European Super Football

 There has been a huge announcement in Germany Bayern Munich have named Vincent Kompany as their new head coach on a three-year contract.  The 38-year-old Belgian takes over from Thomas Tuchel, moving from Burnley to the Bundesliga team after both clubs agreed on a compensation fee thought to be around £10.2 million. Kompany led Burnley to victory in the Championship during the 2022-23 season, but the team suffered  relegation from the Premier League this season, finishing 19th. After retiring as a player in 2020, Kompany joined Burnley from Anderlecht in 2022 and signed a five-year contract extension just last year. Despite this, he declined to comment on his future following Burnley's home loss to Nottingham Forest on the final day of the season. Kompany in high demand despite a poor season Despite a tough season that saw Burnley return to the Championship with only five league wins, the club was planning a swift return to the Premier League under Kompany's leadership. Be

Burnley 0 - 5 Arsenal Following Liverpool's win in the early game against Brentford, The Gunners knew they had to win this match and they duly obliged.  Following their 6-0 victory at West Ham last week , Arsenal were soon among the goals again, with captain Martin Odegaard opening the scoring after four minutes with a precise strike into the bottom corner following Gabriel Martinelli's pass. Bukayo Saka converted from the penalty spot to double the lead after Lorenz Assignon fouled Leandro Trossard in the box. Saka secured his second goal just after the restart as Arsenal maintained the pressure, seizing on a clever pass from Odegaard, cutting inside, and firing a shot into the roof of the net. Havertz's scuffed effort was blocked in the box, but Trossard was alert to curl in his third goal in as many league games. Jakub Kiwior's long throw down the line then found an unmarked Havertz, who slipped in behind the defence and drilled past home goalkeeper James Traffor

 Burnley 3 - 0 Birmingham City The Turf Moor side has their sights set firmly on a return to the Premier League.  They restored their lead at the top of the Championship to three points as they deservedly beat a resolute Birmingham City. Goals from Anass Zaroury and Connor Roberts were supplemented by an injury-time third from Nathan Tella. Vincent Kompany's in-form Clarets completed their 14th win in 24 Championship games this season to edge clear again of second-placed Sheffield United. Highlights from  Burnley Football Club - YouTube   The hosts got off to a flyer when Morocco's Zaroury hit the fastest Championship goal of the season - after just 49 seconds. After helping to set up the first goal, Roberts then got in on the goalscoring act himself when he ended the first half as it had begun a minute before the break with another neatly worked move down the right. Tella then rounded it all off as he ran through to score to complete the Blues' heaviest defeat of the s

Craig Bellamy is the new Wales manager The 44-year-old succeeds former team-mate Robert Page, who was sacked in June. Cardiff-born Bellamy won 78 Wales caps and captained the side between 2007-2010. He takes up the role having left Burnley, where he had been acting head coach before Scott Parker's appointment last week. Parker was keen to work with the Welshman, but Bellamy leaves Burnley with the blessings of everyone at the club. Bellamy, back in the day, with a certain Gareth Bale stood behind him.  Reports from across Wales and beyond had suggested that Arsenal legend Thierry Henry, Georgia boss Willy Sagnol and surprise contender Des Buckingham, the Oxford United manager, were all spoken to. However, it has now been confirmed that Bellamy was the Football Association of Wales first choice. Bellamy is said to have impressed during discussions - and will now get the chance to lead the side in qualification for the 2026 World Cup. His first game as Wales manager will be a N

After a crazy season for Burnley, we have to ask one question. What's next for the Turf Moor club? The latest in a series of articles that will look at how teams did throughout the 21/22 season, and ask how they could improve for next season. In our first season summary, we spoke about Man City being crowned champions. Then we asked are Tottenham ready for the Champions League? Now for a look at the other end of the table After a dramatic final day Burnley were relegated from the Premier League as a home loss to Newcastle United condemned them to the Championship. At the start of the day, Burnley were above Leeds on goal difference, but Jesse Marsch's side won 2-1 at Brentford to end the Clarets' six-year spell in the top flight. Immediate reaction Burnley defender James Tarkowski told the media : "We’re devastated but over the season we've not been good enough. We need to be better than we have been and we've got our just reqwards by not doing enough. "

Tottenham Hotspur 2 - 3 Bayern Munich Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane received a warm welcome back at his former club Tottenham Hotspur, where fans gave him a standing ovation as Bayern edged out Spurs 3-2 in a pre-season friendly. Returning to his old stomping ground for the first time since leaving for Bayern in a £86.4 million deal last summer, Kane came on as a late substitute. The England captain was met with applause both when he entered the pitch and later, when he took a solo lap of honour after the match. Alongside Eric Dier, who joined Bayern from Tottenham in January, the pair were honoured by Spurs before kick-off, receiving gifts in recognition of their contributions to the club. Premier League: Summer 2024 news and stories (eurosuperfootball.blogspot.com) Before the game, Tottenham also introduced their new signings (Dominic Solanke, Archie Gray, and Lucas Bergvall) to the home crowd. Once the match began, Dejan Kulusevski gave Spurs the lead, but Bayern responded wi

 Another Premier League boss has lost his job. On Friday 17th March, Crystal Palace confirmed that Patrick Vieira has left his post as First Team Manager.  Three members of his coaching staff - Osian Roberts, Kristian Wilson and Saïd Aïgoun - have also left the club. Chairman Steve Parish told cpfc.co.uk: “It is with enormous regret that this difficult decision has been made. Ultimately, results in recent months have placed us in a precarious league position and we felt a change is necessary to give us the best chance of retaining Premier League status. That said, Patrick’s impact since joining us in the summer of 2021 has been significant, and he is held in the highest regard by myself, and all of his colleagues.  "He led the team to a Wembley FA Cup semi-final and a respectable 12th-placed finish last season playing some exciting football, which was a challenging and crucial campaign for the club given the changes we made to the squad prior to his arrival." All the best r

Aston Villa 1 - 0 Bayern Munich In an electrifying evening at Villa Park, Jhon Duran once again made a stunning impact off the bench, securing a glorious Champions League victory for Aston Villa over Bayern Munich. The occasion was steeped in history, evoking memories of Villa’s famous 1982 European Cup triumph against the German side in Rotterdam. This time, Duran replicated that iconic scoreline, netting his fifth goal as a substitute this season. Brought on in the 70th minute to replace Ollie Watkins, it took Duran just nine minutes to make his presence felt. Spotting Bayern’s experienced keeper, Manuel Neuer, out of position, he calmly lobbed the ball into the net. A closer look at a sensational night in the Midlands For Villa manager Unai Emery, this was another resounding success. The result builds on Villa's strong start to their Champions League   campaign having beaten Young Boys 3-0 in Switzerland in their opening match. Villa Park, hosting its first Champions League

It has been confirmed that Head Coach Antonio Conte has left Tottenham Hotspur by mutual agreement.  Cristian Stellini will take the team as Acting Head Coach for the remainder of the season, along with Ryan Mason as Assistant Head Coach. This comes just over a week after Conte's extraordinary rant where he appeared to call out players and the Spurs board.  Let's explore some of the best reaction to this announcement Daniel Levy, Spurs Chairman, gave his thoughts on the club website : “We have 10 Premier League games remaining and we have a fight on our hands for a Champions League place. We all need to pull together. Everyone has to step up to ensure the highest possible finish for our Club and amazing, loyal supporters.” Greg, a Spurs fan from Halifax, told us: "I totally agree with all that Conte said regarding the players and the lack of silverware since our last League Cup success. In my opinion, Daniel Levy needs to go, and go now. Maybe under new leadership Spu

Press reports from across Europe are suggesting that Manchester City are about to make some big moves in the transfer market. Would Joshua Kimmich be a good signing for City and Guardiola? Kimmich is reportedly eager to reunite with Pep Guardiola, despite the possibility that his former boss could leave in a year. Kimmich, a crucial player for Germany's Euro campaign, has one year remaining on his contract with Bayern Munich and is attracting interest from Real Madrid, Barcelona, and Liverpool. Manchester City's Guardiola is also interested. Kimmich is particularly drawn to reuniting with the manager who launched his career at Bayern in 2015, making the Etihad an appealing destination. Kimmich’s representatives are keen to know if Guardiola plans to extend his stay beyond next summer, but the player is so eager to work with him again that he is ready to take the chance. While Bayern’s manager Vincent Kompany is eager for Kimmich to remain, the club would prefer to sell him

Barcelona 4 - 1 Bayern Munich It was a disappointing night for Bayern Munich as Barcelona eased to a comfortable victory in the Champions League league stage. Author - Josh T Barcelona winger Raphinha was a hero on the night as he delivered an outstanding hat-trick. The Brazilian opened the scoring in under a minute, pouncing on a ball over the top and skilfully rounding goalkeeper Manuel Neuer. England captain Harry Kane levelled the score for Bayern in the 18th minute, volleying in Serge Gnabry’s cross at the back post. However, Barcelona continued to exploit Bayern’s high defensive line. Fermin Lopez broke through, poking the ball past Neuer to set up Robert Lewandowski for Barcelona’s second, 18 minutes later. Just before half-time, Raphinha, wearing the captain’s armband for the night, made it 3-1 with a sublime curling shot from the edge of the box. Soon after the break, he sealed his hat-trick by latching onto another long pass and drilling a shot into the far corner. A c

Southampton 0 - 1 Nottingham Forest Morgan Gibbs-White netted the decisive goal, securing Nottingham Forest's first win of the new Premier League season at Southampton. His initial header was cleared off the line by Yukinari Sugawara, but the Forest captain quickly reacted to slot home the rebound in the 70th minute. Forest had a chance to go ahead earlier in the match, but debutant Nikola Milenkovic narrowly missed from four yards out, misjudging his shot. Cameron Archer nearly equalised on his home debut for the Saints, but he couldn’t quite connect with Charlie Taylor’s cross, which flashed across the face of the goal. As in their opening defeat to Newcastle, Southampton dominated possession but struggled to create significant chances. Left wing-back Kyle Walker-Peters was a constant threat in the second half, forcing Forest keeper Matz Sels into a save after cutting inside and shooting with his right foot. Premier League: 2024/2025 season (eurosuperfootball.blogspot.com) H

There was big news from Stamford Bridge on May 21st It was announced that Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino has parted ways with the club by mutual agreement after just one season at Stamford Bridge. Picture from  Football Pictures | Flickr The 52-year-old Argentine, who took over on 1 July, had signed a two-year contract with an option for an additional 12 months. Despite a challenging first half of the season, Pochettino managed to turn things around with five consecutive wins to close the season, securing a sixth-place finish in the Premier League. Premier League news and stories: 2023/2024 (eurosuperfootball.blogspot.com) Under his leadership, Chelsea were also runners-up in the Carabao Cup and reached the semi-finals of the FA Cup. The club is now on the lookout for a new manager, with recent interest shown in Ipswich manager Kieran McKenna, Sporting’s Ruben Amorim, and Burnley’s Vincent Kompany. Chelsea is aiming for a younger head coach and has ruled out the possibility of

 The 2023/2024 season will probably go down as one of the most iconic in the Bundesliga's history. The season began on 18 August 2023 and concluded on 18 May 2024.  On 14 April 2024, Bayer Leverkusen were crowned champions for the first time with five matches to spare following a 5–0 win over Werder Bremen.  Theyy would go onto become the first Bundesliga team in history to finish a season unbeaten, ending the campaign with a record of 28 wins and six draws. They would also go onto win the German Cup and reach the Europa League final. It was in that Europa League final match where they lost their only game of the season. Let's explore some key stories match reports from the season.  In August, it was announced that Bayern Munich had signed Harry Kane. The transfer was completed for an initial sum of around 100 million euros (£86.4 million), and there was believed to be additional provisions for performance-related bonuses.  At the time of the announcement, we spoke to a num