The often-derided Loris Karius upstaged Manuel Neuer as Schalke held Bayern to a rare goalless draw in a tale of two goalkeepers in Gelsenkirchen If one goalkeeper was going to dominate the discussion in this game, it actually felt as if it would be the less busy one. Schalke fans do not take kindly to being dumped and even if Manuel Neuer left the club behind 15 years ago – and even if most of the world associates him with Bayern Munich rather than his home town club – he is still given a rough ride when he returns.Opposing sporting directors Max Eberl and Frank Baumann had words to say about that after Saturday evening’s latest visit, but it wasn’t Germany’s legendary goalkeeper who took the headlines – or not he alone, at least. It was always going to be a landmark afternoon with Schalke playing a first home game in the top flight since May 2023, but this was way beyond what anyone could have expected. The numbers said it all – with Bayern failing to score for the first time domestically since a goalless draw at Leverkusen more than 18 months ago, meaning they finished the weekend not on top of the table for the first time in almost two years – but told nothing of the story. Continue reading...
Players hope their workaholic manager will let his hair down if he wins competition for fifth time in IstanbulTwo years ago, during Aston Villa’s first European adventure under Unai Emery, Vicente Iborra was asked about a manager he knows better than most. “He is a coach that takes into consideration every detail which might happen in the match,” said Iborra, then of Olympiakos. Iborra has winner’s medals from all four of Emery’s Europa League triumphs – three on the spin with Sevilla, the last with Villarreal five years ago – before which the injured midfielder delivered a stirring dressing-room speech. “You have the chance to make a lot of people happy,” he said, by way of opening gambit.On Wednesday, against Freiburg, Emery hopes to lift the trophy for a record-extending fifth time. Before Villa beat Nottingham Forest in the semi-finals, Vítor Pereira spoke on behalf of the masses when he called Emery the king of the Europa League. This is Emery’s sixth final, he’s only lost one, and he’s seeking his first silverware with Villa. Continue reading...
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