N. Kesminas: 'Man City is a hen that lays golden eggs'

2026-10-09 10:10

The break for the national team has ended, and the results of the Lithuanian national team did not provide optimism. In the new "7 added minutes” show, football commentators Nerijus Kesminas and Ervinas Kvitkauskas focused most of their attention on the state of Lithuanian football, unfulfilled goals, and changes.

The hosts also discussed Cristiano Ronaldo's conflict with the head coach of the Portugal national team, Jorge Jesus, as well as a new twist in the long-running "Manchester City" financial violations case. Traditionally, at the end of the show, Kesminas and Kvitkauskas presented their predictions for the return of club football matches to the air.

Kesminas: the national team has hit the wall of reality

The problems of the Lithuanian national team did not disappear even when playing against the weakest opponents in European football.

Our team overcame Liechtenstein in the Nations League Division D (2:0), but managed to earn only one point in two matches against Azerbaijan (1:1 at home and 0:1 away) and is no longer its own destiny’s master in the Division D three-team group – they can now only win the last match against Liechtenstein and hope for a favorable result in another stadium.

In friendly matches, the Lithuanians also defeated Andorra 3:0, but this did not add any positivity for the show hosts.

"There’s nothing to be proud of for victories against Liechtenstein and Andorra because, in my opinion, those teams wouldn’t win even in the TOP league,” Kesminas began. "Probably a year or a year and a half ago, I said that enough is enough with the credits, and that if we set ourselves some goals – we have to beat teams like Malta back then in the first half hour. But we cannot even beat Azerbaijan.

Now there is truly a complete dead end; we are hitting the wall of reality. Changes are necessary, but again, those changes should already be made simply because two promises were given, and both of them have gone to waste. This national team needs some kind of momentum, a new start, because now it is quite frightening.”

Kvitkauskas raised the question of whether part of the disappointment is due to setting the bar too high. However, in Kesminas’s opinion, speaking about Lithuania’s place among the outsiders of European football, expectations have already been lowered to the minimum.

"To give up the expectations that we have now means to give up any expectations at all,” Nerijus spoke critically. "To play against Gibraltar, Liechtenstein, and Andorra, are those expectations? That’s just a given. You come, you do it, and take pride in being 52nd in Europe out of 55 countries. Bravo.”

Is the current team stronger?

In Kvitkauskas’s view, the level of the current national team players, represented clubs, and depth may potentially be at a higher level than before.

"If we compare with 5-7 years ago, then there might be some step forward because at that time the overall squad looked even weaker,” Ervinas said. "Although there was peak Arvydas Novikovas. Who is the current national team’s Novikovas? Artūras Dolžnikovas? Well, with all due respect, Novikovas played in completely different clubs and didn’t play in Azerbaijan.”

"If we are moving forward, others are taking much bigger steps,” Kesminas reacted. "Basically, nothing is reflected in the results. As we get kicked, we get kicked – nothing changes.”

Kesminas would look for a foreigner in the national team

The team led by Edgaras Jankauskas had two specific goals – to win the Baltic Cup and the UEFA Nations League Division D. The first was not achieved, and the chances to realize the second have become slim.

Now it has become clear that Jankauskas has stepped down from the position of the national team head coach, but this was not known during the recording of the show.

At that time, Kesminas stated that he saw no point in continuing down the same path.

"I think changes are necessary in the coaching staff as well,” the legendary commentator stated. "That stagnant water... Clubs sometimes fire coaches even in better situations when they are heading in a better direction. And we are not heading anywhere now.

Now, I see only one option – we need to look abroad. In my view, Valdas Dambrauskas will not coach the national team, and we have no other reserves. Everything has been checked and double-checked; I don’t see any young genius coming in to fix everything.

We should get a coach from abroad, a name, not spare money for it, and at least try.”

Kvitkauskas would not consider the foreign candidate a solution to the problems. He also highlighted another resource relevant to small football nations – players growing abroad with ties to the country.

"I’m not a big supporter of foreigners who come more to steal a contract,” Ervinas said. "If such a coach were to come, I’d want him to have proven himself, not necessarily with the national team but with some small-budget club. That he has implemented his system somewhere.

We look at many countries in the world, and we see that they are rising somehow, yet we still rely on the fact that the diasporas living in the football countries are providing talent to the local market, ancestral lands. This is an additional problem because Lithuania's citizenship law is ungrateful to athletes.”

The Ronaldo drama in Portugal

The Portugal national team was accompanied this window not only by four wins out of four but also by a conflict between Cristiano Ronaldo and the new national team coach, Jorge Jesus. The tension escalated after Ronaldo was left on the bench in the match against Norway and didn’t appear on the pitch at all. Later, Jesus publicly made it clear that the forward would not start against Denmark, and the coach makes decisions about the lineup regardless of the player’s status.

After these statements from the coach, Ronaldo left the Portugal national team camp and stated he would explain the reasons for his decision later. The Portuguese won 4:2 against Denmark without him, and Gonçalo Ramos, who took Ronaldo's place in the starting lineup, contributed with a goal. After four matches, Jorge Jesus's team has a maximum of 12 points.

"Jesus mentioned that Ronaldo would not start in the match against Denmark and said that he is just one of the team members, not something special. It’s a bit strange; I don’t think geniuses should be talked about like that, although it should be so,” Kvitkauskas reflected. "But we understand that both Lionel Messi and other stars have certain exceptional rights.”

Kesminas assessed the situation primarily through the lens of the sporting result. Portugal is winning, and the players who play instead of Ronaldo provide arguments to the coach by what they show on the pitch.

"I understand all the commercial aspects, but I would be inclined to look purely from a football perspective. The situation is that we see 12 points out of 12 on the table, and Ronaldo’s substitute, Gonçalo Ramos, has scored three goals and provided an assist,” Kesminas laid out the facts. "It should be concluded that Jorge Jesus, at least from a sporting perspective, is completely right.”

"Manchester City” found guilty – punishment awaited now

Another event that shook the football world – the decision in the long-investigated "Manchester City” financial violations case. The Premier League presented charges against the club back in 2023, and the case was commonly referred to as the "115 charges” process. They included the provision of inaccurate financial information, issues regarding sponsorship revenue and owner financing, declaration of coach and player compensation, financial rule violations, and failure to cooperate with the league's investigation.

In a decision released on September 29 by an independent commission, "City” was found guilty of 114 confirmed charges out of 115. Among the identified violations were fictitious commercial agreements that artificially inflated revenues and reduced costs, false financial reports, and amounts exceeding £900 million that were concealed or inaccurately reported.

The punishment has not yet been announced, and the club itself submitted an appeal on October 1 and continues to deny having committed violations. The potential spectrum of sanctions is wide – from financial penalties and point deductions to expulsion from the Premier League.

"If we evaluate it fairly, probably it should be thrown into some fifth league. But will they be ready to do that... Marketing aspects come into play here,” Kesminas expressed. "Now it’s already a club with a large fan base, all those success hunters. The league expelling the club would cut off not just the team and its leaders but a very serious brand – a whole one laying golden eggs.

It is clear that this is no longer about finding the truth but rather about how to reach an agreement. "Man City” should put on the simplest possible face and go to everyone to convince them that the strictest penalties are not needed. Although, in my opinion, if they were not expelled from the Premier League for at least a few years, it would be a great historical injustice.”