Articles
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Americans Abroad: Christian Pulisic
“Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far it is possible to go.” – T.S. Eliot. The odd case of Freddy Adu exposed Americans to the danger of overhyping talent – and they didn’t like it. Starting an MLS game at 14 and destined for stardom across the waters,…
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Marco Reus & The Fight Against a Series of Unfortunate Events
There aren’t enough of them, especially in the ever polarizing age of social media, but every few years there appears a player who is loved and adored by all (most) football viewers. Ronaldinho, Philip Lahm and Andrea Pirlo are all players of the same generation who got respect even from rival fans. Marco Reus falls…
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Why Mauricio Pochettino could be a mismatch for Real Madrid
While it was only a single Harry Kane goal that separated Tottenham from Arsenal at Wembley, the gap should have been much more than how much it was. Despite that, Mauricio Pochettino seemed overjoyed with yet another North London derby win. He was relishing it just as much as he has relished the past ones.…
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Antonio Conte: A Tactical Disasterclass
Leaving the Etihad Stadium yesterday made me question what exactly was the point of the team travelling up. It was a gloomy Manchester afternoon, with rain pouring down, the perfect setting for the display which had just taken place. A lack of desire, ambition and direction from the man once loved by Chelsea’s fans, only…
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Oleksandr Zinchenko’s Unexpected Breakthrough
“Zinchenko is talented, but he must be realistic. He must get the experience and game practice. He can only play for Manchester City on his Playstation”. Former Liverpool and Ukraine striker Andriy Voronin said these words about Manchester City’s attacking midfielder turned left-back Oleksandr Zinchenko, who is flourishing with regular appearances for Pep Guardiola’s high-flying…
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La Liga Scout: Rodri
The main talk so far this season in La Liga has been the undefeated run of Ernesto Valverde’s Barcelona, Real Madrid’s slightly improved since the start of the year or the impressive revival of Valencia under Marcelino. However, the acceptable work of Javier Calleja’s Villarreal has certainly gone unnoticed by the Spanish media. Villarreal were…
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Feyenoord: How to Fix the Downfall of a One Season Wonder
On June 6, 1944, the Allies invaded Normandy. On November 9, 1989, the Berlin Wall fell down. And on May 14, 2017, Feyenoord finally won the league. After years of desperation, failure, and near bankruptcy, Feyenoord managed to win their first league title of the century, in one of the most hectic and intense seasons…
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Arsenal, an Absolute Disgrace
Spineless. Gutless. Pathetic. Abysmal. Disgraceful. These words have been used over the past few weeks to accurately paint an overall picture of Arsenal’s form. A 1-0 loss in the North London Derby to Tottenham, a game in which Arsenal were fortunate to not lose 3-0, or 4-0, a 2-1 loss at home to Östersund, a…
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Chelsea 1-1 Barcelona: Conte’s 3-4-3 and Willian disrupt Barça
Barça’s positional play handled by Chelsea’s defence Organized in last year’s 3-4-3 that led them to the Premier League title, Londoners shown their defensive strength: a zonal 5-4-1 which totally nullified Barça’s use of the ball. Barça lined up in 4-4-1-1, with Paulinho and Iniesta as inside wingers, behind Messi and Suarez, and in front…
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Are we doing enough to stamp out racism?
It was meant to be the defining moment in the resistance. It was destined to be the Battle of Stalingrad in the anti-racism war. Over 5 years ago, Kevin Prince Boateng’s brave defiance forced a match between AC Milan and Pro Patria to be abandoned after 25 minutes, his stiff will unbending to the egregious…
