Cultured Football #122

Ramsdale. China. Future of Football. Bundesliga Split. Championship Return.

Aug 05, 2023

Welcome back to Cultured Football where the best football writing of the past seven days is carefully selected, just for you.

Oh Shut Up, Ramsdale!

By Aaron Ramsdale for The Players' Tribune

Ramsdale’s reflection on his career and football in general grip you from the first sentences and never let go. Heartfelt and hard hitting, emotional and inspiring. A brilliant goalkeeper and, it turns out, an even better human being. Regardless of who you support; read this.

The Top Five Foreign Players in the Chinese Super League in 2023

By Joe Rake on Medium

Before the Saudi league started hoovering ageing players, there was the Chinese Super League who did likewise. That experiment did not live long and today the quality of foreign player attracted to China is much more modest. With the exception of Oscar, a “relic of a bygone era”.

Future of Football: How will tactics evolve?

By Adam Bate, Nick Wright and Tim Thornton for SkySports

Fourteen coaches of different levels of experience and success talk about how they see football tactics evolving. A rare, insightful look at the game by those deeply involved in it.

Bundesliga on tour: playing catch-up

By Matt Ford for DW

Only two German clubs embarked on overseas tours this summer, in contrast with ten from the Premier League. This is causing a rift in the Bundesliga, with the two giants hinting their disappointment at the lack of ambition shown by the rest of the league. "We can't just keep saying that the Bundesliga is lagging behind. We have to do something about it."

Championship 2023-24 Season

By Matt Furniss for The Analyst & James Law for the BBC

The Championship returned this weekend and, as always, it looks as if it will be a tightly contested league. Predictions can be tricky to make but perhaps it gets easier with the use of data. Alternatively, there’s this look at all the 72 clubs in the Football League to get you familiarised with what is happening there.

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By Billy Carpenter for Scouted Football

Brighton have a remarkable knack for discovering talent in the most obscure places and adeptly turning it into record sales, leaving many wondering over the techniques they employ. If you are among the latter, well, wonder no more.