News about Mateo Kovacic

Notebook has been told that Pep Guardiola 's five-man leadership group - Kyle Walker , Kevin De Bruyne , Ruben Dias , Rodri and Bernardo Silva - recently came up with a different chain of command. Not out on the grass or in the gym, but the car park. It's now a more regimented place, with specific spots for players based on their status and longevity. Everybody has their own numbered bay these days and the likes of Mateo Kovacic, Matheus Nunes and Jeremy Doku are further away from the entrance than those who have been with the club throughout the successes under Guardiola.

The momentum is on Real Madrid's side as they go into this weekend's El Clasico against Barcelona at the Santiago Bernabeu.  Barcelona are eight points behind their rivals in the table and are out of Europe after they were thrashed 4-1 on home soil by Paris Saint-Germain, with the French side progressing to the semi-finals of the Champions League with a 6-4 aggregate win. A day later Real Madrid advanced to the last four after their tie with Manchester City went to penalties after a 4-4 aggregate score, with Andriy Lunin saving spot-kicks from Bernardo Silva and Mateo Kovacic. 

This year's Champions League semi-finalists have been decided following four thrilling quarter-final ties. It was a bad week for English clubs as Man City and Arsenal were knocked out by Real Madrid and Bayern Munich, respectively. Meanwhile, Borussia Dortmund edged past Atletico Madrid, and PSG came from behind to see off Barcelona. There were outstanding individual performances across the round, but some players also struggled on the big stage.

Three Manchester City players have been included in Sofascore's best XI of the Champions League quarter-finals, despite Pep Guardiola's men being eliminated on penalties by Real Madrid. In a pulsating tie, Mateo Kovacic and Bernardo Silva agonisingly missed their spot-kicks to put Real Madrid through to the semi-finals for a fourth consecutive season with a 4-3 victory on penalties. Arsenal were knocked out in Germany in Wednesday night's other tie, as a Joshua Kimmich bullet header secured Bayern Munich a 3-2 aggregate victory over the Gunners.

Real Madrid are favourites to win the Champions League after reigning champions Manchester City, and strong contenders Arsenal, were both knocked out of the competition on Wednesday night.  Carlo Ancelotti's side prevailed following a penalty shootout at the Etihad Stadium, in which Bernardo Silva and Mateo Kovacic saw their penalties saved.   Bayern Munich meanwhile got the better of Arsenal, after Joshua Kimmich's 63rd minute header was enough to send the Bundesliga giants through after a 3-2 aggregate victory. 

Sergio Aguero's intense reaction to Manchester City's penalty shootout defeat to Real Madrid left fans in stitches with the Argentine put through the wringer while watching his old side in the Champions League. The champions of Europe were dethroned at the Etihad as Real Madrid battled to a 1-1 draw before winning via spot-kicks - after Rodrygo's opener was cancelled out by Kevin De Bruyne in regular time. But with the aggregate score level at 4-4 and no winner coming in extra time, the game went to penalties, which Madrid won after Bernardo Silva and Mateo Kovacic both saw their efforts saved by Andriy Lunin - despite Luka Modric missing his kick early on.

Chris Sutton admitted he was left shocked by Kevin De Bruyne and Erling Haaland asking to be substituted against Real Madrid because they were tired. Man City were knocked out of the Champions League by the Spanish giants on penalties on Wednesday after their quarter-final tie ended 4-4 on aggregate. It means there will be no Double Treble for City, who were hoping to go back-to-back in the competition having finally won it for a first time last season.

The secrets of Real Madrid's penalty shoot-out win over Manchester City have been revealed as Pep Guardiola's hopes of a double Treble were dashed. Goalkeeper Andriy Lunin saved spot-kicks from Bernardo Silva and Mateo Kovacic early in the shoot-out before Antonio Rudiger stepped up to put the Spaniards through. It followed a 1-1 draw after 120 minutes of largely City domination, with Kevin De Bruyne cancelling out Rodrygo's early opener for Real.

Antonio Rudiger appeared to tell Andriy Lunin which way Mateo Kovacic would send his penalty before the goalkeeper made a vital save to help Real Madrid beat Manchester City on Wednesday night. Footage shows Rudiger frantically pointing to his left - the goalkeeper's right - in the moments before his former Chelsea teammate took his spot kick. Lunin obliged, diving low to his right to keep out Kovacic's effort. That proved to be the difference as the 14-time European champions reached the semifinals after Wednesday's second leg ended 1-1 over 120 minutes.

Rio Ferdinand jokingly described Jude Bellingham as someone 'you want your daughter to bring home' after the England superstar delivered a mature and composed interview in the wake of Real Madrid's penalty shootout win over Manchester City on Wednesday. Bellingham scored his spot-kick for Real Madrid in the shootout to help Carlo Ancelotti's side book their place in the Champions League semi-finals alongside Borussia Dortmund, Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich. City, who were vying for a second Treble in two successive seasons, fell short after Mateo Kovacic and Bernardo Silva missed their decisive penalties at the Etihad.

PETE JENSON AT THE ETIHAD: Manchester City's dreams of retaining the Champions League were shattered after a dramatic penalty shoot-out loss to Real Madrid. Bernardo Silva and Mateo Kovacic both missed from the spot as City were beaten 4-3 on penalties after their pulsating quarter-final tie ended 4-4 on aggregate. Rodrygo had given Real an early lead in the second leg at the Etihad Stadium but City otherwise dominated and, after creating a host of chances, finally made it 1-1 on the night through Kevin De Bruyne in the 76th minute.

Manchester City midfielder Mateo Kovacic admits the title run-in will be a test of nerve. The champions kept the pressure on rivals Arsenal and Liverpool at the Premier League summit with an emphatic 5-1 win over relegation-threatened Luton on Saturday. City now have just six games remaining of what has been an enthralling title race. Kovacic, who scored City's second goal in a commanding display at the Etihad Stadium, said: 'It's amazing, it's entertaining. Three amazing teams doing great.

NATHAN SALT AT THE ETIHAD STADIUM: Manchester City have moved back to the top of the Premier League standings - all but for a short period - after they sealed a 5-1 victory against Luton at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday afternoon. The Premier League champions moved to go two points clear of Arsenal and Liverpool at the top of the table, with both sides in action against Aston Villa and Crystal Palace on Sunday afternoon.  The Treble winners got off to a fast start, with Erling Haaland 's shot from inside the penalty area striking the face of Luton defender Daiki Hashioka before going into the back of the net. Mateo Kovacic doubled their lead in the second half, drilling his shot just inside the area into the back of the Luton goal.

JACK GAUGHAN: Manchester City are devising a plan to give Rodri some much-needed rest after the midfielder admitted tiredness in the wake of Tuesday's pulsating draw at Real Madrid. Rodri had held discussions with the Treble winners over his workload last summer but has since made 47 appearances for club and country this season.

Kevin de Bruyne has been benched for Manchester City's Champions League game at Real Madrid on Tuesday after feeling unwell. Pep Guardiola's side made four changes from the side that beat Crystal Palace on Saturday, but the most eye-catching is the omission of the Belgian. Rico Lewis, Julian Alvarez and Oscar Bobb also miss out, with Manuel Akanji, Bernardo Silva, Phil Foden and Mateo Kovacic coming in for the Bernabeu clash.  

KIERAN GILL: Chelsea's opponents are planning on putting their reputation for pricing players out of play this summer, claiming that they are now in a situation where they must sell in order to beat the Premier League's financial rules. The Blues are well-known for triggering a tough competition by slapping steep valuations on their stars, but rumors are that no sales are required until the next transfer window opens. Chelsea insiders insist that this is not the truth, adding that they are on track to be compliant with the Premier League's Profitability and Sustainability Laws. Nevertheless, the club's accounts for the year ended June 30, 2023, a pre-tax loss of £90.1 million. That came after a loss of £121.4 million the previous year.

JACK GAUGHAN AT PARKEN STADIUM: Manchester City beat Copenhagen 3-1 in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie at the Parken Stadium on Tuesday, with Phil Foden scoring late to guarantee a two-goal cushion ahead of the second leg. Kevin De Bruyne led the way with a spectacular first-time finish in the 10th minute, but the home side came back with a spectacular equalizer from Magnus Mattsson, who scored in the 34th minute of his Danish champions debut. That brought the raucous Copenhagen crowd together, but their team fell behind again right before the break when De Bruyne's insistence in a block tackle led to the ball falling to Bernardo Silva, who finished deftly with his left foot.

On Monday, Manchester City's new boys face Pep Guardiola's old boys in a match that is hungry for more trophies. City won a historic Treble last season last season, but there hasn't been much of a letdown as they look for their third straight league championship. According to Ake, summer purchases Jeku, Josep Gvardiol, Mateo Kovacic, and Matheus Nunes haven't yet won silverware at The Etihad, which increases their motivation.

With two Premier League clubs ranked within the top ten teams, the most valuable squads in European football have been revealed. Sides in Europe's top divisions are able to attract some of Europe's top players with large pay checks, luxurious training centers, and, of course, the opportunity to play in the coveted Champions League. Gross transfer spending has increased in Europe's 'top-five' leagues, according to Deloitte, with spending up by £943 million (€1.1 billion) in the last year.

Plenty of people wondered why Chelsea wasn't with them as Everton and Nottingham Forest were charged with Premier League spending abuses on Monday. Since Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital took over the club in May 2022, it's well-documented that the Blues have splashed out over £1 billion on new signings. Nevertheless, Chelsea haven't breached the Premier League's Profit and Sustainability Laws (PSR), their version of financial fair play, despite an outlay on players dwarfing that of their opponents. Chelsea was properly within the bounds even though Everton, who have already been docked ten points this season, and Forest await their fate. It doesn't all come down to outlay players, as we'll discuss here.

After cruising into the FIFA Club World Cup final, Manchester City will cap off a memorable 2023 with a fifth title. This was supposed to be a regular semi-final against Urawa Red Diamonds in Japan, and so it was. City was set on a skepticism before Mateo Kovacic and Bernardo Silva's goals added to the win in Jeddah. After Sunday night's 3-0 victory, Mail Sport's Jack Gaughan gave his numerical estimates from Saudi Arabia, while Nathan Salt delivers verdicts.

As Urawa Reds face Manchester City in the Club World Cup semi-finals, be sure to check out Mail Sport's live blog for the most recent scores, team news, and updates.

JACK GAUGHAN IN JEDDAH: In the afternoon, a young lad playing a ball about with his brother, not far from Jeddah's historic Al-Balad. A few car bonnets were beat up, with the boy bouncing and screaming every time his owner abandoned him in an unmistakable manner that no one who has done harm with a football will recognize. As the road or keepie uppies blasted glass, they returned to glass. But he kept going.

After being injured on the first day of the season against Burnley, De Bruyne is back in the Manchester City squad for the Club World Cup. As they all look at him before he hugs the first, a video shows the midfielder walking across to Gvardiol, Nunes, Mateo Kovacic, and Phil Foden. Fans were in a tumultuous spree.