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Emile Smith Rowe: Maybe Arsenal’s Number 10 Shouldn’t Be a Number 10
Last weekend, in the Premier League’s curtain-raiser, Arsenal lost to newly-promoted Brentford in what was an extremely disappointing performance from the Gunners. Ignoring Arsenal’s defensive frailties, in attack, they look stumped. Kieran Tierney is relied upon far too heavily to be the side’s chief creator, with almost no threat elsewhere. Although an inability to create…
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Can Martin Ødegaard Finally Cure Arsenal’s Creative Troubles?
Creativity: the use of imagination or original ideas to create something; inventiveness. It ebbed and flowed through the veins of the Arsenal midfield during the Arsène Wenger era. Ranging with personnel, from Robert Pires, Dennis Bergkamp and Cesc Fàbregas to Mesut Özil, Santi Cazorla and Aaron Ramsey. It was finesse, decisiveness, and a sharp…
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N’Golo Kanté; Europe’s Finest Midfielder, Fiercest Competitor and Chelsea’s Most Irreplaceable Asset
Very few times in football does a player transcend their role and become something entirely out of the scope that was once used to define a position. In the early 2000s, there was the Makélélé role, associated with the one man conductor – Claude Makélélé. In the mid-2000s there was the false nine – associated…
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Player Analysis: James Sands
Gregg Berhalter has gotten a lot right throughout his spell as U.S. Men’s National Team manager. With a generation full of talent unbeknownst to long-time United States fans, Berhalter has the privilege of the deepest player pool a U.S. manager has ever had. Encouragingly, he’s given lots of this young generation debuts and put his…
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A Guide to the 2021/22 Süper Lig Season
Merely three months after Beşiktaş snatched the league title from Galatasaray’s grasp on the final day of the season, the Süper Lig is already back and ready for action. The defending champions opened the 2021/22 campaign with a 3-0 victory over Çaykur Rizespor, and the league, one that is consistently teeming with young talents and…
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Player Analysis: Gleison Bremer
Torino has been living in the shadow of city rivals Juventus for many years and the last decade has been no different. While Il Toro were the dominant side in Serie A in the 1940s with their “Il Grande Torino” squad, the Bianconeri won nine consecutive Italian league titles from 2012 until 2020. During…
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Previewing Matchday 2 of the Premier League Season
From Brentford’s 2-0 victory over Arsenal in their first Premier League match in club history, to Tottenham’s Harry Kane-less win over Premier League champions Manchester City, the opening matchday of the world’s most watched league had it all. After narrowly missing out on Champions League football last season, West Ham and Leicester City opened their…
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What Do Arsenal See in Aaron Ramsdale?
Arsenal are in the midst of a lengthy rebuild under manager Mikel Arteta, and whilst they are struggling to offload out-of-favour fringe players, they have been pretty busy in terms of incomings. Ben White, Albert Sambi Lokonga and Nuno Tavares have been brought in, whilst Martin Ødegaard looks set to return on a permanent basis.…
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Has Trevoh Chalobah’s Emergence Made Jules Koundé and Unnecessary Transfer Target for Chelsea?
Chelsea have been linked with a move for French centre back, Jules Koundé as a part of Thomas Tuchel’s efforts to strengthen the defence. However, the recent exploits of academy graduate, Trevoh Chalobah has reduced the thirst for further defensive reinforcements. Chalobah had previously been linked with a move away from Stamford Bridge this summer…
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Player Analysis: Dara O’Shea
Dara O’Shea is no doubt one of the most underrated young players in the Championship. The 22 year-old primarily plies his trade at the heart of the defence for West Brom and the Republic of Ireland, though has shown his quality across a back-three, and in both full-back positions. Here, BTL takes a look at…
