Xavi Hernández is, of course, one of the most insanely gifted footballers of his generation. As he prepares for a career swansong in the middle east, we’re reminded daily of his supreme ability. Almost as often, in fact, as we were once reminded of his height - a simple manifestation of genes that remained a novelty (at least to the British press) throughout his career.
For all that the stakes were undeniably high, the scenes immediately following a tense Premiership play-off between Motherwell and Rangers were disgraceful and damaging to the reputation of the beautiful game in Scotland.
How important is squad depth and rotation in the Premier League? There are two schools of thought: one says a great first XI alone can’t sustain a 38-game challenge, the other says too much tinkering disrupts the confidence needed for a title push. Do this season’s numbers support either theory?
Boring, boring Chelsea? The newly-crowned champions will of course refute that notion, but whatever the rights and wrongs of that particular accusation, one thing is more certain – it’s not a description even the most biased football fan would seriously attach to the blues’ playmaker, Eden Hazard.