Cultured Football #206
Sourdough Diaries. Evanilson. Martin Ødegaard. History of Data. Rebirth at Betis.
The Sourdough Diaries
By Steven Naismith for
What does a manager do after he finds himself out of a job? Bake bread, if this is anything to go by. A wonderful, fascinating looking into a football man’s life away from the game. I (genuinely) don’t know how he is as a manager but judging from this Steven Naismith is a really interesting guy.
Evanilson: ‘I left 40C in Rio to go to -5 … I couldn’t finish the training session’
By Ben Fisher for The Guardian
Just as insightful is this interview with Bournemouth forward Evanilson. His comments on the cold in Slovakia made the headline but this made more of a mark on me: “he became driven by the idea of transforming his family’s lives by making a career in the game.” If you want proof how talent by itself is not enough, you’ll find plenty here.
Evaluating some common critiques of Martin Ødegaard
By for
I remember the angst among Arsenal fans in the early part of the season when Martin Odegaard was out for around a month and how they felt this was a massive blow to their hopes. And I could understand that feeling; Odegaard is a brilliant talent. Feelings in the Arsenal fan-base seem to have turned in the following months and some are seeing in him the reason for their problems. Football fans can be really strange and fickle. Anyway, this is an examination of those critiques which finds his true value to the side.
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The path to now
By Mark Thompson for Get Goalside
Data in football is everywhere these days but it wasn’t always the case. This is a concise - but detailed - history of the evolution of data. That might seem like a dry subject but, trust me, it isn’t.
Bonus Read: We All Know Goalkeeper Passing Habits Have Evolved, But to What Extent?
[Ryan Benson x The Analyst]
That heading doesn’t need me to explain anything, does it?
PS - If this is something that is of interest, in my book Echoes of an Italian Summer, I take a look at how Italia 90 brought about the death of the back-pass which, in turn, forced goalkeepers to evolve. And also how Claudio Taffarel changed the outlook of Brazilian goalkeepers
Pellegrini's Betis find their groove
By for
As far as storylines go, nobody could have predicted the one where Antony (yes, THE Antony who stank up Old Trafford) would leave Manchester United and immediately become the star man at his new club, changing their fortunes overnight. But, here we are. And, I guess, that’s why we love football so much.
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: Has Anfield Lost Its Formidable Atmosphere?
By Jack Holmes for The Football Weekend
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
[Harry PW x Football, bleakly]
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.