Before Wednesday’s historic events at the Camp Nou, everyone had agreed that Barcelona would need to play a perfect match to turn the tide against Paris Saint-Germain. They would need to do unto PSG as PSG had done unto them. Sure, Barcelona could score four goals, but could they keep Edinson Cavani, Lucas Moura, Julian Draxler and Angel Di Maria off the scoresheet?
We've never understood Power Rankings, especially when you can just look at the standings for an official, unarguable list of who's the best and who's the worst. So, with a desire to not do something so unnecessary and redundant, but rather create a new list that makes very little sense, we present: The MLS Rankings of Power.
Every week, we'll update this monstrosity in the hope of finding the most powerful person, place or thing in the most major of major soccer leagues. Let us begin.
After wrapping up his second preseason as manager of New York City FC, Patrick Vieira is looking ahead to today’s match against Orlando City. There is optimism in the air for the Frenchman. After all, his first season in the Big Apple was considered a success. He guided the second-year franchise to a second place finish in the Eastern Conference and the conference semifinals of the playoffs – albeit the embarrassing aggregate loss at the hands of Toronto (0-7).
Fiorentina manager Paulo Sousa has a problem. Paulo Sousa isn’t very good at his job. What’s more, people are starting to notice. For a while now, Fiorentina fans have been trying to tell anyone who will listen that the Portuguese manager is performing well below expectations. After two high profile capitulations in the space of a week, Sousa’s problem is now clear for all to see. Paulo Sousa isn’t very good at his job.
So that’s that then. The man who led Leicester City to their greatest achievement in 133 years of existence, who, against 5,000-1 odds, reminded us that football is important because it provides moments of proof as to the ability to ascend over the bleak status quo — that we are surrounded by possibilities rather than dictated by a torrent of cruel fate, has been stabbed in the back by his club a day after declaring that “the dream is alive”.
The world’s most popular sport is made up of more than just talent. These footballers have proven to us that they have swag on the field as well as off it. These 15 players ditched the athletic wear and replaced it with a whole bunch of style. Their sweaters, shades and shoes are giving us some serious style goals. Take a look at the most stylish footballers on Instagram.
The cars were on fire and there was no driver at the wheel. For the president of Pescara, a rotten six months was capped with the firing of the manager who brought Serie A football back to the provincial town, the torching of his property by disillusioned fans, and a last gasp, hail Mary attempt to save the club’s position by turning to one of Italy’s most notorious cult leaders, Zdenek Zeman.
Arsene Wenger has confirmed that he will not walk out on Arsenal this season, but his future at the club remains in the balance with his contract set to expire in the summer. The BBC has reported that the 67-year-old and the club will come to a mutual agreement in the summer, but Wenger has made it clear that regardless of what happens, he will still be coaching next year.
A lot can change in a few months. The gap between the draw for the Champions League round of 16 and the matches themselves can be vast. Even in countries where a winter break (or the lack thereof) is not just an annual excuse for under-pressure managers, the sides which face off in February can be entirely different from those which were first drawn out of the pots. Now, after a relatively normal week in Serie A, what should we expect from the Italian teams still in Europe’s premier cup competition?