The new football season is nearly here but we’re not gonna waste time twiddling our thumbs. Here’s some stuff to watch in the meantime
You’ve probably asked yourself this question a hundred times already since May: ‘when does the football season start again?’ We’ve all had a busy summer as football fans, it’s hard to keep track of everything.
The Premier League start date is Saturday, August 14th and the rest of Europe will all be kicking off the new football season in and around the same time. Safe to say, we’re a little excited, apprehensive and, above all else, impatient.
It all started to feel real when the Premier League fixtures were revealed and you realise that next season is about to become this season in the blink of an eye.
That being said, we’re still a couple of weeks or so away and the wait can feel like forever; so, with that in mind, we’ve put together a list of seven things to watch before the football season starts. There’s some stuff to get you in the mood for the new season and some stuff to help take your mind off it and steady the nerves for a little while longer.
The United Way
With Sancho signed and now Varane seemingly about to be secured, United look like they mean business this year – quite literally. They secured their joint-best finish since Sir Alex retired under Solskjær last season but they’ve still yet to win a trophy under Ole or a league title since 2012/13.
Nevertheless, United have certainly looked more like, well, United over the past year or so, with fast, attacking football, last-minute winners and some incredible comebacks. Not only has the mood around the place changed but they just look more like what a United team should and that’s what this incredible documentary is about: that ‘DNA‘ – ‘The United Way’. A must watch.
All of Nothing: Tottenham Hotspur
There have obviously been a number of Amazon All Or Nothing/football documentaries already – each has its own charm, no doubt about that – but being the latest and arguably the most entertaining, we picked the Spurs doc to plug in case you haven’t watched it already.
We picked it simply because of the drama and pantomime of it all: José being José (retrospect makes it even better now), the otherwise elusive Daniel Levy, Danny Rose fronting as though he’s a Roberto Carlos regen – there are of course plenty of serious moments but it’s all just very funny at the end of the day. Until the highly-anticipated Arsenal All or Nothing drops, this’ll do ya.
When Eagles Dare: Crystal Palace
One for our very own Reuben Pinder and one of the latest entries into the now relatively congested corner of content. We love When Eagles Dare because not only does it chronicle over a decade long journey from near extinction to creating a firm enough foothold to keep them in the Premier League for almost eight years, but it is brutally honest from start to finish.
From nearly ceasing to exist in 2020 to the ever-iconic Ian Holloway years, Crystal Palace‘s Amazon treatment differs massively from the others in tone. Yes, the Take Us Home: Leeds does touch on the club’s financial struggles and journey back to the English top-flight, but this is truly an underdog story following one of the oldest clubs in the world and how far they’ve come.
Sunderland ‘Til I Die
You’ve likely seen it already and if you haven’t, we don’t know what’s wrong with you but this is your last warning. An all-time classic of the genre – pretty much the one that truly started this whole resurgence of fly-on-the-wall football documentaries in the first place. Sunderland ‘Til I Die is a delicious nightmare that you somehow never want to wake up from. Unless you’re a Mackem.
This Netflix documentary gives an unbelievable level of insight into, basically, how not to run a football club and how things can start to slip so quickly if you’re not careful. Cringeworthy attempts to rebrand, the largely sympathetic Chris Coleman; the utterly galling case of Jack Rodwell, that Aiden McGeady moment – they’re all gold for different reasons
Diego Maradona
This is one is for all those too young to ever realise just how good he was. It’s been less than a year since one of the greatest of all time died and the circumstances around his passing are still being investigated, but one thing is for certain: football wouldn’t be what it is today without him. There would be no Messi.
Netflix and Amazon have pumped out plenty of these documentaries but Maradona got his very own high-brow HBO joint and it isn’t hard to see why. He was a footballing icon, a god in Naples and all over Argentina, not to mention someone who pushed it to the limit and lived life to the fullest – and that’s putting it mildly. An incredible tale of football and fame unlike any other.
The Olympics, of course!
As if you needed to be told, the Olympics are on at the minute. I mean, they’re only the biggest thing going on in sports or on telly at the minute but who knows, you might have been living under a rock. Following the disappointment of the Euros, seeing Brits picking up gold medals at Tokyo 2020 is very uplifting and, more importantly, there’s just so much to watch – including football.
Whether it’s the slightly jarring opening ceremony itself, newly added sports like skateboarding or the wonderful world of dressage (we still don’t get it), the Games really does have it all. We’re only a few days in but the final day of the tournament on the 8th of August will roll around before you know it, with the new Premier League season starting just days later. Perfect timing!
Suicide Squad
Now, sometimes you need a break from sports and with the pictures back opened, film-goers are now making their first steps back into the pictures for some time. There have been a few releases but, in fairness, nothing too major yet: there is Black Widow but a fair few might just settle for watching that on Disney+. However, there is one upcoming movie that has caught our eye.
Take two. That’s right, Suicide Squad is getting a do-over just five years after the hugely disappointing feature debut launched, only this time it’s been left to the “beautifully twisted mind of James Gunn“. This reimagining looks utterly crazy and vastly better than its predecessor. More fun, more self-aware, more tongue-in-cheek, more badass. We’ll be making it to theatres for this one.
Killing time before kick-off
That’s it for our list of the top seven things to watch before the new football season starts; some of it should get you in the mood for the beautiful game, some of it might help distract you from the storm looming if you’re expecting it to be a long year for your team. Either way, you’re welcome.
Speaking of non-sport related content also, actually, we recently put together a list of what to watch on Netflix this July and in August too (we were trying to take our mind off Euro 2020 ok). There are some absolute corkers this month and next, so if you need some filler between now and next season, take a gander.
FootballJOE is going to be all over it this season, as per: whether it’s Premier League games, our La Liga and Serie A coverage in partnership with Premier Sports, Bundesliga or the continental competitions – we’ve got your covered.
We’ll keep you update with Premier League transfer news and all the big moves up and down Europe’s top leagues, as well as the usual week-to-week content, so just sit tight. Good things come to those who wait.
See you soon.
