Cultured Football #209
Doing The 92. Football Intervention. Revamping Real. Uncompetitive Portugal. Mo Salah.
Spreadsheets, car horns and Middlesbrough’s parm in a bun – how a bad date inspired me to do the 92
By Jen Steadman for When Saturday Comes
The idea of visiting all 92 grounds that make up the English Premier and Football Leagues is an intriguing one on paper but much less so when you really think about what it entails. Still, a few hardy souls do actually give it a go. Why? Because they love football.
Why soccer might be Sweden’s way out of a gang crime crisis
By Li-Lian Ahlskog Hou for CNN
That of gang related crime is a complex social issue that stems from deep-rooted inequalities, lack of opportunities, and social disconnection. It is also one that defies simple solutions. So, thinking that football might magically fix the problem is unrealistic and naive. But it can definitely help.
Real Madrid: Why The White House Needs To Be Revamped
By for
“Once Ralf Rangnick, Austria national team manager, said, ‘A little bit of pressing is like a little bit pregnant. Either you are pregnant or not. Either you want to play pressing or not. But please, not a little bit of pressing.’ With Carlo Ancelotti, Real Madrid is a little bit pregnant.”
Bonus Read: A Famous Night in Madrid. A Famous Day Out in New York.
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Not everyone can relate to what it means to follow a club from overseas. This gives an idea.
The fallacy of Portugal’s “uncompetitive” league
By Zach Lowy for PortuGoal
Portuguese football is largely viewed as a developer of talent where the same side wins year-on-year. Whilst the former might be true, it isn’t the necessarily the case for the latter. For, whilst the three big clubs tend to dominate, they are balanced enough for the league title to be a real race most seasons.
What Mohamed Salah’s Greatness Means to Muslim Football Fans
By Ahmed Shooble for Versus
As Ahmed notes in this piece, it shouldn’t take a great football player for people to treat every-day Muslim’s better. But here we are. Salah’s undoubted greatness has had a deep impact beyond the game of football. Especially for those who share the same faith.
Bonus Read: Raphinha 2.0 - From Flashes to Ballon d'Or Contender
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Salah might be the best player in the Premier League but the Ballon d’Or will probably go elsewhere. And Raphinha leads that race.
Cultured Football Shorts: Thiago Motta’s Legacy? A Generation Given a Chance.
Football moves fast and, despite it having been a couple of weeks, Thiago Motta’s time at Juventus already seems to be in the distant past. It could hardly be anyway else, given how little he managed to achieve. Yet, amid the chaos, one silver lining has emerged: the club’s renewed focus on youth.
Cultured Football Shorts are quick reads initially shared as Notes on the Cultured Football feed.
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.
In Case You Missed It Here’s Last Week’s Most Read: The Myth Of The Wrexham Model
By Jordan Wise for GAMEPLAYER
If you’ve been following football as long as I have, it is hard not to feel good for the Wrexham fans who are finally seeing their club on the up after decades of struggles. Yet their success is bringing in a lot of people who are still new to the sport who feel that it is something that can be easily replicated. The kind of people who you could, unkindly, describe as having more money than sense.
Bonus Read: Birmingham City promoted from League One under Chris Davies
[Adam Bate x Skysport]
Whilst it is still unclear where Wrexham will be playing next season, there are no such doubts for Birmingham who have run away with League 1. And that, they say, is just the start.