Articles
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Chelsea were never Maurizio Sarri’s cup of tea
There is this group of students who have been taking mathematics lessons for the last three years from the same tutor. This tutor has helped them become excellent students in maths. But suddenly, out of the blue, a new tutor steps in and starts teaching them science. The students have no issue grasping the science…
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Jamal Lewis and Max Aarons: Norwich’s Homegrown, Heavy-Hitting Fullbacks
Jamie Carragher once claimed that fullbacks are either “failed centre-backs or failed wingers” and to some extent he is correct. Often described as the least glamorous position in football, fullbacks tend to go unnoticed when their team is playing well. Think of Dani Carvajal in Real Madrid’s Champions League-winning XI or Lucas Hernandez in the…
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Gabriel Paulista: Marcelino’s Warrior
Marcelino García Toral, the manager of Valencia CF, has an intriguing habit. He trusts what he knows. Sometimes, it has helped him a great deal. At other times, it has been his undoing, to the point of infuriating the Valencia fanbase. With Gabriel Armando de Abreu, popularly known as Gabriel Paulista, Marcelino has hit both…
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An Ode to Il Divino Codino
As we celebrate the 52nd birthday of Roberto Baggio this week, I took it upon myself to take a trip down memory lane and share my own personal experience with Il Divino Codino, or ‘The Divine Ponytail.’ Most fans’ favorite players either play for their national team or their club team. Roberto Baggio neither played for Malaysia,…
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Analyzing Paul Pogba’s Performance vs. Chelsea
Without the injured Anthony Martial and Jesse Lingard, as well as, of course, David de Gea, who has been rested in domestic cup competitions this season, Manchester United took on a full strength Chelsea side at Stamford Bridge. They didn’t just beat them: they wiped the floor with them, adding to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s honeymoon…
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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…
