Cultured Football #205
Anfield Library. Barca Women Wonderkid Factory. The Priest. Panini Story. Dan Burn.
Has Anfield Lost Its Formidable Atmosphere?
By for
A big part of the success of English football over the past two decades has been down to the atmosphere at football stadia. And few English stadia have Anfield’s aura. Yet, of late, that seems to be changing with a growing feeling that more of those getting their hands on tickets are going there and expecting to be entertained.
Bonus Read: Americans are watching sport wrong
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This is not arguing that Americans don’t care about their sports or teams, it is that they have a strange way of showing it.
Inside Barcelona's women's wonderkid factory: How La Masia became the go-to academy for the world's best teenage talents
By Ameé Ruszkai for Goal
Even though they might share a club’s name, there seems to be almost no overlap between men’s and women’s teams. This lack of willingness or interest - from the men’s side, I’d assume - to share ideas let alone resources, is astounding. Surely the people running the club should be enforcing that, no? One club that goes against the grain is Barcelona who have a proud tradition of having a great academy system among the men and, now, also among the women. Good on them.
The Priest
By Thore Haugstad for Profiles
Recent weeks have buffeted Arne Slot quite a bit. Where previously he was a genius who was doing better than the legend who came before him, now he is faltering for his inability to keep players fresh. Yet his managerial career has been remarkable also because he’s always managed to make the step up with great ease. It is as if he was destined to do this job. Then again, he started thinking about tactics when he was five as he followed his father whilst managing an amateur team.
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How Panini Went From Italian Institution to British Pop-Culture Hit via Swapsies and Shinies
By Dan Cancian for Destination Calcio
There are few feelings as immensely satisfying as getting your hands on a sticker that you needed to complete a page on your album. And, for the longest time, that feeling was synonymous with the word Panini, all of which started when the Panini family bought a newspaper kiosk back in 1945.
Rejection, non-league and pushing trolleys: Burn's rise to England
By Harry de Cosemo & Alex Howell for BBC Sport
Regardless of whether you support any of the clubs he’s played for or not, you have to admire Dan Burn. His is a story of perseverance and belief in your talent regardless what everyone was telling you; the kind which remind you why you love the game.
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: 1974 and All That
By Sam White for Sports & Geopolitics
In the 1970s, Zaire rose to international prominence on the back of sports, as it hosted the famous Rumble in the Jungle boxing match as well as qualifying for the 1974 FIFA World Cup. This was not accidental: ruled by an authoritarian regime, sports were used as a tool to project an image of strength and progress. It didn’t pan out that way in football, however, where the national team's participation in the World Cup was a disappointing one overshadowed by pressure from the regime. The story of that team - and the country - is however much more intricate than that.