The Pulse of Football

Jul

2025

Preview: Midweek New England test for Inter Miami

Inter Miami continue their road trip on their return to Major League Soccer action following their involvement in the Club World Cup.

By James Nalton

They will be hoping to follow up a convincing win in Montreal, where Lionel Messi was on top form, with another against New England at Gillette Stadium, Massachusetts, on Wednesday night.

Ready for the second half

Inter Miami returned from the Club World Cup in style with a 4-1 win in Canada against CF Montréal.

The home side took the lead within two minutes, but any fears of a Miami hangover from the summer tournament were soon allayed.

By half-time, they were in the lead through goals from Tadeo Allende and Messi. Then, after the break, Telasco Segovia added a third and Messi scored a fourth following a typical, mazy solo run to make it a convincing win.

The goals and the performance could be an indication that Messi and Miami are ready to kick on towards the end of the season in a bid to retain their Supporters’ Shield title.

There are four games in hand for them to work with, and they are ten points off the top of the table, a position currently held by FC Cincinnati.

The Montréal game took them to the halfway point in the regular season, and they will now be looking for a strong second half of the campaign, beginning in New England.

Goals galore

Despite having played fewer games than all other teams in the Eastern Conference (in many cases, four fewer) Inter Miami have still managed to score the most goals in the conference with 40.

Only Western Conference teams San Diego FC and San Jose Earthquakes have scored more than Miami in all of MLS, and both of those Californian teams have played four games more.

It’s this attacking prowess that keeps Javier Mascherano’s team winning games even if they have not been convincing defensively.

Finding the net against New England might not be quite as easy as the league table would have you believe, as despite sitting 11th, only New York City and Philadelphia Union have conceded fewer goals than the Revolution this season.

But that Miami attack will fancy themselves to score against even the best defences in the league.

Opposition watch: New England

Carles Gil remains the standout player for the Revolution and is one of the best players in the league regardless of how well his team are doing overall.

This season, said team performance has been fairly mediocre, and they haven’t won in their last four games, losing three and drawing one.

They do have a couple of games in hand on many teams, though, so have scope to start turning things around.

Despite the below-par league position, Gil has the second-highest FotMob rating in MLS, behind Messi, of course, and has seven goals and four assists this season.

Ignatius Ganago remains out for New England, but they recently extended his loan deal from Nantes until the end of the season. The Revolution will hope Ganago can help fire them toward the playoffs once he returns, but he will not do so against Miami.

Prediction

Another Miami win against another side struggling at the lower end of the table.

(Cover Image from IMAGO)

You can follow every match from MLS live this season with FotMob — featuring deep stats coverage including shot maps, xG, and player ratings. Download the free app here.

Jul

2025

Arsenal are moving in the transfer market – would Viktor Gyokeres complete Arteta’s squad?

After three successive second-placed finishes, Arsenal are setting themselves up for one, big title challenge this summer.

By Sam McGuire

The Gunners convinced Martin Zubimendi to leave the Basque Country while Kepa Arrizabalaga, the world’s most expensive goalkeeper, arrived at the Emirates for a bargain fee of £5million. Brentford skipper Christian Nørgaard is expected to add depth to the Arsenal midfield and there’s talk that Noni Madueke could be signed from Chelsea as Mikel Arteta looks to bolster his attack.

The difference-maker, however, could be the imminent arrival of Viktor Gyökeres. Arsenal, for all of their easy-on-the-eye football during the Arteta era, have lacked that exclamation point in the final third from time to time.

They’ve been without a player who is obsessed with putting the ball into the back of the net. A true goalscorer.

Arteta has invested in the forward line over the years, signing Leandro Trossard, Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus. The Gunners also brought Raheem Sterling in on loan. While these are goal threats, they aren’t necessarily goalscorers. They aren’t going to hit 30 across all competitions, are they?

And that appears to have been Arsenal’s downfall over recent seasons. Last term, they finished sixth for Expected Goals in the Premier League with a total of 61.6. Bournemouth (64.9) were one of the five teams to be more of a threat and Liverpool topped the charts with a haul of 83.5. For further context here, the Gunners could only claim a fifth placed finish in the Big Chances table with a total of 110, 40 shy of leaders Liverpool.

In a sport in which goals are king, the lack of real threat for Arsenal was clearly a problem. You can have the best defence in the league but if you don’t have the firepower to make the most of it, you’ll always fall short.

*Arsenal had the sixth highest xG in the Premier League, 2024/25*

Gyökeres doesn’t guarantee goals. No player does. But the Sweden international is a supreme goalscorer and an elite chance-getter. Provide him with enough chances and he will, more often than not, put the ball into the back of the net.

It’s why Sporting are reportedly demanding a guaranteed £60.2million to part ways with the 27-year-old this summer.

Last term, the one-time Brighton man scored 39 league goals and netted 54 across all competitions. To put into perspective just how impressive this is, Havertz, Trossard, Jesus, Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli scored a combined 34 league goals during the 2024/25 campaign.

The 6’2″ powerhouse was just inevitable for the Lisbon giants. He claimed an average 8.33 FotMob rating last season for his performances in the Portuguese top flight. In fact, he was the only player in Portugal to finish with an average rating of over 7.9.

He was a class above everybody else. He finished with 46 goal involvements in the league, 20 clear of his closest rival. His Expected Goals haul of 30.9 was 12.5 more than the man in second.

If you want a pure, out-and-out No. 9 this summer, he’s the best bet.

*Gyökeres shot map, Liga Portugal 2024/25*

His shot map is the sort that all strikers yearn for. Huge volume inside of the area and only a handful of attempts from low-value areas. He is where you want him to be, all of the time.

There are, of course, a few things to caveat though. For example, 12 of his 39 league goals arrived via the penalty spot. Penalties aren’t awarded so freely in the Premier League and he might be behind Saka in the pecking order, so that needs to be factored in.

The sheer volume of shots on a per 90 basis also needs to be looked at. Last season, he averaged 4.46 shots per 90.

The only two players to crack the four shots per game on average barrier were Julio Enciso and Jhon Durán. The former appeared in fewer than 1,200 minutes while the latter was sold in January having racked up just 626 minutes. The point here is it is almost impossible to maintain that sort of shot volume while playing 2,600 minutes. The most prolific shooter for the Gunners last term was Saka with 3.5. Next up was Havertz with 2.5.

How Arteta goes about ensuring his new centre-forward gets the service he needs is going to be intriguing. Without it, it is hard to know just how impactful Gyökeres can be. After all, the key to his success in Portugal has been shot volume. If Arsenal are unable to create an environment for him to thrive, this signing could cause more problems than solutions for the title challengers.

You have to believe that Arsenal have done their due diligence though. Earlier in the transfer window, it appeared as though Benjamin Šeško was the one for them but he was priced out of a move. There was also talk of Hugo Ekitike.

Gyökeres has an advantage over both though having already played in England. The adaption should be a little easier. The Sporting No. 9 also has experience battling for the title. Another tick for him. There’s also an argument that he’s more of the finished article, with Ekitike and Šeško still learning on the job. Arteta needs someone who can make an immediate impact. And, in theory, Gyökeres can, all for a reasonable fee of €70million as opposed to the €100million that RB Leipzig and Eintracht Frankfurt reportedly want for their strikers.

Signing the Sweden international would be smart business. But only if Arsenal are prepared to play to his strengths. Do that and they could have the firepower to finally win a Premier League title under Arteta.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

You can track all the summer moves via the FotMob Transfer Centre. Download the free app here.

Jul

2025

Does Arda Guler’s future lie in a midfield role?

Arda Güler has been a key figure for Real Madrid at the Club World Cup in a way few could have predicted for the Turkish youngster.

By Graham Ruthven

No Real Madrid player had more touches of the ball in the Club World Cup quarter-final against Borussia Dortmund than Arda Güler. It was the same against Juventus in the previous round when the Turkish international pulled the strings for Xabi Alonso’s team in a role he has surprisingly embraced this summer.

While Güler’s deployment as a central midfielder was initially an emergency measure to combat Real Madrid being reduced to 10 men against Pachuca in the group stage, the 20-year-old has since proved why his skill set lends itself to this area of the pitch. With every passing match, Güler looks more and more like Luka Modrić’s long-term successor.

Alonso’s Real Madrid are a work-in-progress. Los Blancos started their Club World Cup campaign with a 1-1 draw against Al-Hilal that highlighted many of the deficiencies left over from the previous regime. Thibaut Courtois candidly admitted Real Madrid were still playing with “Ancelotti’s automations” as they struggled on both sides of the ball.

Match by match, though, Alonso has moulded Real Madrid in his own image, borrowing many of the ideas that worked so well for him at Bayer Leverkusen. He has, in the main, recycled the 3-4-3 shape that formed the framework of his previous team in the Bundesliga, pushing Trent Alexander-Arnold and Fran García high and wide as wing backs.

Aurélien Tchouaméni has been dropped into the defensive line while Dean Huijsen has been emboldened to make line-breaking passes out from the back. Fede Valverde is being harnessed as a box-to-box number eighth with Gonzalo García enjoying a breakthrough summer as the penalty box presence Real Madrid have lacked since the departure of Joselu.

However, no Real Madrid player’s career has been altered so dramatically since the arrival of Alonso like Güler’s. Last season, he was a peripheral figure, starting just 14 games in LaLiga and one in the Champions League. Now, Güler appears to be a central pillar of the team Alonso is building in his own image.

To truly be the rhythm-building central midfielder Real Madrid need after the end of the Toni Kroos-Modrić age, Güler will have to sharpen his defensive instincts. He will also have to add some physicality to his game to operate at the base of Alonso’s midfield in the long-term. He’s not the complete package just yet.

“Try to anticipate rather than be reactive,” said Alonso when asked how Güler can improve. “If the position is better, you get to the duel sooner and you don’t have to beat them physically. We know Arda will make mistakes during this learning process, but he’ll also do good thinks.

“It’s also a time to invest in a process, in Arda’s development. He’s doing well, and we keep pushing him. We want him gain experience, mature, and be able to make mistakes. Let him accept them because they’re part of his development if we want to have a strong Arda in that area.”

In Alonso, Güler couldn’t hope for a better mentor. The Real Madrid manager was one of the best pace-setting midfielders of his generation. He knows what it takes to succeed in the position and so there’s good reason to believe Güler will continue to grow as he gets used to the role he’s being asked to perform.

Of course, the true gauge of Güler as Modrić’s replacement will come next season when Real Madrid will be expected to fight on all fronts for silverware. Barcelona set a new standard at the top of LaLiga last season while Paris Saint-Germain looked unbeatable as they won the Champions League.

This adds another layer of intrigue to Wednesday’s meeting with the European champions in the semi-finals of the Club World Cup. The match will be a useful gauge for Real Madrid to judge how much closer they are to the Champions League winner after a summer of change. Can Alonso’s team impose themselves on an opponent with as clear an identity as PSG?

Güler won’t have faced a threat in central midfield like the one PSG will pose. The trio of João Neves, Fabián Ruiz and Vitinha compromise the best midfield unit in the game at this moment in time and so Güler will have to do just as much against the ball as he will on it. The 20-year-old will have to play his best game simply not to be overwhelmed.

Talent has never been an issue for Güler. Nicknamed ‘The Turkish Messi’ from a young age, he has been tipped for the top since becoming a first team figure for Fenerbahçe at the age of only 16. It’s only now, however, that Güler’s purpose as a Real Madrid player has become clear. Alonso was the first to see it.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

You can follow every Real Madrid game with FotMob – featuring deep stats coverage, xG, and player ratings. Download the free app here.

Jul

2025

Preview: Netherlands test key to England’s chances at the Euros

The Lionesses are back in action at Euro 2025 on Wednesday evening, faced with having to get a result against the Netherlands just to stay alive in the tournament.

By Jamie Spencer

Must-Win

England were second best for the majority of their opening fixture against France and a second defeat against the Dutch would spell an unfathomable early elimination for the defending champions with a game still to play.

Even a draw would leave the Lionesses with an uphill battle and not in control of their own destiny when it comes to reaching the knockouts – on top of winning their own final game against Wales, they would likely have to rely on the other result in the group.

For the Netherlands, a win gets them through – thanks to what would be a superior head-to-head record against Wales and England – and takes the pressure off their next game against France.

Head-to-Head

There have been 23 encounters since a first meeting in 1973, with England winning 14 of those. Four have been draws and the Dutch have won five times.

The Lionesses won the most recent clash in December 2023, in the UEFA Nations League, coming from 2-0 down to claim a 3-2 victory in stoppage time at Wembley Stadium. But the Dutch had won 2-1 in the reverse fixture just a few weeks earlier.

Recent Form

England only lost three of the first 39 competitive fixtures played under Sarina Wiegman, now it’s three defeats in the last four.

The Netherlands enjoyed a comfortable 3-0 win over Wales on matchday one that saw Vivianne Miedema score her 100^th international goal – Arsenal’s Victoria Pelova and Barcelona’s Esmee Brugts got the others. But coming into the tournament, they had been frustrated by Scotland (1-1) and thrashed by Germany (4-0) in their two previous competitive games.

Fresh Energy

Wiegman defended her team selection against France, which featured 10 players who were part of the Euro 2022-winning squad from three years ago. “I don’t have regrets. We try to turn every stone before we make the lineup,” she said after the defeat, but equally hasn’t ruled out making changes.

There is a clamour for Michelle Agyemang to get more of an opportunity. The teenager scored a stunner 41 seconds into her senior debut in April and had an impact in a short cameo against France. Her uncompromising style and fearlessness already commands respect from her teammates.

Grace Clinton also impressed briefly against France, while Maya Le Tissier, Jess Park and Aggie Beever-Jones all have attributes that could improve what was a stale performance last time out.

Team News

All 23 players again trained for England on Tuesday, which had been the case before facing France. Lauren James is building fitness all the time, a significant boost given that they she was the player who looked more likely than any other to make something happen last time out.

There should be plenty of familiarity with the Dutch squad for most of the Lionesses, with more than half (12) of the squad playing their club football in England last season. But that works both ways. “I already know a lot of those girls,” right-back Kerstin Casparij said.

Prediction

The Lionesses started well and finished well against France, it was 70 minutes in the middle that was the problem. They need to be better. The Dutch aren’t as polished all over the pitch as the French, but still possess huge threats and will take confidence from both their own victory over Wales and the nature of England’s opening performance: England 2-2 Netherlands.

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(Cover image from IMAGO)

You can follow every game from the 2025 Women’s Euros with FotMob – featuring deep stats coverage, xG, and player ratings. Download the free app here.

Jul

2025

Preview: European royalty PSG and Madrid meet in Club World Cup semifinal

Not the final the new version of the Club World Cup deserved, and not the one it will get either – but PSG versus Real Madrid is the titanic type of clash Fifa had in mind for the uber-expanded tournament. A winner here will be favourite for the overall biggest prize of around £90m.

By Karl Matchett

One key tactical matchup

What this semi-final has is one team with a tactical plan they know and love, and another who are experimenting with the likely set-up for next season, with a new boss in place and a few new faces too. The most interesting part of that, in terms of immediate on-pitch impact, is in PSG’s front three against Real Madrid’s back three…or back five, depending on how hard-working they are and how cautious Xabi Alonso wants to be.

If Trent Alexander-Arnold and Fran García get pinned back in a five to tie down the movement of Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Désiré Doué and Ousmane Dembélé, then the Spanish side could really struggle to break out of shape and dominate the match. But if they don’t track back at all or passes from PSG’s deep midfield sail over them, a Real Madrid back three unused to the setup could find themselves in a lot of one-v-one situations.

*Our best rated sides at the Club World Cup*

Defensive differences

It’s not just the direct numbers either. Real haven’t been exactly able to practice Alonso’s preferred system with a regular collection of faces: Éder Militão is still sidelined, Raúl Asencio was sent-off early in the tournament, Dean Huijsen was last time out too. It’s tough to get right on the fly, let alone when you’re facing the world’s most dangerous attacking line of the last few months. Real actually rank in the tournament’s top ten for saves per match and are ninth for highest xG conceded; PSG on the other hand have only seen one goal scored past them at the tournament in total.

Recent form

On the assumption that actual in-season results don’t really have any bearing on this competition, PSG are on a Club World Cup run of four wins and one defeat from their quintet of outings – just Brazilians Botafogo beat them in the groups. Real Madrid drew their opener with Al Hilal and have won four on the trot since then.

Team news

PSG are without two suspended players, centre-back Willian Pacho plus defensive sub Lucas Hernández. Real Madrid have Eduardo Camavinga back in training and former PSG star Kylian Mbappé is back in the fold once more after illness, but Huijsen is suspended after a red card and the likes of Dani Carvajal, Ferland Mendy and Endrick are all longer-term injury absentees.

Key player

Vitinha. His ability to shift the ball will test Real’s new alignment, not just through midfield but to the sides of the defence too. He is top for accurate long passes per 90 at the tournament and second only to Rodri in overall accurate passes per 90 – plus he’s top five for expected assists.

Prediction

Possibly the match-up the watching world wanted to see at this tournament: the reigning European champions and the biggest club on the planet. We’ll go for the team who have already celebrated recently: PSG 2-1 Real Madrid.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

Don’t forget that all matches from the Club World Cup are shown live on DAZN – watch here for free!

Jul

2025

Preview: Netherlands test key to England’s chances at the Euros

The Lionesses are back in action at Euro 2025 on Wednesday evening, faced with having to get a result against the Netherlands just to stay alive in the tournament.

By Jamie Spencer

Must-Win

For the Netherlands, a win gets them through – thanks to what would be a superior head-to-head record against Wales and England – and takes the pressure off their next game against France.

Head-to-Head

There have been 23 encounters since a first meeting in 1973, with England winning 14 of those. Four have been draws and the Dutch have won five times.

Recent Form

England only lost three of the first 39 competitive fixtures played under Sarina Wiegman, now it’s three defeats in the last four.

Fresh Energy

Grace Clinton also impressed briefly against France, while Maya Le Tissier, Jess Park and Aggie Beever-Jones all have attributes that could improve what was a stale performance last time out.

Team News

Prediction

(Cover image from IMAGO)

You can follow every game from the 2025 Women’s Euros with FotMob – featuring deep stats coverage, xG, and player ratings. Download the free app here.

Jul

2025

Malik Tillman and Diego Luna make Pulisic and co sweat with Gold Cup form

It ultimately ended in heartbreak for Mauricio Pochettino and his second-string USMNT side after they fell at the final hurdle, losing 2-1 to arch-rivals Mexico in the Gold Cup decider on Sunday. There are still a couple of positives, however, Malik Tillman and Diego Luna ripped it up.

By Alex Roberts

There was a lot of talk about the players that were missing ahead of the tournament, most notably when Christian Pulisic decided to sit it out and focus on his physical and mental health following a gruelling season with Milan.

Tim Weah and Weston McKennie also decided to opt out, instead taking part in Juventus’ underwhelming FIFA Club World Cup campaign, while Gio Reyna played just 12 minutes for Borussia Dortmund at the same tournament.

Beyond the many players who were unavailable to Poch, several who were originally called up for the tournament left due to injury, including Sergiño Dest, Haji Wright, Folarin Balogun and Zack Steffen.

All of those players are, on paper, part of the USMNT’s best squad, despite lacklustre performances for their country over the past couple of years, especially in the CONCACAF Nations League, Poch’s first tournament in charge.

Most of them were available to Poch during the Nations League, but, despite their reputation as ‘better players’ the USA averaged 1.5 goals compared to the 2.2 in the Gold Cup.

They also kept one more clean sheet this time around, two from their six Gold Cup games. The differences don’t end there, at the other end of the pitch, Poch’s lads created 24 big chances compared to their nine in the Nations League.

After their first game, a comprehensive 5-0 win over Trinidad and Tobago, the focus started to shift from the players that were missing, to the players that were there. Tillman and Luna, in particular, caught the eye.

Tillman was fresh off the back of the most prolific season of his career, scoring 16 goals and providing five assists in his 34 games across all competitions for PSV as they beat Ajax to the Eredivisie title in dramatic fashion.

Although deployed as a central midfielder at club level, Poch pushed him a little further forward into the number ten spot, Pulisic’s usual position, to help make up for the lack of creativity his side had without ‘Captain America.’

Before the tournament, Pulisic likely thought he had a place nailed down for the 2026 World Cup, now, he might have a little fire under him. Tillman was arguably the player of the tournament, ending with three goals and two assists in his six games.

Luna, on the other hand, was still in the middle of his season. He’s on course to see out a similarly impressive campaign, currently sitting on eight goals and two assists in his 17 games for Real Salt Lake.

The two players were interchangeable. In the win over Trinidad and Tobago, Tilman started in the ten while Luna played on the left, they then switched for the 1-0 win over everyone’s favourite north/central American nation, Saudi Arabia.

Already through to the round of 16 with two wins from their first two group games, Poch mixed it up, giving Luna a rest but keeping Tillman in the starting 11. He would go on to score the opener in the tenth minute in another fine overall performance.

In the quarter final against Cost Rica, they starred yet again. It was a rocky start for Tillman who missed the chance to level things up from the spot in the 37^th minute. Luna stepped up to lend his teammate a hand and scored the equaliser thanks to a heavy deflection just before the break.

Shortly after half-time, Tillman dusted himself off to provide the assist for Max Arfsten’s goal, which was later cancelled out by Alonso Martínez. The game went to penalties and Tillman elected to give it another go, scoring this time. The two can clearly handle high pressure situations.

By the time the semis rolled around, Poch had settled on where to play his two star men. Luna was officially their left winger while Tillman was the ten. This time it was Luna’s turn to steal the show, scoring a brace in 15 minutes to send his side through to the final.

Unfortunately for Poch and his players, the game against Mexico was a step too far. El Tri were simply better than them at every turn and their experienced stars Raúl Jiménez and Edson Álvarez proved to be the difference.

From the get-go, this was an experiment for Poch with the real test coming next year. At least now he has a better idea of the players he has at his disposal and the depth of the talent pool he can reach in to.

After the final, attention once again turned to the players that were missing. Poch was asked about reintegrated the likes of Pulisic, McKennie, and Antonee Robinson back in the squad.

“You already made the list?” He responded, “Or you ask artificial intelligence and you do the roster for next time?”

“I don’t understand that question. Because for different [reasons], we have the roster that we have. All the American players have the possibility for September to be on the roster. It’s up to us now to analyse, but all the names you told me, all are under scrutiny, and we are following them.”

The Gold Cup may not have ended the way they wanted but one thing is for certain, there is a very healthy level of competition for places, especially in the attacking third. Tillman and Luna have taken their chance and ran with it.

Poch isn’t the type of manager to give into any kind of player power, he also demands 120% effort from his players at all times. If the likes of Pulisic and Reyna don’t step up, they could see their places in the first team taken, at the very least.

This is arguably a golden generation in terms of talent available to the USMNT but they’re in danger of falling flat on the biggest stage, like England and Belgium have done with similar generational talent before them.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

You can follow every USMNT game with FotMob – featuring deep stats coverage, xG, and player ratings. Download the free app here.

Jul

2025

Assessing Chelsea’s latest new-look frontline

Liam Delap, Jamie Gittens and João Pedro have all joined Chelsea to revamp Enzo Maresca’s forward line ahead of the 2025/26 campaign.

By Graham Ruthven

In order of how much they cost, Mykhaylo Mudryk, Pedro Neto, Christopher Nkunku, Raheem Sterling, João Félix, Cole Palmer, Nicolas Jackson, Noni Madueke and Marc Guiu have all pitched up at Stamford Bridge over the last three seasons to strengthen Chelsea’s attack. And yet the Blues have once again revamped their forward line this summer.

Undeterred by the hundreds of millions already poured into the attacking ranks, Chelsea have spent another £170m on Liam Delap, Jamie Gittens and João Pedro with Brazilian wonderkid Estêvão also set to join the club later this summer. Enzo Maresca will start next season with a completely different forward line.

He needed a completely different forward line. Last season, Chelsea averaged the third-highest share of possession per match in the Premier League behind only Manchester City and Liverpool. This hinted at the level of control Maresca wants his side to have and Chelsea certainly had a stronger foothold on the ball last term.

*Goals per game, Premier League 2024/25*

Too often, though, this control failed to translate into attacking threat. In a creative sense, Chelsea were productive enough, creating the second-most Big Chances in the Premier League last season behind only Liverpool. They also had the joint second-highest Expected Goals (xG), once again behind only the champions.

In terms of actual goals, however, Chelsea lagged a long way behind some of their rivals, netting just 64 times in 38 games. For context, Liverpool scored 86 and Manchester City registered 72. Brentford, who finished 10th, scored more goals than Maresca’s team who were frequently predictable to play against.

‘Maresca-ball’ was criticised for this. While Chelsea’s possession numbers were impressive last season, the way they used possession was scrutinised. They didn’t have enough dynamism in the attacking third to make the most of their control of the ball and this has informed the business done at Stamford Bridge so far this summer.

Gittens should be a good fit for Maresca’s team. The Italian likes his wingers to stay high and wide from where they are expected to take on opposition defenders. Gittens, who attempted more dribbles than any other player in the Bundesliga last season, has the skill set to be the wide difference-maker Chelsea need.

*Gittens possession numbers, Bundesliga 2024/25*

There are questions over Gittens final product. He will have to lift his goalscoring numbers to truly be the sort of player capable of pushing Chelsea closer to the Premier League title, but the potential is clear in the Manchester City academy graduate. Maresca’s set-up could harness Gittens as he takes the next step in his development.

Pedro also ticks a box for Chelsea. The Brazilian has earned a reputation as one of the most adaptable and versatile players in the Premier League over the last two seasons at Brighton. He will bring the sort of cohesion Chelsea sometimes lacked last season and has the technical ability to play ‘Maresca-ball’ while possessing the physicality to give the Blues something different.

*Pedro’s season summary for Brighton spell – appearances, goals, assists, rating*

Chelsea want Pedro to be the player they thought Nkunku would be. There is a lot of overlap between the two attackers’ skill set. Nkunku is also versatile. He is similarly adept from a technical point of view. Pedro, however, is more explosive and reached double figures for goals in the Premier League last season.

As an all-round attacker, there’s plenty to like about Pedro’s game. He registered more assists than any other Brighton player last season and also had the highest xG per 90 minutes of within Fabian Hürzeler’s squad. Whether it was as a centre forward, a second striker or a winger, Pedro is a consistent threat.

Delap has had a month-long head start on his attacking peers who have made the move to Stamford Bridge this summer with the 22-year-old already performing for Chelsea at the Club World Cup. Delap has made a good first impression at the tournament, particularly with Nicolas Jackson suspended for a second red card in four games going back to the end of last season.

Of the three players to have arrived at Stamford Bridge in the last month, Delap might have the largest leap to make to be the figure Chelsea need him to be. At Ipswich Town, he effectively led the line for a team that gave him very little service. That he scored 12 goals in these circumstances was extremely impressive. Chelsea, however, will demand more.

Maresca is at an early crossroads in his Chelsea tenure. Last season saw the Italian put in place foundations, but he must now build more on top of that basis for the Blues to enjoy a successful 2025/26 campaign. Delap, Gittens and Pedro, and possibly Estêvão, have been signed to help make this happen.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

You can follow every Chelsea game with FotMob next season – featuring deep stats coverage, xG, and player ratings. Download the free app here.

Jul

2025

Preview: Fluminense and Chelsea contest the first Club World Cup semifinal

Fluminense and Chelsea go head-to-head in the FIFA Club World Cup semi-final on Tuesday as both sides edge closer to lifting a trophy after some impressive displays in the competition.

By Matt Smith

A win for either team would set up a final against Paris Saint-Germain or Real Madrid, who face each other on Wednesday. It could be another opportunity for Chelsea fans to see new signing João Pedro in action once again, while Fluminense’s vibrant supporters will be hoping to see their team reach the final to face another huge European outfit.

Team news

Suspensions are playing a huge part in the competition so far, and Fluminense will be without centre-back Juan Pablo Freytes and Martinelli, who have both picked up too many yellow cards in this year’s Club World Cup. Thiago Silva is however expected to feature against his former club.

Liam Delap and Levi Colwill will both miss out due to suspension, but we could see Moisés Caicedo return after he was unavailable for the previous game, serving a one-match ban. João Pedro could feature once again, but another new signing, Jamie Gittens, is ineligible.

Fluminense a surprise package

Fluminense have been a bit of a surprise package this competition, and many supporters from Europe might not have expected to see them reach the semi-final. The Brazilian outfit are there on merit, however, beating Inter Milan and Al-Hilal, among others, while also securing an impressive 0-0 draw against Borussia Dortmund.

Conceding just 0.6 goals per game – a figure only bettered by PSG – Fluminense have shown immense defensive resilience, but they’ll be coming up against a Chelsea side with plenty of attacking talent.

Maresca’s side fluent in attack

As was the case for much of the 2024/2025 Premier League season, Enzo Maresca’s side have looked fluent in attack at the Club World Cup. Scoring 2.4 goals per game, a host of Chelsea’s attacking stars have chipped in with goals, but they’ll need to start controlling their temper to avoid further suspensions.

The Blues have picked up 12 yellow cards in the competition, with only Fluminense and Benfica managing more. We could be set for a fiery encounter in New Jersey on Tuesday.

Pedro Neto finding form

Chelsea have been linked with a host of attacking players this summer, and we’ve already seen three arrive through the door. What this means for some of Maresca’s current options in the final third remains to be seen, but Pedro Neto is one player who appears to be relishing the extra competition.

The Portuguese forward has struck three times so far and has been a constant threat out wide for Chelsea. Neto might count himself unlucky not to have a couple of assists to his name, and he’s certainly made a case to start the remaining games in the competition.

Prediction

It’s been an impressive tournament so far for Fluminense, but we’re going for a narrow 2-1 victory to Chelsea in this one.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

You can follow every game from the Club World Cup with FotMob this summer — featuring deep stats coverage, xG, and player ratings. Download the free app here.

Jul

2025

Sluggish Lionesses need to wake up to have any chance of retaining Euros title

Sarina Wiegman’s faith in England’s old guard will be seriously tested after the reigning champions struggled to keep pace with fellow contenders France in their opening game at Euro 2025.

By Jamie Spencer

Only once before had England ever played on 5 July. On that occasion, goals in either half from Lionesses legends in the making Ellen White and Rachel Yankey secured a 2-0 win over Japan.

The stage was the 2011 Women’s World Cup and that group stage fixture was the sole defeat for a Japan side that went on to lift the trophy. England exited the tournament at the hands of France, in a heartbreaking quarter-final penalty shootout, in the very next game.

Les Bleues have often caused problems for the Lionesses over the decades and Saturday night was a big statement from France in their quest for a first ever major trophy.

For England, who became Europe’s first defending champions to lose game one, this time was a 5 July to forget. A 2-1 scoreline and late pressure didn’t tell the story of the first 87 minutes.

Keira Walsh’s consolatory strike near the end was England’s first shot on target. At half-time, the Lionesses had only accrued 0.2 xG and, over 90 minutes plus stoppage time, there were no statistically ‘big chances’. Had Lauren Hemp’s last-ditch effort not been hacked off the line, it would have masked an alarmingly disappointing performance.

Ex- Lioness Karen Carney didn’t pull any punches in the ITV studio post-game. “We got absolutely bullied,” she said, refusing to be moved by England’s finish, too little too late.

England actually started well. Within the first minute, they had carved France open and Lauren James fired over the bar from a great position. It was soon her driving run into French territory that led to Alessia Russo turning the ball into the net, but VAR intervened over an offside. From that moment that France woke up and England quickly faded.

For the next 70 minutes, the game was played on France’s terms and England were just trying to keep up, sometimes literally. The opening goal came from a quick transition down France’s right flank, resulting in a tap-in for Marie-Antoinette Katoto. Sandy Baltimore scored the quickfire second as Les Bleues won possession in midfield. She shrugged off Chelsea clubmate Lucy Bronze and ghosted past a statuesque Leah Williamson before finding the top corner.

England desperately appealed for a foul in the build-up, watching Maëlle Lakrar take the ball from Russo. It was a strong challenge that left Russo in a heap, but not an illegal one – VAR saw no reason to rule it a foul or disallow the goal.

Russo, hailed for her impacts off the bench at Euro 2022, usually when Ellen White had spent at least 45 minutes wearing down the opposition, struggled to find her place in the game. Aside from not being strong enough against Lakrar in that key moment, another fine margin went against her when an England breakaway early in the second half resulted in a poor touch at the critical time.

The Arsenal favourite came into the tournament on a huge wave of hype, England’s reigning Player of the Year, the newly crowned FWA Footballer of the Year, the WSL’s joint-Golden Boot winner, and straight off the back of Champions League glory. But she didn’t do enough to test or a French defence without its preferred centre-back pairing – injury replacement 21-year-old Alice Sombath was making just her fifth international appearance. Russo’s only attempt on goal was a blocked shot in the 90^th minute and her combined xG and xA for the match amounted to 0.12.

When French wingers Delphine Cascarino, who assisted the first goal, and Baltimore were attacking with pace and intent, England’s forwards were ineffective and predictable. During ITV’s commentary in the first half, Lucy Ward had accurately summarised: “France look more mobile than England in the areas of the pitch that count.” That didn’t change until the final moments.

Perhaps it didn’t help that Russo, for all her success at club level, played 41 times for Arsenal in 2024/25. In addition to regular international duty, it’s the most by far in a single season across her career. Others in the lineup are probably lacking rhythm and match sharpness. Hemp, James, Alex Greenwood and Georgia Stanway have all not long returned from major injury layoffs. Stanway is usually England’s box-to-box engine, but won only five of 10 ground duels as the Lionesses failed to gain a foothold until it was too late, and didn’t once touch the ball in France’s box.

Wiegman’s faith in the tried and tested will be under scrutiny. Of the starting XI, only James wasn’t part of the Euro 2022-winning squad three years ago. Yet with a sluggish performance only improving once changes were made, questions will be asked about what the England boss does next.

Grace Clinton was afforded 13 minutes plus stoppage time in her tournament debut, with wildcard Michelle Agyemang getting even less. Both made genuine impacts in short cameos. Maya Le Tissier, Jess Park and Aggie Beever-Jones didn’t get off the bench, but all five had good campaigns at club level – Clinton and Le Tissier both featured in the WSL’s Team of the Season.

Suddenly, with just one game played, England’s Euro 2025 hopes are in real danger. Defeat against the Netherlands on 9 July, following their 3-0 win over Wales earlier on Saturday, would mean premature elimination for the defending champions. A draw keeps them alive but potentially means their destiny by matchday three isn’t in their own hands.

The bare minimum is that it cannot be anything but a significantly better performance.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

You can follow every game from the 2025 Women’s Euros with FotMob – featuring deep stats coverage, xG, and player ratings. Download the free app here.