While one world class manager who is leaving his club this summer has asked critics to kill him, another one has just signed a two year contract extension at a club he has taken to dizzying new heights.
Pep Guardiola is not taking the Champions League semi final second leg lightly, as he puts his life on the line. A lifeline is what Italian giants AC Milan are now looking for though, as they register a multi-million euro loss from last year. We have here, for you, the daily new round-up.
Guardiola tells critics they can kill him if Bayern crash out to Atletico
Life was going smoothly for Pep Guardiola. Bayern Munich were on the path to Champions League glory and the Bundesliga title, while he was going to sign off on a winning note and head to the shores of England to coach Manchester City. The Spaniard, though, has been given a rude awakening by a familiar foe.
Atletico Madrid handed Bayern a 1-0 defeat at the Vicente Calderon, and Guardiola has told his critics they are free to kill him (obviously not literally) if the Bavarians cannot overturn this deficit.
“We have one game left. If I lose that you can kill me but I still have a chance,” he said, according to the Mirror.
Pep also spoke about his controversial decision to leave German forward Thomas Muller on the bench.
“I would have loved to play Muller. Perhaps it would have been better if he had played, but I have to take a decision and it was nothing against him, just tactics.”
Pochettino commits future to Tottenham until 2021
Mauricio Pochettino has revolutionized Tottenham since taking over in 2014, taking them to within touching distance of the Premier League title, with the promise of even better things to come as his young squad matures.
The Argentine manager has become a top managerial target for a number of clubs thanks to his exploits, with even Manchester United being linked to a move. He had also expressed interest in PSG.
All these are things of the past now though, as Pochettino recently signed a two year extension to his original 5 year contract that will keep him at Tottenham Hotspur till 2021.
“It’s an easy decision,” Pochettino said, according to the Guardian.
“When you are happy and when you feel the love of the people and the potential of the club is massive, why change?
“We create a good atmosphere on the training ground and I think we can achieve big things in the future. I am very happy. We have created a great group of players, have a very strong squad, young with potential to be top.”
AC Milan in troubled waters after 89.3 million euro loss
Legendary Italian club AC Milan have had a drastic fall from grace over the past few years. They are currently in sixth place in the Serie A table. Far from the masters of the game who won the Champions League in 2007, AC Milan will now face their third consecutive season outside Europe’s premier club competition.
To make matters worse, shareholders were incensed as the club announced a staggering 89.3 million euros loss in the last financial year, according to ESPN. General manager Adriano Galliani and majority shareholder Silvio Berlusconi were left with no option but to try and appease the minority shareholders.
“What has happened over the past five years of dramatic management of our club, of which recent events are emblematic, shows that the club is losing its identity,” said the statement read out by the minority shareholders, according to tuttomercatoweb.com.
“And since it seems evident that Milan are now aiming at international markets to draw in foreign investment from people who need to have faith in us, this is even greater reason for a radical change in management.”
It looks like AC Milan has well and truly hit rock bottom, both professionally and financially.
