TWUTAB Summer Special
TWUTAB Summer Special
I was going to take more time off but there's been a lot of Content flying about so I thought I'd do a Summer Special, in the vein of teenage magazines of the 90s. Though I'm not going to try and teach you about sex and get myself in hot water with your parents who'll call for TWUTAB to be banned...*
*this is a very specific reference to the "Mizz Summer Special" from c. 1993/4 which I devoured from cover to cover over and over.
The Off Season In Ball
There have been a lot of goodbyes so far in this close season and a few hellos. Maybe it's because I follow more clubs than ever or am more attuned to it but it does seem like there's overhauls going on this season like never before. Lots of long termers (Origi, Lingard, Mané, Laca, Pogba, Christensen, Rudiger, Mata... the list goes on) leaving and a shuffling of the pack that could make next season very interesting indeed.
Already the Premier League will see Haaland, Perišić, Boubacar Kamara, Carvalho, Darwin Núñez and [permanent contracts for] Coutinho and Hwang. Targett has gone to Newcastle permanently too and Jesse Marsch has brought in Kristensen and Aaronson from his former parish, RB Salzburg.
Rumours are still flying around about who else will be on the move. The Frenkie de Jong to Manchester United saga rumbles on with an offer made for Christian Eriksen too [insert Michael Scott please god no gif here]. Lukaku may get his preferred move back to Inter, it's possible Lewandowski will be at Barcelona and maybe, just maybe, Gabriel Jesus will end up at Arsenal. And let's be honest, when you take Europe into account as well, I've barely scratched the surface of the rumours or the actual moves here.
In the women's game we're gearing up for the Euros, the Panini sticker books are out and Lucy Bronze has made a shock move to Barcelona Femeni which they announced with their trademark appalling artwork.
Over the past week we've also seen the fixtures for the Premier League and the Bundesliga announced.
Regretfully Arsenal are yet again opening the season, away to Palace on Friday 5th August. I just hope we don't get unpicked by them like we did last year or fall to an opening day defeat given the run that then put us on...
Other notable fixtures are West Ham at home to champions Man City, Liverpool are away to new boys Fulham in Jürgen's beloved 12:30 slot and Ten Hag has the opportunity to seek revenge for last season's wholesale battering with a home game against Brighton as his first league fixture.
At the weekend this was going around, and while it's Liverpool specific (also City as well tbf considering they're also in the Community Shield) the majority applies to all teams in Europe. It's going to be a hard slog and there'll be some long newsletters!
In other fixture news, the Bundesliga opens with a tasty encounter between Eintrapp, sorry sorry, Eintracht Frankfurt and champions Bayern Munich, also in the late Friday slot. Then on the first day proper there's a Berlin derby, as well as the Battle of the Burgs (Aus and Frei) and a head to head for the green Ws (Wolfsburg and Werder Bremen). My boys Dortmund, with Terzić back at the helm, are at home to Leverkusen.
I await the announcement of the Serie A and La Liga fixtures, both of which are due at the end of this week. (Also yes, I do occasionally talk about Ligue 1 and I especially enjoy it when Jonathan Pearce is commentating as you know but I'm not chomping at the bit of the fixtures I'm afraid)
Holiday '22
There has been some football played, but it's Summer, we're all (hopefully) relaxing so I don't really want to talk about that too much. Consider this issue a Frapuccino to the usual double shot of espresso. Fun, frivolous and likely to make you feel a bit giddy before the inevitable crash... (um, ignore that bit of it).
So on that note we move on to the most important of the off season time, fun and fashion.
Most footballers have been off somewhere exotic, getting some sun, eating incredible looking food, swimming in stunning pools or lounging on expensive yachts. Lots of them have also been getting engaged, married or having kids. Honestly never seen so many wedding/engagement posts on insta.
We are, here at TWUTAB forever grateful that they choose to document this and treat us to delicious visuals of their time away. Many have chosen to use their instagram Stories for this but others have blessed us with grid or Twitter posts of their experiences as well.
Fashion Special
We've also seen a whole parade of incredible fashion choices (some more on the [grimace emoji] side of things which I've left out here) including Dele and this gorgeous pink ensemble, Mason Mount in crochet and Mateusz Klich in Louis Vuitton.
Adidas and Gucci have also, both together and separately, been knocking it out of the park.
The adidas x Gucci collab is one of the greatest ready to wear collaboration collections I've seen in a long time. The styling of it is stunning and I even saw one of the bags in the wild last week and it's just as stunning in the flesh.
They launched it with a shoot featuring Paul Pogba, David Alaba, Serge Gnabry and Jude Bellingham.
Jude then featured in his own shoot for Gucci.
Adidas meanwhile used Hector Bellerin and Borja Iglesias in a pre-Primavera shoot.
Fashion Icon Dominic-Calvert Lewin was not to be outdone and has been jetsetting in Gucci and hanging around in Milan with the likes of Giorgio Armani and Donatella Versace as well as doing a photoshoot with his equally stunning Dad for Father's Day.
Finally Elle did a great piece about women's football and the lead up to the Euros and accompanied it with a really beautiful shoot.
Merch Stand
As is tradition (I've done it once, traditions have to start somewhere), I'll be giving a full review of the new kits nearer the start of the season, via Twitter Thread (along with a companion Hottest Player in Each Team one) but let's take a brief look at some of those that have been released so far.
In a move I would have never expected, my favourite so far is... West Ham. I love the shape, the ringer tee neck and sleeve detail and the pattern is lovely. Just an all round lovely shirt.
Next up, the controversial Barcelona number. Now I liked last season's, which I appreciate was unpopular as it didn't have plain stripes and was a bit more jazzy, but it was good! This year they've mostly gone back to tradition but someone's been watching too many period dramas because the curve of the stripes make it look like they're wearing a t-shirt under a corset. It's... weird. (Sidenote, Lucy Bronze actually does look quite good in it)
Spurs new one is fine. It's good! I like the fluorescent detail, as I've said numerous times, there's not much you can do with a plain white kit so it's good when you get these little trims and details.
Real have gone back to a collared number after their round neck last season. I liked that kit, it had a nice flash of orange and was decent. This year's really does just look like a school PE polo shirt though. It's very dull. Barely any details (the three stripes only on one shoulder? I don't mind asymmetrical designs but not here), a tiny bit of black and lilac on the collar. Are they going to follow Barça's lead and have a pastel away kit?
Finally, the most recently revealed: Ajax. Gold trim to reflect their champion status, nice classic use of the red and white. A point lost for having a v-neck but it's not a horrible one so not a garment spoiler.
Extra Time
Firstly, a little serious note: we've all been disgusted by the government trying to ship off refugees to Rwanda so I've set up a petition to ask Arsenal to stop their relationship with Visit Rwanda and for them to be removed as a shirt sponsor. You can sign here.
So next I thought it would be nice to give a few recs for things you can do to pass the days until the Euros begin and on the few days in between that finishing and the start of the seasons around Europe...
LOVE ISLAND - huns, it's already on, it has Michael Owen's daughter in it and a hot Italian with a very strong accent. Almost everyone is awful. It's GREAT.
BOX SETS - the trad lad ones of course are the Sopranos, Breaking Bad and The Wire but I would also add Mad Men, How To Get Away With Murder, Better Call Saul (the final six episodes drop soon and I cannot wait. I'm so scared for Kim Wexler) and if you can find it, Oz, a hardcore prison drama from the 90s which will have you going 'I know them from there!' throughout. It also stars Rita Moreno as a nun.
If you want something lighter, Bob's Burgers is always a favourite of mine, Derry Girls (I've personally yet to watch the final series though) and I will always love the Royle Family.
BOOKS - I recently powered through Calum Jacob's A New Formation which I really do recommend you read. It's such a beautiful study of the Black experience in football and sport/life in general. I was particularly touched by the essays about Hope Powell and Muslim players.
EXHIBITION - if you're in or can get to London, the Design Museum exhibition, Football: Designing the Beautiful Game is on until 29th August.
FILM - go and see Everything Everywhere All At Once. You won't regret it.
Or, y'know, just sit on your arse scrolling Twitter *looks around nervously*
That's that for the Summer Special then! I'll be at Stadio Live in London next Monday and at the Studs Euros afterparty in Manchester on the opening day (6th July) so do come and say hi if you are too! Enjoy the next few weeks of the Summer. I may be back with some Euros stuff as well before we start the seasons proper. Ciao!
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