Real Madrid experimented with a new technique during their match against Almeria: synchronized throw-ins. Each with their own ball, Fabio Coentrao and James Rodriguez attempted side by side throw-ins at the same time, each targeting Pepe as the Almeria players seemed to say, “That’s not how this works!”
While Bayern Munich’s executives were trying to get Jurgen Klopp to accept their flowers, Bayern’s fans were creating a brilliant tifo display for the DFB Pokal semifinal against Borussia Dortmund.
Jose Mourinho and John Terry were quick to give their responses to critics labeling Chelsea as boring and now Didier Drogba has made his case with an Instagram video.
Captioned “Boring boring chelseaaa!!!!!” the video has seven Chelsea players (Loic Remy, Branislav Ivanovic, John Terry, Eden Hazard, Drogba, Thibaut Courtois, and John Obi Mikel sitting across from each other at the lunch table. They head the ball across the table and down the line until Mikel finishes off the routine (a daring choice) with a fall away header into a strategically placed bin beside the table. They then celebrate like they just sealed the Premier League title.
This is what you do when you’re 10-points clear at the end of April.
With Jurgen Klopp set to leave Borussia Dortmund at the end of the season, Bayern Munich, his most formidable rivals, wanted to pay tribute to him before the two sides met in the DFB Pokal semifinals. But Klopp doesn’t want their gifts. He wants a fight.
boyfriend made me take an @Arsenal exam😂😭 pic.twitter.com/uHsEGemtEV
— queen (@saskiaisabxlla) April 27, 2015
It started with a warning shortly before Sunday’s match between Arsenal and Chelsea. Twitter user @saskiaisabxlla shared a screenshot of a text message later revealed to be from her boyfriend. It read “I might make an Arsenal exam for you” and was followed by the threat of “If you fail, we’re through.”
Bournemouth’s chairman Jeff Mostyn… pic.twitter.com/kwAvh5Q1i8
— 101 Great Goals (@101greatgoals) April 27, 2015
Bournemouth won 3-0 at home against Bolton to all but seal their first ever promotion to the Premier League and as soon as the final whistle blew, the madness took hold. Read more
Arsenal and Chelsea settled for a scoreless draw at the Emirates, extending Jose Mourinho’s unbeaten streak against Arsene Wenger to 13 matches and putting Chelsea a step closer to a seemingly inevitable Premier League title.
Though Chelsea once again employed a strategy roughly akin to a bank handing you all of their money and daring you to escape with it, putting all the blame for the match’s lack of entertainment value on them is like blaming the guests at a party for it being dull. Arsenal had 12 shots, but just one on target. Surely the hosts must take some responsibility for poor planning and execution. And a distinct lack of guacamole.
But while others debate tactics, we must ask, “What if it conitnued?”
As omens go, seeing a crow attack your mascot in mid-air before a match is the type of thing that would make you want to send everyone home immediately and try again another day. But Lazio must have been feeling brave, since they went ahead with their match against Chievo Verona even after a crow attacked their eagle mascot, Olimpia, above the Stadio Olimpico.
Saturday’s Belgrade derby between Red Star and Partizan ended 35 (police injuries) to 41 (fans arrested — down from 104 in 2013!) in yet another, bloody, smoke-filled affair.
On the pitch, the the two sides played to a scoreless draw, keeping first-place Partizan five points ahead of second-place Red Star. But as usual, the real action was in the stands. And it was for that reason that the match began 45 minutes late.
Jose Mourinho has a complicated relationship with the press. In many ways, he feeds off them and their tidal mix of antagonism and reverence for him. Even when he’s making a point of not speaking to them, he demonstrates how important the relationship is to him. But his Friday press conference ahead of facing second-place Arsenal might have produced his favorite question yet.