Monthly Archives: October 2023

Barcelona 1-2 Real Madrid: Bellingham is the big El Clasico hero (it had to be him)

“Jude Bellingham illuminated El Clasico with a long-range stunner and a last-gasp winner as Real Madrid snatched victory at Barcelona. Saturday’s La Liga meeting saw home side Barca take the lead through Ilkay Gundogan’s first goal since leaving Manchester City on a free transfer this summer. Madrid were slow to get going and at times struggled to summon much of a goal threat, but Bellingham — yes, who else again? — stepped up to level the scores with a thunderous shot from range. …”
The Athletic

How deep does English football’s pyramid go?

“English football is defined by its pyramid; the system of promotion, relegation, and interconnected leagues. It is intended to represent mobility: the hope that, through promotion and relegation, every club, from any part of the country, could reach the top or fall to the bottom. But despite the pyramid being familiar, few know how it really works, or how deep it actually goes. Seb Stafford-Bloor writes, Craig Silcock illustrates.”
YouTube

Liverpool’s Anfield Road End: Millions in lost revenue, site chaos – and no set end date

“The changing landscape around the Anfield Road End was clear to see this week — and goes some way to explaining why Liverpool’s expensive stadium rebuild is still far from complete. All the sights and sounds of a busy building site were present on non-matchdays as staff got to work on the remaining phases of a job that has already been delayed multiple times due to the collapse of the construction firm, Buckingham Group. …”
The Athletic

Lamine Yamal: Barcelona’s young prodigy and the proud neighbourhood that shaped him

“Rocafonda is where Lamine Yamal grew up — if you can say that of a 16-year-old. The Barcelona winger’s football development has progressed at an astonishing pace since his first-team debut, against Real Betis, at the age of 15 years, nine months and 16 days on April 29. That evening, he became the club’s youngest player since La Liga was formed more than 90 years ago and earlier this month, on October 8, he became the competition’s youngest goalscorer after finding the net in the 2-2 draw with Granada. …”
The Athletic (Video)

Explained: Celtic fans and their support for Palestinians

“There are just a few minutes to go until the start and the queue to get in is a tide of frustratingly slow-moving expectancy. People want to be inside, but not just for the main event. Something else is happening tonight. Look closer at the mass of dark jackets and scarves of green and white and you can see other colours sporadically being brandished. More green and white, yes, but mixed with red and black too… the Palestinian flag. …”
The Athletic (Video)
Aljazeera: Celtic fans defy club to fly Palestine flags in Champions League match

Liverpool continue to show tactical mastery of a season laden with red cards

“Two months into the 2023-24 Premier League season, four of Liverpool’s nine matches have contained at least one red card. Ashley Young’s dismissal in the Merseyside derby yesterday (Saturday) was the first time that Liverpool’s opponents were the team reduced to 10 players. Liverpool had four men sent off in the space of six games: Alexis Mac Allister at home to Bournemouth, Virgil van Dijk away to Newcastle the following weekend, and both Curtis Jones and Diogo Jotaat Tottenham Hotspur. …”
The Athletic
Guardian: Liverpool in state of flux but Salah still Klopp’s priceless gamechanger
The Athletic: Mohamed Salah, Egypt and the scrutiny of his words about the war in Israel and Gaza (Video)

Chelsea 2-2 Arsenal: Palmer stays right, goalkeeper glitches, Arteta’s game-changers, handball?

“Arsenal came from two goals down to take a point against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in a thrilling game which saw former Paris Saint-Germain team-mates Mikel Arteta and Mauricio Pochettino draw in their managerial head-to-head. A first-half penalty from Cole Palmer following a William Saliba handball and a Mykhailo Mudryk strike, with what looked to be a cross, put the home side in command just after the break before Robert Sanchez gave the ball away and Declan Rice scored into an open net from distance on 77 minutes. Leandro Trossard then tapped in from close range seven minutes later to give Arsenal a share of the points. …”
The Athletic

The restoration of Reims: The real story of Will Still and the Ligue 1 side

“Reims are having a renaissance. After facing then Ligue 1 leaders Monaco two weeks ago, they spent the international break fifth in Ligue 1 with 13 points from eight games, four off the top. The Athletic was there for that one, keen to see a Reims side who are resurgent under their now famous manager. …”
The Athletic (Video/Audio)

Bobby Charlton, a Soccer Great, Dies at 86

Bobby Charlton of Manchester United attempting a shot against Wolverhampton Wanderers around 1972.
“Bobby Charlton, one of soccer’s greatest players, who won the World Cup with England in 1966 in a dazzling career that was tinged by the tragedy of losing eight of his Manchester United teammates in a plane crash at the start of his playing days, died on Saturday. He was 86. …”
NY Times
W – Bobby Charlton
YouTube: Sir Bobby Charlton: remembering the England and Manchester United legend

The sweeper-keeper is redefining soccer’s sense of risk – Jonathan Wilson

“Johan Cruyff believed soccer was too obsessed by obvious mistakes, by what looked embarrassing. What did it matter, he asked, if his goalkeeper was caught out of position a couple of times a season if the risk of playing a long way from goal contributed to a better structure overall? It was a line he used repeatedly to defend Stanley Menzo, his goalkeeper when he was Ajax manager in the late 80s, at a time when sweeper-keepers were still rare. …”
Guardian – Jonathan Wilson

France: 2023-24 Ligue 1 – Location-map with 3 Charts

“… The map shows the 18 clubs in the current season of the French Ligue 1 [2022-23]. Note: for 2023-24, Ligue 1 has contracted to 18 teams. In June 2021, the LFP voted to contract Ligue 1 back to 18 clubs, for the 2023–24 season, by relegating 4 and promoting 2 from Ligue 2. The reason for this was two-fold…fewer matches, and more money to go round (from television deals) {see this}. The lighter domestic schedule is hoped to help French teams to be better rested, and thus compete better in UEFA competitions, especially as the Champions League Group Stage will be expanded from 6 to 8 games in 2024. …”
billsportsmaps
W – 2023–24 Ligue 1

Explained: The tensions surrounding Tottenham regarding the Israel-Gaza war

“English football’s response to the Israel-Gaza war has been divisive. And for Tottenham Hotspur, with its strong Jewish heritage and the only Israeli player in the Premier League, these divisions have been especially acute. The Athletic spoke to dozens of fans, representing as wide a range of views as possible, to try to understand and explain the depth of feeling involved. Some fans expressed their feeling that Spurs’ response to the conflict has been a ‘betrayal’ and said there are fans in Israel who won’t renew their memberships. Others praised the club for its response. …”
The Athletic

The Premier League’s ‘new deal for football’ and what it means for the EFL

“The late Quentin Crisp is not quoted in many football stories, but the gay icon could have been talking about the negotiations between the English Football League and Premier League when he noted that ‘euphemisms are unpleasant truths wearing diplomatic cologne’. Under pressure from the government to sort out the game’s structural cash-flow problems, the two tribes have been talking about how best to share the Premier League’s wealth for at least three years and are edging towards a deal that will probably annoy everyone a bit but disappoint nobody entirely. A result, then. …”
The Athletic (Video)

To the Arsenal 1-0: An Alternative Match Report

“There are certain sport fixtures that carry with them the weight of history, of tradition, of rivalry, and of intense, often irrational emotions, including unavoidable hurt. For someone initiated into football during the peak of the Sir Alex and Arsene years, it was Arsenal versus Manchester United. Even now, it’s the win I want most—yes, ahead of Spurs! …”
Football Paradise

Liverpool’s ‘Famous Five’: How Jurgen Klopp built Europe’s most formidable attack

“Blink and you would have missed it. Luis Diaz to Darwin Nunez to Mohamed Salah. Goal. Liverpool were back on terms with Brighton & Hove Albion last Sunday and, once again, Liverpool’s formidable attack had carved open an opposing defence. It is not just those three, either. Take out Diaz and replace him with Cody Gakpo (when fit), or remove Nunez and swap him for Diogo Jota (when not suspended) — there is no discernible drop in quality. With five players of such excellence at their disposal, it is difficult to argue against Liverpool having steadily amassed the best attacking options in Europe. …”
The Athletic (Video)

How the sole of the foot sparked a tactical revolution in football

“Antonio Vacca can remember the moment well. In truth, the Italian is unlikely to forget it anytime soon, given he not only gets to see his ‘little theory put into practice’ every time he watches Brighton & Hove Albion play on television, but he also has Roberto De Zerbi’s initials tattooed on him. The story Vacca recalls goes back to De Zerbi’s time in charge of the Serie C club Foggia, between 2014 and 2016, and an incident in a training match that fundamentally changed how the Brighton manager viewed build-up play, and, ultimately, contributed to one of football’s modern tactical trends. …”
The Athletic (Video)

Uefa postpones all matches in Israel after outbreak of war with Hamas

“Uefa has postponed all matches scheduled to take place in Israel over the next two weeks. The Israel-Hamas war has left at least 700 people dead in the country, a staggering toll on a scale not experienced in decades. … Uefa said: ‘Uefa will continue to closely monitor the situation and will remain in contact with all teams involved before making decisions on new dates and on potential changes to other upcoming fixtures.’ …”
Guardian
Guardian – Israel-Hamas war: what has happened and what has caused the conflict?

Arsenal 1 Manchester City 0: A title ‘moment’, Saliba tames Haaland, lucky Kovacic

“It may have lacked the fizzing energy of title battles of previous seasons, but nobody from Arsenal seemed to care. A first league victory over Manchester City since 2015 felt like a statement of intent from a side that had been humbled twice last season, particularly as it inflicted a second consecutive defeat on Pep Guardiola’s side in a competition they have made their own in recent years. …”
The Athletic
The Athletic: Arsenal v Manchester City 2.0 – a world of set pieces, tough tackles and dogged defence – Michael Cox
The Athletic: What to look out for in Sunday’s showdown between Arsenal and Manchester City

Why Brighton are Liverpool’s bogey side – and how Klopp could put things right

“In football, everybody has a so-called ‘bogey team’. No matter what your side does, what line-up your manager picks or how well the players perform, the result never goes in your favour. For Liverpool over the past four seasons, their bogey team have been Brighton & Hove Albion. Jurgen Klopp’s men have won only one of their last seven games against them. …”
The Athletic

Olivier Giroud: AC Milan’s match-winning goalkeeper

“Kanye West knows what the Midwest is. Young and restless. But what about Marassi? Old and misty, home to the club founded by James Richardson Spenseley. Although no longer welcome on Venice’s Water Taxis after a compromising photo emerged last month of him and his wife Bianca Censori apparently in flagrante, West was not denied entry to his first Serie A game. Swapping the canals for the carrugi, he was a surprise attendee of Genoa-AC Milan on Saturday night. …”
The Athletic

How Eddie Howe’s Newcastle neutralised Kylian Mbappe

“When facing Paris Saint-Germain, there are two defensive questions to answer: how to stop their attacking collective and how to stop Kylian Mbappe. It’s not a simple equation, because even if you disrupt PSG’s rhythm and restrict their chances, one moment of brilliance from Mbappe can turn things around. ‘I struggle to think of any better players in the world than him at the moment,’ Newcastle United’s head coach, Eddie Howe, told TNT Sports before his side met the French champions on Wednesday evening. …”
The Athletic
Guardian: Newcastle’s quest to become northern powerhouse gathers momentum

Barcelona’s latest Champions League suffering shows they have a long way to go

“Ronald Araujo dropped to the ground, visibly relieved, at the referee’s final whistle. In the game’s last few minutes, he had been limping on through cramp in Barcelona’s back line, determined not to leave his side with nine players on the pitch. Barca suffered, but they survived. More than that, they managed to turn a bad game in the Champions League into three vital points. …”
The Athletic

History is made every matchday, every season. But not everyone has a trophy-laden past

“On September 30 2023, Luton Town won their first ever Premier League game. In beating Everton, they made club history. A fortnight ago, Brighton & Hove Albion played their first European tie. They were also creating a landmark, although the result didn’t turn out as they might have hoped. History is made every day of every week. Everyone has a family archive, every football club has a back story. …”
Game of the People

Liverpool vs PGMOL: What do the club hope to achieve after VAR row?

“Almost 72 hours after Liverpool’s contentious defeat to Tottenham Hotspur, the fallout rumbles on. A review is underway into the errors that led to Luis Diaz’s goal being disallowed for offside, with VAR Darren England and assistant VAR Dan Cook, who failed to overturn the on-field decision after replays showed the Colombian was onside, having been left off the list of officials for the next round of Premier League matches. …”
The Athletic
Guardian: VAR audio from Luis Díaz’s wrongly disallowed goal is released by PGMOL (Video)
The Athletic – Liverpool VAR error audio made public after Luis Diaz goal wrongly disallowed – full transcript: ‘That’s wrong, that, Daz’

US owners understand profit but do they appreciate clubs’ tradition and values? – Jonathan Wilson

“It’s just over a year since Gary Neville declared US owners of English soccer clubs ‘a clear and present danger to the pyramid and fabric of the game’. The comment provoked a furore but the former England full-back turned high-profile pundit was unrepentant, insisting that if profit is the priority, there are vital aspects of the roles of soccer clubs that risk being lost. …”
Guardian

Ajax and the Fragile Business of Elite Soccer

“All of the little things had been considered. The design was so painstaking that even the fine details seemed to possess explanatory power. The list of virtues on the wall, the way the light poured into the canteen, the communal spaces laid out according to Montessori principles. Everywhere inside the home of the Dutch soccer club Ajax, the human touches stood out. …”
NY Times