Page 181 – The Pulse of Football

Sep

2022

This Weekend: Derbies in Milan, Glasgow and on Merseyside

The best action to follow this weekend

Saturday

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 There’s a front-heavy look about the match feed in your app this weekend and the English Premier League provides its fair share of that with eight games lined up for Saturday.

And they start with one of the league’s classic rivalries – the Merseyside Derby between Everton and Liverpool. A game that the Toffees have not won at their Goodison Park home since way back in 2010.

There was, of course, the win at Anfield during the COVID disrupted 2020/21 season but other than that, this Derby has been rather one sided in recent years. This season, Liverpool started slow but now look to be at the races after home wins over Bournemouth and Newcastle in the past week. Everton are one of the three sides left in the division yet to win a game but they have drawn their last two, with Anthony Gordon on target in both.

There’s another Derby later in the day as West meets East in London. A win over West Ham could be just the result to kick-start what’s been a surprisingly slow start to the season for Thomas Tuchel’s Chelsea. But the same could be said for David Moye’s goal shy Hammers – they’ve found the net just twice and have the 19th worst record, in the league, in terms of big chances created.

Also on Saturday’s slate – we’ll see how unbeaten Spurs fare against Fulham, another London side who’ve been strong at home but weaker on their travels. And then there’s Manchester City against the bang out-of-form Aston Villa. Has Steven Gerrard got a plan to stop Erling Haaland’s run of hat-tricks? Or otherwise stem the flow of goals from the rest of Pep Guardiola’s side?

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 North of Hadrian’s Wall (one for the UK history fans), there’s another huge derby as the two sides of Glasgow meet at Celtic Park. As usual, Celtic and Rangers sit first and second in the Scottish Premiership, even at this early stage in the campaign, and both remain unbeaten after five rounds.

Ange Postecoglou’s defending champions have racked up an amazing 21 goals and conceded just once so far and come in to this game off the back of last weekend’s 9-0 win at Dundee United. That was a game in which two of their strikers (Furuhashi and Abada) both scored hat-tricks. For their part, Rangers are unbeaten in eight across all competitions and eased past Queen of the South in a midweek League Cup tie.

These meetings are never short of drama and a result for either side will set them up nicely for their rather ‘challenging’ looking fixtures in the Champions League – Celtic play Real Madrid on Tuesday whilst Rangers travel to Ajax on Wednesday!

🇮🇹 Not to be outdone, Serie A offers up Italy’s biggest game for our entertainment on Saturday: The Derby della Madonnina.

And whilst injury will deny us a re-match between Milan’s Zlatan Ibrahimović and Inter’s Romelu Lukaku, there’s still plenty to look forward to as the sides on either side of the San Siro corridors clash out on the pitch. Milan pipped Inter to the title back in May and although the defending champions are unbeaten four rounds in to the new season, it’s Inter who are currently one point better off.

After getting lucky in their opening day win over Lecce, they’ve beaten Spezia and Cremonese convincingly but did suffer a heavy defeat against Lazio. Milan have had a tougher run on paper – winning their two home games but drawing at both Atalanta and Sassuolo.

Recent results between the two clubs have been really mixed but Milan may well still be smarting from the defeat that Inter handed out in their most recent meeting – the semi-final of last season’s Coppa Italia. Inter not only denied Milan a chance of the double but went on to lift the Cup themselves after victory over Juventus.

🇩🇪 We don’t just have world famous derby games to look forward to this weekend, the fixtures Gods have also provided some early season top of the table clashes, in both the Bundesliga and LaLiga.

In Germany, that means we get the spectacle of free-scoring Bayern (at least when they don’t come up against Gladbach’s Yann Sommer) versus Union Berlin, who are enjoying an unprecedented start to what is just their third top flight campaign. Union will have home advantage for this one and will be confident of getting something against the 10-time reigning champions, having already hit three past city rivals Hertha, beaten Leipzig, and smashed Schalke for six last weekend. Not that we would ever dare write off Julian Nagelsmann’s Bayern side before a ball is kicked!

Also on Saturday – third placed Freiburg take on Leverkusen – the side who finished third last season but have started so poorly. That said, they did end their run of three defeats with a solid 3-0 win at Mainz in Round 4.

🇪🇸 They’ve played a game less in LaLiga but after three rounds only Real Madrid and Real Betis – their opponents on Saturday – can boast a 100% record. The two sides who sit at the top of the Spanish table will put that to the test at the Santiago Bernabéu where the ongoing redevelopment project has progressed sufficiently to allow Madrid to play their first home game of the season.

Another of the day’s most intriguing match-ups comes as Barcelona travel to Sevilla, a clash between two of the league’s best sides, who’ve also been linked through their various dealings during the summer transfer window. The two club’s administrative staff will be sick of the sight of each other.

Sunday

After the fanfare surrounding Saturday’s stellar line-up of games has subsided, your match feed might be looking a little quieter come Sunday morning. You can blame UEFA for that(!) with the group stages in the Champions League, Europa League and Europa Conference League all starting in the upcoming week.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 That’s not to say there isn’t the odd high quality fixture – not least in the Premier League where giants Manchester United and Arsenal clash at Old Trafford. Erik ten Hag’s side have certainly steadied the ship with back-to-back wins against Liverpool, Southampton and then Leicester, on Thursday night. And they could feature their new big money signing, Antony, for the first time against the Gunners.

The Londoners are the Premier League leaders going in to the weekend having been the only side to win all five of their opening games. This could be a match that gives us a real indication as to where both clubs stand following their respective squad overhauls in the summer.

The day’s only other game in England’s top flight comes as Brighton & Hove Albion take on Leicester, the side who remain winless and rooted to the bottom of the table.

🇮🇹 Back in Serie A, the highest ranked side in action on Sunday are José Mourinho’s joint-leaders Roma. Unbeaten, and with their big signing Paulo Dybala seemingly finding his form after two goals against Monza, they visit Udinese. The Pozzo-backed club have proved tough to beat so far this season with their only defeat coming after they’d twice found the net against Milan (they eventually lost 4-2).

🇪🇸 There are four games scheduled in LaLiga, with two of those featuring unbeaten sides. In fact, both Athletic Club and Villarreal have identical records following two wins and a draw, and they’ve both found the net five times, while conceding nothing at the other end. Athletic Club will test that impressive record with a home game against Espanyol and Unai Emery’s Villarreal welcome Elche to the Cerámica.

🇫🇷 With PSG in action at Nantes on Saturday night, our attention will be on various other contenders (albeit outsiders) in Ligue 1 this weekend. Lens – who currently boast the same record as the superstar Parisians and have scored 11 goals in their last three fixtures will look to continue that form when they play away at Stade Reims.

And elsewhere, two sides who made the European places last season but have so far failed to meet expectations in the new campaign are set to meet on the Riviera. Nice and Monaco may start their respective groups in the Europa Conference League, and Europa League in the coming week, but both will be looking for just their second win of the domestic season in what is France’s headline game on Sunday night.

🇳🇴 Not to be outdone by goings on elsewhere in Europe over the weekend, we’ll leave you with the big Eliteserien Derby that’s taking place in Norway’s capital of Oslo. Fifth placed Vålerenga face traditional rivals Lillestrøm, who hail from a region that borders the city. LSK currently lie third and were the early pacesetters in the league back in Spring – a period in which they beat Vålerenga 2-0 in the previous fixture between the two. A outside chance of the title is still on the cards for them, but much depends on the result between the top two – Molde and Bodø/Glimt – who play each other on Saturday night.

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

Sep

2022

Premier League Review: Making sense of the Midweek Drama

This is quickly turning into a season of goal gluts and shock results. The first midweek round of fixtures in the 2022/23 Premier League campaign is now over and we’re taking a look at some of the biggest talking points.

By Sam McGuire, Premier League expert

Haaland really is inevitable

Erling Haaland scored a hat-trick for a second successive match during Manchester City’s 6-0 win over Nottingham Forest. The powerhouse Norweigian forward now has nine goals in five appearances for the champions. His return is even more remarkable when you realise he didn’t find the back of the net against Bournemouth.

He put on a finishing clinic against Forest, scoring three times from just four attempts. The former BVB striker is arguably the most ruthless striker in the world right now. Is this sustainable though? His shots this season have an Expected Goals value of 5.3. Can he keep this overperformance up over a long period of time?

Fortress Craven Cottage

Fulham have taken eight points from their five outings this season, of which seven have been claimed at Craven Cottage. Marco Silva’s men have drawn with Liverpool on home soil and beaten both Brentford and Brighton.

After narrowly losing to Arsenal at the Emirates on Saturday, Fulham bounced back against an in-form Brighton side to end Graham Potter’s side’s unbeaten start to the campaign.

They were, however, a tad fortunate on Tuesday night. The hosts did have more shots but fewer big chances and a significantly lower expected goals haul – 0.68 – 1.42. You do have to consider the fact that a large chunk of Brighton’s total will have been made up of the penalty.

The Seagulls did have a number of efforts from good central areas though whereas Fulham did not. Ultimately, all that matters though is that Craven Cottage is quickly turning into a fortress.

Carvalho continues his streak

Fabio Carvalho was the match winner for Liverpool against Newcastle United, firing an effort in off the bar in the 98th minute to claim all three points for the hosts. It was his second goal inside of a week and his third goal involvement for the Reds in his last three appearances.

The 20-year-old has had three shots on target for Jürgen Klopp’s side. Remarkably, all three have somehow resulted in a goal.

Against Manchester United, his effort was parried into the path of Mohamed Salah who headed past David De Gea. Against Bournemouth, he expertly arrowed a volley beyond Mark Travers and then he somehow found a way past the 1.91m Nick Pope from close range.

Carvalho has been the definition of an impact sub for Liverpool.

Nottingham Forest’s defensive struggles

Nottingham Forest suffered a heavy defeat against Manchester City and this, to an extent, can be excused. City are no strangers to racking up big wins in the Premier League.

However, they have the highest Expected Goals Conceded total in the Premier League and are the only team with an xG conceded total in double figures – 11.2 to be precise.

The focus seems to be on Bournemouth following the 9-0 loss to Liverpool but Forest are giving up lots of chances on a weekly basis. Steve Cooper is going to have to figure out a way to shore things up.

A big test is on the cards this weekend with Bournemouth making the trip to the City Ground.

Fox found missing in the box?

Jamie Vardy was once a prolific goalscorer. All he needed was half a chance and the ball would be in the back of the net. This season, he is yet to get off the mark.

The 35-year-old didn’t manage a single shot in the defeat to Manchester United. In fact, he’s managed just four efforts across his 402 minutes on the pitch for the Foxes. Of those four, just one has worked the goalkeeper.

However, he does have an expected goals total of 1.18, so he is still getting into high value areas but he’s yet to find his shooting boots. Brendan Rodgers desperately needs his No9 to rediscover the Midas touch.

(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.

Aug

2022

LaLiga Review: All the major stories from the third round of games

It’s time for our (belated) round-up of all the main talking points from the weekend’s football in Spain.

By Ben Hayward, LaLiga expert

Lewandowski a new idol for free-scoring Barcelona

It is hard to believe Barcelona failed to score in their opening LaLiga game of the season. Xavi’s side have hit eight since – four away to Real Sociedad and four more in Saturday’s 4-0 win at home to Real Valladolid. Of those eight goals, summer signing Robert Lewandowski has four. The Pole helped himself to two with a pair of fabulous finishes at Camp Nou – lifting his boot high to poke home the first and pulling off an outrageous back-heel through a defender’s legs for the second – on Saturday and also hit the woodwork twice.

“I would underline, apart from his goals, his perfect timing for receiving the ball, his movements and how he protects the ball,” Xavi said afterwards. “He is an extraordinary player. Spectacular. He’s a natural leader. It’s wonderful to have him. A blessing. He’s an example. He’s a born worker. He has humility. He works for the team. He helps the coaching staff. He makes the difference.”

High praise for a special player. Lewandowski already leads LaLiga’s scoring charts and although he may not be a signing for the long term at 34 years old, he has already revolutionised the team’s attack.

There were other good performances too. Jules Koundé made an assured debut after he was finally registered in time to play in LaLiga this season, Alejandro Balde is taking his chance at left-back, Ousmane Dembélé impressed with two assists and Marc-Andre ter Stegen looks to be getting back to his best in goal.

Seven points from nine, eight goals scored and only one conceded. “It wasn’t the perfect match,” Xavi said. “But we’re on the right path.”

Benzema’s late double preserves Real Madrid’s 100% record

A few kilometres across town, Real Madrid met Espanyol later on Saturday and Los Blancos left it late to take all three points this time. As so often in the past few seasons, Karim Benzema was the match-winner, the French forward converting with two late strikes – a neat finish at the far post after 88 minutes following a delightful Rodrygo cross and a well-placed free-kick deep into added time past outfield player Leandro Cabrera after goalkeeper Benjamin Lecomte had been sent off.

Vinícius Júnior had earlier given Real Madrid the lead, but that was cancelled out by a Joselu goal and Los Blancos struggled to find their groove until Benzema’s two late strikes. It was not Real Madrid’s most convincing performance, but the win leaves them top of the table – above Real Betis on goal difference – with maximum points after their three matches.

“We started very well, we scored and then we dipped,” Carlo Ancelotti said. “After their equaliser, it was more complicated. Little by little, we upped our rhythm, we found more intensity and it paid off in the end.”

Much of that was due to the substitutions. Midfielder Eduardo Camavinga made Madrid more aggressive, Rodrygo’s pass set up Benzema for the all-important second and Dani Ceballos forced the late red card.

“We decided on players with great physical qualities,” Ancelotti said. “We had a lot of spaces and we made the most of our physical advantage in the latter part of the second half.”

With renovation works ongoing at the Santiago Bernabéu, Madrid have had to play their first three games away from home – and they have won them all. “I’m very satisfied,” Ancelotti said. “It hasn’t been easy to win the three games away from home, but we are in a very positive dynamic.”

Griezmann making the most of reduced role at Atlético

Antoine Griezmann’s minutes at Atletico Madrid are limited at the moment and that is not by chance. Atlético will be obliged to pay Barcelona €40 million if the France forward completes more than 45 minutes in 50% of the matches this season and they do not have the funds. So he is being used sparingly. Griezmann came off the bench with just under half an hour left and his deflected strike saw Atleti beat Valencia in a hard-fought encounter at Mestalla in which the Rojiblancos had little of the ball, but better chances than the home side. The World Cup winner also netted after coming off the bench in Atlético’s 3-0 win at Getafe on the opening weekend.

“When Griezmann responds like that, it is very important to have him on the pitch,” Atlético coach Diego Simeone said. “I understand we have to put him on when it best suits the team.” And the club, apparently.

That is two wins from three for Atlético and a decent reaction after last weekend’s loss at home to Villarreal.

Valencia, meanwhile, have just three points from nine and only one goal (a Carlos Soler penalty) to their name this season. New signing Edinson Cavani should help.

Betis win AGAIN

Real Betis beat Osasuna 1-0 at the Benito Villamarīn, with striker Borja Iglesias on target again. But they were made to work hard for their third win this season after German Pezzella was sent off. “I don’t know if the word is to suffer, but we had to defend,” coach Manuel Pellegrini said. “We have worked hard to reduce the number of goals we are conceding.”

So far, so good. Betis are behind LaLiga leaders Real Madrid on goal difference alone. Next weekend, the two teams meet at the Santiago Bernabéu and by then, the Andalusians hope to have summer signings Claudio Bravo and Willian José registered and available. “We have a tough calendar and we are missing two important players,” Pellegrini said. “We are going to need them.”

The struggle is real for Sevilla; Athletic score four

While Betis are flying, their city rivals are still struggling. Sevilla have just one point from their three games following Saturday’s 2-1 loss at Almería and their fans are already starting to show their frustration. “Nobody wanted this,” sporting director Monchi said. “But I’m sure we will turn it around.” Patience is running out, though. And up next is a huge test for coach Julen Lopetegui as Barcelona visit the Sánchez Pizjuán next weekend.

Also in Andalucia, Athletic Club found form in front of goal with a 4-0 win at bottom-of-the-table Cádiz. Iñaki Williams opened the scoring and also missed a penalty, while his second-half replacement Gorka Guruzeta netted twice – his first goals in Spain’s top flight. “There is a long way to go and we have only just started,” coach Ernesto Valverde said. “We want to be more solid in our play, but it was a great game.” Valverde, in his third spell at the club, now has more wins for Athletic than any other coach in the club’s history. And after three games, the Basques are up to fourth.

Villarreal, still unbeaten but held to a goalless draw at Getafe on Sunday, drop down to fifth.

(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.

Aug

2022

Bundesliga Review: A first check-in on the new season in Germany

After a month of fixtures, there’s a surprise at the top of the Bundesliga – well, not quite at the very top – but all around Bayern München are clubs not that used to the dizzy heights of the Champions League placings.

By Chris Williams, our Bundesliga expert

Union Berlin, unbelievable!

Urs Fischer’s side have exceeded all expectations so far. Comfortably now the best team in the capital, Die Eisernen built upon their opening derby-day win over Hertha by dispatching RB Leipzig and then Schalke with optimum ease.

Scoring 11 goals across four games, only a 0-0 draw with Mainz on Matchday 2 has stopped Union from topping the table – 10 points from a possible 12 is their return, the same as perennial champions Bayern München.

Jordan Pefok and Sheraldo Becker have lit the league up as a partnership. With seven goals, the duo have also notched up 11 goals and assists combined.

Becker leads the way slightly with four strikes – increasing to six when factoring in his assists. This gives the Dutch-born Surinamese forward a goal every 75 minutes. It might be early days but he’s the man to beat in the race for the coveted Torjägerkanone, the Bundesliga’s top-scorer trophy.

Such was Union’s dominance in their last game against Schalke, second-half substitute Sven Michel even managed to grab two goals despite only being on the pitch for 19 minutes.

It was a performance that saw the 32-year-old join teammate Becker in the FotMob Bundesliga Team of the Week for match week four.

Nobody’s back up

Yann Sommer has been linked with a move away from Gladbach during this transfer window. Manchester United was touted as one possible destination; to challenge the under-pressure David de Gea, but, the 33-year-old showed why he is no one’s understudy last Friday against Bayern.

The Swiss shot-stopper broke a Bundesliga record under the lights at the Allianz Stadium. Facing 20 shots on target, he pulled off an incredible 19 saves. Beaten just the once, late on by Leroy Sané, he almost saw off an xGOT of 4.33 in its entirety.

As the clock ticked past 80 minutes it looked like Gladbach’s wall wouldn’t be breached, but eventually, Bayern’s pressure told. Had it not been for Sommer, Die Fohlen would have left without a well-earned point.

Fantastic Freiburg

Christian Streich’s side from the Black Forest have consistently punched above their weight in the Bundesliga. Their size and financial reach should realistically find the Breisgau-Brasilianer in the bottom half of the table.

However, true to their 90’s nickname (so called because of their attractive style of play in the 1990s – the ‘Brazilians of Breisgau’), their brand of football more often than not sees them challenging for a Europa League place.

This season is no different, three wins from a possible four finds Sterich’s men in third place just one point behind Union and Bayern.

They have a highly experienced side, from the World Cup winning mentality of Matthias Ginter to the artful presence of Vincenzo Grifo. Often described as a team greater than the sum of its parts, Freiburg are one to watch.

It will be interesting to see (like Union) how they balance Europa League football with their domestic challenges.

Lower than normal

The Champions League trio of Dortmund, Leipzig and Bayer Leverkusen find themselves in 5th, 9th and 13th respectively – not the best start when you consider how thick and fast the games are about to come in September.

Three opening defeats saw Leverkusen head coach Gerardo Seoane put under immediate pressure, but a 3-0 win away at Mainz on Matchday Four has tapped a slight release valve on the air around the Swiss tactician.

Out of the three early strugglers, it is Leverkusen who have arguably the more winnable matches in September, another set of failures over the coming four weeks could signal the first dugout departure of the season.

(Images from IMAGO)

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

Aug

2022

Serie A Review: Three takeaways from Round 3

We’re back with the last word on the weekend’s action in Italy’s top flight, where Inter failed to impress, Juve continue to confuse, and Milan’s big signing got his first start.

By Matteo Bonetti, US Serie A expert

Inter’s troubling game vs. Lazio

Inter’s 3-1 loss away to Lazio opened up plenty of criticism for a few figures in the nerazzurri dressing room. The team were outplayed and out-managed, with Romelu Lukaku and Simone Inzaghi receiving the lowest scores from the Italian media. Let’s start with Lukaku, who looked like a shadow of the player that terrorised Serie A two seasons ago. He seemed to be lacking in sharpness and fitness in this game and never really troubled Lazio the way you thought he might against a Maurizio Sarri style of play that takes a lot of chances.

Then there’s the manager, Simone Inzaghi, who was criticised for starting Roberto Gagliardini from the first minute instead of the more attack-minded Hakan Çalhanoglu. Inter’s midfield was never able to take control of the game or neutralise the threat of Lazio’s very talented midfield unit. Inzaghi’s substitutions also didn’t help, especially when Denzel Dumfries (who was one of the best players on the field) was taken off in the 69th minute.

Inter have also had a hard time getting the same quality out of their left wingback position since Ivan Perišić was sold in the summer to Tottenham. While Robin Gosens seems a more than capable replacement on paper, Perišić’s impact last season cannot be overstated, especially in the attacking half.

Inzaghi only has a few days to get things sorted before his midweek match against newly promoted Cremonese, followed by the Derby Della Madonnina this weekend against city rivals, Milan.

Juventus playing Jekyll and Hyde

Can the real Juventus please stand up? The opening three matches of the season have given us more questions than answers regarding the Turin based giants, especially with how wildly different their home form has been to what we saw last week away to Sampdoria. That game was one of the Bianconeri’s most dull and lifeless in recent memory, so there was considerable worry for their upcoming match against José Mourinho’s Roma.

However, we got to see the attack-minded Juve that coach Max Allegri had promised over the summer. In the first half, Juventus absolutely dominated Roma, both in quality and intensity. Roma lost nearly every 50/50, and were lucky to only be a goal down. Mourinho revealed after the match that he told his team he was ashamed of them after the awful performance from the first half.

Even though Roma got a goal back after a sensational Paulo Dybala volley led to Tammy Abraham’s headed goal, it was a result that didn’t capture the level of control that Juventus showed. Allegri should be thrilled about a few individual performances in particular. Dušan Vlahović scored a world class free kick in the second minute, just a week on from the Sampdoria game where he recorded only three total touches in the first half and was visibly frustrated. The teenager, Fabio Miretti also proved that he belong on the highest stage after being handed his first start of the season in midfield. Miretti looked composed and confident on the ball, often driving forward with purpose and picking out the right pass. The stats showed it too; he had more passes into the final third than any other player in the first half, which gave the much maligned Juventus midfield a spark they desperately needed.

Charles De Ketelaere is ready for his big moment

Milan’s win at San Siro against Bologna also saw the first Serie A start for their big summer signing Charles De Ketelaere. The Belgian was lined up in the “trequartista” position (no.10 role) just behind Olivier Giroud. He was influential straight away, often times receiving the ball near the halfway line and being able to evade his marker using his strength and deceptive pace. What’s remarkable about De Ketelaere is how much balance he has for a player that tall (192cm or 6’4), and how elegant the long strider looks when he takes off. On a few occasions he was knocked around but stayed on his feet using his acceleration to drive down the middle of the field. Thankfully, it wasn’t just his physical attributes that made him standout, as his biggest contribution was through his passing and vision. De Ketelaere had an assist for Rafael Leão’s goal and should’ve gotten a second through a beautifully lobbed ball to find centre-back Pierre Kalulu, who botched his one on one effort.

Milan fans noticed the Belgian’s talent straight away, with audible emotion any time he was in possession. It’s hard not to get carried away at this point, as it’s been quite some time since a Milan signing generated this sort of excitement. De Ketelaere is now days away from his first Milan derby against Inter, which would be the perfect time for the youngster to set the foundations for a legendary reputation with his new club.

(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.

Aug

2022

Premier League Review: A look back at a goal heavy Round 4

The Premier League is the most exciting league in the world and Matchday 4 reminded everyone of this fact. It had everything from record-equalling results to goals galore at the Etihad, but what were the biggest talking points?

By Sam McGuire, Premier League expert

Rampent Reds inspired by Roberto

Liverpool finally recorded their first win of the season and they did so in emphatic style.

Jürgen Klopp’s men had laboured to draws against Fulham and Crystal Palace before a 2-1 defeat away at Old Trafford resulted in some questioning whether this was more than just a blip. A home match against Bournemouth was the perfect opportunity to right some wrongs, but the same was said against Fulham and Palace. Nothing can be taken for granted in the English top flight.

Yet with just six minutes on the clock, the Reds had a 2-0 lead. Going in at half-time, it was 5-0. In the end, it was a Premier League era, record-equalling 9-0 win for Liverpool. Luis Díaz, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Harvey Elliott, Fabio Carvalho, Virgil van Dijk and Roberto Firmino all got on the scoresheet, but it was the latter who stole the show with two goals and three assists.

The Brazilian had a game to forget against Manchester United but had everyone on strings on Saturday afternoon as he rolled back the years.

Haaland’s Hat-trick

Manchester City are making a habit out of needing to come from behind to get anything from a match.

They trailed 3-1 away to Newcastle last week before claiming a point and on the final day of the season, they were 2-0 down at home to Aston Villa before a dramatic turnaround saw them lift the title. This time around, they found themselves 2-0 down to Palace at half-time. In truth, it could’ve been 3-0 but Jordan Ayew’s goal was ruled out after officials deemed Ederson had been impeded when trying to roll the ball out.

City needed a reaction in the second half having mustered shots worth just 0.55 expected goals in the first 45 minutes. Whatever he said, Pep Guardiola sure got a reaction.

Bernardo Silva halved the deficit before it turned into the Erling Haaland show. The brutish forward hit a hat-trick – his first in the Premier League – to round off what could be described as a quintessential No9 performance. He had as many shots (7) as he did passes during his time on the pitch. He’s barely involved but when he is – he makes it count.

No fox in the box

Leicester City suffered yet another defeat, this time around it came away to Chelsea. The Blues were down to 10 men after just 28 minutes after Conor Gallagher picked up a second yellow card. It was the ideal opportunity for Brendan Rodgers’ side to claim their first victory of the season.

But it wasn’t to be.

They had more shots (17 to 7), more big chances (4 to 2) and a higher expected goals total (2.52 to 1.75) but they just didn’t have that killer instinct in the penalty area to capitalise on these chances and moments.

Jamie Vardy left his shooting boots at home whereas Raheem Sterling found his, netting his first two Premier League goals for his new side and helping Chelsea get back to winning ways.

New-look Newcastle

Eddie Howe really has transformed the way Newcastle United play.

The Magpies may have been behind to Wolves for the majority of the match following Ruben Neves’ goal after 38 minutes but by no means were they nullified. Wolves relied on a lot of luck to head into stoppage time with the lead.

Newcastle had taken more shots and had a higher expected goals total in each half. In fact, Howe’s side had an xG total of 1.77 and had twice as many efforts as the hosts. On another day, they claim a comfortable three points. This time around they had to settle for a point, but it was a deserved one at that with Allan Saint-Maximin scoring in stoppage time to take something back to the North East while extending the Magpies’ unbeaten start.

Villians at Villa Park

Aston Villa dominated the ball against West Ham, finishing the game with 58% possession. They completed more of their passes and had more shots (9 to 7), but for the second successive match, they suffered defeat.

Steven Gerrard’s men lost 1-0 and created nothing of real note in the game.

The new 4-3-1-2 system relies heavily on Philippe Coutinho. He was given the keys to make it his team and even though he has been given the freedom of playing behind two strikers at Villa Park, it just isn’t working.

(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.

Aug

2022

Last Weekend: Liverpool and Celtic score nine, Union Berlin fly higher than ever before and more

If you had a penny for every time a top-division side lost by a nine-goal margin over the weekend, you’d have two pennies, which isn’t a lot but it’s weird that it’s happened twice. There was lots of action apart from Liverpool and Celtic’s massive wins too, including Union Berlin creating history in the Bundesliga and Union Saint-Gilloise painting Brussels yellow and blue. We will be going over all of that and more in this edition of Last Weekend.

By Neel Shelat

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 England: Liverpool 9-0 Bournemouth

The Premier League’s annual 9-0 drubbing was handed out this weekend, and for once, Southampton were not on the receiving end of it. Instead, it was fellow South Coast side Bournemouth who lost by the joint-biggest margin in the league’s history.

Luis Díaz opened the scoring less than three minutes into the match, and three minutes later, Harvey Elliott doubled the home side’s advantage. Another quickfire double around the half-hour mark saw Trent Alexander-Arnold and Roberto Firmino join the list of goalscorers, while Virgil van Dijk added a fifth just before half-time. Chris Mepham’s own goal made it six just seconds into the second half before Firmino scored his second in the 62nd minute. Late on, Carvalho and Díaz capped off a historic win at Anfield.

It was an absolute field day for all of Liverpool’s star players as far as FPL is concerned, but there was one outlier. Mohamed Salah walked away from this match without a goal or assist, much to the dismay of the 3.3 million Fantasy managers that captained him.

Back in the real world, Liverpool’s first win of the season propels them to the top half of the table, while Bournemouth are already hovering around the relegation zone with a terrible goal difference of -14 after just four matches.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Scotland: Dundee United 0-9 Celtic

Over 300 kilometres north of Anfield, there was another nine-goal thrashing handed out in Great Britain. In this case, the hosts Dundee United were on the wrong side of the scoreline, as defending Scottish Premiership champions Celtic returned to their place at the top of the table in some style.

Unlike Liverpool, Celtic got off to a relatively slow start, scoring their second goal in the 40th minute. They doubled their lead in first-half stoppage time, though, and that is when things began to get ugly for the home fans at Tannadice Park. By the hour-mark, Celtic were seven goals to the good, and a couple of late strikes helped them record their largest-ever away win.

Both Kyogo Furuhashi and Liel Abada went home with a match ball, while Jota, Josip Juranović and Carl Starfelt chipped in with a goal each. Of course, such big scorelines are a result of significant xG overperformance, but registering a tally exceeding 5.5xG in a match is truly incredible. Manager Ange Postecoglu could not have asked for a better birthday gift, albeit two days belatedly.

Celtic have been drawn in a tough Champions League group where Real Madrid and RB Leipzig will be favourites to progress, but if they can keep performing at this level, a return to the competition’s knockout stage (after failing to reach it for a decade) just might be a possibility.

🇩🇪 Germany: Schalke 1-6 Union Berlin

Saturday was a day of records in the Bundesliga. Yann Sommer made 19 saves – the most in a single Bundesliga match ever recorded – to earn a point for Borussia Mönchengladbach against Bayern Munich. Before that, Union Berlin broke a club record as they scored six goals in a Bundesliga match for the first time in their history.

Their opponents were Schalke, who remain winless following their return to the Bundesliga. The scores were level after the half-hour mark when Marius Bülter’s penalty cancelled out Morten Thorsby’s opener, but then it was time for the Sheraldo Becker show. The Surinamese forward also made history by becoming the first Union player to have a tally of four goals after the Bundesliga’s first four matchdays in a season with goals on either side of half-time in this match.

He has clearly never heard of xG.

In fact, Union probably haven’t either, because they had a significantly lower xG tally than their opponents in this match.

In all seriousness, Union are no strangers to this sort of performance. Their counterattacking style of play requires clinical finishing to be effective, and the likes of Becker and Sven Michel offer just that. The East Berlin-based club are currently level on points with league leaders Bayern, whom they will face next weekend at the Stadion An der Alten Försterei.

🇧🇪 Belgium: Union Saint-Gilloise 2-1 Anderlecht

The rise of Royale Union Saint-Gilloise has been one of the most enrapturing footballing stories in recent times, and even after the disappointment of missing out on the title last season, they are not letting up.

On Sunday evening, they welcomed back Felice Mazzù, the man who oversaw their promotion to the top flight, for the first time in 48 years, and then took them to within four points of the title. This time, though, he was taking charge of local rivals Anderlecht, having switched allegiances following Vincent Kompany’s move to Burnley in the summer.

Apart from their manager, Union also lost a number of their key players in the transfer window, including the league’s top-scorer Deniz Undav, who moved to Brighton after signing a deal with them in January. His permanent replacement was Victor Boniface, who had recently arrived from Bodø/Glimt. Having made his debut against Kortrijk a couple of weeks ago, the Norwegian striker helped his side to a perfect start by scoring his first goal in Belgium in just the second minute of this match with a pinpoint finish from a tight angle.

Anderlecht replied within ten minutes through right wing-back Michael Murillo, who fooled the goalkeeper into thinking that he would cross the ball before squeezing it past him at the near post. Union restored their advantage after the half-hour through Dante Vanzeir’s volley following a corner, so they went into the half-time break with a lead. There were many more chances in the second half and the hosts were forced to rather hang on to their lead late on, but they ultimately got the job done to secure a hard-fought derby victory.

Having won all of the derbies in the league last season – both in the regular season and in the Championship play-offs – Union preserve their perfect league record against their local rivals since promotion with this win, which also sees them leapfrog them in the table. That makes hearing the fans singing ‘Bruxelles ma ville’ even sweeter.

🇮🇹 Italy: Lazio 3-1 Inter

We go all the way back to Friday night for our Serie A game this time, which is Inter’s trip to Rome to face Lazio.

Both sides looked far from their very best in this match, and the first half was an especially drab affair with hardly any goalmouth action to speak of. The home side did manage to take the lead a few minutes before half-time, though, as Felipe Anderson headed home Sergej Milinković-Savić’s long ball.

Lautaro Martínez equalised after a set-piece early on in the second half, but things really started to liven up as substitutes entered the field. Maurizio Sarri sent on Luis Alberto and Pedro in the 57th minute, and the duo went on to win the match for him. Pedro assisted the Spanish midfielder for a (deflected) wonderstrike in the 75th minute, before sealing the result himself late on.

With this win, Lazio join five other teams level on points at the top of the table including defending champions Milan, Napoli and local rivals Roma. They also extend their record of being undefeated against Inter at the Stadio Olimpico since 2018.

🇫🇷 France: Nice 0-3 Marseille

We highlighted Nice’s poor start to the season in the previous edition of the column, and things just got even worse for them on Sunday. This time, our focus will be on Marseille, who turned up to the Allianz Riviera and scored three goals.

Just a few days after Jorge Sampaoli decided to leave the club due to a perceived lack of ambition in the transfer window, Marseille signed Alexis Sánchez from Inter. The Chilean was the star of the show in this match as he opened the scoring and his Ligue 1 account in the 10th minute with a nice finish, before bagging a brace in the latter stages of the first half.

Sampaoli’s successor Igor Tudor has chosen to implement a back-three system, for which he had two new wing-backs who arrived in the summer. On the right was former Lens man Jonathan Clauss, who already registered his second assist in Marseille colours when he set up the opener. On the other flank was Arsenal loanee Nuno Tavares, who scored the second goal of the match to take his Ligue 1 tally up to three goals in four matches.

With Paris Saint-Germain dropping points against Monaco, Marseille end the weekend tied with the defending champions as well as Lens at the top of the table. While PSG remain overwhelming favourites for the title, Marseille’s bid to be the best of the rest again has gotten off to a good start.

Cover Image from IMAGO

Aug

2022

LaLiga Review: All the major stories from the second round of games

It’s time for our round-up of all the main talking points from the weekend’s football in Spain.

By Ben Hayward, LaLiga expert

Madrid: No Casemiro, no problem

Everyone at Real Madrid was sad to see Casemiro leave the club following his move to Manchester United. But life without the Brazilian midfielder started smoothly on Saturday as Los Blancos beat Celta Vigo 4-1 at Balaidos.

With Casemiro gone and Toni Kroos missing because of flu, coach Carlo Ancelotti picked a line-up featuring four midfielders away to Celta Vigo. Summer signing Aurélien Tchouaméni started alongside France team-mate Eduardo Camavinga and the 36-year-old Luka Modrić, with Fede Valverde in an advanced role on the right.

Tchouaméni was signed for an initial €80 million from Monaco, with the 22-year-old seen as a defensive midfielder for the future, but Casemiro’s departure means his development will now be fast-tracked.

At Balaidos, though, it was 36-year-old Modrić who was the inspiration behind Real’s big win after a penalty converted by each team – Karim Benzema for Real, Iago Aspas for Celta.

Modrić, who will be 37 next month, curled a beautiful shot into the corner from outside the box to make it 2-1 to the champions and the Croatian set Vinícius Júnior away for the third with a wonderful pass from deep.

“He’s immortal,” Ancelotti said afterwards. “He is always prepared, he always plays well. His goal changed the game.”

Tchouaméni also played his part. The Frenchman began the move for Madrid’s third goal with a key defensive block and his excellent run also led to his side’s fourth – scored by Valverde after 66 minutes.

“He is a player with different qualities to Casemiro,” Ancelotti said. “He played well, he did what he shows in training: personality, good on the ball, enjoying the team’s good game.”

Madrid won another penalty late on, but substitute Eden Hazard saw his spot-kick saved after he was handed the opportunity to score by Benzema.

No matter. Real Madrid have six points from their two fixtures so far, both away from home as renovations continue at the Santiago Bernabéu. Business as usual – with or without Casemiro.

Ansu Fati the inspiration for Barcelona

Barcelona needed a response – and a goal – after being held to a 0-0 draw at Camp Nou by Rayo Vallecano in their first LaLiga game. And it took less than 45 seconds for Robert Lewandowski to open his account for the Blaugrana, netting with a clinical left-footed finish to give the visitors the lead following a pass from wing-back Alejandro Balde.

That was a perfect start, but Barça have had difficulties at the Reale Arena in recent years and Alexander Isak levelled just a few minutes later. Real Sociedad also had a goal disallowed later on.

The scores were still level when Ansu Fati came on for Ferran Torres in the second half, but the young forward’s introduction changed everything. Within two minutes, he had set up Ousmane Dembélé for Barça’s second. Within two more, he had assisted Lewandowski for the Pole’s second of the night – on his 34th birthday – to make it 3-1. And with 11 minutes left, he latched onto an extraordinary elastic ball from the former Bayern Munich striker to score himself.

Ansu is still only 19 years old, but has seen his progress interrupted by injuries since he burst onto the scene so impressively in 2019-20. Now, all of that looks to be behind him – and it should be his time to shine again.

“He can make the difference,” Xavi said. “He didn’t start out of precaution (following his injury problems) and because we have competition for places.” On this evidence, he will be starting much more often from now on.

The win was key, leaving Barça just two points behind the leaders after two rounds of LaLiga.

“It was a tough game,” Xavi said. “Winning in this stadium is always hard. It is a very important victory for us, which reinforces the work we are doing.” Onwards and upwards.

Tensions mount at Atlético Madrid

There was tension on and off the pitch at the Wanda Metropolitano as Atlético Madrid were beaten 2-0 by Villarreal. Diego Simeone’s side looked flat in their first home match of the season and conceded twice late in the game as all the optimism from the previous weekend’s 3-0 win at Getafe quickly evaporated.

The Rojiblancos never really got going here and goals from Yéremi Pino and Gerard Moreno sealed a 2-0 win for Unai Emery’s side – the second of those after Nahuel Molina had been sent off for hitting Alex Baena in the neck.

Frustration in the stands boiled over after the final whistle and defender Mario Hermoso had to be held back as he argued with some of the club’s ultras for several minutes following the final whistle.

Meanwhile, a clause in Antoine Griezmann’s contract stating that Atlético will have to buy him back from Barcelona if he completes 45 minutes in at least half the games he is available for this season means the club cannot afford to play the French forward as much as they would like to.

“We have to work,” Simeone said. “They were some good things and others we can improve.”

The Argentine also refused to blame LaLiga’s lack of goal-line technology after Yannick Carrasco thought he had headed them level late on. “We trust in the technology that LaLiga has,” the Argentine said. But he added: “That was the move for 1-1.”

Meanwhile, this was Emery’s first win over Simeone and the Basque said: “That shows you how good he is. And he is getting better.”

Villarreal are joint top of the table after back-to-back wins and Emery added: “We have to look at achievable objectives, but aiming as high as we can.” So far, so good.

Betis win again; Sevilla struggling

Despite an array of absences, Real Betis followed up their win over Elche last weekend with a 2-1 victory at Mallorca. Borja Iglesias scored the goals – both penalties – for the Andalusians and afterwards, coach Manuel Pellegrini said: “It’s not easy to prepare for two matches with 11 players missing, but this group grows in adversity.”

Sevilla lost 2-1 at Osasuna last weekend and Julen Lopetegui’s side struggled again in their second match – a 1-1 draw at home to Real Valladolid in which Isco made minimal impact as a substitute. Once again, Sevilla could have taken a win, but Lopetegui said: “In football, it’s not about what you deserve… you need goals.”

Ernesto Valverde got his first win since returning to Athletic Club as the Basques beat Valencia 1-0 at San Mames, thanks to Alex Berenguer’s first-half goal. Athletic drew 0-0 at home to Mallorca the previous weekend and Valverde said: “We’re just getting started. There is a lot to improve on.”

Rayo Vallecano followed up their impressive draw at Barcelona with another excellent result in the Catalan capital – this time a 2-0 win at Espanyol – to make it four points from six for Andoni Iraola’s side.

Also in Catalonia, promoted side Girona beat Getafe 3-1 and it looks like it will be a long season for the Madrid team, beaten 3-0 at home to Atlético in their opener the previous weekend.

(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.

Aug

2022

Serie A Review: Three takeaways from Round 2

Here’s our take on the weekend action in Italy’s top flight where Napoli impressed, Juve did not and José Mourinho faced yet more injury woe.

By Matteo Bonetti, US Serie A expert

Khvicha Kvaratskhelia is the real deal

It’s hard not to get swept up in the hype surrounding Kvaratskhelia’s start to the season with Napoli. After all, in two rounds he’s already scored as many goals (3) in open play as Lorenzo Insigne had in the entirety of last season. It’s hard to remember the last time a new signing had this type of impact straight away in Serie A. Tons of credit has to go to Napoli’s scouting department, given that ‘Kvara’ was playing his 2021/22 campaign with a small Georgian club called Dinami Batumi.

On the field, Kvara has looked unstoppable. He’s a left winger who always wants to take his man on, but instead of doing it with flashy dribbles and flamboyancy, it’s his simple chops in either direction which look impossible for a defender to stop. What makes it so difficult to mark him one-on-one is that the Georgian winger looks so comfortable on either foot. Take a look at his two goals against Monza over the weekend – the first was a stunner from distance on his right foot, bending into the top corner with curl and power. The second, a fake on his right only to chop it back onto his left foot and drill it across goal. The fact he’s two footed means the defender never knows whether or not to show him inside or outside.

Roma’s disastrous injury history continues

Every season it seems like one of Roma’s most important players goes down with a devastating injury. From Leo Spinazzola’s achilles problem, to back-to-back ligament injuries to their young starlet Nicolo Zaniolo, which kept him out of football for nearly two years. Roma’s bad luck with player injuries has now struck their new summer signing Georginio Wijnaldum.

The dutch midfielder, who joined the Giallorossi just last week, fractured his tibia in training and is now expected to miss the next three months of action. This means that one of Roma’s key midfield pieces, who was expected to be a versatile box-to-box presence, won’t likely be available for league play until after the World Cup.

Rumors have started swirling on Monday about potential last minute replacements, including Austrian midfielder Florian Grillitsch, who has been linked with the club in the past.

Allegri is feeling the pressure

If you sat down for the 90 minutes that it took Sampdoria vs. Juventus to finish, my condolences. It was a grim 0-0 affair; one that fans especially did not appreciate. Juventus didn’t seem to have any sort of coherent plan to play football, or any sort of identity to their play.

There were murmurs in the summer that Allegri was ready to change his conservative philosophy and finally take a few more risks to help out last season’s eleventh best attack in Serie A. So far, we’re seeing the same passive Juventus that so often looked content to play for a draw. Against Sampdoria, Juventus had zero creativity. Just to put this into perspective, their striker Dušan Vlahović only recorded three touches total in the first half, with none coming inside the opposition’s box. While it’s true that there are injuries to key players, this can’t be used as an excuse. Every team deals with periods of injuries, and this style of play isn’t exclusive to just this round, but also dates back to last season and beyond. Even when Juventus won their last Scudetto under Allegri (2018/19), there was plenty of criticism about their dull playing style.

(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.

Aug

2022

Premier League Review: A look back at the drama of Round 3

We’re just three weeks into the 2022/23 Premier League campaign but Arsenal are the only team with a 100% record after yet another round of interesting results. Newcastle United stunned champions Manchester City at St James’ Park to take a point while Manchester United recorded their first victory under Erik ten Hag as the Old Trafford faithful witnessed a 2-1 win over rivals Liverpool. But what were the biggest talking points from Matchday 3?

By Sam McGuire, Premier League expert

A new Manchester United?

Following his appointment as manager, Ten Hag set about putting his stamp on things at Old Trafford. The Red Devils wanted to dominate the ball and play out from the back. But that approach was their downfall in losses to Brighton and Brentford.

The former Ajax tactician switched it up against Liverpool. David De Gea was going long with his goal kicks and United looked to play on the break. The hosts had 30% of the ball and attempted just 176 passes. By comparison, Jurgen Klopp’s men attempted 515 and had a significantly better pass success rate (84% to United’s 67%).

Yet the home side had the better chances and more of them. They racked up an expected goals total of 1.67 and created four big chances to Liverpool’s one.

Ten Hag’s flexibility played a big part in him getting his first win as United manager.

The 100 Club

William Saliba attempted 73 passes in Arsenal’s comfortable 3-0 victory over Bournemouth on Saturday. The Frenchman found a teammate with all 73.

The 21-year-old is now in an exclusive group of players to have a 100% pass success rate when attempting over 50 in a single Premier League match.

The youngster spent last season on loan with Marseille but has started all three league games for the Gunners this term in Mikel Arteta’s new-look Arsenal team. He may have had a forgettable game against Leicester last weekend but Saliba and his teammates have kept two clean sheets in their three outings this term.

Solid foundations for a Champions League push.

A goal frenzy at Fulham

Just one week ago, Brentford were lauded for their ruthless showing against Manchester United. Thomas Frank’s men romped to a 4-0 win and would have been full of confidence heading to Craven Cottage.

They were no doubt shellshocked when they found themselves 2-0 down inside of 20 minutes. Marco Silva’s side started like a freight train and showed that their performance against Liverpool on Matchday 1 was not an exception, but the norm.

Now, the Bees did level the game with 20 minutes remaining on the clock but the hosts forced home a last-minute winner courtesy of Aleksandar Mitrovic. In truth, it was deserved.

Fulham had more shots (18 to 13), more big chances (fives to three), a higher expected goals haul (2.54 to 1.8) and almost double the expected goals on target total (2.92 to 1.52).

Lacklustre Leicester

If reports are to be believed, Brendan Rodgers might be the first manager to be sacked this season.

The Foxes have claimed just a single point from their three outings this season and surrendered a 1-0 lead against Southampton on Saturday to lose 2-1, with Che Adams notching twice to win it for the Saints.

A surprising stat from the match was that Leicester accumulated an expected goals total of just 0.04 in the second half to go with their 0.25 haul in the first half. A poor offensive showing in front of an expectant home crowd.

Thomas Frank’s men were ruthless and fully deserved the emphatic victory, their first of the season.

Top of the Toon

Allan Saint-Maximin ran riot against Manchester City.

There is no other way to describe it. The 25-year-old gave Kyle Walker a torrid time on Sunday afternoon with City manager Pep Guardiola saying the Frenchman was “really dangerous”.

The Newcastle No10 two of the three goals, created four chances and had three shots in total. He also completed five of his six attempted dribbles in what was by far one of the standout showings of the 2022/23 campaign. It might not even be bettered this season.

(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.