Page 114 – The Pulse of Football

Apr

2023

Champions League Review: Italian Teams Special, part two

As we did following the quarter-final first legs, we thought we’d ask our regular Serie A expert for his take on this week’s return ties involving Napoli, Inter, and Milan.

By Matteo Bonetti, US Serie A expert

Milan’s amazing Champions League run

The last time Milan made the Champions League semi-finals was back in 2007, when they got their revenge against Liverpool in the final. Since then, the team has had one of the darkest decades in its history in the 2010s, including a seven year stretch where they didn’t even qualify for Europe’s premier competition.

Fast forward to 2023 and the Rossoneri are this season’s biggest UCL surprise. They beat Napoli 2-1 on aggregate, only weeks after winning 4-0 at the Maradona against the Partenopei in Serie A. Just like in the first leg, Milan were able to weather the early storm against Napoli’s press and possession. Once they got through the early onslaught, Milan were able to hit out on the counter through Rafael Leão, who put in another stunning run up the pitch to set up Olivier Giroud’s goal. This strategy worked once again for them – play a bit deeper and let Leão run rabid at a defence that just couldn’t cope with his pace. It was Tanguy NDombele’s poor control that allowed Leão to get on the ball to begin with. The French midfielder was only playing because of Zambo Anguissa’s suspension, and his involvement turned out to play a key role in the final result of the game, but not necessarily for the reasons Luciano Spalletti will have wanted.

Milan’s return to the Champions League’s final four only a year after winning the Serie A Scudetto shows how impressive the plan has been at the top of the club. While the Rossoneri cannot spend like a Premier League giant, they’ve been shrewd with their investment by focusing on quality youth and allowing them time to develop. There’s no better example of this than the careers of the aforementioned Rafael Leão, and Sandro Tonali. Both joined Milan at a young age and had a hard time settling in at first. It took 16 months for Tonali to finally show his importance. For Leão, the first two seasons of his career in northern Italy were summarised by rare flashes of brilliance outweighed by many inconsistent performances. Milan showed patience with both players. Instead of sending them on loan, they believed in the vision and allowed both Leão and Tonali to grow with the club until they finally expressed their full potential. The results have paid dividends – Leão is the reigning Serie A MVP and just had two world class performances against Napoli in the Champions League, while Tonali has become one of the best box-to-box players in Italy.

For Napoli, Victor Osimhen was finally back from injury but kept under tight control by the fantastic Simon Kjær, who had one of his best games of the season. Only in the final minute of the game was Osimhen finally able to get a decent chance on target, a header which he smashed in. There’s no shame in Napoli’s exit. The club has already done the unthinkable this season, going from 25/1 underdogs to win the Scudetto to a double digit lead at the top of the standings for the last few months. The Neapolitan faithful still have a reason to be upset at some refereeing decisions in both legs, though. There was the unfair sending off of defender Kim Min-jae, which meant Serie A’s best centre-back was suspended for the second leg. In the last game, there was also a penalty appeal not given, as Rafael Leão made contact with Chucky Lozano’s boot before going through the ball. Fortunately, Napoli’s first Serie A scudetto in three decades will mean that these decisions will be quickly forgotten.

Inter knock off Benfica

Back in Milan, Inter ended up beating Benfica comfortably in the Champions League quarter-finals, with a 5-3 aggregate win that was never really in doubt.

Inter’s European run comes during a stretch where they’ve lost four of their last five in Serie A, including an abysmal attacking record where they’ve taken 113 shots and only scored once from open play. These offensive troubles have vanished in the Champions League, where suddenly the Nerazzurri look unstoppable in the final third. Five goals in two matches against a Benfica side that went toe-to-toe with PSG in the group stages is a surprising achievement given the recent domestic form.

Against Benfica, three players in particular stood out from an Inter perspective. The man of the match was Nicoló Barella, who scored a stunning goal by faking a shot on his favoured right, cutting it back onto his left and curling it into the top corner. Adding to the goal, is the fact that he has looked like his the best version of himself, the one that played under Antonio Conte in Inter’s Scudetto winning season.

The left wing-back Federico Dimarco had also had a wonderful tournament, as he’s currently the second best assist man in the Champions League behind only Real Madrid’s Vinicius Jr. Dimarco recorded two assists on the night and was a constant threat getting forward on his left. The Italian was able to showcase what he does best – attacking the final third. Sometimes he has been criticised for leaving his defensive responsibilities in favour of making runs down the flank any time an opportunity presents itself, but against Benfica he was able to showcase all of his strengths.

More importantly than anything else, Lautaro Martínez finally scored a goal. The Argentine had gone eight matches in all competitions for Inter without finding the back of the net, which seems to have become a pattern in his career. While there’s no doubting the striker’s talent, he’s also an extremely streaky goalscorer. Take a look at Lautaro’s goal scoring logs throughout the last few seasons and a pattern emerges. He can go two months scoring a goal-a-game then follow it up with a two-month dry spell. Inter desperately needed their star man up front to finally find his form in the most important moment of the season thus far.

Inter now face Milan for a Derby Della Madonnina, Champions League edition that is tricky to predict. Both teams are in poor form domestically, mostly because of line-up rotations where they’re resting their best players for this European competition. Inter have already beaten Milan twice during the campaign ; a 1-0 win in Serie A and a 3-0 drubbing of their city-rivals in January’s Super Coppa. That was also during Milan’s worst run of form of the 21st century. The team looks completely different now under Stefano Pioli, playing much more like the side that won Serie A last season.

Serie A state of play

In Serie A, Juventus have had their 15 point deduction reversed (our league standings will be updated ASAP!), meaning that Inter and Milan currently sit outside the top four. The Bianconeri now jump back up the table and sit third going in to the weekend. The court’s decision can still be appealed, meaning that the true scope of the punishment might have to wait until next season.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

You can follow every match from the 2022/23 Serie A season live with FotMob — featuring deep stats coverage including shot maps, xG, and player ratings. Download the free app here.

Apr

2023

LaLiga Review: Barcelona stall in the sun, Madrid close the gap, and Athletic Club win the Derby

Following Monday night’s mid-table clash between Celta Vigo and Mallorca (won by the visitors), it’s time for our review of the main talking points from the weekend in Spain’s top flight.

By Ben Hayward, LaLiga expert

Barcelona draw again

Barcelona drew 0-0 for the second LaLiga game in a row at the weekend. Following last Monday’s goalless game against Girona at Camp Nou, the Blaugrana were held by Getafe at the Coliseum on Sunday and have seen their lead at the top of the table reduced to 11 points.

Raphinha and Alejandro Baldé both hit the post in the same move as Barça came close to scoring in a quick break after 25 minutes. Robert Lewandowski, whose form has dipped in the second half of the season, also saw a header well saved by David Soria in a game of few clear-cut chances.

Xavi was unhappy with the state of the pitch. “It affected us,” he said. “But we knew that. Yesterday we trained on dry grass in Barcelona because we knew about this situation. I have been criticised a lot for talking about playing surfaces, but it’s very difficult for the players when it’s in that state. It’s bad for the spectacle and even for Getafe, because the ball gets caught up.”

During his playing days, Xavi regularly referenced poor pitches after things had not gone Barça’s way, but here he had another surprising complaint. “We’re used to playing without the sun,” he said. “Again, without wishing for it to sound like an excuse, we are used to playing night games.”

Getafe coach Quique Sánchez Flores responded. “The pitch was the same for us both,” he said. “They leave it very short at their ground and very fast. Everyone plays with their own tools.” And on Xavi’s remarks about the weather, he quipped: “Nivea and Aftersun.”

Despite back-to-back draws, Barcelona still boast a considerable lead in the table with nine rounds remaining. “It’s another point at a difficult ground due to the circumstances,” Xavi said. “We have to recover our feeling and also our best play. Nothing is done yet.”

Real Madrid win in Cádiz

Karim Benzema hit bar and post as Real Madrid missed a number of chances in the opening hour away to Cádiz on Saturday night. Goalkeeper David Gil also made a number of fine saves as Los Blancos were denied until the final stages of the match, when the breakthrough finally arrived for Carlo Ancelotti’s side.

It took something special as Nacho Fernández, playing against his brother Álex, drove a fierce low shot into the corner from outside the box after 72 minutes. And shortly afterwards, Marco Asensio finished off a move which had started with goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois to wrap up an ultimately convincing win.

“We played well, with attitude and commitment,” Ancelotti said after the game. “We deserved to score earlier.”

Sandwiched between their two Champions League quarter-final matches against Chelsea, this was potentially a banana skin for Real Madrid. “We showed a lot of energy on the pitch,” Ancelotti said. “This was a tricky one, but the players went out with great concentration.”

Benzema and Éder Militão both played the 90 minutes in an otherwise heavily rotated team ahead of the game at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday and Ancelotti said: “It’s true that they played a lot of minutes, but the team is in good shape physically and they will be fine to play on Tuesday.”

Madrid are 11 behind Barcelona with nine games left, while Cádiz sit just four points above the drop zone after this defeat.

Atlético beat Almería

Atlético Madrid continued their recent fine form with another win, this time at home to Almería. But for the second week in a row, it was a nervy one for the Rojiblancos. Diego Simeone’s side almost had to settle for a draw as Rayo Vallecano pressured late in their previous match and held on again here through some anxious moments in the closing stages.

Antoine Griezmann opened the scoring with a header from close range after five minutes and added a second just before half-time following a lengthy VAR check for offside to restore Atleti’s lead after José Giménez had deflected a shot from Léo Baptistão into the net. The Brazilian, formerly of Atlético, did not celebrate his goal.

Griezmann came close to a hat-trick as he hit the post in the second half, but VAR checked for a possible penalty in the final minute for handball. After a pitchside look from the referee, it was not given and Simeone went running down the tunnel at the final whistle.

Atlético have won 11 of 15 in LaLiga since the World Cup break and have lost just once in that time. “Some people thought we were dead,” Simeone said. “But the race finishes in the last round.”

Atlético are just two points behind Real Madrid in third place and 13 adrift of leaders Barcelona. “The 27 points in play give us a chance of winning the championship,” president Enrique Cerezo said. It is a slim one, however. Atlético travel to leaders Barça at Camp Nou next weekend.

Valencia in the mire

Valencia’s 2-0 defeat to fellow strugglers Sevilla on Sunday leaves Los Che in big trouble. Rubén Baraja’s side are down in 18th place and are now three points adrift of Almería above them. They face bottom club Elche next and have to start winning soon.

At Mestalla on Sunday, Valencia were furious with the officials after a number of key decisions went against them. The home side were unhappy with what they believed was a foul in the build-up to Loïc Badé’s opening goal in the second half and also after they were not given what looked like a clear penalty for handball by Sevilla’s Fernando at 1-0 down.

“We ask for respect because there is a lot at stake,” Baraja said. But he remains confident his side can beat the drop. “There are a lot of points left,” he added. “We’re just one win away from getting back into the fight. Nobody is giving up.”

Athletic win Basque Derby

Iñaki Williams scored a goal in each half as Athletic Club beat Real Sociedad 2-0 at San Mames to win the Basque derby on Saturday. The first was a scrappy effort scrambled home after he had initially miscontrolled, his second a beauty as the Ghana forward hit a fierce strike into the top corner from a tight angle.

The win was deserved and sees Athletic back in the race for Europe, four points behind sixth-placed Villarreal. Real Sociedad remain fourth, but are now just three ahead of Real Betis, 3-1 winners over struggling Espanyol at the weekend.

It was Athletic’s first win at home since early February. “We needed to back up our good away form,” coach Ernesto Valverde said. “We showed a good level against the fourth-placed team in the league.”

For their part, Real Sociedad will be hoping they can hang on to the final Champions League spot, but the San Sebastian side would be 11th if only results in the second half of the season were taken into account and will need to improve on that to claim fourth place.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

You can follow every match from the 2022/23 LaLiga season live with FotMob — featuring deep stats coverage including shot maps, xG, and player ratings. Download the free app here.

Apr

2023

Premier League Review: Arsenal drop points, more stoppage-time woe for Spurs, and Liverpool get back to winning ways

This is shaping up to be one of the most intriguing Premier League campaigns in recent memory. The destination for the Premier League is still undecided, and a handful of clubs still feel as though a top-four finish is within their grasp while eight teams will still be fearful of relegation this season. A round-up of the biggest taking points from what could well be a season-defining weekend for a number of clubs.

By Sam McGuire, Premier League expert

Missed opportunities

For the second successive week, Arsenal failed to convert a 2-0 lead into all three points. The Gunners found themselves 2-0 up inside 10 minutes against West Ham United courtesy of goals from Gabriel Jesus and Martin Odegaard.

However, the leaders were pegged back just before the break after Said Benrahma scored from the spot. Bukayo Saka had the chance to establish a two-goal advantage when Arsenal were awarded a penalty but his effort failed to hit the target. Just moments later, Jarrod Bowen scored the equaliser.

Mikel Arteta will likely be frustrated by his side’s inability to create anything in the second half. It was the same story at Anfield last week. The Gunners mustered an Expected Goals total of 0.41 when the penalty is excluded. You would expect a much higher total with the Premier League title on the line.

Why aren’t Arsenal looking for winners?

Haaland is inevitable

It was always a matter of when and not if Erling Haaland would match the Premier League record for goals in a 38-game campaign. Mohamed Salah held the record with 32 but Haaland tied that with his double against Leicester City.

Prior to the game on Saturday, Haaland had gone on to score two or more goals in 44% of the games in which he had scored a single goal for City. Pep Guardiola subbed Haaland off at half-time, preventing him from breaking the Premier League record with yet another hat-trick.

He now has the chance to set a new English top-flight record in the potential title-deciding clash with Arsenal.

Even though he only played for 45 minutes, he was the top-rated player on the FotMob app with 8.5.

Stoppage-time Spurs

For the third time in their last four Premier League matches, Spurs dropped points in stoppage time. Had they been able to hold out in all of these games, they would be five points better off and sat in fourth position in the Premier League.

Instead, Cristian Stellini’s side are fifth, three points off the Champions League pace having played a game more.

Spurs perhaps didn’t deserve to lose against Bournemouth on Saturday but it is what happens when you miss chances while allowing the opposition to create dangerous moments throughout. The hosts had 24 shots and missed two big chances while the Cherries had just nine shots but converted all three big chances.

Injuries have limited what can and cannot be done by Stellini during his interim time in charge but the inability to see out games needs to be addressed while Spurs still have a chance of qualifying for the Champions League.

Villa’s rampant run continues

Aston Villa have now won five consecutive matches in the Premier League and are unbeaten in eight. The way in which they put an in-form Newcastle United side to the sword was perhaps their most impressive performance under Unai Emery. Heading into the game, Eddie Howe’s side had won five on the spin, scoring 13 in the process and conceding just four goals.

After a blip in February, they had firmly established themselves as a genuine contender for Champions League football yet they were blown away by an in-form Ollie Watkins.

Villa romped to a 3-0 win and in the process became the first team in the Premier League to score three goals in a single game against Newcastle United this season. Watkins netted a double against the Magpies and now has 11 goals in his last 12 appearances.

The new manager bounce

Chelsea fans expected a new manager bounce when Frank Lampard replaced Graham Potter at the helm. Yet three matches into Lampard’s spell as interim boss, the Blues are winless. In fact, they have scored just one goal – Conor Gallagher’s deflected effort against Brighton on Saturday – and they have conceded five goals.

The worrying thing for Chelsea is that the Seagulls arrived at Stamford Bridge and dominated. Roberto De Zerbi’s side had more of the ball, had three times as many shots as the hosts and racked up an empathic Expected Goals haul of 2.94. The away team created five big chances to Chelsea’s zero in what was no doubt a humbling defeat for Lampard in front of a home crowd expecting a response.

A new look Liverpool

The Trent Alexander-Arnold experiment continued for Liverpool in their 6-1 win over Leeds United. Though the Reds started in their traditional 4-3-3 shape, Alexander-Arnold once again played as an inverted full-back, forming a double pivot alongside Fabinho when the away side had possession.

The No66 put on a passing clinic, finishing the game with a 91% success rate from the 136 passes he attempted at Elland Road. He also claimed two assists in one of his most dominant on ball displays of the season. Could it be the new norm for Klopp’s men?

(Cover image from IMAGO)

You can follow every match from the 2022/23 Premier League season live with FotMob — featuring deep stats coverage including shot maps, xG, and player ratings. Download the free app here.

Apr

2023

Last Weekend: Larne’s long wait ends, Arsenal slip up again, Cremonese and Gorica plot great escapes, and more

We are fast approaching the end of the 2022/23 season in most parts of Europe, so the stakes are getting higher and higher. This weekend saw some very meaningful results in various parts of the continent, including one title that was decided in the United Kingdom.

By Neel Shelat

Northern Ireland: Crusaders 0-2 Larne

We will go to London soon, but we will first go across the Irish Sea as there was a big development in the Northern Irish Premiership. With two rounds of fixtures still to play, the fate of the title has already been decided.

It is a historic outcome too, as the newly-crowned champions Larne lifted the first top-flight title in their 134-year history. They have secured first place ahead of defending champions Linfield – the most successful club in the country. Cliftonville were also involved in the title race early on, but have now fallen to fourth.

This triumph is the culmination of Larne’s resurgence in the last few years. Before that, the club lost its senior status at the time of the establishment of the Premiership in 2008. It was only in 2016, when the Championship was established as the second-tier, that they regained their senior status. Two years later, they had an ownership change and were back on the up, winning promotion to the top flight in the very first season after the takeover. A few years and some smart investment later, they found themselves in a title race, where they took the trophy out of Belfast for the first time in about two decades.

Consequently, Larne will make their debut in the Champions League qualifiers next season. Given the fact that no Northern Irish side has ever featured in the group stage of Europe’s premier competition, they should not have high hopes. But, a full European debut might yet be on the cards in one of the lower-tier competitions.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 England: West Ham United 2-2 Arsenal

The most watched game in the UK this weekend was probably the all-London clash between West Ham and Arsenal, which had implications at either end of the Premier League table.

In spite of their continued Europa Conference League exploits, West Ham found themselves embroiled in a relegation battle in the league. They were within striking distance of the sides in the relegation zone going into the weekend, so they could not afford to give away anything cheaply. Their visitors found themselves in a similar situation but for different reasons, especially after their draw with Liverpool last weekend gave Manchester City the chance to be the writers of their destiny in the title race.

And Arsenal seemed to mean business. They got off to an absolute flyer, racing to a two-goal lead within ten minutes thanks to Gabriel Jesus and Martin Ødegaard. Given their complete and utter dominance to that point, everyone expected them to easily see out the win thereafter.

Once again, though, there was a twist in the tale. In the 33rd minute, West Ham won a penalty after a turnover in midfield. Saïd Benrahma stepped up to take it, and he brought his side back into the game by halving the deficit.

After that, it was all West Ham as they searched for an equaliser. Unfortunately, for them, they could not find one before half-time, and a few minutes into the second period, Arsenal won a penalty of their own. The in-form Bukayo Saka was poised to take this one, but he missed the target altogether and kept Arsenal’s lead very precarious indeed.

That precarity did prove costly too, as Jarrod Bowen equalised just a couple of minutes later. Having thrown away yet another two-goal lead, Arsenal seemed shaken and never looked like they were going to bounce back. So, in spite of maintaining close to three-quarters of possession, the Gunners lost control of the match and lost two points along with it.

This result cuts the deficit at the top of the standings to just four points, and Manchester City have a game in hand as well. Of course, most crucially, the top two will face off in about ten days’ time in what will almost certainly be the most important match in this title race.

🇩🇪 Germany: Stuttgart 3-3 Borussia Dortmund

After ten years of disappointment, only a fool would harbour hopes of Borussia Dortmund succeeding in a title race again Bayern Munich.

Of course, they were going to lose the pivotal Klassiker in the silliest manner possible. Of course, they would fail to capitalise when all sorts of drama was going on behind the scenes at Bayern. Of course, they would refuse to hold on to a seemingly comfortable lead to go level on points with the Rekordmeister.

The two title contenders kicked off their matches simultaneously on Saturday evening, with Bayern hosting Hoffenheim and Dortmund visiting Stuttgart. Both would have been pleased at half-time, as Bayern had a lead thanks to Benjamin Pavard while Dortmund found themselves two goals and a man up.

It was all smooth sailing until the 71st minute, when Andrej Kramarić brought Hoffenheim level with a direct free-kick to the back of the net. As things stood, Bayern and Dortmund would be level on 59 points, but of course, things were not going to stand.

The only thing more inevitable than a Bayern victory was a Dortmund collapse, and that is indeed what we got. In spite of their numerical advantage against the relegation battlers, Dortmund conceded twice in the last 15 minutes of regulation time. They even went on to retake the lead in stoppage time, but again, only a fool would harbour hopes of Borussia Dortmund in a title race. Of course, they threw the game away by conceding again in the last minute.

So, after all that, Bayern’s two-point advantage was maintained even though they dropped points. Meanwhile, this was also a significant result in the relegation battle, as Stuttgart climbed back up into the play-off spot on goal difference.

🇪🇸 Spain: Athletic Club 2-0 Real Sociedad

With the title effectively wrapped up and on its way to Barcelona, the next meaningful battle in LaLiga is the race for Europe. We had an important fixture relevant to that this weekend, which also happened to be the Basque derby.

Seventh-placed Athletic Club hosted fourth-placed Real Sociedad, who were looking to end an almost decade-long absence from the Champions League. They only had a four-point lead over fifth-placed Villarreal, so the margin for error was getting smaller and smaller.

Their hosts and near neighbours were playing catch up, so the pressure on them to get results was slightly greater. Their current position in the table would only grant them a European spot if Osasuna fail to win the final of the Copa del Rey against Real Madrid. Of course, they would not want to leave their fate out of control, so they were chasing a spot in the top six at least.

The match was an intense affair, but one with few noteworthy chances. Both sides played narrow formations and clogged up the centre of the pitch, making it very difficult to access the dangerous areas of the opposition penalty box. The winner was surely going to be the side that made the most of limited opportunities, and that proved to be Athletic Club.

Iñaki Williams did their bidding with a goal either side of half-time. First, he turned home a corner from a pretty good position, and then, he scored from a pretty tight angle at the end of a fast break. That goal, scored in the 70th minute, effectively sealed the result and gave Athletic Club the all-important three points.

The good news for Real Sociedad is that Villarreal also lost their match this weekend, so they have been overtaken by Betis who are four points behind Imanol Alguacil’s side. Four points is a relevant figure for Athletic Club too, as that is their new gap to sixth place.

🇮🇹 Italy: Cremonese 1-0 Empoli

Great escapes seem to be becoming a bit of a theme in Serie A. Last season, it was Salernitana who came back from the dead and survived by the skin of their teeth. This year, Cremonese seem to be on course to follow suit, though there is a long way to go yet.

It should be noted that the dramatic effect of Salernitana’s escape was heightened by the existential issues they faced relevant to their ownership, for from a purely sporting perspective, they remained relatively quite close to safety for most of the season. Cremonese, however, looked dead and buried at the turn of the year having failed to win a single league match.

In fact, their winless run continued till the last day of February – a time when they were rooted so far down at the bottom of the table that even doubling their points tally would not get them out of the relegation zone. They then recorded a memorable win over Roma, but followed that up by losing four of their next five games.

If Cremonese do somehow end up surviving, the turning point will likely be remembered as their match against Sampdoria last weekend. Thanks to a stoppage-time goal which gave them a 3-2 win away from home, Davide Ballardini’s side hauled themselves off the foot of the table and into the fight for survival.

Their win over Empoli this weekend was far from entertaining, but all that matters to them is that they got the job done and held on to the early lead given by Cyriel Dessers. That brings them to within seven points of safety, and given the fact that they will face three of the four sides above them before the end of the season, including 17th-placed Spezia, they certainly still have a chance.

🇭🇷 Croatia: Šibenik 0-4 HNK Gorica

Sticking to the theme of potentially miraculous escapes, we have a similar story from Croatia. The 10-team Hrvatska nogometna liga only has one direct relegation spot at the bottom of the table, but that does not deprive us of some greatly entertaining scraps.

Unlike Cremonese, HNK Gorica did manage to get a win to their name quite early on in the season in August, but then came their long drought. They too went winless till their last match of February, before which their tally of nine points was less than half of what ninth-placed Šibenik had.

After that win over NK Lokomotiva, Gorica have only lost one league match to date. Among their recent results is an incredibly dramatic 5-4 win over NK Istra, and a draw with league leaders Dinamo Zagreb. All of that brought them to within four points of safety ahead of this weekend’s crunch clash against Šibenik, which they simply had to win.

Gorica did just that, putting four past the surprise cup finalists in the first half, including three goals in the first 18 minutes. Thereafter, they had no reason to risk anything, so they simply sat back and saw out a massive win.

Cover Image from IMAGO

Apr

2023

Champions League Review: Italian Teams Special

With three of the eight clubs left in the Champions League hailing from Italy we thought we’d ask our regular Serie A expert for his take on the quarter-final first leg ties involving Napoli, Inter, and Milan.

By Matteo Bonetti, US Serie A expert

Inter’s attacking problem turned on it’s head

Inter had had a major attacking issue in the six matches played before their big game away to Benfica. Up until that point, it was hard to find another team that had been as wasteful and unlucky in a similar stretch.

In that run of games, the Nerazzurri had only scored once from open play. Taking a closer look at Inter’s statistics confirms this problem – their xG against Salernitana was 2.94 with a total of 25 shots. Only one went in past Mexican goalkeeper, Memo Ochoa, who made ten saves in the game. This has been a pattern in Inter’s last six games; that the expected goals are always much higher than the actual output. In a way, that’s good news for Simone Inzaghi’s side going forward because the bad luck finally came to a halt versus Benfica, meaning Inter were able to bring a two goal advantage back to Milano.

Inter manager, Simone Inzaghi is proving to be quite the cup magician. Despite inconsistency in Serie A and a top four spot in question; Inter have played their best football in the most important matches of the season. They achieved key results in the group stage against Barcelona, followed by impressive performances in the knock-outs. In Portugal, Inter never really looked under threat. The only times Benfica created a bit of danger, goalkeeper André Onana made important saves. Centre-back Alessandro Bastoni was also able to show off his versatility, including the marauding run down the left that led to a fantastic cross for Nicolo Barella’s headed goal. Bastoni is a unique centre-back with a cultured left foot, which he has used for long range passes as well as crosses when he’s able to make a run down the left side. Meanwhile, Barella rolled back the years, putting in a performance reminiscent of his incredible season under Antonio Conte. His energy and heart were on full show as he put in one of his vintage box-to-box midfield displays.

The only issue for Inter was the continued poor form of striker Lautaro Martínez who couldn’t piece together anything of note. His touches were clumsy and his movements ineffective. On the few balls he did receive, he was wasteful. Fortunately, Romelu Lukaku off the bench proved to be the vital switch, as he was ice cool from the penalty spot.

There aren’t many other players in Serie A that have needed a solid run of form more than Lukaku. His season at Inter has been a nightmare, with few goals (most of them from the penalty spot) and inconsistent playing time due to injuries. He’s looked a shadow of his former self – the player who terrorised the league under Antonio Conte and showed himself to be unplayable at times with his footballing IQ and physical domination of defenders.

Milan get the better of Napoli again

Less than two weeks since Milan’s incredible 4-0 win over Napoli at the Maradona, the Rossoneri were once again victorious over the Serie A league leaders. The atmosphere in San Siro was truly incredible. Few venues around Europe feel quite as authentic on a big Champions League night.

Stefano Pioli opted to go with the same formation that he used for the victory in Southern Italy against Napoli, with Ismaël Bennacer further forward in a midfield three to put pressure on deep lying playmaker Stanislav Lobotka. In the first half, Napoli came out the much better side, creating a few shots from distance that forced a save out of the brilliant Mike Maignan. Add to those an effort from Khvicha Kvaratskhelia that ended up as a goal-line clearance by Milan’s defence.

It seemed like Napoli boss Luciano Spalletti had figured out how to correct the mistakes from the recent league loss as his team was fully in control, forcing Milan to stay deep within the confines of their own box. The game only changed with one backbreaking counter-attack led by Brahim Díaz. The Spaniard was able to turn with great balance and evade three Napoli defenders around him to spearhead the counter, which ended with a goal scored by Bennacer from his advanced position.

Despite Napoli looking in control for much of the game, it was Milan that set up other great chances – a Simon Kjær thundering header that clanged off the underside of the crossbar and a coast to coast run by Rafael Leão that was dragged just wide of Alex Meret’s post.

While the scoreline of 1-0 is by no means out of Napoli’s control, they shot themselves in the foot on multiple occasions with silly yellow cards. Zambo Anguissa picked up a second yellow as a high boot made contact with Theo Hernández’s stomach. Kim Min Jae also picked up a costly yellow which will force him to miss the second leg in Naples.

This means that Napoli are without their powerhouse midfielder, Anguissa, who provides a lot of physicality and is a box-to-box presence for his team. The most costly absence, however, is that of Kim. The South Korean defender’s yellow came from a pointless protest to the referee – an uncharacteristic action from the usually level-headed and responsible centre-back. Juan Jesus will likely play in his place and partner Amir Rrahmani at the back. While this is a drop off in quality, it’s worth noting that the veteran Juan Jesus has started seven games for Napoli this season, with his club winning every single one of those games.

The other positive news for Napoli is that striker Victor Osimhen should be ready to start from the first minute in the second leg. This comes at a great time after the other strikers, Giovanni Simeone and Giacomo Raspadori, aren’t fully fit either. Osimhen’s presence alone forces Milan’s defence to take less risks, and it gives Kvaratskhelia the ultimate target in the box for all of his pinpoint crosses.

Serie A state of play

With Lazio 3-0 winners at Spezia on Friday night, that means the Biancocelesti start the weekend second, eight points clear of rivals Roma with a ticket back to the Champions League looking like a sure bet. Other than Napoli, they’ve been the only other team in the top six to overachieve this season, proving that Maurizio Sarri just needed some time to get his ideals to stick. Despite going on to win their respective games in the Champions League, both Milano based sides Milan and Inter drew their previous league matches, meaning that they’ve been leapfrogged by Roma. The possibility of a top four that doesn’t include Inter, Milan or Juventus is on the cards, and it would be a historic result – one that looks even more bizarre given where Milan and Inter find themselves in Champions League.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

You can follow every match from the 2022/23 Serie A season live with FotMob — featuring deep stats coverage including shot maps, xG, and player ratings. Download the free app here.

Apr

2023

Premier League Review: Haaland closes in on the record as Liverpool hold the Gunners

The Easter matchday weekend did not disappoint with a number of potentially season-defining moments across the board in the Premier League. Here’s a look at some of the biggest.

By Sam McGuire, Premier League expert

The Anfield Factor

Arsenal haven’t beaten Liverpool at Anfield since September 2012. All of the talk heading into this game was about how a win on Merseyside would be enough to get them over the line in the race for the title.

It looked as though it might happen. The Gunners had silenced Anfield after 28 minutes, taking a 2-0 lead courtesy of goals from Gabriel Martinelli and Gabriel Jesus. Liverpool had chances but everything felt a little flat until a clash between Trent Alexander-Arnold and Granit Xhaka seemed to spark everyone into life. Mohammed Salah poked the ball beyond Aaron Ramsdale to halve the deficit before the break.

After the half-time whistle, it was all Liverpool. The Reds racked up an Expected Goals total in the second half of 2.88 to Arsenal’s 0.22. Salah missed a penalty before Roberto Firmino nodded in the equaliser. Ramsdale kept the leaders level with two late saves but Mikel Arteta won’t be happy with how his side lost control after the break. His usually resolute team gave up eight big chances. It was very much a tale of two halves.

The record is in sight

Manchester City are hitting their stride at the perfect time. Since returning from the international break, Pep Guardiola’s men have won both of their matches by the same 4-1 scoreline.

Erling Haaland had to watch from the sidelines last week as the reigning champions took Liverpool apart at the Etihad but he was leading the attack against Southampton. He put in a centre-forward clinic, scoring twice and having three shots despite only having 12 touches in total. His second was a stunning overhead kick which took his Premier League tally for the season to 30. He now needs just three more to break the existing record held by Salah and he has nine games to do it in.

The end of the Honeymoon Period

Wolves welcomed Chelsea to Molineux having won just once in their last seven outings in the Premier League. The Blues had been unlucky not to beat Liverpool in mid-week and would’ve no doubt fancied their chances against Julen Lopetegui’s men following the appointment of Frank Lampard as interim manager.

His return was supposed to reinvigorate this underperforming side. The one-time Everton boss changed the system – moving away from a back three shape and using a more recognised 4-3-3. While the Blues did have more shots and a slightly higher xG than their hosts, it is quite telling that they didn’t manage to carve out a single big chance.

Chelsea are now winless in four and there is a real possibility they finish in the bottom half of the table.

The battle for fourth

The clash between Spurs and Brighton was very much the definition of a real six-pointer. A win for the Seagulls would’ve lifted them to just a single point behind fifth-placed Tottenham with two games in hand.

Due to a number of questionable decisions during the game, however, Roberto De Zerbi’s men now find themselves seven points behind. The PGMOL have since admitted that Karou Mitoma should’ve been awarded a penalty when the game was tied at 1-1. Brighton also had two goals disallowed during the game as well as another potential penalty waved away before Harry Kane scored his 23rd of the season.

The Spurs talisman continues to go under the radar this term. He could quite literally fire the team into the top four at this rate.

Aston Villa’s impressive run

Unai Emery has guided his team to four successive wins in the Premier League and Villa now find themselves in sixth position, just nine points outside of the top four.

Key to this resurgent run has been the form of Ollie Watkins. The centre-forward netted his 12th goal of the season in the win over Nottingham Forest. It was his ninth goal in his last 11 matches for Aston Villa across all competitions. He also has an assist in that period. The 27-year-old is well on course to better the 14 Premier League goals he scored in his debut campaign in the top-flight for Villa.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

You can follow every match from the 2022/23 Premier League season live with FotMob — featuring deep stats coverage including shot maps, xG, and player ratings. Download the free app here.

Apr

2023

Last Weekend: Fluminense’s turnaround at the Maracanã, Olympiacos fall behind in Greece, and more

The world of football celebrated Easter weekend with some big fixtures and results including a big derby in a final in Brazil, a potentially decisive fixture between two eternal rivals in the Greek Super League title race, and many more. As ever, we have picked out six of the best in our weekly column.

By Neel Shelat

🇧🇷 Brazil: Fluminense 4-1 Flamengo (4-3 agg)

The final of the Campeonato Carioca was the Fla-Flu derby between Rio de Janeiro rivals Flamengo and Fluminense. Both of these teams play their matches at the Maracanã Stadium, so both legs of this final were held at this legendary venue.

Flamengo won their designated home leg 2-0, so they held the advantage going into Sunday’s second leg. They seemed primed to take the regional title off the defending champions, but Fluminense had other ideas.

Although the match might seem quite even based on the possession stats and shot counts, one team looked more imposing and threatening. Indeed, Fluminense created the better chances and crucially converted them as well, staging a memorable turnaround.

A strike from legendary ex-Real Madrid left back Marcelo set them on their way, after which a brace from Argentine hitman Germán Cano on either side of half-time put Fernando Diniz’s side in a commanding position. Alexsander Gomes’ goal in the 65th minute added a buffer to their lead, which proved handy when Ayrton Lucas pulled one back for Flamengo deep into stoppage time.

Elsewhere in Brazil, Palmeiras poured cold water over Agua Santa’s fairytale dreams, while Atlético Goianiense and Atlético Mineiro also made additions to their trophy cabinets.

🇬🇷 Greece: Panathinaikos 2-0 Olympiacos

Four rounds into the championship play-offs in the Greek Super League, the title race is as close as it gets. Defending champions Olympiacos’ three-season streak is under real threat, as their eternal rivals Panathinaikos are looking to win their first league title since 2010.

The two faced off in what could well prove to be the most decisive fixture of the season, as Panathinaikos hosted Olympiacos. There was a somewhat new face in the away dugout, as sporting director José Anigo was taking charge of his second match for the visitors after Michel’s resignation on Monday.

Olympiacos started this match three points behind their rivals, so they were within overtaking range if they managed to come away with a win. Of course, the hosts had a very different idea of how they wanted this match to go, and it was they who prevailed.

Their Slovenian striker Andraž Šporar gave them the lead before the half-hour mark. A few minutes later, an own goal from Olympiacos’ frontman Youssef El-Arabi made the task all the more difficult for them, and they never looked like coming back from that. Panathinaikos were able to see out the win, pulling six points clear of their great rivals.

Ivan Jovanović’s side still do not have any room for slip-ups if they wish to win the title, because they are level on points with AEK Athens. Each of the top three will play each other again before the end of the season, so you can expect many more twists and turns in this title race.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 England: Wolverhampton Wanderers 1-0 Chelsea

It’s been a busy week at Chelsea, to say the least. Last Sunday, Graham Potter was sacked a couple of days after a loss at Aston Villa saw them slip into the bottom half of the Premier League table. Then, on Tuesday, Bruno Saltor took charge of their goalless draw with Liverpool. Frank Lampard watched that match from the stands, but he found himself on the touchline for the next one.

He was installed as the club’s caretaker manager until the end of the season on Thursday, exactly 800 days on from his sacking from the club in January 2021. This time, it appears that he has simply been brought in to steady the ship until the end of the season while the board carefully assess their next long-term pick. Nevertheless, he would obviously have been keen to impress with his side’s results and performances to perhaps throw his hat into the ring.

Unfortunately for him, things have not gotten off to a good start at all. The ex-Everton manager took his side to the Molineux Stadium on Saturday afternoon, where they faced relegation battlers Wolverhampton Wanderers. Matheus Nunes scored the only goal of the match just after the half-hour mark with a thunderous strike from a relatively tight angle, which also happened to be his first goal in a Wolves shirt.

Chelsea’s performance was quite disappointing and they never really threatened to equalise, so they failed to take anything away from the match yet again. That means they now have more defeats (11) than victories (10) in the Premier League this season, so it should be no surprise to see them on the second page of the standings.

Wolves may only be a couple of places behind them in the table, but the relegation battle is so tight that they still are only four points above the drop zone.

🇪🇸 Spain: Real Valladolid 3-3 Mallorca

There were a couple of managerial debuts in Spain as well this weekend. Luis García’s first match in charge of Espanyol ended in a defeat against Athletic Club, so our focus will be Paulo Pezzolano and Real Valladolid.

Valladolid are largely owned by Brazilian legend Ronaldo, who undoubtedly had a significant role to play in this appointment. Pezzolano’s last job was in Brazil at Cruzeiro, who were recently acquired by Ronaldo and won Serie B last season under Pezzolano, who was the first manager of their era with O Fenômeno at the helm.

He left the club in mid-March, presumably with the knowledge that the Valladolid job would be available soon. One match later, that proved to be the case as Pacheta departed after a 6-0 thrashing at the hands of Real Madrid, and in came the 39-year-old Uruguayan.

In his playing days, his only stint in LaLiga was a brief loan spell at Mallorca. As fate would have it, they would be his first opponents at the start of his managerial career in Spain. They would pose a tough test too, taking a two-goal lead in the first 15 minutes of the second half which Valladolid managed to overcome with what they thought was a winning goal in the 86th minute.

But, there was more drama in store for us in stoppage time. Canadian striker Cyle Larin conceded a penalty with a handball in the box, allowing Vedat Muriqi to equalise and rescue a point for the visitors. Valladolid will certainly be disappointed to not come away with the win, but they should take heart from their performance and the fact that they still are a couple of points above the relegation zone.

🇺🇸 MLS: Houston Dynamo 3-0 LA Galaxy

There is no relegation in MLS, which should be good news for 5-time winners LA Galaxy given their terrible start to the season. Having played six fixtures, they find themselves second from bottom in the Supporters’ Shield standings having failed to win a single match.

Their loss to Houston Dynamo was emblematic of their issues in some ways, as they caused their own problems with extremely silly decisions. The turning point of the match came in the 63rd minute when 36-year-old centre-back Martin Cáceres saw a second yellow card for bothering the referee mid-VAR review. The referee went on to award a penalty for the initial foul as well, allowing the hosts to add to their lead and comfortably see out the win.

This result not only adds pressure to the position of LA Galaxy manager Greg Vanney, but perhaps more importantly club president Chris Klein. Fan protests against him have strongly intensified this season, with all five fan groups uniting against him, and many boycotting matches too.

Given the Galaxy’s performances and results over recent years, fan dissatisfaction is quite understandable. They have only made the playoffs once in the last five seasons – their worst run since MLS’ inception in 1996. Supporters feel administrative decisions are to blame, but the tipping point came when Klein was suspended for the most recent transfer window after LA Galaxy were found guilty of violating financial rules in 2019. He faced no repercussions from the club, simply resuming his role as president when the season started.

The fact that almost every LA Galaxy fan has the same opinion of Klein should speak volumes of his popularity at Dignity Health Sports Park, so this is a situation worth keeping an eye on.

🇵🇹 Portugal: Benfica 1-2 Porto

Benfica did not enjoy a good Friday evening against their old rivals Porto, as O Clássico was the headline act in Portugal this weekend.

The Estádio da Luz was celebrating initially, not least because Benfica carried a 10-point lead at the top of the table into this game. The hosts also struck first as they took the lead in the 10th minute when Gonçalo Ramos’ header struck the crossbar but went in off the back of a flailing Diogo Costa.

Benfica could not hold that lead to the break, though, as a driven effort to the bottom corner from Mateus Uribe brought Porto level in the 45th minute. They then thought they had turned it around again before the break when Wenderson Galeno scored, but VAR ruled that goal out after finding an offside of a 6-centimetre margin.

Porto were undeterred by that call, as they went and completed the comeback less than 10 minutes into the second period through Mehdi Taremi. Sérgio Conceição’s side were able to keep things tight at the back thereafter and secured the win in a match of very few chances.

This was Benfica’s first defeat in 17 matches, but it most likely will not have a major impact on their season. They still have a seven-point buffer at the top of the league with as many fixtures left, so a first Primeira Liga title in four years remains within their reach.

Cover Image from IMAGO

Apr

2023

This Weekend: Bumper edition to take us through to Easter Monday

The best matches to follow this weekend

By Bill Biss

Saturday

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 There’s eight Premier League fixtures on the slate for Easter Saturday which should be enough to keep you busy. Manchester United and Everton get things underway in the early kick-off, a game that is important at both ends of the table, with United level on points with third-placed Newcastle, and Everton one of the nine teams separated by just seven points at the bottom.

In the afternoon kick-offs, the freshly re-appointed Frank Lampard takes caretaker charge of Chelsea for the first time as they look for a confidence boost at Wolves. That game comes at the start of a week where they must go to Real Madrid for the first leg of the Champions League quarter-finals.

Leicester City, the other side who sacked their manager last weekend, face Bournemouth, the team immediately above them in the relegation zone so that game looks particularly crucial for both clubs. As does the late kick-off, with both bottom side Southampton, and title-chasing Manchester City in need of three points. City could narrow the gap to leaders Arsenal to five, and avenge their surprise Carabao Cup defeat when these two last met, on the South Coast back in January.

Also of interest will be the battle between fifth-placed Spurs and sixth-placed Brighton, with the latter looking to sneak in to the European qualification places.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 In Scotland, where we’re three games away from the league split, Celtic and Rangers meet for the fourth time this season. The former hold a nine-point advantage over the latter with the two Glasgow giants currently on long unbeaten runs. Since bowing out of the Champions League at the end of the groups stages, Celtic have won 22 out of 23 league and cup games – the other match being a 2-2 draw at Rangers back in January. For their part, Rangers have lost just once in 20 since coach Michael Beale took over in December – that single defeat coming against Celtic in the League Cup Final.

Celtic are therefore unbeaten against their eternal rivals this season but where there’s mathmatical hope, there’s a way, and even if they can’t overhaul them, Rangers will want to delay Celtic’s title win for a long as possible. Either in this game. Or in their final league meeting still to come after the league split. And they also have the chance to stop Celtic winning a domestic treble when the two clash in the semi-finals of the Scottish Cup later this month.

🇩🇪 At the end of a week where the Bundesliga’s top three – Bayern, Dortmund, and Union Berlin, were all knocked out of the DFB Pokal at the quarter-finals stage, there’s a round of league games where the top four play one another. Freiburg are that fourth-placed side, and it was they who shocked Bayern in the cup, beating them for the first time ever in Munich thanks to a penalty scored by Lucas Höler, in injury time.

League leaders Bayern don’t have long to wait for revenge though, as they now visit Freiburg in the Black Forest on Saturday. With their win over Dortmund in the Klassiker last weekend, Bayern hold a slender two-point lead in the table as we head in to the weekend. There’s then a two point gap between second-placed Dortmund and Union Berlin in third. Something that could change when the two clash in what will be a massive game at the Signal Iduana Park.

🇮🇹 The main action in Serie A comes on Friday night, and therefore falls outside of the remit of this particular column! Head to your match feed in the app to get the low-down on the games between Salernitana and Inter, and Milan vs. Empoli. We’ll also see how leaders Napoli respond after that huge defeat, to Milan, when they go to Lecce.

Anyway, that leaves us with perhaps a bigger headline game on Saturday night as second-placed Lazio host Juventus. The Old Lady were held to a 1-1 draw by Inter in the first leg of the Coppa Italia semi-finals in the week but they have a good record against the blue half of Rome, unbeaten, as they are, in their last seven meetings.

🇪🇸 Real Madrid have scored 10 goals in two games played so far in April – and Karim Benzema has six of those to his names with back-to-back hat-tricks coming against Real Valladolid last weekend, and in the Copa Del Rey win over Barcelona during the week. And while that sequence of results might not win them anything in the league due to Barça’s hefty points advantage, it does set them up well for that Champions League quater-final mentioned, against Chelsea on Wednesday night. Before that however, Madrid must take on sixth placed Villarreal.

🇫🇷 French league leaders PSG slipped up, again, last weekend, losing 1-0 at home to Lyon. A result that had coach Christophe Galtier pleading with his squad to wake up and defend their league title. With Lens playing on Friday night, PSG’s lead in the table could be down to three points by the time they kick-off at Nice, in the Côte d’Azur, in Saturday’s late game.

🇺🇸 Our pick of this weekend’s round in MLS takes in a number of games involving the early season pacesetters. FC Cincinnati are the only remaining unbeaten side in the Eastern Conference, and they’ll test that with a home fixture against Philadelphia Union. Also, Atlanta United, the next best placed side in the East now face a trip to NYCFC.

Over in the West, defending champions LAFC play the unpredictable Austin FC, and the top two will meet as Seattle Sounders are the next side to face newcomers St. Louis City. The latter’s record breaking 100% start to their inaugural MLS season was brought to an abrupt end by Minnesota United last time out.

Sunday

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 They have actually saved a couple of Premier League games for Sunday, the first of which comes at Elland Road, between two clubs who’ve recently changed coach to good effect. In fact, Leeds United and Crystal Palace are now the two best placed sides in the aforementioned nine-way relegation battle. Leeds have lost two out of six games under Spanish coach Javi Gracia while Roy Hodgson returned to take charge of the Eagles and promptly snapped their 12-game winless run, at home, to Leicester in his first game back.

Then, the final game of the weekend sees two giants of the Big Six clash at Anfield. Okay, so Liverpool will start outside of the current top six but this has the pedigree of a top flight rivalry that goes back decades in the English game. Jürgen Klopp’s side looked poor in defeat to Bournemouth, then Man City, before the midweek draw at Chelsea, but have proved capable of taking apart a big name, or two, over the course of the season. Should Arsenal survive this test then surely we’ll be taking about when will they win the title, not if? The Gunners have won each of their last seven league games, a run in which they’ve scored 23 goals and come in to this one off the back of two straight 4-1 wins – against Palace and Leeds.

🇪🇸 In La Liga, Diego Simeone’s Atlético Madrid are aiming to lock down third place as quickly as possible. They go in to their game at Rayo Vallecano hoping to extend their current unbeaten run in to double figures having only dropped points twice during that time – drawing at home to Getafe and away at Real Madrid. For their part, Rayo are without a win in seven but remain an outside bet for a place in the top six come the end of the season.

🇧🇷 There’s plenty of excitement on offer in Brazil on Sunday as a selection of the biggest State Championships come to a head.

The second leg of the Carioca, the Rio State competition sees Flamengo start with a 2-0 goal advantage against old rivals Fluminense in a Fla-Flu Derby that will be played at the World famous Maracanã stadium. Not to be outdone, Atlético Mineiro have a slender advantage over city rivals América, with the second leg of the Mineiro championship starting with the aggregate score at 3-2. But perhaps the biggest game of all comes in the Paulista. Here, regional minnows Agua Santa go up against last year’s national champions Palmeiras having beaten them 2-1 in the first leg! They won’t be expected to hold on for what would be a famous trophy win but Palmeiras have also had to endure a gruelling Copa Libertadores trip to Bolivia during the week, where they lost, so you never know. You never know!

Monday

🇪🇸 Barcelona have to wait until Monday to exercise any remaining demons from that humiliating Clásico defeat, at home, in the Copa Del Rey during the week. Their 12-point, possibly 9-point cushion, at the top of LaLiga come kick-off, should go someway to easing the mood but Xavi won’t want to rest on his laurels. Nothing but three points against mid-table Girona will do.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 In the EFL Championship, England’s second tier, Burnley and Sheffield United have been head and shoulders above the rest of the division for the majority of the season and they now face each other at Turf Moor. Burnley more so – under the stewardship of Vincent Kompany – but The Blades have battled through some tough runs and remain six points clear of the sides below them in the play-off places.

Automatic promotion for both is the aim then and Burnley could have secured that by the time you’re reading this article. Or shortly afterwards! That depends on results elsewhere on Friday, and should Burnley beat third placed Middlesbrough, whom they face on Friday evening.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 And in Wales, there’s possibly an even more eagerly awaited clash between title rivals. Wrexham, supercharged by their A-List backers, Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney – and the goals of Paul Mullin – finally meet Notts County, who are fired on by their own in-form marksmen, the 40-goal-man, Macauley Langstaff. The two have been neck-and-neck at the top of the National League, England’s fifth tier, all season, fighting for the one automatic promotion place to the football league and both clubs are set to finish on record breaking point and goals tallies in this, the final month of the campaign.

At the time of writing (both also play on today – Friday) it’s home side Wrexham who have a three point advantage with six games to play, one more than Notts County’s five.

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, Facebook and Instagram to discuss all the important football going on this weekend!

Cover Image from IMAGO

Apr

2023

Serie A Review: Napoli vs. Milan and thoughts on the Derby d’Italia

Our regular Serie A expert gives his first person account of being pitchside for Milan’s 4-0 triumph at Napoli and we take a look at the first leg of the Coppa Italia semi-final between Juventus and Inter.

By Matteo Bonetti, US Serie A expert

Napoli 0-4 Milan

As a commentator and analyst for Serie A with CBS in the United States, it’s a rare treat to be able to travel to Italy and cover matches from the ground. With Napoli vs. Milan slated to play three important games in the space of 16 days, we were sent to the south of Italy to cover the Serie A edition of a game that turned out to have the most unexpected twist. The day before the game, we were able to meet with Napoli manager Luciano Spalletti in his office to discuss the biggest topics from his team’s season. I asked him if he knew straight away that Kvicha Kvaratskhelia was going to be special, and he said that not only could you see the talent at first glance, but his mentality was instantly evident too.

Moving on to the actual game – Milan’s 4-0 drubbing of the Partenopei was a reminder that the reigning Scudetto champions still have glimpses of the magic they displayed for the entirety of last season. The former league MVP also rolled back the months after an inconsistent 2022/23 campaign – Rafael Leão had his best game of the season, scoring a terrific brace and looking like the unplayable one-on-one force that made him such a star last season.

Napoli on the other hand were unrecognisable. It seemed like they finally let their foot off the gas with their massive 16 point lead at the top of the table. The two defenders Amir Rrahmani and Kim Min-Jae were disastrous, beaten easily by Milan’s flair players. Napoli’s midfield, normally a source of possession and dominance, were completely outclassed by Milan. It was Sandro Tonali that took over that part of the pitch and was a decisive box-to-box presence with his interceptions, physicality and ball playing. Milan’s manager Stefano Pioli opted to play three central midfielders, with Ismael Bennacer a bit further forward as a no.10, the Algerian’s forward role was actually employed for defensive purposes, as it meant he’d be plastered all over Napoli’s deep-lying playmaker Stanislav Lobotka. With Lobotka smothered for much of the game, it meant Napoli’s defenders suddenly didn’t have their usual outlet in the middle and were forced to pass the ball out wide where the possession seemed to die off for the hosts.

Napoli have given themselves the luxury of being able to afford these losses in Serie A. Their hefty lead means the Scudetto hopes aren’t at all fazed by a result like this. What’s potentially worrying though, are the psychological aspects of such a shocking loss at home. How will this mostly young group of players bounce back in the biggest game of their lives next week after having endured that type of basing? Napoli now play a full strength Milan squad in the Champions League quarterfinals.

While they didn’t have their star striker and leading Serie A goal scorer Victor Osimhen available for the Milan match in Serie A, he should be fit enough to be involved in the European battles. Osimhen fundamentally changes the way a defence has to play Napoli – he’s devastating on the counter and if you play a low block he’s then going to show off his lethal heading ability. While Napoli hadn’t lost any of their seven matches this season without Osimhen prior to the game over the weekend, they just don’t pose the same threat with Gio Simeone leading the line. However, Napoli manager Luciano Spalletti made sure to reiterate in the days leading up to the Milan match that his club was not Osimhen-dependent, that you need an entire unit to be able to play the way they have this season.

For Milan, it’ll be interesting to see what Stefano Pioli does from a formation standpoint. He was forced to go back to a 4-2-3-1 in the Napoli game and abandon his new 3-5-2 after an injury to centre-back Pierre Kalulu. It would be shocking if Pioli decided to change back to the more conservative shape after his team put four past the best team in Serie A. The good news for Milan fans is that Pioli has shown the ability to adapt with his side and change tactics throughout the course of the season when required.

Inter’s deficiencies on show despite draw

The first leg of the Derby D’Italia edition of the Coppa Italia semi-finall ended 1-1 between Juventus and Inter on Tuesday. It was a game that once again highlighted some of the recent deficiencies of Inter’s play under manager Simone Inzaghi.

The Nerazzurri attack has been a nightmare recently. In their last five matches, Inter have scored no goals from open play. Their only two goals have come from Romelu Lukaku penalties. Only a few days after losing 1-0 to Fiorentina in the league (in a game where a Romelu Lukaku miss from point blank range made the news worldwide via every troll account), Inter continued their poor form up top, as Lautaro Martínez was voted the worst player in the match against Juve. Lautaro has only scored once in his last eight games, a record that has become the norm for the streaky Inter striker who can score a goal-a-game for a few months and then go on these long-term dry patches. Lautaro’s form wouldn’t be as much of an issue if the other important players were stepping up, but they haven’t been. Lukaku is a shadow of his former self and won’t be playing in Serie A for much longer when he goes back to Chelsea this summer.

The issue with Inzaghi’s team is that he’s unwilling to change anything. The manager has stubbornly stuck with his 3-5-2 and hasn’t shown any interest is trying some new things from a tactical standpoint in an effort to light a fire under the team. The team really lacks a creative dribbler to break down an opponent that defends deep, so often times the solution is to spam crosses into the box or try shots from distance rather than quicker, intricate play in-between the lines.

Anyway, Inter were partially saved by a Bremer handball in the dying minutes which gave Inter the chance to equalise, and chaos ensued shortly after Lukaku scored his penalty. Lukaku went to silence the Juventus supporters and was red carded for “excessive celebration”, prompting a melee between him and Juan Cuadrado. The fight reportedly spilled into the tunnel after the final whistle with other players involved from both sides.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

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Apr

2023

LaLiga Review: Barcelona and Madrid both win big ahead of another Clásico

Let’s review the latest round of action in the Spanish top flight AND look ahead to tonight’s Copa Del Rey clash between Real Madrid and Barcelona – the fourth time they’ve met in El Clásico already this year.

By Ben Hayward, LaLiga expert

Barça still 12 clear ahead of the Clásico

Barcelona have won their last three matches against Real Madrid and warmed up for today’s Copa del Rey semi-final second leg at Camp Nou by beating bottom club Elche in LaLiga on Saturday.

Robert Lewandowski scored twice, his first goals since February, while there were also morale-boosting strikes for two players who have struggled in recent times: Ansu Fati and Ferran Torres.

The 4-0 win ensured Barça stayed 12 points clear at the top of the table, while Elche remain rooted to the bottom of LaLiga with just 13 picked up all season.

Gavi played for 68 minutes and Elche have launched an appeal against his selection, according to Cadena COPE, believing that the midfielder was ineligible after his contract renewal was not registered by LaLiga due to the competition’s financial regulations.

It seems unlikely that Barcelona will be docked points, but the Catalans have a big advantage anyway,

Barça have a 1-0 lead going into the second leg of their Copa semi-final, but Xavi said on Tuesday that he still sees Madrid as favourites.

“I have the feeling that, when we play over two legs against Real Madrid, it’s really difficult,” he said. “How long has it been since they lost over two legs? That’s why I still think they are favourites, despite the scoreline. The pressure is on them.”

Real Madrid need a reaction against Barcelona

In a way, Xavi is right. While Barcelona are on for a domestic treble, having won the Supercopa in January and all but wrapped up LaLiga, Real Madrid’s hopes of ending the season with a major trophy are diminishing.

Los Blancos are still in the Champions League, of course, but face a tough route to the trophy with either Bayern Munich or Manchester City in wait if they make it past Chelsea in the quarter-finals.

That leaves the Copa del Rey, a trophy Real have not won since 2014. Coach Carlo Ancelotti surely needs to win either the Copa or the Champions League to extend his second spell to a third season in charge, and there is pressure on Los Blancos to beat Barcelona after three straight defeats in El Clásico.

Madrid thrashed Real Valladolid 6-0 in LaLiga at the Santiago Bernabéu on Sunday and they were boosted by a timely return to form for striker Karim Benzema, who hit a hat-trick in six and a half minutes late in the opening period.

Rodrygo, Marco Asensio and Lucas Vázquez were also on target in a big win for Los Blancos, the latter on his 300th appearance for the club.

Real have been narrowly beaten in each of the last two Clásico clashes: a 1-0 defeat at home in the first leg of the Copa and a 2-1 loss in added time at Camp Nou.

“We want to play a complete match,” Ancelotti said in his pre-match press conference. “I don’t think we did too badly in the last two, but tomorrow it’s our turn to win.”

Correa’s wonder goal keeps Atlético run going

Atlético Madrid looked like they might be frustrated at home to Real Betis on Sunday, but Ángel Correa claimed all three points for the Rojiblancos with a wonderful winner after 86 minutes.

The Argentine attacker, who replaced Thomas Lemar just short of the hour mark, beat several Betis defenders with some sublime skill before finishing past goalkeeper Rui Silva to make a spectacular late breakthrough at the Metropolitano.

“We needed something different against Betis’ low block and Correa has that,” coach Diego Simene said. “He always wants the ball, he’s always participating. He had the cool head we always see in training.”

The win keeps Atlético in third as their fine form continues, five points adrift of Real Madrid but six ahead of fourth-placed Real Sociedad, beaten 2-0 by Villarreal. The Yellow Submarine are still sixth, just a point behind Betis now.

Valencia still in trouble

Valencia are out of the bottom three on goal difference after their 1-1 draw at home to Rayo Vallecano on Monday night, but the Mestalla-based club are level on points with Espanyol (18th) and Almería (19th) with 11 rounds remaining. Espanyol were beaten 2-1 by Girona and have since parted company with coach Diego Martínez, with former midfielder Luis García now in charge.

Sevilla won 2-0 at Cádiz and climb to 13th, but the Andalusians are still just four points clear of the drop zone. It was a win for new coach José Luis Mendilibar in his first game in charge and a first away from home for the club in almost six months.

Getafe, Cádiz and Valladolid are all still in danger, but Celta Vigo are up to 10th after picking up seven points from the last nine available. They face Sevilla next at the Sánchez Pizjuán.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

You can follow every match from the 2022/23 LaLiga season live with FotMob — featuring deep stats coverage including shot maps, xG, and player ratings. Download the free app here.