CITY: SLICKER
1956 was a memorable year for both Manchester City and Real Madrid. That June, Madrid won the inaugural edition of the hot, new, pan-European club football competition Li’l Cup – look how li’l! – while a month before in May, City triumphed in the FA Cup final, Bert Trautmann’s neck, Don Revie cosplaying as Nandor Hidegkuti, all that. Real immediately built on their success and by the mid-60s had conquered Europe on another five occasions. City also moved on, and by this time found themselves in the Second Division losing at home to Swindon in front of 8,015 fans. Of course they did. Oh old-school City! You’ll always have a very special place in everyone’s heart.
However, just as a week is a long time in politics, 57 years are a long time in football. And look at everyone now! Li’l Cup is all grown up; Madrid have 13 wins on their resumé; and City … well, they’ve still to taste the ultimate in European glory, but they’re now the richest club in the world, winning the Premier League is like shelling peas, and the big one in Europe, the one everyone insists they’re not that bothered about but come off it and come on, is surely just a matter of time. Hey, they’d have probably already won it had Kevin De Bruyne not had the contours of his skull rearranged free of charge in last year’s final. Ah, how the entire course of history can be changed by such tiny, strangely downplayed, brazen bodychecks.
City’s luck has to change soon, surely, not least because Pep Guardiola has been busy instilling the sort of relentless winning mentality that was signally missing round Maine Road way in 1957. “That’s why big clubs stay there for a long time,” Pep explained. “When you win, take a shower and go again. We are learning that.” And what better test of their new resolve than a Big Cup semi-final against Real? “We are playing a team who have been here many times, that’s why they have this history and we don’t. If we have to compete with history, we don’t have any chance … but it’s 11 v 11.” Three huge crunch matches away from glory, then, with the first of them transmitted live in the UK on BT Sport, a niche channel which regularly pulls in audiences of 8,015 viewers and sometimes even more. The world constantly moves on, yet some little things stay the same.
LIVE ON BIG WEBSITE
Join Scott Murray from 8pm BST for hot MBM coverage of Manchester City 1-1 Real Madrid in Big Cup.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“When I came in, I felt some of the players were more concerned about being good on the table than they were about being professional footballers … I thought I can either cajole them and try to get them into the gym or I can burn the table tennis table. It was far easier to burn the table tennis table” – Championship manager of the season Nathan Jones explains how taking on the scourge of, umm, toxic ping-pong culture helped him steer Luton towards success.
RECOMMENDED LISTENING
Get your ears around the latest Football Weekly. And while we’re at it, Max, Barry and the pod squad are going back out on tour. Tickets to live shows in June and July are available here, so get buying.
MOVING THE GOALPOSTS
The Fiver has a new sister email, folks! You don’t need to be told that it’s smarter and wittier than us – so sign up. The latest edition has been sent whistling into inboxes but you can get a taste here.
FIVER LETTERS
“Re: yesterday’s Fiver. ‘[The Fiver] recognises and accepts the case for reform and for a strengthened regulatory system across allegedly humorous tea-time emails … but we will continue to maintain that it is not necessary for there to be a statutory-backed regulator’ – The Fiver responds to plans to establish an independent regulator into lazy journalism perpetuated by football-related tea-time emails” – Alan Sharp.
“Thanks to Big Website, as ever, for excellent juxtaposition in its live feed reporting. While the prime minister was railing Lear-like about doing such things he knew not to whomever (he knows not) said despicable things about Angela Rayner’s legs, he was himself flailing a limb around at Gigg Lane. Sadly, they missed the chance to caption said shenanigans with another quote from the bard: ‘I come to Bury, Caesar,’ etc” – Sian Williams.
Send your letters to the.boss@theguardian.com. And you can always tweet The Fiver via @guardian_sport. Today’s winner of our prizeless letter o’ the day is … Sian Williams.
NEWS, BITS AND BOBS
Jonathan Goldberg QC, a senior barrister who repeated discredited police allegations about the behaviour of Liverpool supporters at the Hillsborough disaster, has been cleared of misconduct by his profession’s Bar Standards Board. “It’s no surprise that they cleared him because, as we’ve found, the establishment protects its own,” said Margaret Aspinall, whose son James, 18, died at the 1989 FA Cup semi-final.
Italy captain Giorgio Chiellini plans to retire from the national team after the “Finalissima” match against Argentina in London on 1 June. “If I’m in form I’ll play and bid the national team goodbye at Wembley,” cheered the 37-year-old.
Jürgen Klopp says Liverpool won’t be taking Villarreal lightly in Big Cup’s semis on Wednesday. “There might have been a little advantage [for Villarreal] in the last two games, maybe Juve or Bayern underestimated them,” he chuckled, “but that will never happen to us.”
Oldham intend to issue bans to fans who invaded the pitch at Boundary Park as the Latics were relegated from the Football League.
And promotion-chasing Wrexham haven’t qualified for the National League playoff final yet, but they’re still not happy about the scheduling on 5 June. “The club, like the FAW, had asked that every effort be made to see if a clash with Wales’s World Cup qualifier against Scotland or Ukraine could be avoided,” wept a club statement. “While the kick-off times are different, the reality is that fans will have to make a choice between which of the games they want to watch live, in person.” Wales v Scotland or Halifax v Grimsby … it’s a tough call.
STILL WANT MORE?
Everybody should know better by now when it comes to police lies and the Hillsborough disaster, writes David Conn.
Kevin De Bruyne holds the key to Manchester City’s hopes of toppling Real Madrid, reckons Barney Ronay.
Paul Pogba’s wasted prime should be a cause for sadness, not scorn, writes Jonathan Liew.
Philippines Women are making World Cup history – in the shadow of ‘the three Bs’: John Duerden on a remarkable rise.
“I get to decide when it ends. Not everyone gets that choice.” Anita Asante announces her retirement and gets her chat on with Suzanne Wrack.
“We’re not going there just to look at Anfield.” Villarreal’s Francis Coquelin talks Emery, Liverpool and beating Bayern with Sid Lowe.
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