Category: European Football

The Sudden Vulnerability of Juventus Throws Serie A Open

December 1, 2012

Here’s a piece I wrote for Soccerlens Winning is a habit, we’re told. Juventus are finding that losing is too. While the emphatic victory over Chelsea has raised hopes of a Serie A renaissance in the Champions League, domestically Juve are experiencing an uncharacteristic slump. After a record-breaking run of forty-eight unbeaten, suddenly they’ve lost … More The Sudden Vulnerability of Juventus Throws Serie A Open

The Turin Derby: Will Torino Go For Broke Against Stuttering Juventus?

December 1, 2012

A home match against local rivals Torino, who are hardly setting Serie A alight, might seem the perfect fixture for a Juventus side suffering a sudden dip in form. However, if Il Granata keep their nerve and stick to the audacious tactics they’ve been using lately, they might provide a thrillingly unorthodox threat in the … More The Turin Derby: Will Torino Go For Broke Against Stuttering Juventus?

Javier Aguirre Takes on Espanyol’s Mission Impossible

November 30, 2012

The other Catalan club’s new coach Javier Aguirre Here’s something I wrote for Soccerlens Harry Redknapp isn’t the only wily veteran to take on a dysfunctional bottom of the table side this week. Javier Aguirre is a master fire-fighter but he’s taken on a massive job at Espanyol. At least his side isn’t as far … More Javier Aguirre Takes on Espanyol’s Mission Impossible

Please Can We Have Our Souls Back? Chelsea’s Fans Backtrack On Their Faustian Pact

November 28, 2012

Chelsea’s fans might feel uncomfortable at the thought of Rafa Benitez at the helm, but is that sense of unease misdirected? Perhaps the anger directed at the Spaniard is merely a proxy for the uncomfortable realities his arrival has stirred deep within fans’ hearts about their relationship with the club’s owner. The words Benitez is … More Please Can We Have Our Souls Back? Chelsea’s Fans Backtrack On Their Faustian Pact

The Inevitable Demise of Jose Antonio Reyes

November 24, 2012

From Soccerlens When Jose Antonio Reyes scored the fastest goal in the history of the Seville derby last weekend, snatching that record from opposing manager Pepe Mel in the process, it seemed too good to be true. Jose Antonio Reyes celebrates during Sevilla’s remarkable derby win When he added another goal and an assist before … More The Inevitable Demise of Jose Antonio Reyes

Russian Football’s Image Problem Not Helped by Zenit

November 23, 2012

The dreadful events in the Dynamo Moscow-Zenit match last weekend were bad enough. The reaction to them has hardly covered the Russian game in glory. Last weekend the match of the round in the Russian Premier League took a grim turn and had to be abandoned. A flare, thrown by a female Zenit fan who … More Russian Football’s Image Problem Not Helped by Zenit

Oliver Reed, Wrexham FC, Malta and the Olympics. Of course.

July 28, 2012

The intangibles of football are hard to get a grasp of, funnily enough. I’m writing this, for example, in the pub in Malta (wittily named “The Pub” and a welcome source of decent beer on the island that barley forgot, although Chris Rea was a dose of Britishness to far though, barkeep!) where Oliver Reed … More Oliver Reed, Wrexham FC, Malta and the Olympics. Of course.