(This piece was written following the September 18-19 football weekend.) Over the previous international break,…
Kaleidoscope
Romelu Lukaku – What Was It That You Said About Slow and Clumsy?
I sometimes wonder how tough life must be for a Premier League footballer. The ball…
Eredivisie Overture: Part One
The Dutch are a society littered with contradictions. Rising waters threaten a country largely below…
Portugal in the 21st Century – The Cost of Gold
The European Championships this summer were a lesson in team play, for both the robust…
Manchester United, Ronaldo, Kathryn Mayorga, and Us: Everyone Has a Choice
450 goals in 438 games for Real Madrid. 101 in 134 for Juventus. 91 in…
Football, Covid, and Quiet: How Much of It Do We Really Need?
This sport we love is loud. It is heavy handed, a picture of excess and…
Eric Lamela – The One That Slipped Away
Erik Lamela is 29 years old. There is something almost cruel about this sentence, which…
Forget the Tournaments, Football Is Already Home
Football is obsessed with nostalgia. At no time is this more evident than during international…
The Broken Jigsaw: Joachim Low’s Legacy
Is a legacy what you leave behind in the past or what is built upon…
FP Data Check: Manchester United Season Review 2020-21
Data and charts courtesy Lee Chunhang. David de Gea did not want to take that…
Arsenal 1970-71: There and Back Again
This week marks fifty years since Arsenal won the league-and-cup double. There is a lot to learn from that season – for the club and fans both.
Case for the Planet: Football Needs to Think
By any football club’s standards, 2020 was a catastrophic year. Pandemic-driven shortfalls caused by the…
FP Book Review: My Life and Lessons in Red and White – Arsène Wenger
What is the measure of a life? Is it tangible successes or achievements, personal or…
The Jersey or the Jacket? – The Road to Becoming a Manager at a Big Club
Dennis Bergkamp is my favourite footballer (or organism) of all time. From watching the calm,…
The 4-3-3: A Revolution, Triangles and Arrogance
On the 16th of July, 1950, a great crowd surged into a seatless, concrete grandstand…
Book Review: What You Think You Know About Football is Wrong – Kevin Moore
The word ‘myth’ comes from the Greek ‘mythos’ which has a range of meanings—word, saying,…
Why All Eyes Should be on Serie A
Illicit Activities, Champagne Football, and a Three-Way Title Race – let us convince you that…
Football Literature: The Gift That Will Always Give
Football touches on every aspect of life, which means you can put a book about…
My Life in Red and White: Wenger and the Artist’s Curse
The word “passion” has become a bit of a joke. It’s the kind of superficial…
Football fiction: Old Leather
I’m holding these old boots in my hands. Nike Tiempos. Leather. White with lime green…