Rangnick had been expected to take Bayern job after Euro 2024 ‘I am national team coach of Austria with all my heart’ Ralf Rangnick will not take over at Bayern Munich next season but will remain in his role as Austria’s head coach after Euro 2024. Rangnick confirmed last week that Bayern had been in touch in their search for a successor to Thomas Tuchel and German media had reported a deal was imminent. “I am national team coach of Austria with all my heart,” Rangnick said. “This task brings me a lot of joy and I am determined to continue down the road we have started. I want to clearly str ..read more

The semi-finals kicked off with standout performances from a trio of Premier League loanees and two old hands rolling back the clock Goalkeeper: Gregor Kobel, Borussia Dortmund From a small pool of goalkeepers, only Dortmund’s Kobel kept a clean sheet. And if he could thank the post and bar for that on a couple of occasions – a Kylian Mbappé special rattled the woodwork at one point – he gave a solid performance in the Westfalenstadion. PSG rained 14 shots on Kobel’s goal, but none squeezed past. Kobel is the first Swiss keeper to play at this stage of the competition, and also showed off his ..read more

Leading players have not been at their usual club levels since going to the Asian Cup or Africa Cup of Nations On Thursday night Son Heung-min will lead Tottenham out against Chelsea for a game vital to the north London club’s chances of finishing in the top four and securing Champions League football. Had the Spurs captain not headed to the Asian Cup in the middle of the season, it is possible his club would be closer to the promised land, not just because Ange Postecolgou would have had his top scorer available for those few weeks but also because the forward might well have been in better c ..read more

Tuchel is leaving and Rangnick likely to come in, with several Red Bull alumni already in place amid disquiet among fans There is always something now. There is always something later. Even as the sweat was drying on Bayern Munich’s 2-2 draw against Real Madrid on Tuesday night, thoughts were beginning to turn, with alarming speed, to new plans and new eras. While the outgoing Thomas Tuchel dissected the performances of Kim Min-jae and Leroy Sané in the broadcast zone, the top brass were a few yards away discussing his likely successor: Bayern’s present, and future, and soon-to-be past, all ga ..read more

Having played under Benítez, Mourinho and Guardiola, the Spaniard has given his players a structure and identity Football is, fortunately, a game. Victory and defeat are sometimes decided by chance. When the best of the best meet, I reckon it’s 20%. The draw increases the luck factor even more. That’s nice: it makes new winners possible. It brought Manchester City and Real Madrid together in the quarter-finals of the Champions League, the most spectacular clash in European football for three years. Once again, it kept all its promises and thrilled with intensity and great goals. In the second ..read more

The irreplaceable German midfielder refused to allow Bayern to escape with the game – and his control kept Madrid in the tie Thomas Tuchel had warned that you don’t see Real Madrid’s goals coming, so Toni Kroos helpfully pointed it out, but still Bayern Munich couldn’t stop it. There are times, the German coach had said on the eve of this most classic of European confrontations, when you watch their games, analysing them closely, and everything seems to be under control, when the 14-times winners appear outnumbered and there’s nothing going on, no danger, nothing to fear, and so, feeling safe ..read more

Bellingham taken off with fatigue and cramp in second half Ancelotti: ‘He was just tired. He will get back to his best’ Carlo Ancelotti admitted that Jude Bellingham was “not at his best” in the first leg of Real Madrid’s Champions League semi-final against Bayern Munich, but backed him to come good in the return game at the Bernabéu next week. Ancelotti revealed that Bellingham was suffering from cramp and fatigue during the game, a problem that has often afflicted him in the past, and one that led to his substitution here after 75 minutes ..read more

Vinícius Júnior scored twice while Harry Kane notched his 43rd goal of the season as European royalty traded blows in Munich 4 min: Bellingham tries to switch play from right to left with a first-time speculative hoof. Rodrygo can’t latch onto the ball and Kimmich tidies up. A nice open start to this semi-final. 2 min: Real reply to that early concern with a period of nerve-settling possession. They ping it around and eventually Bellingham is caught offside ..read more

While Harry Kane has navigated his career like he always has another season, his England teammate plays like this is his last There were a few tourists from Madrid taking selfies outside the Allianz Arena on Monday lunchtime and, as footballing pilgrimages go, this is one you really have to want. Wedged between two major road junctions and approached either through a concrete jungle of slip roads or a 40-minute schlep on the train followed by a long trudge past a sewage treatment plant, perhaps the nicest thing you can say about the location of Bayern Munich’s stadium is that it at least offer ..read more

Sporting director had to play the role of Malcolm Tucker as Uli Hoeness criticised Thomas Tuchel before the big semi-final Max Eberl was hot property for a reason. In just shy of 15 years at Borussia Mönchengladbach he became one of Europe’s most admired sporting directors, returning one of Germany’s most famous names to prominence through multiple qualifications for the Champions League and Europa League. He built through smart signings and the promotion and development of quality academy products. The only surprise was that it took ill health – which he has thankfully recovered from – to shi ..read more