The football blog for fans of all clubs
One of the things I love most about the Bundesliga – and this may be falling into a stereotype but it’s true – is how even the clubs are every year. Yes, Bayern dominate and Leipzig is upending the long-time business norms, but clubs like Gladbach and Wolfsburg are title contenders one year, and relegation […]
The matches in Italy are coming hard and fast now, as European competitions give way to three games in eight days time of the year. Those who had to travel across Europe and return back to Italy, many of whom have players who also were away on international break, have to balance workload and tired […]
The match was billed as a true test for both sides. Lazio of course already had a big victory over Juve but in the league itself had not shown a consistent form. Milan stole the headlines in the transfer window and had dispatched lesser sides in Serie A and Europa League to this point. The […]
The wandering in the international break desert is over and the clubs are ready to resume the season. The Azzurri had a rough go over the last week plus but look poised to again make the World Cup. As we begin matchday 3 it will be interesting to see what shape players return in and […]
How do you solve the enigma wrapped in a puzzle that is the U.S. Men’s National Team? With two opposite coaches in pedigree, style, and almost everything else, neither Jurgen Klinsmann or Bruce Arena 2.0 have this side playing consistent, quality football. That leaves one of the few countries to qualify for every World Cup […]
One week into the Serie A season and everything looks normal. Spots one through four are (in order) Internazionale, Juventus, Milan, and Napoli. Even with new technology the refereeing decisions seem to be favouring the favourites. Gigi Buffon continues to defy age and stake a claim as the best keeper in the world with another […]
Much ink has been spilled about the away goal advantage in a knockout competition, and we will not relitigate it here. What we will say is undeniably it gives the result of the first match an outsized advantage as it alters the tactics of the second leg. If there was any doubt about this statement, […]
Not too long ago, Serie A was considered a selling league. The league’s brightest young stars left for larger clubs and Serie A sides collected the money and invested. Along the way, new owners and new money came into the league. Now we face a new reality. Serie A has once again positioned itself as […]
The end of the summer transfer window is an insane time for a manager. January is a short burst of insanity in player acquisitions but because it is midseason, most major names say put. Summer is when your squad can be altered at the last second because a rival club makes your Board an offer […]
The Liga Nos season started with an intriguing matchup, as the defending title holders Benfica hosted Braga, who finished fifth in the league last season. While Benfica are the favourites to defend their title, Braga would prove a good opening test for manager Rui Vitoria. The squad sheets had both sides lining up in a […]
The U.S. Open Cup is not held in the same esteem as other league cups around the world. However, there are times when the matches send a message about the state of the game in the U.S., and the make-up match between Miami FC and FC Cincinnati seemed to be just that. There were a […]
The modern manager is part showman, part lawyer, part negotiator, and part masochist. At any level, from the Premier League to the semi-professional leagues, the man in the tracksuit or coat and tie roaming the side lines is an intermediary between the players, fans, and ownership. At the highest levels, those managers who succeed are […]
As we have mentioned repeatedly in this column, managers have an incredible survival instinct. They seek whatever advantage they can on the pitch and in the boardroom. Another potential ally or hurdle is the media. The way a manager interacts with the media is key to his or her longevity in their career. One wrong […]
Two weeks ago, I wrote about two interesting statistics about football managers. First was the large number of unemployed one-time managers and how hard it was to get rehired once you were sacked. The second was the dearth of opportunities in the U.S. for women managers, even in the women’s professional league. The common thread […]
This week two news articles from different sides of the Atlantic caught my eye. They were about different subjects in football but they play into the same idea of why certain people are hired to be managers at the professional level, and some are not. The first was an article from the States about the […]
On Tuesday, a legend of the game of football passed away rather suddenly at the young age of 68. This man was a manager extraordinaire, a giant of the game whose legacy will long outlive him. However, many people, even football fans, will not recognize the name Tony DiCicco and fewer will realise his impact. […]
The U.S. got a much-needed result in World Cup qualifying this weekend with a 1-1 draw with Mexico. The Azteca has long been a house of horrors for the Yanks but in this match, they looked more than a match for the home team. In fact, the U.S. side that was on the pitch looked […]
As a growing football/soccer nation, the United States is still going through some growing pains. If it were a person, MLS would have just graduated with a degree and be moving back home with his parents to find a job. It is stable, financially viable, but still finding its way in a soccer market where […]
Like many of you, I watched the Champions League final with intense interest to see what promised to be a fascinating tactical battle. Like most of you, I was rather surprised with the ease in which Real Madrid dispatched of a Juventus side that had conceded three goals in their entire Champions League campaign. In the […]
Huddersfield Town were having a fairy tale season before defeating Reading on penalties to win promotion to the Premier League. They had finished near the bottom of the Championship last season and had one of the lower payrolls in the division. They gambled on hiring a first-time manager who had never worked outside of Germany. […]
