Innholdsfortegnelse for Issue 87 i Soccer 360 Magazine

RASHFORD SCORED TWICE IN FRONT OF THE STRETFORD END AS HE ENJOYED A DREAM DEBUT These are different times not only in football, but across the whole world of sport. Gone are the days when superstars such as Michael Jordan were afraid of speaking out about issues regarding race, politics, poverty or society in general. Now we have brave, articulate 22-year-olds leading real, tangible change at governmental level. Now we have young men like Marcus Rashford, unafraid of speaking out to help others, no longer fearful of the damage doing so may inflict on their careers. With all he’s done over the last few months alone, since the coronavirus outbreak ground most of the planet to a halt, it’s easy to forget what a young career Rashford’s is. It was…

‘LUKAKU HAS HAD SUCH AN AFFECT WHEREVER HE HAS PLAYED’ It’s strange to think that there are still some people that are not entirely convinced by Romelu Lukaku. Critics might point to a supposed lack of touch, or dredge up a memory of when he missed an easy chance. But the fact is that the Belgian striker has been prolific wherever he has played and is his country’s all-time leading goalscorer. Surely there is not much more he can do to get the naysayers on his side? Now Lukaku is close to completing his first season in Italy and will be one of the major reasons why Inter win the Scudetto if that is how it finishes in Serie A. Even if he doesn’t get to receive another winners’ medal,…

BORDALAS’ SIDE LOOK WELL PLACED TO SECURE A SECOND SUCCESSIVE EUROPA LEAGUE PLACE. THE GOOD Getafe’s surprise push for Champions League qualification was one of the most interesting sub plots of the 2018-19 season. Despite Jose Bordalas’ side eventually just missing out on a top four spot in 2019, their expected slide into mid-table this season has not materialised. With a thin squad and a lower transfer budget than the sides around them also battling for a European place, the demands of a 38-game La Liga season, plus the Europa League, was expected to be too much. But, with the odds stacked against them, Bordalas and his players have again risen to the challenge with another fine campaign in 2019-20. The standout performance of their season was the 2-0 Europa…

Bayern Munich being crowned champions is nothing new in Germany. But, there is a subtext to their latest Bundesliga title victory and those involved deserve appropriate recognition. Andy Wales breaks it down. You’d be forgiven for thinking that winning eight successive titles means life has been straightforward for Bayern. In truth, many of them were. However, recent seasons have seen cracks appear in the once impenetrable armour of Bayern. Last season, those growing vulnerabilities were clear to see and Borussia Dortmund only had themselves to blame for not breaking the Bavarian championship stranglehold. That was under former boss Niko Kovac, who struggled to win over fans and players alike during his brief reign. His league and cup double win did little to convince he was the right man to lead…

FITNESS The big question for every single team when they get onto the field is the fitness of their players. Due to state and local regulations to minimize large gatherings training has been a challenge for most players in the lead up to the tournament. Teams have been allowed roster space to combat the possibility of fitness with so many games in a short period of time which should help. But make no mistake about it: there are going to be some tired legs and play may be a little rough early on. WHO WILL WIN GROUP A? Of all the group pairings, Group A is possibility the most unpredictable with two expansion teams (Inter Miami and Nashville), two teams that had a complete reboot in the offseason (Chicago Fire…

Tobin Heath is one of the top midfielders in all of world football, having won two World Cups, two Gold Medals, and two NWSL Championships as a member of the United States Women’s National Team and with the Portland Thorns. Yet, she is also one of the quietest top midfielders in all of world football very often letting her work on the pitch do the talking. To better appreciate her skill and what she has done for the game here are five things that you may not know about Tobin Heath! #1 She is Tar Heel. After a standout youth career near her home in Morristown, New Jersey would commit to play college soccer at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. In her four years at UNC Heath was consistently…

NOT SUCH A HAWK-EYE Twitter - https://twitter.com/Hawkeye_view/status/1273329766750445569 The Premier League restarted with controversy after Sheffield United were denied a clear goal after Hawk-Eye failed to pick up the ball crossing the line – a grovelling apology was quickly released! BLACK LIVES MATTER Twitter - https://twitter.com/LFC/status/1274773622029197312 The Mersyside derby between Liverpool and Everton and both sides along with teams across the world bent a knee before kickoff in support of Black Lives Matter. BIRTHDAY WISHES Twitter - https://twitter.com/realmadriden/status/1275330247748190208 Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane celebrated his birthday in June and the club took to Twitter to wish him well – they also let everyone know just how old he turned too! SORRY, NOT SORRY Twitter - https://twitter.com/nealmaupay18/status/1274404542420000771 Brighton striker Neal Maupay upset a few folks with a crunching tackle on Arsenal goalkeeper…

UNTIL NOW WE HAD ALL ASSUMED HAWK-EYE TO BE VIRTUALLY FOOL-PROOF. DID YOU KNOW? Manchester United have reached the FA Cup semi-final 30 times. That’s more than any other club in the competition’s history. THE GOOD After three months away, during such a worrying time as COVID-19 spread across the world, it was simply wonderful to see football return in England, even in the unfamiliar guise of games being played behind closed doors and with the introduction of temporary new rules such as drinks breaks and an increased allowance of substitutes per side. However, another massively important global issue was addressed during the opening rounds of matches, as the Premier League took an exemplary and united stand in support of the Black Lives Matter movement following the tragic death of…

Sergio Ramos’ goal in the 2-1 win over Real Sociedad means the Real Madrid captain has become the highest scoring defender in all of LaLiga history. Ramos’ seventh goal of the current LaLiga Santander season saw him pass Barcelona legend Ronald Koeman and move to 68 career goals in the most demanding league tournament around. The Andalusian has also scored against all 20 current LaLiga teams and his total includes an impressive range of finishes, from towering headers to long range pile-drivers, and more recently a dead-eye from the penalty spot. Such a talent for goal-getting has been a constant for the centre-back, who often featured further up the field while he was developing through his teenage years at boyhood club Sevilla. His first LaLiga goal came in September 2004,…

HAALAND HAS STRUCK UP A DEADLY PARTNERSHIP WITH JADON SANCHO THE GOOD Lucien Favre’s Borussia Dortmund saw their Bundesliga title challenge end with a defeat at home to Bayern Munich, but the season has shown plenty of positives for his young squad. The Swiss boss and his players were under pressure to prove their youthful energy would enough to at least challenge their Bavarian rivals in 2019-20. Dortmund stood up to the challenge, with Manuel Akanji, Achraf Hakimi and Raphael Guerreiro adding a defensive steel to their attack-minded side. The January arrival of Erling Haaland demonstrated a new ability to attract the best and brightest talents to the club, with Favre fighting off the biggest clubs in Europe to secure the Norwegian international. Haaland has struck up a deadly partnership…

…SIGNIFICANT PROGRESS HAS BEEN MADE OVER THE LAST THREE YEARS… THE GOOD Since the tragic death of George Floyd and the protests that erupted across the globe as a result, Major League Soccer players and clubs are doing their part to address racial inequalities. The Black Players Coalition of MLS is a newly-formed organization aimed at raising awareness and positively impacting black communities across the United States and Canada. “Right after the death of George Floyd, there were a lot of conversations going on between the black players in the pool of Major League Soccer. But they were fragmented," said executive director of the coalition and Toronto FC full-back Justin Morrow. “Although we were all thinking the same thing, we were having the conversations with our own groups. So we…

NOT KEANE TO SAY "CHEESE" ENGLAND - Roy Keane had a reputation as a footballer for being a tough guy on the pitch. That reputation continued off the pitch as well, as he is not the happiest or most approachable of people. Because of this, it is rare for fans to take pictures with Keane, so Peter Crouch decided to create a collection. Crouch asked those few lucky fans to submit their photos alongside stories of what the Irishman said to the fans while getting their pictures. The former England international took the pictures and made an exhibit with them at the Gosport Gallery, named the ‘Sixteenth Chapel’ a play on words of the famous Sistine Chapel using Keane’s number. UNFAIR MANAGEMENT ENGLAND - Raheem Sterling spoke up against the…

THE PLAYERS HAD THE SAME EXPERIENCE AS THEIR SUPPORTERS – WATCHING ON TELEVISION. Congratulations Liverpool; 30 years of hurt never stopped you dreaming. Only fans who hadn’t won the league in their own lifetime could ever doubt it would go their way after 28 wins in 31 games, even with a pandemic, empty stands and social distanced celebrations. Considering the Reds couldn’t clinch the Premier League at Anfield or in front of their own fans, it was almost fitting that the players should have the same experience as their supporters when they were crowned champions – watching on television. That’s 2020 for you, all in the same boat. At least Liverpool and Bayern Munich got to play the whole campaign without seeing asterisks by their names in the history books,…

LIVERPOOL ARE NOW CHAMPIONS OF ENGLAND, OF EUROPE, AND OF THE WORLD When Jürgen Klopp’s side lifted the Club World Cup in December, they claimed an intercontinental crown for the first time in the club’s illustrious history and supporters were able to declare their team champions of the world. They were already the most successful English side in the European Cup, now known as the Champions League, and lifted the trophy for a sixth time just over a year ago. But they had not won a league title in 30 years, and having been ‘knocked off their perch’ by Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United, they were downgraded to the second most successful team in terms of English championships with 18 to United’s 20. That went some way to being remedied when…

Juventus confirmed their place at the top of Serie A with a 2-0 win against Scudetto rivals Inter ahead of the interruption due to the coronavirus pandemic, but with the obvious challengers at an arm’s length, the true contender has emerged as Lazio push the Old Lady all the way. You can’t rule out Inter, but the Bianconeri confirmed their long-established dominance in Serie A, lasting since current Nerazzurri coach Antonio Conte brought them back to the top in 2011-12. Current Juventus coach Maurizio Sarri was the one who came closest to upsetting the hierarchy in recent years, as his Napoli side nearly beat Juve to the trophy in 2017-18. He’s now at the other side of the pond and the demanding atmosphere around Allianz Stadium takes some getting used…

Millions of Barcelona fans around the world are proudly known as ‘Culés,’ whether they go to the Camp Nou each fortnight, or follow the team just as closely from their own distinct corner of the globe. However, not every Blaugrana supporter who selfidentifies as a culé on social media might know where the term first came from. In fact, the story gives a nice insight into Barça’s development as both a sports club and social movement in the Catalan capital over a century ago. During the first decades after the club’s foundation by Swiss student Joan Gamper in 1899, Barça played at a number of different grounds around the city. Between 1909 and 1922 the team’s home was situated on Carrer de la Industria, or Industry Street (today called Carrer…

Paris Saint-Germain were declared champions after the government pushed the French soccer leagues into cancelling their seasons, but deciding who would win the league title was the least of the worries of French soccer clubs. The Prime Minister of France, Edouard Philippe, announced that 2019/20 sporting seasons would not be able to continue until September, prompting the LFP (French football league) to end the current campaign. The leagues were looking to restart in June, targeting a July finish, but this was rendered impossible following Philippe’s announcement, and even games behind closed doors were not considered, as is the case in the German Bundesliga. As the 2019/20 campaign was called off, the French top-flight still had ten games to play, or 11 in the case of PSG and Strasbourg. Any decisions…

With the 2019-20 Bundesliga season concluded, RB Leipzig face a difficult task ahead of the upcoming campaign – filling a massive vacancy in their attack, as they prepare another assault on Bayern Munich and look to break new ground in Europe. Despite the club’s best efforts, star striker Timo Werner will not be at the club in 2020-21. Werner chose to say auf wiedersehen to the Bundesliga, and test himself in the Premier League. Leipzig had hoped Werner would become a mainstay at the club, a signature figure at an organisation that only came into existence in 2009. Die Roten Bullen haven’t shown any sign of an inferiority complex in the 11 years since, and certainly not since they burst into the Bundesliga in 2017. But whatever they achieve going…

It has been an interesting time for players across the world but in particular for players in the National Women’s Soccer League. After beginning preseason training and the season just weeks away from kicking, play was halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic. With individual training now starting up again across the league players, coaches, and teams are having to kickstart their season again under new circumstances. Our own Sean Maslin spoke with Allysha Chapman of the Houston Dash SM: During the shutdown what was the training and workout plan like with the Dash? AC: We did have a lot of Zoom Meetings. We would get together once or twice every two weeks and have a trivia night or, as we would call it, Forced Family Fun [Laughs]. We have also…

“Before his last game, Totti told us that if he had a penalty he would not score and he would send the ball to the tifosi.”– Roma defender Juan Jesus revealed that had planned to miss a penalty, should they have been awarded one, during his final game to give a gift to a fan. “Cristiano’s departure, even though it annoyed Madrid, had almost no impact because LaLiga has spent years ensuring that the brand transcends the players. But Messi’s case is different. Messi is the best player in the history of the game. We have been lucky to have him in LaLiga for his whole career. I think you would notice Messi’s departure, especially if he went to another league.”– LaLiga president Javier Tebas says that Messi would be…