Articles
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The Evolution of Filippo Inzaghi’s Coaching Career
There is an old saying that great footballers don’t make great coaches. Regardless of how talented a player can be, it does not necessarily mean that he can seamlessly make the transition into coaching and train a new generation of footballers. Former Italy international Filippo Inzaghi is no different. After an illustrious playing career in…
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Tactical Analysis: Shakhtar Donetsk vs. Real Madrid
After earning a shock 3-2 victory over Real Madrid at the Estadio Alfredo Di Stefano on Matchday 1 of the Champions League group stage, Shakhtar Donetsk repeated the trick when they welcomed the Spanish giants to the NSC Olimpiyskiy on Tuesday evening. Most expected Real Madrid to win the game and guarantee their qualification…
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Data Analysis: Harry Maguire’s 20/21 Season
Much has been said about Harry Maguire’s form this season. Links between Maguire’s summer antics and lack of ability to play for Manchester United Football Club burgeoned as a result of United’s catastrophic start to the season. Criticism of Maguire was tainted by hyperbole. Beleaguered displays in merely a couple of performances did not…
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What is Sarriball?
Out of all the managers in European football, few have had a more improbable, unexpected rise to the top than Maurizio Sarri. He never played at the professional level, he split his time between working as a banker and playing and managing an amateur side, but in 1999, he quit his day job and dedicated…
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Player Analysis: Raphinha
Brazilian ballads of footballing folklore have been heard from the heights of Cristo Redentor to the rest of the world for generations upon generations. After all, this is a country that has produced some of the finest specimens to play the game. Kids in Recife dream of being Rivaldo, whilst those in São Paulo aspire…
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Tactical Analysis: VfL Wolfsburg 2020/21 Season
Three years after winning the DFB-Pokal and finishing second in the Bundesliga, VfL Wolfsburg found themselves in the relegation play-offs at the end of the 2016/17 season. They defeated Eintracht Braunschweig to retain their place in Germany’s top flight, but despite bringing in the likes of Divock Origi, Ignacio Camacho and John Brooks, they found…
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Football Clubs and Their Biggest Sponsorship Deals
Sponsorship in football is integral in the modern era of the sport. These deals that clubs make with their financial backers enable them to operate more freely in the transfer market, and they also help to turn a football team into a brand, which is recognisable in many countries around the world. Companies that sponsor…
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The Rise and Fall of Sead ‘The Tank’ Kolašinac
“When you see the quality of his performance again, you see there are still some good deals to make out there. [He has been a success] because he has the natural qualities that suit firstly his position as a wing-back and, secondly, because he has the absolute body power that is needed in the Premier…
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Florian Wirtz Is the Best Player You’re Not Watching
On October 15, 2016, Kai Havertz became Bayer Leverkusen’s youngest ever Bundesliga debutant at 17 years and 126 days old. Over the next three and a half years, Havertz would solidify his status as one of the biggest talents in Europe, leading Die Werkself to a fourth-place finish in 2018/19 before departing for Chelsea in…
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The Liverpool Defenders Who Can Step up in the Club’s Injury Crisis
The news from the England international camp that Joe Gomez had suffered a serious injury came as a hammer blow to everyone associated with Liverpool FC. After all, the last thing the club needed was another defensive injury, with Virgil Van Dijk, Fabinho and Trent Alexander-Arnold already sidelined. Manager Jürgen Klopp made the decision…
