Analysis

Leonardo Bonucci And AC Milan: A Match Made In Hell

December, 2016 – Juventus center back Leonardo Bonucci signs a new contract extension, keeping him with the champions until 2021.

January, 2017 – Bonucci is named in the UEFA and Serie A team of the year, as well as winning the award for the best footballer in Serie A in 2016.

February, 2017 – Bonucci sits in the stands, watching Juventus play Porto in the Champions League having argued with manager Massimiliano Allegri during the previous game, his 300th for the club.

Bucking The Trend, All 5 England Clubs Are Still Unbeaten In Champions League

England has five teams in the Champions League for the first time and amazingly all of them are still unbeaten through three matches in group play. Manchester United, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City and Tottenham all lead their groups with a combined 11 wins, four draws and no losses.

3 Lessons We Can Learn From England’s Ongoing Road To International Recovery

And so the grand inquisition begins. Bruce Arena has stepped down as manager of the USMNT, and federation president Sunil Gulati has revealed that a short-term manager will be appointed in the “next 7-10 days” without making clear his own position with the 2018 election looming. 

U.S. Escapes Tough Group At U-17 World Cup As Americans Seek Some Sort Of Silver Lining

Tuesday was a nightmare for U.S. soccer, but soccer does not stop because the U.S. won’t be in the World Cup next summer in Russia. In fact, the U.S. is competing at a World Cup right now — the U-17 World Cup in India — and the team is doing quite well.

It Took All This Crazy Shit To Knock The U.S. Out Of The World Cup

Tuesday sure was wild, huh? CONCACAF CONCACAF’d the sh*t out of CONCACAF World Cup qualifiers for two insane hours. There was a lot to take in. A lot. Wacky own goals, rampaging ball boys and hugging commentators. And USMNT World Cup dreams dashed. So like Hillary Clinton after her election loss, let’s revisit what the hell just happened.

The Italian National Team: Devastating Mediocrity, Defined

For the first time since the 1998-99 season, no manager in Serie A has been fired after seven matches. All twenty teams have decided to stick with their coach, even the terrible ones. It’s a quirk of fate, remarkable only because of the trigger-happy tendencies of Serie A owners past. But there’s one Italian manager who should almost definitely be fired. Unfortunately, he’s the coach of the national team.

How Will Tuesday Unfold For The USMNT?

Heading into Tuesday’s final matchday in the CONCACAF Hexagonal, there are still a number of scenarios that could confront the United States when the dust eventually settles. Most importantly, the USMNT controls their own destiny. However, things could get a bit dicey in the event of a draw or catastrophic loss. Let’s check it out! 

What happens if…

The United States beats Trinidad & Tobago

Just How Good Is Edin Dzeko, Exactly?

Edin Dzeko is . . . pretty good, I guess? The Roma forward is a pretty good striker in a league filled with pretty good strikers. Dzeko shares Serie A with Gonzalo Higuain, Ciro Immobile, Mauro Icardi, Dries Mertens and Andrea Belotti. That would make it hard for anybody to stand out.

But let's look a little closer at the Bosnian international. Here's a fun stat:

Why Man-Marking Lionel Messi Is Always A Terrible Idea

Conditions conspired to give us a glimpse of a rarely used, outdated tactic on Saturday: an authentic and faithful use of man-marking during Girona’s hosting of Barcelona at the Estadi Montilivi. What this means is that Girona defender Pablo Maffeo was entirely sacrificed to negate the influence of Barcelona’s Lionel Messi — wherever Messi went, there was Maffeo. When Girona were in possession, Maffeo continued to mark Messi. In fact, Maffeo was substituted in the 78th minute after recording only 10 touches. 

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