premier league – Holding Midfield

Case Study: Everton 0-3 Tottenham Hotspur 9/9/2017

September 12, 2017September 12, 2017 by Joshua Askew

Joshua Askew

In the last decade, there's been two distinct tactical movements that have seen the tight solid style English clubs used to dominate Europe with, lead by Rafael Benitez and Jose Mourinho, fade away in favour of a more aesthetically pleasing albeit open style. The first came with the success of…

Book Review: The Premier League 25 Years by Lloyd Pettiford

August 21, 2017August 22, 2017 by Joshua Askew

Joshua Askew

One question that kept coming back to me as I read through Lloyd Pettiford's chronicling of the Premier League's opening quarter of a century was why do football fans find it so difficult to acknowledge how important the sport is to them? We get a constant barrage of stories of…

Case Study: Watford 3-3 Liverpool 12/8/2017

August 14, 2017August 14, 2017 by Joshua Askew

Joshua Askew

Fresh from Philippe Coutinho's transfer request and another disappointing summer in the transfer market despite gaining Champions League qualification, Liverpool looked like taking another two steps back after their one step forward in 2016/17. Nevertheless, they had the perfect opportunity to assuage fears on the pitch, with an opponent in…

Premier League 2016/17 awards

June 17, 2017August 7, 2017 by Joshua Askew

Joshua Askew

After years in the wilderness, the Premier League appears to finally be on an upward swing. With a wave of world class managers arriving and those already in place settling in, the quality at the head of the table has greatly improved. Leicester City could come from nowhere to become…

Case Study: Liverpool 1-2 Crystal Palace 23/4/2017

April 26, 2017August 7, 2017 by Joshua Askew

Joshua Askew

As the season reaches its climax, Liverpool participation in the Champions League still looks uncertain. With Arsenal floundering and Manchester United navigating a tough run-in on top of a Europa League campaign, the Reds should be confident of fourth place with a fixture list made up of midtable and relegation-threatened…

Case Study: Arsenal 2-2 Manchester City 2/4/2017

April 5, 2017August 7, 2017 by Joshua Askew

Joshua Askew

Despite the FA Cup victories in recent years, Arsene Wenger's time at Arsenal has grown increasingly stale if only due to the uncanny feeling of deja vu that accompanies them. At first this was justified as limited finances in the wake of building the Emirates Stadium saw them slip behind…

Case Study: Manchester United 0-0 Hull City 1/2/2017

February 3, 2017August 7, 2017 by Joshua Askew

Joshua Askew

Manchester United must be sick of the sight of Hull City after playing them three times since Christmas. Despite a slow start to the season, United seemed to be picking up some momentum with their unbeaten record of 17 games coming to an end in the return leg of the…

Case Study: West Brom 0-4 Manchester City 29/10/2016

October 30, 2016August 7, 2017 by Joshua Askew

Joshua Askew

For years we have heard of a mythical wet and windy night in Stoke that would be the true test for Barcelona. European cups and league titles all meant nothing until the world's best footballers had been kicked a lot on a plough-field. Many thought the fateful day would never…

Premier League 2015/16 awards

July 24, 2016August 7, 2017 by Joshua Askew

Joshua Askew

Wonderful story, but one you would never want to actually watch back. While Leicester's rise is incredible, it's worth noting that it simply wouldn't be allowed to happen if the Premier League was any good. It is an embarrassment that the league has been this poor for so long yet…

Case Study: Manchester City 3-1 Everton 27/1/2016

January 29, 2016August 7, 2017 by Joshua Askew

Joshua Askew

Although in very different situations and neither in any peril, both Manchester City and Everton aren't particularly happy with how their seasons have gone. City once again looked to improve their squad with heavy investment in the summer, spending over a hundred million on Kevin De Bruyne, Raheem Sterling, Nicolas…

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