This feature is part of Duology When discussing the driving force behind Chelsea’s charge to the top of the English football in the early beginnings of the 21sdt century, two components come to…
Tag: chelsea
The Bohemian-Austrian poet Rainer Maria Rilke described childhood as man’s true homeland. The place where one wants to return, where one never left. For many Croatians, the summer of 1998 arouses such…
In 2016, Maurizio Sarri memorably said: “If I saw my team defending and counter-attacking after 30 minutes, I would get up and return to the bank because I would not be having…
Leonardo Da Vinci once said: “Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.” Life is full of complexities, yet success often derives from the simplest of acts. For Kevin De Bruyne, that simple act was scoring…
The thing with being an instantly likeable footballer is that it’s oddly linked with being consigned to relative obscurity. As a mercurially gifted playmaker, Gianfranco Zola dazzled fans wherever he played. He was a magician.…
HAVE YOU HEARD the story of Sir Michael Caine and the Brazilian footballer? Understandably, it sounds ludicrous. Can you really picture Neymar hanging out with Alfred or Dani Alves dancing with Harry…
“IN FOUR OR FIVE YEARS, probably nobody will remember that I was Chelsea manager, and it becomes absolutely normal, just because I left a couple of years ago.” It would be fair…
A FOOTBALLER CAN ONLY JUSTIFY their transfer fee on the hallowed turf. The rationale behind their expenditure exceeds well beyond their remit, which in any case is a hollow argument. They can…
When Gianluca Vialli arrived at Chelsea, he was one of the game’s best strikers. He would show that and more during a stint in London on and off the pitch
The trajectories of career paths are influenced by factors far beyond the control of footballers. They could enjoy stable injury-free careers, or they could be soaring high in the stars before an…
When 24 April arrived in 2018, it marked a date that should be recognised and celebrated by the footballing community. It heralded the 90th birthday of a true legend of the game…
JOSÉ MOURINHO HASNT HAD THE BEST RELATIONSHIP with the fine city of Barcelona after his exploits against them while he was the manager of Inter and Real Madrid. A former employee and…
At 34 years of age, Arjen Robben shows no sign of slowing up. The flying Dutchman retired from international football this season, following on from Holland’s failure to qualify for the 2018…
WITH A STREAM OF TROPHIES and memories to last a lifetime, the modern Chelsea fan doesn’t have much to complain about. However, question any supporter around Stamford Bridge for a possible area…
WHEN DAVID LUIZ WAS CARTED OFF TO PARIS SAINT-GERMAIN for a world-record £50 million transfer fee, it felt like Chelsea had conned their way into one of the deals of the century.…
FOOTBALL IS ALL ABOUT INCLUSIVITY. The most beautiful element of the sport is that it is available to anyone, and holds no regard for creed, colour or ability. This applies to players…
Illustration by Federico Manasse. View more of his great work here “YOU EITHER DIE A HERO or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain.” Harvey Dent’s renowned one-liner from…
After the murder of Julius Caeser, Shakespeare has Mark Antony deliver a soliloquy wherein he selects this particular phrase to inflame the wrath of the masses against the assassins of the dead…