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MASTER VS. APPRENTICE: FORMER TEAMMATES BATTLE IN UCL WITH SHARED TACTICAL ROOTS.
Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca faces friend Raffaele Palladino (Atalanta) in the UCL, worrying that Palladino gained tactical insight during a recent London visit. It's a strategic battle.
Enzo Maresca's recent comments have stirred some worry ahead of Chelsea’s Champions League game against Atalanta.
Atalanta's season hasn't been stellar. They're currently 12th in Serie A after a slow start that led to the quick dismissal of their new manager, Ivan Juric, soon after he arrived this summer.
Raffaele Palladino took over in early November. Maresca knows him well from their time as players.
Chelsea is slightly favoured to win against Atalanta. The relationship between the two coaches could give the Italian team an unexpected advantage.
Atalanta’s manager, Raffaele Palladino, said about Chelsea:
This match is important, a big deal for the city, the club, the players, and everyone involved. We’re excited to play against such a strong team. Chelsea won the Club World Cup this summer; they have a lot of talent, strong players, and top-quality individuals. We want to see how we measure up against teams like this.
Palladino and Maresca were teammates at Juventus a long time ago and have remained friends.
Before Palladino became a Champions League rival, when he was a free agent, Maresca invited his old teammate to London.
Maresca told Sky Sports Italia, We’ve known each other since our Juventus days. Before he started working with Atalanta, he came to a couple of our games in London, and we stayed in touch.
Palladino mentioned spending time with Maresca and assistant coach Roberto Vitiello while he was in England.
He wasn’t just watching from the stands. He told Tutto Mercato Web, I think Chelsea is a strong team with very talented players.
I studied them when I was in England, but playing against them is always different. I’m happy for Maresca and what he’s doing.
Maresca couldn't have known he’d be facing his old friend, so he likely shared information with Palladino, who is now managing Atalanta.
Maresca may also have an advantage.
It's likely that Palladino gained some benefit from spending time around Chelsea.
Seeing the team play and talking with Maresca about his tactics gave Palladino some information that others might not have when playing against Chelsea.
But we should remember that Maresca also knows Atalanta and Italian soccer well. He learned a lot from the same person as Palladino—Gian Piero Gasperini, the famous coach of Atalanta.
This game will likely be a strategic battle between the coaches, who will be extra motivated to win.
Maresca can use a stronger lineup against Atalanta with Moises Caicedo back, but Cole Palmer is not on the team for this game.
CORNERED: HOW ALEX GRIMALDO ENDED NEWCASTLE'S AWAY-DAY UCL HOPES AT BAYARENA
Lewis Miley's historic goal looked set to secure a huge UCL win, but Alex Grimaldo's late strike exposed Newcastle's severe issue with conceding goals late in games.
Alex Grimaldo scored late, stopping Newcastle from completing a Champions League comeback win against Bayer Leverkusen, ending the game in a 2-2 draw at the BayArena.
Newcastle thought they had pulled off an amazing turnaround when Lewis Miley wrote his name in the history books, becoming the club's youngest-ever Champions League scorer at 19 with a second-half goal. Anthony Gordon, who had earlier scored Newcastle's tying goal, set up Miley perfectly. The goal raised hopes that Newcastle's struggles away from home were over, but Leverkusen didn't agree.
After losing to Marseille after leading, Gordon lamented Newcastle's tendency to concede goals late in games.
"It's happened way too often," Gordon told TNT Sports after the match. I really don't know why they are scoring late goals. Maybe it's because we're tired with so many games coming up. I think it comes down to mentality.
Newcastle's struggles with late goals continue. They've lost the most points (11) from winning positions in the Premier League this season. Only three teams have lost more points from winning positions in the Champions League than Newcastle this season (5). Of Premier League clubs, only Burnley (8) have let in more goals in the final five minutes of games than Newcastle (7).
After beating Manchester City in their last game, the Bundesliga team had their sights set on another English team when Robert Andrich's header, deflected into his own net by Newcastle captain Bruno Guimaraes, gave them the lead in the 13th minute.
Leverkusen almost got a second goal when Malick Thiaw fouled Patrick Schick just outside the box. VAR checked if the foul deserved a red card for denying a clear goal-scoring chance, but the original yellow card decision stood.
Newcastle got lucky at one end, and then, in the second half, they couldn't believe their fortune when Mark Flekken's hesitation led to him bringing down Nick Woltemade in the box. Gordon took the penalty, sending the keeper the wrong way to score his fifth Champions League goal of the season.
Newcastle then had their best period, with Gordon hitting the post while seeking a second goal. Miley, who came off the bench, then scored what Newcastle needed to improve their chance of finishing in the top eight. But Grimaldo ruined the party, firing past Aaron Ramsdale to tie the score in the 88th minute.
Howe's team has two more Champions League games in January to try and move into the top eight, starting with Eredivisie champions PSV Eindhoven at St. James' Park on Jan 21. They will then finish their league games with a tough trip to current champions PSG on Jan 28.
ANALYTICAL: TWO BODO/GLIMT COMEBACKS EXPOSE BORUSSIA DORTMUND'S DEFENSIVE FLAWS
Borussia Dortmund missed a vital chance for UCL knockout stage qualification after an unheralded Bodo/Glimt side came back twice to secure a frustrating 2-2 draw.
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Borussia Dortmund's chances of immediately getting to the Champions League knockouts took a hit when Bodo/Glimt came back twice to tie the game.
This tie puts Dortmund at 11 points, a point away from the top eight. The Norwegian team is in 32nd place, still searching for their first win after six games.
Julian Brandt's goal, assisted by Fabio Silva, seemed like it would lead to an easy win for Niko Kovac's team, especially after their big win against Villarreal at home.
But Haitam Aleesami, the experienced defender, scored with a header from a great corner kick, tying the game for the visitors.
In the second half, Jens Petter Hauge, who used to play for AC Milan, scored from close range, tying the game again after Brandt had put Dortmund back in the lead.
Dortmund controlled most of the game, taking 22 shots compared to Bodo/Glimt's seven. Still, Kjetil Knutsen's team earned the praise of their traveling fans when the game ended.
Before the game started, Dortmund icons Dede and Marco Reus were honored on the field. Reus, now with LA Galaxy in MLS, was named a club ambassador. He played over 400 games for Dortmund and was the team's captain for five seasons.
Dortmund's next game is against Tottenham on Tuesday, January 20. Bodo/Glimt will play Manchester City on the same night.
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