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Round of 16 Fan Preview: Bayern Munich
As Bayern Munich get set to take on Liverpool, Zach Lowy, co-creator of Breaking The Lines, speaks to Bundesliga expert and Goal.com writer Ronan Murphy about the Bavarian club’s chances. ZL: What have you made of Bayern’s form since the start of the Ruckrunde? RM: Given the way they were playing just before the winter break,…
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What Frenkie de Jong Signifies for Barcelona’s Short-Term and Long-Term Future
Barcelona’s £65 million capture of Frenkie de Jong was met with a great deal of fanfare amongst Culés, and it is easy to see what all the hype is about. De Jong combines superb vision, an exquisite first touch, and an incredible passing range with a dribbling ability that leaves entire teams trailing in his wake,…
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Round of 16 Fan Preview: Manchester City
Pep Guardiola often states that it is harder to win the domestic league title than the Champions League. If you crunch the numbers of the games a team needs to win, he is right, but football is not as simple as that. For many in the coaching world, winning a league title can lift them…
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How Gelson Martins Is Reviving Monaco From Relegation
“Seven Sporting Lisbon players have rescinded their contracts in response to an attack by fans; a group of 50 people attacked the players and staff following a loss in the last matchday which saw Sporting fail to make next year’s edition of the Champions League.” The words of the Portuguese Players’ Union last summer spelled doom…
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Round of 16 Fan Preview: Barcelona
It’s UEFA Champions League time again. Can FC Barcelona make it past a tricky tie against Lyon? Probably. Let’s get straight into it. Lyon are a very good team. Sitting 3rd in Ligue 1, they’ve managed impressive results this season against Thomas Tuchel’s PSG and Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City, with talents such as Nabil Fekir (who’s…
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How Tuchel Out-Coached Solskjaer at Old Trafford
Line-ups With Paris Saint-Germain missing their star playmaker Neymar, and with Edinson Cavani withdrawing to injury after the Bordeaux match last weekend, Thomas Tuchel put out a makeshift side at Old Trafford for the first leg of their Round of 16 tie with Manchester United. The team alternated between a back three and a back…
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Analyzing Sergio Ramos’ Heroic Performance Against Ajax
With Marcelo and Raphaël Varane both out, and with Ajax putting Madrid’s resolve to the test early on in their quest to retake the Champions League, Sergio Ramos stepped up with a captain’s performance to put Real Madrid within touching distance of the quarterfinals. Alessandro Costacurta, one of the greatest defenders in history, praised Ramos’…
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Zach Lowy and Chris Sweeney Discuss “Mad Dog Gravesen”
On Friday, February 15, Chris Sweeney’s second book “Mad Dog Gravesen: The Last of the Modern Footballing Mavericks,” detailing the life and career of ex-Real Madrid midfielder Thomas Gravesen, will be available for purchase. Zach Lowy, co-creator of Breaking The Lines, chats to Sweeney about Gravesen’s pranks, his “Mad Dog” nickname, and how he accrued…
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Round of 16 Fan Preview: Ajax
In September 2018, Erik ten Hag was the main subject in the Breaking The Lines Fan Preview regarding Ajax. The piece discussed the tactical development that the club had made under the relatively new manager and the players who were likely to stand out in the group phase. Almost half a year later, it is…
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Round of 16 Fan Preview: FC Porto
So far in Europe, it’s been a breeze for FC Porto. With 16 points from a possible 18 and only conceding 6 goals in the entire group stage, the Dragons have made themselves a force to be reckoned with in this year’s competition. Sérgio Conceição has managed to keep the core of his squad in…
