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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Sport
Rob Smyth

In the English football zodiac, 2025 is the Year of the Eagle

Selhurst Park
Selhurst Park: the place to go for feel-good vibes this season. Photograph: Jonathan Brady/PA

WHERE EAGLES DARE

At the risk of denouncing the family name, football has become a bit of an emotional vampire. At its worst, modern football is a cesspit of bile, hype, nonsense, hot air and yellow tickers. But every time we think enough’s enough and it’s time to change our name to Tiddlywinks Biennially, something happens to remind us why we wanted to be called Football Daily in the first place. Of late, the thing keeping us away from the deed poll office is a team dressed in a red and blue Macron kit. In the English football zodiac, 2025 is the Year of the Eagle. Crystal Palace won the FA Cup, the first major trophy in their history, followed that with the Community Shield and are now, after beating Liverpool thrillingly on Saturday, the only unbeaten team left in the Premier League. On Thursday they will make history when they play Dynamo Kyiv in their first match of Tin Pot’s league stage.

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