DIRE STRAITS

KLOPP’S SIDE DEALT WITH BENFICA WITHOUT TOO MUCH TROUBLE’

ABOVE LEFT: Klopp celebrates with Salah after winning the Round of 16 in this year's Champions League

ABOVE RIGHT: Liverpool are aiming to lift the Champions League for a seventh time

BOTTOM LEFT: Pep Guardiola is hoping Manchester City can go one better than in 2021

BOTTOM RIGHT: Manchester City celebrates It is to his credit that Emery doesn’t seem to be bitter about his treatment by the English media after an unsuccessful time in charge of Arsenal. He was only able to lead the Gunners to a Europa League fi nal in his time in London, compared to the haul of trophies he brought in at Sevilla and Paris Saint-Germain. Now he has masterminded Villarreal’s journey to the last four for the second time in the club’s history, 16 years on from the fi rst. The Yellow Submarine only qualifi ed for the Champions League by winning the Europa League last season but edged out Atalanta in the group stage before dispatching European giants Juventus and Bayern in successive knockout rounds. Liverpool and Klopp would do well not to underestimate Villarreal - and especially whatever Emery has up his sleeve - in the semi-fi nal. Even with Liverpool’s supposedly easier route to the fi nal in Paris at the end of May, it is Manchester City who remain the favourites to win the Champions League this season. Although Real Madrid look like they will win their domestic league - and managed to come back against both PSG and Chelsea to reach this stage - there is a feeling that Carlo Ancelotti’s side may have reached the end of the European road. Benzema’s goals can only do so much and Manchester City will surely not gift the French striker as many chances as he has been a orded in the two previous rounds. With both EPL clubs at home in the fi rst leg of the semi-fi nals, it is tempting to predict that the ties may be all but over by the time everyone leaves for Spain the week after. That will defi nitely be the aim for both Manchester City and Liverpool, as they look to make it too di cult for Real Madrid and Villarreal. It isn’t too hard to believe that will happen either, with both the Etihad and Anfi eld being daunting stadiums to visit at this stage of the competition. Without the away goals rule to help them, Real Madrid and Villarreal might well look at those away legs as an opportunity to test their relative defensive strengths before counting on their own support at the Bernabéu and El Madrigal respectively to see them over the line and into the fi nal. If anything, it might

2022 CHAMPIONS LEAGUE LEADING SCORERS

Robert Lewandowski

ROBERT LEWANDOWSKI 13 GOALS KARIM BENZEMA 12 GOALS SEBASTIEN HALLER 11 GOALS MOHAMED SALAH 8 GOALS CHRISTOPHER NKUNKU 7 GOALS LEROY SANE 6 GOALS KYLIAN MBAPPE 6 GOALS ARNAUT DANJUMA 6 GOALS RIYAD MAHREZ 6 GOALS CRISTIANO RONALDO 6 GOALS

Sebastien Haller

2022 EUROPA LEAGUE LEADING SCORERS

CONFERENCE LEAGUE LEADING SCORERS

James Tavernier

JAMES TAVERNIER 6 GOALS KARL TOKO EKAMBI 6 GOALS GALENO 6 GOALS PATSON DAKA 5 GOALS RICARDO HORTA 4 GOALS MISLAV ORSIC 4 GOALS MOUSSA DIABY 4 GOALS BORJA IGLESIAS 4 GOALS ALEKSANDR SOBOLEV 4 GOALS ELJIF ELMAS 4 GOALS

2022

Cyriel Dessers

CYRIEL DESSERS 8 GOALS TAMMY ABRAHAM 8 GOALS YIRA SOR 6 GOALS OLA SOLBAKKEN 6 GOALS AMAHL PELLEGRINO 5 GOALS LUIS SINISTERRA 5 GOALS GAETAN LABORDE 5 GOALS ARTHUR CABRAL 5 GOALS PEP BIEL 4 GOALS ERIK BOTHEIM 4 GOALS

THE WINNER BETWEEN LEICESTER CITY AND ROMA WILL BE FAVOURITES TO WIN THE CONFERENCE LEAGUE

be Villarreal who hold the upper hand in that respect, as their smaller stadium might well produce a more febrile atmosphere for Liverpool to deal with. The ties seem perfectly set up though. Manchester City may not have conceded many at home this season, but Liverpool have not been as tight at the back at Anfi eld in Europe. Whereas it is fair to say that both Real Madrid and Villarreal have come as far as they have thanks to their performances on the road, those away wins have usually come in the second leg of their knockout ties, when the need for a victory has been paramount. Whether the Spanish sides can repeat those achievements when a more defensive display is needed remains to be seen. Not many thought that English and Spanish clubs would dominate the Champions League this season - with one more side from each league making it to the previous round as well. With Barcelona taking some time away from the Champions League spotlight, the English media has been fairly disparaging about the quality of La Liga. Manchester City and Liverpool will be hoping that kind of arrogance will not come back to bite them in the coming weeks.

ABOVE: Jose Mourinho reacts during a Conference League match

TOP RIGHT: Feyenoord players celebrate making it to the Conference League Semis

BELOW: Leicester City head coach Brendan Rodgers attends a press conference

BOTTOM RIGHT: Olympique Marseille's players celebrate , as they will be featured in the Semi-Finals of the Conference League

A NEW LEVEL OF EXCITEMENT

The fi rst ever Europa Conference League has reached the semi-fi nal stage and Dan Roberts points out that there are some familiar faces still in contention

The inaugural Europa Conference League has reached the semi-fi nal stage with all the drama and excitement of a competition designed to give smaller clubs and leagues the opportunity of continental glory. That’s not to say that there are not some very experienced clubs making up the last four. Two sides parachuted in from Europa League group stage disappointment will take on two original Europa Conference qualifi ers for the right to play in the fi rst third tier fi nal for 23 years in Tirana at the end of May. Although all four clubs still left in with a chance have European pedigree, the winners of the semi-fi nal between Leicester City and Roma will probably be installed as the new favourites to lift the trophy. Leicester were able to go to Eindhoven and come away with a very impressive 2-1 victory against PSV to make it through, while Roma slayed a few demons of their own beating Bodø/ Glimt in the Stadio Olimpico. Jose Mourinho’s side had been humiliated by the Norwegian champions in the group stage of the competition, losing 6-1 away from home and only managing a 2-2 draw at home. But a Nicolò Zanioli hat-trick fi red the Giallorossi into the semi-fi nals and he could be key to any further success. Feyenoord face Marseille in the other game, with both teams winning their quarter-fi nal second legs to proceed. The Dutch club have been unable to make it further than the group stage in European competition in recent years, so this performance has been something of a blast from the past for the Feyenoord fans. But they will face stern opposition in the form of Jorge Sampaoli’s Marseille. The French club failed to make it out of a very tricky Europa League group but have looked very good in this competition - and are doing well domestically too. Therefore, it seems as though all four clubs have a case when it comes to claiming the fi rst ever Europa Conference League title in May.

"ANOTHER CLEAR EXAMPLE OF

SPORT WASHING?"

ABOVE: Fabian Schar is a key piece to the team's roster

LEFT: Fabian Schar (center), assisted by Newcastle's Dan Burn (L), reacts after scoring the 1-0 lead goal against Tottenham during an English Premier League soccer match

LOCAL HEROES, OR DIRE Straits? Straits? Straits? Straits? Straits? WITH VAST SUMS OF MONEY NOW ACCESSIBLE TO NEWCASTLE UNITED, OLI COATES REFLECTS ON THE RECENT TAKEOVER OF THE CLUB.

Every time they play at their St James’ Park home, Newcastle United walk out to a tune called Going Home. This is the theme from British fi lm Local Hero, for which Mark Knopfl er wrote and produced the soundtrack. The Dire Straits frontman is a lifelong Newcastle fan, but the question must be asked whether the music icon is still comfortable with his debut solo single still being so closely linked to his local club. For while the takeover of the Magpies by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) was predominantly greeted with unbridled glee on Tyneside, not everyone is quite so overjoyed at what is another perceived attempt at sportswashing. The unfettered joy among the majority of Newcastle supporters was in no small part down to the fact that Mike Ashley’s toxic 14year reign at the club was fi nally over. Yet while fans consistently directed their vitriol at the Sports Direct owner and his purported lack of investment, nobody can accuse Ashley of buying Newcastle to cleanse the severely damaged

ereputation of a country linked to horrifi c human rights abuses and the murder of a dissident journalist. The Premier League ratifi ed PIF’s £300m takeover following “legally binding assurances” that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia won’t be in control of Newcastle United - despite the fact that PIF is a sovereign investment fund whose governor is Yasir Al-Rumayyan, a close ally of Saudi ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. And that until recently, six of PIF’s other seven board members were government ministers. Amanda Staveley, who led the consortium that also includes her husband and fellow PCP Capital Partners director Mehrdad Ghodoussi, as well as the Reuben brothers, has said: “Human rights we take very seriously, but our partner is PIF, not the Saudi state. The separation issue has been resolved. It’s not sportswashing. It’s investment.” Yet football clubs make for notoriously risky - and often poor - investments for those looking to turn a profi t. Especially when clubs are fl ailing in the Premier League relegation zone and in real danger of dropping down to the far less fi nancially rewarding Championship, as Newcastle were when this takeover was completed.

ABOVE: Newcastle United’s St James’ Park is now home to the world’s richest football club

ABOVE (SMALL): Newcastle's head coach Eddie Howe reacts during the English Premier League match between Newcastle United and Manchester United

BELOW: The Bobby Robson statue outside of St. James Park

TOP RIGHT: Iconic Newcastle Coach, Sir Bobby Robson

BOTTOM RIGHT: Newcastle's Laurent Robert (C) takes the ball past Juventus' Pavel Nedved (R) while Lilian Thuram (L) runs back during the Champions League Group E match at St. James's Park in Newcastle 23 October 2002

ADVENTURES SO FAR AWAY

As Newcastle readjust their goals ahead of the 2022-23 season and set their sights on Europe, Oli Coates recalls the Magpies’ last foray into the Champions League.

It’s exactly 10 years since Newcastle United last qualifi ed for Europe. In only their second season back in the Premier League following a year in the Championship, Alan Pardew led the Magpies to a fi fth-placed fi nish in 2011-12. That brought Europa League football to St James’ Park the following campaign, but you need to go back nearly another decade to fi nd Newcastle’s last foray into the Champions League proper. The Magpies failed to get through the qualifi ers in 2003-04, the season after they made it to the second group stage in the main competition. Iconic manager Sir Bobby Robson guided Newcastle to fourth place in the Premier League in 2001-02. After coming through a qualifi er against Zeljeznicar Sarajevo 5-0 on aggregate, the Magpies went on to lose their fi rst three group games of the competition proper. Newcastle didn’t even score a single goal in losing to Dynamo Kyiv, Feyenoord and Juventus, but then secured a memorable 1-0 home victory over Italian giants Juve on match day four to spark a remarkable revival. They followed that up with a 2-1 home win against Dynamo, before a last-minute Craig Bellamy winner away to Feyenoord in their fi nal game sent them through to the second group stage. Newcastle were handed an even tougher draw against Barcelona, Inter and Bayer Leverkusen. They still made a decent fi st of it though and managed to fi nish third with seven points from their six games, predominantly due to a pair of 3-1 victories over Leverkusen, the second of those featuring an Alan Shearer hat-trick. The English striker would also grab a brace in their next game, a 2-2 draw against Inter at San Siro, but it wasn’t enough to haul them back into contention for the knockouts. A 2-0 defeat at home to Barcelona in the fi nal match remains Newcastle’s last appearance in the Champions League proper.