Arjen Robben went some way toward saving the job of Bayern Munich manager Niko Kovač (for now) while simultaneously getting Benfica manager Rui Vitória sacked after giving his side an early lead in the Champions League on Tuesday.
With both sides struggling mightily domestically (Bayern’s fifth in the Bundesliga; Benfica’s fourth in the Primeira Liga), the scrutiny on both managers this week had been intense.
I’ll have you know that I too have a YouTube account. I subscribe to The18 (the place where soccer lives), FC Barcelona (always good stuff) and the Bundesliga — why the Bundesliga? Because they’ll occasionally put together a Marco Reus highlight compilation, and that’s all I really care about anymore.
The magic was never going to last in Rome. Despite securing top three finishes in Serie A in each of the last five seasons and reaching the dizzying heights of last year’s Champions League semifinals, this is still a selling club, as evidenced by the big-money departures of Miralem Pjanić, Mohamed Salah, Antonio Rüdiger, Alisson, Kevin Strootman and Radja Nainggolan over the last three summers.
According to German outlet Bild and British newspaper The Telegraph, former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is interested in making a sensational return to coaching with Bayern Munich.
On Friday, Andres Iniesta’s first season in Japan will come to a close following Vissel Kobe’s home match against Vegalta Sendai. Given Kobe’s mid-table standing, it’s certainly been a new experience for the Barcelona legend, but attendance is up 17.4 percent at the club and Iniesta has contributed two goals and three assists in 13 appearances.