Daily Archives: February 8, 2023

Manchester City May Fall, but Soccer’s Billionaire Era Lives On – Brian Phillips


“… I thought about Mrs. Grayle on Monday, when the Premier League quietly posted a statement on its website charging Manchester City, the most dominant club in the past decade of English soccer, with more than 100 violations of league financial rules stretching back to 2009. Man City is famously rich, but it hasn’t been rich all that long. … Which meant—to be technically precise again—money. …”
The Ringer

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Gavi’s story: The spark, speed & spirit of Barcelona’s fearless star who plays with his boots untied


“It was in November 2021 that people started to talk about Gavi’s laces. A photo showed Nico Gonzalez tying the player’s boots for him during a Champions League match for Barcelona at Dynamo Kyiv. Gavi, then 17, stood with his hands on his hips, watching as his midfield team-mate apparently came to his aid. Later, Gonzalez posted the picture on Instagram with the caption: ‘It’s really time you learned…’ But the truth is there was no lesson going on, nor did the scene have anything to do with the Kyiv cold. …”
The Athletic
W – Gavi

The great Liverpool rebuild: Who deserves to stay and who should go?

“Sell them all. Rip it up and clear it out. Nothing is working and it just keeps getting worse. There are no other options. If you had not rage-quit your Football Manager play-through already with Liverpool’s season going so badly wrong, the next tactic would be listing as many players as you wanted on the transfer list and having a crazy summer window. …”
The Athletic

Inside the Juventus crisis: The Paratici ‘black book’, Chiellini’s WhatsApps and Ronaldo’s wages


“If English football needed proof of how hard it can be to dispel the clouds cast by a major financial scandal, they need only look at Italy. While Manchester City are only beginning to confront over 100 claims that they breached financial regulations over a nine-season period, Juventus — the most successful club in the history of Serie A — have been under siege for almost two years. The scrutiny on the Turin giants has been four-pronged. …”
The Athletic (Video)

Stats, scouting and smart coaching: how Toulouse exceed expectations

“‘Believe in yourselves. We are right. You are right. The coaching staff are right,’ said an impassioned Damien Comolli. The former Liverpool and Tottenham director, now Toulouse president, was trying to inspire a dejected dressing room as the players slumped in their seats after a 6-1 rout by Marseille at the end of December. Comolli’s faith has proven well-placed. The team responded by going on a five-game unbeaten run that only ended this weekend, when they were narrowly defeated 2-1 by PSG in Paris. Toulouse, one of the more avant garde teams in Ligue 1, keep exceeding expectations. …”
Guardian

Senegal win penalty shootout against Algeria to become CHAN champions


“Algeria’s hopes of winning the TotalEnergies African Nations Championship (CHAN) on home soil were crushed in heartbreaking fashion as they lost 5-4 on penalties to Senegal in the final on Saturday. The Local Teranga Lions edged hosts in a very tense final at the Nelson Mandela Stadium in Algiers in front of 39,120 spectators on a cold winter night. …”
CAF
YouTube: Algeria 🆚 Senegal All Penalties – TotalEnergies CHAN2022 – Final