Counter-pressFootball. Thoughtfully Told.
⌕
CP / 01August 2026Four original stories

The stories

Football,
thoughtfully told.

Managers, movements and the ideas that remain after the final whistle.

Issue 01 · Read below

Issue 01 / Contents

Conviction, control and the cost of an idea.

Four long-form stories, arranged as a single editorial edition.

An illustrated editorial portrait of a sombre Zdeněk Zeman smoking

Football history · 21 August 2026

Zdeněk Zeman’s Coup de Grâce

Twenty-three league games. Ninety-one goals at either end. One last, doomed bloom of Zemanlandia.

Read the story →
An illustrated Gonçalo Ramos celebrates in front of seven recent Milan strikers

Transfer analysis · 21 August 2026

Why AC Milan Have Signed Gonçalo Ramos

A new No.9, a record fee and one last attempt to end Milan’s striker carousel.

Read the analysis →
An illustrated Pep Guardiola walking towards the Allianz Arena beneath red mist and Bayern figures

Historical analysis · 21 August 2026

Pep’s Purest Reign

Guardiola’s best spell was not Barcelona or Manchester. It was three restless, record-breaking years in Munich.

Read the analysis →
Roberto De Zerbi and Marcelo Bielsa editorial artwork

Tactical essay · 21 August 2026

Why Roberto De Zerbi Is the Next Marcelo Bielsa

Two restless idealists, separated by a generation and joined by conviction.

Read the essay →

Issue index

In order of publication

  1. Football historyZdeněk Zeman’s Coup de Grâce↗
  2. Transfer analysisWhy AC Milan Have Signed Gonçalo Ramos↗
  3. Historical analysisPep’s Purest Reign↗
  4. Tactical essayWhy Roberto De Zerbi Is the Next Marcelo Bielsa↗