Are Spurs actually good?
By Grace Robertson for Grace on Football
Well that is quite a question especially as it comes off the back of two consecutive defeats that considerably diminished the previously buoyant mood. Yet, just as at Celtic, Ange Postecoglou has made an immediate impact and not only by instantly becoming one of the most likeable managers in the Premier League; he’s transformed Tottenham in a team no one will enjoy playing against. Which is quite a start.
The Mutants
By Jamie Hamilton on Medium
Malmo won the Swedish league last weekend, a result that was notable because of the amazing tension (and tifo) around the final game but also due to the innovative tactics of their head coach Henrik Rydstrom. The latter is following the path set by Fernando Diniz in how his teams play. If you want to understand more about that - via discussions about philosophy and mutations in music - this is the piece for you.
The Everton verdict opens a can of worms for the Premier League
By Ian King for Unexpected Delirium
Everton’s deduction of 10 points for financial misdemeanors has been met by extreme reactions many of which feel that this is simply excessive. Whilst understandable, it is a reaction based on sentimentality that focuses largely on what others have done and haven’t been punished for (yet?). And, whilst there is little doubt that Everton got punished for not being good enough at masking their spend and not finding good enough lawyers, the decision does put a stake in the ground, a marker against which others’ misconduct will be measured. And that could be quite a headache.
Bonus Pick: Pressure is growing on the Premier League to punish excesses in spending.
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How 'King Kane' took the Bundesliga by storm to deliver Bayern Munich statement
By Matt Ford for The Evening Standard
“The England captain has taken Germany by storm. No Bundesliga player has scored more after just 11 games (Bayern legend Robert Lewandowski came closest with 16 during the 2019-20 season) and no player has ever scored so frequently, with Kane finding the net on average every 57 minutes.
For context: last season’s Bundesliga joint top scorers Niclas Fullkrug and Christopher Nkunku scored 16 goals each.” All great for Kane and Bayern, but what light does this shine on the Bundesliga?
Bonus Pick: This season, everyone’s favourite left-wing club - St Pauli - have become more than just a cult classic and are playing some of the best football in the 2 Bundesliga.
Trent Alexander-Arnold studying Steven Gerrard and Andrea Pirlo to master new midfield role
By Richard Jolly for The Independent
There aren’t many full-backs who will admit that they study some of the finest midfielders of the modern era to model their game. Then again, Trent Alexander Arnold isn’t your typical full-back.
Bonus Pick: Ryan Benson has written the definitive guide to dribblers. Reading which I couldn’t help thinking: are dribblers grossly over-rated?
Last Week’s Most Read: Infantino’s solo run
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.
Have we missed a great article? Thoughts on any of the articles? Let us know.