The first meeting of two of the Premier League’s sides featuring in this season’s Champions League takes place on Saturday evening, with Aston Villa hosting Arsenal after both won their campaign opener last weekend.
While the Gunners were generally dominant throughout in their 2-0 win over Wolves, it was – as might be expected at this early stage – not a totally refined performance and one which offered more probing than penetration at many points, needing a couple of well-taken goals at key moments to swing the points their way.
There were clear standouts for Arsenal in attack, though, with Mikel Arteta likely to once again be leaning on Kai Havertz and Bukayo Saka in both chance creation and chance-taking stakes: both managed five shots apiece in the opener, both were comfortably the top two for xG+xA in that first game and, most importantly, both found the back of the net.
While the ongoing question of Gabriel Martinelli’s top form and how to produce it on a regular basis remains a key riddle for Arteta to solve, the ability of players from all over the park to play incisive balls into the final third is going to be one of their strengths yet again. Between right- and left-backs, 14 passes into that attacking zone were made on the opening weekend – that’s without even considering captain and chief schemer Martin Ødegaard’s contribution. The front line will get service; keeping Saka and Havertz sharp will mean the Gunners score goals again.
Yet this time they face a tougher task to do so on paper – though Villa didn’t make an amazing start from a defensive standpoint in their 2-1 win at West Ham. The Hammers created four big chances against an established Villa backline, yielding a total xG conceded of 2.46. Clearly, a profligate West Ham let them off the hook somewhat, but Villa have attacking talent of their own, bolstered by a strong summer transfer window.
xG conceded, Matchday one 2024/25
Unai Emery could bring in the likes of Ian Maatsen and Ross Barkley for their first starts, should he want to add a little more speed and drive from deep, and especially given Villa are at home against one of his own former clubs.
While there is little scope for dropping points and staying in a title fight as far as Arsenal are concerned, it might be that there’s more pressure on Villa simply by weight of numbers. After all, following a fourth-place finish there’s expectation on them to do so again…yet more teams than ever before are fighting for Champions League spots.
(Cover image from IMAGO)
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It proved to be a successful start to the season for Barcelona as they fought back from a goal down away to Valencia on Matchday one to claim a 2-1 victory and three important points to kick off their campaign.
They had veteran striker Robert Lewandowski to thank for that, as the decorated Polish striker added another two goals to his already impressive haul in professional football after Hugo Duro had broken the deadlock for Valencia at the Mestalla.
In truth, Barca deserved the win, especially as they dominated long spells of the match at both ends of the field. Not only did they many to record 18 shots in total, but their defence marshalled their opposition well throughout to concede just two shots on target which will have impressed new manager Hansi Flick.
The German boss will now have to chart a way past Athletic Club on his home debut with the Catalan giants and that will be far easier said than done given this Bilbao side’s higher level of talent and quality across the field than their matchday one opponents.
The pick of the bunch for the visiting side remains winger Nico Williams who is still with the club even in the face of huge transfer speculation this summer. His main suitors were reportedly Barcelona themselves, which will make his likely appearance here all the more intriguing and you wouldn’t put it past him to make an impact again in this latest clash given the fact that he both scored and assisted against Barca in their Copa del Rey tie last season.
But Athletic hardly made the ideal start to their own campaign as they were held 1-1 at home to Getafe. Oihan Sancet opened the scoring at San Memes with a lovely, curling effort from just outside the penalty area, but despite largely bossing the possession after that first half breakthrough, the home side couldn’t hold on as the Madrid outfit equalised through a towering header from a corner.
Ernesto Valverde’s side will move their attentions swiftly on to making a little bit of history in this outing instead then, and that’s because they haven’t won an away league match against Barcelona in 22 attempts since a 2-1 victory back in November 2001.
Simply put, if they’re to break that streak this time around, their key players such as Williams will need to be at their very best.
Recent H2H results
(Cover image from IMAGO)
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…And City will soon have İlkay Gündoğan back in the team. The midfielder looks set to rejoin from Barcelona, adding to Pep Guardiola’s ranks – just a week after they showed they can cope perfectly well without Rodri, their key component in that area of the park, in dispatching Chelsea on the opening weekend.
If that performance – polished and comfortable – and result wasn’t enough to present an ominous sense of “here we go again” regarding the Cityzens, the arrival of Gündoğan for free might well do, even if Savinho’s injury at Stamford Bridge was a blow given how well he started.
Yet irrespective of fitness and transfers, City will certainly imagine they’ve been handed a rather routine start to the campaign. Chelsea are still trying to find out who they are, or rather who they are made of under Enzo Maresca, and this week’s opponents Ipswich Town have the toughest start of all having been newly promoted: they lost at home to Liverpool and now face the only side better than the Reds over the last few years.
It’s worth noting that City weren’t exactly firing on all cylinders – an xG of just 0.77 showed their clinical, not creative, edge – and it might also have been a slight surprise that Guardiola only made a single sub, clearly valuing minutes in his starters at this stage of the campaign.
Ipswich will find it tough to limit City to such a paucity of chances, however. They conceded six big chances to Liverpool, who were wasteful despite a 2-0 win, tallying 18 shots in total against them for a combined xG of 2.65. That’s despite the Tractor Boys being energetic and disciplined in the first half; a tiring side against a better one was cut apart at will from the hour mark onwards. That’s a lesson for Man City to take on board this weekend if they struggle on home soil early on, and patience has long been a virtue of Guardiola’s teams.
For the visitors, though they’ll know their season doesn’t really count as starting until next time out, hopes for a first Premier League goal – or even point – in over 20 years will come from registering almost 0.3 of their total 0.45 xG against Liverpool from set plays, while City keeper Ederson looked far from his best against Chelsea. Even so, it’s a huge ask to expect anything other than another defeat to nil.
(Cover image from IMAGO)
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The random fixture generator has been kind enough to give us a number of intriguing match-ups across matchday two of the 2024/25 Premier League season. Here are a few things to look out for this weekend across the English top flight.
Manchester United eked out a 1-0 win over Fulham in their opening match of the season. Some claimed it was a performance they’ve seen on countless occasions during the Erik ten Hag era with the Red Devils snatching an undeserved winner at Old Trafford.
But this win on Friday night wasn’t like the others. This felt deserved. For starters, they didn’t give up 20 shots to their opponents. In fact, they limited Marco Silva’s team to just 10 shots with an Expected Goals total of 0.44.
So, despite the injury issues, Ten Hag’s side looked defensively resilient. United also looked decent going forward. In fact, they had one of the highest Expected Goal hauls of the opening-day weekend with 2.4.
In truth, it was the perfect showing at Old Trafford. They could’ve easily won that game 3-0 with an identical performance and people would’ve been raving about it. The 1-0 scoreline didn’t tell the whole story.
It was the complete opposite with Brighton, their opponents this weekend. The Seagulls romped to a 3-0 win over Everton at Goodison Park. However, it wasn’t a 3-0 sort of game. Brighton carved out chances worth just 1.4 Expected Goals. They had luck on their side whereas Manchester United didn’t.
It’ll be fascinating to see what happens at the Amex this weekend and how the narrative will be shaped.
Can City find their shooting boots?
Manchester City kicked off their campaign with a 2-0 win over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. On paper, it was a routine win for the reigning champions. Erling Haaland, again, scored on the opening day as he looks to retain his Golden Boot for a third successive season. Mateo Kovačić, against his former employers, added a second in the second half.
However, when you look a little closer at the numbers from this game, it was anything but routine or assured for Pep Guardiola’s side. They finished the game with an Expected Goals total of just 0.8. Chelsea, under new boss Enzo Maresca, had better chances. The Blues, trying to bed in their many, many signings, had better opportunities.
This is something City will be well aware of. It is something they’ll want to ensure was a one-off rather than the norm. They’ll get a good opportunity to click in the final third this weekend as they welcome Ipswich Town to the Etihad. The Tractor Boys conceded six big chances against Liverpool last weekend. Guardiola and his players will be hoping to post similar numbers.
The potential is there for teams and players to make a statement.
Aston Villa could land an early blow to Arsenal’s hopes of winning the league. The Gunners could dent Villa’s hopes of claiming another Champions League spot.
Bukayo Saka, the player of the week across Matchday One with a FotMob rating of 8.9, will be looking to put in an eye-catching showing against one of last season’s top four. He already has a goal and an assist to his name this term. If he does similar at Villa Park, he’ll back up the belief that he’s scaled his level.
Amadou Onana, a £50million summer signing from Everton, made an impression against West Ham for the Villans – and also featured in the FotMob TOTW. Can he boss the middle of the park against Mikel Arteta’s side, a team who were reportedly keen on signing him this summer? If so, the idea that Arsenal should’ve moved for him will once again be the topic of debate.
This may only be Matchday Two but there’s a lot at stake here.
Arne Slot’s selection headache
Liverpool weren’t at their best in the first half against Ipswich Town on Saturday. They had a lot of attacking talent on their bench but Slot opted to ignore the likes of Curtis Jones, Harvey Elliott, Cody Gakpo and Darwin Núñez and instead swapped out Jarell Quansah for Ibrahima Konaté. This defensive switch helped the Reds regain some control, with Konaté winning 80% of his duels compared to Quansah’s 50%, and Liverpool went on to claim a 2-0 victory.
It’ll be interesting to see who Slot goes with at Anfield on Sunday as Brentford make the trip to Merseyside. Yoane Wissa was a star player for the Bees in the win over Crystal Palace. He scored and assisted, but it was his overall performance that caught the eye. He won five of six ground duels and 100% of his aerial duels.
How does Slot limit what the Brentford forward can do? Will he stick with Quansah and give him another chance from the off or will he not want to risk it? Will Konaté get the nod after a dominant second half showing at Portman Road? That decision could prove pivotal in the outcome of this match.
(Cover image from IMAGO)
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Bayer Leverkusen’s Bundesliga title triumph was framed as a once-in-a-lifetime thing because that’s exactly what it was. Never before had The Black and Reds won the German top division and so supporters who witnessed Xabi Alonso’s team break Bayern Munich’s 11-year Bundesliga stranglehold last season soaked in the scenes uncertain that they would ever see the likes again.
Now that the dust – and ticker tape – has settled, though, it’s apparent Leverkusen could dominate German football for a number of seasons to come. Far from being a one off fluke, last term’s achievement could be the start of something even more special. The Repeat is very much on for Alonso and his players.
Bundesliga top six, 2023/24
This is largely due to Bayer Leverkusen keeping their best performers over the summer. Many assumed the vultures would circle the BayArena, but the likes of Florian Wirtz, Jeremie Frimpong, Victor Boniface, Álex Grimaldo and Piero Hincapié have all remained. Jonathan Tah has been linked with a move to Bayern Munich, but a deal has yet to be struck.
Alonso himself was, in many circles, expected to move on. He had his pick of some of the biggest jobs in European football as vacancies at Bayern and Liverpool opened up, but the former midfielder stayed at Leverkusen. “At this moment I feel this is the right place for me to be to develop as a coach,” he said.
It’s been a completely different story for Leverkusen’s Bundesliga rivals. Bayern Munich have a new manager in Vincent Kompany who is untested at the elite level of management and was a long way down the Bavarian club’s shortlist of candidates to replace Thomas Tuchel. Alonso, Julian Nagelsmann and Ralf Rangnick all turned down the job before Kompany was hired.
On top of this, Bayern Munich are in the midst of a generational transition that has proved problematic to this point. Nagelsmann and Tuchel both found themselves swimming against the tide of internal politics at the Allianz Arena and it’s possible Kompany could be swept up in a similar way.
Borussia Dortmund made an unexpected run to last season’s Champions League final, but have since bid farewell to key players Mats Hummels, Marco Reus and Niclas Fullkrug – and loan stars Jadon Sancho and Ian Maatsen who haven’t returned – as well as manager Edin Terzic who has been replaced by Nuri Şahin.
Şahin recent career summary
While Şahin was an iconic player at the Westfalenstadion, he has just two seasons of senior management under his belt. The former midfielder enjoyed a successful stint at Antalyaspor in the Turkish SuperLig, but that experience won’t have done much to prepare him for one of the most scrutinised jobs in German football.
Stuttgart finished second last season, but lost top scorer Serhou Guirassy to Dortmund in the summer transfer window and will do well to replicate the success of 2023/24. RB Leipzig could continue to improve under Marco Rose, but their transfer model puts a ceiling on what they can realistically achieve.
As things stand, Bayer Leverkusen are the most stable club at the top-end of the Bundesliga and that makes them the favourites to win the title this season (even if most bookmakers disagree). Not only have Alonso and his best players stayed to build on the glory of 2023/24, the squad at the BayArena is even stronger than it was last term.
Aleix García has joined after enjoying his own fairytale with Girona last season. The 27-year-old will give Leverkusen another option in central midfield and should be a good fit for Alonso’s possession-heavy approach. Martin Terrier has also arrived from Rennes and will offer versatility across the forward line.
Terrier recent career summary
Leverkusen struck gold last summer by making so many signings that ultimately helped them become German champions for the first time. It’s unrealistic to expect The Black and Reds to maintain such a high hit rate in the transfer market, but there is clear alignment between sporting director Simon Rolfes and manager Alonso on what their team should look like.
With Rolfes in charge of the front office, Bayer Leverkusen have targeted pre-peak age players. Indeed, the average age of the club’s signings made over the last two years is just 22.8. Of the players who clocked more than 1,000 league minutes for Leverkusen last season, only two outfielders (Jonas Hofmann and Granit Xhaka) were over the age of 30.
Many of Leverkusen’s best players (Wirtz, Frimpong, Boniface etc.) still have their best years ahead of them. Ultimately, Rolfes’ transfer model might require them to sell (like they did with Kai Havertz, Moussa Diaby and Leon Bailey) at some point in the future, but the fact Leverkusen didn’t cash in this summer shows they believe even better is yet to come.
Retaining the Bundesliga title would be a flex for Leverkusen, but the Champions League would be where they make the biggest impact this season. Having fallen at the final hurdle in the Europa League last term, losing to Atalanta in the final, Europe feels like the final frontier for a team that has already conquered German football.
In many ways, Alonso’s impact at Bayer Leverkusen is reminiscent of Jürgen Klopp’s Borussia Dortmund tenure. That was the last time there was a truly disruptive force at the top of German football and the Black and Yellows went back-to-back as they won successive Bundesliga titles in 2010/11 and 2011/12, as well as reaching the Champions League final in 2012/13.
This is the sort of run Alonso’s Leverkusen side must embark on if they are to earn their place in the pantheon of legendary German teams. They can be much more than just one-season wonders. History was made last season, but this season could see the creation of a black and red dynasty.
(Cover image from IMAGO)
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Their 3-0 win at Everton last weekend was enough to put them on top of the table at the end of the first round of matches, and their performance on Merseyside will only further have built confidence that new manager Fabian Hürzeler can unlock something in his squad to propel them up the league table.
Hürzeler is a gamble, of that there is little question. At 31 years old he’s the youngest permanent head coach or manager in the history of the Premier League and the only one to be younger than the league itself. But at Goodison Park his team was fluid and well-organised. There had been some concern over Brighton’s wellbeing at the time of the departure of Roberto De Zerbi. It’s fair to say that many of those fears have already evaporated.
Manchester United, meanwhile, may be under new management – if not quite new ownership yet – but their opening game against Fulham hinted that not quite as much might have changed at Old Trafford over the summer months as many supporters would like. It took a late goal from substitute Joshua Zirkzee to finally secure all three points, but it was a somewhat stodgy performance from a match that they were expected to win. Zirkzee or fellow substitute Matthijs de Ligt could start, if Erik Ten Hag feels that his team needs a freshen up after the Fulham match.
But recent form between the two teams favour Brighton. Manchester United have won two of the last six meetings between the teams in all conmpetitions, and one of those was their FA Cup semi-final at Wembley in April 2023, a match which United might easily have lost and eventually only won on penalty kicks. Brighton have won each of the other four meetings between the two teams.
Recent H2H results
United can take some comfort from the fact that their other win from these last six fixtures came in the last meeting between the two clubs, at the Amex at the very end of last season. United’s win that day wasn’t enough to improve their final league position of 8th, but it was a decent win which contributed towards a positive end to their season. A win for Brighton will keep them top of the table for a couple of hours. A win for United would be further proof that things might finally be starting to change at Old Trafford.
(Cover image from IMAGO)
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Over the course of the summer transfer window, we will take a close look at some of the biggest and best business with our ‘Transfer of the Week’ columns. This week, we turn our attention to French champions Paris Saint-Germain, who seem to be heading in a new direction this summer.
Ever since Qatar Sports Investments’ takeover, Paris Saint-Germain have spent many a year trying to assemble the modern-day Galácticos. Having clearly established themselves as the dominant force in France, they spent hundreds of millions if not billions on the likes of Neymar, Lionel Messi, and Kylian Mbappé in recent years as they chased European glory, but it has proven ever elusive.
This summer, though, PSG’s transfer business has been the polar opposite of what they have typically done in the last decade. Instead of signing big names, they parted ways with one of the biggest superstars in world football as Mbappé joined Real Madrid. They did not sign any outright replacement, electing to divert their funds to bring in some of the most highly-rated young prospects in various positions.
A shifting transfer strategy
This window will go down as the one that cemented Paris Saint-Germain’s shift in recruitment strategy, but of course, it began a while back. Its origins can be traced to the arrival of Luís Campos, a highly-rated transfer guru with a great track record in France having assembled title-winning squads for both Monaco and Lille. His previous work focused heavily on scouting high-potential young prospects and signing them for relatively cheap fees before they fully broke out, so that is the expertise he brought to PSG.
Looking back, his imprints are clear in PSG’s transfer business right from the off. Their signings in the summer of 2022 included then-22-year-old Porto midfielder Vitinha, who has grown into one of the best performers in his position in France, as well as young Reims forward Hugo Ekitiké. Teenage full-back Nuno Mendes’ loan deal was made permanent, while none of the other signings were more than 25 years old at the time.
It should be said that many of these arrivals such as Renato Sanches and Nordi Mukiele did not exactly turn out to be resounding successes, but the shift in approach was evident. The subsequent summer’s signings, such as Bradley Barcola, Lee Kang-in, Randal Kolo Muani, Manuel Ugarte and Gonçalo Ramos went on to make a much bigger impact on the first team, allowing Campos to advance his strategy.
Last January, PSG signed 20-year-old defender Lucas Beraldo and 18-year-old midfielder Gabriel Moscardo for €20 million each from Brazil clubs São Paulo and Corinthians respectively. They have not featured much for the first team yet (though Beraldo did play in some big games amidst an injury crisis at left centre-back), but that is not a problem because they were brought in as ones for the future.
Summer signings
Of course, Paris Saint-Germain needed to strengthen their squad besides signing prospects for the future in the summer, and they have managed to do both things at once.
Their most recent signing – that of Désiré Doué from Rennes for €50 million – epitomises that approach. The 19-year-old attacker already has a couple of senior seasons under his belt for Rennes and stood out as one of the most prolific and exciting dribblers in Ligue 1 last season, putting up some eye-popping numbers (per 90).
Doué possession stats per 90, Ligue 1 2023/24
Clearly, Doué is someone who can make an instant impact for this PSG side. He will undoubtedly get his fair share of game time on the left wing spot vacated by Mbappé’s departure, but at the same time, he also has a lot of room to improve. In particular, his decision-making and composure in the final third could use some work if he is to convert his mazy dribbles into goals and assists more consistently.It is another 19-year-old for whom the Parisians paid the biggest transfer fee this summer, namely João Neves who earned Benfica €60 million. That is quite a big number, and yet it looks relatively cheap given the fact that a nine-digit figure was being touted not that long ago. The Portuguese midfielder is arguably much more polished than Doué and could very soon become a world-class ball-winning midfielder.
Neves player traits
PSG have made two other signings so far, again none over 25 years old. One of them is 22-year-old centre-back Willian Pacho, a confident and comfortable ball-player, and the other is goalkeeper Matvey Safonov, who should be a backup option behind Gianluigi Donnarumma but will hope to keep his Italian counterpart honest.
Youth takeover
With so many youngsters being signed, it is only natural that they make up a much bigger chunk of Paris Saint-Germain’s squad and therefore get much more game time. In fact, their starting XI for the season-opener against Le Havre was the youngest in the club’s history.
Among the starters was 16-year-old Ibrahim Mbaye, a highly-rated academy prospect who is yet to sign a professional contract (making it hard to find a picture for his profile!). The decision to start him undoubtedly involved an element of convincing him to stay at the club, which is something PSG would never have done just a few years ago.
Le Parisiens have a terrible track record of neglecting top-class prospects in the QSI era, with the list including big names like Kingsley Coman, Mike Maignan, Christopher Nkunku and Moussa Diaby. Now, they finally seem to have realised the massive potential of their academy in developing the next Parisian superstars, having opened a new state-of-the-art training centre last year with a good chunk of facilities exclusively for the academy. The heavy involvement of Warren Zaïre-Emery in their 2023/24 campaign as well as the most recent line-up underscore the fact that PSG are committed to this new approach from top to bottom.
Only time can tell whether PSG’s new approach will finally bring them the Champions League title they have so desperately chased for the last decade, but it often transpires that wanting something too badly has the opposite of the desired effect. At the very least, fans and experts alike can surely conclude that PSG are headed in the direct direction now.
(Cover image from IMAGO)
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When Paulo Dybala joined Roma a couple of years ago, his arrival was met with rapturous fanfare. His stint in the capital has gone quite well but an exit at this point does make sense for the club.
Dybala had initially rejected an offer from Saudi side Al-Qadsiah a couple of months ago, making it clear that he would be staying at Roma, where his contract runs out in the summer of 2025. He was expected to be a regular and at the very centre of the project. Fast forward to August and Dybala was left on the bench for a friendly against Everton and Roma boss Daniele de Rossi proceeded to say that La Joya wouldn’t always be a regular. Reports in Italy later confirmed that Roma would not be against an exit and that he is no longer central to ‘the project.’
Things moved quickly soon enough. Al-Qadsiah returned with an offer and Dybala’s agent held a meeting with executives from the Saudi Arabian club. Dybala took his time to answer, as reports suggested that while his wife initially wasn’t in favour of the move, his mother flew into Rome to have a say in the matter. Roma fans even wrote messages outside the club’s training ground, saying: “Paulo is not for sale.”
Gianluca di Marzio has now confirmed that Dybala has accepted the big-money offer from Al-Qadsiah.
While the decision would break the hearts of many football purists, romantics, and Roma fans, there is reason to believe that the decision to move on the gifted Argentine might be the right decision.
Roma remove a high earner off their books
Dybala currently earns about €7.5 million per year in his Roma deal and that is a big amount for a Serie A side, considering the financial realities faced by the league. There has also been talk in the Italian press about the fact that if he plays a certain amount of games in the 2024/25 season, it would trigger a major wage increase and a new deal that would extend to 2026.
If that happens – in a hypothetical scenario, Roma could spend close to €20 million (or more) on the player.
But if they sell La Joya, they save all that money and also earn a transfer fee. While Dybala’s €12 million release clause has expired, Roma will still earn a fee. For now, it seems as if it could be less than €10 million but it still would help Roma financially and give them a lot of leg room in the transfer market.
That isn’t the only reason why moving the Argentine on could be a sensible move.
Availability issues
Dybala is a genius when he’s on song. He has contributed to over 50 goals in domestic competitions across two seasons for Roma, often carrying the attack under José Mourinho and that is something the Portuguese coach also constantly shed light on.
Dybala recent season summary
But he has missed 34 games during that time and that is close to an entire season of a domestic league. Many of the absences are due to muscle injuries and this has led to him missing key games, something that became a huge issue under Mourinho.
Combine that with the fact that he’s one of the biggest wage earners across the entirety of Serie A, Roma would rather spend that wage on players who are more available – even if they’re not as supremely effective as La Joya.
De Rossi’s new era needs new changes
Daniele de Rossi’s approach to the game is much more dynamic and front-foot than Mourinho’s. It requires pro-activity off the ball, tracking back, pressing high and constant movement.
Dybala is increasingly becoming a very ball-to-feet player and that is completely fine, considering his incredible technical ability and how he’s a rare breed in the game. But with a declining physical condition and that burden of the wages on him, he is probably not too suited for a very dynamic approach.
It isn’t to say that he’s been bad under De Rossi – that isn’t the case at all. He has ten goals under the Italian, but there comes a point at a certain juncture of a manager’s tactical evolution when a system can’t revolve around a single player anymore. That is when that player holds a system back; the team back.
History is full of examples where despite a player’s tangible output in terms of goals, the team suffered and never evolved tactical. Cristiano Ronaldo at Manchester United during his second stint is a classic example and clubs need to learn from it.
As De Rossi enters his first full season of his time at the club of his dreams, his system will evolve and it would be better for him and the Giallorossi to have a more fitter and system-suited player than Dybala.
That would indeed be a sad way to sideline a true great of the sport in Italy, but that is just how it goes.
(Cover image from IMAGO)
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The history of attacking talents who’ve shone in the Eredivisie and gone on to play in the Premier League has been a checkered one, especially over the past 15 or so years.
The obvious gold standard was Luis Suárez’s time at Liverpool in the early 2010s when he contributed the greatest season in PL history and nearly led the club to a league title in 2014. Other success stories include Christian Eriksen with Tottenham and, to a lesser extent, Wilfried Bony’s brief run as a goalscorer for Swansea City.
There’ve been several players to make the move to England and see a considerable drop off in their performance. One of the more infamous examples was Vincent Janssen, who ended up playing less than 1000 minutes – in total – as a Spurs player. Brighton have spent big in the past for the likes of Alireza Jahanbakhsh and Jürgen Locadia, to little success. As it stands, Antony’s mega-money move to Manchester United could be considered a failure and he’s no longer guaranteed to start going into his third season in England. The mixed results have perhaps made clubs outside of the Netherlands more reticent when scouting attackers from the Eredivisie.
So, when Yankuba Minteh produced 10 goals and 5 assists in less than 1500 league minutes for Feyenoord last season, it’s understandable that there might’ve been some trepidation over just how well his game could translate to English football.
Minteh season summary, Feyenoord 2023/24
The Eredivisie is known for skewing towards a younger average age, and the gap in quality between the top and bottom of the league is massive. With Newcastle having to generate funds to avoid trouble from the Premier League’s Profit and Sustainability Rules, they are believed to have done well in selling him to Brighton for around £33m. Time will tell whether this ends up being an overpayment, a bargain, or somewhere in between.
Perhaps the biggest reason why Minteh could be someone who transitions well to the demands of English football is the athleticism he showed last season. The dribbling numbers were exceptional, with 3.63 completed dribbles per 90 at a 52.2% success rate. We’ve seen Eredivisie attackers put up prodigious dribble and carry numbers before, given the league dynamics, but it was the way he did so which sparks optimism. He was consistently creating shots for himself and others in the final third, taking a proactive approach in pushing the ball towards the wide zones in the box, and absorbing contact from defenders. His first step when cutting inside to set up his next action is also impressive. With the English top flight boasting incredible athletes and impressive coaching across the board, players who can create something from nothing in the opposition half are incredibly valuable.
Minteh possession stats, Eredivisie 2023/24
Minteh’s playmaking is geared towards finding home-run passes in the final third, not too dissimilar from players such as Ousmane Dembélé at PSG. This is at least partially reflected by him completing less than 70% of his passes yet ranking in the top 20 in the Eredivisie for expected assists per 90. Him being noticeably one-footed as a passer does force him to rely on changing the method of delivery of the pass, resorting to using the trivela. He can be guilty of putting too much weight on the pass towards his teammates and his crossing doesn’t tend to have much loft, which makes him more oriented towards aiming them around the near post.
Without the ball, Minteh shows some promise both in and out of possession. Despite often operating as a touchline winger, he’ll occasionally move centrally after recycling possession to occupy the centre-backs in the final third. The acceleration he possesses allows him to have a larger room for error with his movement, and he’ll try to take advantage of opposition high lines. His speed and timing make him a major threat when counter-attacking. That, along with his determination also allow him to be a potential asset defensively with how quickly he can close down space for the opposition, including tracking back.
Minteh shot map, Eredivisie 2023/24
The result is a shot map from last season which more resembles an above average striker’s return than a wide player. 44 out of 56 shots from inside the box is impressive, with several coming from transition opportunities. That leads to one of the best per 90 expected goal figures from an attacking midfielder or winger. It certainly helps that in Feyenoord, he was playing for one of the biggest clubs in the league, and Arne Slot’s game model made it easier for attacking players to shine. An interesting comparison can be made with Johan Bakayoko from PSV, who’s around the same age with a not too dissimilar skill set. Although the PSV starlet did play over 1000 more minutes, their per 90 output is pretty close and Minteh was more efficient with his shot placement.
Minteh’s game certainly needs some ironing out, which is to be expected for someone who only recently turned 20 and hasn’t played a ton of senior football. The touches while setting up his dribble can occasionally be a bit sloppy. The weighting of his passes could be more consistent, even if he remains a high risk, high reward playmaker. With more experience, his decision making should see improvement as well. However, the building blocks are so tantalising that there’s a solid base to work from. It’d be interesting to see if, as he gets older, his game rounds out to be similar to someone like Sadio Mané, who he’s mentioned as an inspiration.
Minteh player traits
Although he left the season opener vs Everton early due to injury, those 40 minutes or so were a great advertisement for the upside Minteh has. He was a constant threat off the dribble, creating chances for others during fast breaks, and helped destabilise Everton’s buildup on several occasions. His assist for Kaoru Mitoma was the kind of play that star names regularly make. If that debut was anything to go by, Yankuba Minteh will be one of the most exciting players in the Premier League this season.
(Cover image from IMAGO)
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With Mohamed Salah’s contract running out and Liverpool reluctant to hand long-term deals to players in their 30s, it is an early test of their new-look boardroom.
Mo Salah was blunt in his message to supporters when considering whether or not to included him in their fantasy teams for the season ahead – and for good reason, Liverpool’s No. 11 is inevitable.
He backed that up with an immediate return in the Reds’ opening game of the campaign, with a goal and assist in their 2-0 victory over Ipswich at Portman Road. In doing so, he broke the record for the most goals in opening-day fixtures in Premier League history, with nine – having been tied with Alan Shearer, Wayne Rooney and Frank Lampard heading into the game.
Two more goal contributions against Ipswich also lifted Salah to the milestone of 300 goals and assists in just 350 appearances for Liverpool. It is a remarkable tally for a player who is already among the club’s all-time top five goalscorers, behind only Ian Rush, Roger Hunt, Gordon Hodgson and Billy Liddell – legendary names in Liverpool’s history.
Having been such a deadly player under Jürgen Klopp, Salah looks to have been unleashed again in a slightly tweaked role by new head coach Arne Slot.
With the Dutchman preferring a more patient, possession-based approach, Salah’s involvement is more measured, less full-throttle, awaiting the right moment to pounce. That was perfectly summed up when he latched onto Trent Alexander-Arnold’s sumptuously weighted through ball with a run behind Ipswich left-back Leif Davis and, without needing to take a touch, played it across for Diogo Jota to tap in for 1-0.
Salah’s importance to Slot’s new system was seen throughout pre-season, with the Egyptian one of few senior players available throughout the warmup schedule while many others were absent due to the European Championship and Copa America. He was one of four players tied with the most minutes in Liverpool’s pre-season friendlies (290), ending the summer with a goal, two assists, the second-most chances created (five) and the most touches in the opposition’s box (19).
Against Ipswich, he made the joint-most touches in the opposition box (11), had the most shots on goal (four) and created the fourth-most chances (two), while completing more passes (25) than his average per game for the season just gone (21.7). For much of Liverpool’s first competitive game under Slot, their setup overloaded the left-hand side in order to free up space for Alexander-Arnold to create and Salah to attack.
Passing stats vs. Ipswich Town
It’s clear that Slot has acknowledged the importance of his most prolific forward, telling reporters after the game: “If I see what he does to keep his body as it is and to be ready to play every game, I think there are many more years inside of him to play.”
While that was not intended as a pointed message to the club’s owners – even if the question was loaded in that direction – it comes at a time when Salah and Liverpool find themselves at a pivotal juncture.
The Egyptian has begun the new campaign with only 10 months remaining on his contract, which as it stands will see him leave the club as a free agent at the end of his eighth season at Anfield.
He is not in that situation alone, with vice-captain Alexander-Arnold and club captain Virgil van Dijk both seeing their terms run out in 2025 and no resolution in sight when it comes to extensions. That has, rightly, concerned supporters given their status in the side and the prospect of finding replacements for three of the best players the club has ever seen in their respective positions all in one summer.
While Van Dijk has been vocal in his desire to stay and there is an expectation that, as a boyhood supporter and an academy graduate, Alexander-Arnold would put pen to paper if the right offer is presented to him, Salah’s future seems more precarious. There is known interest from the Saudi Pro League, so much so that Liverpool rejected a world-record bid from Al-Ittihad for his services back in 2023, and he would likely be the most in-demand free agent since Kylian Mbappé were he to decide to leave.
Salah has earned that reputation, having stood out as a prime example of Liverpool’s success in the transfer market under Fenway Sports Group. Brought in from AS Roma for just £36.9 million in 2017, his worth to the Reds has far exceeded that outlay – and certainly expectations both in the club and from those watching on from the outside. Klopp himself had pushed for Julian Brandt, but was persuaded by sporting director Michael Edwards and the club’s data team that Salah was by far and away the more suitable candidate.
It is timely, then, that Salah’s current predicament comes so soon after Edwards’ return to the fold as chief executive of football for FSG, presiding over all football operations including those at Liverpool – having installed long-time collaborator Richard Hughes in his own former role as sporting director.
Liverpool are known to be reluctant to hand long-term contracts to players in their 30s as part of FSG’s self-sustaining model, which is only magnified by the return of Edwards, who was among those internally critical of new deals for the likes of Jordan Henderson and Fabinho in the summer of 2021. Salah, who is 32 and the club’s highest earner on around £350,000 a week, would now fit into this bracket as he and his representatives await contact from the higher-ups at Liverpool over a renewal.
The fact that his terms have been allowed to dwindle will partly be due to the reshuffle off the pitch over 2024, but that it has been left this way could spark fears that Liverpool are ready to let their No. 11 leave next summer.
Mo Salah, Liverpool career summary
Only Salah is not like Henderson or Fabinho, players who departed for Saudi Arabia last summer with fans accepting that they had lost a step; Salah is an athletic freak who has shown no signs of slowing down in terms of output. Even if his pace has dropped, his intelligence and technical ability have ensured his threat in final third has not only remained, but arguably improved as he adds new strings to his bow – his rate of key passes (2.34) and progressive passes (5.21) per 90 minutes last season were by far his best creative output since joining Liverpool.
Replacing a player of Salah’s calibre would be near impossible, even with Liverpool’s much-vaunted old guard now back in charge of recruitment. And instead, the best course of action would surely be to break their own rules and hand him another contract in the belief that he can keep this going long into his 30s.
(Images from IMAGO)
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