THE MODERN FOOTBALLER T H E G E T F O O T B A L L P E R I O D I C A L ISSUE ONE A Get Football Group Publication - © 2020 CONTENTS 6 - UP FRONT: A selection of stories from around the leagues, in brief. 18 - Velodrome: Mohammed Ali on FFP issues for AVB’s resurgent Marseille. 21 - Il Biscione: Richard Hall talks Inter’s revolution under new ownership. 24 - Dream Team: Adam White compares the sackings of Valverde and Robson. 28 - San Paolo: Raphaël Jucobin worries about Gattuso's Napoli. 31 - 1970: Adam White hails Leonardo’s return to PSG as sporting director. 34 - Säbener Strasse: Daniel Pinder champions Bayern Munich striker Lewandowski. 38 - The Old Lady: Sam Brookes sees an opportunity for Matthijs de Ligt. 42 - Galacticos: Kieran Quaile looks at Zidane’s second (or third) coming in Madrid. 47 - Yellow Wall: Axel Falk sees issues ahead for Lucien Favre and Dortmund. 50 - Gerland: Eric Devin is excited about Lyon’s teenage stars. 54 - Drew Thompson highlights the importance of Sebastian Deisler. 58 - Adam White recounts Gary Lineker's Barcelona days. 63 - Tom Scholes looks back at Calciopoli. 67 - Adam White on Toulouse's great escape under Pascal Dupraz. 73 - Tom Fenton on the rise of Suat Serdar. 76 - Tom Wiseman confesses his love for Angers and Baptiste Santamaria. 79 - Sam Brookes profiles Juve new boy Dejan Kulusevski. 82 - Ryan Plant talks Fede Valverde's dramatic breakout season. 85 - Rich Allen looks back at Eduardo Camavinga’s spectacular year. 88 - Tom Fenton is in awe of Erling Haaland. 91 - Tom Canton evaluates Ferran Torres' chances of a Spain call up. 94 - Kaustubh Pandey compares Sandro Tonali to a couple of AC Milan greats. 97 - Cameron O’Mara considers giving Julian Brandt the benefit of the doubt. 100 - Kaustubh Pandey likes Marcus Thuram’s attitude, and his celebration. 103 - WRITERS: A look at every journalist who contributed this issue. Give them a follow. UP FRONT A selection of stories from around the leagues, in brief. Featuring: Chimy, Rennes, Iličić, Hansi, Getafe, Ferri, Zlatan, Eintracht, Simeone, Reims, Eriksen, Rheinderby, Copa del Rey, DF1 & Monaco. HEARTBREAK FOR CHIMY ÁVILA secured, San Lorenzo agreed to Having signed the Argentine striker extend his loan. A host of from San Lorenzo in the summer spectacular goals and assists made of 2019, Osasuna’s Ezequiel ‘Chimy’ him a local hero in the northern Ávila has been one of the players city of Huesca and he quickly of the season in La Liga. Ávila grew caught the eye of Osasuna, earning up in Empalme Graneros, a poor a €2.7m move. Osasuna sporting neighbourhood in Rosario, an director, Braulio Vázquez, said: inland port city and home of Lionel “Chimy was born to play for Messi. The 25-year-old would ride Osasuna.” A low centre of gravity a horse to get to football training and thick-set thighs that make him so his mother could use his bus explosive; he leads the line by fare to buy food for a family of pressing hard. In 2019/20 he has nine. Loaned to Segunda Division notched 11 goals, nine in the side Huesca from San Lorenzo in league and two in the Copa del 2017, he helped the club achieve Rey. That goal-scoring run ended promotion to the Spanish Primera abruptly however when he Division. After swearing that he ruptured his ACL in a league match would stay on if promotion was with Levante in January. 6 up front Disappointingly for Chimy, that were involved in a recent game same week his agent Jorge Bilicich away at Nice, eight were academy was in the Camp Nou offices, players. Eduardo Camavinga has speaking to club representatives obviously taken the plaudits this about a potential €25m move to season, but the likes of Adrien Barcelona to play alongside his Hunou and Yann Gboho have compatriot Messi. made their marks too. Stéphan has been all too aware of the need to Kieran Quaile add experience to this group of @kquaile90 talented youngsters. Defenders Damian Da Silva and Jérémy Morel plus recent loan signing and World RENNES FIND BALANCE Cup winner Steven Nzonzi certainly Two injury time goals for Rennes add that. When mixed with other gave them a dramatic win in the established players such as Breton Derby against rivals Nantes Benjamin Bourigeaud, M’Baye at the end of January. The victory Niang and Édouard Mendy, it looks ensured Rennes maintained their like a squad in good shape. Vital to position in third place after an any coach is an element of good impressive run of form. After the fortune and with goals in the 93rd derby win, Julien Stéphan's side and 97th minute against Nantes, to had lost just twice in their previous go with late winners against 12 Ligue 1 games, winning nine, as Toulouse, Saint-Étienne and Lyon they took the lead in the race to recently, it is clear Stéphan has keep pace with Marseille in managed to keep luck on his side. second. Whilst performances might not have been at the absolute top level Despite the surprise dismissal of yet, Rennes results have been on club president Olivier Létang in the whole more consistent than February, Stéphan looks to be most and, although Monaco and taking great strides in his push to Lille are right with them, the take the team forwards, having realistic reward of Champions' been in the job just over a year. League football is looking less and Building on last season’s Coupe de less of a pipe dream for the Breton France win, the squad has been side. moulded carefully to reap the benefits of the famous Rennes Rich Allen academy. Of the 14 players who @rich_allen85 7 THE MODERN FOOTBALLER: ISSUE ONE ILIČIĆ FINALLY GETS CREDIT League places once more. His Atalanta have been the feel good recent hat-trick against Torino in a story of Italian football in recent 7-0 win drew widespread attention times. A relatively small club that as he netted a free-kick from the has shot to prominence playing a halfway line. An extraordinary piece brand of attacking football that can of improvisation, but that is simply only be admired. At the heart of what Iličić does, and more and their rise has been Josip Iličić. The more people are starting to take forward arrived in Bergamo in the notice. As a 32-year-old, Iličić is summer of 2017 having impressed finally starting to get the plaudits at Fiorentina and Palermo. Yet that his undoubted talent has long there were still questions about deserved. whether he could find the consistency to take his game to the Sam Brookes next level. He has answered @FRcalcioSam emphatically. HANSI HERE TO STAY? It is not easy to stand out in this “We have a good relationship with Atalanta side. With Alejandro him, his tactical and footballing Gómez shining on the left wing and knowledge is at a high level and, in a Duván Zapata becoming a goal short time, he has shown us what we scoring machine since joining in can do to improve our play,” said 2018, Iličić could be forgiven for Robert Lewandowski about Hansi struggling to make his mark. That Flick when he took interim charge has not been the case at all of Bayern Munich. Germany’s though. former assistant coach has certainly earned the respect of Having scored 11 goals in his Bayern Munich players during his maiden Serie A campaign for short tenure in charge of the Atalanta, he followed that up with a Bundesliga club and it wouldn’t be further 12 last season, and at time too far-fetched to say he could of writing already has 14 goals with oversee the club beyond this 16 games remaining this year. season. When Zapata was forced to sit on the sidelines for three months The 54-year-old lost just two of his through injury, Iličić stepped up, first 15 games in charge of Munich ensuring that Atalanta remained in all competitions whilst he’s re- firmly in the hunt for a Champions' energised this side who looked lost 8 up front under former coach Niko Kovač. Having not previously managed in Flick has established a possession La Liga, Bordalás developed a based game, re-installing a Mia San reputation as a second tier Mia (the club motto, meaning: ‘we specialist. Four years later, having are who we are’) mentality back repeated the feat with Getafe - into the squad. Bayern’s compact returning the Madrid outfit to La midfield of Joshua Kimmich, Thiago Liga at the first attempt - the Alcântara and a fit again Leon Champions' League now awaits. Goretzka has allowed Alphonso Davies to flourish at left-back - When Bordalás took charge in another master stroke from Flick. September 2016, the Madrid club He’s getting the best out of were second bottom of the second Thomas Müller too, something division but, incredibly, at the start Kovač failed to achieve. of February this year Bordalás’ band of misfits and unwanted Under Flick, Bayern haven’t journeymen sat third in La Liga. struggled to find the net and the This was no fluke. On the final day goals are shared across the team of last season the unfashionable despite what Lewandowski’s tally Getafe spent 20 glorious minutes this season may suggest. Over the inside the top four. Although course of Flick’s first 15 games, Valencia eventually squeezed them Bayern found the net on 48 out, this season their form has occasions, beginning Flick's tenure continued unchecked despite with four consecutive clean sheets juggling a successful Europa – including a 4-0 win over Der League campaign.