The Bundesliga returned on Friday after the September international break, with defending champions Bayern Munich hosting Xabi Alonso’s upstart Bayer Leverkusen side. Whilst Bayern had lost to RB Leipzig in the DFL-SuperCup, both teams had won every match in the Bundesliga, with Leverkusen leading Bayern on goal differential by just one goal. Bayern knew they…

Born in the cradle of civilization, Athens, Greece, Ange Postecoglou’s journey through the football cosmos is a tale as diverse as it is compelling. A voyage that eventually led him to the sunburned shores of Australia, where he carved his path through the Australian football landscape. But Ange was destined for grander stages, and soon…

After stringing together eight consecutive league wins, Napoli entered March in sensational form and the heavy favorites to pick up a victory at home against Lazio featuring a former player in Elseid Hysaj and a former manager in Maurizio Sarri, who spent three years in charge at the Partenopei and took them within touching distance…

One of the most anticipated match-ups of the Premier League season’s opening month came in North London, as Arsenal hosted Manchester United at the Emirates. Both teams took significant strides last season, with United finishing third in their first season under Erik ten Hag, whilst Arsenal ended their Champions League drought and finished second. Whilst…

In the vast theatre of human endeavours, where the pursuit of meaning often reveals itself in the most unexpected of places, we find ourselves drawn to the sacred cathedral of football. In this timeless ritual, where passion transcends reason, and the spirit of camaraderie meets the cruelty of fate, a tapestry of narratives unfurls.  …

On Sunday, August 20th, Spain won the Women’s World Cup. The victory was their crowning achievement and had been a long time coming for the team. It was also a product of their youth development, as victories in the U17 and U20 World Cups are a testament to the youth development of the Spanish players.…

The goal of this series is to describe a position of play that had the most pervasive impact on teams’ success across European football during a given season. When looking for commonalities and/or trends in style of play among successful European club teams in the 2022/23 season, it is hard to look past the roles…

Back in March of this year, a few friends and I were sitting in the pub, chatting generally about football and our plans for the year ahead. It turned out that all of us wanted to travel overseas to watch a match, but had never been able to organise it properly.   Long story short,…

Burnley bid farewell to a seven-year spell in the Premier League in 2022 — their longest uninterrupted spell in the top-flight since the ’60s — after suffering relegation, with the club replacing interim manager Mike Jackson with Vincent Kompany. The Clarets parted ways with manager Sean Dyche in April after ten years at the helm,…

In the realm of football, two elemental forces exist:  space and control. The prevailing inclination among many managers is to grasp onto control, manipulating their players as if marionettes on strings, dictating their every move. Much like the intricate game of chess, where the humble pawn typically remains a pawn, save for rare instances when…