Bandits · Premier League · Midfielder · #29 · Belize · 36 yrs
Aston Villa left Manchester at the end of last season with a sense of frustration and failure. Controversially denied a Champions League spot - Morgan Rogers' goal dramatically ruled out before Emi Martinez was sent off in defeat by Manchester United which cost them a top four place - Villa went back down the M6 fuming. This time, days after their Europa League win in Istanbul against Freiburg, the mood is totally different.
Emiliano Martinez is reportedly expected to be fully recovered in time to anchor Argentina's defense at the 2026 World Cup. Alarm bells blared across Argentina after Emiliano Martinez admitted to playing through a broken finger during the Europa League final—a devastating revelation coming less than a month before the kickoff of the 2026 World Cup. However, massive relief has arrived for Lionel Scaloni and his coaching staff. According to Argentine national team insider Gaston Edul, medical scans revealed that while Martinez suffered a hairline fracture in his finger, the injury will not require surgery. Consequently, the Aston Villa goalkeeper faces a recovery timeline of roughly 20 days, effectively ensuring he will be cleared in time for Argentina‘s highly anticipated World Cup opener. The defending World Cup champions are scheduled to launch their title defense in North America on Tuesday, June 16, when they square off against Algeria at Arrowhead Stadium. Emiliano Martínez of Argentina. (Getty Images) Which matches will Martinez miss? While Martinez is projected to be fully fit for the tournament in North America, his recovery timeline rules him out of action for the immediate fixtures leading up to the World Cup. As he nurses his broken finger, “Dibu” will sit out Aston Villa’s final Premier League match of the season, where they are set to host Manchester City. Furthermore, he will be sidelined for Argentina’s upcoming warm-up friendlies. Scaloni’s men are tuning up to face Honduras on June 6 at Kyle Field in their first World Cup preparation match. Three days later, the reigning world champions will wrap up their pre-tournament slate against Iceland at Jordan-Hare Stadium.
Amid the rumored exit of Manchester City for Pep Guardiola, Fabio Capello doesn't think he would be the ideal manager for Italy. Italy’s struggles may not be over after failing under Gennaro Gattuso to qualify for the World Cup. This was their third consecutive elimination, which opened up the Italy job. Pep Guardiola has been linked with the position amid rumors he could leave Manchester City, but Fabio Capello explained in an interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport why he would not be the best fit. Capello said: “He is a great coach with great qualities. He always manages to do very well everywhere at club level. The national team is a different job. You do not work every day, and that is exactly where the difficulty lies: you are not a coach, you are a national team manager.” The veteran coach knows very well the differences between managing a national team and working at a club, having led England and Russia after beginning his career with giants like Real Madrid, Milan and Juventus. Capello on Manchester City’s power The Italian manager was right that the job is completely different at a club than at a national team. Even if he did not mention Manchester City directly, he was critical of Guardiola’s ability to sign players before praising his coaching ability. Capello has a vast experience (Angel Martinez/Getty Images for Laureus) For the former manager, the main challenge would be adapting to the lack of depth he might face at the national team level, which would be the complete opposite of a club where he can get almost any player he wants. Capello said: “We are talking about a great coach, but one who is used to saying things like, ‘I need two midfielders,’ and then the club buys them for him. Here, you do not find them that easily, and that is the difference. The team has to improve in a different way. But the results speak for themselves and show everything he has achieved. It would be something new, and because he is an intelligent person, it is possible he would quickly understand how to do it.” Capello on Italy’s pressure What has been clear about the recent failures of a country that has won four World Cups in its history is that the pressure on the players has been too much. Even if the last few generations have not been as talented as some of the past ones, the psychological pressure has also been a huge burden. Capello said: “You must be good at finding the right players who can truly perform for the Azzurri the same way they do for their clubs, because that is exactly the problem. Many players struggle under the pressure of wearing the Italy shirt.”
Manager relishes ‘challenge’ of Champions League returnEmi Martínez reveals he played game with broken fingerFor Aston Villa, the Europa League must only be the beginning, Unai Emery insisted after winning the trophy for a fifth time. Beating Freiburg 3-0 on Wednesday evening brought Villa’s first major piece silverware since the League Cup in 1996, but Emery is determined this should not be the summit of their achievements. He again rejected the tag of “king of the Europa League”, preferring to focus on “now” and, by implication, the future.“Next year we will play in Champions League and this is the challenge,” the Aston Villa manager said. “The best teams in the world are there and it will challenge us a lot. The Premier League is the most difficult league in the world. To be fighting top seven, top five, top four is something very difficult. Hopefully we can be close with teams like City and Arsenal. Continue reading...
