Managers

For better or for worse, Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho has taken every competition seriously this campaign. You could say for better because it’s resulted in United reaching the EFL Cup final, the FA Cup quarterfinals and the Europa League round of 16.

You could say for worse because with the Red Devils holding a 3-0 advantage over Saint-Etienne in the Europa League, Mourinho elected to field a strong side in the second leg, resulting in injuries that will rule both Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Michael Carrick out of Sunday’s EFL Cup final.

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”.

Claudio Ranieri, the man who inspired Leicester City to its geatest season and orchestrated the biggest surprise in Premier League history, has been sacked less than a year after hoisting the EPL trophy. 

The Daily Mail first reported that, in the middle of a relegation fight (but with the team still alive in the Champions League knockout stage. The Champions League! Leicester!), Ranieri had been let go.

The three-headed monster that is the Juventus defense will be without Leonardo Bonucci, who has the most minutes of the three in both Serie A and the Champions League, for Juventus’ first leg match against Porto. The club has every right to believe that the strength of Giorgio Chiellini and Andrea Barzagli in defense will be enough at Porto’s Estadio do Dragao, but the loss of Bonucci can only benefit the Portuguese club.

Rangers interim manager Graeme Murty is the Zlatan Ibrahimovic of football managers, in that he does wildly flexible, athletic things for seemingly no reason at all.

Murty got a bit too worked up during a recent match against Dundee and, well, he stood on his head.

(holds up "10" sign)

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.

Citing a desire to not be the coach that’s guilty of retiring Francesco Totti, Roma’s Luciano Spalletti has threatened to quit if Totti is not offered another one-year contract extension this summer.

The 40-year-old Roman has neither confirmed nor denied a desire to play next season, but the future of the personal embodiment of the club trumps all other focuses, according to Spalletti.

Chivas beat Club America Saturday in the Superclasico, with an Angel Zaldivar penalty the difference between the two sides. The real story of the game, though, was Club America manager Ricardo La Volpe making a tackle on Chivas' Jesus Sanchez.

La Volpe was rightly sent off. 

I have to admit, it was a pretty good tackle. Not bad for a 65-year-old!

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.