Page 36 – The Pulse of Football

Sep

2024

The top performances in MLS, Matchday 34

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: Gabriel Pec, LA Galaxy

Brazilian winger Gabriel Pec has been one of the signings of the season in MLS in 2024.

He’s offered exactly what LA Galaxy needed in attack after replacing compatriot Douglas Costa who left the team in the offseason.

Pec caused constant problems for Saturday’s opposition, Vancouver Whitecaps, scoring one and assisting two more in a 4-2 Galaxy win.

He also ‘assisted’ the own goal from Sebastian Berhalter following a one-two with Riqui Puig and a cross into the box turned in by the Vancouver defender as he desperately tried to intervene.

The Puig-Pec combination (pictured above) played a part in all four Galaxy goals, and the duo rounded things off as Pec assisted Puig for the fourth.

9.0 FotMob rating: Pep Biel, Charlotte FC

With plenty of assistance from substitute Patrick Agyemang, Biel helped Charlotte to a 4-0 win at home to New England Revolution.

Liel Abada put Charlotte 1-0 up early on, but Agyemang came off the bench to combine with Biel to make sure of the win and pile more misery onto New England who remain bottom of the Western Conference.

They assisted goals for each other in the second half to put Charlotte 3-0 up before Kerwin Vargas finished the job.

Biel is currently on loan at Charlotte from Greek side Olympiacos but says he would like to remain in MLS beyond the loan period.

“I hope to stay because I enjoy it here and they’ve given me a lot of confidence and I want to pay that back,” he said after the game.

Three more standout performers

8.8 FotMob rating: Max Arfsten, Columbus Crew

Though they are not top of the MLS standings and look unlikely to catch Inter Miami between now and the end of the season, there is still a feeling that Columbus Crew are the best team in this league.

Max Arfsten stepped up as the star on this particular Matchday, but as is often the case there were quality displays throughout the Crew side.

Arfsten assisted two goals in a 4-3 win for Columbus against Orlando.

The first was a pinpoint cross lofted onto the head of the impressive Christian Ramirez, and the second was a low cross from the right into the path of one of the star players in MLS, Cucho Hernández.

He showed the versatility to be effective from the right as well as the left.

Orlando scored three late goals to taint what had been a solid, typical Crew performance to that point, and the visitors deserve credit for their late rally, but Columbus still came away with a win and remain on course to finish second behind Miami.

8.7 FotMob rating: Quinn Sullivan, Philadelphia Union

In a clash of local rivals and playoff-challenging mid-table teams, Philadelphia Union came out on top, winning 4-0 against DC United to hang on to ninth spot in the East.

Remaining in this position would ensure a place in the post-season wildcard round, but the Union may also be looking further up the table with 12 points still to play for.

Daniel Gazdag, Tai Baribo, and Quinn Sullivan all put in standout performances as Jim Curtin’s side built on their 5-1 win against New York City in midweek.

A lot of the attention around Philadelphia Union recently has been on Quinn Sullivan’s younger brother, Cavan — the 14-year-old who is set to join Manchester City when he turns 18 — but Quinn has been steadily emerging as a reliable and impressive first-team player for the Union.

He assisted two goals against DC with some great play down the right wing throughout which saw him create four chances in the game.

He had 11 touches in the area and was heavily involved for his team with 63 touches in total.

It has been a disappointing season generally for the Union given they are usually challenging at the top end of the league, but they appear to be coming into form at just the right time in a late bid to qualify for the playoffs proper.

8.6 FotMob rating: Robin Lod, Minnesota United

After an up-and-down season, Minnesota United are still in with a chance of making the playoffs.

Robin Lod came off the bench to assist both goals in a 2-0 win at Sporting Kansas City and keep United in touch with the teams involved in a close fight for a playoff spot in the Western Conference.

Lod created three chances in the 45 minutes he was on the pitch, also completing two dribbles and winning 3/3 ground duels. The Finn remains one of the most creative players in the league and is one of those players who plays a big part in whether his team is successful or not.

After an inconsistent season, Minnesota reaching the post-season would be considered a success at this stage, but despite being considered below their best, they still sit above the likes of New York City, Charlotte, FC Dallas, and Philadelphia Union in the overall table.

(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

FotMob Profile: Amadou Onana, the new signing already impressing at Villa

It was a busy summer transfer window for Aston Villa, and their statement signing was a big-money move for Belgian midfielder Amadou Onana.

By Matt Smith

After a couple of years at Everton, Onana was brought in to replace Douglas Luiz in the middle of the park for the Villans.

At the age of 23, Onana has already played for a host of clubs as he continues to climb the ladder of European football. The former-Lille man has never shied away from seeking a new challenge, but Villa fans will be hoping he’s found a place to settle after an impressive start to the season.

At Everton, we were never likely to see the best of Onana due to Sean Dyche’s style of play. Someone who likes to get on the ball and control games from deep, he wasn’t tailor-made for Everton’s system at the time.

Villa saw enough and forked out a hefty amount of money to secure his signature, and it’s already beginning to pay off. Onana wasn’t brought in to score goals, but he’s already found the back of the net three times in six competitive appearances. Standing tall at 195cm (Villa assistant coach) Austin McPhee’s set-piece routines have gone to the next level thanks to the addition of Onana.

The Belgian international is the perfect profile of midfield in the modern era. The new age of football focuses heavily on pace and power coupled with technical ability, and Onana has that all in abundance. Not only is he silky smooth on the ball and secure in possession, he’s a duel-winning machine.

In Unai Emery’s system, we’re starting to see the best of Onana, just like we do with Belgium. Particularly with Boubacar Kamara out injured, Onana is tasked with being one of the pivots in the build-up alongside Youri Tielemans, looking to break lines with his paces into the likes of Jacob Ramsey and Morgan Rogers in the middle, or switching it wide to the full-backs and wingers with his superb range of passing.

Onana offers a layer of protection in front of the back four that they don’t have when he’s not in the side at the moment. Youri Tielemans regularly partners him in the middle of the park, but his Belgian compatriot likes to play slightly higher, and the added protection of Onana gives him licence to do so.

The 23-year-old is already averaging 7.79 duels won, 1.61 interceptions, and 2.42 aerial duels won per 90 in the Premier League. To be such a dominant force defensively at his age is incredibly impressive.

Ramsey and John McGinn are often deployed in the wide areas, on paper, but the Villa duo are naturally central players, so will often tuck inside to create a box midfield. Due to Villa having plenty of bodies to protect themselves in transition, this is allowing Onana and Tielemans to both get involved in the player higher up the pitch. They certainly benefited against Young Boys in the Champions League last week.

Onana has already scored as many goals for Villa as he did for Lille and Hamburg, while he’s one away from matching his tally for Everton. The young midfielder was often criticised during his time at Goodison Park, with plenty arguing that he needed a higher-level environment to flourish, and that’s starting to be proved right.

*Premier League shooting stats, 2024/25 season*

It’s a small sample size, but Onana is starting to become a threat in the final third, something we barely saw during his time at Everton. Dyche’s midfielders were rarely given licence to go forward during Onana’s time at the club, but Emery’s style means we are starting to see Onana make an impact at both ends of the pitch.

Against Everton in the Premier League, the midfielder produced a disappointing display, fumbling possession in the middle of the park to allow Dwight McNeil to score before being hooked at half-time. Just a few days later, he bounced back with an 8.1 FotMob rating against Young Boys and a long-range finish, showing his mentality to put poor performances behind him.

Villa are currently sitting pretty in third place in the Premier League, and Onana has quickly become undroppable in the middle of the park for Emery. The Belgian powerhouse is making an impact domestically and in Europe, and it’s easy to see why the Midlands club were keen to spend a large amount of cash to prise him away from Goodison Park.

Still being just 23 years old, Onana has plenty of room to grow and is still far from reaching his full potential. In a few year’s time, there’s a good chance we’re looking back at the price Villa paid and considering it a bargain in the modern era.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

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

Sep

2024

Premier League Team of the Week: Matchday Five

Four unbeaten teams faced off this weekend and all four teams held on to their unbeaten records. Surprisingly, though, no player from that quartet of teams make it into the FotMob Team of the Week.

By Sam McGuire

Who did make the XI though and what was the justification for it?

Goalkeeper: Dean Henderson

Henderson put on a goalkeeping clinic against his former employers as Crystal Palace claimed a point against Manchester United. The shot-stopper was extremely busy at Selhurst Park, making seven saves having faced efforts with an Expected Goals value of 1.9. The clean sheet was hard-earned and well-deserved. His FotMob rating of 9.2 was more than justified. The 27-year-old almost single-handedly frustrated the Red Devils as the Eagles picked up a third successive draw in the Premier League.

Right-Back: Ezri Konsa

The versatile defender impressed as Aston Villa came from behind to claim all three points against Wolves. The 26-year-old scored the second goal for the Villans to cap off a fine performance. Konsa completed 97% of his passes, won 100% of his tackles and triumphed in five of his seven ground duels. It was a dominant defensive showing. Even without the goal, he did more than enough to catch the eye. The goal just ensured everyone recognised his performance.

Centre-Back: Ibrahima Konaté

The Liverpool defender bossed things at Anfield as the Reds claimed a 3-0 win over Bournemouth on Saturday afternoon. Konaté won 100% of his aerial duels, made two blocks, recovered the ball on six occasions and made six clearances. The France centre-back attempted 110 passes and had a significant hand in two of the goals scored by the hosts. He finished with an assist, having played a Trent Alexander-Arnold-esque ball into the path of Luis Díaz for the opener.

Centre-Back: Cristian Romero

By his standards, he had a quiet game. Romero didn’t score and he wasn’t involved in any controversy. The World Cup winner was solid though, for Spurs, in the win over Brentford. He completed 87% of his passes and 60% of his long passes. The Argentine made three interceptions and 12 ball recoveries as Tottenham came from behind to claim a 3-1 win. He also won two of his three aerial duels. Nothing fancy from the No. 17, but exactly what Spurs needed on the day.

Left-Back: Ashley Young

Young rolled back the years in Everton’s 1-1 draw with Leicester City. For starters, the 39-year-old claimed an assist. He created two chances and completed 80% of his passes at Goodison Park. The left-back completed 100% of his dribbles, won 100% of his tackles, recovered the ball on eight occasions and won 100% of his ground duels.

Midfield: Moisés Caicedo

Caicedo bossed things for Chelsea against West Ham United. The £100million signing earned a FotMob rating of 8.5 on Saturday afternoon. The 22-year-old completed 87% of his passes and claimed an assist in the 3-0 win for the Blues. Caciedo was involved in eight tackles and 16 duels. In total, he made 14 defensive actions as Chelsea kept a clean sheet to extend their good start to the season.

Midfield: James Maddison

The 27-year-old was deployed in a deeper role by Spurs in the win over Brentford and it suited him perfectly. Maddison claimed an 8.9 FotMob rating. He carved out three chances for teammates, attempted 11 dribbles and, incredibly, involved himself in 23 duels. The England international was a creative maestro and capped off this performance with a goal, his first of the season.

Attack: Heung-Min Son

Son ran riot against Brentford. The Spurs skipper created seven chances against the Bees and finished the game with two assists. With Dominic Solanke leading the line, the South Korea international was able to operate as more of a creative outlet for Spurs and he thrived in the role. He wasn’t much of an attacking threat himself, finishing the game having taken just one shot. But it highlihted his duality as a player – one week he’s the main man in attack, the next he’s the one pulling the strings as the creator. Thomas Frank’s men had no answer to his exploits in the final third.

Attack: Morgan Rogers

Rogers has started the season in fine form. However, the 22-year-old levelled up against Wolves this past weekend. The Manchester City academy graduate, who has four goals in four England Under-21 appearances, claimed two assists as Villa overturned a 1-0 deficit to pick up all three points. He created three chances at Villa Park and attempted six dribbles on his way to an 8.6 FotMob rating.

Attack: Luis Díaz

Another two goals for Díaz as the Liverpool No. 7 continued his ruthless streak in front of goal. The 27-year-old had four shots, all of which worked the goalkeeper, as he terrorised the Cherries at Anfield. He also created a chance, completed 94% of his attempted passes and tested the Bournemouth backline with five dribbles. His showing earned him a 9.2 rating, his highest rating of the season so far.

Attack: Nicolas Jackson

Jackson has started the season like a man possessed. The Chelsea frontman made it four goals in five starts after netting a double against West Ham United. He also created two chances in the win over the Hammers, and assisted Cole Palmer for his goal. It was a performance that any centre-forward in the Premier League would’ve been proud of. He was ruthless and efficient in the final third.

(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.

Sep

2024

Premier League Team of the Week: Matchday Four

Four unbeaten teams faced off this weekend and all four teams held on to their unbeaten records. Surprisingly, though, no player from that quartet of teams make it into the FotMob Team of the Week.

By Sam McGuire

Who did make the XI though and what was the justification for it?

Goalkeeper: Dean Henderson

Right-Back: Ezri Konsa

Centre-Back: Ibrahima Konaté

Centre-Back: Cristian Romero

Left-Back: Ashley Young

Midfield: Moisés Caicedo

Midfield: James Maddison

Attack: Heung-Min Son

Attack: Morgan Rogers

Attack: Luis Díaz

Attack: Nicolas Jackson

(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.

Sep

2024

Preview: Inter vs. Milan

The first big clash of title hopefuls for the 2024/25 Serie A season takes place with the Milan derby on Sunday night, with both Inter and AC having shared similarities, but also wild contrasts, from their midweek buildup.

By Karl Matchett

Shared stadium aside, reigning champions Inter are the ‘home’ team – and it’s hard to argue against absolutely everything being in their favour.

While Inter have started out the year with two wins, two draws and a very credible stalemate at Manchester City in the Champions League, for the Rossoneri it has been rather different. Their only win from four in the top flight came last week against the league’s bottom side, Venezia, and in midweek it was merely ten minutes of optimism before a chastening rest of the match as they were soundly beaten 3-1 by Liverpool after initially taking the lead.

Already there are dissenting voices around the club aimed at new head coach Paulo Fonseca, with some Italian outlets reporting if he doesn’t win the derby he’ll be out of a job. Igor Tudor, Edin Terzic and Thomas Tuchel are among those who have been linked, meaning a quick upturn in fortunes is required for Fonseca’s AC side.

Four league matches isn’t much to take in terms of data, but they are third in the league for possession and shots on target, second for corners and expected goals, first for penalties awarded and touches in the box. All of that points to attacking cohesion and creation of chances – yet at the other end of the pitch it’s a different story.

Six conceded could be dismissed as a false start if the numbers didn’t show they were leaking chances, but their xG conceded stands at 5.0, middle of the league, and the defeat at Parma highlighted an issue: four big chances allowed to a team which had 39% possession. While Parma’s total xG was lower than Milan’s own, much of Fonseca’s side’s chances came from set plays.

They are wide open, were soundly beaten by set pieces against Liverpool too and come into the derby with a fine front four, but massive concerns over the back five and midfield protection – plus goalkeeper Mike Maignan went off injured.

Inter have no such concerns. While not perfectly purring, they’ve created 14 big chances, they’ve conceded three goals. They are third for xG conceded and fourth for xG. There is balance, there is quiet expectation and there is a settled side – and above all else, in Simone Inzaghi, a head coach comfortable in his job.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

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

Sep

2024

Preview: Manchester City vs. Arsenal

It might be too early for a title decider, but Sunday’s clash between Manchester City and Arsenal could have a big bearing on the outcome of the 2023/24 Premier League season.

By Graham Ruthven

Having gone head-to-head for the title in each of the last two seasons, the two rivals could produce a memorable spectacle at the Etihad Stadium.

*Final Premier League standings, 2023/24*

However, the absence of Martin Ødegaard through injury could impact the dynamic of the game as it did Arsenal’s goalless draw against Atalanta in the Champions League on Thursday. The Gunners don’t have another player who can create like the Norwegian can and so Mikel Arteta might have no choice but to set his team to be more conservative.

Of course, this is something Arsenal did at the Etihad Stadium last season when they held Manchester City to a 0-0 draw. Ultimately, though, that result contributed to Arsenal losing the title race by just two points. An away win over the defending champions would electrify the Gunners’ entire season and grow belief they can go the full distance this time.

City also enter Sunday’s match on the back of a goalless draw in the Champions League, but Pep Guardiola’s team have the highest Expected Goals (xG) per 90 minutes in the Premier League this season (9.3) with Erling Haaland currently on a run of nine goals in his last four league appearances.

Haaland and co. will pose the biggest threat to Arsenal’s defence this season, but if any centre back pairing can handle the Norwegian striker, it’s likely Gabriel Magalhaes and William Saliba. The Gunners have conceded just once in four league games this season and that defensive resolution is largely due to the partnership of Gabriel and Saliba, although David Raya’s outstanding recent form has been a factor too.

Set pieces will be a key battleground on Sunday. No team has scored more Premier League goals from set pieces since the start of last season than Arsenal (22) and so with Ødegaard missing, this could be how the visitors to the Etihad Stadium pose a threat to the Manchester City goal. That is how they claimed three points against Spurs last weekend.

For two teams with so much attacking talent, Sunday’s clash could be a cagey affair. Arsenal will probably set up to limit City, like they did in the same fixture last season, while the importance of the match might also lead to a more cautionary approach from the hosts. Nonetheless, this has the potential to be a defining match in the 2024/24 campaign.

(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: 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.