Sports

MILAN — Juventus begin their Serie A campaign this weekend under new coach Maurizio Sarri as the multiple Italian champions gamble on the veteran delivering another style of Serie A title.

The Turin giants start their quest for a ninth consecutive title in Parma on Saturday but could be without Sarri on the bench after the 60-year-old was diagnosed with pneumonia on Monday.

Sarri returns to Italy after one turbulent season in the Premier League with Chelsea, having previously coached his hometown team Napoli for three seasons.

Chain-smoking Sarri’s appointment, in place of the clean cut Massimiliano Allegri who had delivered the last five of their Serie A titles, is a break in tradition for Juventus.

But after also ditching their iconic black and white striped jersey last season, the club are looking for a change in direction.

Despite their success Juventus have often been criticised for their boring defensive style of play.

Club bosses want a more attractive eye-catching style of football in an attempt to increase their fan base outside of Italy.

While Sarri’s only major title was the Europa League last season with Chelsea, he promises to give serial Italian champions Juventus a more dynamic style of play.

Goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon, returning to Turin after a season at Paris Saint-Germain, thinks the change of direction can pay off.

“Those who follow the same path will always achieve the same results, so Juve are seeking the Champions League and wanted to try breaking away towards pastures new,” said the 41-year-old.

“Sarri is not a revolution, nor a gamble. He simply represents an untested path, a whole other story.”

Among Juventus’s rivals this season will be Carlo Ancelotti’s Napoli and Inter Milan, now coached by former Juventus boss Antonio Conte.

But Juventus have spent big giving Sarri a stellar squad to target a 36th Scudetto and their first Champions League title since 1996.

Cristiano Ronaldo, a player who Sarri insists “will make the difference”, will again be central to attack with newly-signed Dutch star Matthijs De Ligt the jewel in defence alongside veterans Giorgio Chiellini and Leonardo Bonucci.

De Ligt’s Ajax sent Juventus crashing out of the Champions League last season. 

The midfield has been strengthened with PSG’s Adrien Rabiot and former Arsenal star Aaron Ramsey, both acquired on free transfers but on large salaries. 

For Juventus sporting director Fabio Paratici all the pieces are in place for Sarri to deliver another style of football.

“We’re very happy with what has been done. We bought de Ligt, who all the top teams wanted,” said Paratici.

“We managed to buy him, along with two big players on free transfers: Rabiot and Ramsey, who were courted by many. 

“Juve has very high-level players in all departments, a squad of absolute value.”

‘Removing scepticism’

Juventus will be hoping these players and their new coach can implement the “Sarriball” football philosophy: a fast-paced attacking style, that impressed during his time with Napoli.

Brazilian left-back Alex Sandro insisted Sarri was already having an impact.

“We can’t wait to start the season. We’ve already assimilated Sarri’s mentality and, we know what to do. 

“We all still have to improve naturally, but we are on the right path.”

De Ligt also praised Sarri.

“He was one of the reasons that I wanted to join here, I’ve heard a lot of good things about him and I like his footballing philosophy and how he prepares his defence.”

Sarri described coaching Juventus as “the crowning” moment of his 30-year managerial career.

“I arrive surrounded by sceptics, but then I always am. I had the same at Empoli, Napoli and Chelsea.

“In football, I know only one way of removing scepticism from the minds of people: by winning convincingly. 

“I haven’t won a lot, but I believe that having fun on the pitch doesn’t stop you winning.”

CINCINNATI — Daniil Medvedev, coming off back-to-back ATP finals defeats, held off David Goffin 7-6 (7/3), 6-4 on Sunday to win the ATP Cincinnati Masters.

The ninth-seeded Russian finished with an ace after saving break points in the final game, lifting a first Masters 1000 trophy after settling for runner-up finishes to Nick Kyrgios in Washington and Rafael Nadal in Montreal last weekend.

“These have been the best three weeks of my life,” Medvedev said. “My mentality was the best, my serve was the best, my tennis has been really consistent.

“I didn’t have one bad match, I hope to continue this way for next few weeks.”

After his full-on post-Wimbledon schedule, the winner admitted: “I’m so exhausted, I almost can’t talk now.

“But the crowd gave me amazing energy.”

He also revealed that he was starting to cramp in the final game, when he tossed his racquet in anger before saving break points.

“I think my Montreal final against Rafa was important,” he said of hanging on. “I was maybe able to use that experience that I had and David did not.”

Medvedev, who only recently gained the ATP Top 10, now will find himself ranked fifth as a result of his three-week run of form.

“I don’t check the rankings every two minutes, but I do look after I do well at a tournament,” he said. “If I had lost I’d be seventh, now I’m fifth.”

Medvedev followed up his semifinal upset of defending champion Novak Djokovic as he controlled feisty Belgian Goffin to win an ATP leading 31st hardcourt match.

He has the most match wins on any surface this year with 43.

Spanish superstar Nadal, who did not play this week — is second with 41, followed by Roger Federer on 39.

Medvedev stamped himself a contender for the US Open, the final Grand Slam of the season that starts in Flushing Meadows in a week.

Goffin was competing in his second final of 2019 after losing to Federer in Halle.

“Congratulations to your team,” he told Medvedev, “Once again, an unbelievable week for you, fantastic.

“I think you are ready for New York.”

Medvedev powered to a 4-1 lead in the opening set but had to win it in a tiebreaker as Goffin, coached by 2002 Australian open winner Thomas Johansson, fought back.

But Medvedev’s break in the opening game of the second set was all he needed as he avenged a loss to Goffin at Wimbledon this year.

The ninth-seeded Russian finished with an ace after saving break points in the final game, lifting a first Masters 1000 trophy after settling for runner-up finishes to Nick Kyrgios in Washington and Rafael Nadal in Montreal last weekend.

CINCINNATI — Madison Keys came from a break down in both sets to defeat Svetlana Kuznetsova 7-5, 7-6 (7/5) on Sunday to win the WTA Cincinnati crown.

The 2017 US Open finalist notched her fifth career title and second this season after a win in Charleston in April.

She’ll return to the top 10 in the world rankings with the US Open a week away.

Kuznetsova, a two-time Grand Slam champion working her way back up the rankings after a series of injuries, was broken back in the 10th game of each set by 16th-seeded Keys — who fired 13 aces on the way to victory.

“If my team had told me a week ago that I would be here, I would have laughed in their face,” admitted Keys, who had endured two opening-match defeats since a second-round exit at Wimbledon.

Keys belted a total of 43 winners with 33 unforced errors and broke Kuznetsova three times.

Kuznetsova was the fourth Grand Slam winner Keys beat during the week, a string that included Spain’s Garbine Muguruza, reigning Wimbledon champion Simona Halep and Venus Williams.

“It was a tough draw from the very start,” Keys said. “I definitely think I played some of my best tennis consistently this week.

I’m obviously really happy and really proud of myself,” she added, while stressing she won’t let the performance put more pressure on her at the US Open.

“It’s definitely more of a building block,” she said.

Despite leading both sets, Kuznetsova never had a set point in either, Keys winning the final four games of the first set before dropping her serve in the third game of the second.

Keys broke Kuznetsova to level at 5-all and ran out the winner in the ensuing tiebreaker as the Russian sent a service return long on Keys’s second match point.

“I just really focused in on obviously really important games and was able to make her play a lot of balls,” Keys said.

“I think when I was doing a good job at moving forward and kind of trying to neutralise some of her deep, heavy, spinny shots, I was able to get out in front in the point and play a little bit more offence.”

Former World No. 2 Kuznetsova, who received a wildcard into the draw, beat top seed Ashleigh Barty, World No. 3 Ashleigh Barty and 2017 US Open champion Sloane Stephens on her way to the final.

“I had a lot of matches where they could have gone either way, including this one,” said Kuznetsova, who will jump from 118th to 31st in the rankings and said she’d had a “great week”.

“I had chances but she hit the ball well and was more aggressive. I’m happy with how I played, I’m feeling great,” she said.

“It could give me more motivation in the future,” Kuznetsova added. “I just want to rest and get ready for the Open.”

LONDON — Manchester City were forced to settle for a 2-2 draw against Tottenham after the Premier League champions were denied a dramatic winner by VAR, while Liverpool extended their perfect start to the title race with a 2-1 win at Southampton on Saturday.

Pep Guardiola’s side failed to win for the first time in 16 Premier League matches dating back to last season following a controversial finish at the Etihad Stadium.

City thought they had stolen three points when Gabriel Jesus fired home in stoppage-time, but their celebrations were curtailed when a VAR review showed Aymeric Laporte had flicked the ball on with his arm.

The drama echoed Tottenham’s Champions League quarter-final second leg triumph at City’s expense last season when they went through on away goals after Raheem Sterling had a late goal ruled out by VAR.

City were in front in the 20th minute when Kevin De Bruyne’s sublime cross was met by Sterling at the far post and the City winger headed back across Hugo Lloris for his fourth goal of the season.

But Tottenham hit back inside three minutes as Erik Lamela beat slow-to-react City keeper Ederson from the edge of the area.

City’s lead was restored in the 35th minute when Sergio Aguero glanced in a close-range finish from another pin-point De Bruyne cross.

However, after less than 20 seconds on the pitch as a replacement for Harry Winks, Brazilian forward Lucas Moura climbed higher than Kyle Walker to head Tottenham level from Lamela’s corner.

Aguero exchanged angry words with Guardiola when he was substituted for Jesus, who was even more frustrated than his team-mate as he protested to the officials at the final whistle.

Calling for VAR’s decision-making to be tweaked, Guardiola said: “I thought we left that situation in Tottenham in the Champions League last season. But it is the same. The referee and VAR disallow it. It’s the second time, it’s tough.

“They have to fix it.”

At St Mary’s, Liverpool matched a club record of 11 successive Premier League wins to move two points clear of City as they built on last week’s 4-1 thrashing of Norwich.

Jurgen Klopp’s side took the lead in first half stoppage-time when Senegal winger Sadio Mane, who scored twice against Chelsea in the European Super Cup victory in midweek, returned to haunt his former club with an agile turn and curling strike into the far corner.

Roberto Firmino made it two with his 49th league goal for Liverpool, the Brazil forward taking Mane’s pass, dribbling and then firing home in the 71st minute.

Liverpool goalkeeper Adrian started despite suffering an ankle injury when a fan slid into him during the celebrations against Chelsea in Istanbul.

But Adrian was guilty of a mistake in the 83rd minute when he hit a panicked clearance against Danny Ings, the ball bouncing off Southampton’s former Liverpool striker into the empty net.

“I really loved how much respect we showed today,” Klopp said. 

“I said before the game that this looks like the biggest banana skin in history; everybody is waiting for it and probably all the headlines were written already.

“I told the boys the headline I would prefer is ‘the mentality giants were in town’. The boys did an outstanding job.”

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was Arsenal’s match-winner again as they beat Burnley 2-1 at the Emirates Stadium.

Gabon forward Aubameyang had netted the only goal in last weekend’s victory at Newcastle and he emulated that crucial contribution with another decisive strike.

Alexandre Lacazette’s first goal of the season had given Arsenal the lead before Ashley Barnes equalised for Burnley just before half-time.

With two successive wins to start the season for the first time in 10 years, the early signs are promising for Unai Emery’s team ahead of sterner tests against Liverpool and Tottenham in their next two games.

“We worked together with an individual quality and capacity, but above all thinking like a team,” said Emery.

Teemu Pukki hit a hat-trick as Norwich clinched their first win of the season with a 3-1 victory against Newcastle at Carrow Road.

Everton boss Marco Silva enjoyed a 1-0 win against his former club Watford at Goodison Park.

Bournemouth condemned Aston Villa to a second consecutive defeat with a 2-1 victory, while Brighton drew 1-1 with West Ham.

MADRID — Barcelona made a nightmare start to the defence of their La Liga title on Friday by losing Luis Suarez to injury and then losing 1-0 to Athletic Bilbao, after a sensational late volley from substitute Aritz Aduriz. 

Suarez hobbled off in the 37th minute with what looked like a calf injury before Aduriz came on in the 88th, the 38-year-old striker who has announced he will retire at the end of the season.

This was a spectacular start to the finale as Aduriz threw himself into the air and acrobatically volleyed past Marc-Andre ter Stegen to send San Mames wild on La Liga’s opening night.

“The competition has put us in our place,” said Gerard Pique afterwards. “We were not us.”

Barca were already without Lionel Messi, who sustained a calf injury during pre-season, and before kick-off confirmed they were about to lose Philippe Coutinho, a loan deal “agreed in principle” with Bayern Munich, according to the club’s director Guillermo Amor. 

Suarez will undergo tests on Tuesday to diagnose the length of his absence but Messi’s return, and perhaps negotiations for Paris Saint-Germain striker Neymar, might assume added urgency during his absence.

Antoine Griezmann will be expected to step up too but after joining from Atletico Madrid in July, he endured an underwhelming debut. Coutinho is evidence of the need for time to adjust. 

Bilbao, who finished eighth last season, held Barca to a goalless draw in February and they were good value for another point until Aduriz intervened. 

He has scored more than 200 goals in his 20-year career but perhaps none as memorable as this one. La Liga’s first of the season may even prove to be its best. 

‘Beautiful football’

“Sometimes football can be so beautiful,” said Aduriz afterwards. “It will be impossible not to miss this but everything has a beginning and an end. I am incredibly grateful to be able to choose this ending.”

For Barca, there was at least the consolation of an excellent performance from Frenkie de Jong, also making his debut in place of Sergio Busquets. 

De Jong fully justified his place with a serene display, seamlessly linking midfield to attack and dictating tempo with a maturity well beyond his 22 years. 

By contrast, Griezmann never really settled after a nervous start, allowing a simple pass to slip under his foot before hacking late at the shin of Unai Lopez. 

Inaki Williams, meanwhile, fresh from signing a nine-year contract last week, started fast, as he saw a rasping shot pushed wide and then skipped in behind Nelson Semedo but was again denied by Ter Stegen. 

De Jong was tidy and composed, but Barca were less controlled and their rhythm knocked further by Suarez departing shortly before half-time.

He had been testing his calf moments before, just as a poor header back landed perfectly in his path. Suarez shot first time but struck the post. 

Raul Garcia failed to beat Ter Stegen from 10 yards while Rafinha, on for Suarez, went close, his curling effort brilliantly tipped onto the join between the post and crossbar by Unai Simon. 

Ernesto Valverde put Ivan Rakitic on for Carles Alena at half-time and Rafinha again hit the post, this time freed by a cute reverse pass from Ousmane Dembele. 

Bilbao seemed to tire and Barca turned the screw. Rakitic fired over as three Bilbao defenders leapt in front of him, but their opponents survived.

Carles Perez, the 21-year-old forward, came on for only his second league appearance but it was Bilbao’s substitute that proved decisive. 

A quick one-two down the right produced a looping cross into the box, where Aduriz did the rest.

PARIS — The saga of Neymar’s seemingly inevitable departure from Paris Saint-Germain is proving a long, drawn out affair bringing the curtain down on what will ultimately feel like a fleeting and failed experiment.

Having arrived in France in 2017 hoping a world-record transfer to PSG would help him emerge from the shadow of Lionel Messi at Barcelona and win the Ballon d’Or, two years on he looks set to leave with his reputation having taken a serious hit.

There is no doubting the 27-year-old forward is a brilliant player, and there is every chance he will get the success he craves — collectively and, chiefly, individually — by returning to Spain, whether with his old club or Real Madrid.

However, there is every reason to believe a Kylian Mbappe-led PSG, and football in France in general, will ultimately be better off without him.

The French champions’ first Ligue 1 game of the campaign last Sunday, a 3-0 win against Nimes, saw supporters unfurl banners insulting the 222 million-euro ($264 million at the time) man.

Neymar himself was not involved in that game, left out amid the uncertainty over his future. He already missed the season-opening Champions Trophy against Rennes in China due to suspension.

Since moving to the Parc des Princes, he has played in almost exactly half of his club’s matches.

When he has been on the field he has frequently been brilliant, scoring 51 goals in 58 games, but when it has really mattered he has been absent.

Foot injuries saw him miss three of the four Champions League knockout matches the Qatar-owned club have played in since his arrival. Without him, they lost in the last 16 to Real Madrid in 2018 and then to Manchester United this year.

“I like Neymar, I want to keep playing with him, with Kylian and with everyone,” coach Thomas Tuchel said last weekend.

“But the reality is that we must find solutions without ‘Ney’. You can’t lose Neymar and just find someone else who will do the same things.”

Mbappe added that “without Neymar, it’s not the same team”, but PSG can still improve by investing in a more balanced squad — summer signings made so far under sporting director Leonardo are a step in the right direction.

Centre-back Abdou Diallo, midfielders Ander Herrera, Pablo Sarabia and Idrissa Gueye have arrived. With the money recouped from the eventual sale of Neymar, not to mention the saving on his 36 million-euro annual wage, more reinforcements can be brought in.

Off-field circus

The off-field circus around Neymar has been an unwelcome distraction for too long. On the field, Paris will still have Mbappe.

The other side of the coin is what this means for PSG’s brand. After all, Neymar’s following on social media far outstrips that of his current club.

Similarly, when the French league (LFP) put their television rights up for auction last year, they capitalised on the Brazilian’s presence. Rights for the four seasons from 2020 were sold to Chinese-owned group Mediapro for 1.15 billion euros a year, a huge increase on previous deals.

Television stations could be forgiven for being a little concerned now, but LFP chief Didier Quillot remains bullish.

“It’s always better to have several stars in your league. That said, during the Champions Trophy in China, it was Kylian Mbappe who was the star. His popularity is growing around the world,” he told sports daily L’Equipe.

ISTANBUL — Jurgen Klopp hailed “incredible” UEFA Super Cup hero Adrian and then admitted he had no idea where the goalkeeper even was a fortnight ago.

The Spaniard, only in the side because of an injury to No. 1 goalkeeper Allison Becker, saved Tammy Abraham’s penalty to give Liverpool a 5-4 shootout win against Chelsea after the showdown between Champions League and Europa League winners had finished 2-2 in Istanbul on Wednesday.

The 32-year-old former Betis shot-stopper joined Liverpool on a free transfer to replace the departed Simon Mignolet on August 5, the day after Klopp’s team lost on penalties to Manchester City in the Community Shield.

Released by West Ham United, he was thrust into the spotlight when he had to replace the injured Alisson in the first half of the Premier League opening 4-1 win against Norwich on Friday.

“I don’t know where Adrian was two weeks ago when we played Man City,” said Klopp after seeing his European champions win the Super Cup for the fourth time. 

“When I spoke to him for the first time it was clear he would need time to get fit, but we didn’t have that time so he has to be fit now, and he was fit, he played an incredible game, he made sensational saves.”

Adrian made notable interventions during the game, diving at the feet of Mateo Kovacic in the first half and batting away a Mason Mount strike late in extra time.

‘Icing on the cake’

However, he also fouled Abraham to give away the 101st-minute penalty which Jorginho scored to make it 2-2 after Sadio Mane’s 95th-minute second goal had seemed to have put the Merseysiders on course for an extra-time victory.

“In penalty shootouts you’re always lucky but his performance over 120 minutes was incredible, making the save from the penalty was the icing on the cake,” said Klopp. 

“He helped us a lot and he can be really proud of what he did tonight,” added the German manager, who described Adrian as “a proper personality in the dressing room”.

Adrian had once been a regular for West Ham but did not play in the Premier League last season and his last appearance before arriving at Anfield had been an FA Cup defeat by third-tier AFC Wimbledon in January.

“Welcome to Liverpool! It was a crazy week, but with them it’s so easy playing at the back, so I am really happy for the team, happy to get that trophy, that title,” Adrian told BT Sport.

Klopp was also effusive in his praise of the all-female refereeing team, headed by France’s Stephanie Frappart, even if he was not happy with the penalty awarded to Chelsea in extra time.

“I told the ref team that if we had played like they whistled we would have won 6-0, that was my opinion, that they played a brilliant game.”

CINCINNATI — World No. 1 Naomi Osaka and Wimbledon champion Simona Halep battled to three-set triumphs on Wednesday at the ATP and WTA Cincinnati Masters while top seed Ashleigh Barty ousted Maria Sharapova.

Reigning US and Australian Open champion Osaka needed more than two hours to outlast Aliaksandra Sasnovich 7-6 (7/3), 2-6, 6-2.

The Japanese star will next face a third-round match against Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-Wei, who defeated American Jennifer Brady 7-6 (11/9) 6-3.

Osaka finally scored a win here at the US Open warm-up after losing in the first round a year ago.

“I was just trying to have fun,” Osaka said. “In the second set I was taking myself too seriously and was down on myself.

“Now I just want to have fun and enjoy it. That’s what I’m supposed to do.”

Osaka advanced with eight aces, 24 winners and breaks on four of five chances against an opponent who was treated on her right knee several times.

Australia’s Barty, 23, won the battle of former No. 1 players in just over 90 minutes. The reigning Roland Garros champion beat five-time Grand Slam winner Sharapova, who was Cincinnati champion in 2011, for the second time this season after a win at the Australian Open.

It was Barty’s 40th victory of 2019 and she goes on to face Estonia’s Anett Kontaveit, who beat Polish teenager Iga Swiatek 6-4, 7-6 (7/2).

Barty said she remained focused after last week’s opening defeat in Toronto.

“It was certainly no panic sessions after last week. I knew I was a little bit underdone going into Toronto and certainly had no worries or concerns there,” Barty said.

“I’ve been striking the ball really well over the last seven or eight days. I found my groove a little bit more. It took a little bit to adjust to conditions, but it was easy for me to swing out at the start.”

Barty fired 18 winners, breaking Sharapova four times as the Russian made 31 unforced errors.

Fourth-seeded Halep took a late break in the penultimate game of the final set to beat Russian Ekaterina Alexandrova 3-6, 7-5, 6-4 after two hours on court.

The Romanian has finished runner-up in Cincinnati three times, last reaching the final a year ago against Kiki Bertens.

In the next round, the 27-year-old, who retired injured from her Toronto quarter-final against Czech qualifier Marie Bouzkova last week, will face American Madison Keys, a 6-4, 6-1 winner over Russia’s Daria Kasatkina.

“It was a very, very tough match,” Halep said. “She played well, hitting the ball very strong. “Mentally, it was tough to return for me at the start after playing injured last week.

“But I didn’t have pain, which is good. It took time to get a rhythm and then do something on court.”

World No. 3 Karolina Pliskova beat China’s Wang Yafan 6-1, 6-3, while seventh seed Elina Svitolina, a semifinalist four years ago, advanced past Belgian Elise Mertens 6-4, 6-1.

Tsitsipas, Zverev out

In the men’s draw, fifth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas saved three match points but still lost to Germany’s Jan-Lennard Struff 6-4, 6-7 (5/7), 7-6 (8/6).

Kei Nishikori went out to fellow Japanese Yoshihito Nishioka 7-6 (7/2), 6-4. Sixth seed Nishikori has still never advanced beyond the third round in Cincinnati.

Alexander Zverev, seeded seventh, remained winless in his Cincinnati career after losing 6-7 (4/7), 6-2, 6-4 to 19-year-old Serb Miomir Kecmanovic. The German struck an unbelievable 20 double-faults in defeat.

Ninth seed Daniil Medvedev, losing finalist to Rafael Nadal in Montreal last weekend, eased past Benoit Paire 7-6 (7/2), 6-1, and will next face Struff.

France’s Richard Gasquet, who ended Andy Murray’s comeback singles tournament in the first round, saw off Argentinian Federico Delbonis 7-5, 7-6 (7/1).

Australian Alex de Minaur defeated American Reilly Opelka 7-6 (7/3), 6-4 to set up a third-round tie with Nishioka.

Nick Kyrgios stepped off court to smash two racquets and toss his shoes to spectators in a meltdown during a second-round ATP Cincinnati Masters loss to Russia’s Karen Khachanov.

Eighth-seeded Khachanov rallied for a 6-7 (3/7), 7-6 (7/4) 6-2 victory over the volatile Australian, but the final set was close to farce, with Kyrgios engaged in a running dialogue with Irish chair umpire Fergus Murphy.

MADRID — Zinedine Zidane returned to save Real Madrid and the time has come for results. 

In a packed-out press conference under the Santiago Bernabeu in March, the club’s President Florentino Perez delivered the grandest of re-introductions. 

“We need to start working on a glorious new era,” said Perez. “That is why we welcome back Zinedine Zidane.” 

Some might have expected a bounce but nobody blamed the coach when performances continued to drag and the gap behind Barcelona, rather than narrowing, widened. 

Zidane took over a team with nothing to play for and a squad he knew was in need of reform. He knew because he had left it nine months earlier, just before it was broken. 

There was no quick fix. In his 11 games at the end of last season, Madrid won five, the only promise of progress the words Zidane kept repeating. “Things will change, for sure,” he said. 

Zidane denied it but they were seen as trials, every line-up scanned for clues as to who would survive the summer. 

Yet, in some ways, none of it mattered and the results, not to mention attendances at the Santiago Bernabeu, said as much. “The best thing for us is that it’s over,” said Zidane, after the season ended in defeat.

And now it begins again, the season, and Zidane’s second era as coach. 

Many wondered why he came back, risking everything after the perfection of three Champions League titles out of three. 

The assumption was he returned to a stronger hand, able to make demands the club were ready to meet and with the backing to rebuild in the way he had always wanted. 

He might have been encouraged too, when Eder Militao, Ferland Mendy, Luka Jovic, Rodrygo and Eden Hazard all signed for a total close to 300 million euros. 

Hazard was the headline act, a throw-back to a previous era that Zidane knew well, when the world’s most glamorous players seemed to walk through the doors every year. 

“I’m not a galactico, not yet, but I hope I will be one day,” said Hazard when he joined.

Bale stalemate

But Madrid’s pockets are not as deep as they once were and sales were also needed, by the club and their coach. 

Zidane showed no inclination to make soothe and use Gareth Bale, instead urging the Welshman to make a move to China. 

“It is very close,” Zidane said. “We hope he leaves soon, it would be best for everyone.” 

Bale’s agent told AFP Zidane was a “disgrace” and if the Frenchman had hoped to push the deal over the line, he would be disappointed as Madrid changed their mind over the fee.

James Rodriguez is also, yet, to leave and there were others that proved more difficult to bring in such as Paul Pogba and even Neymar. 

In other areas, Zidane has resisted change, backing experience over youth even if many believed experience last season had turned into apathy.

Marcelo, Casemiro and Keylor Navas have stayed while Marcos Llorente was allowed to join Atletico Madrid and Sergio Reguilon and Dani Ceballos were both sent out on loan. 

For all the talk of upheaval, Madrid’s line-up against Celta Vigo on Saturday is likely to have a distinctly familiar feel. 

Yet, there could be a new formation, with a 3-5-2 tried after some underwhelming showings in pre-season, allowing Marcelo and Dani Carvajal greater freedom as wing-backs and Hazard to play centrally behind Karim Benzema. 

And a shift in focus. Madrid have won La Liga only once in the last seven years, their failures in Spain excused only by unprecedented success in Europe. 

“For us next year, the league must be our number one priority,” Zidane said in April. 

In that sense, Madrid might profit if Barcelona aim their focus at the Champions League. But the Catalans and Atletico Madrid have both strengthened and look ready to challenge again.

“La Liga is the longest competition, it’s the one that cannot be missed,” Zidane said. “I’m going to drill that in the heads of my players.” His players. Now they have to deliver. 

BERLIN — When David Wagner stepped down as Huddersfield Town manager in January, he was convinced his next job would also be in the Premier League. 

He was wrong. Half a year on, the 47-year-old German finds himself back in his home country in charge of Schalke, the iconic Bundesliga club with whom he once won the UEFA Cup as a player.

“There weren’t many clubs in Germany which I would have found as exciting as the Premier League, but when Schalke made contact, I made my decision quickly,” Wagner said, answering AFP questions ahead of the beginning of the Bundesliga season this weekend. 

“I know the region, I know how people tick here.”

Wagner, who was once Juergen Klopp’s assistant at Borussia Dortmund, delighted football romantics the world over when he led lowly Huddersfield to Premier League promotion in 2017 and then kept them up.

Back in Germany, he faces almost the opposite task. Having inspired the Yorkshire minnows to punch sensationally above their weight, he now needs to cure sleeping giants Schalke of their chronic underachievement. 

From his two years playing there in the 1990s, picking up a UEFA Cup winners medal in the 1997 final, Wagner knows how big expectations are around the Gelsenkirchen club.

“The emotions and the community at the club are the same as it ever was, and the expectations are justifiably big considering the club’s long history,” he said. 

“On the other hand, the recent history calls for a bit of realism.”

A grand old darling of Germany’s industrial Ruhr region, Schalke have lurched from crisis to calamity in recent years.

Wagner is Schalke’s seventh coach in five years, and many fans quietly fear that his appointment will prove to be another false dawn. 

Though determined to prove them wrong, he has warned that he will provide no quick fix for Schalke’s troubles. 

In August, the club were dragged into a racism scandal after Chairman Clemens Toennies made highly controversial public comments about Africa.

Toennies stepped down for three months, but the scandal completely overshadowed Wagner’s debut in the dugout, as fans demanded the chairman’s permanent resignation at a cup game last Saturday. 

Rather than focusing on football, Wagner has thus spent the last week treading a difficult political line between condemning his employer and protecting the interests of his players, six of whom are either African or of African descent. 

“We have talked about it in the dressing room and given every player the opportunity to voice their opinions, also on a one-to-one basis,” he admitted last week. 

Even by Schalke’s standards, the Toennies affair is a particularly fiery baptism for a new coach, but Wagner knows he will have to get used to the off-field noise.

In the football-mad Ruhr region, the pressure is often intense, fuelled by voracious media attention, absurdly passionate fans and a fierce rivalry between Schalke and Dortmund. 

For Wagner, the atmosphere is comparable to the one which his old friend Juergen Klopp has tapped into at Anfield. 

“It means the same thing to a guy from Gelsenkirchen to support Schalke as it does for a Liverpudlian to support Liverpool”, he said. 

Though Wagner still considers the Premier League to be the best in the world, Schalke is a far cry from Huddersfield. 

In Yorkshire, he will be forever a hero. At Schalke, he may be in for a bumpier ride.