Manchester City have been banned from the Champions League for two seasons for failing to comply with UEFA financial fair play rules. City are appealing but the case should be a warning to all clubs that rules must be obeyed.
If City do miss two years of Champions League football then it could be a great chance for Pep Guardiola to return to Barcelona next season. But it would depend on club’s performance until the end of the season.
Guardiola could come home to Camp Nou
If Barca win the Champions League this season under Quique Setien (pictured below) and produce a decent finish to the campaign in La Liga, there wont be any reasons for a managerial change.
But if the team doesn’t fulfil expectations and disappoints their fans, then perhaps there is a real chance of seeing Guardiola back at the club where he was most successful.
It’s still too early to seriously consider that possibility and we must wait until the end of this season. Will City’s suspension be upheld? Will Barça want to change coach again so soon after Setien took over from Ernest Valverde? We have to wait for a little while to find out the answers to these intriguing questions.
José Mourinho needs Moura help
Tottenham aren’t getting any luck this season with two of their best attackers – Harry Kane and Son Heung-min – picking up long term injuries. For that reason, Jose Mourinho needs the other attackers to step up while Dele Alli and Lucas Moura have additional responsibility.
I believe that the Brazilian Moura could be crucial for the club in this phase of the season. Spurs lost 1-0 at home to RB Leipzig on Wednesday and it’s now going to be tough for Spurs to reach Champions quarter-finals. But it’s still possible and if there is one player capable of turning around tough ties, it’s Moura as we saw last season in Amsterdam when he scored a hat-trick and Spurs came from behind to beat Ajax 3-2.
Moura has received some criticism recently but I think he’s having a good season and establishing himself as a regular starter. His team need him badly right now and he could play a pivotal role as they try to finish in the Premier League top four – or five, depending on what happens to City – and qualify for next season’s Champions League.
Haaland could become one of world’s best
When we see a 19-year-old scoring so in the Champions League we can only be happy about it. Erling Braut Haaland is in great form, has a contagious personality and is getting tons of admirers because of that.
He is making the difference very young and seems ready to shine a lot in the future. He should stay calm, concentrate on improving his game and gaining experience, because he seems to have the necessary qualities to become one of the best forwards in the world in the next few years.
Why I disagree with emergency signing of Braithwhaite
Barcelona weren’t lucky with Ousmane Dembéle and Luis Suárez’s injuries, but the club had time to sign at least one player in the transfer window and preferred not to do it. Now they have decided to bought an attacker after La Liga let them make an emergency signing.
Martin Braithwaite (pictured above) has joined Barcelona from Leganes, a minor team that is struggling to avoid relegation and which could be seriously harmed by losing the player.
With all the respect to Braithwate, who looks like he possesses quality, I thought Barca should sign a younger player. If Braitwhaite, who’s 28, has signed for 18m euros he should be a regular starter, trying to replace Suárez permanently.
I didn’t agree with this transfer for a couple reasons: it was made after the deadline and Barcelona could select have promoted young players to the senior squad instead.
Furthermore, the team is improving lately and playing better, so I don’t see reasons to grab an attacker who, again with respect, I doubt could be the player the club needs now.
Hopefully that Barcelonagate news aren’t true
We should always be careful about discussing rumours, but if Barcelona really paid a social media company to damage the reputations of players, ex-players and ex-presidents – as was claimed this week – it would be very sad.
If true, it would be tough for the players and president, as it’s never pretty to pay to self-promote or, in this case, to defame someone. This kind of news on social networks is annoying for those targeted and even more so if it’s their own club ordering them. I just hope it is not true.
Source: Betfair Champions League
