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Club soccer was back with a bang this week after the international break and we are set for another weekend of critical action across the European leagues and beyond. There has been no shortage of talking points this week, none more surreal than Frank Lampard’s return to Chelsea, and you can catch up on everything you need to know in our Golazo Starting XI newsletter. And don’t forget we’re only days away from the launch of CBS Sports Golazo Network going live on Tuesday. I am Jonathan Johnson and I will get you ready for another big weekend in the soccer world:
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📺 Soccer on Paramount+
All times U.S./Eastern.
Friday, April 7
🇮🇹 Serie A: Lecce vs. Napoli, 1 p.m. ➡️ Paramount+
🇮🇹 Serie A: AC Milan vs. Empoli, 3 p.m. ➡️ Paramount+
Saturday, April 8
🇮🇹 Serie A: Torino vs. Roma, 12:30 p.m. ➡️ Paramount+
🇮🇹 Serie A: Lazio vs. Juventus, 2:45 p.m. ➡️ Paramount+
🇦🇷 Argentina: Gimnasia La Plata vs. Racing Club, 5 p.m. ➡️ Paramount+
🇦🇷 Argentina: Atletico Tucuman vs. San Lorenzo, 7:30 p.m. ➡️ Paramount+
Sunday, April 9
🏴 Scottish Premier League: Dundee United vs. Hibernian, 7 a.m. ➡️ Paramount+
🇦🇷 Argentina: Huracan vs. River Plate, 6 p.m. ➡️ Paramount+
🇦🇷 Argentina: Boca Juniors vs. Colon, 8:30 p.m. ➡️ Paramount+
📺 Elsewhere …
All times U.S./Eastern.
Friday, April 7
🇪🇸 La Liga: Sevilla vs. Celta Vigo, 3 p.m. ➡️ ESPN+
🏴 EFL: Middlesbrough vs. Burnley, 3 p.m. ➡️ ESPN+
Saturday. April 8
🌏 Friendly: USWNT vs. Ireland, 2:30 p.m. ➡️ TNT
🏴 EPL: Manchester United vs. Everton, 7:30 a.m. ➡️ USA Network
🇩🇪 Bundesliga: Freiburg vs. Bayern Munich, 9:30 a.m. ➡️ ESPN+
🏴 EPL: Wolves vs. Chelsea, 10 a.m. ➡️ USA Network
🇫🇷 Ligue 1: Nice vs. PSG, 3:00 p.m. ➡️ beIN Sports En Espanol
🇺🇸 MLS: Seattle vs. St. Louis, 10:30 p.m. ➡️ Apple TV
Sunday, April 9
🏴 EPL: Liverpool vs. Arsenal, 11:30 a.m.
🇪🇸 La Liga: Rayo Vallecano vs. Atletico Madrid, 3 p.m.
⚽ The Forward Line
Lampard’s return to Chelsea is just another sign of their decline
CBS Sports
As far as Chelsea’s project under Todd Boehly goes, replacing an interim manager with another temporary boss is something new that we hadn’t seen, at least until Thursday’s announcement that Frank Lampard has returned to Stamford Bridge until the end of the season. The decision was further confirmation that nearly a full calendar year has passed since the Blues passed into American ownership and confusion continues to reign at Stamford Bridge. Although they remain in the UEFA Champions League for now ahead of the quarterfinals, Chelsea are in a bad way.
The Londoners have slipped into the bottom half of the Premier League table with the race for European places more competitive than ever and an expensively assembled team still struggle to score goals, having failed to find the back of the net in either of their last two games. With Lampard now back in the hot seat until the end of the campaign, the club are looking beyond this term and interviewing candidates to be Graham Potter’s full-time replacement. Who in their right mind would want to walk into that sort of scenario at this moment in time, though?
Sure, Chelsea’s squad remains attractive with high quality players assembled at a price to match, but with continental soccer increasingly unlikely for next season and no sign of a clear strategy or the necessary patience from the hierarchy, many top tacticians will be wary of potential damage to their reputation which the likes of Mauricio Pochettino, Julian Nagelsmann, and even Luis Enrique can ill afford after their latest roles. The Argentine might be more motivated to return to work than the German or the Spaniard given that he has sat out pretty much the entirety of this campaign, but Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur is not exactly the dream choice that it might have been even just a few years ago.
Pochettino might be better off waiting to see what happens with giants Real Madrid and Carlo Ancelotti, himself now linked, at least tenuously, to a possible Chelsea return, given that returning to Spurs under enormous emotional pressure of expectation or taking on this unpredictable Chelsea task both seem to be extremely risky ideas right now. As for the 2021 Champions League winners, now that Lampard has been appointed as the interim manager for another interim boss, waiting to see how the remainder of this term shakes out before making a move for a permanent figure might not be the worst idea of Boehly’s tenure.
Chelsea and a Premier League posting will remain attractive, but anybody taking on the role before the end of this season risks undermining themselves before then even truly get to work. Besides, the likes of Nagelsmann could use a break post-Bayern before steeling himself for his next challenge. Anybody willing to risk it all and dive right into the current mess on a permanent basis would show themselves to be just as desperate as Chelsea’s leadership are in trying to prove that they actually have a clue what they are doing.
You can check out more on Lampard’s astonishing Chelsea return right here.
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🔗 Midfield Link Play
‘Kylian Saint-Germain’
Getty Images
Kylian Mbappe’s latest outburst towards Paris Saint-Germain adds to the growing list of power play moves that the French superstar has pulled not only at club level but also on the international stage. The 24-year-old also has the French Soccer Federation eating out of the palm of his hands after torpedoing them publicly over players’ individual image rights and he repeated the trick with PSG on Thursday over their 2023-24 season ticket campaign.
The irony in all of this is that Mbappe delivered the line “PSG is a big club and a big family, but it is absolutely not Kylian Saint-Germain.” The thing is, this is some of the strongest evidence yet that PSG, in fact, is indeed Kylian Saint-Germain such is the power and influence afforded to him at Parc des Princes. It was striking that the most notably figures in the promotional video were Les Parisiens’ long-serving groundsman Jonathan Calderwood and talented youngster Nuno Mendes with Neymar and Lionel Messi nowhere to be seen.
The Argentine is largely expected to move on this summer while the French giants would accept offers for the Brazilian if they were actually forthcoming. However, even some of PSG’s better players in what has been another difficult season overall were given little to no mention with Mbappe front and center of a campaign otherwise based around the atmosphere generated at the club’s spiritual home. Unwittingly, the club and player have reinforced the idea that has been forming for some time — that Mbappe is calling the shots.
- Mbappe: “I just learned that I am part of the club’s season ticket renewal campaign ahead of the 2023-24 season,” wrote the French superstar. “At no point was I informed of the content of this interview with my interlocutor. It seems like it was a basic interview from a club marketing day. I am not in agreement with the published video. This is why I fight for individual image rights. PSG is a big club and a big family, but it is absolutely not Kylian Saint-Germain. Cordially.”
And now let’s get to some links:
🔗 We have more on Mbappe’s latest run-in with PSG here.
🔗 Juventus’ partial stadium ban owing to racist chanting, explains Francesco Porzio.
🔗 Sandra Herrera breaks down England women’s Finalissima penalty triumph over Brazil.
🔗 Lionel Messi’s future with a Barcelona seems unlikely, explains James Benge.
🔗 Roger Gonzalez on a crestfallen Xavi as Barca were blown out by Real Madrid in Wednesday’s El Clasico.
🔗 Chuck Booth has you covered with the recap on Karim Benzemas display in the final Clasico at the current Camp Nou.
🔗 It’s not just Messi fielding offers from Saudi Arabia, James Benge reports, with Karim Benzema, Luka Modric on their wish list.
🔗 In Soccer We Trust: With a Mexico friendly looming, the guys break down potential MLS options for the roster.
🔗 House of Champions: The crew looks at Barcelona’s El Clasico meltdown.
🔗 Attacking Third: All your USWNT preview news.
🔗 And remember, all of your soccer needs — from NWSL to Champions League to Serie A and so much more — are available on Paramount+. 📺 You can try one month free by using the code: NWSL2023.
💰 The Back Line
💵 Best bets
All odds courtesy of Caesars Sportsbook and all times U.S./Eastern. SportsLine has you covered with this weekend’s best bets.
- Premier League: Tottenham vs. Brighton, Saturday, 10 a.m.
💰 THE PICK: Draw (+250) — Brighton need to avoid defeat to remain on course to break into the top four at Tottenham’s expense while the Londoners can ill afford to drop points against a positional rival. The Seagulls are at +170 to win which is not bad as that is more likely than a Spurs win based on form. However, the draw at +250 has you covered and could return decently. - Serie A: Lazio vs. Juventus, Saturday, 2:45 p.m.
💰 THE PICK: Juventus (+190) — Juve are on a mission to reach the European places despite their points deduction and they have been gaining ground at a steady pace of late. Lazio find themselves second although not close enough to leaders Napoli to challenge. This one is a test of Massimiliano Allegri’s men and their desire to salvage continental soccer for next season. - Premier League: Liverpool vs. Arsenal, Sunday, 11:30 a.m.
💰 THE PICK: Draw (+260) — This one is a tricky one for Arsenal who need to keep winning and finds themselves in the position of being favorites against the wounded animal that is Liverpool. Jurgen Klopp’s men are struggling to get themselves into the reckoning for top four, but still have the quality to hurt even the best teams on their day. With the Reds under pressure to turn their form around, this will be a tricky one for the Gunners.
