Cultured Football #190

Djurgarden on the Road. Chelsea Got Good. Captain Odegaard. Period Poverty. Fiorentina's Mighty Rejects

Djurgår’n: An Occasion

By Tom Reed & Erik Wibaeus for Terrace Edition

“There’s no doubt that a European tie in England still has that terrace romanticism for fans from overseas, something that is lost on us jaded locals.” Djurgårdens IF fans proved that when they descended on Shrewsbury for a Europa Conference League game against Welsh side The New Saints. They certainly left a mark.

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Are Chelsea actually good now? How did that happen?

By

Ryan O'Hanlon

for ESPN

A few months back, Chelsea were the punchline of a joke. Now, however, they find themselves on the verge of a title challenge. Should we be THAT surprised given how much money the club has spent over the past two years?

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Captain Odegaard’s Course Ahead

By

Chirag

/

Sideline Stories

for

More Than A Game

There weren’t any Arsenal fans who doubted Martin Odegaard’s ability but it took him being out for a spell with injury for some of them - and the wider football world - to truly appreciate just how important he is for Arsenal. He is truly making the difference for them.

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How period poverty is affecting players in Ghana’s Premier League

By Esther Appiah-Fei for The Guardian

Period poverty has forced female footballers in the Ghana Women's Premier League to resort to lying, stealing or using low-quality sanitary pads, impacting their performance and dignity. More needs to be done to fix this often ignored problem.

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Fiorentina’s band of ‘rejects’ are giving Viola fans something to smile about

By Zach Lowy for FotMob

Fiorentina are flying high in the Italian league. Impressively they’re doing it with a squad filled with other sides’ rejects who are suddenly finding a new lease of life. Could they push them to an improbable Champions League qualification or even a tilt at the title?

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Last Week’s Most Read: Nigel Winterburn On Arsenal Success And Working Under George Graham And Arsène Wenger

By Callum McFadden for World Football Index

Do players like Nigel Winterburn exist is today’s football? Signed by a big club after a couple of seasons in the lower leagues, he became a fixture in one of the most heralded defences without ever garnering much attention or plaudits. Perhaps for that reason, people will not give too much attention to an interview like this but they should as he gives some very thoughtful answer to a career that not only spanned two great managers but saw a radical transformation to the game.

Bonus Pick: "I have considered retirement... it has been a difficult situation to recover from”

[Jack Kenmare x SportsBible]

Few players have had their careers as marked by a single game as Loris Karius. And few have found it so hard to recover from that game as him.