Page 20 – The Pulse of Football

Sep

2024

Preview: Villarreal vs. Barcelona

The good news for Barcelona? They don’t have to face Monaco for at least another five months. The bad news? They’ve got to travel to one of the hottest teams in Spain and face a Villarreal side that is making an early push for a top-four finish.

By Zach Lowy

After losing 3-0 to Monaco in the 59th edition of the preseason Joan Gamper Trophy, Barcelona began the Hansi Flick era with three consecutive 2-1 victories before obliterating Real Valladolid 7-0 and demolishing Girona 4-1.

With 17 goals, Barcelona boast the best attack in LaLiga (four above second-placed Celta de Vigo) and sit four points clear of Atlético Madrid, Real Madrid and Villarreal. They have done so amid a mounting injury crisis that has seen key players like Ronald Araújo, Andreas Christensen, Frenkie de Jong, and Gavi suffer long-term absences, with Dani Olmo becoming the latest victim. Olmo was Barcelona’s sole summer arrival (€55m) apart from the €2.7m capture of Pau Víctor from Girona, and after scoring in each of his first three matches for Barça, he looks set to miss the next month with a hamstring problem.

Like Girona, Barcelona also lost to a French side in the UEFA Champions League, falling to 10 men early on and succumbing to a 2-1 defeat at Monaco, and they will be looking to bounce back on Sunday as they travel to a Villarreal side that is the sole unbeaten team outside of LaLiga’s Big Three. Villarreal held Atleti to a 2-2 draw on the opening day before beating Sevilla 2-1 thanks to a 95th-minute winner from Ayoze Pérez and escaping with a 4-3 victory against Celta via Dani Parejo’s 100th-minute goal from the penalty spot.

Despite losing key players like goalkeeper Filip Jørgensen and top scorer Alexander Sørloth, the Yellow Submarine are going full steam ahead under Marcelino, and one of the biggest reasons has been the clutch form of Ayoze Pérez. After making his first appearance for Spain and winning the Euros, Pérez left Real Betis for Villarreal for €4 million, and it hasn’t taken long for him to make an impact at El Madrigal. Having relinquished an early lead at Mallorca, Villarreal were struggling to make the most of their man advantage and looked headed for a draw until the 94th minute, when Yeremy Pino rewarded Pérez’s near post run with a teasing cross. Pérez made no mistake from close range, finding the back of the net for the third time in four matches. If Villarreal are to put an end to Barcelona’s perfect domestic form, expect Pérez to have a big role to play.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

You can follow every game from LaLiga with FotMob this season — featuring deep stats coverage, xG, and player ratings. Download the free app here.

Sep

2024

Preview: Real Madrid vs. Espanyol

Although they remain unbeaten after the first five rounds of the 2024/25 season in LaLiga, it’s fair to say that Real Madrid fans would have been hoping for, and probably even expecting, more than the 11 points they’ve amassed so far.

By Nathan Evans

Is that unfair to say? Perhaps, but after adding Kylian Mbappé to their ranks over the summer from PSG, many would have been expecting Carlo Ancelotti’s side to have made the perfect domestic start, especially with their opening list of fixtures.

That’s not been the case though, and with disappointing draws on the road against Las Palmas and Mallorca, this Real team has already been exposed, on occasion. As such, they already sit four points behind fierce rivals Barcelona.

Granted, there are explanations for that, mainly in the fact that star midfield Jude Bellingham has missed most of the action through injury. But even after recording successive 2-0 wins over Real Betis and Real Sociedad in LaLiga over the last week or so, again, the Galaticos struggled for large parts of their eventual 3-1 victory at home to Stuttgart in midweek UEFA Champions League action.

What will likely serve as a welcome additional boost is the arrival of Espanyol for this next league fixture. That’s mostly due to the fact that Real have lost just two of their last 29 league fixtures against the side from Catalonia, winning 23 of those matches in the process, whilst on home soil they’ve not lost to this opposition since all the way back to April 1996.

That said, the visitors arrive here after making their own solid start to the new campaign following promotion from Spain’s second tier last season. An even record of two wins, two losses and one draw to date means that they enter this latest matchday sat safely in midtable and if they can achieve that feat come the end of this term, it will have been a very good showing from Espanyol.

Last time out in the capital at the end of August, Manolo González’s side put together a fantastic and spirited showing to claim an important point against Atlético (0-0) and if they can produce similar here, a three-point haul for Real will be much tougher to acquire than many will be predicting.

Expect the away side to sit deep in their very rigid 4-4-2 shape throughout and counter attack when they get the chance. That’s proved to be a worthy game plan for Espanyol so far and with players like Javi Puado – who hit his second senior hat-trick last time out at the expense of Alavés – finding form recently, they remain relatively well-placed to potentially cause a huge upset in this one.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

You can follow every game from LaLiga with FotMob this season — featuring deep stats coverage, xG, and player ratings. Download the free app here.

Sep

2024

Preview: Crystal Palace vs. Manchester United

After having been quite significantly talked up before this season started, Crystal Palace go into their home match against Manchester United still looking for their first Premier League win of the season.

By Ian King

Palace have taken just two points from their first four matches so far, and while it remains unlikely that they will be sucked into a relegation fight, supporters will not be wanting to wait until October to get things moving.

There is room for optimism, most notably that they did a League double over United last season, with an aggregate score of 5-0. But then again Manchester United have run up an aggregate score of 10-0 in their last two matches. Admittedly, that combined scoreline came against Southampton, one of the two weakest teams in their division so far, and Barnsley, who are in League One, but confidence counts for a lot at this level of the game, and if whacking seven goals past League One opposition, as they did on Tuesday night, works for them, it works for them.

Trevoh Chalobah faces a fitness test, but otherwise there are no known new injury issues for Oliver Glasner to have to deal with. Adam Wharton and Cheick Doucoure may return in midfield in place of Daichi Kamada and Jefferson Lerma. Up front, Eddie Nketiah is still awaiting his first goal for the Eagles. Top scorer with two of their four goals so far – Own Goal is joint second – is Jean-Philippe Mateta for his brace against Leicester City last weekend, when a stoppage-time penalty was required to salvage a point after they’d fallen 2-0 behind.

Manchester United may have that 10-0 aggregate score over their last two matches, but they’re also 10th in the Premier League following a patchy start to the season. Their opening day win against Fulham was uninspiring, their performances against Brighton and Liverpool were poor and abysmal respectively, and those big two wins were both against the weakest opposition that they’ll likely face all season.

To that end, this match is more of a test for Erik ten Hag than it at first looks. So far, if you squint hard enough, United’s season has kind of gone the way you’d have expected to. Not quite the darkest timeline, but still not… great. But Crystal Palace can be volatile, as United found to their cost last season. And Palace really do need to get their season going.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

You can follow every game from the Premier League with FotMob this season — featuring deep stats coverage, xG, and player ratings. Download the free app here.

Sep

2024

Preview: Liverpool vs. Bournemouth

Following on from a shock home defeat to Nottingham Forest last week, Liverpool had to quickly provide a response – and did so in emphatic fashion, beating AC Milan in midweek in their Champions League opener.

By Karl Matchett

That 3-1 result at San Siro answered questions over Arne Slot’s side about whether they could rise to challenges after a flawless start to the Premier League season; now their next task is to start proving their relentlessness again, as Bournemouth visit Anfield.

It appears the Reds will be without first-choice goalkeeper Alisson Becker, through a minor injury, but Caoimhin Kelleher has long since proven his worth as a stand-in – even if the club no longer see him as a viable long-term starter. Expectation weighs on Slot’s side, but they have shown at the start of the campaign they are good enough to cope with that. The bigger question is now about consistency, which will dictate if they are involved in a title challenge or not.

The Cherries will not be easy opponents to bounce back against domestically. Andoni Iraola has constructed a side with plenty of attacking outlets, though with Evanilson yet to fully settle in as Dominic Solanke’s replacement in attack, the final touch can at times be lacking. Six big chances created is slightly on the low side perhaps at this stage, but 106 touches in the box (ninth in the Premier League), 6.5 average times they’ve won possession in the final third (third) and a total xG of 7.6 (fourth) all show they are going forward plenty and having efforts at goal.

Add in the late turnaround against Everton and the fact they pushed Chelsea so close last weekend, and there’s little reason to doubt Bournemouth will take the game to Liverpool whenever they can.

In turn, though, while Forest shut up shop in the middle of the park last week, the more adventurous mentality can leave Bournemouth vulnerable to Liverpool’s dominance, counter-attacks and creativity outside the box.

While Diogo Jota is underperforming in front of goal so far in terms of cleanliness of strikes and taking the chances which fall his way, Mohamed Salah has started the campaign in startlingly good form and there’s a battle developing on the left for who is in better form: Luís Diaz and his early-season goals, and Cody Gakpo, so impressive against Milan.

As always it’s tough to not see Liverpool winning at home, but if Forest provided the blueprint for stopping that happening, it would still be a surprise to see Iraola following any plan but his own.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

You can follow every Premier League game with FotMob this season — featuring deep stats coverage, xG, and player ratings. Download the free app here.

Sep

2024

Antonio Conte has wasted no time reviving Napoli

A few weeks ago, Napoli seemed to be in something of a crisis situation. But in a short space of time, things are all looking rosy again, and Antonio Conte has steadied the ship.

By Kaustubh Pandey

Napoli fans would rather not talk about the 2023/24 season ever again. It was the second-worst title defence in Serie A history and saw the club hire multiple managers only to finish tenth in the league. It was a far cry from the sense of certainty that Luciano Spalletti had provided the side and things were falling apart.

The chase for Antonio Conte was a long-winded one and despite multiple rejections, Aurelio de Laurentiis got the man that he wanted all along. And with Conte comes the burden of meeting the Italian’s demands or risk being called out in public by the charismatic coach.

Despite that constantly lingering risk, Napoli made the move and then backed the maverick in the window. Despite the 3-0 loss to Verona on the opening day, Conte has turned things around in Naples and here, we look at what he has done right in his short time with the Partenopei.

Keeping key players

While Victor Osimhen did leave the club, it could have been far worse for Napoli.

Giovanni di Lorenzo‘s agent had made public demands for an exit and Paris Saint-Germain had come forward for Khvicha Kvaratskhelia. Stanislav Lobotka was linked with Barcelona and there were question marks around André-Frank Zambo Anguissa‘s future too.

But Conte convinced the first two into staying, informing them about the key role they would play in the project. Lobotka and Anguissa have been regular starters in midfield, with Giacomo Raspadori also remaining at the club despite links with both Inter and Juventus.

The exit of these players could have forced Napoli into further instability but their presence has granted the club some assurances for the near future.

Tactical certainty

Last season, Napoli were going round in circles from a tactical perspective. While Aurelio de Laurentiis wanted managers who played a 4-3-3, the decisions on successive appointments were contrasting starkly.

Rudi Garcia couldn’t implement that style and Walter Mazzarri was forced to move away from his 3-5-2 comfort zone. Francesco Calzona did succeed with the 4-3-3 but it still didn’t work out.

The insistence on the 4-3-3 hurt the club and Conte’s arrival means that they decided to move away from that idea.

The Italian, as always, has brought in a very specific shape that he wants to play. His positional style has made sure that his team are already playing the 3-4-2-1 shape well and while there have been weaknesses off the ball, they have a defined tactical approach. It will only get better.

Backing in the transfer window

Conte will always want to be backed in the transfer window and if that doesn’t happen, he can quickly turn to the self-destruct button.

And just when things seemed to be simmering after the loss to Verona, Napoli acted decisively in the window. They brought in Scots Scott McTominay and Billy Gilmour, while handing Conte his preferred striker in Romelu Lukaku.

Alessandro Buongiorno, who is a typical Conte defender, also arrived from Torino earlier in the summer. Rafa Marín joined from Real Madrid, strengthening a backline which was in need of improvement.

David Neres and the experienced Leonardo Spinazzola signed on, with the wing-back having been a target for Conte during his time at Inter.

The midfield has decent depth now and Lukaku is already scoring goals, combining well with Kvaratskhelia. The backline might still need another addition but things seem fine, for now. All the players offer experience in their roles and McTominay offers the bonus of scoring goals on the counter, while acting as a target man midfielder who works hard like Conte would want.

A call for patience

While Conte is generally the sort of manager who fixes the present and assures the short term possibilities of a club, he has constantly spoken about how the project is still a work-in-progress.

Be it tactically or the players’ growth mentally, he has called for patience. After the Cagliari win, which had nervous spells, Conte did mention that the players have improved from a mental perspective.

“This is a team that, in my opinion, didn’t like to get its hands dirty , after last year the switch was in this. Beyond the quality and the organization, we were good at pressing, this team is growing but the character aspect is also important, since we talked about it we have improved.”

This emphasis on the intangibles was something Luciano Spalletti was big on during his title-winning campaign and Conte is looking to focus on similar aspects early on.

It gives the impression that he is focusing on improving the team in many aspects and making them a title challenger. It might take time but there is a feeling in Italy that it will happen.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

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

Sep

2024

Preview: Spurs vs. Brentford

Although Tottenham made further progress in the Carabao Cup in midweek, all does not seem well in the white half of North London and with a late turnaround required to dump out Championship outfit Coventry, manager Ange Postecoglou will rightly be breathing a huge sigh of relief.

By Dan Tracey

The affable Australian has taken on a far grumpier demeanour in the past few days and with a scrappy cup win following two successive defeats in the League, the reverses to Newcastle and Arsenal have once again placed the former Celtic manager’s tactics under the spotlight.

No Plan B to fall back on, just a desire to make Plan A even better and as admirable as those principles may be, the failure to install flexibility in his Tottenham side when it matters most, matters to a growing portion of the club’s fanbase – as we reported here, earlier in the week.

A fanbase that is even deliberating whether Postecoglou will still be in his North London post by the time the festive period comes around and those deliberations will only get louder if he fails to get the better of Brentford on Saturday.

The stock of the hosts’ managers might be on the decline, but the stock of his opposing counterpart seems like a surefire investment at present, and if Thomas Frank was to oversee victory in N17 for the second season in a row, he may even position himself in the frame to eventually replace Postecoglou.

Not that will be on the Dane’s mind, his most pressing thought will be the injury that Yoane Wissa suffered at the Etihad last weekend and with the DR Congo forward ruled out for this London derby and the two months that follow, Brentford’s attack will now be even lighter in terms of personnel.

Wissa’s ankle injury coming not long after he stunned Manchester City with a goal in the opening 60 seconds and were it not for more composure in front of goal, Brentford could have easily seen their early advantage doubled at the home of the defending champions.

However, that early goal from Wissa only served to wake the beast which is Erling Haaland and with the Norwegian scoring goals eight and nine of his Premier League campaign, the Bees would eventually be dealt their second defeat of the season.

Even with that second loss, they still find themselves four places better off than Saturday’s hosts and although logic would suggest a home win at the weekend, this Tottenham side have been far from logical since the start of September.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

You can follow every game from the Premier League with FotMob this season — featuring deep stats coverage, xG, and player ratings. Download the free app here.

Sep

2024

Preview: West Ham United vs. Chelsea

The Premier League serves up two London derbies this weekend and the first of those takes us to the east of the capital as West Ham play host to Chelsea.

By Dan Tracey

The Hammers will be keen to build on their point at Fulham, the Blues will certainly be keen to build on their win at Bournemouth.

Contrasting fortunes, then, for the two crosstown rivals and were it not for Danny Ings’ injury time equaliser at Craven Cottage, there would have been even greater variance in the two respective results from last Saturday.

With West Ham now being placed under the stewardship of Julen Lopetegui, the former Wolves manager is still trying to work out how to get the best out his newly inherited charges and with a slew of new signings also needing to be integrated, it does feel like a work in progress at present.

One which has seen the London Stadium outfit win just one of their first four league outings of the season and with their sole victory to date coming against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park, the first thing Lopetegui and his players need to do is turn their home into more of a fortress.

Home defeats to both Aston Villa and Manchester City are already in the 2024/25 edition of the history books and although you can offer the mitigating circumstance of difficult opposition, the overall start to West Ham’s campaign has been largely underwhelming.

Not the same level of criticism that can be attached to Chelsea at present, and after suffering an opening weekend defeat at home to Manchester City, the Blues have since gone on a three-game unbeaten run in the Premier League.

Seven points from the last nine on offer has removed some early season pressure off the shoulders of manager Enzo Maresca and although they rode their luck at Bournemouth last weekend, their luck was in thanks to Christopher Nkunku’s late winner.

The former RB Leipzig forward came of the substitutes bench to score the game’s only goal with just four minutes remaining and in doing so, made a strong case to be in the starting eleven at West Ham this Saturday lunchtime.

However, with the depth of talent that manager Maresca can call upon at present, many other names will also be keen to avoid the substitutes bench and it is that strength in depth that may end up giving Chelsea the edge at the London Stadium.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

You can follow every game from the Premier League with FotMob this season — featuring deep stats coverage, xG, and player ratings. Download the free app here.

Sep

2024

The top performances in MLS, midweek Matchday 33

Our Major League Soccer expert James Nalton picks the standout players from the latest round of games in MLS, including his two votes for the North American Soccer Reporters (NASR) MLS Player of the Matchday.

By James Nalton

The Top Two

9.4 FotMob rating: Evander, Portland Timbers

It’s getting to that stage of the season where the MVP narrative really begins to take off in MLS.

Given more than 60% of teams qualify for the post-season and Inter Miami have the Supporters’ Shield more or less sewn up already, much of the interest revolves around individual accolades.

When it comes to such awards, Portland Timbers’ attacking attacking midfielder Evander is difficult to ignore.

In the Timbers’ 4-2 win at home to Western Conference leaders LA Galaxy, he bagged two goals and an assist, taking him to 14 of each so far in 2024.

The Brazilian currently has the highest average FotMob rating in MLS, at 8.11. He also has the most goals and assists combined with 28, putting him ahead of high-profile MLS names such as Denis Bouanga (25) and 2023 MVP Luciano Acosta (26).

Though these are individual awards, players in contention for them usually need to be backed up by a team performing at a high level. Portland sitting 8th in the Western Conference may work against Evander when the awards are decided.

But there is no doubt he has been one of the best players in the MLS this season, and he’ll certainly be in the conversation.

8.9 FotMob rating: Anderson Julio, Real Salt Lake

Cristian Arango and Diego Luna are usually the names in the spotlight for RSL, but with top scorer Arango suspended and Luna on the bench, Anderson Julio stepped up.

The Ecuadorian scored twice in his side’s 3-2 win against FC Dallas which saw them jump to second in the Western Conference ahead of LAFC.

He also won the penalty that led to the opening goal for RSL, converted by Brayan Vera.

It was Julio’s first goal that really lit up the game, scored from just inside the opposition half after he spotted FC Dallas goalkeeper Maarten Paes off his line.

His second goal was from much closer in, but it was still impressive — as much for the run to get in the right position as for the finish, as he got on the end of Dominik Marczuk’s cross to score from six yards out.

The striker really took his chance in his 11th MLS start of the season, and put RSL just five points behind Western Conference leaders LA Galaxy, with a game in hand.

Three more standout performers

9.2 FotMob rating: Alan Pulido, Sporting KC

Pulido’s brace in a 4-1 win at home to Colorago Rapids earned him the second-highest FotMob rating of the round.

He scored his first after a failed clearance from Andreas Maxsø fell to him on the edge of the area. There was still plenty to do and he found the corner of the net after cooly assessing the situation and picking his spot.

A second goal just after halftime put Sporting KC 2-0 up. It was another moment of quality as he beat two Colorado defenders in amid confusion in the area, before slotting past Zack Steffen. He also completed three dribbles and created two chances.

Despite this feel-good, late-season win for Sporting KC, they still have little chance of qualifying for the post-season, but they do have a US Open Cup final against LAFC to look forward to next week.

8.5 FotMob rating: Yuya Kubo, FC Cincinnati

FC Cincinnati remained ahead of fellow Ohioans Columbus Crew in the battle for second spot in the East behind Inter Miami.

Two first-half contributions from Kubo, the Japanese forward, sent Cincinnati on their way to an important 2-1 win at Minnesota United.

He ran onto a through ball from Chidozie Awaziem that cut straight through the Minnesota United team, finishing with one touch to to open the scoring.

His assist played a part in an outstanding move for Cincy’s second, scored by Luca Orellano. Left-sided centre-back Ian Murphy played a long bal over the top and Kubo flicked it into the path of Orellano with one deft touch.

The Argentine did the rest, beating the covering Miguel Tapias and finishing well.

If Cincy win each of their remaining five games, they could still eclipse the points total that saw them win the Supporters’ Shield last season.

7.3 FotMob rating: Ranko Veselinović, Vancouver Whitecaps

It was not the most obvious of standout performances this week, but the Serbian centre-back played an important role in the Whitecaps’ 1-1 draw with Houston Dynamo.

There were a couple of defensive highlights in the second half that saw Veselinović thwart Dynamo forward Ezequiel Ponce who had already netted a penalty in this game.

He dove in well to block one well-hit shot that was heading straight for goal, and did brilliantly to get in front of a Griffin Dorsey cross that was about to land at the feet of Ponce.

Veselinović also completed 39 of 40 attempted passes, 3/3 long balls, made nine clearances and 13 defensive actions in total. He also started the move that led to the Whitecaps’ equaliser scored by Brian White.

It’s the lowest rating to feature in our roundups this season, but his performance in this game, and generally throughout the campaign, deserves a mention.

(Cover Image from IMAGO)

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

Sep

2024

Can De Zerbi get Marseille back on top in French football?

Plenty of things come to mind when contemplating Marseille. The majestic Notre-Dame de la Garde that towers over the city, the pungent aromas of bouillabaisse and tagine that rise above the cobblestone streets and permeate the air, the limestone fjords of Calanques… France’s oldest city is truly a sight to behold. However, unless you’re over the age of 40, you probably don’t associate Marseille with Ligue 1 titles.

By Zach Lowy

Olympique de Marseille have finished of top of the French footballing podium on 10 occasions, five of those coming between 1989 and 1993, but they were stripped of their ninth Ligue 1 title and their maiden UEFA Champions League title as a result of a match-fixing scandal that saw them relegated to the second tier. Since then, OM have won just one major trophy – the 2009/10 Ligue 1 championship (they also won the now-defunct Coupe de la Ligue in 2010, 2011 and 2012 as well as the Trophée des Champions in 2010 and 2011).

The following 15 years have produced a paradigm shift in French football with Paris Saint-Germain emerging as the top dog and Marseille falling by the wayside. However, that hasn’t stopped their supporters from packing the Stade Vélodrome to the brim – Marseille’s average matchday attendance was 61,209 last season, well above second-placed PSG (47,199) – and after a blockbuster summer transfer window, there’s reason to believe that the excitement is only going to keep building in the port city.

It has been a seismic few months for Marseille, who lost to eventual champions Atalanta in the UEFA Europa League semifinals and stumbled to eighth place in Ligue 1, their lowest finish in eight years. Since then, they have signed a total of 13 players, ranging from Canadian duo Derek Cornelius and Ismaël Koné, Argentine pair Gerónimo Rulli and Valentín Carboni, and Danish midfielder Pierre-Emile Højbjerg, many of whom are already making their presence known with Les Phocéens. Of the 16 players who featured in their recent 2-0 win vs. Nice, nine had arrived in the summer window, six of which were included in the starting line-up.

What’s more, they’ve managed to offload high-earning veteran players like Jordan Veretout (31), Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (35), Jonathan Clauss (31) and Samuel Gigot (30). Whilst the average age of their recruits was 23.5, the average age of their outgoings was 26.3. Apart from their new goalkeeper Rulli (32), only one of their new signings is over the age of 28: Adrien Rabiot. At 29, Rabiot has started in a World Cup Final and won league titles with Paris Saint-Germain and Juventus, and despite receiving more lucrative offers from clubs in England, Italy and Saudi Arabia, he has elected to return to his native France, arriving on a free transfer and penning a contract through 2026.

However, perhaps their biggest coup was none other than manager Roberto De Zerbi. Marseille president Pablo Longoria had attempted to lure him to the club in 2022 after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine brought his time at Shakhtar to a premature end, but they failed to agree terms and appointed Igor Tudor instead. Tudor guided them to a third-place finish before departing in the summer, with Marseille proceeding to go through three different managers over the course of the 2023/24 campaign. As for De Zerbi, he joined Brighton and quickly enchanted fans and neutrals alike with a possession-based style of play predicated upon short build-up play, aggressive pressing and fearless attacking football, leading the Seagulls to a sixth-place finish, an FA Cup semifinal, and their first-ever European qualification.

At 45 years old, the Italian manager has just two trophies to his name – the 2021 Ukrainian Supercup with Shakhtar and the 2016 Coppa Italia Serie C with Foggia – but it is undeniable that his unique tactical philosophy has piqued the interest of footballers and attracted them to the Mediterranean metropolis. De Zerbi’s arrival has breathed new life into a club that had been marred by chaos and inconsistency, and his new recruits are relishing the opportunity to execute free-flowing, innovative football. Only PSG (16) have scored more goals than Marseille (12) so far, only PSG (67.6%) have averaged more possession than OM (61.9%), and only PSG (9.3) are registering more shots on target per match than Marseille (6.3).

Since their Qatari takeover in December 2011, only three teams have edged Paris Saint-Germain to the Ligue 1 title: Montpellier 2011/12, Monaco 2016/17, and Lille 2020/21. Whilst Marseille still have plenty of work to do before they can start dreaming of their first championship in 15 years, the signs are promising. Just like Montpellier in 2011/12, Marseille are not having to balance midweek European football commitments with Ligue 1 fixtures, and just like Monaco in 2016/17, Marseille are facing a PSG team in transition after losing their attacking talisman (Zlatan Ibrahimović / Kylian Mbappé).

Whilst their run to the Europa League semifinals certainly took a toll on their domestic form last season, this time around, Marseille can afford to put all of their eggs into one basket and focus on challenging Les Parisiens for the title. Marseille kicked off the campaign by winning 5-1 at Brest, stumbling to a 2-2 draw to Reims, and bouncing back in fashion with a 3-1 victory at Toulouse. OM have entered halftime in front in each of their first four matches, with Neal Maupay giving them the lead in the 40th minute and Luis Henrique doubling the advantage after the interval vs. Nice. Despite falling to 10 men in the 74th minute, they held firm and prevailed with their first clean sheet in Ligue 1 since March 10.

De Zerbi’s biggest test of the season so far will come on Sunday as Marseille take on Lyon at the Groupama Stadium. Marseille are second in the Ligue 1 table, level on 10 points with Monaco and two behind Paris Saint-Germain, and if Reims can halt the champions’ perfect start (they’ve drawn three of their last four against PSG), Marseille could very well find themselves in first place – provided that they hold up their end of the bargain in Lyon. However, if Marseille are to come away with a victory in the Choc des Olympiques, they’re going to have to do so without their fans, who have been banned from traveling to Lyon due to the risk of violence between supporters and law enforcement.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

You can follow every game from Ligue 1 on FotMob – with in-depth stat coverage including xG, shot maps, and player ratings. Download the free app here.

Sep

2024

Premier League Preview, Matchday Five

It is too early to label a match as a title decider but this Sunday sees title favourites Manchester City and Arsenal face off at the Emirates.

By Sam McGuire

The reigning champions know that a win would take them five points clear of the Gunners. Quite the gap after just five matches.

But what else is on the cards this weekend?

Defensive woes for the Hammers

West Ham United have had a difficult start to the season under new manager Julen Lopetegui. The Hammers are 14th in the table having picked up four points from their opening four games.

Alarmingly, though, they are 16th in the Expected Points table. And the poor underlying numbers are likely tied to their defensive issues. Lopetegui’s side have given up chances worth 7.9 Expected Goals, the fourth highest in the Premier League.

It gets worse though. West Ham are also struggling in attack. They have created seven big chances this season and missed six of those. So, in a nutshell, poor in defence, wasteful in attack.

And they’re up against one of the best attacks in the Premier League this weekend in Chelsea. Enzo Maresca’s men are averaging two goals per game, an average that only Manchester City can better. If they click on Saturday afternoon, they could be set for another goal-filled match.

West Ham, having backed Lopetegui heavily in the summer, need to start to perform sooner rather than later.

A relegation battle

Ipswich Town have had a bit of luck this season. Southampton haven’t had any.

The two promoted sides, who have had completely different starts to the season, face off on Saturday. Both are looking for their first wins of the campaign. In fact, the Saints are looking for their first points of the season. Currently, they are one of two teams, along with Everton, to have lost all four of their opening games.

Ipswich, meanwhile, are on two points having drawn back-to-back games against Fulham and Brighton. Kieran McKenna’s side have been fortunate this term, to say the least. The Tractor Boys have the worst defensive numbers, their Expected Goals conceded total is 8.6, the highest in the Premier League. They’re also bottom of the Expected Points table.

Southampton are just unable to put the ball into the back of the net. It is as simple as that. They have scored just once all season despite carving out opportunities worth 4.6 Expected Goals. Their underlying numbers actually put them outside of the relegation zone. They’re creating chances and dominating the ball – they have also averaged the most possession in the Premier League.

A win at St Mary’s on Saturday could kickstart their season. Another loss and things could be problematic for Russell Martin and his players. Because good performances are only good enough for a certain period of time. Eventually, owners and fans want results.

Wasteful Red Devils

Manchester United have carried their inconsistent 2023/24 form into the 2024/25 campaign.

The Red Devils have played four, won two and lost two and their goal difference is currently zero. Unlike last season, however, they have deserved better. United have the third-highest Expected Goals total in the Premier League with 7.9. They also rank first for Big Chances Missed (12).

The main culprit for these struggles in front of goal is Joshua Zirkzee. The former Bologna striker arrived at Old Trafford in the summer and he scored the winner on his debut against Fulham. It was supposed to be a sign of things to come. But, so far, the finish against Fulham appears to be an outlier.

*Zirkzee shot map, Premier League 2024/25*

The Dutch forward has one goal from an Expected Goals haul of 2.7. There’s still time to right these wrongs but, eventually, his wastefulness is going to haunt United.

Fortunately for Erik Ten Hag’s side, in Crystal Palace, they’re up against another wasteful team this weekend. The Eagles are winless and have found the back of the net on four occasions this season in their opening four games. They have an xG of 5.6.

Saturday evening would be an ideal time for one of these sides to find their ruthless streak.

The Erling Haaland show

Erling Haaland has started the season like a man possessed. He has nine goals in his first four Premier League starts and he’s well on track to win a third successive Golden Boot.

The powerhouse Norweigan forward leads the way for Expected Goals in the English top-flight with 4.9. He’s also been the highest-rated FotMob player (8.91). He is the man not just for Manchester City but also the main man in the Premier League. Despite this, he’s going to have to perform against Arsenal on Sunday.

*For more graphics like this, follow FotMob on Instagram*

The Gunners managed him well in their meetings last season. He made three appearances against them and failed to find the back of the net. Given he’s the main goal threat for City, having scored 82% of their goals, he’s going to have to be firing if they’re to have any chance of picking up all three points at the Etihad.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

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