"Some fixtures just don't sound right. Maybe it's just about conceivable that, had things gone slightly differently in the 70s, Malcolm Allison or Terry Venables could have been leading their side behind the Iron Curtain for a crack at Valeriy Lobanovskyi's cybernauts, but Dynamo Kyiv against Crystal Palace is still a clash that provokes a double-take. It feels like a category error: how can those two clubs possibly be in the same competition?"
"But this is the modern world. Ukraine is battling invasion, its teams diminished. The Premier League is extremely rich. And Crystal Palace are managed by one of the rising talents of the European game. They didn't just play each other on Thursday, but Palace won with a degree of comfort. It was their third straight win, their 19th consecutive game without defeat."
Dynamo Kyiv faced Crystal Palace in an unexpected clash given Ukraine's invasion and the diminished state of its clubs. Crystal Palace won comfortably, marking a third straight victory and a 19-game unbeaten run. Manager Oliver Glasner, 51, has refused a contract extension and is linked with moves to bigger clubs, including Manchester United, as his style and formation draw attention. Glasner employs a 3-4-2-1/back-three system similar to other coaches, highlighting that effectiveness depends on how formations are enacted rather than any inherent superiority of one setup. Only Conte's 2016-17 Chelsea has won the English title with a back three.
Read at www.theguardian.com
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]