“Welcome to the second Bundesliga briefing of the season. And it might be the last for Erik ten Hag, who was dismissed on Mondayafter just three competitive games in charge. From the outside, that must sound ludicrously harsh, even if Leverkusen were winless across those matches, losing to Hoffenheim and throwing away a 3-1 lead (with a man advantage) to draw 3-3 in Bremen on Saturday afternoon. …”
NY Times/The Athletic (Video)
Bundesliga briefing: Why Ten Hag was sacked after two league games, and Werder Bremen’s bet on youth
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“There was something quite poignant in Jose Mourinho and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, two of the managers who ultimately tried and failed to make sense of the post-Sir Alex Ferguson Manchester United, both being sacked by Istanbul clubs within 12 hours of each other. 
“More a meeting of the infirm than a battle of the Old Firm, Rangers and Celtic arrive almost apologetically to their biggest domestic game of the season so far, the bunfight at the Not OK Corral of Ibrox on Sunday. Rangers and Celtic have their own bespoke version of Newton’s Law – when one is up the other must be down – but that’s not the case this time. For once, there is equilibrium. It won’t last, but following their European humiliations during the week, they are for now in the horrors together, side by side. Their supporters enraged, their respective boards under siege, it’s hard to remember a time when both clubs were in such a grim place at the same time. …”
“It is just 90 days since Paris Saint-Germain claimed their first Champions League with 
“Welcome to the 13th edition of The Athletic’s Transfer DealSheet for the summer 2025 transfer window. Our team of dedicated writers, including David Ornstein, will take you inside the market to explain the deals being worked on. The transfer window is open and will run until September 1. The information found within this article has been gathered according to The Athletic’s sourcing guidelines. Unless stated, our reporters have spoken to more than one person briefed on each deal before offering the clubs involved the opportunity to comment. Their responses, when they were given, have been included. We aim to bring you analysis you can trust about what is happening at Europe’s leading clubs and the latest information we’re hearing from across the market. This year, The Athletic’s football finance writer, Chris Weatherspoon, will be adding to our analysis of the transfer market. …”
“In an era when football is criticised for its tactical homogeneity, an interesting debate has arisen around the idea of defending a crossed free kick. It had become the accepted approach to use a high defensive line, keeping opponents away from the box and leaving space in front of the goalkeeper. 
“There is no doubting the sizeable and growing divide between London and much of the rest of England. A 
“The Bundesliga is back and this season it will have its own weekly column, which will focus on major stories on the pitch, but also from German football as a whole — the terraces, the culture and, because it’s Germany, the governance too. On Matchday 1, Bayern Munich thumped RB Leipzig 6-0, Borussia Dortmund let a late lead slip against St. Pauli, drawing 3-3 at the Millerntor, and Koln celebrated their return to the top flight with a 90th-minute winner in Mainz. Not such good news for Bayer Leverkusen, though. …”
“Electric is how Eddie Howe describes the atmosphere he expects at St James’ Park tonight. First home game of the season, Bank Holiday Monday, under the floodlights and Newcastle United will have the pent-up emotions of a city behind them: their frustration unleashed not upon Alexander Isak this time, but Liverpool. All summer long a sense of indignation has brewed and bubbled on Tyneside. This could be the night it boils over. Isak’s actions — spurning Newcastle and their supporters’ adoration, turning his back on his manager and team-mates as he agitates for a transfer — have caused anger. Liverpool, whom Isak is set on joining, will feel the brunt of that resentment. …”
Crystal Palace fans protested against Uefa after being demoted from the Europa League
“In his first year in charge, Hansi Flick turned a Barcelona side struggling to find their identity into the ultimate entertainers. Barca won La Liga, the Copa del Rey and the Supercopa de Espana and also reached the Champions League semi-finals for the first time in six years, scoring 174 goals across 60 matches. Along with the intricate passing sequences they have traditionally been known for, the Catalans embraced directness and verticality, becoming one of Europe’s best counter-attacking sides. Here, The Athletic break down how this Barcelona side play the game. …”
“When Martin Scorsese saw Fellini’s 8½ for the first time he was a student at New York University. Upon returning home, he tried to sketch his favourite scenes from memory and then set about thinking what the film was about. ‘Then you realise you don’t have to because it’s very simple really,’ Scorsese explained. Dreams. Memory. ‘It’s total fantasy.’ There’s nothing to get. Don’t try to understand. Let it wash over you in all its beauty and absurdity. Following Serie A is similar. The main plot points — who will win the scudetto, qualify for the Champions League, suffer relegation — often feel secondary to the elaborate, often mind-blowing set pieces that happen simultaneously. …”
“Chilean president Gabriel Boric has criticised the “evident irresponsibility” of CONMEBOL, the governing body of South American soccer, after violent clashes between rival fans caused a Copa Sudamericana match on Wednesday to be abandoned. The second leg of the last-16 tie between Argentine side Independiente and Universidad de Chile in Buenos Aires was abandoned in the 48th minute due to security concerns after rival fans clashed in the stands. The visiting Universidad de Chile supporters were situated in the tier above Independiente home fans, with local media reporting the trouble started before half time as rocks, toilets, sinks, seats, pieces of masonry, excrement, and stun grenades were thrown between rival fans. …”
“At first, it was just a short delay to the start of pre-season training. Players at the clubs of the Indian Super League (ISL) were assured that there was nothing to be worried about, just some administrative issues with the country’s top-flight league that needed to be ironed out. It was when another two weeks were added to the delay that concerns started to grow. Communication was minimal. Players were baffled about what the problem was. Eventually, in early July, it was 
“Football quite often shows that it isn’t aware of its own absurdity, and a prime example of that came last week when Enzo Maresca was discussing Levi Colwill’s knee injury. Colwill is likely to miss most of the season after rupturing his anterior cruciate ligament, which given he started 35 league games in the 2024-25 campaign, is enough to put a wrinkle in anyone’s plans. Maresca’s immediate solution was to suggest that Todd Boehly further loosened the already pretty loose Chelsea purse strings and furnish him with a new signing to plug the gap. …”
“Two late goals from Liverpool in the opening fixture of their Premier League campaign papered over some very big defensive cracks. 
“C’est la vie is the motto Tijjani Reijnders lives by, the one that inspired his trademark shoulder-shrug celebration he performed on his debut for Manchester City. That’s life and, yes, this — running football matches — is what I do. Deal with it. The Premier League certainly got the message. He played a key role in all of City’s goals in their 4-0 away win against Wolves: orchestrating the first, scoring the second, assisting the third and doing the leg work for the fourth to rank among the best debuts the division has ever seen. …”
“Arsenal began their attempt to go one better in the Premier League title race this season with a 1-0 win over Manchester United at Old Trafford thanks to a ‘new’ set-piece routine. Avram Glazer was in attendance at Old Trafford and saw the team he co-owns line up without fit-again goalkeeper Andre Onana and striker Rasmus Hojlund, who 
“Have you missed football? Probably not, because it never really stopped. But if you were struggling, fear not, because the Premier League is back. Three hundred and eighty matches, 282 days, 20 teams, endless grumbling about VARs, and almost certainly a new officiating debate that none of us have dreamed up yet are waiting just around the corner, all starting when reigning champions Liverpool host Bournemouth on Friday at 8pm BST/3pm EST. 
“Richard Masters sat down in a low armchair and awaited the barrage. The Premier League CEO has been doing the rounds on the eve of the new season and on each occasion has been assailed by the same opening question. The Premier League’s legal battle with Manchester City is unresolved. There has been absolute silence in this calendar year. Can anyone, and especially the Premier League’s most powerful figure, explain what is going on? …”
“As the new season gets under way, the 20 Premier League managers will be grappling with key selection decisions that could make the difference between a good or bad start to the campaign. So to help them, The Athletic’s dedicated club correspondents and experts have picked their own strongest XI — and justified the reasoning behind it. So without further delay, here they are. …”
“Landing transfer targets at Newcastle United this summer has been a bit like trying to nail jelly to a wall. Last week, Benjamin Sesko became the latest player to turn them down, signing for Manchester United instead and joining a list that includes Hugo Ekitike, James Trafford and Joao Pedro. Newcastle made bids for all four players this summer and ended up missing out on each of them. They also tried and failed to sign Dean Huijsen, Bryan Mbeumo and Liam Delap. On top of that, Alexander Isak, the club’s talisman and biggest asset, is attempting to force through a move to Liverpool. …”
“As Alexis Mac Allister stepped up to take Liverpool’s second penalty of the Community Shield shootout on Sunday, Crystal Palace goalkeeper Dean Henderson lingered by the post, water bottle in hand. His eyes flicked between Mac Allister, the referee, and the list of shooters taped to the bottle he was holding. Moments earlier, Mohamed Salah had blazed his attempt over the crossbar and Jean-Philippe Mateta had scored to give Palace the advantage. A save now could be decisive. Henderson glanced once more at his cheat sheet. …”
“Tactically, the Premier League is in a real state of flux. After four consecutive title-winning years with a distinct, possession and territory-based style, Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City were reduced to a third-place finish on 71 points in 2024-25 — their worst since Guardiola’s debut campaign of 2016-17. Meanwhile Liverpool cruised to the title in their first season post-Jurgen Klopp, with Arne Slot’s side developing a reputation for their flexibility and adaptability. They had 25 wins and only lost twice across the first 34 matches, by which point the trophy was theirs. Nottingham Forest showed European football can be earned with a throwback, defend-first and counter-attack strategy, while for the second season running all three promoted teams were relegated. So what might we expect from 2025-26? …”
“It was the Community Shield, and that should not be forgotten. There isn’t anybody who has been watching English football for any period of time who hasn’t made the mistake of taking too seriously a conclusion drawn in the midst of the traditional curtain-raiser, giddy on the sight of Wembley in its pomp and the return of competitive club football from the summer wilderness. … They are learning a new system, the 4-3-3/4-2-3-1 hybrid of last season yielding to a 4-2-3-1. It’s not a huge shift but Wirtz, as the most advanced of the triangle of central players between the centre-backs and the centre-forward, is very much a forward, whereas Dominik Szoboszlai, who tended to be the most advanced of the central midfield triangle last season, is an attacking midfielder. …”
“Will the return of Rodri propel Manchester City back to the top of the table? Is this the year Manchester United finally regain their status as a genuine Premier League power? How will a tragic summer affect Liverpool on the pitch? Can the promoted teams break the pattern of recent seasons and stay up? The 2025-26 season kicks off on Friday and what better way to start the week than by looking ahead to what might be in store over the coming months. We asked all of our writers to submit their predicted Premier League table — you can see that a little further down this article. …”
“It’s now been over two decades since Arsenal were last crowned Premier League champions. Five FA Cup victories have eased the long wait in the years since, but an elusive 14th league title remains the priority in north London, with a third consecutive second-place finish under Mikel Arteta last season only fuelling their determination to go one better this time around. Arsenal’s recruitment drive this summer speaks to that ambition, having invested close to £200million into the squad, already the second-most lavish window in the club’s history. Martin Zubimendi was the first to arrive, one of Europe’s most coveted deep-lying midfielders, before the arrivals of Noni Madueke and, in particular, Viktor Gyokeres, began to hint at a change of approach at the top of the team — both bringing more direct dribbling and raw power to the front line. …”
An engraving depicting the match, which appeared in the 
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“In Liverpool, there is a point many wish to make. No, the local population is not hooked on grief, as loud and persistent critics have claimed over the years whenever the city has made headlines because of tragedy and other terrible reasons. There is no search for pity either, though a bit of empathy or basic understanding would be nice. What is clear is that nobody asked for this, and nobody is getting off on it. They wish these things hadn’t happened. But they keep happening. …”
“… The map shows the average attendance of the 20 clubs that comprise the 2025–26 Premier League. The main map [of England & Wales] shows the locations of 13 of the clubs; the Inset-map shows the locations of the 7 clubs that are based in Greater London. The larger the club’s average attendance from last season [2024-25], the larger their circle-and-badge are on the map(s). Each club’s home venue-name, and regional location, are also shown. Clubs are grouped by region (that is, by City or County). The location of Everton’s former home (Goodison Park) is shown, as well as the club’s new home on the docks of the River Mersey (
“Tom Byer inhales, one of fewer than a dozen breaths which it feels like he takes over the course of a 90-minute interview, and, from his Tokyo living room, begins to outline his unique theory of player development. ‘When you can close the gap between the very best and the least developed, that’s where the magic happens,’ he says. ‘That’s what you see today in Japan. Our players are some of the most recruited players in the world right now. But the thing is, most people can’t explain why Japan have become so good. And that’s because they don’t understand grassroots football.’ …”
“BBC Sport’s Graeme Langford heads deep into the Arctic Circle to see some of the most beautiful football pitches on the planet.”
“… The date was October 27, 2005, and Paul Gascoigne, one of the most naturally gifted English footballers of all time, was spelling out his grand plans for Kettering Town, having just been announced as their new manager. Gascoigne was speaking at a packed out press conference to mark the momentous occasion for Kettering, a historic non-League club playing in the sixth tier of English football. Gascoigne, who had a prominent bandage on his neck following an accident on a Christmas ice-skating special of BBC One’s Strictly Come Dancing, was sat next to another decorated ex-professional footballer, former Arsenal midfielder Paul Davis, who had agreed to work alongside him as his assistant. …”
“The 2025–26 
“Barcelona are heading back home from their pre-season trip to Japan and South Korea with plenty of encouragement for the new campaign, Marcus Rashford’s positive start among them. The 27-year-old played a part in each of Barca’s three matches on tour but enjoyed his brightest moment in Monday’s final fixture, scoring his first goal for the club in a 5-0 victory over Daegu FC. Having featured in Barca’s first two pre-season fixtures as a left winger from the bench, Hansi Flick used him as a central striker for the first time (also from the bench) and the Englishman provided a powerful finish from Eric Garcia’s cross. …”
“What if some of the biggest names in world football had chosen to play for Jamaica? From Premier League legends to Champions League winners, these players all share one thing in common—Jamaican blood. Today, we’re ranking 11 world-class footballers who could’ve worn the green and gold. These aren’t just names—they’re icons, ballers who shaped football history and carried a heritage that could have changed Jamaica’s journey forever. Some were born on the island, others grew up abroad, but their roots connect them to Kingston, Montego Bay, and the rhythm of the Caribbean. …”
“Liverpool continued their preparations for the new season with back-to-back wins in their double-header against Athletic Club. Head coach Arne Slot was able to give the majority of his first-team squad valuable minutes across the two Anfield games as the players continue to build their fitness. In the first friendly, which consisted of a mixture of youth and experience, Liverpool raced into an early lead with goals from 16-year-old Rio Ngumoha and Darwin Nunez. Ben Doak added a third before half-time and Harvey Elliott scored the fourth after 58 minutes. Gorka Guruzeta netted a consolation late on for the away side as the game finished 4-1. …”
“FIFA is facing a class-action lawsuit over its transfer rules that could include claims from every professional footballer who has played in the European Union or the United Kingdom since 2002, according to the newly created Dutch foundation behind the move. Launched on Monday, the Amsterdam-based Justice for Players (JfP) is the first group to attempt legal action against world football’s governing body using the Court of Justice for the European Union’s (CJEU) ruling in the Lassana Diarra case last October. …”
“FIFA has accused FIFPro, the global players’ union, of “blackmail” and a lack of financial transparency as tensions between the two bodies escalated. On Thursday, Sergio Marchi, the new FIFPro president, 
“If Anthony Martial hadn’t been injured in the warm-up, and Manchester United hadn’t already been missing 12 players, Marcus Rashford wouldn’t have played. It hadn’t seemed a particularly significant game: the second leg of a 
“Players are the focus of any football transfer storyline. Managers, agents and club owners add to the intrigue, of course, but it’s a relatively new role which has been garnering increased attention with every transfer window — the sporting director. Fundamentally, the remit of the sporting director is to be a link between the coaching staff and the club’s hierarchy, providing continuity, sustainability and a stable strategy in the club’s football operations. …”
“It was the brown envelopes that kept falling through the letterbox that filled Dean Windass with foreboding. Windass was a spiky but effective striker whose 18-year senior career had taken him through all four divisions, including spells in the Premier League with Bradford City, Middlesbrough and Hull City, plus the Scottish top flight with Aberdeen. While he was never one of the game’s superstars, he had earned good money at a time when English football was booming. …”
“For one of the key architects of Belgium’s golden generation, his aim was simple — ‘I want to teach the most difficult football.’ Bob Browaeys sits back in his chair at the Belgian FA’s base in Tubize, just south of Brussels. The 56-year-old coach is affable, a former goalkeeper with huge hands and a propensity to push his seat away from the table in excitement when he talks. This is a space-age facility — underlighting in the boardrooms, 11 first-grade pitches, and the literal footprints of the country’s former greats leading towards its doors. …”
“World Cup 1962, hosted in Chile, is up there with World Cup 1938 as the least fabled editions of the tournament. There’s a common link between them: they’re the only two World Cups where the defending champion has triumphed. And this one came as little surprise — it was almost impossible to find a tournament preview that didn’t imply that Brazil were strong favourites. …”
