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Leicester are a Freak, and That’s it
Hi there, Sit down, grab a seat, make yourself comfortable. So if you have been hiding under a rock, Leicester have won the Premier League title. Leicester who had the 17th best odds to win the title at 5000-1 actually did it. The same club that were hanging by a thread at this time last…
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Dyballing Out Of Control
“Besides Gonzalo Higuaín, this man right here has been perhaps the best player in Italian football this season,” the beIN sport commentator remarked during Sunday’s Juventus vs. Roma match. However, he wasn’t speaking about Juve superstar Paul Pogba. Instead he was referring to Paulo Dybala, the 22-year-old Argentinian who has been a revelation for the Bianconeri…
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Lukaku’s Rise To Europe’s Elite
When Romelu Lukaku hangs up his boots at the end of his career, he may look back and realize that one of the defining moments was his last appearance in a Chelsea shirt. In the 2013 Super Cup vs. Bayern Munich, Lukaku came on as a substitute and ultimately missed the deciding penalty as Bayern triumphed…
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Manchester City 1-4 Liverpool: What a Successful Gengenpress Looks Like
Liverpool’s 4-1 victory over Manchester City and the manner in which they did it harkened back to their magical 2013-14 season when Liverpool obliterated Arsenal 5-1 in February via the trio of Raheem Sterling, Daniel Sturridge and Luis Suarez. It was an incandescent performance in a season full of them. Saturday was obviously different in…
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The World’s Best Decoy
If you haven’t noticed it because you’ve been transfixed by Neymar doing his best Ronaldinho impersonation, Luis Suarez has been on a tear this year. He’s currently tied for second in La Liga in scoring with eight goals, with only Neymar (oh hey!) ahead of him with nine. But a lot of the things that Neymar…
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Kalinić Fueling Fiorentina’s Scudetto Push
The most fascinating Serie A season in years is just over two months old and has a clash between top-three sides on Sunday afternoon. Roma, in third place, are no strangers to these high-profile fixtures. Say what you will about the Giallorossi’s Champions League woes, but Rudi Garcia has a good squad that thrives when…
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Mourinho’s Toughest Test
As Graziano Pellé struck for Southampton in the 72nd minute to put the Saints ahead 3-1 at Stamford Bridge the Sky Sports commentator remarked, “This is turning from a blip into a full blown crisis for Chelsea.” Southampton would win the match by that scoreline and keep Chelsea in 16th place in the table ahead…
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The Myth of Mourinho
I remember the first time I watched a José Mourinho team, and I think that’s very much telling. Usually, you don’t really focus on the manager, no matter how good he is, when watching a game. Back then, managers were a presence that, while very much respected for their importance, weren’t the focus of the…
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Costa Is Bayern’s Engine
When Douglas Costa signed for Bayern Munich for €30 million this summer from Ukrainian champions, Shaktar Donetsk, many people questioned the deal including his former manager Mircea Lucescu. Speaking to German newspaper, Bild, he remarked, “I think Costa is not yet strong enough for Bayern. Ribéry and Robben are a different caliber.” In 2013 when Munich won…
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Philippe Coutinho: The Symbol of Liverpool’s Continued Devolution
The more time passes on the 2013-14 EPL season, the more we’ve learned just how much of a one year outlier that Liverpool side really was. Sure, we kind of already knew that when Luis Suarez left after the 2014 World Cup, but to the degree to which it’s hampered Liverpool as a club currently…