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Everton winger Dwight McNeil cautioned against premature celebrations despite his side taking a significant step towards Premier League safety. McNeil’s second-half brace helped the Toffees climb out of the relegation zone with an emphatic 5-1 away win at Brighton on Monday to move them one place and two points clear of 18th-placed Leicester. While taking all three points from Roberto De Zerbi’s side provided a considerable boost, McNeil quickly diverted his attention to Everton’s remaining fixtures. “Winning on the road is massive for our confidence within the camp, especially going forward into our final three games,” he told the club website. “Now we are out of the relegation zone, we have a massive game coming up Sunday, then after that, the last two games are massive as well. We have to rest up now and get ready for that big game on Sunday. “It’s massive to be out of the relegation zone, but we know nothing is done yet. We have got to go right to the end and get more points on the board and that’s what we want to do.” Just three points separate 16th-placed Nottingham Forest and second-from-bottom Leeds. Everton will look to dampen another club’s ambitions when they host Premier League leaders Manchester City on Sunday before encounters with Wolves and Bournemouth to close out the campaign. Boss Sean Dyche was full of praise for former Burnley man McNeil, who picked up an assist for one of Abdoulaye Doucoure’s two goals against Brighton, while it was his cross that ultimately led to Jason Steele’s own goal. Dyche said: “I’ve said keep going, keep driving forwards, because he does it so well. He can cross the ball and as you saw he can deliver calm finishes. His two finishes were terrific. “It’s just another sign of what he’s got. I think he’s got a lot, to be honest, but I do about a lot of these players, when they’re on the edge and they’re all playing well and they’re full of confidence, but you have to build confidence and I think he’s been building his confidence levels and his performances.” Brighton boss De Zerbi, meanwhile, encouraged his side to quickly move on from the defeat as they continue to target a place in Europe next season. While it looks likely that seventh will be good enough for a Europa Conference League berth – a permutation thanks in part to the all-Manchester FA Cup final – De Zerbi wants his men to aim higher and refocus their mindset. He said: “What you did in the past is not important, it doesn’t count, and we are Brighton. We have become Brighton. We won against Liverpool, against Manchester United, against Arsenal in the Carabao Cup, against Chelsea. “Not because there is a top coach, not because there are top players, [but] because we showed pride, we showed courage, energy, patience, and I’m sure we will show for a long time.”

A dramatic final weekend of the Football League campaign set up a series of intriguing play-off ties as the remaining promotion contenders gear up for one last push. Here, the PA news agency takes a look at the combatants in the Sky Bet Championship, League One and League Two as the semi-finals loom. The Championship Sunderland v Luton Sunderland went into their final-day trip to Preston knowing even victory might not be enough to edge them into the play-offs, but a 3-0 victory, coupled with Millwall’s remarkable capitulation at home to Blackburn, saw them snatch sixth place to keep alive their unlikely hopes of back-to-back promotions. Under Tony Mowbray, who replaced Alex Neil at the helm in August, they are unbeaten in nine and finished the regular season – during which star striker Ross Stewart was largely absent and they were without a recognised central defender – strongly to give themselves a chance to exorcise the ghost of successive relegations from the Premier League to League One. Luton, who have not played in the top flight since 1992, were already assured of third place and their play-off berth before Monday’s 0-0 home draw with Hull, which extended their unbeaten run to 14 games. Indeed, Rob Edwards’ men, who boast dyed-in-the-wool Wearsider Mick Harford among their backroom staff, have lost only once in the league since January 14 and climbed from 10th place into the top three after the former Watford manager’s appointment as Nathan Jones’ replacement in November. Coventry v Middlesbrough When Mark Robins accepted the hotseat at Coventry in March 2017, the club was hurtling into League Two and faced an uncertain future amid deepening financial problems. He has since guided them back up the pyramid to within touching distance of the Premier League, where they last played during the 200-01 season, after a run of 17 games which included just a single defeat and ended with Monday’s 1-1 draw at Middlesbrough. Former Manchester United and England star Michael Carrick, who was on the books at Boro as a youngster, inherited a team which had won just four of its first 16 league games and was languishing inside the relegation zone when he replaced Chris Wilder in October. Carrick has overseen a concerted drive up the table, fuelled in large part by revitalised 28-goal striker Chuba Akpom, which at one point saw the club flirt with automatic promotion. League One Peterborough v Sheffield Wednesday Peterborough’s last-gasp surge into the play-offs represents a triumph for persistence. Manager Darren Ferguson, who resigned in February last year with the club slipping inexorably towards the Championship exit, returned for a fourth spell in charge in January following successor Grant McCann’s departure. Sunday’s 2-0 win at Barnsley enabled Posh to leapfrog Derby into sixth place with a helping hand from Wednesday, who beat the Rams 1-0. Owls boss Darren Moore, however, will hope that is as far as his side’s charity extends having seen them finish 19 points clear of their semi-final opponents and just two adrift of second-placed Ipswich. They lost out to Sunderland at the same stage last season and will head into their latest two-legged appointment on the back of a four-game winning run. Bolton v Barnsley Bolton’s quest for a return to the second tier for the first time since 2019 caps a season of real positivity after a difficult spell in the club’s history. Promoted from the fourth tier two seasons ago, Ian Evatt’s men have lost only one of their last 10 games in all competitions, a sequence of results which includes a 4-0 Papa Johns Trophy final victory over League One champions Plymouth. Relegated from the Championship at the end of last season – having won just six of their 46 games a year after reaching the play-offs – Barnsley are looking to make an immediate return under Michael Duff. They rather limped over the line, taking just a point from their final three fixtures with runners-up Ipswich and fast-finishing Peterborough both winning at Oakwell. League Two Salford v Stockport Salford, famously backed by Manchester United’s Class of ’92, survived a final-day scare as they clung on to the final play-off spot despite a 1-0 home defeat by Gillingham. Led by former United Academy coach Neil Wood, the Ammies have made it to the end-of-season festivities for the first time since their emergence from the National League in 2019. Stockport boss Dave Challinor is targeted a third-successive promotion have steered County back into the Football League last season having done the same with Hartlepool 12 months earlier. They missed out on automatic promotion to Northampton on Monday after a 1-1 home draw with already-relegated Pool, but are unbeaten in 13. Bradford v Carlisle There are few bigger managerial names in the lower leagues than that of Bradford boss Mark Hughes, but the Bantams are going to have to do it the hard way if they are to make it back to the third tier. They won only one of their last five regular season fixtures – although drew 1-1 with champions Orient to seal their play-off place – and failed to score in either game against the Cumbrians. Carlisle’s 1-1 draw with Sutton ensured their continued participation, although their form too is patchy with only two wins in their last 11 games. Paul Simpson, the man who took the club from the Conference to League One in successive seasons during his first spell as boss, is back in charge having successfully fought his own battle with kidney cancer and hopes are high for a significant upturn. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Wales international Dan Lydiate seals return to the Dragons ahead of next season Ben Davies impressed by caretaker boss Ryan Mason’s impact at Tottenham Alpine’s Sophia Floersch sets sights on F1 after recovering from fractured spine

Tottenham defender Ben Davies has talked up Ryan Mason’s positive influence on the squad. Mason claimed his first victory during his second caretaker spell in charge of Spurs with Saturday’s 1-0 win over Crystal Palace. It occurred after the 31-year-old had tweaked the tactics used by his old boss Antonio Conte, who repeatedly stuck with a 3-4-3 system. Tottenham lined up in a 4-4-2 out of possession and it helped them keep a first clean sheet in the Premier League since February 26 with more confidence restored to a group who have experienced crushing defeats to Bournemouth, Newcastle and Liverpool in the past month. “It’s something we’re all well aware of and one that we needed for a long time. It’s a good start for us and hopefully we can kick on for the final games now,” Davies said of the shut-out against Palace. “It’s not the easiest situation to come into (for Ryan). We’ve got limited amount of games so it’s hard for him to come in and completely change things and do it his own way. “But there’s been a clear message that we need to be as good as we can with the ball and tighten up without it. “It’s pretty basic but that’s the way we’ve been training and working. Ryan’s instilled that belief in us that we’re able to do that.” Davies, who has largely played left of a back three this season, was used as a full-back last weekend before being asked to push higher up the pitch when Spurs attacked. It's pretty basic but that's the way we've been training and working. Ryan's instilled that belief in us that we're able to do that Ben Davies on Ryan Mason On the right wing was January recruit Pedro Porro and it was the Spain international who set up Harry Kane’s winner to help make up for some poor defensive showings at St James’ Park and Anfield recently. Davies added: “Pedro is still a young player. We know the intensity and scrutiny of the Premier League, you make one little mistake and it’s highlighted for the world to see. “Look, we all know how good a player he is. We’ve seen it on the training pitch. When you iron out those mistakes I think we’ve got a top player on our hands. “Sometimes when you’re new to the club and the Premier League, you probably feel a lot of demand, especially when it comes to the transfer fee, to try to impress. “Sometimes it’s about making sure you do the basics and do the simple things right first. I think he did that. He defended well and then when he got the opportunity (to attack) he was good.” Tottenham’s win over Palace moved them up to sixth and kept them on course to qualify for a European competition. “Our aspiration is to play European football and be involved in as many competitions as we can,” Davies insisted. “We have the squad, we have the number of players, so it’s probably necessary that we are. “Our aim is to go as far as we can in every competition. Any European competition is important for us.”

James Ward-Prowse knows how bleak Southampton’s plight is after a 4-3 defeat at Nottingham Forest left them staring Premier League relegation in the face. Saints were on the wrong end of a seven-goal thriller at the City Ground which means they will lose their top-flight status if they fail to beat Fulham on Saturday or results elsewhere go against them. They were always in the game against Forest and looked dangerous in attack, but were let down by sloppy defending. “It hurts everybody,” the captain told the club’s official website. “It’s not just me, it’s everybody’s careers, it’s everybody’s opportunity to do something special for this club and it’s not just me, it hurts everybody, it hurts all the fans and everybody associated with the club. “It’s clear we have to win all of our games and that’s the position we find ourselves in. Like I said, every game has increased importance and the challenge hasn’t changed, we have to win our games and obviously hope everything goes our way and we have to focus on the next one now. “Games are won and lost at both ends of the pitch and when you give two goals away in the way that we did, and we scored three goals but it’s still not enough and I think that says a lot about where we are as a team at the minute. “It’s been too easy. Right from the first game against Spurs until now we’ve not really learned anything, not really progressed, we’ve just taken these results as they are and that’s the most disappointing thing. “When you keep doing the same thing and keep getting the same results, we’ve not learnt from it and that’s the frustrating thing.” Forest’s picture is much brighter after a second win in three games lifted them out of the bottom three. It was another impressive atmosphere at the City Ground, where Forest have now taken 27 of their 33 points this season. And boss Steve Cooper hailed the fans’ support. “We’re so lucky to play in front of these supporters as well,” Cooper said. “They don’t half drag us over the line when we need them. I’m just so glad they leave happy with the three points.” Forest looked scintillating in attack at times with Taiwo Awoniyi, Brennan Johnson, Morgan Gibbs-White and Danilo all combining with effect. Cooper added: “We showed great quality with the goals we scored. The first goal, in particular, was some of our technical, attacking, athletic players playing at their very best on that fast attack. “I’m really pleased with some of the attacking play and the goals. We didn’t cover ourselves in glory with the goals we conceded.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Chelsea could use Christian Pulisic ‘to lure’ Victor Osimhen On this day in 2013: David Moyes named as Sir Alex Ferguson’s Man Utd successor Jordan Spieth withdraws from Byron Nelson Classic ahead of PGA Championship

West Virginia's men's basketball head coach Bob Huggins apologized for "insensitive" and "abhorrent" comments he made while appearing on the 700 WLW's Bill Cunningham Show on Monday.

As Pep Guardiola sat down to begin working on the “Johan Cruyff box” that has only further released Erling Haaland in the last few weeks, one of the Catalan’s main concerns was the equation of marrying the Norwegian’s movement with maintaining control in the Champions League. They don’t always seem to fit. Even though he is now blessed with the best goalscorer in the world, “maintaining control in the Champions League’’ governs Guardiola’s thinking in almost everything, and has done for the last few seasons. The Catalan wouldn’t publicly admit that, of course, since he feels it feeds into an unhelpful public narrative about his “obsession” with the competition. That is precisely how senior figures at Manchester City have privately described it, though, and some feel it goes even further. They don’t just think Guardiola wants a third Champions League. They believe he wants the record for the most in history, as should befit someone viewed as perhaps the greatest coach of all time. There is also how much emotional energy he has put in, too. You only have to watch the footage of him theatrically crumpling to the ground as Real Madrid’s Vinicius Junior tears down the wing after one minor slip in last season’s semi-final. There is naturally a significant amount of ego in this, but that isn’t said as a criticism. The intensity of the job means elite managers must almost by definition be self-absorbed. It’s close to a prerequisite of getting to the top and staying there. An inherent pride is why so many coaches stay wedded to a style even as the wider game moves past them, because it becomes about proving they still have it. It happened to Arsene Wenger. It happened to Jose Mourinho. It happened to almost everyone, except the figure whose record Guardiola is actually chasing. Carlo Ancelotti also happens to be the manager fittingly standing in the Catalan’s way. The Italian is aiming to extend his record with a fifth Champions League, as Guardiola looks for a long-awaited third. You could understand a certain amount of frustration at that, since it all seems to come so easy to Ancelotti at the same time as Guardiola endures so many long nights of the soul in the Champions League. Last season’s semi-final was another. The Real Madrid manager is frequently asked about the secret of all this by football people, and the answer is instructive. “You have to have no ego,” Ancelotti says. “Listen to your players, ask their opinion, trust them.” Even that seems to go against a lot of the system-led management that the Guardiola era has fostered. It is not the only way Ancelotti has defied the supposedly defining trends of the modern game. Far from obstructing managers like Guardiola, the Italian was supposed to be rendered obsolete. That isn’t just tactical theorising, either. It seemed the reality of their last few roles, especially at Bayern Munich. When Ancelotti succeeded Guardiola at the German club in 2016, the players were staggered at the drop-off in intensity and preparation. It all seemed so lax and lacking in tactical ideas. The seams began to come apart, leading to Ancelotti’s early sacking. This was the way of the game. System prevailed, all the more so when it was intensely applied. If you wanted to go to a higher level, you needed an idea that amplified the whole. Any stars had to subsume themselves to that. Ancelotti instead seemed to be following many other managers from the previous era in receding from the top end of the game. His jobs showed that. He went from the Champions League latter stages to just trying to get into the competition at Napoli and then floating around mid-table with Everton. And yet here he is back at the summit, with an historic Champions League record that Guardiola so wants, as well as the trophy itself. That has all come without wanting to leave any greater imprint on the game. All Ancelotti wants to do is get by, as they got past City last year, to ensure he has four Champions Leagues and Guardiola still only has two. It illustrates that, rather than both representing dividing lines in football history, they represent opposite approaches in a game that still has a lot of blurred lines. That applies to the jobs they both came into most recently. They weren’t the same. The current City football project was specifically constructed for Guardiola, according to his ideals. It is almost the perfect football setting for him. There would be a football symmetry if he was to win the Champions League again by finalising the most modern team with “the box” that won Barcelona their first European Cup in 1992. There was none of this lofty philosophising with Ancelotti’s last appointment. There was a grand project, sure, as the Madrid hierarchy decided they were going to play 4-3-3 for the next decade. Far from being the perfect fit for that, though, Ancelotti was brought back because club president Florentino Perez couldn’t get anyone else. It was little more than a compromise. So, while City were made for Guardiola, Madrid had to make do with Ancelotti. It just so happened he was able to work very well within those constraints. He could adapt superbly to what he was given, which was one of the best young squads in the world. This is another area where the picture is clouded. It isn’t completely wrong to say Ancelotti looked left behind. He didn’t excel at either Napoli or Everton. But he didn’t have what he has now at Madrid. It points to one of many contrasts in this game, one that may decide where the Champions League ends up. It is idealist against pragmatist, as well as collective control against individual moments. Similarly, while Guardiola sets a club’s entire identity, Ancelotti just makes it feel better about itself. The 4-3-3 wasn’t his idea so he just works to make it better as and when required. He knows how to talk to players, enabling them and ensuring they always feel involved. Ancelotti is also said to be the best in the world at the timing of substitutions. Some of that comes from an instinctive feel for how a match is going, “the sense of a game”. It could be seen in last year’s dramatic semi-final comeback, not least when Ancelotti consulted Marcelo and Toni Kroos on the sideline. This is exactly what he meant when he spoke about no ego and listening to players. There’s another blurred line here, though. Ancelotti still had sufficient pride to stop a question at a recent press conference and point out that he does a lot more than man-management. His record speaks to that. It is one that Guardiola would love to claim as his own. This semi-final may go someway to deciding that. Guardiola's "box" may actually bring his career full circle, as it could represent the completeness of his tactical idea and bring a first Champions League title since Barcelona. Such sophisticated re-interpretations of the past have moved football into the future. It's just that one of its most historic figures, in Ancelotti, remains a key part of it. Read More Why Man City vs Real Madrid is the ‘real’ Champions League final The six types of Pep Guardiola full-back, and what each says about Man City’s evolution Is Real Madrid vs Manchester City on TV? Kick-off time, channel and how to watch Champions League semi-final

Real Madrid host the first leg of their Champions League semi-final against Manchester City as they continue to chase another European trophy. Carlo Ancelotti’s side have already progressed beyond two English clubs in the knockout rounds, showing all of their competition-winning acumen in beating Liverpool and Chelsea. But the Spanish capital club know they will face a significantly stronger side with the Premier League leaders in town. Manchester City are in outstanding form and desperately covet the continental crown that has so far eluded them. Here’s everything you need to know. When is Real Madrid vs Manchester City? Real Madrid vs Manchester City is due to kick off at 8pm BST on Tuesday 9 May at the Bernabeu in Madrid. How can I watch it? Viewers in the United Kingdom can watch the first leg live on BT Sport 1, with coverage on the channel from 7pm BST. Subscribers can stream the game via the BT Sport app or online player. Team news Real Madrid are dealing with a couple of defensive issues, with Eder Militao suspended for this fixture and Ferland Mendy still battling a calf injury. Luka Modric should, however, be fit to start after overcoming his hamstring issue to feature in the Copa del Rey win on Sunday. Kevin De Bruyne returned to the starting Manchester City side against Leeds in a timely boost for Pep Guardiola, though Nathan Ake’s second half substitution during that encounter is cause for concern. The Dutch defender’s hamstring injury could rule him out. Predicted line-ups Real Madrid XI: Courtois; Carvajal, Rudiger, Alaba, Camavinga; Valverde, Modric, Kroos; Rodrygo, Benzema, Vinicius Jr. Manchester City XI: Ederson; Walker, Dias, Akanji; Stones, Rodri; Silva, De Bruyne, Gundogan, Grealish; Haaland. Odds Real Madrid win 9/4 Draw 47/17 Manchester City win 5/4 Prediction A draw leaves things intriguingly poised ahead of the second leg. Real Madrid 2-2 Manchester City Read More Why Man City vs Real Madrid is the ‘real’ Champions League final The six types of Pep Guardiola full-back, and what each says about Man City’s evolution Pep Guardiola ready to stare down his managerial nemesis once again

Manchester City are still on the hunt for a potential treble as they travel to face Real Madrid in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final. A third Premier League title in a row is looking ever more likely, but Pep Guardiola’s side are also major contenders for a first continental crown. To get to the Istanbul final, though, they will have to get past the defending champions, with Carlo Ancelotti’s serial winners back in the last four and likely to provide a stern test. With their league hopes over, Real Madrid can focus fully on this two-legged affair as they look to set up a final against either Inter or AC Milan. Here’s everything you need to know. When is Real Madrid vs Manchester City? Real Madrid vs Manchester City is due to kick off at 8pm BST on Tuesday 9 May at the Bernabeu in Madrid. How can I watch it? Viewers in the United Kingdom can watch the first leg live on BT Sport 1, with coverage on the channel from 7pm BST. Subscribers can stream the game via the BT Sport app or online player. Team news Real Madrid are dealing with a couple of defensive issues, with Eder Militao suspended for this fixture and Ferland Mendy still battling a calf injury. Luka Modric should, however, be fit to start after overcoming his hamstring issue to feature in the Copa del Rey win on Sunday. Kevin De Bruyne returned to the starting Manchester City side against Leeds in a timely boost for Pep Guardiola, though Nathan Ake’s second half substitution during that encounter is cause for concern. The Dutch defender’s hamstring injury could rule him out. Predicted line-ups Real Madrid XI: Courtois; Carvajal, Rudiger, Alaba, Camavinga; Valverde, Modric, Kroos; Rodrygo, Benzema, Vinicius Jr. Manchester City XI: Ederson; Walker, Dias, Akanji; Stones, Rodri; Silva, De Bruyne, Gundogan, Grealish; Haaland. Odds Real Madrid win 9/4 Draw 47/17 Manchester City win 5/4 Prediction A draw leaves things intriguingly poised ahead of the second leg. Real Madrid 2-2 Manchester City Read More Why Man City vs Real Madrid is the ‘real’ Champions League final The six types of Pep Guardiola full-back, and what each says about Man City’s evolution Pep Guardiola ready to stare down his managerial nemesis once again

A month ago, Pep Guardiola considered the prospects of the player who had made most appearances for him as a full-back and concluded he could not play full-back in a Pep Guardiola team. Or not this team and this system, anyway. “He cannot do it,” Guardiola said. And perhaps that, for Kyle Walker, would have been that, the beginning of the end, a player whose time at Manchester City was ended by a tactical shift that rendered him redundant. Since then, however, Walker has started four of City’s last five games and subdued Gabriel Martinelli in a title decider. In the other biggest match of City’s season so far, he could be the specialist selected for another unenviable task: halting Vinicius Junior, the scorer in last season’s Champions League final, the scourge of Trent Alexander-Arnold. He has the pace – “he will be the fastest in the room at 60,” Guardiola said – to stand out but Walker is an anomaly in other respects. He is the only senior specialist full-back left in City’s squad. They have knocked a player they own, and one who felt the definitive Guardiola full-back, out of the Champions League, after loaning Joao Cancelo to Bayern Munich. But then the definition of a Guardiola full-back has altered over his managerial career. He is indelibly associated with passing midfielders and false nines, but his willingness to experiment, reinvent and revolutionise has been most apparent on either side of the defence, as the six types of Guardiola full-back show. 1. The attacking full-back So far, so conventional? Perhaps not quite. Guardiola may be a trailblazer even there, an advocate of ultra-attacking full-backs when many another manager first looked for solidity in the back four. His Barcelona pairing of Maxwell and Dani Alves could overlap while his midfielders dominated possession. Alves reached double figures in assists in La Liga in three successive seasons for Guardiola, peaking with 15 in 2010-11. Had Jesus Navas opted to stay at City in 2017, it would have been as the second-choice right-back, with Guardiola taking a winger and converting him into a full-back. 2. The full-back as midfielder Given the Bundesliga’s emphasis on pressing and quick transitions, Guardiola became more concerned about counter-attacks during his time at Bayern Munich. It was one reason why he revisited football’s past and formations from the game’s history; either the 2-3-5 used from the end of the 19th century or the W-M system that was invented in the 1920s. Instead of getting his full-backs to overlap, he got them to come infield, to play as old-fashioned wing-halves, taking up positions in front of the centre-backs. It helped that Philipp Lahm and David Alaba had the skillsets to play as midfielders; indeed, Guardiola would often use Lahm, with his footballing intellect, ability to take the ball under pressure and find a teammate, as an actual midfielder. Cancelo has been a variant on the theme at City: a midfielder earlier in his career, he has come infield – most effectively from left-back – and his more ambitious range has made him a playmaker from the base of the midfield. Whereas Rodri, the actual holding midfielder, was more of a metronome, alongside him, Cancelo tried the defence-splitting pass. 3. The midfielder as full-back A reason why Guardiola’s squads tend to feature relatively few out-and-out full-backs and why he can be picky when buying them is that few seem to meet his demands. They tend to include having the ability on the ball of midfielders; perhaps it is unsurprising some actually are midfielders. Joshua Kimmich was a case in point for Bayern. At City, first Fabian Delph and then Oleksandr Zinchenko were moved from midfield to full-back – the Ukrainian was more of a left winger or a No. 10 – with both directed to play the half-back role, to double up as the second defensive midfielder in possession. It has become a more permanent shift, at club level anyway, for Zinchenko, but when Delph went to Everton he reverted to being a midfielder. Kimmich has the ability to operate in a host of roles but is now established at the heart of Bayern’s midfield. Guardiola’s most extreme example of the midfielder as a full-back, albeit a brief one, was when Bernardo Silva spent a couple of games playing as an auxiliary left-back. 4. The defensive full-back It wasn’t how Walker was described when he joined City. He had spent 2016-17 as a flying wing-back for Mauricio Pochettino’s Tottenham. Guardiola decided his extreme pace was better deployed as an insurance policy, as the man to stop the counter-attacks and as the counterpart to the left-backs, whether Cancelo, Delph or Zinchenko, who were directed into midfield. In effect, Walker was often the right of three centre-backs, though that arguably led to another evolution. 5. The centre-back as full-back When Cancelo was exiled and Walker benched, it felt as though Guardiola was abolishing the notion of the full-back altogether. He has fielded teams featuring five players – including Rodri – who operated at centre-back for their countries in the World Cup. It helps that a manager obsessed with the Cruyffian idea of a left-footed centre-back to open up passing angles in the build-up has two, each accomplished in possession, in Nathan Ake and Aymeric Laporte. Ake has proved particularly accomplished in a hybrid role: half centre-back, half left-back. Manuel Akanji has been the other unexpected beneficiary of Guardiola’s change in thinking this season. If the Switzerland international had been positioned on what became the right of three, he played as an out-and-out right back against Bayern Munich, charged with halting Leroy Sane, and then as a pure defensive left-back against Arsenal, subduing Bukayo Saka. It was as though the purist in Guardiola had gone full pragmatist, looking for a player who was big, quick, defensively diligent and reliable, almost regardless of his ability on the ball. 6. The centre-back as full-back and midfielder If Cancelo felt the man who gave City an added dimension in the past, now John Stones is. If much of Guardiola’s tactics since leaving Barcelona has been a quest to find someone who is both the fourth defender and the second holding midfielder, the tweak this year was to reinvent Stones from a centre-back to a right-back who moved alongside Rodri in possession. Then, against Bayern, came another twist: Stones started as a centre-back but stepped forward, leaving Ruben Dias, Ake and Akanji to form a back three behind him. Stones’ extraordinarily high pass completion rates makes him dependable in possession, while having the defensive nous. He has often been preferred to his friend Walker. But perhaps the prospect of Vinicius will prompt Guardiola to pick Stones as a conventional centre-back and Walker as an old-fashioned right-back. Read More Why Man City vs Real Madrid is the ‘real’ Champions League final Pep Guardiola ready to stare down his managerial nemesis once again Is Real Madrid vs Manchester City on TV? Kick-off time, channel and how to watch Champions League semi-final Ex-England boss Fabio Capello labels Manchester City ‘the best team in world’ Man City not motivated by revenge against Real Madrid says Guardiola Real Madrid handed Luka Modric fitness boost ahead of Man City clash

It wasn’t all that long ago that Thibaut Courtois was bemoaning being only the seventh-best footballer on the planet. Not the seventh-best goalkeeper - he had top spot in that award sewn up - but seventh overall. His case was as routine as it was sensible: we’ve won everything, I’ve played a huge part, I should be considered as one of the greatest - or, in his eyes, the greatest. Ultimately his reasons counted for plenty, just for the wrong player: teammate Karim Benzema picked up the Ballon d’Or in October. Since then, Courtois has suffered the indignity of being No1 for perhaps the biggest underperformers on the grandest stage - Belgium at the World Cup - but with Real Madrid he continues to be in the spotlight with pivotal performances and in the running for major honours. While a domestic title is out of his grasp this term, retaining Los Blancos’ European crown is very much on the cards. But to do that, he’ll have to face the biggest test of all for any goalkeeper this year, a challenge which, if passed, might well ensure his name is deservedly even higher up the rankings when awards season rolls around again: stop Erling Haaland. “I see the Ballon d’Or as impossible to win. You win La Liga and you win the Champions League, your team wins thanks to your saves... and you only finish seventh. At least they created the trophy for best goalkeeper. With a huge difference, the best goalkeeper in the world,” Courtois noted late last year. “What I’m not happy about is that [I] was not included in the final podium for the Ballon d’Or. I still don’t understand what those who choose this award are based on. “Without a good goalkeeper you don’t win a trophy. And in football awards, sometimes we forget that. People vote faster for a striker who scores goals than by a goalkeeper. Too bad. But we will continue to show that goalkeepers are really important.” There are some who, rightly or wrongly, are already proclaiming the Real Madrid vs Manchester City semi-final to be the real final. AC and Inter Milan will offer their own arguments against that in time, but there’s no doubt as to which clubs have the better squads, the greater expectation...the best and most in-form strikers. And Haaland sits above all of them this season, even above Benzema, after smashing in 51 goals in 46 games. Courtois, meanwhile, has been a busy performer at the Bernabeu. Rarely a team which chases wins by being defensively solid first, Los Blancos have only the fourth-best goals against record this season. Courtois isn’t an ever-present, having had a couple of injury issues this term, and he’s unlikely to be thrilled with his own performance last time out either. A 2-0 defeat to Real Sociedad saw him embarrassed by a wayward backpass, Take Kubo given an easy tap-in, before being beaten at his near post by Ander Barrenetxea for the second. The 30-year-old is no stranger to critics and says he’s held to a higher regard and commented on more harshly for the exact reason that he’s one of the best in the world. He’ll need to be, for this double-header. Haaland has recently been playing an increasing role in the build-up play for City, feeding others running in behind and linking superbly in the deep areas. That means that the threat to Real’s hopes of reaching the final will come from multiple angles of course, but it’s still Haaland who will be the primary danger, Haaland who - if the tie is tight and chances are sporadic - will be most relied-upon to bury the one or two which fall his way. Courtois has proven himself one of the world’s top stoppers, over and over. His reach is immense, his bravery and quick feet off his line an important aspect of his game and his mental strength is as impressive as his shot-stopping capacity. But he isn’t infallible. He, like all players, has bad games, or even just occasions where he’s not quite at his best. The last-16 first leg at Anfield was a case in point, with an error-strewn outing ultimately not proving too costly due to Real’s strength at the other end of the pitch. And here once more it could prove the same. Real Madrid, with Benzema, Vinicius Jr, Luka Modric and all their other offensive-minded stars will fancy themselves to win a shootout across 180 minutes, if that’s what it comes to. Ultimately, going through to the final in Istanbul is all that matters. But for Courtois individually and his simultanoues grand plans of proving he can be not just the best goalkeeper but the very best footballer in the world, one task will go a long way to achieving both objectives. The problem is, as has already been shown on more than 50 occasions this season, stopping Haaland is a notoriously difficult thing to do. Read More Why Man City vs Real Madrid is the ‘real’ Champions League final Pep Guardiola ready to stare down his managerial nemesis once again Is Real Madrid vs Manchester City on TV? Kick-off time, channel and how to watch Champions League semi-final The six types of Pep Guardiola full-back, and what each says about Man City Football rumours: Chelsea could use Christian Pulisic to lure Victor Osimhen Why Man City vs Madrid is the ‘real’ Champions League final

What the papers say Christian Pulisic, 24, is one of the stars likely to be offloaded by Chelsea this summer with the Daily Mail saying he could be used to lure another big name to Stamford Bridge. The United States forward could be used as part of a deal to persuade Napoli to sell Nigeria striker Victor Osimhen. Paris St Germain are poised to make a bid for Crystal Palace winger Michael Olise, 21. The Daily Mail reports that the Ligue 1 giants will make a summer swoop for the France Under-21 international. Arsenal midfielder Granit Xhaka, 30, is a target for Bayer Leverkusen, according to the Daily Mirror. The German club tried to sign the Switzerland international last summer and The Sun reports the Gunners are keen on a potential deal involving Leverkusen winger Moussa Diaby, 23. Blackburn’s teenage star Adam Wharton is attracting the attention of Newcastle, reports the Daily Mail. Senior officials from the Premier League club have been to watch the 18-year-old midfielder. Social media round-up Players to watch Moussa Dembele: Aston Villa, Leeds and West Ham have been linked with a move for the French forward, 26, from Lyon. Matteo Guendouzi: Marseille’s former Arsenal midfielder, 24, has emerged as a possible replacement for Declan Rice at West Ham. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live

In the days before Manchester City’s most important match of the season, Pep Guardiola has been trying to strike a difficult balance. Surprisingly, his focus is not on how to play against Vinicius Junior, despite the way the forward scorched the Catalan’s side last season. Instead, Guardiola wants to make sure his players do not dwell on how last season’s semi-final ended, for fear of it inhibiting their performance, but he also doesn’t want to suppress their desire for revenge either. With the Premier League champions in unprecedented form, some within the team want to subject Real Madrid to the heartbreak that City endured last May. Madrid, meanwhile, are intent on reasserting why they are the greatest. Carlo Ancelotti has been seeking to nurture their talent in that understated way of his. It’s just about the only thing with this Champions League semi-final rematch that’s understated. All around the Bernabeu, there is the sense of the game building up to the be-all and end-all of the season. It is little wonder it is being described as the “real final”. After all, this is by far the more difficult side of the draw, with arguably the two best sides in Europe. It has the high stakes that lend it the grandeur of previous “real finals”: Internazionale-Barcelona 2010, Barcelona-Bayern Munich 2015, Liverpool-Barcelona 2019 and perhaps Bayern Munich-Madrid 2001. It’s also what many think, and psychology is a key part of this. Those within Madrid firmly believe City are the best team in Europe – other than them – and overtures are already being made to try and bring Erling Haaland to the Bernabeu at some point in the future. Some of the Real hierarchy have been left gobsmacked by Haaland. Ancelotti has been discussing with his staff how to limit the striker’s impact. But Haaland still doesn’t dominate their mindset as much as state-owned clubs like City influence the thinking of Florentino Perez. The driving force for the Madrid president in the last half-decade has been ensuring his club can compete with such political projects. On the flip side, Madrid are the kind of grand football institution City feel they must overcome. To win the Champions League by beating three of the competition’s most historically successful clubs – Bayern Munich, Madrid and AC Milan – would be a highly symbolic moment. But there is still something deeper to the Spanish giants, though. Madrid were Guardiola’s great rivals at Barcelona. They so often won the top European competition that eluded the Catalans, and are the club that subjected Guardiola to some of his worst evenings. What happened last season between City and Real Madrid was, for Guardiola, an extension of his history at the Camp Nou. In addition, there was the semi-final in 2014 when Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale eviscerated Pep’s Bayern. All of this is firing up everyone involved. And yet it is that very shared history which means we are long past the point where we can cast this as the football establishment against new money, a grand old institution against a modern state project. Both, after all, came together for the Super League project two years ago. There’s a familiarity on a few levels. This is the third time City and Madrid have met in four seasons. Two have been in the semi-finals. It’s what happens when the pool of teams at the continent’s top end shrinks, as both of these clubs have played their part in ensuring. It is another reason this is seen as “the real final”. This season has made it feel like the only potential champions are English sides, Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain (at a stretch) and Madrid. As these names have fallen, it has looked more and more like it will be City’s year. Such is their strength in depth that they are always in contention – this year, last year, next year – in a way rarely seen in football history. Haaland’s goals epitomise this. They also point to how some new elements will decide a tie with increasingly familiar themes – or, at least, new spins on familiar themes. In seeking to maximise the force of Haaland, while marrying the player’s singular goalscoring brilliance with his own obsession with collective control, Guardiola has gone back to his roots. He has reconfigured Johan Cruyff’s “box” from Barcelona’s 1992 season, which also happened to be the first Champions League the club had ever won. It has at once released Haaland while keeping him a key part of a coherent collective. That is going to be very hard for Madrid to undo in the way they managed last season, although Bayern showed one vulnerability is pace on the flanks that Ancelotti has in abundance. This is where Vinicius is so dangerous, and would require more compromises within Guardiola’s system. City may have to double up on the Brazilian. Vinicius has gone up another level after winning last season’s Champions League. Many within the game believe he is the most effective footballer in Europe right now. Others, of course, believe it is Haaland. And Madrid certainly can’t afford to forget about him. It wasn’t like City struggled to create chances against Madrid last season, they just didn’t have anyone to finish them. It let Madrid back in, for the mother of all of those comebacks. There is little surer than Haaland, though. There is little surer than the idea these are the two best teams in Europe right now. It is why this is being cast as the true final. Since both are so much better than the Milan clubs, the showpiece will feel a fait accompli. That is often the danger with such games, though. You forget what is to come, and put so much into the grand showdown before. This semi-final is after all built on countless recent memories, that could play a part in deciding it. Read More Pep Guardiola ready to stare down his managerial nemesis once again Is Real Madrid vs Manchester City on TV? Kick-off time, channel and how to watch Champions League semi-final Ex-England boss Fabio Capello labels Manchester City ‘the best team in world’ Man City not motivated by revenge against Real Madrid says Guardiola The sporting weekend in pictures