Articles
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Chronicle of a Disastrous Season Foretold
When Aziz Yıldırım announced he would run for re-election as the club chairman, a cloud of despair and exasperation engulfed the worldwide Fenerbahçe fanbase. Yıldırım had been running the club for over 20 years, and despite a period of success during the mid-2000s, he had who had been running the club for 20 years decided that he would run…
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The Top Ten Youngsters in La Liga
The 2018-19 LaLiga season has already brought plenty of excitement and unpredictable results, evidenced by some of the surprising names near the top of the table. With one-third of the season already being played, Alavés and Espanyol are battling for top four, while Athletic Club and Villarreal are hovering above the relegation zone. While seasoned…
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Emiliano Sala: From Serie C Reject to Ligue 1 Top Scorer
With 11 goals on 14 shots, he has 55% of his club’s goals this season and currently leads the Ligue 1 scoring charts. This is not Neymar, Kylian Mbappe, or Edinson Cavani, nor Florian Thauvin or Memphis Depay – this is Emiliano Sala, the Italian-Argentine striker playing his football with FC Nantes. Background Born ‘Emiliano Raúl…
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Explaining Valencia’s Attacking Woes This Season
Valencia CF began last season viewing a Europa League qualification as a good season. After finishing 12th in consecutive seasons and going through five coaches in that same time frame, Els Taronges fans could be forgiven for expecting little of their team. That changed within a few months, as they went on a run that saw them suddenly…
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Éder Militão: The Answer To Brazil’s Right Back Woes?
Since Sérgio Conceição took over as manager at Porto in the summer of 2017, it seems there has been in a new restructuring of balance in Portugal. For the first time since 2013, Porto won the league title last spring, breaking Benfica’s 4-year stranglehold on the league trophy, and today, the Dragões sit atop the table,…
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Sandro Tonali: Pirlo 2.0?
Iconic footballers either leave their mark on football by exhibiting unforgettable performances in crucial matches, or by putting in a shift week in and week out, or by some combination of the two. These players have distinctive skills, distinctive ways of playing the game, and sometimes, distinctive appearances. With his graceful long pass, his viciously lethal…
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Barça Is Human, Which Is Beautiful
Reliable greatness can be a bit predictable and frankly, kinda dull, which is why this year’s version of FC Barcelona is one of the most interesting teams we have had to watch in some time. At its apogee, Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona was reliably excellent, and great fun from a fan’s perspective. But the matches weren’t…
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What’s Going Wrong at Villarreal?
Villarreal had plenty to be proud of last season, as the club’s hierarchy recognised an early problem and resolved it quickly. Manager Fran Escribá had to cope with a multitude of injuries early on, and poor results piled up. Things hit rock-bottom with a 4-0 loss against Getafe in September, and Escribá was sacked. Reserves…
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Why Carlo Ancelotti Was Just What Napoli Needed
Last season, Maurizio Sarri took the city of Naples for another roller coaster ride as he lead Napoli within touching distance of ending the Old Lady’s reign over the Scudetto, yet in the end, Juventus walked out triumphant once again. Napoli collected 91 points, the exact sum the Bianconeri needed to win the two prior…
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Matt Doherty: The Indispensable Holdover Who Stuck With Wolves From Hell to The End of the Rainbow
Expectations at Wolverhampton Wanderers are high–the highest they’ve been in 50 years. The Chinese conglomerate Fosun International took over in the summer of 2016, and immediately implemented a 10-year plan to bring silverware and European football back to Molineux, only three years after consecutive relegations saw the club fall from the Premier League to the…
