Bayer Leverkusen's march into history continues on Wednesday in the UEFA Europa League final in Dublin vs. Atalanta

Hi! Bayer Leverkusen's historic unbeaten run tops the Europa League final as the coaching carousel in Europe shows no sign of slowing down. I'm Pardeep Cattry and here's a look at the top stories in the world of football.

📺 Foot correction

Always US/East

Wednesday May 22
🇪🇺 UEL: Atalanta vs. Leverkusen, 3 p.m. ➡️ CBS Sports Network, Biggest+

Thursday May 23
🇩🇪 Bundesliga relegation play-off: Bochum vs. Dusseldorf, 2:30 PM ➡️ ESPN+
🇺🇸 NWSL: Angel City vs. San Diego Wave, 10pm ➡️ CBS Sports Network

⚽ The forward line

🏆 Leverkusen and Atalanta compete for the Europa League

Bayer Leverkusen's quest to continue their undefeated season takes center stage today as they take on Atalanta in the penultimate match of their season.

The Bundesliga champions are the heavy favorites this season, marking a rapid turnaround from a team that was in the relegation battle when Xabi Alonso was hired in October 2022. As James Benge writes in his deep dive into Alonso's rapid transformation of Leverkusen, that required tactical intelligence from the young manager, who first focused on defensive stability before switching to offensive prowess. Alonso has gotten the best out of several players this season, including Leverkusen's main man Florian Wirtz, who has gradually developed into one of Europe's elite midfielders.

• Benge: “Wirtz is the jewel 10. An outlet for ball progression, a carrier and creator in the final third, a decisive figure around the penalty area: the 21-year-old has all the qualities of an archetypal creator. Which makes him the leader for this team of Leverkusen is his job off the ball. His teammates don't have to accommodate Wirtz without the ball. He certainly leads the charge, participates in more duels than any other member of Werkself and makes more ball recoveries in the final third. . everyone in the Bundesliga. If such a player scores six and a half shots for him and his teammates per ninety minutes, then you are indeed working with something special.”

Leverkusen's dominance will likely require Atalanta, a team that prefers to control the ball, to change their strategy if they are to succeed on Wednesday. However, the Italian team is not without qualities, as evidenced by its participation in the Coppa Italia and fifth place in Serie A. Look no further than Atalanta's talent on the wings, which Francesco Porzio believes could be the key to their success could be.

• Porzio: “The game will probably be key on the flanks as both teams have two strong full-backs. Atalanta will probably start Matteo Ruggeri on the right and Davide Zappacosta on the other side, but they will have to be very careful as Leverkusen can. ” count on Alex Grimaldo and Josip Stanisic in the same roles. If Atalanta can stop the wingers, they have a chance to make it. Otherwise it could be really dangerous given the season that Xabi Alonso's boys are having.”

History beckons in Dublin no matter who wins: Leverkusen would win their first European title since the UEFA Cup in 1988, while Atalanta would lift their first ever continental trophy with a win on Wednesday. The result is that this year's Europa League final is an exciting showcase for two teams on the rise and a wonderful reminder that the often predictable cadence of European football can actually be disrupted with entertaining results.

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🔗 Link play in midfield

🔵 Chelsea and Mauricio Pochettino are calling it quits

The coaching carousel once again produced a number of entrants on Tuesday, as Mauricio Pochettino surprisingly left Chelsea after just one season in the role. The decision reportedly came after Pochettino and co-controlling owner Todd Boehly had dinner on Friday and Chelsea's end-of-season review, leaving Boehly and company looking for their sixth manager since taking over the club two years ago.

Chelsea will join a litany of other clubs entering the management market and given the limited supply but incredibly high demand, there are a handful of household names in the running to succeed Pochettino. Here's James Benge with a quick look at the managers who could be in the mix.

• Benge: “Chelsea are seen as one of many enthusiastic admirers of Ipswich Town boss Kieran McKenna, who has also been linked with the vacancy at Brighton and Hove Albion. That vacancy was caused by the departure of Roberto De Zerbi, who was previously linked was brought in with the Blues. It is believed he would like to stay in the Premier League.”

As for Pochettino, this could be quite an opportune time for him to hit the market, having put in a promising performance during his time at Stamford Bridge. While he hasn't been seriously linked to any job offers yet, there are still several high-profile jobs up for grabs, including the Bayern Munich job, which has technically been open since February. Vincent Kompany was the latest manager to be linked with that gig, despite leading Burnley to relegation this season, a sign that the German team are struggling to field Thomas Tuchel's replacement. A vacancy appears to be looming at Manchester United following Erik ten Hag's disastrous second season, with other clubs on the continent also recruiting. Pochettino may well become the most coveted manager on anyone's list, but the folly that precedes a chaotic hiring spree in Europe makes it difficult to predict where anyone will end up by the time pre-season starts.

🔗 Top stories

👏 Duckweed pension: Toni Kroos will retire after this summer's European Championships and go down one of the best midfielders of all time.

🏆 Europa League final: Here's a look at the protagonists in Wednesday's finale, plus a look at how Atalanta can beat an undefeated Leverkusen side. And here's how Italian managers have achieved success on Europe's biggest stages.

🔵⚫ Change between owners: American fund Oaktree took over Inter after Chinese conglomerate Suning failed to repay a $428 million loan, but don't expect any major changes at the club in the short term as Oaktree looks for a new owner.

🇺🇸 Hayes era begins: The Emma Hayes era has officially begun for the USWNT after her first selection was made yesterday, with a mix of young talent and experienced experience.

���� English preparation for the European Championship: Gareth Southgate has announced a provisional squad of 33 players ahead of the European Championship. leaving out big names like Marcus Rashford and Jordan Henderson.

🔵 Chelsea's next move: Here's a look at who could be next for Chelsea and more coverage on that Pochettino's surprising departure.

⚽ Goals galore: After another high-scoring NWSL weekend, here's a look at the wide range of goal scorers who were on the scoresheet, including Barbra Banda of the Orlando Pride.

🇮🇹 Shipping from Italy: Here's a look back at Massimiliano Allegri's turbulent second spell at Juventus, The case of Lautaro Martinez as the best player in Serie A And Fiorentina's Giacomo Bonaventura on the team's mentality ahead of next week's Conference League final.

🔮 Far too early predictions: The 2023-2024 Premier League season may have just ended, but it's never too early to predict what will happen in the English top flight a year from now.

💰The Back Line

💵 Best bets

• Europa League final: Atalanta vs. Bayer Leverkusen, Wednesday, 3 p.m
  💰 THE CHOICE: Bayer Leverkusen wins 1-0 (+650) — Atalanta have impressed on their way to the Europa League final and are expected to keep things close, but after more than 50 games in an unbeaten season, it is difficult to bet against Leverkusen. Expect another closely contested match – and perhaps another late winner from the German champions.
• Europa League final: Atalanta vs. Bayer Leverkusen, Wednesday, 3 p.m

💰 THE CHOICE: Victor Boniface scores (+115) — Leverkusen's attacking players have shared the goalscoring responsibilities admirably this season, but if there's one person to bet on, why wouldn't it be the team's golden boot leader? Boniface has scored 21 goals in all competitions and has played a crucial role in their success this season, so he would be a suitable choice to help them win their first continental title in almost 40 years.

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