Articles
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Player Analysis: Saša Lukić
Saša Lukić took some time to find his place at Italian club Torino after leaving his native Serbia in the summer of 2016. The Granata purchased the central midfielder from Partizan Belgrade for €1.7 million prior to the 2016/17 season, but he struggled to break into the starting line-up, and he was sent on…
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Manchester United’s Issues under Ralf Rangnick
After Manchester United were beaten by Wolves at Old Trafford in their last Premier League outing, Ralf Rangnick spoke to the media in which his opening words were: “I knew it would be a difficult job.” The game marked the German’s first defeat as interim manager of United, but it was a defeat that…
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Sierra Leone Gets the Unlikeliest of Points Against Defending Champions Algeria
Ahead of the Group E opener, everyone expected it to be a showdown between holders Algeria and 2015 winners Ivory Coast. Not a single person gave Sierra Leone or Equatorial Guinea a chance in this group. Of course, with the current format of possibly three teams qualifying from the group the lesser teams have a…
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Karim Benzema: Is He Currently the Best Player in the World?
Today, Karim Benzema is arguably the finest player in world football, but 20 years ago, he was a teenager coming through the ranks at the famed academy of Lyon. Benzema spent five years playing for the French side from 2004 to 2009, playing 148 matches, scoring 66 goals, and providing 27 assists. During his…
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Ola Aina: The Dependable, Versatile Full-Back
Nigeria have gotten off to an impressive start to the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations, beating Egypt 1-0 via a goal from Kelechi Iheanacho, and one player who was crucial in stopping Mohammed Salah’s creative influence was Ola Aina. At 25 years of age, the fullback will be crucial in the Super Eagles’ efforts to…
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Tactical Analysis: Andoni Iraola’s Rayo Vallecano
Scour the length and breadth of Europe – maybe even the world – and you’d be hard-pressed to find a football club quite as fascinating, or quite as baffling, as Rayo Vallecano. Known to many as the last of the Spanish neighbourhood clubs, Rayo’s famous red stripe represents not just a football club, but…
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Nathan Patterson: Another Scottish Talent Heading For The Premier League
Kieran Tierney, Andrew Robertson, John McGinn – these are a few of the main Scottish talents lighting up the Premier League currently. A new kid on the block will see if he can make the step-up they did, another Scottish full-back leaving his homeland behind for a shot at the English top flight. Something…
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Player Analysis: Ibrahima Diallo
At just 22 years of age, Ibrahima Diallo has had a long and intricate journey to the English top flight. Diallo is another product of the famous AS Monaco youth academy which has produced some of the world’s most well-known players in the likes of Kylian Mbappé and Yannick Carrasco. Despite being a fairly-rated…
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Order Is Restored After a Rocky Start in Cameroon
Against the run of play and all expectations leading into the tournament, host nation Cameroon fell behind after just 24 minutes to a beautiful finish by Burkina Faso midfielder Gustavo Sangare. Although Cameroon had the ball for the most part before the goal, it was clear that Burkina Faso weren’t just going to lay down…
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Hugo Ekitike: The Diamond in the Youngest Team in Europe’s Big 5 Leagues
Since Stade de Reims were promoted back to Ligue 1 in 2018, they’ve not been a particularly strong attacking outfit. In both 2019/20 and 2020/21, Boulaye Dia topped their league goal-scoring charts, with second place for Reims each season not scratching past four goals. So, when Dia, and the manager who originally got them…
