Cultured Football #55
I was going to open this issue of Cultured Football with a snarky commentary about Antonio Conte’s comments about the need for transfers to improve this Tottenham squad. Given how they did at Manchester City, it is a good thing that a couple of issues prevented me from sending it at the usual time! Anyway, better late than never: here are this week’s great football read that we have picked for you.
Before We Start, Have A Look At This
Mo Salah just became the second fastest Liverpool player to reach the 150 goal mark for the club, which is just the reason we wanted to share this fantastic illustration by Yoni Weisberg.
Why Tottenham’s inspirational and understated captain remains crucial to ending trophy drought
By Dan Kilpatrick for the Evening Standard
If Hugo Lloris sees out his recently signed contract, he will have been at Tottenham for 12 years. But, while many appreciate his qualities as a goalkeeper (despite errors like the one that led to Manchester City’s first goal in their 3-2 win) there are those who question why he should be captain. Those critics DO NOT include many who have played with him.
Reading Time: 8 minutes
Will U.S. owner John Textor's 'Botafogo Way' produce the Bayern Munich of Brazilian football?
By Tim Vickery for ESPN
It is unsurprising that Brazilian football – with the passion it generates and the constant supply of raw talent – is becoming the next target for professional investors looking to take over football clubs. John Textor recently joined that group and he has big plans to make Botafogo the leading team in the country.
Reading Time: 6 minutes
Meet the ‘saviour of FC Koln’ whose touchline energy has made him a Bundesliga cult hero
By Daniel Storey for iNews
If you’ve chanced upon an FC Koln game lately, then you’re likely to have seen a fair bit of their animated manager Steffen Baumgart. Yet there is more to Baumgart then just antics; he’s a driven man looking to make up for lost time having gotten his first chance in professional football five years ago when he was already forty-five.
Reading Time: 6 minutes
Did analytics get Naby Keïta wrong?
By Grace Robertson for Grace on Football
Even before he joined Liverpool, Naby Keita has had staunch supporter among the football-data community. Yet evidence from his time in England has failed to impress on a consistent basis. It is fair to ask, then, whether analytics read him wrong.
Reading Time: 8 minutes
The Premier League at 30: an English Success Story?
By Simon Kuper for the Financial Times
Thirty years ago, fuelled by a mixture of greed and ambition, topflight clubs voted to set up a breakaway league. The Premier League has since become the status quo for English football, but has it really been a success?
Reading Time: 16 minutes
Last Week’s Most Read
When Union Saint-Gilloise won promotion to the Belgian First Division for the first time in forty eight years, not much was expected of them apart from a struggle to avoid relegation. Instead, they have surprised everyone by storming to the top of the table and staying there. What a story it would be if they managed to stay there.
Reading Time: 8 minutes