Analysis

I like kit numbers, there I said it. I'm weirdly invested in what numbers players wear, why? God knows, best not to question it, leave that to the litany of therapists who'll try and work out why I know about Serie A number assigning in the 1990's and not why I cry myself to sleep. In 2023 they're wild, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but I believe as a self-styled kit number aficionado we could all do with a refresher. The origins of kit numbers Kit numbers were first spotted on the backs of players in the 1910s, and by the early 1930's they were beginning to catch on, having first featured in European football competitively in 1928, but were still different to what we would see now. There were no set rules on how numbers should be assigned yet, so in the 1933 FA Cup Final Everton ...

Tottenham's season under Antonio Conte hasn't been going as many had originally expected. The Italian came in the middle of the 2021/2022 season and changed the team's fortunes by qualifying for the Champions League ahead of arch-rivals Arsenal; a competition that the club had not qualified for since 2019. After sticking with Conte, there was a sense that Spurs could not only win that long-awaited trophy, but also be outside challengers for the Premier League title. However, those Premier League chances quickly evaporated and so have their hopes of winning a trophy. Domestically, they were eliminated by Nottingham Forest in the EFL Cup and then by Sheffield United in the FA Cup. Meanwhile, they were eliminated in the Round of 16 stages of the Champions League by AC Milan who (despite th...

Ligue 1 is known as the "league of talents" because of all the wonderful up-and-coming players and hidden gems who develop in the French top flight. The 2022/23 season has given us a number of breakout stars worth celebrating, including some players who have escaped any sort of mainstream attention. So let's take a closer look at the biggest breakout stars of the Ligue 1 campaign thus far. Lorient DM Enzo Le Fée Bournemouth's owner has a minority share in Lorient, and the Premier League side already plucked one of Ligue 1's big attacking breakout stars, Dango Ouattara, in the winter transfer window. They were close to signing Enzo Le Fée, but Lorient were able to hold onto their current best player. Le Fée is legitimately one of the best players in Ligue 1 and one of the best yo...

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...