BARCELONA: At the end of April, Barcelona president Joan Laporta, choking with emotion, said he was “proud” to have Xavi Hernandez staying on as coach for next season.
Before May had run its course, Laporta sacked the former Barca midfield great and appointed German coach Hansi Flick in his stead.
Since the president was re-elected for his second spell in charge in March 2021, Barcelona have been without a coherent plan, running purely on vibes. It can only get you so far.
Selling off areas of the club and compromising future income to raise immediate funds for heavy transfer investment, Laporta opted for a get-success-quick strategy, with limited results.
Barcelona won the 2022/23 La Liga title for the first time since 2019, but they have still struggled in Europe.
This season everything fell to pieces, with Real Madrid storming to La Liga glory and Barcelona finishing the campaign trophyless.
“It’s fantastic news that Xavi is staying — the team we have, which is growing with many young talents, needs this stability,” said Laporta, weeks before performing a spectacular u-turn.
Xavi for his part did not mince his words about the challenges that faced Flick.
“You will suffer — this is a very complicated place to be,” Xavi warned his successor.
Barcelona’s ‘entorno’ — everything swirling around the club that increases pressure, from the media to the fans, to loose-lipped directors and former players chipping in — will stay the same.
However in hiring Flick, the club’s direction has changed.
The majority of their coaches have played for Barcelona — Xavi, Ronald Koeman, Luis Enrique, Pep Guardiola among others.
Flick on the other hand, has never played or coached in Spain, let alone at the club itself.
The 59-year-old’s greatest success was leading Bayern Munich to a sextuple in 2020, including an 8-2 humiliation of Barcelona, but he struggled with the German national team, becoming their first coach ever to be sacked.
Barca’s sporting director Deco warned in February that Barcelona should move away from their traditional “tiki-taka” style.
“The president agrees with me on this, a deep change is needed — there is a method that is worn out,” he said.
Flick’s style is attacking but more direct than Barcelona usually attempt to play, with more crossing.
The coach will be happy to work with Ilkay Gundogan, whom he appointed Germany captain, and Robert Lewandowski, a key player in his triumphant Bayern Munich side.
He boasts coaching experience which Xavi lacked, having only worked at Al-Sadd in Qatar before taking the reins at Camp Nou.
Flick tends to set up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, rather than Barcelona’s 4-3-3, although they are not far removed.
The club’s financial difficulties will be a key factor in whether the German can improve Barcelona’s fortunes.
After pivot Sergio Busquets left, Barcelona failed to adequately replace him, unable to afford Xavi’s main target, Real Sociedad’s Martin Zubimendi.
With new champions and rivals Real Madrid set to sign Paris Saint-Germain superstar Kylian Mbappe, keeping up with Los Blancos will be a hard task for any coach.
Laporta gambles on Flick to restore Barcelona’s lustre
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Laporta gambles on Flick to restore Barcelona’s lustre
- Before May had run its course, Laporta sacked the former Barca midfield great and appointed German coach Hansi Flick in his stead
- “You will suffer — this is a very complicated place to be,” Xavi warned his successor
More misery for Messi and Miami with Florida derby defeat
Fort Lauderdale, United States: Lionel Messi’s growing frustration and Inter Miami’s miserable run of form continued with a 3-0 loss at home to Orlando City in Major League Soccer on Sunday.
The Florida derby defeat leaves Miami with just one win from their last seven games in all competitions and they slip to sixth in the Eastern Conference with Orlando leapfrogging them.
Messi had just two shots on target in the entire game and even scuffed a free-kick from his favorite spot as his own form slumped with that of his team.
“Now we’ll truly see if we’re a team in difficult times, because when everything’s going well it’s very easy,” Messi told Apple TV following the defeat.
“When difficult times come, that’s when we have to be more united than ever, be a true team, and pull ourselves together,” he added.
Messi also questioned the refereeing but in truth the loss had little to do with officiating and much to do with shambolic defending, a disjointed midfield and punchless attack led by the rapidly fading Luis Suarez.
Orlando grabbed the lead in the 43rd minute with a goal of absurd simplicity — goalkeeper Pedro Gallese launched the ball down the middle of the field and Luis Muriel ran clear and slotted past Oscar Ustari.
The visitors were getting plenty of joy from going direct against a Miami back-line which was all at sea and Argentine Martin Ojeda should have done better when he found himself clear on goal but blasted over the bar.
Miami’s veteran keeper Ustari then made a fine double save to deny Alexander Freeman and an Ojeda follow up shot but then the 38-year-old found himself to blame for Orlando’s second goal.
The ball fell to Marco Pasalic on the edge of the box and his low shot went through the hands and legs of Ustari.
Miami coach Javier Mascherano then threw on attacking players in a bid to retrieve something from the game but it was largely in vain.
In the fourth minute of stoppage time Duncan McGuire broke down the left and his low cross was slotted home by Icelandic forward Dagur Thorhallsson to wrap-up an impressive performance from the visitors.
Miami have conceded 20 goals and scored 11 in their last seven games with their only victory coming against the New York Red Bulls on May 3.
Mascherano said his team had started as planned before the goal changed the tone of the game.
“I’d say for 25 or 30 minutes we had it completely under control playing in the opponent’s half, but this is how it is, clearly. I’m not going to deny what the result is,” he said.
“Unfortunately, we can’t afford the mistakes we make; that’s clear, but it’s pointless for me to come here and tell this story, because it keeps happening. So, clearly, we as a coaching staff are failing in many of these ways, and we have to try to find a way around them so we don’t continue failing and so the team starts getting results,” he added.
Miami’s MLS campaign was going well until their exit to the CONCACAF Champions Cup at the hands of the Vancouver Whitecaps and Mascherano admitted the team’s morale had been hit.
“Clearly, something has happened where the team has lost a lot of confidence. We have had a drop in level individually and collectively and it’s clear one way or another we have tried with different schemes, different names, and still today we are hurting. We will keep trying to find a way.”
Villarreal dampens Barcelona’s title celebrations. Mbappé scores again for Madrid
- Villarreal’s victory secured its return to the Champions League for the first time since reaching the semifinals in 2022
MADRID: Villarreal dampened Barcelona’s title celebrations by handing the Catalan club its first defeat of 2025 in the Spanish league on Sunday.
Barcelona, which clinched its 28th league title midweek, presented the trophy to its fans in the team’s final home match of the season at Montjuic stadium. Players were announced one by one after the game, which Villarreal won 3-2, before lifting the trophy.
Barcelona’s Spanish Super Cup and Copa del Rey trophies also were displayed at Montjuic, with players dancing around the silverware during the celebrations.
“We can be proud of this team for winning these titles and for how it did it,” Barcelona goalkeeper Marc-André ter Stegen said. “We had a great season in all levels.”
Before the match, Villarreal players did a guard of honor for the new league champions, with its players lining up to congratulate Barcelona as the team entered the field.
Real Madrid won 2-0 at nine-man Sevilla, with Kylian Mbappé extending his league-leading tally to 29 goals with one round to go. Jude Bellingham also scored. Madrid reached 81 points, four fewer than Barcelona.
Villarreal’s victory secured its return to the Champions League for the first time since reaching the semifinals in 2022.
It will join Barcelona, Madrid, Atletico Madrid and Athletic Bilbao in Europe’s top club competition next season. Spain will have five clubs in the Champions League next season.
Real Betis clinched one of the Europa League spots. Celta Vigo, Rayo Vallecano and Osasuna will be chasing the final Europa League place and the Conference League spot.
Leganes, owned by former Houston Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow, and Espanyol will try to avoid the last relegation spot in the final round when Leganes is at last-placed Valladolid and Espanyol faces relegated Las Palmas.
Barcelona, Madrid, Atletico and Athletic will play in next year’s lucrative Spanish Super Cup in Saudi Arabia.
All 10 games were played at the same time on Sunday.
Barcelona’s loss
Barcelona hadn’t lost in the league since a 2-1 defeat against Atletico on Dec. 21, with 15 wins and two draws since then. Villarreal’s win was its fifth straight victory in the league.
Ayoze Pérez put the visitors ahead after a breakaway four minutes into the match. The hosts equalized when Lamine Yamal scored with yet another beautiful goal in the teenager’s outstanding season, curling in a left-footed shot from outside the area.
Fermín López put Barcelona ahead in first-half stoppage time, but Santiago Comesaña scored for Villarreal in the 50th and Tajon Buchanan netted the winner in the 80th.
It was likely the last match Barcelona played at Montjuic stadium as the club plans to return to the Camp Nou Stadium next season even though renovation work at the venue is not expected to be fully completed until mid-2026.
Mbappé’s goals
Mbappé strengthened his chances of finishing as the league’s top scorer this season with a goal from a low shot from outside the area in the 75th.
Mbappé now has 29 league goals. Barcelona’s Robert Lewandowski (25 goals) is his nearest rival.
Sevilla’s Loic Bade was sent off in the 12th for a foul on Mbappé to stop a breakaway. Then Isaac Romero was shown a red card for a hard foul on Aurélien Tchouaméni.
It was the second-to-last match for Madrid under Carlo Ancelotti before he becomes Brazil coach. Xabi Alonso is widely expected to be Madrid’s next coach.
Sevilla, sitting in 16th place, had only one win in its last 10 games.
Relegation fight
Leganes kept its survival hopes alive by winning 1-0 at Las Palmas with a sixth-minute goal by Dani Raba.
It is two points behind the first team outside the relegation zone, Espanyol, which remained in danger after a 2-0 loss at Osasuna for its fifth straight defeat.
Alaves escaped the drop by winning 1-0 at Valladolid, while Getafe did the same by beating Mallorca 2-1 to end a six-game losing run.
Second-to-last Las Palmas and bottom side Valladolid had already been relegated.
European places
Celta Vigo lost 2-1 at home to Rayo Vallecano but holds the final Europa League spot in seventh place. It is one point ahead of both eighth-placed Rayo — in the Conference League position — and ninth-placed Osasuna.
Rayo will host Mallorca in the final round, while Osasuna visits Alaves and Celta is at Getafe.
Spanish Super Cup
The top two teams in the league and the Copa del Rey finalists are awarded places in the Spanish Super Cup. Since this season’s final was between Barcelona and Madrid, two other spots were made available through the league.
Third-placed Atletico guaranteed its spot with a 4-1 win over Betis with Julián Álvarez scoring twice, including with a superb curling free kick in the first half. Fourth-placed Athletic Bilbao won 1-0 at Valencia with a goal by Álex Berenguer.
Alguacil honored
Real Sociedad honored coach Imanol Alguacil in its final home match, a 3-2 win against Girona.
Alguacil will step down this summer after a mostly successful six-and-a-half-year stint in charge of the Basque Country club.
Napoli close in on Serie A title despite Parma stalemate
PARMA, Italy: Napoli will have to wait one more week to seal the Serie A title after being held to a goalless draw at Parma while closest rivals Inter Milan drew 2-2 in a dramatic game with Lazio.
Antonio Conte’s team stayed one point ahead of Inter and were unfortunate not to win after twice striking the woodwork through Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa and Matteo Politano, while Scott McTominay also had a free-kick tipped onto the crossbar.
The away side thought they would be handed a chance to take the points from the penalty spot in the 96th minute when David Neres was fouled, only for the decision to be reversed for a foul committed by Giovanni Simeone earlier in the move.
A feisty match at the Stadio Ennio Tardini ended with Conte and his Parma counterpart Cristian Chivu both being sent off following a blazing row between the two dugouts in the final moments.
However a home win on the final day against Cagliari, who are safe thanks to a 3-0 win over second-from-bottom Venezia, will give Napoli a fourth league crown.
“We’re close but we have more step to take in front of our own fans. We’ve been top for a large part of the season even with a lot of difficulties,” said Conte to DAZN.
“It’s down to these boys who put their heart and soul into it. I really hope we can win this title because it would truly be a great achievement.”
Inter’s final fixture is at Como who are finishing their first Serie A season in over two decades in great form, although Cesc Fabregas’ team’s winning streak ended at six matches with a 1-1 draw at safe Verona.
Napoli were saved from being overtaken by Inter thanks to a Pedro brace for Lazio, including a 90th-minute penalty.
Denzel Dumfries thought he had headed home a potentially key goal with 10 minutes remaining at the San Siro, before a Yann Bisseck handball allowed Champions League chasers Lazio to snatch a point.
Inter once again showed their wasteful side by giving away a lead twice, with Bisseck opening the scoring on the stroke of half-time before Pedro netted in the 73rd minute, while Marko Arnautovic missed a golden chance to move the hosts top in the dying moments.
Coach Simone Inzaghi will also missed the final match of the season after being sent off for his livid reaction at the VAR check which led to Pedro levelling from the penalty spot.
No one from the Inter spoke to media after the match, in apparent protest over the decision to give Lazio their penalty.
Lazio drawing kept the Roman club in the hunt for the final Champions league spot, although Marco Baroni’s team are two points behind four-placed Juve who beat mid-table Udinese 2-0.
Sandwiched between Juve and Lazio are Roma, who beat 10-man AC Milan 3-1 on a night when fans honored Claudio Ranieri in his last home match as coach for his boyhood club.
Milan, who had to play most of the match a man down after Santiago Gimenez was sent off in the 21st minute, sit ninth and will not play European football next season.
Bologna’s bid for Champions League football is over after a 3-2 defeat at Fiorentina which left the Italian Cup winners five points behind Juve.
However Vincenzo Italiano’s team will play in the Europa League next season thanks to their historic cup victory on Wednesday over Milan, their first major trophy since 1974.
A point was not enough to guarantee Parma safety as Chivu’s team are two points above Empoli who are just inside the drop zone after beating relegated Monza 3-1.
Empoli are level on 31 points with Lecce, who moved one place above the relegation zone with a 1-0 win over Torino.
Sharjah FC win first Asian title with dramatic victory in Singapore
- UAE side won it in the 97th minute through a piece of Meloni magic
SINGAPORE: Sharjah beat Lion City Sailors 2-1 on Sunday to win the AFC Champions League Two title in dramatic fashion.
A second half goal from Firas Ben Larbi looked to have been enough to give the team from the UAE a first continental title at the Singapore home of their opponents. Yet Maxime Lestienne’s injury time equaliser appeared likely to send the game into extra-time before the impressive Marcus Meloni won it in the 97th minute.
It was the end of a long run to the final for Cosmin Olaroiu, who now leaves the club to take charge of the UAE national team with a 22nd title as a coach, and his men and it was a hard-fought victory in front of 10,000 fans at the Bishan Stadium.
Lion City had the best chances of the first half and the home fans thought that the deadlock had been broken after 35 minutes. Rui Pires found Diego Costa on the left corner of the area and the Portuguese star controlled the ball and then, in the same motion, fired a low shot that came back off the post.
One of the visitors’ best moments came in added time at the end of the first half. David Petrovic curled a dangerous cross into the area from the left but Luanzinho’s header was just a little too high and a little too wide.
Midway through the second half Sharjah should have taken the lead. Ousmane Camara rose high at the near post to meet a corner from Meloni but headed just wide with the goal at his mercy. Seconds later, Luanzinho fired into the side-netting. Soon after that, Ben Larbi had the ball in the net, although the Tunisian was clearly offside.
Then with 16 minutes remaining Sharjah took the lead to the delight of a sizeable contingent of fans in red and white. Khaled Ibrahim timed his run on the right side of the area perfectly to put the ball across the face of goal for Ben Larbi to tap home from close range.
Ten minutes later, Sharjah almost extended their lead. Meloni’s clever free kick from the right was blocked by Izwan Mahbud and Cho Yu-min, quick to the rebound, headed over from close range.
The hosts pushed forward in search of an equaliser and while they had chances, Sharjah looked fairly comfortable. Then just after 11 minutes added time had been signalled, it was all square. Costa’s pass found its way to Lestienne in space in the area, and the Belgian fired home.
As all prepared themselves for extra time, Sharjah won it in the 97th minute through a piece of Meloni magic. The Brazilian-born midfielder had possession on the left of a crowded area, made room for himself and then curled a perfect shot from a tight angle into the opposite corner. It was a goal worthy of winning any final.
There were some scary moments as the Sailors threw everything forward but this time, Sharjah held on and celebrated in front of their delirious travelling fans.
“It means a lot for us, the country and the fans and we worked so hard for this,” Meloni said. “The final was like the rest of the competition. I am happy to score the winning goal but this was for the team and the coach, who deserves it.”
Sporting defend Portuguese title with final day win
- Sporting and Benfica were level on points going into their last match
- Benfica needed to better Sporting’s result to triumph but drew 1-1 at Braga
LISBON: Sporting Lisbon defended their Portuguese crown on Saturday with a 2-0 win over Guimaraes to hold off rivals Benfica on the final day of the Primeira Liga season.
Both Sporting and Benfica were level on points going into their last match after a tense 1-1 derby draw last weekend left the title race on a knife edge.
Benfica needed to better Sporting’s result to triumph but drew 1-1 at Braga, although even a victory would not have been enough as Rui Borges’ side triumphed and had the superior head-to-head.
Pedro Goncalves broke the deadlock in the second half and the division’s top goalscorer Viktor Gyokeres notched his 39th league goal of a stunning campaign to seal Sporting’s victory.
Manchester United coach Ruben Amorim led Sporting to last year’s title and after he departed in November was replaced by Joao Pereira, who only lasted six troubled weeks before Borges took over.
Sporting claimed their 21st Primeira division title and could make it a domestic double as they face Benfica next Sunday in the Portuguese cup final.
