Cultured Football #78
We’re taking a little bit of a break so there will not be a Cultured Football edition next week. So hope that this one more than makes up for it!
Premier League Season Preview 2022/23
By Oliver Walker for StatsBomb
There are many, many, MANY Premier League previews out there with most of them going over the same ground. Nothing wrong with that, of course, but it still better to go through something that is different. That is what this particular preview thanks to a data-led look at teams and players. Nowhere else, for instance, will you be told that Brighton defender Adam Webster is among the top in the Premier League for playing line breaking passes.
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Bundesliga 2022-23 season preview: Everything you need to know ahead of the new German football season
By Constantin Eckner for ESPN
Of course, it isn’t just the Premier League that kicks-off this weekend. The Bundesliga also gets going with the big question being whether anyone can get close to Bayern Munich or if it will be the usual procession to their 11th consecutive title. Despite Bayern’s dominance, the Bundesliga remains one of the more entertaining leagues out there with plenty to look forward to.
PS - You might also be interested in this Twitter thread by Ronan Murphy where he picks a Bundesliga Under-23 Players to Watch from each team.
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2022/23 National League preview: Runners and Riders
By All At Sea Fanzine
To be honest, I often find that I enjoy more reading season previews of lower leagues which is why what I enjoyed most this week was going through all the clubs in the National League. Will the Hollywood Reds of Wrexham make it out of the division?
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Two Soccer Teams Transfer a South American Player Using USDC, But There’s Collateral Damage
By Andres Engler for CoinDesk
The title pretty much sums it up nicely but, even so, this is an interesting story worth following.
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Adama Traoré: ‘The first time you hear racist abuse, you can’t believe it’
By Sid Lowe for The Guardian
This interview will probably be lost amid all the season previews but it is arguably the most important article published this week. Reading it saddens me that players will be limiting taking the knee.
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Something Else We Enjoyed This Week
Dave Roberts was a fine football writer and an extremely kind man who sadly passed away late last year. Touchingly, his favourite club Bromley have set up a Tea Hut in his honour.
Last Week’s Most Read: The 3 Chelsea kids Mourinho tipped for stardom in 2014 & how they fared
By Planet Football
Eight years ago, Jose Mourinho identified three youngsters at Chelsea and said “if [they] are not national team players in a few years, I should blame myself.” Of course, Mourinho didn’t stay at the club long enough to truly have a say on their path but what has become of them?