latest articles by Julian Delicata
News
/ 1224 days agoVAR fails Uruguay after late penalty appeal dismissed
Uruguay left it late to join the party in Qatar, producing its only noteworthy performance in the final group game. On the back of the miserable loss against Portugal, Diego Alonso ditched his oversized hipster white trainers and three man defense. In its place, he opted for an old fashioned pair of formal brown leather […]
News
/ 1228 days agoPortugal-Uruguay penalty decision ends in controversy
The Portugal-Uruguay penalty controversy was one of many talking points out of Monday's World Cup game, but there were other issues for Uruguay to worry about. No width and no wits. That pretty much sums up Uruguay's performance against Portugal in the first 60 minutes. Despite the security of an experienced three man central defense […]
News
/ 1232 days agoUruguay fails to inspire against South Korea
It was not a great match. Uruguay and South Korea locked horns for Group H's first match, and it was a dull affair. Well done if you managed to sit through it all. Uruguay lined up with a strong midfield of Matias Vecino, Rodrigo Bentancur and Federico Valverde but lacked pace and width. Starting Martin […]
News
/ 1241 days agoValverde and Bentancur: Uruguay's star duo in midfield
The elegance and talent of Alvaro Recoba and Enzo Francescoli. The nastiness and pragmatism of Paulo Montero and Diego Godin. The ruthlessness and dynamism of Diego Forlan, Luis Suarez and Edison Cavani. This is how Uruguay have been portrayed in recent decades. The back line and the forward line – that's were Uruguay have been […]
News
/ 1245 days agoUruguay name experienced World Cup squad
Experience is very much the name of the game in the Uruguay World Cup squad. Manager Diego Alonso named six players aged 35 years or over for the FIFA World Cup 2022. The squad contains both Uruguay's most capped player and top scorer. The former is Diego Godín with 159 caps. The nation's top scorer […]
News
/ 1245 days agoWhy are soccer players having cardiac arrests?
As an eleven-year-old, I was shocked when Marc Vivien Foe collapsed in the midst of an intense soccer match between Cameroon, the darlings of the 2003 Confederations Cup, and Colombia. Foe had the physique of a titan and was arguably one of the best African midfielders of the time. He was just 28 years old. […]
Spain
/ 2854 days agoNacho proves diabetes is no obstacle for World Cup greatness
It is the demanding environment of a World Cup tournament and a professional footballer's life that makes Spanish defender Nacho’s story so impressive and heart-warming, especially on the back of the 28 year-old’s performance during his nation’s first game in the World Cup. Having already been on the books of Real Madrid for two years, […]
News
/ 2917 days agoDubravka proves winter bargain for Newcastle United
Over $600 million dollars were spent by English Premier League clubs during the winter transfer window. Signing players in January has always proven to be tricky. Even more true in an era of ridiculous transfer fees. The risks of deals during this period are well known! Andres D’Alessandro was the catalyst for Harry Redknapp and […]
News
/ 3118 days agoOumar Niasse goes from outcast to savior
“We made a fast decision about [Oumar] Niasse and others who will find it difficult to be part of the team. If Niasse likes to play football, he needs to leave Everton.” Those were new Everton manager Ronald Koeman’s scything remarks in August 2016, delivered before a ball had even been kicked in the English […]
News
/ 3138 days agoHow soccer continues to unite us during an era of difficult times
Clubs in the English Premier League alone have spent a record £1.4 billion on transfers of players. In one of these transfers, Liverpool coughed up £35 million on Alex Oxlaide-Chamberlain, a player who had just one year left on his contract and has been struggling to nail down a first team place for Arsenal for […]
News
/ 3568 days agoStiliyan Petrov's fight against leukaemia
The date June 23, 2016 will go down in history as the day the people of the United Kingdom voted to get out of the European Union. As the referendum made big headlines all over world, one would be forgiven to miss the announcement, done on the same day, from newly-relegated Aston Villa Football Club that […]
News
/ 3581 days agoEngland-Slovakia preview: Hodgson searching for best starting XI
The supposedly conservative England manager Roy Hodgson surprised many when he picked five strikers – alongside offensive midfielders Adam Lallana, Raheem Sterling, Dele Alli and Ross Barkley – in his final 23-man squad for the UEFA Euro 2016. With just three specialist center backs, the plan was clearly to outscore the opponent. In the final […]
News
/ 3628 days agoLeicester prove you don’t need money to be champions
The world is one dour place, is it not? News headlines are riddled with incredible social injustices while we have also faced injustices and tough times in our personal lives. Some of us may even be going through a rough patch as I am sitting here writing this article. The depressing truth is that money […]
News
/ 3656 days ago19 amazing facts about Premier League darlings Leicester City
Amazing facts about Leicester City are to be expected considering the remarkable story from the title-winning side. Hundreds of column inches have been written in recent months on Leicester City’s monumental rise from relegation fodder to title favorites in the space of twelve months. Nevertheless, it still seems so surreal. Out of nowhere, Claudio Ranieri’s boys […]
News
/ 3685 days agoEverton’s stumbling form flying under the radar in rocky season
Saturday's loss against West Ham was a microcosm of Everton's whole season thus far. Exciting attacking play, a superb Lukaku, shoddy defending and a shocked Roberto Martinez trying to find new excuses to mask his side's shocking display at the back. In a season dominated by Leicester punching above their weight, Newcastle being punched down […]