Baku and Forth: Arsenal, Mkhitaryan, and the Europa League Final

Arsenal and Chelsea supporters alike have cause for concern about the upcoming Europa League final. With Europe’s second grandest trophy on the line, some pre-match nerves would be expected. Much of these fears, though, stem from off-the-field issues arising from the location of the match itself. Why is the location problematic, and what does UEFA’s …

Unrivaled: Are We Devaluing International Rivalries?

Last Friday, the Netherlands defeated Germany in a six goal thriller. That same evening, Mexico and the United States embarked on the next chapter of their rivalry, with el Tri running rampant against an unremarkable USMNT. While any occasion to see these rivalries is welcome, some criticism arose from the repetitive nature of these matchups. …

A Derby Day to Dictate the Title

In a clash of two teams recently bounced from the Champions League, this Manchester Derby is shaping up to be another classic. The implications for this iteration run deeper than simply which color Manchester will be for the remainder of the year, as the Citizens need a win to continue to challenge Liverpool’s ascendency to …

The Post-Brexit Soccer Landscape

As the British parliament prepares to vote on Theresa May’s Brexit deal on January 15th and as the March 29th deadline swiftly approaches, it is worth considering how Brexit will affect the European soccer landscape. Brexit, the United Kingdom’s landmark decision to abandon the European Union, has left many things in flux, from trade deals …

Frenkie de Jong’s Move to PSG Has No Losers

As the saying goes, there’s no such thing as a free lunch. However, with the news breaking from Mike Verweij that Ajax starlet Frenkie de Jong has agreed a 75 million euro move to French behemoths Paris Saint-Germain, it does appear that this might be a rare occurrence where there are no true losers. While …

Unai Emery’s Arsenal Are For Real

We at Corner Kick have made a lot out of the concept of tactical unity – that is, the idea that a team with a defined tactical identity will, over time, outperform its counterparts. I would stipulate that one of the reasons teams like Manchester City are able to be so successful is that their …

Apples and Oranjes: Time for a New Dutch Renaissance

The recent performances of the Oranje have evoked some real nostalgia amongst Dutch supporters, with many claiming the Dutch victories over Germany and defending World Cup champions France to be the best performances from their side in years. While their final game in the group stage of the Nations League started off poorly, with the …

All the Wrong Places: Why La Liga Needs to Drop BeIN to Gain Exposure

If La Liga wants to increase their American exposure, they should focus on how their product is presented, not on bringing games to the United States. For the past seven years, La Liga has been the highest ranked European league, per UEFA's Club Coefficient metrics. With Barcelona and Real Madrid leading the charge, and Atletico …

La Liga Team of the Week 3

From boring 0-0 draws, to unexpected upsets, to spectacular thrashings, the final gameweek of La Liga before the international break had it all. While the Friday fixtures started slowly, Celta de Vigo’s 2-0 victory against Atletico Madrid on Saturday jump started the weekend. Real Madrid brushed away Leganes 4-1, as Benzema seemed to rediscover his …

Champions League Draw: Winners and Losers

Group A: Atletico Madrid, Borussia Dortmund, AS Monaco, Club Brugge Group A is pretty straightforward with a number of competitive games, a clear leader in Atleti, and a tight battle for second between Dortmund and Monaco. Club Brugge will likely be the whipping boys, but they will look to steal points off Les Monegasques, if …