Armchair Pundit
  • Don’t expect Chelsea to park the bus

    "Unjust, cruel, horrible, unmerited. Any adjective is not enough to define the incredible elimination of Barca at the hands of Chelsea. Few times has a team done so much to deserve to reach the Champions League final as that of Guardiola's. And rarely has a rival, with so little, gained that very prize."

    Sport (Catalan daily newspaper), 25 April 2012

    "A big issue will be how to play against a defensive team like Chelsea. I believe that Bayern will have a lot of ball possession. Chelsea played effective football against Barcelona, but Chelsea won't win a beauty award. The footballing skills of

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  • England squad: Winners and losers

    Roy Hodgson's Euro 2012 squad created a host of talking points, with enough contentious selections to get #HodgsonOut trending on Twitter.

    But did the new England boss make the right decisions? Here is a look at the key inclusions and omissions.

    IN

    John Terry

    Teflon Terry strikes again. On recent form, he is a borderline selection at best. When you add his off-field issues, plus injury problems that are no less severe than Rio Ferdinand's, it seems clear that he is no longer worth the hassle. Yes, he has experience. But it is experience of discord and failure. How on earth does he do it?

    Good

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  • Brave Kean has come up short

    You have to admire Steve Kean.

    Minutes after seeing his Blackburn side relegated, after enduring an hour and a half of chants baying for his dismissal, and getting bundled off the pitch to avoid an angry pitch invasion, Kean fronted up - as he has all season - and went through with his post-match interviews.

    After a season of "taking the positives" from even the most dire performances, surely now we would get a more honest assessment of Rovers' season, and an acknowledgement that they have simply not been up to scratch. Wouldn't we?

    Not a bit of it. After praising his team's performance, Kean

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  • Fergie to blame for United collapse

    Alex Ferguson fumes after a touchline spat with Roberto Mancini

    It was billed as the most important game in Premier League history; it was certainly the most-hyped.

    But in the end no compelling storyline emerged. Carlos Tevez did not put United to the sword; Ashley Young did not dive for another penalty; Mario Balotelli was seen only grinning on the touchline; Wayne Rooney barely completed a pass, let alone an overhead kick; Andre Marriner produced a competent, controversy-free refereeing performance.

    In a way, then, it came as a comfort that this ended up as little more than one football team beating another by virtue of playing better.

    The winning goal

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  • Anti-football is still football

    It feels like a battle between footballing good and evil.

    Slick, stylish, attacking Barcelona against a Chelsea side that will park the bus and attempt to niggle, dive and obfuscate their way to the Champions League final.

    A team built on youth development and promotion from within against a club whose catastrophic short-termism has created chaos and handed ultimate power to a group of surly millionaires.

    However, we should resist the easy, simplistic conclusion that anything but a Barcelona victory tonight would represent disaster for football.

    The stereotypes contain much truth, but they

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  • Bayern to upset Madrid and Barcelona

    With the Champions League final four set, let's take a look at the contenders before offering a tentative prediction.

    BARCELONA (Odds: 10/11)

    We know all about Barcelona's good points, their world-class players and their impeccable recent record in the Champions League.

    They are strong favourites for a good reason. But unbeatable? Certainly not.

    Let's not forget they are six points adrift in the Spanish title race thanks to iffy away form (only eight wins and 26 goals in 15 games compared with Real's 12 wins and 40 goals).

    And keep in mind that after 130 minutes of their tie against Milan

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  • Moyes shuns shallow aspiration

    This week David Moyes celebrates a decade as Everton manager - a feat that grows harder to achieve each year.

    Moyes is the third longest-serving manager in the Football League, behind Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger.

    Fourth-placed John Still of Dagenham and Redbridge is the only other boss to have passed the six-year mark.

    Everybody knows managers are getting less time. Last season, the average tenure was 18 months, compared to three and a half years in 1992.

    But what is absolutely startling is the number of clubs chopping and changing on a yearly basis.

    Remember when Harry Redknapp took over

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  • Why would Mourinho go back to Chelsea?

    As of Tuesday lunchtime, the bookies' favourite to manage Chelsea next season is Jose Mourinho - for example, the massive, disembodied head of Ray Winstone would offer you odds of just 7/4 on the Special One returning to Stamford Bridge.

    We all know why he is tipped to come back - he is a god at Stamford Bridge, he has dropped strong hints that he will leave Real Madrid for England in the summer, and he is apparently house-hunting in the capital.

    He likes Chelsea, of course, and they love him. But it is not a move that makes sense, either for him or the club.

    Let's look at it from the club's

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  • Seriously, where’s Harry?

    When England take on Netherlands tomorrow night, there will be a far bigger absentee than the usual bunch of injury cry-offs.

    As the Three Lions walk out, the missing link may be tuned to his radio while driving home to Dorset.

    He is the consensus choice of the players, the public and the media - so why isn't Harry Redknapp England manager yet?

    I know, I know. He doesn't want to walk out on Tottenham at the business end of what could be the club's best season for decades.

    So we all expect a swift installation in May, followed by a couple of weeks to learn everybody's name, then straight into

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  • Tevez can only derail City

    Should Tevez be told to pack his bags again?For those in favour of Carlos Tevez's return to the fold at Manchester City, he is just what they need.

    A bit of pep, a dash of zing, to perk up their title challenge at a time when it is in danger of stalling.

    City stand on the brink of their first league championship since 1968 - Tevez can push them over the edge.

    This argument points to City's recent struggles in front of goal - Sergio Aguero, Edin Dzeko and Mario Balotelli having a lean time of it compared with their prolific early-season form.

    No doubt, a happy Tevez is a brilliant footballer.

    Yet the contention that City need another

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Pagination

(163 Stories)

About Armchair Pundit

Alex Chick spent the World Cup pontificating from the comfort of his own front room, and will continue rambling about football from the dark recesses of the Eurosport office. Not so much Armchair Pundit as Swivel Chair Pundit. He has been Deputy Managing Editor at Eurosport-Yahoo! since 2007, although it took him until last week to work out how to use the photocopier.

  • Hodgson hamstrung by foreign influx

    Hodgson hamstrung by foreign influx

    Well, we know what Harry Redknapp would have said had he been appointed England manager and been in charge for tomorrow's friendly against Norway: 'We're down to the bare bones.' And Harry would have been right. As rude awakenings go, … Continue reading → More »

    Jim White - Fri, May 25, 2012 13:01 BST
  • Hodgson lowers England expectations

    Hodgson lowers England expectations

    "You don't have to use short passes. Not if you want to use your big man up front." It could be a line ripped straight from the script of 'Mike Bassett: England Manager', that affectionate yet searingly honest deconstruction of … Continue reading → More »

    Early Doors - Fri, May 25, 2012 09:10 BST
  • Over and out for Pep

    Over and out for Pep

    It's a good time to be a Real Madrid fan. Jose Mourinho has signed an extension which will contract him to the Bernabeu until 2016. Sir Alex Ferguson might think about moving on by then.  Having displaced Barca as Spanish … Continue reading → More »

    Andy Mitten - Thu, May 24, 2012 17:46 BST
  • Coaching or TV? Neville must choose

    Coaching or TV? Neville must choose

    Gary Neville's appointment to Roy Hodgson's England coaching staff surprised me, because I'm not sure he can combine the job with his punditry for Sky. If he is working as a link between the squad and the manager, he needs … Continue reading → More »

    Paul Parker - Thu, May 24, 2012 13:02 BST
  • Barton gazes into the abyss

    Barton gazes into the abyss

    Twelve Nietzsche quotes for Joey Barton to ponder during his suspension: 'If there is something to pardon in everything, there is also something to condemn.' 'Talking much about oneself can also be a means to conceal oneself.' 'And if you … Continue reading → More »

    Early Doors - Thu, May 24, 2012 09:01 BST
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