Page 48 – The Pulse of Football

Aug

2024

Preview: Chelsea vs. Manchester City

Brand new Premier League seasons don’t always kick off with a heavyweight clash but when they do, there are two conclusions we can immediately draw…

By Karl Matchett

One is that supporters of the club with a trickier preseason behind them will be grumbling about unfairness or their campaign “really” starting in gameweek two; the second is that hot takes will be rushing out of every conceivable former-players’ orifices come the final whistle on that first weekend.

So let’s get ahead of the curve, and eye up exactly why both of those are angled at Chelsea here.

The first has nothing to do with them at all: It’s because Manchester City are so inherently inevitable, so absolutely immovable…unless as a result of financial doping bans and points deductions, perhaps. But that’s for months from now. Right at the start of 2024/25, the expectation is that Pep Guardiola’s team will once again steamroller all before them, whether that’s this coming weekend at Stamford Bridge or merely in the nine or so months which follow.

As a result, a City win will mean hot takes on where Chelsea are right now, and a City non-win will mean…exactly the same.

Because let’s face it, if City are the league’s example of continuity and consistency – Guardiola now the longest-serving manager in the division – then Chelsea are the exact polar opposite. Since the changes at boardroom level brought Todd Boehly and the gang to west London, dugout alterations have been conducted almost at the same speed introductions could be made.

As for the playing staff, the less said the better. Whether erratic, scattergun or reckless is the adjective of choice, there’s very little cohesion and joined-up planning behind their summer batch of additions at first glance – again. The same was said last year, and proved to be mostly right. A squad list which now contains eight senior goalkeepers – two out on loan, admittedly – does not even reach the outfield contingent before concerns of imbalance and impracticality start to weigh down.

Which of seven attacking midfielders get the nod? Which central midfield partnership is supposed to work? Will Reece James ever be fit for a full season again? So many questions, and that’s before even getting to the (latest) new head coach, with Enzo Maresca not just set for his first competitive Chelsea game against the champions, but his first-ever top-division game as a boss, against the greatest one of the modern generation.

The opening challenge couldn’t be any higher for the Blues, but regardless of the result, they’ll at least know it can only get easier from here on out.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

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

Aug

2024

FotMob Reaction: United start with a win

Erik ten Hag was right when he said Manchester United were “not ready” for the start of the new Premier League season.

By Graham Ruthven

The Dutchman’s comments before Friday’s curtain-raiser against Fulham might have raised eyebrows, but the performance produced by the Old Trafford side in their 1-0 victory proved him right.

And yet there was enough to hint at how United could develop this season. Entering their third season under ten Hag, Manchester United remain a work-in-progress, but progress is being made. Joshua Zirkzee’s winner three minutes from the end hit home this point, although there had been encouragement for the Red Devils before that.

Noussair Mazraoui enjoyed a strong Premier League debut. The Moroccan started at right back with Diogo Dalot on the left and gave United greater assurance on the ball. His physicality was also useful in defending open space against Alex Iwobi who was denied much of an influence on the game.

Lisandro Martínez’s return to the lineup after missing much of last season through injury also gave Manchester United greater aggression at the back. One particular duel with Adama Traoré in the first half demonstrated the Argentinean’s desire to defend his own box with the Fulham attacker jockeyed and ultimately dispossessed.

Kobbie Mainoo once again showcased why so many are excited about his future by wriggling out of tight spaces with the ball at his feet and providing Manchester United with cohesion in the centre of the pitch. Still only 19 years old, Mainoo is now being build around as one of the key pillars in ten Hag’s team.

Fulham could have done more to exploit a series of counter-attacking opportunities once the match started to stretch in the second half, particularly one that gave Alex Iwobi and Andreas Pereira a two-on-one against Harry Maguire, but United were worthy winners on balance even if it took them until the 87th minute to make the breakthrough and secure all three points.

In many ways, though, Manchester United resembled the team that suffered their worst-ever Premier League finish last term. They created chances, but failed to take most of them. That United finished with a single game Expected Goals (xG) of 2.51 but scored just once did nothing to suggest they have become sharper in front of goal since last season when they registered just 57 goals in 38 games.

Maybe Zirkzee will improve Manchester United’s attacking output, but the Netherlands international isn’t a centre forward. Instead, he is a Raumdeuter in the mould of Thomas Müller. He is in the team to find space in the final third, not lead the line. In this role, Zirkzee can be successful at Old Trafford.

With Rasmus Højlund expected to be out until October, Bruno Fernandes will most likely operate through the middle, as he did against Fulham. The Portuguese had opportunities to score in this position, but Manchester United lacked an attacking focal point for much of the match. It was a similar story last season when Højlund similarly struggled for fitness.

Casemiro showed a creative side to his possession play that saw him register four passes into the final third, three shots and an Expected Assists (xA) of 0.35. Still, though, the Brazilian was vulnerable in defensive transition and struggled to cope with the Fulham’s directness on the break. Long gone are the days when he was the safest security blanket in world football.

Of course, United are reportedly interested in Manuel Ugarte who could soon be installed as ten Hag’s first-choice anchor in his midfield unit, but is the Uruguayan the rhythm builder needed at Old Trafford? Manchester United had the majority share (55%) of possession against the Cottagers, yet so much of their possession play was laboured and predictable. Is there a player within their squad to change this?

It was no surprise that United were “not ready,” as ten Hag put it, for their opening Premier League fixture. Many of their players that featured at Euro 2024 were given extended time off. Mazraoui started despite having joined only a few days ago. It was the same for Matthijs de Ligt who was introduced in the second half against Fulham. Injuries haven’t helped Manchester United’ preparations either.

United must improve on Friday night’s showing if they are to enjoy a successful 2024/25 campaign, but this was a fixture they lost last season. Ten Hag has learned not to let perfection be the enemy of good – and a 1-0 win over Fulham was good enough. It certainly wasn’t a fast start, and it could prove to be a false start, but at the very least it’s a start.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

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

Aug

2024

Profile: Palace’s Adam Wharton ticks all the boxes

Despite only arriving in the January transfer window earlier this year Adam Wharton has quickly developed into one of the most exciting young midfielders in the Premier League.

By Matt Smith

Just 15 starts in England’s top flight was all it took to gain Gareth Southgate’s recognition with England, and it’s easy to see why.

Wharton was plying his trade with Blackburn Rovers at the beginning of last season in the Championship before Palace took a risk on the young midfielder. It’s a transfer strategy the Eagles have stuck with in recent years, bringing in the likes of Eberechi Eze, Michael Olise, and now Wharton from the lower leagues. Palace then proceed to give them a platform to express themselves, and Wharton has now become a mainstay in Oliver Glasner‘s side.

Finding a defensive midfielder who suits the English game isn’t easy. Liverpool and Manchester United have both been in the market for this position during the summer transfer window, linked with a host of players, but they’ve been unable to get a deal over the line. Multiple teams in the Premier League will be ruing not taking a chance on Wharton before he made the move to Selhurst Park.

Dealing with the physicality of the Premier League is often an issue for players who sign on the dotted line for an English club, and that may have been a concern for Palace supporters when seeing Wharton pull on the shirt for the first time. A tall, skinny frame, Wharton doesn’t look like a physical monster to the eye, but his defensive ability is one of the reasons why he’s looked so impressive under Glasner.

*Defensive stats, Premier League 2023/24*

A ball and duel-winning machine, Wharton is a tough-tackling midfielder, showing signs of being a bit of an old-school footballer with the way he puts himself about. When the ball is at his feet, though, he shows composure and technical quality that wouldn’t look out of place in Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona side. Wharton won’t rank so highly when looking at the touches per 90-minute stats, and that’s simply because he’s a one-and-two-touch player. It’s allowed Glasner to implement his system so seamlessly, turning defence into attack in a matter of seconds.

The England midfielder isn’t afraid to take risks with his passing either. He’s not your traditional number six like a Rodri, who will play simple, but effective, five-yard passes regularly to keep the team ticking over. With Daniel Muñoz and Tyrick Mitchell playing high and wide in Glasner’s system, you’ll often see Wharton receiving the ball and looking to pick them out with long-range passes.

His ability to break lines with his passes last season allowed Palace to get their key players on the ball in dangerous areas. Eze and Olise played as two attacking midfielders with a license to roam, finding space in between the lines. Without having someone like Wharton sitting deep and being comfortable breaking lines with his passing, you wouldn’t see Eze and Olise being as effective.

His range of passing and versatility in his play is what sets him apart from other midfielders in the league. You’ll often get midfielders who specialise in receiving the ball and playing or others who are destroyers in the middle of the park, winning it back and giving it to those more comfortable with the ball at their feet. With Wharton, you have a player so well-rounded that he can do it all.

Although Wharton’s primary role is to break up play in the middle and help build up from the back, he’s capable of driving forward with the ball, getting into advanced areas where he can start to create chances. The number of opportunities he produces for his team-mates considering his position on the pitch is rare, averaging an assist once every five games last season while creating 1.45 chances per 90 minutes.

To only start 15 Premier League games last season and receive a call-up to Southgate’s England squad for Euro 2024 shows the impact Wharton made in such a short space of time last season. The young midfielder was having to get used to a new league, surrounded by players who were adapting to a new system, with Glasner arriving around a similar time to Wharton.

Playing in a double pivot requires discipline and spatial awareness, which Wharton has in abundance. Venturing too far forward or diving into tackles in wider areas can often leave the team exposed, whereas when playing in a midfielder three, you’ll often have cover and bodies around you. At the age of 20, to start in a midfielder two for a Premier League side is an impressive achievement, and he’s certainly not there to make up the numbers.

The impact he’s having at such a young age is highly impressive, and it’s intriguing to see what he’s going to achieve after a full pre-season under Glasner in his first full season in the Premier League. For any side looking to implement a possession-based style of football in a team full of attacking talent, Wharton could be the ideal signing for some of the biggest clubs in England.

Having a defensive midfielder who can receive the ball on the half turn from the defence and find attacking players in dangerous positions is something that the likes of Guardiola, Arne Slot, Mikel Arteta, and Erik ten Hag would admire. Knowing they could also trust Wharton to sit in front of the defence and offer a layer of protection, it wouldn’t be a shock to see a mega bid come in for Wharton next summer. It certainly won’t be easy to get Wharton out of Palace considering the fee they’re likely to demand, but this is a player destined for the top and the Eagles are lucky to have him, especially under a tactically astute manager such as Glasner.

(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.

Aug

2024

Preview: Ipswich Town vs. Liverpool

The start of a new season can have almost unlimited storylines, but few opening weekend match-ups can reach the level of this fixture for things to look forward to, for discovery, for clues as to what lies ahead in 2024/25.

By Karl Matchett

At home, the newly promoted, the coveted manager, the ambitious transfer plan. Ipswich Town might have something of a look of a preservation summer about their work in the market, signing players who clearly have big futures but little top-flight experience, but the hard work of a surprise promotion certainly isn’t going to waste. If the new players click – and if Kalvin Phillips rediscovers his form as a Premier League player after two shocking years – then there’s a chance…particularly if manager Kieran McKenna is as good as several bigger clubs seemed to believe earlier on this summer.

The 38-year-old head coach opting to stay with the Tractor Boys in the face of interest from Chelsea and Manchester United was a massive boost and they look as prepared for what’s coming as any side could be after a surprise double promotion.

And yet their task is one of the toughest, hosting Liverpool, one of the league’s best two sides over the past half-decade. Yet this is no longer the same club we knew, even if the team is so far the same.

Jürgen Klopp is gone, Arne Slot is in. A dugout change is backed up by a hierarchy overhaul, yet no incoming faces on the playing staff means familiarity will be key for the Reds. How high can they go this year? Is third again acceptable, or is a quick title challenge on the agenda for the new Dutch head coach? Pre-season has been positive, but so much is unknown in terms of how quickly the squad will adapt to his changes, and how fast he himself can adapt to the English top flight.

There’s no questioning the strength in depth Liverpool have in several areas, but the likes of Virgil van Dijk, Mohamed Salah and Trent Alexander-Arnold are all into the final year of their contracts with no extension agreements yet in sight. Perhaps not on the opening day, but as the campaign rolls along, that might surely become a factor.

Of more importance to this 90 minutes is how prepared some of those senior stars are after long summers at Euro 2024 and the Copa America. Liverpool have the technical ability to win the game, but Ipswich – as always with a team’s first game back in the big time – will have the energy, optimism and fearlessness to cause an upset.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

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

Aug

2024

Preview: Genoa vs. Inter

The reigning champions of Serie A, Inter Milan, get their title defence up and running at Genoa on Saturday evening as they look to claim successive titles for the first time since a run of five between 2005 and 2010.

By Nathan Evans

For Simeone Inzaghi’s side, it’s been an interesting summer, one of adding a few extra players to the mix in order to round out what is arguably still the best squad in the league. The stand-out permanent additions are central midfield Davide Frattesi, who returns to the club after making 42 appearances while on loan across all competitions last term, and left sided player Carlos Augusto who arrives from Monza for a fee of around €13 million.

But some depth has been lost at the same time and with it, plenty of experience. The most significant departure coming in the form of Alexis Sánchez who has returned to boyhood Italian club Udinese on a free transfer after making 142 appearances for Nerazzurri across two spells with the club.

That shouldn’t prove too detrimental for Inter though, both overall this campaign and in this opening matchday clash with Genoa, with whom they currently hold a ten-match unbeaten run against in Serie A. With eight of those results coming as victories and with the side from Northern Lombardy winning each of their last five matchday one outings in Italy’s top-flight, the stage is set for them to make the perfect start to their title defence.

Genoa will have something to say about that however, and on home soil they’ll pose plenty of different threats for the Inter defence to deal with, especially as they won each of their last three home outings to end last season. The hosts eventually finished in 11^th spot during the 2023/24 campaign overall and it must be said that the club’s board have reacted to that in a positive manner, as they look to push towards the European spots this time around.

Vitinha has joined from Marseille for a hefty fee for a club of this size and he should pack a punch upfront for Alberto Gilardino’s outfit, whilst the acquisitions of Morten Thorsby and Koni De Winter bring some much-needed extra quality into the fray down the spine of the team.

They’ll need to be at their very best to claim any form of positive result in this opening outing of the new Serie A season, but visiting Inter shouldn’t be expecting a walk in the park, by any stretch of the imagination.

(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.

Aug

2024

Preview: Barcelona start the new campaign at Valencia

Two of Spain’s most famous football teams clash on matchday one of the all-new 2024/25 La Liga season, as Valencia welcome Barcelona to the Mestalla on Saturday evening.

By Nathan Evans

In truth, both of these sides will be hoping for much better this season as a new dawn beckons in Spain’s top-flight.

Valencia eventually finished in ninth spot last campaign though their supporters still remain at loggerheads with owner Peter Lim and for obvious reason. Under his stewardship of the club, Los Ches have stagnated and even despite the fact that up until pretty late into the campaign in 2023/24 the former Champions League regulars looked likely for a return to European competition, his time in charge has been extremely disappointing to say the least.

This summer, midfielder Yunus Musah has departed for Italian giants AC Milan for big money and thus far, the club’s business in terms of incoming talent remains relatively sparse for a side harbouring ambitions of finishing in the top seven. Pepelu has arrived as his direct replacement from Levante but again, Lim’s overall direction in the transfer market, to this point, has fallen well short of where a side like Valencia should be operating.

That’s something that Barcelona’s board have struggled with in recent times as well, the ability to operate in the transfer market to the level that they should be and in accordance with their club’s proud history.

As such, the 27-time Spanish champions are still in the midst of huge financial struggles and even though Dani Olmo has joined for a sizeable fee from RB Leipzig in recent weeks, the club’s inability to register him instantly once again left them open for ridicule from opposing fans.

Thankfully for Barca supporters, that potential disaster has now been averted and one of Spain’s stars during their Euro 2024 title win should be ready to start for them here at the Mestalla. He’ll also prove to be a vital cog throughout the season as they chase down rivals Real Madrid who finished on top last season and clear of the Catalan club by a whopping ten points.

That push for the top could prove incredibly difficult with Kylian Mbappé arriving in the capital, and although Barcelona should prove to be too strong for Valencia in this season opening fixture, new boss Hansi Flick could really struggle throughout the course of this campaign to get the better of Carlo Ancelotti at Real.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

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

Aug

2024

Preview: Arsenal vs. Wolves

Arsenal seem to go from strength to strength. Sure enough, missing out on the Premier League title at the end of last season was a huge disappointment, but the energy harnessed by that experience, Mikel Arteta has already said, is to be used to take them that extra final step, this time around.

By Ian King

If they are to do so, of course, they absolutely have to win matches like this. The bar for winning the league is sufficiently high to preclude dropping points in matches like these as a viable option for title winners.

Summer transfer market activity was brisk but effective. The big new signing, Riccardo Calafiori, will only further strengthen a defence stingy enough to have only conceded 29 league goals all season, last time around. In the other direction, Emile Smith Rowe never quite worked out in the way that it was evident all sides of that equation really wanted it to. Fulham does feel like a good fit for him.

Even their pre-season seemed more serene than some of their contemporaries. They lost a penalty shootout at the end of a match against Manchester United that they’d already won (no, me either) and lost narrowly to Liverpool, but otherwise there were encouraging performances in wins against both Bayer Leverkusen and Lyon. They seem in good condition.

Of all the twenty teams starting the 2024/25 season, none have a run that they need to end more than Wolverhampton Wanderers. Wolves picked up just five points from their last ten games of last season, and with their next five matches including games against Chelsea, Newcastle United, Aston Villa and Liverpool, they have an extremely tough start.

This time last year, Wolves had just lost Jolen Lopetegui at the end of a summer during which they’d lost two really key players. Last year it was Rúben Neves and Matheus Nunes. This year it’s been Pedro Neto and captain Max Kilman.

Transfer activity, meanwhile, has been fairly modest with just £25m having been spent on Tommy Doyle of Manchester City and two spins of Jorge Mendes’ Random Portuguese Name Generator; Pedro Lima from Sport Recife and Rodrigo Gomes from Braga.

The last time Arsenal kicked off the new season at home at 3.00 on a Saturday afternoon, they were beaten 3-1 at home by Aston Villa in 2013. It’s the hope that will be keeping Wolves alive, as they head into a difficult start to the season.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

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

Aug

2024

Premier League Preview, Gameweek 1

The 2024/25 Premier League season is finally upon us. We know the squads. We know the fixtures. We know the favourites, we all have who we believe are the relegation contenders, and we’re well aware of the dark horses capable of having a surprising campaign. Yet there are still a number of things you might not know or simply haven’t thought about.

By Sam McGuire

In the first of what is going to be a weekly feature, here are four things to look out for in gameweek one of the new season.

Old Trafford expects

Old Trafford used to be a fortress.

Away teams were lucky to get a throw-in go their way under Sir Alex Ferguson. Last season, though, it was the Theatre of Dreams for travelling fans.

Manchester United dropped points in nine of their 19 home games in the Premier League. They lost on six occasions and picked up just 33 points in front of their home fans. The Red Devils scored just 31 goals and conceded 28. For context, Everton who finished in 15th last season, had a better goal difference (+4). Erik Ten Hag and his team struggled for goals, performances, and points.

The Dutchman has been backed in the transfer market this summer and INEOS will expect a return on that investment. United have signed Leny Yoro, Joshua Zirkee, Matthijs De Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui. Yoro is ruled out while it is unlikely the latter two will feature on Friday night having only signed this week, but many are still expecting a performance from the hosts in their season opener against Fulham.

This could set the tone for the rest of the season. A poor start could see links to former England manager Gareth Southgate return.

A game of firsts

Ipswich Town, back in the Premier League for the first time in 22 years, welcome Liverpool to Portman Road on Saturday afternoon. Both managers will be taking charge of their first game in the English top-flight.

Kieran McKenna turned down jobs elsewhere to remain with the Tractor Boys this summer. He’ll be hoping to be able to put his stamp on things in the Premier League, just as he did in League One and the Championship. Ipswich finished as the top scorers in the English second tier and finished with an impressive number of clean sheets (15).

As far as opening-day scalps go, getting one over on Liverpool would be difficult to top.

The Reds have been in fine form during pre-season and Arne Slot appears to have managed to change things at Anfield in a short space of time. However, pre-season performances count for very little and if Liverpool don’t get off to a good start here, the noise surrounding the fact they’re the only team in the Premier League not to make a signing will be deafening.

Liverpool had the highest xG in the English top-flight last term but Slot’s style doesn’t necessarily seem well suited to the chaotic Darwin Núñez. It will be fascinating to see how that works out.

The Transfer Window winners face off

West Ham host Aston Villa in what is one of the more intriguing opening day match-ups.

Both teams have had a successful transfer window and both have a strong case to be viewed as the early winners of the off-season.

But with transfers comes intrigue. With transfers comes selection headaches and juggling acts for managers. And this will be the case here with the Villans and the Hammers.

Villa added Amadou Onana, Rossa Barkley, Ian Maatsen, Jaden Philogene, Samuel Iling-Junior, Enzo Barrenechea and Cameron Archer to their ranks but did lose Douglas Luiz and Moussa Diaby. Still, the signing of Onana has the potential to be one of the best of the summer. Whether Unai Emery can bed all of these players in to replicate what Villa achieved last season, a top-four finish, is the big question.

West Ham have backed new manager Julen Lopetegui. Max Kilman, Jean-Clair Todibo, Crysenscio Summerville, Guido Rodríguez, Niclas Füllkrug, Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Luis Guilherme have all been brought in. On paper, this has been an unbelievable summer for the Hammers. If it gels, they could be a dark horse. A statement showing against Villa could go a long way.

Another Day One at Chelsea

For the second successive season, Chelsea kick off their campaign at home with a new manager in the dugout. Last time out, they earned an encouraging point against Liverpool in Mauricio Pochettino’s first game in charge of the Blues. This time around they welcome Pep Guardiola and Manchester City for Enzo Marcesca’s debut game as Blues boss.

Interestingly, Maresca used to be Guardiola’s assistant. He was lauded for his exploits with Leicester City last season and many are expecting more of the same now he’s at Chelsea. The Blues took two points off of the champions last term and they could well fancy their chances of springing an opening day surprise, despite their inconsistent pre-season showings.

(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.

Aug

2024

Leif Davis: Can Ipswich’s creative force step up to the Premier League?

As Ipswich Town return to the Premier League after a 22-year absence, they have been presented with one of the toughest opening fixtures they could have asked for, but may have a trick up their sleeve.

By James Nalton

At midday on Saturday they face a Liverpool side who will be looking to challenge Manchester City for the title this season, led by their new manager, Arne Slot.

Though Liverpool themselves won’t be taking anything for granted, many will see this as a comfortable start for the Slot era against a team expected to be relegated.

But Ipswich may have a secret weapon. One they hope could give them a chance to mount a surprise challenge to stay in the league.

Ipswich are one of the original Premier League teams, having been present in the English top flight when it was rebranded in 1992. Since then they have only spent five seasons in the division, but as a club, historically, they are not unfamiliar with top-level football.

Throughout the 1970s and early 80s, they were one of the standout teams in the English top division, regularly competing in European competition, and won an FA Cup in 1978.

When Ipswich were last promoted from the second tier, in 2000, they finished 5th in a remarkable Premier League season under manager George Burley, only to be relegated a season later.

Repeating such a feat following promotion this time around will be nigh on impossible, but in Leif Davis, they have a player who might at least offer them a Premier League lifeline from the unlikely position of left-back.

In the past two seasons, Davis has been one of the most creative players in English football. Lots of this chance creation has come from set pieces, and he takes the majority of Ipswich’s corners and free kicks.

There is a variety to his set-piece delivery. His left-footed crossing from corners can be accurately aimed at the near post, centre, far post, or even drilled low to a player peeling away from the chaos in the penalty area.

Though set-pieces are Davis’s most obvious route to chance creation, he does create from open play, too.

His shot map shows the kind of positions he gets into and, like his set pieces, his crosses and balls into the box from this area can arrive in a variety of ways, from precise cut-backs to the more hopeful but nevertheless defence-worrying crosses into the danger area.

*Davis shot map, EFL Championship 2023/24*

Per 90 stats can be useful for making comparisons between players when there is a difference in total minutes played, but totals are also useful and show that a player can consistently perform at a high level on a regular basis.

That is the case for Davis, who started 43 games in the Championship last season, and no outfield player at Ipswich played more than the 3,786 minutes he racked up in the league in 2023/24.

Such regular, consistent output is a valuable asset for any team, and this saw him lead the Championship for assists (18) and chances created (125) last season.

*Davis passing stats, EFL Championship 2023/24*

The rise of Ipswich to the Premier League, and their impressive performances last season, can make it easy to forget that they spent the previous four seasons in League One.

As he did in the Championship last season, Davis led League One for assists (14) and chances created (132) During the 2022/23 campaign in which Ipswich finished second to secure promotion to the Championship.

These back-to-back seasons of creativity were also Davis’s first seasons as a regular starter at any club, making him relatively inexperienced for a 24-year-old.

But in those seasons, the Newcastle-born left-back found a role and excelled in it. It’s a role he’ll keep into his first season in the top flight—Ipswich’s first season back at this level since they were relegated from the Premier League in 2002.

Such creativity from the full-back position has led to comparisons with Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold, but a more accurate comparison could be made between Davis and another Liverpool full-back, Kostas Tsimikas, especially with their left-sided similarities and creativity from wide, whereas Trent also does so from central positions.

The Greek left-back would be an elite chance creator at Championship and mid to low Premier League level, and despite Tsimikas not being a regular for Liverpool, he still has high levels of chance creation from the minutes he does play for them.

The odds are heavily stacked against Ipswich staying in the Premier League, especially after successive promotions, but set pieces can be an opportunity for newly promoted teams to find a level playing field within games against more established top-level sides. In Davis, Ipswich at least have the delivery aspect of these boxed off.

It is a big step up for a player who has two seasons of regular football under his belt, but the isolated nature of set pieces—detached from the rest of the game and providing a moment of control—should see some kind of continuation, even if there is a natural, expected drop off due to the increased level of opposition.

He’s a player to look out for as Ipswich open their 2024/25 season at home to Liverpool, and perhaps one for their opponents to be wary of, too.

(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.

Aug

2024

Transfer of the Week: Julian Alvarez’s arrival cements Atletico’s shift in approach

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 time, we will turn our attention to the most expensive signing of this pre-season.

By Neel Shelat

Even though they have not won too many titles in recent years, Atlético Madrid have always been a third power alongside Real Madrid and Barcelona in LaLiga. One of the things holding them back from regularly being serious title contenders is their relatively limited budget. The fact that their total transfer expenditure has not entered nine digits in any of the last four seasons should underscore that.

At the same time, Atléti are not entirely averse to making some blockbuster moves, as the signings of João Félix (€127 million from Benfica in 2019), Thomas Lemar (€72 million from Monaco in 2018) and Diego Costa (€60 million from Chelsea in 2018) should suggest. Clearly, they have not gotten particularly good value for money from such moves in the past.

Nevertheless, Atlético have paid the biggest transfer fee this summer so far, signing Julián Álvarez for €90 million. Five years after they smashed their transfer record to bring in a player of a fairly similar profile, is there reason to believe things will work out differently this time? One big factor certainly seems to suggest so, as we will explore now.

Stylistic Shift

What is the first thing you think of as far as Atlético Madrid’s style of play under Diego Simeone is concerned? Words such as dogged, intense, and defence-first likely come to mind, and they aren’t far off the mark at all. For most of the 12+ years the Argentine coach has been in charge of the club, that is exactly how they have played.

Of late, though, they have quietly undergone a stylistic shift to become a more possession-based team. Here are some simple stats to back that idea up. In 2019/20 (the first season after Félix’s signing), Atlético Madrid were 10th in the league in terms of average possession with a figure of 48.4%. Last term, they were 6th with over 50%. More markedly, their passing accuracy has gone up from 76.5% to 82.4% between those two seasons.

In fact, Atléti’s stylistic shift has been made over the last couple of seasons. Rather than always defending in a compact block and attacking quite directly, Simeone has attempted to add another facet to his side’s play by equipping them to be more patient with possession. This not only relieves some pressure from a defensive department that is not as good as it once was in terms of player quality, but it also enables Los Colchoneros to better control games with the ball.

To make the most of such a more possession-based approach, Atlético obviously need creative ball-to-feet attackers. Of course, they already have one brilliant player of this profile in their squad in Antoine Griezmann, but they are perhaps overreliant on him. In the last two seasons, he has been both Atléti’s top scorer and top provider.

A team’s best player topping the charts is not at all a bad thing necessarily, but Atlético could certainly do with a bit more multidimensionality in their attacking rather than going through the Frenchman all the time. The fact that Griezmann was not on the scoresheet in nine of their 10 league defeats last term should make that need clear. Ideally, that is where Álvarez comes in.

How Álvarez Can Fit In

Having spent such a big sum on a player of Álvarez’s profile – a very clever attacker who likes to see a lot of the ball and thrives in possession-based sides thanks to his intelligent movement between the lines, playmaking ability and lively link-up play – it is safe to assume that Atlético Madrid are going to be fully sticking with their more possession-based approach. So, they should be open to dropping a midfielder from their usual 3-5-2 formation of last season and switching to a 3-4-2-1.

Besides Álvarez, Atlético have made another big signing in attack by bringing in Alexander Sørloth, whose job will be to replace Álvaro Morata as the team’s leading striker. The two are quite different in terms of playing styles, as the Norwegian international is very much a line-leading striker who can serve as a big man up top with limited involvement outside the box, whereas the Spanish captain likes to get involved in the build-up play a lot more. This change also favours the switch to a one-striker system.

With all of that in mind, we can now use FotMob’s new lineup builder feature to take a look at how Atlético could shape up this season.

If everything clicks, the attack will hardly be a weakness in this side. Both Álvarez and Griezmann should comfortably break into double digits in terms of league goals as they can both pose a significant shooting threat, while Sørloth could well get the service to produce another 25+ goal season.

Ironically, the defensive department is the one with the biggest question marks for Atléti. They will hope to get some more stability from summer signing Robin Le Normand, who also is an excellent ball-player. The ages of those around him are a concern, but if they can produce another high-level season, Los Colchoneros might just have enough to return to the top two in the table.

For his part, Álvarez will inevitably have a lot to do over the next few years to justify the huge sum Atlético Madrid have spent on him. For now, though, his addition should make them a very exciting team to follow at the very least.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

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