5 h. ago The age of Guardiola is waning and the game’s guru is baffled by what comes next | Jonathan Wilson

Pepism is no longer the prevailing tactical template, with football and its innovator in a state of fluxThe world is blasted, unfamiliar. Smoke swirls amid the gloom. Foul odours belch from the sulphurous earth. The landscape echoes to howls and grunts and screams. A great light has gone out and all that remains is confusion and fear. Everywhere coaches and managers, hunched under their doubts, scuttle hither and thither, desperately seeking a path through the wilderness.From his very first season at Barcelona, Pep Guardiola’s way of playing football has been dominant. The effectiveness of his philosophy was so obvious and so pervasive that there is not an elite manager now who has not in some way been influenced by his philosophy, even if they are not, as many are, overt disciples. Continue reading...

Politics

5 d. ago Nigeria, Italy ... England? Big names may struggle to reach the World Cup

Some big names in Europe and Africa face a nervy run-in, while Asia and the Americas have gone as expectedSign up for Soccer with Jonathan Wilson hereIt’s been telling how much of the coverage around England recently has focused on how they must improve before the World Cup finals next summer. It’s true, of course: they’ve been in the final of the last two Euros, played well in getting to the quarter-final of the last World Cup and have a fleet of extremely gifted players but have not really impressed since beating Greece in the Nations League under Lee Carsley last November.What’s never considered, though, is the thought that they may not get to the 2026 World Cup at all. Continue reading...

Politics

5 d. ago Carlos Alberto’s goal at the ‘greatest World Cup’ was a mirage of what football could be

Brazil’s 1970 triumph, summed up by their captain’s brilliant strike in the final, was the game’s Woodstock, a glorious moment offering an implausible futureTostão picks up the loose ball and nudges it back to Wilson Piazza just outside his own box. The ball is moved in a slow triangle through Clodoaldo to Pelé and Gérson and back to Clodoaldo. His touch is slightly heavy, enticing an Italian challenge. Clodoaldo skips round him and then two other tackles. He sidesteps Antonio Juliano and rolls the ball to Rivellino on the left. Rivellino sweeps a 40-yard pass down the line to Jairzinho and the rhythm has suddenly changed.Jairzinho runs at Giacinto Facchetti and, as he turns inside, Pierluigi Cera advances to close him down. Jairzinho pokes the ball on to Pelé, perhaps 27 or 28 yards out. Tarcisio Burgnich stands between him and the box, but Pelé pauses, turns casually to his right and lays a pass into the path of Carlos Alberto, surging forward from full-back. Just inside the box t...

Politics

7 d. ago Mikel Arteta should have heeded a lesson from Fabian Hürzeler and seized the moment | Jonathan Wilson

It’s hard to avoid the feeling that, after Brighton boldly took their chance, Mikel Arteta let one slip against LiverpoolLast Sunday, Fabian Hürzeler made a quadruple substitution an hour into Brighton’s Premier League game against Manchester City. Brighton had been scratchy, had struggled to create and were a goal down, but the changes transformed the game and they won 2-1. Hürzeler explained he had been guided by “a feeling that comes from inside In some moments my body says something to me. Not just in football but generally in life you need to have the courage to take the decisions you want to.”Hürzeler had spent most of his press conference trying to deflect or at least share out the praise. He talked of his players and how important their energy and belief had been, and he stressed that the substitutions had been a collective decision made with his coaching staff. Management these days is a world of data and analysis, of careful programming and meticulous plans. But ultimately...

Politics

1 week ago How will Arne Slot change his Liverpool tactics to get best out of Alexander Isak? | Jonathan Wilson

Swede is not a classic central striker, but could his signing herald tactical tweaks and what does it mean for Salah?On the face of it, it’s not hard to see why Liverpool would want Alexander Isak. He will not turn 26 until later this month and has scored more than 20 Premier League goals in each of the past two seasons, something matched only by Erling Haaland. But he offers more than just goals; he’s a very modern centre-forward.Thirty or 40 years ago, when 4-4-2 was still the dominant formation, strike pairings tended to come in two forms: either target-man and finisher, or creator and finisher. These days, the very best centre-forwards combine traits of all three. This is not entirely new: the days of Kenny Dalglish and Ian Rush or Niall Quinn and Kevin Phillips are long gone and football has been familiar for some time with players of the ilk of Didier Drogba, Andriy Shevchenko and Radamel Falcao, forwards with pace and some blend of physicality and technical ability. Continue ...

Politics

1 week ago Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal stuck in gear as Arne Slot’s Liverpool deftly adjust

Sunday’s match was defined by a brilliant free-kick, but the way it came about showed the difference between the clubs’ managersSign up for Soccer with Jonathan Wilson hereThere was a time, not that long ago, when almost all big games were stiflingly tense affairs – cautious, cagey, almost unwatchable but for the exquisite tension, the sense that this was too important to expect the football to be entertaining. The goal-heavy thrillers of the Pep Guardiola-Jürgen Klopp rivalry were a welcome diversion, but they always felt oddly transgressive – were we sure major clashes were supposed to be that much fun? In that sense, Liverpool’s 1-0 win over Arsenal on Sunday fit into a long-established tradition; in time the tedium will fall away in the collective memory and all that will remain is the majesty of Dominik Szoboszlai’s match-winning free-kick.Two other more recent traditions were observed amid the anxiety of Anfield: that Arne Slot will always somehow find a way, and that Arsenal ...

Politics

1 week ago Buildup to Liverpool v Arsenal and Celtic v Rangers – matchday live

Latest updates ahead of today’s Premier League gamesGet in touch with John hereJoin the Football Weekly team at the Troxy in Limehouse. It appears I might be there too.The big game in England is Liverpool v Arsenal, and both Jonathan Wilson and Barney Ronay have been looking ahead to the game. Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago Slot’s revamped Liverpool are vulnerable in a way that they weren’t last season | Jonathan Wilson

Injury-hit Arsenal face an ill-at-ease champions struggling to fit the new cogs in their hitherto well-oiled machineThe mechanisms of a football team are delicate. You win the league then add nearly £300m of talent and it doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll win it again, doesn’t necessarily make you better, even if you’re not doing something as obviously likely to cause imbalance as adding Kylian Mbappé to a Real Madrid team already stacked with left-sided attackers.Liverpool go into Sunday’s home game against Arsenal having won two out of two in the Premier League and scored a healthy seven goals. But those aren’t the statistics that tell the whole story. If you include the Community Shield, Liverpool have conceded two goals in each of their three games so far. The defensive problems are obvious and the return of Ryan Gravenberch at Newcastle on Monday did not magically solve them. Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago Blockbuster Champions League draw is intriguing but ultimately irrelevant | Jonathan Wilson

Fans will continue to lap up massive games but perhaps the teams involved will conclude they are not that importantLiverpool v Real Madrid! Arsenal v Bayern! Chelsea v Napoli! Madrid v Manchester City! Bayern v Chelsea! Newcastle v Barcelona! Inter v Liverpool! PSG v Bayern! City v Napoli! Madrid v Juventus! Chelsea v Barcelona! It can’t be denied that the Champions League draw threw up some ties that look like massive games.These are games that have massive teams in them. They are happening in a massive competition. There will be famous players in famous kits in famous stadiums. There will be Champions League branding. They will play the Champions League theme tune. They will use the Champions League ball, taking its cues this season from the night sky and featuring hand-drawn zodiac signs in gold that symbolise heroic deeds and heavenly destiny. It will all look like something really important. Continue reading...

Sport

3 w. ago Ruben Amorim faces more pressure despite reasons for optimism for United | Jonathan Wilson

Club who used to inspire fear now inspire pity and the head coach, with no credit in the bank, needs a victory at FulhamEncouraging signs. Gimmers of promises. Green shoots. It is indicative of just how far Manchester United have sunk that the reaction to their 1-0 defeat to Arsenal last Sunday was not shock or scorn or even schadenfreude; it was encouragement. United used to inspire fear in opponents; now they inspire pity.It is not that there were no reasons for optimism for United. The new forwards who started, Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha, looked intermittently dangerous. Mason Mount offered a reminder of his quality and if he can stay fit he could have a major role to play. Patrick Dorgu dominated his flank. Amad Diallo sparkled after coming off the bench. David Raya was forced to make seven saves. Dorgu hit a post. There were plausible claims for a penalty when William Saliba appeared to go through the back of Cunha. Opta’s xG model had United winning 1.5 to 1.3. Continue re...

Events

3 w. ago Ruben Amorim faces more pressure despite reasons for optimism at United | Jonathan Wilson

Club who used to inspire fear now inspire pity and the head coach, with no credit in the bank, needs a victory at FulhamEncouraging signs. Gimmers of promises. Green shoots. It is indicative of just how far Manchester United have sunk that the reaction to their 1-0 defeat to Arsenal last Sunday was not shock or scorn or even schadenfreude; it was encouragement. United used to inspire fear in opponents; now they inspire pity.It is not that there were no reasons for optimism for United. The new forwards who started, Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha, looked intermittently dangerous. Mason Mount offered a reminder of his quality and if he can stay fit he could have a major role to play. Patrick Dorgu dominated his flank. Amad Diallo sparkled after coming off the bench. David Raya was forced to make seven saves. Dorgu hit a post. There were plausible claims for a penalty when William Saliba appeared to go through the back of Cunha. Opta’s xG model had United winning 1.5 to 1.3. Continue re...

Events

3 w. ago Arsenal’s win at Manchester United may not have impressed, but it was just what they need

Winning at Old Trafford may not prove to be as common as last season, making Arsenal’s result stand out among the title hopefulsSign up for Soccer with Jonathan Wilson hereThere was a thought at times in the second part of last season, when the set-piece goals dried up, that Arsenal had become over-reliant on them. And perhaps that was true, but they’re a useful weapon to have. Some games are won by overwhelming opponents through superior technical ability and some games are won by organization and hard work, by finding a way to score and a way to keep their opponent out. Arsenal’s 1-0 win at Old Trafford on Sunday was definitely one of the latter.Manchester United do not defend inswinging corners well. Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka both excel at taking inswinging corners. In that sense, the fact that the game was decided by United goalkeeper Altay Bayindir’s flap at a Rice inswinger was entirely to be expected. What was less predictable was the nature of the game that followed as Uni...

Sport

3 w. ago New season, same strife between the sticks for Manchester United | Jonathan Wilson

Altay Bayindir’s susceptibility to an inswinging ball is equal to André Onana’s and Arsenal had just the man to exploit itNew seasons are never new starts, not entirely. The sun may have been shining and the temperature in the mid‑20s. There may have been new kits on the pitch and new flags in the stands. There may have been an obsessive focus on the new signings. There may, among home fans, perhaps especially those refreshed in the new marquee behind the Stretford End, have been a giddy expectation that this season couldn’t be as bad as last for Manchester United. But the roots of a game run deep, stretching back into the mulch of the past. This was a game shaped by events last December.Arsenal are good at set pieces; United are vulnerable to inswinging deliveries. In December last year Arsenal beat United 2-0 at the Emirates Stadium, both goals the result of corners. United had André Onana in goal for that one, but Tottenham had taken notice of the susceptibility to...

Politics

4 w. ago Grealish never conformed as Guardiola’s ‘obedient little schoolboy’ but glorious third act beckons | Jonathan Wilson

Midfielder’s time at Man City has been turbulent but there is hope Everton can help him rediscover sense of joy on the pitchA figure toils alone at Bodymoor Heath. The light fades, but against the setting sun his silhouette is distinctive: the floppy hair, the hunched gait, the vast calves. Jack Grealish is working, honing and polishing, inventing, striving at the limits of technical excellence.He has inspired Aston Villa to promotion. He has helped them avoid relegation, establish themselves as a Premier League side. He is enormously popular. Even opposing fans admire his ability, warm to the sense he is still in some way the impish kid in the playground, revelling in his ability, having fun. That summer at the Euros he had become a cause célèbre, the figure behind whom the clamour for Gareth Southgate to release the handbrake rallied, the poster boy for the sort of pundit who wished England would just believe in talent. Continue reading...

Events