Articles
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West Bromwich Albion’s 2021/22 – A Lesson in Footballing Philosophy
West Bromwich Albion’s 4-0 victory over Sheffield United in August sent a rippling statement to the rest of the EFL Championship. As two recently relegated sides did battle at The Hawthorns, Albion prevailed convincingly in a physical and overpowering performance. Valerien Ismael looked odds-on to go one better than his playoff campaign at Barnsley…
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Ruben Loftus-Cheek – What Does the Future Hold for a Player in Between a Rebirth and a Significant Decline?
When Ruben Loftus-Cheek began to emerge under Jose Mourinho in Chelsea’s 2014/15 Premier League-winning season, everyone thought that he was a world-beater in the making. His performances caught the eye and the potential was there for everyone to see. About seven years down the line, Loftus-Cheek is part of the Chelsea first team but he’s…
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Illan Meslier: Leeds United’s Number One
The 22-year-old French goalkeeping sensation has become a staple between the sticks for a top-heavy Leeds squad. The final weekend of the 2021–22 Premier League season was poised to be a classic standoff across the board, with the champion, European qualification, and relegation yet to be decided after 37 matches. At the bottom of…
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Kouadio Kone: A Diamond in the Rough
Kouadio Koné is a young midfielder who has been making waves in the Bundesliga with his performances for Borussia Monchengladbach. A product of the Toulouse youth system, Koné recently made the move to Germany in an £8 million transfer, but he has already adapted well to the physicality and pace of the German topflight. …
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Peter Lim’s Muss, The Ghost of Jorge Mendes’ Past & Gennaro Gattuso’s Big Valencia Challenge
It has been an eventful past few weeks at Valencia. Okay, scratch that. Every week is eventful at Valencia so that is not exactly news. However, the more recent events have been important because of their significance in the grand scheme of things, with respect to Valencia’s immediate and long-term future. Anyone paying attention…
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Mario Götze’s Spell at PSV Eindhoven
It’s the transfer deadline day in the summer of 2020. Whilst everyone was counting down the last few hours of the 31st of August, something popped up on Twitter. A picture, of a person in a big, black car. A local person in Eindhoven quickly took a picture because he was wondering if it could…
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BTL Exclusive Interview: Arbroath’s Derek Gaston Opens Up on His Relationship with Dick Campbell and Journey in Football
You are currently at Arbroath working under Dick Campbell and Rab Douglas. How would you sum up life at the club? Firstly, it’s been great to be at the club and I’m enjoying my football under Dick Campbell. I was unsure initially how it would be as I was making the transition from full-time…
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After Suffering a Record Sixth Relegation, How Can Norwich City Pull Themselves Back Into the Premier League?
Learning from mistakes is not something Norwich City have always been able to do in recent years. The evidence for this is clear – last season the club only managed to better their 2019/20 Premier League campaign by just a single point. Many factors were the cause for such a poor return but what…
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Analyzing Aston Villa’s Productive Start to the Summer 2022 Transfer Window
It was an underwhelming end to the 2021/22 season for Aston Villa. Despite investing heavily across the last two windows, neither Dean Smith nor Steven Gerrard were able to consistently get the best out of one of the most talented squads in the Premier League. Better coached sides like Brentford, Brighton and Crystal Palace…
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Tactical Analysis: Zinedine Zidane’s 2016/17 Real Madrid Side
Zinedine Zidane was one of the greatest players of his generation. Now, he strives to be the greatest tactician of this generation. Guy Lacombe, Zidane’s mentor and former coach said that, “What Zidane did already have was the sense of the collective. He made other players play well. He used to solve problems on…
