Skip to main contentSkip to navigation

The blizzard

Football journalism for people who think about the game more than everyone else. A quarterly magazine written by the the best football journalists around the world and edited by Jonathan Wilson.

  • Freddie Ljungberg  celebrates scoring the second Arsenal goal in a titanic clash at Anfield in December 2001.

    When Arsenal beat Liverpool at Anfield and never looked back

    Arsène Wenger’s team were a mixed bag at the start of the 2001-02 season, but their 10-man win at Anfield kickstarted a new era
  • Clockwise from top left; Thierry Henry with Samuel Eto'o, Ian Wright, Erling Haaland, Charlie Austin and Sergio Aguero.

    Is goalscoring natural or can it be nurtured?

    Footballers, coaches and scientists give their views on whether lethal strikers are born or bred
  • General Views Of FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Venues<br>DOHA, QATAR - APRIL 01: A general internal view of the Lusail Iconic Stadium and also known as the Lusail National Stadium, a host venue for the Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup and the final. The stadium was designed by British firm Foster and Partners, who received support from MANICA Architecture specializing in sport design. The designers sought to mirror the ancient Arab craft of bowl weaving in the stadium's inner structure on April 01, 2022 in Doha, Qatar. (Photo by Matthew Ashton - AMA/Getty Images)

    Will Qatar really produce ‘the first carbon-neutral World Cup in history’?

    Organisers say the event will be net zero, but reaching that conclusion requires some very creative accounting
  • From top left; David Preece, Kasper Schmeichel, Richard Lee and Rob Green

    Football punditry is more detailed than ever but it still fails goalkeepers

    Goalkeeping is a specialised job that demands specialised punditry. We need more voices like Rich Lee and David Preece
  • Lionel Messi, Franz Beckenbauer, Harry Kane with Jordan Henderson, Fernandinho and Virgil Van Dyke

    Why did captains start wearing armbands? It depends who you ask

    There are three theories that explain how the armband arrived in British football and they are all partly true
  • Edin Dzeko of Wolfsburg in 2007, Kelly Smith of Wembley Ladies in 1996, Ian Wright of Crystal Palace  at Selhurst Park in 1991.

    The mentors who shape footballers long before they turn professional

    Years before players are honed by managers and coaches, they are guided by parents, teachers and friends
  • A dejected Kepa Arrizabalaga 

A dejected Kepa Arrizabalaga after conceding another goal

Chelsea v Southampton. 
Premier League.
Credit : Mark Pain / Alamy Live News<br>2D6HFMD London, England, 17th Oct 2020
A dejected Kepa Arrizabalaga after conceding another goal
Chelsea v Southampton. 
Premier League.
Credit : Mark Pain / Alamy Live News

    The importance of confidence in football – and how to cultivate it

    Psychologists and players share their tips for staying self-assured – and explain why the trick could be in your left hand
  • Obafemi Martins Celebrates His Winner for Birmingham City against Arsenal in the Carling Cup Final in 2011.

    'A fairytale': when Birmingham City won the League Cup a decade ago

    This season Birmingham City are fighting to avoid relegation to League One. Ten years ago, they won a cup final at Wembley
  • Paul Scholes, Xavi, Teddy Sheringham

    What is football intelligence and can players develop it?

    Teddy Sheringham, Paul Scholes and Xavi were blessed with good football brains, but what does that really mean?
  • Premier League in six red cards COMP

    The history of the Premier League in red cards

    The Premier League has come a long way since 1992, as can be seen by the evolution of its sendings off
  • Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup - Stadium Views<br>Soccer Football - Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup - Stadium Views - Qatar General view of the Lusail Stadium under construction in Lusail ahead of the World Cup in 2022, in this undated picture obtained by Reuters on July 15, 2020 FIFA/Handout via REUTERS  ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. NO RESALES. NO ARCHIVES

    The football industry needs to wake up to the climate emergency

    The coronavirus pandemic has given us a chance to reimagine the congested calendar. We need to take it
  • Nazi Football Team<br>4th December 1935: The German football team give the Nazi salute at White Hart Lane, Tottenham, London, before playing England, who went on to win 3-0. (Photo by PNA Rota/Getty Images)

    When England played Germany at White Hart Lane in 1935

    Four years before the start of the second world war, Germany were invited to play at a club with a large Jewish following
  • Arsenal right-backs Lauren, Bacary Sagna and Hector Bellerin. Photographs by Getty Images and Rex/Shutterstock

    Celebrating Arsène Wenger's eclectic mix of right-backs at Arsenal

    Wenger was ridiculed for his love of buying creative central midfielders, but he rarely erred when signing right-backs
  • Soccer - Friendly - England v Brazil<br>Colin Grainger (white shirt) scores England’s fourth goal of the game from a header.

    How it feels when you score two goals against Brazil on your England debut

    Colin Grainger was trembling with nerves on his way to Wembley. By the time he left the pitch, he felt like he belongedBy Colin Grainger with Hyder Jawad, via The Blizzard
  • Liverpool v Everton - Premier League<br>LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 27: Liverpool fans hold their scarves aloft as they sing ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ before the Barclays Premier League match between Liverpool and Everton at Anfield on September 27, 2014 in Liverpool, England. (Photo by Simon Stacpoole/Mark Leech Sports Photography/Getty Images)

    The psychology of football rivalries

    Why does supporting one club mean you have to hate another?
  • Fosse 1895-96

    The Wales striker with more criminal convictions than caps

    Harry Trainer was a ‘crack centre-forward’ with a big future but he could not resist stealing jewellery, cockerels and hens
  • Marco van Basten, Diego Simeone, John Barnes and Neville Southall. Composite. Photographs by Getty Images, Colorsport/Shutterstock and Action Images/Reuters

    When the best of Serie A beat a Football League all-star XI

    Marco van Basten, Careca and Diego Simeone scored for Serie A as they defeated the Football League in January 1991
  翻译: