Analysis

Although Tottenham are in the thick of the top-four race in the Premier League and are, in fact, in fourth ahead of Liverpool and Newcastle, there is a feeling that Spurs could part ways with manager Antonio Conte. That feeling has been echoed by the man himself, with Conte even publicly admitting he could be fired before the season ends. There are plenty of intelligent Spurs fans who have been swayed to the "Conte Out" camp, such as Cartilage Free Captain's Ryan Ratty. When it comes to the basic skills a manager needs, such as his tactical acumen, Conte is undoubtedly one of the best in the world. His accomplishments with Juventus, Chelsea, Inter Milan, and the Italian national team speak for themselves. However, in many of those cases, his final split was far from clean, and he has...

One of the first things I ever wrote about Spanish football was a short series on Spanish internationals who played just before Spain's period of international success beginning in 2008. The biggest takeaway from that was the amount of Valencia players who made the cut, and just how impressive the club was in the early 2000s. Now in the early 2020s, the club is currently in the LaLiga relegation zone, with little hope that things will get better. So, how did they go from European success to staring down the barrel of the Segunda and financial disaster? A recent history Valencia have faced a fall from grace before, going down in the mid-1980s, having enjoyed a period of success in the late '70s. The club began its modern rise in the 90s. The early part of the decade would be characterize...

MLS kicks off its 28th season this weekend with a full slate of games all available on Apple TV. News of the Apple TV deal and MLS playoff format have dominated MLS offseason discussions, so some MLS transfer news has flown under the radar. Because of this, we’re here to catch you up on some of the biggest MLS transfers of the offseason, so that you’re ready for MLS’s glorious return this weekend. Evander - FC Midtjylland​ to Portland Timbers for $10m The Portland Timbers made the biggest signing of the MLS offseason by signing Brazilian midfielder Evander for $10m. Evander’s transfer is a surprising one considering his standing in Europe. Evander led the Europa League in assists, and many expected him to leap to a bigger European club. Instead, Evander left Europe altogether and w...

Barcelona have been involved in numerous scandals and controversies in past years. Going to court on two separate occasions over lawsuits that arose from the signing of Neymar. Neymar himself suing Barcelona for unpaid bonuses, with the club then counter-suing for breach of contract. The previous board under Josep Maria Bartomeu's presidency were said to have hired several companies and paid some journalists to discredit Barcelona players while favoring the board. Something which led to Bartomeu's resignation. However, the latest scandal could not only have serious consequences for Joan Laporta's presidency, but the whole club as well. As reported by Cadena SER Catalunya, Barcelona paid a total of €1.4 million (£1.2m; $1.3m) to a company that belonged to then-referees committ...

Rumors have been quietly rumbling all throughout the MLS off-season that league executives were considering changing the MLS playoffs' structure. First, there were reports that the league was looking to capitalize on the World Cup’s popularity and introduce a postseason tournament with a group stage and knockout competition to decide the league's winner. Then, there were reports of a best-of-three series to replace the win-or-go-home one-game playoff format MLS fans have grown to love over the last four years. Now, reports have emerged that MLS is closing in on changing its playoff format to the best-of-three format originally discussed along with the addition of a play-in game for the 8th and 9th best team in each conference. The result of these changes would lead to more team...