Even the most frigid of Juventus haters could not help but be moved. Juve president Andrea Agnelli and outgoing manager Max Allegri sat up on stage together following their Allianz Arena season finale -- a 1-1 draw with Atalanta. Just before the news conference, the entire Juventus squad trooped in and took their places around their outgoing coach. It was the polar opposite to how the previous boss left, when Antonio Conte, who had won three-straight Serie A titles, resigned abruptly on a torrid day in mid-July.

If you're going to part ways, this is the way to do it.

The pair appeared genuine. Agnelli, who can sometimes look wooden and scripted, seemed sincere when he talked about how, in addition to working with a great manager, he had gained "a friend." Allegri, for his part, seemed to choke up on more than one occasion, cloaking it by reaching for a sip of water.

There was even a moment of levity and self-deprecation. When asked if it was akin to the end of a romance, Agnelli -- who like his soon-to-be former manager is coming off a failed marriage -- quipped: "Neither Max nor I are qualified to talk about romantic relationships."

So, it ended about as well as it could, given the circumstances. But how did we get here? How was it that Agnelli went from saying that "the cycle continues with Allegri, this team, apart from Cristiano Ronaldo, is relatively young (on the night Ajax knocked them out of the Champions League) to Saturday's "conscious uncoupling?"

According to a source familiar with the situation, Agnelli was genuine in his belief that night in Turin that persisting with Allegri was the right decision. Allegri -- ranked No. 4 among the world's coaches in the ESPN FC 100 -- had reached two Champions League finals in his five seasons at the club, in addition to delivering five Serie A titles and four Italian Cups. What's more, he had been a "club man" throughout. Unlike his predecessor, Allegri rarely blamed players or referees when things did not go right. He was a players' coach, and that was important on a team filled with veterans, many of whom had enjoyed success elsewhere. Players liked him, he had an innate ability to defuse situations and, just as important, Ronaldo -- on whom the club had invested nearly $350 million in wages and fees -- liked him.

Despite what Agnelli said that night about Juventus being "relatively young," this was an ageing veteran-filled side. By the end of the 2019-20 season, Ronaldo and Giorgio Chiellini would be 35, Leonardo Bonucci, Mario Mandzukic, Blaise Matuidi and Sami Khedira would be 33, while Miralem Pjanic, Juan Cuadrado and Wojciech Szczesny would all be 30. Every club has a "window of opportunity," and Juventus' was beginning to close. Changing managers could be disruptive.

As for Allegri, he had reflected on went wrong against Ajax and in the previous round against Atletico Madrid. He had long been talking about the need for Juventus to learn how to impose themselves on opposing teams, particularly in Europe. Clearly, this had not happened. Some of it was his responsibility, of course, but some of it came down to the skill sets of the players and the mentality, particularly in midfield. He had a year remaining on his contract and was confident the club would extend it.

In his mind, continuing for another season with a deal winding down was unthinkable. He would take the opportunity to ask for a raise, as well, since he felt it would cement his authority -- plus, let's face it, he felt he deserved it. And he would ask for more input -- he was always consulted on transfers, but he wasn't the driving force -- in terms of reinforcing the squad.

Allegri also was annoyed at some of the criticism he received from some quarters. He blew up on television when challenged by former Italy international-turned-analyst Lele Adani, who asked him what he could do to get his team to be more attacking: "What can I do? I can work with the players individually and try to improve them. And if they improve as individuals, we'll play better as a group. It's obvious: The better players you have, the better you play.

"Playing well is one thing, winning is another."

He then railed about TV pundits who didn't understand that coaching wasn't about tactics. That one thing is the sort of football theory you learn from books, quite another is the practice of what happens on the pitch. Those words didn't necessarily prompt Juventus' choice, but they did cement the decision facing them. Allegri was who he was and he wasn't going to pretend otherwise. Players are at the heart of his footballing vision, not schemes, not philosophies. The best way to win was to get better footballers or footballers who he could make better. And he wanted more of a role in picking them.

Agnelli prides himself in wanting to hear different views and not be surrounded by yes men. It's something he reiterated on Saturday. Within his inner sanctum -- a group that includes sporting director Fabio Paratici and vice-chairman Pavel Nedved, among others -- the possibility of making a 180-degree turn also was raised. This would involve a philosophical shift and pursuing a "system manager," somebody more in line with the high-press, attacking football that most top European clubs play. It also would fit with the club's efforts on the marketing front, with Juventus continuing their transition from a traditional club to an avant-garde lifestyle brand, as evidenced by the changes to the club's crest and the radical redesign of the striped jersey.

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Equally, though, it was felt that given the current squad's makeup and the Ronaldo window of opportunity, this only made sense if you could attract a top name -- someone like a Pep Guardiola, a Jurgen Klopp or a Mauricio Pochettino -- except none of them would be available this summer.

The inclination at that point was to continue with Allegri. Yet it became clear that if he was to continue, it would be on his terms. And the realization slowly dawned that the guarantees he was looking for in terms of influence on transfers in particular would be hard to meet. Maybe it was time to end this. If you have to make a change, obviously, it's best to do so at the right time, even though you can never be sure when that is. But if you get it wrong, it's less damaging to do it a year early than a year late.

Allegri said the realisation that he would no longer be the Juventus manager only hit him when he walked out of his final meeting with Agnelli on Thursday night. Agnelli said it was the "most difficult decision" he has had to make in his time at the club.

By Sunday night, as Juventus celebrated their title in front of their supporters, it likely felt like the right decision. Gauging public opinion is always tricky, but the sentiment among the majority of fans appeared to be gratitude toward Allegri, rather than anger toward the club at his departure.

Now comes an equally difficult -- though less painful -- decision for Agnelli: figuring out what sort of club he wants Juventus to be and what sort of manager can take them there.

Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is ready to offer Paul Pogba a captaincy role at Old Trafford in an effort to convince the midfielder to stay at the club, sources have told ESPN FC.

Solskjaer is looking for a new captain with Antonio Valencia set to leave on a free transfer at the end of the month.

Ashley Young, who signed a new one-year deal in February, is in line to take over from Valencia as club captain but with Solskjaer looking to sign a new right-back this summer, the 33-year-old is likely to have to settle for a reduced role next season meaning on-pitch captain duties are up for grabs.

Sources have told ESPN FC that Pogba, who was stripped of captaincy duties by Jose Mourinho, is one of the names in the frame and Solskjaer is hopeful that handing the 26-year-old more responsibility will help end speculation over his future.

The Frenchman is open to a move away from United this summer after Solskjaer's side finished sixth in the Premier League table, missing out on a place in next season's Champions League and condemning themselves to a campaign in the Europa League.

Real Madrid are leading the race should Pogba leave, although sources have told ESPN FC that United are adamant the World Cup winner, who has a contract until 2022, will not be sold.

Solskjaer is already looking to sign at least one midfielder this summer after Ander Herrera turned down the offer of a new contract to join Paris Saint-Germain.

The Norwegian is keen to keep the extent of his rebuild to a minimum and does not want to lose one of his best players.

Solskjaer's first signing as United boss is likely to be Swansea winger Daniel James.

The 21-year-old Wales international is nearing a £15 million move to Old Trafford just four months after coming close to joining Leeds United.

England's decision to leave David Willey out of the final World Cup squad was a "consensus" decision rather than a unanimous one, national selector Ed Smith has revealed.

Announcing the make-up of the squad to contest the tournament starting on May 30, in which left-arm seamer Willey missed out in favour of newcomer Jofra Archer, Smith also said the decision to bring Liam Dawson in for Joe Denly was driven by concerns over a niggle suffered by spinner Adil Rashid.

Willey was outspoken earlier this year in his opposition to a bowler who had helped England become the No.1 one-day side in the world possibly missing out to Archer, who only recently qualified to represent the country. Smith, who told Willey of his omission when he contacted players on Monday, said he had been "honest" and "dignified" in receiving the news.

"That was a very difficult decision, I think the situation we were in as a selection panel, and in consultation with the captain, was we had more players we wanted to fit into the squad than we were allowed to, so it was a very tough call," Smith told Sky Sports.

"David Willey has been a big part of the one-day side, he has had such a good run, it was a really tough call but someone had to miss out. David was very unfortunate in missing out but he could easily have been in this World Cup squad, he deserves to be in the World Cup squad, but that's sport. Sometimes there are more deserving people than there are places in the squad.

"He's an outstanding man. He's very honest, very, very dignified, very clear to the conversation we had, a very impressive man. He's a very impressive cricketer, it is extremely unfortunate."

Smith was reluctant to give detail on the selection panel's discussions but indicated captain Eoin Morgan had an important role in the final decisions. Asked if leaving Willey out was a unanimous call, Smith said: "I wouldn't get into that, I'd say it was a consensus decision. I would say that everyone in the room was comfortable with the squad that the selection panel has come up with.

"It was very important for me as a selector, that the captain feels comfortable with the squad he takes into the World Cup, obviously. Eoin has been captain for over four years, the England one-day side has done extremely well, this is the culmination of a long campaign, a lot of planning, the culture of that team has been very strong under Eoin Morgan. He's very comfortable with the squad, as we all are."

Smith said that ultimately, Willey fell victim to the fact that England's pace bowling stocks are strong, and deep. And he did not expect Archer's inclusion to cause any unrest within the squad.

Meanwhile, it was Rashid's recent worries with a slight injury that sparked the selectors' decision to plump for a back-up spinner in Dawson rather than a back-up batsman in Denly. Dawson has taken 18 wickets for Hampshire in the Royal London One-Day Cup at 20.33 and scored 274 runs at 45.66, including a 90-ball century against Surrey last month. Denly only bowled a handful of overs as England experimented with him as a third spin option during the warm-up ODI series against Ireland and Pakistan and took one wicket - a stumping off a leg-side wide - while with the bat he managed 25 runs from two innings, plus an unbeaten 20 in a T20 against Pakistan.

"The first thing to say is with that position of the spinner or reserve batter, it's a very subtle balance issue," Smith said. "Do you tend towards someone who's mainly a batter who also is a very handy bowler in Joe Denly, or do you tend towards someone who's tilted more towards the bowling side of it but also as a handy batter?

"It could have gone either way. In actual fact, Liam Dawson was always in contention he was in the team in Sri Lanka and then a side injury forced him out of that, Joe Denly came in and has stayed in, limited opportunities even though he's had.

"Adil Rashid has a little niggle, hopefully he'll be fine, and it won't affect him having a full part in the competition. But that's slightly tilts things towards spin bowling cover as a priority rather than one of your batting reserves."

Dawson played the last of his three ODIs against Sri Lanka last October.

Toss Scotland chose to bowl v Sri Lanka

Scotland captain Kyle Coetzer has elected to send Sri Lanka in under sunny skies at the Grange as the hosts attempt to replicate their successful result two years ago to the day over Sri Lanka at Beckenham in a Champions Trophy warm-up fixture. Despite clear skies at the toss, Coetzer's decision may also be influenced by rain forecast for around 4 pm, meaning Duckworth-Lewis could come into play later in the day.

Allrounder Michael Leask comes in for vice-captain Richie Berrington, who is out with a broken finger, from Scotland's line-up for their two-run DLS loss to Afghanistan on May 10.

Sri Lanka have rung in a slew of changes headed by Dimuth Karunaratne coming back into the squad and making his captaincy debut. The deposed Lasith Malinga is not in Edinburgh and will rejoin the squad in England later in the week.

Besides Karunaratne, there are five other changes from their last ODI against South Africa in March, which capped a 5-0 series loss. Lahiru Thirimanne comes back to open with Karunaratne. Angelo Mathews, Jeevan Mendis, Suranga Lakmal and Nuwan Pradeep all return to the line-up as well as Sri Lanka seek a winning formula trying to snap an eight-match losing streak prior to their World Cup opener against New Zealand on June 1.

Angelo Mathews and Thisara Perera are the only two players in the Sri Lanka XI to have played in both previous ODI meetings against Scotland, in 2011 & 2015. Coetzer and Calum Macleod are the only two from the Scotland side.

Scotland: 1 Matthew Cross (wk), 2 Kyle Coetzer (capt), 3 Calum Macleod, 4 Craig Wallace, 5 George Munsey, 6 Michael Leask, 7 Tom Sole, 8 Safyaan Sharif, 9 Alasdair Evans, 10 Mark Watt, 11 Brad Wheal

Sri Lanka: 1 Dimuth Karunaratne (capt), 2 Lahiru Thirimanne, 3 Avishka Fernando, 4 Kusal Mendis (wk), 5 Angelo Mathews, 6 Dhananjaya de Silva, 7 Thisara Perera, 8 Jeevan Mendis, 9 Suranga Lakmal, 10 Nuwan Pradeep, 11 Isuru Udana

Toss Scotland chose to bowl v Sri Lanka

Scotland captain Kyle Coetzer has elected to send Sri Lanka in under sunny skies at the Grange as the hosts attempt to replicate their successful result two years ago to the day over Sri Lanka at Beckenham in a Champions Trophy warm-up fixture. Despite clear skies at the toss, Coetzer's decision may also be influenced by rain forecast for around 4 pm, meaning Duckworth-Lewis could come into play later in the day.

Allrounder Michael Leask comes in for vice-captain Richie Berrington, who is out with a broken finger, from Scotland's line-up for their two-run DLS loss to Afghanistan on May 10.

Sri Lanka have rung in a slew of changes headed by Dimuth Karunaratne coming back into the squad and making his captaincy debut. The deposed Lasith Malinga is not in Edinburgh and will rejoin the squad in England later in the week.

Besides Karunaratne, there are five other changes from their last ODI against South Africa in March, which capped a 5-0 series loss. Lahiru Thirimanne comes back to open with Karunaratne. Angelo Mathews, Jeevan Mendis, Suranga Lakmal and Nuwan Pradeep all return to the line-up as well as Sri Lanka seek a winning formula trying to snap an eight-match losing streak prior to their World Cup opener against New Zealand on June 1.

Angelo Mathews and Thisara Perera are the only two players in the Sri Lanka XI to have played in both previous ODI meetings against Scotland, in 2011 & 2015. Coetzer and Calum Macleod are the only two from the Scotland side.

Scotland: 1 Matthew Cross (wk), 2 Kyle Coetzer (capt), 3 Calum Macleod, 4 Craig Wallace, 5 George Munsey, 6 Michael Leask, 7 Tom Sole, 8 Safyaan Sharif, 9 Alasdair Evans, 10 Mark Watt, 11 Brad Wheal

Sri Lanka: 1 Dimuth Karunaratne (capt), 2 Lahiru Thirimanne, 3 Avishka Fernando, 4 Kusal Mendis (wk), 5 Angelo Mathews, 6 Dhananjaya de Silva, 7 Thisara Perera, 8 Jeevan Mendis, 9 Suranga Lakmal, 10 Nuwan Pradeep, 11 Isuru Udana

There will be no changes to the 15-man provisional World Cup squad Bangladesh had announced over a month ago, with Minhajul Abedin, the chief selector, saying that the performances in the Ireland tri-series, which Bangladesh won, had convinced the selectors that the squad was the right one.

"There is much confidence on and within the 15-member squad currently in England," Abedin, who was also the team manager during the tri-series, told ESPNcricinfo. "Everyone in the squad has shown that they are capable of performing at the highest stage, which is why we selected them in the first place."

The question marks were mainly over Abu Jayed and Mosaddek Hossain, but both passed with flying colours. Mosaddek's quickfire half-century against West Indies in the final helped Bangladesh clinch their first multi-team ODI trophy, while Jayed took 5 for 58 against Ireland in an earlier game.

Liton Das and Rubel Hossain, also not considered automatic starters at the World Cup, also did enough in their limited opportunities during the tri-series to stay in the squad. Liton hit a 67-ball 76 against Ireland in his only outing, while Rubel picked up 1 for 41 in the same game.

Four reserve players - Taskin Ahmed, Farhad Reza, Nayeem Hasan and Yasir Ali - had travelled to Ireland for the tri-series, but will now continue training in Dhaka along with the two other standby players - Imrul Kayes and Taijul Islam - in preparation for the July series against Afghanistan A, who will play two four-day and five one-day games.

Most of Bangladesh's World Cup squad is now training in Leicester before the squad - including captain Mashrafe Mortaza and Tamim Iqbal, who were given a break - head to Cardiff for their two warm-up games against Pakistan and India on May 26 and 28 respectively.

Squad: Mashrafe Mortaza (capt), Liton Das, Mohammad Mithun, Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), Mahmudullah, Shakib Al Hasan, Tamim Iqbal, Soumya Sarkar, Mohammad Saifuddin, Abu Jayed, Mustafizur Rahman, Rubel Hossain, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Sabbir Rahman, Mosaddek Hossain

Jofra Archer believes that his experience of performing under pressure at the IPL will help him to deal with the spotlight of his maiden World Cup, after he was named in England's final World Cup squad only weeks after making his international debut.

Archer, 24, has played just three ODIs and a T20I since his first appearance for England in Malahide earlier this month. But he has impressed with his 90mph pace and versatility as both a new-ball and death-overs bowler, and was named in the final 15 this morning ahead of David Willey.

"I got a call from Ed Smith yesterday, maybe at about six o'clock or so," Archer told Sky Sports News. "I was actually driving at the time and I just felt the phone vibrate and I answered it without looking at it, then that to stop myself and say "good evening". "But it was really, really exciting to be a part of a big summer for English cricket."

Archer's rise to international recognition has been dramatic. Late last year, he had still been reconciled to spending a full seven years completing his residency qualification, which would have made him available to England by 2021-22. But when the ECB reduced that period to three years, he suddenly became available in March this year

"I had got it in my head that I'd have to wait seven years," he said. "Then back in December, they obviously changed it a little bit, but I was prepared to wait however long it would take."

In between spending the obligatory 210 days a year in the UK to fulfil his residency obligations, Archer had been making his name on the T20 circuit with notable spells in numerous domestic competitions, notably with Hobart Hurricanes in the Big Bash and Rajasthan Royals in the IPL. Prior to his England call-up, he had played just 14 50-over matches in his professional career, but insisted he was not worried by this lack of specific experience.

"I think I'm ready," he added. "I've played a lot of cricket outside of 50 overs. And I know to deal with the pressure of crowds. Obviously because I was playing franchise cricket, that was the reason why it wasn't able to play much List A cricket for Sussex, but you don't forget how to bowl. And I think you get more opportunities to bowl than in T20s, you get another six extra overs there to take more wickets."

Furthermore, Archer's regular encounters with some of the best players in the world on the T20 circuit mean that he is arguably better prepared for dealing with the talent in the World Cup than many more experienced international bowlers.

"I think I probably have a bigger advantage over some of the other guys in our team," he said. "We play [these guys] twice a [season] in the IPL, so you know their weaknesses, you know their strengths, you know if they can't run between the wickets … it gets you an extra bit of inside information.

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"To be honest, I think international cricket is probably the same intensity as the IPL," he added. "'I think the only thing that changes is the amount of overs but, ever since I've started, the pressure is really intense. It's different, but it still isn't different."

Despite some outspoken comments in the media from his rivals for World Cup selection - not least David Willey, the man whom he pipped to the final spot - Archer insisted he could not have been made more welcome by his new team-mates.

"Everyone welcomed me with open arms from the moment I got in," he said. "It's a really good team to be a part of, with great players, a great captain, great support staff and coaches. It's probably one of the better teams have played in."

Asked whether England were ready to live up to their billing as the No.1 ODI team in the world, and pre-tournament favourites, Archer said there would be pressure in a home tournament regardless of the team's merit. However, he felt that the experience of grinding out results in a long county season would play into the squad's hands as they embark on a tough six-week campaign.

"This is what the county season prepared us for," he said. "The county season is about five or six months long, just relentless. I don't think it should feel any different for any of our guys because we usually play from March to September anyway. For a lot of the teams, this isn't their summer, they are not usually playing cricket at this time of year. So these are the little things that can work in our favour."

Asked who he was most looking forward to dismissing during the World Cup, Archer namechecked India's captain, Virat Kohli. But he also added that the best player that he had bowled to during the IPL was his own England team-mate, Jos Buttler, in the nets with Rajasthan.

"I'd quite like to get Virat out, because I wasn't able to get him in the IPL because I think a leggie got him in every game he played. I also wanted to bowl at AB [de Villiers] as well, but don't think he's playing for South Africa. And probably Chris Gayle again.

"But Buttler, he's amazing, he's a 360 cricketer, he can hit you straight down the ground and can paddle you right behind the keeper's head… I don't think anywhere's safe as a bowler.

"I've not really had a chance to speak to him about batting, but I spoke to Ben [Stokes] when we batted in the middle a few times in the IPL. If the opportunity to bat does come in the World Cup, having a familiar face at the other end should help calm the nerves."

Further afield, there is also the prospect of Archer making his England Test debut with the Ashes looming in August.

"If they do [pick me], I'd be over the moon," he said. "But for right now I've got a World Cup to think about. I don't expect to waltz in to the Test team either so, if selected, I'll work my butt off. But, if not, I'll go back to Sussex and keeping putting in performances."

A review into religious expression from those "with and without strong" beliefs will be held by the Australian Rugby Union Players' Association (Rupa).

It comes after full-back Israel Folau, 30, was sacked by Rugby Australia after saying "hell awaits" gay people in a social media post.

Rupa said it was going to conduct the review as RA did not have rules about players expressing religious views.

"There remains a great deal of work to be done," said a Rupa statement.

"To address this, Rupa will immediately establish and undertake an expression of faith and beliefs review alongside its players, incorporating advice from those with and without strong religious beliefs.

"The aim is to hold a first meeting of the review committee following the conclusion of the Super Rugby and World Rugby Sevens Series seasons.

"We will also invite both a Rugby Australia and a Super Rugby representative to participate in this Rupa-led review, and we wholeheartedly urge them to take us up on this offer of collaboration and to contribute to a landscape with clearly established guidelines for players, which players can have confidence in."

Folau, a fundamentalist Christian, chose not to contest his sacking after a code of conduct hearing upheld the termination of his contract by RA, which meant he could not play for Australia or Super Rugby club side New South Wales Waratahs.

However, he said his decision is "in no way an acceptance of the judicial panel's findings" and he was "considering all potential avenues".

"This is a sad outcome for Israel, his family, friends, team-mates, opponents and all associated with rugby in Australia and around the world," added the Rupa statement.

"Rupa will continue to support Israel to ensure that he, [wife] Maria and their broader family receive any personal support they need in this difficult transition from Australian rugby."

After another action-packed weekend in soccer, Gab Marcotti reflects on the big talking points in his latest edition of Monday Musings.

Jump to: Bayern wrap up Bundesliga | Praise for Vincent Kompany | The Real, Bale dilemma | Serie A's top four race | Dortmund's rebuild | Messi wraps up Golden Boot | De Rossi chaos at Roma

Bayern wrap up turbulent season with another league title

There was no drama on the final day of the 2018-19 Bundesliga season. Bayern won and did it emphatically, beating up Eintracht Frankfurt, 5-1, to win their seventh straight title. Despite being 90 minutes away from a Double -- they play Leipzig in the German Cup final next weekend -- Niko Kovac's job is on the line.

The fact that he said "I'm convinced I'm staying" rather than simply "I'm staying" speaks volumes here, and if you followed Bayern's season, you'll know why.

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This is a team that was nine points back from Borussia Dortmund in December. And rather than putting together an inspired comeback, the narrative of the campaign has been more about taking advantage of their rivals' stumbles (and there have been many). In Kovac's case, it was also about less-than-inspired football -- the ghost of Pep Guardiola still haunts the Allianz Arena -- and occasionally stormy relations with a number of first-team players.

Saturday also marked the goodbye for three men who have marked Bayern's recent history: Rafinha, Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery after a combined 30 seasons at the club. Robben and Ribery in particular ought to be singled out. It's easy to forget that both started and made their name as traditional wingers, only to evolve into something different and more modern, during the Guardiola era. It's one thing for young players to adapt to a new boss, quite another for two veterans pushing 30 to reinvent themselves and make a radically different change. That's a credit to their professionalism and the environment that existed at the club.

There are big decisions ahead for Bayern even if Kovac ends up staying, but the lasting legacy of this season ought to be a warning shot across their bow: this title is more about your opposition's flaws than your own merits. Fix things or watch someone else win next season.

Praise for Vincent Kompany

Watford failed to put up much of a fight in the FA Cup final as Manchester City romped to a 6-0 win, matching a record for margin of victory that stood since 1903 when Bury defeated Derby County. The win seals City's domestic Treble and yes, they probably are the greatest English side in the Premier League era, although they certainly did not need Saturday's win to prove it.

In some ways, the day was all about Vincent Kompany, who announced his departure to join Anderlecht, the club where he grew up, in a player-manager role. Kompany, of course, may be City's greatest-ever captain and the way he stormed back into the starting line up after three injury-riddled seasons, scoring the key goal at Leicester in the most improbable way only cements his place in history. (The fact that by shooting from 30 yards out, he chose not to follow the standard Guardiola instruction for a center-back in that position -- play it out to the wings -- also shows what a leader is: someone who knows when to follow orders and when to trust his gut.)

Anybody who has met Kompany will tell you he is precisely the sort of charismatic, intelligent and empathetic individual who is bound to do something important in football upon retirement -- if he so chooses. The fact that he opted to return home when, you'd imagine, City were willing to roll out the red carpet for him and groom him as a future coach or club executive -- as they did with Patrick Vieira and wanted to do with Frank Lampard -- as well as giving him the option of another season on the pitch, says plenty about him.

He's been a tremendous servant to City, but the Etihad is not reality. It's an extreme situation, with a unique set-up and manager. If he wants to learn the ropes, he needs to dig in further down the food chain. The fact that he can do it at the (other) club he loves is a bonus.

A big summer ahead for Real Madrid and Gareth Bale

Real Madrid's season finished with a whimper, beaten 2-0 at home by Betis in Quique Setien's final game in charge of Betis. It was their 18th defeat of the season, their 12th in La Liga. It also marks arguably their worst campaign in more than two decades, and while the arrivals of Eder Militao and Luka Jovic may inject new life in the side next season, Sunday also offered a reminder of how they can't just flip a switch, blow up the team and start over.

After two straight weeks where he was fit but wasn't even called up to the match day squad, Gareth Bale made the substitutes' bench against Betis. He was an unused sub as Zinedine Zidane sent on Marco Asensio, Isco and Lucas Vazquez instead. Cameras pictured him laughing on the bench with Toni Kroos. At the final whistle, he disappeared down the tunnel while his teammates gathered to salute the fans: few got resounding cheers, other than Keylor Navas, who is leaving.

Bale is one of the five highest-paid players in the world, with a salary of more than $30 million a year. While his output, when prorated over minutes on the pitch, has actually been relatively steady, at least statistically, he no longer fits into the club's plans. They have Vinicius Junior, Asensio, Lucas Vazquez, Brahim Diaz and they hope to sign Eden Hazard. It's seemingly an open secret that they'd love to sell him.

Except Bale's contract runs through 2022, on the eve of his 33rd birthday. And the reality is that very few clubs can afford those wages and those who do maybe don't want or need Bale. Certainly not at that salary, anyway, and not if they also need to pay a transfer fee however small. Bale doesn't want to go on loan, and as far as we know, he won't take a pay cut either.

That's his prerogative, of course. If he's willing to sit and wait for Zidane to change his mind about him or for a new manager to take over, that's his choice. But he shouldn't be surprised if people don't understand how a guy who likely has close to $100 million in the bank is unwilling to take a pay cut in order to play. His pride may be wounded, sure, but in a couple seasons, his body won't allow him to play the game at all. And he'll never get that opportunity back.

Here's hoping he takes a leaf out of the Arjen Robben play book, swallows his pride, cuts his salary -- in the short term, at least, in the long-term it might extend his shelf-life and the money he earns -- and relaunches his career elsewhere.

I don't want Bale's Real Madrid tenure to end the way Jack Rodwell's did in Sunderland. I refuse to believe the fire has gone out and that this really is all about golf.

Serie A's top-four race goes to final weekend

Serie A is going down to the wire in the battle for the final two Champions League spots after the weekend's matches which saw Roma draw away to Sassuolo (0-0), Inter get thumped at Napoli, Milan overcome Frosinone (2-0, after Gianluigi Donnarumma saved a penalty with the game scoreless) and Atalanta concede a late equaliser away to Juventus (1-1).

The first obvious point to make is that the old trope whereby late-season Serie A games yield "weird" results as teams that don't need points happily gift them to the opposition is out the window. Napoli had nothing to play for and neither did Sassuolo. Juventus stormed back in the second half after a horrendous first 45 minutes. And sure, you can say that they didn't want to spoil the postgame scudetto party but equally, quite a few of their fans wouldn't have minded seeing Atalanta knock one of the Milanese clubs out of the Champions League places.

The upshot?

Atalanta -- home to Sassuolo in theory but in practice away to Sassuolo, since Atalanta's stadium is closed for renovations -- and Inter (home to Empoli) control their own destinies. A win guarantees a place in the Champions League. Milan (away to SPAL) need to win and hope that Inter or Atalanta draw or Milan can draw if Atalanta lose since the head-to-head tiebreaker favours the rossoneri. There's also a scenario where Roma can qualify, but it would require three different results to go their way, and they'd need a massive swing in goal difference.

The stakes are high for everyone, particularly Inter and Milan.

The former have just come out of their financial fair play settlement agreement, but missing out on Champions League revenue would limit the much-needed rebuild. (And yes, if you saw how awful they were at Napoli, you'd agree they need serious help beyond just a new manager). The fact that they're playing Empoli, who desperately need the points to stay up, isn't encouraging either. Meanwhile, Milan have their own FFP issues, of course, and things will only get more complicated if they miss out, particularly after shelling out $90 million in January on Krzysztof Piatek and Lucas Paqueta.

Whatever happens, even if they don't qualify Atalanta have already won Serie A, metaphorically speaking.

Will the real Dortmund please stand up?

From one vantage point, it's hard to tell who the real Borussia Dortmund are. Are they the side that lost just twice before February and enjoyed a six-point lead at the top of the table? Or are they the team that won just eight of their past 17 games in all competitions the rest of the way?

Youth can be an excuse for many things, and this is undoubtedly a side packed with promising talent. Then again, that's why they signed an experienced coach in Lucien Favre who was supposed to guard against a second-half collapse. Instead we saw a side lacking maturity in the spring, particularly when injuries hit.

In some ways, their final act of the season, away to Borussia Moenchengladbach, was a metaphor of the season, only in reverse. Against an opponent that still had a shot at winning a place in the Champions League, Dortmund looked chaotic and flimsy in the first half, only to rediscover themselves in the second and storm back to a 2-0 victory. Favre needs to convince the players that the real Dortmund is the one we saw after the break Saturday.

When you throw titles away, it always hurts more, but this is the club's third highest points total ever. There is plenty of raw material with which to work, and if they sell a prize asset or two, there will be plenty of resources available to narrow the gap with Bayern, who look to be heading towards a transition year next season.

Messi wraps up another Golden Boot?

Having sealed their eighth league title in 11 years, the main purpose of Barcelona's final match of the Liga campaign away to Eibar was Lionel Messi getting a chance to pad out his goals total with a view towards winning his sixth European Golden Boot. (Whether or not he cares and whether he'd happily swap them all for a World Cup, Copa America or even another Champions League is a matter for debate.)

As it happened, he bagged both goals in the 2-2 draw, which means his season ends with 36 Liga goals: he has 50 overall, with the Copa del Rey final to come. Assuming Kylian Mbappe fails to score five goals in Paris Saint-Germain's final game of the season (not likely he will) and Fabio Quagliarella doesn't bag 11 in Sampdoria's last outing (even less likely), it's yet another piece of silverware for his trophy cabinet.

De Rossi's exit causes chaos at Roma

News that Daniele De Rossi will be leaving Roma at the end of the season marks the end of an era. The man once known as "Captain Future" because, of course, there can only ever be one Capitano at Roma, will play his final game next weekend at home to Parma after 18 years at the club. The club are fortunate that they have quality ready-made replacements ready to take over the armband. Just as they went from Francesco Totti to De Rossi, they'll go from De Rossi to Alessandro Florenzi and, perhaps, one day to Lorenzo Pellegrini and then to Luca Pellegrini (no relation, in case you're wondering).

That said, it's telling how De Rossi's departure is wreaking such havoc at the club. He simply said he imagined himself playing for Roma until he could no longer stand and they "dragged me off the pitch." He also said that had he been in charge, he would have renewed his contract another year. He even said he was willing to stay on a "pay-for-play" deal. That was enough for a popular uprising among some supporters against the Roma top brass, from owner Jim Pallotta to executives Mauro Baldissoni and Franco Baldini. Even Claudio Ranieri, the outgoing manager, appeared to take a swipe when he said that he would have kept De Rossi around.

You can get the fans' reaction -- we want our heroes to be immortal -- but some of this also feels like a case of "point-scoring" against the club for what has turned into a disappointing season.

As for De Rossi, you can't picture him wearing different colors, and you'd imagine that if he has to play for a different club, he'll want it to be as far away as possible. The fact that he speaks good English and his wife is British-American (although she was raised in Rome) has prompted some to see Major League Soccer in his future. You'd imagine that would be an option, although the legacy of great European midfielders moving to MLS isn't great: Bastian Schweinsteiger, Steven Gerrard and Andrea Pirlo didn't exactly pull up trees.

So here's hoping he takes the more romantic option, mooted by some: he has long been an admirer of Argentine football, what if he rocked up at Boca Juniors or River Plate for a season or two?

I have no idea if this is even a possibility, but yeah, if it happens I'll want to witness it. And so will you.

It don't mean a thing, if it ain't got that swing
It don't mean a thing, all you got to do is sing

The tune was Duke Ellington's and the lyrics came from Irving Mills, but one of the greatest jazz standards could have been written about Mitchell Starc. He has pursued it, at times mastered it, then lost and regained it at various points of his career, but when Starc captures swing and wraps it in a yorker delivered at 150 kilometres per hour, it is one of cricket's most potent weapons.

It was one of Australia's most valuable, too, at the 2015 Men's World Cup and earned Starc the Player of the Tournament honours. His 22 wickets came at an average of 10.18 and with a giddy economy rate of 3.50. And it was Starc who struck the most devastating blow in the final against New Zealand in the very first over, that trademark swinging yorker obliterating the stumps of Brendon McCullum.

Since then, the swing has come and gone in tune with form and injuries. And now, four years after a tournament in which he was at times unplayable, the question swirls: does he have it?

"It was four years ago so a lot's changed in four years," said Starc before Australia's training session in Southampton. "I guess I'm four years older and things have changed throughout my action over those four years I think, whether consciously doing them or not and going through a few niggles and injuries which have probably affected that as well. So the last three or four months have not been focused on the last World Cup. It's about how I'm going at the minute and what I can do to get myself in the best position to help the team out going forward."

Starc hasn't played an ODI since November, at home against South Africa. But there were signs he was rediscovering a more consistent inswinger with the red Kookaburra during the Test series against India and Sri Lanka over the Australian summer. The left-armer worked closely with then Australia bowling coach, David Saker, overcoming a tendency to collapse on his front foot, something that had crept in following a string of niggles.

But a 10-wicket haul during the second Test against Sri Lanka in Canberra came at a significant cost; Starc tore a pectoral muscle and has worked his way back to full match fitness in time for the World Cup.

"I've done a fair bit of work since Canberra," said Starc. "Obviously I had a fair bit of rehabilitation straight after that and didn't bowl for a while. But having three months to chat about things and then I guess just have a little bit of a different approach to how I think about it and perhaps the change of wording and I guess my cues going forward have helped me coming back to this stage as well.

"So it's been a nice little period and things that I can focus on. I think I mentioned a little while ago just having a finer focus on a certain couple of things which are really helping me."

Errrrr… come again? If the previous paragraph reads like a well tossed word salad with a sprinkling of non sequitur croutons, it's because Starc is admitting to journalists that he's made some tweaks without giving away any clues as to what those tweaks actually are.

Let's try coming at it from another angle. Are those cues mental or physical?

"I think you could probably classify them as both," said Starc. "They're just little things I can control throughout my action and run up that help me get in a really good position and a finer focus to get that result at the other end. So they're just things I can control and I've been working on, I guess, the last few months is the feeling of it. So getting that really positive feeling of being in those certain positions or those certain cues so it's something I've really enjoyed working on and having that finer focus on those few things has really helped me."

So there's a finer focus, a positive feeling and good positions. Whatever else might be involved may become clearer during Australia's three warm-up matches and throughout Starc's World Cup campaign. And with the two white Kookaburras offering minimal assistance to swing bowlers, perhaps Starc can take his inspiration from Duke and Irv.

It makes no difference if it's sweet or hot
Give that rhythm everything you've got