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The Camp Nou broke its own attendance world record for a women’s football match on Friday when 91,648 fans revelled in Barcelona’s 5-1 rout of Wolfsburg in the first leg of their Women’s Champions League semi-final.
The crowd surpassed the 91,553 who turned out to see Barcelona beat Real Madrid last month. Previously, the record for a women’s game was 90,185 for the 1999 Women’s World Cup final between the United States and China at the Rose Bowl.
Continue reading... via Football | The Guardian
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Chernihiv has been destroyed by Russian forces, including the football stadium, but the local population is refusing to give up
Chernihiv is the largest Ukrainian city to have been freed from Russian occupation. Its pre-war population was estimated at around 280,000. After being under siege for more than a month only a third of that figure remains. Seven hundred people have lost their lives, according to official sources.
Before the Russian invasion on 24 February, the city was little known around the world. It is situated 150 kilometres northeast of Kyiv and just 60km away from the border with Belarus, on the banks of the Desna river. In Ukraine, Chernihiv was known for its wonderful churches, chic parks and great promenades by the river.
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Erik ten Hag will inherit the worst Old Trafford team since the late 1980s and has it all to prove in a comprehensive rebuild
“Big place, this,” Sir Alex Ferguson would say as he gazed around Old Trafford in the early days, a sense of awe in those gruff tones. Big job, too. When Ferguson took over from Ron Atkinson as the Manchester United manager in November 1986, the club were fourth from bottom of the old First Division and the culture was all wrong, especially in the playing squad, where there was too much boozing and not enough achieving.
There will doubtless be a moment when the scale of it all hits Erik ten Hag, who was confirmed on Thursday as United’s next permanent manager; he will begin work over the summer, once he has finished the season at Ajax. Because not since Ferguson has an incoming manager found the club at such a low ebb.
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Rangers confirm treatment and send Goram well-wishes
Goalkeeper won 11 trophies at Rangers and 43 Scotland caps
The former Rangers goalkeeper Andy Goram is undergoing cancer treatment, the Ibrox club have confirmed. In a statement on their Twitter account, Rangers sent their best wishes to the 58-year-old, winner of six league titles and five domestic cups in his time at the club.
“Rangers can confirm our legendary goalkeeper, Andy Goram, is undergoing treatment for cancer in a local hospital,” the statement said. “Club officials are in regular contact with Andy and his family. The family have asked for privacy at this time. Everyone at Rangers wishes ‘The Goalie’ well at this difficult time.”
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If the striker stays at Tottenham, his career could be defined by whether he can reel in Alan Shearer’s Premier League record
Football tactics are complex chains of reasoning. Football tactics have a chaos theory element. Football tactics must always return to certain key tenets of space and movement. Very bright people are employed to stare at this seeking the tiniest margins of influence. But sometimes you do wonder about the obvious things.
For example, the great innovation of the past 15 years has been the way teams attack “between the lines”, as embodied by inside-forwards, false nines and their many shades. We remember the story of Pep Guardiola’s late-night phone call to Lionel Messi back in May 2009, babbling about switching his role to “the Messi zone”.
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Women’s Champions League news from the 5.45pm BST tie
Moving the Goalposts: talking to PSG’s Sara Däbritz
Any comments? Email John or tweet @JohnBrewin_
Barcelona are the best and biggest in the women’s game. That much was proved in that quarter-final Clasico defeat of Real Madrid in front of a world-record crowd. And the Camp Nou is sold out once more for the visit of the crack German side, who won this tournament in 2013 and 2014. Like Barca, Wolfsburg are chasing a treble, and wish to extend their unbeaten run to 18 matches in all competitions and a fifth consecutive victory. Barcelona have meanwhile won every match this season, and in La Liga have scored 144 goals in 26 matches. They represent an awesome challenge for Wolfsburg.
Kick-off is at 5.45pm BST. Join me.
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Midfielder has no intention of signing on the terms offered
Suitors told he is not for sale and is valued at minimum £150m
Declan Rice has turned down a third offer of a new contract from West Ham and is open to a summer transfer.
The midfielder has no intention of extending his stay on the terms being offered but understands that the club do not want to sell and will not allow his commitment or professionalism to drop.
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It is customary to solemnly declare that “form goes out the window” in football derbies, but as the players of Frank Lampard’s Everton gird their loins before Sunday’s trip across Stanley Park to Anfield, The Fiver isn’t so sure this will be the case. Sure, when push comes to shove, it’s 11 highly gifted footballers against 11 and anything could happen, but in terms of form, we’re struggling to envisage a scenario in which Sadio Mané and Luis Díaz repeatedly trip over their own feet while behind them Alisson keeps shanking clearances over the roof of the Sir Kenny Dalglish Stand.
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The return of Christian Eriksen has been incredibly uplifting and the midfielder will be looking to add another chapter to the fairytale by denting the Champions League hopes of his former club. Eriksen has inspired Brentford to five wins in their past six games to end fears of an instant return to the Championship and Tottenham are unlikely to be given an easy ride as they bid to bounce back from a damaging defeat to Brighton in their last outing. The away fans will give Eriksen a warm reception but hope they will be cheering their own talisman, Harry Kane, come full time with Brentford being the only one of 31 clubs he has faced in the Premier League that he has yet to score against. Stephen Hollis
Saturday 5.30pm Sky Sports Premier League
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Leicester will hope to limber up for the visit of José Mourinho’s Roma in the Europa Conference semi-finals on Thursday by returning to winning ways at home against Aston Villa. Leicester have come unstuck in second-half stoppage time in their past two matches but they have lost only one of their past 14 home games and are set to welcome back Jamie Vardy from a knee injury. Vardy has played once since December, after struggling with a hamstring problem earlier in the season. Villa, not yet mathematically safe, equally need to sharpen up after four straight defeats. Ben Fisher
Saturday 3pm
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F1 world champion and Serena Williams in consortium
‘I became an Arsenal fan, but ultimately I’m a sporting fan’
Lewis Hamilton has revealed his childhood love of football and a desire to make a positive impact on diversity in the sport as the motivation behind his involvement in a bid for Chelsea. Hamilton and his close friend Serena Williams have joined Martin Broughton’s consortium in what is believed to be a bid of more than £200m, which the seven-times Formula One world champion described as an “opportunity to be part of something great”.
Hamilton confirmed his involvement on Thursday and speaking before this weekend’s Emilia Romagna Grand Prix at Imola he explained what had prompted him to potentially invest in the Chelsea bid, even though he is an Arsenal fan.
Continue reading... via Football | The Guardian
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Twenty years ago a clash between Arsenal and Manchester United at this stage of the season would have been framed as a title decider. Things have changed plenty since the heady reigns of Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsène Wenger, however, and Saturday’s early kick-off is reduced to a scuffle to remain in contention for fourth spot. If United – who will be boosted by the return of Cristiano Ronaldo – fail to improve on a dismal run of two wins in seven games their hopes will be virtually over. The picture looks a lot brighter for Arsenal after their victory at Chelsea in midweek and a win for Mikel Arteta’s side would put the pressure firmly back on Tottenham. Stephen Hollis
Saturday 12.30pm BT Sport 1
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Pep Guardiola says he loves this part of the season and for him and his Manchester City team the equation is simple: beat Watford and their remaining five opponents and they will have retained the championship for the second time under his management. Roy Hodgson will want to have a say about this but the problem is City tend to shut most foes up as soon as the first whistle sounds. Jamie Jackson
Saturday 3pm
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The Manchester United interim manager, Ralf Rangnick, has said he expects to see 'improvement' under the incoming permanent manager, Erik ten Hag. The German reiterated that the club plans to rebuild in the summer after what has been a disappointing season and added that midfielder Paul Pogba, whose contract expires this summer, is 'unlikely' to feature for Manchester United again this season.
Manchester United fan view: ‘Ten Hag gives me hope – unlike the Glazers’
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Defender’s new deal commits her to work with local girls and women on projects involving football, art and the environment
Lotte Wubben-Moy is not a stereotypical English centre-back. “I’ve always been competing, I’ve always been competitive,” the Arsenal player says, sounding so far, so normal. “But, then again, I’ve always had parts of me that enjoy illustration, enjoy art, enjoy things off the pitch that I hold quite dear to my heart. Things that make me me.”
Football is everything and nothing to Wubben-Moy, so much a part of who she is but not the only part of her. “It’s something that has been really close to my heart throughout my whole life,” she says. “I went to sixth form in Stoke Newington and almost every single person in that school was an Arsenal supporter. Arsenal in the Community was active at that school. I remember cutting the ribbon for the pitch that was opened there.
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Road back to challenging for titles is long and new manager needs proper backing with no interference from money men
The appointment of a new Manchester United manager used to be as rare as a trophyless season at Old Trafford, yet it now feels almost as frequent. Between the summers of 1977 and 2013 only three men held the title of manager, the same number United have had this season alone.
Since Sir Alex Ferguson retired, there have been five United managers (seven counting caretakers), a sad indictment of how far we have fallen.
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Newcastle may not be mathematically safe but the bookies have them at 500-1 to go down so their recent purple patch has sealed the deal on another season in the top flight. Eddie Howe will be targeting a top four finish and what better side to notch up a fourth successive win against than Norwich. Dean Smith’s side showed tremendous fight in defeat against Manchester United last time out but arguably Newcastle will pose a much more difficult proposition. They are a team in sync compared to one carried solely on Cristiano Ronaldo’s shoulders. Norwich can almost count on Everton losing so a win would close the gap to six points from safety with five games to play. Anything other than this scenario and hope will surely be snuffed out. Graham Searles
Saturday 3pm
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