Articles
-
![]()
The Rise and Fall of Bernard Tapie’s Marseille: Part 3: Nuits Blanches Et Thés Frelatés
This is the third installation of a six-part series on Olympique de Marseille. You can read “Part 1: L’homme d’affairs,” here, and “Part 2: La Nuit Les Projecteurs Se Sont Éteints,” here. You can read “Part 4: La Balance,” here. You can read “Part 5: Les Retombées,” here. You can read “Part 6: Le Mec…
-
![]()
Player Analysis: Eldor Shomurodov
Genoa endured another tumultuous season in Serie A but the northern Italian club was able to avoid relegation for the umpteenth time. Volatile president Enrico Preziosi had hired Rolando Maran at the start of 2020/21 campaign but the former Cagliari coach was sacked in December and replaced by Davide Ballardini. The coaches placed their faith…
-
![]()
Kral Chronicles: Why Nobody Else in World Football Could Be Burak Yılmaz
Today, footballers who spend their swansong in Turkey and China are seen to be slowing their career down, bracing for the impact of their decorated and storied careers are coming to an end. It is rare that a player lives that story in reverse. It is even rarer that anyone has the career of Burak…
-
![]()
The Rise and Fall of Bernard Tapie’s Marseille: Part 2: La Nuit Les Projecteurs Se Sont Éteints
This is the second installation of a six-part series on Olympique de Marseille. You can read “Part 1: L’homme d’affairs,” here. You can read “Part 3: Nuits Blanches Et Thés Frelatés,” here. You can read “Part 4: La Balance,” here. You can read “Part 5: Les Retombées,” here. You can read “Part 6: Le Mec de…
-
![]()
Player Analysis: Federico Valverde
At 22 years of age, Federico Valverde has become the latest talent to emerge from the small South American country of Uruguay (population: 3.5 million) and establish himself on the world stage. Born in the capital city of Montevideo, Valverde began his development at local club Estudiantes de la Unión before joining one of the…
-
![]()
Tactical Analysis: The Netherlands’ 5-3-2 Formation at Euro 2020
The 5-3-2 formation is known to be composed of 5 defenders, 3 midfielders and 2 forwards. That’s just a general way of putting it. A more football-related description would be 5-3-2 when out of possession and 3-5-2 when in possession / building up phase. The 3 center backs consist of 2 man-to-man markers and one…
-
![]()
Mohamed Lamine Soumah: Guinea’s Diminutive Playmaker
Mohamed Lamine Soumah was born in the West African nation of Guinea on 7 July 2002. Despite his young age, he has been a regular starter for AS Kaloum in the 2020/2021 Guinean Championnat National (Guinea’s top division). Soumah has had a meteoric rise at the international level having played for Guinea’s Under 17’s, Under…
-
![]()
Roy Hodgson: The Most Disrespected Mind in the Game
After managing sixteen different clubs and four national teams, over a staggering 45-year career, Roy Hodgson has announced he will retire from management at the end of the season. The 73-year-old will lead Crystal Palace out at Anfield on Sunday, in what will be his final time in the dugout. He’ll be keen to…
-
![]()
Dušan Vlahović: Fiorentina’s Serbian Sharpshooter
Of course, there is a certain Norwegian number nine with the world at his feet who is and will be the talk of the town when it comes to the transfer market for a few windows to come, like a stretched out Netflix series, the Erling Haaland saga will go on as he is paraded…
-
![]()
Dynamic Space Occupation: A Tactical Theory
As Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City prepare to take on Thomas Tuchel’s Chelsea in the Champions League Final in Porto, it shows the reign of positional play as both managers have established the style of positional play in their team. But to stand out among a wide range of teams using positional play these managers…
