Where will Diego Simeone go after Atlético Madrid?

Jonny McConnell looks at Diego Simeone’s options beyond Atlético Madrid…

It has been said over and over again, but even in management, Diego Simeone has retained the ferocity and sheer determination that made him such a formidable opponent in his playing days.

Often unpredictable on the pitch, he had enviable talent and he has impressively taken his playing qualities into his role as a manager. Since replacing Gregorio Manzano in December 2011, Simeone has showed his coaching ability to the world, helping the club escape from a period of mediocrity, moulding them into La Liga winners in the space of two and a half seasons. What next though? Can Simeone and the club improve on this, or have they finally reached their ceiling as a club. Continue reading

Europa League’s English trio: the West Broms of Europe?

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Simon Smith looks at the changing English perceptions of the Europa League…

This week the Europa League reaches the crunch stage, the quarter finals.  All the teams that get through this will fancy their chances of winning the tournament and there are no sloppy teams let in the running.  So why the three English clubs?  Traditionally this stage of the competition has eliminated them by now, so are we looking at a newfound interest in the competition by Premier League clubs or are there other reasons for the current success?  Take a look at the current teams involved, compare them to recent seasons and the mystery becomes a little clearer…

Tottenham Hotspur, Chelsea and Newcastle are all good teams, but none of them are great teams.  There have in the last few seasons been two different classes of English club in Europe’s junior cup and for different reasons neither have had the ability to make significant progress in the tournament: clubs with desire but who lack the quality, and clubs with the quality who lack interest. Continue reading

Three Emerging Talents from La Liga

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The False Nine debutant, Nathan Carr, takes a look at some of the emerging talents in La Liga…

Many are firmly aware of La Liga’s never-ending conveyor-belt of scintillating talent – but while the likes of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, inevitably, continue to enliven Spanish football we mustn’t forget those youthful, fresh-faced folk who are waiting to set the stage alight. Here are three emerging talents from Spain’s top-flight. Continue reading

Russia’s Europa Trio in Pole Position

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Andy Shenk looks at the Russian trio vying for progression to the Last 16 of the Europa League…

For Russian football fans, Rubin midfielder Pablo Orbaiz’s stoppage-time goal in Madrid was just the exclamation point to a thrilling Valentine’s Day in the Europa League. Zenit and Anzhi kicked the night off in style, celebrating 2-0 and 3-1 victories over Liverpool and Hannover 96. Several hours later, Rubin’s Spanish mercenary silenced the Estadio Vincente Calderon crowd, breaking away for his team’s second goal as Atletico goalie Sergio Asenjo tried vainly to catch him from behind.  Continue reading

TFN Meets Steve Graves

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Continuing The False Nine’s look back at 2012, we spoke to Steve Graves of The Anfield Wrap…

Favourite moment

For drama, Sergio Aguero’s winner to seal the Premier League title. For football and society as a whole, the announcement that the hugely flawed Hillsborough inquest verdicts would be quashed surpassed anything to happen on the pitch.

Continue reading

Chaotic Entertainment Exposing Premier League’s Decline

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Further European humiliation for Premier League clubs has exposed a number of flaws in the English game; is entertainment alone enough? False Nine editor James Dutton discloses some uncomfortable truths…

Who remembers the Olympics? They were great weren’t they? That now iconic fortnight when the country soaked up the sun and basked in the world’s spotlight; when London temporarily justified its self-gratifying tagline as the centre of the known world. Continue reading

Europa League in need of revamp

 

False Nine editor Hugo Greenhalgh reflects on the Super Cup and the future of the Europa League

Watching last night‘s Super Cup, it would be easy to mistake Atlético Madrid as the Champions of Europe. Chelsea may have won three in three in the Premier League, but they looked sluggish and uncoordinated in the Super Cup as Atlético, marshalled by a rampant Radamel Falcao, punished the London side in a 4-1 victory. Continue reading