Page 137 – The Pulse of Football

Jan

2024

5 big issues Liverpool need to solve after Jurgen Klopp’s bombshell exit news

The news that Jürgen Klopp will leave Liverpool at the end of the season has left owners Fenway Sports Group with a host of key issues to solve, in order to avoid a serious decline.

By Jack Lusby, ThisIsAnfield.com

With the dust settling after Jürgen Klopp’s shock announcement, Liverpool fans are left to ponder life without not only the legendary manager, but also his most influential supporting cast.

Joining Klopp through the exit door this summer will be assistants Peter Krawietz and Pepijn Lijnders, as well as elite development coach Vitor Matos. Sporting director Jörg Schmadtke has already departed on the close of the winter transfer window.

It leaves owners Fenway Sports Group will a mammoth task in not only replacing Liverpool’s most successful manager in living memory, but effectively overseeing a wholesale restructure of the club from the dugout to the boardroom.

Klopp will, at least, leave the squad in excellent shape, with a chance he rounds off his almost nine years on Merseyside with four more trophies come the season’s end. But there are major question marks over the continuity of Liverpool’s personnel on the pitch as a result of his departure, too.

Here are five huge issues FSG need to solve following the news that Klopp will leave Liverpool.

The next manager

The obvious starting point is who replaces Klopp, which is on one hand fairly straightforward but also a daunting task for whoever is ultimately appointed.

Xabi Alonso is considered the front-runner at this early stage, and it seems likely that contact will have already been made with a manager who is excelling in his first senior role at Bayer Leverkusen and has an established affinity with Liverpool as a club and a city.

Other names seen as in the frame are Brighton’s Roberto De Zerbi, Tottenham’s Ange Postecoglou, Brentford’s Thomas Frank, Sporting CP’s Ruben Amorim and Germany national team coach Julian Nagelsmann.

All fit the same brief: young, ambitious, proven to a degree and capable of fitting into Liverpool’s established structure on and off the pitch.

None possess the same pedigree and sheer presence that Klopp did when he arrived on the back of glory at Borussia Dortmund – nor, even, the alternative back in 2015, Carlo Ancelotti – but FSG’s data-driven approach to recruitment has paid off in the past.

A sporting director

It has already been suggested that FSG will look to replace Schmadtke before any final decision is made on Klopp’s successor, and it stands to reason that this would be the case.

While the club’s most recent sporting director effectively worked under Klopp, the idea has always been for the role to be in collaboration – or even above – the manager, in charge of all areas of recruitment.

Early contenders for the position include West Ham’s Tim Steidten – who held talks with Liverpool prior to Schmadtke’s arrival on a short-term role last summer – along with Bournemouth’s Richard Hughes and former Southampton, Tottenham, RB Leipzig and Monaco chief Paul Mitchell.

It is almost impossible to measure the calibre of a sporting director from an outside perspective, but a strong, driven character with an appreciation of data and a heavy contacts book is essential.

Key contracts: Van Dijk, Salah, Trent and more

Even before the news of Klopp’s imminent exit, there was a growing sense of it being a pivotal stage when it comes to the futures of three of the manager’s most important players.

Captain Virgil van Dijk, vice-captain Trent Alexander-Arnold and leading goalscorer Mohamed Salah are all into the final year-and-a-half of their deals, and uncertainty over the club’s future has led to any negotiations being stalled.

Regardless of who is brought in, as manager or sporting director, there is no chance Liverpool would look to part ways with any of those three players if they could avoid it.

But all three of Van Dijk, Alexander-Arnold and Salah will require assurances of the club’s direction before they commit any more of their careers to Anfield.

Transfer plans

Klopp’s decision to leave at this stage was partly informed by his belief that Liverpool are on an upward curve and in a healthy position for any successor to take over.

After a summer rebuild that saw Dominik Szoboszlai, Alexis Mac Allister, Ryan Gravenberch and Wataru Endo arrive and old heads such as Jordan Henderson, James Milner and Fabinho depart, there is a sense that the squad that Klopp dubbed ‘Liverpool 2.0’ are ahead of where they were expected to be.

Still, further change will be required in the summer ahead, both in terms of incomings and outgoings, and as it stands plans for the next transfer window will be fronted by FSG president Mike Gordon and director of research William Spearman.

Unless Liverpool opt for the hands-off, head coach model, any manager replacing Klopp will want the last say on any players coming in or going out, while a sporting director is needed for negotiations over signings, sales and contracts.

There are still months to go before the window opens, of course, but Liverpool would typically have their priority targets set by this point – that will, unfortunately, be impossible until key staff roles are filled.

What about the academy?

Klopp’s success at Liverpool will undoubtedly be measured in trophies won, but his lasting legacy should arguably be considered to be the progress made at academy level.

In his final season alone, the German has seen Jarell Quansah, Conor Bradley and Ben Doak emerge as genuine options for a first-team squad that includes Alexander-Arnold, Curtis Jones, Stefan Bajcetic and Caoimhin Kelleher as long-term staples.

Bobby Clark, Kaide Gordon, Luke Chambers, Calum Scanlon, Owen Beck and Trey Nyoni are among those who have also been involved and can be viewed as part of Liverpool’s future.

It has taken almost a decade, in tandem with academy director Alex Inglethorpe, but a devotion to giving lasting opportunities to youth is clearly paying off.

But that is all thrown into doubt with the departures of Klopp, Lijnders and perhaps most importantly,Matos, who served as the link between Liverpool’s academy and first team.

Inglethorpe will be key to assuring this continues, but the club’s hierarchy must ensure any appointment as manager or sporting director be aligned with this vision.

If not, FSG risks undoing the tireless work that stands to save them hundreds of millions in the transfer market going forward.

(Images from IMAGO)

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Jan

2024

AFCON Round of 16 Review: Contenders crash out, Ivory Coast accept a lifeline

The group stage of this AFCON was unpredictable enough, but the Round of 16 has surely cemented this edition of the tournament as the most dramatic ever. None of the quarter-finalists from 2021 have managed to reach that stage again, and none of Africa’s representatives at the 2022 World Cup remain standing either.

By Neel Shelat

🇦🇴 Angola 3-0 Namibia 🇳🇦

Angola turned on the style as they eased past knockout debutantes Namibia in an action-packed start to the Round of 16.

The drama began in the 17th minute, when Angolan goalkeeper Neblú saw red for rushing out of his box and stopping the ball with his hand in a one-on-one situation. One might have thought Namibia had a golden opportunity then, but that was not at all the case.

The Brave Warriors looked quite clueless when it came to creating chances against the 10 men of Angola, which should not have been too much of a surprise given the fact that they just scored once in their three group games. The Palancas Negras, on the other hand, maintained some threat through their lively attackers.

Gelson Dala opened the scoring in the 38th minute after being served on a plate by captain Fredy. He soon added a second from a set-piece, prior to which Namibia also had a player sent off for a second yellow card. Angola cruised home then, with Mabululu capping the result off with a cool finish in the second half.

🇳🇬 Nigeria 2-0 Cameroon 🇨🇲

The West African derby between Nigeria and Cameroon was one of the most hotly anticipated ties of this week, and it did not disappoint.

Viewers were treated to an incredibly open and end-to-end match as neither side managed to establish control in the midfield. In the final third, though, Nigeria looked far more threatening as Cameroon often made life tougher for themselves with some unforced errors. It was one such mistake that allowed Victor Osimhen to go through on goal in the 36th minute, but he elected to square the ball to Ademola Lookman who just about saw his shot squirm past the keeper.

The Indomitable Lions were quite disappointing in the second period, as they showed little cohesive attacking endeavour despite being the side that needed the equaliser. They ended up going down without even registering a shot on target, as Lookman added a second late on to seal the deal for the Super Eagles.

🇬🇶 Equatorial Guinea 0-1 Guinea 🇬🇳

Shock Group A winners Equatorial Guinea were rewarded for their efforts with a tie against their namesake Guinea, who had done well to progress from a group that included Senegal and Cameroon.

The match was not exactly a classic, but Equatorial Guinea just about seemed to have the upper hand as far as overall momentum was concerned. Juan Micha’s side looked to be playing quite cohesively both with and without the ball, but they could not really do much in the final third.

The complexion of the match totally changed when Federico Bikoro was sent off. In spite of that, Equatorial Guinea won a penalty after the hour, but tournament top-scorer Emilio Nsue could only hit the post.

For their part, Guinea created next to no meaningful chances despite their numerical advantage, so the match looked on course for extra time. Mohamed Bayo had other ideas, though, as he headed home a cross by Ibrahim Diakité in the very last minute of play to break Equatoguinean hearts.

🇪🇬 Egypt 1-1 DR Congo 🇨🇩 (7-8 on pens)

Egypt’s tie against DR Congo was a potentially historic occasion, as it was the first knockout tie in a major international tournament between two sides that had failed to win any of their prior matches – at least as far back as our archives go.

The Pharaohs also ended up setting an unwanted record on the day, registering their eight-consecutive draw at the AFCON proper. The match was a really drab affair between two sides that never seemed to click going forward, so no one deserved to win it in regular play.

Meschack Elia’s header was cancelled out by Mostafa Mohamed’s penalty in the first half itself, after which the game seemed destined for a penalty shoot-out. That took a while to resolve itself too, with the goalkeepers ultimately taking matters into their own hands – or more accurately their feet because neither of them made a single save. Gabaski grazed the crossbar with his attempt, allowing Lionel Mpasi-Nzau to win it for DR Congo.

🇨🇻 Cape Verde 1-0 Mauritania 🇲🇷

Cape Verde and Mauritania were never expected to be among the best teams at this tournament, but their clash highlighted that they were at least two of the most tactically polished contestants.

Cape Verde had shocked everyone by becoming the first team of the tournament to seal a knockout spot, so they went into this match as favourites. Mauritania were going to be no pushovers, though, as their solid 4-4-2 block caused their opponents some problems high up the pitch and also managed to keep things really tight in their own half.

The Blue Sharks’ structure enabled them to comfortably keep much more possession, but they failed to do much in the final third for the first hour or so. They then started to build up some sustained pressure, which eventually told late on when an errant backpass caused goalkeeper Babacar Niasse to concede a penalty.

Ryan Mendes stepped up, and he converted to help his side match their nation’s best-ever AFCON result from 2007 when they also reached the quarter-finals.

🇸🇳 Senegal 1-1 Ivory Coast 🇨🇮 (4-5 on pens)

For the first time since 2002, the defending champions faced the hosts at the AFCON.

The Ivory Coast were given an absolute lifeline as they progressed to the knockouts despite registering just three points with a negative goal difference in group A. Those performances caused Jean-Louis Gasset to lose his job, so Emerse Faé stepped up to take interim charge here.

They would have expected to be in for a very tough battle against a side that won all three of their group games quite convincingly. Things did not get off to an ideal start as Habib Mouhamadou Diallo thumped home Sadio Mané’s delivery in the fourth minute, putting Senegal in front with the game’s first attempt.

Fans would have feared that their side might collapse as they did in that final group game against Equatorial Guinea, but they showed great character to hang in there and slowly build up the pressure.

Still, they could not create much but were handed a golden opportunity when substitute Nicolas Pépé was brought down in the box by Édouard Mendy. Fresh off the bench, Franck Kessié stepped up to take the penalty and emphatically converted to keep the Elephants in the tournament.

After an entertaining extra time period where both sides did go for the win (to their credit), the match was to be decided by a penalty shoot-out. Senegal misstepped when Moussa Niakhaté hit the wrong side of the post, eventually allowing Kessié to return to the spot and win it for the Ivory Coast.

🇲🇱 Mali 2-1 Burkina Faso 🇧🇫

Mali caught Burkina Faso off-guard soon after kick-off in either half to establish a two-goal lead, which proved to be enough to see them through to the knockouts.

The Stallions never really got going in the first half so the 1-0 scoreline never looked threatened, but a half-time shake-up seemed to give them a better fighting chance. Bertrand Traoré’s spot-kick brought them back into the game, setting up an interesting finish.

Burkina Faso had some spells of pressure late on, but they did not do nearly enough to bag an equaliser. With that, Mali advanced to the quarter-finals for the first time in over a decade.

🇲🇦 Morocco 0-2 South Africa 🇿🇦

After their record-breaking World Cup semi-final run, Morocco were considered among the firm favourites for the AFCON crown. They convincingly topped their group while many of their fellow contenders stumbled elsewhere, so their chances only went up going into the knockouts.

In line with how this tournament has gone so far, they were unsurprisingly eliminated by South Africa. The Atlas Lions did not play poorly at all, but they did not exactly impose themselves on the game and didn’t create much. Their opponents, on the other hand, scored with their only shot inside the box.

Walid Regragui’s men were then sparked into life and began to consistently threaten in and around the box, but they failed to find the back of the net. A few minutes into stoppage time, Teboho Mokoena’s pinpoint free-kick sealed the deal for Bafana Bafana.

Looking ahead: Quarter-finals

The knockout bracket has become even more open after this set of results, so all eight remaining contestants must be in it to win it.

Nigeria are among the strongest sides standing, but they should expect a very tough test from Angola. The Palancas Negras have the attacking edge to threaten anyone, so they could spring a surprise here.

DR Congo vs Guinea should be an interesting tie between two sides who have not looked overly convincing so far but have reached this stage without too many hiccups. A loss now would be quite disappointing for either team.

Hosts Ivory Coast will be keen to make the most of the lifelines they have received so far in the tournament, both in the group stage and against Senegal. They will be the favourites against Mali, so it should be interesting to see how they cope with that level of expectation.

Cape Verde are arguably the most tactically well-coached team at this tournament, so they should back themselves to create history by reaching the semi-finals of the AFCON for the first time. South Africa have not gotten that far in a good while too as their last quarter-final victory was back in 2000.

(Images from IMAGO)

You can follow every game from the Africa Cup of Nations, with deep stats and players ratings, on FotMob. Download the free app here.

Jan

2024

Premier League Preview: Matchday 22

The Premier League returns with Matchday 22, a repeat of the opening round of fixtures, being played throughout the mid-week. Here, we detail what matches we believe are going to provide the footballing world with the biggest talking points, that is until the next round of fixtures this weekend.

By Sam McGuire, Premier League expert

Jekyll and Hyde Arsenal

Believe it or not, Arsenal and Nottingham Forest both have two wins each in their last four matches against one another.

The Gunners have won both ties at the Emirates while Nottingham Forest claimed 1-0 victories in each of the two matches at the City Ground. Though Arsenal are clear favourites heading to Nottingham on Tuesday evening, they will no doubt be a little wary of that record.

Another interesting fact is that there hasn’t been a draw between these two sides across their last seven matches in all competitions. If we’re being honest, a draw doesn’t help either side this time around either. A point for Arsenal would leave them four points off the summit having played a game more while it would move Nuno Espírito Santo’s men five points clear of 18th-placed Luton but the Hatters would have two games in hand.

Arsenal’s freshness could play a part here. Their last outing was the 5-0 Premier League win over Crystal Palace on January 20th while Forest had an FA Cup tie against Bristol City over the weekend.

Fortress Villa Park

Aston Villa have taken 28 points from a possible 30 at home this season. Sheffield United are the only team to escape Villa Park with anything. On Tuesday evening, Unai Emery’s men take on an out-of-sorts but dangerous Newcastle United side.

The hosts are unbeaten in four following their shock 3-2 loss to Manchester United on Boxing Day. However, they haven’t scored a goal in their last two matches across all competitions, so they head into this game needing to find a spark in the final third. In fact, over the past five games in the Premier League, Villa are eighth in the form table and have a goal difference of just one.

Newcastle, by comparison, are 17th in the form table having picked up three points from five matches. They need a win. They might fancy their chances against Villa though, despite everything. The Magpies have found the back of the net on 12 occasions across their last four meetings with the Villans.

A win for Villa could see them move into second place in the Premier League. A win for Newcastle would lift them into eighth.

Can Toney provide another spark for Brentford?

An Ivan Toney-inspired Brentford ran out 3-2 winners over Nottingham Forest in their last Premier League outing to register their first win since early December. Thomas Frank will be hoping his main man can deliver a similarly dominant performance against Tottenham.

It’ll be a big ask with the Bees struggling for players right now. They have four away on international duty and five first-team players, including top scorer Bryan Mbeumo, are ruled out through injury. Furthermore, Brentford haven’t kept a clean sheet in 12 matches and are winless in five away games this season.

Spurs have the third best home record in the Premier League and though they lost last time out, 1-0 to Manchester City, they have impressed in front of their home fans this term. They too are without their top scorer, Heung-Min Son, who remains at the Asian Cup with South Korea, but they have added reinforcements during this transfer window and are currently averaging 2.1 goals per game.

Ange Postecoglou’s men should have enough but you just never know in the Premier League, do you?

The Klopp farewell tour continues

Another Liverpool match, another chance for Anfield to say goodbye to the departing Jürgen Klopp. This time around the Reds face Chelsea. A win for the Premier League leaders would see their lead at the summit return to five points, though that does depend on how other rivals fare. They could finish matchday 22 seven points clear if things go their way.

Klopp’s men are averaging the second-highest number of goals on a per 90 basis with 2.2, they have the second-best home record in the Premier League with 26 points from 30 and they have kept the joint-most clean sheets in the English top-flight with eight.

The Reds haven’t lost to Chelsea in any of their previous seven matches, though five of these have ended as draws.

If Chelsea do the unthinkable and gatecrash Klopp’s extended farewell party, they could move up to seventh in the Premier League. The Blues have been awarded the most penalties in the league this season (eight). Mauricio Pochettino’s side are also second in the form table over recent weeks so should not be taken lightly.

The Hammers and the Cherries

This has the potential to be one of the best games of matchday 22 with both teams heading into this game in form. In fact, West Ham are fourth in the form table while Bournemouth currently rank seventh.

David Moyes’ men will be confident of maximum points though. They are unbeaten in nine at home and have a fairly good record against the Cherries having won four of their last five. Bournemouth’s only success against West Ham during this period came in a friendly.

Yet the way in which Andoni Iraola’s team swept Swansea aside in the FA Cup, you have to feel they will be full of confidence, and with Dominic Solanke in attack, they will always be a genuine threat.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

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Jan

2024

The Rise of Thiago Motta’s young Dutch star: Joshua Zirkzee

The Netherlands has been historically associated with charismatic, classy strikers. Ruud van Nistelrooy, Marco van Basten, Robin van Persie to name a few. Assured in their finishing with expert technique, the Dutch have been treated to some of the world’s best poachers. Recently, however, there has been somewhat of a ‘striker crisis’ as no forward has been able to make the position his own.

By Dharnish Iqbal

Enter then Bologna’s rising star: Josh Zirkzee. As part of the Thiago Motta revolution at Bologna, Zirkzee is helping to spearhead a young attack. The average age of the strike force vs AC Milan this past weekend? 21.5 years old.

That is a heavy entrustment in youth, but Zirkzee is a player who seems a lot more mature than other attackers his age (22). When you think of youth attackers, you’re normally excited by their raw talent, and directness. They’re like a breath of fresh air because they do certain things that seasoned players don’t.

Zirkzee is beyond his years because of his link-up play and ability to play like a complete centre-forward. Normally with strikers Zirkzee’s age, they’ll have one or two good attributes but you’ll have to mould them into a striker that can play the modern game and be a part of a team’s build-up. But this is actually what Zirkzee is brilliant at.

Zirkzee’s strengths lie in how much he drags a centre-back out of position, receiving the ball deep with his back to goal. He often gets involved in the early stages of a move but also drifts out wide to support the winger to link-up and progress the move.

When Bologna have the ball in defence, they look to play it to Zirkzee as an outlet in his own half so he can hold the ball up, look to play it to the winger or attacking-midfielder and bring others into play.

Rather than just be part of the move as a striker who occupies the last defensive line, he is an important part of Bologna’s attacks at whatever stage as a creator connecting midfield and attack.

The goal he scored vs Milan had him starting on the wing as he latched onto a through ball over the top. Due to him making the correct decision and crossing the ball for other Bologna attackers when the ball eventually came back out to him after a scramble he cooly finished through Maignan’s legs.

Smart decision-making normally comes later when forwards are perfecting their skills. You can see how valuable his link-up, creation and connecting midfield and attack is for Bologna through his player traits.

Having 90% more touches than other strikers in the league and 87% more chances created than other forwards in Serie A. This is even more of an impressive stat when you think of some of the strikers the league has: Romelu Lukaku, Paulo Dybala, Victor Osimhen, Oliver Giroud, and Lautaro Martínez.

His abilities in build-up are highlighted by his passing stats, having 20 successful passes, 0.69 accurate long balls and 1.39 chances created per 90.

If he was to go to a bigger club, these attributes would be easily transferrable for him to fit into a possession-based team that patiently constructs attacks. He isn’t conjuring something out of nothing for a side relying on his abilities to produce goals and save games, so there’ll be less of an adjustment.

If you take a look at who he’s scoring and assisting against, it tends to be the bigger teams with better defenders. The goal against AC Milan adds to his tally of assisting or scoring vs Juventus, Inter, Lazio and Fiorentina.

Zirkzee joined Bayern’s academy from Feynoord’s youth setup and eventually rose to play for Bayern Munich II, making his senior debut in 2019-20. However, with Robert Lewandowski as the main man, chances to play first team football were few and far between.

After being loaned to Parma, Zirkzee suffered a serious injury during January 2021 but would find his feet at Anderlecht, in another loan spell later that summer. A year later he permanently signed for Bologna and is having a breakout season.

Remarkably his game is very similar to Harry Kane and as Arsenal, AC Milan and Manchester United lurk, Bayern have retained a buy-back clause giving them an advantage should they choose to re-sign the Dutchman.

His selfless abilities as a centre-forward have made him a target for the big clubs. After breaking out at Bologna, the Netherlands may have their next great Dutch striker.

(Images from IMAGO)

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Jan

2024

FA Cup Fourth Round Review

There really isn’t a competition quite like the FA Cup. The Fourth Round draw promised goals, drama and upsets. As a whole, it delivered. We had goals. We had drama and we had upsets. What more could you ask for? In our FA Cup review, we take a look at some of the biggest talking points from across the weekend.

By Sam McGuire

The Swans swept aside

Bournemouth blitzed Swansea City to kick off the Fourth Round of the FA Cup. Andoni Iraola’s side scored three goals inside the opening 14 minutes and added a further two before the half-time whistle. The second half wasn’t anywhere near as exciting for the home side but it didn’t need to be.

The hosts scored with every effort on target. Remarkably, though, the Cherries managed zero shots on target after the break while the away side didn’t manage a single effort in the second half.

It was a deserved victory for the Premier League outfit. The most impressive statistic from the match was that they managed 19 shots and not one arrived from outside of the penalty area. That is a sign of a well-drilled attacking unit capable of creating high-value chances.

City snatch a late winner

Tottenham Hotspur, in front of a home crowd, failed to live up to the billing against Manchester City. Spurs have a fairly decent record against the reigning Premier League champions when on home turf but Ange Postecoglou’s side severely struggled on Friday evening.

They had just a single shot across the 90 minutes and failed to limit Man City. The visitors carved out chances worth an Expected Goals value of 2.23 while also finishing the match with 18 shots to their name. For 87 minutes, it appeared as though Spurs might get away with a replay but Nathan Ake popped up with the winner with just two minutes of normal time remaining.

The win for Pep Guardiola’s men now makes it seven on the trot across all competitions. They seem to be hitting form just at the right time.

An upset at Portman Road

Ipswich Town are flying high in the Championship and would’ve felt confident of reaching the Fifth Round when drawn, at home, to National League South side Maidstone United.

Yet it was very much a smash-and-grab on Saturday afternoon as the non-league side stunned the team currently sitting in second place in England’s second tier.

Maidstone managed just two shots during the game but both efforts beat Christian Walton. The away side had just 22% of the ball at Portman Road and were under pressure throughout. The Tractor Boys had a total of 38 shots, six of which were classed as big chances, and amassed an Expected Goals haul of 3.66 They attempted almost 500 more passes than their visitors but weren’t able to make any of that dominance count, losing 2-1 in one of the surprise results of the weekend.

Luton leave it late

For the second time this season, Luton have beaten Everton at Goodison Park. On both occasions, the visitors claimed a 2-1 win. Whereas in the Premier League fixture between the two sides, Rob Edwards’ took a 2-0 lead and then had to hold on, this time around they left it late to claim victory to progress into the Fifth Round.

Vitaliy Mykolenko had given Luton the lead with an own goal in the first half before Jack Harrison levelled things up after the break. The Toffees were pressing for a winner late on but it was Luton who found one after a bit of a scramble in the penalty area in the 96th minute. Cauley Woodrow, off the bench, was the hero.

In truth, it was a deserved win for the visitors. They had more of the ball and better chances against a disappointing Everton team who should’ve had a point to prove in a competition that offered them their last chance of silverware this season.

Sheffield United implode at home

It was a strange game at Bramall Lane between Premier League duo Sheffield United and Brighton. The hosts took a 2-0 lead with Facundo Buonanotte scoring a spectacular effort from distance before João Pedro cooly rolled home a penalty into the bottom corner with just 30 minutes on the clock.

In the space of four minutes, just prior to the break, Sheffield United levelled things up and we had a proper cup game on our games.

However, just seven minutes into the second half, Brighton were awarded another penalty. Pedro fired home and the Brazilian completed his hat-trick in the 67th minute. Danny Welbeck added a fifth for the visitors in stoppage time to really add an exclamation point to the proceedings.

Jürgen Klopp’s farewell tour starts with a win

On Friday morning, Jürgen Klopp announced he would be leaving Liverpool at the end of the season. On Sunday afternoon, Anfield welcomed him and his players for the FA Cup tie against Norwich City. Emotion could’ve gotten the better of everyone and there was a chance of an upset. But the Reds looked locked in and focused, even after the away side scored an equaliser against the run of play not long after Curtis Jones had given the hosts the lead.

Liverpool youngster Conor Bradley caught the eye and finished with two assists as the Reds had five different players on the scoresheet in a 5-2 win over the Championship side.

The scoreline made it look more like a game than it was. Liverpool finished with an Expected Goals haul of 3.57 having carved out seven big chances. By comparison, Norwich finished with an xG total of just 0.12.

Newport County stun Manchester United

Manchester United, eventually, had enough to knock League Two side Newport County out of the FA Cup, but the Red Devils sure made hard work of it. Erik Ten Hag’s side raced into a 2-0 lead at Rodney Parade with Bruno Fernandes and Kobbie Manoo scoring. But Brynn Morris halved the deficit towards the end of the first half before Will Evans equalised just moments after the break.

It was end-to-end, with United finishing the game having taken just five more shots than their hosts. Antony put the Premier League side back into the lead and after some Newport near misses, Rasmus Højlund killed the tie off with a goal in stoppage time.

(Images from IMAGO)

You can follow every match from the FA Cup live with FotMob — featuring deep stats coverage and player ratings. Download the free app here.

Jan

2024

Teddy Teuma: The Maltese maestro delivering for Reims

Teddy Teuma’s rise to becoming one of Ligue 1’s standout players has certainly been unconventional. After spending most of his career in the lower leagues of French football and at Belgian side Union Saint-Gilloise, Teuma returned to France last summer with Stade de Reims. And at the age of 30, the Malta international has undoubtedly been one of the breakout stars in his maiden Ligue 1 campaign.

By Luke Bissett

Born in France, Teuma started out his career with fourth division side Hyères, balancing football with working as a delivery driver for his father’s butcher’s shop. He then enjoyed successful spells at Boulogne-sur-Mer and Red Star before joining Union Saint-Gilloise in the Belgian second tier in January 2019.

Teuma quickly found his feet at USG, helping lead the club back to the top-flight for the first time in 48 years. The midfielder became a key figure in the Belgian capital, captaining the side to consecutive top three finishes in the Belgian Pro League. His final season in Brussels also saw Saint-Gilloise reach the quarter-finals of the UEFA Europa League, with Teuma scoring 14 goals and providing 17 assists across all competitions in 2022-23.

This prompted Stade de Reims to sign the midfielder last summer, offering him the chance to play in the top tier of his birth country for the very first time. And it’s an opportunity that Tuema has grasped with both hands. The 30-year-old has been one of the revelations of the season – spearheading the Red and Whites to their best start to a Ligue 1 campaign for 49 years.

Teuma’s start to life in the Champagne region couldn’t have really gone any better, with the midfielder scoring once and providing two assists on his first start. He has slotted seamlessly into Reims’ midfield three, giving Will Still’s side a completely new dimension in and out of possession.

One of Teuma’s most impressive attributes is the fact that he is a persistent goal threat. Only five sides netted fewer goals in Ligue 1 than the Red and Whites last term (45), while 21 of those were scored by departed loanee Folarin Balogun. Therefore, the Reims hierarchy placed an almighty emphasis on adding more goals to the side during last summer’s transfer window, and it’s more than paid off.

No player has been directly involved in more Ligue 1 goals for Reims this season than Teuma (five goals & two assists). The midfielder’s perfectly timed runs have posed constant headaches for opposition defenders, with his delayed surges to the edge of the box often going unmarked.

The Malta international ranks inside the top 10 for both shots (30) and shots on target (10) among Ligue 1 midfielders, while he is already beginning to boast an enviable goal highlight reel. Teuma offers a huge presence in the final third – often from outside the penalty area, as he showed to lethal effect with a fine strike against Monaco in Reims’ most recent league victory.

Teuma is deployed on the left of midfield in Still’s fluid system and is afforded the license to roam up and down the pitch. This enables the 30-year-old to act as the creative hub in the side, repeatedly looking to break opposition lines with his penetrative passes.

By boasting more positional freedom, he often drifts in between the lines to help progress the ball from back-to-front. Teuma is extremely effective in these tight spaces and can operate as the side’s playmaker from these positions – no player has created more secondary chances than Teuma in Ligue 1 across 2023-24 (22).

Reims are a transition-based side under Still and constantly look to descend upon opponents at break-neck speed, with Teuma always at the heart of every attack. He floats into the half spaces, providing a forward option before turning and picking out one of the side’s ever-willing dynamic forwards.

The 30-year-old possesses a range of passing in his armoury, threading passes through to teammates over varying distances. Another string to his bow is the fact that he is a dead ball specialist. The midfielder has quickly adopted the role of Reims’ set-piece taker, with his accurate deliveries the type that forward players thrive on. He has also attempted the eighth most crosses in France’s top flight this season.

The Malta international is equally effective off-the-ball, aggressively harrying opponents with tenacious pressure to regain possession. The combative midfielder has won 27 tackles in Ligue 1 this season – the 10^thmost of any player, and explosively looks to transition defence into attack upon winning the ball. Teuma can then exploit the vast amounts of space left behind by opponents through his extremely powerful running or by playing an incisive pass to a teammate.

Reims currently sit in sixth place in Ligue 1, just five points behind the Champions League spots. Remarkably, this may even bring in to play the alleged €2million bonus in the deal with USG should Teuma win the Champions League with Reims!

Though the chances of that may be slim, few will disagree with the instant impact that the Malta international has made in the Champagne region. And it should come as no surprise to any that former courier Teddy Teuma is consistently delivering in France’s top division.

(Images from IMAGO)

You can follow every Ligue 1 game on FotMob – with deep stats, xG, and player ratings. Download the free app here.

Jan

2024

Alex Grimaldo and Jeremie Frimpong: Leverkusen’s not-so-secret wingback weapons

After 18 Bundesliga matches this season, Bayer Leverkusen find themselves sitting pretty at the top of the standings, still undefeated and with a four point cushion to Bayern Munich in second spot. In fact, Xabi Alonso’s side have already become the first team in German football history to remain unbeaten after the first 25 games of a campaign across all competitions. Their stellar form looks set to finally deliver some much-sought after silverware.

By Nathan Evans

Among their usual stand-out stars in the form of wonderkid Florian Wirtz and the much talked about Victor Boniface, there’s two players that have arguably been even more important than any others for Leverkusen this campaign. Those two players in question are Álex Grimaldo and Jeremie Frimpong; who between them have arguably formed the best wing-back partnership seen across Europe’s top five leagues in recent memory.

Before delving into the performances of both of Leverkusen’s flying full-backs, we first need to take a look at how Alonso has set up his Leverkusen side so far this campaign.

Normally deployed in a 3-4-2-1 formation – though the front three can be configured to have two strikers instead when needed – the system that Alonso has adopted this term is one that packs the middle of the park to allow the two full-backs to almost act as wingers when attacking. Simply put, that helps to give both players in those positions plenty of freedom and space to operate within, whilst making it difficult for the opposing side to know how best to track the duo.

This season, those two players have been Álex Grimaldo on the left and Jeremie Frimpong on the right.

Starting with 28-year-old Grimaldo, who without a doubt will go down as one of the best free transfer signings in a number of seasons across Europe, after joining in the summer from Benfica – he has recorded seven goals and eight assists across his 18 Bundesliga matches this campaign.

For reference on both of those fronts, he has the second-most German top-flight assists behind only Bayern’s Leroy Sané (10) and the ninth-most goals in the competition. His goal scoring also sees him head into this weekend’s action as the highest-scoring defender across Europe’s top five leagues, with six of his seven league strikes surprisingly coming away from home.

Delving into his offensive output a little deeper, Grimaldo’s numbers across the board have been stunning in the Bundesliga. Among all defenders in the competition, he ranks first for shots attempted (37), second for expected assists (5.27), second for chances created (39), second for successful crosses (21) and fourth for expected goals (2.42). That highlights just how well he understands his new role in this current Leverkusen set up, and it also emphasises just how well Alonso has done to get the best out of his new Spanish full-back.

The former Liverpool and Real Madrid midfielder, who is still in his first senior managerial role and is now heavily linked with a move to Liverpool after Jürgen Klopp’s recent announcement on his future, has also worked wonders in getting the best out of right-back Frimpong in a similar way. The 23-year-old joined Die Werkself from Celtic back in January 2021 but ever since, had struggled for consistency. That’s not been a problem this season though, as the Dutchman has thrived in his more attacking role, which has subsequently led to a full international debut back in mid-October after which his club manager said “we’re totally convinced about Jeremie, and believe that he has a big international future ahead of him.”

Like Grimaldo, Frimpong has started in all 18 of Leverkusen’s Bundesliga matches this term, recording 11 direct goal contributions along the way. Five of those have come in the form of goals, from an expected goals figure of 4.08 – the highest xG total of any defender across Europe’s top five leagues – whilst his six assists are the most of any Bundesliga defender behind his teammate.

Again, a more in-depth look into his attacking numbers showcases just how brilliant Frimpong has been in his more offensive role at right wing-back. In the German top-flight amongst defenders, he ranks second for attempted shots (28), third for expected assists (3.63) and third for chances created (32); output that is even more impressive when it’s underlined by the fact that he doesn’t usually take set pieces like his Spanish teammate. Amazingly, from his position, the 23-year-old has further racked up 136 touches in the opposition box this campaign, the second-most of any German top-flight player behind Leverkusen striker Victor Boniface!

For both, what’s potentially even more impressive however, is the fact that despite the duo putting up huge attacking metrics, their defensive performance hasn’t really suffered because of it. To date, Leverkusen have conceded the fewest goals of any side in the German top-flight (14) with their eight clean sheets also ranking them highly across Europe’s top five leagues. Elsewhere, from an individual perspective, both rank at the top of the pile for times winning possession in the final third across Europe’s elite league competitions, another key part of Alonso’s set-up, which has helped to bring success to the BayArena so far.

It does need to be mentioned that against more skillful and talented opposition, both wing-backs can struggle from a defensive perspective, whilst there’s equally the old adage of opponents understanding their tactical set up more in the future which could limit their output. The system can further, and in particular, prove to be vulnerable to counter-attacks with both full-backs operating further up the field. That can on occasion leave the pair ‘high and dry’ so to speak, but with such attacking output to make up for those small shortcomings, it’s difficult to imagine Die Werkself finishing this campaign without adding silverware to their trophy cabinet.

Whether Bayer Leverkusen can seal their first Bundesliga title still remains to be seen, but what is already certain, is that Álex Grimaldo and Jeremie Frimpong’s performances for the club throughout the 2023/24 campaign will go down in club folklore for years to come regardless.

(Images from IMAGO)

You can follow every Bayer Leverkusen game on FotMob – with deep stats, xG, and player ratings. Download the free app here.

Jan

2024

Attack could be the best form of Defence for Cameroon at AFCON 2023

It was the most classic of comebacks, in the most dramatic of fashions. Cameroon, needing victory to emerge from their Africa Cup of Nations Group C, trailed Gambia 2-1 with only four minutes left on the clock. But a team which had scored only twice before that day, a team which had yet to win at the tournament and a team which had looked ragged and short of ideas in their two openers, somehow found a way.

By Karl Matchett

For the fans and perhaps even some players, the wild scenes which met Christopher Wooh’s injury-time headed winner can mean the manner of the victory – that is, the purposeful, tactical manner in which Cameroon were the better attacking team and approached the match to win – can be overlooked.

But for boss Rigobert Song and his coaching staff, the lessons of what worked and why have to be retained and taken on board, and honed to near perfection for the knockouts, where they will first face Nigeria in the Round of 16. Because this wasn’t just an off-the-cuff comeback. There were plenty of problems remaining, particularly defens ively for Cameroon, but there were also aspects of the Indomitable Lions’ game which made for very positive watching, characteristics which can be repeated and relied upon as they aim to go deeper in the competition.

In particular, their approach play with the wide forwards paid dividends all game long against Gambia. Song needed a drastic improvement in that regard after successive fixtures attaining less than a 1.0 xG tally: 0.70 against Guinea, a measly 0.37 in the defeat to Senegal. And that’s exactly what he did find, trying two different ways, and eventually offering enough threat that Cameroon bludgeoned their way through to the knock-outs – and, perhaps just as importantly, finding an idea of how to go about attacking Nigeria, who will present an altogether more distinct challenge.

Alterations to the team came most notably in goal – André Onana dropped for Fabrice Ondoa – and in a formation switch, moving to a 3-4-3 with Karl Toko Ekambi and Georges-Kevin N’koudou deployed as the wide forwards.

Their first half movement was Cameroon’s best route into dangerous areas, with some neat combination play between the front trio – Frank Magri the central pillar – almost creating a number of openings to test Gambia’s goalkeeper. It was a narrow three in truth, Toko Ekambi and N’koudou very much in the channels rather than wide. Without the wing-backs relentlessly pushed forward, though, it meant most of the build-up play came centrally through midfield and then into their feet.

Song clearly had the right idea, but not quite the execution from his players in making it happen – so second half, he pushed for more width, eventually reverted to a back four and got a big uptick in productivity. A total of 22 touches in the Gambia penalty box, over two-thirds of those in the second half, showcase how the build-up play was more successful, more direct and yielded far more output in terms of shots.

Both Toko Ekambi and N’koudou struck the woodwork with extremely presentable chances – the latter’s effort one of three Big Chances created by Cameroon during the second 45 minutes – while the former had a total of ten touches in the opposition box, four shots and an individual xG of 0.87, all game highs. Indeed, his personal xG tally there exceeded Cameroon’s entire goal threat from each of their previous two aforementioned fixtures, highlighting the regularity with which he found space in the area and his relentless desire to fire his team through to the knockouts.

While his close-range header which found the back of the net was clearly Toko Ekambi’s biggest individual contribution, from a team perspective it’s the function and consistency of chance creation which is most important: that’s what Song can look to repeat in future games, to create future match-winning chances. On the other side of the attack, N’koudou delivered two assists for a total xG+xA tally of 0.87, adding end product to five attempted dribbles, three free-kicks won and four passes into the final third from deep.

Song has chopped and changed his forward line through the group stage, sometimes by necessity. But this pair perhaps brought the best balance of impact and outlet, and there’s reason to think there’s more ahead: Vincent Aboubakar, captain and top scorer of the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations, is back from injury and ready to face Nigeria.

If he lines up through the centre, flanked by N’koudou and Toko Ekambi, it gives Song an attacking platform to trouble a Super Eagles side which has kept back-to-back clean sheets. With their own problems to still sort out defensively, attack will be the best form of defence for Cameroon as they aim to emulate a run to the semi-finals two years ago.

(Images from IMAGO)

You can follow every game from the Africa Cup of Nations, with deep stats and players ratings, on FotMob. Download the free app here.

Jan

2024

Transfer of the Week: Mayra Ramirez – Chelsea’s record-breaking signing

Over the course of the January transfer window, we will take a closer look at the best of the week’s business with our ‘Transfer of the Week’ columns. This time, our focus will be on Mayra Ramírez, whose €500,000 release clause has been triggered by Chelsea to set a new world record transfer fee in women’s football.

By Neel Shelat

Chelsea’s first headlines of 2024 were the worst possible ones – Sam Kerr suffering a season-ending ACL injury. It is really tough to find a positive angle when a team loses their star striker, but the only favourable aspect of this was the timing, as the Blues had a good couple of weeks in the transfer window to scour the market and decide if they wanted to make a signing.

As they seek a fifth-consecutive Women’s Super League title in what is set to be Emma Hayes’ last season at the English club, Chelsea concluded that they would need to bring someone in to replace the firepower of Kerr up front. After some deliberation, their pick was Levante’s Mayra Ramírez.

Right from first glance, it is easy to see why the Blues went for the 24-year-old Colombian striker. Just like Kerr, she is an exceptional goal-scorer but has a lot more to her game than just that, as she can be an imposing aerial presence up top and link up well with her teammates.

That player radar looks eerily similar to Kerr’s, so Chelsea’s scouting department have clearly done a great job in finding an almost like-for-like replacement as far as player profiles are concerned.

Of course, there are some differences between the two players. For one, Ramírez has a much bigger frame than her Australian counterpart. At 178 cm, she stands 10 cm taller than Kerr. WSL defences have already been tormented enough by the ex-Perth Glory striker, so they could well be absolutely bullied by the new arrival.

Despite her stature, Ramírez is a very mobile striker. She always shows great work-rate off the ball, both to lead the press when her team does not have possession and to probe for openings when her teammates have the ball. For both Levante and Colombia, she can be seen constantly making runs into channels, spinning in behind or dropping deep to always keep her opposing defenders on their toes. The 24-year-old forward has a decent turn of pace too, so she can run onto balls in behind besides serving as a very strong aerial target.

In and around the box, Ramírez can be absolutely deadly. Her goal-scoring record speaks for itself, as she has averaged well over a goal every two matches in two seasons at Levante.

She is in particularly fine form this season, averaging almost a goal per 90 minutes in Liga F. Her ability to consistently get into dangerous positions through her movement and presence in the box is also a big part of her success, as she has consistently averaged well over 3 shots per 90 in the last couple of seasons.

The numbers also reflect her general on-ball threat, as the Colombian international has averaged 2.25 dribbles per 90 in the league this season. An average of almost 10 touches in the penalty area per 90 is absolutely staggering, so that should paint a good picture of just how much of a threat Ramírez can pose on her own.

This dribbling ability could be particularly important to Ramírez’s long-term future at Chelsea. Unless the next manager opts to use a front-two formation, she will have the very tough task of competing with Kerr for the striker spot. In such a case, her ability to operate on the right wing could prove quite handy to ensure that both of them spend a lot of time together on the pitch.

For this season and the next, Ramírez will add another dimension to Chelsea’s already very diverse forward options, which include the all-action Lauren James, creative threats such as Guro Reiten and Johanna Rytting Kaneryd, USWNT forwards Catarina Macario and Mia Fishel, as well as youngsters such as Agnes Beever-Jones and Lucy Watson.

In the future, the Colombian international should aim to establish herself as Kerr’s successor at Chelsea as the Australian forward has ticked over the age of 30 years old now.

On the other hand, Levante’s short and long-term UWCL aspirations have surely suffered a big setback with this departure. They are currently locked in an extremely tight four-team battle behind Barcelona, the dominant force in Liga F, and will likely not get much further than that given their financial constraints. For now, they will have to hope that the likes of Gabi Silva, Alba Redondo and Ángela Sosa can minimise the impact of Ramírez’s departure.

Given the way women’s football has been heading of late, Ramírez’s transfer fee could easily be surpassed quite soon. For now, though, she is a deserving holder of that record.

(Images from IMAGO)

To keep up to date with all the latest Transfers, check out the FotMob Transfer Centre. Download the free app here.

Jan

2024

FIVE games to follow this weekend: FA Cup ties, AFCON knockout stages, and more

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

By Bill Biss

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 FA Cup: Newport County vs. Manchester United

We start this week, with one of Sunday’s fourth round clashes, in the FA Cup. And this is a proper cup tie, befitting of the tradition and values of the world’s oldest national cup competition. Newport County, from South Wales, and currently sat 14th in League Two, take on giants Manchester United, from three divisions above them, and 12-time winners of the trophy.

Rodney Parade will be full the rafters for the visit of the Premier League side, and their still somewhat under pressure manager, Erik Ten Hag, and even the slightest sniff of an upset (or ‘Cupset’) will be jumped upon.

Newport have some decent recent history in the competition having reached this round for the third time in the last seven seasons but make no mistake, a win here would be their biggest ever result. This season, in particular, Manchester United can not afford to let that happen and Ten Hag will be keen for his side to take control of the game as early on as possible.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 FA Cup: West Brom vs. Wolves

Just like the third round throwing up a rare derby between Sunderland and Newcastle United, the fourth round has given us the Black Country Derby between West Bromwich Albion, from the Championship, and Wolverhampton Wanderers, of the Premier League.

Sunday’s meeting between the two will be the first since 2021 when Albion were ultimately relegated from England’s top flight but their absence will only have intensified the animosity between the two local rivals.

West Brom haven’t lost a home game to Wolves since 1996 and they’ve only lost three of the 24 games played against each other since then. So Gary O’Neil’s visitors will be particularly motivated to end that historical hoodoo. Especially with his side unbeaten in six (all comps) and up to 11th in the Premier League. Albion did lose to Norwich City in their last outing but they do still sit fifth in the Championship, the best of the rest behind a breakaway top four of Leicester, Ipswich, Southampton, and Leeds.

🇪🇸 LaLiga: Celta Vigo vs. Girona

Elsewhere on Sunday, we’ll be focusing on the unlikely title race in LaLiga, where once again, Girona will be playing catch up when they head to Celta Vigo.

They sit one point ahead of Real Madrid at the top of the table but with Carlo Ancelotti’s side in action on Saturday, the pressure will likely be on Girona to respond. They did just that last weekend, thrashing Sevilla 5-1 after Madrid had rescued a 3-2 win against bottom side Almería earlier that same day. But the league leaders were upset in the week, when they lost a Copa Del Rey quarter-final at Mallorca.

Celta Vigo were also involved in that round, where they went down to a 2-1 defeat to Real Sociedad on Tuesday. Rafa Benítez might just be glad to see the back of them having watched his side also lose to Real Sociedad in the league last Saturday! Celta currently sit two points above the relegation zone but were on a decent run of form before that double blow.

🇩🇪 Bundesliga: Bayer Leverkusen vs. Borussia Mönchengladbach

To Germany now, where another unlikely side are looking to claim what would be their first ever top flight title. Bayer Leverkusen saw their lead in the table drop to four points following the playing of Bayern’s game in hand during the week, but with their unbeaten start still in tact, they should be confident going in to Saturday’s meeting with Rhine rivals Gladbach.

In fact, it’s a weekend full of local (and local-ish) rivalries in the Bundesliga. Bayern travel to Bavarian neighbours Augsburg, and with Schalke currently absent from the top flight, Borussia Dortmund play Bochum in the Mini-Revierderby.

Going back to Leverkusen though, Xabi Alonso’s side have won their last five competitive games, coming through tricky ties against Augsburg and Leipzig in the two rounds played since the winter break. And back in Round 2, in August, they were 3-0 winners at Gladbach, a game in which top scorer Victor Boniface scored twice.

Gladbach come in to Saturday’s game sat 12th in the table, and with one win in their last five league games. Their manager this season is Gerardo Seoane, the man who Xabi Alonso replaced at Leverkusen with the club then sat second bottom of the division in October 2022. Something that should add a little more spice to this derby fixture!

🇮🇹 Serie A: Fiorentina vs. Inter

In Serie A, fourth meets second on Sunday evening as the Viola meet the Nerazzurri. Both sides were in Supercoppa action last weekend, a tournament that Inter won for the third season in a row following Monday’s victory over Napoli in the final, with Napoli having beaten Fiorentina in their semi-final.

Inter’s absence did allow Juventus to leapfrog them at the top of the league table, but only by a point, and the two do, of course, meet in what looks like a particularly important Derby d’Italia next up, over the first weekend of February.

But ahead of that potential title decider, Inter must be wary of a Fiorentina side who looked inspired during the first half of the season. They have won just one of their last five competitive games but they were unbeaten in eight before that, and they also topped their group in the Europa Conference League.

Simone Inzaghi’s Inter have lost just once in the league all season and just once in their last 22 in all competitions. They are also the top scorers in the division, averaging 2.5 goals per game, and conceding just 0.5 goals per game at the other end.

Plus two suggestions from the ongoing international tournaments, as their respective knockout stages begin…

🏆 AFCON 2023: Nigeria vs. Cameroon

Running roughly one day ahead of their Asian counterparts, the Africa Cup of Nations reaches the Round of 16 on Saturday. And it’s the second of the day’s two games that will take most of the attention; the clash between West African neighbours and continental heavyweights, Nigeria and Cameroon. The Super Eagles vs. The Indomitable Lions.

The group stage of the tournament was one for the ages, but where so many of the favourites failed or faltered, these two have at least made it through. Nigeria went unbeaten and look steady, but not spectacular, scoring just three goals as they beat Ivory Coast and Guinea-Bissau (both 1-0), and drew with Equatorial Guinea (1-1). Cameroon looked shakier. They started with a 1-1 draw against 10-men Guinea and were then beaten soundly by reigning champions Senegal. Trailing 2-1 against Gambia, they needed a late own-goal and a stoppage time winner to get the points they needed to progress as the runners-up from their group.

🏆 Asian Cup 2023: Australia vs. Indonesia

In the AFC’s flagship tournament, the Round of 16 gets going on Sunday. And we’ve picked out the meeting between 2015 winners Australia and Indonesia, who have reached this stage for the first time, in what is their fifth appearance at the finals.

Ranked 146th in the world to Australia’s current status as FIFA’s 25th best international side, Indonesia are the rank outsiders. But in scoring against both Iraq and Japan, and beating Vietnam to progress, they have shown some potential for causing an upset.

The Socceroos have done what has been expected of them, but they have perhaps lacked a cutting edge having only put two past lowly-seeded India and one past Syria in their two group stage wins. Their last result was a disappointing 1-1 draw with Uzbekistan.

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Cover Image from IMAGO