“Barcelona are one of the favourites for the Champions League, having qualified from the first phase in second place, and are a joy to watch again, but Hansi Flick has problems to solve. Goals from Lamine Yamal and Ronald Araujo in the 2-2 draw with Atalantatook them to 28 goals from their eight matches, six more than any other team, but 20 sides in the league conceded fewer than their 13 goals against. That is the problem for this young Barca side: their attacking three of Raphinha, Robert Lewandowski and Yamal are a constant threat — the issue comes at the other end and came into focus against Atalanta. …”
NY Times/The Athletic
Barcelona are brilliant in attack but shaky at the back. How far can it take them?
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“Few people expected 
“When 
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“.Over halfway through the 2024-25 season, for fans of certain teams outside the traditional ‘Big Six’, the first item is all they need. Specifically, that is, a table of the current 
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A mural of Arsenal co-chair Josh Kroenke on the approach to the Emirates Stadium
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Custom-made Diadora shin pads made for Roma’s Francesco Totti in 2006, which now appear thoroughly retro by modern standards 
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“Today’s Spanish Supercopa final between 
“The FA Cup is the oldest football tournament in the world. The 2024-25 FA Cup is the 144th edition of the tournament. The FA Cup Third Round is when the teams from the top 2 divisions in England – the Premier League, and the EFL Championship – join the competition. The 20 Premier League teams and the 24 Championship teams join 20 other lower-leagues teams. …”
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The name of the Metro station as displayed in 
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“Heartbreak, again, for Monaco. Despite another nip-and-tuck match against Paris Saint-Germain – much like their meeting in Ligue 1 three weeks ago – Monaco were cruelly felled at the death in the Trophée des Champions. Ousmane Dembélé scored the only goal of the game in the 92nd minute, finally beating Monaco’s second-choice goalkeeper Philipp Köhn, who put in a fantastic display. The real star of the show though – as has been the case all season – was Monaco manager Adi Hütter. …”
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“When the post-match discussion focuses on the player who has been dominating headlines in the previous days, it’s fair to question if that analysis is reasonable, or whether it’s simply a convenient narrative to keep everyone talking. On this occasion, the analysis was entirely fair: 
“Talk to 
“Welcome to The Briefing, where every Monday during this season The Athletic will discuss three of the biggest questions to arise from the weekend’s 
“Earlier in the season, Frank Lampard spent some time with 
Scissors Kick 