BARCELONA: At the end of April, Barcelona president Joan Laporta, choking with emotion, said he was “proud” to have Xavi Hernandez staying on as coach for next season.
Before May had run its course, Laporta sacked the former Barca midfield great and appointed German coach Hansi Flick in his stead.
Since the president was re-elected for his second spell in charge in March 2021, Barcelona have been without a coherent plan, running purely on vibes. It can only get you so far.
Selling off areas of the club and compromising future income to raise immediate funds for heavy transfer investment, Laporta opted for a get-success-quick strategy, with limited results.
Barcelona won the 2022/23 La Liga title for the first time since 2019, but they have still struggled in Europe.
This season everything fell to pieces, with Real Madrid storming to La Liga glory and Barcelona finishing the campaign trophyless.
“It’s fantastic news that Xavi is staying — the team we have, which is growing with many young talents, needs this stability,” said Laporta, weeks before performing a spectacular u-turn.
Xavi for his part did not mince his words about the challenges that faced Flick.
“You will suffer — this is a very complicated place to be,” Xavi warned his successor.
Barcelona’s ‘entorno’ — everything swirling around the club that increases pressure, from the media to the fans, to loose-lipped directors and former players chipping in — will stay the same.
However in hiring Flick, the club’s direction has changed.
The majority of their coaches have played for Barcelona — Xavi, Ronald Koeman, Luis Enrique, Pep Guardiola among others.
Flick on the other hand, has never played or coached in Spain, let alone at the club itself.
The 59-year-old’s greatest success was leading Bayern Munich to a sextuple in 2020, including an 8-2 humiliation of Barcelona, but he struggled with the German national team, becoming their first coach ever to be sacked.
Barca’s sporting director Deco warned in February that Barcelona should move away from their traditional “tiki-taka” style.
“The president agrees with me on this, a deep change is needed — there is a method that is worn out,” he said.
Flick’s style is attacking but more direct than Barcelona usually attempt to play, with more crossing.
The coach will be happy to work with Ilkay Gundogan, whom he appointed Germany captain, and Robert Lewandowski, a key player in his triumphant Bayern Munich side.
He boasts coaching experience which Xavi lacked, having only worked at Al-Sadd in Qatar before taking the reins at Camp Nou.
Flick tends to set up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, rather than Barcelona’s 4-3-3, although they are not far removed.
The club’s financial difficulties will be a key factor in whether the German can improve Barcelona’s fortunes.
After pivot Sergio Busquets left, Barcelona failed to adequately replace him, unable to afford Xavi’s main target, Real Sociedad’s Martin Zubimendi.
With new champions and rivals Real Madrid set to sign Paris Saint-Germain superstar Kylian Mbappe, keeping up with Los Blancos will be a hard task for any coach.
Laporta gambles on Flick to restore Barcelona’s lustre
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Laporta gambles on Flick to restore Barcelona’s lustre
- Before May had run its course, Laporta sacked the former Barca midfield great and appointed German coach Hansi Flick in his stead
- “You will suffer — this is a very complicated place to be,” Xavi warned his successor
Newcastle extend Man United’s losing run with ease
- The Magpies cruised to a 2-0 win at Old Trafford
- Alexander Isak and Joelinton struck inside the first 19 minutes as a fifth consecutive win lifted Newcastle into fifth place
MANCHESTER: Manchester United ended a 2024 to forget with a fourth consecutive defeat as Newcastle cruised to a 2-0 win at Old Trafford to intensify the scrutiny on Red Devils’ boss Ruben Amorim.
Just two months into his tenure, Amorim conceded this week that his job is on the line unless results begin to improve.
The Portuguese has won just two of his first nine league games to leave United languishing down in 14th, just seven points above the relegation zone.
Alexander Isak and Joelinton struck inside the first 19 minutes as a fifth consecutive win lifted the Magpies into fifth.
Amorim stood aghast at what he was witnessing in the first half as Newcastle cut through the home side at will.
Just over three minutes were on the clock when Isak was afforded space inside the six-yard box to head in Lewis Hall’s cross and score for the sixth consecutive Premier League game.
United badly missed the presence of suspended captain Bruno Fernandes as the Newcastle midfield three of Sandro Tonali, Bruno Guimaraes and Joelinton played around the aging duo of Casemiro and Christian Eriksen with ease.
Isak blew a huge chance to double the visitors’ lead when he fluffed an attempted dink over Andre Onana and the Swedish striker also had a goal ruled out for offside.
However, it was just a matter of time before Newcastle added a second and it arrived when Joelinton burst in to meet Anthony Gordon’s cross.
Amorim responded by replacing Joshua Zirkzee with Kobbie Mainoo after just 33 minutes — a move greeted with cheers by the frustrated Old Trafford crowd.
Tonali should have made it 3-0 when he hit the post at the end of a flowing Newcastle move through the heart of the United defense.
However, Eddie Howe’s men nearly gifted the Red Devils a route back into the game before half-time.
Rasmus Hojlund missed a glorious chance to pull a goal back when the Dane fired wide with just Martin Dubravka to beat.
Casemiro then wasted an even better opportunity after Fabian Schar presented possession to Mainoo.
Amorim’s half-time pep talk did at least muster some response as United began the second half far better.
Harry Maguire’s header came back off the post before Hall blocked De Ligt’s goalbound follow-up effort.
Marcus Rashford had been restored to the United squad for the first time in five games but remained on the bench for the full 90 minutes as Amorim turned to another outcast in Alejandro Garnacho to make a difference.
But the Argentine international was introduced just as Newcastle had ridden the storm and began to assert their control once more.
A third consecutive home league defeat for the first time since 1979 is the latest in the list of sorry statistics that have marked United’s decade of decline.
The fear for Amorim is that the losing run only looks set to continue into 2025.
A daunting trip to runaway league leaders Liverpool awaits on Sunday before United travel to Arsenal in the FA Cup third round.
Antonio Conte has Napoli back atop Serie A to end 2024 after miserable title defense last season
- Juventus and Fiorentina drew 2-2 in a match that was briefly suspended because of discriminatory chants aimed at Juventus striker Dusan Vlahovic
- AC Milan drew 1-1 with visiting Roma
ROME: Napoli went through three different coaches during their Serie A title defense last season and ended the campaign in 10th place.
Antonio Conte was hired in July and now Napoli are ending 2024 level with Atalanta atop the Italian league again.
Substitute Giacomo Raspadori scored a late goal and Napoli beat relegation-threatened Venezia 1-0 on Sunday in their final match of the year.
Napoli trail Atalanta only on goal difference but both teams are one point ahead of defending champions Inter Milan, who have a game in hand.
“Even if I play cards with my daughter I want to win,” said Conte, who was hired to get Napoli back into the Champions League. “Personally, I don’t accept minimal goals. But we all know where we started and what the club’s objectives are.”
Atalanta drew 1-1 at Lazio on Saturday and Inter won 3-0 at Cagliari.
Also Sunday, Juventus and Fiorentina drew 2-2 in a match that was briefly suspended because of discriminatory chants aimed at Juventus striker Dusan Vlahovic; and AC Milan drew 1-1 with visiting Roma.
After Luciano Spalletti coached Napoli to the Serie A title in 2022-23, Rudi Garcia, Walter Mazzarri and Francesco Calzona managed the team last season, when the Partenopei finished a whopping 41 points behind Inter.
“What happened is in the past. The present is what counts,” Napoli captain Giovanni Di Lorenzo said. “It’s great to be back on top but there’s still a long way to go.”
Napoli had struggled to get the ball past Venezia goalkeeper Filip Stankovic, the son of former Lazio and Inter standout Dejan Stankovic. But Raspadori broke the deadlock in the 79th when he used one touch to fire in a loose ball from the center of the area less than 10 minutes after he came on.
“These are tough matches where it means a lot to come away with three points,” Raspadori said. “We know we’re on the right path.”
In the first half, Stankovic saved a penalty kick from Romelu Lukaku. Then in the second half Stankovic deflected a shot from Lukaku off the post.
Napoli produced 25 shots to Venezia’s four.
Napoli’s 27 goals scored are the least among the top six teams in the standings.
“The squad is improving under every point of view. We just need to score more goals,” Conte said.
Discriminatory chants aimed at Vlahovic prompt brief suspension
Discriminatory chants aimed at Juventus striker Dusan Vlahovic by visiting Fiorentina fans prompted a two-minute suspension during the first half.
Vlahovic, a Serbia international who played for Fiorentina before transferring to Juventus three years ago, appeared to tell the referee about the chants. The ref then stopped play, gathered the teams and ordered a warning announcement to be made over the stadium’s public address system.
The announcement said that the match would be suspended definitively if there were more discriminatory chants.
Play then resumed.
Khephren Thuram put Juventus ahead midway through the first half. Former Juventus striker Moise Kean equalized before the break with his 15th goal across all competitions this season. Thuram added another in the second half and Fiorentina equalized again with a volley from Riccardo Sottil in the 87th.
Juventus and Fiorentina are both nine points behind the leaders.
Juventus is the only unbeaten team in the league but the Bianconeri have drawn more matches (11) than they’ve won (seven).
At the San Siro, Tijjani Reijnders put Milan ahead early on and Paulo Dybala equalized for Roma. Under-pressure Milan coach Paulo Fonseca was sent off for protests at the end of the first half.
Earlier, Torino came back from two goals down to draw 2-2 at Udinese.
Gulf Cup final rescheduled, competition organizers announce
- Committee did not give reason for change of date
- First semifinal sees Saudi Arabia face Oman
KUWAIT CITY: The final match of the 26th Arabian Gulf Cup will now be played on Saturday, Jan. 4, the Competitions Committee of the Gulf Football Federation announced on Sunday.
Originally scheduled for Jan. 3, the championship match will now take place a day later at the Jaber Al-Ahmad International Stadium in Kuwait City.
Khaled Al-Muqrin, head of the committee, said that the decision to reschedule the final had been reached during a committee meeting on Sunday and followed consultations with Gulf football federations, all of which unanimously approved the change.
The committee did not give a reason for the change of date.
While the final has been moved, the semifinal matches will proceed as planned.
The first semifinal sees Saudi Arabia face Oman on Tuesday afternoon. Later that evening, Bahrain will take on hosts Kuwait.
The Green Falcons reached the last four after a convincing 3-1 win over Group B rivals Iraq on Saturday and will hope to reach their fifth final since 2009 and secure a first Gulf Cup title since 2004.
Manchester City stop the rot with victory at Leicester
- Savinho and Erling Haaland struck either side of half-time
- City ended a run of eight away games without a win
LEICESTER: Manchester City provided Pep Guardiola some relief with a 2-0 victory at Leicester to secure just a second win in 14 games for the crisis-hit English champions on Sunday.
Savinho and Erling Haaland struck either side of half-time as City ended a run of eight away games without a win.
The performance was still far from the standards that Guardiola’s side have set in winning an unprecedented four consecutive English top-flight titles.
But the effusive celebrations of Haaland’s header 16 minutes from time showed that three points was all that mattered for the visitors to at least temporarily halt their remarkable slump.
Victory lifts City up to fifth but they are still 11 points behind leaders Liverpool, who have two games in hand.
Defeat leaves Leicester still rooted in the bottom three.
Guardiola made just one change from the 1-1 Boxing Day draw against Everton as Kevin De Bruyne replaced his Belgian international colleague Jeremy Doku.
De Bruyne’s fitness struggles have played a part in City’s slump and he immediately showed what Guardiola’s men have been missing for most of the season.
Rico Lewis picked out De Bruyne, who cushioned a cross into the path of Haaland but his low effort was well saved by Leicester’s stand-in goalkeeper Jakub Stolarczyk.
Leicester have now lost their last four games after a bright start to Ruud van Nistelrooy’s reign.
The Foxes were left to rue not taking their chances to inflict more misery on a City side still showing a clear lack of confidence.
Any time the home side crossed into City territory in the first half they appeared a major threat.
Jamie Vardy would surely have won a penalty had he not strayed offside before being brought down by Stefan Ortega, while James Justin’s header hit the post after a goalmouth scramble.
City, though, got the crucial opening goal on 21 minutes.
Stolarczyk should have done better than to parry Phil Foden’s long-range effort into the path of Savinho, who swept the rebound into the roof of the net for his first City goal.
Chances continued to come and go for Leicester early in the second half.
Justin should have levelled but his mishit finish from close range allowed Manuel Akanji to clear off the line.
Vardy then had the biggest chance to level when he prodded over Stephy Mavididi’s brilliant in-swinging cross.
However, they were hit by a City sucker punch to end the defending champions’ miserable run on the road.
Savinho was the creator this time as his cross perfectly picked out Haaland, who powered home his 19th of the season ending his four-game goal drought.
Atalanta snatch late draw at Lazio to hold Serie A lead
- Atalanta showed great character to battle back from Fisayo Dele-Bashiru’s 27th-minute goal which came in an intense opening period from Lazio
ROME: Atalanta kept hold of top spot in Serie A on Saturday after escaping Lazio with a 1-1 draw which kept Inter Milan at bay but ended their club-record league winning streak at 11 matches.
Marco Brescianini tapped home into an open goal with two minutes remaining to snatch a point from the Stadio Olimpico in Rome, where a passionate crowd thought a big win was coming their way.
Instead Atalanta will end a historic year a point ahead of Inter, who have a game in hand, after the champions briefly drew level on points with a 3-0 win earlier at Cagliari.
Europa League holders Atalanta will lead the league even if Napoli beat Venezia on Sunday and draw level on 41 points with Gian Piero Gasperini’s side who have a significantly better goal difference than the 2023 champions.
Should two teams finish level at the top of Serie A come the end of the season they will face off in a single match to decide the destination of the Scudetto, which Atalanta have never won.
“We struggled for long periods in the first half, but we were much better in the second,” said Atalanta coach Gasperini.
“This year has been the best year in Atalanta’s history, let’s hope we can make 2025 the same.”
Atalanta showed great character to battle back from Fisayo Dele-Bashiru’s 27th-minute goal which came in an intense opening period from Lazio.
The away side were initially blitzed by Lazio, with Marco Carnesecchi making two sensational stops before Matteo Guendouzi curled a great strike off the post in the 11th minute.
But as the match wore on, Atalanta, who were without injured star striker Mateo Retegui, grew into the game and deservedly drew level in front of a boisterous and hostile crowd in the Italian capital.
Brescianini netted his third goal of the season thanks largely to Ademola Lookman, who made up for earlier missing from yards out by beating Lazio’s offside trap, meeting Nicolo Zaniolo’s hooked pass and rolling across to his teammate to salvage a precious point.
Next up, Atalanta travel to play the Italian Super Cup in Saudi Arabia, where they will face Inter on Thursday.
Lautaro Martinez ended an eight-match scoring drought at Cagliari, netting the second in an engaging contest in Sardinia which Inter won with second-half goals from the Argentina striker, Alessandro Bastoni and Hakan Calhanoglu.
Inter have won their last five in Italy’s top flight, scoring 19 and conceding just once, a burst in form which has re-established Inter as favorites to retain the Scudetto.
The only thing missing for Inter were goals from captain Martinez, who hadn’t scored since November 3 before he prodded home Nicolo Barella’s cross in the 71st minute on Saturday.
“The most important thing is that Inter win. If I get a goal too, then that’s a bonus,” said Martinez.
“We work hard every day to win trophies and anyone who sets foot on the pitch will give their all for the team. We’ve just got to keep going and make 2025 like this year.”
Inter could have won by an even more convincing margin had captain Martinez not wasted great chances in each half and Cagliari goalkeeper Simone Scuffet not pulled off superb saves to deny Marcus Thuram and Barella.
But Martinez did net his seventh goal this season in all competitions and seven minutes later Calhanoglu made absolutely sure of the points from the penalty spot.
Cagliari are just inside the relegation zone after a fourth consecutive defeat for Davide Nicola’s side, a point behind Verona and Como who both play on Monday.
