The Stade is set...

The Independent’s football newsletter [View in browser]( [The Independent]( May 27, 2022 [The Independent]( Miguel Delaney's Reading the Game Written by Miguel Delaney   The Stade is set...   Klopp in the mood to go big The big decision going into the [Champions League final](is on the fitness of [Thiago Alcantara](. At the time of writing, the midfielder is hopeful of being available. So are the staff at Kirby, and they are even more optimistic on Fabinho. The wonder is whether Jurgen Klopp will feel the decisions are worth the risk - depending on the extent of the risk. On that, the German has been in confident and ebullient mood all week, especially at the League Managers Association awards on Tuesday, where he won both the major prizes. On receiving the one for best Premier League manager, he made a point of name-checking all his staff, right up to his personal assistant, while offering amusing anecdotes on all of them. It really was vintage people management. Given how included everyone will feel, you can see how the right atmosphere at the club is created. Klopp similarly downplayed the idea of victory on Saturday adding to his legacy - but that’s partly why he is at this point. He is always willing to roll the dice. Madrid not going to Paris as powerful as they'd like [Real Madrid are trying to view Kylian Mbappe’s decision]( as just another setback to overcome, but it has really disrupted their plans - both for the long term and the short term. Florentino Perez had hoped to announce it as a big boost before the final. The club now don’t just have to re-assess that, but also think about what they do instead. It is also why some on the Liverpool felt there might be a few pointed front pages from Madrid on the eve of the final. They were anticipating stories picking up about interest in Mohamed Salah and [Sadio Mane](, that both serve to create buzz around the Spanish champions again, and to potentially disrupt Liverpool. Mane’s refusal to comment on his future won’t have helped in that regard. For the moment, some at the club are trying to use Mbappe's rejection as motivation - so the players show him what he is missing. Carlo Ancelotti is naturally trying to keep everyone on an even keel. Big plans for the midfield - but enough for the club? While Manchester United’s interest in Frenkie de Jong has by now been widely reported, it goes beyond being a target. Erik ten Hag is willing to build a midfield around his former Ajax passer. This is a message that has been conveyed to De Jong, although he still has some doubts about going to Old Trafford. It is going to take a lot more to convince him, as the 25-year-old wants to be at clubs who can win now. There is still so much uncertainty around United, despite [the appointment of Ten Hag](. He has cut a distinctive figure in his early days at the club, “like no managerial personality we’ve had yet”, was one phrase. The hope is that the start to escape the sort of thinking they have been criticised for at other clubs. That is the idea that one man, or one player, can be the instant solution to a series of problems.. Ferguson remains the boss It’s still easy to understand why the club remain fixed to this idea, especially if you were at the LMA awards. Sir Alex Ferguson really is the game’s greatest grandee. It was remarkable to see, as almost everyone in the room sought his attention or even a few words. Ferguson was all too willing to dispense advice, as he sat between Emma Hayes and Patrick Vieira. He was also on great form later on, jibing with host Kelly Cates about her father Kenny - “how is greeting face” - and his mock (or possible mock?) disgust at having to give the award[named after him to Jurgen Klopp](. Ferguson clearly gets on very well with both the German and Dalglish. There were some genuinely warm moments, too. An interesting reception for the champion [Pep Guardiola]( didn’t go to the LMA awards, and some sources say that may well have been connected to the fact they didn’t tell his club he’d won the Premier League award. He would have been in need of a rest, to be fair, given Manchester City enjoyed two days of celebrations. There was Sunday after winning the title, and then their official party after the parade on Monday. While Guardiola mostly stayed with his family, the players had their own cordoned-off area, and stayed out until around 5am. You could understand there not being much of a City representation at the LMAs the next night, then. It’s possibly just as well. There were - interestingly - a smattering of boos when his name was read out as one of the nominations for the Premier League award.   Top stories [Real Madrid eye statement Champions League victory amid shifting landscape of European football]( [Sadio Mane dreaming big as Champions League final offers chance to cap standout year](   Miguel's Dispatches It’s quite a literal dispatch this week as I write this letter from Paris, where I am for the Champions League final. This is my 14th consecutive attendance at the fixture, which I consider an absolutely huge privilege, especially since one of those was the 2020 final where only about 25 journalists were allowed in. If there feels an element of boastfulness about this, it’s from a humble place, as I’ve always been obsessed with the history of the European Cup more than any other part of football. It was probably fired by watching the Hugh McIlvanney documentaries as a young teenager, and immersing myself in the lore of it all. It’s just impossible not to be struck by the prestige and gravitas of it all, the 67 years of history, whatever about modern discussions. Journalists being journalists, such trips naturally provoke debate about the best possible venues for the Champions League final. They need to be in a city big enough to facilitate 70,000 fans, with the appropriate infrastructure, but also have an existing football culture. The Champions League final is such a mega-event that there are probably only a few venues big enough. Paris, however, is pretty much perfect. It is steeped in football history, from the first European Cup final being held here to even being where the competition was first devised. It is one of the dates of the football calendar when it is just impossible not to get excited.   Quote of the day "This is agony! Absolute agony… I should have told him to join Scunthorpe United." Sir Alex Ferguson jokes as he hands over the League Managers’ Association Sir Alex Ferguson award over to Jurgen Klopp.   Reading the game quiz Since 1992, 12 players have played for Liverpool, but won the Champions League at another club. Clue: the best represent among these clubs is Real Madrid, with four. Xabi Alonso does not count as he won it with Liverpool. Name them. ([You can find out the answers here](. The answer page will be updated weekly and contains answers from previous newsletters, too)   [The new Independent app]( [The new Independent app](   Essential reading [The great irony of Champions League’s clash of titans](   [Carlo Ancelotti can bury the ghosts of Istanbul even deeper against Liverpool](   If you can spare a minute we’d love your [feedback]( on our newsletters. [The Independent]( Join the conversation or follow us [Facebook]( [Twitter]( Please do not reply directly to this email You are currently registered to receive The Independent's football newsletter. 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