City face tricky trip to Newport
The Exiles relishing chance to take on Pep’s stars
THE FA CUP may have lost its appeal, no longer a highlight of the English football calendar, but occasionally it throws up a fixture that captures the imagination.
Tomorrow’s meeting between League Two Newport County and Premier League champions Manchester City certainly provides the David versus Goliath encounter which is at the heart of the world’s oldest club competition.
Pep Guardiola’s multi-million pound squad, used to the pristine surfaces of their own Etihad Stadium and other Premier League venues, will be in action at Rodney Parade, until a few years ago used exclusively for rugby and with a capacity below 8 000.
Leicester City have already been beaten by Newport this season and Championship club Middlesbrough certainly struggled in the mud during their defeat in South Wales in their fourth-round replay. Newport manager Mike Flynn does not think the pitch will hamper City too much, however.
“They’re a fantastic outfit and knowing how good Pep is, I’m sure he’ll overcome that pitch,” Flynn said after the win over Middlesbrough.
“We passed the ball around a lot in tough conditions and I’m sure Man City will do the same.”
Newport have gone through some hard times – they were relegated from the Football League in 1988 and went out of business the following year. Their old 25 000 capacity home, Somerton Park, was demolished in 1993 and became a housing estate. The club was re-formed by fans and had to restart in the regional Hellenic League, then four tiers below the Football League, and the several moves of stadium led to their new nickname of “The Exiles”.
County returned to the Football League in 2013 and have been in League Two ever since. While they have had moments of glory in their past – they reached the quarter-finals of the European Cup Winners’ Cup in 1981 as Wales’ representatives, this is the first time the club have been in the FA Cup fifth round since 1949.
Another tie that fans will keep an eye on for a possible upset is in South Yorkshire where third-tier Doncaster Rovers will take on Premier League strugglers Crystal Palace.
The weekend’s fixtures conclude on Monday with an all-Premier League clash between Chelsea and Manchester United.
Chelsea are smarting from their 6-0 defeat to City in the league, while United will want to progress after the disappointment of their 2-0 loss to Paris St Germain in the Champions League on Tuesday. | Reuters FORMER Real Madrid coach Julen Lopetegui is open to the prospect of managing a team in the Premier League if he gets an opportunity and said he is enticed by the atmosphere at stadiums in England.
Lopetegui had a roller-coaster of a year in 2018, where he was not only sacked by Spain days before the World Cup for announcing his move to Real Madrid but was also subsequently fired by the La Liga club three months into the season for poor results.
“A coach needs to be open for the future, but if I can choose, I prefer to be in the best leagues,” Lopetegui, who has only coached in Spain and Portugal, told the BBC.
“England is a fantastic league. When you watch a match in England, you can feel the atmosphere, the respect for the players and the coaches. This is very important. I want to feel that.
“Of course, Spain is a fantastic league too, with fantastic players and coaches, but we will see.”
Lopetegui, was sacked by Real Madrid after a 5-1 thrashing by Barcelona at Camp Nou left the club in ninth place in La Liga, but the Spaniard does not hold any grudges against his former employers.
“I have all respect for the new coach (Santiago Solari), his new staff. And the players, I love them. They had a fantastic attitude with me,” Lopetegui added.
“I would never say a bad word about Real Madrid. To manage the club is a fantastic experience for any coach. I hoped I could have more time, but I have to look to the future.”
Real are now second in the standings after 23 games, six points behind leaders Barcelona. |