Sports Burst: Pep on Brink of Man City Exit
Conte’s countdown, Carvajal culled and wardrobe malfunction
By Tim Stannard
1) Another Premier League winner to bite the dust
Tuesday’s main news is giving credence to the life philosophy of Sports Burst – success leads to failure. So, avoid it in the first place at all costs.
Just look at Tom Brady and Zinedine Zidane. Triumphant careers, but as soon as there is a dip then the media is out digging a grave in preparation for jumping on it. Which is why Manchester City’s Pep Guardiola had better watch out.
Last season, Antonio Conte won the Premier League with the Stamford Bridge club. This year, realizing that there was only one way to go – down – the Italian manager has moaned about a lack of money in the transfer market, not getting the players he wants and not being loved enough by his bosses.
This has all produced a downturn in results culminating in a 4-1 defeat to Watford on Monday to drop Chelsea into fourth. After the loss, Conte said that if there was displeasure at his work then “the club have to take another decision” on his future.
Tuesday’s speculation sees Conte’s time at Chelsea being numbered in a matter of days. If that were to happen, it would be the third time in a row a Premier League winning coach was fired, the season after lifting the title. Hence Pep Guardiola best be on the watch out, lest he win this year’s title and go the same way at Jose Mourinho, Claudio Ranieri and probably Antonio Conte.
Remember kids, success breeds…failure.
Head to our Facebook page at 1PM ET / 10AM PT for the XTRA Social to look at what the future for Antonio Conte might be.
2) Neymar’s impressive PSG paycheck
The most important job at PSG this week was making sure that Neymar was given adequate love and attention during his 26th birthday celebrations which included a huge gala party on Sunday and fancy light shows on buildings to magnify the Brazilian’s glory. Indeed, to make sure Neymar is completely rested, the forward has been let off from playing in Tuesday’s match-up for PSG, a Coupe de France encounter at second division Sochaux.
However, Kylian Mbappe, Angel di Maria and Edinson Cavani are all in the squad. And they will have a great deal to talk about as French paper, L’Equipe has published what it claims to be the monthly salaries of Ligue Un’s top players. Naturally, Neymar comes out on top with $3.8 million a month, followed by Mbappe and Cavani on $1.8 million a month. PSG players make up nine of the top 10, with only Monaco’s Falcao breaking the run.
Find out what one of the most expensive teams in the world can do against a side whose annual budget probably wouldn’t pay for Neymar’s birthday cake live on beIN SPORTS at 3PM ET / 12PM PT.
Tune into the XTRA at 7PM ET / 4PM PT for the best of the action from the French Cup and a look ahead at Wednesday’s Copa del Rey semifinal second leg clash between struggling Sevilla and sturdy Levante.
3) Carvajal culled after card calamity
More butterflies have been emptied into the stomachs of Real Madrid fans, getting increasingly nervous about next Wednesday’s Champions League encounter with PSG. Dani Carvajal – the man responsible for Levante’s equalizing goal at the weekend – will be missing due to suspension.
The Spaniard was found guilty of deliberating picking up a yellow card to see him suspended for the final group match against Borussia Dortmund. Yep. It’s that complex.
Meanwhile, Coach Zizou is suffering the same problem as Conte with speculation of what will happen to his job in both the short and long term. Napoli coach, Maurizio Sarri, is now being linked with a summer move to the Santiago Bernabeu. This is a new name to be added to the list along with current Tottenham boss, Mauricio Pochettino.
In a rare piece of good news, the snow has been cleared from the club’s training ground today after Monday’s practice session was cancelled and the players were given a snow day.
4) Jersey sure? Name fail on Nowitzki’s big night
Another story of failure to boost Sports Burst in its life philosophy. Dirk Nowitzki has been playing for the Dallas Mavericks for 20 years. On Monday, he became the sixth player to play at least 50,000 minutes in his NBA career. An incredible achievement to draw praise from everyone in the game.
So, of course on the same night that everyone was paying attention, the name was spelt incorrectly on the back of his jersey - "Nowitkzi.” But rather than throwing a hissy fit, the veteran simply shrugged – “I guess it kind of sums up our season." Sports Burst salutes you…and the human condition.
WHAT IS SPORTS BURST?
The life philosophy of Sports Burst is that if you are not upsetting someone, then you are not trying hard enough. Sports Burst is a daily trawl and troll through the morning's sports news to bring you fact-nuggets to make you both smile and swear. Hopefully at the same time.