Posts By Jake Sandy
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1.2KPremier LeagueKepa Arrizabalaga: Portait of a Rising Star
Following a summer of overt flirtation between Real Madrid and Chelsea goalkeeper, Thibaut Courtois, Los Blancos have got their man. Courtois’ return to Spain has been inevitable for the last few seasons and it became a case of when, rather than if, he would swap West London for Madrid. However,...
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1.3KPremier LeagueFulham Have the Pieces in Place to be this Season’s Surprise Package
Slaviša Jokanović has overseen a turn around at Fulham that borders on miraculous. He took over during the 2015/16 season following a poor start to the season by his predecessor, Kit Symons, and led the club to a 20th place finish – 11 points above the relegation zone. In his...
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1.1KPremier LeagueWinning the Europa League: The Start of the Sarri Revolution
Aside from Real Madrid, the pressure on Chelsea managers to achieve immediate success is effectively unrivalled in European football. Maurizio Sarri is the latest in the long line of coaches who’ve had to temper this expectation during Roman Abramovich’s reign at the West London club. For England’s top teams, there...
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629Ligue 1Kylian Mbappé: The Obstacle in Neymar’s Quest for Individual Glory
In elite sports, mentality is everything. Often the difference between athletes is more psychological than physiological, and those fine margins are what separate glory and failure. One of the central preoccupations of sports psychologists is the question of motivation. Broadly, it can be split into two categories: intrinsic and extrinsic. Someone...
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440InternationalDon’t Look Back in Anger: England’s World Cup Legacy
At the 1990 World Cup, England reached the pinnacle of their success on the world stage, a first semi-final since the glory of 1966. Five years later a Mancunian group of twenty-somethings, who called themselves Oasis, released their magnum opus – What’s the Story (Morning Glory), and cemented their place...
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2.2KPremier LeagueSarri Must Bring a New Model to Chelsea to Reverse the Club’s Drift
Following a summer of rumours and misinformation, Chelsea have finally announced that Maurizio Sarri has become the new coach of the West London club. His appointment has brought the number of permanent managers at the club to 13 in the 15 years since Roman Abramovic became Chelsea owner in 2003....
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614World Cup 2018Brazil vs Mexico: Are There Better Options than a Half-Fit Neymar?
Some say that the hardest job in football is that of a manager. Irrespective of what has happened on the pitch, the buck for a result usually rests firmly at the feet of the man in the dugout and with that comes the immense pressure to make the right calls.
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539World Cup 2018England vs Belgium: Why a Win is Essential for Southgate
England’s comprehensive 6-1 victory over Panama has sent the entire country into an almost alarming level of optimism for the team’s chances, and has left the standings in Group G finely poised going into the final day of games.
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465World Cup 2018It’s Time We Started Celebrating the Fine Art of Defensive Football
Chelsea in the 2012 Champions League final; Portugal in the 2016 European Championship final; Rangers during their 2008 UEFA Cup run; and Wigan in the 2013 FA Cup final: The tactic of soaking up pressure and nicking a goal has frequently been used to great effect by teams faced with...
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390World Cup 2018Spain Showed They’re Capable of Reviving the Form of 2010
With the first round of games in the 2018 World Cup drawing to a close, we have seen each of the favourites for the trophy play their opening matches. Argentina and Brazil were both held to 1-1 stalemates with teams they were widely expected to beat; Germany suffered a surprising 1-0...