How a player performs during certain game states is arguably one of the most important factors in ensuring victory, yet it’s regularly overlooked. Teams and individuals are judged and analysed on their output over the entirety of a game as a whole when it’d perhaps be far more beneficial to break it down into three…
Somehow, all old football fashion that looked terrible when I was a child is now popular. The old bruised banana Arsenal kit? Paid homage to with last season’s away kit. Kits with clashing splashes of neon-esque colour? All the rage. Patterns that look like the upholstery of public transport seats and tablecloths? Back. Fashion, I’m…
When Romelu Lukaku left Manchester United to join Inter, parts of the English media appeared to write the then 26-year-old off as past his best. His second and final season at Old Trafford yielded just 12 Premier League goals and it was evident from the off that Ole Gunnar Solskjær didn’t think there was a…
Up until this season, Patrick Bamford’s Premier League career had yielded just one goal. That solitary strike arrived during the 2016/17 campaign when he was a Middlesbrough player. He’d drawn blanks for Crystal Palace, Norwich City and Burnley prior to that despite plundering goals at Championship level. Fast forward four years, however, and only four…
RB Leipzig get a lot of praise for their innovative approach, both on and off the field. Manager Julian Nagelsmann is often lauded for his forward-thinking systems and it’s why he’s regularly tipped as a potential successor to arguably the two best tactical thinkers in the game today: Pep Guardiola and Jürgen Klopp. They’re often…
Hitting the target and making the goalkeeper work is no longer good enough at the very top level. More often than not, chances are at a premium in the must-win clashes and failing to make the most of an opportunity is viewed as a waste. What’s more, these must-win matches are becoming increasingly more common.…
Chelsea found themselves in an odd place as the new season kicked off. Their spending spree heaped the pressure on Frank Lampard and his side, with the view that they should be challenging for the Premier League title. However, the large number of arrivals also appeared to lessen the expectations being placed on the team,…
Bayer Leverkusen are one of only two unbeaten teams in the Bundesliga this season. They’re currently one point off leaders Bayern Munich and after a slow start – scoring three goals in their opening four matches – the floodgates have opened. Peter Bosz’s side have notched 13 in their last four outings in the German…
There’s something strange going on with Manchester’s Premier League teams. For a start, at the time of writing, both of their points totals combined would only put them four points clear of top spot. But also, Manchester City might get worse when they’re winning. When drawing, their shot maps for and against in the league…
Since day one of the season for Liverpool, a narrative has been pushed that defensively they’re not as secure this time around. Virgil van Dijk had a lapse in judgement against Leeds United to gift Patrick Bamford a goal and Marcelo Bielsa’s team carved out multiple openings against the champions. In reality, a number of…