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Every football story we have written, newest first, with our take on what it changes.

Football · 17 OCT · Borussia Mönchengladbach · Tim Kleindienst

Gladbach, 0 points from 5, lose captain Kleindienst again before Hoffenheim

Gladbach's captain was meant to be the man who led them out of the bottom of the table, and on Friday his coach had to explain that the injury is a new one. "Tim hat einen weiteren Muskelfaserriss, an anderer Stelle," Alexander Blessin said: another muscle tear, in a different place, so Tim Kleindienst is out for several weeks, gladbachlive reports, two days before the bottom two meet at Borussia-Park.

Our take Hoffenheim score enough to win here

Football · 17 OCT · İsmail Kartal · FenerbahçeUnconfirmed report

Report: Kartal at war with four Fenerbahçe stars after the 6-0 at Villa

Two days after the heaviest Champions League defeat in Fenerbahçe's history, the trouble has moved from Villa Park to the dressing room, according to Türkiye Gazetesi. The paper reports that İsmail Kartal has fallen out with Marco Asensio, Romelu Lukaku, N'Golo Kanté and Mason Greenwood over how the team plays and who plays, and that captain Milan Škriniar's comments after defeats have irritated him.

Our take Tonight's team sheet is the real test

Football · 17 OCT · Manuel Pellegrini · Real Betis

Pellegrini wanted by Chile as Betis, 3rd on 19 points, host unbeaten Barça

Manuel Pellegrini has Betis third in LaLiga with 19 points, and in Chile the calls for him to take the national team are getting louder. On Friday, the day before unbeaten Barcelona visit La Cartuja, he asked for interim coach Nicolás Córdova to be left to work, while former Ecuador coach Sebastián Beccacece told Radio Agricultura: "Ojalá que Manuel Pellegrini pueda venir."

Our take Chile can wait. Betis can't

Football · 16 OCT · Maurizio Sarri · Atalanta

Sarri calls the calendar absurd after Raspadori limps off. Milan are next

Atalanta had just won their Conference League opener 3-1 and Maurizio Sarri wanted to talk about the calendar. "Siamo sottoposti a un calendario assurdo con tutte le conseguenze del caso," he told Sky Sport Italia after Giacomo Raspadori, who had scored a penalty, went off injured, Tuttosport reports.

Our take A fair complaint that doubles as an alibi

Football · 16 OCT · Lamine Yamal · Hansi Flick

Messi's old physio has a warning for Flick: never ask Lamine Yamal if he wants off

The man who looked after Lionel Messi's body at Barcelona has a simple rule for Lamine Yamal: never ask him. "It is the coaches' mistake, asking whether to change a player, because a player will never want to come off," Juanjo Brau told Cadena SER's El Larguero on Thursday night, after Hansi Flick admitted Lamine did not want to be substituted.

Our take Barça's issue is who decides, not fatigue

Football · 16 OCT · Francisco Conceição · Luciano Spalletti

Conceição punched the bench after his exit. Spalletti: be angry with yourself

Francisco Conceição walked off at Balaídos, struck the bench with his fists and disappeared down the tunnel, and his coach did not protect him afterwards. "It would do him well to be angry with himself," Luciano Spalletti said after Juventus came from behind to win 2-1 at Celta Vigo, Corriere dello Sport and Sky Sport Italia report.

Our take Juve's problem is the attack, not the temper

Football · 15 OCT · River Plate · Leonardo Ponzio

River haven't won from behind in 31 games. Ponzio says he has four finals

The last time River Plate went a goal down and still won was 6 November 2024, 3-2 at Instituto in Córdoba with Marcelo Gallardo on the bench. Since then they have trailed in 31 matches, lost 22 and drawn 9, Cadena 3 counted after Wednesday's 1-1 at Sarmiento, and interim coach Leonardo Ponzio now talks of "four finals".

Our take River's problem starts at 0-1, not on the bench

Football · 15 OCT · İsmail Kartal · Fenerbahçe

Kartal was sent off in Fenerbahçe's 7-1. As coach he has now lost 6-1 and 6-0

İsmail Kartal was the right-back sent off before half-time when Fenerbahçe lost 7-1 at Sigma Olomouc in 1992, and on Wednesday he was the coach on the bench at Villa Park for the club's first six-goal defeat in Europe since that night. Aston Villa won 6-0, the travelling fans called for his resignation in the 78th minute, and Kartal told Habertürk: "We apologise to our club and our supporters for this score."

Our take Saturday against Alanyaspor is now a referendum

Football · 14 OCT · Massimiliano Allegri · Napoli

Allegri: "Knowing how to defend has become almost a disgrace". 3 goals from 4 shots

Villarreal needed four shots on target to score three times against Napoli on Tuesday night. Asked live on Sky Italia by Fabio Capello whether Italian teams have forgotten how to defend, Massimiliano Allegri went further than the question: "È diventata quasi una vergogna saper difendere" (knowing how to defend has become almost a disgrace).

Our take Napoli's problem is three minutes, not fashion

Football · 14 OCT · Boca Juniors · Vasco da Gama

Boca lost at home to ten men. Now nobody knows where the second leg will be played

Vasco da Gama played the last 26 minutes at La Bombonera with ten men, and Boca Juniors still could not find a goal. The Brazilians won the Copa Sudamericana semi-final first leg 1-0, and by Wednesday morning the louder fight was in a Brazilian court, over whether next Tuesday's second leg can be played at the Maracanã at all.

Our take Six home stumbles is a pattern, not bad luck

Football · 13 OCT · Ruben Amorim · AC MilanUnconfirmed report

Report: Milan are unbeaten, and Cardinale still left Sassuolo angry with Amorim

Milan have not lost in six Serie A games, and their owner still drove away from Sassuolo unhappy. According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, Gerry Cardinale watched the 1-1 at the Mapei Stadium and left disappointed, and Ruben Amorim is now in his sights.

Our take Amorim survives until winter at least

Football · 13 OCT · Rayan Cherki · Ayyoub BouaddiUnconfirmed report

Report: PSG had a deal and a voice note from Cherki. On Wednesday he faces them for City

In the summer of 2024 Rayan Cherki was so excited about joining PSG that he sent Nasser al-Khelaïfi a long voice message to thank him. According to L'Équipe, the clubs had a deal and Luis Enrique had already pitched him a role, and on Wednesday he will face Paris in a Manchester City shirt.

Our take Cherki was bad luck. Bouaddi was a choice

Football · 13 OCT · Franco Mastantuono · Fiorentina

Mastantuono lost the ball 18 times at Genoa. Vanoli's answer: keep playing him

Franco Mastantuono lost the ball 18 times in Fiorentina's 2-1 defeat at Genoa, Infobae counts, and in Argentina the criticism has been loud since. His coach Paolo Vanoli answered the other way: he called the 19-year-old an important player and said players like him only learn Italian football by playing it.

Our take This is protection, not a warning

Football · 13 OCT · All Boys · Godoy Cruz

All Boys showed referee Lamolina a phone. He scrapped the penalty and says he never saw it

Two minutes from time in Floresta, an All Boys player came back onto the pitch with a phone in his hand to show the referee a replay. Nicolás Lamolina then cancelled the penalty he had given to Godoy Cruz, and later told TyC Sports: "Yo nunca pude ver el celular" (I never got to see the phone).

Our take Right call, wrong way to get there

Football · 13 OCT · Luis Díaz · Bayern Munich

Luis Díaz had 49 goals and assists last season. In his last six games: none

On Saturday in Augsburg, Luis Díaz finally scored with an overhead kick, ran off to celebrate, and then watched VAR take it away. It summed up his autumn: six games without a goal or an assist since the opening day, Bild counts, a season after 26 goals and 23 assists.

Our take No panic: Bayern have no other left winger

Football · 13 OCT · Gerard Piqué · Sergio Busquets

Piqué, Puyol and Busquets are back in class. Only one is close to Barça's bench

Gerard Piqué was in the stand of Andorra's national stadium recently, taking notes at a women's international, and it was homework. AS reports that Andorra's owner is studying for the UEFA B-A coaching licence with the Andorran federation, alongside Sergio Busquets, Carles Puyol, Thiago Alcántara, Santi Cazorla and Javi Martínez.

Our take Watch Busquets, not Piqué

Football · 12 OCT · Real Betis · Antony

Betis just matched the start of their only title season. Then Antony sat down on the grass

Betis have 19 points from their first eight LaLiga games, the same six wins, one draw and one defeat they had in 1934-35, the only season they won the league. Minutes after Sunday's 5-2 win over Osasuna sealed it, Antony sat down on the pitch, and Manuel Pellegrini said he had felt a muscle.

Our take A real start, a week that decides it

Football · 12 OCT · Ilkay Gündoğan · Galatasaray

Gündoğan has played 11 minutes this season. On Tuesday he faces Barcelona

Ilkay Gündoğan has played 11 minutes for Galatasaray this season, in two of the eight games he was available for. Asked after the 3-1 win over Kasımpaşa whether he was ready for Barcelona, his old club, he answered: “I'm not playing, so why would I be ready?”

Our take January decides this, not Tuesday

Football · 11 OCT · Argentina · River PlateUnconfirmed report

Report: Messi's goodbye started a war, and Argentina could leave River's Monumental

Four days after Lionel Messi said goodbye to Argentina in front of a full Monumental, the stadium sang against the man who runs Argentine football. La Nación reports that the AFA has already decided the national team will not play at River Plate's ground again, a decision neither the federation nor the club has confirmed.

Our take A power fight, not a drone failure

Football · 11 OCT · Moise Kean · Como

Fabregas says Italy played Kean injured for 90 minutes. Roma have the bigger problem

Moise Kean played 90 minutes for Italy in Paris with an injury, Cesc Fàbregas says, and a scan on Friday showed it. Como's coach used his press conference before Sunday's game with Roma to say the federation should talk to clubs better; within hours Italy's team doctor answered that clubs are kept updated “before, during and after” every camp.

Our take Roma lose more than Como

Football · 11 OCT · Mika Biereth · Monaco

Monaco extended Biereth's deal 15 months ago. Now he can't make the squad

In his first half-season at Monaco, Mika Biereth scored 13 Ligue 1 goals and chased a club record. On Saturday, for the second league game in a row, he was not even in the squad as Monaco drew 2-2 with Toulouse.

Our take A January loan suits everyone

Football · 10 OCT · Bryan Zaragoza · Espanyol

Born in Málaga, booed by Málaga: Bryan Zaragoza scores and says "they never loved me"

Bryan Zaragoza went past two defenders and scored after 13 minutes at La Rosaleda, in the city where he was born, and the stands turned on him. Málaga saved a 1-1 draw in stoppage time, Marca reported chants of “Bryan, muérete” (Bryan, die), and the Espanyol winger answered, according to AS: “Nunca me han querido” (they have never loved me).

Our take This was about the summer, not the celebration