Jonathan Wilson's Blog, page 96
August 10, 2020
The Champions League and a return for the witch's curse – Football Weekly
Max Rushden is joined by Barry Glendenning, Jonathan Wilson and Barney Ronay to discuss the recent Champions League and Europa League clashes, an unlikely overhaul at Juventus and transfer fees for toasters
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Max and co discuss the latest action from the Champions League as Phil Foden and Manchester City see off Real Madrid. Speaking of which, what now for the Spanish champions? Meanwhile at Juventus, it’s Sarri out, Pirlo in. There’s also Europa League quarter-final discussion, fitba corner and much more.
Champions League quarter-finals: tie-by-tie analysis and verdicts | Jonathan Wilson
Bayern Munich should be too strong for Barcelona while PSG have only played two games in the past five months
On the one side, the fairy story of this season’s Champions League, the sole remaining Italian club in the competition with their annual revenues of €188.6m. On the other, the habitual French champions with their annual revenues of €635.9m. Atalanta are delighted even to be in the Champions League, never mind to have got this far, while Paris Saint-Germain are weighed down by the burden of never having got beyond the semi-final, and never having got beyond the quarters under their Qatari ownership.
Related: France's Champions League hopes suddenly brighten after Lyon join PSG | Paul Doyle
Related: Phil Foden stars to offer Manchester City glimpse of multiple futures
Continue reading...August 8, 2020
Manchester City dominated Real Madrid but profligacy will concern Guardiola | Jonathan Wilson
City were far superior but at 1-1 looked vulnerable. Their failure to take chances could stop them from winning the tournament
For a while now, it has been apparent that the goals-against column in the Premier League table did not mean what it appeared to when considering Manchester City. It shows 35 goals conceded, the second lowest total in the league, just two behind the champions, Liverpool. But that does not mean City have the second-best defence in the league.
Friday’s Champions League win over Real Madrid was highly impressive, an emphatic 2-1 defeat of the newly crowned Spanish champions that represented City’s finest European night at the Etihad of the Sheikh Mansour era, but it also highlighted that the fact they scored 17 more goals than anybody else in the Premier League this season does not mean City have the best attack.
Related: Phil Foden stars to offer Manchester City glimpse of multiple futures
Related: Jesus ensures stylish Manchester City sweep past blundering Real Madrid
City played so well that they won 2-1 but it should have been 5-1 (or even 5-0)
Related: Manchester City have potential to win Champions League, says Guardiola
Continue reading...August 7, 2020
Zinedine Zidane's back-to-basics approach gives Real Madrid hope against City | Jonathan Wilson
A traditional and unfashionable defence-first style has reaped rewards for the La Liga champions going into their belated Champions League reunion with Manchester City
A long, long time ago Manchester City beat Real Madrid 2-1 in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie. It was a strange game, in that while it was widely regarded as having been a tactical triumph for Pep Guardiola, evidence he could temper his philosophy, there was also a lingering sense that Madrid were there for the taking and that City playing their usual game might have had the tie won there and then.
Related: Champions League last 16: previews and predictions for the remaining ties
Zidane apparently has no defined philosophy. He has left no mark on the tactical evolution of the game. He is flexible – and wins
Continue reading...August 3, 2020
Arsenal's FA Cup win and the Scottish Premiership's return – Football Weekly
Max Rushden is joined by Barry Glendenning, Jonathan Wilson and Philippe Auclair to discuss Arsenal’s FA Cup Final win over Chelsea, Eddie Howe’s departure from Bournemouth and a review of the opening weekend in Scotland with Ewan Murray
Rate, review, share on Apple Podcasts , Soundcloud , Audioboom , Mixcloud , Acast and Stitcher , and join the conversation on Facebook , Twitter and email .
Max Rushden is joined by Barry Glendenning, Jonathan Wilson and Philippe Auclair to discuss Arsenal’s FA Cup Final win over Chelsea, Eddie Howe’s departure from Bournemouth, and a deluxe Fitba corner in the company of Ewan Murray.
Continue reading...August 2, 2020
Frank Lampard must resolve Chelsea's defensive issues to progress | Jonathan Wilson
The Blues’ attack looks extremely exciting for next year, but they are disorganised at the back and have been all season
In July 1971, Apollo 15 approached the Moon. After the lunar module detached bearing the mission’s other two astronauts, Al Worden was left alone in the command module. When he went behind the Moon, breaking transmission with Houston, he entertained himself by playing the Beatles, Elton John and John Denver and the soundtrack to 2001: A Space Odyssey.
Orbiting 2,235 miles from his companions on the Moon’s surface and quarter of a million miles from Earth, Worden was for three days the most isolated human to have existed since Adam. Or at least he was until the 67th minute of Saturday’s FA Cup final.
Related: Azpilicueta's tears symbolic of Chelsea's defence to weep for
Related: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang shows why he is Arsenal's talisman
Related: Arsenal 2-1 Chelsea: FA Cup final player ratings
Continue reading...August 1, 2020
Juve’s punt on Sarri and Ronaldo typifies superclubs’ vast carelessness | Jonathan Wilson
The two do not fit together and so the Italians’ push for Champions League glory seems even more like a last throw of the dice
In 2015, Max Allegri led Juventus to the double. In 2016, Max Allegri led Juventus to the double. In 2017, Max Allegri led Juventus to the double. In 2018, Max Allegri led Juventus to the double. In 2019, Max Allegri did not lead Juventus to the double, although he did lead them to an eighth straight Scudetto.
Failure to win last season’s Coppa Italia was not why Allegri was ousted last summer. He probably would have been replaced even if he had landed a fifth double in five seasons, because this is the pitch of absurdity European football has reached: a manager can win five league titles and four cups in five years as well as twice reach the Champions League final and yet his club can still decide he hasn’t done quite enough.
Related: Paulo Dybala: 'Lots of people pay more attention to footballers than to presidents'
Related: Sarri drinks in first Serie A title but his Juventus are yet to 'win and convince' | Nicky Bandini
Continue reading...July 28, 2020
Premier League 2019-20 review: what we learned tactically from the season | Jonathan Wilson
Liverpool’s key advantage over Manchester City was their ability to better organise attacks and manage the transition to defence
It has become increasingly clear this season that, at elite level, two attributes separate the very best managers from the rest: their capacity to manage the transition from attack to defence; and their ability to organise an attack, particularly against deep-lying opponents. Jürgen Klopp has excelled at both and the Swabian school of pressing, of which he is the leading practitioner, becomes ever more widespread.
The figures have been muddied by Liverpool’s recent relaxation but, after 31 games of the season, the week the title was confirmed, Manchester City had scored seven more goals than Liverpool; Liverpool had conceded 12 fewer. Essentially, what separated them this season was that Liverpool defended better.
Related: Premier League 2019-20 review: managers of the season
Related: Premier League 2019-20 review: goals of the season
Continue reading...July 27, 2020
Winners and losers as Premier League's 352-day season ends – Football Weekly
Max Rushden, Barry Glendenning, Jonathan Wilson and Lars Sivertsen discuss the final day of the Premier League season, as Manchester United and Chelsea clinch Champions League places, and Aston Villa avoid relegation by a single point.
We start by looking back at the race for the Champions League places, as Manchester United and Leicester played a winner-takes-all contest at the King Power Stadium, while Chelsea just needed a point to secure their spot in next season’s competition.
In part two, we cross our attention to the bottom of the league as Aston Villa, Watford and Bournemouth all battled to avoid relegation to the Championship. We discuss the futures of Jack Grealish, Troy Deeney and Eddie Howe after a turbulent year.
Continue reading...July 25, 2020
Leicester’s labours must not cloud verdict on Brendan Rodgers' high-flyers | Jonathan Wilson
Despite a dismal run of form caused by injuries and rivals countering Jamie Vardy, reaching Europe signals a triumphant season, even if they miss out on the Champions League
It is the age of data and yet it is also the age of impatience. It is an age when Match of the Day provides the xG and yet a manager can come under pressure after three defeats. It is the age when most people understand the phrase “regression to the mean”, yet it is also an age when mayflies have begun using “Watford head coach” to denote something with a short lifespan. There is something deeply paradoxical about the present era of football.
Which brings us to Brendan Rodgers. Leicester will qualify for the Champions League for the second time if they beat Manchester United on Sunday or if they draw and Chelsea lose to Wolves. If they do miss out there would be understandable disappointment given they were eight points clear of fifth when the Premier League was suspended.
Related: Three into two will not go as race for Champions League enters final sprint
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