Paul Grech
@culturedfootball.bsky.social
1.2K followers 880 following 410 posts
Publisher of Cultured Football, a free weekly newsletter curating the five best football articles to read. Mostly, however, I think, read and write on football. https://linktr.ee/culturedfootball
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culturedfootball.bsky.social
Thanks! Glad you enjoyed that!
culturedfootball.bsky.social
Cesc Fàbregas on the bench.

Keira Knightley in the stands.

A €2,600 matchday package by the lake.

Como 1907 is turning luxury into a football strategy. Not one for football purists, but few locals are complaining. Me for @tirofootball.com .

tmgitalia.net/posts/2025-1...
Como's luxury play | TIRO - A place for calcio lovers
Purists, be damned. The billionaire owners on the lake are building a superpower club their way.
tmgitalia.net
culturedfootball.bsky.social
Another downside of Liverpool’s current form is the rise of Liverpool watchalongs in my timeline.

Maybe (probably) it’s age, but I find the performative rage exhausting and troubling. Especially when I see fans mimicking it during games.

www.cultured.football/p/the-perfor...
The Performance of Passion
I’ve never really understood the fascination with live match watchalongs.
www.cultured.football
culturedfootball.bsky.social
At least Kerkez has made a couple of good runs behind the defence. Should have done better on both occasions but, still, silverlinings.
culturedfootball.bsky.social
Very tepid half by Liverpool. Some flashes but not much to write home about. Frankly, playing like a team which doesn't know each other. That's if I'm being generous. If not, I'd say that they lack fight, intensity and desire.
culturedfootball.bsky.social
Cultured Football #230 featured article on: Unsalted Bread Rivalry. Enzo Francescoli. Vinícius Jr Gamble. xG Is Rubbish. Bus-Driving Coach.

www.cultured.football/p/cultured-f...

Cultured Football: football writing that cuts through the noise.

#CulturedFootball #FootballWriting #SoccerEssays
Cultured Football #230
Unsalted Bread Rivalry. Enzo Francescoli. Vinicius Jr Gamble. xG Is Rubbish. Bus Driving Coach.
www.cultured.football
culturedfootball.bsky.social
From hostel lobbies to rooftop bars, from New York to Sicily, table football is everywhere.

But few know its origins trace back to the Spanish Civil War and the remarkable life of Alejandro Finisterre.

A story of play, exile, and resilience: www.footballheritage.co.uk/table-football
Table Football — Football Heritage
www.footballheritage.co.uk
culturedfootball.bsky.social
This, as they say, is a test of Liverpool's title credentials. One they are failing miserably. Palace could / should be out of sight. Play is too slow, little movement amd predictable. Isak barely involved. Wirtz not much more. Will be hard to turn around.
culturedfootball.bsky.social
Echoes of Wu Tang Clan...
culturedfootball.bsky.social
Called by many names, table football feels timeless—yet its origin is anything but. Born from the ruins of the Spanish Civil War, one man transformed suffering into invention, creating a game that would outlive him. Me for @footballheritage.bsky.social

www.footballheritage.co.uk/table-football
Table Football — Football Heritage
www.footballheritage.co.uk
culturedfootball.bsky.social
Undeserved win tbh but you take them any way they come. Burnley have plenty to feel hard done by. Not sure that was a second yellow and stupid penalty to give away. Second game in a row that's happened for them too.
culturedfootball.bsky.social
Not a good half by LFC. Burnley defended very well but not being overly troubled. Liverpool's play not fluid enough with too many passes that lead to nowhere. Massive improvements needed.
culturedfootball.bsky.social
That is very much true. She's treating this as a startup; putting money up-front in the hope that it can grow. Still an interesting experiment though. Looking at how little my club (Liverpool) are investing in the women's game relative to others I have to wonder if this is a better way to grow game.
culturedfootball.bsky.social
Football thought for a Monday evening…
culturedfootball.bsky.social
A (heavy) defeat today but the London City Lionesses are a bold experiment: a women’s club with no men’s side to lean on. No brand halo, no ready-made fanbase, no safety net.

Can they build success from scratch & prove women’s football can thrive on its own terms?

I truly hope so.
culturedfootball.bsky.social
If international football isn’t your thing, check out last week’s Cultured Football:

⚽ Injury panic ≠ smart signings
🇪🇸 Primera RFEF preview
🐟 Grimsby Town & community pride
🤝 German fan friendships
🏟️ Inside RB Leipzig

Read here: www.cultured.football/p/cultured-f...
Cultured Football #227
Short Term Cover. More Previews. Real Big Fish. Fan Friendships. Inside RB Leipzig.
www.cultured.football
culturedfootball.bsky.social
A rather stale first half although Arsenal were the better side. Liverpool not clicking going forward. Too often the wrong pass getting made. Wirtz not yet up to speed with English game.
culturedfootball.bsky.social
Here’s what last week's Cultured Football served up

🕵️ The mystery X account that “won” the transfer window
🔄 Transfers that looked right but went wrong
🇮🇹 Serie A & B previews
🎬 Eva Longoria’s play in Mexican football
🇩🇪 Werder Bremen’s crisis
www.cultured.football/p/cultured-f...
Cultured Football #226
ITKs. Best Worst Transfers. Serie A Return. Eva Longoria. Werder Troubles
www.cultured.football
culturedfootball.bsky.social
Wirtz still hasn't found his bearings though, has he?
culturedfootball.bsky.social
How to sum up that half? Up till the goal, Liverpool couldn't string two passes together. Crazy tackle by Gordon who probably got too caught up. Still, remember when Liverpool went down to 10 men two seasons back...