Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini has refused to rule his side out of the race for the Premier League title, following their 1-0 win over Aston Villa.
The Sky Blues are now 12 points adrift of leaders, and local rivals, Manchester United, with ten games left to play.
Although the Red Devils are firm favourites to take the trophy from the Etihad Stadium, Mancini says it is too early to rule his side out of the race:
“For us it was important to stay 12 behind United, with 10 games left you never say never. Keep on winning and you never know, this is football.” He told Sky Sports.
“Last year nobody thought it was possible but 12 points in 10 games. If they lose four…”
Midfielder Yaya Toure echoed his manager’s sentiments, whilst also sending his best wishes to Jack Rodwell, who limped off of the pitch during the first-half with a suspected hamstring injury:
“Today we showed we have a fantastic squad, we are sad with Jack but this is an important day for us,
“Twelve points is a lot but it’s not finished.”
Carlos Tevez netted the only goal of the game on the stroke of half time.
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Villa captain Ciaran Clark slipped, allowing Edin Dzeko, who replaced the injured Rodwell, to square for his Argentine strike partner.
Tevez then coolly rounded Brad Guzan before slipping the ball into the back of the net.
Everton goalkeeper Jan Mucha is set to leave Goodison Park in the summer when his contract expires, according to Sky Sports.
The Slovakian is currently able to talk to foreign clubs over an off season move but the Toffees could still make the ‘keeper an offer.
Mucha had to wait until three weeks ago to make his Premier League debut for the Merseyside club two and half years after joining.
American Tim Howard has been the long-time number one in David Moyes’ side but recent injuries have allowed Mucha to grab his chance.
A superb individual display helped Everton to a crucial home victory over the Premier League champions Manchester City last weekend but mistakes against Wigan in the FA Cup quarter final will have affected the 30-year-olds confidence.
While Mucha is not happy about playing second fiddle at Goodison Park, his representatives have not given up hope of a new deal being signed at Everton after the season has finished.
“There are a number of options at the moment,” Mucha’s agent told sport.aktuality.sk.
“He may reach an agreement with a new club during the season, which is legitimate according to FIFA.
“As for Everton, there is no chance an agreement will be made during the season.
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“I had a very useful meeting with Mr Moyes last week but at the moment I cannot reveal anything about what we discussed.”
Manchester United have put Borussia Dortmund boss Jurgen Klopp top of their list to replace Sir Alex Ferguson when the long serving boss calls it a day, according to the Daily Mirror.
Ferguson will be at Old Trafford for at least another 12 months as he goes on the search for another host of trophies to enable him to go out on a high.
It was rumoured the long serving Scot would retire this summer but after a poor showing in the domestic trophies and the Champions League, Ferguson wants at least one more crack at the treble.
Klopp has taken Dortmund from a mid-table German side to the Bundesliga winners and Champions League finalists in the space of three years.
The attractive style of play, shrewdness in the transfer market and breeding of youth players has particularly impressed United as their former first choice Jose Mourinho appears to be on his way back to Chelsea.
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As Wolves slide ominously towards life in League One, who could step up to the mark next season? Guest blogger & Wolves academy specialist ‘Compton Stars’ tells us who…
Are the next generation of Wolves academy prospects ready to step up to the first team? Well, Its clearly down to each person’s personal opinion, but looking at facts, the best way to assess this is to look at the next stage down from the first team, the U21s.
Wolves U21s qualified for the Premier League Elite stage, a newly established national academy league, which in principle means we have one of the best eight U21 teams in the country. Even if in my opinion we over achieved getting to this stage, finishing above Manchester City & Chelsea. We started off slowly in the elite stage but have really grown into the Elite league, including the last few games after good results against Spurs U21s and Manchester United U21s.
Whatever happens in the remaining games, it’s a fantastic achievement which will be beneficial in the future and all Wolves fans should be proud.
Which players from this U21 squad could step up to the first team? I don’t think any of the players in the U18s/U21s are ready to step up currently, not to say they couldn’t in the future. The three that were always ahead in ability and experience were Danny Batth, Matt Doherty, and Jake Cassidy.
With the realistic possibility of League One football coming our way, I have picked a team that could play in League One if all our established first team players were sold. This may be unrealistic but it will give supporters a chance to see who is next in line:
GK- Aaron Mccarey
RB- Matt Doherty/Kristan Kostma
CB- Danny Batth
CB- Jamie Tank/Michael Ihekwe
LB- Jay Cranston
RM- Zele Ismail
CM- Jack Price
CM- Lee Evans
LM- Anthony Forde
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CF- Liam Mcalinden
CF- Jake Cassidy
Which division Wolves are in will have a big impact on how many of the academy players I have highlighted will be given a chance in the future. The majority of managers don’t like throwing youngsters in when times are tough and the first team is struggling as some still don’t have the mental capability to cope with playing in front of 20,000 fans who aren’t very happy.
Realistically the only way to find out if the next generation of Wolves academy prospects are ready to step up to the first team is if they are given a chance. Then the whole of Molineux faithful can make that judgement and form an opinion and not before then.
Aston Villa striker Christian Benteke has penned a new long term contract at Villa Park just two weeks after handing in a transfer request at the Midlands club.
The Belgian striker looked set to leave the club after not being offered a good enough contract extension and Tottenham Hotspur looked set to pounce.
However, discussions have been going on behind closed doors and the striker is now satisfied with the offer and has signed a new four year deal at the club.
Villa were adamant that the striker was not for sale and the club and player are now clearly on the same page.
“I spoke with the Manager when I returned to training and we had a good talk,” Benteke told the clubs official site.
“I am very happy to be back here in Birmingham and at Aston Villa, and to sign a new contract.
“This is a great Club and it has given me a lot.
“Now I have to give back to my teammates and the fans who have always been right behind me.
“The end of last season was very good and the lads were very strong.
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“It was not easy but we came through it and the confidence is high.
“So everyone knows what we have to do now – be better. I need to be better than last year.”
The back pages of the national media do not make easy reading if you are a fan of Cardiff, Hull or Crystal Palace.
All three of the Premier League new boys lost without scoring, an indication of the widening gap between the top division in England and its 2nd tier some would say, of course without recognising that the season is based on 38 games rather the solitary one this weekend. The promoted teams are often one the more established ilk of the Premier League wish to avoid as they are a relatively unknown quantity. This is magnified in this era of Premier League managers being imported from Europe rather than working their way up through the domestic leagues of England. European football knowledge is the greatest it has ever been with huge inter-connection between the major leagues both in terms of players and management. What are on the decline are the same ties between the Premier League and the Championship. There are many reasons to be positive about the weeks ahead for the teams who should be the whipping boys. After all, broadcasters never used to even show the table to viewers until at least three games into the season.
Cardiff have probably made the most high profile return to the Premier League with their billionaire Malysian owner Vincent Tan. A string of ambitious and impressive signings have strengthened the squad in the Welsh capital considerably but without the negative connotations associated with the doomed QPR spending spree last season. Malky Mackay has recruited sensibly with Steven Caulker the marquee name to put on the now red shirt. To supplement his attacking options, Andreas Cornelius has come in for big money too and was injured in the loss at the weekend. Mackay’s admission that the third big name-Gary Medel is one of the best in the world is probably overstepping the mark, but is a huge name for a club that was served with a winding up order in the not too distant past.
[cat_link cat=”crystal-palace” type=”list”]
These signings will take time to bed so it is ridiculous to judge Cardiff after an away loss. The great challenge for Mackay will be bedding these clearly capable players into a winning formula. The transition from Championship to Premier League is often a difficult one as many have proved in the past. If Tan is sensible in his expectations then Cardiff will do well this season. You get the feeling that it will take internal self-destruction for Cardiff to be relegated this season rather than simply being not good enough.
Hull surprised many last season with their consistency but stumbled across the line prompting many to prematurely suggest they’d be relegated this campaign. Steve Bruce is an experienced manager in this league and that could give the tigers the edge over their fellow new boys. In addition, recruitment has been solid yet unspectacular with the addition of Tom Huddlestone and Jake Livermore from Tottenham. People may ask ‘so what? They won’t keep Hull up’. This is irrelevant, the duo add solidity to a Hull team that will be very hard to beat this season. They have players who have played at this level before albeit sporadically, and will be itching for another chance in the elite league. New Goalkeeper Alan MacGregor brings European experience with him to the KC Stadium and if Bruce can get Danny Graham scoring then Hull should be looking upwards rather than below them.
Hull can simply not be judged on their opening day defeat away to Chelsea. In the words of defender Curtis Davies, the ‘real business’ for Hull starts next week after their glamour match of the opening weekend. Some would even say it was an achievement to limit Chelsea to two goals in Mourinho’s first match back in charge. What is clear is that Hull are going to lie down for no one and will be looking to build on their impressive defensive record which saw them promoted last season. Home form will be vital but if they can make it a fortress, Hull may well prove the doubters wrong and extend their stay in the Premier League.
Crystal Palace were the fairy tale story from last season. This time last year they were bottom of the Championship. Fast forward a year and they are in the big time. Much of this achievement is down to the charismatic Ian Holloway who returns after a brief stint with Blackpool in 2011-12. Pundits have highlighted an alarming lack of experience in the Palace ranks with only captain Danny Gabbidon having made a substantial number of Premier League appearances in their starting line-up against Tottenham on Sunday. What Palace lack in experience they will more than make up for in spirit which often sways the tide in football matches. Holloway firmly advocates this. The club record signing of Dwight Gayle epitomises Holloway’s belief that if you’re good enough you’re in the starting line-up regardless of your name. Much criticised Marouane Chamakh has been given another chance to prove his worth in South London and could turn out to be a stroke of genius. Holloway will undoubtedly add to his squad that lost Wilfried Zaha over the summer and Glenn Murray to injury.
Like the others, Palace cannot be judged on their opening game. They pushed a Tottenham side to the limit in a tight knit contest. What can be extracted from Sunday is the atmosphere of Selhurst Park. It will be a 12th man. Teams will drop points there. With the pace of Gayle and Yannick Bolasie on the flanks, don’t be surprised to see Palace emerge as the counter attacking team to watch this season away from home.
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What do you think is in store for the newly promoted teams?
Once every four years the worlds best convene for a festival of footballing excellence as they do battle for the most coveted trophy in world sport; the Jules Rimet trophy. The opportunity to represent your country is an honour in itself, but to do so at a World Cup is for a footballer incomparable.
The race to book a place on the plane to Brazil is fierce and those involved will do anything in their power to be fit and firing going into the final days of selection. A heavy onus on playing week in week out for their respective clubs is of paramount importance for those in the shakeup.
Tottenham’s Jermain Defoe is precisely one of those stars whose place in Brazil is under threat, an England regular in seasons past, will his limited role in the Premier League prove a stumbling block?
The acquisition of then record signing Roberto Soldado has seen Defoe fall down the pecking order at White Hart Lane. Having to make do with the Europa League and Capital One Cup as a source of first team football, the Englishman has failed as yet to be involved that readily in the league. His form in the cup competitions has been as potent as ever, breaking Martin Chivers’ long-standing European goal scoring record in the process. Yet as ever it is difficult to guarantee a place within Hodgson’s squad without making an impact in the Premier League, at the moment that just doesn’t look like happening for Defoe. More concerning still is the clutch of Englishman competing for Defoe’s place that are getting consistent league action, the likes of Lambert, Sturridge and Welbeck are placing themselves well ahead of the diminutive Defoe in the pecking order.
So what can Defoe do to reverse this worrying trend?
Five goals in four Europa appearances and you imagine there is a school of thought that suggests getting him into the ailing Premier League forward line. Personally I just don’t see this ever happening.
AVB is a stubborn manager; he wants to play certain variant of a 4-2-3-1 and will ensure that he finds the solution to making it work. Scoring against second-rate European teams will not do anything more than to remind AVB what Defoe is capable of, few contest that the Englishman is a fine finisher and goal poacher. The reality at Spurs is that they want a little more than that from their Premier League frontman, whether they are getting that from Soldado is another question.
That aside, even from Defoe’s short Premier League cameos you can already tell that the guy just isn’t cut out for the way AVB wants to play. This isn’t a question of form, but more of an incompatibility between the way AVB wants to set up and the way Defoe plays.
Defoe’s love for the club and fans is admirable, and it is clear that he has a special relationship with the White Hart Lane faithful. He spoke just this week about his clear ambitions to make it work at Spurs:
“Of course it is frustrating that for all the goals, I have not had much of a chance in the Premier League,” the 31-year-old told the Daily Express.
“Fans ask me all the time, but I don’t need to tell anybody I am frustrated. That is just normal. People know I love my football, and I love scoring goals. When I am not getting the opportunity to do that, it is frustrating.”
“But I have never once said I wanted to leave this football club.”
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I think many have a lot of time for Englishman’s attitude, but for me it is a matter of time before the need to play comes ahead of his loyalty to Spurs. Defoe’s hunger to play at the World Cup, potentially his last opportunity to play at major tournament for his country, will in my view push hi towards the exit door come January.
Again I re-iterate the fact this isn’t a question of regaining his form, Defoe just won’t be a first team regular under AVB. Too small and perhaps a too one-dimensional, AVB wants to get closer to the complete forward that can of course be clinical in the final third but at the same time bring the rest of his team into play.
The sooner Defoe realises the harsh reality probably the better. Come January expect to see the Englishman to bid his final White Hart Lane farewell.
Every week Diego Simeone was asked the same question, each week and after every game from the start of the season up until the winter break in Spain the Atletico Madrid manager was asked if his team were title contenders. Every week he batted the question away. Simeone dismissed such talk; La Liga is a boring league, he continued to say. And yet after every dismissal of their title credentials, Atletico continued to win, keeping pace with league-leaders Barcelona and keeping an up until now decent distance from Real Madrid.
The Atletico manager’s response changed slightly, but only for a moment. He was looking now at how far his side had come in the season and he was now talking about the title, though not as much as many would have hoped.
It’s the underdog mentality that Simeone wanted. He didn’t want his players, perfectly capable, to get carried away by expectation and pressure. Whether they could do it is one thing; Simeone, however, didn’t want to entertain the idea. At least not before the time was right.
Despite being top of the table, Arsenal remain underdogs to win the Premier League title this season, behind favourites Manchester City and Chelsea. And much like the case with Atletico, this should suit Arsenal until the end of the season.
You have to stop for a moment and question how much you can compare the current Arsenal to that of the past few years. The old Arsenal would have buckled under pressure, going into a must-win game, even against lowly opposition, and failing to perform. When the pressure was off, as we’ve seen in matches against better teams in the past, Arsenal normally came away with a surprise win and at times a performance that contradicted their underachieving place in the league.
But a lack of pressure from outside can be a good thing. It won’t be lost on the Arsenal squad what’s required of them to end the trophy drought this season. Very few outside of Arsenal are tipping them to land the Premier League title. If they don’t, there shouldn’t be any accusations of poor mental strength, a lack of ability or whatever else may be thrown the club’s way. They would have finished where most expected them to. Without the pressure from outside, the fall, if silverware isn’t attained, is shorter.
Arsene Wenger, however, will keep the team going until the end. It would be remiss of him as manager to sit back on what he and the team have and call it a job well done. It’s also not in his nature to give up, even if some of the events of the past suggest so.
Even with the signing of Mesut Ozil in the summer and the dramatic improvements in some of the other members of the squad, this Arsenal team isn’t complete. It’s lacking depth in one or two areas, and of course there have critics citing the lack of mental toughness in big games.
But it suits Arsenal. The focus is currently on what Manchester City and Chelsea can do. Talk of City winning the quadruple is a good thing. It means Arsenal can get on, relatively quietly, with what they’ve been doing.
Click below to see Arsenal, Fulham and Everton in action this weekend!
Despite the fanfare and hype about this top of the table clash, the performance from the home side was no different to most of the matches this season.
Wolves were set to face two different sorts of pressures over the hectic Christmas schedule. Against Crewe they were expected to win, the pressure was on the home side to put the Alex to the sword, which they did. On Sunday the pressure was different, a win against the swashbuckling London club would send a message to the rest of the league that Wolves really were the real deal and it would ensure Wolves would finish 2013 on top of a league.
The team sheets read for strange viewing, Griffiths and Doyle were once again omitted from the first eleven. However, the mercurial Malian, Bakary Sako, was reinstated on the left hand side as Wolves remained in a 4-2-3-1 formation. A dead leg and a confident performance meant Ethan Ebanks-Landell started in the right back position ahead of Scott Golbourne.
Jake Cassidy was given another chance to prove he could be one of Wolves’ first choice striker, up top on his own with Sako wide left, Henry wide right and Michael Jacobs was chosen as the ‘number 10’ behind the under pressure Welshman. Macdonald and Price played the controllers in midfield.
The top of the table side made just two changes from their last game, a 2-1 win over Gillingham in which Orient scored in the ninetieth minute to rescue all three points, Cuthbert and Batt were replaced by James and Simpson. Despite the injury to Shaun Batt, Orient still displayed the firepower they possess, players like Odubajo, Lisbie and Cox were still going to be huge threats to Wolves’ backline.
The first forty five minutes were a hectic affair. Wolves, as usual, were dominating possession and creating chances. Their endeavour and bravado were rewarded five minutes in when Kevin Macdonald slid the ball out right to Ethan Ebanks-Landell who lashed home a shot that flew past Larkins in the Orient goal. The afternoons crisp and wintry feel was cut into two when Landell’s shot flew into the net, the atmosphere in the Molineux went off the chart as the 28,000 fans stood and applauded the burling full backs magnificent strike.
The game restarted and Wolves’ game plan was exceeding their wildest expectations, going at Leyton Orient and attacking them with purpose, pace and power worked. Those three things twinned with the atmosphere emitting from the south bank was enough to intimidate the O’s into conceding the first goal of what could have been a cagey, scrappy affair.
The pattern for the first half was set, Wolves were dominating in all areas of the pitch but were failing to convert any of their chances. These missed opportunities were sprinkled with Orient half chances. Orient seemed to be cutting inside and delivering rather tame, easy to deal with, crosses, something that the centre half pairing of Batth and Stearman could deal with all day long.
Lisbie then soon broke against the supposed Orient game plan, he went outside on his right foot, past Ricketts and whipped in a low, fast ball that Ikeme only just caught, it was a fantastic cross in, the type of cross that strikers dream about.
Wolves the displayed their abilities on the counter attack, Kevin Macdonald picked out an onrushing Bakary Sako with a delicate through ball down the left hand side. Sako then completed the one-two as his cut back found Macdonald whose shot was deflected out for another corner.
Wolves continued to rattle Orient in the opening exchanges, the O’s still unable to get to grips with Wolves quick transitional play. Another lung busting run saw Landell pick out Sako who should have done much better with the shot. Michael Jacobs then found himself in a great position to double the lead, his direct and purposeful run into the Orient penalty area came to nothing after Jacobs dawdled and should have released his shot earlier.
Despite Orients high position, this was one arguably one of the best forty five minutes of football we were witnessing from Kenny Jackett’s side. Wolves were dominant in every area of the pitch, Price looked like a rejuvenated player with Macdonald beside him. Landell was showing everyone why he is a genuine contender for that right back spot, it’s heartening to see that Wolves have so much strength in depth, something Orient, Preston and Brentford simply don’t have. Both of our first team right backs (Doherty and Golbourne) were out yet in come Landell and the home crowd forget all about the more experienced pair of full backs.
Jacobs was having his best game for Wolves, he looked a lot more purposeful and effective in the centre of the pitch, he didn’t have to cut inside and beat as many players on the turn. Playing in the middle meant he could really go through the gears and have more efforts on target. He displayed an excellent display of speed and poise to shoot from outside the box, unfortunately, his shot selection was poor and it hit the Orient reserve ‘keeper, who parried it away, Cassidy then had a great chance to tap in from the rebound but shanked his shot wide.
Leyton Orient were awarded a free kick in an awkward area, it was bang on eighteen yards out, almost impossible to get it up and over the wall. Instead, power was the option, fortunately the wall of Wolves stood tall and strong and the free kick was deflected and cleared, not before a nervy goal mouth scramble.
Worry and doubt were cast in the minds of the Wolves fans though when Jack Price went down injured, he managed to hobble off and back on for the rest of the game but it was clear he wasn’t the same controlling midfielder he was before the unfortunate injury.
With half time approaching Wolves were turning the screw, looking for that second goal that would have surely finished Orient off and opened the flood gates to more and more goals from the home side. Henry swung another delightful ball in, if Cassidy was just an inch taller, it would have been two-nil.
Annoyingly, half time was called by the referee, in an ideal world, Wolves would have kept on playing, that second goal just eluded them in another wise perfect first half. Wolves had dominated in every department (even the bad ones, with ten fouls to their name!) more chances, more corners and more possession. This wasn’t reflected in the overall score line though as Orient stood firm against the onslaught of Wolves attack.
Kenny Jackett was forced into taking off Jack Price after he was unable to continue after the injury he sustained in the first half. A body blow for Wolves as one of our most technically gifted midfielders was taken off, he and Macdonald were beginning to forge a real partnership in the middle of the park. Both have differing attributes, Macdonald’s ball retention, ability to dictate the tempo of the game and look up enough to spot a pass is astounding. Whereas his counterpart, Price, has a terrier like attitude when attacking the ball, he always wants it, whatever position he is. Always looking for the ball receiving it from a team mate and giving it back, he then moves into space and asking for the ball back again, so simple but almost unseen by Wolves fans who’ve been crying out for a number of years for a ball playing midfielder. It’s so refreshing to see a player that young have that much confidence.
Whilst the teams changed physical ends of the field, the way the game was going was certainly still in Wolves’ favour. Jacobs hitting just wide after another purposeful run through the centre. Minutes later, Wolves were on the break, Sako hit a cross field pass to Macdonald who was really beginning to shift into top gear, he was one-on-one with Larkins but his poor shot selection meant it was an easy save for the under fire ‘keeper.
Orient had a rare venture into the Wolves half Odubajo’s deep cross was impossible for the pint sized Dean Cox to reach. It was just a little wake up call for the home side that their opponents were top of the league for a reason, despite them being under the cosh for so long.
This wakeup call was ignored and the away side soon levelled.
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Orient took their free kick quickly, the ball was channelled down the right hand side, Odubajo’s cross wasn’t cleared and Baudry was there at the back post to tap in and cause the travelling fans to rejoice. Completely against the run of play, Orient had somehow managed to equalise.
If the Wolves goal was a shock to Orient, the away sides goal was an absolutely body blow to the Old Gold.
With the game in a deadlock both Slade and Jackett changed it up. For the away side, off went Simpson, on came Lasimant in a like-for-like change. Jackett switched the system from a five man midfield to a four man midfield with Cassidy and Griffiths, on for James Henry up top to try and grab a winner with half around twenty minutes to go.
Cassidy almost had his own ‘hand of god’ moment when Ethan Ebanks-Landell’s in swinging cross flew just beyond the head of Cassidy who, in a last gasp attempt to break his scoring drought, stuck out his left hand, only for the referee to book him for a clear, and comical, hand ball. Up the other end the substitute, Lasimant, almost made the perfect impact after being played in by the influential Kevin Lisbie, thankfully the substitute shot wide and Wolves lived to fight another day (fifteen minutes)
With time almost up it was Wolves who were on the attack, wave after wave of skirmishes on the Orient goal. Interspersed with frustrating battles for possession, the Wolves midfield clearly missing the tenacity and composure of midfielder, Jack Price, as much as Dave Edwards puts a hundred percent into his work, he hasn’t got the technical ability to be a calming presence in the middle of the pitch. Heads were in hands time and again as Wolves failed to get the ball on the floor and play their way to victory, like everyone in the ground knew they could.
Despite the introduction of Kevin Doyle for Jake Cassidy, Wolves were unable to find a winner and the game ended in a frustrating, for the home side at least, draw. The cheers from the away support indicated their expectations and desires were fulfilled, whilst the dampened applause from the home fans told you that this was most definitely two points dropped.
As Newcastle manager Alan Pardew fluffs up his sofa cushions and waves goodbye to touchline management for the foreseeable future, here are seven more crazy managerial incidents to get your heads stuck into (pun absolutely intended):
Jose Mourinho vs Tito Vilanova (Aug 2011)
Jose Mourinho’s career has been littered with controversies, but none more greater than his showdowns with Barcelona during his reign at Real Madrid.
The Mourinho-Barcelona rivalry came to it’s boiling point in the 2011 Supercopa tie as Mourinho walked up behind Barcelona assistant Tito Vilanova and gouged his eye. The incident came as a result of a vicious tackle on Cesc Fabregas by Marcelo, in which the aftermath saw red cards for both David Villa and Mesut Özil.
Barcelona went on to claim a 4-3 aggregate victory as Lionel Messi scored a late winner. Gerard Pique went on to accuse Madrid of the heightened tensions and claimed Mourinho was ‘destroying Spanish football.’
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Delio Rossi vs Adem Ljajic (May 2012)
Manager Delio Rossi took the decision to substitute promising youngster Adem Ljajic as Fiorentina found themselves 2-0 down after 32 minutes against minnows Novara.
Ljajic didn’t take kindly to the public humiliation, sarcastically clapping his manager, only to find himself subjected to Rossi’s flying fists as the Italian reigned down punches on the 20-year-old.
Fiorentina battled their way back to a 2-2 draw but that wasn’t enough to prevent Rossi from the immediate sack.
[youtube uOB8p7El8gU]
Paolo Di Canio vs Leon Clarke (Aug 2011)
If his playing career was anything to go by then Paolo Di Canio’s managerial one was going to be just as belligerent. And so it proved as one former colleague described his approach to the job as ‘management by hand grenade’.
Whilst as Swindon boss, Di Canio and his new recruit Leon Clarke had to be separated in the tunnel after a touchline dispute continued inside.
The player later returned to the pitch, refusing to enter the dressing room. Di Canio retained the support of the Swindon board and was publicly backed by the interim chairman for trying to defuse the situation.
[youtube ApWkNuz5Zbo]
Neil Lennon vs Ally McCoist (Mar 2011)
The Old Firm derby has always been one of the most heated affairs in European football and the disputes between Lennon and McCoist are a microcosm of the passionate fan base of each side.
Even for the standards of the Old Firm, this Scottish Cup tie was a particularly feisty encounter. Following a kerfuffle on the stroke of half-time, three red cards, a 1-0 loss for Rangers and the overall presence of the Senegalese spitting sensation El-Hadji Diouf, Lennon and McCoist found themselves embroiled in a touchline bust-up after an ill-conceived handshake.
The men were handed four and two-match bans respectively, with Neil Lennon being forced to miss out on Celtic’s League Cup final.
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Graeme Souness vs Fenerbahce (Apr 1996)
After a stellar playing career, Graeme Souness didn’t go on to repeat the same level of success he enjoyed at Liverpool.
Souness caused major uproar, nearly leading to mass riots as he planted a Galatasaray flag in the centre of Fenerbahce’s pitch following a 1-0 victory against their fierce rivals in the Turkish Cup final. His actions were so popular with Galatasaray fans that they nicknamed him ‘Ulubatli Souness’, in honour of the Turkish hero Ulubatli Hasan, who was murdered whilst planting an Ottoman flag during the Siege of Constantinople.
Souness went on to claim he would have done the same at Celtic Park had he stayed in the Rangers job long enough. I imagine Neil Lennon would have had something to say about that.
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Paolo Di Canio vs Wes Foderingham (Sep 2012)
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Ahh it’s that man again. Paolo Di Canio is clearly no stranger to public confrontations with his own players. It took him just 20 minutes to substitute goalkeeper Wes Foderingham as Swindon found themselves 2-0 down against Preston. Clearly angered, the player headed straight for the tunnel as he exchanged words with Di Canio.
In his post-match interview Di Canio labelled Foderingham as ‘one of the worst players I have ever seen in a football match.’ Di Canio threatened to immediately bring in a new stopper, despite Foderingham having previously gone more than 1,000 minutes without conceding. You wonder how Sunderland didn’t see Di Canio coming.
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Jorge Jesus vs Police (Sep 2013)
When footballers praise their supporters it often feels rehearsed and forced. Well there’s no doubting the love Benfica manager Jorge Jesus has for his fans. Following a brief pitch invasion as Benfica triumphed 1-0 over Vitória Guimarães, Jorge Jesus attempted to fend off the police to protect a marauding Benfica supporter.
His law-fighting campaign came to nothing as the fan was escorted away and Jesus faced the wrath of the Portuguese Football Federation as he was banned for 30 days, missing four league matches.