“It is rare to see such a basic approach working in a high-level football match, but Atletico Madrid’s style in their 5-2 thrashing of Real Madrid felt like old-school Atleti: 4-4-2, and lots of balls into the channels. Diego Simeone’s approach has evolved across his 14-year spell as head coach, introducing more attacking flair. For the ‘derbi’, though, Atletico often go back to basics. And it worked on Saturday, with Atleti putting five goals past their city rivals for the first time in nearly 75 years. …”
NY Times/The Athletic – Michael Cox
YouTube: SHOCKING MADRID DERBY 🔥 Real Madrid vs. Atletico Madrid | LALIGA Highlights
Atletico dominated the derby by exposing Real Madrid in the channels
Leave a reply
“Before Sunday’s 2-1 victory against Newcastle United, Arsenal’s recent form at St James’ Park was three defeats and zero goals in three games, so it’s unsurprising that one of Mikel Arteta’s messages to his team was to ‘learn from the past’. And taking lessons was obvious in Arsenal’s performance, even after Nick Woltemade had put Newcastle ahead. Yes, they took learnings from previous trips to the north east, but they also adapted during Sunday’s game. …”
“Today marks 200 years since the world’s first passenger railway journey. On September 27, 1825, around 450 people made the 26-mile journey from Shildon to Stockton in the north-east of England on a steam train named Active, at an average speed of around 8mph. In the 19th century, Britain was the world leader in railways and in football. The relationship between the two shouldn’t be underestimated. Broadly speaking, there were three major reasons for the explosion of sport as a spectator activity in this period. The most important was the novel practice of workers getting their Saturday afternoons off, a victory for a lobbying group named the Early Closing Association, which had been formed in the 1840s. This opened up that time slot for leisure pursuits — and, in particular, sport. …”
“There is a certain aesthetic which sits alongside the most entertaining games of football — often it is that they are played at a ‘good tempo’. A player who can dictate the tempo of a match is worth their weight in gold, while identifying a team’s shift in tempo is synonymous with an increase in energy and creativity. It is a term that is frequently used within football parlance, but what exactly do we mean by it? …”
“President Trump suggested to reporters Thursday that he would move matches for next summer’s 2026 men’s World Cup away from U.S. host cities that are ‘even a little bit dangerous.’ Speaking from the Oval Office, Trump first guaranteed that the World Cup would be ‘very secure,’ but then suggested that he would intervene and strip host cities of matches. A reporter mentioned Seattle and San Francisco, which will host six games each, as cities that have pushed back against the Trump administration’s immigration policies. …”
“It’s already a familiar story for Liverpool in the Premier League. Just like last season, they sit with a comfortable buffer between their closest rivals: the only difference is that last term it was in November when they pulled away from Manchester City, Chelsea and Arsenal, not September. Granted, there’s still a long way to go and now is not the time to be writing about a club edging closer to another title win. Yet the signs are all pointing in one direction — and it’s not towards the Etihad or London. …”
“The sluggish start, followed by a second-half spark. Long throw-ins, pedestrian approach play, even the red and white stripes. Chelsea fans had seen this film before. An unconvincing 2-1 win over League One Lincoln City in the Carabao Cup on Tuesday presented some alarming similarities to 
“Brace yourselves, the World Cup countdown officially starts… now. In precisely 367 days, the 2026 edition will kick off at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City, with the tournament being hosted across three nations for the first time. To mark the upcoming milestone, The Athletic has a week of content lined up, looking ahead to the expanded 48-team World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico. …”
“Alexander Isak scored his first Liverpool goal, Hugo Ekitike was sent off and teenage defender Giovanni Leoni suffered a worrying injury as Arne Slot’s side won a dramatic and damaging tie against Southampton in the Carabao Cup third round. Southampton almost took the lead in the 42nd minute when Adam Armstrong hit the bar and Leo Scienza headed the rebound wide — but 38 seconds later, the ball was in the back of their net when goalkeeper Alex McCarthy’s pass fell to Federico Chiesa, who rolled it to Isak to finish from about eight yards out. …”
“Almost as soon as Anfield’s last visitors leave, new ones swoop in. On Tancred Road, four streets away from the district’s famous football stadium and home of Liverpool FC, changeover day in three rental properties last week was Thursday. Out went the Liverpool fans who had travelled from other parts of the world to watch their team’s 3-2 Champions League victory over Atletico Madrid. Shortly after, they were replaced by ones in town for Saturday’s Premier League Merseyside derby against Everton. Nearby, separate groups shared a four-bedroom house from Tuesday to Sunday, taking in both fixtures. …”
“Stodgy matches between Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal and Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City come as absolutely no surprise now. We’ve already witnessed a contest in which all eight defenders on the pitch were recognised centre-backs, another game when Arsenal got a player sent off and hardly got out of their own half after half-time, and a game when it barely looked like either side were even attempting to score until Gabriel Martinelli’s stoppage-time effort took a big deflection and looped in. No one is tuning into this fixture and expecting a classic. …”
“… This was the round when 
“Many frontiers have been crossed within football analytics. It was not too long ago that clubs would be lucky to obtain the most basic event metrics, such as shots, passes, and corners. Fast forward to the modern day, and the granularity of football data now is eye-watering. Players with GPS (Global Positioning System) vests are commonplace in the modern game as clubs monitor the speed, distance covered, accelerations and decelerations of each squad member in every training session and matchday. …”
“Liverpool roll on. Last season’s Premier League winners maintained their perfect start with a 2-1 victory against Everton in the Merseyside derby, but it was far from comfortable. First-half goals from the exceptional Ryan Gravenberch and Hugo Ekitike set Liverpool on course for victory but Everton were sprightly after half-time, and turned the game into a contest in the 58th minute courtesy of Idrissa Gueye’s fine finish. …”
“There will be no 11th outfielder in the Manchester City goal against Arsenal on Sunday. After eight years, Pep Guardiola replaced the silky Ederson with Gianluigi Donnarumma, whose footwork is more paso doble than quickstep. It looks unlikely that there will be a right-back who can move into midfield and connect play. The no-nonsense flying machine of a centre-back, Abdukodir Khusanov, will be shuffled across instead. There will be no hint of a false nine either, only the truest number nine in the form of Erling Haaland. …”
“Excluding goalscoring, Manchester United’s open-play problems under Ruben Amorim mainly come when they don’t have the ball. What you do out of possession also affects your in-possession game, and vice versa. While it is too early to properly judge their 2025-26 efforts, it is possible to explore issues that were present last season and are creeping in again after five games of the current one. 
“It wasn’t pretty but Tottenham Hotspur’s return to the Champions League was a winning one. A calamitous own goal by Villarreal goalkeeper Luiz Junior in the fourth minute proved enough for Thomas Frank’s side in a low-key encounter in north London, although few Spurs fans were complaining at the relative lack of fireworks. Here, we analyse the major talking points. …”
“Harry Kane scored twice as Chelsea’s return to Europe’s top table ended in defeat despite a promising performance in Munich. The England forward scored a penalty for Bayern before adding a second in a 3-1 victory at Allianz Arena in the first match of the Champions League league phase. A Trevoh Chalobah own goal from a Michael Olise cross after a drop ball had put the home side ahead before Kane doubled the lead from the spot after being fouled. …”
“Eddie Howe said it will be ‘magical’, ‘
“GUADALAJARA, Mexico – At Canteritos El Guero in the town of Tequila, Jalisco – a popular gathering spot for locals and tourists – a group of friends mingles with strangers, dancing to the sound of live banda music. Many of the men are wearing jeans and charros, a sombrero similar to a cowboy hat that is an emblem of Mexican identity. Tequila, the liquor that is most synonymous with Mexico, originated in this small folkloric community. The land that surrounds the region is replete with the blue agave plant that is the main component of the distilled spirit. Guadalajara, the largest city in the state of Jalisco, is also the birthplace of mariachi music and many other Mexican customs. …”
“Less than four months after Paris Saint-Germain lifted their inaugural Champions League title by thrashing Inter, the 2025-26 edition is upon us. The 36-team league phase of Europe’s premier club competition kicks off on Tuesday, with Arsenal facing Bilbao’s Athletic Club in one of the two early kick-offs. There are plenty of other highlights this week too, with Bayern Munich facing Chelsea in a 
“The league phase of the UEFA Champions League begins soon in what is the 70th year since the competition first took place. The first game took place on September 4, 1955 between Sporting Clube de Portugal and Partizan Belgrade, a 3-3 draw in Lisbon and the first British club to participate, Hibernian, made their bow on September 14 with a trip to Rot-Weiss Essen. … Meanwhile, Hibernian, who had finished fifth in the Scottish League in 1954-55, were confirmed as Scotland’s representative. Some sceptics wondered if Hibs were equipped to play in the competition, but Partizan had finished at the back end of their domestic top six. …”
“… In a tournament compromised by wet weather and therefore boggy pitches, hosts West Germany were not overwhelmingly popular winners. 
“This summer, the traditional ‘Big Six’ clubs signed more players from the rest of the Premier League than in any of the previous 15 seasons. 
“The map shows the average attendance of the 24 clubs of the 2025-26 EFL Championship (England/2nd division). The clubs’ badges are arranged around the coast of Britain, in grouped boxes. They are grouped by Counties or Regions. The circles-with-club-badges represent each club’s home league average attendance for 2024-25 – the larger the circle, the higher the club’s attendance last season. Each circle-with-badge points to the club’s home-venue location. That home-venue location is listed on the map, along with the club’s home-county or home-region. …”
“Aston Villa’s goal of the month for August was simple. They decided not to bother with it at all because, for only the second time in their history, Villa failed to score in their first three league fixtures. They are the only team out of 162 that make up England’s top seven leagues (Premier League down to the National League North and South) yet to hit the back of the net. A big caveat here is that they have played only three league matches, whereas some teams in lower leagues have played more than double that number. …”
“Barcelona’s Camp Nou return has been delayed again, with the club now having to play their first home match of the season at the 6,000-capacity stadium next to their training ground. On Tuesday evening, just five days before their La Liga fixture against Valencia on Sunday, the Catalan club confirmed the game will be hosted at the Estadi Johan Cruyff, which is where their reserve and women’s teams play. But we still do not know where Barca intend to play their other home games over this season. Can they really get back to the Camp Nou? Is returning to Montjuic an option? Might they even stay at the Johan Cruyff? Here is the latest on what we’re hearing, informed by sources at La Liga, Barcelona and the Barcelona city council — who all requested to speak anonymously to protect relationships. …”
“An early memory of visiting Milan involves walking through arrivals at Malpensa and being confronted by Andriy Shevchenko. Our meeting, then at least, was in portrait rather than in person. Shevchenko was the face, the masculine muse, of a monochrome Armani campaign. The poster showed him standing against a wall, pinstripe suit loosely buttoned at the lapel, his silhouette cast on marble tile. …”
“Tottenham Hotspur has been the club where everything changes but its owners. For all that managers and players come and go, ENIC has held power for almost a quarter of a century. No Premier League owner has lasted longer. The front-facing leader had always been Daniel Levy but 
“England made it four wins from four in their 2026 World Cup qualifying group, but it was far from convincing stuff. There was a fresher look to Thomas Tuchel’s starting XI, with the likes of Bukayo Saka, Phil Foden and Cole Palmer all out injured, but despite maintaining complete control of the match and never looking in any danger of dropping points, there was little to get the Villa Park crowd off their seats. A first-half own goal and a second half Declan Rice header were enough to preserve their five-point lead at the top of Group K, as they prepare to travel to Serbia — the biggest threat to their qualification hopes — on Tuesday. …”
“One of the charming aspects of following foreign football is realising that certain concepts are expressed in different ways to how it’s done in your own country. And one of these, for those of us accustomed to British conventions but who follow the game in continental Europe, is the simple passage of time. So whereas you’re generally more likely to find the 24-hour clock on the continent — a kick-off time might be listed at “19h” — it is somehow also more common for their television scoreboards to display a clock counting up from 00:00 at the start of the second half, rather than the 45:00 we’d be accustomed to in Britain. Similarly, if you read — for example — La Gazzetta dello Sport in Italy, you won’t read goals recorded as being scored in the 65th minute in its pages, but instead in the 20th minute of the second half. …”
“France struck early through Michael Olise and sealed the points with a late Kylian Mbappé breakaway to open their World Cup qualifying campaign with a 2-0 victory over Ukraine in Wroclaw, Poland. Mbappé’s 82nd-minute strike, set up by his Real Madrid teammate Aurélien Tchouaméni at the end of a rapid counterattack, took the forward to 51 international goals, drawing him level with Thierry Henry in second place on France’s all-time scoring list behind Olivier Giroud, who has scored 57. … Italy opened Gennaro Gattuso’s reign as coach with a 5-0 home win over Estonia in World Cup qualifying, wasting chances for almost an hour before exploding in the final stages of the second half to turn dominance into a rout. …”
Slovakia celebrate their second goal in the shock 2-0 win over Germany.
“As the final whistle went at Old Trafford after Arsenal kicked off their Premier League campaign with a victory over Manchester United, Josh Kroenke left his seat in the directors’ box and headed for the dressing room. Having made the trip from the United States, Josh was in Manchester to watch Arsenal’s first match of the season, something he does annually, and stayed on to watch their 5-0 win against Leeds United the following weekend at the Emirates Stadium. But after congratulating the players and manager Mikel Arteta at Old Trafford — it is not unusual for Josh to venture into the dressing room following a game — attention soon turned to planning and strategy meetings. …”
“In 1991, England travelled to Poland for their final qualification match for Euro 92. It was a crucial contest: the winners would qualify for the tournament, with a draw favouring England. Considering the importance of the game, it was a surprise that England manager Graham Taylor handed debuts to two players: Queens Park Rangers winger Andy Sinton and Crystal Palace midfielder Andy Gray. The latter was given an unusual role for the game’s opening moments. With David Platt and Gary Lineker taking the kick-off, Gray was instructed to stand just behind them and launch a diagonal ball downfield towards the corner flag, and out for a Poland throw-in. …”
“The transfer window is over. Over 150 senior players have been signed by Premier League clubs. Others have moved on to the continent. Much like every year, a club’s transfer window will likely be judged a success or a failure based on the season that follows — that big-money striker who fires his new side into the Champions League or the huge (and unresolved) hole in defence that means a club slips into a relegation scrap. But with the window having just closed, we asked The Athletic’s club reporters for their view on how it panned out for their side, and what grade they would give the club’s window. …”
“It is easy to get swept up by the excitement of a busy transfer window, the promise that a crop of talented reinforcements will rejuvenate and transform a side’s fortunes. Premier League clubs spent record sums chasing that promise this summer, but as tantalising as big-name arrivals and sweeping changes can be, can too much be disruptive? We have a recent case study: Liverpool were the biggest spenders in the summer 2025 window, but that came after a 2024-25 season in which they had barely added to their ranks at all. The result? A Premier League title in Arne Slot’s first campaign in charge. …”
“… Champagne Papi has been in Lombardy on his ‘$ome $pecial $hows 4 UK EU’ tour. He, in turn, missed Venezia, the team the Canadian hitmaker invested in, playing in Serie B. An away day in Castellammare di Stabia, hometown of Fabio Quagliarella down by the bay of Naples, either didn’t appeal or clashed with his schedule. Drake, as it happened, didn’t miss much. Venezia’s goalkeeper Filip Stankovic, son of Dejan, was the undisputed man of the match. Kitted out in 
Scissors Kick 