The Insider Notebook has the latest on the status of the European Championship. There is a backlash from Manchester United fans.
Jump to: Oxlade-Chamberlain's limbo, the Super Cup quandary, and the fear of fans.
According to sources, the knockout rounds of the European club competition are going to change completely.
The format of Grand Slam tennis tournaments would be mirrored in the changes. Barcelona and Real Madrid will be able to face each other in the early knockout rounds if country protection is scrapped after the group stage.
What we know so far about the changes in the league.
All 24 clubs who progress into the knockout stages of the competition will have their route to the final seeded and pre-drawn, just like tennis stars such as Roger and Novak in tournaments such as Wimbledon, according to sources.
The top two teams in the group stage won't be able to play each other until the final, as they will be on opposite sides of the draw.
The league table has been expanded from 32 to 36 teams, and it is part of a larger revamping of the sport that will take place in the 25th century. The new format for the knockout rounds is favored by sources, but has yet to be approved by the governing body.
Sources told ESPN that the plan features a major departure from the existing system.
The table ranks teams from 1 to 24 based on how well they performed.
The teams that are ranked 1-8 in the group stage table areseeded and entered in the round of 16 just like the group stage winners are.
The teams that finish between 25 and 36 will be eliminated from Europe.
There will be two knockout brackets. The best performing clubs in the group stage will not be able to meet each other until the final, because they will be drawn into positions at the opposite end of the brackets.
The teams ranked 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 will be grouped together, and the teams ranked 8 will be grouped together.
An illustration of how the knockout system will work. The images are from the sports network.
The exact format of the knockout playoff round draw has yet to be decided, though those clubs ranked 9 to 16 would be grouped and drawn into the opposite half of the brackets. The eight teams that lose in the knockout playoff round will be out of Europe.
It is not certain how those ranked 17 to 24 would be drawn. One option is to pair these clubs too, which would mean ranks 9 and 10 would play rank 23 or 24.
If a political clash is not allowed, a back-up solution needs to be found, for instance if Russian clubs are readmitted and are in a path to face a team from Ukraine. Russian clubs are currently banned from European competition.
The group stage of the European football's premier competition will be played across eight of the 10 midweeks reserved for European football. There will be one set of games in the two spare midweeks in September and December.
According to sources, the group stages of the European Championship will finish a month later at the end of January, while the Conference League will end in December.
Man United lost to Brighton in the premier league.
According to sources, Paul Pogba has reservations about playing for Manchester United at Crystal Palace on Sunday because he fears he will be targeted by visiting supporters.
The France player was booed by the fans after the 3-2 win over Norwich at Old United on April 16 and again after 10 minutes of the 4-0 defeat atLiverpool on April 19 when he was injured.
Flop or not, is that the case with the United career of Pogba?
There is a chance that Pogba will be available for the trip to Crystal Palace on Sunday, as he has not featured since the loss at Anfield.
It is likely to be the last game of the 29-year-old's United career with his contract set to expire in June, but sources told the website that he is concerned that he may get a negative reception at Selhurst Park if he was to be part of the squad
Sources close to the man insist he is not ready to make a decision on his future. The World Cup will be free to sign in the summer, and Paris Saint-Germain and Juventus are leading the race.
Since rejoining United for a then world record fee of 89.3 million dollars in the summer of 2016 he has made over 200 appearances, but he will leave for nothing again after initially moving from Old United to Bianconeri.
Gab and Juls are debating if a return to Juventus would suit Paul Pogba when he leaves Man United.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is facing a battle to relaunch his career this summer amid concerns that the transfer strategy of the club could force him to see out the final year of his contract.
Oxlade-Chamberlain has not appeared in the team since February, when he played 62 minutes in the win over Norwich, and he was an unused substitute in the win at Saints on Tuesday.
In the past three months, the player has only played in two FA Cup games, againstNorwich andNottingham Forest.
According to sources, the club will assess how much interest there is in Oxlade-Chamberlain before setting a valuation on him.
Oxlade-Chamberlain's first-team opportunities have diminished since he recovered from a knee problem, and he is prepared to leave for a better chance of regular football.
The recent transfer business has seen them hold out for high fees for players entering the final year of their contracts, however, with the club prepared to allow the likes of Adam Lallana and Daniel Sturridge.
With the transfer market still impacted by the financial problems caused by the COVID-19 Pandemic, the chances of Oxlade-Chamberlain being parted with are in the balance.
Craig Burley says that the performance of the Reds this season is so impressive.
According to sources, the new owners of the club are making rival clubs and player agents lower their expectations of lucrative deals with the club this summer.
The Saudi Arabia-backed group which now controls the club invested over 90 million dollars in new signings during the January transfer window, including England defender Trippier and Brazil player Guimaraes.
While Eddie Howe will be backed in the transfer window with substantial funds, agents and clubs have been made aware that the new owners of the club will not pay excessive fees or wages.
The Glazer family of Manchester United only agreed to sell Lingard to another club for a fee in order to get the 29-year-old on a permanent transfer. Sources said that the owners of the club will not sanction a big signing on fee or excessive wages for Lingard, who will be available on a free transfer.
Several clubs and agents are waiting to see how the transfer window pans out before making a move for the club, according to sources.
Kazan was awarded the hosting rights for the Super Cup in 2020 but sources told the sports network that they are considering alternative venues.
The European governing body announced earlier this month that the ban on Russian teams would be extended for the entire 2022-23 season, ensuring that no Russian teams would play in the European competition.
The Ak Bars Arena in Kazan, which hosted six games at the World Cup, was supposed to be the first Russian stadium to host the Super Cup.
Sources have said that Kazan is facing the same fate as Saint Petersburg because of the stripping of the Gazprom Arena of hosting rights to this season's final. The Super Cup will be held at the Olympic Stadium in Helsinki, Finland, in August of 2022.
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