Matt Jones

Typically, pre-season follows one of two age-old narratives. If results are going well, then managers will point to some crucial momentum gathered ahead of the new campaign. But if the wins aren’t coming in the run up to the big kick off, then the significance of scorelines are played down. Roberto Martinez has been doing […]

Sport is part of the fabric of Sydney, Australia, something that’s perhaps best illustrated by the multi-purpose ANZ Stadium—where five different sports are played—that was bristling with excitement as Juventus tackled the A-League All Stars this weekend. Indeed, even in the days that preceded Juve’s friendly game with the Australian top flight’s finest, the streets […]

Following a summer of seismic change at Everton in 2013, the club’s long-term ambitions were unclear. Reeling after former manager David Moyes and former star player Marouane Fellaini traded Merseyside for Manchester, plenty anticipated a Toffees demise. But just over 13 months into his reign as Everton boss, Roberto Martinez — the man who succeeded Moyes — has […]

You’d be forgiven for not noticing, but during the World Cup’s opening game, Everton revealed that their manager Roberto Martinez had signed a new deal after a wonderful debut campaign at the club. Later in the summer, the club’s announcement that Seamus Coleman signed a new deal was equally understated, as the Toffees’ Player of […]

Erik Lamela made me look a bit silly last season. When Tottenham secured his signature from AS Roma in a club record £30 million deal, I considered it to be a very astute piece of business. There was little doubt in my mind that this enthralling young winger would take the Premier League by storm and I waxed lyrical about his stratospheric […]

Going to your team's first pre-season friendly game is a bit like meeting up with a good mate you've not seen for months. You’ll be a bit out of sync at first. You make small talk about how your summer has been, have a bit of a chat about soccer, but soon enough, you effortlessly fall back into the same […]

The comparisons between Lionel Messi and Diego Maradona can be a little tiresome, but they're understandably natural. Both supreme masters of their craft, both Argentinean No.10’s, both left-footed, both deistic figures for their compatriots. And on the cusp of the 2014 World Cup final, both potentially winning captains on the biggest stage of all. It […]

Great World Cup finals are surprisingly easy to come by when you look back through the tattered pages of the tournament’s history. Given what’s at stake, you would imagine that these games would be been tense, tight affairs — admittedly, the last few have been pretty abrasive contests—but overall, there have been some wonderfully gripping showpieces. One […]

The Netherlands and Argentina are two nations that will feel as though they’ve never quite fulfilled their potential on the international stage. They’re teams that have boasted some of the greatest players to have ever played the game and yet they have only won two World Cups between them. Nonetheless they do have an illustrious […]

Humiliated. There’s no other word for it. Brazil were completely and utterly embarrassed by a ruthless German team in front of their own supporters in the World Cup semi-final. For 64 years, the most devastating day in Brazilian football was the Maracanazo—the “Maracana Blow”, where hosts Brazil unexpectedly fell to Uruguay in the final—but the […]

There are few soccer nations that immortalize their icons of the game quite like Brazil. Ahead of this World Cup, we were treated to imagery of Brazilian greats gone, reminded of their stature in the in the history of the Selecao. Garrincha, Pele, Carlos Alberto, Zico, Socrates, Romario, Rivaldo and Ronaldo: all giants of soccer […]

The modern game demands many things of its footballers: Physicality, touch, technique and dynamism to name but a few. But often overlooked are the attributes of versatility and tactical flexibility. The immersive statistical analysis that’s now available at the touch of a button has channeled the game towards a host of different philosophies and as […]

The Brazilian nation should be bristling with positivity and excitement. The Selecao have overcome the enormous pressure heaped upon them by a fervent soccer nation. They’ve conquered some fearsome opponents and subsequently, they find themselves in the semi-final of a World Cup on home soil. Just one win away from the final, two away from […]

Despite having secured a grand total of seven World Cup trophies between them prior to the 2002 tournament, meetings between Brazil and Germany have been scarce in the biggest soccer tournament of them all. In fact, prior to the competition getting under way in Japan and South Korea 12 years ago, two of the blue […]

The 1978 World Cup was a memorable one. The teams played in a vibrant style, the Argentinean fans were wonderful and the pitches were littered with that iconic ticker tape. There are plenty of comparisons you can draw with the current World Cup when you take a closer look at the competition overall. The tournament […]