Cultured Football #225

PL Sense Check. Community, Football and Beer. Sartori the Magician. LaLiga Rookies. Echoes of Glory.

The Premier League 2025/26 Sense Check

By

Kevin Coleman

for

Game Over, Ball Burst

There are many (MANY) Premier League previews out there so I ultimately plumped for this one because it is different from all the rest. How? Rather than simply stating an opinion, this looks at why the 2025/26 might be good AND bad for each team. I like article which have a little bit of light to them.

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I Have a Love — The Resurrection of Beer, Football and Community Under Dublin Floodlights

By

Eoghan Walsh

for Pellicle Mag

This is an article about football. And beer. And all the good things that happen in between.

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Giovanni Sartori: The sporting director who turns everything into gold

By

Serie A in depth

From Chievo Verona to Bologna via Atalanta, Giovanni Sartori has performed miracles wherever he has been. Few have his capacity to spot talent and rebuild teams once those players are sold off (at a huge profit). Part 2 of this article can be found here.

Bonus Read: Serie A’s Balkan Connection

[

James Doolan - Balkan Angle

x

The Balkan Angle

]

Italian football might not be the centre of world football that it once was but it can still attract the best talent from the Balkan region.

Bonus Read: Evan Ferguson: For Rome (and Ireland)

[Chris McMenamy x Tiro]

The world was at Evan Ferguson’s feet. Until it wasn’t. A move to another league, and a manager renown for rebuilding strikers’ careers, might be just what he needed.?

Thinking of someone who might enjoy Cultured Football? Let them know.

12 LaLiga rookies who could make 2025-26 their breakout season

By

Jamie Kemp

for

La Pausa

I have to admit that I’m a bit of a sucker for articles like this provide a bit of a glimpse into the future (or the illusion of it). How else would I know that Getafe have a promising left-back with the wonderful name of Davinchi?

Bonus Read: Who will be the breakout stars in Ligue 1 this season?

[Various x Get French Football News]

Want something similar for French football? Here you go.

Bonus Read: LaLiga season preview 2025/26

[Mark Sochon x La Liga Expert]

If you want a straight laced preview of La Liga, this is it.

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Echoes of Glory

By

Paul Grech

for Football Heritage

Sometimes greatness belongs not to the giants but to those who seize a fleeting chance. In 1922, small-town Vado FC shocked Italian football by winning the very first Coppa Italia, a triumph etched forever into their crest with a solitary star. Born from factory workers’ passion and carried by a teenage striker whose shot could tear nets, their story intertwines with Italy’s turbulent history and football’s fractured beginnings. What followed was obscurity, but for one glorious moment, Vado stood among the immortals.

Full Disclosure: editor of Cultured Football is the author of this piece.

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 when you join.

In Case You Missed It Here’s Last Week’s Most Read: The most beautiful football song in the world. No, it's not YNWA.

By Misha Verollet-Dahncke for Unmodern Football

Now this is a controversial pick. Personally, I thought Misha was going to go for Sunshine on Leith.