Cultured Football #199
In Club Brugge. Chris Wood. Addiction of Playing out of Back. Sampdoria Woes. Hidden Gem Transfers.
Meet Club YLA – the Club Brugge women’s team doing things differently
By for / The Guardian
Bar a handful of exceptions, women’s football teams are often an afterthought (at best) to the men’s team whose name they carry. So it is refreshing to see a Club Brugge take a different approach, where the women’s team has its own brand and identity.
Bonus Read: Why I’m sick of seeing people make the business case for women’s football
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Many argue that if women’s football is to succeed, it should do so because it can stand on its own two feet financially. There is a logic tot that. But is that the right or only argument?
Nottingham Forest Are Built For Speed, So Why Is Chris Wood Their Star?
By Ali Tweedale for The Analyst
Most teams built to exploit transitions and quick counter need a quick striker who can use his speed to exploit situations as they arise. Nottingham Forest have made that system work with a striker who is anything but fast. How?
Playing out from the back... tactic or addiction?
By for
It is rare to see a team these days that routinely boots the ball upfield from a goal-kick. With keeping possession being so vital in modern football that is understandable. Clearly, however, there are instances and clubs that should not be so dogmatic with this idea.
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What’s wrong with Sampdoria?
By Chris McMenamy for TMG Italia
Sampdoria, one of the most recognisable and famous clubs of Italian football, is currently at risk of relegation in the Serie B. January brought wholesale changes in the playing side (and, by wholesale, I mean they purchased a whole new first eleven). For the club whose last owner went down with a charge of fraudulent bankruptcy, the problems are deeper than a flawed transfer strategy.
Bonus Read: La Vi(ll)e en Rose: Toulouse, RedBird & The Season So Far
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Whilst Toulouse haven’t really taken French football by storm, their solid and steady progress - built on a data-driven foundation - drives hope of club becoming one of the country’s elite on a consistent basis.
Evaluating Europe's biggest January transfers
By Kim McCauley for Transfer Flow
During every transfer window I try REALLY hard to avoid articles talking about transfers. And, I think that largely I succeed. But that doesn’t mean I’m immune to the lure of a good transfer story. Especially in instances like this which looks at a number of deals that took place across Europe, including Como brining in 10 (TEN!) players.
Bonus Read: January Deals
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Here’s even more analysis of some other deals that went under the radar.
Every Saturday, Cultured Football brings you five great football articles you will enjoy reading. And you get a free copy of the book Master of the Azzurri.
Last Week’s Most Read: For the first time in a long time, Irish football is cool
By
for
Ireland's domestic football league has often been neglected not only by fans who prefer to follow Scottish or Premier League clubs but also by its own governing body. However, all that is changing with a groundbreaking television deal and growing attendance numbers being visible signs of an upturn in fortune.