Cultured Football #41
Football looks different when you can’t see who’s playing
Watching games these past few weeks, there has been one thought that keeps coming to mind: how comfortable we have all become with VAR. Its early days were far from easy but given some tweaks to the rules and some adjustments to how it is used, the game has become much better for it. Or am I the only one who thinks this way?
The road to the rebirth of Stephan El Shaarawy
#PlayerProfile
Stephan El Shaarawy was once considered one of Italian football’s bright young hopes but, whilst he has still enjoyed a more than decent career, it is fair to say that he has not fulfilled those early hopes. Yet under Jose Mourinho it seems as if he is finally rediscovering the confidence that he displayed in his early years.
Reading Time: 7 minutes
Xavi Hernandez set for Barcelona but how good is he as a coach?
#ManagerProfile #Interview
So, Xavi is finally the new Barcelona manager. There has been an air of inevitability over the appointment for the past few months but now the Barca cules have finally gotten their wish. Xavi was, undoubtedly, a fantastic player for the club. But will that translate to greatness as a manager? And what kind of manager is he? Only time will answer the first question but an indication on the second one can be taken from this.
Reading Time: 8 minutes
Raphinha: Leeds United’s Brazilian Star Cannot Be Tamed
#PlayerProfile #StatisticalAnalysis
Despite a poor start to the season for Leeds, Raphinha’s reputation has been further enhanced. He is, clearly, their most talented player and the one every opposing team focuses on trying to stop (often unsuccessfully). Studying his play is a study on motion because he simply never moving. As this brilliant, stats back, piece states “he is a demon… averaging more sprints per 90 minutes played than any other player in the Premier League this season, and by quite a margin to any other winger”
Reading Time: 6 minutes
‘A little year in hell’: when the biggest football clubs drop down a division
#Relegation
For fans of bigger clubs, relegation is never something that they have to think about. Well, almost never. Because there have been a few instances where some of these clubs have been so poorly run that they end up falling down the leagues. Faced with that reality, life for fans of those clubs becomes ‘hell’.
Reading Time: 8 minutes
Soccer Looks Different When You Can’t See Who’s Playing
#InDepthAnalysis
Arguably the biggest takeaway from Moneyball (the book) is that statistics strip away the bias that people making decisions might inadvertently be including in their thought process. And the reality is that most of us have inherent biases, as this study on how people’s perceptions change when they cannot see who is playing proves.
Reading Time: 8 minutes
Last Week’s Most Read
#PlayerProfile
I know that Mo Salah has developed into one of the best players on the planet. At this stage I’d imagine everyone knows that. Yet even I was surprised to learn that his stats so far this season – ten goals and five assets – were matched by just eleven players throughout ALL of last season. He truly is better than we think.
Reading Time: 5 minutes