A handful of the best emerging talents to seek out as they look to make waves around Europe this summerThe latest talent to emerge from the famed “Bromma Boys” production line in Stockholm after Bojan Djordic and John Guidetti. Kulusevski has made steady progress in his first full season at Juventus and was the hero of their Coppa Italia victory over his former club Atalanta. Having moved to Italy three months after his 16th birthday, the forward spent two spells at Parma and joined Juve for more than £30m last year. Kulusevki, whose father is from North Macedonia, was born in Sweden but represented Macedonia at under 16 and 17 level before making the switch and is often compared to...
Myopia makes us want our team’s players in Gareth Southgate’s XI but at least he has picked from far and wideThere was a fascinating long read in the Guardian a month ago entitled “The clockwork universe: is free will an illusion?”, in which Oliver Burkeman explored the age-old question about whether any of us have any control over anything we do. We are encouraged to consider a fruit bowl containing an apple and a banana. You feel hungry, you choose the banana. You could have chosen the apple. But you didn’t. Now you are eating a banana. Free will. A decision made. By you and you alone. You have successfully consumed one banana. Related: England’s squad for Euro 2020: Southgate’s...
In the first of a series of columns, the World Cup-winning Germany captain argues for an expanded league which includes clubs from across the continentFootball has changed for the better. In the 1980s, it was open season on artists like Diego Maradona, with foul specialists sent in to stop him. You can watch the clips on YouTube, and be horrified. The end, back then, justified all means.Today, tripping and brutal tackles are heavily penalised, and such fouls have all but disappeared. The international football community agreed on the stricter approach in a transparent process. Players must now play fair, and fouls are seen as a last resort. These days, the end is justified by the means. For this development, from...
England are very good and may even win, but the Euros matter more as a chance to revel in the unity and joyful dissent the game inspiresWe want to be free, to do what we want to do. We want to throw beer in the air. We want to dress up as Gareth Southgate in his kindly Victorian undertaker phase. And that’s what we’re going to do (with appropriate clearance and a favourable infection curve). We’re going to have a good time. We’re going to have a party.Watching the England squad announcement for next week’s World Cup qualifying triple-header it was easy to get lost in the familiar tropes, the muscle memory of a springtime tournament run. Here is an...
Staging Euro 2020 games in a politically problematic country embroiled in conflict is untenable, and Uefa needs to actOn Tuesday night the Azerbaijan men’s national football team drew 0-0 with Luxembourg. Three days before that the Azerbaijan men’s national football team drew 0-0 with Montenegro. Three days before that the Azerbaijan men’s national football team drew 0-0 with Slovenia. Four weeks before that the Azerbaijan men’s national football team drew 0-0 with Cyprus.0-0, 0-0, 0-0, 0-0. In the course of this run Azerbaijan have pared their game down from six shots on target to just the one last time out. The natural end point of this graph, the real moment of fulfilment, would see Azerbaijan complete their next 0-0 with...