Articles
-
![]()
Scouting Report: Mark McKenzie
While Brenden Aaronson has received plenty of hype with the Philadelphia Union this summer, his teammate Mark McKenzie has been making headlines of his own in the City of Brotherly Love. The 21-year-old center back has had an impressive 2020 campaign so far and was a crucial part in the Philadelphia Union’s semi-final run in…
-
![]()
Season Preview: Manchester United
Manchester United fared variably in the Coronavirus-affected 2019/20 season- with the season-long squad overhaul resulting in inconsistencies due to injuries and certain underperforming individuals getting significant minutes (think Andreas Pereira). But despite stringent spending and lethargy in the transfer market, the outlook on the 2020/21 season should be positive. United have already established a…
-
![]()
Why 4-3-3 Is the Way Forward for Mikel Arteta and Arsenal
Arsenal enjoyed a mixed first eight months under Mikel Arteta’s leadership. The Spaniard initially employed a 4-2-3-1 formation. His reign started with a lot of promise, but was followed by an embarrassing exit from the Europa League and inconsistent league form. The season was cut short in March due to COVID-19, but after its resumption…
-
![]()
Chelsea Don’t Have to Win Silverware Under Frank Lampard to Be Successful This Season
Chelsea have had one of the best transfer windows in recent history, signing some of Europe’s most lauded talents for agreeable prices in a time when not every club can afford to splash the cash. To many elated fans, this symbolises the fruitful blend of assertive but astute business they have been crying out…
-
![]()
L’última Dansa: Pep Guardiola’s Final Season in Barcelona: Part 2
In Part One of this series, I went over Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona’s success leading up to the 2011/12 season, in addition to the disappointing transfer window and injury problems, which led to tactical and structural alterations. Although this gave Barcelona an element of unpredictability, it led to a lack of consistency in performances and results…
-
![]()
Tactical Analysis: Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal — 2019/20
Having departed Pep Guardiola’s coaching staff at Manchester City, Mikel Arteta arrived at Arsenal in December 2019 with new ideas on the pitch and behind the scenes. From his first game in charge, his playing ideologies and tactical framework were on full show. Despite being dealt with a relatively poorly built squad, he began putting…
-
![]()
Premier League Predictions: Matchday One
The opening round of the Premier League season is one of excitement, intrigue and trepidation. Excitement at the arrival of a new campaign though marked with the absence of fans due to the coronavirus. Intrigue among several clubs ranging from incoming transfers, outgoing transfers or lack of transfers. Trepidation among fans that hope their club…
-
![]()
The Controversy, Glory, and Longevity of Emre Belözoğlu
The unveiling of the FIFA 100 on 4 March 2004 was always going to generate an enormous amount of discussion. As part of the organisation’s centenary celebrations, FIFA had called upon Pelé to pick what he regarded as the one hundred greatest living footballers. The criteria were fifty active and fifty retired, although the latter…
-
![]()
Carletto’s Way? Not Quite
When Everton won their last piece of silverware in 1995, Carlo Ancelotti had only recently embarked on his maiden managerial journey with Reggiana. A quarter century later, the onus is entirely on the Italian to put and end to the trophy drought at Goodison Park. Carlo Ancelotti has been a manager for 25 years.…
-
![]()
The Prospective Dark Horses of the 2020/21 Championship Season
In May 2017 Huddersfield Town clinched the most unlikely of promotions to the Premier League after they beat Reading on penalties in the play off final. David Wagner, then Huddersfield manager, described it as a “fairy tale” which isn’t a hyperbole considering The Terriers finished 19th the season before. Huddersfield were just another team…
