The casualness was part of Eden Hazard's brilliance. Plus, we never saw him have to readapt his game as he aged. In a roundabout way, never seeing Hazard fade away in smaller leagues is its own sort of immortality. Read more »
Chelsea Analysis
Eden Hazard Fades Into The Distance
Pep Guardiola Vs. Thomas Tuchel: A UCL Final Years In The Making
Tactically, this Champions League Final represents a reunion of a mid-2010s philosophy, which is even more poignant now considering how far we are from that style. Read more »
Future Fans, Legacy Supporters, An Eventual Return To The Status Quo
In an age of hyperbole, we immediately recognized the significance of the potential Super League. But the day of truth was still surreal even considering the years of rumors that prepared our reactions for when theory turned reality. Read more »
The Super League Died But They're Not Through Tearing Things Down
The richest clubs in Europe were ready to detonate the sport as we know it: bleaching identities, cheapening domestic leagues, starving a great many clubs that are rich in history if not in funds. Read more »
Frank Lampard Can Be A Normal Manager Again
What does the perfect Chelsea manager look like? Somewhere between Jose Mourinho's ability to message to the masses, with Carlo Ancelotti's laissez-faire approach, and Antonio Conte's clear structure? Yet even if Chelsea were to find perfection, it would only be for a couple seasons anyway. Read more »
Chelsea Hires A Real Manager With A Real Shot To Succeed
At the bleary and miserable end, there wasn't much left to recommend Frank Lampard, beyond the fact that he's one of the best players in club history. Read more »
Continuity, Pressing And Navigating The 20-21 Premier League Season
We've concluded that this past season and this current season should be analyzed as two parts of one continuous timeline with the richest clubs having even a bigger advantage than in a typical season. Read more »
The Humble One Returns To The Premier League
The spectacle, the documentary and purpose as Jose Mourinho returns to the Premier League, this time as manager of Tottenham. Read more »
Soccer Reflecting Life: How Samuel Eto'o Defined His Era
With his journey, there may be no footballer who better represented what it meant to be shaped by the game, by how the game could move, by what it could give and take away. Eto'o may not have been the defining player of his era, but no player experienced the era more deeply. Read more »
Frank Lampard Searches For Character, Know-How In Youth
Even without challenging for a title, Frank Lampard could do everything right - he could be a good manager with an ability to develop young players - and still fail to get results due to the circumstances he inherited. Read more »
2019 Premier League Opening Weekend Diary
Overreactions define the opening weekend in any sport, but we still check in on Arsenal, Everton, Liverpool, City, Chelsea and Manchester United. Read more »
The Essential 50 Of The 19-20 Premier League Season
The following is a list of the 50 essential players and managers who will define the 2019-20 Premier League season. Read more »
Jose Mourinho Explains The World
Somehow, 2019 represents a vital time for the perception of Jose Mourinho in how he'll be remembered within soccer history. He is undoubtedly an era defining manager, but he's recently left himself vulnerable to revisionist criticism due to his inability to evolve. Read more »
Eden Hazard To Real Madrid: A Transfer 20 Years In The Making
With Eden Hazard's idolization of of both club and Zinedine Zidane, the move was cultivated over the decades. Read more »
Pragmatism In A Changing Serie A: The Legacy Of Max Allegri
The most interesting aspect of Max Allegri's success is that it came with no defined, built-in style or catchphrase, no tiki-taka or gegenpressing branding or philosophy easily consumed by audiences. Read more »
Transfer Bans & Rows: Sarri Navigates Another Chelsea Week At Chelsea
The mentality and pestilence brought on by instability looks to set Chelsea into a culture of short booms like Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte initially experienced, followed by an inevitable decline regardless of the manager. Read more »
Premier League Match Report: City 6, Chelsea 0
How does Maurizio Sarri recover from this? It was the heaviest defeat for Chelsea in 28 years and they looked lost as a team. Read more »
Tactics, Mentality, Cooperative Football: Maurizio Sarri Hits A Wall
Maurizio Sarri, perhaps too successful too early in the season, is a victim of his own success and expectations. Read more »
How Cesc Fabregas Revolutionized The Premier League Midfielder
The beginning of Cesc Fabregas' career coincided with an era where the footballing world was obsessed with replicating Spain's passing model. Read more »
Diego Costa's Rage Against The Dying, Anti-Hero Light
When it comes to Diego Costa, that anger and madness are an integral part of what makes him an essential player. Read more »