Cultured Football #164

Levelling Up. How to be a Super-Sub. Arsenal's Room for Improvement. Only Trolls. Roman Money Holed Up.

Jun 01, 2024

By Ben McAleer for Who Scored / The Guardian

With Adam Wharton and Alex Scott being two of the most successful transfers by Premier League clubs over the past 12 month, it should follow that others will now be scouring the league from which they came for equally talented individuals. And, going by Ben McAleer, there are plenty who should be of interest.

Bonus Pick: If you want to look a little bit further afar, how about the rising talents of Australia’s A League? [Alex Stewart for Analytics FC]

Adam Le Fondre: how to be a super-sub

by Cerys Jones for xGenius

In a game constantly searching for new edges, that of substitutes and learning how to make an impact from the bench seems to be another frontier to push back. Question is: will players accept the idea of working to be a good substitute?

Five ways to improve Arsenal

By
Billy Carpenter
for
Edu's BBQ

Was the past season a good one for Arsenal? Based on overall performances and how close they came to winning the title, then yes. But, ultimately, they didn’t win anything so…maybe? In truth, this was a memorable campaign and one on which they can build. There is still room for improvement, however, - and you need to get as close to perfection as possible to win the Premier League - some of it is obvious, others less so.

If You Want To Support Cultured Football...

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OnlyTrolls: how football and OnlyFans collided

By Snake Denton for The Face

Earlier this season I became mildly aware of a new phenomenon (at least, it was new for me), young women who use football to promote, well, their looks I guess. And once I noticed one, it seemed as if there was one for every club. To be honest I didn’t think too much of it other than feeling that it was a brilliant (if irritating, largely because they seemed so intent on trash talking) way for them to distinguish themselves from the rent-a-dozen influencer who plague social media. It was only when I read this piece that I realised how naive I had been.

Roman Abramovich and Ukraine: Where is the Chelsea sale money two years on?

By Mauricio Alencar for City A.M.

When Roman Abramovich sold Chelsea FC for £2.5bn much was made on how this was going to support the rebuild of Ukraine but the money remains unused due to disputes over how it should be spent. The "good causes" Abramovich wanted the funds to go towards remain unclear fueling a situation that is lacking in both clarity and determination.

Every Saturday, Cultured Football brings you five great football articles you will enjoy reading.

Last Week’s Most Read: Beyond the Veil: Gasperini's Atalanta and the Search for Home

By Callum Tanner for The Gaffer

I’m quite fond of Xabi Alonso. As a player, he was a joy to watch wherever he played and it looks like the teams he manages are going to be the same. Even so, I wanted Atalanta to win the Europa League because few clubs have consistently pushed the glass ceiling in football set by those who have money as much as they have. And that’s largely down to manager Gian Piero Gasperini who has rebuilt the team time after time with the forced sale of key players. Amidst the changes, the one constant was his vision of how the game should be played. A true modern great.