matthew walsh

Qualifying top of the group, avoiding the more difficult side of the draw and only conceding one goal in three games. You’d be forgiven for thinking that things must be looking good for England and their manager Gareth Southgate at Euro 2024. But you’d be wrong, very wrong. Having come into the European Championships as […]

In tournament football, nothing is as important as the result. So, in opening their campaign with a 1-0 victory over Serbia at the Euros, it should have been a job well done for England. But it was the nature of their display after taking the lead that invited fresh criticism for Gareth Southgate and his […]

England has a long history of tournament misery with some notorious exits. Since their sole victory at the 1966 World Cup, theirs has been a far different story. Near misses, key injuries and notable penalty defeats are too familiar a story for Three Lions supporters. It is partly why, despite having a wealth of talent […]

On June 13, the European Championship kicks off in Munich. Each nation competing, and fans around the globe, have a rising sense of anticipation. A significant number of the world’s greatest sides are featured in Germany. Four of the past five World Cup winners and eight of the top-10 clubs in FIFA's World Rankings are […]

Soccer can often follow patterns. Long-term observers of the sport notice a cyclical nature to teams’ dominance. This leads to waves of success followed by years of struggle. Elsewhere, traits will appear among teams that arise years apart yet contain all the signs of previous glories and failures. One team currently in the stages of […]

For Scotland, the last six years have been something of a renaissance period. The Scots qualified for their first international tournament in 22 years at the 2020 European Championships. Two years later, Scotland narrowly missed out on qualification for the World Cup in Qatar. That culminated in qualification to a second consecutive European Championship at […]

There are few more high-pressured positions in England than taking on the role of the country’s soccer manager. Known as The Impossible Job, it’s a position that comes with expectations topping any other national team job. In overseeing the country’s obsession, the manager’s decisions come face to face with 55 million other opinions, each unafraid […]

It’s nothing new to say that goals win games. This season’s title race, however, perhaps more than ever, underlines the idea that clinical finishing and the lack of it can prove the crucial factor in defining a season’s campaign. Going into last weekend’s fixtures, leaders Arsenal and Liverpool boasted the best goals scored record in […]

When Leeds decided to part company with Javi Gracia and bring in Sam Allardyce it became the 15th managerial change of this Premier League season, a record for sackings of managers by owners. The previous high was in the 2017/18 season. But, why has the practice become so commonplace? Clubs constantly seek change to reverse […]

For the first time in its history, the Premier league took an extended pause and sat dormant while international soccer took the focus for the World Cup. How would teams and managers navigate the start to a second mini-season? What impact would this enforced break have on the teams around the county? Turns out, very […]

As soon as their quarterfinal clash with France was confirmed, there was one question that dominated the discussion in England: how do you stop Mbappé? The game against Senegal hadn’t even finished before the commentators had turned their thoughts. England gave away the ball against the Lions of Teranga, acted sloppy in possession and was […]

That’s all folks. It’s over. For the second time in his career, Cristiano Ronaldo has left Manchester United. Yet, unlike the first time, this won’t be for a record-breaking transfer fee. Nor does it come with the good will of the club, fans and teammates. Instead, this time, one of the greatest players of all […]

The good news for France was that they were already through to the Round of 16. The less comforting news was that their much-fancied squad appeared to lack the depth that many had believed it possessed. In France's defeat to Tunisia, the reigning champions changed nine of their eleven players from the previous match, lining […]

Entering the 2022 World Cup, France looks a team beyond set to repeat. Not only is the side the reigning champion, but it brings in abundant talent. The newly crowned Ballon d'Or winner and a striker on the cusp of breaking his country’s all time goal-scoring record. Plus, there is Kylian Mbappé. There’s plenty in […]