Cultured Football #125
Goalkeepers' Evolutions. Lukaku's Bad Decisions. Fairytale in Serie B. Tough Gig for Farke. Saudi Spells Trouble.
This is Cultured Football, where the best football writing of the past seven days is carefully selected, just for you.
The Evolution of the Ball-Playing Goalkeeper
By Ryan Benson for The Analyst
Football is constantly evolving, and one of the most significant changes of the past decades has been in the role of the goalkeeper. No longer is it enough for a goalkeeper to be a good shot-stopper; they need to be good with the ball at their feet to add to their team's play. An evolution that was kick-started by the elimination of the back-pass rule more than three decades back is now reflected by clubs looking for some very specific traits.
Bonus pick: Is it possible to determine a goalkeeper's performance by looking at their statistics or are these contaminated by their team performance? In other words, how easily can you tell if a goalkeeper is good or bad rather than one who is simply playing in a good (or bad) team?
Chelsea don't want him, Inter won't sign him: What's next for Lukaku?
By Gabriele Marcotti for ESPN
Few players are as capable in turning fans against them as Romelu Lukaku. He could have consolidated his place as an Inter great had he done what everyone expected and confirmed a return there. Instead, he seemingly preferred a move to bitter rival Juventus whose fans were openly against the deal that eventually petered out. With football kicking off across Europe, he remains in search of a club that will perhaps show him some love.
Feralpisalò: Steel and Grit
By Chris McMenamy for TMG Italia
Feralpisalò, who made their Serie B debut in a 2-0 loss at Parma, are one of the most intriguing new clubs in European football. Hailing from a town with a population of just 10,000 (only Castel di Sangro have hailed from a smaller locality in the history of the division) the club that sprung to life only in 2009 achieved promotion after six straight play-off losses. Yet theirs is only partly a fairy-tale; they are the result of a merger between two clubs that was orchestrated by Carlo Pasini, who apart from the football club headed the steel conglomerate Feralpi Group that, just in 2022, generated turnover in excess of $2 billion.
Bonus pick: by surprisingly winning the Copa Argentina last season, lowly Patronato got to represent their county in the Copa Libertadores (and then the Copa Sudamericana) whilst playing in the Primera B. What a story!
A Farke-ing Tough Gig
By Robert McHugh for
The appointment of Daniel Farke, a veteran of two promotions with Norwich, was a sensible one for Leeds United. Yet, for all his talents, the German still has a huge task on his hands with so many players whose poor performances led to relegation not being willing to stick around and help the club return to the Premier League. As Farke himself admitted, no other club is facing a situation like Leeds’.
Bonus pick: As a player Stephen Bradley failed to make the grade at Arsenal but as a manager he has led Shamrock Rovers to three titles on the bounce. Quite a result, given they were a mid-table club when he first took over.
Greed is good league gets a taste of its own medicine
By for
The unlimited funds available to Saudi League clubs has gotten Premier League clubs looking over their shoulder. Will this result in a renewed call for a European Super League?
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Last Week’s Most Read: Chelsea have spent nearly a billion euros in one year. How?
By Ryan O'Hanlon for ESPN
It might seem a bit rich when La Liga clubs, including Barcelona and Real Madrid complain about the financial might of the Premier League yet given that Chelsea have spent £1 billion (or nearly) over the course of a year - or more than the whole of La Liga during that same period - they do have a point. Their splurge in unprecedented and raises plenty of questions ranging from FFP implications to whether it will lead to success on the pitch.
Bonus link: QPR once saw themselves among Chelsea’s closest rival. Perhaps they still do. Yet derbies between the two seem a long way off as they struggle with financial issues and threat of relegation to League 1.