Liam Tharme

5 days ago | nytimes.com | Liam Tharme

"They've scored five goals, but the defensive work was the key thing that won the game," says Ian Cathro, verging on cliche. Paris Saint-Germain had just beaten Inter 5-0 in Munich, the biggest winning margin in a Champions League final but, while everyone marvelled at Desire Doue's brilliance, PSG's positional rotations and Vitinha's midfield orchestrating, Cathro's focus was elsewhere. UEFA Pro Licence coaches watch the game differently. It's their job.

1 week ago | nytimes.com | Mark Carey |Liam Tharme

With 188 Champions League games played, just one remains. Tonight's final between Paris Saint-Germain and Inter Milan provides an intriguing tactical battle between two styles of play. The omens look good for PSG as they look to lift the trophy for the first time - the previous four finals in Munich all provided a first-time winner and the only other time a French and Italian side met in the final (Marseille vs Milan, 1993 in Munich), the team from France came out on top.

1 week ago | nytimes.com | Liam Tharme

Rewind to September 2023. Reporters are asking Luis Enrique, who is preparing for his first Champions League game at Paris Saint-Germain, what they demand of every PSG head coach. "Can this PSG team win the Champions League?""When a club is obsessed with something, it is never good," he warns. "You have to have ambition, but obsession doesn't work". That "obsession" had seen PSG churn through head coaches.

1 week ago | nytimes.com | Liam Tharme

It feels a lifetime ago that Arne Slot spoke about the importance of winning duels after Liverpool won away 2-0 to Ipswich Town on the opening day of the season. Nine months, 379 matches and 1,113 goals later - the second-most in a Premier League season behind 2023-24 - Slot's Liverpool have waltzed to the title, the promoted trio are relegated for the second consecutive season, and Nottingham Forest are the first team to double their points tally from one Premier League campaign to another.

2 weeks ago | nytimes.com | Mark Carey |Liam Tharme

Mohamed Salah was an absolute certainty. Ryan Gravenberch was always going to make the cut. And who else but Alexander Isak to lead the line? Our writers have picked their Premier League team of the season as part of The Athletic's end-of-season awards - but who would make it into an alternative best XI of 2024-25?