Page 191 – The Pulse of Football

Oct

2022

Serie A Review: Three takeaways from the weekend as Juve get back to winning ways

Matchday eight brought some much needed relief to struggling Juventus, last-gasp drama for Milan and another reminder from Napoli that they need to be taken seriously for the Scudetto.

By Matteo Bonetti, US Serie A expert

Must win game for Juventus

Juventus came into their home match with Bologna desperately needing a win. After five matches without picking up a single victory in all competitions, Juve’s early season woes have been under constant criticism. The manager Max Allegri has somehow endured this early storm, most likely because of the massive contract attached to his name, which has forced Juventus to be patient and not make any rash decisions.

Against Bologna, Juve started the game with a 4-4-2 using two strikers up top against a Bologna team that has struggled this season. Arek Milik and Dušan Vlahović both scored, with the Bianconeri looking more lively as the game went on. This display felt like it meant more than just the three points – it gave Juventus a much needed sigh of relief after a September from hell. It was also a glimpse into the more attack minded Juventus we thought we were getting after Allegri said during the summer that his main goal was to improve a middle of the pack offence and get them to finally create more chances.

This win should give the team a much needed boost of confidence before their must win Champions League clash against Israeli side Maccabi Haifa. Surely what we saw in the last month was rock bottom, as the situation couldn’t possibly get any worse. Looking ahead, the injury situation will start clearing up and important pieces like Federico Chiesa and Paul Pogba will finally come into the lineup. Those two alone fix the main issue with this stale Juventus lineup – dynamism and excitement. Chiesa is one of the few Italian wingers who can consistently take his man on and beat him, while Pogba needs little introduction. The French midfielder played the best football of his career at Juventus, and it doesn’t take much to perform better than what the fans have seen in that department since he left for Manchester United six years ago.

Milan making no excuses

While we’ve heard injury excuses from Juventus manager Max Allegri, Milan have quietly gone about their business despite having a string of injury issues, which was highlighted by a decimated squad away to Empoli. Pioli was forced to dig deeper into his bench than he has this season, with new injuries to the world class pairing of Theo Hernández and Mike Maignan. This meant that the Rossoneri were forced to use the maligned duo consisting of backup keeper Cyprian Tătărușanu, who inspires little confidence; and the mistake prone full-back Fodé Ballo Touré, who never convinced in the few appearances he had last season. While Tătărușanu made a mistake on Empoli’s free kick goal that temporarily levelled the score at 1-1 in the final minutes, it was Touré’s strike which put Milan 2-1 ahead in stoppage time. The left-back became the unlikely hero before Rafael Leão put the dagger into the game with a lightning quick counter and chip shot over the keeper to cement the win.

These are three points Milan would’ve never gotten before the Stefano Pioli era started. The mentality has finally become a winning one, and it never feels like this team is out of it, no matter the adversity they’re facing. It’s evident behind the scenes too – the players are genuinely happy and love playing for Pioli. The atmosphere in the dressing room is one where everyone knows their role, and there’s a decent amount of intra-squad competition to keep players sharp.

The reaction from the Milan players on the goals scored at the end against Empoli was very telling of the unity in this side. It felt like Milan won a trophy. Even a player like Yacine Adli, whom you wouldn’t fault for being frustrated with his lack of minutes, was celebrating on the sidelines, as if he’d scored the goal himself! This harmony behind the scenes has allowed the club to finally enjoy playing its football again, after a grim period where they couldn’t crack the top four.

Napoli keep on shining

Napoli are the story of the Serie A season so far. From 25/1 Scudetto underdogs over the summer to an early start that sees them at the top of the table. The Partenopei were once again a pleasure to watch in their 3-1 win against Torino. The game never really felt like it might swing the other way, with midfielder Zambo Anguissa scoring a first half brace which gave Napoli an early cushion. What’s incredible about this team is how many weapons they have at their disposal. Without Victor Osimhen, they can now rotate two quality strikers in Giacomo Raspadori and Giovanni Simeone. They each serve a purpose as they have very different characteristics. Raspadori is better in tight spaces and likes to come short, while Simeone can be the second half super-sub to test tired legs with his runs in behind.

It feels like a century ago that Luciano Spalletti was trying to calm down furious fans who demanded answers this summer after the team sold their most important players across the pitch. No one could’ve predicted that Napoli’s new signings would be this good so quickly into the season. What’s most impressive is that players like Kim Min Jae and Kvicha Kvaratskhelia, who joined from inferior leagues in Turkey and Georgia, have actually played the best football of their career since they took the step up to Serie A. It’s a testament to the identity that Luciano Spalletti has created so early into the season (with help from a scouting department that couldn’t have done their job any better). A Napoli Scudetto, which hasn’t happened since the days of Diego Maradona in 1990, would be surreal for the city and fans. It’s unheard of to lose four of your most important pillars in one summer and somehow manage to get better, but that’s exactly what’s happened – a younger, more dynamic team that plays fearless and now believes they could bring back silverware to one of the most passionate fanbases in the world.

Closing thoughts…

Monza are undefeated under new manager Raffaele Palladino. A few weeks ago I wrote that their former manager Giovanni Stroppa was likely on the hot seat after a terrible start, and since his sacking the club has beaten Juventus at home and Sampdoria away. They haven’t conceded a goal in the process and are playing some really slick possession football. Palladino’s entrance into the club has been the textbook positive change a chairman dreams of when making such an early season managerial switch.

(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.

Oct

2022

Premier League Team of the Week

FotMob TOTW – Round 9

We’ve never had a more prolific frontline with all three forwards netting a hat-trick – Haaland’s two assists marking him out for this week’s top rating. And Leicester’s James Maddison picked up a 9.3 for his performance on Monday night.

Have your say in the comments on Instagram.

Oct

2022

LaLiga Review: Barcelona go top plus all the major talking points from Spain

Round Seven in LaLiga is now complete so let’s look back at all the action from the weekend.

By Ben Hayward, LaLiga expert

Barcelona lead LaLiga, 833 days later

Robert Lewandowski’s latest moment of magic was enough to give Barcelona a narrow win away to Mallorca on Saturday. The Polish striker created something out of nothing in Palma as he ran into the area, cut back and curled an inch-perfect effort around a Mallorca defender and into the far corner with his right foot. The Blaugrana were well below their best, but Lewandowski’s strike – and some smart goalkeeping from the revitalised Marc-Andre ter Stegen – saw the Catalans make it 18 matches unbeaten on the road under Xavi in LaLiga. That is a new record and a sign of the progress made since Ronald Koeman’s troubled tenure.

“We weren’t brilliant, but we took three very important points,” Xavi said afterwards. Asked about Lewandowski and Ter Stegen, he replied: “Those two were at a stellar level, but the team competed very well.” And on the 18 games unbeaten away from home, he added: “I’m happy. We’re doing things well. It’s an important record, but I hope it can be translated into titles.”

There is some way to go, but Barça returned to the top of LaLiga for the first time in 833 days after Real Madrid were held at home by Osasuna on Sunday. Xavi’s side have won six out of their seven matches, with 19 goals scored and only one conceded. Their only blemish? A goalless draw at home to Rayo Vallecano on the opening weekend. It has taken a while, but they are indeed back.

Madrid frustrated by Osasuna

Real Madrid suffered their first setback in LaLiga this season. Los Blancos were held at home to Osasuna on Sunday and lost the lead in LaLiga, dropping behind Barcelona on goal difference with El Clásico on the horizon. Vinicíus Juníor put Carlo Ancelotti’s side ahead against Osasuna at the Santiago Bernabéu with a cross which was misjudged by goalkeeper Sergio Herrera and ended up in the back of the net. Kike García levelled for Osasuna with a looping header over Andriy Lunin – in for the injured Thibaut Courtois – early in the second half and Karim Benzema missed a great chance to claim victory for the champions as he blasted a late penalty against the crossbar.

Benzema, back from a spell on the sidelines, also missed two against Osasuna last season and that may have been in his head. The French forward, perhaps understandably, is lacking some sharpness. But he has also been below his brilliant best this season and Madrid will hope he can find form in time for the game against Barcelona on October 16th.

“There are things we can improve,” Ancelotti said. “We were coming off a very good run and now we will look to go on another. This team is never happy when we don’t win. The draw leaves us sad, but we will react quickly.”

Atlético win in Seville

Two former Real Madrid academy players were on target with fine finishes for Atlético as the Rojiblancos beat struggling Sevilla 2-0 at the Sanchez Pizjuan on Saturday. Marcos Llorente and Álvaro Morata scored the goals for Diego Simeone’s side in a morale-boosting win which sees Atleti move up to fifth place in the table, just two points behind Betis – beaten for only the second time this season in a surprise 1-0 loss away to Celta Vigo.

Atlético looked more compact in a 4-1-4-1 formation, which did not include João Félix or Antoine Griezmann from the start. The French forward was once again brought on after the 60th minute as the club limit his minutes in an attempt to avoid an automatic payment of €40 million to Barcelona and saw an effort saved in the closing stages, while goalkeeper Jan Oblak – linked with Tottenham last week – made a fine stop near the end.

But the day belonged to captain Koke, who completed the full 90 minutes in his 554th game for Atletico – more than any other player in the club’s history.

“Today I saw an Atlético like in the old times, when we played together,” he said. “I’m very happy with what I have achieved and all the work, but I don’t want to stop here – I want more victories and titles.”

Athletic up to third

Ernesto Valverde is inspiring a change of fortunes for Athletic Club in his third spell as coach at San Mames. The Basques beat Almería 4-0 on Friday, with both Nico and Iñaki Williams on target again, and they are up to third place in LaLiga.

Athletic have won five and lost only once so far – a late defeat at home to Espanyol – and lie just three points behind Barcelona and Real Madrid after seven rounds of the competition.

“We are in good shape and we are optimistic, but there is a lot of the season left,” Valverde said. “We have 16 points, which is the consequence of our level of play. We hope to maintain that level and keep winning points.”

So far, so good. And on this evidence, a return to the Champions League looks a real possibility for the Bilbao club.

(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.

Oct

2022

Premier League Review: England’s top flight returns

The Premier League was back with a bang this weekend. All 20 teams played for the first time since the first week of September and everyone involved seemed eager to make up for lost time, with goals galore in the North London and Manchester derbies. Here, we take a look at the biggest talking points.

By Sam McGuire, Premier League expert

New beginnings at Anfield

Roberto De Zerbi got his Brighton career off to a fine start. The Italian tactician saw his side take a 2-0 lead against Liverpool before they eventually salvaged a draw with an 83rd minute equaliser, a goal that stunned the home crowd.

The star of the show was undoubtedly Leandro Trossard. The Belgian netted a memorable hat-trick and landed all four of his efforts on target.

He had an Expected Goals total of just 0.87 but his Expected Goals on Target total was 2.03, really emphasising how impressive his finishing was.

The 27-year-old is making a habit of scoring on Merseyside having netted the equaliser in the 2-2 draw last season. His 9.6 rating on the FotMob app was fully deserved.

North London is red

Arsenal are yet to relinquish top spot in the Premier League. In what was arguably their biggest test of the season, a home clash against Antonio Conte’s Tottenham, the hosts ran out comfortable 3-1 winners.

Granted, the Emerson dismissal helped their cause, the Gunners controlled everything on the day. They dominated the ball, had 22 shots to the away side’s seven and amassed an Expected Goals total of close to 2.5, significantly more than the 1.57 Spurs managed

Many thought this might be weekend that Manchester City leapfrogged Arsenal at the summit but Mikel Arteta’s men had other ideas.

Welcome to Manchester, Erling

So, Erling Haaland might be a bit of a cheat code.

In his eighth Premier League appearance for Manchester City, he scored his third hat-trick. The champions hit neighbours United for six and Haaland had a hand in five of the goals.

The relentless forward now has 14 goals and three assists for the season and looks well on course to break Premier League records.

Haaland finished the match having attempted six shots and created four chances, two of which were classed are big.

Manchester City’s No9 is making it all look too easy and those doubting him are looking even more foolish with every passing week.

Lampard-ball is sticking for the Toffees

Everton overturned a 1-0 deficit to record a 2-1 win over Southampton at St Mary’s. It was something of a statement performance with Frank Lampard’s men extending their unbeaten to seven.

The Toffees actually have the best defensive record in the Premier League now having conceded just seven goals.

Their mean defence is now being backed up by an able attacking unit, with Everton racking up an Expected Goals total of 1.96 from just 12 attempts. By comparison, the hosts had 22 shots but couldn’t match the xG haul the away side managed. These are encouraging numbers for Lampard and his players who now find themselves comfortably in mid-table.

Wolves lack a bite

Wolves finally parted ways with manager Bruno Lage after one of their worst runs in top-flight football.

They are winless in eight Premier League away games – their worst run in the top tier of English football since 2011/12 – and they have won just one of their last 15 matches under Lage.

The loss against West Ham saw the hosts climb above the visitors. It was actually the first time David Moyes’ side had taken maximum points in front of a home crowd this season. The London Stadium had not been a fortress.

However, Wolves toiled in possession. They had 61% of the ball but managed just four shots on target with an Expected Goals total of 0.74.

As soon as West Ham scored the opener, the game was as good as over. Wolves have yet to score more than a goal in a game this term. Lage did well last term, guiding the club to a tenth place finish, but everything had turned stale at Molineux and it felt like a matter of when and not if the one-time Benfica manager would be replaced.

(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.

Oct

2022

Bundesliga Team of the Week

Bundesliga TOTW – Round 8

Bayern got back to winning ways thanks, in part, to a 9.2 rated performance from Jamal Musiala, while there were big scores for Leipzig pair Werner and Nkunku.

Werder’s Füllkrug and Augsburg’s Demirović both came in with a 9.4.

Have your say in the comments on Instagram.

Oct

2022

Last Weekend: Haaland’s hat-trick of hat-tricks, xG finally catches up with Union Berlin and more

Club football returned in the men’s game after the final international break before the World Cup, which means there will be no time for anyone to catch their breath between now and mid-November. The return of Europe’s top leagues brought lots of big results and important storylines such as the Manchester derby and Union Berlin’s first loss of the Bundesliga season – just two of the fixtures we will be covering in this edition of Last Weekend.

By Neel Shelat

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 England: Manchester City 6-3 Manchester United

There often is talk of an unstoppable force facing an immovable object, but have you ever wondered what happens when an immovable object possesses an unstoppable force? Well, you don’t have to wonder any longer, because Manchester City have been providing the answer to that question after signing Erling Haaland.

What was already the best team in Europe became significantly more threatening in attack with arguably the most clinical striker around, and he has simply refused to stop scoring goals. His hat-trick in the Manchester derby this weekend preserved City’s record as the only unbeaten side in the Premier League this season, and in the process, he also became the first player in the history of the league to bag three goals in three consecutive home games – a hat-trick of home hat-tricks.

The Norwegian international is quite simply in a league of his own. With 14 goals in eight league games, he has twice as many goals as the man in second place in the goalscoring charts, a certain Harry Kane.

The scariest part is that he assists too, as the ex-Salzburg man set up two of Phil Foden’s three goals with a couple of intricate passes after some tidy footwork. All of that adds up to a mere 20 goal involvements in his last 10 competitive appearances in club football.

Haaland has been making records tumble at a weekly rate since moving to England, and he does not look like he’s going to stop any time soon. If he manages to stay injury-free this season, Alan Shearer’s Premier League era-record of 34 goals in a season is about to be obliterated.

🇩🇪 Germany: Eintracht Frankfurt 2-0 Union Berlin

We attempted to introduce the concept of xG to Union Berlin a few weeks ago, but they didn’t listen. We certainly have their attention now, though, because the East Berlin-based club suffered their first league defeat of the season at the hands of Eintracht Frankfurt.

Ironically enough, this was a rare instance where they actually had a greater xG tally than their opponents in a match, so they were given a taste of their own medicine by the Eagles.

This was the first time since mid-August that Union failed to find the back of the net in a league match, but it had been coming. Heading into this fixture, Urs Fischer’s side had scored 15 goals from an xG tally of just 6.5, which was the second-lowest in the entire division.

A title charge was always unlikely for Union Berlin, but they will need to work on their attacking production if they are to secure Champions League qualification too. They remain first for now, but with just three points separating the top six, they could easily slip down the table with a bad result or two.

🇪🇸 Spain: Athletic Club 4-0 Almería

Barcelona and Real Madrid are quite clearly set to be the two protagonists in Spanish title race this season, but the battle for the best of the rest spot will be equally intriguing. The early frontrunners for the final podium spot appear to be Athletic Club.

They climbed up to third in the table after a convincing 4-0 win against Almería on Friday night, which saw the Williams brothers Iñaki and Nico link up and score a goal each, while Oihan Sancet and Mikael Vesga got on the scoresheet too. That made it three wins in their last three league games, with an aggregate scoreline of 11-3.

Athletic Club’s run of form is no fluke, as they have been transformed after the return of head coach Ernesto Valverde. The 58-year-old tactician has them playing a very attractive brand of football in a 4-2-3-1 formation, and the results are clear to see both on the league table and while looking at their impressive underlying numbers, which mark their defence as the best in the league so far.

Athletic Club will face Atlético Madrid, Barcelona and Villarreal in three of their next five fixtures, so we will find out how legitimate their apparent charge for Champions League football really is.

🇮🇹 Italy: Lazio 4-0 Spezia

Another team that won 4-0 this weekend and made it three wins on the bounce was Lazio, who got the better of Spezia in Serie A’s early kick-off, on Sunday.

Ciro Immobile missed an early penalty and squandered the chance to break into the top 10 of the all-time scoring charts in Serie A, but goals from Mattia Zaccagni and Alessio Romagnoli, and a second half brace from Sergej Milinković-Savić ensured that the home side came away with the three points anyway.

That means Lazio are up in third place now, with a three-point deficit to leaders Napoli and Atalanta. Their quest for a second Champions League qualification in eight seasons has gotten off to a good start.

🏆 Copa Sudamericana: São Paulo 0-2 Independiente del Valle

The Copa Sudamericana final was held in Argentina on Saturday night. It featured two sides that had won the trophy once each in the past – São Paulo in 2012 and Independiente del Valle in 2019. The Brazilian side are by far the more decorated of the two teams as they have six league triumphs and three Libertadores titles to their name, while Independiente only achieved their first-ever promotion to the Ecuadorian top-flight in 2009, and their Sudamericana success in 2019 was their first-ever major title.

Since arriving in the Ecuadorian Serie A, Independiente have gone on to make a name for themselves as a club with one of the best youth academies in South American football. Moisés Caicedo, Ángelo Preciado and Piero Hincapié all rose up the ranks of Independiente’s youth academy, and are now senior internationals for Ecuador who will likely be featuring in the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

Their youth academy is not the sole basis of their success, though. In this Copa Sudamericana final, there were just four Ecuadorians aged 24 or younger who started the match for Independiente, and none of them got on the scoresheet. That is because the defending Ecuadorian champions also have a great scouting set-up that unearths underrated players from around the continent.

Among the goalscorers in this match was 24-year-old Argentine forward Lautaro Díaz, who is on loan (with an option to buy) from Club Atlético Estudiantes, a side in the second division of Argentine football. He went on to set up the second for Lorenzo Faravelli, who is also from Argentina, and has previously played for the likes of Newell’s Old Boys and Gimnasia La Plata.

São Paulo’s players rather lost the plot late on as they finished the game with nine players on the pitch, as Independiente celebrated what is just the third major trophy they have won in their 64-year history. With such continental success and a top-class youth academy, the future is looking bright for the Ecuadorian side.

🇫🇷 France: Strasbourg 1-3 Rennes

We have had a look at a number of overachievers in this column so far, but one side who are doing the opposite are Strasbourg. Following Ajaccio’s first win of the season on the previous Ligue 1 matchday, they were left as the only winless side in the division this season, and that unfortunate record continued after their loss to Rennes.

This weekend’s result was justifiable because Gerzino Nyamsi was sent off within the first half-hour, about 10 minutes after his side had a goal ruled out by VAR for offside. Goals from Arnaud Kalimuendo, Martin Terrier and Amine Gouiri helped Rennes race to a three-goal lead around the 60th minute, so the match was done and dusted by then.

That leaves Strasbourg down in 19th place, and their underlying numbers suggest that they deserve to be there. All of this is quite a turn for the worse after last season, when they narrowly missed out on European football by just three points. On the basis of that, Julien Stéphan is not under serious pressure of losing his job, but in a season where four teams are set to be relegated from Ligue 1, he will need to turn things around soon.

The good news for him is that Strasbourg are well within touching distance of safety as the sides around them are struggling too, so they just need a run of a few good results to alleviate relegation fears.

Cover Image from IMAGO

Sep

2022

This Weekend: Club football returns with the North London and Manchester Derbies

The best action to follow this weekend

By Bill Biss

Saturday

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 The Premier League have gone big for the first weekend after the international break, giving us the North London Derby as a lunchtime kick-off, and following it up with another six games across the day. This NLD is particularly big with the two sides sitting first and third in the league – Arsenal one point better off but with Spurs still unbeaten.

Since FotMob records began with the birth of the app in 2010, the rivalry between Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur is remarkably even – 11 wins each and seven draws in 12 years. Over the last two seasons, the results have gone with the home team – Arsenal winning at the Emirates, Spurs winning at their place so if Antonio Conte wants to break that pattern, his side will have to win at their rivals for the first time since a League Cup quarter-final back in 2018.

Later in the day, eighth placed Liverpool face a tricky home fixture against fourth placed Brighton while former manager Graham Potter takes Chelsea to Crystal Palace. The pick of the remaining games is probably that taking place between Fulham – who are unbeaten at home, and Newcastle United – who’ve drawn five of their seven games so far.

🇮🇹 We’re seven rounds in to the Serie A season and Napoli and Atalanta are the surprise joint leaders with Udinese one point down in third while Lazio head a pack of the league’s biggest sides two points further back.

On Saturday, Napoli face Torino, a side they’ve not lost to in 14 attempts so they’ll be confident of extending their current unbeaten run which spans all the way back through pre-season and across all competitions.

Reigning champions Milan also play tomorrow as they visit Empoli. And there’s also the high-level match up between Inter (seventh) and Roma (sixth). José Mourinho lost all three of last season’s ties against the side he used to manage with such distinction – in fact, Inter’s recent hoodoo over the capital city club extends back as far as 2017.

🇪🇸 There are four games lined up in LaLiga with just two of the current top six involved as Villarreal go to struggling Cadíz and Barcelona visit the Balearic island of Mallorca. Barça start the weekend in second and boast both the league’s best scoring record and tightest defence having scored 18 and conceded just one goal so far. Xavi’s summer spending spree is bearing fruit.

The day’s biggest fixture pits Sevilla (15th) against Atlético Madrid (seventh). The home side have picked up just one win so far – but showed signs of improvement just before the international break, while Atlético suffered defeat to Derby rivals Madrid in their last game before the stoppage. Who’ll come back the freshest and ready to climb the table?

🇩🇪 Bundesliga fans will have been more eager than most for the return of league action having enjoyed perhaps the most intriguing start to a season for decades. Perennial winners Bayern München sit down in fifth going into Friday night’s game against Leverkusen while Union Berlin – playing in just their fourth top flight season – remain unbeaten and lead the way by two points.

In Saturday’s fixtures, Union visit Europa League holders Eintracht Frankfurt, the side with the best home record so far. Second placed Dortmund – perhaps still riding a pre-break high from their Derby win over Schalke face FC Köln and Freiburg, once again defying the odds to sit third, entertain Mainz, who start the day in eighth.

🏆 Outside of Europe, there’s major silverware on the line in South America with the final of the Copa Sudamericana between storied Brazilian side São Paulo and entertaining upstarts Independiente del Valle. The Ecuadorian club have set out a highly ambitious project in recent years, based on developing, and exporting the best young talent in the country. And it’s worked well for them – they reached the final of the more prestigious continental competition, the Copa Libertadores in 2016, and won this competition – roughly equivalent to the Europa League in 2019. Both before they’d even won a domestic title, something they finally achieved last year.

🇹🇷 In Turkiye, there’s a top of the table clash between Adana Demirspor and Galatasaray. The Istanbul giants have spent big – at least in terms of wages, to right the mistakes of last season when they finished a lowly 13th and to be fair, it has worked so far. They lie level on points with their weekend opponents who have scored a commendable 16 goals in their seven games despite losing the services of last season’s top scorer – Mario Balotelli.

🇦🇺 One other game to look out for on Saturday is the final of the Australia Cup. The competition has produced a series of #Cupsets so far and there might just be one more as second tier, semi-pro Sydney United 58 take on A-League side Macarthur FC, who are led by none other than Dwight Yorke.

Sunday

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Not content with one massive Derby in the Premier League this weekend? Well, that’s good because there’s also the small matter of the Manchester Derby on Sunday afternoon.

And in Erik ten Hag, Pep Guardiola will be lining up against his fifth different Man United manager since joining City back in 2016. The defending champions may not currently top the table but with Erling Haaland on board they’ve been scoring at a rate of 3.3 goals per game and dominate most of the attacking metrics we have listed in the app.

United, though, are much improved after their headline-grabbing disastrous start and they head in to the Derby on the back of four league wins in a row – a run that includes victories over Liverpool and Arsenal. A third victory against one of the league’s big six can only enhance their chances of improving on last season’s sixth placed finish.

The day’s only other action from England’s top flight sees Leeds United test their seven-game unbeaten home run against Steven Gerrard’s Aston Villa.

🇪🇸 In Spain, leaders Real Madrid can boast a perfect record of six wins from six so far this season and they will come up against one of LaLiga’s early season surprise packages when they face Osasuna on Sunday. The side from Pamplona have four wins to their name but did come unstuck against Getafe in their last game before the international break – and they’ve not beaten Madrid since 2011 so an upset is probably unlikely here.

Real Betis start the weekend in third place but may need a win – at Celta Vigo on Sunday – to end the weekend in the same position. But that’s only if Athletic Club beat Almería in the league’s Friday night offering.

🇮🇹 Back in Serie A, Atalanta will be playing catch-up as they look to match whatever result fellow league leaders Napoli can pull off on Saturday. They face Fiorentina, a side they were beaten by twice in the league last season and again in the quarter-finals of the Coppa Italia.

Elsewhere, another club playing catch-up are Juventus. The league’s most successful team went in to the break on the back of a five-game winless streak that included Champions League defeats to PSG and Benfica, along with a far more embarrassing defeat, to Serie A newcomers Monza. The under pressure Massimiliano Allegri desperately needs a win from their game against Bologna.

🇧🇪 In truth, Sunday’s schedules do look a little sparse due to the upcoming Matchday 3 fixtures in the Champions League and other UEFA competitions. But there is something else you might want to keep an eye on – and that’s whether or not Royal Antwerp can keep up their perfect start to the season in Belgium. They’ll be looking for a tenth straight win, away at KV Kortrijk.

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

Last Weekend: England’s Relegation, a historic North London Derby, Puebla in the Play-offs and more

This was the final weekend without elite-level club football around most of Europe prior to the World Cup, but if you looked closely enough, there was lots of action to tuck into. That included the UEFA Nations League and Liga MX among other competitions, which we will cover in this edition of Last Weekend.

By Neel Shelat

🏆 UEFA Nations League, League A: Italy 1-0 England

For many sides in the Nations League, their matches would serve as dress rehearsals ahead of the World Cup. Italy, of course, were not one of those sides since they failed to qualify, but their opponents England had more on the line too, as a loss would mean relegation from League A for them.

While the Italians experimented with a back-three, Gareth Southgate named a fairly strong XI, although there were a couple of interesting decisions he made such as deploying Bukayo Saka at left wing-back and starting Harry Maguire on the left of defence. Frustratingly, England’s performance was about as bland as it had been in the last few matches. They kept a good amount of possession but simply failed to create any meaningful chances, so their non-penalty goals tally in this Nations League campaign remained zero.

Overall, the visitors did a decent job defensively, but a slight lapse led to the decisive moment of the match. Giacomo Raspadori wonderfully plucked a long ball out of the air at the edge of the box, and he navigated his way around Kyle Walker before finding the far corner with a superb finish.

That goal sealed England’s fate, as they suffered Nations League relegation against the very same opposition that prevented them from lifting the Euro 2020 trophy at home a little over a year ago.

Italy, on the other hand, have much to play for when they face Hungary on Monday evening. The Azzurri will have to defeat them in order to secure a place in the Nation Leagues Final.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 England: Arsenal 4-0 Tottenham Hotspur

Over in England, we were treated to a full round of top-flight fixtures as the second matchday of the 2022/23 Women’s Super League was played. The majority of those matches were played on Sunday, but Saturday’s solitary fixture will live long in the memory of all those who were watching, whether at the stadium or at home.

With no fixtures for the men’s side this week, Arsenal Women were able to play their match at the Emirates Stadium, and their opponents were none other than local rivals Tottenham Hotspur. That attracted a WSL record crowd as over 53,000 tickets were sold, and none of the Arsenal faithful would have regretted spending their money to see this match.

The home side were utterly dominant from start to finish as they kept over two-thirds of possession and outshot their opponents 16 to 3. Beth Mead opened the scoring within five minutes, and Vivianne Miedema ensured Arsenal took a two-goal lead into half-time. On the other side of the break, centre-back Rafaelle’s header and Miedema’s second capped off an unforgettable win for Arsenal.

They cannot afford to celebrate too much, though, because a tough Champions League qualifying play-off tie against Ajax awaits them in midweek. It is all to play for after the first leg ended 2-2 in London, so this is set to be a tough fixture that will have major ramifications on both sides’ seasons.

🇲🇽 Mexico: Puebla 2-1 Pumas UNAM

There wasn’t a full round of Liga MX fixtures over the weekend, but a couple of rescheduled fixtures had to be played ahead of the final set of league fixtures for the 2022/23 Apertura next weekend.

Unsurprisingly at such a crucial time in the season, a lot was on the line in these fixtures. Pumas’ visit to Puebla proved to be the decisive match for both sides’ league campaigns. The visitors needed to win to realistically keep their hopes of qualifying for the play-offs alive, while Puebla’s target was to come away with three points and confirm a postseason berth.

The home side proved to be successful after a superb start to the match, which saw them establish a two-goal lead in the first half hour. Pumas naturally tried a lot harder to score thereafter and finished the match with thrice as many shots as their opponents, but they only found the back of the net in the 83rd minute, and that proved to be a case of too little too late.

Necaxa and Mazatlán’s draw in the other match leave just two play-off spots open, but with five teams still in contention for them, there will be lots to keep an eye on in Mexico next weekend.

🇦🇷 Argentina: Gimnasia 0-1 Tigre

The Argentine top-flight was one of the few leagues to remain undeterred by the international break as there was a full round of fixtures held over the weekend. There are twists in the title race at effectively every turn at this point, and it was no different this time around.

After both Boca Juniors and Huracán won their matches on Friday night, the first big result came on Saturday when River Plate conceded in the final minute of their match against Talleres, drifting seven points away from their arch-rivals.

Then, on Sunday, Gimnasia La Plata had the opportunity to go back above Boca Juniors and temporarily occupy the top of the table when they took on Copa de la Liga finalists Tigre. It was a close match, but the home side were defeated thanks to the only goal of the match, scored at the half-hour mark after a well-worked team move.

The defeat meant that Gimnasia lost their unbeaten home record in the league this season, leaving Atlético Tucumán as the only side to have one. They preserved theirs thanks to a 3-1 win over Estudiantes, restoring their two-point lead at the top of the table in the process,

🇺🇸 MLS: San Jose Earthquakes 2-3 LA Galaxy

There was lots of action in LaLiga this weekend, so we were spoilt for choice while picking the match to cover. The Madrid derby obviously stood out, while the high-flying Athletic Club provided an alternative. Naturally, therefore, we decided to go with the Friday night clash between Real Valladolid and Cádiz.

Up in the States, there was just one MLS match this weekend as the rest of the league got some much-needed rest in the international break. The solitary match was a pretty important one – a California Clásico which had the potential to severely impact LA Galaxy’s chances of qualifying for the play-offs.

On the back of his impressive season, there was a fair amount of clamour surrounding a potential return to the Mexican national team for Javier Hernández. Gerardo Martino decided against that, though, and LA Galaxy fans will sure be glad about that after this match. Chicharito put in a man-of-the-match performance as he scored two very well-taken goals to help the visitors come away with three crucial points.

That brace took his tally up to 17 MLS goals this season, matching his best-ever tally in the league that he set last year. More importantly, the win placed the Galaxy back in the top seven, but they are just one point above the play-off line.

Their next match sees them take on eighth-placed Real Salt Lake, so this could be a make-or-break match in the context of their season.

UEFA Nations League, League B: Bosnia and Herzegovina 1-0 Montenegro

Back in the UEFA Nations League, Bosnia and Herzegovina ensured that they would go in the opposite direction to England by sealing promotion to League A on Friday.

Going into the match, they were at the top of the table with a one-point lead over Montenegro, so they knew that a win here would ensure promotion with a match to spare. They looked to be the better team for most of this game, but of course, the most important thing was to score.

Ermedin Demirović thought he had done that after the half-hour mark, but his goal was ruled out due to offside. He put the ball in the back of the net again on the stroke of half-time, and on this occasion, VAR did not spoil the party. That strike proved to be enough for the hosts to secure the three points, and with them a spot in League A next season.

🌐 Sidemen Charity Match: Sidemen FC 8-7 YouTube AllStars

You know it’s the international break when you see this.

The first Sidemen Charity Match in four years was played at The Valley on Saturday, and it was indisputably the most entertaining 90 minutes of football on offer this weekend. The match produced 15 goals that had it all – incredible long-range strikes, stunning passing moves, dodgy defending and poor goalkeeping. All of that led to the creation of one of the greatest-ever shotmaps that has graced the FotMob app.

The YouTube Allstars may have lost, but it was the xG Gods who were truly defeated in this fixture. Miniminter in particular was out to get them, as he scored a hat-trick from 10 shots worth a cumulative 0.37 xG.

Ultimately, though, it was all for a good cause, as over a million pounds were raised for charity by the time the trophy was lifted. That tally can continue to go up, as donations are still open here.

Cover Image from IMAGO

Sep

2022

This Weekend: UEFA Nations League, international friendlies and the Sidemen Charity Game

The best action to follow this weekend

By Bill Biss

Friday

The last international break before the 2022 World Cup is upon us and here’s a selection of games that should keep you going through the next few days.

🇮🇹🆚🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Arguably the day’s biggest fixture in the UEFA Nations League is a repeat of the 2021 Euros Final as Italy take on England in Milan. The two sides played out a 0-0 draw back in June but with the Three Lions looking to avoid relegation from the competition’s top level and Italy being the side sat above them in the table, you can expect more fireworks from this one.

The other match in the group; Germany vs. Hungary will probably determine who qualifies for the Nations League Finals. Surprise package Hungary currently lead the way after back-to-back wins over England but they’ll need to be at their best to end Germany’s 13-game unbeaten run.

🇧🇷🆚🇬🇭 If you’re up to date with certain online trends this week, you’ll know all about the strength of Brazil‘s squad and the abundance of attacking talent that coach Tite can call upon going in to the World Cup. Today though, all that will be put to the test against a Ghana side who will be introducing some new players of their own. With the likes of Athletic Club’s Iñaki Williams switching allegiance to the nation, the Black Stars are looking for a good showing ahead of their first World Cup since 2014.

Saturday

🇪🇸🆚🇨🇭On Saturday, Group 2 in the UEFA Nations League’s top division will take centre-stage. Leaders Spain face bottom side Switzerland knowing that a win will likely set them up for a winner-takes-all game against Portugal this coming Tuesday. Luis Enrique’s side are unbeaten since losing the final of the last edition of the Nations League back in October 2021, a run of eight games.

Meanwhile, Portugal travel to Czechia needing a win to guarantee that grandstand finish to the group in the week. The Czechs aren’t out of it themselves but will need to win both their final games, and hope Spain drop points in order to qualify for the tournament finals.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🆚🇮🇪 Down in League B, Scotland boosted their chances of promotion with a resounding 3-0 win over Ukraine on Wednesday evening. They now lead Group 1 going into Saturday’s game against Ireland. A draw would end Ireland’s outside chance of moving up and indeed, put them at risk of relegation, whilst a point for Scotland sets up another decisive game for them – away to Ukraine on Tuesday (that game will take place in Poland, for obvious reasons).

There is, of course, plenty of lower league domestic action available to follow in the app this weekend so remember that our coverage reaches as far as the fourth tier in a number of large footballing nations plus all the way down to the seventh level in England.

🇺🇸 Having said that, there is some top flight action to get excited about – not least in MLS where one fixture remains on the schedule. And it’s a biggy – the California Clásico between San Jose Earthquakes and LA Galaxy.

The Quakes may be languishing at the bottom of the Western Conference while the Galaxy are fighting for a play-off place but they have beaten their rivals in their last two meetings – including a thrilling 3-2 win in LA back in July.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 There’s also a full round of games in the English WSL – with the women’s North London Derby undoubtably the biggest draw of the weekend. Arsenal face Spurs at the Emirates and should smash the league’s attendance record with over 40,000 tickets sold.

📹 And now for something completely different… We’ve got the Sidemen listed in the app as the YouTube legends (16.5 million subscribers and counting) take on a team of international YouTube stars in a charity match.

The game takes place at a sold-out Valley, home of Charlton Athletic in London and will feature Sidemen members such as KSI, Miniminter and Vikkstar123 along with a host of well known names including MrBeast, ChrisMD, Deji, Chunkz, and Danny Aarons.

Sunday

🇩🇰🆚🇫🇷 Back in the Nations League, Sunday sees a number of groups play to a conclusion. World Champions France eased the risk of an embarrassing relegation from the competition’s top tier with victory over Austria on Thursday evening but will still be looking to get something out of their fixture against Denmark. The Danes meanwhile lost top spot following their defeat to Croatia on the same evening and will still hope a win here (and an unlikely result for Croatia in Austria) will see them take Group 1’s place in the Nation League finals.

🇳🇱🆚🇧🇪 In Group 4 there’s something of a decider between Benelux neighbours – Netherlands and Belgium. The Dutch have a three-point lead but a big win for Roberto Martinez’s Red Devils could see them pip their local rivals to the post. And by big, we mean Belgium must win by +4 goals!

🇫🇴🆚🇹🇷 Further down the Nations League pyramid, Turkiye went behind three times against Luxembourg in their midweek game before recovering to take the point they needed to confirm promotion. They now face the long trip to the Faroe Islands for their final group game in a clash between two of Europe’s most contrasting nations.

🇳🇿🆚🇦🇺 Until Thursday, New Zealand hadn’t played near neighbours Australia for 11 years. Now, they’re set to play them for the second time in a week! The second friendly match of this mini-series makes up part of the Socceroos’ 100 anniversary celebrations and acts as a farewell game before Australia compete in what will be their sixth World Cup Finals later this year.

It was Australia who won the game in midweek with Cadíz forward Awer Mabil scoring the only goal.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Back in the WSL, two of the leagues’ biggest teams clash as Manchester City go to defending champions Chelsea. Both sides were subject to unexpected upsets on the opening weekend of the season – Chelsea losing at newly promoted Liverpool while City went down 4-3 to a Rachel Daly-inspired Aston Villa.

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