Monthly Archives: April 2024

The Demise of Dutch Football

“After another embarrassing failure from the national team, Dutch football has plummeted to a new low that marks a spectacular fall from its golden days of club and international glory. The 2-0 win over Sweden in their final qualifying game on Tuesday couldn’t prevent Netherlands missing out on the 2018 World Cup, but the country had given up hope long before then. After reaching the finals and semi-finals of the last two World Cups, Oranje find themselves the laughing stock of Europe and the latest slip leaves the country wondering once again where its national game is headed. …”
GOAL

Tottenham 2 Arsenal 3: Quick start key again? What is Havertz? How unlucky were Spurs?

“The title race remains on. Arsenal made sure of that at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. For Spurs, though, the race for a top-four spot looks less likely to be won after a chastening defeat to their north London rivals. This derby victory put Mikel Arteta’s side four points clear at the top of the Premier League before second-placed Manchester City’s match against Nottingham Forest. City’s victory means there is now one point between the top two, with City having a game in hand. …”
The Athletic
The Athletic: Nottingham Forest 0 Man City 2: Haaland’s impact? Champions League exit benefit? – The Briefing

Gernika Club, Picasso’s painting and Spain’s flawed reckoning with its traumatic past

“‘Franco burned Gernika… but Franco, for me, was Spain’s saviour from everything.’ Rafael Madariaga is talking about the bombing of the northern Spanish town of Gernika on April 26, 1937, during the country’s Civil War. Carried out by the air forces of Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini at the behest of Spain’s dictator, General Francisco Franco, it was one of the first aerial bombings of a civilian population — and it inspired one of the world’s most famous paintings: Pablo Picasso’s Guernica. …”
The Athletic
W – Gernika Club

How Arne Slot plays football – and can it work at Liverpool?

“Arne Slot is set to become the next man in charge at Anfield. On Friday night, Liverpool agreed a compensation package with Feyenoord that will allow the 45-year-old to become Jurgen Klopp’s successor following the conclusion of the current season. Slot’s pedigree has grown across European football in the past 18 months after he led Feyenoord to only their second Eredivisie title in 20 years last season, losing just two games in the process. …”
The Athletic

West Ham 2 Liverpool 2 – Quansah lesson? Soft goal problem? Diaz the trusted forward?

“Liverpool were held to a 2-2 draw by West Ham United on Saturday afternoon. West Ham took the lead when Jarrod Bowen rose highest from a corner and headed past Alisson in the Liverpool net. Shortly after the break, though, Andrew Robertson curled the ball in to level the game. Liverpool went ahead in the 65th minute courtesy of a fortunate goal, which saw the ball ricochet off Alphonse Areola and into the back of the net. But Michail Antonio levelled the game for the hosts with 77 minutes on the clock. …”
The Athlete

How long do you give a ‘project manager’?

“When asked at which point a club gives up on a ‘project’, a mixture of current and former directors at Premier League clubs tend to arrive at the same answer. ‘When the fans say so,’ says one of them, who would like to remain nameless because he does not really want to admit publicly that, in the past, he has helped pull the trigger because of the pressure he and his colleagues were under. …”
The Athletic

Everton 2 Liverpool 0: Klopp’s first-ever Goodison defeat all but ends title dream – The Briefing

“Wednesday evening’s Merseyside derby was as intense as so many of its predecessors. As they have so often in recent weeks, Jurgen Klopp’s team began the game sloppily, handing Everton the advantage in a crucial game for both sides. VAR ruled out an early penalty for the home side for offside but one of the most slapdash goals of the entire Premier League season put Everton into the lead midway through the first half. Liverpool fought back, but their other constant current issue — wayward finishing — ensured Sean Dyche’s team led at half-time. …”
The Athletic (Video)

Slot, Amorim, Lopetegui; Liverpool, Bayern – which managers are going where?

“The transfer window for players will open when the season ends but the movement of managers has no deadline — anyone can switch roles at any point. Jurgen Klopp’s announcement in January that he would be leaving Liverpool at the end of this season after nine years at Anfield kicked off speculation over who would replace him. Soon after, Xavi said he would be stepping down as Barcelona head coach this summer before Bayern Munich joined the party in February by confirming they would be parting ways with Thomas Tuchel, leaving three of the biggest jobs in European football open for applications. However, Xavi has now reversed his decision and will stay on at Barca. A disappointing season for Manchester United, meanwhile, has also led to questions over Erik ten Hag’s future and a potential vacancy at Old Trafford. So who are the managers expected to be on the move in the coming months and who is staying put? …”
The Athletic

Martin Odegaard and Kai Havertz as a duo of No 10s is different… and devastating

“In modern football, you don’t really get classic strike partnerships any more. Few teams at the highest level play 4-4-2, or any other formation that features two out-and-out strikers. Today, attacking is about pushing multiple players into attack, surprising the opposition with a variety of threats. Arsenal are the best example of that. Eight sides in the Premier League this season have a single player on 15 or more goals. Arsenal are not among them, but Mikel Arteta’s team have still scored more goals than any other side. …”
The Athletic – Michael Cox

Inter’s Serie A win and second star is the realisation of a dream – and a nightmare for Milan

“Not this. Anything but this. It can’t happen. ‘It won’t,’ AC Milan’s captain Davide Calabria reassured the supporters. The thought of hosting a party for Inter Milan’s 20th scudetto sent shudders through the Milan fanbase. ‘They’ll win the league, but we’ll do everything to win the derby,”’coach Stefano Pioli said. It did not inspire confidence. Ever since Pioli got the scudetto tattooed on his wrist to celebrate winning it at Inter’s expense on the final day two years ago, Milan have lost every single derby. Five in a row for the first time in their history. Five, like the number of goals Inter put past them in September. It was the heaviest defeat Milan had suffered in this rivalry for almost half a century. By inflicting it, Inter sent a powerful message. …”
The Athletic (Video)

The way to sum up every Premier League team’s attacking style – how they get the ball into the box

“There are many facets of a football team’s tactical identity, but perhaps the most instructive element is also the most basic part of football strategy — how is a side trying to get the ball into a dangerous position to score a goal? Imagine a particular team’s attacking style and you’re often visualising how they get the ball into the box. But between which players are the crucial passes made? Here, we have depicted each Premier League club’s most common passing combination into the opposition penalty area. You might expect some kind of general pattern or uniform approach, but the striking thing is how many different styles there are. …”
The Athletic – Michael Cox

Many Premier League champions have ‘choked’ – the true test is can you recover in time

“Fred Done had been a bookmaker for more than three decades, with more than 100 betting shops across the north west of England, before he unwittingly stumbled upon a brilliant but expensive way to make more people aware of his brand. In March 1998 he announced he was paying out early on the Premier Leaguetitle race. Manchester United were 11 points clear of second-placed Blackburn Rovers and 12 points clear of third-placed Arsenal. Both of the chasers had games in hand — three in Arsenal’s case — but, as far as the bookie was concerned, it was all over. …”
The Athletic (Video)

The power of Barcelona’s La Masia youth academy – and why for years it was ignored

“The Catalan word ‘masia’ is usually translated as ‘farmhouse’ — and that’s not far wrong. A better catch-all description might be a rural dwelling particular to the east of Spain, including Catalonia. When Camp Nou was being constructed in the late 1950s, architects working on Barcelona’s new ground turned a traditional old cottage close by into a convenient working space. …”
The Athletic (Video)

Erling Haaland is not in crisis – but the Man City striker is human after all

“Erling Haaland is not in crisis. Let’s not be silly here. He’s the odds-on favourite to win the domestic double and the Premier League Golden Boot for the second season in a row, a feat not even Thierry Henry managed to pull off. If Antonio Rudiger’s final shootout penalty for Real Madrid this week had hit the post one more inch to the left, Manchester Citymight still be favoured to make it back-to-back trebles. …”
The Athletic

Facing Arsenal: Managers, analysts and players tell us about ‘the toughest test’

“‘The first half was brutal. When we’re struggling, the staff can usually see a couple of solutions, even against the top teams, but they were so aggressive with their pressure that I remember being on the sideline finding it really difficult to think of one,’ a Premier League coach (Coach A) tells The Athletic. He is speaking about his experience of facing Arsenal this season and, like others in this article, doing so anonymously to protect his position. …”
The Athletic

Liverpool’s failure to keep clean sheets is proving deeply damaging

“Liverpool’s defending was indefensible against Atalanta. Conceding three times left hopes of winning the Europa League dangling by the thinnest of threads and also brought to the forefront bigger problems that could derail their Premier League title challenge too. European comebacks are a Liverpool speciality, including incredible nights under Jurgen Klopp. Yet, if his side have a chance of turning around the 3-0 deficit, they will probably need to keep a clean sheet. After the 3-0 defeat to Barcelona in the 2019 Champions League semi-final first leg, Liverpool famously won the second leg 4-0 to go through. Despite being ridiculed after the game, the Spanish side’s tweet below was valid. …”
The Athletic
Guardian – ‘This must feel bad and it does’: Jürgen Klopp rues Liverpool’s mental fatigue

Liverpool’s threat from corners has increased and could help turn their season around

“As Kostas Tsimikas placed the ball on the edge of the corner arc, the Anfield crowd held their breath. With 88 minutes on the clock and the scores level against Ajax in their second Champions League group match, having lost the opener badly, Liverpool needed a winner from their 10th corner of the night. The delivery was excellent, as it was all game, and Joel Matip rose highest to head the ball home. Cue bedlam. To coin a Football Cliches classic, it had been coming. Jurgen Klopp’s side were a constant threat from corners and had already forced a number of saves from Remko Pasveer. …”
The Athletic

From Salt River to the sea

“As the fans streaming toward Athlone Stadium in Cape Town were greeted by vendors selling Palestinian flags, it became clear the match about to take place would be as noteworthy as it was unusual: the Palestinian Men’s National Team, fresh off their surprising success in the AFC Asian Cup (where they had reached the knock-out stages before losing to Qatar) were to play a ‘South Africa XI’ in front of a large crowd. Organized by an ad hoc group calling themselves Football 4 Humanity, the match was the second of two ‘solidarity matches’ held a week apart at Athlone Stadium in the middle of February as a show of support for the Palestinian people in the midst of the genocide in Gaza. …”
Africa Is a Country

PSG 2 Barcelona 3: The tactical to-and-fro, a glimpse of Barca’s future and Mbappe quelled

“It turns out the thrills and spills of this week’s Champions League quarter-final first legs were not reserved for the Bernabeu or Emirates stadium. Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona played out another mesmerising tie at Parc des Princes with the visitors, inspired by Raphinha’s first goals in the competition, recovering their poise magnificently after a brutal opening to the second half to claim a lead to take back to Catalonia. …”
The Athletic

Should Bayern Munich have had a penalty for Arsenal’s Gabriel picking up the ball?

“As the final whistle blew on an action-packed 2-2 draw at the Emirates Stadium last night, many of us reached for our smartphones to check social media. … The decision not to award a penalty left Rio Ferdinand, a pundit for TNT Sports, the British broadcaster of the Champions League, in ‘disbelief’. However, Arsenal legend Ian Wright later argued on X that he agreed with Nyberg’s decision, sparking a debate. …”
The Athletic

Manchester United 2 Liverpool 2: More Mainoo, more chaos, Klopp’s side made to pay

“Three weeks on from their seven-goal FA Cup classic, Liverpool and Manchester United met again — and again, we were entertained. Though this contest resulted in only four goals, Liverpool could have had significantly more in the first half alone, missing several chances while United failed to take any sort of attempt at Caoimhin Kelleher’s goal. …”
The Athletic
Guardian: Ongoing sense of shambles at Manchester United is unsustainable – Jonathan Wilson
The Athletic – Virgil van Dijk criticises ‘wasteful’ Liverpool: ‘It’s our fault again’

How Arsenal’s wide overloads cut Brighton to ribbons

“Chance after chance, Arsenal’s varied attack stormed Brighton & Hove Albion’s defence. ‘The understanding between the attacking players today was superb,’ said Arsenal’s manager Mikel Arteta after an impressive 3-0 victory away to Roberto De Zerbi’s side. ‘They had real purpose and connection, and a lot of clarity where to attack.’ Purpose, connection and clarity are three words that can easily be linked to Arsenal’s chance-creation from set pieces, their knack for playing the ball behind Brighton’s defence, attacking on the transition, or through wide passing combinations in the final third. …”
The Athletic

Roma now come to play as well as fight – a team in the image of Daniele De Rossi

“When Lorenzo Pellegrini first wrapped the captain’s armband around his bicep, he presumably did not expect one of his leadership duties to include lending a team-mate a pair of shorts so he could keep his dignity in a post-match interview. Roma’s match-winner in Saturday’s Derby della Capitale, Gianluca Mancini, had ecstatically tossed his pantaloncini into the Olimpico’s Curva Sud stand as a memento for some (un)lucky ultra. …”
The Athletic

Football’s elite are tightening up – and Arsenal lead the pack

“Tho said football was supposed to be fun? Sunday’s meeting between Manchester City and Arsenal was billed as an epic showdown between sorcerer and apprentice that might decide the league title. It produced a total of three shots on target – which is to say as many as Brentford had against Manchester United between the 53rd and 55th minutes. Admire the tactical machinations if you like, the levels of concentration and the planning that went into it, the obviously refined level of the lack of action, but this was shit on a stick for the TikTok generation. ….”
Guardian – Jonathan Wilson

Will modern man Motta do an Alonso and stick with Bologna over Juventus?

Thiago Motta’s tactical innovations have transformed his players’ careers and taken Bologna to the heady heights of fourth in Serie A.
“The calendar showed 1 April, but there was nothing fishy about a league table that showed Bologna in fourth place. Thiago Motta’s side have held that spot for more than a month, even if it was striking to see after Monday’s 3-0 win over Salernitana that they had closed to within two points of Juventus in third. The gap was 20 at the start of February. April Fools’s Day in Italy is known as Pesce d’Aprile – April Fish. The tradition is for children to stick paper pesci on people’s backs and see how long they go unnoticed, but journalists have been known to mark the occasion with made-up stories, as happens in other countries. Bologna supporters must hope the headlines now linking their manager to Juventus turn out to be fake news. …”
Guardian

Why Fenerbahce voted on whether to leave the Turkish Super Lig

“Thousands of Fenerbahce fans arrived at their Sukru Saracoglu Stadium, on the Asian side of Istanbul, on Tuesday afternoon and took their seats in the stands. Music pumped out of the speakers. The crowd sang. Banners were displayed. None of this is unusual, except for the fact that they weren’t there for a game. Instead, the assembled fans were in attendance for something more remarkable than a standard fixture. This was an extraordinary general assembly of the club’s members who had gathered to hold a vote, the outcome of which could have resulted in them withdrawing from the Turkish Super Lig. …”
The Athletic (Video)

Why Mac Allister and Bradley are integral to Liverpool’s reimagined right-sided triangle

“Liverpool’s right-sided triangle was synonymous with their 2019-20 Premier League title win. Mohamed Salah coming inside from the wing, Trent Alexander-Arnold pushing on from full-back and Jordan Henderson rotating wide to cover — Liverpool won 21 of the 22 league games the trio started together. Among the 21 was a 2-1 defeat of visitors Brighton & Hove Albion in November 2019. But since then, Brighton have been a bogey team for Jurgen Klopp’s side — with three Brighton wins and four draws in the nine matches before the two sides met at Anfield again on Sunday. …”
The Athletic
The Athletic: Immense Mac Allister is providing the calm and control that Liverpool need right now

Kounde was one of Barcelona’s worst performers this season – but now he’s turning it around

“Jules Kounde left the pitch looking relieved. The defender had played well – again. Things seem to be returning to normal for Barcelona — who beat Las Palmas 1-0 at home on Saturday in their first La Liga game since the international break — and for him. It has not been an easy season for the Frenchman but his performances are returning to the level that he and the club know he is capable of. …”
The Athletic

Manchester City 0 Arsenal 0: Defences on top as title rivals cancel each other out – The Briefing

“Manchester City versus Arsenal was one of the most anticipated games of the Premier League season but its sheer importance in the title race — and how equally matched the two sides are — resulted in a cautious and goalless first half. The energy and aggression were dialled up after the break but chances remained at a premium. After we witnessed 99 touches in the penalty area in Brentford’s game with Manchester United yesterday, this was a very different sort of game. Technical, tactical, tense. …”
The Athletic