17 h. ago Real Madrid’s toxic targeting of referees is a symbol of the Spanish grandees’ decline | Jonathan Wilson

Super League patron Florentino Pérez sets the tone with his destructive acts of pettiness, dragging down a once noble clubReferees have never been so disdained and despised as they are now. Those who do not think they are corrupt, think they are incompetent. Standards, apparently, have never been lower. Clubs and their fans rage about conspiracies. But even in the present context, the scenes at the end of last Saturday’s Copa del Rey final were unprecedented as Antonio Rüdiger threw an ice-pack at the referee Ricardo de Burgos Bengoetxea.And to think this is a club that used to pride itself on its sense of its señorio, its gentlemanliness, to the extent that in Steve McManaman’s day players were given a code of conduct; the familiar line used to be whinging about referees was for the cry-babies of Barcelona. Continue reading...

Events

5 d. ago Was Liverpool’s title Klopp’s final masterpiece or Slot’s foundation stone?

After a drama-free title race, the legacy of Liverpool’s 20th league triumph will be determined in the years to comeSign up for Soccer with Jonathan Wilson hereIt was probably just as well the decisive match came against Tottenham. Liverpool fans object to the suggestion this season has been anti-climactic, as though that somehow diminishes their achievement, but it is not a criticism to point out no side has come close to staying with them, that the title was effectively won on the January afternoon when Darwin Núñez scored twice in injury time to beat Brentford then Arsenal threw away a two-goal lead to draw against Aston Villa.That was the season in microcosm: Arsenal carelessly squandering points, Liverpool always having enough, turning games their way in the second half. Nine times this season in the league, Arsenal have led in games that they have failed to win. On 13 occasions, Liverpool have improved their result in the second half (that is, turned a draw into a win, or a de...

Politics

5 d. ago Was Liverpool’s title Klopp’s final masterpiece or Slot’s foundation stone? | Jonathan Wilson

After a drama-free title race, the legacy of Liverpool’s 20th league triumph will be determined in the years to comeSign up for Soccer with Jonathan Wilson hereIt was probably just as well the decisive match came against Tottenham. Liverpool fans object to the suggestion this season has been anti-climactic, as though that somehow diminishes their achievement, but it is not a criticism to point out no side has come close to staying with them, that the title was in effect won on the January afternoon when Darwin Núñez scored twice in injury time to beat Brentford then Arsenal threw away a two-goal lead to draw against Aston Villa.That was the season in microcosm: Arsenal carelessly squandering points, Liverpool always having enough, turning games their way in the second half. Nine times this season in the league, Arsenal have led in games that they have failed to win. On 13 occasions, Liverpool have improved their result in the second half (that is, turned a draw into a win, or a defe...

Politics

1 week ago Aston Villa have all the tools to establish themselves among the elite

Unai Emery has built a side with high standards and a squad with depth – they’ll need both in the coming weeksSign up for Soccer with Jonathan Wilson hereMost teams in the battle for Champions League qualification are staggering to the line, battered, exhausted, done in by a season that feels like it finished in February but somehow still has a month to run. But as they falter, Aston Villa have seemingly found another gear.Liverpool are secure in the Champions League qualification slots and Arsenal soon will be, which leaves the remaining three places between five contenders who are separated by just two points, although Nottingham Forest face Tottenham on Monday. Forest, though, have won just three of their last eight in the league. Newcastle had won six in a row in all competitions before Saturday’s 4-1 defeat to Villa. Manchester City are unbeaten in five in the league. Chelsea have won five of their last 11 in the league and have a notably tough run-in. But Villa have won 10 of ...

Politics

1 week ago Liverpool one victory from title and Villa win big in race for top five – Football Weekly

Max Rushden is joined by Barry Glendenning, Barney Ronay and Jonathan Wilson as Aston Villa, Manchester City and Chelsea secure important wins in the race for the five Champions League spotsMax Rushden is joined by Barry Glendenning, Barney Ronay and Jonathan Wilson as Aston Villa, Manchester City and Chelsea secure important wins in the race for the five Champions League spots.Rate, review, share on Apple Podcasts, Soundcloud, Audioboom, Mixcloud, Acast and Stitcher, and join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter and email. Continue reading...

Sport

2 w. ago Never mind the late drama, Amorim and Postecoglou still face the Ten Hag trap | Jonathan Wilson

The Australian could leave after Spurs win the Europa League, while United may stick with their coach after winning nothingErik ten Hag has gone, but his shadow looms over English football still. The mistake was understandable enough: high on the euphoria of beating Manchester City in the FA Cup final, Manchester United renewed his contract. Three months into the new season, more than £180m spent on summer transfers, Ten Hag was dismissed with United 14th in the table on 11 points from nine games.The sporting director, Dan Ashworth, and various members of Ten Hag’s backroom staff also left, at a total cost of £14.5m. Or, to put it another way, keeping Ten Hag cost United £200m and in effect undermined this season. Nobody wants to be caught in the Ten Hag trap. Continue reading...

Events

2 w. ago Manchester City may now be just another very good team | Jonathan Wilson

The reigning champions appear to have corrected the worst of their problems but the days when they conquered all before them are probably overSign up for Soccer with Jonathan Wilson hereThere was something very familiar about Manchester City’s 5-2 win over Crystal Palace on Saturday. In August 2022, Palace went 2-0 up at the Etihad, the second goal a header from a corner but City came back to win 4-2, Erling Haaland scoring a hat-trick in a dominant second-half performance. Saturday’s game followed a similar path, with the exception that the City comeback began before half-time. This time the key figure wasn’t Haaland, but Kevin De Bruyne, who produced a display to remind everybody just how worthy he was of the tributes that have followed the announcement that he will leave the club in the summer.Does this, then, mean that City are somehow suddenly back? They’re unbeaten in five games, three of them won. The January signings, Omar Marmoush in particular, have enabled them to stabili...

Politics

4 w. ago Get Real: serial Champions League winners Madrid face fresh threat | Jonathan Wilson

Paris Saint-Germain, who beat Liverpool with verve and energy, are the upstart newcomers among big-name quarter-finalistsNarratives are never as straightforward as they may appear. One era does not yield easily to another. What constitutes an era changes over time. While history is happening it’s often hard to make sense of it; patterns seem to emerge that, from the perspective of 20 years later are meaningless, or culs-de-sac. That seems particularly true this season. As the Champions League reaches its quarter-final stage this coming week, it feels that one age has ended and another has yet to materialise.The past was a simpler place. First there was the age of dominance by Real Madrid and Benfica, teams from the capitals of Iberian nations under right-wing dictatorships, packed with great individuals. Then came systematisation, catenaccio and the Italian ascendancy, followed, with a brief period of crossover, by the era of domination by the northern European industrial powers, sk...

Sport