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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.
LEAGUE UPDATE: MAN UNITED’S CHAMPIONS LEAGUE HOPES BOOSTED BY COEFFICIENT POINTS SURGE
Manchester United move into fourth place as England's dominant UEFA coefficient makes a fifth Champions League spot almost certain.
Manchester United just got a real shot in the arm for their Champions League hopes this season. After knocking off Manchester City and Arsenal in back-to-back games, they’ve climbed into fourth place in the Premier League. It’s been a struggle for United to make the Champions League in recent years—their last run was in the 2023/24 season.
These days, finishing in the top four isn’t always enough for Premier League teams. UEFA now hands out extra spots, and it all depends on how clubs from each country perform across the Champions League, Europa League, and Conference League.
So, how does it work? UEFA takes each league’s overall coefficient score—basically, a measure of how well their teams do in Europe—and divides it by the number of clubs they have in these competitions.
This season, Arsenal, Liverpool, Tottenham, Chelsea, Manchester City, and Newcastle all joined the European fight. Out of those six, only Newcastle had to go through the play-offs; the rest sailed straight into the knockouts.
Now that the Champions League group stage is done, you can really see which countries are in line for those bonus spots next year. Right now, England is out in front with 180,625 points. Germany follows with 107,000. Portugal sits in third with 14,700, and Spain is just behind on 14,375.
Here’s the key thing: the two countries whose teams rack up the best results across all three competitions this season each get a European Performance Spot—an extra Champions League place.
With England leading the pack, even a fifth-place finish in the Premier League could send United back into the Champions League instead of the Europa League. Newcastle took advantage of this last season.
If United hold onto fourth, they’re in. But there’s still a lot of football left. Interim boss Michael Carrick isn’t letting anyone get ahead of themselves—he’s already told his players to stay sharp.
Next up, United face Fulham at Old Trafford. They'll be chasing a third straight win and looking to keep Carrick’s perfect record going since he stepped in for Darren Fletcher.
JUST IN: PEP GUARDIOLA THANKS JOSE MOURINHO AFTER WILD NIGHT OF EUROPEAN DRAMA
Pep Guardiola thanks Jose Mourinho as Benfica’s last-gasp winner against Real Madrid sends City straight into the Last-16.
Pep Guardiola had a smile on his face and a message for Jose Mourinho after his old rival did him a huge favour, helping Manchester City sneak into the Champions League knockout rounds.
City took care of their own business, beating Galatasaray 2-0 at the Etihad. Haaland and Cherki got the goals, but the real drama was happening elsewhere. City’s spot in the last eight still hung in the balance because Real Madrid needed to equalise against Benfica. If they had, Guardiola’s squad would have been bumped into the play-offs instead.
That’s when Benfica’s goalkeeper, Anatoliy Trubin, pulled off something wild. He left his box, charged forward for a late free kick, and scored a brilliant goal. Benfica won 4-2. That goal kept Benfica alive in the competition—and, as it turned out, saved City too.
Guardiola admitted he and his players were glued to the screen in the dressing room, completely confused when they saw Trubin running up for that last free kick. “We were all in there, watching, and none of us realised Benfica still needed a goal to qualify,” Guardiola said. “So when their keeper went up, we’re all thinking, ‘What are you doing?’ But Jose knew. It was a smart move. Finishing in the top eight, with how tough the Champions League has become, feels really good for us. Now we can focus on being at our best by March.”
Bernardo Silva didn’t hide how relieved he felt. Skipping those extra play-off games really matters, especially when you’re chasing a quadruple. “A bit of drama, but we did it. We’re very happy because we avoid two more matches,” he said. “With all the injuries we’ve got and the crazy schedule, having those two weeks free to rest, get players back, and focus on the other competitions is huge for us.”
As for Mourinho, he looked proud after Benfica’s wild finish. He’s won this tournament twice before, and he believed his side deserved to stay in. “That was a fantastic goal, a historic moment—almost blew the roof off the stadium,” Mourinho said. “Honestly, for Benfica to beat Real Madrid, that’s massive.”
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