By Enzo Del Llano | This article was first published on Football Chronicle in December, 2019. It was the end of the 1994-5 season, and in Barcelona, there were heated discussions about the team’s direction. Johan Cruyff was still the manager, but it seemed as though the glory days of the
Could 20/21 be the most difficult Premier League ever?
With Liverpool's stunning runaway victory of the Premier League title last season, some pundits and fans wondered if England had become more like France or Germany. Were we now seeing a separation between the league's best teams and those around them? The gap between 2nd placed Manchester City, and 6th placed
Looking back at the career & life of one Africa’s most divisive players – Emmanuel Adebayor
For many, Emmanuel Adebayor represents the epitome of a modern-day mercenary in the world of football. And maybe that is understandable, considering the Togolese 36-year old has represented 11 different clubs since the beginning of the 2000s, three of them alone within the borders of London. Always with an exceptionally
Bayern Munich Wonderkid Alphonso Davies Expected to be Even Better Next Season
Alphonso Davies has already broken several records during his relatively short career. The 19-year old was the first player born in the 2000s to play in Major League Soccer, as well as being the youngest-ever player to represent Canada on the international stage. Furthermore, he was the youngest player to
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang – Le Professeur’s last impactful signing
[EADF Shorts] – Christmas Truce
Neymar and the power of choice – Deconstructing the PSG star’s psyche (and career) in an interview with Money Heist’s Denver
In an October 2019 interview with Money Heist actor Jaime Lorente, who played Denver, Neymar Jr. ended their conversation with the following words: “Choosing is difficult, but in life you have to choose, otherwise you’ll never be happy.” Moments before, he ruminated on his career and how he had evolved as
A Frank look at Chelsea – A baptism of fire with blue skies ahead
Wales. Golf. Sleep. Madrid. In that order?
Assessing low-budget options for Southampton to target in the transfer window
After finishing 11th, Southampton can applaud themselves on a solid league season. In Ralph Hasenhüttl's first full campaign in charge, the club have risen in the table since their early 9-0 defeat to Leicester City. "You can see the team is learning quickly," Hasenhüttl told reporters following their 3-1 win over Sheffield
Analysing what the future could hold for the big three London clubs
There is new hope, enthusiasm and anticipation about proceedings at Chelsea, Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur. The Blues over-achieved in Frank Lampard's first season and their new signings make Chelsea hot property for next season. The Gunners believe that they have a tactical genius in Mikel Arteta, who has also impressed
The importance of Real Madrid’s defenders in their title success
A deterioration of a talented squad – AS Monaco
Ronaldo – The story of a starry-eyed boy from Madeira
In 2004, a devastating Tsunami destroyed millions of homes and killed innumerable people all-over South-East Asia. World Television footage of the tsunami focused on the image of a seven-year-old survivor named Martunis wearing 'Rui Costa' 'Number 10' Portuguese football jersey. He had been stranded for 19 days after watching his
An overview of Karim Benzema’s most impactful season with Madrid
Real Madrid have done it. After two years of settling for second best in La Liga, Los Blancos have finally restored their position as Champions of Spain, following a scintillating title race with their perennial rivals Barcelona. After the loss of talisman Cristiano Ronaldo, arguably the best player in the
How Have Christian Eriksen, Alexis Sánchez & Co Handled Inter Milan?
Eyebrows were raised amongst English fans over the course of the 2019/20 campaign when Italian giants Inter Milan hoarded some of the Premier League’s ageing talent. In Antonio Conte’s first season in charge, the club have spent a huge £158million pounds on transfers. Of this, over £80 million has been used
Gianluigi Buffon – The history of the most expensive goalkeeper in the world
Leeds United – Back amongst the best at long last
Wolves: The Major Lesson Learned from 19/20
Could COVID-19 Jeopardise Bayern Munich & PSG’s UCL Chances?
Bundesliga Season Review – Recap, Statistics, Breakout Players and Top Performers
How Gattuso’s Horn Sharpened Napoli’s Resolve
Full-blooded Italians are, much like their monuments, a relic of a bygone era. Still, they wouldn't be so if they didn't try to clamour unhealthily for their glory days, only to bookend themselves like a Shakespearean political drama. Like many of Italy's hardmen of the early 2000s Gennaro Gattuso's foray
Arrivederci Daniel De Rossi – An ode to the Prince of Rome
By Andrea Agostinelli | This article was first published on Football Chronicle on January 23, 2020 It’s the summer of 2012 in Rome, Italy. Late one night, Roberto Mancini and Daniele De Rossi have discussed something that will send shockwaves in the footballing world. The Italian coach has convinced the midfielder
West Ham, Watford, Villa, Bournemouth – The battle to stay up
Football Players Who Were Caught Smoking
The Wait Is Over! Liverpool Take Home The Premier League Title As Chelsea Take The Win At Stamford Bridge
Never say die – The inspiring tale of Danny Ings
PSG’s Academy puzzle
Recently, Bayern Munich secured a double transfer of Leroy Sane of Manchester City and Tanguy Kouassi of Paris Saint-Germain. While most of the headlines will rightly belong to the high profile transfer of Leroy Sane, Bayern's coup of the 17-year-old Frenchman from PSG has also raised some eyebrows at PSG's
Roger Schmidt to PSV: The Next Chapter in the Ascension of Dutch Football
The making of Ronaldo – Leaving School, Impressing in Portugal and the 1994 World Cup
‘Finished’ they said, Clueless.
Manchester United & Chelsea could challenge for the title next season
Arthur at Barça: A Moment’s Beginning Ends in a Moment
Sitting in the backseat of a car with an interviewer after signing for FC Barcelona, a starry-eyed Arthur Melo carries a beaming smile. Amid a long list of pre-prepared questions, came one that endeared the new boy to almost every cule around the world. The interviewer asks Arthur his biggest wish. He
FC Noida – Transforming football in Noida
Heartbreak For Tranmere Rovers
Tranmere have been left devastated by the EFL’s decision. After a spectacular rise from the National League, which saw consecutive promotions to League Two then League One, Tranmere Rovers are relegated again by the thinnest of margins as the season is brought to a premature close. Many at the club, and in
Arsenal’s centre-back pairings over the years
Burnley -The Polished Perfect System
Football has moved into an age where we romanticise possession-based football, dominating even the most determined of teams and forcing them to change with the times. When looking at the WhoScored metrics for Pass Accuracy, Possession, and Dribbles p90, Burnley are firmly rooted to the bottom of the table every season. Even though
The FA Cup 2008 – A look back at Chasetown
Life after Leo
It all started going very wrong for Arsenal five years ago
[Interview] Thomas Gronnemark – The ‘Not-So-Normal’ One
Can West Ham stay up?
Two sides to every coin – Football and the case of perspective
Embracing the ‘new normal’ will take time
The lockdown, due to the pandemic, has brought about the true sentiment behind the well-known axiom, 'you don't know what you have until it's gone'. While people are subconsciously aware of life and its sudden and frail nature, the virus has seemingly brought these feelings of trepidation to reality. People from
In Focus – Evaluating Ole Gunnar Solskjær’s permanent signings
FPL Scout Report 26 – Which teams to target?
FPL Scout Report 25 – Double-gameweek 30+ Chip Strategies
FPL Scout Report 24 – Players to consider for double-gameweek 30
With just two days remaining for the GW30+ deadline following Project Restart, we start off with a Double Gameweek with rearranged fixtures for Manchester City, Arsenal, Sheffield United and Aston Villa. The fixtures in GW 30 for these teams are as follows – Manchester City – Arsenal (H) Burnley (H) Arsenal – Manchester
A closer look at Monchi’s disappoitning stint at AS Roma
The famed sporting director of Sevilla - Ramón Rodríguez Verdejo, commonly known as Monchi, was one of the most in-demand figures in football a few years back. He had overseen transfers, youth promotion and managerial choices in Seville for 17 years, after being appointed as the Director of Football in
FPL 19/20 Report 23 – Four key points to help you navigate the remainder of the season
From Kirkby to Anfield – What’s going on at Liverpool’s academy?
Liverpool FC. European Champions. World Champions. Premier League champions-elect. Over the last few seasons, the Reds have gone from strength to strength in all departments and are now challenging for trophies consistently. The first-team squad has settled very well, as is seen by the absence of any major signings over
Potential bargain of the summer – Malang Sarr
1 point since October and death threats – The devastating 19/20 season at Toulouse
Ligue 1 has often been an under-covered league in football writing and journalism, however here at EADF, one club’s performance this year has shocked us both on and off the pitch. Despite finishing bottom, Toulouse would have been thankful when the LFP (The Ligue de Football Professionnel) decided to put
Ginga – The essence of Brazilian football through the years
Evaluating Liverpool’s options post the Werner saga
The race for Champions League Qualification spots in La Liga
La Liga is well poised to resume action behind closed doors from the eleventh of June; with matches scheduled almost every day, the thirst of the fans for Spanish football will be quenched soon. Straying away from the usual template of the big three teams automatically qualifying for Champions League
Barcelona’s problems are going to get worse
The unfullfilled potential of Rodrigo Possebon
By James Young | This article was first published on Football Chronicle on February 20, 2020 Manchester United’s Brazil-based scout, John Calvert-Toulmin is best known for bringing Fábio and Rafael da Silva to Old Trafford. The twins made a combined total of 131 appearances for United and have both gone on
The under-appreciated versatility of full-backs
Solving the Pogba and Fernandes puzzle – A welcome headache for Solskjær
There is much to look forward to when the Premier League returns. On the 19th of June, Tottenham Hotspur will be facing Manchester United in one of the highly-anticipated ties. Champions League places will determine much of what the future holds for both sides, two managers who seem perenially confined
FIFA’s stance on racism and politics
Arturo Vidal – Powerhouse of the Catalan midfield
FC Barcelona have been known for having a plethora of quality midfielders over the years. Having produced elite players like Andres Iniesta, Xavi Hernandez, Sergio Busquets etc, quality and strength in the centre has never been an issue for the azulgranas. But since the departure of Xavi and Iniesta in
Where does Philippe Coutinho go from here?
Can England’s Young Lions lead them to victory at Euro 2021?
The winners and losers from matchday 29 of the Bundesliga
[EADF Shorts] Catenaccio – Rappan, Herrera and the birth of a revolutionary philosophy
Only on rare occasions do managers get more famous than their players. Pep Guardiola is recognised globally for his use of positional play or Juego de Posición at Barcelona but the recognition his players received was consistent with the attention he garnered. On the other hand, the famous 'Catenaccio' defensive style of
Who will replace Leroy Sane?
Dani Olmo – Following the footsteps of great Spanish playmakers
In the modern-day football world, teenagers and youth players seeking to deviate from their academies to foreign leagues for first-team chances seem to be the path trodden, as opposed to breaking into the home-grown club's first team. Although Jadon Sancho is the first name that comes to mind seeing that
Sarri’s last chance; The return of Serie A
Remembering Croatia’s World Cup run in 2018
Bastian Schweinsteiger – A career drenched in glory
By Karan Tejwani | This article was first published on Football Chronicle on November 7, 2019. 19 May 2012. Munich, Germany. Bayern Munich, playing at their prestigious home, the Allianz Arena, were aiming to beat Chelsea and win the Champions League for the first time since 2001. After a one-sided affair that
No Tonic for Marseille’s ‘Chronic Instability’
For a season that has seen Marseille return to form, seal a return to European competition, the club on the south of France have predictably turned wine into water, again. The club itself admitted to it, lamenting in an official statement "For the last 20 years, Marseille is a club that has suffered
[EADF Shorts] Michael Owen – English Football’s Most Underappreciated Superstar?
Contrary to belief, at the peak of his career, Owen was a once-in-a-lifetime player. Moreover, throughout the modern era of English football, few players have been able to generate as much excitement as the Chester-born striker. So, why is he underappreciated by English football fans? The Prolific Poacher Reached the Very
Parachute payments – A necessary evil?
With the Premier League season close to its return, fans will be eager to see their favourite teams back in action after months of being starved of top-flight football. The title race, however, seems pretty much over at this point; with Liverpool requiring only six points to end their twenty-eight-year
The Rundown for ‘Der Klassiker’
The biggest game in German football needs little introduction. Record winners Bayern are looking to for their 8th straight 'Meisterschale'- but the Bavarians have had their backs against the wall for a large part of the season. Bayern made a sluggish start to the season with three draws and two losses
Nobby Stiles vs Eusébio – One of football’s underrated tale
27th July 1966: Eusebio of Portugal (left) and Nobby Stiles of England in a duel for the ball during their World Cup semi-final match at Wembley, which England won 2-1. (Photo by Central Press/Getty Images) Living in the Messi-Ronaldo era, we have gifted our eyes to a decade of stunning performances.
Aritz Aduriz – The lion retires without the swansong he deserved
Joga Bonito – The Brazilian foundations of ‘The Beautiful game’
The cost of winning – Athletes as role models
With the world of professional sports teetering on the edge due to the coronavirus crisis, Netflix's 10-part documentary series-The Last Dance, chronicling sporting icon Michael Jordan's emergence in the NBA until his final days in the empire that he built with the Chicago Bulls, has been a welcome consolation during
Florian Niederlechner – FC Augsburg’s late-blooming talisman
With the return of the first and second tiers of German football injecting a breath of fresh air in these extraordinary yet unprecedented circumstances, we take a look at a late-blooming yet dependable centre forward Florian Niederlechner who is commandeering the steer of a rattled ship in FC Augsburg away from