Managers

Germany manager Joachim Low announced his preliminary, 27-man squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup today — a number that will need to be trimmed to 23 before Die Mannschaft open play against Mexico on June 17. 

News of Sir Alex Ferguson’s emergency surgery for a brain hemorrhage was met with sadness and support throughout the footballing community on Saturday as Ferguson’s former club, Manchester United, announced that the legendary manager had undergone a successful procedure and now required a period of recovery in intensive care.

Neymar is reportedly back in Paris today, and while he’s not expected to return to action immediately, there’s still hope he can play in PSG’s final league game, away at Caen. Neymar has been out injured since the end of February after fracturing his fifth metatarsal and flying back to Brazil to have it surgically repaired and treated.  

Make no mistake, Chelsea’s Premier League title defense has been nothing short of a disaster. In fact, their season as a whole could be summed up as outrageously underwhelming on all levels. They sit in fifth place and face an extremely difficult task in trying to catch London rivals Tottenham in fourth. 

Spurs are five points ahead and there are only three games left to play this season. Also, bigger foundational problems loom for Chelsea in the offseason — problems that no doubt contributed to the malaise and poor form throughout the campaign.

In the outpouring of eulogies surrounding the end of Arsene Wenger’s time at Arsenal, you’re going to read two popular refrains: (1) the beginning was better than the end and (2) there’s some degree of face-saving in his decision to walk with a year yet to go on his current contract.