Page 124 – The Pulse of Football

Nov

2022

LaLiga Review: Where do we stand heading in to the World Cup break?

LaLiga wrapped up a few days earlier than most of the top leagues around Europe, completing a full mid-week round, in order to get the early stages of the Copa del Rey completed over the weekend. For all the results, click here. But for now, let’s review where we stand going in to the big midseason pause.

By Ben Hayward, LaLiga expert

Barcelona head in to the World Cup as league leaders

Barcelona head into the break for the World Cup as LaLiga leaders following an impressive comeback win with 10 men away to Osasuna last Tuesday night. Barça went behind to a David García goal from a corner inside six minutes at El Sadar and were left with a mountain to climb after Robert Lewandowski was sent off for a second bookable offence with just over half an hour gone. Gerard Piqué, on the bench for what was to be his last-ever game for the Catalan club, was then dismissed for dissent at half-time as he protested to referee Jesus Gil Manzano. But Xavi’s side secured a victory in Pamplona thanks to a Pedri goal early in the second half and a Raphinha header five minutes from time which was reminiscent of Robin van Persie’s famous goal for Netherlands against Spain at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

It was the first time Barça had ever come from a goal down at half-time away from home with 10 men to win in LaLiga and there were wild celebrations in the dressing room after the game. And at the end of the season, it could be hugely significant. “It’s a victory of courage, faith and family,” Xavi said afterwards. “We celebrated in the dressing room. I’m very proud of the team today. It’s a tremendous victory, but it’s early to say that it gives [us] a league [title].”

What it did do was send Barcelona provisionally five points clear of Real Madrid at the top of the table and ensured the Blaugrana will stay there until the end of the year as LaLiga stops for the World Cup. So far, so good for Xavi’s side: 14 matches, 12 wins, one draw, one loss, 33 goals scored and five conceded. Statistically, it is the form of champions, but Real Madrid remain close and on December 31, a new league will start.

“We have improved,” Xavi said. “We came here a year ago and the team is growing. The fans want to win. We have got to the break as leaders.”

But Xavi was upset at the match officials for a number of calls which went against his side. “We feel persecuted,” he said. “The decisions were very unfair. It was all against us: the goal they scored, which was a foul, Lewandowski’s sending-off was questionable… but we have faith, character, personality. It’s a golden victory.”

Real Madrid bounce back from defeat at Rayo

Real Madrid bounced back from their 3-2 defeat at Rayo Vallecano last Monday night by beating Cadíz 2-1 at the Santiago Bernabéu just 72 hours later. Éder Militão’s header late in the first half and a beautiful volley by Toni Kroos with 20 minutes left looked to have wrapped up a straightforward win, but there were some nervy moments for Los Blancos towards the end as Luka Modrić missed an open goal from six yards out, Lucas Pérez levelled following a rare Thibaut Courtois mistake and Pacha Espino – who was all alone with only the Belgian to beat – headed over the top in added time.

The win was a welcome one for Madrid after the defeat at Vallecas and a disappointing 1-1 draw at home to Girona prior to that. It closed the gap at the top to two points and coach Carlo Ancelotti was satisfied. “We have ended this first part of the league well and won three deserved points,” the Italian said.

And he added: “The break will be good for us. We were a bit tired towards the end and now we will have time to rest.” Madrid will also hope that Karim Benzema is back to full fitness when he returns, with the French forward having missed each of the champions’ last three LaLiga games. He has been missed too, with this game against Cadíz the only win of the three.

Benzema will be at the World Cup with France, but Kroos is sitting out Qatar 2022 and that could be a blessing for Madrid in a second half of the season sure to be conditioned by the fitness of international players following the tournament, which starts on November 20.

Vinícius Júnior, meanwhile, appeared to give an insight into his priorities – and probably those of many other players too – in making it to the World Cup without harm. “Thanks to God for another match without injury,” he tweeted after the game. “See you soon, Madridista!”

Atlético beaten again

The situation at Atlético Madrid is now worrying to say the least. After Champions League elimination and failure even to make the Europa League, plus a recent last-gasp loss to lowly Cadíz, the Rojiblancos were beaten by promoted club Mallorca on Wednesday and go into the break outside the top four positions in LaLiga.

Vedat Muriqi was left all alone after Jan Oblak had failed to deal with what looked like a fairly harmless long-range shot and the Kosovan’s strike turned out to be the winner on the island. Álvaro Morata saw an effort ruled out for a marginal offside a few minutes later and came close to a leveller right at the end, but things are just not falling for Atlético at the moment and even Diego Simeone’s position has been called into question following recent results.

“Let’s hope the players come back from the World Cup with the intention of reverting the situation,” Simeone said. “We will have more time to work now.”

Atlético have gone five games without a win in all competitions and the break is an opportunity to reset. “Great teams are the ones who can reload after bad runs,” left-back Sergio Reguilón said after finally making his Atlético debut. “We have to come back after the World Cup with our batteries charged.”

Basque clubs now third and fourth

Third and fourth are up for grabs in LaLiga this season as a number of clubs jostle for positions behind Barcelona and Real Madrid. And with Atlético dropping down to fifth, the two remaining Champions League spots are filled by the Basque clubs.

Real Sociedad climb to third following a 2-1 win at struggling Sevilla, although their case was helped considerably as both Ivan Rakitić and Tanguy Nianzou were sent off for the Andalusians in the first half. Imanol Alguacil’s side missed a number of good chances to win the game by a bigger margin and the coach said: “I’d like to have won 4-1, but we have 26 points from 14 games and we could have even more.”

Two points behind Real Sociedad are Athletic Club. Ernesto Valverde’s side cruised to a 3-0 win over Valladolid at San Mames as Gorka Guruzeta marked his first LaLiga start of the season with two goals. “We’re doing a lot of things well and we’re strong at San Mames,” Valverde said. “We have to be stronger away from home.” The victory saw Athletic leapfrog both Atletico and Real Betis, who went down to 10 men after an hour and subsequently lost 3-0 to Valencia at Mestalla.

The race for the European places is wide open, though, with only five points separating fourth (Athletic) and 11th (Mallorca) with 14 rounds of LaLiga completed. Valencia (10th) are in that group just behind Villarreal (ninth), with the Yellow Submarine finally able to secure a win under Quique Setien as they beat Espanyol 1-0 in Barcelona.

At the bottom, meanwhile, Elche look doomed already with just four points after defeat to Girona. Cadíz, with 11 points, are in 19th following their narrow loss in Madrid. Sevilla sit above them in 18th on goal difference alone and will need to make their quality count in the second part of the season.

(Images 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.

Nov

2022

Last Weekend: Arsenal extend their lead, Inter win at Atalanta and more

This was the final weekend of club football action before the 2022 World Cup. As most domestic leagues wrapped up for a winter break, there was lots of interesting action and some surprising results, including Arsenal’s win over Wolves, newly-crowned champions in Ecuador and much more.

By Neel Shelat

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 England: Wolves 0-2 Arsenal

There were eight Premier League matches played on Saturday so there was a lot going on, but let us focus on Arsenal’s trip to Wolverhampton.

After Manchester City’s dramatic late defeat against Brentford in the early kick-off, the Gunners knew that a win in this game would take them five points clear at the top of the table heading into the World Cup break. Their hosts were a couple of points adrift at the bottom of the table, and this would be Steve Davis’ last match as their interim manager as Julen Lopetegui is set to take over after the World Cup.

Wolves delivered a fairly admirable first half performance as they defended well and restricted Arsenal’s chances, while also getting into threatening positions through counterattacks, although their end product was mostly lacking. They were made to rue their wasted chances 10 minutes into the second period, as Martin Ødegaard turned in Fábio Vieira’s ball across the box at the end of an intricate team move.

Ødegaard went on to score a second in the 70th minute to effectively seal the result and cement a sizeable lead at the top of the table for Arsenal in the World Cup break. Their fans will surely start believing in their title chances now, although Manchester City will still probably be considered favourites. The underlying numbers do suggest they still are the best side in the league, but Arsenal are not far off them at all.

🇪🇨 Ecuador: Aucas 0-0 Barcelona (1-0 Agg.)

We are off to Ecuador next, where there was a very significant result on Sunday night. The second leg of the Liga Pro final was being held in the capital, Quito. The record champions, Barcelona SC, had a one-goal deficit to overturn against Aucas, who had never lifted a major title in their 77-year history.

The way the Ecuadorian league works is that it is divided into two stages with 15 matches each. The sides that finish at the top of the table in either stage qualify for the final (as well as the Copa Libertadores), where the winner is crowned after two legs.

This match was, as one might expect, quite a tense affair, but there were a good few chances at both ends. The biggest of the lot fell to Barcelona, who were awarded a penalty in the second half, but the effort was saved by the feet of Hernán Galíndez. That meant Édison Vega’s goal in the first leg was enough for Aucas to lift their first-ever league trophy. A major achievement for a small but well supported and historic Ecuadorian club (their badge alone should have you interested)

🇩🇪 Germany: Freiburg 4-1 Union Berlin

As the Bundesliga wrapped up for the calendar year of 2022, the very last match between Freiburg and Union Berlin offered the winner the opportunity to head into the winter break in the runners-up spot.

Union were, of course, the shock leaders early on in the season, but their massive xG overperformance was always a cause for concern. That seems to be properly catching up to them now, as they had just one win in their last four league games heading into this fixture.

Things did not get much better for them in Baden-Württemberg, where the match was all done and dusted within 20 minutes. Freiburg already had a two-goal lead within six minutes as Vincenzo Grifo scored two quickfire goals, including one from the penalty spot. Union missed a great chance to halve the deficit in the 10th minute as Robin Knoche failed to convert a spot-kick, and about 10 minutes later, they gave one away at the other end again. This time, Diogo Leite was sent off for the foul, while Grifo netted again to complete his hat-trick.

On the stroke of half-time, Michael Gregoritsch added a fourth for Freiburg. Substitute Sven Michel did pull one back for the visitors late on, but that was little more than a consolation goal. So, it is Freiburg who are currently second behind Bayern in the Bundesliga, while Union are down in fifth. It is all very tight in the race for Europe at the moment, but Freiburg should think that they have a good chance of qualifying for the Champions League for the first time ever at the end of this season.

🇮🇹 Italy: Atalanta 2-3 Inter

The big matches keep coming thick and fast in Italy. After Napoli’s trip to Atalanta, Derby della Capitale and Inter’s visit to Juventus last weekend, the headline fixtures of the final round before the World Cup included Atalanta vs Inter and Juventus vs Lazio.

The match in Bergamo was the early kick-off on Sunday, and it was an entertaining game. The hosts looked better in the opening exchanges, for which they were rewarded in the 25th minute when Ademola Lookman scored his third goal in his last three starts from the penalty spot. The scores were back level just over 10 minutes later, as Edin Džeko redirected the ball from close range after Lautaro Martínez helped on a cross to him.

Džeko scored again 11 minutes into the second half to give Inter a lead which was doubled soon thereafter by José Luis Palomino’s own goal. The defender did later find the right net to bring his side back into the game, but they could not equalise to salvage a point from this fixture.

It might surprise you to learn that this was the first time this season that Inter came away with points against a side currently in the top eight, but that really sums up their issues this season. They have been able to dispatch lesser opposition with relative ease, but have really struggled in big games. Still, with the sides around them faltering too, they are just three points away from second place. Atalanta had occupied that position for a good deal of time as they were the early pace-setters alongside Napoli, but have dropped back significantly now.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Scotland: St. Mirren 1-1 Rangers

There is a sizeable gap at the top of the Scottish Premiership as we enter the World Cup break, and while Celtic have remained steady, Rangers have dropped quite a few points of late, damaging their title chances significantly.

Including this disappointing draw at St. Mirren, Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s side have won just two of their last five league matches, which were against the five sides currently directly below them in the table. St. Mirren are the lowest-placed of the lot down in the bottom half, but they too were able to take something away from last season’s Europa League finalists.

This performance was symptomatic of Rangers’ issues, as they dominated possession with 74% of the ball but struggled to create too many noteworthy chances. They conceded a fairly avoidable goal from a long throw, needing a late penalty from James Tavernier to come away with a point.

The underlying xG numbers point to this problem as well. Rangers’ defensive numbers are comparable and even marginally better than Celtic’s, but there is a big gulf in their chance creation, which is why Celtic seem to be able to dispatch their opponents with much greater ease.

🇫🇷 France: Lille 1-0 Angers

We have mostly covered the happenings close to the top of various leagues so far, but let us now move over to the other end of the spectrum in the French top flight, where Angers are having a very tough time.

Their loss to Lille this weekend made it seven defeats on the bounce going into the World Cup break, which has left them rooted to the bottom of the table. That is a relatively unfamiliar position for them to be in, as they have never really been greatly involved in a relegation scrap since their most recent promotion in 2015.

Luck has not been on their side, as was evident this weekend when they had a goal ruled out by VAR for a contentious offside in the 34th minute, before conceding from a corner just two minutes later. Obviously, their performances have not been great either, as is shown by their underlying numbers which depict a negative trend since the start of the season.

Cover Image from IMAGO

Nov

2022

Premier League Team of the Week – Round 16

FotMob TOTW – Round 16

The final FotMob TOTW for the Premier League before the World Cup. FOUR players came in with a big 9.1 rating so we need to dig deeper in to the decimal points to find out that Ivan Toney scored highest – 9.13 to Rodrigo Bentancur’s 9.12.

Who had the best weekend? See you in the replies on Twitter.

Nov

2022

Premier League Review: Núñez delivers, Brentford stun City and trouble for Everton

In what was the final round of fixtures before the Premier League paused for the World Cup, clubs put on a show for fans. We had goals galore, statement victories and shock results, and we’re here to take a look at some of the biggest talking points.

By Sam McGuire, Premier League expert

The Toffees are in a sticky situation

It wasn’t that long ago that Everton found themselves in mid-table with the best defensive record in the Premier League. However, the underlying numbers suggested it was a false position and that a rapid decline was on the agenda. Frank Lampard’s men are now just a single point above the relegation zone following the 3-0 loss to Bournemouth on Saturday.

The Cherries racked up an xG total of 2.45 despite having just 36% of the ball as they put on a counter-attacking masterclass. The visitors, by comparison, had just one fewer shot in total but managed to create chances worth just 0.83 xG.

Darwin Núñez delivers

The Liverpool forward scored twice in Liverpool’s 3-1 win over Southampton on Saturday. The No.27 put on a finishing clinic due to his shot placement. Núñez had chances with an xG value of 0.71 but an xG on target value of 2.21. He has been accused of being wasteful in previous matches but he was the complete opposite of that against the Saints.

The £64million summer signing also created two chances and on another day both of those are converted and he finishes the game with four goal involvements. He has now created eight chances in his last three Premier League outings, proving that his all-round game is improving.

Bee sting at the Etihad

Manchester City have not looked convincing over recent weeks but they have managed to eke one-goal wins over Leicester City and Fulham to keep pace with Arsenal at the summit of the Premier League.

Against Brentford on Saturday, however, they weren’t able to extend that run of good fortune to three matches. After Phil Foden smashed home an equaliser just before the break, the expectation was the hosts would push on in the second half. It didn’t happen though. Instead, the visitors continued to push for a goal and they carved out six big chances in the game.

Ivan Toney scored what turned out to be the winner in stoppage time and had an opportunity moments after to claim a hat-trick, only to see Kevin De Bruyne clear his effort off the line.

City had 29 shots to Brentford’s 10, but managed to create just one big chance. It was no smash-and-grab, it was a calculated gamble that paid off for Thomas Frank’s men.

Tottenham’s unlikely hero

Rodrigo Bentancur has three goals in his last three appearances for Spurs. He has been the match-winner in two matches and these six points have ensured Antonio Conte’s men are in fourth place as we head into the World Cup break.

The Uruguay international scored twice in two minutes to give Spurs a 4-3 win over Leeds United at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium. The 25-year-old also completed 100% of his dribbles and made a remarkable 12 ball recoveries on the day as he finished with a 9.1 rating on the FotMob app.

Pulling the strings for Manchester United

There is a lot going on at Old Trafford right now. Cristiano Ronaldo is trying to engineer a move away while 18-year-old Alejandro Garnacho is making a splash. The latter scored the winner against Fulham and now has four goal involvements in his last four appearances for the Red Devils.

However, the star of the show at Craven Cottage was Christian Eriksen. Deployed alongside Casemiro, the Danish playmaker scored the opener and assisted the winner as Erik Ten Hag’s side found a way to claim all three points in what was a thrilling, end-to-end contest.

The 30-year-old created two chances on the day and won all of his tackles in what was an all-action display.

The honeymoon period is well and truly over

Chelsea have now lost three consecutive Premier League games and are winless in five matches. They have slipped to eighth in the table and have a goal difference of zero. The Blues are averaging just 1.2 goals per 90 and they have the worst offensive record out of the teams in the top ten, netting just 17 times.

Against Newcastle, they mustered just five shots and finished with an xG total of 0.30. Graham Potter needs to figure out a way to get his team firing.

(Images 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.

Nov

2022

This Weekend: the last big league action before the World Cup

The best matches to follow this weekend

By Bill Biss

Saturday

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 It’s going to be an action-packed day in the Premier League with a total of eight fixtures lined up – including games for the top two, meaning that we’ll find out whether it’s Arsenal, or Manchester City that lead the way heading in to the World Cup break.

Arsenal must bounce back from their shock midweek defeat to Brighton in the Carabao Cup when they travel to Wolves in the day’s late kick-off. The West Midlanders have started to find the net in recent weeks, scoring four in their last three after a run of two goals in their previous six, and they were triumphant in their Cup game – beating Leeds 1-0 on Wednesday night.

The Gunners will have the advantage of playing last, knowing exactly what result they’ll need, as Manchester City take on Brentford in the lunchtime game. Pep Guardiola’s side come in to this one on the back of four straight wins while the Bees have stagnated of late – and were #Cupset by fourth tier Gillingham during the week.

Among the other fixtures; new Southampton boss Nathan Jones takes charge of his first Premier League game as the Saints go to Liverpool, fourth placed Spurs will look to shake off recent set-backs when they entertain Leeds, and Graham Potter’s misfiring Chelsea face Newcastle United, the side with the joint-best defensive record in the division.

🇩🇪 Bayern München finally overhauled Union Berlin at the top of the Bundesliga last weekend and they further cemented that position with a 6-1 win over Werder Bremen on Tuesday, while Union dropped points again, drawing 2-2 at home to Augsburg. Bayern, therefore, will definitely go in to the World Cup sitting pretty whatever the result of their final fixture – away at Schalke. The hosts are still bottom of the league despite ending a run of seven defeats with a much needed win over Mainz during the week.

Meanwhile, in-form Leipzig are the next side to go up against Bremen. The Red Bull club are unbeaten in 12 games across all competitions and recent wins over Hoffenheim and Freiburg have seen them move in to the European places after a poor start to the campaign.

🇮🇹 Like Bayern, Napoli are assured of their position at the top of Serie A heading in to the break. Luciano Spalletti’s side are eight points clear of the rest of Italy’s giant clubs and they remain unbeaten in the league – that recent Champions League loss, to Liverpool, still the only blot on their copybook this season. On Saturday, they play Udinese, who despite failing to win their last seven, are actually unbeaten in six away games.

🇪🇸 LaLiga wrapped up early for the World Cup break, playing a full midweek round in order to squeeze in the first round of the Copa del Rey over the weekend.

The four sides set to compete in the Supercopa do not enter at this stage (this includes Barça and Madrid) so the most high profile team involved are ‘crisis club’ Atlético Madrid. Without a win in five and having been beaten by Mallorca during the week, Diego Simeone will be desperate to avoid further embarrassment as they play at fifth tier, semi-pro Almazán.

🇵🇹 Elsewhere, there’s a local derby in Liga Portugal as Boavista host city-rivals Porto. The defending champions haven’t slipped up against Boavista in 17 meetings – or in other words, as long as FotMob and thus, our records have been going. Porto have, however, been a little more fallible this season, losing two of their 12 domestic games, having only lost once across the entirety of last season and only twice in the season before that.

Boavista would have to snap a six game run without a win but just imagine what it would mean to their fans if they could.

Sunday

🇮🇹 All five of the sides currently massing below Napoli in the Serie A table feature in Sunday’s games. Lazio head the pack, on goal difference, and they’ll face perhaps the toughest fixture as they travel to in-form Juventus. Max Allegri appears to have weathered the storm at the Turin giants – at least domestically speaking – and the Old Lady have won all of their last five without conceding a goal.

Inter – who Juve beat convincingly in last weekend’s Derby d’Italia – bounced back with a 6-1 win over Bologna in the week and they now face an Atalanta side with whom they sit level on points in the table. After their positive start to the campaign, Atalanta have lost three of their last four – against Lazio and Napoli understandably, but also at strugglers Lecce.

For their part, defending champions Milan will welcome back key man Olivier Giroud (following his suspension) for their clash with tenth placed Fiorentina at the San Siro.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 There are two further games in the Premier League that’ll wrap things up until the league re-starts on 26 December. Both Brighton and their opponents Aston Villa will be desperate for a win to keep up their respective resurgences – albeit, Unai Emery’s winning start over Manchester United may have been undone a little by Villa’s defeat to the same side in the Carabao Cup four days later.

Erik ten Hag’s United feature in the final fixture – against a Fulham side they’ve not lost to since 2009. A win for the Red Devils will ensure that they finish this portion of the season in the top five.

Further down the English pyramid, there’s a huge clash in the Championship. Burnley vs. Blackburn Rovers isn’t just a battle between the sides currently sat first and second in the league, it’s a meeting between Lancashire rivals who’s grounds are separated by just 11 miles, as the crow flies. Vincent Kompany’s Clarets lost their 17-game unbeaten run quite spectacularly – losing 5-2 at Sheffield United last weekend but they did recover to win their Cup game in the week while Blackburn took West Ham to penalties but ultimately lost out to the higher league opposition.

🇩🇪 It’s third vs. second in the Bundesliga on Sunday as the now deposed early-season pacesetters Union Berlin head in to the Black Forest to face Freiburg. With now identical W8, D3, L3 records and the same amount of goals conceded (16), it’s only Union’s superior strike force (23 goals scored to Freiburg’s 21!) that separates the two sides. On paper, this should be a close one.

In the day’s other game – Eintracht Frankfurt go to Mainz hoping to ride the high of recent successes in to the league’s extended World Cup and traditional winter break. A record of one defeat in eight since the middle of October has seen them progress in the DFB Pokal, move in to the top four in the league, and reach the knockout stages of the Champions League – where they’ll meet Napoli next February.

🇫🇷 It’s been business as usual for PSG in Ligue 1 – a few scares along the way but largely dominant and still unbeaten as we head in to the 15th round of the season. They face Auxerre, at home on Sunday with coach Christophe Galtier promising not to rest the club’s stars despite the likes of Lionel Messi nursing injuries ahead of the World Cup.

Also on the agenda, two of Ligue 1’s most famous sides – Monaco and Marseille meet in the Principality. A win for either could move them in to the top three and keep them vaguely in touch with the league leaders.

🇧🇪 And there’s also two big games in Belgium. The format of the country’s top league often means that the side dominating at this point doesn’t actually go on to lift the trophy but things might just be different this time around. Later, the league will split with the top four going on into a mini-league where their regular season points are halved and more often than not, Club Brugge win the title! At least, that’s been the case for the past three years.

At the moment though, the champions sit down in fourth but that could change again if they’re able to beat second placed Royal Antwerp. Antwerp were unbeaten for the first nine rounds of the season but have consequently lost four while most of the sides around them have also dropped points.

The same can’t be said for current leaders Genk, who face struggling giants Anderlecht in their game on Sunday. Genk took off when Antwerp faltered and remain unbeaten since the opening round – a run now totalling 15 games. That means they start the weekend nine points clear of the pack.

Just lastly, if you’re looking forward to the World Cup, try out our tournament predictor game – here.

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

Nov

2022

Bundesliga Team of the Week – Round 13

Bundesliga TOTW – Round 13

Leverkusen’s 5-0 thrashing of Union Berlin shook up the title race and meant four of their XI made our line-up – including two-goal Moussa Diaby. But it’s Diaby’s fellow Frenchman Christopher Nkunku that picked out our top rating (9.2).

Have your say in the comments on Instagram.

Nov

2022

Serie A Review: Wrapping up the weekend

Ahead of the midweek action in Italy, here are three talking points from the round of games played over the weekend; Juventus on the uptick, Olivier Giroud in the goals and Hellas Verona in deep relegation trouble.

By Matteo Bonetti, US Serie A expert

Juve’s brilliant second half

Juventus came into the their biggest domestic match of the season against Inter with a mixed bag of results. Their Champions League group stage has been a disaster, while they’ve gone on a more solid streak in Serie A. Ever since their 2-0 loss at San Siro against Milan a month ago, the Bianconeri have won four consecutive league matches without conceding a single goal. Once again, the defence kept a clean sheet against an Inter side that did have a few chances in the first half, but was kept quiet in the second.

It was in this second half that we saw glimpses of what Juventus can be in 2023. Federico Chiesa made his first appearance in Serie A in ten months, with Ángel Di María also coming off the bench after an injury of his own. It was the brilliant work of Filip Kostić that made the difference, however. The Serbian winger was once again an assist machine – playing in two wonderful crosses that led to both goals; the second, yet another from the 21-year-old Nicolo Fagioli.

The Italian has now scored in his last two games and looks to be one of the main beneficiaries of coach Max Allegri giving increased time to the youth. Juventus were smart to send Fagioli out on loan last season, where he played 33 matches for Cremonese and helped them get promoted to the top flight. This type of experience in a competitive league like Serie B seems to have served Fagioli well – he’s made the most of his time and looks to have the necessary technical tools to become a more steady part of the Juventus rotation.

With that win comes a newfound excitement surrounding the team. Perhaps Juventus can make a run in the Europa League and Serie A, if they’re able to show that form from the second half against Inter. The team looked dynamic and surprisingly offensively minded even after going up a goal. The so-called “corto muso” style (or winning by a slender margin) that Allegri has joked about in the past seemed a distant memory in Turin over the weekend. Juve were purposeful with their possession and the fans got behind them very quickly. Did I mention that they also have the best defensive record in the league? That’s right, with a backline that only had one natural centre back in Bremer and two fullbacks flanking him, the Bianconeri have only conceded seven goals total in Serie A.

The biggest question now is whether or not they can sustain this level of play given the inconsistencies they’ve shown this season.

Giroud is ageing like a fine wine

Oliver Giroud has become somewhat of a cult hero at Milan. At first, he seemed like an alternative to Zlatan Ibrahimović, but has now cemented his place as the Rossoneri striker with Ibra permanently injured. Giroud has continued to score the important goals – whether it was last season in the Scudetto deciding games, or this campaign in the last two Champions League matches, which booked their ticket to the round of 16.

We shouldn’t be surprised, after all, Giroud has scored everywhere he’s gone. He’s only two goals behind Thierry Henry on the all-time goal scorer list for the French National Team and the latest reports say that Giroud’s performances for Milan this season might have ensured him a spot at the World Cup with his country.

Giroud not only brings plenty of experience on the field, but he’s the consummate professional off of it. Behind the scenes, he’s a beloved teammate that has been lauded for his ability to lead and be an ultimate example for the Rossoneri youngsters to follow. As a player, Giroud is the perfect sidekick to the goalscoring winger Rafael Leão. The French striker is very unselfish, often times giving up a chance to turn and shoot on goal for a simple layoff to the wingers streaking into the box. His intelligence is also evident with his movement inside the box. Giroud does a great job of making himself an option as an aerial threat, or making the right runs with his back to goal to always give Milan an outlet when they’re building from the back. His play has allowed Milan fans to temporarily forget about Ibrahimovic’s absence. Milan was able to win a Scudetto with Giroud leading the line, and now it remains to be seen how far the hitman can take them in the Champions League, where they face Antonio Conte’s Tottenham in the round of 16.

Verona are in deep trouble

Hellas Verona are a mess. Dead last in the standings with eight straight losses in the league, the team hasn’t been able to find any sort of spark even with their new manager, Salvatore Bocchetti. It was always going to be hard for Verona after losing their top goalscoring trident over the summer consisting of Gianluca Caprari (Monza), Giovanni Simeone (Napoli) and Antonín Barák (Fiorentina), who combined for 40 league goals last season in Serie A – the best goalscoring number of any trio in the league. Add to that the loss of their best centre-back Nicolò Casale, who was bought by Lazio and now anchors the second best defence in the league statistically, and you can see why Verona look destined for relegation. The club did their best to try and replace these players with their modest funds, but the results haven’t been anywhere near the same.

Thomas Henry was brought in from Venezia after managing nine goals last season for the relegated club, but he’s only been able to score twice in 13 matches so far. The midfield strength seemed to be enough for be to keep them just above the drop zone during the summer, as Adrian Tameze, Ivan Ilić and Miguel Veloso are still a complementary set of midfielders that are definitely stronger than what their opponents near the bottom of the table have in that department. But the statistics point to a different tale – this midfield unit currently has the second lowest possession percentage in the league and the least amount of completed passes. Adding to the demise when they’re on the ball, the numbers on the defensive end are even more worrying – the club has committed the most amount of fouls and has gotten booked more than any other team in the league.

Despite all of this, it seemed, perhaps, like the club was ready to turn the corner in their 2-1 loss against Milan, as they performed admirably under their new manager, despite the strength of their opponent. However, their latest 2-0 loss to newly promoted Monza suggests otherwise.

Verona is leading the most negative statistics on both sides of the ball. The nervousness of their play hints to a team that isn’t settled behind the scenes and relegation worries on the horizon certainly won’t help calm those nerves.

(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.

Nov

2022

Serie A Team of the Week – Round 13

FotMob TOTW – Round 13

Juve were the big winners of the weekend after beating Inter in the Derby d’Italia, and we’ve included Nicolò Fagioli, who made his full league debut in that game.

In a week of low/harsh ratings, Filip Kostić top-scored with 8.8.

Who was unlucky to miss out? Have your say in the comments on Instagram.

Nov

2022

LaLiga Review: Barça move out in front as Madrid lose their unbeaten record

After a round of games where the drama ran right through to the Monday night fixture in Madrid, we’ll try to round up all the main talking points in this article.

By Ben Hayward, LaLiga expert

Piqué says farewell to Camp Nou

Gerard Piqué announced on Thursday that Barcelona’s game against Almería on Saturday would be his last for the Catalan club. Coach Xavi then revealed the following day that the centre-back would be involved at Osasuna on Tuesday as well, but Saturday was the 35-year-old’s final game at Camp Nou. Piqué started the match in front of 92,605 fans and when Barcelona won a penalty after six minutes, many of those supporters chanted his name in the hope he would take the kick. But Robert Lewandowski stepped up instead, paused in the run-up, and missed. Later in the half, Marc-Andre ter Stegen made a fine save to deny Largie Ramazani one-on-one. Barça were otherwise dominant though and missed a couple of superb chances before breaking the deadlock early in the second half with a fine individual effort from Ousmane Dembélé. Frenkie de Jong later struck from close range to wrap up a routine win after Ansu Fati’s shot had hit the crossbar and rebounded into his path.

But the evening was all about Piqué. The defender was substituted to an ovation with five minutes left and addressed the fans after the game in an emotional speech. “It was a great day,” he said after the match. “These six months haven’t been easy. I think that has shown. But today was a liberation: to play from the start, in front of the fans, to do it like that… I take with me an unforgettable memory.”

“It was a historic night and a perfect one for everyone, mainly for Gerard,” Xavi said later. “He played a great match. We want to give him the best possible farewell. The bigger the match for him, the better he performs. I have already told him he is a Barça legend and we are very grateful to him.”

Pique played his part in an impressive win which saw Barça move provisionally two points ahead of Real Madrid at the top of the table.

“The result doesn’t reflect the superiority of the team,” Xavi added. “But it gives us three points to stay in the fight.”

Madrid beaten by Rayo

And those three points did more than keep Barça in the fight because on Monday night, Real Madrid – still missing Karim Benzema and without the suspended Toni Kroos – were surprisingly beaten by Rayo Vallecano. The home side took the lead after five minutes thanks to an excellent first-time finish from Santi Comesaña and although the champions turned it around later in the first half with a Luka Modrić penalty and an Éder Militão header, Álvaro García made it 2-2 just before the break. Rayo then won a penalty in the second half as Dani Carvajal handled in the area. Thibaut Courtois saved Óscar Trejo’s spot-kick, but could not repeat his heroics after a retake was ordered. The Belgian goalkeeper looked to have been penalised for being very slightly off his line, but it was because Carvajal had been encroaching when the first penalty was taken.

“We made mistakes,” Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti said afterwards. “We were not strong enough. In this type of game, quality is not enough.”

In his post-match press conference, it was put to Ancelotti that some of his players had already been thinking about the forthcoming World Cup. “I don’t think that’s the reason [we lost],” he said. “We’re not as fresh as before because we have played a lot of matches. We’re not in the same shape as before, but that’s normal. LaLiga is long.”

Heading into the previous weekend, Los Blancos led Barcelona by three points but now trail the Catalans by two after a disappointing draw at home to Girona and this defeat in Vallecas. “We are disappointed to have lost the lead,” Ancelotti said. “It’s not a physical problem. We had some strategy problems. I have no problem with sending long balls forward and we should have done that on more than one occasion.”

Vinícius Júnior was unable to influence the game as he usually does and the Brazilian symbolised Madrid’s struggles against Rayo. “It was a difficult match for him and for all of us,” Ancelotti said.

But Rayo’s performance was admirable again under Andoni Iraola, whose side have now beaten Sevilla and Valencia and drawn against Barcelona at Camp Nou this season. “I feel proud of my players,” he said. “They showed personality. It was an amazing effort.”

Atlético held by 10-man Espanyol; Sevilla Derby end even

Champions League elimination, missing out on the Europa League as well and defeat to Cadíz made it a nightmare week or so for Atlético Madrid prior to their game at home to Espanyol on Sunday. Things did improve slightly for Diego Simeone’s side, though not by much. A comfortable win appeared to be on the cards when Espanyol’s Leandro Cabrera was shown the red card for a foul on Álvaro Morata inside half an hour. But the visitors scored first when Sergi Darder volleyed home at the far post after 62 minutes. Simeone sent on João Félix shortly afterwards and the Portuguese rescued a point for the Rojiblancos with a fine run into the area and finish inside the near post. He then twice came close to a late winner and surely should be starting these games. “At least we didn’t lose,” a sober Simeone said afterwards. “We could have won and we earn a point which keeps us in the top four.” Small mercies at the moment.

Real Betis remain level on points with Atlético in fourth after a fiery Seville derby ended even on Sunday. Betis went a man up in El Gran Derbi after Gonzalo Montiel was sent off for a cynical foul on Álex Moreno and then a goal up in bizarre circumstances as an attempted clearance from Nemanja Gudelj ricocheted off Jesús Navas and looped into the back of the net. But Betis later saw Nabil Fekir dismissed for catching Papu Gómez in the face with his arm and Borja Iglesias red carded for a stamp on Joan Jordán. Gudelj then hit an unstoppable strike from distance to level the scores after 82 minutes and the Serbia midfielder – playing in defence here – twice came close to a late winner, smacking a brilliant volley against the crossbar before forcing a fine save from Claudio Bravo deep in added time. “I have the feeling that we lost two points,” Betis boss Manuel Pellegrini said. “When we played 11 against 11, the difference was enormous.” “But Sevilla coach Jorge Sampaoli saw it differently. “The team played well,” he said. “We had personality and we clearly deserved to win the game.” Sevilla, still down in 17th place, need to start winning games.

Elsewhere, Chimy Ávila scored two golazos as Osasuna beat Celta Vigo 2-1 at Balaidos to move to within a point of the Champions League places, while Girona followed up their 1-1 draw at the Santiago Bernabéu with an impressive 2-1 win over Athletic Club and Mallorca stunned Villarreal with a 2-0 victory at the Estadio de la Ceramica, which featured an incredible second from Senegal winger Amath Ndiaye.

(Images 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.