“Stabbed in the Mac”

Comment & analysis round-up

Quote of the day: “I got the news from Didier Drogba. ‘He’ll be sacked tomorrow,’ he told me. I was so surprised. I thought Mourinho was practically untouchable…

"I then learnt Mourinho had told the club’s captain [John Terry] that he was going to be left on the bench for a few matches to give him enough time to recover from a back operation he’d undergone in the middle of the previous season [in December 2006]. John let it be known that he was OK to play on but Mourinho insisted. He told him his [Terry's] level of performance was suffering because of his back problems and repeated clearly that he [Terry] would be replaced until told otherwise. He even pointed out that the central defence would, from now on, be Ricardo Carvalho and Alex.

"War had been declared… As it was always, when John Terry let his unhappiness be known to [the chief executive Peter] Kenyon and asked him for a transfer, Abramovich reacted immediately. The departure of Terry was unimaginable from the point of view of the supporters, the players or the owners. Mourinho was asked to pack his bags.” - Claude Makelele, as written in his new autobiography.

Runner-up: “I wanted to play in the starting line-up in Rome but that decision was down to the coach. But with a strategy more attacking in the first minute then perhaps the result would have been different. It has not been a good time for me because I believe that I should have played more minutes. My future will now be decided. My agents are negotiating and I am waiting to hear some news.” - Carlos Tevez.

Today’s overview: In the week that saw the Champions League final, build up to the FA Cup final between Chelsea and Everton has been buried until this Saturday, with the fifth estate looking to make amends this Saturday.

Simon Barnes puts the FA Cup final in its place, confessing “the FA Cup Final no longer survives as the greatest non-international event of the footballing year. Rather it is a pudding to be served lukewarm after the main event of the Champions League final.”

As Guus Hiddink prepares to bow out of English football, so the hyperbole over the Dutchman begins.

Barney Ronay compares the Golden Guus to the Special One, observing “no manager has been accepted and made such a profound impact at this club since Mourinho, and where the Special One was granted a little over three years to make his mark, Hiddink has had a little over three months.” Dominic Fifield goes deeper into the tangible results of the Hiddink era, claiming that the Dutchman can be credited for bringing Didier Drogba back into the fold, improving the players’ fitness, eking the best out of Florent Malouda, and most of all making Chelsea loved again.

Looking forward to the expected appointment of Carlo Ancelotti at the Bridge, Jeremy Wilson makes a startling observation. “Not only will Ancelotti be the eight consecutive overseas manager to take charge at Stamford Bridge but it is now almost 15 years since Bruce Rioch at Arsenal became the last British manager to be appointed by one of the ‘big four’ clubs.”

The Times also focus attention Carlo Ancelotti by lifting further extracts for the Italian’s autobiography released this week. On Fabio Capello - “My last season as a player had been Capello’s first at Milan. He was very serious, meticulous and I don’t think there is anybody better than him at reading a game. On a human level, well, that’s a different story. He didn’t have a dialogue with us, he just told us what to do. And, unsurprisingly, he fell out with many players. For example, I remember Ruud Gullit pinning him up against the wall. The rest of us intervened to break it up, even though, secretly, I think many players were cheering for Ruud.”

But Chelsea, having regard to Claude Makelele’s autobiography, are also forced to look back at their recent history this Saturday, with Matt Hughes citing the Frenchman’s revelations as showing how “amateurish” the Blues are run behind the scenes. “Makelele’s claims have reopened another aspect of the debate as to who is in charge at Chelsea; the thorny issue of player power.”

Everton’s manager, David Moyes, also finds himself on the receiving end of gushing adulation.

First to praise the Scot is Kevin McCarra, blushing that “Moyes’ work with Everton has been extraordinary, considering he is in charge of a club with a rich heritage that is a bit short of actual cash.” Henry Winter adds his voice to the chorus, penning “Moyes does not chase the limelight but Everton supporters are quick to speak up for the achievements of the man they call the ‘Moyesiah.’” Glenn Moore however opts to remind readers that David Moyes still has a way to climb up the ladder. “For all Moyes’ achievements there is the smack of a sympathy vote. A trophy today will erase that sentiment. It will also make it easier for Everton to resist approaches for their players. It might even entice a buyer for the club. In short, as Moyes said, it could be a springboard.”

Running the risk of being ridiculed, Terry Venables compares Everton to Barcelona. “Moyes does not have the luxury of working with a big squad. And, like Guardiola, he does not have the luxury of working with big players. Steven Pienaar, Leon Osman and Tim Cahill all measure under 6ft tall. But so do Lionel Messi, Andres Iniesta and Xavi. And we all saw the damage they did to United. Pienaar, Osman and Cahill can do the same to Chelsea. They are the Goodison equivalent of Messi, Iniesta and Xavi.”

As if pre-programmed to force the nonsense down their readers throats, once again the most tedious transfer saga of them all rears its ugly head this Saturday.

According to the Guardian’s Stuart James, “it had initially been thought that the arrival of Kaka and Ribery would end Madrid’s interest in Ronaldo but it is understood that Perez remains keen on signing the 24-year-old in what promises to be another summer-long saga that will no doubt exasperate everyone at Old Trafford.” Whilst agreeing that Real are eying-up Ronaldo, Oliver Kay refuses to believe a deal is imminent. “[Ronaldo's] prospects of joining the latest galácticos project appear slim unless Perez can find the money to sign him on top of his principal targets” of Xabi Alonso, Kaka and Ribery.

The Sun, determined to force-feed readers this Ronaldo story until the end of time, today barf “Ronaldo’s switch to Real Madrid has edged closer after the club’s president-elect claimed that ‘an agreement’ is already in place for Manchester United’s star winger.”

Other hacks, still trying to understand how Manchester United lost to Barcelona, find themselves attracted to extreme, and highly questionable, opinions. Des Kelly sticks his head above the parapet firing “what has happened to Wayne Rooney? Where is the player that struck fear into opposing players the world over?… Since he left Goodison Park, his career has soared to new heights, but is he ever going to be the truly great performer for which we once hoped? Not if he continues as he is.” Mark Ogden though is convinced United’s problems lie in midfield. “The lack of goals from midfield is United’s big problem. They simply do not possess the threat and attacking menace behind the forward line that the Treble winning team had in abundance… Had either Gerrard or Lampard been in the United team against Barcelona, the Spanish champions would not have been able to dominate as they did.”

Finally on the champions, the race for Paul Scholes appears to be hotting up as Neil Custis shouts “Bolton want to give Paul Scholes a final season of first-team football.”

Changing tracks, and grouping the Championship playoff final together with the Champions League final, David Lacey finds a common bond between Barcelona and Burnley. “In each case the match was run and won by medium-sized men with the brains and technique to outwit the athletes whose power and pace are beginning to dominate football at the expense of the subtler arts.”

Moving even further off the beaten track, Barney Ronay forecasts the make-up of the Great Britain football team for London 2012, while Joel Richards flags up a potential Argentinian superstar of tomorrow, Huracan’s 19-year-old midfielder, Javier Pastore, whom “Sports daily Olé’s readers recently voted him the best player of the season.”

We finish off with the transfer rumours, and both FA Cup finalists are tipped to bring in new faces over the summer.

According to Mark Fleming, “Chelsea moved closer to a £18m transfer for CSKA Moscow’s Yuri Zhirkov. Reports from Russian say the left-sided 25-year-old has agreed a four-year deal to be announced at the end of their domestic season.” Ashely Gray spices up the storyt by adding some further speculation, writing “Chelsea are also thought to be interested in CSKA’s 18-year-old CSKA midfielder Alan Dzagoev, who could be part of the [Zhirkov] deal.” Chelsea are also looking to offload some players, Ian McGarry claiming “Chelsea will look to clear out several players this summer - including Florent Malouda and Salomon Kalou.”

On the Merseysiders, John Edwards reports “David Moyes is weighing up a bold move for Michael Owen when he launches his summer spending after today’s FA Cup final.”

In other news, The Independent run the reports coming out from Brazil that “Robinho is unsatisfied at Manchester City and wants to return to Santos where he began his career, the president of the Brazilian club said Friday,” while, turning to Scotland, The Sun report that “Steve Clarke is Celtic’s new name at the top of their managerial wish-list.” Also on teh manager merry-go-round, Darren Lewis writes that “Sir Alex Ferguson’s son Darren is in line to succeed Steve Bruce at Wigan.”

Lastly, the dismemberment of Boro is slowly taking shape, Charlie Wyett reporting that “Stuart Downing has been told he can leave Middlesbrough - but not for Tottenham… [while] Jeremie Aliadiere, 26, is ready to join Fulham in a £1.5m deal.”