Cultured Football #135

Infantino's Dealings. Direct Football from Japan. World in Motion. Anthony Graham Proving People Wrong. Ian Graham Talks Numbers.

Nov 11, 2023

By Sam Kunti for Forbes Josimar

This article showing how Gianni Infantino not only hasn’t reformed FIFA but is doubling down on backroom dealing. An article highlighting this appeared on Forbes following the decision to award the 2034 World Cup to Saudi Arabia but was then taken down, allegedly following pressure from FIFA. It quickly found a new home on Josimar, the finest investigative sports journalism site around. If that back-story does not make you want to read this, I can’t write anything that will!

Note: As a policy, Cultured Football does not link to articles behind paywalls. This, however, is an important enough read that we feel the need to make an exception.

Vissel Kobe Chasing A First-Ever J1 Title With Possession-Based Directness

By Neel Shelat for Analytics FC

Success at the highest level has in recent years been defined by those teams who can dominate possession and play through their opponents. Interesting, then, to see Vissel Kobe leading things in Japan with a more direct approach, having shelved their Galacticos-lite project. An instructive in-depth tactical analysis of the Japanese League and their title chasers.

World In Motion: New Order and the perfect football song

By Paul Grech for Reader’s Digest

“It was the perfect song for a sport looking to break away from the violence and darkness of its recent past. In a way it foreshadowed what was to come, with football becoming part of pop culture as much as music or films.”

An extract from my book Echoes of an Italian Summer.

Every Saturday, Cultured Football brings you five great football articles you should be reading. Don’t miss out.

Black and White: How Anthony Gordon Went From Newcastle’s Petulant Misfit to Key Player

By Ryan Benson for The Analyst

I’ll openly admit it: when Newcastle spent £45 million on Anthony Gordon, I thought that they had massively over-paid on a player who didn’t have the right temperament to improve and fulfill his potential. It is increasingly looking like I (and many others) was wrong about that.

Ian Graham helped fix Liverpool. Can he fix European soccer?

By Ryan O'Hanlon for ESPN

"Half the trick is actually implementing the decision-making process. It's not having smart analytics." Ian Graham is one of the architects behind Liverpool's adoption of data to deliver success. He does not give many interviews. So when he does, it is well worth paying attention.

Last Week’s Most Read: Fernando Diniz’s innovative tactics with Fluminense

By Adam Bate for Sky Sport

The final of the Libertadores Cup promises to be a fascinating one because it will feature the football Fernando Diniz, a coach whose ideas probably signal the next evolution of football tactics. Bate does a great job of explaining the fundamentals of those ideas, relying on other tacticians to break them down into something common fans like myself can comprehend.