Page 106 – The Pulse of Football

Aug

2023

Premier League Predictions: Burnley

Burnley could be one of the surprise packages this season in the Premier League following their dominant display in the Championship last term. There’s been a fair bit of change at Turf Moor though, so it will be interesting to see how they settle into life in the English top-flight once again.

By Sam McGuire

How the team did last season

Following the appointment of Vincent Kompany in the summer, Burnley’s season could’ve gone one of two ways.

The job could’ve been too big for the former Manchester City captain. He had just two years of management under his belt at the time of his appointment and his time with Anderlecht yielded a 45% win rate. How often have we seen highly-rated, young managers take over a club and look to put their stamp on things only for it to quickly unravel?

That could’ve happened at Burnley, especially given the player turnover during the summer of 2022. Kompany raided his native Belgium for a number of new signings.

It didn’t though. Everyone bought into what the Belgian tactician wanted and he was able to make it his team. They finished the campaign with 101 points on their way to the title, the most a Championship club has managed since Leicester finished with 102 points during the 2013/14 season.

The Clarets conceded just 35 goals across their 46 Championship matches and their defensive resilience played a significant part in them losing just three times in the league. Kompany’s men went on 22-game unbeaten run that started in November and ended in April.

They also did fairly well in the FA Cup, reaching the quarter-finals before losing heavily to Manchester City. That cup run was just a bonus though, the focus was getting back into the Premier League and they did so in fine style.

It was very much a group effort too.

Nathan Tella, on loan from Southampton, finished as the team’s top scorer last season. Recent reports have claimed Burnley are trying to bring him back to Turf Moor but a deal is yet to be agreed upon. Manuel Benson (11) and Jay Rodriguez (10) both hit double figures in the league too.

Josh Brownhill topped the assists charts with eight and he also finished with the highest FotMob average for the season (7.63). The 27-year-old created 72 chances for the Clarets last term, comfortably more than Jóhann Berg Guðmundsson (48) in second.

What has happened during the summer?

Burnley have been fairly active in the transfer market. At the time of writing this, the Clarets had added eight players to their ranks ahead of their return to the Premier League.

Jacob Bruun Larsen joined on loan from Hoffenheim and offers some depth in the final third. The former BVB attacker spent time on loan with Anderlecht when Kompany was in charge so knows what to expect. This should ease the adaption period.

Nathan Redmond returned to England following a stint in Turkey with Beşiktaş. He might not be a regular starter for the Clarets but his top-flight experience could be key within the dressing room. Michael Obafemi moved from Swansea to bolster the centre-forward options following the departure of Ashley Barnes this summer.

Luca Koleosho, an 18-year-old Italy under-19 international, joined from Espanyol and might be one to keep an eye on. Jordan Beyer turned his loan spell into a permanent move to Turf Moor from Gladbach while Dara O’Shea moved to Burnley from West Brom.

The two big-money signings are England’s under-21 hero James Trafford who made the move from Manchester City for a reported £15million fee and he’s expected to start the campaign as the first-choice shot-stopper.

Burnley then parted with a reported £16million to sign Zeki Amdouni from Lausanne-Sport after he impressed on loan with FC Basel last season. He could be the man to fill the void left by Tella returning to Southampton.

What they should be aiming for next season?

First and foremost, Premier League survival.

Given how well-organised they are under Kompany though, a mid-table finish should be on the cards for this group, but it is entirely contingent on the new signings settling in quickly and contributing.

Prediction

11th

(Images from IMAGO)

Think you know better than our Premier League expert? Then play the FotMob Predictor Game and decide where your team will finish this season! Find the game in the More tab of the FotMob app, which you can download, for free, right here.

Aug

2023

Premier League Predictions: Brighton & Hove Albion

Brighton continue to be one of the most intriguing sides in Europe. The Seagulls gatecrashed the top six last season and having kept this talented group of players together (so far), it will be interesting to see what Roberto De Zerbi can do with them this time around.

By Sam McGuire

How the team did last season

The Seagulls, under Graham Potter at the time, kicked off their 2022/23 season with a 2-1 win over Manchester United.

They went on to win four of their opening six matches before Chelsea poached Potter and his backroom staff. This could’ve been a disaster but Brighton treated it as an opportunity to improve.

De Zerbi arrived and after a slow start – he failed to win any of his first five games – it all clicked. Under the Italian tactician, Brighton picked up victories against Liverpool, Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal while they also held treble winners Manchester City to a draw.

Playing some of the best football in the league, the Seagulls finished sixth and lost an FA Cup semi-final to Manchester United. Only three teams (Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester City) scored more goals than Brighton.

A number of Brighton players took their games to even greater heights under the former Sassuolo coach. For example, Alexis Mac Allister finished as the club’s top scorer having found the back of the net on 10 occasions. Pascal Gross topped the goal involvements chart though with 17 while it was Solly March who achieved the highest FotMob rating, finishing the season with an average of 7.54.

De Zerbi developed the likes of Evan Ferguson, Karou Mitoma and Levi Cowill. He did all of that without a pre-season to really spend unbroken time on the training pitch with his players.

What has happened during the summer?

Brighton have been busy in the transfer window.

Despite interest in a host of their players, at the time of writing this, only Mac Allister has left. The World Cup winner joined Liverpool in a deal believed to be worth in the region of £35million.

The Seagulls have bolstered their squad ahead of their first European campaign. João Pedro signed from Watford for a club-record fee. The 21-year-old scored 11 times in the Championship last season and he is expected to rival Ferguson for minutes as the main centre-forward in the team. Perhaps they could even form a strike partnership. Who knows what De Zerbi has up his sleeve?

Having been unimpressed with Robert Sánchez between the sticks, De Zerbi made Jason Steele his first-choice stop-stopper last season. It wasn’t a long-term solution though but Bart Verbruggen could well be. The highly-rated youngster joined from Anderlecht and he’s expected to eventually be the undisputed No.1 for the Seagulls, both in the short and long term.

Brighton initially wanted to bring Colwill to the club on a permanent basis but Chelsea weren’t prepared to sell the young centre-back. It forced De Zerbi to look elsewhere and the club settled on a player from Serie A, the manager’s old stomping ground.

Fiorentina’s Igor joined having had an impressive 2022/23 campaign for the Italian side as they made it all the way to the Europa Conference League final. He is dominant both in the air and on the ground, and he can pick a pass. He should fit in seamlessly.

The Seagulls have leveraged the free transfer marker too, signing Mahmoud Dahoud from Borussia Dortmund and James Milner from Liverpool to add real experience to this team.

What they should be aiming for next season?

A repeat of last season, maybe?

Many of the original big six are in transition with Spurs and Chelsea under new management. Brighton have kept their team together and have a clear identify under De Zerbi and this gives them an advantage. They have strengthened their squad too, so why should a top-six push be out of the question?

Prediction

6th

(Images from IMAGO)

Aug

2023

Premier League Predictions: Brentford

Brentford went a little under the radar last season but they are going to struggle to match those achievements this time around. As we head into the new campaign, there are weaknesses in the squad that are yet to be addressed.

By Sam McGuire

How the team did last season

The Bees claimed ninth place in the Premier League and were just three points off of sixth-placed Brighton.

It was an improvement on their 2021/22 showing, their debut campaign in the Premier League. They finished 13th and many wondered whether they’d be found out during their second season in the English top-flight. Thomas Frank’s men rather emphatically put to bed any doubts over their ability to compete in this league and they showed that their mid-table finish was no fluke.

Brentford did the double over champions Manchester City. They also beat Liverpool, Spurs, Manchester United and Chelsea while claiming a draw against Arsenal.

Ivan Toney really took his game to new heights last term, finishing the season with 20 Premier League goals. It is no surprise to learn he was the highest-rated Brentford player with a season average of 7.39 on FotMob.

No other player for the Bees managed to net double figures in the Premier League. Bryan Mbeumo did finish with nine to his name but only one other player (Yoane Wisa) scored more than five.

In fact, only 10 players in total scored in the Premier League for Brentford last season and Toney was responsible for 34% of their goals haul. As a team, they were pretty reliant on the 27-year-old. With him not available, the Bees are without their stinger heading into the new campaign.

What has happened during the summer?

In truth, not a lot.

The expectation was that Brentford would delve into the transfer market to bring in someone to replace Toney in their starting XI but that is yet to happen.

The Bees turned Kevin Schade’s loan move into a permanent one, paying a then-record fee to sign him from SC Freiburg. He has a lot of potential but is he the man to replace Toney’s goals right now? Unlikely.

They then broke their club record to sign Nathan Collins from Wolves. Brentford paid £23million for the 22-year-old 6ft4 centre-back. The potential is there for him to form a colossal defensive pairing with 6ft6 Kristoffer Ajer.

Despite being linked with Caoimhin Kelleher, Brentford opted to instead sign Freiburg shot-stopper Mark Flekken. He is expected to be the club’s first-choice goalkeeper this season with David Raya looking to leave Brentford. At the time of writing, Arsenal are keen on the impressive Spaniard.

What they should be aiming for next season?

In normal circumstances, a team like Brentford would be looking to kick on and challenge for a Europa Conference League spot after two solid seasons in the Premier League. But these aren’t normal circumstances.

The Bees have lost their main goal threat for the first half of the season and Raya, one of their most reliable and consistent players, is set to leave. On paper, they are going to be weaker and a lot of teams around them are going to be stronger.

Prediction

13th.

(Images from IMAGO)

Aug

2023

Premier League Predictions: Aston Villa

Aston Villa could well be one of the dark horses in the Premier League this season following an impressive revival under Unai Emery. With European football returning to Villa Park and a number of transformative signings already through the door, there’s a lot to be excited about as an Aston Villa supporter.

By Sam McGuire

How the team did last season

Villa had a slow start to the 2022/23 campaign.

Steven Gerrard was at the helm for the opening 11 matches of the season and his side managed to win just two of those games, losing on six occasions. He was dismissed after a 3-0 defeat to Fulham.

Emery had turned down advances from a number of clubs while in charge of Villarreal but the project at Villa Park enticed him to return to England. When he was appointed, Villa sat 16th in the table.

They finished the season in seventh, claiming a Europa Conference League spot after a remarkable run of form under the former Arsenal tactician.

Following his arrival, Villa scored in 20 consecutive matches and were the first team in Premier League history to achieve such a feat under a new manager. They picked up wins over Manchester United, Spurs, Chelsea and Newcastle United. At one stage, they were on a 10-match unbeaten run.

They finished the season with seven points from games against Spurs, Liverpool and Brighton to pip the former to a European place.

It was rather fitting that Ollie Wakins scored what turned out to be the winner in the final game of the campaign against the Seagulls. The forward found his groove again under Emery and finished the season with a Premier League career-high 15 goals.

The former Brentford man also chipped in with six assists, a figure only Jacob Ramsey (seven) could better. He was pivotal to Villa’s rise up the table, but it was very much a team effort. In fact, Douglas Luiz finished with the highest FotMob average (7.31) after a series of dominant performances in the middle of the park.

What has happened during the summer?

What is important to remember here is that it is Emery’s first pre-season with the club. He’s had time and opportunity to really work with the players so we should see a more refined version of this Villa team. That is pretty ominous for their rivals given how good they looked after the one-time PSG tactician arrived.

Furthermore, the Villans have strengthened.

Pau Torres reunited with Emery having played some of his best football under the 51-year-old when the pair were together at Villarreal. The Spain international had been linked with the likes of Manchester United, Chelsea, Liverpool and even Manchester City during his time in LaLiga. There was even a time he was reportedly being targeted by Real Madrid and Barcelona.

Despite having the likes of Tyrone Mings, Ezri Konsa and Diego Carlos at his disposal, Emery decided to being the 6ft3 centre-back to Villa Park in a deal believed to be worth £32million.

Villa have also bolstered their attacking options. They parted with a club record fee – over £50million – to sign Moussa Diaby from Bayer Leverkusen. The 24-year-old explosive winger, once courted by the Premier League’s traditional big six, will add an entirely new dynamic to the attack under Emery. He’s already amongst the goals in pre-season.

Finally, Youri Tielemans was added to the team. The 26-year-old midfielder was available on a free transfer following his departure from Leicester City and Villa snapped him up. He is another who was tipped for a big-money move to one of Europe’s elite clubs only a couple of years ago. His form tailed off in a disappointing Foxes side but the talent is still there. If Emery is able to get a tune out of him, Villa have bagged themselves a £50million-rated midfielder for free. He could turn out to be one of the bargains of the summer and he brings a lot of experience to the middle third.

What they should be aiming for next season?

Emery is a brilliant manager in knockout competitions. There is an expectation that they go far in the Europa Conference League and perhaps get to the latter stages of both domestic cup competitions.

In the league, they will fancy their chances of gatecrashing the top seven again. Who knows, if luck is on their side, a top-four push could well be on the cards given they have a manager who excels in tactical battles.

The big question heading into the new season is whether or not they have enough goals in their squad. Watkins is the only established centre-forward in the side right now.

Prediction

8th.

(Images from IMAGO)

Aug

2023

Premier League Predictions: Arsenal

Arsenal head into the 2023/24 Premier League season as one of the favourites for the title. It shows just how far the Gunners have come under Mikel Arteta. A title push is now expected and the Emirates will be playing host to Champions League football once again.

By Sam McGuire

How the team did last season

Arteta’s side flew out of the traps and as domestic football came to a pause for the World Cup, Arsenal held a five-point lead at the top of the Premier League table.

The Gunners had won 12 of their opening 14 matches, they had the joint-best defensive record in the league and their 2.64 points per game average would’ve seen them equal Manchester City’s centurions campaign had they been able to prolong it for the entire season.

Eventually, however, their lack of depth caught up to them and they finished the 2022/23 season in second place, five points behind Man City. While the season might’ve ended in disappointment having held the lead for so long, it was a significant campaign for the project under the Spanish tactician.

Players he put his faith and trust in all delivered. For example, Martin Ødegaard, Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli all caught the eye. All finished with 20 or more goal involvements in the English top flight but it was Saka who lead the way with 25. The England international was also the highest-rated player on the FotMob app with a season average of 7.68.

If the 21-year-old manages to build on that, Arsenal will be in the title picture once again.

What has happened during the summer?

The 2022/23 Premier League runners-up have been busy in the transfer window.

Declan Rice was signed for a British record fee believed to be £105million. The former West Ham United captain will no doubt anchor the midfield three in place of Thomas Partey, giving the Gunners a lot more power in that area of the pitch now.

Kai Havertz made the surprise switch from Chelsea. It had looked as though the Germany international would be returning to his homeland with Bayern Munich believed to be keen but they reportedly baulked at the £65million price tag whereas Arsenal did not. He’s been playing in midfield in pre-season but his versatility means he could well end up leading the line at some stage during the campaign. After all, Arteta loves a fluid system (Editor’s note: Check line-up from the Community Shield shown below!).

The club also bolstered their defensive options with the acquisition of Jurrien Timber. The Dutchman was linked with Liverpool and Manchester United but it was Arsenal who stumped up the money to pry him away from Amsterdam. Again, he is fairly versatile and this allows the team to line up in a few different ways.

Arteta now has that depth in most areas of the squad that he’s been wanting in order for him to compete.

What they should be aiming for next season?

Given Arteta has been backed in the market and this is now his team, they are going to have to be competing for the title. You can’t finish as runners-up, spend £200million on transfers and then not expect to be under pressure.

A good run in the Champions League will also be the bare minimum for this talented group of players, especially after so long outside of the competition. This is going to be Arteta’s most difficult season and how he handles it will perhaps shape how he’s viewed as a manager.

Their aim should be a top-three finish and a quarter-final appearance in the Champions League. But, ultimately, their biggest aim for the campaign will be to not disappoint. Every single Arsenal fan will have their own way to judge that.

Prediction

2nd.

(Images from IMAGO)

Aug

2023

Premier League Predictions: AFC Bournemouth

Bournemouth head into the 2023/24 campaign as a bit of an unknown. They stunned the masses last season to comfortably beat the drop in the end but, after an interesting summer, they could well, once again, be viewed as one of the favourites to be relegated.

By Sam McGuire

How the team did last season

The Cherries picked up a surprise 2-0 win over Aston Villa to kick off their 2022/23 season. They then lost their next three matches to Manchester City, Arsenal and Liverpool by an aggregate scoreline of 16-0.

Following the 9-0 defeat to Liverpool at Anfield, manager Scott Parker claimed the team were unequipped to compete in the Premier League. A few days later, he was dismissed.

Gary O’Neil was appointed as the interim boss though there was also talk of Marcelo Bielsa returning to the Premier League. O’Neil was later given the job on a permanent basis. A lot of people thought he should’ve been given the Manager of the Year award after guiding Bournemouth to a 15th-placed finish.

He masterminded victories over Liverpool and Spurs while drawing both matches against Newcastle United.

Midfielder Philip Billing was the standout performer for the Cherries last term. He finished as the club’s top scorer with seven and this included the winner against Liverpool. He was also one of only three players in the Bournemouth team to finish the campaign with an average rating of above 7.0.

What has happened during the summer?

Quite a lot.

Bournemouth have made a bit of a habit out of surprising people and they were at it again when they sacked O’Neil. It made a little more sense when the Cherries announced Andoni Iraola as their new manager.

The 41-year-old Spanish tactician has a clear philosophy and his teams play with a clear identity. Winger Jaidon Anthony revealed as much recently, saying: “It’s the direction the club wanted to go in and, as players, we just follow.

“[Iraloa’s] is a real attacking style of play. He wants us to get up the pitch and create chaos. We’re enjoying it. We’re going to be a side that creates a lot of chances and, as an attacking player, that’s something you want to be a part of.”

Whether that is sustainable or not is another conversation entirely. The point is, the Bournmeouth owners wanted a clear style and they now have it.

They have lost some key players this summer though. Jefferson Lerma left on a free transfer to join Crystal Palace. The 28-year-old topped the Bournemouth charts for Expected Assists last season with 3.1 and he was second on a per 90 basis for interceptions.

Matias Vina’s loan move from Roma wasn’t made into a permanent one despite his impressive showings. In the 3-2 win over Spurs, the 25-year-old claimed an 8.4 FotMob rating.

Bournemouth have made some moves in the window though. Hamed Traorè joined on a permanent basis following his loan stint with the club. Milos Kerkez joined from AZ Alkmaar to replace the departing Vina, he will likely be Iraola’s starting left-back. The 19-year-old has had an intriguing career already having been signed by AC Milan in 2021. His playing time at San Siro was limited and he moved to the Eredivisie. Having caught the eye there, Benfica tried to lure him to Portugal but they weren’t willing to meet AZ’s demands. Now the highly-rated full-back will be playing his trade in the Premier League.

Romain Faivre joined from Lyon but was immediately loaned to FC Lorient. Justin Kluivert was signed from Roma following a successful loan at Valencia last season. Still only 24, the Dutchman could turn out to be one of the shrewdest summer signings given the expectations are no longer ridiculously high after a series of loan moves saw his career stall a little.

Ionuț Radu made the switch from Inter, joining on loan for the season, as competition to Neto between the sticks.

What they should be aiming for next season?

Survival, firstly.

The Bournemouth squad is still primarily made up of players who helped them get back into the Premier League. Iraola has been appointed to raise the level within the squad but there’s still a limit to what he can do. This will be a season of implementing his style and then he will start to upgrade parts of the team in the future. With that in mind though, the aim should be survival. Once that is assured, a mid-table finish should be on the agenda.

Obviously, an improvement on their 15th-placed finish would be nice but if Bournemouth are playing better football and scoring more goals on their way to a 16th-placed finish, I can’t see many people stating it has been a failed experiment, can you?

Prediction

14th.

(Images from IMAGO)

Aug

2023

Jürgen’s dilemma: Who will be Liverpool’s first-choice attacking trio?

Throughout Jürgen Klopp’s time at Liverpool, their success has been built around the output of one of the best attacking lines in world football.

One inherited, two signed: Roberto Firmino, Sadio Mané and Mohamed Salah became arguably the most-feared trio in football, scoring 338 goals over five years together combined.

By Jack Lusby, ThisIsAnfield.com

But in the space of 12 months, the long-standing front line at Anfield has been broken up and rebuilt, with Liverpool arguably now boasting even more wealth in their forward options.

Mané left for Bayern Munich last summer as Salah agreed a new three-year contract, while Firmino opted to depart on a free transfer in recognition of the new generation coming through.

Liverpool not only committed £54.6 million in wages over the course of Salah’s improved deal, but sanctioned a £217 million outlay on the signings of Diogo Jota from Wolves, Luis Díaz from Porto, Darwin Núñez from Benfica and Cody Gakpo from PSV Eindhoven.

Unlike their worryingly slack approach to the midfield rebuild, the rejuvenation of Klopp’s attack was deliberate and implemented over three years.

And unlike the iconic Salah-Mané-Firmino unit, it is now impossible to predict who stands as the manager’s first-choice trio.

So who should form Liverpool’s new-look attack for the campaign to come?

The guaranteed starter

As it stands, the only one of Liverpool’s five senior forwards who appears guaranteed to start the majority of games is Salah.

Of course, he is the only one of those five whose natural role is on the right – but suggesting that as why he keeps his place would be to undersell his importance to Liverpool.

Salah is a legendary figure in the history of the club, their current fifth-highest goalscorer of all time, and he is paid a record salary to reflect this.

But beyond his goals there is a creativity that is often overlooked, while his pace is essential to stretching defences, his durability allows him to play almost every game and he has stepped up as a leader in recent years.

Put simply, Salah is one of the first names on Klopp’s teamsheet and will remain that way.

The left side

Things become more complicated when considering the options on the opposite flank, particularly given all four of Jota, Díaz, Gakpo and Núñez are capable of performing there.

Liverpool’s preparations for the new campaign have hinted, however, that it will be a straight fight between Jota and Díaz for the starting spot on the left.

Therein lies a conundrum: Jota is a ridiculously proficient goalscorer, who is surprisingly effective out wide, but he lacks the pace and sheer unpredictability of Díaz as a natural winger.

Díaz spent much of his first full season at Liverpool recovering from a series of knee injuries, but his form throughout pre-season shows a player returning to peak sharpness and desperate to make up for lost time.

With Klopp starting Jota alongside Salah in both of Liverpool’s warmup friendlies in Singapore – meetings with Leicester and Bayern Munich which should, in theory, provide an indication of his plans for the trip to Chelsea on August 13 – it may be that the Portuguese is in favour as it stands.

The centre-forward

Just like with Jota and Díaz, Klopp boasts two wildly different options when it comes to his starting centre-forward – and personal preference will likely divide the fanbase.

A club-record signing from Benfica in 2022, Núñez was clearly brought in as the new marquee striker at Anfield, but a difficult six months then paved the way for Gakpo’s arrival from PSV Eindhoven.

While Núñez often looked at odds with Klopp’s system in his first season, Gakpo slotted in seamlessly from the off. More impressively, he did so as a career winger taking on Firmino’s mantle as all-consuming false nine – and, dare we say it, improving on it with even more physicality.

Pre-season has seen Núñez hit the ground running, with four goals in as many games at an average of one every 45 minutes, and the Uruguayan has shown signs of being more attuned to the demands up front.

But for the sake of Liverpool’s system and structural integrity, the starting spot looks to be Gakpo’s for now.

How Liverpool can thrive off unpredictability

Hurtling towards the Premier League opener at Chelsea, the smart money will be on Jota and Gakpo starting in attack alongside Salah.

But that there is a debate to be had can only be seen as a positive – and a marked change to fans and opponents alike knowing Salah, Mané and Firmino would start every game possible.

Now, Klopp can chop and change his attack to suit the tactical requirements of a specific game.

There could be a desire for more thrust in the No. 9 role as Núñez takes over from Gakpo; or the pace and skill to pin a full-back as Díaz assumes the left-sided spot; and there will also be times where Klopp deploys four forwards as Gakpo shifts into an advanced midfield role.

In certain games, the manager could even rely upon 17-year-old Ben Doak – an outstanding talent who has not looked out of place in pre-season – to dazzle on the right flank as an alternative to Salah.

This unpredictability can be key to Liverpool reviving their fortunes after a difficult spell – as it is hard to remember a time when the club had so much attacking quality in abundance.

(Images from IMAGO)

To keep up to date with everything Liverpool, make sure you click follow on the team profile in the FotMob app. Download the free app here.

Aug

2023

FIVE games to follow this weekend: The Community Shield, return of the EFL, and the Women’s World Cup knockouts

In this weekend preview we summarise the best five games to follow on your match feed. And make a couple of suggestions for matches that you may otherwise miss.

By Bill Biss

🛡 Community Shield: Manchester City vs. Arsenal

We’re one weekend away from the return of the Premier League, and if you’ve been following English football for anything longer than a year, you’ll know that this Sunday – that means we get the Community Shield game, the traditional season opener, played at Wembley Stadium.

Unusually, with Manchester City winning both the League and FA Cup last season, that means this year’s opposition is provided by Arsenal, who were runners-up in the title race. Look away now if you don’t want a reminder of how the 2022/23 campaign ended.

We won’t delve too much further in to events at the tail end of last season, but needless to say, this game will act as an early indicator in to how each team is shaping up in response to that – City, looking to follow up their historic treble, and Arsenal building on all their improvements, with Mikel Arteta so active in the transfer market.

In pre-season, City have toured Asia, beating J-League champions Yokohama F. Marinos and Bayern München, but then losing to Atlético Madrid. Arsenal, meanwhile, have been jet-setting – they drew with Nürnberg in Germany before heading to the United States, where they lost to Manchester United, but beat Barcelona, and a MLS All-Stars team managed by Wayne Rooney. Most recently, they won their own Emirates Cup match, against Monaco, via a penalty shoot-out. Which was perhaps good practice for this weekend.

For a more in-depth look at this meeting between last season’s title protagonists, you can read a full preview – here.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 EFL Championship: Leicester City vs. Coventry City

Further down the English football pyramid, this weekend is cause for celebration, as all three of the EFL divisions, plus various lower leagues, all get their season underway. The action starts in the Championship, with Friday night’s meeting between Sheffield Wednesday and recently relegated Southampton. But we thought we’d focus on the game involving another of the relegated sides – Leicester City, who face fellow East Midlanders, Coventry City on Sunday, the side who lost out to Luton Town in the play-off final at the end of last season.

Leicester City, now under the management of Enzo Maresca and with a new look squad, will be looking to start strong. Maresca might be a relative rookie in this front-line role (at this level) but Leicester have maintained a solid core and in signing the likes of Conor Coady, Hamza Choudhury, and young Danish keeper, Mads Hermansen, they’ve bought talent that should succeed in England’s notoriously difficult second tier.

Coventry will also look a little different this season having sold star striker Viktor Gyökeres to Sporting, in Portugal, but coach Mark Robins appears to have used that money wisely and the club have brought in a host of new players. The aim must surely be to match last season’s top six finish.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 EFL League Two: Wrexham vs. MK Dons

In the fourth tier of English football, there’s the long awaited return of a Welsh club – Wrexham, who play their first league game in 15 years when they meet MK Dons on Saturday. Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the last couple of those years that Wrexham have spent in non-league, you’ll know all about their promotion story, under the Hollywood ownership of Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds.

The two have invested so much, along with the community, in this return to the EFL, that Saturday’s game will no doubt be a massive celebration for all involved. And with a side easily strong enough to compete in League Two, playing a side recently relegated to this level, we should have a decent game on our hands as well.

Sadly, we won’t get to watch the home side’s star man, with Paul Mullin having suffered a punctured lung in the recent pre-season game played against Manchester United in the States.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Scottish Premiership: Celtic vs. Ross County

Not to be outdone – the new league season also gets underway in Scotland. The country has already seen competitive football in the group stages of the League Cup and the various trials and tribulations faced by Hibs in the Europa Conference League. But this weekend, all Scottish sides will play league fixtures.

For two-time defending champions, Celtic, that comes in the guise of a home game against Ross County. Famously, Celtic have lost their title-winning coach, Ange Postecoglou, to Spurs but they do, of course, welcome back Brendan Rodgers for a second spell at the club. Fans will be hoping that their domestic dominance is maintained under the man who won seven out of a possible seven trophies during his first stint in Glasgow.

Ross County only clung on to their top flight status with an aggregate victory over Partick Thistle in June’s relegation/promotion play-off but they have started the new season reasonably well. They’ve qualified for the knockout stages of the League Cup having topped their group, winning three out of four games, and only losing the fourth on penalties, following a 3-3 draw with Kelty Hearts.

Elsewhere in the SPFL, Rangers begin their campaign with a trip to the newly promoted Kilmarnock.

🏆 Women’s World Cup: Sweden vs. United States

After Friday’s rest day, the Round of 16 at the Women’s World Cup kicks off on Saturday. And while there’s plenty of intrigue elsewhere (Switzerland vs. Spain, Japan vs. Norway), we’ve picked out Sunday’s game between the USWNT and unbeaten Sweden.

This is something of a surprise match-up, with the US supposed to have walked through Group E. Indeed, it looked like it was going that way when two goals from Sophia Smith inspired them to a 3-0 win over Vietnam in their opening game. Since then, the two-time defending champions have drawn with Netherlands (no disgrace) and Portugal (more surprising), to go through as group runners-up with five points and only four goals scored.

Sweden, on the other hand, have looked strong. And they easily won Group G as one of only three nations (along with Japan and England) to win all three of their fixtures. South Africa posed them more than a few problems in their opener – they needed a last minute winner from Amanda Ilestedt in that one, but since then, they’ve been ruthless – beating Italy 5-0 and Argentina 2-0.

This clash, between the sides ranked number one and number three in the world should be a showstopper.

Plus two hidden gems from a little deeper in your match feed…

This month, along with our friends at Copa90, we’ve supporting photographer Danny Last on The Tour: An interrail trip deep in to European fan culture. Danny’s journey started this week as he took in numerous games in Denmark and Sweden, and was present for FC København’s Champions League barnstormer against Breiðablik on Wednesday night.

Therefore, we’re asking you to follow Danny, and the clubs he visits via our social channels, but also by picking out a couple of games from his itinerary for this column, this weekend.

First up, on Friday night, he’ll be in Rotterdam for the Dutch Super Cup, or Johan Cruijff Shield between Eredivisie Champions Feyenoord, and the current KNVB Cup holders, PSV Eindhoven.

And on Sunday, he’ll be at the big Belgian Pro League clash between sleeping giants Anderlecht and reigning champions Royal Antwerp. It’s week two of the new season here and Antwerp’s title defence started with a 1-0 win over Cercle Brugge while Anderlecht went down 2-0 to Union St. Gilliose in the opening round.

If you want to follow any of the games mentioned above, click on the relevant link and tap the bell icon to receive all the key match updates.

Or join us on Twitter, Threads, Facebook and Instagram to discuss all the important football going on this weekend!

Cover Image from IMAGO

Aug

2023

Transfer Roundup: Mahrez, Fabinho, Mané, and more

The Premier League campaign is now just around the corner and teams are scrambling to get deals sorted before the chaos that is the start of the new football season.

By Sam McGuire

Riyad Mahrez

Manchester City to Al-Ahli

Fee: £29million

Linked with a move away last summer, Mahrez stayed at the Etihad and played his part in Manchester City winning a historic treble. In his final campaign with the club, he finished with a FotMob average rating for the Premier League season of 7.3. The 32-year-old found the back of the net on five occasions and chipped in with 10 assists. He also created 51 chances despite appearing in fewer than 2,000 minutes.

City have done well to receive close to £30million for a player who turns 33 this season and wasn’t going to be a starter. They are going to have a task on their hands to replace the productive right-winger though.

Mauro Icardi

Paris Saint-Germain to Galatasaray

Fee: £8.6million

Galatasaray have pulled off a masterstroke to secure the signing of Icardi. The 30-year-old has a market value of £16million and having had a successful loan spell in Turkey last season, he moved for just £8.6million.

The Argentine forward made 24 appearances, of which 21 were starts, but scored 22 goals and assisted seven times. All of his goals arrived inside the penalty area and his finishes were varied; five were headers, 13 came via his right foot and four via his left. The former Inter menace finished his loan spell with a 7.79 FotMob rating. With Wilfried Zaha added as a teammate, he could be even more of a threat this season.

Calvin Bassey

Ajax to Fulham

Fee: £19million

Few would’ve expected to see the 23-year-old in the Premier League this summer. Bassey only moved to Ajax last summer having been brought in as a replacement for the Manchester United-bound Lisandro Martínez.

The versatile defender was expected to call Amsterdam his home for a couple of seasons before the Eredivisie giants cashed in for a profit on the £20million they paid for him. However, he struggled in the Netherlands and despite making 25 appearances he managed to log just 1,800 minutes of action. Brighton reportedly looked at him as an alternative to Levi Colwill but it was Fulham who made the move to sign the former Rangers man. Maybe the physicality of the Premier League might suit him better.

Allan Saint-Maximin

Newcastle United to Al-Ahli

Fee: £23million

Saint-Maximin is a player who puts fans on the edge of their seat whenever he’s on the pitch. Unfortunately, he wasn’t on the pitch that often for Newcastle United last season.

Injuries limited him to just 1,116 minutes and he made only 12 starts but did involve himself in six goals (five assists) as the Magpies claimed an unlikely fourth-place finish.

Eddie Howe needs someone a little more reliable and a mutual decision was seemingly made to part ways. The winger will be playing alongside Mahrez and Roberto Firmino in what has the potential to be one of the most fun forward lines in world football!

Fabinho

Liverpool to Al-Ittihad

Fee: £38million

Few would’ve believed Liverpool would cash in on Fabinho during the same summer they parted ways with Jordan Henderson, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, James Milner and Naby Keita, but the offer was just too good to turn down.

He was a key man for the Reds last season, even though his form was a little erratic. He appeared in almost 2,700 Premier League minutes, made 31 starts and was involved in 36 of the 38 matches, finishing the season with a pass success rate of 89%. The 29-year-old anchored the team and replacing him is going to be difficult. In Saudi Arabia, he will be part of a midfield duo alongside N’Golo Kante.

Sadio Mané

Bayern Munich to Al-Nassr

Fee: £32million

Mané managed just one year as a Bayern Munich player following his move from Liverpool. The 31-year-old failed to really settle in Bavaria and seemed to clash with teammates and coaching staff, if reports are accurate.

This impacted his form too. For example, he underperformed his Expected Goals total (9.09) having scored on just seven occasions. He managed 18 starts in the German top-flight but did chip in with five assists as Bayern won their eleventh straight Bundesliga. He will now be playing alongside Cristiano Ronaldo for Al-Nassr in what is another interesting dynamic in that league.

Lesley Ugochukwu

Rennes to Chelsea

Fee: £23million

Chelsea have signed yet another player for the future. The 19-year-old impressed last season for Rennes and though he looks likely to go out on loan, he could end up being a smart signing by the Blues, in the long-term. Ugochukwu can play as part of a double-pivot or in more of a box-to-box role. He made 26 appearances last season and racked up 1,326 minutes in what was an under-the-radar season for the teen. Impressively, he completed 88% of his passes, completed 70% of his dribbles and won 53% of his tackles.

If developed properly, Chelsea could have a real gem on their hands.

Iliman Ndiaye

Sheffield United to Marseille

Fee: £15million

This was something of a shock move. The versatile attacker signed for his boyhood club in a deal worth £15million. He was expected to pen a new deal at Sheffield United, with the No.10 jersey reportedly on offer, but was tempted by a return to Marseille, the team he spent time with during his youth.

The 23-year-old was a star performer for the Blades last term, scoring 14 times and assisting on 10 occasions on his way to a 7.4 average rating. Even though they have been compensated for the loss of the mercurial attacker, replacing his influence on this team is going to be near impossible.

Mohammed Salisu

Southampton to AS Monaco

Fee: £13million

The 24-year-old failed to really live up to the hype following his move to Southampton. He had caught the eye while plying his trade in LaLiga for Valladolid and he was expected to be one of the next big centre-backs in world football. Granted, injuries played a part in his struggles, with the versatile defender managing to appear in just 22 matches last term as the Saints suffered relegation, his form has been patchy at best in an inconsistent team.

The move to Ligue 1 could help him rediscover his form after a difficult couple of years in England and the six-cap Ghana international could eventually fulfil the abundance of potential he possesses.

(Images from IMAGO)

To keep track of all the latest deals, and even set alerts for transfers in your favourite leagues; head to the More tab in your app to find FotMob’s Transfer Centre. Download the free app here.

Jul

2023

FIVE games to follow this weekend: Barcelona vs. Real Madrid, Women’s World Cup, and big pre-season friendlies

In this weekend preview we summarise the best five games to follow on your match feed. And make a couple of suggestions for matches that you may otherwise miss.

By Bill Biss

🤝 Barcelona vs. Real Madrid

A pre-season edition of the Clásico, what a treat! And one we’re getting used to as the two pillars of Spanish football now regularly meet on their respective money-spinning pre-season tours of the globe.

For this summer showdown, Barça and Madrid will face each other at the AT&T Stadium, on Saturday, home of the Dallas Cowboys NFL side, in the United States. Both have been in the country for some time as they prepare for the upcoming season in LaLiga – Barcelona most recently losing a heated friendly, 5-3 against Arsenal, in a game that coach Xavi complained had the intensity of a Champions League knockout tie. While Real Madrid were 2-0 victors over Manchester United on the same night. A victory that included a first goal for big summer signing, Jude Bellingham.

There were five competitive Clásicos last season, one where Barcelona won the league and Madrid won the Copa del Rey. Most recently, Madrid beat their great rivals en route to the Copa final, a two legged tie that sandwiched a league meeting, won by Barça, at Camp Nou. Earlier in the campaign, Madrid won comfortably at the Bernabéu only for Barça to then triumph in the Super Copa by the same 3-1 scoreline.

🤝 Manchester City vs. Atlético Madrid

On Sunday, on the other side of the globe, two more European powerhouses meet each other for a friendly game. This one features the Champions League holders and the Spanish side who once again finished third last season, and pits two of the modern day great managers – Pep Guardiola and Diego Simeone, against each other in the Korean capital of Seoul.

The two last met in the quarter-finals of the 2022/23 Champions League season, with City coming out victorious in a low-scoring, two legged-tie, settled by a single goal from Kevin De Bruyne.

In the build-up to this one, Atleti have played, and lost to an all-stars side put together to represent the K-League, and City have enjoyed wins over Bayern Munich and current Japanese champions, Yokohama F Marinos.

🤝 Manchester United vs. Borussia Dortmund

Not to be outdone – the other Premier League giant from Manchester also feature in another tour game we wanted to highlight here. On Sunday night, United will face Borussia Dortmund in Las Vegas.

This game marks the culmination of Eric Ten Hag’s tour of the States and he’ll be looking for a marked improvement on that midweek defeat to Madrid discussed above. A young United side also lost to lower league Wrexham during the week but both games were played with the kind of intensity that Ten Hag wants to instil in his side ahead of the new season. And they came off the back of a morale boasting victory over Arsenal, a side they would have been keen to measure themselves against.

For their part, Dortmund have started their summer preparations with three wins against domestic minnows and then, on arriving in the States, a thumping 6-0 win over Landon Donovan’s San Diego Loyal, a club who ply their trade in the second tier USL Championship.

🏆 Women’s World Cup: France vs. Brazil

The weekend’s headline game as the group stages continue at the Women’s World Cup is that between France and Brazil, being played in the Australian city of Brisbane, on Saturday.

Two solid outside bets to be there, or thereabouts, in the latter stages of the competition, the sides meet instead, on Matchday 2 in Group F. And they both had contrasting fortunes in their opening fixtures.

France were held to a goalless draw by Jamaica’s Reggae Girlz, who claimed their first ever World Cup point, thanks to the heroics of goalkeeper Rebecca Spencer.

And Brazil looked untouchable in their one-sided 4-0 victory over Panama. Ary Borges scored a hat-trick on her tournament debut and provided a back-heel assist for Beatriz’s supremely well-worked team goal. In total, the Brazilians racked up 32 shots and maintained 73% of possession.

This should be one of the biggest game of the finals so far, perhaps only rivalled by the repeat of the 2019 Final, that saw the US and Netherlands play out a 1-1 draw on Thursday.

🇸🇪 Allsvenskan: Häcken vs. Elfsborg

In recent columns, we haven’t drawn much attention to games currently ongoing in Europe’s so-called summer leagues but this weekend, we’ll make an exception to that. On Saturday, there’s a top-of-the-table clash between the two (relatively) unfancied leaders in the Swedish Allsvenskan – Häcken vs. Elfsborg.

To be fair, Häcken are the defending champions but their 2022 triumph (the first in their history) was a big surprise after a 12th placed finish the year before. And the expected strength of Malmö, plus to a lesser extent, the Stockholm clubs, Djurgården, AIK, and Hammarby.

But, at present, it’s Elfsborg who have both a four point advantage, and a game in hand, at the top of the table. They’ve lost only once so far this season – on the opening day – so come in to this fixture on the back of a 15 game unbeaten run.

Plus two hidden gems from a little deeper in your match feed…

🇩🇪 2. Bundesliga: Hamburg vs. Schalke

The return of one of Europe’s most compelling leagues should be a cause for celebration and we will, of course, be following Friday night’s opening game between fallen/sleeping giants Hamburg and Schalke.

The two sides have a total of thirteen (Hamburg 6, Schalke 7) German titles between them but once again find themselves starting the new campaign in the country’s second tier. And both will still be smarting after the final day drama of last season.

Hamburg were on course for both the 2.Bundesliga title and automatic promotion thanks to a win at Sandhausen but not one, but two injury-time goals from Heidenheim, saw them come back to win their game and HSV dropped to third as a result. That meant Hamburg moved on to the promotion/relegation play-off against top tier Stuttgart, which they consequently lost 6-1, over two legs.

Schalke also saw their fate settled on the final day – a defeat to RB Leipzig consigning them to relegation just one season after being promoted back to the Bundesliga.

🇧🇪 Pro League: Union St. Gilloise vs. Anderlecht

Similarly, Belgian giants Anderlecht have much to prove as they kick-off the new season against Union on Friday night.

Under the tutelage of former Brentford assistant manager, Brian Riemer, who took over mid-season, Anderlecht finished the last campaign down in 11th – their lowest finish since 1937! The club has generally been on a downward spiral since the departure of Vincent Kompany who had done much to steady the ship and got them to a Cup final in 2022.

In contrast, Union have famously been on an upwards trajectory since their return to Belgium’s top flight in 2021. Consecutive second, and then third place, finishes have seen them qualify for European football, and become a happy hunting ground for overseas clubs looking to pick off their best talent – the departure of striker Victor Boniface, this week, to Bayer Leverkusen being the most recent example.

If you want to follow any of the games mentioned above, click on the relevant link and tap the bell icon to receive all the key match updates.

Or join us on Twitter, Threads, Facebook and Instagram to discuss all the important football going on this weekend!

Cover Image from IMAGO