There were more twists in the title race this weekend and a number of surprise results across the entire Premier League. Here, we look at the more significant ones.
Manchester City put on a finishing clinic against Arsenal during the mid-week clash between the two title challengers. It felt as though they were about to go on one of their yearly winning runs but their finishing deserted them at the City Ground.
City missed more big chances (5) than Nottingham Forest had shots (4). Yet for all of their domination, the away side couldn’t claim all three points. Bernardo Silva opened the scoring just before the break but the visitors couldn’t build on that. Kaylor Navas made five saves on the day as on-loan Newcastle United striker Chris Wood found an equaliser with the home side’s only shot on target.
Pep Guardiola’s side are now two points off the top having played a game more.
The resolve of future Champions
Arsenal were winless in four heading to Villa Park and found themselves behind after just five minutes. Buyako Saka equalised but they weren’t level for long, with Philippe Coutinho putting the hosts ahead yet again just after the half-hour mark.
Oleksandr Zinchencko levelled it up after an hour and then it was just an Arsenal onslaught. The away side racked up an xG of 3.28 and created five big chances. Aston Villa, on the other hand, created chances worth just 0.51 xG.
Arsenal needed a bit of luck to finally take the lead in stoppage time with Jorginho’s long-range effort cannoning back off the bar before hitting Emiliano Martínez and going in. Gabriel Martinelli then added gloss to the scoreline when he tapped it an empty goal following the Villa goalkeeper’s decision to push up for a corner.
The Gunners came from behind twice before finding a winner in added time. A sure sign of future champions. It was a rather emphatic way to bring their winless streak to an end.
Ending the streak
Newcastle United welcomed Liverpool to St James’ Park looking to avenge their only defeat of the season. The Reds needed an injury-time winner in August to beat the Magpies and following that Eddie Howe’s men had been on a 17-match unbeaten run.
A win for the hosts would’ve seen them open up a 12-point lead over Jürgen Klopp’s struggling team in the race for a top-four place. However, the Toon Army now find themselves just six points ahead of the Merseysiders having played a game more.
The game was over after 22 minutes. Darwin Núñez and Cody Gakpo had both got their names on the scoresheet before Nick Pope was sent off for handling outside his penalty area. It was an odd game after that with both sides having chances, big ones at that, with the Reds not really dictating things despite their one man advantage.
The unlikeliest of scorers
Seamus Coleman scored what turned out to be the winner as Everton leapfrogged Leeds United out of the relegation places. The right-back claimed to have meant it and who are we to say otherwise? His Maicon-like finish was the deciding factor in a game that the Toffees deserved to win.
Sean Dyche’s side had a superior Expected Goals haul (1.47 to 0.54), had more shots and created more big chances (two to one). Managerless Leeds just couldn’t get going and now find themselves just a point off the bottom of the league.
Another defeat for Chelsea
In the 10 games played since the turn of the year, Chelsea have won just one. Defeat to Southampton on Saturday now means the Blues have lost exactly half of their matches in 2023 and find themselves in purgatory. They are 11 points off of the Champions League places but also just 11 points off of the relegation zone.
The deadlock was broken by yet another James Ward-Prowse free-kick before Chelsea spurned a number of opportunities. It has been the story of their season under Graham Potter who now appears to be on borrowed time at Stamford Bridge.
Rashford’s run continues
Another game for Manchester United, another goal for Marcus Rashford. Since returning from the World Cup, the Man United No.10 has 16 goals across all competitions in just 17 appearances. He’s also chipped in with four assists during this period, stepping up to be the main man for the Old Trafford side following the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo.
His double against Leicester City now means he’s scored in five successive matches for the second time during this purple patch. He really is unstoppable.
(Images from IMAGO)
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This week we discuss the chances that Napoli could take their domestic form in to the Champions League, how Milan had to change in order to break their bad form and just how bad are winless Cremonese?
Napoli’s Scudetto chances now look like a foregone conclusion. They have a 15 point lead over Inter, they play the best football in the league by a large margin and have shown the ability to deal with injuries because of the strength in depth from last summer’s transfer market.
Now there’s a few whispers about whether they can really pull off the unthinkable: A Champions League victory. They’re heavily favoured against German opposition Eintracht Frankfurt, who currently sit outside the top four in the Bundesliga. It also feels like Napoli have absolutely nothing to lose – they weren’t expected to finish in the top four in Serie A and just getting out of the UCL group stages would’ve felt like a victory to fans before the season. Now they have to be included as one of the teams who can truly cause an upset in Europe’s most prestigious club competition. While they don’t have the overall talent, or wage bill of the state owned super teams, they play a brand of football that is as effective as anyone in Europe. There’s no weaknesses in the team either, they defend well, hold possession even better, and have one of the best attacks in the world with the currently unstoppable duo of Kvicha Kvaratshkelia and Victor Osimhen.
It’s hard to think of a way to stop this attack. If you sit deep in a low block, Osimhen can dominate in the aerial game. If you play a more modern brand of football and bring the defensive line high up the pitch, then the Nigerian striker becomes one of the most feared counter attacking threats. The quality and diversity of the midfield has proven to have the perfect balance in games, with Stanislav Lobotka sitting in front of the defence and organising, while Piotr Zielinski and Zambo Angiussa break up play and join the attack. It would be madness to suggest that Napoli are anywhere near favourites to win the Champions League, but it seems naive to not mention that they have a puncher’s chance in the competition.
Milan finally win with their new look formation
Milan’s new year from hell has been put on pause as the Rossoneri finally broke their seven game winless streak that saw them play some of the worst football in recent memory. Milan were able to beat Torino 1-0, in a display that wasn’t aesthetically pleasing but got an all important result in the tight race for a top four finish. With manager Stefano Pioli increasingly on the hot seat, he was forced to make a drastic switch with the formation to make the team more defensively sound and balanced. The attacking 4-2-3-1 was scrapped for a more balanced 3-5-2.
In hindsight, the move makes sense given that two of the three players behind the striker have been unconvincing. Charles De Ketelaere is still a mystery and Brahim Díaz is too inconsistent to be relied upon as the no.10. At right wing, the situation isn’t any better – both Junior Messias and Alexis Saelemaekers don’t look to have enough quality to hold a spot in Milan’s frontline. The answer to this is to simply remove both positions and play an extra central midfielder. Another play that should theoretically benefit from the tactical change is Theo Hernández. The French full-back is one of the best going forward, but can be caught out defensively. With a back three, the idea is Theo has more licence to do what he does best while knowing he has an extra centre-back behind him to provide cover as he makes his signature coast-to-coast runs into the final third.
The question will now be whether or not Pioli sticks with this new formation. There are massive games coming up for the Rossoneri. A Champions League clash against Tottenham is first on the menu, with Antonio Conte’s side having recently lost 4-1 to Leicester City in the Premier League. This looks like an ideal game to stick with a back three and mirror Conte’s tactics. Spurs have loads of quality in the final third which could’ve been problematic for a Milan defence that suddenly forgot some of the basic principles of defending in 2023. Another bit of good news for Milan is they’re getting two starters back from injury, Ismaël Bennacer and Fikayo Tomori. While Tomori has had a rough start to the new year, his characteristics as a defender could be vital against Tottenham’s attack. He’s very fast and even more aggressive with his pressing, which could make life difficult for Harry Kane to settle the ball with his back to goal. Bennacer is also pivotal to carry out Pioli’s instructions. He’s the best passer in Milan’s team and will be very important in their quest to win the possession game in the midfield at San Siro.
Cremonese’s Demise
Recently promoted Cremonese are on the path to setting their own record – historically the worst team ever in Serie A from a statistical standpoint. It’s a tough task to match the futility shown from Ancona’s 2003-04 season. Ancona finished that campaign with 13 points in total, going winless between September to April in a stretch that saw them pick up 21 losses and seven draws. Cremonese currently have eight draws and 14 losses, but that’s where the similarities stop with that horrid Ancona team. The Lombard minnows actually play decent football, and recently knocked out both Napoli (a heavily rotated Neapolitan team, it must be said) and then Roma in the Coppa Italia. This improbable cup run makes little sense considering their domestic form, where they try to play their brand of football but are too often let down by the lack of Serie A experience in their squad.
The team has some interesting prospects – right wingback Leonardo Sernicola looks quite tricky going forward and definitely has a future in Serie A, while top scorer David Okereke has already proven last season, with relegated Venezia, that he’s capable enough to lead the line for a top flight team – maybe all he needs is more quality around him to take the next step.
As it stands, manager Davide Ballardini (who is no stranger to being in this position) has a monumental task if he’s to save Cremonese from relegation. They’re currently 11 points from salvation, and look destined to drop back to Serie B, which is where they’ve spent the majority of their time in the 21st century.
(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.
The action continued for the majority of the top clubs in Spain, and there was positive news for most, while Real Madrid were away winning another major trophy. We’ll review all of the weekend’s top stories here.
Barcelona have moved provisionally 11 points clear at the top of LaLiga after beating Villarreal 1-0 at the Estadio de la Cerámica on Sunday night. Pedri’s first-half goal was the winner for the Catalan club as a strong defence once again proved key.
This was Barça’s 16th clean sheet in 21 LaLiga games this season and although there have been some shaky moments, that is an impressive stat, and one which goes a long way to explaining their superiority in the competition.
Pedri’s goal came after a lovely one-two with Robert Lewandowski and the young Spain star has been responsible for 10 points for Barcelona all on his own in LaLiga this season. “He’s at a very high level,” Xavi said.
At the back, Ronald Araújo was also at a high level in perhaps his best-ever game for Barcelona. “He’s an extraordinary defender, a great corrector,” Xavi said. “He has improved on the ball more than anyone else in the team.”
Barcelona created more overall but Villarreal also had a couple of very good chances and saw a late effort ruled out for a clear offside. “I think the fairest thing would have been a draw,” coach Quique Setien said.
Real Madrid win Club World Cup
Real Madrid’s involvement in the FIFA Club World Cup meant there was no LaLiga fixture for Los Blancos at the weekend. Instead, the European champions faced Saudi Arabian side Al Hilal in Morocco and claimed the trophy courtesy of a 5-3 win.
Vinicíus Júnior and Fede Valverde scored two apiece, with Karim Benzema also on target as Madrid made it five FIFA Club World Cups in eight editions. Carlo Ancelotti has been in charge for two of those and this was a ninth trophy in total for the Italian as Real coach.
“We are improving and this title will give us a boost to fight for everything that is left, which is what we are going to do,” Ancelotti said after the match.
The 63-year-old also reiterated his hopes of staying at Madrid, having dismissed reports last week that he will become Brazil’s coach at the end of the season. “I won’t leave here until they kick me out!” he said.
Madrid’s Champions League last-16 first-leg meeting with Liverpool does not take place this week, so Los Blancos will play their outstanding LaLiga fixture at home to Elche on Wednesday night.
Depay off the mark for Atlético with late winner
Memphis Depay’s first goal since signing for Atlético Madrid from Barcelona in January gave the Rojiblancos a smash-and grab victory at Balaidos on Sunday, but Celta Vigo will wonder how they lost it.
The Galicians did everything but score as Iago Aspas crashed a free-kick against the bar and Jan Oblak somehow got back to clear the ball off the line after he had allowed another shot from the Spain striker to slip through his grasp.
Atlético were also on the back foot after a Stefan Savić red card late in the game, but went on to win as substitute Depay span and scuffed an effort into the net after 89 minutes to claim all three points for the visitors.
“We weren’t as precise as we wanted to be, but the team reacted [after the red card] and we played the game we had to play,” Simeone said.
Meanwhile, Celta’s Haris Seferovic summed up the home side’s frustrations. “We played a good game in attack and defence,” he said. “But luck wasn’t on our side.”
Real Sociedad get back to winning ways
After three games without a win (two in LaLiga), Real Sociedad were back on song at Espanyol in the competition’s Monday night match, beating the Barcelona-based club 3-2 at the RCDE Stadium.
The Basques completely dominated for the opening hour or so and went 3-0 up through Take Kubo, Alexander Sørloth and a Leandro Cabrera own goal. That last one was unfortunate for Espanyol, but Real Sociedad could have been out of sight by that point.
Espanyol did pull two back late on through Sergi Darder and Brian Oliván, but many of their fans had already left by then.
Real Sociedad are third, four ahead of Atlético in fourth, with Real Betis another four further back in fifth after beating Almería 3-2. Rayo Vallecano fall a place to sixth after a 1-1 draw at Getafe.
Valencia drop in to the bottom three as fans protest
Perhaps the biggest story of all came at Mestalla, where Valencia fans staged a mass protest outside the ground on Saturday night against owner Peter Lim ahead of their game against Athletic Club.
Thousands of supporters took part in the demonstration and fans inside the stadium later voiced their discontent as well following a series of catastrophic seasons under the ownership of the Singaporean businessman.
Valencia took the lead against Athletic through Samu Castillejo, but goals from Nico Williams and Oihan Sancet saw Athletic clinch victory and condemned the home side to a sixth defeat in seven matches.
The other game in that sequence was a draw, meaning Valencia have just a point from 21 since the World Cup break and that run leaves the club in the drop zone, with relegation now a very real threat.
“I feel strong,” interim coach Voro said after the match. “I’m clear about what the team needs.” Meanwhile, Valencia are reportedly set to appoint a new full-time manager this week. Tough job.
(Images from IMAGO)
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Shock results and statement victories, it was just another normal Premier League weekend during this memorable 2022/23 campaign. So let’s take a look at some of the biggest talking points.
Leicester City followed up their 4-2 win over Aston Villa with a 4-1 victory against Champions League hopefuls Spurs.
It wasn’t quite as emphatic as the scoreline suggested with the Foxes finishing the game with an Expected Goals total of just 1.68. However, a combination of smart finishing and some questionable goalkeeping allowed the hosts to add gloss to the final score.
The star of the show was, yet again, Kelechi Iheanacho. The Leicester forward, given the nod ahead of Jamie Vardy and Patson Daka, scored and assisted for a second successive match. His 8.7 FotMob rating was more than deserved with the 26-year-old finally finding his groove this season.
The end of the Nathan Jones era
Southampton sacked Nathan Jones following the 2-1 loss to Wolves on Saturday, though the former Luton boss will no doubt feel hard done by.
The Saints took the lead at St Mary’s and their new-look attack impressed. Kamaldeen Sulemana completed eight dribbles and looked a considerable threat while Paul Onuachu won the most duels (11).
January signing Carlos Alcaraz scored his first goal for the club and it felt like a matter of when and not if a second would be added following the dismissal of former Southampton midfielder Mario Lemina.
However, Wolves made changes and got lucky after Jan Bednarek bundled the ball into his own goal. João Gomes scored the winner – his first for the club – in what was something of a smash and grab.
But this is a results business and Jones was dismissed.
A sting in Arsenal’s tail
The Gunners needed a reaction following the loss to Everton last weekend.
Unfortunately for them, they didn’t get it. Despite taking the lead, Arsenal couldn’t see the game out for all three points against Brentford and their lead at the top of the table has now been cut.
It isn’t all doom and gloom at the Emirates but it is a second successive match in which Arsenal have lost the Expected Goals battle. They’ve dominated the ball but have struggled to turn that into high value opportunities. Both Everton and Brentford limited Arsenal and opted to cede possession to control the space.
If it continues to happen, it will be a concern. It is on Arteta to come up with a way to turn possession into goals, while controlling space defensively.
Back to winning ways for Liverpool
The Reds welcomed Everton to Anfield needing a win following three successive Premier League matches without one.
Thiago was ruled out earlier in the week but Liverpool did welcome back Virgil van Dijk, Roberto Firmino and Diogo Jota to the bench. With places in the starting XI under threat, those on the pitch responded.
Jürgen Klopp’s side romped to a 2-0 win in what was one of their most one-sided matches this season. Liverpool racked up an xG of 2.19 to Everton’s 0.28.
With the cavalry now back, this could be used as a springboard for a surprise top four push.
City hit back
There is currently lot of emphasis on what has happened at Manchester City off of the pitch. The focus was certainly on that heading into their clash against Aston Villa and it could’ve been a distraction.
It wasn’t.
City capitalised on Arsenal’s dropped points, hitting three first half goals to all but kill the game off before the break.
Rodri bossed the game for the hosts. He opened the scoring in the fourth minute, created four chances, completed all of his dribbles and recovered the ball on seven occasions in what was a Man of the Match performance.
(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.
It’s Monday, and therefore a fine time to wrap up all the major action from this weekend. We have picked out six of the biggest in our column, including some top-of-the-table clashes in Germany and Portugal, a loss leading to a sacking in England and some records being broken in India.
Among the top five men’s leagues in Europe, the gap between the top four is the smallest in the Bundesliga – by some margin.
Union Berlin’s visit to RB Leipzig had symbolic ramifications on much more than a potential title race or at least top four race. Yes, Union were a point off Bayern going into the weekend but Leipzig seemed their closest contenders having picked up the most points in the league and remained unbeaten at home since Marco Rose took charge.
It is no secret that everyone is a bit tired of Bayern Munich’s domination in the Bundesliga, yet almost all fans of the league would rather see them win the next 10 league titles than witness RB Leipzig lift even one. The reason behind that is very well-documented – Leipzig are exempt from the 50+1 rule which promotes fan ownership in Germany, and it is this exception that has allowed Red Bull to pump money into the club to go from not existing in 2007 to becoming Champions League regulars now.
The only common trait Union Berlin share with RB Leipzig is that they are both based in regions that formerly made up East Germany. They are polar opposites in almost every other regard, though, as they are fully fan-owned, have a rich history and operate on a tight budget. They represent a community, while RB Leipzig represent a brand.
On the pitch, the hosts struck first through Benjamin Henrichs, taking a deserved lead into the break. But everyone knew that the match was far from done because Union roared back in the second half as they always seem to do. Janik Haberer equalised with a thunderous strike in the 61st minute, before Robin Knoche scored from the spot 10 minutes later to win a match which produced one of the most unique shotmaps out there.
That was Leipzig’s first loss in 19 matches in all competitions and first at home under Rose, and it has caused them to drop out of the top four. Union remain hot on the heels of Bayern Munich with six wins from six since the World Cup break, four of which have involved winning from a losing position.
Just a couple of weeks after the two sides met for the League Cup final, Sporting and Porto went at it again in the league.
Porto emerged victorious in that match to lift their first-ever Taça da Liga trophy, but Sporting must have felt quite hard done by the result as their performance was pretty good. On that basis, they would have hoped to come away with a little more in the league fixture.
But, Sérgio Conceição had a trick up his sleeve. In that League Cup final, Sporting found a fair bit of joy overloading Porto’s back-four with a front five created by the wing-backs pushing high up. They would have planned to do the same in this game and would have been pleased to see the visitors line up in their usual 4-4-2 formation, but it became more of a back-five out of possession as left midfielder Wenderson Galeno was asked to track Héctor Bellerín.
In this way, Porto were able to neutralise their opponents’ attack so Rúben Amorim realised he had to respond. He made a bold decision in the 35th minute by hooking summer signing Francisco Trincão and sending on an extra striker in Paulinho, switching to a 3-5-2 in the process.
The way Sporting usually operate in possession is that one of the two central midfielders in the 3-4-3 formation moves central and frees up the other to drift around or get forward, so they have a 3-1 base structure. This did not change with the mid-game switch to the 3-5-2, but the dynamics of their attack did. This proved to be to their detriment at the end of the day, because they did not really seem to click in the final third.
Porto took the lead at the hour-mark through Mateus Uribe and went on to double it in stoppage-time thanks to Pepê. The match was all wrapped up by then, so Youssef Chermiti’s last-minute goal was mere consolation. Regardless, Sporting slumped 10 points behind their rivals.
They are eight points behind third-placed Braga too, so Champions League qualification is looking like a tough ask for them. The title is already well out of question because they are closer to the bottom half of the table than leaders and city rivals Benfica.
Paris Saint-Germain’s build-up to their big Champions League reunion with Bayern Munich has been far from ideal. They will go into that match on Tuesday with just two wins from five, including back-to-back losses. First, they suffered elimination from the Coupe de France at the hands of rivals Marseille before losing to Monaco in the league on Saturday.
Moreover, they have a number of major injury concerns too. Renato Sanches and Nordi Mukiele are definitely going to be sitting that game out, but more importantly, the availability of Marco Verratti, Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappé is unclear. That trio was not even with the squad in the principality, where other key players such as Achraf Hakimi, Presnel Kimpembe, Sergio Ramos and Nuno Mendes were given some rest on the bench.
That rather backfired, as Monaco outplayed their visitors and came away with a dominant victory. Aleksandr Golovin took just four minutes to open the scoring, and it was 2-0 18 minutes in after Wissam Ben Yedder profited from a mistake by teenage centre-back El Chadaille Bitshiabu. 16-year-old Warren Zaïre-Emery pulled one back close to half-time, but Ben Yedder restored Monaco’s two-goal cushion just before the referee blew the whistle.
PSG sent on a couple of their big guns for the second half, but it was too little too late by then. Monaco comfortably saw out the win, which was thoroughly deserved on every count.
There are major questions to be raised about the squad depth at PSG, but we should also give credit where it is due, to Monaco. After a bit of an underwhelming start to the season, they have more than recovered since the World Cup break with six wins and two draws from eight games. That has lifted them up to third place, just a couple of points behind Marseille.
Southampton fans might not have liked Nathan Jones, but social media administrators must have loved him because he guaranteed at least one bizarre quote per press conference guaranteed to go viral.
Sadly, we won’t be getting many more of them in the foreseeable future as he was sacked after Southampton’s loss to Wolves, a result which has left them three points adrift at the bottom of the table.
The Saints have been performing very poorly of late but a cursory glance at the match stats shows that they were edged out in a close game.
The trouble, however, is that one team had a player sent off in the 27th minute. Moreover, they were leading at the time too, so they would have been expected to see out the win comfortably. Based on those statistics, one might sensibly guess that Southampton were the team with a numerical disadvantage for more than an hour, which would explain their lower possession.
To be fair, the player who saw that second yellow card did play for Southampton, but that was a few years ago. Mario Lemina has since been at Galatasaray, Fulham and Nice before joining Wolves in January – so it was the visitors who looked down and out at the half-hour mark having conceded to Carlos Alcaraz a few minutes prior.
According to Jones, though, this was the turning point. In his post-match interview, he was quoted saying, “The 10 men was to our detriment because it made it a free hit for them.” Wolves certainly made the most of that by equalising through an own goal in the 72nd minute before winning it late on thanks to debutante João Gomes’ strike.
Jones’ departure seemed imminent even before the match due to previous results and tensions with the supporters, but this disastrous defeat expedited the process. The Saints will now be searching for a saviour to avoid ending their decade-long stint in England’s top flight.
While the regular group stage in the second division drew to a close in Belgium, this also was a big weekend in the Pro League as there were two matches between the top four.
These two sides recently faced off in the cup around this time last month, when Antwerp put three past Genk and knocked them out. Since then, the leaders had won all but one of their league matches, but cracks were seemingly appearing. After the deadline day departure of Paul Onuachu to Southampton, Wouter Vrancken’s side could only manage a 1-1 draw at Eupen and just about edged out Gent in a five-goal thriller.
Yira Sor and Toluwalase Arokodare both scored in that match as both aim to take over the starting striker spot, but it was Antwerp loanee Mbwana Samatta who got the nod in this match. He could not get on the end of much in this match, but the one attempt he had was a pretty good chance early on that went well wide. His side definitely looked better in the first half, and would have been disappointed to go into the break on level terms.
They would be made to rue their missed chances even more in the second half as Gyano Kerk gave Antwerp the lead before the hour-mark. That proved to be enough to separate the two sides at the full-time whistle, so the visitors closed the gap between the sides down to 12 points.
The gap at the top may seem sizeable right now, but it is important to remember that the Pro League title is decided after the Championship play-offs, where the top four play each other home and away after their points are halved. So, we should be in for an exciting title race come May.
Over in India, the ISL season is drawing to a close. The main title is decided at the end of the play-offs, but the League Winners Shield was decided this weekend. In the process, a number of records were broken too.
The culprits are Mumbai City FC, part of the City Football Group umbrella that most notably includes Manchester City. Their domination in the league this season has been quite reminiscent of what their Mancunian counterparts did to the Premier League in their famous ‘Centurions’ season, as you might imagine given the number of records they have broken.
Their rather entertaining win at FC Goa made them the first team to lift the shield without tasting defeat, and they just need to see out two more games to complete an invincible season. They have already broken the record for most points (46) and could go on to become half-centurions. They have also scored a record number of goals at 53, and also have the longest winning streak in the league’s history.
Defending champions Hyderabad FC will be among the sides that could stop them from lifting the title in the play-offs, but it will take quite something to derail Mumbai City’s title-winning train.
🇮🇹 It’s fair to say that Milan don’t go in to tonight’s game against Torino in the best of form. Winless in seven – across all competitions – and with a record of scored two, conceded 13 in their last four. That run also includes what was then seen as a shock home defeat against tonight’s opponents in the Coppa Italia. The reasons why the defending champions find themselves in such a mess since the turn of the year is a topic discussed regularly in our weekly Serie A column and you can dive in to that by clicking here.
Stefano Pioli will be looking for something, anything, from his side to give them encouragement ahead of the Champions League knockout stages which begin on Tuesday with Milan hosting Tottenham Hotspur in the opening fixture.
Saturday
🏆 The headline game in tomorrow’s schedule comes in what FIFA would like to be the biggest club tournament in the calendar, the Club World Cup, currently being played in Morocco. European champions Real Madrid meet Saudi side Al Hilal in the final of the 2022 edition, supposedly the last in the competition’s current format.
Al Hilal are only present as representatives of the AFC with last year’s Asian Champions League yet to be completed so perhaps it is time for a rethink and a look at where the Club World Cup falls in to FIFA’s wider plans? Anyway, the Saudi giants have impressed; coming from behind to beat African champions Wydad, and then knocking out Copa Libertadores holders Flamengo in the semi-finals. Madrid came to Morocco missing a number of key players but shook off their recent poor form to put four past Egypt’s Al Ahly in their semi-final on Wednesday night.
🏴 Back to domestic action and it’s shaping up to be another busy day in the Premier League. Ahead of next week’s showdown with Manchester City (due Wednesday), Arsenal host in-form Brentford at the Emirates. The Bees are unbeaten in nine league games and up to seventh while the Gunners will no doubt want to prove last weekend’s defeat at Everton was just a blip. With both Manchester clubs playing on Sunday, a win would increase their lead at the top of the table to eight points.
There’s another all-London tie in the lunchtime kick-off with Graham Potter’s Chelsea heading to West Ham United. The hosts might be thinking they’ve turned the corner with just one defeat in their last five but they still find themselves one place and one point outside the relegation zone. For their part, Chelsea sit ninth, unbeaten in three. But with a record of three goals scored in seven games since the turn of the year, their fans will be looking for more, especially after their recent exploits in the transfer market.
With that Champions League game against Milan coming up fast, Tottenham Hotspur may be without their manager Antonio Conte in the dugout for their fixture at Leicester City. The Italian coach returned to the training ground following surgery on his gallbladder this week but perhaps the rigours of the touchline will come too soon?
In the late kick-off, Eddie Howe returns to Bournemouth with Newcastle United. The Cherries are another side seriously lacking in goals and their former manager could leave them further in the relegation mire should the Magpies come away with the win that current form suggests.
🇫🇷 PSG will still be smarting from Wednesday’s defeat to Classique-rivals Marseille in the Coupe de France and they face a tough looking fixture at the weekend too, with a trip to fourth placed Monaco. The reigning champions boast a eight point lead in Ligue 1 but probably can’t afford to rest any of their superstars with Tuesday night’s all-important Champions League clash with Bayern Münich also on the mind of coach Christophe Galtier.
Second placed Marseille have been in good form of late – last weekend’s defeat to Nice was their only setback in 12 games since their own Champions League campaign came to an end back in November. Mid-table Clermont Foot are their weekend opponents, a side with something of a reputation for punching above their weight – they’ve beaten Lyon and Rennes and drawn with Lille and Nantes in 2023 alone.
🇩🇪 The Bundesliga provides six fixtures for our entertainment on Saturday and with a compact top six separated by just six points, none of the top sides will want to slip up now.
Last weekend, Bayern played last and needed a 4-2 win at Wolfsburg to re-take top spot from Union Berlin, who’d beaten Mainz on Saturday. Now, Bayern face relegation threatened Bochum, a side who enjoyed their biggest win of the season in their last league fixture (5-2 vs. Hoffenheim) but were brought back down to earth by a midweek defeat in the DFB Pokal (2-1 vs. Dortmund).
Union feature in the day’s headliner, against fourth placed RB Leipzig. Three points divide the two and after wins in their last two meetings, perhaps Union are better placed than most to upset Leipzig, who boast the best home record in the division.
Third placed Dortmund also feature, with Edin Terzić’s in-form side going to Werder Bremen, where they’ll need to be wary of the league’s top scorer, Niclas Füllkrug.
Sunday
🏴 Leeds and Manchester United renew hostilities on Sunday with a quirk in the Premier League calendar meaning these two cross-Pennine rivals play each other for the second time this week.
Having removed coach Jesse Marsch from his position on Monday, the Yorkshire United impressed on Wednesday, and were two goals up shortly after half-time thanks to Wilfried Gnonto and an OG from Raphaël Varane. But facing embarrassment on home soil, Manchester United rallied to earn a share of the spoils – levelling the game with goals from Marcus Rashford and a seemingly rejuvenated Jadon Sancho.
With Leeds hovering one point outside of the drop zone and Erik ten Hag’s side looking up the table from third, neither will want to lose out in this one.
The day’s other game features Manchester City, against Unai Emery’s Aston Villa. City created chances but didn’t look like ending their recent hoodoo, going down to another defeat at Spurs last weekend, so they’ll be hoping Erling Haaland can get back to doing what he does best against a side that they haven’t lost to since 2013.
🇪🇸 While Madrid are distracted by the pursuit of another trophy in Morocco, Barcelona have another opportunity to stretch their already sizeable lead at the top of LaLiga. Thanks to last Sunday’s win against Sevilla combined with Madrid’s slip-up at Mallorca, that lead currently stands at eight points.
But Barça will have to overcome sixth placed Villarreal to do that. The Yellow Submarine started 2023 in impressive form but after back-to-back defeats to Rayo Vallecano and Elche, who hadn’t won any of their previous 19 games prior to that, this could be a good time to visit.
Elsewhere, Atlético Madrid face a tricky trip to Celta Vigo. The Galicians have struggled this season but are on the rise after beating top half stalwarts Athletic Club and Real Betis in their last two fixtures.
🇮🇹 Serie A’s main action takes place on Sunday, as is traditional. And we’ll get the spectacle of top vs. bottom as Napoli play Cremonese. The latter are the only side remaining in Europe’s top five leagues without a league win to their name but this will be a revenge mission of sorts for the leaders. Just last month, Napoli suffered a penalty shoot out defeat to Cremonese in the Coppa Italia having lead the game 2-1 until the dying minutes.
Juventus, who remain in lodged in eleventh pending appeal against their 15 point deduction, face thirteenth placed Fiorentina. Typically, Dušan Vlahović was finally back in the goals in Juve’s win at Salernitana on Tuesday so the visitors may be dreading the prospect of coming up against their former star striker.
🇧🇪 We’re still a couple of months away from the all-important split in the Belgian Pro League season that’ll see the top four play-off for the Championship but this weekend will give us another indication of just how well placed Genk, the runaway leaders, are in terms of the wider campaign.
Reigning champions Club Brugge currently hold fourth place and they feature in the Friday night against Union St. Gilloise, who sit second. After that, all attention will be on Sunday’s game between Genk, who have a seven point lead on Union, and Royal Antwerp, who sit third, a further seven points back.
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With Madrid set to join the action at FIFA’s jamboree of continental champions this week, they signed off with another surprise defeat. That gave Barcelona the chance to move further ahead in the title race while there were interesting results across the league.
Already missing Karim Benzema and Éder Militão for their trip to Mallorca in Sunday’s early game, Real Madrid lost Thibaut Courtois in the warm-up at Son Moix and his replacement in the XI, Andriy Lunin, could only watch as the ball rebounded off the head of team-mate Nacho Fernandez – under pressure from Vedat Muriqi – and into the back of the net after 13 minutes. Unlucky for some.
That goal was fortunate for Mallorca but turned out to be the winner after Marco Asensio saw his penalty saved by Predrag Rajković on the hour. Asensio, who came through the youth system at Mallorca, held his head in disappointment. It was not a happy homecoming for the Palma-born midfielder.
Real never truly found their rhythm and that was partly because Mallorca committed 29 fouls over the 90 minutes – more than any team in LaLiga this season. Vinicíus Juníor was given particularly rough treatment by the home side’s defenders and was also targeted with racial abuse by some in the crowd. Such behaviour remains all too common in Spain and needs to be stamped out.
Already five points behind Barcelona at kick-off, Madrid’s defeat saw them fall eight back after the Catalans beat Sevilla 3-0 at Camp Nou later on Sunday. It is a long way back for Los Blancos.
But before Real flew out to the FIFA Club World Cup on Monday, coach Carlo Ancelotti was defiant. “Now we have the [Club] World Cup, which we want to win,” he said. “After that, we will come back to fight LaLiga until the end. We’re not finished yet.”
Barcelona move eight points clear
It took a while for Barcelona to get going against Sevilla at Camp Nou on Sunday night, but the goals eventually arrived in the second half as Xavi’s side ran out 3-0 winners and moved eight points clear at the top.
Barça knew what was at stake before kick-off, but they had to wait until the 59th minute and inspiration came from an unlikely scorer too as Jordi Alba popped up at the far post to slot home following a Franck Kessié through ball.
Gavi later made it 2-0 with a tap-in following a clever pass by Raphinha and the Brazilian scored the third himself with 11 minutes left after he was set up by Alba to round off an emphatic win for the Blaugrana in front of their own fans.
“Look at the way we’re playing at the moment, the confidence, the result, many games unbeaten,” Xavi said. “The players’ work is immense.” But he refused to rule out Real Madrid. “They can still win LaLiga,” he said. “We can’t let our guard down.”
The one negative for Barça was an injury to Sergio Busquets, who is expected to be sidelined for two to three weeks and is likely to miss the Europa League play-off first leg against Manchester United.
Elche finally win, Betis beaten by Celta in a thriller
At the bottom of the table, Elche finally won a match! The verdiblancos had gone 19 matches without a win, but beat Villarreal 3-1 to end that sorry streak as Pere Milla scored a hat-trick at the Martínez Valero (including two penalties). Unfortunately for Elche, he then went off injured with a fractured collar bone and will be out for some time.
In Seville, Real Betis lost out to Celta Vigo in a seven-goal thriller on Saturday as the Galicians moved up to 12th place in the table. Celta are now four points above the drop zone. But Valencia, beaten 1-0 by Girona, are only one clear of the bottom three.
And on Monday night, Rayo Vallecano continued their fantastic form with a 2-0 win over Almeria at Vallecas. Rayo have one of the smallest spending budgets in LaLiga, but are up to fifth in the table under Andoni Iraola. Amazing.
Real Sociedad stay in third despite defeat at home to Real Valladolid on Sunday. Chances came and went for the Basque side at the Reale Arena and Cyle Larin’s late header claimed an important win for the visitors. Valladolid are up to 13th.
Meanwhile, fourth-placed Atlético Madrid were held to a 1-1 draw at home to Getafe on Saturday. Bizarrely, Ángel Correa saw an effort ruled out and then subsequently awarded by VAR in the second half, by which time he had been substituted and was mobbed by his team-mates on the side of the pitch. Getafe levelled through a penalty from Enes Ünal late in the game, but Atlético saw a good appeal of their own turned down and are the only team in LaLiga without a spot-kick to their name this season.
(Images from IMAGO)
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This week we discuss what’s going wrong with Milan as Inter inflict another defeat on their city rivals and look at how Sarri-ball is beginning to work out for Lazio. Plus we introduce the wider world to a cult hero at Lecce.
Milan’s dreadful 2023 shows no signs of slowing down. The club is now winless in their last seven matches in all competitions, having conceded 18 goals in that stretch. We keep asking when this team will show a response, battle back from adversity; but the situation seems to be getting more dire as the weeks go on. Less than a month ago, we were asking if Milan had half a chance of challenging Napoli’s Scudetto hopes. Now, we’re wondering if this club can even get into the top four. They’re currently sixth place in the standings, in what will undoubtedly be one of the tightest races for a Champions League spot in recent memory.
Losing once again to Inter didn’t help their cause. Even more perplexing were Stefano Pioli’s managerial choices before the game. Pioli has stayed true to a 4-2-3-1 formation since joining the club three years ago, but scrapped that in a panic to go for a more defensively sound and balanced 3-5-2. If the idea was to play a defensive low block and absorb Inter’s pressure while hitting out on the counter, then the omission of last season’s Serie A MVP Rafael Leão is inexcusable. Leão isn’t just Milan’s best player by a long distance, but someone who can change the course of the game every time he touches the ball because of how electrifying and unpredictable his style is. Even if the Portuguese winger has been going through a rough patch, benching him in the derby against Inter is blasphemous.
What’s even more worrying now is Milan has seemingly lost their identity. Before, they were a team that pressed well, defended even better, and looked competent in possession. Now, they can’t do any of those things well. Inter dominated the Rossoneri in the first half and should’ve scored more than just the one goal. In the second, Inter played slightly more passively and the game changed a bit when (surprise, surprise) Rafael Leão came on. Even if Leão isn’t touching the ball, he fundamentally changes the way a defence will line up against Milan. Without him on the pitch, Inter had no fear to send everyone forward and play with a high line in the first half. Olivier Giroud isn’t exactly a pace merchant and Divock Origi is still an enigma.
Milan’s next two games don’t look promising either. They face a Torino side that knocked them out of the Coppa Italia this year and then host Antonio Conte’s Tottenham, who just won against Manchester City in the Premier League. Milan have hardly tasted Champions League knockout action in the last decade, so for them to get out of the group stage but face their round of 16 opponent in perhaps their worst run of form in the 21st century is devastating for the hopes of Rossonero fans.
Can Lazio surprise?
Last summer, virtually no one had Lazio finishing in a top four position. After all, the club is usually very conservative in the transfer market, opting for an approach which is based more on keeping their current stars rather than signing new ones. Their President Claudio Lotito has been known for being a bit tight with the wallet, so the club has hovered around this grey zone where they’re usually the fifth or sixth best side in the league every season. However, something feels different now. Ignoring the fact that Juventus have been taken out of the race with their -15 point deduction, Lazio are playing better in year two under Maurizio Sarri. This is perhaps the biggest difference in their success as a team – adapting to Sarri’s tactics takes a long time. It’s why the manager had to scrap some of his ideals when he was the Juventus boss because winning meant more than anything there, and he knew that they’d be sacrificing their Scudetto chances if he actually went ahead with a complete tactical revolution at the club. Since Lazio don’t have the same trophy ambitions as the Bianconeri, he’s been afforded more time and patience to work his magic.
At their very best, Lazio is second to Napoli in terms of pure aesthetics. The peak of “Sarri-ball” at Lazio was seen with their 4-0 win over Milan last week. Their possession game, quick passing combinations and frenetic pressing is suffocating for the opposition, and even more impressive when you see that they haven’t been reliant on goalscorer, Ciro Immobile. The Italian striker has suffered some injuries, so Sarri has gone with a false nine look which he mastered at Napoli when he turned Dries Mertens from a rotational winger to one of the best goalscorers in Europe. Sarri has plenty of intelligent players to carry out his expectations. Mattia Zaccagni is perhaps the most underrated player in Serie A – the Italian has eight goals and four assists in the league, and does so many things well. Pedro is a high IQ attacker who has been part of some of the best offensive sides of the 21st century, while the midfield is stacked with quality with Sergei Milinković-Savić, Luis Alberto and Danilo Cataldi. The last thing Sarri has done is revolutionise the Lazio defence, which sent away both starting centre-backs and goalkeeper, to sign a brand new unit which has performed a lot better. That’s often a misconception about the manager’s style – that it’s just a great offence. Sarri’s teams have historically had a solid defensive record as well. It’s hard to concede when you’re monopolising possession, but defensively he’s always preached an organised approach and quick transition to a defensive phase if they can’t win possession back right away. Lazio just might finish in a top four position if they’re able to capitalise on both the Juventus point deduction and Milan’s poor run of form.
A new cult hero in the south of Italy
Federico Baschirotto has become somewhat of a hipster icon in Serie A this season. The hulking Lecce centre-back has gone viral with his Mr. Olympia style flexes after goals. What differentiates him from so many other players is a physical trait – he simply isn’t built like a footballer. In all my years of covering the sport, I have a hard time remembering any player who is more imposing from a physical standpoint than him, hence the celebration.
Baschirotto isn’t just brawn though, he’s actually looking like a competent Serie A defender after making his debut in Italy’s top flight this season, aged 26. Last season was only his first in Serie B with Ascoli, after spending his whole career before that in Serie C with household names like Cuneo, Forli and Viterbese. He’s been able to make the most of his meteoric rise up the football pyramid, with solid displays at the back for Lecce where he looks like a true enforcer and aerial threat.
Baschirotto’s name has even been linked with a move to bigger clubs in Italy, so it’s definitely one to remember.
(Images 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.
This was another weekend of shock results in the Premier League. The top two both lost while two of the bottom three claimed victories to help their fight against relegation. So, let’s take a look at the most significant talking points.
Ahead of the visit of Liverpool, Wolves had scored just 12 goals in 20 matches, an average of 0.6 goals per 90. They had two goals inside of 11 minutes against Jürgen Klopp’s side and captain Rúben Neves added a third in the second half to round off an exceptional performance at Molineux.
Liverpool have now conceded three goals in three of their last four Premier League outings and have scored just one goal in those matches. The Reds are struggling at both ends of the pitch and, as a result, find themselves stuck in mid-table. Luck just isn’t on their side right now and nothing highlights that more than Expected Goals, with Klopp’s men racking up an xG total of 1.96 against Wolves, just 0.07 behind their opponents. The scoreline, however, didn’t reflect that and that has been the case over recent weeks.
Arsenal come unstuck against the Toffees
It was an ideal opportunity for Mikel Arteta’s side to put even more pressure on Manchester City in the race for the title. With a five point lead and an early kick-off, the Gunners could extend their lead to eight points ahead of City’s trip to Spurs on Sunday.
And despite dominating the ball and having more shots on the day, Arsenal couldn’t handle the hosts. Under new manager Sean Dyche, the Blues finished with a higher xG, limited the Gunners to just 0.91 xG and created four big chances at Goodison Park. It was a masterclass in how to control space on the pitch and will no doubt be a staple of the Toffees under the former Burnley boss.
It was Everton’s first win since October.
Harry Kane, record-breaker
Kane netted his 267th Tottenham Hotspur goal to become the club’s leading scorer. His strike in the first-half proved to be the winner against champions Manchester City and those three points lifted Spurs back into contention for a Champions League spot next term.
The defeat extended Man City’s poor run away to Tottenham. In five trips across all competitions to Spurs’ new ground since it opened in 2019, City have lost all five matches and failed to score a single goal. They created chances yesterday but weren’t anywhere near as dangerous as their hosts.
Leicester City’s new-look attack
The Foxes may have failed to add Jack Harrison to their attacking ranks in January but they did manage to bring in Tetê. The deal for the 22-year-old may have gone a little under the radar but everyone will be keeping a close eye on the Brazilian now after his memorable debut.
His 8.5 rating could only be bettered by Kelechi Iheanacho (8.7) but the former Manchester City man did score and assist twice. Tetê scored, completed six of his seven dribbles and recovered the ball on 10 occasions to round-off one of the best debuts for Leicester in recent memory.
Brighton continue to impress
Brighton remain in sixth position following a 1-0 win over Bournemouth. Kaoru Mitoma was again the match winner and he’s now scored in three successive matches. The 25-year-old also has five goals and an assist since football resumed following the World Cup break.
He was the highest-rated player (8.1) against Bournemouth, finishing the game with a goal, an Expected Assists tally of 0.54 and he completed 75% of his dribbles.
Mitoma is quickly rivalling Alexis Mac Allister and Moises Caicedo as the player clubs are going to be courting in the summer.
Fernández makes his debut
Chelsea versus Fulham wasn’t necessarily one for the neutral. The Friday night clash finished 0-0 but it did give people to watch Enzo Fernández. The Blues paid a British transfer record to pry him away from Benfica and many wanted to see how he’d cope with the rigours of the Premier League.
He answered it, rather emphatically. Enzo won eight of his 12 ground duels, recovered the ball on 10 occasions, won five of his six tackles and finished the game with a pass completion of 85%. Only João Palhinha (8.1) could boast a better FotMob rating (8).
(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.
