Author Archives: alberto-the-gooner

The current times will be defined in the annals of history as the COVID-19 era, or something along the same connotation, no doubt. The COVID-19 pandemic has monopolised press coverage, and not without cause. With current infections precariously shy of the 3 million mark, one in ten of whom constitutes the mortality number, that COVID-19Continue reading “What if the AIDS Fight Had Attracted the Same Global Effort as COVID-19?”

Is World War III in our midst? As my mind wandered about trying to make sense of the anarchy that the COVID-19 pandemic has thrust the world into, the foregoing question came to mind. Whereas the World Wars I and II involved barbaric physical artillery, the current phase has been more subtle: USA president DonaldContinue reading “COVID-19: Is This World War III?”

One of enduring legacies of the first industrial revolution is the advent of the office. The office has become so much entrenched in mainstream culture that “going to office” has become synonymous with “going to work”. To maximise labour economies of scale, industrial revolution capitalists established offices, wherein, for a specified daily duration, they wouldContinue reading “COVID 19: Do We Still Need to Work From Cubicles?”

The COVID-19 pandemic is here! In the rumble-and-tumble of the COVID-19 pandemic, professional football has been one of the most scathed. The person-to-person transmission nature and high contagion effect of the novel corona virus, the virus that causes COVID-19, renders the prevailing practice of playing football matches in closely packed open stadia unfeasible—challenging at best.Continue reading “12 Ways in Which COVID-19 Pandemic May Change European Football Forever”

The year was 2008; June 17, 2008 to be precise. FC Barcelona, one of the premier clubs of European football had departed from tradition: they had appointed a novice as their next manager. For a club of Barcelona’s pedigree this was unheard of. The fact that Josep Guardiola, the man who had been announced asContinue reading “Why Teams Would Prefer Guardiola, Zidane, Lampard, or Arteta as Their Football Manager”

Forget the uncomfortable distraction of COVID-19. Let’s talk football. The 2020 summer transfer window is around the corner. Will it open in June, July, August, September, or beyond? A thick cloud of uncertainty looms large. Undeterred by the uncertainty, clubs across Europe are earnestly doing their homework on prospective transfers and raring for a pieceContinue reading “10 Reasons Why Arsenal Should Sell Aubameyang to Real Madrid, Barcelona”

On November 16, 2003, La Liga giants, FC Barcelona unleashed to the world a pint-sized Argentine prodigy, named Lionel Messi. Despite being famed for ceaselessly churning super-talented wonder kids off its long conveyor belt, since the Johan Cruyff inspired revolution of 1987-1994, FC Barcelona’s latest product seemed emblazoned with the tag “extraordinary” since inception. EvenContinue reading “Does Barcelona Have a Messi Succession Plan?”

The 2019/2020 season has been topsy-turvy at Arsenal by every measure. Having witnessed one the most active transfer windows in the club’s recent history, the Arsenal faithful were justified in their optimism for the new season. Surely, this was the season to break the top-four hodoo that had hung ominously like an evil spell overContinue reading “Should Nketiah Start Ahead of Lacazette in Arsenal’s XI?”

It is not contentious to declare that the 2010-2019 decade was underwhelming for Arsenal. Ordinarily, three FA cups would be laudable. But wait, this is no ordinarily football club—this is Arsenal, the mighty Gunners! Such a feat means no much to a club that had set lofty standards in the first half of the precedingContinue reading “Arsenal’s Team of the 2010-2019 Decade”

The year was 1996—September 22, 1996, to be specific. Arsenal, one of the top sides in English football had broken from tradition and appointed an enigmatic Frenchman as their next manager. Whereas the dissatisfaction with Bruce Rioch, the sacked manager, was not unexpected, owing to his tumultuous relationship with the boardroom and a string ofContinue reading “The One Area That Defied Wenger’s Genius”