“The Champions League’s new format may have given every team only two possible opponents in the round-of-16 draw but that has done little to dampen the excitement now that we know the eight ties. Liverpool’s prize for topping the league-phase table is a humdinger of a showdown with French giants Paris Saint-Germain. Other high-profile ties include a Madrid derby, with Real and Atletico meeting over two legs, and a heavyweight clash between Germany’s leading lights Bayern Munich and Bayer Leverkusen. …”
NY Times/The Athletic
Champions League last-16 draw analysed: Liverpool-PSG tops bill alongside Madrid derby and Bayern-Leverkusen
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“Morocco’s run in this World Cup has been exhilarating. Led by Paris-born coach Walid Regragui, who took over only three months ago, the Atlas Lions have exceeded all expectations, defeating three former European colonial powers (Belgium, Spain, and Portugal) and are now up against France. From the mass prayer sessions in Indonesia to the celebrations on the streets of Somalia and Nigeria, this team has won the hearts of millions—Africans, Arabs, Muslims, and migrants who see themselves in this team. Images that will endure: playmaker Hakim Ziyech’s light-footed turns, midfielder Sofian Amrabet—dubbed Minister of Defense—and his barreling runs, and team captain Achraf Hakimi’s post-match embrace of his mother, who worked as a domestic in Madrid, Spain, while raising her children. But for Moroccans, it’s also the Moroccan takeover of the Qatari stadiums that has captivated the world: the pulsating drums, castanets, colorful outfits, and elaborate songs. …”
“When a manager turns a match around in the second half, the logical question to ask is: what did they change at half-time? That was the first question Juventus’ head coach, Thiago Motta, was posed on television last night after his side changed the tide against Inter to earn a 1-0 Serie A home win. … Then in the post-match press conference, Motta was asked again about his half-time message, and explained that he’d talked about ‘the usual things’ alongside ‘small details’. …”
“It was a moment many watching the game may have missed — but it has become increasingly common for Andoni Iraola and Bournemouth fans. As Milos Kerkez passes backwards under instruction from Bournemouth team-mate Antoine Semenyo during Saturday’s match at the St Mary’s Stadium, Southampton forwards Kamaldeen Sulemana and Paul Onuachu start to press the intended recipient, Dean Huijsen. Centre-back Huijsen controls the ball with the studs of his right boot, then rolls it to open up his body. …”
“Gunnar Nielsen’s 
“Jude Bellingham was sent off on Saturday for swearing at a referee — but the Real Madrid midfielder insists the incident that saw him shown a red card was a ‘miscommunication’. Bellingham says his red card against Osasuna was down to referee Jose Luis Munuera Montero misinterpreting him swearing as an insult directed at the official. Carlo Ancelotti explained at full time the sending off was a mix-up over Bellingham’s use of the phrase’f*** off’, which he claims was used to voice his confusion over a decision as opposed to abuse the referee. …”
“One of the most successful and lucrative commercial rights partnerships in football is ending. On Tuesday, it was announced that 
“Lloyd Kelly’s first start of 2025? Against Bromley of League Two, English football’s fourth tier, in the FA Cup’s third round on January 12 as one of nine Newcastle United changes to their previous line-up as coach Eddie Howe fielded a largely second-string side. Kelly’s second start of 2025? Against Dutch title holders PSV on February 11 in a Champions League play-off to decide who goes forward to the round of 16 next month as the 26-year-old defender made his home debut for Juventus, 36-time champions of Italy and two-time winners of the European Cup/Champions League (among their nine appearances in the final). …”
“Football very rarely goes to plan. AC Milan’s new strike force were supposed to quickly start scoring a lot of goals. Feyenoord selling their best player was supposed to mean their season was over. Bayern Munich were supposed to crumble away from home again. Oh, and VAR was supposed to eradicate horrendous refereeing decisions. As you can see from last night’s Champions League play-off knockout clashes, the sport rarely fails to disappoint when it comes to predictability. Here Tim Spiers analyses the key talking points from Wednesday evening’s matches. …”
“Erling Haaland scored against Real Madrid for the first time in his career. And then scored another. But Manchester City still lost at home to the Champions League holders. It will have felt all too familiar for Pep Guardiola and his team as they threw away a 2-1 lead with four minutes of normal time to play at the Etihad, being stung first by one of their former players, Brahim Diaz, and then the tireless Jude Bellingham, who steered the ball home from close range in added time. Oh, and earlier in the game Kylian Mbappe had scored with his shin. …”
“Donald Trump’s inauguration as the 47th president of the US captured global attention, signaling a monumental shift in both American and international politics. Sitting among some of the wealthiest people on the planet was FIFA President Gianni Infantino, and his presence has raised eyebrows. In the weeks following the inauguration, Infantino has posted about Trump on Instagram more than any other world leader. Under normal circumstances, this might not seem unusual, given that the US is set to host the FIFA Club World Cup later this year and will co-host the 2026 FIFA World Cup alongside Canada and Mexico. …”
The fans who vanish from the terraces live on in the memories of the supporters they leave behind.
“During the 
“Pep Guardiola described it as ‘the best lesson you can take’. Abdukodir Khusanov’s language teacher might beg to differ. The Manchester City manager was talking after Khusanov endured a difficult debut against Chelsea recently, when the 20-year-old gave away a goal and picked up a yellow card inside the first five minutes. Asked whether he considered substituting Khusanov at that point, Guardiola replied: ‘Well, I have to learn Russian or Uzbek to communicate with him. He doesn’t speak English.’ On the same day, at the other end of the country, another player who arrived in the Premier League without a word of English was enjoying the best moment of his career so far. Dango Ouattara, who joined Bournemouth from the French club Lorient two years ago, scored a hat-trick against Nottingham Forest. …”
“In football the concept of a ‘trio’ is generally reserved for a group of three who play in the same department of a team. We talk about an attacking trio, a midfield trio or a defensive trio. But Arsenal’s tactical approach in their comprehensive 5-1 victory over Manchester City was all about a trio down one flank. Left-winger Leandro Trossard, left-centre midfield Declan Rice and left-back Myles Lewis-Skelly combined excellently throughout the game. Arsenal’s passing network from the game tells the story neatly. There’s almost no connection between the equivalent players on the other flank. But Trossard, Rice and Lewis-Skelly played close together, operated in each other’s zones, and spun their way into good positions in behind. …”
“Arsenal fans — or indeed, supporters of [insert team you support here] — may feel aggrieved at recent refereeing decisions, but at least you haven’t had to play against 12 men. That’s unless you’re a supporter of Dutch side Heerenveen, who were on the wrong end of one of football’s most basic rules being flagrantly breached during their top-flight match against Fortuna Sittard at the weekend. Visitors Fortuna made a late double substitution with Heerenveen — now managed by legendary former Dutch striker Robin van Persie — 2-1 up. But only one of the players getting replaced actually left the field. The match resumed, the 12 men of Fortuna won a throw-in and from that, albeit after the error was spotted and rectified, a corner which brought their equaliser, and the match ended as a draw. …”
“Liverpool this season have been very good at being good enough. There have been very few games in which they’ve dismantled the opposition. They have won fewer league games by more than three goals than Tottenham have, but ended the day nine points clear at the top with their closest rivals to play the defending champions on Sunday. If 
“The faces surrounding Cesc Fàbregas were glum, yet he spoke like a conquering general: bellowing praise at his troops as he strode among them, pointing at his eyes then pounding a fist into his open palm. ‘We devoured them! We devoured them! 
“There has been a trend towards younger, or at least more progressive, managers in France of late, and largely to good effect. The football played by Will Still, Luka Elsner and Liam Rosenior is innovative, modern and genuinely thrilling to watch. Older managers are also making their mark. Franck Haise is doing much the same at 
“Arsenal dominated the Premier League champions at the Emirates Stadium, beating Manchester City 5-1 to keep pressure on Liverpool at the top of the table. Mikel Arteta’s side took the lead within two minutes through Martin Odegaard before Erling Haaland equalised with a thumping header early in the second half. City were only level for a minute or so, though, before Thomas Partey restored Arsenal’s advantage. From then, the home side were in total control. Impressive 18-year-old full-back Myles Lewis-Skelly and forward Kai Havertz added more goals, before an outstanding curling strike from 17-year-old Ethan Nwaneri, on as a substitute, added further gloss in stoppage time. …”
“One of the familiar tells of St Pauli’s standalone attitude to their kit, until recently, was the sleeve patch advertising a local brewer. Astra make much of their alternative worldview too, as well as their attachment to the location of their microbrewery in the Reeperbahn. Like the football club, they see themselves at the heart of St Pauli’s community. Astra’s logo, spray-painted on the main stand at Millerntor, is particularly evocative of where they’re at. It’s a red heart with an anchor piercing the top, a nod to the city of Hamburg’s maritime heritage resembling a sailor’s tattoo (which is why it always looked so satisfying on the upper arm of St Pauli’s jerseys). …”
“
“Few people expected 
“When 
“Realistically, 
“.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 
“Inside the dressing room, there is a poster permanently positioned above the door. Three hearts, angel wings and the names of the girls — Alice, Bebe and Elsie — who, tragically, shockingly, have become known around the world. It was put up after the almost unspeakable horrors, on July 29 last year, that have traumatised this seaside town. … If you are not familiar with Southport, 20 miles outside Liverpool in the north west of England, you might not realise how close the club’s stadium is to the scene of the savage, indiscriminate attacks 
“Not for the first time this season, 
“Midway through the second half of 
“If football viewers are forced to pick a part of matches they could fast-forward through, the most popular choice is likely to be throw-ins. Usually, these are trivial to the audience; just a means to resume the action after the ball goes off one side of the pitch or the other. The fun ones are those launched into the penalty area towards a cluster of players from both teams battling to get on the end of it. The most iconic long throw-ins in 
“Diego Simeone’s super-charged Atletico Madrid were just too much for Xabi Alonso’s eventually overwhelmed 
A mural of Arsenal co-chair Josh Kroenke on the approach to the Emirates Stadium
“Since the recent rise to prominence of set-piece coaches in football, we have grown accustomed to scrutinising a dead-ball situation to within an inch of its life. Professional dance troupes would be proud to pull off some of the choreographed routines implemented by 
“There are different ways to score a hat-trick. Not the method itself, but how a player scores their three goals — a hat-trick can come from three tap-ins, or three long-range strikes alongside an incredible performance. 
“It is 76 days since 
“Jorge Jesus winced as he read what sounded a lot like the last rites. … The situation belongs to Neymar. The cloudy future, too. In that small Riyadh press room, Jesus confirmed he would not be registering the forward for the second half of the Saudi Pro League season, effectively drawing a line under this latest chapter of his career. It is not clear what will happen next. Neymar is 33 in February. As Jesus was at pains to emphasise on Thursday, his ability is not up for debate. His recent injury record makes for grim reading, however: the Brazil forward has not started a match since suffering an anterior cruciate ligament injury playing for his country in October 2023. Zoom out a little further and it is just 733 competitive minutes in 23 months. …”
Custom-made Diadora shin pads made for Roma’s Francesco Totti in 2006, which now appear thoroughly retro by modern standards 
“Before Omar Marmoush was racking up goals and assists in the 
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“Living on the doorstep of footballing monoliths can come in handy sometimes. With Greater Manchester in the grip of a cold snap last week, Salford City were left without anywhere to train. The pitches at their Littleton Road base were frozen solid. Salford rent the pitches from 
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“The quality was not the same, but 
“… Twelve years may be a long time by its basic definition, but in international football? Try telling England fans that constitutes a long wait. For Spain, there would be no prolonged drought, no pining for an unrepeatable generation, and no arduous, decades-long reinvention of both style and type of footballers. Though the likes of Sergio Busquets, Xavi and Andrés Iniesta might never come along again, nobody was spending much time looking to the sky with their palms out. … Of the 715 minutes of football they played across the tournament, very few of which were against lower-ranked nations, they were behind for just over 33 of them. Spain were rarely hit, never mind knocked down. …”
“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 
“The football analytics boom has been firmly established, but its role within the game remains debated. Some argue that data has cleansed the game to such an extent that football has become too uniform for the average fan. For others, a data-led approach is romanticised as the tool that helps clubs find an edge in creating their underdog story. Whatever your opinion, data analysis, paired with video technology, is becoming increasingly complex in football — even if its impact on a team’s tactical approach continues to be discussed. The Athletic’s Michael Cox recently provided a compelling argument that the work being undertaken within football analytics might not have been applied as much on the pitch as we might have thought. While data-led recruitment — 
“… It may sound futuristic but football is already heading in that direction, the most well-publicised example being 
“Claudio Ranieri does not have all the answers. It can seem as if he does: the man who steered Leicester to a Premier League title and who long before that built a reputation in Italy as the first person to call when a top team was failing. In case of emergency, do not break the glass, just dial Claudio instead. He had retired after leading Cagliari to an improbable escape from relegation last season, but 
“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. …”
“The celebrations were not what they might have been. Bayern Munich had planned a Christmas display after the Friday night game with RB Leipzig, the full stop to their calendar year, which was swiftly cancelled after news filtered through of the 
Scissors Kick 