Cultured Football #175
Cultured Football #175
Season Previews Special: France. Germany. Italy. Spain. England.
Ligue 1 is back with lack of star power and exacerbated financial imbalances
By Luke Entwistle for The Guardian
With the departure of Kylian Mbappe, arrival of Mason Greenwood and all round reduced spending power due to issues with broadcasting rights, French football is a bit downcast at the moment. To balance all of that, there’s the managerial talent that promises to create some surprises and, hopefully, make it less of a procession to the title for PSG.
Bonus Pick: The beauty of French football is that there are always exciting talents - such as these five - looking for an opportunity and clubs eager to give it to them.
The Fan's View: The Reasons for Optimism & Pessimism across all 18 Bundesliga Clubs
By for
Most fans go into the new season filled with optimism over what the next nine months will bring. So why not ask them to gauge what their teams have got going for them ahead of the start of the Bundesliga?
Serie B: 2024-25 Preview
By Chris McMenamy for TMG Italia
The Italian Serie B does not boast the attendances of the Championship or the big clubs of the Zweite Bundesliga but it is arguably much more competitive than either of those two leagues. I mean, is there another league where a preview could state “outside bet for the playoffs, but mid-table feels more likely” for a club that surprised everyone by winning the relegation playout last season?
Bonus Pick: Oh, you were expecting a preview of the Serie A? Well, here you go…
Thinking of someone who might enjoy Cultured Football? Let them know.
LaLiga 2024/25 season preview – Club by club guide
By Mark Sochon for La Liga Expert
The league from the country that won absolutely anything that there was to win this summer is always an intriguing one with plenty of stars playing for sides outside of the traditional big two. So it is worthwhile going through each team in La Liga to find out what their prospects are (even though it is hard to see beyond Real Madrid as the overall winner).
Premier League 2024-25 mega-preview: Team-by-team analysis
By Bill Connelly and Ryan O'Hanlon for ESPN
Well, you knew this was coming. There are many (MANY) fine previews of the Premier League out there but I went for this because it has the right mix of opinions and data.
Bonus Pick: Nine Premier League Records That Could Be Broken in 2024-25.
My promise to all readers is that Cultured Football will always be free. However, encouragement is always welcome. If you’re looking for ideas on how to do that, here are five:
Share the newsletter: tell people about Cultured Football either on Facebook, Twitter, Reddit or directly through email.
Contribute to community: read a great article that you think others would enjoy? Or written one? Reach out to us on Notes / DMs or else Twitter.
Buy my books: I’ve written a few books but two that I am particularly proud of are Echoes of an Italian Summer - a collection of little known stories from Italia 90 - and Il Re Calcio - a collection of stories from Italian football in the 90s.
Buy us a Coffee: got some spare cash and want to thank us for the work we do? Well, you can make a donation on KoFi.
Leave a Comment: Are there any articles you particularly enjoyed? Anything I missed? Other thoughts? Let me know!
Every Saturday, Cultured Football brings you five great football articles you will enjoy reading.
Last Week’s Most Read: Why geography helps Bayern Munich dominate the Bundesliga
By Stefan Bienkowski for Bienkowski's Bletherings
The Bundesliga has a reputation for being an uncompetitive league because of Bayern Munich's dominance but few seem to realise that a key reason for that dominance is down to a combination of history and, primarily, geography. Location, location, location.
Bonus Pick: If you like this article then you should definitely read Kit Holden’s book Played in Germany which, among other things, explains why Bayern are so afraid of Hamburg getting their act together.