unlikely to spend huge in the transfer window this summer.

Apart from Chelsea and Manchester City, who are bankrolled by oil oligarchs who are willing to spend over $200million on player transfers, no other team is looking to bring out a substantial sum for player transfers this summer. Even Manchester, whose interest in £80m rated Jadon Sancho is well documented, are dragging their feet in pulling out such a hefty sum to sign one player.

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THE CAUSE

This is of course due to the financial uncertainty around football brought about by the pandemic. Losses in matchday revenue and the reduced money coming in from mega TV deals means that there is a dearth of resources needed to pull off huge transfers and marquee signings.

Rather, what clubs are concentrating on is balancing the books and maintaining the status quo. Most clubs are keener on contract renewals and trimming down their wage bill in any way possible without affecting their quality.

This is leading to fire sales or staggered payment plans in the case of clubs who need to balance their books, with some clubs capitalizing on this to get cheap labour in this window.

And so, with player transfers not in “blockbuster mode” this summer, another part of the transfer window has taken a more prominent role and is set to determine the direction of trophies next season.

The merry-go-round of manager transfers.

All across Europe, managers are on the move and at a rapid and shocking rate.

Not since the summer of 2015 and 2016 has

there been a raft of changes in the managerial hot-seat than there is this summer.

From Conte to Zidane, Mourinho to Allegri, Ancelotti to Galtier, top coaches are on the move, sharing themselves across Europe’s top teams.

The merry-go-round has already begun and will continue. In fact, we have not seen the most sensational of them all yet.

For the first time in known recent history, the drama of the transfer window has moved from the stage of the players and turned to their trainers. This means that managerial transfers are likely to be the biggest deals in European football this summer.

THE REASON

When Antonio Conte led Inter Milan to their first Scudetto in eleven years last season, there was a feeling that the Inter dynasty was back.

But what played out was a drama that a lot of people are still yet to understand—Conte walked away from Milan.

In France, the same drama will play out four days after OSC Lille were crowned Ligue 1 champions—Christophe Galtier quit his role as head coach after becoming just the second coach to dethrone PSG in seven seasons.

ABOVE LEFT: Lille OSC French head coach Christophe Galtier gestures during the French Ligue 1 soccer match, OGC Nice vs Lille OSC ABOVE LEFT (SMALL): Head Coach of Lille OSC Christophe Galtier (R) and Boubakary Soumare of Lille OSC (L) celebrate winning the French Ligue 1 soccer match ABOVE RIGHT: Allegri and Ronaldo reacting during a Serie A game during Allegri's first stint at Juventus

IF TOTTENHAM, FOR EXAMPLE, WITH ALL THEIR FLAWS CAN HIRE A COACH LIKE CONTE WHO IS A PROVEN WINNER, EXPECT A PLAYER LIKE HARRY KANE TO STAY BACK AND FIGHT WITH THE ITALIAN. In England, it was less shocking but even more dramatic when Carlo Ancelotti abandoned his project at Everton to jump onto the Madrid ship recently vacated by Zinedine Zidane.

While it was an emotional moment when Nuno Espirito Santo announced his time was up at Wolverhampton.

All these coaches had varying reasons to be on the move, meaning that it is difficult to attribute the events to a single reason.

However, the nature of the move suggests that two factors were key—finances and the toll of a relentless season.

For Conte, Max Allegri, Mourinho, and even Nuno Espirito Santo, the desire to have some measure of control over the incomings and outgoings led to their departure.

For Zidane and Galtier the stress of a relentless season caught up with them and they are now looking to cut their teeth in other places.

THE EFFECT

Because of this, there is now an abundance of free capable hands who can do a good job in top clubs.

Top coaches like Ancelotti, Mourinho, Allegri, Nagelsmann, Sarri, Simone Inzaghi, and Gattuso have already found new homes.

While the likes of Conte, Zidane, Frank Lampard, Rafa Benitez, Joachim Low, Eddie Howe, Paulo Fonseca, Nuno, Andrea Pirlo, Ernesto Valverde, and Lucien Favre are yet to find permanent jobs.

All these coaches and many more unlisted ones can transform a club’s fortunes for the better, or for the worse.

THE POSSIBILITIES

transfer of a manager. We have seen coach transfers change the shape of a team and indeed an entire league. From the look of things, this season might be one of those when a manager will walk into a team and change their lives forever.

Just ask Liverpool, or Manchester City.

ABOVE LEFT: Nuno Espirito Santo was well respected by everyone such as De Gea ABOVE RIGHT Will Conte be in a dugout next season or will he be taking a year off?

BELOW: Harry Kane

If Tottenham, for example, with all their flaws can hire a coach like Conte who is a proven winner, expect a player like Harry Kane to stay back and fight with the Italian.

The same goes for Everton who are in the market for a replacement for Ancelotti. A coach like Lucien Favre will certainly fit the bill there and could transform the club the same way Brendan Rodgers has transformed Leicester City.

Crystal Palace also are at crossroads and their next hire will decide if they kick on from here on slide fully into mediocrity. And whichever club Zidane ends up in will certainly have a change of fortunes as the Frenchman is one of the most decorated coaches out there at the moment. Whatever happens this summer, expect the biggest transfer steal to be the

SOCCER360 JULY • AUGUST 2021

41

EUROPEAN SPOTLIGHT

10 CHAMPIONS LEAGU DECIDED BY AWAY GOALS U

EFA is set to axe the away goal rule for the Champions League, Europa League and the newly created Europa Conference League from next season.

The football governing body revealed that it has received a proposal to scrap out the tie-breaking rule starting from the 2021/22 season, meaning that the highest scoring side in UEFA club competitions will progress to the next round against the current system that sees away goals carry more weight than home goals. The decision will affect how matches play out and will do away with the many permutations that have been part of twolegged ties.

The rule, though not perfect, caused some of the most epic football battles in recent times.

We saw how the rule could play out in games as teams went into the frenetic search for the crucial away goal or in games where teams were trying to protect a lead by all means.

All these situations resulted in some of the most entertaining games that the Champions League has produced.

And so, with the rule set to be scrapped next season, we look at some of the most epic matches that were decided by away goals.

AGGREGATE: BAYERN MUNICH 4-4 REAL MADRID (2007) FIRST LEG: REAL MADRID 3-2 BAYERN MUNICH. SECOND LEG: BAYERN MUNICH 2-1 REAL MADRID Bayern Munich’s Round of 16 win over Real Madrid remains one of the most epic Champions League knockout ties ever.

The Spanish giants were in impressive form that night but saw all their hard work were undone when they allowed Mark van Bommel to score late in the game.

That goal became the catalyst that propelled Bayern to a famous win as they beat Real Madrid 2-1 at Allianz Arena to send them to the next round.

AGGREGATE: CHELSEA 1-1 BARCELONA (2009) - FIRST LEG: BARCELONA 0-0 CHELSEA. SECOND LEG: CHELSEA 1-1 BARCELONA. It is not every team that can come to Nou Camp and leave with a goalless draw.

But Chelsea did in 2009, restricting Lionel Messi and Barcelona in the Nou Camp in the first leg of their semi-final game. However, in the second leg, a last gasp strike by Andres Iniesta was able to hand Barca a place in the finals despite Michael Essien’s spectacular effort giving Chelsea the lead earlier in the game.

AGGREGATE: MANCHESTER UNITED 4-4 BAYERN MUNICH (2010) FIRST LEG: BAYERN MUNICH 2-1 MAN UNITED. SECOND LEG: MAN UNITED 3-2 BAYERN MUNICH Manchester United’s quest for a third straight Champions League final appearance in the 2009-10 season was undone by Bayern Munich who got two goals at Old Trafford to silence a noisy Old Trafford.

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Sir Alex Ferguson’s men thought that they were in a good position after scoring an away goal in the first leg. Indeed, they even started the second leg brightly and were three goals ahead within the first 42 minutes at Old Trafford. But Bayern Munich fought back, scoring two times through Ivica Olic and Arjen Robben to undo all the good work of Manchester United and progress on away goals.

AGGREGATE: CHELSEA 3-3 PARIS SAINTGERMAIN (2015) FIRST LEG: PSG 1-1 CHELSEA. SECOND LEG: CHELSEA 2-2 PSG PSG and Chelsea could not be separated on goals scored in the round of 16 tie of the 2014/15 Champions League season and so the tie was decided by away goals.

Both teams had played out a 1-1 draw in the first leg in Parris, leaving Chelsea feeling like they were in the driving seat.

But a 2-2 draw at Stamford Bridge in the second leg which saw the tie go into extra time granted PSG entrance into the next stage of the tournament.

The decisive goal came in the 114th minute when Thiago Silva found the back of the net with a powerful header.

AGGREGATE: MANCHESTER CITY 6-6 MONACO (2017) - FIRST LEG: MAN CITY 5-3 MONACO. SECOND LEG: MONACO 3-1 MAN CITY. A truly epic tie was witnessed in 2017 when a young Monaco team eliminated Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City in the Round of 16 of the 2017/18 Champions League season.

The Principality club gave themselves some advantage in the first leg when they scored three times against Man City at the Etihad.

Although City scored five in that game to leave the tie at 5-3, Monaco fought hard in the reverse, scoring three times and restricting City to one away goal. In the end, they went through 6-6 on aggregate.

AGGREGATE: ROMA 4-4 BARCELONA (2018) - FIRST LEG: BARCELONA 4-1 ROMA SECOND LEG: ROMA 3-0 BARCELONA Roma mounted an impossible Champions League comeback against Barcelona in the quarterfinals of the 2017/18 Champions League season.After defeating Shakhtar Donetsk in the knockout stages, the Serie A side were paired with the mighty Barcelona who were considered the tournament’s favorites at the time.Their opening game began on the worst possible start as they fell to a 4-1 defeat in the first leg at Nou Camp.

But at the reverse fixture at the Stadio Olimpico, the Roma fans experienced a truly spectacular event as the home team clawed

ABOVE: Juventus' Giorgio Chiellini (L) in action against FC Porto's Jesus Corona (R) during the UEFA Champions League round of 16 ABOVE (SMALL): Roma's players, goalkeeper Alisson Becker and Daniele De Rossi, celebrate the victory at the end of the UEFA Champions League quarter final second leg match AS Roma vs FC Barcelona TOP (OPPOSITE PAGE): Manager Mauricio Pochettino (C) and players of Tottenham Hotspur celebrate after the UEFA Champions League semi final, second leg soccer match between Ajax Amsterdam and Tottenham Hotspur BOTTOM (OPPOSITE PAGE): Manchester's Marcus Rashford (C) celebrates scoring the 3-1 lead during the UEFA Champions League round of 16 second leg soccer match between PSG and Manchester United

UE MATCHES

EUROPEAN CHANGE UP

T

he European football governing body UEFA who are in charge of decision making in matters of European football are mulling over scrapping the away goal rule from next season.

The proposal to which was submitted by the governing body’s Club Competitions Committee in May will have to be approved by UEFA’s Executive Committee who do not meet until later in the summer.

BACKGROUND OF THE RULE The away goal rule was first introduced by UEFA in the 1965/66 European Winners’ Cup and has been so far adopted by other governing bodies like FIFA, CONMEBOL, Major League Soccer and CAF. It was introduced as a method of tie-breaking in football when two teams have to play themselves twice.

Since its introduction, the rule has been serving as the first tiebreaker in two-leg fixtures, where the initial result is determined by the aggregate score—that is the sum of both games.

The rule stipulates that if two teams are level on aggregate after two legs, the side which has scored more away goals will progress to the next round.

NEW PROPOSAL But according to the proposal by UEFA, starting from next season club UEFA competition will no longer use the rule as a tie-breaker.

In place of that, extra-time and penalty shootout will become the first and second tie-breakers.

The changes come amid calls for the rule to be binned as it had outlived its relevance because of the development of the game.

their way back from 4-1 down and to level the score at 4-4 and send Barca crashing out.

AGGREGATE: MANCHESTER CITY 4-4 TOTTENHAM (2019) FIRST LEG: TOTTENHAM 1-0 MAN CITY. SECOND LEG: MAN CITY 4-3 TOTTENHAM Pep Guardiola was left with mouth agape and hands on his head as he witnessed a truly remarkable yet disappointing turn of events that saw his Manchester City side crash out of the Champions League quarter-finals in 2019.

The Catalan thought his side had won with the last kick of the game after Raheem Sterling had found the back of the net to spark jubilant celebrations from City fans. But VAR judged that the goal was scored from an offside position, much to the dismay of the home fans and the joyous surprise of the away fans who had seen their team score three times at the Etihad to eliminate a side that were considered favourites for the title that season.

AGGREGATE: AJAX 3-3 TOTTENHAM (2019) FIRST LEG: TOTTENHAM 0-1 AJAX. SECOND LEG: AJAX 2-3 TOTTENHAM After beating Manchester City in the previous leg, Tottenham were in danger of semi-final elimination after losing to Ajax at home in the first leg.

But they were spared their blushes when Lucas Moura inspired them to a 3-2 win in Amsterdam to send coach Mauricio Pochettino to tears and into his and the club’s first Champions League final.

AGGREGATE: PARIS SAINT-GERMAIN 3-3 MANCHESTER UNITED (2019) -FIRST LEG: MAN UNITED 0-2 PSG. SECOND LEG: PSG 1-3 MAN UNITED Manchester United produced a remarkable performance in the second leg of their round of 16 Champions League tie with Paris Saint Germain to progress to the next round despite losing 2-0 in the first leg at Old Trafford.

The match is considered Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s finest moment at Manchester United as it saw the Red Devils go from embarrassment to pride within the space of 180 football minutes.

The Premier League side clawed by a 2-0 deficit to beat PSG 3-1 in the second leg, thanks to a Romelu Lukaku double and a late Marcus Rashford penalty.

AGGREGATE: JUVENTUS 4-4 PORTO (2021) - FIRST LEG: PORTO 2-1 JUVENTUS. SECOND LEG: JUVENTUS 3-2 PORTO Juventus were stunned in the Champions League last season when a Sergio Oliveira goal in the 115th minute sent Porto through to the quarter-finals.

The Old Lady were beaten 2-1 at Porto but came home with at least something to fight with, in the form of an away goal.

But they were put in a difficult position 19 minutes into the second leg when Porto scored from a penalty.

A brace from Federico Chiesa sent the tie into extra time, but Oliveira fired home in the 115tth minute of the game to increase his side’s away goal lead and send Juve out despite Rabiot’s goal three minutes from time.

WHAT THE STATS SAY The basic argument in favour of scrapping the rules is that football has gone beyond what it used to be in the past.

Critics argue that scoring goals away is not as difficult as it was in the late 60s when it was first introduced. Back then, away grounds were seen as war zones due to the hostility travelling teams faced from home fans.

Their position isn’t just a flimsy wish as it is supported by concrete numbers. Data shows that fewer teams are keeping clean sheets at home in European knock-out games, while more travelling teams have emerged victorious in recent seasons.

A closer look at the situation shows that because of advances in travel, scouting, accommodation and other amenities, away trips are growing less daunting each season.

GOING FORWARD Should the rule be upheld as expected, it will certainly change the colour of the game.

For starters, it will eliminate the vain pride teams make of their stadiums and fans and will level the playing ground even further.

Teams like Liverpool who depend on a boisterous home crowd to pull them through ‘European nights’ will have no place to hide.

Also, it will make the game more open and balanced as teams will no longer have precious away goals to protect, nor will away teams be frantically looking to register an away goal.

Although this will remove the drama and emotion in the game as observed by renowned Sky Sports pundit and former England defender Jamie Carragher who argued that “The away goals rule in Europe makes the games so much more exciting” But we can look at the other side observed by former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger, and current FIFA’s Chief of Global Football who said in 2008; “I believe the tactical weight of the away goal has become too important. Teams get a 0-0 draw at home and they’re happy.

Instead of having a positive effect, it has been pushed too far tactically in the modern game.”

For the sake of the game and its development, the away rule might be better trashed.

Teams like Liverpool who depend on a boisterous home crowd to pull them through ‘European nights’ will have no place to hide.

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EUROPEAN SPOTLIGHT

EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW:

EUROPA CONFERENCE LEAGUE

Tottenham Hotspur who are the current Premier League representatives of the Europa Conference League can qualify for the Europa League even if they finish in 10th place but win the Conference League.

"THERE WAS A WIDESPREAD DEMAND BY ALL CLUBS TO INCREASE THEIR CHANCES OF PARTICIPATING MORE REGULARLY IN EUROPEAN COMPETITION. THIS HAS BEEN ACHIEVED WITH A STRATEGIC APPROACH AND IN ACCORDANCE WITH UEFA’S OBJECTIVE OF HAVING BOTH MORE QUALITY AND MORE INCLUSIVITY IN OUR CLUB COMPETITIONS.” 44

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ABOVE: A new trophy for a new tournament.

BRAND NEW READY Starting from the 2021/22 season, there will be a new UEFA competition for men’s club football that has been called the UEFA Europa Conference League.

As the summer approaches, we look at what the new competition is about and how it will affect the UEFA Champions League and Europa League.

WHAT IS THE UEFA CONFERENCE LEAGUE? The UEFA Conference League is a new European club tournament that will begin this summer. It is a third season-long UEFA men’s football club competition that is expected to run from 2021 to 2024.

Plans for the tournament were approved in a 2018 meeting in Dublin with UEFA confirming the name of the tournament to be UEFA Conference League a year later. Before then, the working name adopted for the competition was Europa League 2.

WHY IS IT BEING INTRODUCED? UEFA has cited “inclusiveness” and “more participation” as the reason behind its introduction of a third tournament for the men category of European club football.

The European football governing body created the competition to give teams from smaller nations, who would usually not make the group stage of the Champions League and Europa League a greater chance of participation.

ACCORDING TO UEFA PRESIDENT ALEKSANDER CEFERIN “The new UEFA club competition makes UEFA’s club competitions more inclusive than ever before.

There will be more matches for more clubs,

with more associations represented in the group stages.

“There was a widespread demand by all clubs to increase their chances of participating more regularly in European competition. This has been achieved with a strategic approach and in accordance with UEFA’s objective of having both more quality and more inclusivity in our club competitions.”

The new competition will ensure that at least 34 UEFA national associations are represented in the group stage of one or more competitions. This means that clubs that were missing out before now from UEFA deep pockets can do so starting from this summer.

According to UEFA, the new structure allows a minimum of 14 domestic champions in the UEFA Champions League group stage. This leaves room for at least eight and 11 domestic champions in the UEFA Europa League group stage, and between nine and 12 domestic champions in the UEFA Europa Conference League group stage.

This way, all associations and eligible teams have an opportunity to play continental football. And UEFA has also stated that this does not pose any advantage to the bigger leagues as “all member associations will have access to all three club competitions, and all associations’ quotas will remain unchanged.”

WILL IT IMPACT THE OTHER COMPETITIONS? There is a fear that the introduction of the UEFA Europa Conference League will negatively affect the UEFA competitions.

But that is not the case here as the new league will run concurrently with the other UEFA leagues. However, it will alter the current

BELOW: Aleksander Ceferin speaks at a presentation for uefa BOTTOM RIGHT: Arena Kombëtare, the future site of the very first Europa Conference League Finals

arrangement of the group stage of the UEFA Europa League which will now see teams reduced from 48 to 32 and the groups brought down to eight. This way eight UEFA Europa League group winners progress automatically to the round of 16. Additional knockout round play-offs between Europa League group runners-up and the eight third-ranked teams of the UEFA Champions League groups will then determine who joins progress to the next stage of the Europa League. And so, the teams who crash out of this knockout stage will then join in the knockout stage of the UEFA Europa Conference League.

Qualification for the UEFA Europa Conference League group stage will be by UEFA current coefficient system which assigns a certain number of clubs to each league.

The arrangement will see 11 or 12 teams qualify directly via their domestic associations while an additional ten teams will come through UEFA Europa League qualifying and a further ten from UEFA Champions League qualifying.

WHAT DO THE WINNERS GET? The winner of the UECL will automatically qualify for a place in the following season’s UEFA Europa League group stage assuming they have not qualified for the UEFA Champions League via their domestic competition. For example, Tottenham Hotspur who are the current Premier League representatives of the Europa Conference League can qualify for the Europa League even if they finish in 10th place but win the Conference League.

This is akin to what currently happens in the Europa League and Champions League where winners are automatically granted a place in the next edition irrespective of their domestic league finish.

WHAT DAY WILL IT PLAYED? The new tournament will be played on Thursday evenings alongside the Europa League.

FIRST FINAL: TIRANA (ALBANIA) The first final of the Europa Conference League will be hosted in the Albanian city of Tirana.

The venue will be the 21,690-capacity National Arena (Arena Kombëtare) and it will be played on 25 May 2022.

The stadium was built, with the help of UEFA’s HatTrick assistance programme and opened in November 2019 with a European Qualifier between Albania and France.

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MLS

CROSSING OVER BY: SEAN MASLIN

T

he transfer season is upon us! Although the football transfer never really stops the summer season always seems to be the busiest period for teams. One of the biggest areas of focus in recent years seems to come from Major League Soccer. The fledgling North American league has provided countless players for European clubs in recent years, especially in the younger ages. Alphonso Davies (Vancouver Whitecaps/Bayern Munich), Tyler Adams (New York Red Bulls/Red Bull Leipzig), and Jack Harrison (New York City FC/ Leeds United) are just the tip of the iceberg of the influx of talent coming from North America influencing the European game?

So where should teams look when doing their summer soccer shopping? Soccer 360 Magazine’s Sean Maslin has some key names to keep an eye on during this summer window.

GOALKEEPER- ANDRE BLAKE (PHILADELPHIA UNION) A two-time MLS Goalkeeper of the Year, Blake is at the top of his game right now for the Union. While he has always been known for his highlight-reel saves, he has improved his timing and backfield organization over the past two seasons. Although he is 30, goalkeepers generally tend to have much longer careers than field players. He has always had an interest in playing in Europe but Philadelphia always seemed reluctant to move him. With the sides recent change of philosophy, developing younger players and selling players abroad, a move seems much more likely than in year’s past.

DEFENDER- JULIAN ARAJUO (LOS ANGELES GALAXY) Arajuo has had a bit of a tough run with the Galaxy in 2021, suffering through a bit of a poor run of form early on. But he seems to have finally re-gained his edge, helping Los Angeles keep near the top of the Western Conference. His close marking and tenacious tackling are two skills that many sides in Europe could use. But he could use a little more limelight to help showcase what he can do. Making a choice between Mexico and the United States for international duty and playing in the Gold Cup could help increase his spotlight.

DEFENDER- GEORGE BELLO (ATLANTA UNITED FC) Right now one of the major positions of need across football is for young, fast, left-backs that are also able to defend closely. Although Bello is still a bit of a work in progress in defense, he has improved greatly under new coach Gabriel Heinze. Atlanta is one of the top clubs in MLS at developing young players and connecting them with teams in Europe. While they might like to give him an additional year of seasoning before venturing out into the transfer market, should the right offer come through they will definitely listen.

DEFENDER- SAM VINES (COLORADO RAPIDS) Vines is a two-way player that is comfortable leading an attack from the outside as well as tracking back to stop a counter. His speed and

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"HIS STRENGTH AND SPEED UP TOP HAVE HELPED TORONTO FC THIS SEASON AND MAKE HIM A DANGEROUS TARGET FOR ANY SIDE." tracking ability on defense would make him a great fit for a team in need of some juice off of the bench. He did just sign a long-term deal with the Rapids but that may be more of a preventative measure to ensure that they get some monetary return on their rising star.

MIDFIELDER- COLE BASSETT (COLORADO RAPIDS) At just 19 years old, Bassett has steadily become one of the top midfielders in MLS, leading his team in both goals and assists last season. While he is certainly an asset at the end of attacking plays, he really shines on setting up the counter-attack, always finding the right pass at the right possible moment.

What’s interesting is that he is the exact type of player that the Rapids Owners (Kroneke Sports and Entertainment) need for their other soccer team: Arsenal. Bassett has the skillset to thrive in the Premier League and Arsenal would give him time to adapt.

MIDFIELDER- GIANLUCA BUSIO (SPORTING KANSAS CITY) Busio has been on the radar for European clubs for a number of years, thanks in part to earning a starting spot for Sporting at the age of 16. Just 18 years old, Busio has become a consistent starter for Vermes’ side, making 37 appearances for the defending Western Conference champions over the past two seasons. His patience with the ball and ability to deliver crisp passes to attackers make him a perfect target for teams in Serie A and the Netherlands (both of which he has been heavily linked to). His goal-scoring touch is still a work in progress, but Vermes tends to have him in a more conservative midfield setup. If

MILLIONAIRES LIST The Major League Soccer Players Association's release Salary numbers for the 786 players under contract with MLS.

"A TWO-TIME MLS GOALKEEPER OF THE YEAR, BLAKE IS AT THE TOP OF HIS GAME RIGHT NOW FOR THE UNION."

MLS PLAYER SALARIES ($5 MILLION OR MORE, SPRING 2016) 1. Kaka (Orlando City), $7.167 million 2. Sebastian Giovinco (Toronto FC), $7.115 million 3. Michael Bradley (Toronto FC), $6.5 million 4. Steven Gerrard (LA Galaxy), $6.132 million 5. Frank Lampard (New York City FC), $6.0 million 6. Andrea Pirlo (New York City FC), $5.915 million 7. David Villa (New York City FC), $5.610 million MLS PLAYER SALARIES ($5 MILLION OR MORE, SPRING 2021) 1. Carlos Vela (LAFC) $6.3 million 2. Javier Hernandez (LA Galaxy) $6 million 3. Gonzalo Higuain (Inter Miami) $5.794 million

he can get more time with the USMNT senior roster (he has yet to earn a call-up to the full national team) it may give him the chance to show more of his attacking skill set.

MIDFIELDER- CADEN CLARK (NEW YORK RED BULLS) Another Baby Bull that seems destined for Europe, Clark has broken through the senior sides veteran midfield at just the age of 17. His speed off the ball and ability to create chances out of nothing (he currently leads the team in goals) have given Red Bulls fans hope that perhaps this season will not be a complete wash out. His pathway to Europe seems to be a little more clear with the Red Bull organization keen on keeping him under their umbrella. The question is now which side will pick up the talisman midfielder: Leipzig or Salzburg?

FORWARD-DIEGO ROSSI (LAFC) For years, LAFC have resisted the temptation of selling Rossi, with bids coming in as high as $17 million for the Uruguayan international. But at the age of 23, now seems to be the time for a move for both parties. Since joining the side, Rossi has amassed an impressive 45 goals in 90 matches. While the club may want to hold off on selling him to see if they can make one more run at an MLS Cup a midseason move isn’t out of the realm of possibility.

FORWARD- AYO AKINOLA (TORONTO FC) Akinola has attracted the interest of multiple sides in Europe including Cardiff City and Queens Park Rangers. His strength and speed up top have helped Toronto FC this season and make him a dangerous target for any side.

Also, given that he still seems to be cool on international duty (he has attended camps

ABOVE LEFT (OPPOSITE PAGE): Akinola has attracted the interest of multiple sides in Europe including Cardiff City and Queens Park Rangers.

LEFT (OPPOSITE PAGE): For years, LAFC have resisted the temptation of selling Rossi FAR TOP: Andre Blake TOP: Homegrown player Cole Bassett BELOW: Dike is looking to move to Europe after his success in North America SIDE BAR RIGHT: Bradley offered to take a pay cut to help Toronto FC, and to stay at the club

for both Canada and the United States in the last year) he would likely make an immediate transfer, giving him extra time to adjust to his new surroundings.

FORWARD- DARRYL DIKE (ORLANDO CITY SC) Dike’s move to Europe is almost a near lock after crushing the competition during a springtime loan to Barnsley. The University of Virginia alum scored nine goals for The Tykes, earning club’s Player of the Month honors for April and May. Dike would have likely stayed at Oakwell had the side been promoted to the Premier League. However, the $20million buy clause was too much for the side forcing the USMNT international to head home. Since his loan spell, Orlando have had a change in ownership and seem keen to move Dike to help boost their rebuilding efforts. Given his strong run with Barnsley and some additional time with the USMNT this summer a move to a top flight club either back in England or elsewhere in the continent seems like a certainty.

The number of players earning at least $1 million has more than tripled from 23 to 72. The team with the most "millionaires" is a surprise: FC Cincinnati, MLS's worst team in 2019 and 2020.

FC Cincinnati, which recently opened its new stadium, has six players making at least $1 million: No. 11 Jurgen Locadia, No. 19 Luciano Acosta, No. 26 Brenner, No. 50 Yuya Kubo, No. 54 Allan Cruz and No. 71 Kamohelo Mokotjo.

One team -- Sporting KC -- has five players making at least $1 million, while four -- defending champion Columbus, Inter Miami, Seattle and Toronto FC -have four players. The fewest players any team has making at least $1 million is one by the FC Dallas, Minnesota United, the New York Red Bulls and San Jose.

ONLY SIX AMERICANS RANK IN THE TOP 50 IN COMPENSATION: 6. Jozy Altidore (Toronto FC), $3.602 million 29. Darlington Nagbe (Columbus), $1.71 million 33. Michael Bradley (Toronto FC), $1.5 million 38. Gyasi Zardes (Columbus), $1.4 million 45. Jordan Morris (Seattle), $1.27 million 56. Kellyn Acosta (Colorado), $1.115 million

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MLS

A CREW, A BRA “AFTER CLEVELAND BROWNS OWNER JIMMY HASLAM PURCHASED THE SIDE, RELATIONS SEEMED TO BE HEALING.”

T

his seems to be the general thought process of every befuddled Columbus Crew soccer fan when the club in April announced another rebranding.

While former US Men’s National Team forward/ current ESPN pundit Taylor Twellman’s words were meant to point out the problems of the USMNT, they have certainly been applied to other curious decisions made by those in power in the soccer world. The Crew’s rebranding then re-rebranding is just the latest example of the battle between soccer marketing/branding and soccer traditionalists.

So why is there a divide between the two concepts? On the periphery it would appear that the two would have a lot in common.

Both parties want their clubs to succeed, to win titles, to be good representatives of the community, and ultimately have a good product that more people will want to see live and wear their items.

That seemed to initially be the relationship between the Columbus Crew ownership and supporters. After former owner Anthony Precourt and Major League Soccer attempted move to Austin failed and Cleveland Browns owner Jimmy Haslam purchased the side, relations seemed to be healing. The #SavetheCrew movement established by the supporters had completed their goal and gave the club new life. Despite COVID-19, the side flourished last season winning MLS Cup in front

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of their fans. All seemed to be right in Columbus.

But behind the scenes, Crew management were planning a rebrand. According to The Athletic’s Sam Stjeskal club officials conducted a three phase approach to go over the rebranding. The first meeting was with a 2,500 person focus group; the second meeting was with Crew fans; the third meeting was with the board of the Nordecke, the Crew’s supporters group. By the time the third meeting had taken place the club had already decided to make the move.

The rebrand was met with the exact reaction that one would expect. While the designs of the new logo were meant with humor from those in soccer circles, the changing of the team name from ‘Columbus Crew’ to ‘Columbus SC’ did not go over well. Nor did the three phase decision making process, cutting the Nordecke who had 18 months prior saved the club. The optics of changing the name of the reigning MLS Cup champion during the season also didn’t work in the club or the league’s favor.

This isn’t the first time that an MLS side has faced backlash for a rebrand. This winter, supporters of the now CF Montreal voiced their displeasurement over the team switching from the Montreal Impact, a name that the side had used since the 1990s. MLS’ soft requirement that all teams include an FC or SC branding

AND, A SCAR

BY: SEAN MASLIN

has also been a point of contention for years.

It is a strange path towards connecting with European soccer culture considering MLS doesn’t have promotion/relegation, largely doesn’t follow the FIFA international window, and doesn’t necessarily follow the transfer market system.

The Crew’s dilemma is the same dilemma that all MLS teams seem to have: how do we grow our product and our fanbase while at the same time avoid losing our hardcore supporters?

It is a difficult tightrope to walk. The influx of revenue and interest in soccer has brought in new eyeballs and new individuals willing to invest in the product.

Although it would be unfair to paint all supporters with the same brush, there does seem to be a distrust in some supporters circles of new fans following the league and any money coming in. As the league grows, more interest from outside traditional soccer circles will be coming in and ultimately new ideas. While not every idea is going to be great, supporters have to be willing to listen.

What’s interesting about the Crew rebrand is that while the new logo was derided, so too was the previous logo that fans wanted to retain.

What would make supporters more receptive towards new ideas is if the league and its owners had a plan. The biggest question that MLS faces is the same question that it has had

ABOVE FAR LEFT (OPPOSITE PAGE): Jimmy Haslam, the owner of the Browns (NFL), has bought the Columbus Crew ABOVE LEFT (OPPOSITE PAGE): Re-branding must be working for the Crew, as they won the MLS Cup in 2020 LEFT: Caleb Porter, Columbus's Coach TOP: Columbus Crew has gone through more logos in the past few years than anyone else.

RIGHT Fans will love the team no matter what the logo is

since it was founded: What type of league is it?

Is it an American sports franchise league? Or is it a world soccer league? The league for years has attempted to combine the two to create a mixed model which makes sense considering the two different sets of customers that it is marketing towards. It has been successful in many ways in this hybrid model, but it seems like every misstep is magnified because it normally angers both customers.

One way in which teams and the league can help address this issue, and by extension win over their hardcore supporters, is remove the single entity restrictions. By creating a one size fits all model down to things such as jerseys and sponsors, the league limits teams ability to tailor to their specific audience. That certainly help smooth over relations with supporters who tire of the cookie cutter jerseys, but are also small business owners and members of their community.

Major League Soccer has grown by leaps and bounds in 25 years and it is natural for any organization and its subsidiaries (i.e. teams) to want to adjust and tinker with their product.

The key is how do you grow while retaining your base. If teams can be given a little more space to create beyond league restrictions and can be more inclusive of their supporters needs (while supporters at the same time work with the team to create a great atmosphere) then the product will continue to flourish.

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CONCACAF SPOTLIGHT

2021 IS CERTAINLY THE SUMMER OF SOCCER! WHILE FANS IN EUROPE AND SOUTH AMERICA WILL BE ENJOYING THEIR INTERNATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS, SUPPORTERS IN NORTH AND CENTRAL AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN WILL ALSO HAVE THEIR CHANCE TO CHEER THEIR NATIONAL TEAMS ON IN THE CONCACAF GOLD CUP! SOCCER 360 MAGAZINE’S SEAN MASLIN HAS SOME OF THE KEY STORYLINES AS WE HEAD INTO THIS SUMMER’S GOLD CUP!

2021 CONCACAF GOLD C

THE RETURN OF THE U.S.-MEXICO RIVALRY Perhaps the biggest storyline entering into this year’s competition is the matter of the state of the United States and Mexico rivalry. After years of flat derby matches, it finally seems to be back after the USMNT’s wild 3-2 win over El Tri in the CONCACAF Nations League Final.

That match saw multiple lead changes, Mexico manager Gerardo Martino sent off, a penalty kick goal in extra time, and a penalty kick save

by USMNT goalkeeper Ethan Horvath.

A potential Gold Cup match may be a little different (rosters will be more domesticbased with many of the European clubs asking that players stay at home for COVID/ preseason preparation purposes), but make no mistake about it: a potential match will be just as intense as their matchup back in June.

The reason for this is simple: both sides have something to play for.

For the United States and coach Gregg Berhalter, there is still plenty of roster building to do ahead of World Cup Qualification. While their starting XI for qualification seems to be largely set there still are questions along the back four. Defenders Walker Zimmerman (Nashville SC), Andres Perea (Orlando City SC), and George Bello (Atlanta United) are all

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ABOVE: The United States Men's National Team celebrating their 2021 CONCACAF Nations League Championship LEFT: Gerardo Martino, head coach of the Mexico Men's National Team

AS FOR MEXICO, THE GOALS ARE SIMPLE: WIN OR MARTINO MAY BE AXED.

looking to breakthrough and earn a spot in the regular eighteen-man roster. Paul Arriola (D.C. United) is also looking to break back into the USMNT after having sustained a serious knee injury last year. Winning the Gold Cup is certainly at the top of Berhalter’s agenda (the USMNT haven’t won the tournament since 2017) but so too is finding the right pieces ahead of Qualification.

As for Mexico, the goals are simple: Win or Martino may be axed. The Mexican Federation made their expectations clear that winning the CONCACAF Nations League and Gold Cup were critical to their long-term goals. Martino’s side failed to deliver on the first opportunity and now face a situation where their manager’s job is on the line.

If El Tri is to once again claim the Gold Cup, they have to find more attacking options.

Martino has yet to really find young attacking players that can replace the likes of Chicharito Hernandez (Los Angeles Galaxy), Andres Guardado (Real Betis), and Raul Jimenez (Wolverhampton). Of the domestic-based players likely to be called up, Alexis Vega and Juan Macias Marin (both of Chivas de Guadalajara) seem to be the most likely to break out. The duo combined to score 21 goals

CUP PREVIEW Borges and Bryan Ruiz (Alajuelense) are in the twilight of their career but will undoubtedly help manager Ronald Gonzalez Brenes in tight situations. Forward Ariel Lassiter (Houston Dynamo) is perceived by many as being the next great Costa Rican striker. Having the chance to play alongside Ruiz, Borges, and Joel Campbell (Leon) during this tournament will help in his development and benefit the Ticas in the long-term.

Canada is also on the rise in the region and will likely use this tournament to help build ahead of a big World Cup Qualification run. Defender Richie Laryea (Orlando City SC), midfielder Tajon Buchanan (New England Revolution), and forward Lucas Cavallini (Vancouver Whitecaps) are all having fantastic seasons with their club sides and were major players in getting Les Rouges back into the final round of World Cup Qualification.

for Chivas last year and have received multiple call-ups since October.

Although a potential USMNT-Mexico derby at this year’s Gold Cup might be lacking the superstars elements, it will still certainly be a bitter contest.

CANADA, COSTA RICA OUT TO BREAK THE TWO HORSE RACE While the United States and Mexico are favorites to win the tournament make no mistake about it: This will not be a cakewalk.

Each group features multiple sides that can take it to the USMNT and El Tri and may just earn a spot in the finals.

Of the remaining sides in the field, Costa Rica seems to be the biggest challenger to the throne. The Ticas are still a strong defensive side that likes to make runs through the counter-attack. Longstanding midfielders Celso

ABOVE: Canadian Forward, Lucas Cavalini TOP RIGHT: Bryan Ruiz is in the twilight of his career, and ready to make a splash in the tournament.

RIGHT: The Qatar National team is the biggest dark horse in this year's edition of the Gold Cup

PREDICTIONS

WHO ARE THE DARK HORSES? In every Gold Cup, there are always one or two sides that find their form during the Group Stages, hold their own against a top side, and then earn a shocking win in the knockout stage. The unpredictability of the tournament is what it makes so much fun to watch and at the same time can give fans a few gray hairs.

Of the teams in the pool perhaps the biggest dark horse is Qatar. The 2022 World Cup hosts will be participating in this year’s tournament to help prepare them for what lies ahead.

Although pundits will point out that all of their players play in the Qatari Super League, one must remember that this is the same side that won the AFC Asian Cup in 2019 and held their own against stiff competition in the 2019 Copa America. In terms of the level of difficulty that they will face at the Gold Cup it seems like it will be somewhere in the middle with Honduras once again finding its footing and Curaçao/ Grenada already out of World Cup Qualifying.

Speaking of Los Catrachos, Honduras has brought back another veteran-heavy side for the Gold Cup with Maynor Figueroa back at the age of 38 and Oscar Bonniek Garcia leading the midfield at 37. The player to keep an eye on though is Alberth Ellis, who has had a fantastic season at Boavista in Portugal and was named to the CONCACAF Nations League Best XI. Honduras has struggled for years to find any semblance of attacking presence. If the Black Panther can deliver at the Gold Cup, they may find themselves in the final.

Jamaica also has the potential to shock some teams and make another deep run in the tournament. Goalkeeper Andre Blake is the reigning MLS Goalkeeper of the Year for the Philadelphia Union and has really found his footing for the Reggae Boyz in recent appearances. Centerback Kemar Lawrence (Toronto FC) is considered to be one of the top defenders in the region and has helped bring stability to a side that is historically more known for their speed and attacking prowess.

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WOMEN'S SOCCCER BY: SEAN MASLIN

BARCA LADIES TAKE THE FIRST

F

C Barcelona and first-time ever are two phrases that aren’t used in the same sentence very often. The colossus of club football is very often at the top of the winner’s podium for competitions on both the women’s and men’s side of the beautiful game so when they do accomplish, it is a very special moment. Such was the occasion in Gothenburg for Barca as they defeated Chelsea 4-0 to claim top honors.

The victory marked a number of firsts for the competition. Barca’s win was the first for a Spanish side in the competition, breaking a five-year run by Lyon who were knocked out in the semifinals. With their win, the side from Catalan becomes the first team to also

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win both the women’s and men’s Champions League. While the firsts are certainly nice, the work that the side has put in to make it happen is perhaps even more impressive. Although they were founded in 1988, the Blaugranes have only been a fully professional side since 2015. Like many clubs, Barcelona’s top brass almost exclusively focused on the men’s game leaving women’s football as mostly an afterthought.

That philosophy across seems to be changing with the major clubs like Barca moving towards a more equitable solution between both genders. This season saw three of the major European clubs (Barcelona, Chelsea, and Manchester City) all make major inroads in

UWCL BEST

In addition to receiving top honors as a team, eight of Barcelona’s players were named to the UWCL Squad of the Season.

The squad also features multiple members of the Canadian and the United States Women’s National Team including Sam Mewis (US), who scored five goals for city during their UWCL Campaign.

the women’s competition with Chelsea’s Lady Blues knocking off Bayern Munich to earn their first-ever spot in the final. As for Barcelona, their run included victories over Pomurje (8-2 on aggregate), Brondby (9-0), City (4-2 on aggregate), and PSG (4-2 on aggregate). The big shocker was perhaps the unseating of Lyon, who had won the tournament for five consecutive seasons. PSG did the honors, upending their fellow French side 2-1 on away goals. For Barcelona, the hope was to erase the bad memories of their first appearance in the final: a 4-0 loss to Lyon in 2018-2019. They got a little bit of luck early with Chelsea conceding an own goal in the first minute of the match then a penalty in the 14th minute. Alexia Putellas buried her chance in the back of the net, giving Barca the 2-0 advantage. As they had done all season long, they continued to press the gas on the attack with Ariel Banmati adding a third in the 21st minute. Caroline Hansen made it 4-0 with ten minutes to play in the first half extinguishing all hopes for a comeback.

"I'm lost for words. I don't know how I feel but I know I'm very proud of this team because we deserve it,” said Banmati after the match.

“We've been working very hard since the final in Budapest [in 2019] and we set ourselves a challenge, which was to get to another final and win it. And that's what we did."

The win caps not just an impressive season for Barcelona, but a major step in the development of the game in Europe. This season saw major inroads being made in terms of financing youth development, television (this year’s Real Madrid-Barcelona match had a TV rating of 8 million in Spain), and in the organization of domestic competitions and the Champions League.

“There are still a lot of things to work on,” said Barcelona’s Lieke Martens. “In the past, most of the girls at this level now didn’t have the same [things], like the Barcelona [youth] academy.

I never had that. Imagine little kids who start playing now and have the same treatment as the boys. I think there is only a brighter future.”

"IN THE PAST, MOST OF THE GIRLS AT THIS LEVEL NOW DIDN’T HAVE THE SAME [THINGS], LIKE THE BARCELONA [YOUTH] ACADEMY."

OPPOSITE PAGE: Barcelona players celebrate their Champions League win ABOVE: Barcelona has built one of the best women's teams of all time BELOW: Lieke Martens, Barcelona star TOP RIGHT: Maria Leon

Goalkeepers: Ann-Katrin Berger (Chelsea), Christiane Endler(Paris Saint-Germain), Sandra Paños (Barcelona); Defenders: Magdalena Eriksson (Chelsea), Marina Hegering (FC Bayern Munich) Kathrin Hendrich (VfL Wolfsburg), Ashley Lawrence (Paris Saint-Germain), María Pilar León (Barcelona), Irene Paredes (Paris Saint-Germain); Midfielders: Aitana Bonmati (Barcelona), Grace Geyoro (Paris Saint-Germain), Patricia Guijarro (Barcelona) Sophie Ingle (Chelsea), Sydney Lohmann (Bayern Munich), Lina Magull (Bayern Munich), Sam Mewis (Manchester City), Alexia Putellas (Barcelona); Forwards: Caroline Graham Hansen (Barcelona), Pernille Harder (Chelsea), Jennifer Hermoso (Barcelona), Sam Kerr (Chelsea), Fran Kirby (Chelsea), Lieke Martens (Barcelona)

CHANGES AHEAD While the 2020-2021 UWCL season was a major success, UEFA has been actively looking at ways on how to further strengthen the competition ahead of the 2021-2022 season. Of the changes, the biggest is the introduction of a sixteen team group stage with four teams per group. This mimics the style of the men’s competition and replaces the knockout only format of previous years.

The top two teams in each group will qualify for the knockout stage with the quarterfinals and semifinals both being two-legged rounds. The sides that advance to the semifinals will play in the UWCL finals in Turin in 2022. The calendar will also mirror the men’s side with group stage matches starting in September/ October and the finals taking place in May. In addition to structural changes, UEFA has also adjusted their financial distribution model for the Champions League, increasing the rewarding for winning the title and for the first time ever offering solidarity payments for teams that make the competition. Additional revenue will undoubtedly help players who in year’s past were considered semi professionals but also low-tier clubs balance their books.

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TOKYO 2020 MENS

THIS SUMMER, THE TOP UNDER-23 MEN’S PLAYERS IN THE WORLD (PLUS A FEW OVERAGE GUEST APPEARANCES) WILL TAKE CENTER STAGE IN THE 2020 TOKYO SUMMER OLYMPICS. SOCCER 360 MAGAZINE’S SEAN MASLIN HAS YOUR TEAM-BY-TEAM BREAKDOWN AHEAD OF THE SUMMER GAMES.

MEN'S GROUP A

GOLD CHA

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FRANCE

JAPAN

HOW DID THEY QUALIFY? Top Four, 2019 UEFA under-21 Championship HEAD COACH: Sylvain Ripoll BEST PERFORMANCE AT AN OLYMPICS: Gold Medal (1984) KEY PLAYERS: FWD Andre-Pierre Gignac (Tigres), FWD Odsonne Edouard (Celtic), MID Aurelien Tchouameni (Monaco), possibly Kylian Mbappe (Paris St. Germain) OVERVIEW: Les Bleuets will be coming into this tournament with a bit of a chip on their shoulder after having lost 2-1 to the Netherlands in the Quarterfinals of the UEFA under-21 Championship earlier in the summer.

Ripoll seems to have the backing of the French Football Association to call in a strong roster although Mbappe’s inclusion will likely depend upon how far the senior side goes in the EUROs. Even without him and a large chunk of their prospects who play for foreign clubs, the French are deep and should have little trouble in group play.

HOW DID THEY QUALIFY? Hosts HEAD COACH: Akinobu Yokuchi BEST PERFORMANCE AT AN OLYMPICS: Fourth Place (2012) KEY PLAYERS: DEF Maya Yoshida (Sampdoria), FWD Daizen Maeda (Yokohama F. Marinos), MID Kaoru Mitoma (Royal Antwerp) OVERVIEW: Expectations are high for the Samurai Blue, who were able to secure Yoshida, Mitoma, and Wataru Endo (Stuttgart) for the tournament. The Olympics will be a great test for Japan’s up and coming players, including Maeda, who is one of the top goalscorers in the J-League. If they can get a good result against France they could set themselves up for a deep run.

France may be able to have Mbappe for the Tokyo Olympics, depending on France's EURO 2020 run.

Maya Yoshida, Sampdoria defender

MEXICO

SOUTH AFRICA

HOW DID THEY QUALIFY? First Place, 2021 CONCACAF Olympic Qualifying Tournament HEAD COACH: Jaime Lozano BEST PERFORMANCE AT AN OLYMPICS: Gold Medal (2012) KEY PLAYERS: DEF Johan Vasquez (Tigres); MID Sebastian Cordova (America), FWD Alexis Vega (Chivas de Guadalajara) OVERVIEW: This is a big tournament for El Tri with the Mexican FA looking to start replacing some of their veteran players at the senior level. Cordova and Vega are both coming on for their club teams in Liga MX and had stellar performances during Olympic qualifying. Considering Mexico’s needs to score early and often to make it to the knockout round so look for them to play a huge role in Tokyo.

HOW DID THEY QUALIFY? Third Place, 2019 AFCON U-23 Cup of Nations HEAD COACH: David Notoane BEST PERFORMANCE AT AN OLYMPICS: Group Stage (2000 and 2016) KEY PLAYERS: DEF Tercious Malepe (Mynai), MID Kegs Chauke (Southampton), MID Thakgalo Leshabela (Leicester City), FWD Percy Tau (Brighton and Hove Albion) OVERVIEW: Bafana Bafana are back for a second consecutive Olympics and are looking to improve upon a tough Group Stage outing in 2016.

While their backline and midfield should be pretty strong with Chauke and Leshabela as well as Malepe, who was named to the AFCON U-23 Best XI team during Qualifying, they may struggle to find goals. Tau is a solid veteran to call in, but is coming off a tough campaign while on loan at Anderlecht.

SOCCER360 JULY • AUGUST 2021

QUARTER FINAL MATCH DATES: SAT. 31 JULY

SEMI FINAL MATCH DATES: TUES. 3 AUGUST

ASERS

BRONZE MEDAL MATCH: FRI. 6 AUGUST

HONDURAS

NEW ZEALAND

HOW DID THEY QUALIFY? Second Place, 2020 CONCACAF Olympic Qualifying Tournament HEAD COACH: Miguel Falero BEST PERFORMANCE AT AN OLYMPICS: Fourth Place (2016) KEY PLAYERS: DEF Denil Maldonado (Everton-Chile), MID Edwin Rodriguez (Olimpia), and FWD Luis Palma (Vida) OVERVIEW: For years, Honduras’ recipe for success was predicated on stout defending and scoring on the counter-attack. While their backline is still strong, their attack seems to be opening up more. Martinez and Rivas formed a strong 1-2 combination during qualification which should help Los Catrachos in Tokyo. and should have little trouble in group play.

HOW DID THEY QUALIFY? First Place, 2019 OCEANIA Qualifying Tournament HEAD COACH: Danny Hay BEST PERFORMANCE AT AN OLYMPICS: Group Stage (2008 and 2012) KEY PLAYERS: DEF Hunter Ashworth (San Diego Loyal), FWD Noah Billingsley (Minnesota United FC), and FWD Myer Bevan (Auckland City) OVERVIEW: One of the biggest unknowns at this year’s tournament is New Zealand, who haven’t played a competitive match since their Qualifying tournament in early 2019. The Kiwis typically do not play many international friendlies and due to their government’s COVID-19 restrictions will likely have minimal preparation ahead of the Olympics.

That is bad news for a side whose players play for club teams all across the globe and have minimal experience playing with one another.

Columbus Crew Midfielder Alexandru Matan

Son Heung-Min, South Korea's young captain

ROMANIA

SOUTH KOREA

HOW DID THEY QUALIFY? Fourth Place, 2019 UEFA Under-21 Championship HEAD COACH: Mirel Radoi BEST PERFORMANCE AT AN OLYMPICS: First Appearance KEY PLAYERS: DEF Andrei Ratiu (Villarreal), MID Alexandru Matan (Columbus Crew), MID Marius Marin (Pisa) OVERVIEW: The Small Tricolours are looking to use this summer’s tournament as a springboard to hopefully better fortunes at the World Cup (this is their first appearance in the Olympics and they haven’t qualified for a senior World Cup since 1998). Although they didn’t make it out of the Group Stage at the 2021 European under-21 Championships, they also didn’t lose earning two tough draws against the Netherlands and eventual champions Germany. Ratiu and Marin have created a strong spine and will be difficult to break down.

HOW DID THEY QUALIFY? First Place, 2020 AFC U-23 Championship HEAD COACH: Kim Hak Bum BEST PERFORMANCE AT AN OLYMPICS: Bronze Medal (2012) KEY PLAYERS: GK Song Bum-keun (Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors), DEF Kim Tae Hwan (Ulsan Hyundai) FWD Song Min-kyu (Pohang Steelers), possibly Son Heung-Min (Tottenham Hotspur) OVERVIEW: South Korea are looking at gold at this year’s Olympics, and if they can get Heung-min as one of their three overage players it may just put them over the top. Even without their talisman striker from Tottenham this is a very talented, balanced side that allowed just three goals in qualifying and features one of the top young forwards from Asia in Min-kyu (K-League Best XI in 2020-2021).

GOLD MEDAL MATCH: SAT. 7 AUGUST

MEN'S GROUP B

MEN'S KEY DATES:

GROUP STAGE MATCH DATES: WED. 21 JULYWED. 28 JULY

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TOKYO 2020 MENS

MEN'S GROUP C

IMAGES, FROM TOP LEFT, CLOCKWISE: Ezequiel Barco for Argentina, Ramy Najjarine for Australia, Mostafa Mohamed, for Egypt, Dani Ceballos for Spain

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ARGENTINA

AUSTRALIA

HOW DID THEY QUALIFY? First Place, 2020 CONMEBOL Olympic Qualifying Tournament HEAD COACH: Fernando Batista BEST PERFORMANCE AT AN OLYMPICS: Gold Medal (2004 and 2008) KEY PLAYERS: DEF Hernan de la Fuente (Velez Sarsfield), DEF Claudio Bravo (Portland Timbers), MID Ezequiel Barco (Atlanta United) OVERVIEW: Argentina is perhaps the biggest dark horse at this year’s tournament. While that may sound strange to say one has to remember: most of their European players will not be available (see: Brighton and Hove Albion’s Alexis MacAllister). Batista will lean heavily on some of the top players from the Americas, North and South, who are looking for additional exposure or a second chance. Keep an eye on Barco, who is coming into his own with Atlanta and is still looking to make a jump with a big European club. This could be his last, best chance to impress.

HOW DID THEY QUALIFY? Third Place, 2020 AFC U-23 Championship HEAD COACH: Graham Arnold BEST PERFORMANCE AT AN OLYMPICS: Quarterfinals (2004) KEY PLAYERS: MID Panos Armenakas (Zulte Waregem), FWD Nicholas D’Agostino (Perth Glory), FWD Ramy Najjarine (Newcastle Jets) OVERVIEW: Goals, goals, goals. That is the biggest priority for Australia in the group stage. Arnold’s scored just six goals during qualifying, including getting shutout by eventual champion South Korea. The Soccerroos have struggled at all levels in recent years to hit the back of the net and it has cost them in international competitions. Can D’ Agostino (who scored half of their goals in qualifying) change their fortunes?

EGYPT

SPAIN

HOW DID THEY QUALIFY? First Place, 2020 AFCON Cup of Nations HEAD COACH: Shawky Gharieb Best Performance At An Olympics: Fourth Place (1928 and 1964) KEY PLAYERS: GK Mohammed Sobhy (Zamalek), DEF Ahmed Ramadan (Al Ahly), FWD Mostafa Mohamed (Galatasaray) OVERVIEW: Egypt cruised through qualification based off of the strength of their backline led by Ramadan and the scoring precision of Mohamed (four goals in five matches). They also showed tremendous poise by forcing a strong Cote D’Ivoire side to extratime in the finals, eventually gaining top honors. That persistence will be an asset for The Pharoahs against two tough sides in Argentina and Spain.

HOW DID THEY QUALIFY? First Place, 2019 UEFA U-21 Championship HEAD COACH: Luis de la Fuente BEST PERFORMANCE AT AN OLYMPICS: Gold Medal (1992) KEY PLAYERS: MID Eric Garcia (Manchester City), Winger Fabian (Red Bull Leipzig), MID Dani Ceballos (Real Madrid) OVERVIEW: After years of treating the Olympics as an afterthought, Spain seem to be putting all of their chips in for this year’s tournament.

De La Fuente has called in some of Spain’s best young players for this tournament, including Garcia, considered to be one of the top young midfielders in the world. Both Fabian and Ceballos should help take the pressure off of Spain’s backline and give Javi Puado some help up top. A very dangerous side and a top contender for Gold.

SOCCER360 JULY • AUGUST 2021

IVORY COAST

HOW DID THEY QUALIFY? Second Place, 2020 CONMEBOL Olympic Tournament HEAD COACH: Andre Jardine Best Performance At An Olympics: Gold Medal (2016) KEY PLAYERS: DEF Gabriel (Arsenal), MID Reiner (Borussia Dortmund), FWD Gabriel Martinelli (Arsenal) OVERVIEW: The defending champions look primed to make another deep run in Tokyo. While Neymar isn’t back Brazil does have a young cadre of prospects who are looking to make their name for Selecao including Gabriel Martinelli, who came on strong for Arsenal at the end of the season. The big question is if they can organize with minimal trainings before their first match. Jardine will have his hands full creating chemistry between players coming from across the world in a short span.

HOW DID THEY QUALIFY? First Place, 2020 AFCON U-23 Cup of Nations HEAD COACH: Patrice Beaumelle BEST PERFORMANCE AT AN OLYMPICS: Gold Medal (2016) KEY PLAYERS: DEF Silas Gnaka (KAS Eupen), MID Aboubakar Keita (OHL), FWD Youssouf Dao (Sparta Prague B) OVERVIEW: Cote D’Ivoire are in the middle of a rebuild after failing to qualify for the 2018 World Cup and will likely use the Olympics to help give younger players experience. This includes Dao, who led Les Petits Elephants in scoring at the 2019 AFCON U-23 tournament. Against Brazil, Germany, and a strong Saudi Arabia Cote D’Ivoire will have their work cut out for them.

GERMANY

SAUDI ARABIA

HOW DID THEY QUALIFY? Second Place, 2019 UEFA U-21 European Championship HEAD COACH: Stefan Kuntz BEST PERFORMANCE AT AN OLYMPICS: Silver Medal (2016) KEY PLAYERS: DEF Nico Schlotterbeck (Freiburg), MID Arne Meier (Hertha Berlin), FWD Lukas Nmecha (Manchester City) OVERVIEW: The Germans are looking for their second major youth title of 2021 after having won the 2021 UEFA U-21 Championship. Luntz will be bringing back pretty much the entire U-21 roster, including Nmecha who scored the game-winner against Portugal in the final. What will be interesting to see is how they handle the pressure of playing a more seasoned Brazil side in their first match. If they can get a favorable result and avoid a slip in the Group Stage, Germany may earn their first-ever Gold Medal.

HOW DID THEY QUALIFY? Second Place, 2020 AFC U-23 Olympic Tournament HEAD COACH: Saad Al-Shehri BEST PERFORMANCE AT AN OLYMPICS: Group Stage (1996) KEY PLAYERS: GK Amin Bukhari (Al-Ain), MID Ayman Al-Khulaif (Al Wehda), MID Nasser Al- Omran (Al Shabab) OVERVIEW: After 25 years, The Green Falcons are back. While on paper it would be easy to write off Saudi Arabia given their lack of experience and the level of their opposition, history suggests that they will be one of the tougher sides in the competition. Al-Shehri’s side allowed just one goal during qualifying and have recently held both South Africa and Mexico to 1-1 draws. They are going to have to rely on the counter-attack but if they can sneak a goal they should earn some points.

PREDICTIONS

SILVER

GOLD BRONZE

MEN'S GROUP D

BRAZIL

IMAGES, FROM TOP LEFT, CLOCKWISE: Arsenal's Gabriel will play for Brazil at the Olympic Games, Youssouf Dao for Ivory Coast, Lukas Nmecha for Germany, Saudi Arabia's goalkeeper, Amin Bukhari

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TOKYO 2020 WOMENS

WOMEN'S GROUP A

IMAGES, FROM TOP LEFT, CLOCKWISE: Ashley Lawrence for Canada, Chile Goalkeeper Christiane Endler, Lucy Bronze, Great Britain defender, Saki Kumagai for Japan

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SINCE JOINING THE SUMMER OLYMPICS IN 1996, THE WOMEN’S SOCCER TOURNAMENT HAS PROVEN TO BE ONE OF THE MORE EXCITING PARTS OF THE OLYMPIC GAMES. THIS YEAR’S TOURNAMENT SHOULD BE NO DIFFERENT WITH THE FULL SENIOR NATIONAL TEAMS FROM SOME OF THE TOP SIDES AROUND THE WORLD LOOKING FOR OLYMPIC GOLD. SOCCER 360’S SEAN MASLIN HAS A FULL BREAKDOWN OF EACH SIDE WITH PREDICTIONS FOR THE THREE MEDALISTS.

CANADA

CHILE

COACH: Bev Priestmann HOW DID THEY QUALIFY? Second Place, CONCACAF Championship BEST SHOWING AT THE OLYMPICS? Bronze Medal (2012 and 2016) KEY PLAYERS TO WATCH: DEF Ashley Lawrence (Paris St. Germain), MID Sophie Schmidt (Houston Dynamo), and FWD Christine Sinclair (Portland Thorns) OUTLOOK: Can Canada finally pull it off ? The Tokyo Games may be the last, best chance for a generation of Canadian players to earn a Gold Medal with Schmidt, Sinclair, Desiree Scott, and Stephanie Labbe all in their mid-30s. Priestmann has brought in a blend of veterans and younger players with experience like Lawrence that should make them a very dangerous side.

COACH: Jose Letelier HOW DID THEY QUALIFY? Defeated Cameroon in a CAF-CONMEBOL Playoff BEST SHOWING AT THE OLYMPICS? First Appearance KEY PLAYERS TO WATCH: GK Christiane Endler (Paris St. Germain) and Francisca Lara (Le Havre) OUTLOOK: La Roja Femenina have booked their first-ever appearance in the Olympic Games after defeating favorite Cameroon in a two-match series. The result was a bit of a surprise considering that they haven’t played in too many competitive matches since their 2019 World Cup appearance. If they are to earn a spot in the knockout round Endler will need to put on three excellent performances.

GREAT BRITAIN

JAPAN

COACH: Hege Riise HOW DID THEY QUALIFY? Qualified as England via finishing fourth at the 2019 World Cup BEST SHOWING AT THE OLYMPICS? Quarterfinalist (2012) KEY PLAYERS TO WATCH: DEF Lucy Bronze (Manchester City), MID Kim Little (Arsenal), and FWD Fran Kirby (Chelsea) OUTLOOK: Team GB is perhaps the most interesting side at this year’s Games. A side made up of players from Wales, Scotland, and England, GB will be making their second-ever appearance in the Olympics. The side is mostly made up of English players with Little and Sophie Weir (Scotland) and Caroline Weir (Wales) being the exceptions. That seems to be on purpose with each player filling in a weakness for the side. Adding three proven veterans to work alongside one of the top teams in the world should help get them into the medal stage.

COACH: Asako Takakura HOW DID THEY QUALIFY? Hosts BEST SHOWING AT THE OLYMPICS? Silver Medal (2012) KEY PLAYERS TO WATCH: DEF Saki Kumagai (Bayern Munich), MID Yui Hasegawa (Milan), FWD Mana Iwabuchi (Arsenal), FWD Yuika Sugasawa (Urawa Reds) OUTLOOK: On paper, the Nadeshiko should be one of the contenders for a medal in their home Games. With an experienced backline led by Kumagai and an excellent creator in the midfield in Hasegawa Japan seems poised for a top three showing. But their lack of matches (they will have played just four international matches when their opening match kicks off July 21st against Canada) should be a worry for Takakura.

Getting Iwabuchi and Sugasawa scoring early should help alleviate any concerns of rust.

SOCCER360 JULY • AUGUST 2021

QUARTER FINAL MATCH DATES: SAT. 31 JULY

SEMI FINAL MATCH DATES: TUES. 3 AUGUST

BRONZE MEDAL MATCH: FRI. 6 AUGUST

BRAZIL

CHINA

COACH: Pia Sundhage HOW DID THEY QUALIFY? Won 2018 Copa America BEST SHOWING AT THE OLYMPICS? Silver Medal (2004 and 2008) KEY PLAYERS TO WATCH: MID Formiga (Paris St. Germain), MID Marta (Orlando Pride), and FWD Debinha (NC Courage) OUTLOOK: Can Marta earn the Gold? Brazil’s talisman midfielder is back for possibly her final Olympic tournament with a veteran heavy lineup and a coach in Sundhage that has previously two Gold Medals. The key for Brazil is finding balance on the attack. Teams will double and triple team Marta leaving ample opportunities for her teammates. Debinha, who has 40 goals for the National Team but never in an Olympics or World Cup, has to step up if Selecao have any hopes of winning.

COACH: Jia Xinquian HOW DID THEY QUALIFY? Won AFC Olympic Playoff Over South Korea BEST SHOWING AT THE OLYMPICS? Silver Medal (1996) KEY PLAYERS TO WATCH: DEF Liu Shanshan (Beijing Phoenix), FWD Li Ying (Meizhou Huijun), and FWD Wang Shuang (Wuhan Jianghan University) OUTLOOK: China seems to be giving off some dark horse vibes given that the side qualified for the Olympics with relative ease (three wins and two draws) and that all of their side plays club football in China. But their fearlessness on the attack, led by former PSG forward Shuang and Ying, should give opponents some real worries. If their backline can hold, then China should have a chance at a medal.

NETHERLANDS

ZAMBIA

COACH: Sarina Wiegman HOW DID THEY QUALIFY? Runners-Up At 2019 World Cup BEST SHOWING AT THE OLYMPICS? First Appearance KEY PLAYERS TO WATCH: MID Jill Roord (Wolfsburg), FWD Lieke Martens (FC Barcelona), and Vivienne Miedema (Arsenal) OUTLOOK: The Dutch are coming into the Olympics in excellent form, having lost just twice in their last nine matches. While Martens and Miedema are The Oranje’s best attacking options, Wiegman has multiple attacking options to throw at defenses. Despite this being their first Olympics, this is a very polished side that is still smarting from their loss in the World Cup finals.

COACH: Bruce Mwape HOW DID THEY QUALIFY? Champions, 2020 CAF Olympic Qualifying Tournament BEST SHOWING AT THE OLYMPICS? First Appearance KEY PLAYERS TO WATCH: MID Racheal Nachula (Zaragoza), FWD Grace Chanda (ZESCO United), and FWD Barbra Banda (Shanghai Shengli) OUTLOOK: The Copper Queens enter their first Olympic Tournament under difficult circumstances. Despite having won CAF’s Olympic Qualifying Tournament, defeating heavy favorites Cameroon in the finals, they have lost three of their last five matches and have had two games cancelled. Given their opposition’s attacking strengths, creating chances on the counter-attack will be key. Both Chanda and Banda were excellent in this role during qualification and will need to once again step up to keep their side in matches.

GOLD MEDAL MATCH: SAT. 7 AUGUST

WOMEN'S GROUP B

WOMEN'S KEY DATES:

GROUP STAGE MATCH DATES: WED. 21 JULYWED. 28 JULY

IMAGES, FROM TOP LEFT, CLOCKWISE: Brazil's legend Marta, China defender, Liu Shanshan, Lieke Martens for Netherlands, Zambia Captain, Barbra Banda

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TOKYO 2020 WOMENS

WOMEN'S GROUP C

IMAGES, FROM TOP LEFT, CLOCKWISE: Australia Goalkeeper, Lydia Williams, Ria Percival for New Zealand, Sweden Defender, Magdalena Eriksson, USA's talented Megan Rapinoe

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AUSTRALIA

NEW ZEALAND

COACH: Tony Gustavsson HOW DID THEY QUALIFY? Won AFC Playoff Over Vietnam BEST SHOWING AT THE OLYMPICS? Quarterfinals (2004 and 2016) KEY PLAYERS TO WATCH: GK Lydia Williams (Arsenal), DEF Ellie Carpenter (Lyon), FWD Sam Kerr (Chelsea), FWD Hayley Raso (Everton) OUTLOOK: After a disappointing 2019 World Cup, the Matildas are looking to grab their first medal tournament victory. While they haven’t had a great 2021 (losing 5-0 to the Netherlands and 5-2 to Germany), at club level their players are coming off of a great season including Kerr who led Chelsea to the FAWSL title. The key will be finding a partner up top with Kerr. Look for Raso to have a big tournament.

COACH: Tom Sermanni HOW DID THEY QUALIFY? 2018 OFC Nations Cup Winner BEST SHOWING AT THE OLYMPICS? Quarterfinals (2012) KEY PLAYERS TO WATCH: DEF Ali Riley (Orlando Pride), MID Ria Percival (Tottenham Hotspur), and FWD Rosie White (OL Reign) OUTLOOK: The Kiwis are one of the real success stories in women’s international football, having used their multiple opportunities in Olympics/World Cups to build a strong program that is never an easy three points. Now, the big question is: can they get into the knockout round consistently? Defensively, the side should be able to hold their own against the rest of Group C. But they are going to have to get out of their attacking shell, something that they have struggled with over the years.

White has had a strong start to her NWSL season with the Reign but will need to step up to get out of Group C.

SWEDEN

UNITED STATES

COACH: Peter Gerhardsson HOW DID THEY QUALIFY? Third Place At 2019 World Cup BEST SHOWING AT THE OLYMPICS? Silver Medalist (2016) KEY PLAYERS TO WATCH: DEF Magdalena Eriksson (Chelsea), MID Caroline Seeger (Rosengard), and FWD Sofia Jakobsson (Real Madrid) OUTLOOK: Sweden’s emphasis on possession and forcing opponents out of position might not win make many highlight reels but it is incredibly effective. The Blagult are undefeated in their last six matches, including a tough 1-1 draw against Group C opponent/bitter rival United States. Seeger and Eriksson have come very, very close to winning a championship, including a 2016 Silver Medal. Expect them to be in the hunt come the knockout stage.

COACH: Vlatko Andonovski HOW DID THEY QUALIFY? First Place In CONCACAF Olympic Qualifying BEST SHOWING AT THE OLYMPICS? Gold Medalist (1996, 2004, 2008, and 2012) KEY PLAYERS TO WATCH: DEF Becky Sauerbrunn (Portland Thorns), MID Sam Mewis (North Carolina Courage), MID Rose LaVelle (OL Reign) and FWD Megan Rapinoe (OL Reign) OUTLOOK: The USWNT come into the Summer Olympics as the presumptive favorite but by no means are they a lock to win it. This is Andonovski’s first major tournament and with a veteran-heavy roster that is looking to end on a high note, there comes considerable pressure (See: 2016 Olympics). That both LaVelle and Christen Press are both coming back from serious injuries will also worry supporters. The US have all of the talent to win it, now they just need to execute.

PREDICTIONS

SOCCER360 JULY • AUGUST 2021

SILVER

GOLD BRONZE

FANS SPOTLIGHT

FAN-TASTIC!

T

he football world and sports over the past 14 months have been living through an abnormality not seen since the sport was founded.

For as long as one can remember, football has been a spectator sport and is scarcely anything without the fans. Supporters and all they bring have been the lifeblood and energy of the game.

Yes, games have been decided by the brilliance of one player or the tactics of a maverick coach, but no other element of the game has consistently carried teams through adversity than a powerful support.

THE 12TH MAN In a game of eleven versus eleven, they have been called the ‘12th man’, meaning that the team with the better 12th man has the advantage.

Such has been their influence all across Europe that some teams have adopted special monikers for the best section of their fans.

Liverpool have the “Kop End” while Borussia Dortmund have the “Yellow Wall”.

But from March 2020 until now, the 12th man has been missing in full or in part from the game. Fans were banned in stadiums and the noise of cheering, jeering and booing was no longer heard from the stadiums. Songs dried up in the terraces to be replaced by the uninteresting moans and shouts from players and the technical area.

ABNORMAL SEASON In a season of many abnormalities, one factor stood out as the causative agent among a pool of other factors--the absence of supporters.

In simple terms, normal football died, and the lack of supporters was the disease that killed it. For example, across Europe’s top five leagues the absence of fans led to several new records and abnormal results. At the end of last season, new champions emerged in four of the five top leagues.

In England for example Liverpool who had stormed to the title in 2020 after missing out by one point in the previous season struggled badly. The Reds could not replicate the success of the 2019/0 season and were lucky to secure a top-four finish on the last day of the season.

In Spain, Atletico Madrid were crowned winners, albeit in a keenly contested league, winning the title by one point on the last day.

In doing so, they became the first team to break the Real Madrid and Barcelona duopoly in eight years.

In France, PSG relinquished their throne to Lille OSC who defied all odds to emerge victorious in a league that PSG had dominated for over seven seasons.

In Italy, the story was not any different. Inter Milan won their first Scudetto in eleven years, Atlanta and Milan finished above Juventus who were lucky to even qualify for the champions league after Napoli failed at the last hurdle.

Although Bayern Munich bucked the trend and maintained their grip over the German Bundesliga, the story was no different for other teams. Borussia Dortmund, who erstwhile have

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BY: LEON JOFFREY

"FROM MARCH 2020 UNTIL NOW, THE 12TH MAN HAS BEEN MISSING IN FULL OR IN PART FROM THE GAME. " even the main challengers of Bayern Munich struggled, only finishing within the top four in the final weeks of the season.

Meanwhile, sleeping teams like VfB Stuttgart, Wolfsburg and Eintracht Frankfurt all woke up and had impressive seasons.

Although these title winners were traditional big teams who would be expected to challenge for the title all things being equal.

But a closer look at the events leading up to their title win or failure will show that the absence of fans had an impact.

For example, the chances of Liverpool’s 7-2 loss to Aston Villa happening is tiny had fans been in the stadium. Also, their 0-0 draw with Real Madrid at Anfield might have been different had the stadium been full and rocking—ask Barcelona, Borussia Dortmund and even Atletico Madrid.

Also, Barcelona’s capitulation towards the end of the season which was caused by a couple of poor performances against lesser teams could have been different had a full Nou Camp been behind the players. While Borussia Dortmund’s indifferent season could have been a lot different if the famed ‘Yellow Wall’ was in operation for most of the season.

EURO 2020 A PERFECT EXAMPLE A perfect example of the impact fans can have in football games is the European Championship.

All across stadiums in Europe, fans have been allowed to attend football games and the difference is very clear.

For starters, the impact on the players is clear.

They no longer feel empty or alone, neither do the matches look like training sessions.

Passionate celebrations have returned and the energy that noise brings can be felt even from the stands.

Also, those watching from home are no longer treated to the sounds of moans and players shouting at each other. That too has been replaced by the more enjoyable and classic crowd noise.

The entire soccer world doesnt want to ever see empty stadiums again

LOOKING FORWARD Going forward, we expect fans back in stadiums next season pending the success of the reopening plans across the globe.

This is not to suggest that everything goes back to normal once fans return. That is not the suggestion.

Barcelona will return to their form under Pep Guardiola or Luis Enrique because Nou Camp is full, or will Liverpool suddenly become prime Bayern Munich.

But the return of fans offers every team an extra advantage in a sport where little details matter a lot.

If not for anything, it solves the problem of the ‘aloneness’ players often feel when they are in the empty shells that serve as stadiums.

The emotions that the noise brings is also an added advantage while the financial impact of matchday tickets, in the long run, will surely have a massive impact on results next season.

Like Jurgen Klopp said when just 10,00 fans were accepted into the stadium back in May. SOCCER360 JULY • AUGUST 2021

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BURN-ABEU STADIUM There was a bit of a scare for Real Madrid and the renovations of the Santiago Bernabeu after the stadium caught fire.

Smoke was seen coming from the highest point of the construction as a small fire broke out in the stadium. Thankfully, the fire didn’t grow and was under control quickly. Had the fire spread, it would have caused some significant setbacks to the renovations. Club president Florentino Perez has decided to take advantage of not being able to have fans in the stadium during the pandemic to speed up the construction in order complete the renovations sooner than originally planned.

STEPH NOT SURE Manchester City captain Steph Houghton revealed she bumped into Pep Guardiola one day at the club’s training facility last season.

Houghton went to the training ground to pick something up to help with her recovery from an Achilles injury. Before she left, the receptionist told her that Guardiola wanted to see her in his office. The 33-year-old said that Guardiola encouraged her to become a manager in the future. Steph Houghton has been doing her B license in management, but it wasn’t a priority for her as she was leaning more towards become a strength and conditioning coach given her degree in sports science. However, after her talk with Pep she is reconsidering.

SEASON OF DISCONTENT Arsenal fans are not happy after season ticket prices were frozen, despite no European football next season.

With The Gunners failing to qualify for any European competition, season ticket holders are guaranteed fewer games than last season. While prices remain the same, fewer games mean that in reality fans will be paying more per game. Last year, fans were guaranteed 26 games, with some Europa League games included. This year, fans will only get 21 games included with their tickets next season, 19 Premier League and two FA Cup ties.

IS THAT LIKE BUTTONS? Thanks to Southampton’s sponsorship deal with Coingaming Group, the club can receive performance-related bonuses in the form of Bitcoin, the world’s largest cryptocurrency. The use of Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies is growing worldwide, including within sport. Several Premier League clubs have trialed cryptocurrency for player transfers, while Tottenham, Leicester, Newcastle, Southampton, Cardiff, Brighton and Crystal Palace all set up digital wallets with an online trading platform. Blockchain technology is also being used to help clubs tackle ticket scalping and counterfeit merchandising.

SMOKY SARRI Roma fans are excited to have Jose Mourinho coach their club, so much so that a mural was drawn on a building in Rome of the Portuguese manager riding a moped with a Roma badge on the front and wearing their scarf. How long can such things last though? Especially in a city of two rival clubs. The answer is not very long. Following Lazio’s appointment of Maurizio Sarri as their new coach, Lazio fans vandalised the mural of Jose Mourinho by covering his face with Maurizio Sarri’s cigarette smoke.

BAD POLE DANCING Wojciech Szczesny hasn’t had the best starts to major international tournaments with Poland. In fact, in the last four tournament opening days the goalkeeper was involved in some sort of incident. Is it bad luck or could it be nerves? At Euro 2012, Szczesny was sent off for conceding a penalty against Greece, after bringing Dimitris Salpigidis down. At Euro 2016, Szczesny got injured against Northern Ireland and did not feature again at the tournament. At the 2018 World Cup, Szczesny gifted M’Baye Niang a goal for Senegal, resulting in a 2-1 loss for Poland. At Euro 2020, Szczesny scored an own goal after a shot ricocheted off the post and his back into the net. Poland would lose the game 2-1 and Szczesny has gone down in the record books as the first goalkeeper to score an own goal in the competition’s history.

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RED TAPE CHOKES UDINESE Udinese are threatening to leave the Dacia Arena following the opening of an anti-corruption investigation. The Italian National Anti-Corruption Authority opened an investigation into both Udinese and the council of Udine over the stadium. Question marks were raised over naming rights and the fact that the club takes care of the annual maintenance of the stadium as opposed to the city council.

Most stadiums in Italy are owned and run by local councils and clubs lease them for matchday purposes. The Udinese hierarchy are upset with the investigation and are therefore threatening to terminate the agreement and move the club elsewhere. The club aren’t asking for damages, but only the return of the €48.5 million they invested. Even years later, stadium projects in Italy are still causing trouble. If the league wants to improve, the stadium situation and the extraordinary amount of red tape that clubs have to go through to renovate or build one needs to be addressed.

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NEW LOOK COPPA ITALIA Coppa Italia will have a different look, at least for the next few seasons. The number of teams in the competition has been reduced and will now feature all 20 Serie A clubs, all 20 Serie B clubs, and just four clubs from Serie C. The changes to the format have essentially cut the smaller teams out of the competition entirely. In fact, original plans were to only have clubs from Serie A and B only. At a time where the Super League received backlash from the Italian league and clubs, such a decision is quite hypocritical.

By reducing the number of teams and having only the best 40 teams represented, the competition can spread the revenue among less clubs and increase the prizes. Apart from the number of clubs changing, the knockout format remains the same, with the eight top seeds entering the competition from the Round of 16.

HOMAGE TO DIEGO Argentina kicked off their Copa America tournament with a spectacular homage to Diego Maradona prior to their match against Chile. A 3-D light show saw an animated Maradona doing kickups on the pitch to the song ‘Live is Life’, a tribute to the viral video of the football legend doing kickups during a warm-up. There was also a series of iconic highlights playing out, including his second goal against England at the 1986 World Cup. Maradona’s kit changed throughout the sequence, donning the kits of the clubs he’s played for, before settling on the Argentina shirt. During the match, Messi also paid his own tribute to Maradona. After scoring a wonderful free-kick Lionel celebrated similarly to Maradona, running and jumping and punching the air.

LIFE SUPPORT

Liverpool forward Sadio Mane donated close to £500,000 to help pay for a hospital in his hometown of Bambali in Senegal. The Senegalese village has never had a medical facility before. Something Mane knows all too well, as his father passed away when he was seven years old after he couldn’t reach a hospital in time to be treated for a stomach issue. Mane has previously donated £250,000 to build a school in Bambali. The 29-year-old met with the president of Senegal, Macky Sall, to officially gift the facility to the state.

The hospital will have an A&E department, maternity care, dental facilities and consulting rooms.

SECRET AGENT Erling Haaland was spotted partying with Riyad Mahrez in Mykonos. Upon seeing images of the two together, Manchester City fans are hoping Mahrez is convincing the Norwegian striker to join their club, dubbing the Algerian ‘Agent Mahrez’.

Haaland has been the subject of heavy transfer speculation with Chelsea thought to be interested in signing the striker from Borussia Dortmund this summer. Manchester City of course just parted ways with their all-time top goal scorer and will need someone to fill the void. A striker who scored 41 goals in all competitions last season would not be a bad replacement.

A MINI INCONVENIENCE Cesc Fabregas recently shared a fantastic story of how N’Golo Kante was late for a Chelsea meeting once. Back in 2018, ahead of a Carabao Cup match against Arsenal, Chelsea held a meeting to which Kante was unusually late for. Why was he late? He got into a minor car accident after his Mini Cooper collided with a truck, knocking off a side-view mirror and causing damage to his car. While Kante was waiting roadside for recovery services, he was approached by a number of fans with requests for selfies, and naturally he obliged. Despite the incident he was involved in, he didn’t want to say no to fans.

CHRISTIAN HEART SCARE Daley Blind revealed that he considered not playing in the Netherlands’ opening European Championship match against Ukraine after Christian Eriksen suffered a cardiac arrest the day before. The 31-year-old has himself suffered from on-field heart problems and has an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) fitted. Blind went down twice in the space of a year during the 2019/20 season and was diagnosed with heart muscle inflammation. After seeing what happened to his friend Eriksen, Blind contemplated whether he should play or not. Ultimately, he did play and left the pitch in tears after he was substituted off in the 64th minute. Eriksen collapsed late in the first-half of Denmark’s opening match against Finland and was unconscious when medics reached him on the pitch. He was attended to for about 10 minutes and was even given CPR before later being taken to the hospital. Denmark players, who were visibly distressed, formed a barrier around the player as the medics continued to work on Eriksen. The 29-year-old was then taken off on a stretcher in a more stable condition.

DO NOT TACKLE !

Former UFC lightweight champion, Khabib Nurmagomedov, is ready to fulfill a dream of his of becoming a footballer. Khabib is a big fan of the beautiful game and is often filmed playing in Russia. He has a desire to improve his game and the ambition of turning pro. In fact, Khabib has already received offers from various Russian clubs, including FC Kamaz of the third-division. Despite receiving these offers, Khabib said he’s not ready yet as he needs to improve his football shape, which is different than MMA shape. At a domestic level, Spartak Moscow would be his ideal club, but his dream club is Real Madrid.

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"QUOTES"

FAN ADVISORY BOARD Manchester United have announced the creation of a fan advisory board and share ownership scheme following months of unrest amongst fans against the club’s owners. In an effort to step up engagement with supporters, the club is giving the fans an enhanced voice, giving them representation in discussions with senior leadership and owners. The fan advisory board will be made up of representatives from fan groups. Alongside the fan advisory board, Manchester United are also looking to introduce a mutually beneficial fan share scheme which will introduce a new class of shares. These new shares will carry the same voting rights as the shares owned by the Glazer family.

“It’s impossible, it’s an irrational idea. The next World Cup, after 2022, is in 2026. In 2028 we’ll have the European Championship, so if there’s a World Cup in 2028 the European teams won’t play in it. If the South American sides have the Copa America, they won’t play in it either. Will it still be a World Cup then?

With this calendar it’s impossible. Imagine what it would be like for players to have a month-long tournament every year.”

- UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin responds to the idea of having a World Cup every two years instead of every four years. He argues that players will have more and more injuries with the increase in matches.

NOT SO SUPER The European Super League seemed to have come and gone in the blink of an eye. After an organized announcement from all clubs involved, fans and organizations from around the world voiced their disapproval. The most outspoken of which being UEFA. Of the 12 founding teams, only three remain. Only three have yet to formally withdraw from the new Super League and UEFA are ready to set an example of them in order to quash any further attempts in the future. Real Madrid, Barcelona and Juventus are the remaining three, and they could be banned from the Champions League by UEFA if they fail to resign from the European Super League. Meanwhile, those three clubs have begun legal action in a Madrid court against UEFA and FIFA. So, while the league itself came and went quickly, the ramifications of it still linger and may continue to do so for some time.

DID YOU KNOW? •

Kevin De Bruyne (right) has joined a list of just three players to win consecutive PFA Players’ Player of the Year awards - following Cristiano Ronaldo (2007 and 2008) and Thierry Henry (2003 and 2004).

•

Chelsea’s Fran Kirby was awarded the PFA Women’s Players’ Player of the Year following a successful season which saw her win the league title, the league cup and a runners-up medal in the Champions League.

•

Robert Lewandowski failed to score in only four of the 27 Bundesliga matches he started this year. He also scored three or more goals on five occasions.

“I think that I can still take another few steps in my development. I’m obviously looking forward to the new coach at Bayern, because you can learn something new… I haven’t fulfilled my potential yet. There’s still a lot possible.”

- Joshua Kimmich is confident he can still improve and is excited to learn new things under new coach Julian Nagelsmann.

“It started from Auba. He said it in French.

We’re doing one finishing drill one time in training and he kept saying it, and I kept scoring, I was shooting with so much power and he was calling me little chilli in French.

From then on he kept calling me it and then it became a thing, and now it’s a big thing, a lot of people call me it, and make it my nickname.”

- Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka credits teammate Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang for his nickname “little chilli”. According to Aubameyang, it was given to Saka because he has so much energy, so much power and is quite small.

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MAN, IT'S OVER Sergio Aguero’s time with Manchester City has come to an end, with the 33-year-old officially signing for Barcelona as a free agent. Guardiola broke down in tears when talking about Aguero after the striker scored twice in his final Premier League match with City. According to Aguero’s father, the tears Guardiola shed were insincere and only for the cameras, claiming that Pep “wants to be the star of all the teams he is in instead of the players.”

ZLAT'S BAD UEFA have fined Zlatan Ibrahimovic €50,000 for having a financial interest in a betting company. AC Milan were also fined €25,000 for violating the same article of UEFA’s disciplinary regulations.

Ibrahimovic is a part-owner of the Malta-based betting company Bethard.

According to FIFA’s Code of Ethics, a player cannot have interests in entities or companies that “promote, broker, arrange or conduct betting, gambling, lotteries or similar events or transactions connected with football matches and competitions.”

90TH MINUTE

GOLDEN OLDIES Italian singer-songwriter Enrico Ruggeri decided to try a different career, swapping the microphone for a pair of boots. The 64-year-old debuted for Italian fourth-division club ASD Sona, playing nine minutes in his sides 1-0 loss to Tritium Calcio 1908. Sona is a small town located in the province of Verona in the northeast of Italy, and has a population of just 18,000.

Ruggeri was invited to join the semi-professional club by the club president and accepted it.

One of his teammates at the club was 39-year-old, former Brazil international, Maicon. That’s right.

The Maicon who won the treble with Inter was playing in the fourth division of Italian football.

However, now Maicon has moved on to San Marino based Tre Penne.

LA MICRO LIGASOFT LaLiga and Microsoft have expanded their partnership which focuses on digitally transforming the sports experience. The two organizations will also collaborate on developing technology solutions for the media and entertainment industry. Some of these new solutions will include OTT streaming options, augmented and virtual reality and 3D replays. LaLiga will utilize Microsoft Azure, including AI and machine learning for its overthe-top platform and Mediacoach platform to reinvent interactive audiovisual experiences.

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LiveScore announced Cristiano Ronaldo as an official global brand ambassador.

LiveScore is a sports media company and one of the leading real-time sports updates providers. The deal comes at a time when the brand is trying to grow into a major global sports media force. The relationship between LiveScore and Cristiano Ronaldo will last at least two domestic football seasons and the 2022 World Cup.

A NEW HOPE

FREESTYLE IT Borussia Dortmund and the World Freestyle Football Association (WFFA) have launched the inaugural BVB Global Freestyle Challenge. This collaboration will look to bridge the football and freestyle worlds and raise awareness for the freestyle football art form. Dortmund fans from around the world were encouraged to showcase their creative football skills. Three winners were selected by the public and jury votes, winning a merchandise gift box worth €600 each.

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90TH MINUTE

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The six Premier League clubs who were part of the European Super League have been fined £20 million each by the Premier League for their attempts to create a new competition last April. This fine is in addition to the fine handed to all clubs involved by UEFA. Manchester City, Manchester United, Chelsea, Liverpool, Arsenal and Tottenham have accepted the fine. According to reports, the Premier League has also introduced a 30 point deduction to any club proposing a breakaway league in the future.

ONE SHOT WONDER Spain’s final friendly leading up to the Euros was played by their U21 squad because of a potential covid outbreak in the senior squad. Even under these circumstances, FIFA confirmed that the match was a full international, meaning 17 players made their debuts for the Spanish senior squad.

Economically speaking, this was a big deal as many players’ contracts typically include bonuses for achieving objectives, one being debuting with the senior team. In some cases, such a clause in a contract is not a bonus but rather a wage increase. Under normal circumstances, clubs have no problem executing the clause because debuting with the national team increases the players value, however in this case, there is no guarantee that these players will ever make another appearance for the senior team.

JUST CALL ME SILAS

Stuttgart striker Silas Wamangituka revealed that he was playing under a false name. The player said that he was a victim of fraudulent practices by his former agent and Wamangituka is not his real name. His real name is Silas Katompa Mvumpa and he is 22-years old, a year older than what his records showed.

Mvumpa said he was pressured to move to Paris by his former agent and later joined Paris FC in France’s second division. Stuttgart believe the agent altered Mvumpa’s identity to help him break ties with his old club in the Democratic Republic of Congo and to increase the player’s dependence on the agent. The German club released a statement describing the circumstances and revealed that work was done to clear up the situation.

UNDER THE GUN TO SELL Spotify tycoon Daniel Ek is interested in purchasing Arsenal from current owner Stan Kroenke. Daniel has already seen a £1.8 billion offer rejected, but he remains keen on finding an agreement. Kroenke though, has no intention of selling the club, much to the displeasure of many Gunners fans around the world. Ek has insisted that he is ready for a long takeover battle and has the backing of club legends Dennis Bergkamp, Patrick Vieira and Thierry Henry.

Daniel Ek is a boyhood Arsenal fan and his interest in purchasing the club came after the Super League protests in April. Kroenke’s involvement with Arsenal began in 2007 and he became the club’s sole owner in 2018 after buying the remaining shares from Alisher Usmanov.

I'M A CHAMPION, MUM Ben Chilwell celebrated Chelsea’s Champions League victory by staying at his mom’s house for a few days. Perhaps under normal circumstances, Chilwell would have spent the few days after winning partying and going on an open top bus parade. Instead, the 24-year-old went to his mom’s, walked the dog and watched his old cricket team Flitwick. Said Chilwell, “Your family being there was massive and sharing that moment and evening with friends and family, the team, the staff. That was it really. We went home next morning on the plane and I went to my mum’s for three or four days and then came to meet up with the squad.”

A TOUGH PITCH Manchester City midfielder Ilkay Gundogan donated his Premier League winners’ bonus to his childhood club Hessler 06, who are in need of an artificial pitch to continue playing. Gundogan had his most prolific season in England, scoring 17 times and was even nominated for the PFA Player of the Year award. The 30-year-old is reportedly donating £258,000 to Hessler 06 after hearing that children were withdrawing from playing because there was no artificial pitch.

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WAYNE'S WORLD...AGAIN Wayne Rooney will lace up his boots once again for England later this year when he takes part in Soccer Aid 2021. Last year, Rooney was the manager in Unicef’s fundraiser, however this year, England’s record goal scorer will take to the pitch. Gary Neville, Paul Scholes and Fara Williams will join him among other former footballers and celebrities at the Etihad Stadium in September. On the other side of the pitch, Usain Bolt returns for his third appearance in the charity match alongside Roberto Carlos and Patrice Evra. Soccer Aid has raised over £47 million since it started back in 2006. Last year’s match at Old Trafford raised a record-breaking £9.3 million. The money raised this year could be help Unicef distribute two billion covid vaccines around the world.

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90TH MINUTE

"QUOTES" NEYMAR TACKLED THEY CAN BOOGIE “James, if you want to be proactive you can ask me how many trophies I have won in my career – 25 and a half. The half is the final I didn’t play with Tottenham.”

- Jose Mourinho has won 25 trophies in his career, and it could have been 26 had he not been fired a week before Tottenham’s Carabao Cup final against Manchester City. During an interview with James Corden, Mourinho lets him know that he has won 25.5 trophies in his career so far.

Scotland’s national team have repurposed an old disco track into their new football anthem.

“Yes Sir, I Can Boogie”, the 1977 disco tune

by Spanish duo Baccara, was sung by the squad after they secured qualification to the Euro’s by defeating Serbia. This European Championship was Scotland’s first major international tournament appearance in 22 years. A video of the players singing this song went viral pushing the song into iTunes top 40. Thanks to Andy Considine, “Yes, Sir I Can Boogie” became the unofficial anthem of the team. The defender received his first call up to the senior squad last year at the age of 33 after which a video of his stag do from 2015 became public which featured the disco song. The song was originally sung by fans as a tribute to Considine, but has now become the unofficial anthem following the players’ rendition.

Neymar was accidentally tackled by two fans outside a hotel in Brazil.

The Brazilian team were exiting their bus and heading into the hotel when a number of fans headed straight for Neymar - two of which, in their over excitement, tripped up and brought Neymar down with them. Security managed to control the situation and luckily the Brazilian didn’t seem to sustain any injuries. Neymar did however lose a shoe with one fan running off with it.

DID YOU KNOW? •

Only one team has won the European Championship after losing their opening game of the tournament. The Netherlands did it back in 1988.

•

Cristiano Ronaldo has become the European Championship’s all-time top goalscorer, beating the previous record of nine goals set by Michel Platini (left) - in the 1984 edition.

•

Jorginho is just the second Italian player to have won the Champions League/European Cup final for a non-Italian side after Christian Panucci for Real Madrid in 1998.

OASIS STINK “I’m only myself when I can enjoy myself on the pitch. That hasn’t happened in the last two years at Madrid. If you have one or two injuries you can flip the switch, you recover to come back stronger, but if it’s five, six, seven it’s much more difficult mentally. But I keep going… I won’t leave there as a failure. I only want to show that I’m made for Real Madrid.”

- Eden Hazard has no intention of leaving Real Madrid despite failing to live up to expectations since signing from Chelsea.

“ I would like to play more offensively. Scoring 15 goals per season, that’s what I would like.

But, we must put ourselves at the service of the collective. In Manchester, as with Les Bleus, the collective will always come before the player. Frankly, I still enjoy playing a little deeper. When Patrick Vieira said he preferred me at Juventus, I understand, I was able to express myself further up, more with my technique. But it will always be the collective above everything else.”

- While Paul Pogba recognizes that the team will always come first and is ready to do whatever is required of him to help the team win.

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NEVER FORGOTTEN

Two police forces agreed to pay damages to more than 600 people for a cover-up following the Hillsborough disaster. After a civil claim, the South Yorkshire and West Midlands police agreed the settlement.

Nobody was ever convicted over the cover-up of the tragedy which saw 96 Liverpool fans die at the 1989 FA Cup semi-final. Three men were accused of amending police officers’ statements in order to minimise blame on the force, but were each cleared of their charges.

Patrice Evra posted a video to social media trolling Manchester City and the Gallagher brothers, Noel and Liam, who are big City fans, following their Champions League final loss. Evra, of course, is a Manchester United legend and he took great delight in seeing City fail to win their first European trophy. The Frenchman posted a video of himself wearing a wig and sunglasses, looking like Liam Gallagher, with the hit Oasis song Wonderwall playing in the background. Towards the end of the video, Evra even sang a remix of the song, “I said maybe… you’re going to win it when I’m ninety. And after all… you’re my noisy neighbours.”

90TH MINUTE

A SHOE-IN TO WIN Some Chelsea fans spotted something unusual during the teams Champions League celebrations. Mendy, Giroud, Zouma and Rudiger were spotted kissing manager Thomas Tuchel’s shoes. Later in the dressing room, Tuchel was seen taking his shoes off and lifting them up like a trophy, while the players around him joined in. Tuchel then revealed, during a post-match interview, that the shoes were a gift given to him last year by the PSG president. He said that he promised the PSG hierarchy that he would wear the shoes in their Champions League final against Bayern Munich, but he forgot to and they lost the match 1-0. This time around he made sure to wear them and he won. The PSG president must be thinking if only Tuchel had worn them last year.

DID BECKHAM KNOW? Inter Miami were fined $2 million by Major League Soccer over violations of the league’s salary budget and roster regulations. This is the harshest fine in MLS history. The league also fined the club’s managing owner Jorge Mas $250,000. This all came about after Major League Soccer announced back in March that it was going to investigate the signing of Blaise Matuidi and whether or not it complied with league salary and roster guidelines. The investigation found that Inter Miami violated these rules for Matuidi and Andres Reyes who should have occupied a designated player slot. The club was also found guilty of not disclosing agreements that led to under reporting of salaries for three other players.

SALL STAR GAME SCHEDULE This year’s All-Star Game has been scheduled to take place on August 25 at Banc of California Stadium in Los Angeles. In the past, Major League Soccer would organize a match between the league’s allstar players and a top team from Europe visiting the United States for pre-season training. Last year, however, it was announced that the new format for the All-Star Game will see Major League Soccer’s best go up against Liga MX’s best. For obvious reasons, the match did not go ahead last year. This year, the situation has improved and so the historic match-up is set to take place in late August.

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NFL TO MLS Mark Ingram II, a three-time NFL Pro Bowl running back and Heisman Trophy winner, has joined D.C. United’s ownership group as an investor. D.C. United have seen a lot of leadership changes in the last six months with Danita Johnson joining as their president of business operations back in December. Ingram isn’t the first active professional athlete to enter Major League Soccer ownership. Fellow NFL athlete Russell Wilson has an ownership stake in Seattle Sounders, while Brooklyn Nets teammates James Harden (Houston Dynamo) and Kevin Durant (Philadelphia Union) also have a stake in an MLS team.

THE CREW WILL MUTINY Changing a club name and logo is risky. More often than not, the fans will be opposed to such changes, especially clubs with a lot of history. A few clubs in Major League Soccer have decided to rebrand, some going down better than others amongst fans, but for the most part have all received some backlash. Clubs like Chicago, Houston and Montreal were able to get away with the changes to name, logo or both. Columbus on the other hand, were not able to. A rebrand from Columbus Crew to Columbus SC was met with a strong reaction from the Crew faithful. So much so, that the new name lasted a week before being reverted back to its original. Not only that, the new logo was changed to reflect the original name. The new crest features the Crew name and also “96”, to represent the club’s stature as an original MLS club.

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90TH MINUTE

A GENEROUS SCOT Andy Robertson gave every Scotland player and staff member a gift box when they arrived at the team’s training camp.

To celebrate Scotland’s 23 year wait for an international tournament, the Liverpool defender put together a box of branded gifts which pay homage to the team’s roots. Each box featured a mix of different items with a slew of Scottish staple drinks including a bespoke bottle of Johnnie Walker blue label whiskey. Other items included shortbread, an Apple watch and a personalised Scotland edition of FIFA 21.

ANOTHER GOOD IDEA FROM FIFA The Premier League is set to trial robot referees next season. There won’t be robots running around the pitch officiating a match, but rather robotic VAR refs will be introduced. The new, Hawk-Eye developed system uses skeletal technology to track movement and can therefore deliver near-instant offside decisions instead of the current lines across the pitch method. The system will be trialed at the Etihad, Old Trafford, Anfield and Stamford Bridge throughout next season, although it will be an offline trial and not actually used for matchday decisions. The technology tracks 29 points on a player’s body and can give on-field officials offside info within half a second. According to some reports, the system was used in non-live trials during the FIFA Club World Cup in January and were pleased with the results. If all goes well, FIFA will oversee a global rollout of the system and we may even see it during the 2022 World Cup.

A BIG ENGLISH FAN An English fan pranked his Welsh girlfriend by decorating their house for the European Championship. Dave Jones has been involved in a nation versus nation rivalry with his partner, Ashleigh, for years. Ashleigh will often display a Wales flag in their home when the nation plays rugby, so Dave decided to get back at her by plastering England flags and cardboard cut outs of Harry Kane, Raheem Sterling and Phil Foden all around the house. While Ashleigh was out of the house, Dave spent a couple of hours decorating and he went all out.

KICKER AWARDS German football magazine Kicker holds annual awards at the end of each season.

These awards are voted on by the Bundesliga players, with the votes remaining anonymous.

Some awards are nice to receive, especially when decided by fellow footballers. For example, Robert Lewandowski was voted player of the year, with 74% of the vote, and Jamal Musiala was named best newcomer.

There are other awards that perhaps are best to forget about. Schalke’s Shkodran Mustafi received one of those. The 2014 World Cup winner was voted the “relegated player of the season” or the player who had the worst season by his fellow Bundesliga colleagues.

Mustafi was one of 10 Schalke players to receive votes after the German club were relegated for the first time in 30 years, finishing bottom of the table with just 16 points from 34 games.

FAMOUS ... ON SOCIAL MEDIA WHAT GOES AROUND...

Before leaving Manchester City, Aguero wanted to give back to those who work behind the scenes at the club. To 60 backroom staff members, he gifted them an engraved Hublot or Tag Heuer watch. Aguero also organized a raffle for his £40,000 Range Rover Evoque. The winner of the sweepstake was Ally Marland, who has been a kitman at City for almost 10 years. Footage of Aguero handing over the car keys was even posted to social media. But with Ally and his wife already having cars, they decided to put the car for sale on eBay, with a portion of the sale going towards Derian House Children’s Hospice, a charity which provides palliative, respite and end of life care for children and young adults.

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SOCCER360 JULY • AUGUST 2021

Alexander Sorloth spent the 2019/20 season on loan at Turkish side Trabzonspor from Crystal Palace. Despite a successful loan spell, the Norwegian striker decided to join RB Leipzig in the Bundesliga. During his time at Trabzonspor, Sorloth became the club’s top-scoring foreign player, finishing with 33 goals. He also helped the club lift the Turkish Cup after scoring in the final.

This past season with Leipzig however, hasn’t gone as well for Sorloth, who struggled to make an impact in his 36 appearances for the club. As a result of his poor form, Sorloth has been linked with a move back to Trabzonspor. In fact, Trabzonspor president Ahmet Agaoglu admitted he would love to bring Sorloth back to the club. The news then spread like wildfire as eager fans headed to social media to try and convince Sorloth to rejoin the club. On one of his Instagram posts, Sorloth received 3.5 million comments from fans asking him to come back. That post has the most comments on a footballers post in Instagram history.

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"QUOTES"

Ed Sheeran has been named as the new shirt sponsor for Ipswich Town.

The singer has signed a one-year deal to sponsor the shirts of the men’s and women’s first-teams.

Mathematical symbols will be displayed on the shirts with the word “tour” underneath. Sheeran has used the symbols for plus, multiply and divide for album titles.

The pop star has a long-standing affinity with Ipswich, supporting the club since he was a little boy.

HORNY VARDY “I don’t know 100% which club it will be that he goes to, but it doesn’t matter, you’re going to regret it. If we play against each other, I’ll kick your butt.”

- Prior to David Alaba signing for Real Madrid, his now ex-Bayern teammate Thomas Muller joked that he would regret his decision to leave the Allianz Arena.

“I'm proud of the fact that footballers are leading some of today's most important international debates. We have seen players like Raheem Sterling, Marcelo, Jérôme Boateng, and many others make important stands over Black Lives Matter. And just saw Marcus Rashford change government policy to stop children suffering from hunger.”

- Fifa president Aleksander Čeferin Proud of how football can make an impact around the world

“I have a big responsibility wearing the No.10 shirt, but I don’t want to put pressure on my shoulders. I always try to be light-hearted. The coach gives me many suggestions, he was a footballer, so he has a lot to teach us.”

- Lorenzo Insigne talks about the important of wearing the #10 shirt.

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SOCCER360 JULY • AUGUST 2021

Jamie Vardy has invested in American soccer.

The Leicester City striker bought a minority stake in the Rochester Rhinos. The Rhinos have not had a competitive team for four years but with Vardy’s involvement, they plan to field a team again in 2022. Rochester Rhinos, who were formed in 1996, won the national championships four times and are the only non-Major League Soccer side to have won the US Open Cup. Vardy and his representatives have been in negotiations for more than two years with the Dworkin family, who have owned the club since 2016.

THE C7 THING Cristiano Ronaldo’s removal of two Coca-Cola bottles during a press conference at the European Championship has coincided with a $4bn fall in the share price of the drinks company.

The 36-year-old shifted the bottles of Coca-Cola away from him during a press conference in Budapest in the prelude to his country’s Group F game against Hungary.

NON-RETURNABLE TROPHY Ajax have shared their latest title success with their fans by melting down the Eredivisie trophy for mementoes. All 42,000 season ticket holders will receive a star weighing 3.45g, where 0.06g will be made up from the trophy. Ajax completed the league double this season, winning their 35th league title accompanied by the KNVB Cup.

DID YOU KNOW? •

Switzerland’s Steven Zuber is only the third player since 1980 to register 3 assists in a single EUROs game, after Portugal’s Rui Costa in 2000 (v England) and Denmark’s Michael Laudrup in 1984 (v Yugoslavia).

•

Wales’ Ethan Ampadu (right) has become the youngest player in European Championships history to be shown a red card, aged 20 years and 279 days.

LEFT FOOT FIRST Belgium assistant coach Thierry Henry showed class is permanent with a stunning 'weaker foot' free-kick during Belgium training.

The Frenchman bent a delightful left-footed effort in from the edge of the box and Manchester City ace Kevin De Bruyne was amazed by his talent. A laughing Romelu Lukaku approached and began dragging the Premier League icon back toward the changing room.

The hilarious footage then cut to De Bruyne walking off the pitch joking about the quality of the France legend.

90TH MINUTE

DEMOLITION MAN Hungary hero Attila Fiola has apologized for trashing a journalist's desk after scoring against France. The 31-year-old right-back sent Budapest wild after stunning the world champions with the opening goal in their 1-1 draw. Fiola, lost in the moment, celebrated by running towards the crowd inside the full capacity 67,000 Puskas Arena. His emotions then got the better of him as he wildly swiped at a pitch-side reporter's desk, leaving her in shock. The images went viral following the incident with reporter Edit Szalay becoming an internet sensation.

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BEST BUDDIES David Beckham reunited with former boss Sir Alex Ferguson as they watched England's draw with Scotland. Beckham and Ferguson won nine major trophies together at Manchester United including the famous Treble in 1999. But they were on opposite sides that night as Ferguson cheered on Steve Clarke's side.

Upon arriving at the venue, Ferguson was denied VIP parking. The legendary Manchester United manager made the trip to support Steve Clarke's men but was snubbed when refused access to the VIP parking after a four-hour chauffeurdriven ride.

JACK CAN SING England star Jack Grealish impressed Micah Richards as he performed a confident rendition of Robbie Williams' 'She's The One' live on a BBC podcast. The Aston Villa star surprised Richards and presenter Emma Saunders by taking on the role of singer on Five Live's 'Daily Euros Live Lounge', singing the famous Williams tune to backing vocals

by Richards.

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BACK IN THE SADDLE Louis van Gaal will make a return to management five years after his sacking by Manchester United. The fearsome coach, 69, is to take charge of Dutch second division side SC Telstar next season - but just for the one game. Van Gaal, who played in Telstar's midfield for a single season in 1977-78, is returning to the dug-out briefly as part of the club's fundraising drive. A video put out by Telstar showed Van Gaal and his wife Truus walking into Telstar's stadium before putting pen to paper on a new 'contract'. The money raised from the lottery will be donated to the Spieren door Spieren Foundation, a charity which fights against muscle disease in children.

HE'S BACK Gianluigi Buffon has officially completed his emotional return to Parma - and his announcement video is one of the best we've ever seen. In a classy video set around the club's stadium, a hooded man digs into the pitch to reveal a treasure box. He proceeds by opening the box which contains a 'Superman' t-shirt and Parma jersey inside, before he takes a phone call then removes his hood to reveal it is the man himself.

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Victor Lindelof (27) July 17 Club: Manchester United Nation: Sweden

Vinicius Junior (21) July 12

JULY

Club: Real Madrid Nation: Brazil

300 MILLION !

SOCIAL MEDIA

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Cristiano Ronaldo has become the first person ever to reach 300 million followers on Instagram. The 36-year-old football superstar is the most followed person on the planet and a long way clear of Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson in second on 246 million. And Ronaldo's great football rival Lionel Messi is 81 million followers adrift of the Portugal forward on 219 million. Only one account on the social media platform has more followers than Ronaldo's - and that's Instagram itself with 397 million.

Ian Waterhouse

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Erling Haaland (21) July 21

Club: Arsenal Nation: Netherlands • Vivianne had her first deal with SC Heerenveen when she was 14 years old. But she was too young to sign it so her parents signed it for her.

Club: Borussia Dortmund Nation: Norway • Once scored nine goals in a FIFA U-20 World Cup match against Honduras.

FREQUENT NON-FLYER Czech Republic and Bayer Leverkusen striker Patrik Schick revealed that he is afraid of flying. The 25-year-old spoke out about his flying fears as the Czech Republic team had to frequently fly from one city to another for their Euro 2020 matches. The Czechs have flown to and from Scotland twice within a week and made another trek to the UK to play their final match of Group D in the competition.

ZIDANE LEAVES AGAIN Facebook - https://www. facebook.com/RealMadrid/ photos/a.74265819952/10152465040569953/ A trophyless season for Zinedine Zidane at Real Madrid meant only one thing…a new coach - who walked before he was pushed, according to the official statement posted on Facebook.

SOCCER360 JULY • AUGUST 2021

Vivianne Miedema (25) July 15

BLONDE S ALL AROUND England’s stars have promised to copy Phil Foden’s Gazza-inspired blonde haircut if they win Euro 2020. It was 25 years ago when Paul Gascoigne scored one of England's most memorable goals against Scotland in the country’s epic run to the Euro 96 semi-finals. The 21-year-old Manchester City star drew comparisons with the Three Lions legend when he dyed his hair before this summer’s tournament.

ANCELOTTI RETURNS AGAIN Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/ RealMadrid/videos/618433839115043 As one Real Madrid manager walks out the door for a second time, another walks through it for a second time as Carlo Ancelotti makes his return.

And to confuse matters further, Zidane had been Carletto’s assistant in the Spanish capital…

BIRTHDAY BECKHAM Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/p/ COcfQbEh0QE/ You would have thought David Beckham would want to celebrate his birthday with family. Instead he decided to spend it with a balloon Inter Miami mascot instead!

90TH MINUTE Harry attended the same high school as David Beckham.

He is an avid American football fan, and has even named one of his dogs after quarterback Tom Brady.

Desiree Scott (34) July 31 Club: Kansas City Nation: Canada • Nicknamed “The Destroyer”, Scott enjoys doing zumba, singing and dancing

Harry Kane (28) July 28 Club: Tottenham Nation: England

Hirving Lozano (26) July 30

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Michael Bradley (34) July 31

Club: Napoli Nation: Mexico

Club: Toronto FC Nation: United States

EURO UFO Euro 2020 viewers have been laughing at Manuel Locatelli's reaction to Nicolo Barella throwing a bandage at him. The Sassuolo midfielder did NOT seem happy with Barella's missile and quickly threw it back in the Inter Milan star's face. With Italy's spot in the last 16 of the tournament already secured, manager Roberto Mancini decided to rest Locatelli and Barella against Wales.

With 69 minutes on the clock, a smirking Barella decided to throw a bandage at Locatelli. The midfielder, who has been linked with a move to Juventus and Arsenal, was not happy - launching the item back into his team-mate's face. Barella continued to smile but Locatelli remained serious, unimpressed with his colleague's banter.

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2021 F-150

DID YOU KNOW? •

Robert Lewandowski (right) is the first Poland player to score in three different editions of the European Championships (2020, 2016, 2012).

•

Portugal are the first reigning champions in European Championship history to concede four goals in a single match in the competition.

• In what is their 67th major tournament match (World Cup or Euros), Portugal have

2021 BRONCO SPORT

conceded four goals for only a second time - both against Germany (also at the 2014 World Cup).

ZOUMA’S GOT THE MOVES Twitter - https://twitter.com/ChelseaFC/ status/1399705790261338113 It is understandable one may get a little overexcited after winning the Champions League but Chelsea defender Kurt Zouma took it to new levels with some questionable dance moves!

IBORRA’S NEW CAREER Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/ EuropaLeague/videos/142178337945426 Villarreal midfielder Vincente Iborra gave a speech to his side just before they went on to beat Manchester United in the Europa League final. Fortunately for us it was filmed and posted by the Europa League on Facebook.

2021 MACH-E

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90TH MINUTE

OCH, YA CANNA LAND !!

A TALL ORDER

A group of Croatia fans hired a private plane to take them to Scotland for the clash with Czech Republic only for them to watch it in Prague instead. Sebastian Jagic Njare, his brother Simo and friends Domagoj Raljevic and Luka Vojvodic decided that the game was a must-see. And after securing match tickets, they then decided to book a private jet to fly them from Zemun Airport on Friday morning for the showdown. But after travelling to Serbia and enjoying a smooth take off, things hit a snag once they arrived in Scotland. The Scottish authority didn’t allow them to land because of pandemic regulations, so they had to return to Croatia.

Roy Keane has been teased after standing on his tip-toes for a photograph alongside Patrick Vieira. The towering former Arsenal midfielder comes in at 6ft 3in, somewhat taller than the 5ft 8in Keane. And the Manchester United legend tried to make up the difference while posing for a photo after ITV's Euro 2020 coverage. The pair, along with Ian Wright, had given their analysis of France's win over Germany before posing for a photo that was posted on presenter Mark Pougatch's Twitter page. Fans instantly noticed Keane's antics which could either be an inside joke or a cheeky attempt to stand over his old Premier League rival.

THE BEST SEAT IN TOWN Netherlands fans flew a plane over the team's training ground urging Frank De Boer to play Donyell Malen against North Macedonia. The 22-year-old had been banging in goals for fun last season with PSV Eindhoven.

But, he was left out of the starting XI for the Oranje’s first two Euro fixtures against Ukraine and Austria. With knockout stage qualification already secured, the Netherlands fans were eager to see the former Arsenal man playing full-90 minutes against North Macedonia.

ANOTHER GOLDEN OLDIE Match Of The Day presenter Gary Lineker has reacted to Sweden star Alexander Isak calling him an 'old player'. The 60-year-old England legend had a good chuckle about the youngster's comments with fellow ex-professional Micah Richards. Linekar had put out a tweet praising Isak, and a journalist told Isak about it and wanted his reaction. Isak answered that he didn’t know the former Barcelona ace. During BBC Sport's live coverage of Spain vs Poland this evening, Richards asked Lineker: "Isak, he's been talking about you, hasn't he?"After watching Isak's press conference again, the ex-Spurs striker joked: "I said really nice things about him!"An old player in a studio? I don't know where to go from that."Richards was loving the banter, replying: "How does it feel when no one knows you? Now you know how I feel!"To which the presenter laughed: "Yeah."

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Kieran Tierney had a special message hidden on his shin pads during his perfect performance at Wembley. The Arsenal star showed a picture of a dog on his shin pads after Scotland’s 0-0 draw with England. It's unclear who the mystery pet is or belongs to and Tierney has never been pictured or seen with it. The Scottish left-back was part of a dogged team performance on Friday night that kept England well and truly on their leash.

Jesse Lingard has revealed how he ended up in a pub with a parrot on his shoulder supporting England. The attacking-midfielder posted a picture, which soon went viral, of himself in an England shirt with 'Rice 4' on the back and a parrot on his shoulder. Lingard, who had a brilliant season on loan at West Ham, disclosed that it wasn’t his pet parrot. A person just walked through the place with the parrot and was giving it to people. So, he put it on his shoulder and took a picture.

BIRTHDAY BOY STATS Twitter - https://twitter.com/AnfieldWatch/ status/1398776164848705537 Steven Gerrard celebrated his 41st birthday in May and we were treated to a tweet with ALL his incredible stats and video montage showing his best bits. A true feast for the eyes.

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SOCCER360 JULY • AUGUST 2021

LIVERPOOL ON THE BALL Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/p/ CO8TAjAKEMi/ Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson scored a wonderful match winner for the Reds against West Bromwich Albion although the real winners were the Liverpool graphic design teamed who had already prepared this image – spooky.

TIMBERS GO GREEN Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/p/ CPMLWtHBcYS The Portland Timbers are arguably the loudest MLS side out there and now they are the most colourful after pummelling their stadium with green smoke out of the tree stump by the side of the pitch.

90TH MINUTE

THE VARDYS Jamie Vardy and wife Rebekah were pictured attending a Cabaret event as England drew 0-0 with Scotland at Euro 2020. Leicester's Vardy was hand in hand with Rebekah as they arrived to watch Cabaret All Stars starring Denise Van Outen in London.

But it meant the striker - retired from international football - could have missed England's derby with Scotland, played at Wembley. Vardy walked away from the Three Lions after the World Cup 2018, where he played second fiddle to Harry Kane.

OUT THERE...

Gareth Bale has insisted there is evidence of aliens existing 'everywhere' and he's even managed to convince a teammate.

The winger sat down with Sky Sports and answered fan questions, with one wanting to know his beliefs regarding space.

In news which will surprise many, Bale is actually very interested in the subject and has watched a number of documentaries.

PITCH INVASION Snipers were prepared to SHOOT the Greenpeace protester who parachuted onto the pitch before the Euro 2020 game between France and Germany. The police only decided against firing when they noticed the parachute had the environmental organisation's logo on, according to a German minister. Police in Munich have confirmed two men were injured by the pilot during his entrance into the stadium and were taken to hospital. The protester lost control of his parachute, clashing with the spidercam and causing debris to fall onto the playing surface.

DID YOU KNOW? •

Portugal are the first European nation ever to concede two own goals in a single match at a major tournament (World Cup or Euros).

HEART CHECK

•

Eden Hazard and Kevin De Bruyne are the first pair of substitutes to both assist in a European Championship match for the same side since Robin van Persie and Arjen Robben for the Netherlands (v France) in 2008.

Christian Eriksen will be fitted with a heartstarter device following his cardiac arrest at the European Championships. The Inter Milan playmaker collapsed on the pitch in Denmark's opening game against Finland before being rushed to hospital. An ICD is a device, usually fitted in your chest, that helps people with dangerously irregular heart rhythms and checks your beat all the time.

•

Ukraine vs. North Macedonia is the first game in EURO history to see both teams miss a penalty, shootouts excluded.

GERMANY ON TOP

NEYMAR GETS JABBED

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/ SquawkaFootballNews/photos/pcb.37038668530 52765/3703866579719459/ With Thomas Tuchel leading Chelsea to Champions League glory, it means German coaches have won the last three European elite trophies as highlighted by the clever folks at Squawka football.

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/p/ CPGOXg-qpAg/ PSG superstar Neymar took a camera to film his vaccination jab and showed the world how easy it is to help be protected against COVID.

MESSI’S £125,000 BOOTS Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/p/ CO0sRjCLjJf/ Leo Messi has been doing a lot of work for good causes and donated the boots he wore to score his 644th Barcelona score for a charity auction. The price they went for? A cool £125,000.

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90TH MINUTE Kelly was a forward at Stanford and was named the top player in women’s college soccer her senior year.

However, she spent most of her professional career playing right back.

MEMPHIS DEPAY

AUGUST

WORD SEARCH

Kelley O’Hara (33) August 4 Club: Washington Spirit Nation: United States

WHO ARE YOU? Not even Portugal superstar Cristiano Ronaldo could get past Euros security guard without showing his ID. Ronaldo cut a surprised look as an official gestured to have the Juventus forward show his pass. A quick glance saw the 36-year-old carry on down the tunnel before Portugal played Hungary in their opening game.

POSER

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ANGRY BARCELONA CONTROL DEPAY DUTCH EINDHOVEN ENGLAND FANS FOOTBALL FORWARD FRANCE

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SOCCER360 JULY • AUGUST 2021

PROFESSIONAL SCORER SKILLS SOCCER STADIUM TALENT TROPHY UEFA WORLDCUP

Heidi Klum daringly cut her Germany shirt in half as she bid her country good luck for their Euro 2020 clash with France. The supermodel, 48, posed in just the half-jersey and bikini bottom for her 8.1million Instagram followers. With two thumbs up, she captioned the image: "Good luck today Germany." Klum watched on with husband Tom Kaulitz and posted a number of clips to her Stories as they tucked into pizza during the match.

WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS! Twitter - https:// twitter.com/losclive/ status/1397530457613373442 Paris Saint-Germain’s domestic dominance is over after Lille claimed a first Ligue Un title since 2011. That meant an open top bus parade and karaoke was in order!

EPL WELCOMES NEW FACE Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/ brentfordfootballclub1889/videos/767259733981098 Brentford have become the 50th team to earn their right to play in the Premier League from next season after playoff final success over Swansea. They posted an atmospheric behind the scenes video on Facebook the moment their promotion was secured.

90TH MINUTE Cesar is nicknamed “Dave” because of his complicated surname.

Club: AC Milan Nation: South Africa

Club: Lille Nation: Portugal • Benfica signed him when he was 9-years-old.

Danielle van de Donk (30) August 5

Lucas Paqueta (24) August 27

Club: Arsenal Nation: Netherlands

Club: O. Lyon Nation: Brazil

Matthijs de Ligt (22) August 12

Cesar Azpilicueta (32) August 28

Club: Juventus Nation: Netherlands

Club: Chelsea Nation: Spain

THE LAST LAUGH

Russia boss Stanislav Cherchesov has stated that 'beautiful girls' will be banned from entering their dressing room during Euro 2020. The 57-year-old was commenting on pop star Olga Buzova – ex-wife of former Russia international Dmitri Tarasov – speaking to the squad during the European Championship.

Buzova burst into tears during an appearance on Match TV where host Dmitry Guberniev questioned her knowledge of football following Belgium’s 3-0 win against Russia. It led to reports that the 35-yearold could enter the dressing room, a claim that was instantly shut down by Cherchesov.

Ronaldinho's brutal dig on Sergio Ramos might have backfired big time after the Real Madrid legend savagely responded on Twitter. Ramos was no stranger to Ronaldinho's brilliance on the football pitch, especially as the pair clashed in heated El Clasico encounters.

Ronaldinho showed no love was lost with Ramos as he attempted to troll him on social media. The 41-yearold Brazilian superstar uploaded an image of the outgoing Madrid captain watching him strike the ball during an El Clasico match. Ronaldinho wrote on Twitter: "Hey @SergioRamos remember this night?!’’ Ramos attached an image of Madrid celebrating their 30th La Liga title and tweeted: "I do... but this one a few months later was way better." Real Madrid lost to arch-rivals Barcelona 3-0 at home in 05/06 season, with Ronaldinho scoring a brace. But, Los Blancos had the last laugh as Real Madrid ended up winning the league that season.

•

•

The age difference of 19 years & 236 days between Maarten Stekelenburg (38y 268d) & Ryan Gravenberch (19y 32d) is the biggest age-gap between two teammates in a European Championship game.

STAY IN THE GAME!

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EIvan Perisic has scored in each of the last four major international tournaments (2014 World Cup, EURO 2016, 2018 World Cup and EURO 2020), becoming the first Croatian to score in four separate such tournaments

ROAD TO WEMBLEY

Renato Sanches (24) August 18

Refiloe Jane (29) August 4

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HENDERSON TELLS ESL Instagram - https://www.instagram. com/p/CN5oCVqAIxL/?utm_source=ig_ embed In a blunt message to Florentino Perez and all those involved in the European Super League debacle – include the bosses of his own club – the Liverpool captain speaks up for all players and fans in a brilliant post on Instagram.

RONALDO BEDS A BEAUTY Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/p/ CPEqZnsAH5G/ No doubt Cristiano Ronaldo could choose to wake up next to anyone or anything and he chose wisely after being snapped asleep next to the Coppa Italia trophy! Not a bad night-time companion.

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LAST WORD

BACK TO THE FUTURE

"NOW WE HAVE TO SEE IF RECALLING MAX ALLEGRI CAN RECAPTURE THAT MAGIC THEY HAD."

THE MANAGERIAL MERRY-GO-ROUND SWUNG FULL CIRCLE FOR JUVENTUS AND REAL MADRID, BUT SUSY CAMPANALE QUESTIONS IF RECAPTURING THOSE BYGONES REALLY IS A FOREGONE CONCLUSION.

Real Madrid and Carlo Ancelotti both hope they can recapture their former glories together

T

here is a popular meme from the wonderful series Arrested Development, a recurring motif started by the character GOB: “I’ve made a huge mistake.” It felt like Juventus President Andrea Agnelli was the Italian Will Arnett looking back over the last two years, wondering why he had fired a coach who had won five consecutive Serie A titles and reached two Champions League Finals.

Inspired by directors Fabio Paratici and Pavel Nedved, he tried to reform the Old Lady as a glamorous, young It Girl who could wow everyone with her forward-thinking fashion choices. That was never her vibe. Now we have to see if recalling Max Allegri can recapture that magic they had or be another serious misstep from a club that ought to have it all, yet keeps getting in its own way. The illogical commitment to the Super League is another case in point, yet so far Allegri hasn’t come to the natural conclusion that this too was a huge mistake.

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SOCCER360 JULY • AUGUST 2021

TOP: Max Allegri is back at Juventus just two years after his surprise dismissal BELOW: Juventus head coach Massimiliano Allegri celebrates with the Serie A title trophy at the end of the Italian Serie A soccer match Juventus FC vs Atalanta BC at the Allianz Stadium in Turin, Italy, 19 May 2019

The legendary Juventus President Gianni Agnelli – Andrea’s uncle – famously said that bringing back coaches or players who had been successful in the past had the taste of ‘re-heated soup’. Of all the clubs who have attempted reunions, Juve are probably the only ones to have done it properly, winning the Scudetto twice with Marcello Lippi after his return between 2001 and 04, the UEFA Cup with Giovanni Trapattoni from 1991 to 94 and even going back to Carlo Parola for two years in 1974, an astonishing 12 years after his previous spell on the bench and 14 since his last Scudetto.

Another President clinging to the futuristic Super League and yet harking back to the past is Florentino Perez, who pressed the rewind button even further to 2015 and his at the time frankly baffling decision to fire Carlo Ancelotti.

It was evident at the time this was a bad idea, as Perez himself admitted when asked why he’d sacked the well-loved Italian who had won their 10th Champions League trophy and finished second in La Liga: “I don’t know.” That runner-up medal still rankles with Ancelotti, who now has the opportunity to win all five major European League titles.

Ancelotti had lost his way in recent years, fired

by Bayern Munich and Napoli, ending up well below his station at Everton. It was a similar trajectory to Jose Mourinho, who was sacked

by Tottenham Hotspur and now has the chance to rebuild at a Roma side that always has great promise and yet rarely delivers. It was a bold decision bringing Mou in, not dissimilar to the one Inter took with Antonio Conte, and that paid off handsomely, albeit for only two years until the money ran out and he flounced off again.

Beppe Marotta and Steven Zhang have shown great wisdom in their choice of replacement, understanding Conte has got the team ticking along nicely with a set 3-5-2 system based on defend and counter that doesn’t particularly need changing. So they poached Simone

Inzaghi from Lazio, a tactician who vastly over-performed considering the resources at his disposal at the Olimpico, and learned over five years with Claudio Lotito not to complain about low-cost transfer strategies.

As for Mou, one gets the feeling recently that football has progressed and left him behind, but there’s no reason why he shouldn’t recapture something at Roma.

All this chopping and changing can be very risky and rarely pays off, unless you are Roman Abramovich. How remarkable that both times Chelsea won the Champions League, they did so having sacked a coach mid-season. Thomas Tuchel probably couldn’t believe his luck when axed by Paris Saint-Germain in December 2020, having taken them closer than ever before to lifting that trophy a few months earlier, and then go on to win the Champions League barely five months into his Stamford Bridge tenure.

Unlike the previous victor Roberto Di Matteo, who was only ever meant to be a stop-gap solution in March 2012 on his way to securing the European trophy, Tuchel is meant to create a new era for the Blues. How long that lasts is anyone’s guess, because at the rate managers are spinning on this merry-go-round, it’ll be all change again in early 2022.

“LEGENDARY JUVENTUS PRESIDENT GIANNI AGNELLI FAMOUSLY SAID THAT BRINGING BACK COACHES OR PLAYERS WHO HAD BEEN SUCCESSFUL IN THE PAST HAD THE TASTE OF ‘RE-HEATED SOUP’”

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