Page 37 – The Pulse of Football

Jul

2024

Analysis: Argentina have replaced the world’s best player with one of the best teams

Argentina became the most successful team in Copa América history by lifting the trophy for the 16th time in Miami last weekend. They also are the most successful international team in the 2020s so far having won every major tournament they have participated in – two Copas América and one FIFA World Cup. That is quite a remarkable turnaround for a nation that failed to win any silverware for almost three decades prior to this run.

By Neel Shelat

In fact, Argentina have lost just two of their 63 fixtures since being eliminated from the 2019 Copa América against Brazil. Clearly, Lionel Scaloni has done an incredible job of taking them to the top and keeping them there, and even more impressively, he has done so while their best player – and one of the best the world has ever seen – is in the twilight of his career.

A Constant Quest for Balance

Ever since he broke through at Barcelona, it has been abundantly clear to everyone in the world that Lionel Messi is one of the greatest to ever play the beautiful game. He quickly won everything he possibly could with his club, but despite eight attempts, an international trophy with his beloved Argentina continued to elude him. Sometimes, he was not adequately supported by his teammates on the pitch, sometimes the weight of pressure on him was simply far too much, but either way, it was clear that he could not single-handedly lead Argentina to glory no matter how good he was.

The Albiceleste’s Round of 16 loss to France in a seven-goal thriller in the 2018 World Cup proved to be a real turning point. It was the first international tournament Messi played in after turning 30, so at the time, people began to seriously reckon with the possibility that the great man could one day have to bow out from the international stage without lifting a trophy. For their part, the Argentine FA did what they always seemed to do – change managers after another disappointing tournament.

This time, though, they did something different. They made Lionel Scaloni – a member of the previous coaching staff under Jorge Sampaoli – their next manager despite his lack of experience, drawing a lot of criticism from fans at the time. A year later, he would lead them into an international tournament for the first time in the 2019 Copa América, losing to Brazil in the semi-final after a shaky campaign.

This time, though, the FA did not sack the manager and instead doubled down on their decision to back him by extending his contract until 2022. Again, fans were not happy, but just two years later, everything would change.

Scaloni learned from his mistakes and put out a much more balanced XI in the 2021 Copa, making some tough calls such as benching Sergio Agüero. Among the new faces in the side was Emiliano Martínez, whose penalty shoot-out legend was born when he saved three Colombian attempts in the semi-final. Brazil were the final opponent, and this time it was Argentina who triumphed thanks to the only goal of the game.

Finally, Argentina’s long trophy drought was broken, but that was far from the end of the story. They kept up the momentum and entered the 2022 FIFA World Cup on a 36-match unbeaten run – just one shy of the men’s world record. The proven XI took to the field against a Saudi Arabia side they would have expected to blow away, but instead, they suffered a shock defeat in one of the World Cup’s greatest upsets.

Balance had been the key to Scaloni’s previous success, but the trouble with balance is that it is not only tough to attain but even more difficult to maintain. To his credit, he realised that some changes were needed to get the best out of his side and immediately enacted them. Argentina reverted to the 4-3-3 formation with Alexis Mac Allister as the third midfielder, and soon enough, fellow youngsters Enzo Fernández and Julián Álvarez forced their way into the XI with their game-winning performances off the bench.

With those changes, Argentina got to the final against defending champions France, and the rest is history.

Moving On from Messi

The 2022 World Cup triumph was the crowning jewel of Messi’s unimaginably illustrious career. Not only did he finally get his hands on the elusive trophy, but he did so after an incredible tournament on an individual level as he won the Golden Ball with seven goals and three assists.

That was his glorious peak which could never be matched again. Everyone, himself included, recognised this immediately after the World Cup, but that did not spell the end of his international career. If anything, it was a new beginning as Messi could finally fully enjoy playing for Argentina with absolutely no pressure on his shoulders having won everything there was to win.

And so the show went on in the 2024 Copa América. Argentina got to the final without ever having to get out of second or third gear, as they eased past a simple group with Canada, Chile and Peru, emerged victorious on penalties in a tough quarter-final against Ecuador and once again got the better of Canada to reach another final.

Their opponents, a Colombia side who were on a long unbeaten streak themselves, gave them a real run for their money at first as they exposed some defensive gaps in the Argentine side that were previously untested, but the back line held firm. By now, Martínez’s presence in goal made them favourites in any penalty shoot-out, but winning without all that drama obviously was the preferred outcome.

The starting XI could not get the job done, and worse yet, Messi had to go off injured after twisting his ankle. The match went to extra time, and it was then that Scaloni made a triple change and called upon two of the players he displaced from the starting XI at the World Cup. The goal that then won the game could not have been scripted any better. Leandro Paredes won the ball back in midfield with a brilliant tackle before linking up with Lautaro Martínez, who spun in behind the opposition defence via a through ball from Giovani Lo Celso (the third substitute) before emphatically finding the back of the net.

The nature and context of that goal – created by three substitutes while a heartbroken Messi had to watch on from the sidelines – provided a glimpse into the future for the Albiceleste. The Inter Miami forward no longer is the best player in the world and will soon have to hang up his boots, but Argentina will still stay one of the world’s strongest sides.

All over the XI, they already have great balance even without superstar quality. Emiliano Martínez is the perfect man between the sticks for international football, the Cristian Romero–Lisandro Martínez centre-back partnership is supremely solid and helpful on the ball, and the full-backs are all serviceable if not remarkable. The midfield is almost perfectly composed between the deep-lying playmaking of Enzo Fernández, hard work and water-carrying of Rodrigo De Paul and creativity of Alexis Mac Allister. Up front, both Lautaro Martínez and Julián Álvarez can decide games from the starting XI or the bench.

Of course, no one can possibly replace Lionel Messi, but Argentina also have to contend with the loss of Ángel Di María, who has already retired. The Benfica winger was arguably the best player of the old generation – apart from Messi – as he always worked his socks off, did whatever was asked of him without complaint even if he had to be shifted out of position and, unlike most of his peers, stood up and delivered on the biggest of days.

In a way, Argentina have replaced the world’s best player by assembling a squad of Di María-like players. Most of them are not the very best in the world in their position (but obviously are quite good nevertheless), but all of them fulfil the above checklist. As a result, they now have one of the world’s best teams which should continue to compete at the highest level for years to come.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

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

Jul

2024

Bart Verbruggen’s performances at EURO 2024 suggest he should already be Brighton’s undisputed No. 1

Cast your minds back to the start of the World Cup in 2022 and the starting lineup for Netherlands. You didn’t need to go far to find a surprise name on the teamsheet: right at the top, in fact, with Andries Noppert in goal, winning his debut cap in the first group stage game. A great reward, but it showcased a problem area for the Oranje: they’d struggled for consistency and quality in goal for some time and he hasn’t won another cap since.

By Karl Matchett

This time around they went for 21-year-old Bart Verbruggen, getting the talented 21-year-old some early tournament experience in the expectation he’ll be around for the long haul. So how did he get on at Euro 2024?

It’s of course important to place context: goalkeeping is such a tough position to analyse by numbers alone – and even by eye-test it can be a hugely subjective role. Should the No.1 be a tremendous shot-stopper first and foremost, or be an organiser of his defence? Must he dominate his area, be great with his feet, indomitable in the air?

The very best are all of the above perhaps, but even world-class performers come in different styles: Jan Oblak to Alisson Becker, for example, are worlds apart stylistically yet both reign supreme at the top of the elite game.

For Verbruggen, he naturally has a way to go to get to that level, but it was a relatively promising tournament nonetheless.

With the Dutch going to the semi-finals, he played six games, conceding seven along the way (own goals not shown on shot map below) – not a great rate, but they were open initially and struggling for a midfield setup after injuries and absences, none of which helps team cohesion and in turn the ‘keeper.

Verbruggen clocked out with a 70.8% save rate: ranking 15th in the tournament by that metric, so below where he might have hoped, but added context is needed. He prevented a total of 0.7 goals across his matches (by shot saved xG value), bringing him in around the same level as Albania’s Thomas Strakosha (72.2% saved, 0.9 prevented) across the board there. For further comparison, the aforementioned elite end of Slovenia’s Oblak ranked first for saves (88.2%) and second for goals prevented (3.8), with only the similarly excellent and overworked Giorgi Mamardashvili (4.7) ahead of him there. But Oblak has ten years on Verbruggen – that’s not a realistic or reasonable comparison to hold him up against.

There’s also the fact that as a team, the Dutch conceded a total expected goals value – all shots against them at the tournament – of 6.5, the third-highest of all nations. They were not iron-clad in front of Verbruggen, so some going past him is to be expected.

Other numbers are more in his favour: he made no direct errors leading to goals, his pass success rate was better than 85% of all other tournament goalkeepers, he kept a couple of clean sheets on the way.

There was also no shot lower than a 0.1xG value which beat him to find the net – that being Ollie Watkins’ strike – and no goals which got past him from outside the penalty box.

All things considered it was a solid, if unspectacular, tournament debut for him – with a couple of big highlights thrown in such as the low, late save against Türkiye to keep the Dutch ahead in the quarter-finals. There were no dramatic negatives, either, as was the case with a few goalkeepers in their first major tournament.

Throwing it forward, it’s also a case to put to Brighton that now is the time to build on that and make him their undisputed No.1 following a season of job sharing with Jason Steele. While six games is a small sample size, his performances with the Dutch were improved on those with the Seagulls.

And while he clearly wasn’t a finished article last year at the Amex Stadium, he was already superior to Steele in most areas: saves per 90, save percentage, goals prevented, high claims per 90 and pass success rate.

A new manager – Fabian Hürzeler, the Premier League’s youngest – may of course always take their own new route and start from the back with a teambuild, but it seems an ideal moment for Brighton to take a step forward with Verbruggen, knowing the young Dutch stopper must still improve further, but also expecting that he will with the experience of a major tournament behind him and the prospect of a big campaign ahead.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

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

Jul

2024

Desire Doue: The Rennes dribbler set to make the jump from Ligue 1

With a greater emphasis on pressing and how much more sophisticated out of possession frameworks have become, time and space for attacking talents has decreased compared to previous eras in football. As such, many clubs are constantly on the lookout for 1v1 specialists who can also contribute a certain level of goals and assists. This need is especially pertinent in the Premier League given the level of coaching across the division.

By Mohamed Mohamed

We could look to Manchester City as an example of a club which has searched for wingers who can consistently create for others. Going back to the mid 2010s, they’ve spent significant fees on the likes of Raheem Sterling, Leroy Sané, Riyad Mahrez, Jack Grealish and now Jérémy Doku. With how much City dominate final third territory under Pep Guardiola, having wide attackers who are a threat off the dribble is essential. If you look at the best clubs in Europe, they tend to have at least one winger who can put the fear of god in to defenders as an on-ball creator. Those trying to gatecrash this elite level are trying to acquire that archetype of player.

This is where Désiré Doué comes into the fold. At only 19 years old, the French winger has the broad outlines of a player who could one day play for one of Europe’s elite. He’s another in a long line of highly touted young talents to have come from Rennes’ impressive academy, which not too long ago, helped produce an extremely exciting winger in Ousmane Dembélé.

It is not hard to see why he’s been tipped as the next prospect for whom Rennes will receive a massive transfer fee. His highlight reel consists of him frequently beating fullbacks either going towards the byline or cutting inside. He’s a clean receiver of the ball, and with neat touches to set up his impressive first step, he’s always threatening to make something happen. At 3.54 dribbles per 90 with a 67.4% success rate in Ligue 1 last season, he’s one of the most electric dribblers on the planet right now.

The brilliance of Doué’s dribbling does come with trade-offs, mainly that he can be susceptible to tunnel vision. It seems like once he cuts inside, he’s already made up his mind instead of surveying the available options to him. While this is an issue for many wingers, it’s probably more heightened with him. He’s also got a slight frame, which means he can get nudged off by defenders a bit easier, especially when trying to attempt long distance solo carries. This could get improved upon in the future through doing better at getting across his man to gain an advantage, in addition to greater strength and conditioning.

The best wingers are not just those who’ll frequently glide past their marker, but also have the technical quality to make incisive passes. Doué is a bit of a mixed bag as a creator. When he does look up, he’s good at scanning his options and can be inventive in the type of deliveries he attempts. The weighting of his passes can be erratic despite how impressive he is in terms of volume of passes into the box. This makes it tough for his teammates to get clean shots off after receiving a throughball or reverse pass into the box. The end results are still pretty decent at 1.72 chances created per 90 and 0.21 expected assists per 90, but given how much his dribbling can help him access valuable areas, those figures could be even higher.

Off the ball is Doué’s weakest point to his game. To some extent, this is understandable. Teenagers don’t tend to be savants with their movement. Even still, it lags behind his other skills by some distance. On occasion, you’ll see him make runs along the touchline or in behind to chase after long balls. He’s most likely to attempt forward movement off the ball if he’s combining with teammates. More times than not though, he’s receiving the ball against a set defence who can throw double teams his way. This can be seen in his shot map from league play last season, which mostly consists of attempts in the wide zone of the penalty box and outside of it. Without any runs in behind, it’s basically impossible to consistently generate good, to great shots.

Very few would disagree with the opinion that at 19 years old, Doué would be considered a project signing. The flashes of talent he shows are undoubtedly tantalising, and the fees getting reported at least partially reflect the massive upside clubs think he has and being willing to help him through further growing pains. As well, things have shifted in the market to where there’s a greater willingness to spend big money on young talents compared to 5-10 years ago. If you hit and find a star, especially as a superclub, you’ll likely get many years of elite production from them.

The big clubs can take solace that teenagers who show at least some promise in Ligue 1 tend to have successful careers. The obvious example is Kylian Mbappé. Rafael Leão had a single successful season with Lille and has been one of the best players in Serie A over the past few years. When healthy, Ousmane Dembélé has been a terrific player. If you don’t sink while playing regular minutes at such a young age, there’s a decent chance you end up have a strong peak.

One concern with Doué is that the pathway to stardom as primarily an on-ball initiator with limited off-ball value is very tough to accomplish. It’s certainly not impossible, but it would involve sizable growth as a playmaker, including less instances of tunnel vision. There have been several young talents over the years in this mould who ended up being fine players during their prime, but a few rungs below the level of the greats. Dembélé is an example of someone who was able to do it, but he’s a unique case in part because of being both footed. Incorporating more runs into depth would be helpful to contribute more goals and assists.

Doué is certainly an exciting prospect, and under the tutelage of top-level coaching, it’s possible that he ends up being a star in a few years time. Given the flaws in his skill set, it would be surprising if the leap happened in 2024-25, but player development can sometimes occur in a linear fashion. There is clear room for improvement, and it’s possible he tops out as a solid yet ultimately unspectacular player. On the other hand, history suggests that it isn’t a bad idea to bet on a teenager in Ligue 1 with some tangible results. It’ll be interesting to see where Désiré Doué goes next, because it’s possible that in the future, he’ll be thought of as one of the best players to have ever come from Rennes’ academy.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

You can follow every developing transfer story on FotMob thanks to our active news feeds, club pages, and dedicated transfer centre. Download the free app here.

Jul

2024

The MLS Team of the Week: Matchday 26

Our Major League Soccer expert James Nalton explains his two votes for the North American Soccer Reporters (NASR) MLS Player of the Matchday and picks out three more standout players from the latest round of action.

By James Nalton

The Top Two

9.5 FotMob rating: Ashley Westwood, Charlotte FC

It was a statement win for Dean Smith’s Charlotte side against reigning Supporters’ Shield title winners and 2024 challengers FC Cincinnati.

Charlotte came away with an impressive 3-1 win, and Westwood assisted all three of the goals.

A deep cross from the right halfspace for Iuri Tavares opened the scoring, then a neat through-pass for Liel Abada following some good pressing made it two.

Cincinnati were close to making it 2-2 after Luciano Acosta had already pulled a goal back, but the Argentine star saw a penalty saved by impressive Charlotte goalkeeper Kristijan Kahlina who was unlucky not to get an All-Star call-up.

Westwood then whipped in a corner for Kerwin Vargas to make it 3-1 and the game was won.

The English midfielder finished the game having created five chances and with a pass success of 93%.

“He controls the game really well when we need him to,” Smith said of Westwood’s performance.

“He understands the game. He knows how to slow it down when he needs to and knows how to quicken it up.”

9.1 FotMob rating: Facundo Torres, Orlando City

Orlando went a goal down early on against New England but Facundo Torres contributed to what was a great comeback win for the Lions.

His three shots in this game had a combined xG of just 0.19, hardly great chances, but his xG on target was 1.44, showing how good his finishing was.

Both of his goals were perfectly placed left-footed finishes into the corner of the goal from the right wing.

Ramiro Enrique scored in between Torres’s brace to give Orlando a 3-1 win on the road.

Three more standout performers

9.2 FotMob rating: Ryan Gauld, Vancouver Whitecaps

The familiar double-act of Gauld and Brian White were in top form again for the Whitecaps as the Canadian side defeated St Louis City 4-1.

Gauld assisted the first of White’s two goals to open the scoring and assisted the final goal of the game scored by Fafá Picault in added time at the end of the game.

That second assist also involved some determined defensive work to win the ball back before releasing Picault.

In between all of that, Gauld created six chances in total, in what was another display of his creativity from open play and set pieces and his all-round importance to the team.

9.0 FotMob rating: Christian Ramirez, Columbus Crew

This weekend’s meeting between Los Angeles FC and Columbus Crew was not only a repeat of last year’s MLS Cup final but also pit two MLS coaches linked with the vacant United States men’s national team job against each other.

LAFC’s Steve Cheundolo has been heavily linked with replacing Gregg Berhalter, while many would like to see Columbus’s French coach, Wilfried Nancy, get the job.

Columbus came out on top in last year’s MLS Cup final, and did so again here, winning 5-1 in Los Angeles.

Christian Ramirez was on fire, heading in the opener and glancing in a free-kick cross from Alexandru Matan. Ramirez ended the game with an xG+xA of 1.23.

Cucho Hernández chipped in with a Golazo, fairly standard for him these days, and Diego Rossi and Matan got on the scoresheet too.

Columbus have two games in hand on league leaders Inter Miami, and at this stage look like a team that will really challenge Lionel Messi et al for the regular season title and the MLS Cup.

9.0 FotMob rating: Santiago Moreno, Portland Timbers

At this stage it’s a case of guess which Portland Timbers attacker will feature among the best players this week, it seems such a regular occurrence.

Last week, Jonathan Rodríguez featured in the top two, and on Matchday 23 it was Evander.

The third player of their attacking trident behind striker Felipe Mora is Santiago Moreno, and it is he who just gets the nod over the similarly impressive Evander this week.

The Timbers defeated a Suppoerters’ Shield (league title) chasing Real Salt Lake 3-0. It was RSL’s first away defeat since their trip to Miami in February.

Some great work at the byline from Moreno led to the cross and the opener for Mora. Moreno scored a well-executed half-volley to make it two before Evander rounded off the win.

The Colombian winger created six chances in total for an expected assist score of 0.8.

Last week the official Major League Soccer Twitter account posted about the MVP race, listing Luciano Acosta, Chicho Arango, Cucho Hernández, Denis Bouanga, and Lionel Messi, Timbers’ coach Phil Neville responded with a Tweet saying “Evander???????????????????”.

But how about Santiago Moreno???????????????????

(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.

Jul

2024

Attending the first ‘midnight sun’ game in Norway’s Eliteserien

While most football fan’s attention was quite rightly on the finals of the European Championships and the Copa America over the weekend, we were present for another rather unique experience in the world of football.

By Bill Biss

Hosted by Tromsø, a North Norway side based in the Arctic Circle, and kicking off at 10pm local time, the top flight clash with KFUM was played at a time of year when it is light for 24 hours a day.

This first ‘midnattssolkamp’ was a chance for relegation threatened Tromsø to escape the relegation zone against a newly promoted side punching well above their weight in recent times. KFUM are a humble club representing the sports association of the local YMCA in Oslo, Norway’s capital city and they are playing at the highest level in their 85 year history.

As it turns out, KFUM won the game thanks to a late winner from Momodou Njie, a result that sees them sitting eighth in the table.

For more images from the game, please check out @fotmobapp on Instagram and TikTok.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

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

All images taken by Espen Fjærvoll

Jul

2024

Euro 2024: FotMob Team of the Tournament

Euro 2024 is now in the history books. Spain clinched their fourth European Championship with a 2-1 win over England in Berlin. And the new European champions dominate the FotMob Team of the Tournament with six players making the XI. But who else joins the Spanish sextuple and why do they make the cut?

By Sam McGuire

Without further ado, here’s your Euro 2024 FotMob Team of the Tournament.

Goalkeeper: Giorgio Mamardashvili

The Valencia shot-stopper was part of a Georgia team that really captured the imagination of the neutrals at this tournament. The 23-year-old found himself in the Team of the Matchday in two of the opening three games as he helped Willy Sagnol’s men escape the group.

Against Czechia in a 1-1 draw, Mamardashvili made 11 saves and faced shots with an Expected Goals on Target total of four. It was one of the performances of the competition.

Right-Back: Jules Koundé

Perhaps a surprise name. Koundé did go under the radar for France in this tournament. The 25-year-old played his part in Les Bleus keeping four clean sheets across six matches. He also finished the competition having created 11 chances from his right-back role. In one particular eye-catching performance against Belgium, the Barcelona defender created five chances. He also made two appearances in the FotMob Team of the Matchday.

Centre-Back: Pepe

The 41-year-old simply refuses to grow old. The Porto centre-back was one of the best defenders at the tournament, helping Portugal to three clean sheets in his four starts. He finished with an average FotMob rating of 7.7. Against Czechia, he posted a tournament-high personal best with an 8.1 rating. In that game, he completed 93% of his attempted passes while also completing 100% of his dribbles, winning two of his three tackles and seven of his nine duels.

Centre-Back: Aymeric Laporte

It really wouldn’t be a surprise if a number of top European clubs were looking to bring Laporte back to the continent after his showing at Euro 2024. The former Manchester City man looked right at home against some of the best players in the world and, at 30, he’s still got a good few years left in the tank. He appeared in two Team of the Matchday XIs while impressing against Georgia (8.2 rating) and against hosts Germany in the quarter-finals in a game he posted a rating of 7.7.

Left-Back: Marc Cucurella

A surprise name for Spain. Not just in the starting XI but in the squad entirely. Earlier in the summer, Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville singled the Chelsea man out as a potential weak link that could cost La Roja, saying: “The Spanish defence, it’s got a lot of experience now but there’s something just missing from Spain that makes you feel like they’re going to go all the way. I have to say that him being at left back is a good example of why we think that.”

Safe to say Cucurella made Neville look extremely naive. The former Brighton full-back appeared in the Team of the Matchday on three occasions, he was the standout performer in the win over Italy and he assisted the winner in the final.

Midfield: Toni Kroos

Kroos ran the show for Germany on what was his farewell tour. Across his first four showings, his lowest FotMob rating was 8.1. He was one of the key reasons why many people tipped the hosts to go far in the tournament. Julian Nagelsmann’s side lost to eventual winners Spain in the quarter-final. Kroos wasn’t anywhere near as influential as he had been in earlier games but he was still a standout performer for Germany, completing 92% of his passes and creating two chances in the 2-1 defeat.

Midfield: Fabián Ruiz

Ruiz barely appeared for Paris Saint-Germain in Ligue 1 last season so his inclusion was a bold decision by the Spain manager. He more than justified Luis de la Fuente’s faith in him.

He finished the tournament with the highest average FotMob rating of the tournament (8.04). The 28-year-old scored two goals and claimed two assists, as well as appearing in four Team of the Matchday XIs. Rodri was named as the Player of the Tournament but there’s a strong argument that Ruiz should’ve won that particular award.

Midfield: Dani Olmo

In what turned out to be an unbelievable tournament for Olmo, the 26-year-old finished as the joint-top scorer despite not being a starter for Spain. He made three appearances in the FotMob Team of the Matchday too.

The versatile RB Leipzig midfielder scored the winner against France in the semi-final and also found the back of the net in the quarter-final victory over Germany. He finished with an average FotMob rating of 7.92, an average that only Ruiz could better.

Attack: Lamine Yamal

What a tournament the young Barcelona forward had.

Yamal, who only turned 17 on Saturday, was named the Young Player of the Tournament and it was truly deserved. The Spain attacker finished with four assists, including one in the final. He also scored one of the goals of Euro 2024 in the semi-final win over France. He finished the competition having created the most chances (19) and the most big chances (eight).

Attack: Cody Gakpo

Gakpo was another player to finish as the joint-top scorer at Euro 2024. The Liverpool utility man scored on three occasions and also registered an assist for the Dutch in what was an eye-catching tournament on a personal level. The 25-year-old, who played his part in the Netherlands reaching the semi-finals, finished with a FotMob rating of 7.66. To go along with his four goal involvements, Gakpo also carved out 12 chances and four big chances.

Attack: Nico Williams

After this showing, you can understand why so many clubs are reportedly courting the Athletic Club sensation. He finished the tournament with two goals, one of which arrived in the final, and an assist. Williams racked up an 8.2 FotMob rating against England. The recently turned 22-year-old created 13 chances across his seven outings, as well as four big chances. He was also averaging 2.4 successful dribbles per 90.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

You can follow every game from Euro 2024 live with FotMob — featuring deep stats coverage, xG, and player ratings. Download the free app here.

Jul

2024

FotMob Daily Briefing: Four things to look out for in the final of EURO 2024

So here we are, the 30th and final day of the European Championships in Germany, and the day when either Spain, or England, will leave with the trophy.

By Ian King

Lamine Yamal is more a goal provider than a goalscorer

The 17-year old (as of yesterday) wunderkind’s blistering goal for Spain in their semi-final against France may have been one of the defining moments of this tournament so far, but focusing on this to the exception of the rest of his game is mis-direction.

Yamal has three assists so far in this tournament, the most of any player, while he’s also attempted 30 dribbles with the ball, a number only bettered by four others. Against England’s weakened left-side, creating for others may well end up being his role rather than repeating his semi-final goalscoring act of brilliance.

Nico Williams is more than an just attacking threat

While attention has been lavished upon Yamal since Spain’s semi-final win, the youngster isn’t even the only potentially mortal threat that they have on the wings. On the left-hand side is Nico Williams, but while Williams can get forward it’s his defensive support that has increasingly caught the eye as Spain have progressed.

Against Croatia in the opening game, he made eight ball pressures in their defensive third of the pitch. That number rose to ten against Germany in the quarter-finals in the 90 minutes of normal time and then 13 against France, the second-highest number of any of Spain’s players.

England will remain dependent on “moments”

Asked about the prospect of beating Spain, Gareth Southgate began his reply by saying, “We’ll need to get the ball off them first.” Not only is this a recognition on the England manager’s part of the immense challenge of getting the ball off Spain in the first place, but also by extension a tacit admission of how important it is that they take the chances they get.

With a cautious set-up, England have been dependent on ‘moments’ throughout this tournament, arguably more than any other competing team. The good news there is that they arguably have more players capable of producing or creating them than any other. Bukayo Saka, Phil Foden, Cole Palmer, Jude Bellingham, Harry Kane and Ollie Watkins have all already proved themselves plenty capable of either providing or finishing off these ‘moments’. Whether they can do so tonight may determine whether it comes home or not.

The bar to win the Golden Boot is pretty low

One of the most striking statistics to have come from Euro 2024 so far has been how low the bar is to finish as its top scorer. Going into tonight’s final, six players are tied on three goals each in the race for the Golden Boot and only two of them – Harry Kane and Dani Olmo – are still in the competition.

In 2021, Cristiano Ronaldo and Patrick Schick led the way with five each. In 2016 it was Antoine Griezmann, with six. We have to go all the way to 2012 to see statistics similar to this year, when – as this year, going into the final – six players tied for top scorer on three each, and that was a 16-team tournament with a whole round less of matches.

Should Olmo and/or Kane fail to score tonight, this almost anomalous-looking statistic could be repeated, but from a greater number of matches than 2012. No European Championship finals has ended with such a low top goalscorer since there were only eight entrants in 1992.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

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Jul

2024

How Néstor Lorenzo Turned the Tide for Colombia

On July 6, 2021, Argentina faced off against Colombia in the Copa América semi-final. Argentina got off to a quick start as Lionel Messi found Lautaro Martínez for the opener within seven minutes, but Los Cafeteros would respond on the hour-mark as Luis Díaz latched onto a long ball, rode the contact from his opponent, and delicately placed the ball into the side-netting. After both teams failed to find a goal in the remaining 30 minutes, the match went to a shootout, where Emiliano Martínez would come up clutch from the spot by producing three saves in São Paulo and willing the Albiceleste to a 3-2 win on penalties.

By Zach Lowy

Colombia would go on to beat Peru 3-2 in the third-placed match, whilst Argentina beat Brazil 1-0 in their own backyard to claim their first major trophy since 1993, kicking off a golden period that has seen them win their first World Cup in 36 years and reach back-to-back Copa América finals.

Argentina have the chance to follow in the footsteps of Spain 2008-2012 and win three major tournaments in a row, and they’ll be taking on Colombia in Miami in a Copa América Final that will pit two of the most in-form teams in world football against each other. Whilst Argentina have won all but two matches in regulation since their World Cup victory – a penalty shootout win vs. Ecuador in the Copa quarter-finals and a loss to Uruguay in World Cup qualifying – Colombia boast the longest unbeaten streak in the world. Their last defeat came on February 1, 2022 in a 1-0 loss to Argentina that saw Lautaro Martínez open the scoring within a half-hour. Colombia would bounce back by closing out their World Cup qualifying campaign with victories against Bolivia and Venezuela, but it was too little, too late: the damage was already done.

Darkest Before the Dawn

Colombia returned to the World Cup in 2014 after a 16-year absence and reached the quarter-finals, where they would lose to hosts Brazil, and they would follow it up by making the Round of 16 in 2018 and losing on penalties to England. But after making their mark in Brazil and Russia, Colombia would miss out on the 2022 World Cup after a dreadful second half of 2021 which saw them draw to Bolivia and Paraguay and beat Chile, before failing to score in their next seven competitive matches. Whilst Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, and Ecuador booked their ticket for Qatar, Colombia would watch from the sidelines. It seemed that La Tricolor’s golden generation had run its course.

Desperate for a fresh start, the Federación Colombiana de Fútbol parted ways with Reinaldo Rueda and hired Néstor Lorenzo, who became the fifth Argentine to manage the Colombia national team. Lorenzo got off to a strong start with friendly wins against Guatemala, Mexico and Paraguay before drawing to the US and South Korea, and his Cafeteros would build on that momentum by beating Japan, Iraq and Germany. However, he would have to wait 14 months before overseeing his first competitive fixture with Colombia on September 7, 2023, with Rafael Santos Borré scoring immediately after the restart and paving the way for a 1-0 win vs. Venezuela.

Three straight draws against Chile, Uruguay and Ecuador would follow before Colombia made their first real statement victory under Lorenzo, erasing an early deficit and winning 2-1 via a late brace from Díaz to secure just their second win against Brazil in the past 33 years. Borré would kick off proceedings with an early penalty as Colombia pulled off a 1-0 win against Paraguay, a victory that puts them third in CONMEBOL’s table with one-third of the World Cup qualifiers being played (the top six head to the 2026 World Cup whilst seventh heads to the World Cup qualifying playoffs).

Los Cafeteros have won 12 of their last 13 matches and have advanced to the Copa América Final for the third time in their history. They lost in the 1975 final to Peru before returning in 2001, a tournament that was fraught with controversy and drama from start to finish. On July 1, CONMEBOL announced the cancellation of the tournament due to security concerns over host nation Colombia, only to immediately reverse its decision. This unexpected U-turn triggered two last-minute substitutions: Canada, having disbanded its training camp, would be replaced by Costa Rica, whilst Argentina pulled out over alleged terrorist threats to their players. Honduras were invited to fill their spot and made the most out of their opportunity by reaching the knockout stage, where they would pull off one of the greatest underdog runs in the tournament’s history by beating Brazil 2-0 in the quarter-finals and edging Uruguay on penalties in the third-place match. As for Colombia, they beat Peru and Honduras before seeing off Mexico 1-0 in Bogotá courtesy of Iván Córdoba’s second-half goal, sealing their first and only Copa América title.

Lorenzo’s Tactical Approach

Sometimes, you’ve got to hit rock bottom before you can reach the top. That’s proven true for Argentina, who had to suffer through three final defeats in three years before finally putting an end to their trophy drought in 2021, and that might just very well be the case for a Colombia side that finds itself just 90 minutes away from winning their first silverware since 2001. It was less than three years ago that Colombia couldn’t buy a goal, but today, they find themselves clicking on all cylinders and finding the back of the net for fun with 12 goals this tournament – no other team has more than 9. Bit by bit, Néstor Lorenzo has been able to transform Colombia into a well-oiled machine capable of holding down the fort defensively whilst also posing a formidable threat in the final third, but just how has he been able to do it? I spoke to Simon Edwards, an Englishman based in Medellín, Colombia who works as the South American Director for the ISC player agency.

“In terms of goals, I think there have been a couple of important factors. There has been a shift to a more dynamic approach with lots of positional interchanges. Out of possession, there is discipline and intensity in the press, but on the ball there is a lot more freedom. Quick, short passing combined with quick runners offering in behind makes Colombia unpredictable and really plays to the strengths of the side.”

“Wilmar Barrios had been a key man anchoring the midfield but he has not been included at the Copa América while other Russia-based players such as Jhon Córdoba and Jorge Carrascal have. I think this is because Lorenzo wants all his midfielders to be able to progress the ball and play with forward-facing creativity. He has managed the transition very well and the group looks very united. The style of play suits the Colombians very well and you can see how much they are enjoying playing together.”

“During the long run without scoring, all of the big chances fell to the 9. Colombia had some top strikers at that time, but it really put pressure on the centre forward to win the game with a more rigid structure. Now, the 9 [Córdoba] plays as a facilitator, leading the press but also with a more collective role, bringing others in and holding up the ball. This has been key in improving attacking output: Colombia win the ball higher and have more players arriving quickly in the box before the opposition can get set.”

Lorenzo’s attacking style of play has bore plenty of fruit for Colombia, whose 8.5 expected goals and 15 big chances are second only to Argentina (11.1 and 22), whilst their 6.2 accurate crosses per game are bettered only by Uruguay (6.6). Colombia have found the right balance in attack and managed to buttress their backline with an organized approach on and off the ball, and it could very well result in an epic victory in Florida. However, if they are to shock the world and come away with the title, they’ll need James Rodríguez to be at his very best.

James Rodríguez: The Man With a Plan

It has been one decade since James Rodríguez burst onto the scene for Colombia, guiding them to the last eight in Brazil and winning the World Cup Golden Boot with 6 goals. Since then, James has won two league titles apiece at Real Madrid and Bayern Munich, two UEFA Champions League titles with Real, as well as one Copa do Brasil title with his current club São Paulo. After a short-lived spell at Everton, the Colombian playmaker had seemingly fallen by the wayside, bouncing around from Qatar to Greece to Brazil, but he has nevertheless found a second wind in this Copa América and delivered a tournament for the ages. James (8.29) is FotMob’s second-highest-rated player of the tournament after Venezuela’s Jon Aramburu (8.52), whilst he leads all players for goal contributions (7), assists (6), and chances created (17). Only Federico Valverde (1.8) has more expected assists than Rodríguez (1.7), whilst only Lionel Messi (7) has created more big chances than him (5). Two days after turning 33, James will play the biggest match of his entire career as Colombia take on an Argentina side that is looking to surpass Uruguay with the most Copa América titles in history and secure a record 16th trophy.

Lorenzo has engineered a succession plan at Colombia with various veteran players like Wilmar Barrios, David Ospina and Radamel Falcao making way for younger options, but he’s nevertheless built his new-look team around James, whose national team exploits speak for themselves. His 90 appearances put him seventh amongst all Colombia players, whilst only Falcao (36) has found the back of the net on more occasions for Los Cafeteros than James (28).

10 years after making the move to Real Madrid for £63 million, where James became the most expensive Colombian player of all time and forced Ángel Di María to seek a transfer to Manchester United, James has the chance to spoil the final match of Di María’s international career and pull off an improbable victory in Miami. However, in order to do so, he’ll need to do something that no team has been able to achieve since Brazil on July 2, 2019: beat Argentina in a knockout round match at a major tournament.

Greater Than the Sum of their Parts

In contrast to Argentina, who boast a star-studded array of players from Manchester City, Liverpool, Manchester United and more, Colombia’s line-up will include just three footballers who are currently plying their trade in Europe’s top five leagues: Liverpool winger Luis Díaz, Villarreal left back Johan Mojica, and Crystal Palace midfielder Jefferson Lerma. Lerma opened the scoring in the 39th minute, rising above the defense and meeting James’ world-class delivery with a bullet header. However, Lerma’s club teammate Daniel Muñoz would throw Uruguay a lifeline before the break after elbowing Manuel Ugarte in the chest and receiving his second booking. Colombia were forced to dig deep, but they managed to hold on with 10 men and give Uruguay their first competitive defeat since September.

Colombia’s starting line-up will likely feature four players currently suiting up in the Brasileirão – Bahia’s Santiago Arias will fill in for Muñoz at right back, Fluminense’s Jhon Arias and Palmeiras’ Richard Ríos should compose the midfield alongside Lerma and Rodríguez, whilst Krasnodar striker Jhon Córdoba will lead the line. Galatasaray’s Davinson Sánchez and Genk’s Carlos Cuesta will form the central defensive pairing, whilst Atlas’ Camilo Vargas will start between the sticks.

“Out of possession, James plays centrally to coordinate the press with Díaz from the left and Córdoba moving to the right,” stated Edwards. “James isn’t a great defender but he is very intelligent and is effective at forcing mistakes. Behind that you have three midfielders with a lot of energy and aggression – Rios and Arias are very aggressive, sharp, tough and they snap into tackles, whilst Lerma is also athletic and defensively strong. This enables Colombia to defend on the front foot and force longer passes. The backline has plenty of pace to deal with that and they are strong in the air. Against Uruguay, they showed they can also stay compact in a deep block but generally, they have benefited from playing on the front foot and engaging higher up the field.”

From Mexico to Türkiye, from Belgium to Russia, these players have come from far and wide to represent Colombia in this summer’s Copa América. Rather than bask in the despondency of their 2022 World Cup embarassment, they have used it as a catalyst to turn their performances around and give Cafeteros fans something to cheer about. They have rode the wave of confidence and made it all the way to the finish line, and they have the chance to write their name into the history books and put an end to Argentina’s golden era.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

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Jul

2024

One key direct battle to watch for in the EURO 2024 final: Fabian Ruiz vs Kobbie Mainoo

A month in Germany comes down to one night in Berlin: England and Spain meeting in the Euro 2024 final, the pass masters and the comeback kings, the best team of the tournament and perhaps the most dramatic one.

By Karl Matchett

Gareth Southgate has had to hone and redevelop his team as the competition has gone on somewhat, while for Luis de la Fuente it has been a first-choice plan throughout, save for injuries and suspensions. They come together now with the teams finally looking set and some key battles all over the pitch, but one in particular which could make or break the final.

That comes in the centre of the park, where one of Southgate’s switches will face De la Fuente’s constants: Kobbie Mainoo and Fabián Ruiz.

They are not necessarily always going to be in direct conflict, of course; Spain’s dynamic pivot of Ruiz and Rodri don’t stick to channels, but insofar as one will be left-sided, it will be the PSG man. His left foot adds balance and immediate ability to play infield when La Roja recycle across during spells of sustained pressure and he prefers to attack that channel.

And while Declan Rice is predominantly the more defensive-minded, deeper-sitting of England’s pair, it’s Mainoo who tracks back into their right channel, pitting him right in Ruiz’s path in stretches where Spain are on the front foot – which could be much of the match.

There are two important factors to this from a Spain attacking perspective, and one from England’s.

On the latter, it’s simplistic but will form an important part of the Three Lions’ approach and route to victory in the final: if Spain enjoy more possession, Mainoo is the best option through the middle in changing the pace of England’s play. He is the one who can take the ball on the turn, alter the tempo with a change of direction and pass, he’s the ball-carrier centrally and can manipulate the ball in tight spaces where others are less-adept and where Spain may converge their press, opening spaces elsewhere for the likes of Phil Foden to exploit – if Mainoo can ride that initial challenge and make the pass.

Going the other way, Ruiz has been outstanding for Spain at the tournament. It’s not an exaggeration to suggest he has been better for his national team than at any point during PSG’s Champions League campaign last year, with his influence in ball retention and creativity clear to see.

Quite aside from two goals and two assists at the tournament, he’s averaging three shots a game, has created three big chances and nine overall, yet has also pitched in with four interceptions, 11 dribbles and a whopping 40 recoveries – higher than 96% of players at the tournament.

Where he has been instrumental is in his positional play high upfield and timing of when to make his regains: winning possession back 2.4 times a game on average in the final third of the pitch, Ruiz has been the best player at the tournament in that particular regard. He is the king of Spain’s press, regain and reset, and the inexperienced Mainoo will have a mammoth task in stopping him doing so in Berlin.

And so the two keys for Mainoo: escaping that press as the first out-ball for England, but also then having the athleticism and drive to get beyond Ruiz who, for all his technical attributes and work rate, is not the quickest.

For England the big benefits on having settled on the Manchester United midfielder as the partner to Declan Rice is twofold on this occasion: he is fearless, and he is relentless. He will not be cowed by Spain’s prowess, by the size of the occasion or the experience of those he faces. He’s also strong across his (admittedly fewer) minutes in the tournament so far on interceptions (1.8 per 90), duels won (62%) and pass success rate (94%) – all key traits he’ll have to rely on to get the better of this Spain midfield, even if it is only sporadically, even if it is only for part of the match.

By performance levels and consistency, Ruiz is a very worthy contender for team of the tournament and is one of the key Spain players who, if they play well, the national team will go a huge step towards winning Euro 2024. Mainoo is the one who must rise to the occasion, in the biggest game of his career so far.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

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Jul

2024

Preview: Spain vs. England

Once there were 24, but now there are two. England play Spain in the European Championships final in Berlin, a match between two teams who have taken wildly different routes through the tournament to reach this final showdown.

By Ian King

Spain have already set a tournament record by becoming the first nation ever to win six games out of six while receiving widespread plaudits for their progressive expansive football. Their star player only turned 17 yesterday, and is already being hailed as a generational talent.

England, on the other hand, have scrambled there, requiring a stoppage-time equaliser and a penalty shootout to get through their quarter-final and a last minute winner against the Netherlands in the semi-final, all set to a deafening din of criticism at their style of football.

In truth, Spain aren’t quite as good as they’ve been hyped up to be and England aren’t as bad. Spain needed a goal a minute from the end of their quarter-final to beat the host nation Germany, while the way in which they took their foot off the gas during the second half of their semi-final suggests that they could also be suffering some degree of the same fatigue that has been so evident in England’s performances in previous matches.

There has been an inherent contradiction throughout this tournament, regarding Gareth Southgate’s team this summer, in that cautious play has come about while they have something of a patchwork defence. This, it seems, is the most likely way in which they lose, with wingers Nico Williams and Lamine Yamal tormenting their defence.

Yamal already has more assists to his name than anyone else. Williams has been helping out in both attacking and defensive positions. Rodri has been one of the players of the tournament in the heart of midfield, controlling the tempo of games and demonstrating a boundless passing range.

Is there any hope for England? They start as underdogs, but this is a team of talent and it is reasonable to say that they have incrementally improved as they have progressed. The first half of their semi-final demonstrated a sharp upward step in their improvement trajectory, and if the psychological benefits of late goals and shootout wins are worth anything, then the mood of the players themselves should be buoyant.

This is a daunting challenge for a team that has lost five and won just two of their last eight meetings. England may take some heart from the fact that they won 3-2 in Sevilla, but they may take a little less from the fact that this was almost six years ago.

If the match is tight, then England definitely have a shout. They have plenty of players who’ve already demonstrated that they can do this, but whether they’ll get another opportunity to do so this time around is a different matter altogether.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

You can follow every game from Euro 2024 live with FotMob — featuring deep stats coverage, xG, and player ratings. Download the free app here.