Page 26 – The Pulse of Football

Sep

2024

Premier League Team of the Week: Matchday Three

As we head into the first international break of the 2024/25 campaign, just two Premier League sides have a 100% record with Liverpool and Manchester City making it three wins from three this weekend.

By Sam McGuire

Following their 3-0 win against Manchester United at Old Trafford, Arne Slot’s side are the only team yet to concede this term and it’ll come as no surprise to see three of their players in the Matchday Three FotMob Team of the Week.

Goalkeeper: Alisson Becker

Alisson made three saves in the win over Manchester United on his way to a third successive clean sheet. He wasn’t the busiest but his saves were crucial. He thwarted Joshua Zirkzee on two occasions, one from point blank range, and got down low to stop a Noussair Mazraoui effort. He did what he had to do and he did it well. The 31-year-old also completed 85% of his passes, proving himself to be a key part of the way Liverpool looked to play out from the back.

Centre-Back: Lewis Dunk

Few people would’ve imagined Dunk to be the most creative player on the pitch in a game between Arsenal and Brighton, but that is exactly what happened. The centre-back for the Seagulls created three chances at the Emirates. He also completed the most passes (99) and found a teammate with 96% of his attempted passes. Dunk made seven ball recoveries, won 100% of his duels and 50% of his aerial duels.

Centre-Back: Virgil Van Dijk

The Liverpool skipper put in a monstrous performance against the Red Devils. The 33-year-old completed the most passes (69), found a teammate with 95% of his attempted passes and created a chance. Van Dijk made 11 clearances, made three interceptions and recovered the ball on three occasions. He won all five of his aerial duels and came out on top in two of his three ground duels.

Centre-back: Joško Gvardiol

Gvardiol was solid enough again for Manchester City. The centre-back-cum-full-back completed 95% of his passes against the Hammers and finished with an Expected Assists total of 0.45. He completed 100% of his dribbles, won two of his three tackles, six of his eight duels and was dribbled past on just one occasion. The 22-year-old played his part in limiting West Ham to an xG of just 0.73.

Right-Midfield: Yukinari Sugawara

Southampton may have suffered a 3-1 loss to Brentford this weekend but Sugawara still managed to impress. The versatile right-sided full-back was deployed on the right of midfield and scored his first Premier League goal. The 24-year-old also created two chances and won four of his five duels at St Mary’s on Saturday afternoon. There was also a last-man tackle in there as well as five recoveries and two interceptions.

Midfield: Mario Lemina

The Wolves captain put in a solid performance in the 1-1 draw with Nottingham Forest. The 31-year-old claimed an assist but it was defensive work that really caught the eye. Lemina won five of his eight tackles and went 11/11 in ground duels. He made nine ball recoveries and was fouled on two occasions to round off a fairly dominant showing.

Midfield: Kevin De Bruyne

Somehow, De Bruyne failed to register an assist or a goal in Manchester City’s 3-1 win over West Ham. The midfield playmaker ran the game though, taking six shots and carving out six chances for the champions. No player managed more shots, not even Erling Haaland (five) while no other player managed to create over four chances.

Left Midfield: Leif Davis

Ipswich’s highly-rated left-sided player is included in our TOTW for the first time as a Premier League player. The 24-year-old finished with an assist having created three chances for the Tractor Boys. The left-back completed 90% of his passes and attempted four dribbles. He also won 100% of his tackles and came out on top in six of the 11 duels he was involved in.

Attack: Bryan Mbeumo

No Ivan Toney for Brentford? No problem. The Bees have a sting in their attack with Mbeumo stealing the show against Southampton. The 25-year-old earned himself a FotMob rating of 9.4 following his exploits on Saturday. He scored twice, created three chances and carved out two big chances. He completed 100% of his dribbles and won four of six duels.

Attack: Erling Haaland

Another week, another Erling Haaland hat-trick. The two-time Golden Boot winner made it seven goals in three games following a treble against West Ham. It was another Haaland masterclass. He attempted just 12 passes but had five shots for the reigning champions. He had the fewest number of touches (21) of any outfield player to feature in 90 minutes, but he once again showcased exactly why less is more.

Midfield: Mohamed Salah

Once again, it was the Salah show at Old Trafford. The Liverpool No. 11, who earned a FotMob rating of 9.2, carved out three big chances and finished the game with two assists. He scored a goal and, in truth, probably could’ve had another. He’s started the season in fine form and already has six goal involvements this term in just three outings.

(Images from IMAGO)

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

Aug

2024

Preview: Chelsea vs. Crystal Palace

Perhaps somebody at Premier League HQ does have a sense of humour.

By Ian King

Chelsea, the Pac Men of the current transfer market, against Crystal Palace, who’ve spent the summer trying to resist the sale of the players who got them through an excellent end to last season, on the very weekend after the window closes is almost too delicious an irony otherwise.

There’s a possibility that a summer of unsettlement has got to Palace. They’ve already lost Michael Olise to Bayern Munich and, at the time of writing, there remains a possibility that others could join him, with admiring noises continuing to be made in the direction of Eberechi Eze and Marc Guéhi, both of whom featured with distinction for England at the European Championships during the summer.

Their opening two league matches have brought two defeats from matches against Brentford and West Ham United. Neither of these losses were particularly horrific, but these matches are the sort of matches that head coach Oliver Glasner will have identified as winnable if the club is to pitch toward some of the loftier predictions that were made for them pre-season. It might even be argued that this slightly underwhelming start is a necessary counterpoint to all that optimism.

Chelsea, meanwhile, remain a curate’s egg of a team. There is no question that their 6-2 win at Wolves last weekend was a huge surprise. There had been few signs in pre-season or in their opening Premier League match against Manchester City a week earlier that they’d be capable of doing anything like this. And that win at Molineux should also be slightly tempered by reminding ourselves of just how dismal the Wolves defending was for three or four of their goals.

Of course, with Premier League hubris being Premier League hubris, the Wolves win seems to have sparked some belief that Chelsea will challenge for the Premier League title. Well, we shall see. Results so far have been mixed, though rattling in six goals in the Black Country was a big step in the right direction. In the meantime, Enzo Maresca would do remember that there remains a lot of work to do at Stamford Bridge and a home game against a mid-table team is exactly the sort of match that last season’s Chelsea would have stumbled over. At this stage, every game is still a litmus test of the new manager’s progress.

(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.

Aug

2024

Preview: Manchester United vs. Liverpool

Over recent years, Liverpool have racked up some big wins over Manchester United.

By Sam McGuire

The Reds romped to 4-2 and 5-0 wins over the Red Devils in back-to-back seasons at Old Trafford and recorded a historic 7-0 victory over their old rivals at Anfield. And yet this fixture hasn’t been anywhere near as one-sided as people would have you believe.

In fact, United have the upper hand over the past five meetings and Erik ten Hag is unbeaten at Old Trafford against Liverpool. It may be hard to believe but the Reds haven’t recorded a win on away soil since October 2021.

The Red Devils, under Ten Hag, have a 2-1 win, a 4-3 win and a 2-2 draw at Old Trafford against the Merseyside club. He also masterminded a 0-0 at Anfield last summer. His record in this fixture is played five, won two, drawn two and lost one. It just so happens that it was a 7-0 loss that everybody talks about whenever these two sides meet.

There’s a bit of deja vu about this upcoming clash.

Liverpool are in good form and head into this game as favourites. The Reds, under new boss Arne Slot, have a 100% record in the English top-flight. They have beaten Ipswich Town and Brentford, scoring four goals in the process while keeping two clean sheets. They have the best underlying numbers in the Premier League. Their Expected Goals Conceded total is just 0.8 across these two games while they have carved out chances worth 5.3 Expected Goals.

Granted, the opposition haven’t been the most dangerous but let’s not forget that the Reds allowed Brentford to create opportunities with an xG of 1.7 in the Anfield clash last season.

There is less chaos under Slot and a lot more control. The Reds control possession, space and the game state. Last season, Liverpool controlled the ball but not the space and certainly not the game state.

So while there are similarities heading into this game, there are also key differences.

The task for Ten Hag remains the same though.

United are the home team but they are going to want to frustrate the Reds. They are going to want to play almost as an away side, looking for moments to take advantage of. That is their style of play, despite investing heavily in players the Dutchman wants.

They lost to a late goal against Brighton and needed an 87th-minute winner against Fulham on the opening day to pick up all three points. United, once again, need to up their game if they’re going to extend this good run of form against Liverpool.

(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.

Aug

2024

Preview: Celtic vs. Rangers

Old Firm derbies always matter, but Sunday’s clash will have more riding on it than most.

By Graham Ruthven

Even at this early stage of the season, there is a sense that Rangers must take something from the match to prevent Celtic from running away at the top of the Scottish Premiership. A home win could set the tone for another season of green and white dominance.

Rangers have endured a challenging start to the 2024/25 campaign. Philippe Clement has struggled to hide his unhappiness at a lack of activity in the summer transfer window with the Ibrox club currently not playing at Ibrox due to delayed construction work. The failure to qualify for the Champions League only deepened the malaise.

Celtic, on the other hand, have opened their Scottish Premiership title defence with three straight wins. The Hoops lost Matt O’Riley to Brighton this week, but will still have enough midfield quality in the form of Callum McGregor, Reo Hatate and Paulo Bernardo to control Sunday’s Old Firm derby.

McGregor has been in goal-scoring form for Celtic of late, finding the back of the net in each of his last two league appearances. Kyogo Furuhashi is also a good bet to notch having scored eight times in the 14 matches he has played against Rangers. Brendan Rodgers faces a choice between the Japanese and Adam Idah to lead the line.

Nicolas Kühn has been a standout performer for Celtic so far this term with the German expected to start on the right side of the front three against Rangers. On the other wing, Daizen Maeda’s pace could give James Tavernier a problem just as it did in more than one Old Firm derby last season.

Cyriel Dessers sharper finishing has been a positive for Rangers early on this season. The Nigerian international has scored three goals in his last three games and is starting to silence his doubters with Rabbi Matondo and Tom Lawrence also providing more in the attacking third of late.

Kasper Schmeichel has barely been tested since joining Celtic having conceded just one goal in four games in all competitions for his new team. Rangers will pose a threat if they can replicate the sort of form that saw them put six goals past Ross County at their temporary home of Hampden last weekend, but all signs point towards this being a derby dictated on Celtic’s terms.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

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

Aug

2024

Preview: Newcastle United vs. Tottenham Hotspur

Even though Newcastle and Tottenham both find themselves on four points from the first six on offer in this new Premier League season, there is a slightly different narrative between the Tyneside and North London outfits.

By Dan Tracey

For the Magpies, there is a sense that is all not well at St James’ Park and with manager Eddie Howe largely being frustrated at not landing the capture of Crystal Palace defender Marc Guéhi, that frustration has filtered through to the club’s passionate set of supporters.

Considering this club is perceived to have all the riches in the world, it is not spending them like a global superpower and with the shackles of PSR holding them back off the field, a draw against Bournemouth last Sunday showed signs of shackles on the field.

A point on Howe’s most recent return to the Vitality Stadium is all that Newcastle earned for their troubles and they looked like being in serious trouble when Dango Outtara thought he scored a late winner for the Cherries.

Unfortunately for the Bournemouth player, VAR had other ideas in mind. His goal wiped out for handball – a decision that drew the ire of the usually placid Andoni Iraola, the Spaniard feeling he had been robbed, his opposite number knowing that his team probably got away with one.

However, there was no getting away from how bad Everton’s showing at Tottenham was last Saturday. The Toffees finding them in a rather sticky situation as Ange Postecoglou’s side hit four unanswered goals in front of their own support.

A performance that certainly lifts in the mood in N17 and one that was the perfect tonic after throwing away their lead at Leicester at the start of last week. Everton put to the sword, but maybe that was an indication of how bad Sean Dyche’s side have started this season.

Which means Sunday should be a fairer reflection of where both these teams are at and more importantly, where they aim to be at the end of the season. The hosts and the visitors have top four aspirations, you get the feeling that at least one of these outfits will end up disappointed.

However, the opportunity to earn a statement victory so early in the campaign is not one that either will want to overlook and whoever can make it seven points from nine, will go in to the international break with plenty of reasons to be cheerful.

(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.

Aug

2024

Preview: Barcelona vs. Real Valladolid

After their opening three matches of the 2024/25 La Liga campaign, Barcelona remain the only side still perfect in the Spanish top-flight, winning each of their three outings so far via the same 2-1 scoreline.

By Nathan Evans

Last time out it was Rayo Vallecano who fell victim to Hansi Flick’s side, as new signing Dani Olmo sealed all three points on his return to the club with a lovely finish in the 82^nd minute. In fairness, it was exactly what Barcelona deserved come the final whistle, as they dominated large spells of the match and finished the game with 22 shots to their name.

Now attentions will quickly turn back to Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys where Valladolid arrive as the next visitors after being promoted from Spain’s second flight last season. Their arrival is unlikely to set Barcelona’s fans on edge given that unlike their hosts, they haven’t fared as well so far this campaign.

A 0-0 draw at home to Leganes last time out proved to be a disappointment during a match in which they would have been targeting a victory. It also meant that to date this campaign, it’s one win, one draw and one loss for Valladolid and improving upon that record in this latest outing will prove a very tall order.

Their only defeat came in the form of a 3-0 loss on their travels to face reigning champions Real Madrid and if that result and performance is anything to go by, a long afternoon could be in store in Catalonia this weekend. The same could also be said when taking a look at how Valladolid have fared on their recent away days to face Barçq because as may be expected, their form in this fixture is weak to say the least.

Not since November 1997 have Valladolid won an away league outing against the Catalan giants, whilst overall in history, they’ve won just two of their 46 meetings on Barcelona’s home turf. Each of their prior such nine matches have all ended in defeat too, with a combined losing scoreline of 31- 4 in that time hardly acting as much of a confidence boost ahead of this latest visit.

That’ll come as music to the ears of the home faithful and their attacking stars in particular, especially Lamine Yamal, who has already delivered a goal and two assists across his three league appearances in August 2024 and will be looking to add further to that tally on this occasion.

(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.

Aug

2024

Preview: West Ham United vs. Manchester City

After their impressive showing at Crystal Palace last weekend, West Ham are not only off the mark for the season but they have also earned their first win under new manager Julen Lopetegui. Goals from Tomáš Souček and Jarrod Bowen proving to be the difference in their 2-0 away win.

By Dan Tracey

The Hammers are making the journey back across the capital buoyed by their showing on the road and on the evidence of their first 180 minutes of this new Premier League campaign, there is no doubt that the transformation in playing style has been a rather quick one.

Just edged out by Aston Villa at the London Stadium on the opening weekend, there were still plenty of positives to take from the Hammers’ performance that evening and even more to take from their win at Selhurst Park.

One main take away is that instead of revolution under Lopetegui, it is more a sense of evolution instead. In time, the likes of Niclas Füllkrug and Crysencio Summerville will be given more opportunities but for now, they are very handy options to have off the bench.

Of course, this evolution of the West Ham side is still largely a work in progress and there is no doubt that the East London outfit will be put to work when they welcome Manchester City through their doors on Saturday.

Pep Guardiola’s men make the journey south having made it two wins from two at the start of the season and after cruising past Chelsea in their opener, they subsequently crushed Ipswich last weekend.

However, that crushing did not come about before taking a dent themselves and with Sammie Szmodics scoring early on for the Tractor Boys, there was delirium for those in attendance in the away end.

That delirium would eventually turn to disaster for Kieran McKenna’s men and with the Manchester City bear well and truly poked after conceding in the seventh minute of the game, that bear then swiped its paws at last season’s Championship runners-up.

Just nine minutes later, City had turned the game on its head and turned a one-goal deficit into a two-goal lead. Such is the power of their attack; Ipswich could not catch their breath and they were all but done when Erling Haaland completed his hat-trick after the break.

With the nature of this season’s title race already being shaped into a scenario where every encounter is a must win. Pep Guardiola knows this is another hurdle that must be cleared. At the same time, Julen Lopetegui would love to claim a major scalp so early in his West Ham tenure.

(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.

Aug

2024

Preview: Arsenal vs. Brighton

In the third set of Premier League fixtures, Arsenal are preparing to host Brighton at the Emirates Stadium, with both teams looking to continue their perfect start to the 2024/2025 season.

By Matt Smith

The Gunners kicked off their campaign with a 2-0 victory over Wolves as Kai Havertz and Bukayo Saka both found the back of the net without reply. Havertz and Saka produced trademark finishes to secure the victory, with the former heading in from a cross and the latter cutting inside from the right to fire home.

Leandro Trossard and Thomas Partey struck in Arsenal’s next fixture as they beat Aston Villa 2-0, and they will now face Brighton who have enjoyed an impressive start to the season under their new manager.

Saka has been a standout star for the north London outfit since the season got under way as the England international continues to shine in the Premier League. Producing a goal and two assists, the young winger will be looking to add to his goalscoring and creative tally this weekend.

Arteta’s side were well-known for their defensive prowess last term, conceding fewer goals than any other team in the Premier League, and it’s been a similar story this season with two clean sheets on the bounce.

Brighton took a huge risk in the summer, appointing 31-year-old manager Fabian Hürzeler, who is comfortably the youngest head coach in England’s top flight. It’s been a dream start for the Seagulls this campaign under his tutelage, beating Everton and Manchester United so far, scoring five goals in the process.

Despite Brighton enjoying an exciting summer transfer window, it’s been experienced striker Danny Welbeck who has stolen the show in front of goal, scoring twice and providing a singular assist.

Yankuba Minteh has flourished since being plunged into the Premier League after his move from Newcastle. The pace of Minteh and Kaoru Mitoma caused plenty of problems for both Manchester United and Everton and Hürzeler will be hoping they can do some damage once again when they face Arsenal.

Last term, Arsenal were victorious on both occasions when the two sides met, scoring five goals without reply. The Seagulls will be a different task for the Gunners under the guidance of Hürzeler, so it’s set to be an interesting match-up between two teams hoping to end the weekend at the top of the Premier League table.

(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.

Aug

2024

Transfer of the Week: Liverpool’s dream deal to sign Federico Chiesa

Over the course of the summer transfer window, we have taken a close look at some of the biggest and best business with our ‘Transfer of the Week’ columns. For the last edition, we will focus on Liverpool’s only arrival of the window, Federico Chiesa.

By Neel Shelat

Less has been more for the English Premier League’s top three in this transfer window. Defending champions Manchester City’s only new addition has been Savinho from sister club Troyes as Ilkay Gündogan has returned to the club, Arsenal’s only noteworthy arrivals are Riccardo Calafiori and Mikel Merino, and Liverpool have been even less active.

Of course, the Reds have undergone the biggest change over the summer as Jürgen Klopp left and was succeeded by Arne Slot, but their player transfer business has been next to non-existent. They have not sold a single noteworthy first-team player and only have one new face in their squad this season as their first signing Giorgi Mamardashvili was instantly loaned back to Valencia. So, Federico Chiesa will be the only new man on the pitch at Anfield in 2024.

This certainly is not a signing without surrounding question marks, but they are all overridden by the fee. Liverpool have paid just €13 million to sign the Italian international – about half of his estimated transfer value – making this a deal that simply cannot end very badly for them.

Low Risk, High Reward

The low fee as well as the fact that Chiesa will reportedly not earn a particularly astronomical wage naturally makes this a low-risk move for Liverpool. Given the fact that they have not made any other signings for the season, they comfortably have the means to take a gamble on a player like Chiesa.

The biggest risk with the Italian international is his injury record, which makes for very concerning reading. He has missed 72 games for Juventus since the start of 2022 due to a variety of problems, though over half can be chalked down to his anterior cruciate ligament tear that year. He has had recurring muscle issues since and never seemed to get back to his peak in terms of athleticism, so that is a big concern.

However, Chiesa’s struggles at Juventus can also be put down to tactical issues. He broke through at Fiorentina as a traditional winger who could play on either wing, but no such role existed in Massimiliano Allegri’s 5-3-2 system which prevailed for most of the Italian international’s time at the club. As a result, he was used as a second striker or even wing-back at times. Obviously, his lack of a consistent starting position did not help his cause.

Even amid all these issues, though, Chiesa remained a dangerous attacker when on the pitch. He has hovered around an average of 2 successful take-ons per 90 at a 50% average throughout his career. While that dropped to 1.43 at 36.8% in Serie A last season, he still managed to break into double digits in terms of goal involvements. His tally of nine goals was his best since his Fiorentina days as he proved that he retained the two-footed shooting threat that made him so dangerous.

*Serie A shotmap, 2023/24 season, with shot type*

While he may no longer have the burst of pace he once had, Chiesa’s two-footedness makes him dangerous in one-on-one situations on either wing. He can clearly cut inside and shoot with either foot, but equally can also go down the line and deliver crosses into the box to pose a creative threat.

A lot rests on whether or not he manages to stay consistently fit, but Chiesa undoubtedly still has the qualities to be a very dangerous attacker.

Addressing the Glaring Squad Gap

Besides the fee and Chiesa’s potential, this signing was an absolute no-brainer for Liverpool because of the fact that it perfectly addresses a glaring gap in their squad. The Reds have had some issues with depth in recent years, particularly in the right wing position where Mohamed Salah has lacked a clear backup.

Making a signing for this role proved difficult due to its contradictory demands. The Egyptian superstar still remains one of the best attackers in the Premier League, meaning he will continue to start most matches when fit. So, Liverpool needed an alternative who was willing to play second fiddle while also having the top-class quality to slot in seamlessly. Given Chiesa’s recent record, he should be happy enough with that, and he could also get some game time alongside Salah thanks to his ability to play on the left as well.

The absolute dream scenario for Liverpool would be Chiesa gaining enough confidence and game time in the next season or two to become Salah’s successor when he leaves. The 32-year-old forward has regularly been linked with a move to Saudi Arabia in recent windows and some huge bids have been rejected, but his departure does seem like a matter of time now. If Chiesa can replace even half of his game time and output in the long run, Liverpool will be over the moon with this deal.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

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

Aug

2024

Premier League Preview, Matchday Three

We’re just two weeks into the Premier League season but only four sides have a 100% record. And two of these sides face off this weekend. The big game, of course, is on Sunday as Manchester United take on Liverpool but what else should you be aware of across Matchday Three? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered.

By Sam McGuire

An expectant Emirates

Arsenal welcome Brighton to the Emirates this weekend with both teams looking to make it three wins from three in the Premier League.

The Gunners went to Villa Park last weekend and claimed a hard-fought 2-0 win over their hosts. Mikel Arteta’s side have now kept back-to-back clean sheets in the English top-flight and have a goal difference of +4 heading into this tie against the Seagulls.

Brighton scored a last-minute winner against Manchester United last weekend. This followed a comfortable 3-0 win over Everton at Goodison Park. Fabian Hürzeler has already put his stamp on things with the Seagulls and, perhaps more impressively, he’s managed to bed in a host of new signings this summer. Brighton have added to their ranks this week with Matt O’Riley moving from Celtic – albeit, he was injured just a few minutes in to his midweek debut in the Carabao Cup, and Ferdi Kadıoğlu, signed from Fenerbahçe.

The visitors on Saturday have an attack that has the potential to cause problems – something we looked at in a previous special feature.

Arsenal will be wary of this threat. They’ll want to keep things tight because, despite consecutive wins and four goals scored, the Gunners haven’t been creating much. Across their two games, Arteta’s men have racked up an Expected Goals total of just 2.1. For context, this sees them rank 14th for this particular metric and the likes of Wolves and Crystal Palace have a higher total.

By comparison, Brighton have an xG haul of 3.5 from their two matches. Yes, they have overperformed but they are creating high-value chances.

The hosts will want to limit the threat of their opponents and ease the reliance on a forward line that hasn’t quite clicked just yet.

A sticky situation for the Toffees

Everton lost Amadou Onana this summer but managed to keep hold of Jarrad Branthwaite. They also used the funds raised by the sale of the Belgian midfielder to improve their squad. Jake O’Brien joined from Lyon, Iliman Ndiaye returned to England following a season with Marseille and Jesper Lindstrøm arrived from Napoli on loan.

On paper, it was a decent transfer window for the Toffees. Everton had done well under Sean Dyche and many expected them to build on their performances last term.

We’re just two games into the season but things aren’t looking good.

Following their 4-0 loss to Spurs last weekend, Everton are rooted to the bottom of the table. And based on their performances, it is probably justified.

They have the lowest FotMob rating so far this season with 5.99. They rank second lowest for possession (33.9%), second lowest for xG (1.5) and their one shot on target per game is the lowest in the English top-flight.

Their xG conceded total of 3.9 is the third-highest in the Premier League this season.

They haven’t been unlucky, they’ve been poor.

The same cannot be said for their opponents this weekend. Bournemouth have drawn their opening two games. They had a winner against Newcastle United harshly ruled out last weekend and their performances have been encouraging. In fact, they have an xG haul of 3.5 but have found the back of the net on just two occasions. Sooner or later, these chances are going to be converted. Would it really be a surprise to see them cash in against a struggling Everton side at Goodison Park?

Jekyll and Hyde Blues

Chelsea ran riot at Molineux last weekend with a 6-2 win to give Enzo Maresca his first three points as the manager of the Blues.

They also put together a decent showing against Manchester City in the 2-0 loss during the opening weekend of the 2024/25 campaign. They finished the game against the champions with a higher xG total. People pointed that as a way to highlight what is to come under the former Leicester City boss.

However, against Wolves, the Blues lost the xG battle. Despite scoring six goals, Chelsea carved out chances with an xG value of just 1.68. They gave up opportunities worth 1.96 Expected Goals. People are turning a blind eye to that because of the result.

Things have been encouraging under Maresca but the fact remains that Chelsea, in their opening two games, have an xG total of 2.7 and an xG conceded total of 2.7.

They face a struggling Crystal Palace team this weekend. Oliver Glasner’s men have lost both of their matches in the Premier League this season and don’t look like the superteam we witnessed towards the end of last term. However, if matches against Manchester City and Wolves are anything to go off, the Eagles could trouble the Blues this weekend.

It’ll be interesting to see which version of Maresca’s team shows up.

Form goes out of the window

The final game of the weekend sees Manchester United play host to Liverpool.

The Red Devils lost in the final stages against Brighton in their last outing and needed an 87th-minute goal against Fulham in their season opener to pick up all three points. It hasn’t been the best start for Erik Ten Hag, now into his third season as Manchester United boss.

Liverpool, on the other hand, have a 100% record in the league this season having claimed 2-0 wins over Ipswich Town and Brentford.

The Reds have the highest xG and the lowest xG conceded in the Premier League. Arne Slot has wasted no time shoring things up defensively since the move to Merseyside.

On paper, Liverpool are favourites heading into this game. But as we’ve seen on countless occasions in the past, form heading into this game is irrelevant.

Manchester United have lost just one of their last five against Liverpool. Unfortunately for them, this loss was a historic 7-0 defeat at Anfield. However, Ten Hag has a good record against the Reds having won two and drawn one against at Old Trafford.

If he’s able to extend his unbeaten run against Liverpool at home to four, it’ll be a blow to his compatriot Slot.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

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