Articles
-
![]()
Scouting Report: The Best Performers of the Under-21 European Championship Knockout Stage
About a couple of months after the end of the group stages, the 2021 Under-21 Euros were back, this time for the decisive knockouts. Spain, Croatia, France, the Netherlands, Portugal, Italy, Denmark and Germany were all vying for the trophy, and after lots of drama and exciting action, Germany came home with their third European…
-
![]()
Player Analysis: Mahir Emreli
The octagon, the ring, the mat, whatever dimension or set up, martial arts grounds are often the sanctum for Azerbaijan’s finest athletes and civilians alike. Though perhaps not as prevalent as football’s whistle, the ringing of the bell in boxing or the sijak of taekwondo have commenced almost all of Azerbaijan’s international sporting acclaim. …
-
![]()
Unlike Its Namesake, ‘Il Divin Codino’ Fails to Live up to Expectations
Roberto Baggio is considered by many football experts and fans to be one of the greatest players Italy has produced, if not the greatest. In a senior career spanning 22 seasons, the Caldogno native scored 291 goals in 643 competitive matches at club level and found the back of the net 27 times in 56…
-
![]()
Player Analysis: Lucas Paquetà
When AC Milan signed Lucas Paquetá from Flamengo in January 2018, there were high expectations. Touted as one of Brazil’s next greats, the midfielder made the journey across the Atlantic to the San Siro, for a fee of 38 million euros. Expected to set the world alight, Paquetá promptly proceeded to register just 1 goal…
-
![]()
Peter Olayinka: The Perfect Hybrid
Standing at 6 feet and 2 inches tall, blessed with physical strength and an eye for goal, very few wingers in world football can boast of Peter Olayinka’s attributes. The Nigerian has all it takes to be a dangerous centre forward but he’s played primarily on the left-wing for most of his time in Europe. Peter’s…
-
![]()
The Consigli-Boga: Analysing Goalkeeper Possession against Mid-to-High Passive Blocks
Passivity as a concept can be applied microcosmically or macrocosmically. Since this article is referring to a very particular manoeuvre which can occur in games, the difference is in reference to a sequence, contrasted with holistically, and in fact, the approach discussed in this article often requires opposition cooperation through playing a higher line while…
-
![]()
Previewing Italy’s Euro 2020 Chances
Following their failure to qualify for the last World Cup in Russia, Italy are about to enter the Euros with a sense of renewed optimism. Roberto Mancini has this team playing an aggressive more modern version of football, that is not only entertaining, but most significantly, gaining results. Qualifying Campaign Gli Azzurri had…
-
![]()
Billy Gilmour’s Rise to Stardom for Scotland and Chelsea
The roots of football can be traced all the way back to the third century, when Chinese people played ‘cuju’’ (literally: kick the ball), and tried to kick the ball through the opening of a net. But as far as the ‘modern’ game goes, the first official international football match was contested on November 30,…
-
![]()
Tactical Analysis: Barnsley’s Pressing vs. Chelsea
This article will attempt to provide a holistic analysis on the way Barnsley pressed Chelsea in the FA Cup in January, whilst also focusing on how Chelsea combated this by altering their build-up structure. During the opening 15 minutes, Barnsley pressed aggressively with a high level of engagement. They pressed in a 5-2-3 which…
-
![]()
Atlético Madrid 20/21 Analysis: How Diego Simeone Beat Real Madrid and Barcelona to La Liga
Diego Simeone showcased his class once again by clinching the La Liga title beating Real Madrid and Barcelona. Even though they lost their 13 point lead temporarily, they showed resilience in the last few fixtures and got the much-needed victories. It’s undoubtedly one of the hardest jobs in the world to compete against the…
