To say the international break was interesting would be a bit of an understatement. England crashed to defeat against Greece at Wembley before bouncing back to beat Finland. The Three Lions then named Thomas Tuchel as Gareth Southgate’s permanent successor. The former Chelsea boss, if all goes to plan, will lead England into the 2026 World Cup.
But the focus now returns to the Premier League. So here’s what to look out for this weekend.
The Brennan Johnson show
Brennan Johnson is in the form of his life for Tottenham Hotspur.
With his goal against Brighton before the international break, the 23-year-old joined an exclusive group of only seven players to score in six consecutive competitive games for Spurs.
His current run of form has seen him match a feat achieved by greats such as Teddy Sheringham and Harry Kane.
The former Nottingham Forest also scored for Wales in their 2-2 draw with Iceland. This is one serious hot streak and Ange Postecoglou is going to want to continue to capitalise on this. The Spurs boss isn’t under pressure. Prior to their loss to Brighton, Tottenham had won five on the bounce across all competitions, but with just three wins in seven Premier League outings, the one-time Celtic boss is under the microscope.
Spurs host West Ham on Saturday afternoon and a win for the struggling Hammers would see them leapfrog Postecoglou’s men. It isn’t a must win for Tottenham but it is a must not lose.
Key to ensuring that is going to be Johnson.
A sting in the tale for the Red Devils?
Manchester United welcome Brentford to Old Trafford this weekend. Erik Ten Hag‘s side are winless in the Premier League in over a month. Their last victory in the English top-flight was against Southampton on September 14th. Since then, the Red Devils have drawn four and lost one of their last five outings across all competitions.
With Tuchel now taking over as England manager and Southgate ruling himself out of management for at least a year, Manchester United’s pool of potential successors is dwindling. And this eases the pressure on Ten Hag. However, if they continue to struggle, there’s only so long United will persist with him.
Sooner or later, they’re going to have to start winning.
Brentford are tricky opposition. They have scored in their last seven outings across all competitions and Erling Haaland (10) is the only player to have scored more goals than Bryan Mbeumo (six) in the Premier League this season.
If the Bees are firing on Saturday, they could cause an upset at Old Trafford to really heap the pressure on Ten Hag.
Anfield expects
Up until now, Liverpool have had some favourable fixtures in the Premier League. Arne Slot is keen to remind everyone of this whenever he’s interviewed.
The Reds sit top of the English top-flight having won six of their opening seven matches. They have some of the best attacking numbers in the league as well as the best defensive numbers.
The Blues are six unbeaten in the Premier League and appear to be fairly consistent under new boss Enzo Maresca. They’re putting teams to the sword and rank first for Expected Goals. They are second in the Expected Points table too, so the results are matching up with their performances.
However, they’re coming up against the team ranked first for Expected Points while the Reds also have the lowest Expected Goals Against total. They’re also winless against Liverpool in their last nine meetings.
This game really does seem two of the most in form teams face off. It is an opportunity for both managers to record their first big statement win of their new respective eras.
xG related Expected Points table, 2024/25
Will Wolves be mauled?
Wolves are one of four winless teams in the Premier League. They are joint-bottom on one point, along with Southampton. Their performances, however, have been worthy of five points when looking at the underlying numbers. Gary O’Neil‘s side just haven’t been able to turn performances into wins.
They have the worst defensive numbers in the league having conceded 21 goals in seven matches at an average of three per game. They’re up against the reigning champions this weekend with Manchester City travelling to Molineux.
Erling Haaland will be licking his lips in anticipation. The powerhouse No.9 has 10 Premier League goals to his name already this term but he’s failed to score in his last two outings in the English top-flight. He’ll want to get back to goalscoring ways and a match against Wolves presents him with the perfect opportunity.
(Cover image from IMAGO)
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Daniel Maldini made history on Monday replacing Giacomo Raspadori in the 74th minute of Italy’s 4-1 UEFA Nations League win against Israel and making his senior debut for the Azzurri.
Eligible to play for Italy or Venezuela, Daniel Maldini chose to follow in the footsteps of his grandfather Cesare, who donned the armband for Italy, earned 14 caps, and played in the 1962 World Cup, and his father Paolo, whose 126 Italy caps are second only to Gianluigi Buffon and Fabio Cannavaro.
While the Maldini clan is the best-known example, they’re far from the only family with three consecutive generations representing a national team.
Bulgaria
The apple doesn’t always fall far from the tree, and that’s certainly been the case in the Mihaylov family tree. Biser Mihaylov spent 14 years at PFC Levski Sofia between 1961 and 1975, excelling between the sticks, leading them to four league titles, and making five international appearances. His son Borislav began his career at Levski Sofia and quickly solidified a starting spot in goal for Bulgaria, becoming their most-capped player with 102 appearances (later eclipsed by Stiliyan Petrov), and captaining them in their run in the 1994 FIFA World Cup semifinals, while his son Nikolay has gone on to become a regular in goal for both Levski Sofia and Bulgaria (46 caps).
Iceland
Whilst the Mihaylovs have earned a reputation for their imperviousness in goal, the Guðjohnsens have made a name for themselves due to their attacking firepower. Three years after having the final penalty of the UEFA Cup Final saved by Tottenham’s Tony Parks, Arnór Guðjohnsen bounced back by finishing as the top scorer in Belgium’s top division with 19 goals in 1986/87. But whilst he scored 14 goals in 73 appearances for Iceland, he does have one regret: not playing with his son.
Arnór looked set to make history by playing alongside his 17-year-old son Eiður on April 24, 1996, only for Iceland FA president Eggert Magnússon to demand manager Logi Ólafsson to not play them together, instead preferring the moment to take place on home soil in their next match vs. Macedonia two months later. Eiður replaced his 34-year-old father at halftime, and one month later, he broke his ankle while playing for Iceland’s U-18s. By the time he returned two years later, Arnór had retired.
Eiður is regarded as the greatest Icelandic footballer of all time, winning two league titles at Chelsea and a treble with Barcelona, scoring 26 goals in 88 appearances for Iceland, and his children are keeping the fire burning: Sveinn Aron (26) has scored 2 goals in 20 caps for Iceland, Andri (22) has registered 7 goals in 28 appearances, whilst Daníel (18) has already represented them at the U16, U17 and U19 level.
Iceland (again)
Albert Guðmundsson is the latest in a long line of Guðmundssons who have made their mark for Iceland. His great-grandfather Albert was Iceland’s first professional footballer and played for the likes of Arsenal, Milan and Rangers before serving as Minister of Finance of Iceland and Minister of Industry and producing a son: Ingi Björn Albertsson, the second-all-time leading scorer in Iceland’s top-flight with 126 goals. Not only have both Albert’s maternal great-grandfather and maternal grandfather played for Iceland, but so too have both of his parents: Guðmundur Benediktsson scored twice in 10 appearances, whilst his mother Kristbjörg Helga Ingadóttir held the record for most goals in Icelandic’s top division from 1987 to 2012. Each of the four generations of the Guðmundssons have scored for Iceland, and with 10 goals in 37 caps, Albert is proudly keeping that tradition alive.
Malta
Unlike his grandfather Salvinu, who scored one goal in three Malta appearances, or his father Eric, who scored zero in three, André Schembri would not only play more than three times for Ħomor, but play overseas, bouncing around Europe before finally retiring in 2020 after a season in India. In total, the Maltese striker scored 131 goals in 446 appearances at club level and 3 goals in 94 appearances at international level, and he began his managerial career this summer after taking charge of Cypriot second-tier side Anagennisi Deryneia.
Mexico
On June 19, 1954, 22-year-old Mexican striker Tomás Balcázar scored in the 85th minute to equalize in a World Cup group stage match, but Raymond Kopa immediately restored France’s advantage from the penalty spot in a 3-2 win. On June 17, 2020, Tomás’ grandson, 22-year-old Mexican striker Javier ‘Chicharito’ Hernández, would open the scoring against France as El Tri prevailed with a famous 2-0 victory in the World Cup group stage.
Unlike his maternal grandfather, who won 8 league titles in a decade with Chivas and scored 6 goals in 11 appearances for Mexico, Chicharito left Guadalajara at an early age and joined Manchester United, where he would participate in a Champions League Final and win two Premier League titles. He is the all-time leading scorer for Mexico with 52 goals in 109 appearances, well ahead of his father Javier ‘Chicharo’ Hernández (4 goals in 28). And he’s still going – having made an emotional return to Chivas earlier this year.
Northern Ireland
You’d be hard-pressed to find a Northern Irish family with deeper footballing roots than the Feeneys. Jim Feeney helped Linfield win three wartime league championships and represented Ireland twice in wartime internationals, whilst his son Warren made his sole appearance for Northern Ireland in 1976. Warren James Feeney would suit up for them over a quarter-century later, making 46 appearances for the Green and White Army between 2002 and 2011.
George Feeney doesn’t turn 17 until January, but he’s already made his professional debut under his father Warren James for Glentoran and earned a move to Tottenham’s academy. However, it remains to be seen whether or not George will continue the long-lasting Feeney dominance: after playing for Northern Ireland’s U16 and U17 sides, he switched allegiances to Wales and debuted for their U16 side in March.
Norway
Few names are as synonymous with Bodø/Glimt as the Bergs. Harald Berg spent the bulk of his playing career at Bodø/Glimt, finishing as top scorer in the 1965 Eliteserien season and scoring an impressive 12 goals in 43 caps for Norway as a midfielder. His grandson Patrick left his boyhood club in December 2021 and joined Ligue 1 outfit Lens for €4.5 million, only to return eight months later. At 26 years old, Patrick has already accumulated 271 appearances for Bodø/Glimt, bettered only by five players in their history, including his uncle Runar (2nd – 317), whilst he’s also played 29 times for Norway. Patrick’s uncles Ariid and Runar, great uncle Knut, and father Ørjan have all represented Bodø/Glimt – Ørjan racked up 19 caps for Norway and now serves as Bodø/Glimt’s sporting director.
Patrick sat down for an interview with us a couple of years ago, where he discussed the weight of his name. You can read that – here.
Slovakia
Whilst he only played three matches for Czechoslovakia, Vladimír Weiss won a silver medal in the 1964 Olympics in Tokyo. His son Vladimír achieved 19 caps with Czechoslovakia and 12 with Slovakia, and like his father, he also transitioned into coaching, guiding Slovan Bratislava to the last four league titles. Unlike his father and grandfather, who never left Czechoslovakia in their playing days, the third Vladimír joined Manchester City’s academy in 2006 but failed to establish himself in the first team before eventually leaving in 2012. He played for four different clubs in Europe and Asia before linking up with his father in 2020, and whilst his national career has come to an end after 8 goals in 77 caps, he is still going strong at 34 and playing a pivotal role in Slovan Bratislava’s domestic supremacy.
Spain
Marcos ‘Marquitos’ Alonso emerged as a brick wall in defense for Real Madrid and helped them win six league titles and five European Cups between 1954 and 1962, but whilst he played 215 times for Los Blancos, he only played twice for Spain. His son Marcos developed in Real Madrid’s academy but wasn’t able to make the step up to the first team, proceeding to represent two of Real’s biggest rivals in Barcelona and Atlético Madrid and win a league title and reach a European Cup Final with Barça. He made 22 caps for Spain and was an unused squad member in their run to the 1984 Euros Final, whilst his son Marcos achieved 9 caps for Spain and won the Premier League, Champions League, and Europa League with Chelsea. Like his father, Marcos was unable to ascend from La Fábrica to the first team and left Real in search of minutes, before going on to play for Barcelona, where he would win the 2022/23 LaLiga title.
Uruguay
Whilst he only played twice for Uruguay in 1928, Juan Carlos Corazzo would end up managing La Celeste on four separate occasions, including in the 1962 FIFA World Cup. Corazzo held the record for most consecutive Uruguay games without defeat (14) from 1968 to 2012 until being surpassed by Óscar Tabárez, whilst his son-in-law Pablo Forlán would play 17 times for Uruguay and participate in the 1966 and 1974 FIFA World Cup.
Unlike his father Pablo, whose resolute displays in defense powered Peñarol to four league titles and a Copa Libertadores championship, Diego Forlán made a name for himself in attack. Diego was 12 when his sister Alejandra was left handicapped in a car accident, and the cost of these medical bills plunged his family into a financial crisis that was only averted when Diego Maradona stepped in and assisted with the fundraising efforts. Forlán decided to abandon tennis and focus solely on football in hopes of being able to pay for his sister’s treatment one day.
The rest, as they say, is history. Forlán would go on to win the European Golden Shoe in 2005 and 2009 with Villarreal and Atlético Madrid, score 36 goals in 112 appearances for Uruguay, and become the first Uruguayan to reach 100 caps, whilst he was also Uruguay’s all-time leading scorer for two years before Luis Suárez leapfrogged him.
One year after leading Uruguay to the 2010 FIFA World Cup semifinals and being named the tournament’s best player, he ended a year-long goal drought for Uruguay by scoring a brace vs. Paraguay in the 2011 Copa América Final and guiding them to their first trophy in 16 years. In doing so, he followed in the footsteps of his grandfather, who won the Copa as a manager in 1959 and 1967, and his father, who won it as a player in 1967.
It remains to be seen if either of Diego’s sons Martín (8) or his César (5) will continue the trend, but one thing’s for sure: the Forlán name will always be remembered fondly by Uruguay supporters.
(Cover image from IMAGO)
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Last season, Caoimhin Kelleher’s unexpected run in the Liverpool lineup felt like an audition to become Alisson’s successor; now, it’s more a chance to prove himself to other elite clubs.
Prior to the 2023/24 campaign, Kelleher had made a total of 21 appearances for Liverpool’s first team in four seasons combined.
But after the second of two injuries for Liverpool’s No. 1 – a hamstring issue that would keep Alisson out for two months – the Irishman’s tally of outings for last season alone stood at 26.
It was by far the most productive season of his career and it felt like a watershed moment.
Kelleher player traits
While before he had found himself behind the talented but unproven Gavin Bazunu at international level, Kelleher was swiftly installed as the Republic of Ireland’s bona fide No. 1.
Similarly, at Liverpool, there was a growing sense that a player who Jürgen Klopp once called “the best No. 2 goalie in the world” could go onto replace Alisson on a full-time basis – if the Brazilian pushed for a move away, as interest from Saudi Arabia loomed.
Kelleher himself made it clear that his ambition was to be first choice, telling reporters after the season’s end: “Whether it’s here at Liverpool or somewhere else, I do feel the next step for me is to be a No. 1.”
There has never been agitation for Alisson to be stood down, with the belief maintained among club and supporters alike that he remains the best goalkeeper in world football.
But the hope heading into the summer was that the pecking order would stay as it was with the understanding that Kelleher could perhaps eventually succeed Alisson when the time was right.
That would require Liverpool to reject advances from elsewhere, with Kelleher having opened himself up to offers as he accepted that he may be forced to join another club in order to fulfil his “big ambition.”
To that end, the club kept their side of the bargain, though there had been surprise at Anfield that the most serious offer to present itself was towards the end of the summer transfer window when Nottingham Forest bid a meagre £7 million plus Matt Turner.
However, the writing was on the wall as soon as Liverpool cleared their own payment to Valencia for Georgia stopper Giorgi Mamardashvili.
Stats comparison, Kelleher vs. Mamardashvili, league games only 2023/24
And with Alisson turning down the chance to join the Saudi Pro League and pledging his ongoing commitment to the Reds, Kelleher’s chances of becoming No. 1 at his current club went from slim to nil.
That adds a new flavour to his upcoming stint in the side, with Alisson again sidelined for an extended period with a recurrence of his hamstring issues.
The 32-year-old – who stands as the most frequently injured goalkeeper in the Premier League – is not expected back until after the November international break, ruling him out of at least seven fixtures.
And with Arne Slot confirming that, despite Vítězslav Jaroš coming off the bench to relieve the injured Alisson in the 1-0 win over Crystal Palace last time out, Kelleher remains his second choice, that means it is up to him to fill in.
All being well, Kelleher will start against Chelsea, RB Leipzig, Arsenal, Brighton (twice), Bayer Leverkusen and Aston Villa.
That would allow his senior goalkeeper to recover in time for the trip to Southampton on November 24 and, more pertinently, the visit of Real Madrid in the Champions League three days later.
It is a formidable challenge for Kelleher, though not one he isn’t familiar with, having excelled against the likes of Chelsea, Manchester City and Manchester United last season.
This time, though, he has a new motivation: each game between now and the end of the season is effectively a chance for Kelleher to impress those watching on from outside of Liverpool.
Mamardashvili has made it clear that he intends to challenge Alisson for the No. 1 spot when he formally joins the club next summer, and that makes it almost certain that his arrival will coincide with Kelleher’s departure.
But a player of his quality should be aiming higher than the likes of Nottingham Forest, having already proved he is capable of performing at the top level.
There are, in fact, prime examples for Kelleher at the clubs he is now preparing to face.
Robert Sánchez (Chelsea), Péter Gulácsi (Leipzig), David Raya (Arsenal) and Emi Martínez (Aston Villa) all followed an unorthodox route to the top, either via lower leagues or after long stints as backup.
Kelleher should be assured in his ability to do the same, with this run of fixtures giving him the opportunity to show his value in the market to elite clubs next summer – and, more importantly for Liverpool, keep this outstanding start to the season going across all competitions.
(Images from IMAGO)
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We are long-since passed the days of two up top in English football, the quintessential pairing of strikers which was the hallmark of the old First Division and even the Premier League’s formative years.
We’ve circled a long way since then, and have basically arrived back there once more in a very different way: split attackers, one up and one off, pressing as a two before one drops into midfield. However you look at it, clubs mostly play with just one centre-forward these days…and one statistic in the Premier League this year shows how they are very much not the focal point of the attack.
Of course, centre-forwards come in all shapes these days. They are facilitators, chance-makers, ball-carriers, high-pressers; they must be the first line of defence as much as the players who are expected to score. And yet, in the main, they are not the players taking the most shots. Strikers they may be, but others are doing that job way more often.
In fact, in the Premier League through seven rounds of matches – approaching 20% of the season – there are just four out of the top 20 players who are recognised strikers, when ranked by shots per 90 minutes on the pitch.
Erling Harland player traits, the anomaly
And when considering one of those is Erling Haaland (5.0 per 90), who is of course off the charts in most respects to the extent that he should be considered an anomaly, it’s even more stark – then there’s the fact two of the others play for the same team, with Fulham’s Rodrigo Muniz (4.3) and Raúl Jiménez (4.0) dovetailing in the role this term, but both getting plenty of shots away regardless. The other striker is Aston Villa’s Jhon Durán (4.9), who has made such an impact this term, but from the bench: he’s had only 184 minutes of league action so far, compared to Haaland for example with well over 600. There’s a big difference in doing it consistently, game after game, rather than hammering in a few shots in a 20-minute cameo, which boosts the per-90 average considerably.
But that is it for what might be termed true No. 9s.
Leading the way of all players is Bournemouth’s Luis Sinisterra (6.1), but he’s another – as is João Félix (5.3) who have few minutes and a handful of shots and therefore a high average at this stage. Neither lead the line, though: the former attacks from wide, the Chelsea sub from deep, often a second attacker late in games under Enzo Maresca. Again, Haaland is out on his own when it comes to real starting players. Yet they provide the trend for what follows them: a host of starting wide forwards who are teams’ primary focus in creating and taking chances on goal.
Shots per 90, Premier League 2024/25
Antoine Semenyo, Noni Madueke and Bukayo Saka are all in the top ten, all averaging over 4.0 shots a game and all playing from wide, cutting in, unleashing hell. Eberechi Eze and Cole Palmer are not far behind, England internationals playing a narrow supporting role at club level this term, plus outright winger threats such as Brennan Johnson and Harvey Barnes can be found in the top 20. Of course Mohamed Salah is there, lower shot numbers than in previous years but with the best conversion rate (18%) of genuine, undisputed first-choice players outside of Haaland (28%) and Palmer (25%). Kai Havertz is one final example of a player who is generally not a striker, but often playing No. 9 this season for his side… and yet, not always, and not as the highest player in the team during attacking buildup play.
And yet the numbers to underline the notion that teams are more and more focusing on getting their wide and secondary attackers into the most dangerous positions is only reinforced when we step away from the shots per 90, and look at chances created: Saka, Palmer, Salah and Eze are all in that top 20 too, as are fellow width-bringers Jarrod Bowen, Marcus Tavernier, Anthony Gordon and Dwight McNeil. At least two of those play centrally this season too, but as attacking midfielders, not forwards. In the top 20 by chance creation, only Bryan Mbuemo could reasonably be labelled a striker, and he certainly plays wide as much as not.
Chances created, Premier League 2024/25
While we’re not exactly asking the question of what are strikers doing then? it’s still fair to summarise that they no longer play the most critical role for managers’ plans when it comes to the final third of the pitch, and how to breach the opposition defence. Just like the role of defensive midfielder, of a team’s No. 10, of what a full-back is and what their role in build-up play has become, the centre-forward is every bit as changeable and subject to finding a new way to thrive – it’s just that now, it’s not necessarily to be the main finishers.
(Cover image from IMAGO)
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It has been quite an eventful international break for Nigeria’s Super Eagles. They were in international headlines for unwanted reasons as their flight to Libya was diverted away from the capital Benghazi at the last minute. Instead, they were forced to land in Al Abraq over 200 kilometres to the east, where they found themselves locked in the airport for about 12 hours.
Naturally, the squad and coaching staff were very concerned and displeased at such treatment, which is why they decided against playing their match and headed straight back home. CAF are investigating matters so no decision has been announced yet, but even forfeiting the match would not be a problem for the Super Eagles as they are well on course to qualify for next year’s Africa Cup of Nations.
Indeed, Nigeria’s recent record on the continental front is not bad at all. They were the defeated finalists in this year’s AFCON, having also finished third in 2019. However, their last title was all the way back in 2013, which is quite disappointing considering the quality in their squad.
Their World Cup record, though, has been pretty poor for a while. The Super Eagles have won just two games at the tournament since the turn of the century – the same number that they managed in each of their previous appearances. They have at least qualified for four of the last six editions of the tournament, but that record is also under threat.
Nearly halfway into CAF’s World Cup qualification tournament, Nigeria are winless and second from bottom in their group behind the likes of Rwanda, Benin and Lesotho. Despite the World Cup’s expansion from 32 to 48 teams, the Super Eagles could well miss out on consecutive editions for the first team since making their debut.
Clearly, they will have to be at their sharpest when World Cup qualification resumes in 2025, so they must use the next couple of months to put everything in order.
Imbalanced squad
One of the main challenges coaches face in charge of Nigeria involves managing one of the most top-heavy squads in world football. Unlike club sides, national teams obviously cannot entirely rely on recruitment to balance out their squads, so they are at the mercy of the talent pool available to them to a pretty big extent. The responsibility to make everything click then falls on the coach, who often has to make some very tough decisions when it comes to squad and team selections.
In the Super Eagles’ case, some previous coaches have been guilty of leaning towards player quality far too much and sacrificing the balance of the side. Nigeria seem to have an unending production line of strikers and forwards, including world-beating talents such as Victor Osimhen and Victor Boniface, lots of youngsters popping up around major European leagues, and a great deal of supporting options such as Ademola Lookman, Alex Iwobi and Samuel Chukwueze to name but a few.
Naturally, it is quite tempting to cram as many of these players into the same starting line-up as possible with the hope that their quality can blow away any opposition defence, but football is not quite so simple. The trouble for Nigeria is that they do not have an elite-level holding midfielder who can do the approach work.
They do not have any particularly exceptional defenders either, so picking a balanced side is really the only way to get the best out of this squad, even if it means benching some of the star attackers. Failure to do so will almost certainly lead to incohesive performances in which the attackers do not get enough service and the midfield is torn apart on the counter, as many have learnt the hard way.
Coaching instability
Such complicated squad dynamics make finding the right formula a difficult process that needs some trial and error. As a result, new head coaches need to be given a bit of time to figure things out, but in the world of international football where stakes are always incredibly high, such time is hard to come by. Nevertheless, the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) would do well to justify making three coaching changes this year alone.
José Peseiro led the side in the AFCON campaign, though his success largely stemmed from a switch to a back five and a very defensive-minded approach that saw the Super Eagles just about edge past slightly weaker opponents. This was never going to work against significantly lower-ranked sides against whom Nigeria would be expected to dominate proceedings, so he left when his contract expired in March.
Financial issues also reportedly played a part in his decision, which was hardly a surprise given the NFF’s terrible track record of financial mismanagement and unpaid wages. Peseiro’s assistant Finidi George then took charge, but he only lasted a couple of matches in the hotseat as he too fell into the imbalance trap.
Bruno Labbadia was the NFF’s next target and seemed up for the job, but there was yet more financial trouble in store. Disagreements over tax details led to the German coach calling the deal off, so Nigeria’s search continued. Crucially, they failed to bring someone in before this window – when they might have had opportunities to experiment – and instead had to go back to trusty interim option Augustine Eguavoen.
Next candidates
Hervé Renard is likely the dream candidate for the Super Eagles given his pedigree and pragmatism, but he recently rejected their offer despite being promised a lucrative salary. Swedish tactician Janne Andersson was also said to be in talks at the time but had some issues around delayed joining dates, though that should not be a problem anymore if he is approached once again.
Besides them, nobody has been notably linked to the job of late. The NFF’s financial issues might make it difficult to convince any well-known and well-established names, so finding an internal solution might be the best way forward for the moment.
Nigeria quite clearly have the quality in their squad to ease past almost all opponents in their World Cup qualification group so all the coach needs to do is field a remotely balanced side. Eguavoen has done a sensible enough job in that respect in his previous stints, so he could well be the best candidate. He has, however, recognised the issues of instability surrounding the position, asking for a long-term contract to take up the role permanently. Given their lack of options, the NFF may well find themselves going down that route in the end.
(Cover image from IMAGO)
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Juventus have made a solid start to the new campaign, unbeaten through their first seven matches in Serie A, and just three points off league leaders Napoli.
While Juve haven’t lost, nor have they been a relentless winning machine – it’s three victories and four draws, with the big strength of the team so far being in a near-perfect defensive record: six clean sheets to start the season, then finally a first conceded last time out against Cagliari. Even that was a last-minute penalty, though, which begs the question: are Juve turning back the clock to build a title challenge on an impenetrable back line?
It is not all that long in historical terms since Juve were the dominant force in Italian football, though in terms of how quickly the sport tends to move on, it has gone on too long for the club’s liking: nine titles in a row from 2012 to 2020, but in the four years since, the best they have managed is a sole third-place finish – and even that, last year, saw them finish a whopping 23 points off the champions. They were not, it’s fair to say, in a title race.
And this season, the tests still largely lie ahead. Roma and Napoli are the only bigger clubs Juve have faced so far and both games ended goalless; while six clean sheets are of course an impressive statistic, failing to score in three of seven is somewhat less so. So is new boss Thiago Motta, who impressed last term with leading Bologna into the Champions League, really putting in place the foundations to challenge Napoli, Inter Milan and whichever other challengers emerge this term?
For starters, they are certainly overperforming relative to chances: just one conceded, but a combined xG against them so far of 3.4. But even if they regressed to the mean there, they’d still be far better than anyone else in the top flight: Napoli’s xG against of 6.3 has seen them concede five, while each of Lazio, Inter and Milan are between 7.6 and 8.1 total xG against, with between nine and 11 actually conceded. In other words, Juventus are being far meaner in giving up chances than everyone else, and doing a lot better at ultimately stopping those few chances going in, with most of the rest conceding more than they should.
With Gleison Bremer topping the blocks charts this season – 11 already, 1.8 per 90, top whichever way you look at it – and Federico Gatti finding consistent form as his regular partner, Juve built a fine base to start the season. Motta will now face a headache, though, with Bremer injured and possibly out for the remainder of the season.
But add in goalkeeper Michele Di Gregorio establishing himself as the first choice and Juve still have every right to be optimistic. Early in the season though it of course is, Di Gregorio ranks higher than 93% of Serie A goalkeepers for high claims per 90, 90% of keepers for save percentage, 83% for his pass accuracy and, obviously, all of them for total clean sheets.
Yet as much as the old adage about attack wins games, defence wins titles might hold true for many, there’s also another side to that equation: too many draws and not enough wins will similarly damage your trophy aspirations. Consider: last term Inter won the league with 29 victories. Should they remain as good as last term, that means rivals can only allow themselves nine non-wins for the entire campaign – and as noted, Juve already have four draws with less than a quarter of the campaign done.
Of course, there’s no guarantee that 24/25 is a replica of 23/24, but the average points haul across the last four years since Juventus last won Serie A is 90.25 for the title-winners.
That means it’s likely to be at best 11 non-victories as the absolute maximum allowed, 27 wins and nine draws for example, with just two losses.
So they must attack – and must improve their attack, if the title is the aim. While Dušan Vlahović tops the Serie A charts for xG so far this term (5.6), three of his five goals have come from the penalty spot. For shots per 90 they have nobody inside the top 10 individually, and nobody in the squad who has netted more than once so far this term. Juve rank second for possession average, but a shocking 11th-highest in the table for xG: 9.2, with Atalanta the league’s highest on 15.1. Juve have actually scored ten, but that’s nowhere near enough outperformance to make up for a very low tally.
They are sixth for possession won in the final third, ninth for big chances created with barely half of Atalanta’s total, a woeful 12th for touches in the opposition box.
There’s much to like about the foundations already put in place by Motta, and certainly this team bears watching because of that, but so many improvements must yet come on the ball and in attack if they are truly a challenger this year.
(Cover image from IMAGO)
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It was, in all honesty, a result that West Ham United and Julen Lopetegui needed, shortly before this international break. True enough, their opposition may have been one of the more modest that they’ll face in the Premier League this season, but others have found Ipswich Town difficult to break down, and after the early upset of seeing a first minute goal cancelled out, West Ham did end up cruising to a fairly comfortable 4-1 win.
It certainly felt like the international break came at a good time for Julen Lopetegui, with a win to warm some hearts following a difficult start to the season. Not that the international break has been good for all West Ham players. Lucas Paquetá was named in the starting eleven for Brazil’s World Cup qualifier against Chile on Wednesday night. By half-time his team was a goal behind and he’d picked up a yellow card, and he was substituted.
Paquetá has been under a cloud for much of this season so far, but the question now facing West Ham and Lopetegui is whether the Ipswich win was the sound of a corner being turned or a blip in an otherwise slightly underwhelming start to the season. Because prior to that match, the pressure was already starting to build after taking just two points from their previous four matches.
But how bad, exactly, has their season been? Their three league defeats so far have come against Aston Villa, Manchester City and Chelsea, who have only lost three games so far this season between them. They drew away to Fulham and Brentford. Not sparkling results, exactly, but perfectly acceptable. And their wins, 2-0 at Crystal Palace and 4-1 against Ipswich Town, have been fairly clear-cut, albeit with the caveat that these two teams are third and fourth from bottom in the League respectively and without a win between them.
And what a way to welcome themselves back, with a trip to the surgery to see Doctor Tottenham. West Ham’s 2-1 win at The Tottenham Hotspur Stadium last season was their first in six away from home against Spurs, with the last coming in April 2019, the first League meeting of the two teams at the new Spurs stadium. Prior to that they were unbeaten in the League at White Hart Lane against Spurs since 2012.
And in sharp contrast to West Ham United, Spurs’ own inconsistency hit new heights in their last match before the break when they managed to show the two sides to their coin within the same 90 minutes by racing into a 2-0 lead at Brighton before tamely surrendering it to their opponents in the first twenty minutes of the second half and losing 3-2. This, of course, came off the back of arguably their best performance of the season, albeit against an extremely limited Manchester United.
For all the clucking about Lopetegui following West Ham’s run without a win, by the time the rest of the Premier League kicks off at 3pm on Saturday afternoon, they could be in the top half of the table and above their London rivals with a win. Their goal difference ensures that they may not be by the end of the day even if they do, but even a very brief stay above the halfway marker would send out a message that things might not have been as terrible at West Ham so far this season as had previously been believed.
This, of course, is largely a consequence of the hastening of the news cycle. There is less patience ever offered to managers or head coaches nowadays, to the point that any who fail to win in three or four games will legitimately be considered to be at risk of getting the sack. Lopetegui is a good coach. He’s highly experienced and knows what he’s doing, and while there were valid questions to be asked concerning the wisdom of deciding that David Moyes had reached the end of the road at the end of last season, there were none concerning his replacement, who’s previously of, among others, Real Madrid, Spain, Porto, Sevilla and Wolverhampton Wanderers.
So the 24-hour news cycle requires constant sustenance, and kick-starting a mischievously pressure-raising story based on extremely threadbare (and usually anonymous) ‘speculation’ is not difficult for national newspapers in need of an extra click or two. Online fans, social media and certain elements of the press have become symbiotic in recent years, feeding off each others’ energy. It really doesn’t take long for rumour to become fact any more.
So the very nature of modern football culture dictates that knees jerk almost immediately should results even start to turn sour. The sacking of managers used to always be a long, drawn-out process akin to some sort of psychodrama, and while that does still exist today (consider, for example, the tortured journey that Erik Ten Hag and Manchester United have been on together this last couple of years), it’s increasingly rare.
Fuses are shorter, nowadays. The short-term fix is very much in vogue. And that means that, no matter how ridiculous it may all look at times, the simple fact is that a newly-appointed manager is in trouble should they go three or four games without a win because it has already broadly been decided by the culture of the game that any semblance of defeat cannot be tolerated.
And West Ham are among the more patient of clubs within this climate of hiring ‘em and firing ‘em. Lopetegui is only the third manager they’ve had since Sam Allardyce, and he was a full decade ago now, although it should be added that David Moyes had two spells with the club during that time. It was never likely that the West Ham owners were going to freak out and pull the trigger after four or five slightly disappointing results at the start of the season, and the Ipswich result offered an indication as to why this can be the best policy.
(Cover image from IMAGO)
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Jonas is a 21 year old student who, like FotMob, hails from Norway, but unlike the frustrated Fantasy Premier League players in the office, he did something we could only dream of last season. He finished first, ahead of 11 million other managers in the 2023/24 season.
Who better then, to provide us with some expert advice each week.
The Eye Test vs. The Stats
As we approach each gameweek, I always like to compare the eye test to the stats from the previous gameweek (GW7). While statistics like expected goals (xG) and assists provide concrete data, watching games offers deeper insights into players’ overall form and influence. As we know, some players shine in the stats, but underperform on the pitch, while others catch the eye but don’t yet have the numbers to back that up. Balancing this approach can help guide you to better FPL decisions and that was a crucial part of my strategy last season.
Liam Delap (5.6m) has scored 4 goals this season, with three of them coming in the last two gameweeks. He looked sharp against West Ham and was rewarded with a goal and nearly scored a second. The Tractor Boys are up against Everton (H), Brentford (A) and Leicester (H) in their next three games, who all are teams with a tendency to leak goal, conceding a respective 1.69, 1.87 and 2.14 xG per 90. If you still have João Pedro (5.5m) in your side, who will be out injured for a while, or if you planning on playing your wildcard, I would seriously consider getting Liam Delap in as your budget forward.
Although it sounds boring, I just can’t get around talking about Erling Haaland (15.4m) who is the Premier League top scorer with 10 goals. Although Haaland didn’t get his usual amount of chances against Fulham in GW7, he is still, in my opinion, by far the best captain for GW8 when City travel to Wolverhampton Wanderers on Sunday. Wolves looked really poor against Brentford and conceded 4.25 xG. They also really struggled to defend crosses, something that makes the case for the giant Norwegian even better.
Long shot
Having just mentioned Wolves’ tough fixture this weekend, I’m still backing Rayan Aït-Nouri (4.4m) as a possible long shot. Looking beyond GW8, Wolves’ upcoming games appear a little easier, and Aït-Nouri scored and got an assist, alongside creating 4 chances last time out against Brentford. He is also playing in some sort of an advanced left wing role, definitely one to consider if you are using your wildcard as you can play him in almost every game between gameweeks 9 and 17. Wolves aren’t great defensively, but he is one to target for the returns he offers you offensively.
Aït-Nouri’s player traits
Upcoming games to follow
In GW8 there aren’t that many games that I am really looking forward to from an FPL perspective, but there still are a few; Spurs play West Ham in the early kick-off as the league returns after the international break. I have mentioned Dominic Solanke (7.6m) the last two gameweeks, but I will do it again! Throughout this week we will probably get more information about Heung Min-Son’s injury situation, but if the Korean remains out of contention then I’m backing Solanke even more, especially if he 100% guaranteed to be Spurs’ designated penalty taker.
Another game that will be interesting is again, Manchester City’s trip to Wolves. Phil Foden (9.2) got his first Premier League start of the season in the last game week and if he starts again, it will be intriguing to see how last year’s player of the season performs. Without a doubt, he is someone to watch out for.
The last game I am following closely this week is Bournemouth vs. Arsenal. Once again I am focusing on Arsenal players before their fixtures turn in GW9. I expect both their defence and their more offensive players to perform well against the Cherries, a side who have failed to score in three of their last four Premier League games.
(Cover image from IMAGO)
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The juxtaposition of Scott McTominay and Billy Gilmour sitting atop Serie A with Napoli has caused a considerable amount of whiplash back in the UK, but these two aren’t the only British players currently playing their trade in Italy.
Indeed if anything, we’re going through something of a golden age for players from the British Isles going to play in that particular country, something not seen since the 1980s and 1990s.
At present there are fourteen players from the UK in the first team squads of Serie A clubs, and perhaps even more surprising than this is that five of them – more than a third – are from Scotland. As well as Gilmour and McTominay, there’s also Lewis Ferguson, who’s the captain of Bologna, Liam Henderson of Empoli, and Che Adams at Torino.
With no representatives from Wales or Northern Ireland the other nine players are all English, and they’re a curious bunch, ranging from new signings to squad players and a couple of first team regulars. A total of nine clubs out of the twenty in the division have a player from England, Scotland or both.
The club in the deepest with English players is Milan, who currently have Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Fikayo Tomori, as well as Tammy Abraham on loan from Roma. It has to be said that Milan haven’t had a very strong start to the season. They’re currently 6th in Serie A and have lost both of their first two matches in the Champions League group stage.
With eight games of the league season having been played, Tomori and Loftus-Cheek have both been ever-present in the league while Abraham has only missed one game. None of the three were selected by Lee Carsley for the England squad for the current round of Nations League matches against Greece and Finland.
Milan starting XI vs. Leverkusen, Champions League 2024/25
Milan are the only one of the traditional big three of Italian football to have any British players whatsoever; neither Inter or Juventus have any. Clubs of this size want their players from the elite end of the spectrum, but neither really quite have pockets quite deep enough to justify throwing a nine figure sum at a young English starlet.
One place above Milan are Udinese, who feature Keinan Davis, who ran up almost 150 appearances for Aston Villa, Nottingham Forest and Watford before leaving for Udine in the summer of 2023. He only made eight appearances last season but has already featured in six of their seven Serie A games so far.
Napoli lead the current table, their spine infused with steel produced by the Men of the Clyde, but what of the other Scots? Che Adams has had a reasonably successful start to life with Torino, with three goals in his seven Serie A appearances. His team are in 7th place in the table, level on points with Milan. Lewis Ferguson is now in his third season with Bologna, where he is the captain.
Liam Henderson, meanwhile, is the most travelled of them all. He hasn’t played in Scotland since falling out of favour at Celtic and only making one appearance throughout the whole of the 2017/18 season. Since then he’s carved himself out a decent journeyman career in Italy, with spells at Bari, Hellas Verona, Lecce and Palmero, as well as three spells with Empoli, where he’s currently playing. Empoli are 10th in the table, a point behind Milan and Torino.
Henderson has been joined at Empoli this season by Tino Anjorin, who signed for the club during the summer after finally giving up the ghost of being given much of a chance by Chelsea. He only made one Premier League appearance for them, and was sent out on loan to Lokomotiv Moscow, Huddersfield Town and Portsmouth before Italy beckoned. He’s made four league appearances for them so far, which is four times as many chances as he ever got at Stamford Bridge.
Two places above Empoli – though the teams are tied on points and only separated on goal difference by one goal – are Atalanta. Ben Godfrey left Everton for Bergamo in the summer for £10m after four years at Goodison Park, but has only made one appearance for last year’s Europa League winners so far, though he did also play the last seven minutes of their opening Champions League match against Shakhtar Donetsk at the start of October and came off the bench against Real Madrid in the UEFA Super Cup as well.
But of course, football isn’t all about chasing for European places, league titles and glory, and three of the English players currently playing in Italy are very much at the coalface at the moment, fighting a battle against relegation. Bottom of the table Venezia don’t have any British players, but the three clubs above them have one each.
Separated from the foot of the table by goal difference alone, Monza have Omari Forson, who rejected a new contract with Manchester United after having made four League appearances for them last season, while Brooke Norton-Cuffy, a former Arsenal academy product who was loaned out to Lincoln City, Rotherham, Coventry City and Millwall, is playing for Genoa.
And finally, Samuel Iling-Junior was signed by Aston Villa from Juventus – for whom he played 34 times last season – during the summer and immediately loaned back to Serie A, to play for Bologna. He scored a stoppage-time equaliser for them on his debut away to Como, but has only played twice for them since.
The reputation of English players abroad is growing. In Germany, Harry Kane is still averaging a goal a game for Bayern Munich, while Conor Gallagher and Jude Bellingham have impressed in Madrid, albeit for different clubs. But it’s Italy that has really invested significantly into English and Scottish players, taking a chance on players who have been happy to take a gamble on travelling in a way that was less common just a generation ago. And why shouldn’t they? It’s better than sitting on the bench in the Championship or slowly drifting from view. By comparison, winter in Italy sounds like quite the career-reviver.
(Cover image from IMAGO)
You can follow every game from Serie A on FotMob – with in-depth stat coverage including xG, shot maps, and player ratings. Download the free app here.
As men’s club football begins to resume after the latest international break, the summer leagues will enter the home stretch of the season. Some intriguing and exciting title races are set to play out all around the world, so we have picked out six to keep an eye on.
The Brasileirão almost always delivers incredible drama right till the end of the season at all ends of the table, and this year is no exception.
At the bottom, giants such as Corinthians and Fluminense are involved in what promises to be an almighty relegation scrap. At the other end, Botafogo find themselves top of the pile again, with less than ten games to go.
Fogo were in a significantly better position at this time last term as they were eight points clear at the top, but their title challenge was unravelling. Head coach Luís Castro’s departure for Al Nassr midway through the season proved to be the turning point, as the club went through three different managers and won just two of their last 17 matches. Ultimately, they not only lost the title to Palmeiras but also fell out of the top four and missed out on direct qualification for the Copa Libertadores.
The record champions are once again leading the chasing pack, but Botafogo are in much better form with an ongoing 11-match unbeaten streak. They are also in the Libertadores quarterfinals having defeated Palmeiras in the quarters, so they will have to carefully balance their commitments on both fronts if they are to lift their first major trophy in over 50 years.
🇨🇱 Primera División: Colo-Colo’s Comeback
Record Chilean champions Colo-Colo endured a rocky start to the season after hiring former Boca Juniors head coach Jorge Almirón. A quarter of the way into the season, they had accumulated just 10 points from eight matches – half the tally of league-leaders Universidad de Chile. Since the halfway point of the season, though, they have been on an incredible run which has earned them 31 out of 33 possible points.
Thanks to that streak, the title is now in Colo-Colo’s hands. All they have to do is win their four remaining matches, which include a couple of fairly tough tests against Palestino and Deportes Iquique.
🇫🇮 Veikkausliiga: HJK’s Dominance Set To End
Record Finnish champions HJK have won each of the last four Veikkausliiga titles and six of the last seven, but they will not be defending their title this year having lost their last three matches and failed to win any in the Championship group. However, they will still play a key role in determining where the title ends up.
Leaders KuPS will host them on the final matchday, needing a win to be sure of completing their first-ever league-cup double. Should they falter, Ilves – they of the brilliant Lynx cat badge – will have the chance to win their first league title in four decades.
🇮🇪 Premier Division: Five-Way Fight To The Finish
The League of Ireland Premier Division has been rather dominated by Shamrock Rovers in recent years, so 2024 has been a welcome change. The record champions could well win a fifth-consecutive title, but the battle is sure to go right down to the wire as just six points separate the top six with three rounds of fixtures left.
Shelbourne, the side led by Damien Duff, who were in the second tier just three years ago, are on a shocking run of form but somehow still lead the way. They have won just one of their last 13 matches in all competitions, so they will need to get their act together if they are to hold on. Derry City had the chance to overhaul them by playing their two games in hand over recent days, but they could only draw both of those. Derry will still get their chance, though, with the two set to meet on the final day in what could prove to be a showdown for the title.
Should the top three falter, Galway United might just be able to win their first top-flight league title with a burst to the finish. Their last three fixtures are all winnable, so a 59-point tally could give them an outside chance. They will first have to overcome fourth placed St. Patrick’s Athletic, who have an equal chance of winning their first league title in a decade.
🇯🇵 J1 League: Debutants Machida Zelvia Set To Fall Short
Over in Japan, newly-promoted side Machida Zelvia have enjoyed an incredible top-flight debut season. They mounted a shock title charge for about three-quarters of the season and spent a great deal of time at the top of the standings but look set to ultimately fall short.
With five matches left, they are now six points behind the leaders. The two main contenders now are defending champions Vissel Kobe and Sanfrecce Hirsohima, who are separated by just a point.
They will both have to balance their title charges with continental commitments, so we could be in for more twists and turns yet.
🇰🇿 Premier League: Half The League In The Title Race!
Perhaps the most exciting and unpredictable title race of the year is unfolding in Kazakhstan, where over half the league remains in mathematical contention!
Before the end of the season, these sides will face off as many as nine times, so the path to the top remains wide open for everyone. Defending champions Ordabasy are currently on course to win their second-ever league title, but they will have to fend off direct challenges from three rivals in their remaining four fixtures.
Aktobe, the second-most successful club in Premier League history are currently second as they seek their first league title in over a decade. FC Yelimay, who spent nearly a decade in the second division before winning promotion last year, are surprisingly level on points with them.
They could both be leapfrogged by Kairat Almaty, but the team to watch have to be FC Astana. The record champions are currently fifth but could jump up to second by winning their games in hand, though they have four fixtures against title contenders. Tobol Kostanay and Atyrau are the outsiders at the moment, but if there is one thing this season has taught us, it’s that anything is possible.
(Cover image from IMAGO)
Check out the Leagues tab on FotMob for a comprehensive list of the divisions we cover – most with in-depth stat coverage including xG, shot maps, and player ratings. Download the free app here.
