Salernitana’s survival in Serie A this season was a scenario few saw forthcoming. Spending most of the term stuck at the bottom, with question marks on whether they would even finish along with the rest in May, they shed doubts around them definitively to end up safe in 17th-place. A gallant rush of energy injected … Continue reading U.S. Salernitana 1919: The Impossible Dream Fulfilled
The case of right place, wrong time is an authentic fear. In public life it could be that one invites another for a quiet glass or two in the local pub, a respite period after a hard week at work, yet despite turning up to the right place on the Saturday, it turns out on … Continue reading SpVgg Greuther Fürth: At the bottom, but not in the barrel
If there is a singular statement that you could write highest on the wall, above all of the rest of the analysis and discourse in Spanish football, it would be that of a great Argentine. Not Lionel Messi nor Diego Maradona, but his right-hand man at the 1986 World Cup, Jorge Valdano. “Football is a … Continue reading Two glitches in LaLiga’s matrix
Last summer saw significant managerial change in Serie A, as eight of last term’s ten top-half teams entered the new season with new head coaches patrolling and prowling along their technical areas. For some, such as at Inter and Napoli, it was to continue existing sporting projects with a consistent core kept on the pitch … Continue reading Bologna F.C. 1909: Reaping the rewards of continuity
Like the imperfections in somebody’s appearance, imbalances in football are often what catch the eye. And, in the case of the less renowned nerazzurri in the Italian game, Atalanta’s attacking overloads have seldom failed to dazzle over the previous five years. Atalanta’s exuberance, creativity and sheer excitement have all been the brainchild of Gian Piero … Continue reading Are Atalanta’s advances losing their appeal?
In a summer of so many lows and very few highs for Futbol Club Barcelona, one glimmer of positivity and hope that has shone through the darkness is the emergence of Pablo Martín Páez Gavira, better known as “Gavi”. The Sevillano midfielder joined the ranks of La Masia as an 11 year-old prospect after leaving … Continue reading Intelligent and boisterous: Barcelona’s Gavi is redefining the role of the typical Catalan midfield maestro
That Racing Club de Strasbourg Alsace could appoint a coach of Julian Stéphan’s calibre was, in itself, an indication of the extent to which the side from eastern France have grown increasingly comfortable with their rediscovered Ligue 1 status. Stéphan, son of Guy, replaced the outgoing Thierry Laurey in May. The change felt decidedly timely … Continue reading Derby win provides Racing Club de Strasbourg Alsace and Julian Stéphan with nascent vindication
Back-to-back defeats prompted a wrong turn down memory lane for Juventus supporters. In Naples, they had been completely outfought, outthought and outmanoeuvred after they lost 2-1 to Luciano Spalletti’s resurgent Napoli. It triggered a stark warning from Leonardo Bonucci in their press conference prior to the midweek trip at Malmö. Bonucci told the Italian media, … Continue reading Allegri’s limp return is a health warning for the Old Lady
Twisting and turning, aching and groaning, knees burning; Atlético de Madrid finally came round the ultimate bend in last season’s title race with nothing more to give. Every last life had been used, every slice of fortune pawned away and all of their reserves exhausted. Even while toting a double-digit lead earlier in the season, … Continue reading Atlético de Madrid’s evolving place at LaLiga’s top table
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