Articles
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Scouting Report: Yari Verschaeren
Yari Verschaeren has won the Belgian Young Player of the Year award, established himself as a regular starter for his club, and made his international debut for his country – and he’s not even 19 yet. The 18-year-old Anderlecht midfielder, who graduated from their academy in 2018, is one of the most talented young…
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Mourinho and Robson: An Apprenticeship for the Ages
In recent years there has been an almost overwhelming influx of football documentaries, some good some less so. And with more time on my hands than usual, I re-watched one of the better ones, that being Gabriel Clarke’s and Torquil Jones’s exhaustive ‘Bobby Robson: More Than a Manager.’ The film painted the picture…
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Scouting Report: Musa Barrow
INTRODUCTION Gambian football has not seen a lot of stars rise over the years, and this reflects on the very lack of success of its national team. Ranked 159th according to FIFA, the nation in Western Africa has never qualified for a World Cup or an African Cup of Nations tournament. But in…
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Costa Rica and Italia ’90: Part 2: Punching Above Their Weight
Costa Rica’s historic qualification for the 1990 World Cup meant Los Ticos had several months to prepare for the tournament in Italy. The preparation would be needed, as the draw in December pitted the World Cup debutants in Group C with Brazil, Scotland and Sweden. Yet preparations would be far from ideal. Machinations within…
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Costa Rica and Italia ’90: Part 1: When Costa Rica Introduced Themselves To The Football World
Costa Rica’s national football team are well known among football fans today for their exploits in the 2014 World Cup. Their achievements were notable, as they finished top of a group including England, Italy and Uruguay. In addition, Greece was toppled in the round of 16 via penalties to reach the quarter finals, before…
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Tactical Analysis: José Bordalás’s Getafe
Before the 2019/20 season was suspended, football fans around the world had the luxury of following one of the most interesting editions of La Liga in the past years. Not only was there a nail-biting title race between Real Madrid and Barcelona, but the European spots were also being tightly contested between several teams.…
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How Jürgen Klopp Dominated the Premier League: Liverpool 2019/20 Tactical Breakdown
On May 12, 2019, Liverpool missed out on the Premier League title by one point to Manchester City. They accumulated 97 points, a total which in any other season (aside from 2018/19 or 2017/18) would be more than sufficient to win the title, but toppling over a Pep Guardiola dynasty is never an easy…
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Real Madrid and the Art of Parking Players
Born and bred as the favoured sons of the imperious Spanish oligarchs, given the central, all-inclusive spirit which only the capital city can convey, Real Madrid have seldom encountered any barriers in their quest for global domination. From the times of Santiago Bernabeu to Florentino Perez, the club has churned out success in almost…
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Scouting Report: Gian-Luca Waldschmidt
Another day in lockdown and another transfer rumour has come about involving a team expected to have a busy window. Chelsea have been linked with a £20m move for Freiburg striker Gian-Luca Waldschmidt, a somewhat unexpected player and one that most fans won’t know. With Chelsea looking to replace Michy Batshuayi and Olivier Giroud,…
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Tactical Profiles: Julian Nagelsmann’s Leipzig
German football has often emulated German culture. There is a priority on the system, on fluidity and smoothness, on the collective mattering above all else. In a country that brought the term “expressionism” to the fore in 1920’s cinema, there is a distinct lack of expression allowed in German football. The team comes first so…
