“It may seem a strange thing to say about a man who has won the World Cup, Copa America and Premier League over the past two-and-a-half years, but Alexis Mac Allister’s genius is underrated. Perhaps this is simply what happens when you play in the same national team as Lionel Messi, and have Mohamed Salah as a club team-mate. Maybe it is down to his unassuming nature. Or could it be his physical size? At Anfield, his fellow midfielders Dominik Szoboszlai and Ryan Gravenberch literally stand out more than the 5ft 9in (176cm) Argentinian. …”
NY Times/The Athletic
Daily Archives: May 10, 2025
How the Premier League fell in love with long throws again
“Football tactics have experienced a boom in recent years, but even the most progressive fan still loves to see their team ‘stick it in the mixer’. In many ways, the football we watch has become increasingly cultured in the Premier League, but ask yourself this: who doesn’t reminisce about Rory Delap’s iconic long throw-ins for Stoke City in the late 2000s? The drop in directness from these towards the end of the previous decade in the Premier League coincided with a decrease in the percentage of goalkeeper passes played long — defined as ones that travel at least 32m (35 yards) — as more teams were focusing on maintaining possession, building out from the back, and recycling the ball if they lost it. …”
NY Times/The Athletic (Video)
Bruno Guimaraes and the art of winning (100) free kicks
“Mohamed Salah is five goals clear of Alexander Isak in the race for the Golden Boot and leads Newcastle United’s Jacob Murphy by seven in the assist charts. While Salah looks a shoo-in for both accolades, there is a Newcastle player who dominates the Egyptian at one (admittedly niche) skill. When Bruno Guimaraes received a throw-in from Kieran Trippier and was tripped by Simon Adingra in the 65th minute of Newcastle’s 1-1 draw at Brighton & Hove Albion on Sunday (below), it appeared an instantly forgettable moment. …”
NY Times/The Athletic
