Articles
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Player Analysis: Abdoulaye Doucouré
Carlo Ancelotti in his first full season as an Everton manager decided to change the outlook of his squad. It was clear from last season that Everton needed major changes across different departments after Ancelotti managed to salvage their season with a respectable mid-table finish (12th) in the league after a disastrous first half of…
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How Philosophies Shape the Coaching Narrative
There are a great number of things that differentiate the managers at the top end of world football. Capturing all that nuance in the general football discourse has never been a priority of the culture around this sport; what you end up with is broad categorisations for managers that are impossible to escape whenever they…
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Player Analysis: Rob Holding
“Nobody is speaking about the performance of Rob Holding today. You should be happy; he is English, he is 20 years old, but I’m sorry he didn’t cost £55 million, so it cannot be good.” Arsène Wenger had several iconic moments in his time in England with Arsenal football club, both, on and off…
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Ibrahima Konaté: RB Leipzig’s Latest French Talent
Ibrahima Konaté speaks well. As a 19-year-old he discussed his blind trust in Dayot Upamecano and the fatherly position former head-coach Ralf Rangnick developed during his first year at RB Leipzig. Now 21, the landscape has shifted. Julian Naglesmann is in charge and rates Konaté highly, but an injury-riddled past couple of seasons has given…
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Nicolás González: Stuttgart’s Argentine Starlet
A 14-year old Nicolás González is inches away from hanging up his boots, disheartened by his lack of game time, and the six-hour round trip for training every day. A 22-year old Nicolás González is a full international, tearing up the German topflight, and linked with a move to the Premier League. Oh, how football…
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Player Comparison: Samir Nurković vs Peter Shalulile
Assessing the list of one of the most prolific season for attacking players in the PSL, two players stand out; Samir Nurković and Peter Shalulile are two players with near similar attributes, traditional no 9s with their team’s interest always the priority. In the 2019-20 PSL season, Shalulile won the Lesley Manyathela Golden Boot –…
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How Joe Willock Can Change Newcastle’s Fortunes for the Better
Desperate for a creative boost to pull his side out of their relegation fight, Steve Bruce’s Newcastle United tirelessly searched for an attacking midfielder in the waning days of the January transfer window. After missing out on Jesse Lingard to West Ham, the Toons turned their attention to Arsenal midfielder Joe Willock, with the 21-year-old…
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The Making of Joshua Kimmich: Germany’s Finest Midfielder and One of the World’s Best
There is no doubt that Joshua Kimmich is one of the most gifted footballers in the world at the moment. While he’s in a team consisting of superstars like Robert Lewandowski, Manuel Neuer, Thomas Müller and more, it’s fair to suggest Kimmich is arguably Bayern Munich’s most important player. He’s the one that’s been making…
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Multiculturalism in the Chinese National Team
你好！你好吗？ (Nǐ hǎo! Nǐ hǎo ma?) This is Mandarin Chinese, the most widely spoken language in the world. I hope you are OK. The last time we officially went to North America, but our destiny was the non-contiguous states conforming the American Union and why they were neglected in US professional football. This week…
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The Brilliance of Scott McTominay
Pressure was mounting on Ole Gunnar Solskjaer back in October when his Manchester United side were humiliated in a 6-1 annihilation at Old Trafford at the hands of Tottenham Hotspur at Old Trafford. To many, there was a sense of inevitability surrounding the Norwegian’s reign as the United boss. However, since then, despite being…
