Good morning, Free Agents. It’s the Gaffer.

Welcome to the The Free Transfer— your daily 5-minute football newsletter.

What’s on the agenda today:

• City annihilate Madrid 4-0 in second leg 🫢💥

• Europa League second leg quickfire previews ⏩️🏆️ 

• Ivan Toney receives 8 months gambling ban ⛔️ 😶 

Earn $5 for every 10 friends your refer to The Free Transfer! ⤵️ 

CITY ANNIHILATE MADRID 4-0 🫢💥

TLDR;

City absolutely dominated from minute 1 🔵⚪️ 

• City had the ball for what felt like the first 30’

• Bernardo slipped in behind the line for the first goal at 23’

• Bernardo headed in a rebound 37’ to make it 2-0

• To start the 2nd half, Madrid applied pressure but didn’t score

• Akanji’s flicked header hit off Militao into the net, 3-0 at 76’

• Alvarez scored at 90+1’ to add insult to injury, 4-0

How it happened 👇️ 

City owned the opening half 🔐 

• That may have been one of the most dominant opening 30 minutes of Champions League KO football the world has ever seen. Maybe just football in general.

• City barely let Madrid out of their own half, and capped off the sustained pressure with a goal from Bernardo who slipped in behind the line, received KDB’s pass, & put it in the top right corner.

• Haaland failed to put away two glorious chances that he scores 99% of the time.

  • A true testament to Courtois’s world class saves

• Around the 35’, Madrid burst out of their own half. Kroos got the ball just outside City’s penalty area & ripped one of his signature long shots off the crossbar.

  • Oh, how Madrid wish that could have changed the tide…

• Minutes later Gundogan burst into the box with one of his signature late runs, was fed by Grealish, and had his shot deflected.

  • The rebound fell to Bernardo at the penalty mark, who turned it in with his head to make it 2-0.

• Madrid needed halftime.

  • They were still “in it”, but must have felt lucky to only be down 2-0.

In the end, City were too much 🚀 

• Madrid came out swinging, moving Camavinga to midfield & creating a few chances.

  • David Alaba’s dipping free kick nearly snuck under the crossbar.

  • Benzema & Vini had a few half chances.

• Haaland got in behind but fluffed the shot at 73’— not his night or tie.

• But in the end, it was City’s dominance on set pieces that closed out the match.

  • Yes it was an own goal after Militao caught a deflection from Akanji’s flicked header, but it wouldn’t have likely changed much— 3-0.

• By then the tie was over, but Alvarez scored to make it 4-0 at 91’.

Quick review of the tie 🏃 💨 

City’s ball dominance proved to be too much ⚽️ 

• Madrid were able to catch City out, & run in behind in the first leg— scoring their one & only goal of the tie from a counterattack.

• City were not going to allow that to happen again in the second leg.

• Without transition moments, Madrid struggled to get into the game.

• Manchester City did not allow Madrid’s dangerous players to touch the ball much at all, and if they did— it wasn’t for very long.

This City team is special

• Pep has been able to carefully select every single player in his 22 man roster with care over the past 7 years, and it’s finally paid off.

• He has players who:

  • Dominate the ball (first and foremost)

  • And also dominate offensive/defensive transition moments (Haaland, KDB, 5-6 top-drawer centerbacks, etc.)

  • Dominate set pieces

Can Inter stop City from European domination?

EUROPA LEAGUE QUICK PREVIEWS ⏩️🏆️

Leverkeusen vs. Roma (0-1)

Can Alonso beat European master Mourinho?

• Roma will likely lock up shop in classic Mourinho fashion, in attempts to stop Leverkeusen’s transitional threat.

• Leverkeusen will need players like Wirtz & Diaby to step up to the plate offensively.

• Against Roma’s legionary 5 back, it will be about chance volume. Mourinho’s men will likely pack the box & not give away many high quality chances— so create as many shots as you can!

• Roma will look to score one in transition to put the tie to bed. There is no beating Mourinho in a second leg when down 2-0.

• Can Leverkeusen break the lock off Mourinho’s defense?

Sevilla vs. Juventus (1-1)

Which Juve will Allegri field? 🔢 

• There are two Juves that Allegri could field tonight

  • A defensive one with Rabiot as the most advanced midfielder behind DiMaria + Vlahovic

  • An exciting, attacking one with Iling-Junior & Chiesa playing.

    • Pogba got injured again on the weekend 🤕 🔄 

• Most likely, Allegri comes out defensively, trying to keep the tie at 1-1 until the 75’ before he throws on his attackers to steal a win.

• Sevilla’s style of play was simply too much for Juve’s in Turin last week, so Allegri will have to be clever to get a win.

• Sevilla will likely dominate the ball & chance creation again.

• Maybe if Allegri puts his best players out there to begin with, then Juve could actually go toe to toe with Sevilla’s style. Unlikely though.

Gaffer’s bet 🃏 

Leverkeusen 1-1 Roma (1-2 aggregate)

Sevilla 2-0 Juventus (3-1 aggregate)

TONEY RECEIVES 8-MONTH FOOTBALL BAN ⛔️😶 

Toney’s 8 month ban begins immediately, & he will be able to resume full training with Brentford in mid-September.

Why is this controversial? 🔍️🤨 

• The FA is clearly protecting the sport here.

  • They would not want illegitimacy to creep into the minds of fans.

• But the question must be asked— can they have their cake and eat it?

• Toney made his name in a league called the Sky Bet Championship.

• Hollywood Bets is emblazoned around the Gtech Community Stadium & on the Brentford players’ chests as they run around the pitch.

• Oh, I wonder why a 21-24 year old boy would place bets on a sport?

  • Surely his demographic wasn’t the one which these gambling companies were funneling their multimillion pound advertising budgets towards! 😉 

• For many, the irony is both rich and disturbing.

• We’ve seen players like Luis Suarez & John Terry, who were found guilty of actual racist remarks & acts, banned for only 8 & 4 Permier League matches respectively.

  • Not to mention the many clubs with lists of charges against them, who get slaps on the wrist & continue competing

Actions often speak louder than words 👍️ 

That’s all for today’s newsletter. Wherever you are, I hope you can get some fresh air today.

Remember, for every 10 friends you refer to the free transfer you can earn $5! 👇️