Blog

Zouma: Chelsea’s own Van Dijk is perfect Silva foil

Ohh Thiago Silva. The Brazilian completed his move to Stamford Bridge last week after his Paris Saint-Germain contract expired. The 35-year-old is a serial winner and brings experience to a youthful Chelsea team. It’s an exciting time at Stamford Bridge following the arrivals of Ben Chilwell, Timo Werner and Hakim Ziyech to their ranks already.…

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In a new season, when do statistics settle down?

With the Women’s Champions League final on Sunday, there are parts of the 2019/20 season still to be wrapped up, and yet 2020/21 is already upon us. New dawns, new faces, new outfits; our levels of knowledge drop again on the rollercoaster of sporting life. But a new season also tends to mean that we…

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Why throwback midfielder Goretzka could be Flick’s greatest masterstroke

It wasn’t too long ago that most teams across Europe had at least one box-to-box midfielder in their team. The sort of player to make a crunching tackle on the edge of their own area before arriving late to finish off a team move just moments later. However, football is perpetually evolving and the demands…

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The perils of age and not defending, featuring Luis Suárez

The combined age of Barcelona’s two top-scorers is 66. That’s pensionable age. It’s no surprise, given the ground-breakingly embarrassing exit from the Champions League, that there’s talk of a rebuild at Camp Nou. Some are even wondering how Los Culés might look if Lionel Messi left. But the player that needs shifting most urgently is…

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How Matuidi can help MLS new-boys Inter Miami Blaise a trail

David Beckham was always going to sprinkle some stardust over Inter Miami. It’s taken a while but the arrival of World Cup winner and former Juventus and Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Blaise Matuidi ticks that box. What makes the deal for the 33-year-old all the more impressive is he won’t be a Designated Player (DP). For…

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Why is Dayot Upamecano Europe’s most wanted centre-back?

Despite being one of Europe’s most upwardly-mobile clubs, few pundits could have predicted that RB Leipzig would enjoy such a successful UEFA Champions League this season. Relative newcomers to Europe’s top table, the German side have certainly ruffled a few feathers among the continent’s elite in 2019/20; knocking out the likes of Tottenham Hotspur, Juventus…

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The importance of dominant-in-the-air centre-backs

When the term ‘modern-day defender’ is muttered, the mind automatically assumes ball-player. It’s natural. Every player these days is judged on their footballing ability due to the nature of the game. Teams no longer just put pressure on the opposition. It’s not just a token effort and pressing triggers are, instead, like military operations. A…

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Why people need more data

It can be difficult to be involved in football statistics and not sound like you’re recruiting for a cult.  “Expected goals will change your life. It’s the true way to live. Pay me some money for my data feed and expertise and I can show the way to enlightenment and inner peace.” Actually, scratch the…

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