Daily Archives: February 16, 2026

How Brazil won the 2002 World Cup: Unleashing the brilliance of Ronaldo, Rivaldo and Ronaldinho

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“… Brazil, the only side to participate in every World Cup, came relatively close to missing out in 2002. In qualification, they lost six of their 18 games, to Paraguay, Chile, Ecuador, Uruguay, Argentina and Bolivia. There briefly seemed a very real possibility that Brazil could be forced into a two-legged play-off against Australia, or even miss out altogether, and went into their final match against Venezuela needing a victory to qualify. They managed it, with a comfortable 3-0 win. But after a dreadful qualification campaign that featured 65 players, five different managers in the dugout, and not a single appearance from Ronaldo, Brazil just about made it to the World Cup. Their only qualification campaign as bad as this one? The most recent one. …”
NY Times/The Athletic (Video)

This is football without VAR. It’s not perfect, but is it better? No wonder even Eddie Howe is torn

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Sandro Tonali of Newcastle complains to referee Chris Kavanagh during Saturday’s FA Cup game against Aston Villa
“Isn’t it nice to have a weekend without VAR, where we can all simply focus on the football and refereeing does not have to dominate the narrative? This just in: that is not how football works. ‘Have we finally found the game that might turn you in favour of VAR?’ presenter Kelly Cates teased a wound-up Alan Shearer in the BBC studio at half-time of his beloved Newcastle United’s FA Cup fourth-round meeting with Aston Villa on Saturday. …”
NY Times/The Athletic (Video)

Brighton have a goalscoring problem – how does Fabian Hurzeler fix it?

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Fabian Hurzeler pictured during Brighton’s FA Cup tie at Anfield on Saturday
“Fabian Hurzeler must find a way to get his team scoring goals again if Brighton & Hove Albion are to avoid being dragged into a relegation fight. The task has been crystallised for the head coach for the rest of the season. It is all about 12 games to climb into calmer waters in the Premier League table following Saturday’s 3-0 exit from the fourth round of the FA Cup against Liverpool. Goals win games, but there have been precious few of them lately for Hurzeler’s ailing side. They failed to find the net for the third match in succession in defeat at Anfield. Only four goals have been scored as they’ve gone winless in the past six league fixtures. There is no threat or confidence in front of goal to knock opponents out of a comfort zone. …”
NY Times/The Athletic (Video)

How clubs recruit new managers: Data analysis, recruitment consultants or old-school word of mouth?

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Tottenham Hotspur’s sporting director Johan Lange (left) and CEO Vinai Venkatesham, the men who will appoint a long-term successor to Thomas Frank
“The appointment of a manager or head coach is probably the most important decision a football club’s ownership have to make, so why are so many getting it so badly wrong? The sackings of Thomas Frank at Tottenham Hotspur and Sean Dyche at Nottingham Forest last week took the number of managerial changes at the 92 Premier League and Football League clubs this season to 31. That does not quite equate to a third of sides making a switch, given two have done it more than once — Watford have named a new manager twice since the games began in August while Dyche’s departure is the third of the campaign at Forest — but it is still a staggering tally. …”
NY Times/The Athletic – Michael Cox (Video)