Arsenal midfielder Granit Xhaka has said that he believes Mikel Arteta is the right man to lead the club forward, despite their 1-0 loss to Nottingham Forest at the weekend, which saw Manchester City win the Premier League. Xhaka stated that even though the Gunners have had a disappointing few weeks, the last eleven months have provided a good blueprint for progression. Arsenal were top of the Premier League for 248 days this season and held an eight-point lead over City in March.
The Premier League charges brought against Manchester City for inaccurately reporting their finances over a nine-year period will continue to overshadow the club's many successes until the inquiry against them is resolved. Though City deny the allegations, the prolonged timeframe of the case, estimated to take at least two years before a resolution is reached, has caused frustration among fans. Reports within hours of a recent victory against Real Madrid suggest that City are making efforts to use a legal challenge to delay the proceedings as long as possible.
On this day in 2011, Chelsea FC dismissed their manager Carlo Ancelotti just one year after he had led the club to a domestic double. He was let go by club owner Roman Abramovich after the team failed to deliver a trophy in the following season, with the Blues finishing second in the title race, nine points adrift of Manchester United, after exits in the Champions League, FA Cup and League Cup. Ancelotti’s sacking left Chelsea looking for their seventh manager in eight years.
Abramovich was famously unsentimental with his managers, even ones that had brought success to the club. Jose Mourinho’s first spell at the club was ended four months after he had delivered consecutive trophies. Ancelotti’s predecessors, Avram Grant and Luiz Felipe Scolari, and the man who succeeded him, Andre Villas-Boas, were all dismissed within eight months. Ancelotti went on to manage Paris St Germain, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Napoli and finally Everton.
Returning to Real Madrid this year, Ancelotti led the team to their domestic title, becoming the first manager to win the championship in each of Europe’s top five leagues – Serie A, Premier League, Ligue 1, Bundesliga and LaLiga. Despite a successful career, Ancelotti’s time at Chelsea stands as a reminder of the ruthlessness of football management.
The owner of Serie A champions Napoli has called on the league to deliver matches directly to viewers through services such as Netflix and Amazon Prime, warning piracy and waning interest were a real risk to the sport's future. Aurelio De Laurentiis said the league should handle broadcast production and streaming of games in a bid to reignite Italian football. The country's top league has suffered underinvestment and scandal, and the 73-year-old said it was losing younger fans to video games. The Premier League and Ligue 1 are also planning tenders for domestic broadcast rights.
Leeds United’s three-season stay in the Premier League looks likely to be over and the PA news agency explores some of the reasons why the Yorkshire club finds itself falling from grace. The article cites a lack of success in filling the void left after the sacking of head coach Marcelo Bielsa, leading to a series of uncertain decision-makings by the club, and a failure to provide squad depth as key factors in their decline. In addition, ownership issues surrounding the club’s future direction has left Leeds unable to establish long-term management stability.
Manchester City plan to rest key players for their remaining two Premier League games of the season before focusing on FA Cup and Champions League success. Manager Pep Guardiola intends to prevent rustiness whilst keeping players sharp and may rotate half the first-choice side for each of the two league games. With few injury concerns, there is speculation over the Manchester City line-ups, however they are on a strong run of form and appear to have their ideal big-match XI lined up for the Champions League final against Inter Milan in Istanbul.
German police searching for Madeleine McCann's body are set to search a remote Algarve reservoir that suspect Christian Brueckner previously visited. Meanwhile, the UK Home Secretary Suella Braverman says she is "confident that nothing untoward has happened" in the handling of her speeding offence. In other news, Ukrainian forces sponsored by the Ukrainian government have launched a cross-border tank raid, apparently the most significant cross-border activity by Ukraine-backed forces to bring the war against Russia to its soil. Russian volunteers fighting on Ukraine's side drove tanks and armoured vehicles across the border.
Newcastle United are returning to the Champions League after a 20-year absence, having achieved their goal of qualifying for European competition reportedly through “smart recruitment, excellent coaching, and their Saudi owners”. United, who sat rooted at the bottom of the league after Eddie Howe’s first game in charge, finished three places above Leicester City last season but now stand 15 places above them. Howe has apparently transformed the team to a point where even a conference league spot would have been a success, yet they have propelled themselves back into the elite competition.
Manchester City's Ilkay Gundogan has said the team is aiming to maintain its high level of performance as they approach the end of the season. The Premier League champions still have two matches to play before tackling the FA Cup final against rivals Manchester United on 3 June and the Champions League final against Italy's Inter Milan the following week. "We do nothing different – we do the same things that we’ve done in the last few weeks and hopefully it can be a really special end to the season," said Gundogan. City have won the Premier League, the first trophy they are chasing in their potential treble-winning campaign.
Newcastle United football club, now under the ownership of Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund, has qualified for the Champions League for the first in 20 years. The draw against Leicester City on 10 May meant that Newcastle remains within the top four teams in the English Premier League and cannot be pushed out before the end of the season. The milestone moment represents a significant step towards the club's aim of becoming a major force in European football. Newcastle's players may now compete against the European heavyweights, which they last did in 2003.
Newcastle United secured their qualification to compete in the UEFA Champions League after a 0-0 draw against Leicester City, while helping to determine the relegation battle by leaving Brendan Rodgers’ side needing a result on the final day of the season to avoid the drop. A party atmosphere broke out as supporters celebrated the Magpies’ first appearance in the competition for 20 years, marked fittingly by the stalwart performance of goalkeeper Nick Pope, whose injury-time save denied Leicester a vital win.
Newcastle United need just one point to ensure their Champions League qualification for the following season, while Leicester are hoping that a win can save them from relegation. Newcastle, backed by Saudi investment, is currently 3rd in the table in their first full season under Saudi ownership. This evening’s match at St James’ Park is decisive for them as avoiding defeat against Leicester would guarantee a top four finish. If Newcastle secure a win, they will move into second place and replace Manchester City who had a disadvantageous result yesterday against Tottenham Hotspur. Leicester must win tonight and hope that earlier matches between Aston Villa and Burnley, and Manchester United and Brighton & Hove Albion end in their favour, until their final game of the season against Huddersfield next weekend.
