“The Hungary national football team represents Hungary in men’s international football, and is controlled by the Hungarian Football Federation. The team has made nine appearances in the FIFA World Cup, and five in the UEFA European Championship. Hungary plays their home matches at the Puskás Aréna, in Budapest, which opened in November 2019. Hungary has a respectable football history, having won three Olympic titles, finishing runners-up in the 1938 and 1954 World Cups, and third in the 1964 European Championship. Hungary revolutionized the sport in the 1950s, laying the tactical fundamentals of Total Football and dominating international football with the remarkable Golden Team which included legend Ferenc Puskás, one of the top goalscorers of the 20th century, to whom FIFA dedicated the Puskás Award, given annually to the player who scored the ‘most beautiful’ goal of the calendar year. …”
W – Hungary national football team
Scissors Kick: Golden Team (2021)
Category Archives: Football Manager
2025 Club World Cup final: All you need to know, tactical analysis of both teams and how to watch
“The final for the inaugural FIFA Club World Cup is set. After a valiant fight from teams across the globe, from South America, to the Middle East, to Africa, East Asia and Oceania, it is two European titans who collide in the showpiece final on Sunday, July 13. Much has been made of the gruelling calendar the summer tournament has thrust upon its participants, but Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain have outlasted the rest in the searing American heat in their hunt for the trophy — and healthy prize fund on offer. …”
NY Times/The Athletic
It is now blindingly obvious that PSG are the world’s best football team
“Sixty-two games down, one game to go, 192 goals scored and almost 2.5million people through the turnstiles. The Club World Cup has thrown up more questions than answers, but when it comes to identifying the best team on the planet, there is surely no debate. Any lingering doubts were blown away in the stifling heat of East Rutherford, New Jersey, as Paris Saint-Germain stunned Real Madrid and their vast ranks of supporters by rushing into a 2-0 lead inside the first nine minutes of Wednesday’s semi-final. The piece de resistance came in the 24th minute, a flowing move that ended with Achraf Hakimi charging down the right wing and finding Fabian Ruiz for a sublime third goal. …”
NY Times/The Athletic
PSG 4 Real Madrid 0: European champions humiliate Mbappe and Alonso to reach Club World Cup final

Paris Saint-Germain’s Fabian Ruiz celebrates with team mate Khvicha Kvaratskhelia after scoring his side’s opening goal.
“Paris Saint-Germain dominated Real Madrid at MetLife Stadium, winning 4-0 with ease to advance to the Club World Cup final against Chelsea on Sunday. Luis Enrique’s side were in control from the first whistle and went two goals ahead with only nine minutes on the clock. Fabian Ruiz opened the scoring after Ousmane Dembele pounced on a loose touch from Madrid centre-back Raul Asencio. Then in the ninth minute, a mistake by Asencio’s defensive partner Antonio Rudiger allowed Dembele to race through and beat Thibaut Courtois in the Madrid goal. While the first and second goals came from bad Madrid errors, PSG’s third was breathtaking, a blistering attack finished by Ruiz which gave Xabi Alonso’s side a real mountain to climb. Their substitute Goncalo Ramos then made it 4-0 in the 87th minute, equalling Madrid’s biggest defeat of the season. …”
NY Times/The Athletic
Independent: The lessons Xabi Alonso will have to learn as Real Madrid humbled by imperious PSG
Guardian: PSG cruise to Club World Cup final after Ruiz and Dembélé stun Real Madrid
YouTube: PSG vs Real Madrid – FULL Match Highlights & Goals

Fluminense 0 Chelsea 2: Two Joao Pedro wondergoals seal final spot, but should Brazilians have had a penalty?
“Joao Pedro scored two brilliant goals as Chelsea secured their place in the Club World Cup final with victory over Fluminense. The Brazilian, who started his career with Fluminense before moving to Britain, scored with a brilliant finish from outside the area in the first half and then calmed his celebration against his former club. …”
NY Times/The Athletic
This is Arda Guler’s Real Madrid moment – and he is seizing it
“When it comes to Xabi Alonso’s Real Madrid, nothing seems to be a coincidence, and that applies to the emergence of Arda Guler. Madrid’s new coach has been taking care of every detail since he took over in May, with the 20-year-old Turkey playmaker one of the main beneficiaries of his arrival. After their win against Borussia Dortmund in the Club World Cup quarter-finals, the coach and the player were seen heading to the team bus together as they left the MetLife Stadium. …”
NY Times/The Athletic
USMNT’s Gold Cup final defeat to Mexico a microcosm of its summer

“The lessons of this summer were fully on display in the U.S. men’s national team’s 2-1 loss to Mexico on Sunday night in the Concacaf Gold Cup final. The U.S. gutted its way to the tournament’s championship game, slaloming through a path of opponents it was supposed to beat. Mexico was a real test. … The U.S. fought the best it could. It even took an early lead. But it was clear that the quality of Mexico would prevail — and it did. Mexico dominated long stretches of Sunday’s final. It created dangerous opportunities and forced the U.S. into uncomfortable moments. It held 60 percent possession, won the expected goals battle and dominated in shots (16-6) and shots on target (8-3). Mexico was the better side. …”
NY Times/The Athletic
YouTube: United States vs. Mexico Concacaf Gold Cup Highlights

What can the Club World Cup tell us about the strength of leagues around the world?
“For those unaware, FIFA has established its own Technical Study Group (TSG) to analyse the Club World Cup this summer. Led by their chief of global football development, Arsene Wenger, the panel contains former players and coaches — with Esteban Cambiasso, Aliou Cisse, Tobin Heath, Jurgen Klinsmann, Roberto Martinez, Gilberto Silva and Pascal Zuberbuhler unpicking the key insights from each game. A recent media release from the TSG saw the panel offer their views on the tournament at the midway stage, and the conclusions were rather… jarring in places. …”
NY Times/The Athletic
Kylian Mbappe, Thibaut Courtois and the anatomy of a wonder goal and save
“Ignore all the fluff that occurs in the middle of the pitch for a moment. Real Madrid’s winning reputation is built on their clinical efficiency in both boxes. Never was that more true than against Borussia Dortmund on Saturday afternoon, with Kylian Mbappe and Thibaut Courtois showing how fiercely skilled they are in such crucial moments. There was a glimmer of hope for a Dortmund comeback after substitute Maximilian Beier’s goal made it 2-1 in the 92nd minute, but Mbappe’s expert finish restored Madrid’s two-goal lead barely 90 seconds later. …”
NY Times/The Athletic (Video)
How PSG and Bayern’s positive tactics resulted in the best game of the Club World Cup
“If the starting line-ups contain names such as Michael Olise, Jamal Musiala and Kingsley Coman on one side, with Bradley Barcola, Desire Doue and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia on the other, there is a high probability of entertainment. Yet how both teams approach the game factors in whether we see the individual flair or not. Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich didn’t disappoint the audience on Saturday, with their proactive and positive approaches resulting in a thrilling match where Luis Enrique’s side came out victorious. …”
NY Times/The Athletic (Video)
NY Times/The Athletic – PSG lean on new-found championship mentality as they target Club World Cup triumph
PSG v Bayern chaos dissected: Jamal Musiala’s horror injury, two red cards and two fine goals
“It was billed as the game of the Club World Cup and it did not disappoint. Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich produced a breathless game that had just about everything in Atlanta, and not all of it good. There was a serious injury to Bayern’s Jamal Musiala, two second-half red cards for PSG’s Willian Pacho and Lucas Hernandez and late drama with an overturned penalty decision in the French club’s favour. Musiala’s injury was the most serious incident, the German international badly damaging his left ankle in a collision with PSG goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma. It left both sets of players shocked and cast a cloud over this occasion. …”
NY Times/The Athletic (Video)
Football Architects: Rebuilding Ajax’s famous academy in Johan Cruyff’s image

“… With conversations like these, it is clear why the battle to reform Ajax’s academy was truly a battle for the soul of the Dutch giant. After the legendary Johan Cruyff and his followers regained control of the De Toekomst (The Future) in 2011, they began working with a generation of young players who are now in their prime. Arsenal’s Jurrien Timber, Liverpool’s Ryan Gravenberch, Manchester United pair Matthijs de Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui, Newcastle United’s Sven Botman, and Barcelona’s Frenkie de Jong all passed through their doors. It may have been almost a decade since Cruyff passed away from lung cancer, but his legacy is still very much alive. …”
NY Times/The Athletic

Bodo/Glimt, who reached the Europa League semi-finals last season, have implemented Cruyff’s principles
Club World Cup quarterfinal power rankings: Will Europe’s powers prevail?
“With apologies to the fans of the clubs that have been eliminated from the FIFA Club World Cup, it’s a relief that this tournament’s penchant for upsets and excitement hasn’t ended after the group stage. Like the stormy summer weather, this Club World Cup remains tricky to predict even with evidence informing a confident projection. Each team’s big-game personnel is coming through from end to end, sustaining a high level of play in this previously untested summer jamboree. …”
NY Times/The Athletic

Club World Cup quarter-final guide: Star players, tactical battles and our predictions
“This is where the Club World Cup gets serious. Football’s new-look global competition may not have convinced every sceptic so far, but the line-up for the last eight offers an intriguing mixture of European aristocrats, Brazilian excellence and even an outsider in the Saudi Arabian side Al Hilal. Here, our writers tell you everything you need to know about the quarter-finalists, while tactical expert Mark Carey reveals where each game will be decided. …”
NY Times/The Athletic
Dortmund 2 Monterrey 1 – Suspended Jobe misses Bellingham derby with Jude, fans warned over homophobic chant at Club World Cup
“A frustrated Jobe Bellingham will miss out on a first competitive meeting with brother Jude after being booked in Borussia Dortmund’s 2-1 win over Monterrey in their Club World Cup last-16 game. Earlier in the day, Jude Bellingham helped Real Madrid defeat Juventus 1-0 to set up a potential quarter-final against his brother at MetLife Stadium, New Jersey, on Saturday. …”
NY Times/The Athletic
How Sheffield Wednesday descended into chaos under Dejphon Chansiri’s ownership
“It is nine weeks since Sheffield Wednesday last played a home game but the flyposting around Hillsborough helps to illustrate a long summer of rancour. ‘Chansiri out’ is the simple, scrawled message, set against a collage of cult heroes and trophy lifts. Wednesday’s happiest recent times in the early 1990s, when they were regulars in the upper echelons of the top flight and frequent travellers to Wembley in cup competitions, seem a long time ago. It is 25 years since they were last in the Premier League and Wednesday now resemble a decaying club under the ownership of Dejphon Chansiri, a 57-year-old businessman whose family own the Thai Union Group (TUG), the world’s largest producer of canned tuna. The money has dried up and so, too, has hope. …”
NY Times/The Athletic
Real Madrid 1 Juventus 0: Gonzalo keeps shining, Mbappe’s return and a fine Alexander-Arnold cross
“Gonzalo Garcia kept up his sensational Club World Cup scoring form to send Real Madrid through to the quarter-finals with a 1-0 win against Juventus. Gonzalo’s 54th-minute header was his third in four games in the United States and was enough to give Xabi Alonso’s team the edge at Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium. The striker was later replaced by Kylian Mbappe for the Frenchman’s first appearance at the tournament after suffering from viral gastroenteritis. …”
NY Times/The Athletic
How Saudi Arabia’s Al Hilal stunned Man City in Club World Cup – ex-Premier League stars, kick-off protest and cost of exit
“Al Hilal eliminated Manchester City from the Club World Cup in a landmark victory for the Saudi Arabian team, winning a remarkable last-16 game 4-3 in extra time to cap a day of upsets. The Saudi side have shopped significantly for European stars since the state’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) took control of four teams in the Saudi Pro League in 2023 as part of its global sports push. Saudi Arabia will host the World Cup in 2034 and the sports investment arm of PIF invested a reported $1billion (£750m) in DAZN, the broadcaster that bought the rights to the Club World Cup for the same amount from FIFA, which in turn has offered an overall prize pot of $1bn for this competition. …”
NY Times/The Athletic
Inter 0 Fluminense 2: Cano and Hercules send second Brazilian side through to Club World Cup quarter-finals
“Fluminense are through to the Club World Cup quarter-finals after beating Inter 2-0 in Charlotte on Monday. Renato Gaucho’s side started quickly and took the lead after only three minutes via an opportunistic header from German Cano. Inter fans might have hoped that an early setback would spur their side into a concerted response but there was little evidence of that in the rest of the first half. Cristian Chivu’s team eventually managed to build some momentum in the second half but some obstinate Fluminense defending — and the woodwork — kept the Italian side at bay. And, as Inter pressed ever more desperately for an equaliser, Fluminense broke and sealed the game in injury time via a tidy finish from Hercules. …”
NY Times/The Athletic (Video)
How the Club World Cup has seen a unexpected flurry of red cards
“The knockout rounds of the Club World Cup begin this weekend, starting with Palmeiras and Botafogo returning to Philadelphia’s Lincoln Financial Field just two days after 64,811 fans withstood the pouring rain to watch Vinicius Junior come alive with Real Madrid. Everyone’s hoping for some magic in the round of 16 and, if the group stage matches were any indication, we can expect plenty more drama too. With the final whistle of group play now behind us, one of the major talking points from this competition so far has been the volume of disciplinary action handed down by referees. Across 48 games so far, 10 red cards have been issued. …”
NY Times/The Athletic
Marcos Acuna loses his head as River Plate exit the Club World Cup fighting in defeat by Inter

“Facundo Colidio headed their best chance of the game into the arms of Yann Sommer midway through the second half and when Inter countered, Lucas Quarta brought down Henrikh Mkhitaryan as the last man and was sent off, adding to River’s awful disciplinary record at the tournament. Francesco Pio Esposito sealed Inter’s progress against the ten men after 71 minutes when he received the ball with his back to goal on the left side of the box, opened his body up and fired into the opposite corner before Alessandro Bastoni. River had Gonzalo Montiel sent off at the death for a second yellow card as the match ended with Inter players running off the pitch showered by items from the stands and followed by a furious Acuna until he was restrained by Chivu and players from both sides. …”
NY Times/The Athletic (Video)

Where does the word ‘soccer’ come from?
“The word ‘soccer’ remains at the heart of one of the most enduring, if comparatively low-key and petty fronts of the culture war. At its most basic level, it’s a transatlantic disagreement over language, but there seems to be more to it than that. The most basic and probably most sensible point of view is that it’s simply one country — America, though there are others — using a word to differentiate one extremely popular sport from a slightly less popular sport. But use the word in the wrong context — which is to say, ‘in England’ — and you can expect paroxysms of disgust from people who seem to think it represents something much deeper. These people are, admittedly, those who are far too easily outraged (check their sent email files and there’s a reasonable chance they have also complained to a TV station about a newsreader not wearing a tie), but it seems like these people think of this as somehow chipping away at the identity of the game, and even themselves. It’s an Americanism, as everyone knows, and this is apparently something to be suspicious of. …”
NY Times/The Athletic
The Origin, History, and Invention of Soccer

Monterrey’s split defensive wall: Cool, clever, but not as new as you may think

“Twenty-six minutes into what was, in truth, a fairly forgettable Club World Cup match between River Plate and Monterrey, the Argentine side were awarded a free kick just outside the penalty area. As Franco Mastantuono prepared to take it, Monterrey goalkeeper Esteban Andrada barked instructions at his team-mates. Four of them grouped together, positioning themselves to cover the near side of the goal. A couple of metres away, another Monterrey player formed his own barrier, in line with the far post. A similar scene played out shortly after half-time. River’s free kick was wider this time; the main wall was only two strong. Again, though, there was a gap and another Monterrey player on the other side of it: …”
NY Times/The Athletic
Chelsea were mesmerised by Flamengo’s wide combinations. This is how Filipe Luis’ side do it
“After beating Esperance de Tunis with two goals that perfectly encapsulated their offensive style, Flamengo’s wide combinations proved effective in their 3-1 victory against Chelsea on Friday. Luis continued with the regular Flamengo setup, with Jorginho partnering Erick Pulgar in midfield and Luiz Araujo, Giorgian de Arrascaeta and Gerson behind the striker. However, the deviation came up front, where Gonzalo Plata, who is more of a winger than a centre-forward, started in place of Pedro. …”
NY Times/The Athletic
Off-target shots: How the rise of the ‘good miss’ is aiding talent ID in football
“Off-target shots are football’s missed opportunity, in more ways than one. As the analytics revolution began to sweep through the sport in the early 2010s, shots on goal quickly became a key area of interest, with the aim of identifying the game’s most ruthless finishers firmly in mind. Some years after expected goals (xG) came expected goals on target (xGOT) — a metric that estimates the quality of on-target shots, taking into account factors such as the angle from which the shot was taken from, and its placement within the goal frame, to give an indication of how likely the subsequent effort was likely to find its way in. …”
NY Times/The Athletic
The Alexander-Arnold and Rodrygo dynamic showed Real Madrid’s problems will take time to fix
“There was a theme in Xabi Alonso’s first post-match press conference as Real Madrid head coach: improvement will take time. After Madrid’s 1-1 draw with Al Hilal in their opening game in the Club World Cup, Alonso portrayed a calm figure who knew his side were still early in the process. … After a season when Madrid looked porous out of possession regardless of their defensive shape, one thing Alonso needs to improve is the team’s structure without the ball. Madrid’s 4-3-3 against Al Hilal morphed into a 4-4-2 when Alonso’s side were defending in a mid-block, with Jude Bellingham or Vinicius Junior slightly behind Gonzalo Garcia. …”
NY Times/The Athletic
The art of showboating: ‘People sometimes see it as a slur – it’s expressing yourself’
“… It was a passage of play that featured no-look passes, a backheeled volley, and a game of keep-ball that turned a Champions League match into ‘a kind of rondo’. Peter Bosz was furious. Furious with his own PSV players. … Back in January, PSV were facing a callow Liverpool side who were down to 10 men and trailing 3-2 in the closing minutes. Against the better judgment of Bosz, the PSV players had decided to showboat. … A couple of months later, in South America, Corinthians were beating Palmeiras 1-0 on aggregate in the second leg of the Sao Paulo state championship final. As the clock ran down, Memphis Depay stood with both feet on top of the ball. …”
NY Times/The Athletic (Video)
Which Premier League team has the toughest start to the 2025-26 season?
“There may be two months to go until the 2025-26 Premier League season gets underway, but the release of the fixture list has whetted the appetite of fans across the division. Consisting of 38 rounds of matches over nine months, with each team playing their 19 rivals once at home and once away, the opening few games are often decisive in building momentum to set the tone for the campaign, or derailing it through diminishing confidence. These early matches alone will not define a season but they play a significant role in shaping its course, and naturally attract the attention on fixture-release day. …”
NY Times/The Athletic
The irresistible madness of Boca Juniors
“Boca Juniors storm beaches. They plant their flags and wade through water. ‘The biggest popular movement on the planet’ is how they define themselves — and when they move, they move. They occupied Copacabana before the 2023 Copa Libertadores final against Fluminense. A sunburnt kid leant out of the crowd, his hair wet and eyes clear. His father had sold his motorbike so they could be there. The boy had also given up his PlayStation to pay for the journey to Rio de Janeiro. They didn’t have match tickets but they didn’t care because, as he said, ‘Look around you! Look at this! This is Boca! Come on, Boca!’ A club for the people, made great by their people. …”
NY Times/The Athletic (Video)
NY Times/The Athletic: Boca Juniors 2 Benfica 2 – Three red cards, sound and fury in Club World Cup’s best game so far
W – Boca Juniors

It’s Gianni’s world (cup)…

“Just weeks ago, the curtain fell on the club football season for much of the world. Instead of the usual two-month summer break, however, some of the best clubs in the world are preparing to compete in FIFA’s new Club World Cup, staged to mark one year until the 2026 North American FIFA World Cup. Organizing a rehearsal tournament is not new. … This year, FIFA has opted to break with tradition. Instead of sticking to international football, it’s dipping its toes into the club football pool. This expanded, summer version of the Club World Cup signals a strategic pivot and a quiet power play in the ongoing tug-of-war between football’s foremost governing bodies, FIFA and UEFA. …”
Africa Is a Country
YouTube: African Five-a-side podcast

The offside law, Bill McCracken and, a century on, the decision that changed football forever

“One hundred years ago today, at a meeting at 22 Rue de Londres, Paris, association football — soccer — changed forever. The International Football Association Board voted that Law 11 of the game, the offside law, would be altered from season 1925-26 so that two players would need to be between an attacker and the goal line to remain onside, not three as it had been previously. This was arguably the most significant rule change since football was professionalised in the mid-1880s. It is possibly the most significant until the introduction of the back-pass rule in 1992. It may even have a claim to be the biggest moment in the history of the professional sport. Every organised match played since 1925 has had its geometry defined by the June 1925 offside law. …”
NY Times/The Athletic

Chelsea players react furiously after referee GC Denton rules out a goal for offside
The history of the sash, a football shirt status symbol

“Whether it is the red stripe of Peru, River Plate or Rayo Vallecano, the diagonal sash — in all its forms and colourways — is fundamental to football kit heritage. But where does it come from and who started the trend? That depends on who you ask. In their early days, football shirts were completely plain, so to distinguish two opposing teams, it is believed that a sash band was first introduced as a tool for players to differentiate between team-mates and the opposition. …”
NY Times/The Athletic
A History of Football Kit Design in England and Scotland

Peru, pictured at the 1936 Olympics, are classic purveyors of sashed shirts
Uncovering the secrets of football’s goalkeeper gloves

“When Liverpool sealed the Premier League title in April with a 5-1 win against Tottenham Hotspur at Anfield, Alisson followed another goalkeeping great into one particular record book. The 32-year-old became the first goalkeeper since Manchester United’s Peter Schmeichel in 1999 to win the English top flight wearing gloves manufactured by Reusch. When Liverpool won the Premier League in 2020, Alisson wore Nike gloves, but in October 2023, he signed a deal with Reusch, which meant a return to a brand he used as a young goalkeeper in Novo Hamburgo, just north of Porto Alegre in Brazil. …”
NY Times/The Athletic

West Ham United goalkeeper Mervyn Day makes a save with his bare hands against Tottenham Hotspur in 1973
How West Germany won the 1954 World Cup: Herberger tactics, injured Puskas, group stage mind games?

“…There are two clear examples in World Cup history of the most exciting team at the tournament, and the neutral’s favourites, being foiled by West Germany in the final. The most obvious example is the Netherlands in 1974, but two decades beforehand, Hungary experienced almost exactly the same thing. If anything, it was even more egregious because this legendary Hungary side had previously destroyed West Germany 8-3 in the group stage — a huge victory, even by the standards of a World Cup that featured a record goals-per-game tally of 5.38. At that point, there seemed little chance anyone would stop the Olympic champions Hungary, let alone the Germans. …”
NY Times/The Athletic – Michael Cox

Champions League final: PSG 5 Inter 0 – Desire Doue stars as Parisians end long wait to become European champions

“Paris Saint-Germain landed European football’s biggest prize on Saturday night, dismantling Inter 5-0 in Munich to win the 2024-25 Champions League, only the second French side to win the competition after Marseille in 1993. PSG have made a habit of starting quickly in the Champions League this season and the final was no different, Luis Enrique’s team finding themselves 2-0 up after 20 minutes thanks to goals from Achraf Hakimi and Desire Doue. In an era in which showpiece events can be sterile, cagey affairs, this was very much business as usual for the French champions. To their credit, Inter improved after half-time but the game was sealed just after the hour mark when Doue scored his second of the evening after delightful work from Ousmane Dembele and Vitinha. Further goals from Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Senny Mayulu were merely the icing on a highly impressive cake. Their winning margin of five goals is the biggest ever recorded in a Champions League final. …”
NY Times/The Athletic
Guardian: Désiré Doué joins the global A-list to lead PSG’s coronation as kings of Europe
Wikipedia – 2025 UEFA Champions League final
The Analyst – PSG 5-0 Inter Stats: Doué Dazzles as PSG Record Biggest Ever Champions League Final Win
YouTube: UEFA: PSG 5-0 Inter Milan Champions League
***NY Times/The Athletic: We watched PSG win Champions League final with a professional head coach – here’s what we learned

Exile to ecstasy: How PSG’s ultras made their city seen and heard
“When Paris Saint-Germain face Inter on Saturday, hoping to lift the Champions League trophy for the first time in their history, they will be supported by a group of fans who have made themselves seen — and heard — throughout the season. Around 3,000 of PSG’s ultras will be at the Allianz Arena in Munich for the final. Their colourful and noisy displays have become a defining feature of the team’s Champions League run, featuring huge tifos or banners, supporters with megaphones leading songs and drums punctuating the air at their Parc des Princes stadium. …”
NY Times/The Athletic
NY Times/The Athletic – Battle of the Broadcasts: Reviewing TNT, CBS Sports’ Champions League final (Video)
Wikipedia – 2024–25 UEFA Champions League

Two people die and hundreds arrested in France after PSG Champions League victory
“Two people have died and hundreds have been arrested amid violence on the streets of France which marred Paris Saint-Germain’s Champions League final victory and provoked political recriminations. Cars were torched as flares and fireworks were set off while supporters clashed with police in the French capital on Saturday night after the match in Munich. Police arrested 491 people in Paris when crowds converged on the Champs-Élysées avenue, the French interior ministry said on Sunday. A further 68 people were arrested across France. …”
Guardian (Video)
YouTube: PSG fans clash with riot cops with 500 arrested and 2 dead after final win

Paris Saint-Germain are in the Champions League final, but has Qatar already won?
“On November 23, 2010, a lunch was hosted at the Elysee Palace, the official residence of the French president. Among President Nicolas Sarkozy’s guests that day were Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad al-Thani, now the Emir of Qatar, and Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber al-Thani, who was Qatar’s prime minister at the time. Also in attendance was the legendary French footballer Michel Platini, then-president of UEFA, European football’s governing body, and a member of the FIFA executive committee that was about to hold a vote to decide which countries would host the 2018 and 2022 World Cups. …”
NY Times/The Athletic
Relocation of Wimbledon F.C. to Milton Keynes

Graffiti on the locked gates of Wimbledon F.C.‘s home ground, the original Plough Lane, in 2006. The club, nicknamed “the Wombles” or “the Dons”, last played first-team matches there in 1991, and the stadium was demolished in late 2002. Blocks of flats have covered the site since 2008.
“Wimbledon Football Club relocated to Milton Keynes in September 2003, 16 months after receiving permission to do so from the Football Association on the basis of a two-to-one decision in favour by an FA-appointed independent commission. The move took the team from south London, where it had been based since its foundation in 1889, to Milton Keynes, a new town in Buckinghamshire, about 56 miles (90 km) to the northwest of the club’s traditional home district Wimbledon. Hugely controversial, the move’s authorisation prompted disaffected Wimbledon supporters to form AFC Wimbledon, a new club, on 30 May 2002. The relocated team played home matches in Milton Keynes under the Wimbledon name from September 2003 until June 2004, when following the end of the 2003–04 season it renamed itself Milton Keynes Dons F.C. (MK Dons). Wimbledon F.C. spent most of its history in non-League football before being elected to the Football League in 1977. …”
W – Relocation of Wimbledon F.C. to Milton Keynes
Wimbledon playing against Oxford United at Plough Lane during the 1981–82 season
Premier League tactical trends 2024-25: Goalkeeper long passes, inswinging corners and fast breaks

“It feels a lifetime ago that Arne Slot spoke about the importance of winning duels after Liverpool won away 2-0 to Ipswich Town on the opening day of the season. Nine months, 379 matches and 1,113 goals later — the second-most in a Premier League season behind 2023-24 — Slot’s Liverpool have waltzed to the title, the promoted trio are relegated for the second consecutive season, and Nottingham Forest are the first team to double their points tally from one Premier League campaign to another. It was also a season packed with tactical intrigue. Let’s dive into the trends from 2024-25. …”
NY Times/The Athletic

Xabi Alonso: Inside the deal that took him back to Real Madrid from Bayer Leverkusen
“Almost 11 years after his last game as a Real Madrid player, Xabi Alonso is back at Real Madrid as head coach. He played 236 games in five seasons for the club, winning the Champions League and La Liga once, and the Copa del Rey twice. But all these are achievements of the past, as he is well aware, due to the demands of the club. As the modern anthem says: ‘History you made, history to be made… .’ Alonso’s arrival at the Bernabeu has been a persistent rumour since the beginning of the 2023-24 season. However, it only became a serious possibility during this campaign. …”
NY Times/The Athletic
The Athletic’s 2024-25 Alternative Premier League Awards
“It’s that time of year again. Liverpool have finally lifted the Premier League trophy after securing the title last month, but the main prize is not the only thing being handed out. Mohamed Salah hoovered up the individual awards, with 29 goals securing the Golden Boot and 18 assists grabbing the Playmaker award for the second time in a Liverpool shirt. Golden glove? That goalkeeping accolade was shared between Nottingham Forest’s Matz Sels and David Raya of Arsenal, with 13 clean sheets apiece. …”
NY Times/The Athletic
Premier League roundtable: The best and worst of 2024-25
“Manchester City’s dominance finally came to an end, Liverpool were able to celebrate the title in front of their fans for the first time in 35 years, two of the ‘Big Six’ finished in the bottom six and the promoted clubs all went straight back down.Those might be the raw headlines from 2024-25 but this Premier League season offered so much more — this was the campaign, don’t forget, when a player got booked for imitating a seagull. Seb Stafford-Bloor, Tim Spiers, Nick Miller, Oliver Kay and Stuart James reflect on the highs and the lows as another year of English top-flight football reaches its conclusion. …”
NY Times/The Athletic (Video)
The Athletic’s end-of-season awards, 2024-25: Men’s football

“The Premier League title has long since been won and the battle to avoid relegation was also decided weeks ago, leaving the fight to qualify for European football in 2025-26 as the major outstanding issue of this season. As the 20 clubs of the domestic top-flight prepare to wrap up their league campaigns over the next week, including Sunday’s 10-game final day, The Athletic’s team of experts have been voting in our annual end-of-season awards. These cover the Premier League, the Championship and also the big competitions in Europe. …”
NY Times/The Athletic (Video)

Long throws are in vogue in the Premier League – Rory Delap and Stoke will be proud
“The defining moment of Stoke City’s 10 years in the Premier League came on November 29, 2008. They were playing Hull City at home, whose defender Kamil Zayatte had just played a backpass to goalkeeper Boaz Myhill. Myhill was immediately closed down by two Stoke attackers, so the standard clearance up the pitch was not an option. There wasn’t a short pass on. The next most logical choice was to go sideways and put it out for a throw — not ideal, but it would have dealt with the immediate issues. After all, how dangerous can a throw-in really be? But Myhill stopped, hesitated, stuttered, regretted every one of his life decisions that had led him to this point, weighed up his options… and kicked it out for a corner. …”
NY Times/The Athletic (Video)
How Postecoglou perfected Tottenham’s defensive setup to win the Europa League
“There will be many memories of Tottenham Hotspur’s Europa League triumph, the club’s first trophy in 17 years. One of them will be the change in tactical approach during the knockout stages, which saw Spurs become a more ruthless and efficient team. … The biggest “moment” of last night’s match fell Tottenham’s way, when Brennan Johnson put them in the lead towards the end of the first half, but it was the ‘good organisation’ and ‘clear game plan’ provided by Postecoglou and his staff that guided them to victory. …”
NY Times/The Athletic
The five moments that defined Barcelona’s La Liga-winning season
“Barcelona are La Liga champions for the 28th time after a 2-0 victory at city rivals Espanyol took the title away from defending champions Real Madrid. Lamine Yamal curled in a fine effort in the 53rd minute to set Barca on the way to the title before Fermin Lopez wrapped up the win following Yamal’s assist in the fifth minute of second-half stoppage time. It crowns a transformational season under new coach Hansi Flick, who arrived last summer to little fanfare but has given a young group of players a clear, exciting new direction. Flick’s team already lifted the Copa del Rey in a heated final against Madrid last month and thrashed their arch-rivals 5-2 to lift the Supercopa de Espana in January. They have four wins over their Clasico rivals in a single season for only the second time ever and the first since the early 1980s. …”
NY Times/The Athletic (Video)
Just how entertaining is the Premier League in 2025?

“It’s fair to say that this season’s Premier League campaign has lacked the dramatic final flourish many were hoping for. Liverpool were crowned runaway champions when they had four games left to play, while the relegation battle fizzled out as promoted trio Leicester City, Ipswich Town and Southampton swiftly returned to the Championship with little resistance. This has fed into a wider conversation — often debated furiously online — about whether English top-flight football has become dull. This came to a head after a drab, goalless Manchester derby in April characterised by sterile, risk-averse possession, with both United and City generating chances deemed to be worth less than one expected goal. …”
NY Times/The Athletic

Inside Carlo Ancelotti’s Real Madrid exit: From champions of Europe to keeping ‘suitcases at the door’

“Carlo Ancelotti is leaving Real Madrid as the most successful manager in the club’s history, 12 months after winning the Champions League with them for a third time. The 2024-25 season has been a tough one for Madrid and an exhausting one for Ancelotti. It was confirmed on Monday that he would be leaving to join Brazil, a day after the team lost their fourth Clasico of the season for only the second time in their history. They will end the season without having won any of La Liga, the Champions League or the Copa del Rey and there is a weary acceptance behind the scenes that this was the ‘end of a cycle’ for Madrid. …”
NY Times/The Athletic

Postecoglou to Wrexham, Guardiola to Saudi and Frank upstairs? Predicting each Premier League manager’s next job
“In football, we obsess over which team is going to win every competition, where every side will finish in the league and the future transfer destinations of top players. What we talk about far less is where managers will end up, other than in the unemployment queue — which, obviously, is only a metaphorical image because in reality they’re all multi-millionaires and set for life financially. Which club will Marco Silva call home after he leaves Fulham? Ever wondered where Crystal Palace’s Oliver Glasner will work next? Nope, us neither. But maybe it’s time we started. …”
NY Times/The Athletic
Barcelona’s 4-3 Clasico win summed up a season of all-out attack – but should they add more control?
“In a period when a small handful of superclubs regularly win the league, it can be difficult to differentiate between various title-winning campaigns. But Barcelona’s 2024-25 La Liga victory — albeit not yet mathematically certain — will live long in the memory. There are certain elements of this Barca season that are very specific to this particular title success. They’re playing in the city’s Olympic stadium rather than the Camp Nou. They’re using a new generation of world-class teenagers, led by Lamine Yamal and Pau Cubarsi. The thrilling victory over Real Madrid on Sunday completed a clean sweep of four Clasico victories this season. But, above all else, this Barcelona side has a distinct way of playing, broadly in keeping with the club’s traditions but also more daring, more extreme, and more end-to-end than anything in recent memory. …”
NY Times/The Athletic
Alexis Mac Allister and a secret skill that sets him apart from his midfield rivals
“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
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
Breaking down the madness of Inter 4-3 Barcelona, a Champions League classic

“Did we witness the greatest Champions League semi-final ever on Tuesday night as Inter defeated Barcelona 4-3 after extra time to win 7-6 on aggregate? Maybe. Probably. Possibly. And to borrow words from Britain’s legendary sports commentator Barry Davies, frankly, who cares? Right now, this one feels better than any of the others — a classic for the ages. If you think we are guilty of recency bias, arrest us, lock us up and throw away the key. We will need some quiet time to recover anyway. This tie was magnificent, dramatic, unpredictable, thrilling and at times just mad, with 13 goals, VAR checks, a teenager and a veteran 20 years his senior on the scoresheet, a monsoon and lots more in between. So, wish us luck as we attempt to break down the key moments of Inter 4-3 Barcelona. …”
NY Times/The Athletic
NY Times/The Athletic: Analysing Inter hero Yann Sommer’s elite goalkeeping display against Barcelona
NY Times/The Athletic: Inter 4 Barcelona 3 (agg: 7-6): Davide Frattesi settles sensational tie, sends Inter to Champions League final (Video)

PSG 2 Arsenal 1 (agg: 3-1): Decisive Donnarumma, worthy finalists, Arteta’s set-piece problem

“Paris Saint-Germain moved a step closer to a first Champions League title by withstanding Arsenal’s early barrage to book a final date with Inter in Munich on May 31. Goals in each half from Fabian Ruiz and Achraf Hakimi made it 3-0 on aggregate before Bukayo Saka reduced the arrears. Arsenal’s direct and aggressive start put PSG on the back foot in the opening stages and forced Gianluigi Donnarumma into smart saves but it was the hosts who went closest when Khvicha Kvaratskhelia’s shot slammed back off the post. …”
NY Times/The Athletic (Video)
Why do Liverpool not score from free kicks – and who should take them now?
“Let’s start with a quick quiz question. Aside from Trent Alexander-Arnold, who is the Liverpool player to most recently score from a direct free kick in the Premier League? I’ll give you a clue. It happened in 2017, and was scored by a player who, as Real Madrid target Alexander-Arnold seems set to do this summer, left Anfield for Spain. We’ll give you the answer at the end of the article, but the fact that it has been over seven years since anyone in a Liverpool shirt apart from Alexander-Arnold had success from a dead-ball points not only to the right-back’s qualities but also the team’s over-reliance on him. …”
NY Times/The Athletic
The five tactical issues that could define the Champions League semi-final second legs

“The final rounds of the Champions League are often the finest exhibits of high-calibre football. The first legs of the competition’s semi-finals provided compelling evidence of that last week, as Paris Saint-Germain edged Arsenal 1-0 at the Emirates Stadium, while Barcelona and Inter traded blows in a 3-3 draw in Catalonia. … PSG vs Arsenal: Can Arsenal find a way to stem PSG’s build-up play? PSG’s fluidity was crucial to their third-minute goal scored by Ousmane Dembele in the first leg. Smooth positional interchanges between the front six, Achraf Hakimi’s positioning out wide and higher up the pitch, and crisp passing all bothered Arsenal in the opening 25 minutes. … Inter vs Barcelona: Can Inter stop Pedri from dictating play? While Lamine Yamal rightfully dominated headlines after the first leg, Pedri’s display from midfield drove Barcelona. The 22-year-old was afforded time on the ball with Inter dropping into a compact defensive shape focused on protecting their box and limiting Yamal. That meant Pedri often found himself in situations like the one below. …”
NY Times/The Athletic

How Paris Saint-Germain’s structural brilliance neutralised Arsenal’s press

“Mikel Arteta had the audacity to call it an ‘individual moment’. He was talking about the only goal in Paris Saint-Germain’s 1-0 win at the Emirates in the Champions League semi-final first leg. Inside four minutes, Ousmane Dembele met Khvicha Kvaratskhelia’s cutback with a first-time finish that curled around bodies and beyond David Raya. It encapsulated the No 9 instincts that Luis Enrique has coaxed out of Dembele after repositioning him from a winger. …”
NY Times/The Athletic (Video)

Everything that happened as Barcelona, Inter shared a 3-3 Champions League semi-final first-leg thriller

“Barcelona and Inter played out a pulsating 3-3 draw in Catalonia, in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final. Marcus Thuram scored the fastest goal in semi-final history after just 30 seconds, before Denzel Dumfries acrobatically doubled Inter’s lead 20 minutes later. Inspired by Lamine Yamal, Barcelona roared back thanks to the teenager’s stunning solo goal and Ferran Torres’ neat finish. Dumfries scored again to make it 3-2 but that lead lasted only a minute, as Raphinha’s fierce strike from range went in off Yann Sommer after crashing against the crossbar. It sets up the intriguing prospect of a winner-takes-all second leg at San Siro on Tuesday. …”
NY Times/The Athletic
74 passes and one shot: Breaking down Inter’s 2010 Mourinho masterclass vs Barcelona
“The last time Inter visited Barcelona for a Champions League semi-final, back in April 2010, the night teemed with fascinating subplots. It begs the question: has a match ever contained this much narrative? There was the backdrop of Inter’s Icelandic ash cloud-affected first-leg victory, simmering ideological and personal antipathy between Jose Mourinho and Pep Guardiola, the Samuel Eto’o-Zlatan Ibrahimovic swap deal, the Milito brothers on opposing sides, and the very of-its-time dilemma of how to fit Lionel Messi and Ibrahimovic into the same team. …”
NY Times/The Athletic
Arsenal 0 PSG 1: Dembele and Donnarumma heroics leave Arteta’s side facing daunting trip to Paris
“Arsenal face a trip to the French capital next week with a one-goal deficit after losing at home to Paris Saint-Germain in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final. Just like the tie against Real Madrid in the quarter-final, the Emirates crowd created a raucous atmosphere before kick-off for their side’s first Champions League semi-final in 16 years. But Ousmane Dembele put PSG in front after four minutes to quieten the home support with his 25th goal in 2025. …”
NY Times/The Athletic
