Paper News and Gossip: Guardiola Takes Blame, Mourinho Slams Critics
The Champions League semi-finals dominate the back pages on Wednesday after Real Madrid routed Bayern Munich in the Allianz Arena.
The 4-0 win was an emphatic way to reach the final, and Bayern head coach Pep Guardiola has accepted the blame for the defeat.
Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho warmed up for the last-four tie against Atletico Madrid with a fresh blast at critics of his style of play in the Premier League win at Liverpool on Sunday.
But who else is making the headlines on Wednesday? Read on to find out more.
Bayern Coach Pep Guardiola Takes Blame for Champions League Drubbing
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Bayern Munich head coach Pep Guardiola accepted the responsibility for the 4-0 defeat to Real Madrid as the holders crashed out of the Champions League, reports Jack Gaughan of the Daily Mail.
The Bundesliga champions saw their hopes of retaining the trophy ended by a fine Real display at the Allianz Arena, and Guardiola is quoted as saying:
"The reason for the defeat is that we played too little with the ball.
In Manchester and also in Madrid, we have made it outstanding, not today.
If you do not have control of the game, you have no chance against this team.
We played badly, that's my responsibility. We are at the highest level in Europe and such errors are punished.
I'll try to lift the players.
"
Gareth Bale Salutes Real Madrid Team-Mates After Reaching Champions League Final
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Gareth Bale claims reaching the Champions League final underlines why he was so desperate to join the club, reports Jack Gaughan of the Daily Mail.
Two goals each for Sergio Ramos and Cristiano Ronaldo put the Bernabeu club on the verge of the elusive Decima in Lisbon next month.
Bale, who joined Real from Tottenham in a world-record deal last year, is quoted as saying:
"This is why I came to the biggest club in the world; to win trophies and massive games.
It was a fantastic result for us. We've been working hard, got our tactics right and deserved the win.
You have to do certain jobs for the team in certain games. Everyone put in a performance.
"
Chelsea Manager Jose Mourinho Takes Swipe at His Critics
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Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho rounded on his critics ahead of his team's Champions League semi-final second leg against Atletico Madrid, reports Martin Lipton of the Daily Mirror.
The Stamford Bridge boss was accused of playing defensively in the 2-0 Premier League win at Liverpool on Sunday.
But Mourinho is quoted as saying:
"You know, at this moment, football is full of philosophers, people who understand much more than me, people with fantastic theories and philosophies.
It’s amazing. But the reality is always the reality. A team that doesn't defend well or doesn't score lots of goals, if they concede lots of goals, is completely in trouble. A team without balance is not a team.
When they have the ball, we have to try and stop them scoring. When we have the ball, we want to try and score. This is football, the football that I know.
I remember saying in my first period here, if you have a goalkeeper like Petr Cech who puts the ball in the opponents’ box, and a striker like Didier Drogba who wins everything in the air, why play short? Because you are stupid?
If your opponents are very fast on the counter and want space behind your defensive line, if you give them that space you are stupid.
It seems that 10, 20, 30 years ago, when a team plays strategically, thinking about their team and the qualities of the opponent, it was ‘good, intelligent’ football. But now, at this moment, depending on the coach and the club obviously, the critics speak.
"
Mourinho received support from Atletico head coach Diego Simeone, according to Matt McGeehan for the Daily Mail.
Simeone is quoted as saying:
"I'm a football man; I respect different ways of setting out your team.
You can play 10 at the back or you can play 10 at the front. It doesn't matter. What matters is the result.
It depends what you believe is the convenient way of playing and who you're playing against.
To defend well is not easy, so you have to congratulate a team that defends well.
To attack well is not easy either, so you have to congratulate also a team that goes on the attack.
It's important that, regardless of how you play, that the team wins, that the club wins, that the institution as a whole wins.
There is not one way of playing football. If we all played the same way it would be very boring.
"
Wayne Rooney Set for Manchester United Captaincy Blow
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Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney is set to be disappointed in his hopes of becoming club captain if Louis van Gaal is appointed manager, reports Neil Custis of The Sun (subscription required).
The England international has taken the armband in the absence of Nemanja Vidic in matches this season under former manager David Moyes, and he looked set to skipper the team when the defender leaves Old Trafford in the summer.
However, Custis claims Van Gaal will favour Robin van Persie to lead the team, after giving the Netherlands captaincy to the striker from Wesley Sneijder last summer.
Meanwhile, Paris Saint-Germain striker Edinson Cavani is keen on a move to United, reports Martin Lipton of the Daily Mirror.
Liverpool Investigate Racial Abuse Claim Aimed at Chelsea Striker Demba Ba
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Liverpool are investigating claims that Chelsea striker Demba Ba was racially abused by a supporter at Anfield on Sunday, reports Matt Barlow of the Daily Mail.
The Stamford Bridge forward opened the scoring for the Blues in the 2-0 Premier League win, which blew open the title race again.
According to Barlow, Ba has not made the complaint, but the issue was raised with anti-racist campaign group Kick It Out by a Reds fan.
A Liverpool spokesman is quoted as saying: "We have been made aware of an allegation made to Kick It Out and we are investigating the matter."
Ajax Head Coach Frank De Boer Wants Talks with Tottenham Hotspur
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Ajax head coach Frank de Boer wants to speak with Tottenham Hotspur at the end of the season, reports David Hytner of The Guardian.
Spurs are looking at the former Holland international as a potential replacement for Tim Sherwood, according to the article.
De Boer is quoted as saying:
"When Tottenham are coming, I want to listen, after 3 May (the date of Ajax's last game of the season), to what they have to say.
It is clear that they have to have good plans. I would not leave Ajax for nothing. But Spurs are a club that I feel good about. They play good football.
They have made their interest clear to Marc Overmars and, after the last match, I am going to think about this possibility. I am going to talk and listen and, after that, I will let my feelings speak.
"
Everton Identify Site for New Stadium to Replace Goodison Park
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Everton have identified a site for a new 50,000-seater stadium to replace Goodison Park, reports Andy Hunter of The Guardian.
According to the article, the Merseyside club view Walton Hall Park, which is close to the team's current home, as a preferred option for the new ground.
Everton chief executive Robert Elstone is quoted as saying:
"We're not ruling out any of the sites that we've identified and that the council has presented to us but there is one site that's getting more attention.
It has been getting more attention for a number of months; it's been worked on very carefully and diligently, not only by Everton but by the council, planners, architects, advisers, cost consultants, regeneration experts, solicitors and so on.
There is a lot of work going into something that we're excited about and we hope it comes to fruition.
"
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