Page 53 – The Pulse of Football

Nov

2024

Has Mohamed Salah found yet another gear this season?

There was a lot of change at Liverpool this summer.

Jürgen Klopp departed and was replaced by Arne Slot. The Dutchman brought in a number of his own staff as he looked to fill the voids left by the post-Klopp exodus behind the scenes.

Slot has looked to implement a new system. Players have to learn different tactical instructions while coming to terms with adjusted expectations and varied demands.

A new coffee bar was also added to the training ground at Kirkby.

Lots of change, both on and off the pitch but the same old Mohamed Salah. You could even argue that what we’ve gotten is a new, improved Salah.

The three-time Golden Boot winner is running riot this season.

As we head into the November international break, only Erling Haaland (12) has more goals than the Liverpool forward (eight) while only Bukayo Saka (seven) can better his haul of six assists. The 32-year-old leads the Premier League for goal involvements (14) and he’s currently the player with the highest-rated FotMob average. Salah is the only player in the English top-fight to have a rating of over eight (8.02) to be exact after 11 matches.

His assist against Aston Villa was his 75th in the league and it took him above Thierry Henry (74). He’s now just five away from cracking the top 10. Salah is just 11 goals away from matching the Arsenal striker’s haul of 175 Premier League goals.

In the form he’s currently in, you wouldn’t be surprised if he managed to do that this season. He’s just 13 goals off of Frank Lampard (sixth in the list of all-time Premier League goalscorers) and 20 behind fifth-placed Sergio Aguero.

It isn’t a stretch to think Salah, if he remains at Liverpool for at least one more season, could crack the top four. Andy Cole currently holds the fourth position in the table with 187 goals.

He’s primed to claim another record this season too. His goal and assist against Aston Vila, a win that moved Liverpool five points clear at the top of the table, was the 36th time he’s scored and assisted in a Premier League game. Wayne Rooney is the only other player to have accomplished this feat that many times. With 20 games still to play, there’s every chance Salah becomes the outright leader for this particular metric before the 2024/25 campaign comes to an end.

Salah has ramped things up when many expected him to be slowing things down.

Now 32, he’s been playing a lot of high intensity football for one of the most physically demanding coaches in the world for seven seasons. He suffered his first real injury last season and didn’t appear to be the same player upon his return.

He’s having to learn a new role for a new manager, all while not knowing what is going on with his future. After starring against Manchester United in August, he revealed the club hadn’t opened talks over a new deal. His current contract expires at the end of the season. It would’ve been easy for him to almost phone it in. To just go through the motions until he knew where he’d be playing football next season.

He’s won everything. He’s a Liverpool legend. He doesn’t have to be proving himself, once again. He shouldn’t be playing for a new deal, but he quite clearly is. He’s showing Richard Hughes that despite turning 33 at the end of this campaign, he’s still the best attacker at the club. In fact, he’s probably the best attacker in the Premier League and you’d be hard-pressed to find many better anywhere across Europe.

Ramy Abbas Issa, Salah’s agent, recently claimed Salah is the best player in the world. He’s biased, of course, but he’s also probably right. It makes the recent Ballon d’Or snub even more bizarre. The Liverpool No.11 didn’t even make the 30-man shortlist despite his goalscoring exploits last season. If he continues on at his current rate, though, and Liverpool continue to win games in every competition, he’s going to be in the mix for next year’s Ballon d’Or. He might even be the favourite for it.

(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.

Nov

2024

Analysis: The puzzling decisions that have led Roma’s season downhill

Just three months into the season, Roma have already sacked not one but two head coaches. They are currently in the bottom half of the Serie A table and far from certain of a knockout spot in the Europa League, so their campaign has already gone quite some way downhill.

By Neel Shelat

The 2024/25 Serie A season is shaping up to be a special one. At present, just two points separate the top six, so we could well be in for an unforgettable title race. Roma, however, will almost certainly not be involved as they currently have just 13 points from 12 games – precisely half of league leaders Napoli’s tally.

The Giallorossi were surely not anticipating such a terrible start to the season after a promising end to the 2023/24 campaign, as Daniele De Rossi seemed to get them back on the up after José Mourinho’s departure. They supported him quite strongly in the summer too, but it all quickly went downhill thereafter.

Summer spending thrown down the drain

De Rossi initially took over on an interim basis, but his position was made permanent before the end of the 2023/24 season following a very promising run of results. Roma gave him a contract until 2027 and soon set out to support him by spending heavily in the summer.

They made over ten new signings, spending significant amounts on the likes of Artem Dovbyk (€30.6 million), Matías Soulé (€25.7m) and Enzo Le Fée (€23m). They also brought in Saudi international Saud Abdulhamid, Swedish youngster Samuel Dahl and 17-year-old right back Buba Sangaré for relatively low fees, struck a deal with Borussia Mönchengladbach for Manu Koné and made three free signings, namely Mathew Ryan, Mats Hummels and Mario Hermoso. All of these deals made good sense in isolation and they fit De Rossi’s tactical system quite well on the whole, so Florent Ghisolfi’s first transfer window as Roma’s technical director looked quite good on paper.

The trouble was that all of this good work was undone by a bizzare and baffling decision just a month into the new season. After Roma failed to win any of their first four matches – drawing with Cagliari, losing to Empoli, playing out a 0-0 against Juventus and then conceding a last-gasp equaliser to Genoa – they took the call to sack De Rossi. The decision was reportedly pushed by the club’s owners, the Friedkin Group led by brothers Dan and Ryan Friedkin.

At the time, fans were furious to see a club legend with over 600 appearances as a player tossed aside so harshly. The decision did not make much sense from a purely sporting point of view either as the host of new signings surely deserved some more time to settle in, and De Rossi had done enough towards the end of the previous season to merit support through a tough period. In hindsight, even Ghisolfi has suggested that this was a bad call.

Jurić doomed to fail from the off

After De Rossi was shown the exit door, Roma went and hired Ivan Jurić as his successor. The Croatian tactician was available after leaving his post at Torino in the summer, having previously managed sides like Crotone, Genoa and Hellas Verona. Clearly, this was going to be his first spell in charge of a top-level club.

The timing of it all was quite unpromising from his point of view. Not only was he joining the club mid-season with a very congested fixture list due to domestic and continental commitments, but he also came in at a time when the environment at the Stadio Olimpico was far from positive as fans voiced their dissatisfaction over the dismissal of De Rossi. Of course, they had nothing against Jurić, but the 49-year-old head coach found himself in a position where anything but instant success would very quickly build pressure on his position.

The trouble was that it was entirely unreasonable to expect Jurić to turn Roma’s fortunes around overnight. His tactical setup and back three system actually had a lot of similarities to the way De Rossi set his side up in possession, meaning the players did not have to take too much new information on board in this respect. However, it obviously also meant that they were unlikely to perform much better than they did under De Rossi at the start of the season.

Worse yet, Jurić’s out of possession tactics were quite different to De Rossi’s. While the Italian coach used a back four system and focused on trying to maintain a solid block, the former Torino tactician implemented his typical back five with a heavily player-oriented approach, often involving a lot of pressing. Roma’s squad is neither the youngest nor the most athletic, so such a system was always likely to give them more problems than upsides. Indeed, that proved to be the case as the Giallorossi only managed to keep three clean sheets in 12 matches under the Croatian coach, having kept two in the first four games of the season.

It should be said that Jurić did not help himself with some of his selection decisions, such as choosing to leave out experienced defender Mats Hummels for the most part despite such a leaky defence. Another such decision ultimately led to his dismissal, as he opted to leave Paulo Dybala – arguably Roma’s best attacker this season – out of the squad for what proved to be his final match.

All things considered, the tactical and selection changes from De Rossi to Jurić never looked likely to dramatically overturn Roma’s fortunes, and ultimately only had a negative impact.

What next?

For the third time in 2024, Roma are in the market for a new head coach. They have been linked to various names already, but one interesting rumour suggests Ghisolfi wants to bring De Rossi back though the Friedkins are not as keen.

If handled appropriately, that could be a good way to steer the club back towards the right direction and get the fans back on board. Clearly, the squad is well built to suit his tactics and he had the support of the players too, so he could well improve their performances with enough time. Realistically, though, this is quite unlikely given the circumstances around his dismissal.

Other potential targets could include Edin Terzić, Paulo Sousa or Frank Lampard, and Erik ten Hag though none of them have particularly inspiring track records that suggest they could turn Roma’s fortunes around. The biggest name that has been linked – and likely the best option on the current market – is Roberto Mancini, who was recently dismissed from Saudi Arabia’s national team. Although he has been out of club football for a few years now, he has some big names on his CV and should have the tactical nouse to at least try and salvage an already disastrous season for Roma.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

You can follow every AS Roma game on FotMob – with deep stats, xG, and players ratings. Download the free app here.

Nov

2024

FotMob Profile: Nuno Tavares, the Arsenal loanee dominating Serie A with Lazio

The top assist provider in Europe isn’t a superstar forward like Bukayo Saka or Vinícius Júnior or Lamine Yamal – instead, it’s a fullback who played just 12 times last season for Nottingham Forest: Nuno Tavares.

By Zach Lowy

Born in Lisbon to Cape Verdean parents, Tavares made his Benfica debut on August 10, 2019, opening the scoring with a missile from 30 yards out before adding two more assists vs. Paços de Ferreira. However, after being exposed in a 2-0 loss to Porto, Tavares was dropped for the next 10 months, returning only after Álex Grimaldo suffered a ligament injury. Tavares made 41 appearances for Benfica and looked set to continue his development in Lisbon until June 4, 2021, when a video surfaced featuring Nuno and his barber, who exclaimed: “This kid is the future, that ******* Spaniard [Grimaldo] will never leave so the kid can flourish.” Nuno responded, “If not in Benfica, it will be in another place.”

Nuno was sold to Arsenal for £8 million a month later, where he was fast-tracked into the first team and showcased his attacking capabilities under Mikel Arteta, but he proved a liability in defence with costly lapses in concentration and positional mistakes often seeing him subbed off at halftime. Arsenal loaned him out to Marseille for 2022/23, and, much to his chagrin, Arteta refused to sanction a purchase option. Once again, Tavares impressed in the final third, scoring in three of their first four matches as well as Marseille’s final game of 2022 and first game of 2023 vs. Montpellier. However, after opening the scoring vs. Montpellier, Tavares went from hero to zero after needlessly kicking out at Arnaud Souquet, sparking a mass brawl and earning himself a three-game suspension. After a hot and cold year in France, Tavares made the move to Nottingham Forest, where he fared drastically worse.

When I wrote about Tavares in 2021, I noted, “Nuno is capable of going from making careless errors in possession and conceding goal-scoring chances for the opposition, to single-handedly winning the game for his team in the space of minutes. A player who thrives at receiving the ball high up the pitch, charging towards the byline and whipping in a cross, Nuno Tavares’ potential is clear to see, but his fundamental errors of dribbling into traffic, coughing up possession in dangerous areas and stepping out too early to make a tackle can leave his team exposed.”

Three years later, it seemed those defensive deficiencies would prevent him from reaching his world-class potential. That is, until he joined Lazio on loan with an obligation to buy for €5 million.

Tavares has made a seamless adaptation to Serie A, showing a newfound composure on the left side of defense in Lazio’s 4-2-3-1, and taking his game from high-risk, high-reward to low-risk, high-reward. He’s assisted three goals in his last three league matches, and he’s managed to cut down on his cataclysmic errors – apart from a moment of madness vs. Como. Tavares coughed up possession with a loose touch, and, despite being 90 meters away from his own goal, lunged in with a tackle rather than track back. He received his marching orders for the ill-advised challenge, but Lazio would nevertheless prevail 5-1 in Como.

*Tavares defensive stats, Serie A 2024/25*

He returned to the starting XI a week later against Porto and thrived on both sides of the ball, recovering possession on eight occasions, winning all three tackles as well as 8 out of 14 ground duels, whilst he also completed 36 out of 43 passes – including three out of four long balls and eight passes into the final third – created one chance, and was named the FotMob Player of the Match with an 8.0 rating, before following that up with an assured performance in their 1-0 win at Monza.

“Nuno has been the biggest surprise of Serie A and a lot of that is down to the trust that Marco Baroni has given him and the confidence that’s been building,” said The Laziali founder Steven K. Moore. “His pace, physicality, dribbling and ability to get forward and back, his ability to take on his man, beat them, and then put in a perfect cross into the box…it’s been something we’ve been lacking at left back since Senad Lulić’s retirement in 2021. Baroni’s style allows him to get forward as much as possible and not have to worry as much about being on the defensive side of things…he’s been an incredible signing so far.”

Tavares (7.89) is the second-highest-rated FotMob player in Serie A after Ademola Lookman (7.92) and has racked up the most assists in Europe’s top five leagues. With eight assists in his first nine matches, Tavares is on pace to not only break Dani Alves’ record (15 in 2010/11) of the most assists in a single season by a fullback, but also Papu Gómez’s record (16 in 2019/20) of the most assists in a single Serie A campaign. It’s no wonder that Lazio president Claudio Lotito has already vowed that he wouldn’t even sell Tavares for €70 million, or that Lazio fans have already nicknamed him ‘Freccia Nuno’ after the ‘Freccia Rossa’ high-speed train, or that Roberto Martinez has given him a first-ever call-up to the Portuguese senior team.

*Average FotMob ratings, Serie A 2024/25*

After bouncing around from the Emirates to the Velodrome to the City Ground, Nuno Tavares seems to have finally found a permanent home at the Stadio Olimpico. Lazio enter the November international break in fifth place – one point behind league leaders Napoli – and they’ll be counting on their Portuguese dynamo as they look to continue their stellar run of form which has seen them win 10 of their last 11 in all competitions.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

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

Nov

2024

Premier League Team of the Week: Matchday 11

And that’s all for now, folks. In the words of Gary Neville, the Premier League is taking a bit of a mini-retirement while the final international break of 2024 takes place.

By Sam McGuire

Before that, though, we need to look at the matchday 11 Team of the Week. Who made the XI and why?

Goalkeeper: Jordan Pickford

The 30-year-old made six saves in Everton’s 0-0 draw with West Ham United on Saturday. The shot-stopper faced efforts with an Expected Goals on Target total of 1.21 as the visitors claimed a point against the Hammers. It was their third clean sheet of the season, a total that only three teams can better. His exploits between the sticks earned him a FotMob rating of 8.6.

Right-Back: Daniel Muñoz

Muñoz was on the losing side this weekend as Crystal Palace suffered defeat to Fulham at Selhurst Park. However, the right sided wing-back put in an impressive showing for the Eagles, defensively speaking. He won two of his three tackles, 100% of his aerial duels and six of his 11 ground duels. The 28-year-old recovered the ball on nine occasions, made four interceptions and was dribbled past just once.

Centre-Back: Joachim Andersen

The former Crystal Palace centre-back bossed things against his former employers. Andersen starred for Fulham in their 2-0 win at Selhurst Park. The Denmark international completed the most passes (77), completed 100% of his dribbles, and won six of his nine duels on Saturday afternoon.

Centre-Back: Lisandro Martínez

Martínez completed the most passes (71) during Manchester United’s win over Leicester City on Sunday. The ex-Ajax man impressed in what was Ruud Van Nistelrooy’s final game as manager. The 26-year-old completed 88% of his passes. He won 100% of his duels too while recovering the ball seven times as the Red Devils kept another clean sheet.

Left-Back: Andrew Robertson

Robertson was back in the Liverpool team for the visit of Aston Villa and he put in a performance that will likely see him retain his place in Arne Slot’s starting XI. Robertson completed 86% of his passes and created two chances for the Reds in the 2-0 win. He won 100% of his tackles and triumphed in two of his three ground duels.

Midfield: Bruno Fernandes

Fernandes ran riot for Manchester United against Leicester City on Sunday afternoon. For starters, the United skipper scored and assisted in the 3-0 win. He also created seven chances, the most of any player. The 30-year-old earned himself a 9.2 rating for his performance at Old Trafford, aided by the fact he won all four of his tackles.

Midfield: Emile Smith Rowe

Smith Rowe was a difference maker for Fulham as Marco Silva’s men moved into seventh position in the Premier League table. The one-time Arsenal man scored the opener for the Cottagers in the 2-0 win over the Eagles. The 24-year-old claimed a FotMob rating of 8.6 after scoring a goal and carving out three chances. He also completed 75% of his dribbles and found a teammate with 89% of his attempted passes.

Midfield: Matheus Cunha

A Cunha-inspired Wolves finally won their first match of the season. Gary O’Neil’s side claimed a 2-0 win over Southampton to leapfrog their opponents in the table. And Cunha was instrumental, having assisted the opener while scoring the decisive second goal. The 25-year-old now has five goals and two assists in the Premier League. It is quickly turning into a productive season for the Brazilian maestro.

Attack: Alex Iwobi

Iwobi crested four chances, the most of any player during Fulham’s 2-0 win over Crystal Palace. This haul included two big chances for Silva’s side. The 28-year-old also completed 100% of his attempted dribbles, won 75% of his ground duels and 100% of his aerial duels.

Attack: Yoane Wissa

Wissa cannot be stopped.

The Brentford forward netted a double for the Bees in the win over Bournemouth. The 28-year-old now has seven Premier League goals to his name after scoring doubles in two of his last three outings. Wissa was efficient on Saturday, scoring with both of his attempts against the Cherries. It was a performance that earned him an 8.7 rating as Thomas Frank’s side leapfrogged their opponents.

Attack: Mohamed Salah

Salah is now on eight goals and six assists in 11 Premier League appearances following his goal and assist in the win over Aston Villa. The Liverpool forward was a menace throughout against the Villans as the Reds extended their lead at the top of the table to five points. The 32-year-old created two chances and had a total of three shots in the 2-0 win.

(Images from IMAGO)

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

Nov

2024

Preview: Chelsea and Arsenal provide the Sunday headliner at Stamford Bridge

Enzo Maresca’s young Chelsea side seek to throw another spanner in the works for Mikel Arteta as they prepare to take on Arsenal in the Premier League at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.

By Alex Roberts

Arsenal are winless in their last three league games and risk falling further behind Liverpool and Man City in the race for the title, sitting in sixth, level on points with Chelsea after ten games.

As for Chelsea, a drab draw with Man United in game week ten could have been a lot worse given the circumstances, but Maresca will no doubt still feel disappointed they were unable to make the most of some favourable results around them.

Life without Cole Palmer

Chelsea have been lucky; they’ve rarely had to think about a game without talismanic forward Cole Palmer. That might be about to change after he picked up a knock in their draw with Man United.

Palmer has played almost every Premier League minute for Chelsea so far this season, his only respite coming after being substituted in their 3-0 win over West Ham having scored their third goal.

Maresca’s side have a wealth of talent, summer signing João Félix is their second-choice number ten. He’s a similar type of player to Palmer, but without his end product, Chelsea will be worried if Palmer is not fit to start at the Bridge.

*Cole Palmer shot map, Premier League 2024/25*

Martin Ødegaard’s timely return

The Arsenal captain has been out of action since early September after picking up a serious ankle injury in Norway’s 2-1 UEFA Nations League victory over Austria but is set to return to the fold.

In desperate need of his creativity, Arteta’s side have the second-worst Premier League scoring record amongst the traditional ‘top six’ with 17 goals, eight more than struggling Manchester United.

Ødegaard’s return will restore balance to Arsenal midfield. His close control and innate ability to pick out a pass with no doubt give the likes of Moisés Caicedo lots to think about.

Moisés Caicedo starting to justify his price tag

A successful £100 million+ player is rare, especially at Chelsea, however, after an underwhelming start to life at the club last season, Caicedo is starting to buck the trend.

His volley against Man United got all the headlines, but his overall performance was as good as we’ve seen from him in a Chelsea shirt. Ending the game having won eight ground duels, made four recoveries, and four passes into the final third.

Partnered alongside Romeo Lavia, he has given the club a totally different dynamic to their midfield, adding more physicality while still maintaining a creative outlet, he’s managed to provide two assists too.

The Ecuadorian may be the N’golo Kanté replacement Chelsea thought they were signing all along.

Prediction

It’s hard to look beyond Arsenal for this one. Arteta has a ridiculous record at Stamford Bridge, winning three and drawing one of his previous four Premier League games at the ground.

Not only does he have a history, he has a cause. Determined to turn their faltering title challenge around, expect Arteta to pull out all the stops to secure victory.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

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

Nov

2024

Preview: High-flying Barcelona travel to Real Sociedad

Once upon a time, in a galaxy far, far away, the Estadio de Anoeta was one of the most daunting stadiums for any FC Barcelona player.

By Zach Lowy

Between September 2007 and December 2016, Barcelona failed to win any of their eight trips to Real Sociedad, before finally breaking the duck in a 1-0 win in the Copa del Rey. Since then, Barcelona have prevailed in six of their last seven trips to San Sebastián, and they’ll be looking to continue that streak on Sunday.

Barça’s Attack Clicking on all Cylinders

After starting the Hansi Flick era with three straight 2-1 victories, Barcelona headed into the September international break with a 7-0 thrashing of Real Valladolid, a momentous result that has set the tone for the opening weeks. 10 of Barcelona’s last 13 matches have featured at least four goals, with the Blaugranas scoring 3+ goals in each of their last seven. They are blowing away the competition, sitting six points clear of Real Madrid and 10 above Atlético Madrid thanks to a sensational attacking output that has seen them rack up 40 goals and win 11 of their first 12 league matches under Flick.

Raphinha the Man to Watch

Raphinha isn’t the kind of man who forgets. When Barcelona fans took to social media to post doctored images of Athletic Club winger Nico Williams wearing the #11, Raphinha used that disrespect as fuel and has quickly emerged as one of the most in-form players in world football. Since beginning October with a goal and an assist vs. Young Boys, the Brazilian has racked up at least one goal contribution in each of his last six matches for Barcelona, including a hat-trick vs. Bayern Munich, a brace of assists vs. Alavés, and a goal and an assist vs. Real Madrid.

After setting up both of Barcelona’s first two goals in Serbia, Raphinha stretched Barcelona’s lead to three en route to a 5-2 drubbing of Red Star Belgrade on Wednesday. The signs are promising as he looks to find the back of the net for the fifth match in a row.

Can La Real Shake off Recent Woes?

It has been just over a year since Real Sociedad finished fourth and ended a decade-long Champions League drought. Today, however, the Basque side find themselves in 11th place in LaLiga. What’s more, after losing 2-1 to Viktoria Plzeň on Thursday, they are currently outside of the 24 Europa League knockout playoff spots.

So far this season, Imanol Alguacil’s side have actually done better on the road than at home. Whilst they’ve won four away matches this season, their sole home win out of seven attempts came on September 28 in a 3-0 thrashing of Valencia. The odds are not in their favour as they take on a Barcelona side that seems to be cruising to a second LaLiga title in three years.

Prediction

Barça have won seven of their last eight matches vs. La Real, and there’s no reason to believe that pattern will not continue on Sunday.

(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.

Nov

2024

Preview: Man United face Leicester with Van Nistelrooy aiming to sign off with a win

The last match of the short-lived Ruud van Nistelrooy era at Manchester United takes place on Sunday and ends as it started: at home to Leicester City.

By Karl Matchett

The Foxes visited Old Trafford in the Carabao Cup a few weeks ago and the Red Devils managed to shrug off the long-overdue exit of Erik ten Hag with a win; that fixture sparked a three-game unbeaten run so far and Van Nistelrooy will be eager to sign off by making it four, ahead of Rúben Amorim joining during the international break. With just two places and two points between the teams ahead of kick-off though, that’s still easier said than done for a United side which is set for yet more upheaval.

Inconsistent at home against poor travellers

Despite the recent improvement in results, United can’t exactly point to a body of work which screams “home three points”. A few weeks ago we noted here about their historical home form; it’s now more than 11 months since they won back-to-back league fixtures at Old Trafford in the same season. They’ve won just one of the last four on home soil in the Premier League and three of the last 11 in all competitions.

Leicester are without a win in three themselves, but rescued an injury-time draw last weekend at Ipswich following defeat to two of the Premier League’s top three beforehand. Wins are hard to come by on the road for the Foxes though; even dating back into last term in the Championship, it’s only three wins in 13 across all competitions.

Team news

No real change for Man United in terms of injuries means a continually stretched defence, with Leny Yoro, Luke Shaw, Harry Maguire and Tyrell Malacia sidelined. Kobbie Mainoo is also out and Amad Diallo needs a fitness check after scoring twice and being subbed off in midweek. Leicester are missing Patson Daka and Jakub Stolarczyk but should otherwise be at full strength.

Key players starting to fire?

There’s no doubting United’s key pair at the moment, with André Onana remaining in fine form at one end and Bruno Fernandes finally having more impact at the other. It remains incredible that nobody other than Alejandro Garnacho (two goals) has scored more than once for United in the league this term, but Fernandes netted his first of the campaign from the penalty spot last time out and claimed an assist against Brentford two games prior. As he’s top of United’s charts for xG (3.8), big chances created (7), chances created (15) and xA (1.8) he’s the one they need to maximise when confidence is flowing. That said, he only ranks in the top dozen Premier League players in one of those areas (big chances) which only underlines how poor United have been.

While Leicester’s must be a team-wide approach to earn a result, Facundo Buonanotte is the one to watch, being first or second for chances created (14), big chances (4), goals and assists (5), shots per 90 (2.8) and possession won in the final third (1.3).

Prediction

United might feel they’re on the cusp of a new dawn and scraping a win here will add to the momentum.

United 2-1 Leicester.

(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.

Nov

2024

Can Antonio Conte take Napoli to the Scudetto?

Whenever Antonio Conte joins a new club, there is always huge interest around the move. As he prepares to take on former club Inter, in a huge game at the top of Serie A on Sunday, the intrigue only increases.

By Kaustubh Pandey

Napoli’s 3-0 loss to Atalanta last weekend came at a bad time. Before the defeat at the Maradona, Napoli were comfortably sitting pretty at the top of the table, scoring plenty of goals, and had an enviable defensive record which had seen them concede only twice in nine games.

Things were coming together for them, as despite sometimes not being at their best, Conte‘s side got the results they needed. Their form had turned around after a disastrous opening day defeat to Verona, who ran out 3-0 winners and killed Napoli on the break.

Things have changed now and the South Coast club look like title contenders weeks after that disaster at the Bentegodi.

As Conte prepares to return to his former club on Sunday, we look at what has gone right for the Italian at Napoli.

One game a week season

There has been one incredible pattern in Conte’s career and that relates to how he performs brilliantly when his team has no European football.

That is how he won the Premier League at Chelsea and won Serie A with Inter, who were knocked out of Europe early during that campaign. At Tottenham, Conte didn’t have a full season without European football and that is why Napoli could be a huge opportunity this season.

The Italian is extremely prone to making errors with substitutions and game-management when it comes to the knockout rounds in major European games, adding pressure to the squad.

More than that, the current Napoli squad isn’t blessed with great depth in key areas like midfield and the backline, something that would see a side struggle to compete across multiple competitions. And when Conte doesn’t have two games a week, he wins things. That is a big positive for the Partenopei, who had a similar idea in mind when they hired the ex-Spurs boss.

Adapting to player strengths

A constant criticism of Conte that gets spoken of at every club is how he refuses to adapt to the players at hand. He has previously shown a stubborn insistence on playing a 3-5-2 everywhere he goes (barring Chelsea and his early days in Italy) but he has been surprisingly quick to adapt at Napoli.

He started with a 3-4-2-1, accommodating Khvicha Kvaratskhelia in the number ten role but after Scott McTominay arrived, Conte has often used a back four for the first time since his early years in management. That is aimed at keeping McTominay further forward in support of Romelu Lukaku and to protect Giovanni di Lorenzo more often at right-back, after the Italian had a poor 2023/24 campaign.

They do build in a back three many times, with Di Lorenzo inverting as a centre-back and adding an extra man in the middle but combining a 3-4-2-1 with a 4-2-3-1 has brought about an unpredictability to Conte’s attack that is closer to a manager who believes in relationism than positionalism. It also suits the dynamic players at hand and doesn’t pin someone like Matteo Politano – who has previously had issues with Conte – to a specific position which doesn’t suit him.

Bringing the best out of key players

The setup at hand isn’t overly positional and it is giving an element of freedom to Conte’s side that hasn’t been seen in the past.

Kvaratskhelia has been at his unpredictable best, as he floats inside and stays wide when he wants. He is often operating at will, with Politano also having the room to cut inside instead of operating as a wing-back or a forward. McTominay is acting as the receiver, helping out Lukaku in the final third and causing chaos around the box, in typical fashion.

Alessandro Buongiorno has arguably been the best centre-back in the league, as he is using his almost-telescopic legs to win balls back, circulate it forward and recover when Napoli are in possession. Most of his in-game actions are coming deeper in his half, as Conte has not forgotten what his setup looks like even if the formation has been altered.

Typical Conte ideas thriving

Despite Conte’s adaptation to what the squad has, the ideas have largely remained the same.

In that recent excellent run of form, they kept seven clean sheets and there was a familiar pattern to things.

They relied on quick transitions while either operating in a mid-block while the game was goalless or in a low block when they were a goal up. That approach gives Napoli’s best attackers a lot of room to operate in and they attack it with a lot of threat, dragging the opponent across the final third.

Someone like Buongiorno helps them win the ball back, play it forward quickly and Stanislav Lobotka is an expert at breaking the opposition press and dictating the game. He is currently injured but the Slovakian will soon turn out to be the perfect regista for the Italian’s setup.

The Inter game later today will not be a title decider by any means but it is a clash involving the two best sides in Italy and it should give us a clearer picture of where each of them stands going in to the latest international break.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

You can follow every Serie A game on FotMob – with deep stats, xG, and players ratings. Download the free app here.

Nov

2024

Preview: Liverpool and Villa round off Saturday in the Premier League

This week’s evening kick-off sees table-toppers Liverpool face Champions League chasers Aston Villa at Anfield. In this fixture last season, the Reds came out on top with a comfortable 3-0 victory.

By Matt Smith

Diogo Jota remains on the treatment table

As Arne Slot’s side prepare to face Villa, they will be without Portuguese forward Diogo Jota, who has already missed their previous five fixtures. Slot recently confirmed that he’s expected to return after the international break, but the Dutch manager has plenty of options to choose from in attack.
Federico Chiesa is also expected to remain on the treatment table and could also return after the two-week hiatus. In the Champions League during the week, Luis Díaz netted a second-half hat-trick, so he has built a case to keep his place.

The Reds are in fine form

Slot’s start to life at Anfield has likely gone better than he could ever have imagined. Liverpool currently sit top of the Premier League table, two points clear of Manchester City, and it’s not by chance. The Merseyside outfit have created 18.4 xG in their 10 games while also producing more big chances (37) than any other side.

Scoring goals has rarely been an issue for Liverpool considering the attacking options they have, but their defensive solidity has improved drastically this term. The Reds have conceded fewer goals and xG than any other side in the Premier League this season.

Emery boosted by double return

In recent weeks, Unai Emery has seen two long-term absentees return to action in Boubacar Kamara and Tyrone Mings. The Villa duo have been forced to watch from the stands for a significant period after both picking up serious knee injuries.

Emery is likely to be without both Matty Cash and Ross Barkley, but other than that, the Spanish manager has a strong squad to pick from ahead of Villa. Mings and Kamara both started in the Champions League during the week, building up their fitness ahead of Saturday.

Creativity has to improve

Although the Villans are battling for the top-four places once again this season, Emery will be desperate to see more from his side in the final third. The Midlands outfit are defending well, but they’ve created just 15.4 xG.

One player who is becoming a key cog in Emery’s machine is Youri Tielemans. Although playing in a deeper midfield role, the Belgian international has provided three assists this season, creating 22 chances as he’s given plenty of freedom in the middle of the park.

*Tielemans passing stats, Premier League 2024/25*

Liverpool too hot to handle

Villa are undoubtedly one of the toughest teams to face in the Premier League at the moment, but taking points off Liverpool is a difficult task. The Reds are in fine form, losing just once this term, so a home win shouldn’t be a surprise. A 2-0 Liverpool win is my prediction with Díaz likely to be involved in the goalscoring after his impressive display during the week.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

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

Nov

2024

Preview: City need to snap losing run at Brighton

Pep Guardiola is in unfamiliar territory after three consecutive defeats across Manchester City’s most recent games in Carabao Cup, the Premier League, and Champions League.

By Ian King

Historic grudge match for those with long memories

There is a little bit of ancient history here, in that City relegated Brighton from the top flight on the penultimate weekend of the 1982/83 season by winning 1-0 at The Goldstone Ground. City might have considered that to be revenge for Brighton beating them 4-0 in the FA Cup earlier that season, but were relegated themselves a week later.

More recently, Albion’s record against City has been atrocious since their 2017 return to the top flight. They’ve only beaten them once, at the very end of the 2020/21 season, with their opponents having already wrapped up the Premier League title for that season. City have won every other meeting between them bar one, when the two teams played out a 1-1 draw at the Amex in May 2023.

*H2H results, since FotMob records began (2010)*

The present day

The history books may not be encouraging for Brighton, but current form offers them greater hope. While they may have ultimately lost at Anfield last weekend, this was their first defeat in four, and they’ve already beaten Manchester United, Newcastle and Spurs so far.

Meanwhile, Manchester City need a win. Those hoping that their recent blip had bottomed out with last weekend’s defeat at Bournemouth ended up doubly disappointed after they were well-beaten in their midweek Champions League trip to Lisbon; they’ve now lost three in a row for the first time since 2018. There is a case for saying that City do this at some point every season, but there were few signs of improvement on Tuesday night.

Key players

For Brighton so far this season, Danny Welbeck has indeed been ‘Dat Guy’, with six goals and two assists in his first ten games. But more broadly, the key to the home team’s threat is that it can come from so many sources. Nine different players have contributed to their twelve assists so far.

Injury-ravaged though they are, Manchester City are still glittered with stardust. Phil Foden scored their early opener against Sporting, and they could do with a big performance from him on Saturday evening.

Injury news

City are still in an injury crisis but the pressure is starting to ease slightly, with Kevin De Bruyne making a brief appearance in midweek which has led to speculation that he will soon be returning to the first team. Rúben Dias and John Stones are still missing, though, and the lack of that defensive pair has been hurting them. Brighton could welcome back Yankuba Minteh and João Pedro, though Adam Webster, James Milner and Solly March all remain absent.

Prediction

Brighton’s historical record against City may be dreadful, but so was Bournemouth’s going into their meeting with them last weekend, and we all know what happened there. Should it happen, the return of De Bruyne may give them a little more zest in attack, but Brighton’s array of attacking options will be a tough test for a makeshift defence, so a score draw may be the final outcome.

Prediction: Brighton 2-2 Manchester City

(Cover image from IMAGO)

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