Page 2 – The Pulse of Football

Apr

2024

In one brutal week, Caoimhin Kelleher’s future at Liverpool has been laid clear

If Caoimhin Kelleher was under any illusion over his role at Liverpool, then the week just gone will have made it clear to the Irishman.

By Jack Lusby, ThisIsAnfield.com

After a 14 consecutive starts in the absence of Alisson, Kelleher was immediately demoted to the bench upon the return of the No. 1.

“It [makes it] sound like Caoimh didn’t do well; Caoimh did exceptional, absolutely exceptional, fantastic goalkeeper,” Jürgen Klopp insisted before the miserable 1-0 loss to Crystal Palace. “But of course, we want to have Ali between the posts, that’s really good news.”

Alisson had spent over two months on the sidelines with a hamstring injury, during which time Kelleher overtook him in both appearances made and minutes played for the season, but at the earliest opportunity he was restored to first-choice duties.

Three days after the defeat to Palace, Alisson sat alongside Klopp to address the media before Liverpool’s Europa League quarter-final decider away to Atalanta. The Brazilian spoke about the frustration felt during one of the longest injuries of his career.

“It was really hard for me. I am a guy that when I am at home, injured or just resting, I don’t like to watch football because I get too excited and I want to play!” he told reporters, later adding: “Of course, seeing the team fighting for titles, I have a lot of desire to be part of that, to be part of that fight. Thank God I am here and I am looking forward to the rest of the season.”

There may be many others who were thinking ‘thank God’ when Alisson made his comeback, given Liverpool’s worrying lack of clean sheets in 2024. During the 14 games he missed, the Reds only kept three, those coming against Chelsea in the Carabao Cup final, Southampton in the FA Cup and Nottingham Forest in the Premier League.

With 17 goals conceded in that time, seven of which came over two games against Manchester United in the FA Cup and the first leg against Atalanta in the Europa League, the overall record was less concerning – but as goals have begun to dry up at the other end, the Reds’ inability to shut opponents down has become more so.

The losses to Atalanta and Palace marked the first time Liverpool had failed to score in consecutive games at Anfield since the 2020/21 season, when a ridiculously depleted squad twice went three games without netting at home. You would need to go back even further, to Klopp’s first season and back-to-back misfires against Stoke City and West Ham in January 2016, for when they last did so in front of fans.

“Keeping clean sheets is the basis for a successful team,” was Alisson’s verdict.

It is far from only Kelleher’s issue, but the manner of Liverpool’s 3-0 loss to Atalanta certainly provided Klopp with a more comfortable opportunity to rip off the plaster and reintroduce Alisson. In his 26 appearances this season, the 25-year-old has kept just five clean sheets – while he may have eclipsed Alisson for game time, it is notable that, ahead of the return leg in Bergamo, the No. 1 had kept nine clean sheets in his 25 games.

Kelleher is far from a bad goalkeeper, but the reality is he is competing with the full package.

There is no room for sentimentality with goalkeepers. Klopp learned that with a delayed handover between Simon Mignolet and Loris Karius in 2017/18; and Karius learned it with the arrival of Alisson immediately after his concussion-induced calamity against Real Madrid in the Champions League final at the end of that same campaign.

That is why, as soon as Alisson was ready to take over again, Klopp wasted no time in returning Kelleher to the substitutes’ bench. His run in the side was as an exceptional stand-in, rather than genuine competition for the starting gloves.

But that only highlights the decision looming over Kelleher as the end of the season nears. The Cork native is too good to spend any longer on the bench at Anfield, and deserves the No. 1 shirt elsewhere. Klopp may have been loath to part with the academy graduate, but his own impending exit provides a clear avenue for Kelleher to seek pastures new.

Liverpool, while publicly adamant they would prefer to keep their No. 62, have long been preparing for the time when he decides he can no longer play second fiddle. There is interest in both Sunderland’s Anthony Patterson, 23, and Wigan Athletic’s Sam Tickle, 22, suggesting the plan would be to replace Kelleher with another young, homegrown-eligible backup.

Alisson may have sparked fears among supporters when his six-bedroom home in the Cheshire village of Hale Barns was spotted on the market, but there is no suggestion that he is selling up with a view to leaving the UK, and the belief is that he has, instead, already moved.

With a contract that runs until 2027, Alisson should be going nowhere; regardless of who takes over from Klopp at the end of the season, there is no manager in the world who would give up a goalkeeper as talented as the 31-year-old Brazil international.

That leaves Kelleher in a difficult but arguably straightforward position ahead of talks with Liverpool’s hierarchy (and likely Klopp’s successor): rather than bide his time for chances during Alisson’s more-frequent-than-desired injury breaks, that run of 14 games will have given him a taste for a starting role week in, week out.

Nottingham Forest and Celtic have already been touted as possible destinations for the Irishman, but Kelleher has proven he can cut it at a level above either of those sides – it may just be about finding the right landing spot when the transfer window opens.

(Cover Image from IMAGO)

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Apr

2024

Crysencio Summerville: The Championship Player of the Season

The 2023-24 season carried considerable expectations for Leeds United. After a thrilling but short return to the Premier League in the beginning of the 2020’s, Leeds had now found themselves with the unenviable task of quickly returning to the top flight of English football. There aren’t too many instances of clubs reclaiming their Premier League status only a year after relegation, which is a credit to how much of a grind the Championship really is.

By Mohamed Mohamed

For the most part, Leeds have performed like arguably the best team in the Championship. They’re top of the division in terms of expected goals (76.4) and expected goals conceded (just 36). That formidable attack has been led by Crysencio Summerville. He’s tied for fourth in the Championship for total goals and assists, and in expected goals and assists per 90 minutes (0.73). Add to it that he’s been an absolute workhorse, playing over 3200 minutes and starting 38 matches, and it’s easy to see how valuable Summerville has been to Leeds this season.

What makes Summerville a tough player to gameplan against is how well rounded he’s been in the Championship this season. He’s comfortable operating in the half space or maneuvering near the left touchline and stretching the opposition’s defensive structure. At 2.5 successful dribbles per 90 minutes, it places him 14^th among players in the Championship. He can use his explosiveness to attack the byline, with a good example being the penalty he drew vs Hull in their recent 3-1 victory. The best wingers in the game can often beat their opponent off the dribble and discombobulate the opposition’s defensive structure. Summerville will also come inside and battle to maintain possession even with multiple opponents all over him.

As well as attacking down the outside, Summerville utilizes his dribbling and ball carrying to cut inside in the final third. There are few things scarier for defenders in the Championship than having Summerville carry the ball towards them with space to gobble up. There’s a high level of command shown in how he can change the tempo as a dribbler, with constant stop and starts unbalancing his marker. Even from a standstill against a deeper block, a quick feint and sidestep helps him generate ample space to set up his next action.

This ability to consistently access the half spaces can be partially seen in Summerville’s shot map, where a notable amount of his shots from open play come from the left channel and wide area of the box. There is some value in regularly creating a 5-7% quality of shot off the dribble. However, being primarily a ball-to-feet winger leads to a harder ceiling on the quality of opportunities one can get on a per-shot basis. Summerville isn’t renowned for his forward movement into the box, even though he can contribute occasional straight line runs in behind during transition.

The way Summerville strikes the ball is interesting. While he tries to keep goalkeepers honest by aiming both ways, his best strikes tend to be when using finesse to beat goalkeepers with precision rather than striking it through the laces, especially when cutting inside. This has led to fantastic finishes, such as the goal he scored versus Watford in their 2-2 draw.

Summerville’s ability as a dribbler helps amplify his playmaking, which has been among the best in the league. He’s third in the league for both total expected assists and expected assists per 90. The balence he has when carrying the ball puts defenders on their heels, which opens up different passing angles for him to exploit. If he’s out wide in a 1v1, he can beat his opponent and look to create cut-backs or square passes inside the penalty area. When given a head of steam on the inside, he also has through balls and reverse passes in his repertoire, which he can use to great effect.

When not focusing on chance creation and just examining general passing quality, Summerville is proficient. He is always looking to create quick one-twos within the final third. If he’s not dictating play himself, he is looking to help combine with teammates in front of the defensive block rather than being a winger who holds a wide position. Against select matchups, he can hold up play and bring others into the game, but that isn’t a particular strength of his.

This explosive skillset helped Summerville win the Championship’s Player of the Season award, which was no small feat given the list of contenders for the honor. Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall’s all-around play from midfield has been a major reason why Leicester are in pole position for promotion. Meanwhile, Adam Armstrong leads the league in combined goals and assists for a Southampton side that’s nipping at the heels of the top three. Summerville’s combination of electric dribbling along with high-end creation for himself and others has been something Leeds could rely on throughout the season.

Leeds have three games left to try and earn automatic promotion to the Premier League and avoid the chaos otherwise known as the playoffs. They’ll need at least one of Ipswich and Leicester to slip up in the home stretch, as well as taking care of their own business. A return to form from the league’s best player would do wonders since Summerville only has two goals over his last 11 matches. It could be a curling strike into the top corner, or evading two or more opponents to create a chance for someone else. Whatever it might be, Crysencio Summerville has the goods to deliver a few more trademark moments to make Leeds’ dream of Premier League football come true.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

You can follow every Leeds United game on FotMob – with deep stats, xG, and players ratings. Download the free app here.

Apr

2024

Can Tammy Abraham fill the boots of Romelu Lukaku after finally returning from injury?

A grand total of 307 days passed between Serie A appearances for Tammy Abraham, almost a full year on the sidelines after an ACL tear on the final day of last season saw him miss almost the entirety of 2023/24. His reappearance off the bench against Lazio, and another last week against AC Milan in the Europa League, bring him to 20 minutes of action: a slow, careful return with only half an eye on the remainder of this year, perhaps. The bigger picture for AS Roma is of whether he can fill a rather large void next term.

By Karl Matchett

That’s due to the impending departure of Romelu Lukaku, of course. The team’s first-choice striker this season, his loan from Chelsea will end in summer, and the Belgian is tipped for a transfer to the Saudi league to join the likes of Karim Benzema and Cristiano Ronaldo.

Huge wages and still a big transfer fee to be paid if anyone wants him permanently means much of the Italian top flight have no chance of landing him for more than one campaign, while any hint of a return to Stamford Bridge has surely long since been burned.

As such it presents both a problem and an opportunity for the Giallorossi: Lukaku’s 17 goals across Serie A and the Europa League have been a big contribution naturally, but he hasn’t been the main man since Daniele De Rossi took over. That award goes to Paulo Dybala, who has seven goals and two assists in league play since the former midfield legend was appointed as Roma boss in mid-January. By contrast, it’s two goasl in his last 11 for Lukaku. Even so, he’s a big presence, constantly available and often involved in the final pass or shot, though not perhaps as much as could be expected: 10 efforts at goal and eight key passes over his last six league games.

Roma share chances around and there’s scope for runners from behind the No. 9 to try their luck with some regularity – meaning the focal point of the attack must be a good link-up player, as well as capable of taking chances themselves. Which brings us back to Abraham.

The English striker had a fragmented 22/23 season, in and out the starting lineup but still playing almost 2,200 league minutes. Across that time he averaged 1.35 chances created per 90 minutes, along with 2.54 shots per 90 which tallied an xG/90 of 0.44. In all three cases, they top Lukaku’s numbers this year: 0.89 chances, 2.09 shots and 0.33 xG, all per 90.

And that was in a hit-and-miss campaign where Abraham scored eight times in Serie A. Prior to that he scored 17 in 3,000 minutes in 21/22 – still creating more than one chance per game on average, and taking close to three shots. His xG/90 that season ranked him above 91% of similar strikers, while he was also above 79% of them for duels won and aerials won. Last term was even better in that regard.

While direct comparisons in metrics are not necessarily helpful given the change in manager, it’s notable that Lukaku ranks above just 43% of Serie A strikers for shots on target this season, 52% for touches in the box, 46% for successful passes, 35% for chances created and a lowly 32% for duels won. On a wider lens view outside just Italy, while Lukaku ranks above 93% of forwards for goals, he’s above just 22% for touches and 6% for defensive actions. Even aerials won, where he is often utilised in-game as an out-ball and for attempted chance creation, he’s only above 53%.

All in all, there’s scope for quite significant improvement on what Lukaku has offered Roma this term – and more than a little reason to suspect that Abraham, once fully fit, is capable of giving it to them.

There is, of course, a journey to still travel down that particular path to ensure he’s ready and firing for 2024/25. Come summer, he’ll have two years remaining on his contract and, aged 26, should be heading into his prime years. It’s clear that Roma have put themselves back on a positive path with De Rossi’s appointment and Abraham offers a stylistic fit – but he’ll also have the returning Andrea Belotti to contend with, himself hoping for far better fortunes next season after a disappointing loan spell with Fiorentina.

The job for Abraham between now and summer is to maintain steady improvements to his fitness and, when the chance arises, show De Rossi that he can be the long-term answer up front. Then, perhaps, he can start to also consider whether adding to his 11 England caps could yet be on the agenda.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

You can follow every Roma game with xG, deep stats, and players ratings, on FotMob this season. Download the free app here.

Apr

2024

How Gianluca Scamacca is proving his detractors wrong

Gianluca Scamacca’s brace against Liverpool at Anfield catapulted him back in to the limelight once again. And the Italian deserves it for the ‘rimonta’ he has had at Atalanta after a torturous spell at West Ham.

By Kaustubh Pandey

At Anfield, something truly stood out about Scamacca’s performance and it wasn’t just the goals. He carried himself with the sort of swagger that one associates him with and he linked up excellently in the final-third, suggesting that comparisons to someone like Zlatan Ibrahimović are perfectly valid. He combined efficiently with the likes of Teun Koopmeiners, Charles de Ketelaere and Mario Pašalić, showing what he truly is as a striker and how complete his profile is.

It was rather fitting that Scamacca’s performance came against an English side just months after his disastrous spell in England at West Ham ended. While it was a reminder that the Italian’s soulless stint in London was a one-off due to many reasons, he has been generally impressive this season at La Dea in many ways.

He has nine Serie A goals and has four assists, as he’s contributing off the ball and when it comes to linking up with his teammates and setting them up. That was visible against the Reds at Anfield but he has been doing that a lot this season and he also did the same at Sassuolo. This version of him at Atalanta is just a version of him that has matured and marries well with his street football identity.

It hasn’t always been smooth sailing under Gasperini. Earlier this season, the Atalanta boss criticised Scamacca for not working hard enough but those comments essentially pushed the striker into getting better.

Gasperini told L’Eco di Bergamo: “He has to run because he isn’t running much. If he is so undynamic he won’t be able to do anything good.”

For some Hammers’ fans, this was a re-establishment of some of Scamacca’s flaws. But there is a different side to the story as well. That would explain why the striker struggled throughout his time in London and couldn’t discover his prolific self.

One reason for the disappointment is the pragmatic playing style under David Moyes which doesn’t benefit strikers like Scamacca and Sébastien Haller. On top of that, Scamacca revealed in an interview with ‘Cronache di spogliatoio’ about how he actually had to play through a meniscus injury, while referencing his childhood.

“I have always known that I have uncommon talents, as well as that I have travelled a more difficult path than the others. Now I was still, in bed, frustrated. I couldn’t accept the injury: the first injury of my career. A few weeks ago I had to confess it, I think I did it to protect myself: I was silent for months, but during the last season I played most of the time with a compromised meniscus.”

During his stint at the Hammers, Scamacca scored three times in the Premier League and played less than 1000 minutes under Moyes, thanks to concerns about his suitability to the playing style and his fitness problems.

A key negative impact of the pragmatic playing style under Moyes is the lack of touches that a proper number nine receives. The same was seen for Scamacca last season, as the Italian could get limited touches inside the final third – 3.88. That is asking too much out of any striker, let alone Scamacca who does have a hammer of a right foot.

He received only a little more than 30 touches per 90 minutes, suggesting that his role was limited to solely being a target man and the system in place never really made use of his ability to link-up with his teammates and potentially take defenders on like a complete striker can.

As was seen at Sassuolo, Scamacca is much better suited to operating in attacking systems where the forward players have more possession and touches. The West Ham move was, in a way, a bad decision and a mismatch for both parties. The same can’t be said for Atalanta, where both parties seem to be operating on the same wavelength.

At La Dea, Scamacca is receiving much more touches in general and a lot more touches inside the box per 90.

The number of touches he is getting inside the box has pretty much doubled and he is, on average, getting 15 more touches of the ball in games. That is leading to him dribbling more and thereby winning more fouls.

Atalanta, after all, love to control games. They operate using wide overloads and rely heavily on shorter and quick passes across the turf instead of longer, riskier balls. They are 11th in the Serie A for longer balls per 90 minutes. That helps Scamacca, who has always been someone who relies on receiving the ball at his feet.

Their approach helps the team, not just individual players, play closer to goal and that is seen in the numbers too. Atalanta are sixth in the league for touches in the opposition’s box, which is another thing that has helped many strikers that they’ve had in their recent era.

That, in turn, helps them create more chances and get more shots away. They are currently fifth in the Serie A for xG generated, closely behind fourth-placed Juventus in this regard.

All of that presents an excellent scenario for a striker like Scamacca, who needed a playing style like that. Inter seemed keen on initially signing him until La Dea trumped them, replacing Rasmus Højlund with the Italian. Duván Zapata had also left and Luis Muriel also departed in January. The season was going to be one for breeding in new blood upfront and Scamacca was going to be a key part of that project. Because of the wise choice he made from a tactical perspective, the ex-West Ham man is reaping the rewards.

The 25-year-old has overperformed on his xG by a solid margin so far, suggesting how good a finisher he is and how lethal he can be in front of goal, making himself a likely candidate to start for Italy at the Euros.

As mentioned before, his charm doesn’t just lie in the goals. His street football background makes him someone who is very good with the ball at his feet and he has completed 1.17 dribbles per 90 minutes, with an accuracy of 60 percent and that is a fairly solid indicator of his quality.

He has created over one chance per 90 minutes but that isn’t where it ends. Gasperini was vocal about his lack of workrate but the Azzurri man has won 0.70 tackles per 90 minutes, which is about 86 percentile. Not just that, he is in the 76 percentile for winning the ball back in the final third and it showcases how he is an effective presser and has perhaps taken criticism well and has reacted efficiently to it.

Fitness issues have held him back this season but Scamacca will always have his Anfield moment and he will treasure it for a long time. If he stays fit over a longer period and plays in setups that suit him, he could definitely be a force to be reckoned with.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

You can follow every Europa League game on FotMob – with deep stats, xG, and players ratings. Download the free app here.

Apr

2024

Edon Zhegrova: Delivering on promise

The 25-year-old once dubbed the Kosovan Messi back in his youth days is finally starting to come into his own under Paulo Fonseca at Lille this term.

By Ninad Barbadikar

When you’re a player needing to show your mettle, there are few occasions better than a derby to do just that. Your performance in front of raucous supporters when bragging rights are up for grabs can often become a case of make or break. Fortunately, in the most recent Derby du Nord, it was the former for Kosovan winger Edon Zhegrova.

Scoring a game-winning brace of goals in a 2-1 win for Les Dogues against rivals RC Lens, Zhegrova was at his clinical best in a player of the match display at the Stade Pierre Mauroy.

Paulo Fonseca’s Lille sit firmly within the top four, with four points between themselves and Eric Roy’s Brest. A strong finish to the season will represent progress and improvement from Fonseca’s men over last season’s fifth-placed finish. They also have a Conference League quarter-final second leg against Aston Villa to worry about. Whatever the outcome by the end of the season, no doubt Zhegrova will have a big say in it.

He’s taken a while to get here but the Kosovan Messi is producing displays worthy of that moniker.

Next in line

Over the past decade, Lille have scouted and developed a number of wingers, who have delivered huge income in the way of transfer fees for the club. Eden Hazard and Gervinho were amongst the first, more recently, Rafael Leão, Nicolas Pépé, as well as Sofiane Boufal have all emerged. Zhegrova feels like the next one in line.

Much like all of those wingers, Zhegrova is the bonafide entertainer on the pitch. Equipped with many a trick in his bag of dribbles, the Kosovan is a menace with the ball.

There are shades of Hazard and Hatem Ben Arfa in his style of dribbling – with his low centre of gravity giving him the ability to move in and out of tight spaces seamlessly.

Notching 20 goal contributions across all competitions this term, including five goals and five assists in Ligue 1, Zhegrova has been one of the biggest beneficiaries of Fonseca’s arrival at Lille. Jonathan David has always been the main man at the club, but Zhegrova has contributed vital moments sprinkled across the season.

No time to waste

The one thing you have to know about Zhegrova is that he loves to take a pop at goal, and he will do his best to carry the ball into spaces that will manufacture opportunities for him. In that regard, he’s much less of a ‘creative’ threat, rather considering himself to be the main taker of chances.

At the time of writing, the Lille man averages some 3.17 shots per 90 in the league, placing him in the 92nd percentile amongst his positional peers in the top European leagues. He’s certainly more shot-happy than most wingers in his class.

Scoring five in the league so far from an Expected Goals (xG) figure of 5.63 suggests that he is finishing chances that he should, but notice how three of those goals have come at the far post, and as well in spots that are very difficult to reach for goalkeepers.

As a predominantly left-footed winger, that is the area that Zhegrova will more often try and reach with his shots but he has also deceived defenders on multiple occasions by going for near-post attempts. Shooting just as many times from outside the box (34) as he has done from inside (34), Zhegrova does not waste too much time once he notices even half a chance is within reach.

Dribble-happy Zhegrova

Zhegrova’s love for shooting is perhaps only supplanted by his love to dribble past markers. Picking up pace in possession, he can often go off on long mazy runs with the singular focus on finding the back of the net. In a league blessed with several incredible dribblers, Zhegrova finds himself third for successful dribbles per 90 (3.6), just behind Rayan Cherki and Ousmane Dembélé.

Zoom out a little bit more and you find the Kosovan amongst the top 10 across the top five leagues for dribbles attempted. Accumulating 150 so far, that tally places him above the likes of Rodrygo, Nico Williams and Xavi Simons.

Zhegrova likes receiving as wide as possible on the right flank, preparing himself for the dribbles against his markers, his quick movement on the ball forces defenders backwards. In doing so, the Kosovo international creates space for his adventurous partner-in-crime Tiago Santos, who benefits from Zhegrova’s on-ball gravity.

Fonseca’s system allows for Zhegrova’s impressive albeit erratic style of play, with athletic defenders across the backline protecting space in case of turnovers, of which there are quite a handful.

It’s hard to argue against it though, Zhegrova’s ability on the ball makes the tradeoff worth it – he is second only to PSG’s Dembélé (49) for chance creating carries (48), with a split of 33 shots and 15 key passes from those carries. Furthermore, he has received more progressive passes than any other Ligue 1 player this term (268), for context, Kylian Mbappé has received 251.

So what’s the catch?

Room for improvement

As is the case with most wingers of Zhegrova’s ilk, the room for improvement is in activity out of possession, and the data reflects as much.

The former Basel man knows this as well, admitting last year that coaches at Lille are helping him work on the defensive side of his game.

Which isn’t to say he hasn’t shown promise in that regard, 1.16 possession regains in the final third is quite impressive and does put him high up amongst other wingers, but his off-ball impact is by far the biggest space for improvement and something that limits him to good for now, when he can be great.

Zhegrova is hugely talented and at the age of 25, he has crossed 20 starts only for the second time in his career, and seems to have put his injury troubles behind him for now. Staying with Fonseca and Lille has been the right move for him in terms of his development and despite their rocky form away from home, it is clear that Fonseca has brought tangible improvement to this Lille side.

Players like Zhegrova are compelling evidence of just that. Staving off big interest in the winger in recent transfer windows, it might not be so straightforward if suitors come knocking on the door this summer. With Fonseca’s contract expiring in June and a renewal with the club not in his plans, it feels like the perfect time for Zhegrova to take that next step that was always expected of him.

The former Basel man was a prized asset when he made the move to Ligue 1 in the summer of 2021, rejecting Olympique Marseille for a move to Stade Pierre Mauroy back then. All things considered, he certainly made the right decision for his career. Now, with Lille looking to finish the season with a flourish under Fonseca, Zhegrova will have a big part to play.

He’s taken his time, but the Kosovan Messi is finally delivering.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

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Apr

2024

Mathys Tel: The Bayern forward that could take the game to Arsenal

Arsenal were disappointed to only draw their Champions League quarter-final first leg tie with Bayern Munich, though in truth it could have been worse. The Germans were devastating on the counter-attack, with the Gunners wide open, exposed, almost naive, and looking brittle. Ultimately the 2-2 draw leaves a perfect mix of both opportunity and tension for viewers, but somewhat more difficulty for Mikel Arteta to judge tactically.

By Karl Matchett

Dominate possession and keep an attack-minded approach, as talent and season-long form suggests they should, and Arsenal run the risk of being countered on again with regularity. Sit back and keep tight, waiting for their own chances to strike on the break, and the problem is that they are inviting the likes of Harry Kane to have opportunities more often than might otherwise be the case.

A decisive factor in how Arsenal may approach the match from the start could be some absences for Bayern: since that first leg in North London, each of Leroy Sané, Kingsley Coman and goalscorer Serge Gnabry have picked up injuries. They are the lightning outlets, the pacy ball-carriers and the secondary goal threats either side of Kane – and only Sané stands a reasonable chance of involvement in this return fixture. Add in the suspended Alphonso Davies from left-back and a huge amount of the German club’s speed and ability to thrust forward as a unit is suddenly gone.

But to suggest they have no counter-attacking threat left would be a wild mistake; indeed, the impact of one other player this season, who didn’t even feature in the first leg, might prove Arsenal’s undoing: Mathys Tel.

Despite not playing a minute at the Emirates, there’s every chance Tel starts at the Allianz. Jamal Musiala will be one of Thomas Tuchel’s starters behind Harry Kane, and perhaps Thomas Müller another. The third will depend on Sané’s fitness – but whether as starter or impact sub, Tel will surely be a prominent option for Bayern after playing the full 90 minutes at the weekend in a 2-0 win.

He continued his impactful campaign against Köln with four shots, nine touches in the box, two successful dribbles and winning two free-kicks – as an outlet and a goal threat, he’s a hugely talented secondary option for Bayern. A centre-forward by preference, the 18-year-old has had to make many of his appearances this term off the bench and from the flank.

There, his speed is of obvious use when attacking spaces, on counter-attacks or looking to become an extra presence in the box – as five goals from just 677 Bundesliga minutes attest to.

In fact, though it’s clearly a fairly small sample size as he tries to break into the side, Tel is second in the the Bayern squad for goals per 90 minutes (0.66) behind only teammate Kane, but above everybody in the entire Bundesliga – including Kane – for shots per 90 (4.9).

Switch attention to Europe and Tel is in fact averaging even more efforts in the Champions League (5.18) but the sample size shrinks further so as to not quite be any kind of evidence just yet, with 140 minutes from his one start and seven cameo appearances from the bench. Even so, he scored against Manchester United in the group stage with just three minutes on the pitch, netted against København from only 13 and assisted against Galatasaray in 18. Clearly, this youngster doesn’t need a whole lot of time to find his groove and find the spaces – and take shots when chances fall his way.

And therein is where Arsenal must beware. The sheer volume of high-quality chances they gave up against Bayern when there looked no immediate danger will be one factor; Tel’s speed and ability to rapidly get strikes away will be another. Bayern tallied an xG of 1.92 against Arsenal in the first leg from eight shots. Aston Villa then scored twice in the final five minutes at the weekend in the Premier League, again big chances given up almost out of nothing.

Finally, there’s one Arsenal-specific factor which that defeat leans into: the moment when pressure hits and the squad crumbles. It has happened season after season and although they look like they are getting closer to finally surmounting that obstacle, they haven’t done so yet. They still let Bayern sneak out alive; they still let the title lead slip away on home soil.

If Bayern strike first, it wouldn’t be new, or a surprise, if Arsenal meltdown again. They haven’t shown that mental resilience to overcome such a setback. And in Mathys Tel, they’ll sooner or later face the exact type of player who has hurt them so much over the last two fixtures, and who might well extinguish their European hopes once more.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

You can follow every Bayern game with xG, deep stats, and players ratings, on FotMob this season. Download the free app here.

Apr

2024

Steve McManaman on Euro 96, Jude, and the joy of Panini stickers.

Panini and sticker collections are woven into the fabric of football. From swaps on the playground, to building collections with our kids. It’s an entry point to the beautiful game.

By Mike Backler

But not a lot of us get to actually be that sought after Panini sticker. Or stride out at The Bernabeu. Or glide past defenders at Wembley.

And in a world of clickbait and indignation inducing articles, I think what most of us fans really want to know is – what’s that like?

Steve McManaman knows.

*McManaman, who features as a Legend in Panini’s new Official England Sticker Collection Tournament Edition 2024…*

MB, for FotMob: I’ve picked three special moments that I watched and loved from your career. Moments where I’ve always thought ‘what must it be like to do that, or to live that?’ First is a goal that is etched in my memory after watching it as a 12-year-old kid. 1997, Celtic Park. What are your memories of that match and that goal?

SM: Oooh, good goal that wasn’t it, mate? I’ve got a lot of memories about it to be honest. Firstly, the stadium was off the scale, brilliant. The whole stadium singing ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ so you almost felt at home. We went 1-0 up with Michael Owen and I remember thinking ‘we’re gonna win easy here!’ Suddenly we were 2-1 down and getting battered and I’m thinking ‘what on earth has just happened?’ With my goal, late on, it was effectively the goal that got us through. When the player ran at me and I knocked it round him, that was just instinct, but I was so far away from the goal that you don’t think about scoring, but as I started running forward, the pitch started opening up and the Celtic players were backing off and I found myself in shooting range. I could have passed it to Karl-Heinz Reidle, but I was well on the way then! Then of course it was my left foot, just to bend it round. I always remember the fan behind the goal giving me the two fingers. I remember a lot about that goal and that game. I’ve scored a lot of good goals in the past but you do forget them. That one sticks in the memory.

MB: A couple years later and you’re in Madrid. I know a lot of people will ask you about the goal in the Champions League Final, but as someone who’s recently been to the Bernabéu for the first time and been in awe of it – what on earth is it like to walk out and play football there?

SM: The stadium is incredible. It looks even more incredible now. I played on the pitch about three weeks ago with the roof closed and it was gorgeous then and they’re still working on it. They’re gonna put a nightclub in the top corner of the stands! When you stand on the pitch for the first time I think everyone is in awe of it. The stands are upright, it’s intimidating if you’re on the opposition. As a home player, it’s amazing. I was fortunate as I scored two goals early on. I think I was top goalscorer for bleedin’ Real Madrid after a month! The most important thing was to hit the ground running and get the crowd on your side. They always give you the benefit of the doubt, certainly if you’re a new player, but if you can go and score goals and start winning games and be successful like Jude Bellingham has, it certainly helps that transition of breaking into the club. It’s a hard place to go, you need to learn the language. When I went there not a lot of people spoke English in the centre of Spain, but that’s changed now. If you can get people onside, learn, score goals and win games straight away, then you’ve got a chance. And fortunately that’s exactly what I did.

MB: Just on Jude, there’s probably no one better in world football to talk about the challenges of settling into life at Real Madrid. With what you know, does it make how well he’s done in his first season all the more remarkable?

SM: Yes. Everything you’ve just said times ten. He went to Real Madrid at 19 years of age. He went there in a transitional year when Benzema left, Hazard left, Asencio left. You expected it to be a difficult year this year. Madrid knew that. They had a pot of money and they bought Jude. The other signings were peripheral signings that didn’t cause a ripple in Madrid. Bringing in Jude, for what they paid, as a 19 year-old, everything was on his shoulders. That in itself is incredible difficult, as a 19 year-old who doesn’t speak Spanish. To replace Benzema’s goals. Madrid are ahead of schedule because of Jude. It’s next year when they’re gonna bring in a centre forward. The fact that Jude has come in and been so outstanding straight way and is a humble guy. I was speaking to Florentino Pérez, he adores him. I was speaking to José Ángel Sánchez, they love him. They’ve won the SuperCopa, they could win LaLiga if they win El Clásico. He scored the winner in the last one. He scored on his debut. All of this amounts to greatness, really. Next year when they bring in Endrick, hopefully Kylian and maybe Aphonso Davies. That’s when they’re really gonna go through the roof.

MB: From two special moments, to one special summer. Euro 96. Tell me what it was like to be such a major part of that?

SM: I’ve got really good memories about it all, mate. The fact that it was a home tournament. I remember all the games. We didn’t start particularly well but we got better as we went through. The fans were behind us. Playing Scotland helped us get the fanbase behind us. And then we played arguably some of the best football. Terry Venables was a fantastic manager, very astute. Changed formations, changed positional play. We had tactical changes to play Holland and play Spain. The sad thing was we just didn’t get over the line, but when you live with people for six weeks you forge such great friendships. Paul Gascoigne, he’s crackers as everybody knows, but I got on with him very, very well. Tony Adams, Stuart Pearce and Paul Ince – all different characters but it brought us all together. When I bump into Gareth Southgate we talk about Euro 96. It will indelibly link you together forever, really. And that’s a lovely thing.

MB: You’re probably on a decades long-list of creative midfielde talents that England have perhaps under-used or under-appreciated. Do you think that is something that we’re starting to solve, or do you still see the same issues in the current setup?

SM: I think it has been the case in recent tournaments, I must admit. We haven’t utilised our flair players more. I think our better players are our flair players, but of course I understand that you can’t play them all. You can’t have Saka, Kane, Bellingham, Foden, Grealish all out there – I understand that. But I think we could have in past tournaments, been a bit more progressive. But I’m not the England manager – that’s Gareth. But we do have superstar forwards and I hope that they are all fit and well. I personally would try and get as many of them on the pitch as possible, but I understand the job at hand. I just hope they do themselves proud, they’ve come close. They’ve got a really good squad. The players – Foden, Bellingham, Kane, they’re great players aren’t they. The climate is going to be great, the fans will be there, Germany is a fantastic country to host the tournament. They just need a bit of fortune, mate. To get it done.

MB: Back to stickers. Did you collect them as a kid? What it’s it like to be a Legend in Panini’s Official England Sticker Collection?

SM: Very cool, mate. Very cool. I’ve got a 12 year old boy so I am doing it with him now. We collected them when we were young, swapping them in the playground and I’m doing it now with my lad. And the fact that his Dad is a legend is a bit surreal! When his Manchester United supporting mates are skitting me when they knocked Liverpool out of The FA Cup are suddenly collecting my card. When I was a kid I was an Everton fan and if you ever got the badge, it was the pinnacle of everything. The picture of the ground. We’d get stickers for a present instead of an Easter Egg. I’m living it now through the eyes of my boy and I’ll try and get him a few stickers without trying to spoil him of course. It’s lovely isn’t it, in the playground swapping ten players for one good, that’s all part and parcel of the game. I sign a lot of old stickers of myself now and some of them are awful. Some I look like I’ve got no neck, some where my hair’s all over the place, or little buck teeth. I think the first one I’ve seen was in the old Candy Liverpool kit, where I look really, really young. And they’re the days you pine for.

The Official England Sticker Collection Tournament Edition 2024, with 100% official kits and 387 stickers to collect, is available now at panini.co.uk/englandstickers and retailers nationwide.

Apr

2024

La Masia and Barcelona’s reliance on teenage talent

In the early 2000s, Barcelona’s La Masia academy was widely regarded as the best in the world, and it was hard to argue against it. Xavi, Andres Iniesta, and the great Lionel Messi are just a few to have made their mark on world football, thanks in no small part to their time at the academy.

By Alex Roberts

Since then, in a desperate attempt to keep up with the Premier League and other European powerhouses, Barça’s policy shifted from producing talent to purchasing it. It doesn’t matter how big the club is, spending over €100 million on three separate occasions over the span of three years isn’t sustainable.

The club’s dire financial straits have been well documented. They’ve had to pull countless ‘Economic Levers’, selling the naming rights of the Camp Nou to Spotify as well as pieces of the turf to fans wanting to feel even closer to the club they love.

After the very real threat of no longer existing, Barcelona’s transfer policy has done another 180-degree turn, and they’re now reliant on teenagers like never before.

Xavi was the perfect man to come in and guide the ship through choppy waters, he lives and breathes Barcelona’s ethos of trusting their own. As a result, the most exciting crop of young talents since the days of Pep Guardiola have come through the first team.

Lamine Yamal doesn’t have the right to be as good as he is at the tender age of 16, he still has braces for goodness’ sake. Not only has he established himself as an important player at Barca, but he also became the youngest player in Spanish national team history, scoring on his debut.

President, Joan Laporta, even came out and said he had rejected a staggering €220 million offer from Paris Saint Germain for the youngster. That’s a very significant amount of money that would go a long way to elevating the club’s financial burdens.

But Laporta wasn’t interested, and he’s hedged his bets on Yamal’s huge potential.

The young forward isn’t the only unexpected breakthrough at Barca this season. Centre-back Pau Cubarsí has been a revelation since coming into the side, notably pocketing Victor Oshimhen during their triumph against Napoli in the Champions League round of 16.

It’s a position that Barca are relatively blessed in. Ronald Araújo, Andres Christensen, and Jules Koundé are all very capable centre-backs, although Koundé has mostly operated on the right-side of defence this season.

Despite this serious competion for places, Cubarsí has looked completely at home in the first team, making twelve LaLiga apperances and playing a significant role in the club’s Champions League campaign.

Unfortunately, nothing in football is an exact science. The amount of professional football these youngsters are playing while their bodies are still developing could have dire consequences. All you need to do is look at the injury records of fellow Barça prodigies Pedri, Gavi, and Ansu Fati.

Each of those players either has or has had the ability to become one of the best in the world, but serious injuries have curtailed their development.

In 2021, Pedri was named the best under-21 player in Europe, winning the prestigious Golden Boy and Kopa trophies. Since then, he’s been out for 372 days with various muscle and hamstring injuries.

Yes, injuries are an unfortunate inevitability in football, but missing that amount of football before the age of 21 due to injury isn’t normal, and he’s not an outlier. It begs the question, should Pedri have been playing that much in the first place?

Thankfully for Pedri and Barcelona, he’s fit once again, coming on as a substitute in their 3-2 win against Paris Saint Germain and assisting Raphina’s goal. Let’s hope he’s finally able to stay fit for a significant amount of time.

Gavi is another of the club’s young heroes to have suffered another grievous injury. The 19-year-old fell victim to football’s ongoing epidemic of ACL tears in November 2023, and has been forced to sit on the side-lines for the entirety of this season.

It’s the kind of injury that many players never really come back from. Time is on Gavi’s side, he may well come back like his ACL tear never happened, it’s up to his club to rehabilitate him in the proper manner, ease him into it. Given how important he is, it’s unlikely that will happen.

Barcelona will need to learn from their past and look to Ansu Fati as a lesson on how not to treat a young player after injury.

In 2019, Messi had one foot out of the door at Barça. The club could no longer afford to keep their greatest ever player, they were simply in denial about it. Like Yamal, Fati burst onto the scene at 16-years-old and was tipped to be the one to replace the legendary Argentine.

Then, in November 2021, Fati tore his meniscus and was ruled out for 305 days, missing 64 games for club and country. When he was finally fit again, Barça rushed him back, with more senior forwards failing to perform.

Fati hasn’t been the same since, unable to shake the damage done to his knee. He now finds himself unable to break into a struggling Brighton side, with manager Roberto De Zerbi calling him out, saying Fati is ‘not doing enough for the team’.

Xavi has confirmed he’ll be leaving Barcelona at the end of the season, so with no replacement confirmed as of yet, chances for La Masia graduates may dry up. The Socios tend to be less forgiving of coaches that aren’t one of their own.

Trusting in teenagers like Barcelona currently appear to be doing produces immense value for minimal financial input, it’s now just a case of management. Running these youngsters into the ground like they have done in the past could prove disastrous.

Winning silverware this season is looking unlikely, but it could be a stepping stone to yet another golden era for La Masia and Barcelona. Only time will tell.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

You can follow every Barcelona game live with FotMob — featuring deep stats coverage including xG, shot maps, and player ratings. Download the free app here.

Apr

2024

Analysis: Aston Villa’s Champions League Charge led by Unai Emery

Aston Villa’s win over Arsenal may yet go down as the result that decided the title race, but it was an equally crucial win for their own Champions League hopes. The Villains currently have a three-point buffer to fifth-placed Tottenham Hotspur as they seek to return to Europe’s premier club competition after over four decades.

By Neel Shelat

Prior to their Europa Conference League qualification for this season, Aston Villa’s last European tour came back in 2010. It was a very short one too, as Rapid Vienna sent them packing in the qualifying round of the Europa League. The club’s fortunes took a downward turn thereafter, as they became regular relegation-battlers in the Premier League before eventually going down in 2016.

After a disappointing first season back in the Championship, Villa began to rebuild. Their second stab at the play-offs proved successful as they defeated Frank Lampard’s Derby County at Wembley to return to the big time. After surviving by the skin of their teeth in their first season back, they aimed to keep pushing on.

The likes of Dean Smith and Steven Gerrard could not get the team into the top half of the table, so the club decided to make a statement appointment in November 2022. Unai Emery, a man with a great European pedigree as well as a big five league title on his CV was brought in from Villarreal, and he has gone on to transform the club’s fortunes in just a couple of years.

In his very first season, he took the Villains from a relegation-battling position to a seventh-placed finish that earned them a ticket to the Europa Conference League. This term, they are balancing a continental knockout run with a brilliant league campaign that has them in the Champions League places with five games left to play.

If England do earn a fifth Champions League spot for next season, Villa might as well start celebrating now. Such an incredible campaign certainly deserves a closer look, so that is what we will focus on in this week’s analysis column.

Bold Defensive Approach

The first thing that stands out about Unai Emery’s Aston Villa is their commitment to holding an incredibly high defensive line, regardless of the opposition they are facing. Whether they are at the Emirates Stadium or hosting Sheffield United, their back four starts and tends to stay as close as possible to the halfway line for as long as possible.

As a result, Aston Villa have unsurprisingly caught their opponents offside more than any other team in the league. Their tally of 147 translates to almost 4.5 offsides per match, while only one other team in the league has managed to crack 100 so far. By setting up their 4-4-2 block very high and yet quite compact, they are able to keep their opponents far away from their goal for long periods. That is why Villa have had to make the fourth-fewest clearances in the league this season.

Of course, this is a high-risk high-reward approach. So, while Villa might be the fourth-best team in the league as far as preventing shots from being taken is concerned, the average chance quality they concede is by far the highest. All things considered, since Villa don’t press overzealously. these things seem to average out as Emery’s side are perfectly mid-table when it comes to xG conceded.

When adopting such a high defensive line, it is imperative to have a brave goalkeeper who is comfortable at sweeping outside the box and can unsettle opponents one-on-one. In Emiliano Martínez, Villa have just that. The Argentine international has been the league’s best goalkeeper by goals prevented, based on the xGOT model, meaning he has been the difference-maker in taking his team’s defence from being mid-table-level, by the underlying numbers, to top-six in terms of actual goals conceded.

All this effort just to have the league’s sixth-best defence might not seem worth it, but what the overall numbers do not show is the Villains’ ability to compete with the very best teams. Thanks in no small part to their disciplined defending far away from goal, Villa have won three of their four matches against the top two, keeping clean sheets in all of those triumphs.

Tailor-Made Attacking System

Regardless of what one thinks is the “right way to play”, most would agree that a head coach’s job is to make the most of the resources at their disposal. Chief among these resources are the players, so setting up a system that gets the best out of the profiles in the squad has to be paramount in the list of a head coach’s priorities.

Seen this way, Unai Emery’s job at Aston Villa looks absolutely stellar. The squad he inherited was hardly among the best in the league, and even after a fair bit of transfer business, Villa certainly do not have the quality of serious Champions League contenders, on paper at least.

Right from day one, the Spanish tactician implemented a relatively unique in-possession system to suit his squad. When building up from goal kicks, Aston Villa’s four defenders and two central midfielders start very deep to help build up and beat any attempted press, while the front four is incredibly narrow in a box-like shape. Two players offer passing options out of the build-up, while striker Ollie Watkins peels to the left where he poses a constant threat in behind and Moussa Diaby/Leon Bailey is on the right with dynamic movement on and off the ball.

This build-up approach is suited to play to the players’ strengths while maintaining a multidimensional threat. The confident ball-players at the back can look to slice through a press and feed the two attackers poised to link play, or they can directly go to the front men in a bid to get in behind.

In settled possession further up the pitch, Villa usually move into a 3-2-4-1 shape created by asymmetric movements of the full-backs and wingers. The right back stays deep to form a back line of three, freeing up the left back to push forward as the left winger tucks inside. Again, this is suited to the player profiles in the squad such as Ezri Konsa (RB), Lucas Digne (LB) and Jacob Ramsey (LW).

It should hardly come as a surprise, then, that many of Villa’s attackers are enjoying their best-ever seasons. Five players are in double digits for goal involvements in the Premier League already, and Watkins is a league-leader by this metric.

Bailey has enjoyed a brilliant campaign too, contributing 9 goals and 8 assists to his team’s tally showing exceptional attacking output despite limited touches due to the positional demands of his role.

Diaby’s five goals and seven assists in the league have also been very handy, with his creation shining the most as he is the squad leader in terms of big chances created.

Perhaps the most surprising name on this list is versatile midfielder John McGinn. The Scottish international has made the most of the more attacking responsibilities he often gets in Emery’s system, racking up 16 goal involvements in all competitions, including a crucial goal and assist in the UECL quarter-final first leg against Lille. In fact, Villa have lost just one game all season when he has managed to get on the scoresheet.

Thanks to these consistent attacking contributors as well as Emery’s well-crafted tactics in and out of possession, Aston Villa are flying on two fronts with just over a month left until the end of the season. They are arguably favourites to lift European silverware and qualify for the Champions League, and if they manage to do that, this will surely go down as one of their greatest seasons.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

You can follow every Aston Villa game live with FotMob — featuring deep stats coverage including xG, shot maps, and player ratings. Download the free app here.

Apr

2024

Hulk: Maturing with age but still bulldozing defences in Brazil

Glory in the Campeonata Mineiro was the perfect way for Atlético Mineiro to start the season. The Belo Horizonte outfit couldn’t be stopped as they swept aside rivals Cruzeiro in the competition’s final with expectations high ahead of the 2024 Brasileiro campaign. Hulk scored in both legs and is still delivering regularly in his homeland.

By Graham Ruthven

Hulk enjoyed a distinguished career in Europe. He was a key part of the Porto team that won three straight Portuguese titles and went the entire 2012/13 season unbeaten. After that, the Brazilian attacker joined Zenit Saint Petersburg for €60m as one of the most expensive forwards in the sport’s history.

Since 2021, though, Hulk has been at Atlético Mineiro where he has enjoyed a renaissance. His goalscoring display against Cruzeiro in the Campeonata Mineiro final wasn’t an exception – it was the sort of thing Galo supporters have come to expect from one of their team’s most consistent performers.

In each of the last three Brasileiro seasons, Hulk has reached double figures. In all competitions, he has scored an impressive 102 goals in 185 games for Atlético and has started the 2024 season with seven goals in 13 outings. After finishing third in the Brazilian top flight last season, Galo want to push themselves even higher up the table – and Hulk could help them achieve this.

While the 37-year-old might have lost a yard or two of pace since his Porto and Zenit Saint Petersburg days, he has grown more intelligent with his movement. Hulk now sees more of the ball than was the case in his younger years with Atlético Mineiro known to use him as a creative hub in a central area. Most commonly, he is deployed as a number nine.

Former Argentina centre-back Gabriel Milito has taken charge of Atlético Mineiro for the 2024 season and has quickly implemented a more energetic style of play. As Galo manager, Luiz Felipe Scolari was accused of being too conservative for the attacking talent at Arena MRV, but Milito appears ready to unleash his forwards – including Hulk.

Under Scolari, Hulk’s physicality was useful as it frequently allowed Atletico to easily gain a foothold up the pitch. Long balls were directed into the veteran who would bring the likes of Matias Zaracho, Hyoran Dalmuro and Christian Pavon into the game. Now, it seems Milito wants his team to build from the back.

“I had a lot of good coaches,” said Milito when asked to elaborate on his coaching identity. “[Pep] Guardiola was undoubtedly one of the best. I learned a lot of concepts from him, a lot. And then, with my own ideals of the game, of football, I try to apply them. The first thing we have to do is be authentic. We cannot imitate another coach.”

Hulk isn’t the first Brazilian star to have enjoyed a resurgence at Atlético Mineiro. Indeed, Ronaldinho spent two seasons in Belo Horizonte and helped inspire the club to win the Copa Libertadores for the first time in 2013. The hope within Atlético is that Hulk can also push them towards continental success this season.

Brazilian clubs have dominated the Copa Libertadores in recent times. Indeed, Brazil has produced each of the competition’s last five winners with all-Brazilian finals in three seasons since 2019. The gulf is growing between the Brasileirão and other South American domestic leagues and that is illustrated most starkly in the Copa Libertadores.

Many clubs have spent big to lure Brazilian stars back to the country. Last season, for example, Fluminense won the Copa Libertadores with a squad that included Marcelo and Felipe Melo. The season before that, Gabriel ‘Gabigol’ Barbosa scored the winner in the final for Flamengo. Hulk is just one part of a wider trend right now.

After winning the Brazilian title in dominant fashion back in 2021, Atlético Mineiro have endured two challenging seasons, finishing seventh in 2022 and third in 2023. This is a club with greater ambitions than that and the early signs this year have been encouraging. Galo appear rejuvenated. There has been a lot of change at Arena MRV since the end of last season. Hulk’s goals, however, are a constant.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

You can follow every Brasileirão game live with FotMob — featuring deep stats coverage including xG, shot maps, and player ratings. Download the free app here.