You think you know Arsenal? You have 12 minutes to prove it. Tap Play below to get the clock ticking.
If you’re looking for more, the good folks at FourFourTwo have created a treasure trove of quizzes on Sporcle.
This weekend, over on our Twitter and Instagram channels we’ll be asking for your help in deciding the winner of our first Fantasy 5-a-side Challenge.
The Premise: We’ve taken the 8 most popular teams in the app, according to your favourites and put them in to a seeded draw – eg. Real Madrid seeded top through to Arsenal in 8th.
We then drew up Fantasy 5-a-side teams from each squad, using the FotMob Player Ratings from the 2019/20 season to pick the highest ranked players in each position – the top striker, two midfielders, one defender and a keeper.
Now we’ll pit them together and let you decide who’d win!
The Draw: Using their worldwide popularity in the app to seed the sides, here are the ‘games’ we’d like you to call in today’s Quarter-Finals.
Real Madrid ? Arsenal
This may not be a vintage year for the Gunners, but under the leadership of Mikel Arteta and honed down to their 4 best performers plus regular keeper – would they stand any chance on the small pitch against a Real Madrid side packed full of world class talent?
Cast your vote via the tweet below.
Bayern München ? Liverpool
The battle between the 4th and 5th seeds should be a belter! Some of the most in-form players in the world are included here representing clubs who were leading their respective leagues at the time of football’s suspension.
Some poetic licence had seen us slot Mohammed Salah in to a midfield role for Liverpool, we just couldn’t leave him out whilst Bayern are obviously led by the formidable Robert Lewandowski. He averages over a goal a game in real football, let alone make believe 5-a-side!
Who would you have winning this one?
Barcelona ? Manchester City
On the other half of our imaginary bracket, 2nd seeds Barcelona go up against one of their own in Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City. Can the man who’s won a total of 9 Spanish league titles and 3 Champions Leagues with his boyhood club do anything against their current incarnation?
We think on paper, the City line-up might actually be stronger but then they don’t have Messi. We usually ban him from our made up competitions but for this one, he’s in!
Vote for your winner below.
Manchester United ? Chelsea
An all-Premier League grudge match the close the round, and one that regular provides some of the most keenly fought games of the season in real life.
3 points separate Manchester United and Chelsea back in reality, but what will be the difference here? Both sides boast Spanish goalkeepers, great full-backs taking the defensive spot, a mix of flair and stability in the middle and exciting young English strikers up top.
Tough one to call.
Keep your eyes on our Twitter and Instagram for the results as we continue with the competition across the weekend!
As part of the England team initiative #FOOTBALLSSTAYINGHOME, aimed at providing entertainment, support and hope for fans of the Three Lions wherever they are – members of the nation’s main representative teams have been competing against each other on the video game, FIFA20!
The Round of 16 was played out last week with the pick of the games featuring a win for Jadon Sancho over Marcus Rashford, the winning goal scored by none other than the virtual Marcus Rashford!
The tournament, hosted by England’s social media channels is also trying to raise awareness for the National Emergencies Trust and their efforts to help those affected by the Coronavirus outbreak.
With the Quarter-Final line-up now set, we thought we’d do our bit by adding the remaining games to the app! You will now be able to follow the virtual score as the England stars go up against each other.
To follow the #FOOTBALLSSTAYINGHOME Cup, please click here and add your alerts for the results!
For more of this kind of thing, make sure you give us a follow on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
Today, we decided to find the best players in Europe’s Big Five Leagues aged 21 or under. To do that, we of course used our FotMob player ratings for the 2019/20 league seasons in England, Spain, Germany, Italy and France.
The resulting team features at least one player from each league but that got us thinking about the old adage from legendary Manchester United manager, Sir Matt Busby – ‘if you’re good enough, you’re old enough.’ So which of Europe’s top leagues is actually best for young players?
Firstly, the rules! As usual, we’ve run through the player ratings in each league and worked out the highest ranked player per position in our basic 4-3-3 formation. Instead of spending a month studying the age qualification guidelines that FIFA have in place for U21 level football, we decided to simplify it to players who were aged 21 or under at the start of the 2019/20 season.
So Italy’s top flight is not traditionally known as a hotbed for young talent, apart from perhaps as a destination for the best South American teenagers moving to Europe. The only Serie A player to make our team is in goal – where Milan’s Gianluigi Donnarumma averages a FotMob rating of 6.77 per game.
Elsewhere, there is actually a groundswell of U21 stars – South Americans (of course), Lautaro Martínez at Inter qualifies under our rules but misses out in terms of average rating whilst Juve’s Rodrigo Bentancur would have been included but turned 22 just prior to the season’s start. On top of that, the likes of Ismael Bennacer, Justin Kluivert and Dejan Kulusevski also came close.
France provides a single player for our line-up, but then Kylian Mbappé is something of a one-off. Way back in 2018 he became the second teenager ever to score in a World Cup Final, and now having turned 21 in December he’s currently the top scorer in Ligue 1, bagging 18 goals in just 20 appearances.
His FotMob rating of 8.13 puts him ahead of almost every centre-forward in Europe, let alone those falling in the U21 bracket.
Ligue 1 perhaps features more U21 players than any other we looked at here – we counted 10 who all rate at higher than 6.9 per game, including the most sought after teen in the upcoming transfer window – 17-year-old Eduardo Camavinga.
We’ve also only picked one representative from La Liga. And despite the breakthroughs made by Real Madrid trio, Federico Valverde, Vinicius Junior and Reinier, it’s actually a player loaned out by the club that makes the grade. And he’s one of our own!
Martin Ødegaard famously left FotMob’s native Norway aged 16, back in 2005 but it’s only now that he’s finally making the world take notice of his undoubtably talent. His work at Real Sociedad this season has seen the Basque club up to 4th in the league, with him scoring 4 and providing a further 5 along the way.
England’s elite clubs fare slightly better in our team here, with 3 players from the Premier League selected.
One may be a surprise – Burnley’s Dwight McNeil but he is the most consistent left-sided midfielder that we came across when studying the rankings. Breaking it down, he has a pass success rate of 78%, makes a tackle with 68% of his attempts and has featured in all 29 league matches for his club this season, scoring him an overall rating of 6.80.
Marcus Rashford probably needs no introduction and we’ve put him into the left side of our attack thanks to his sparkling form before suffering a back injury in January. He has 14 goals and 4 assists for the season.
Liverpool’s right-back, Trent Alexander-Arnold is pretty much guaranteed a place in any team we draw up based on statistics, with his form this season carrying on where he left off in a famous 2019 for his club.
The 5 remaining spots in our line-up all come from clubs in the Bundesliga. And we’re not just using sheer weight of numbers to decide that Germany is currently the best league for young players in Europe, but it certainly helped us come to that conclusion!
With 3 players hailing from Borussia Dortmund alone, it’s perhaps no surprise that Norway’s great hope for whenever we finally get to play that Euro 2021 Play-Offs against Serbia – Erling Braut Haaland made his move there in January when a host of other suitors where making their advances!
Dortmund’s more attack minded pair of Jadon Sancho and Achraf Hakimi have 25 assists and 17 goals between them this season whilst at the back, Dan-Axel Zagadou has provided telling performances in each of his 13 appearances.
Zagadou is joined in the heart of our defence by another French centre-back, Dayot Upamecano who’s started every game in what’s been a big season for RB Leipzig. Such is his form, he’s now being touted as Real Madrid’s number one defensive target.
The last name on our list just so happens to be one of our favourite players. So much so, we’ve already written about him once today already – here!
Alphonso Davies moved to Bayern München, from Vancouver Whitecaps in his adopted Canada last January for what was a record transfer for the MLS. And his breakthrough at left-back in the defence at one of Europe’s elite clubs has to be one of the success stories of the season. ?
If you fancy a deep dive into any of the countless statistics we cover on various league around the world, simply search by country, select a league profile and swipe right to the stats tab.
For more of this kind of thing, make sure you give us a follow on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
Two FotMob staffers have spent the day challenging each other to a fantasy game of 5-a-side. In other words, it’s been a very busy here at the virtual office.
Both sides must contain a player from each of Europe’s Top 5 leagues and we’ve agreed that neither of us can pick either Messi or Ronaldo. Because that’s boring. They’d hog the ball and ruin the game for everybody else, simply by being too good.
That’s it, those are the rules. Let us know who you think would win via the poll at the end of the article!
BILL – SOCIAL MEDIA AND SUPPORT:
GK – Predrag Rajković, Stade De Reims (?? Ligue 1)
The thought process here is that Rajković is going under the radar a bit this season, so Curt may not be aware that the Serbian has kept 12 clean sheets and saved 4 of the 5 penalties that he’s faced.
DF – Alphonso Davies, Bayern München (?? Bundesliga)
No one really likes to sit back in the small sided game, so I would have no problem with Bayern’s Canadian sensation doing his normal thing and rampaging all over the pitch! He’s made our Champions League and Bundesliga teams of the season already and still had the time to do one of the best TikToks we’ve ever seen.
LM – Jorginho, Chelsea (??????? Premier League)
Another left-field choice maybe and I don’t know what rules you play where you are but usually, you’re limited to one step when taking penalties in 5-a-side. The Chelsea man has basically perfected that big hop, and as this clip shows – he’s often imitated but rarely beaten. My secret weapon.
RM – Joaquín, Real Betis (?? La Liga)
The mans a legend at Betis and well, old boys always turn out to be excellent on the small pitch. Just search the internet for clips of the retired, Francesco Totti. And Joaquín’s not even done yet – he even scored an 18 minute hat-trick in La Liga just before Christmas.
FW – Ciro Immobile (?? Serie A)
Everyone wants their striker to have a ruthless streak and Lazio’s captain has that in spades. Top scorer in Serie A, he’s banging one in for every 81 minutes he’s spent on the pitch – totalling 27 goals in 26 games. And any striker who can literally steal food out of the mouth of his own child is okay with me.
CURT – HEAD OF BRAND:
GK – Gianluigi Donnarumma, Milan (?? Serie A)
I went for Donnarumma in goal because, well, he’s 6’5”. I imagine his limbs will cover about 80% of the goal, should anything get past the rock I have as my defender.
DF – Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Manchester United (??????? Premier League)
AWB made Raheem Sterling look absolutely ordinary in United’s league double over City this year. He is going to gobble up whatever Bill throws at me. Plus, his calm head under pressure is going to come in handy as a lone defender, because let’s be honest, no one tracks back in 5-a-side.
LM – Dimitri Payet, Marseille (?? Ligue 1)
I went with Payet as my Ligue 1 pick simply because I miss him so much. Unless you’re watching Marseille every week, you likely haven’t seen him lately. He’s averaging nearly a goal every other game this season, but again, this is about sentimentality. What a player. Just watch…
RM – Martin Ødegaard, Real Sociedad (?? La Liga)
The Norwegian’s premonition for attackers’ future place in time and space means that my sole striker is going to find the ball exactly where he wants it. This pick is going to look great in 10 years when Ødegaard has won 4 Champions League trophies at the heart of a reborn Real Madrid.
FW – Robert Lewandowski, Bayern München (?? Bundesliga)
By picking Lewandowski, I feel like I’m starting 3-0 up already. He’ll be perfect for the tight confines of 5-a-side — he’s scored 25 in 23 Bundesliga matches this season, with 24 of those being inside the box. And remember when he scored 5 in 9 minutes against Wolfsburg? This is going to go well for me.
So, which team are you backing to win?
If you fancy a deep dive into any of the countless statistics we cover on various league around the world, simply search by country, select a league profile and swipe right to the stats tab.
For more of this kind of thing, make sure you give us a follow on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
A squad assembled with thought and skill working under a coach who retains his overall approach but is flexible enough to adapt, all supported by a number of smart decision-makers off the pitch and progressive coaches. It’s a blend that other clubs would do well to emulate.
Alright, let’s see how rusty your football brain has gotten. To keep yourself sharp, try naming the top 50 clubs in Europe, based on their UEFA coefficient.
You have 10 minutes to name as many as you can. Tap Play below to get the clock ticking.
What would a football All-Star Game look like?
On the latest episode of Stadio, Musa Okwonga and Ryan Hunn made a draft of 50 of the world’s best players and picked sides for an All-Star Game. Team Ryan and Team Musa both feature an XI, subs, a coach, kits and a nomination for where the All-Star Game would be staged. So, who would win? Team Musa or Team Ryan? And also, where should it be played? Benfica’s Estádio da Luz in Lisbon, or Real Betis’ Benito Villamarin in Seville? Cast your vote below now and the results will be revealed on the next podcast.
[interaction id=”5e93ffcc9ef5564ae6b6c426″]
Another week has gone by and the future for a lot of our favourite football leagues remains fairly uncertain, but are there signs for optimism in the press this week? We round up a bit more on that plus provide you with some top football content to see you through another weekend without big game action.
? WHAT TO WATCH
A lot of people are doing it, but few are doing it as well as the Bundesliga YouTube channel – this afternoon, they’ve posted the full match between Borussia Dortmund and Bayern München from the 2011/12 season. This game basically decided the title race and gave a Jürgen Klopp his last title in Germany. Well worth reliving, even with that spoiler!
?? BELARUS IN THE SPOTLIGHT AGAIN!
Europe’s last active league continues at pace over what for many, is the long Easter weekend with games from today through to Monday.
Week 3 produced more big shocks as last year’s champions, Dynamo Brest lost to Slavia Mozyr and Energetik came through their top of the table clash against FC Minsk. The student side are now the only team with a 100% record.
BATE Borisov (who won 13 consecutive titles until last year) did finally pick up their first win of the season and they’ll look to improve on that when they face FC Minsk in the capital on Sunday.
?️ CAST YOUR VOTE!
This week over on Twitter, we’ve been running the inaugural FotMob World Cup of Club Crests!
We took 64 teams, nominated by our followers and supplemented with a few of our own suggestions and threw them in to a hat. From there, we’ve been drawing sides together and asking you to vote for your favourite club badge to go through each day.
We’re now at the semi-final stage and we’re left with 4 North American sides from a couple of our favourite leagues to follow. Head over to our Twitter to join in later!
? SOMETHING TO READ
With the news that the Bundesliga is looking to restart, behind closed doors in early May and with all their teams back in training this week – you may be interested to read more on this from the New York times, as they talk to the league’s CEO Christian Seifert.
And if long reads, on mostly long forgotten football tournaments are your thing – we enjoyed digging into this, from Rupert Fryer on the Intercontinental Final between Boca Juniors and Real Madrid in the year 2000, available from the archives of The Blizzard. As an added bonus, someone has now put the full game on YouTube – enjoy watching the likes of Juan Román Riquelme and Martín Palermo go up against an early galáticos-era Madrid side.
We’ve added another league to the app this week, and one that is also flying in the face of the global pandemic by carrying on as normal! The 16th round of the Clausura season takes place on Saturday night.
Sadly, both the Central American versions of these sides are struggling outside the top 8, so you may want to focus on Managua’s title charge as they travel to strugglers, Deportivo Las Sabanas.
? SOMETHING TO LISTEN TO
The presenters and pundits from the UK’s largest football show have pivoted to podcasts in recent times – meaning you can now listen to English legends, Gary Lineker, Alan Shearer and Ian Wright wax lyrical about their favourite moments, players and managers in Premier League history. The extra good news is that this is available around the world via the BBC Sounds app.
And as usual, the Golazzo Italian Football Show has served up another cracking history lesson from Serie A. This week, they focus on ‘Il Trio Magico’ – the 3 forwards who cemented Juventus’ worldwide reputation in the 1950s. Please listen here, it’s great.
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!
Alongside this week’s special episode on passing, Stadio hosts Musa Okwonga and Ryan Hunn each select three of their favourite passes.
Three of Musa’s Favourite Passes:
Xavi v Malaga – Here the most dangerous pass obviously available is the one into the feet of Lionel Messi, and that angle is too tight for Xavi to make it. But Xavi doesn’t care because he has seen a different one; one which is not just dangerous, but fatal.
Messi v Levante – Messi is the greatest player I have ever seen simply because, more often than anyone else, he does things that do not just seem impossible but previously unimaginable. Who volleys a throw-in perfectly across the field? Messi does.
Ronaldinho v Murcia – Just watch the way Ronaldinho meets the ball as it drops towards him; he watches it all the way, and in the final instant, he turns away, almost in disdain, and then lets it run off his back as if it were rain off a ledge. What you sadly can’t hear on this clip is the gasp from the Camp Nou crowd. They have seen absolutely everything there is to see in football: but they haven’t seen this.
Three of Ryan’s Favourite Passes:
Pogba v Croatia – There’s something about the coolness of this pass. To execute this from that position, taking a slight step to make space – where most players would have taken a touch – whilst being flanked by two opposition players in a fairly dangerous position, in a World Cup Final is just so very Paul Pogba.
Özil v Hull City – The hardest thing about pieces such as this, is that you could pick fifty of your favourite passes and still a few would slip your mind. This one from Mesut Özil, however, never does. Everything about this is timing and feel, and few players could pull this off with such ease.
Guti v Sevilla – When you think about Guti, the ones that come to mind tend to be the back-heeled assists. However, despite having a resume that would take forever to sit through, I think this is my favourite Guti pass. At the time he strikes the ball, it needs to evade five players to get to Zidane, which is does, naturally. The fact Zidane then finishes makes this even more enjoyable.