Monthly Archives: April 2023

Explained: Why Aleksandar Mitrovic got an eight-game ban but Bruno Fernandes escaped punishment

“Fulham’s Aleksandar Mitrovic has been handed an extended eight-match ban by an independent regulatory commission for a shove on referee Chris Kavanagh during his side’s defeat at Manchester United earlier this month. The 28-year-old was due to serve a three-game suspension after receiving a red card for violent conduct in the FA Cup quarter-final tie, but the Football Association argued that the standard ban was ‘insufficient.’ …”
The Athletic

Chelsea’s next manager: Nagelsmann? Ancelotti? Pochettino? Our experts’ verdicts

“It is not even a year since Chelsea’s new owners, the Todd Boehly-Clearlake Capital consortium, took charge at Stamford Bridge and they are already searching for their second new manager. Graham Potter’s sacking on Sunday, just seven months after he succeeded Thomas Tuchel, suggested the ownership’s stated aim of being different to the ruthless hire-and-fire culture of Roman Abramovich is a long way from being realised. …”
The Athletic (Video)

AC Milan toyed with Napoli in 4-0 win – roll on their Champions League rematch

“There is an old theatrical tradition that a bad dress rehearsal is followed by a successful first night of a show. Napoli will have to hope that is true. Sunday’s Serie A game against AC Milan was the first of three meetings between the sides in 17 days. The other two are in a Champions League quarter-final, with the first leg at San Siro next Wednesday and the return in Naples the following Tuesday. …”
The Athletic

Sealand: The national football team from a country half the size of a football pitch

“During the 2018 World Cup in Russia, it emerged that a seven-page document had been supplied to stadium security staff, detailing dozens of flags that tournament organisers had banned from being displayed. These included the flags of jihadist terrorist groups al-Qaeda and al-Shabaab, of pre-revolutionary Iran, and separatist emblems for Somaliland and Catalonia. Sandwiched between the flag of the Luhansk People’s Republic and the Catalan Estelada was flag No 29, a flag actively prohibited from being displayed at the biggest sporting event on the planet. The flag of Sealand. …”
The Athletic (Video)
W – Principality of Sealand
amazon: Sealand: The True Story of the World’s Most Stubborn Micronation and Its Eccentric Royal Family

Jack Grealish, Manchester City’s coolest kid, teaches Liverpool a lesson

“Is anyone in Britain currently having more fun than Jack Grealish? Two minutes before the end of this 4-1 annihilation of Liverpool at the Etihad Stadium Grealish left the pitch to a standing ovation, met by a tender, oddly sensual full body hug from Pep Guardiola, who for a while just wouldn’t let him go, patting his buttocks, whispering in his ear, hungry for Jack love. …”
Guardian (Video)
Guardian – ‘Four performances were OK’: Klopp laments Liverpool’s display at City

Stone Island, cravats and rollnecks: Does it matter what managers wear?

“‘It is very methodical. I am a very methodical, routine person.’ Mikel Arteta could be talking about any number of things there. What formation should Arsenal play? Is this the time to rest key players? How should he mix up training this week? It was none of those. He was, instead, talking about his choice of touchline clothing. …”
The Athletic

Wrexham’s Hollywood owners have made The Turf a tourist hotspot

“Wayne Jones has no trouble picking his most surreal moment since Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney bought Wrexham. … The pub Wayne has run these past 15 years is so interwoven with the football club that the players used to change there before games in the 19th century. But, since featuring heavily in series one of the show charting the Hollywood owners’ first full season at the helm, The Turf is now firmly on the tourist trail for overseas supporters. …”
The Athletic

Ansu Fati’s Barcelona future is in doubt like never before – though he is smiling again

“At Elche on Saturday night, Ansu Fati finally found an antidote to the poisonous environment that’s gathered around him of late — one in which even his own father has played a recent role. Fati was still far from his best at Estadio Martinez Valero. He lost possession 16 times, struggled to make an impact in the first half and at times looked too anxious on the ball. …”
The Athletic

Does xG tell the whole truth?

‘Expected goals’ is a metric that was developed to give a better sense of how good a football team’s performances are beyond simply looking at the score lines they produce. But do the numbers always accurately show what is going on? And does xG always tell the whole truth? Jon Mackenzie explains. Philippe Fenner illustrates.”
YouTube