Udinese, like many other clubs from Italy, has a great admiration for Argentinian players and it has recruited its share over the decades. Luis Pentrelli was the first to play for the Zebrette from 1957 until 1962 while many others joined from the 1980s onwards.   Roberto Néstor Sensini and Abel Balbo starred for the…

The Regista is perhaps the most difficult role a player can fill on a football pitch. When a team plays with a regista, they are often offering a perfect pressing target to the opposition. This is the reason that most teams don’t play with a regista nowadays unless they regularly play with three centre backs.…

Whether it’s a model central defender setting the example, a masterful midfielder to match or an expert strike partner to emulate, the growth of young players is almost always accelerated when said player is nurtured by an elder associate, with every minute on the pitch alongside such seasoned pros a different lesson in how to…

Scotland’s ability to produce world-class full backs in recent years has rightfully been well commended with Kieran Tierney and Andrew Robertson becoming two of the best in Europe. However, that has not translated to the right back position where Motherwell’s Stephen O’Donnell has tended to be the number one choice in recent years.   But…

Franck Kessié left his native Ivory Coast when he was 18 years old. He had already made appearances for his country at senior level before he made the move to Italy in 2015. Despite some struggles adapting to Italian football, the 24-year-old has become one of the best midfielders in the league.   Kessié came…

The 2021/22 summer transfer window has just closed and amongst the high-profile dealings of PSG and Manchester United, the £100 million deals made by Manchester City and Chelsea and the shambles at Barcelona, a lot of smart business was conducted by teams with much shallower pockets.   One such deal was made by AC Milan,…

General Support for the Red Bull project is a reasonably untenable position in countries like Austria and Germany, where a precise cut and dry footballing culture has flourished and become the envy of many on the continent. Though many are disappointed with the divergence of power in Austrian football towards the Bull, there have been…

Under the guidance of Pep Guardiola, Manchester City has been one of the dominant forces of the English Premier League in recent years. Having won three league titles since the former Barcelona and Bayern Munich coach arrived in 2016, the likes of Kevin De Bruyne, İlkay Gündoğan, and David Silva playing important roles in the…

Arsenal’s final signing of the 2021 Summer Transfer Window is Takehiro Tomiyasu. The 22-year-old Japanese international arrives highly acclaimed from North Italian outfit Bologna. Tomiyasu played a variety of roles in Bologna’s backline last season, filling in across the backline including at left back on rare occasions. His primary role is as a right-sided defender,…

It’s arguably premature to sensationalise a 20-year-old youngster just four matchdays into the new season. Those matches are also the first senior games Konrad de la Fuente has ever played outside of Barcelona’s B team, so we’re still in the wilderness regarding his full footballing ability.   Yet Konrad, as he prefers to be called,…