Pep Guardiola’s unprecedented defeat with Manchester City continues; USWNT closes 2024 in the Netherlands

Hello there! The weekend was full of fun results and a quick look at the midweek schedule means there’s even more in store. I’m Pardeep Cattry with the latest version.

📺 Foot correction

Always US/East

Monday December 2
🌍Women-friendly: Germany vs. Italy, 2:30 PM ➡️ Biggest+CBS Sports Golazo Network
🇮🇹 Serie A: Roma vs. Atalanta, 2:45 PM ➡️ Biggest+

Tuesday December 3
🇪🇸 La Liga: Mallorca vs. Barcelona, ​​​​1 p.m. ➡️ ESPN+
🇩🇪 DFB Pokal: Bayern vs. Leverkusen, 2:45 PM ➡️ ESPN2
🌍Female-friendly: Netherlands vs. USWNT, 2:45 PM ➡️ TNT
🌍Women-friendly: France vs. Spain, 3 p.m. ➡️ CBS Sports Network
🇮🇹 Coppa Italia: Milan vs. Sassuolo, 3pm ➡️ Biggest+

⚽ The forward line

👎 Manchester City’s slump worsens

Manchester City suffered another defeat like clockwork on Sunday, losing 2-0 at Liverpool and extending the worst winless run of Pep Guardiola’s managerial career to seven games.

The match itself was ultimately one of contrasts, both in the way the match played out and in the consequences for both sides. Like several teams before them, Liverpool happily ceded possession to City, but the Reds’ particular strength lay in their attacking performance. While teams like Tottenham Hotspur and Feyenoord were efficient but limited in their attacking capabilities in their recent games against City, Liverpool were by far the better attacking team. They beat City 18 to eight and generated 3.57 expected goals to the opponent’s 0.84, restricting City to just two shots on target as the Reds continued their impressive defensive form under new manager Arne Slot. His tactical clarity was the opposite of Guardiola’s, who ran out of ideas from the start, as James Benge writes.

• Benge: “Guardiola’s tactics have been a muddle and his players have either had too many of these Anfield defeats in their legs, or not enough. More than their physical and tactical shortcomings, City came to the home of their biggest recent rivals utterly intimidated by the anticipation of what would happen.” From the start, they approached this match hoping to avoid a beating. So it would be wrong to think that the problems had already started before Guardiola had picked his team. Still… if Matheus Nunes and Rico Lewis wide in a 4-4-2 are the answer, then the question is: how can I exacerbate my team’s creative deficiencies without mitigating its defensive issues? Guardiola himself would admit that he is a “mountain of credit from the past eight years at City does not change the fact that his team selection increases the danger he is in.”

Even with City 11 points behind first place, likely marking the end of their title hopes, the lasting image of the match will be Guardiola’s interaction with the Anfield faithful. He raised six fingers to the crowd in a reminder of his six Premier League titles as they jokingly chanted that he would be sacked tomorrow morning. His explanation for the gesture was equally memorable.

• Guardiola: “All stadiums want to fire me. It started in Brighton. Maybe they are right with the results we achieved. I didn’t expect that at Anfield. They didn’t do it at 1-0, but at 2.” -0. Maybe they should have sung it in the past. “I didn’t expect it from the people of Liverpool, but it’s fine, it’s part of the game and I completely understand the respect for them.”

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🔗 Link play in midfield

🇺🇸 USWNT closes the year against the Netherlands

The U.S. women’s national team is in The Hague on Tuesday for their year-end friendly against the Netherlands, marking another high-profile opportunity for head coach Emma Hayes to tinker with the player pool.

Hayes began a period of experimentation since winning the Olympic gold medal last summer, both in terms of expanding the squad and introducing new tactical ideas. The latter was especially the case in the 0-0 draw against England on Saturday, when Hayes started nine members of the gold medal-winning team. The scope for experimentation came in the front line, where the head coach began a revamped front line as Trinity Rodman, Sophia Smith and Mallory Swanson stayed home for this international break after a long year for club and country. Hayes was optimistic about the execution of the offense, even as she admitted there was room for improvement.

• Hayes: “I had the feeling that we had the match under control. I thought we showed some really good passages, and our counter-pressing was really good. In the end we didn’t score and that’s why I thought we should have done more for the number of entries we had, i.e. the decision making and execution, which involve connections. Trin [Rodman] play or Soph [Smith] or Mal [Swanson]they are used to it. there are a lot of new players – Emma Sears, Alyssa Thompson, Lynn Williams. It’s a trio that’s never played together before, so I think we did a good job for that, and when the finishers came in, I thought Yazmeen Ryan did a good job [in the] second half, Korbin [Albert] came in and let us place Rose [Lavelle] in a position to come off the sidelines. I really enjoyed our performance, but we missed that last bit.”

Hayes has the chance to experiment further against the Netherlands, where there are opportunities for less experienced players. Two players started the international break with zero caps, with NWSL Rookie of the Year nominee Ally Sentnor making her debut in the final minutes of the USWNT match against England. One player in focus is Lily Yohannes, who is in her first camp since choosing to play for the US instead of waiting for her Dutch passport and choosing to play for the Netherlands.

The 17-year-old midfielder already has her first cap and first international goal to her name, but is worth keeping an eye on for several reasons. Not only will Tuesday’s match in the Netherlands be a symbolic moment for Yohannes and the USWNT after winning her over, it will also give Hayes a chance to experiment with the midfield. The head coach has stuck to her Olympic options since returning from Paris, rotating through Sam Coffey, Korbin Albert, Lindsey Horan and Rose Lavelle. However, expanding her options in the center of the park is a must, and with plenty of time to work towards the 2027 Women’s World Cup, Yohannes will have time to prove her worth to the national team.

🔗 Top stories

🟣 Edoardo Bova update: Fiorentina’s Edoardo Bova is “awake, alert and oriented” after collapsing during his team’s match against Inter on Sunday.

👎 The battle of the city: More about Manchester City’s latest defeatincluding perhaps one of the worst halves of football ever played under Pep Guardiola.

🏆 MLS Cup Final: The LA Galaxy will host the New York Red Bulls in the MLS Cup final on Saturday, although the California side will be without star Riqui Puig after he tore his ACL.

🔴 Arsenal wins again: Gabriel was the star of the show for Arsenal after they won a chaotic 5-2 draw against West Ham on Saturday.

🔵🔴 Barcelona loses: Barcelona lost to Las Palmas intensity was lacking last weekend as their lead over La Liga narrowed from four points to one.

🇧🇷 Botafogo makes history: Botafogo won the Copa Libertadores for the first time on Saturday, beating Atletico Mineiro 3-1 despite being down to ten men after just two minutes.

🇫🇷 PSG crisis: Paris Saint-Germain drew 1-1 with Nantes this weekend, exacerbating their scoring problems in both domestic and continental play.

🇸🇪 Gyokeres watch: As Viktor Gyokeres scores goals for both Sporting Lisbon and Sweden, it’s worth asking: is he Europe’s next great striker?

❌ Shepherd from: John Herdman stepped down as head coach of Toronto FCwhile he remains a key figure in Canada’s drone spying scandal.

🔮 NWSL power rankings: The 2024 NWSL season may have only ended a week ago, but it’s never too early for the 2025 power rankings.

💰The Back Line

💵 Best bets

• La Liga: Mallorca vs. Barcelona, ​​​​Tuesday, 1 p.m
  💰 THE CHOICE: Barcelona wins 2-0 (+650) – After a surprise defeat to Las Palmas on Saturday, La Liga leaders Barcelona will aim to make amends with a win over Mallorca on Tuesday. Expect them to live up to the oddsmakers’ expectations in this match, but given Mallorca’s strong start to the season in sixth place, it could be a solid, if not overly comfortable, win for Barcelona.
• DFB Pokal: Bayern Munich vs. Bayer Leverkusen, Tuesday, 2:45 PM
  💰 THE CHOICE: Serge Gnabry scores (+220) – Bayern Munich will host one of Europe’s most anticipated midweek matches, but a cup tie between the German heavyweights and the reigning champions brings complications for both sides. Although Bayer Leverkusen has struggled to find consistent form at times this season, Bayern may not be the best version of themselves on Tuesday. Harry Kane will miss the match with a thigh injury and manager Vincent Kompany could also opt to rotate his squad. If he does, expect Serge Gnabry to get some real minutes and perhaps increase his goal tally along the way.

For more picks, predictions, expert tips and the latest betting news, don’t miss CBSSports.com’s betting homepage.

📺 What’s on CBS Sports Golazo Network

☀️ Morning Footy (Weekdays 8-10am): Hosts Susannah Collins, Charlie Davies, Nico Cantor and Alexis Guerreros help fans get their day started on the network’s flagship morning show with highlights, interviews and the biggest football storylines. Morning Footy is also available in podcast formso you never miss an episode again.

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