Page 86 – The Pulse of Football

Jan

2024

Alex Grimaldo and Jeremie Frimpong: Leverkusen’s not-so-secret wingback weapons

After 18 Bundesliga matches this season, Bayer Leverkusen find themselves sitting pretty at the top of the standings, still undefeated and with a four point cushion to Bayern Munich in second spot. In fact, Xabi Alonso’s side have already become the first team in German football history to remain unbeaten after the first 25 games of a campaign across all competitions. Their stellar form looks set to finally deliver some much-sought after silverware.

By Nathan Evans

Among their usual stand-out stars in the form of wonderkid Florian Wirtz and the much talked about Victor Boniface, there’s two players that have arguably been even more important than any others for Leverkusen this campaign. Those two players in question are Álex Grimaldo and Jeremie Frimpong; who between them have arguably formed the best wing-back partnership seen across Europe’s top five leagues in recent memory.

Before delving into the performances of both of Leverkusen’s flying full-backs, we first need to take a look at how Alonso has set up his Leverkusen side so far this campaign.

Normally deployed in a 3-4-2-1 formation – though the front three can be configured to have two strikers instead when needed – the system that Alonso has adopted this term is one that packs the middle of the park to allow the two full-backs to almost act as wingers when attacking. Simply put, that helps to give both players in those positions plenty of freedom and space to operate within, whilst making it difficult for the opposing side to know how best to track the duo.

This season, those two players have been Álex Grimaldo on the left and Jeremie Frimpong on the right.

Starting with 28-year-old Grimaldo, who without a doubt will go down as one of the best free transfer signings in a number of seasons across Europe, after joining in the summer from Benfica – he has recorded seven goals and eight assists across his 18 Bundesliga matches this campaign.

For reference on both of those fronts, he has the second-most German top-flight assists behind only Bayern’s Leroy Sané (10) and the ninth-most goals in the competition. His goal scoring also sees him head into this weekend’s action as the highest-scoring defender across Europe’s top five leagues, with six of his seven league strikes surprisingly coming away from home.

Delving into his offensive output a little deeper, Grimaldo’s numbers across the board have been stunning in the Bundesliga. Among all defenders in the competition, he ranks first for shots attempted (37), second for expected assists (5.27), second for chances created (39), second for successful crosses (21) and fourth for expected goals (2.42). That highlights just how well he understands his new role in this current Leverkusen set up, and it also emphasises just how well Alonso has done to get the best out of his new Spanish full-back.

The former Liverpool and Real Madrid midfielder, who is still in his first senior managerial role and is now heavily linked with a move to Liverpool after Jürgen Klopp’s recent announcement on his future, has also worked wonders in getting the best out of right-back Frimpong in a similar way. The 23-year-old joined Die Werkself from Celtic back in January 2021 but ever since, had struggled for consistency. That’s not been a problem this season though, as the Dutchman has thrived in his more attacking role, which has subsequently led to a full international debut back in mid-October after which his club manager said “we’re totally convinced about Jeremie, and believe that he has a big international future ahead of him.”

Like Grimaldo, Frimpong has started in all 18 of Leverkusen’s Bundesliga matches this term, recording 11 direct goal contributions along the way. Five of those have come in the form of goals, from an expected goals figure of 4.08 – the highest xG total of any defender across Europe’s top five leagues – whilst his six assists are the most of any Bundesliga defender behind his teammate.

Again, a more in-depth look into his attacking numbers showcases just how brilliant Frimpong has been in his more offensive role at right wing-back. In the German top-flight amongst defenders, he ranks second for attempted shots (28), third for expected assists (3.63) and third for chances created (32); output that is even more impressive when it’s underlined by the fact that he doesn’t usually take set pieces like his Spanish teammate. Amazingly, from his position, the 23-year-old has further racked up 136 touches in the opposition box this campaign, the second-most of any German top-flight player behind Leverkusen striker Victor Boniface!

For both, what’s potentially even more impressive however, is the fact that despite the duo putting up huge attacking metrics, their defensive performance hasn’t really suffered because of it. To date, Leverkusen have conceded the fewest goals of any side in the German top-flight (14) with their eight clean sheets also ranking them highly across Europe’s top five leagues. Elsewhere, from an individual perspective, both rank at the top of the pile for times winning possession in the final third across Europe’s elite league competitions, another key part of Alonso’s set-up, which has helped to bring success to the BayArena so far.

It does need to be mentioned that against more skillful and talented opposition, both wing-backs can struggle from a defensive perspective, whilst there’s equally the old adage of opponents understanding their tactical set up more in the future which could limit their output. The system can further, and in particular, prove to be vulnerable to counter-attacks with both full-backs operating further up the field. That can on occasion leave the pair ‘high and dry’ so to speak, but with such attacking output to make up for those small shortcomings, it’s difficult to imagine Die Werkself finishing this campaign without adding silverware to their trophy cabinet.

Whether Bayer Leverkusen can seal their first Bundesliga title still remains to be seen, but what is already certain, is that Álex Grimaldo and Jeremie Frimpong’s performances for the club throughout the 2023/24 campaign will go down in club folklore for years to come regardless.

(Images from IMAGO)

You can follow every Bayer Leverkusen game on FotMob – with deep stats, xG, and player ratings. Download the free app here.

Jan

2024

Attack could be the best form of Defence for Cameroon at AFCON 2023

It was the most classic of comebacks, in the most dramatic of fashions. Cameroon, needing victory to emerge from their Africa Cup of Nations Group C, trailed Gambia 2-1 with only four minutes left on the clock. But a team which had scored only twice before that day, a team which had yet to win at the tournament and a team which had looked ragged and short of ideas in their two openers, somehow found a way.

By Karl Matchett

For the fans and perhaps even some players, the wild scenes which met Christopher Wooh’s injury-time headed winner can mean the manner of the victory – that is, the purposeful, tactical manner in which Cameroon were the better attacking team and approached the match to win – can be overlooked.

But for boss Rigobert Song and his coaching staff, the lessons of what worked and why have to be retained and taken on board, and honed to near perfection for the knockouts, where they will first face Nigeria in the Round of 16. Because this wasn’t just an off-the-cuff comeback. There were plenty of problems remaining, particularly defens ively for Cameroon, but there were also aspects of the Indomitable Lions’ game which made for very positive watching, characteristics which can be repeated and relied upon as they aim to go deeper in the competition.

In particular, their approach play with the wide forwards paid dividends all game long against Gambia. Song needed a drastic improvement in that regard after successive fixtures attaining less than a 1.0 xG tally: 0.70 against Guinea, a measly 0.37 in the defeat to Senegal. And that’s exactly what he did find, trying two different ways, and eventually offering enough threat that Cameroon bludgeoned their way through to the knock-outs – and, perhaps just as importantly, finding an idea of how to go about attacking Nigeria, who will present an altogether more distinct challenge.

Alterations to the team came most notably in goal – André Onana dropped for Fabrice Ondoa – and in a formation switch, moving to a 3-4-3 with Karl Toko Ekambi and Georges-Kevin N’koudou deployed as the wide forwards.

Their first half movement was Cameroon’s best route into dangerous areas, with some neat combination play between the front trio – Frank Magri the central pillar – almost creating a number of openings to test Gambia’s goalkeeper. It was a narrow three in truth, Toko Ekambi and N’koudou very much in the channels rather than wide. Without the wing-backs relentlessly pushed forward, though, it meant most of the build-up play came centrally through midfield and then into their feet.

Song clearly had the right idea, but not quite the execution from his players in making it happen – so second half, he pushed for more width, eventually reverted to a back four and got a big uptick in productivity. A total of 22 touches in the Gambia penalty box, over two-thirds of those in the second half, showcase how the build-up play was more successful, more direct and yielded far more output in terms of shots.

Both Toko Ekambi and N’koudou struck the woodwork with extremely presentable chances – the latter’s effort one of three Big Chances created by Cameroon during the second 45 minutes – while the former had a total of ten touches in the opposition box, four shots and an individual xG of 0.87, all game highs. Indeed, his personal xG tally there exceeded Cameroon’s entire goal threat from each of their previous two aforementioned fixtures, highlighting the regularity with which he found space in the area and his relentless desire to fire his team through to the knockouts.

While his close-range header which found the back of the net was clearly Toko Ekambi’s biggest individual contribution, from a team perspective it’s the function and consistency of chance creation which is most important: that’s what Song can look to repeat in future games, to create future match-winning chances. On the other side of the attack, N’koudou delivered two assists for a total xG+xA tally of 0.87, adding end product to five attempted dribbles, three free-kicks won and four passes into the final third from deep.

Song has chopped and changed his forward line through the group stage, sometimes by necessity. But this pair perhaps brought the best balance of impact and outlet, and there’s reason to think there’s more ahead: Vincent Aboubakar, captain and top scorer of the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations, is back from injury and ready to face Nigeria.

If he lines up through the centre, flanked by N’koudou and Toko Ekambi, it gives Song an attacking platform to trouble a Super Eagles side which has kept back-to-back clean sheets. With their own problems to still sort out defensively, attack will be the best form of defence for Cameroon as they aim to emulate a run to the semi-finals two years ago.

(Images from IMAGO)

You can follow every game from the Africa Cup of Nations, with deep stats and players ratings, on FotMob. Download the free app here.

Jan

2024

Transfer of the Week: Mayra Ramirez – Chelsea’s record-breaking signing

Over the course of the January transfer window, we will take a closer look at the best of the week’s business with our ‘Transfer of the Week’ columns. This time, our focus will be on Mayra Ramírez, whose €500,000 release clause has been triggered by Chelsea to set a new world record transfer fee in women’s football.

By Neel Shelat

Chelsea’s first headlines of 2024 were the worst possible ones – Sam Kerr suffering a season-ending ACL injury. It is really tough to find a positive angle when a team loses their star striker, but the only favourable aspect of this was the timing, as the Blues had a good couple of weeks in the transfer window to scour the market and decide if they wanted to make a signing.

As they seek a fifth-consecutive Women’s Super League title in what is set to be Emma Hayes’ last season at the English club, Chelsea concluded that they would need to bring someone in to replace the firepower of Kerr up front. After some deliberation, their pick was Levante’s Mayra Ramírez.

Right from first glance, it is easy to see why the Blues went for the 24-year-old Colombian striker. Just like Kerr, she is an exceptional goal-scorer but has a lot more to her game than just that, as she can be an imposing aerial presence up top and link up well with her teammates.

That player radar looks eerily similar to Kerr’s, so Chelsea’s scouting department have clearly done a great job in finding an almost like-for-like replacement as far as player profiles are concerned.

Of course, there are some differences between the two players. For one, Ramírez has a much bigger frame than her Australian counterpart. At 178 cm, she stands 10 cm taller than Kerr. WSL defences have already been tormented enough by the ex-Perth Glory striker, so they could well be absolutely bullied by the new arrival.

Despite her stature, Ramírez is a very mobile striker. She always shows great work-rate off the ball, both to lead the press when her team does not have possession and to probe for openings when her teammates have the ball. For both Levante and Colombia, she can be seen constantly making runs into channels, spinning in behind or dropping deep to always keep her opposing defenders on their toes. The 24-year-old forward has a decent turn of pace too, so she can run onto balls in behind besides serving as a very strong aerial target.

In and around the box, Ramírez can be absolutely deadly. Her goal-scoring record speaks for itself, as she has averaged well over a goal every two matches in two seasons at Levante.

She is in particularly fine form this season, averaging almost a goal per 90 minutes in Liga F. Her ability to consistently get into dangerous positions through her movement and presence in the box is also a big part of her success, as she has consistently averaged well over 3 shots per 90 in the last couple of seasons.

The numbers also reflect her general on-ball threat, as the Colombian international has averaged 2.25 dribbles per 90 in the league this season. An average of almost 10 touches in the penalty area per 90 is absolutely staggering, so that should paint a good picture of just how much of a threat Ramírez can pose on her own.

This dribbling ability could be particularly important to Ramírez’s long-term future at Chelsea. Unless the next manager opts to use a front-two formation, she will have the very tough task of competing with Kerr for the striker spot. In such a case, her ability to operate on the right wing could prove quite handy to ensure that both of them spend a lot of time together on the pitch.

For this season and the next, Ramírez will add another dimension to Chelsea’s already very diverse forward options, which include the all-action Lauren James, creative threats such as Guro Reiten and Johanna Rytting Kaneryd, USWNT forwards Catarina Macario and Mia Fishel, as well as youngsters such as Agnes Beever-Jones and Lucy Watson.

In the future, the Colombian international should aim to establish herself as Kerr’s successor at Chelsea as the Australian forward has ticked over the age of 30 years old now.

On the other hand, Levante’s short and long-term UWCL aspirations have surely suffered a big setback with this departure. They are currently locked in an extremely tight four-team battle behind Barcelona, the dominant force in Liga F, and will likely not get much further than that given their financial constraints. For now, they will have to hope that the likes of Gabi Silva, Alba Redondo and Ángela Sosa can minimise the impact of Ramírez’s departure.

Given the way women’s football has been heading of late, Ramírez’s transfer fee could easily be surpassed quite soon. For now, though, she is a deserving holder of that record.

(Images from IMAGO)

To keep up to date with all the latest Transfers, check out the FotMob Transfer Centre. Download the free app here.

Jan

2024

FIVE games to follow this weekend: FA Cup ties, AFCON knockout stages, and more

In this weekend preview we summarise the best five games to follow on your match feed. And make a couple of suggestions for matches that you may otherwise miss.

By Bill Biss

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 FA Cup: Newport County vs. Manchester United

We start this week, with one of Sunday’s fourth round clashes, in the FA Cup. And this is a proper cup tie, befitting of the tradition and values of the world’s oldest national cup competition. Newport County, from South Wales, and currently sat 14th in League Two, take on giants Manchester United, from three divisions above them, and 12-time winners of the trophy.

Rodney Parade will be full the rafters for the visit of the Premier League side, and their still somewhat under pressure manager, Erik Ten Hag, and even the slightest sniff of an upset (or ‘Cupset’) will be jumped upon.

Newport have some decent recent history in the competition having reached this round for the third time in the last seven seasons but make no mistake, a win here would be their biggest ever result. This season, in particular, Manchester United can not afford to let that happen and Ten Hag will be keen for his side to take control of the game as early on as possible.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 FA Cup: West Brom vs. Wolves

Just like the third round throwing up a rare derby between Sunderland and Newcastle United, the fourth round has given us the Black Country Derby between West Bromwich Albion, from the Championship, and Wolverhampton Wanderers, of the Premier League.

Sunday’s meeting between the two will be the first since 2021 when Albion were ultimately relegated from England’s top flight but their absence will only have intensified the animosity between the two local rivals.

West Brom haven’t lost a home game to Wolves since 1996 and they’ve only lost three of the 24 games played against each other since then. So Gary O’Neil’s visitors will be particularly motivated to end that historical hoodoo. Especially with his side unbeaten in six (all comps) and up to 11th in the Premier League. Albion did lose to Norwich City in their last outing but they do still sit fifth in the Championship, the best of the rest behind a breakaway top four of Leicester, Ipswich, Southampton, and Leeds.

🇪🇸 LaLiga: Celta Vigo vs. Girona

Elsewhere on Sunday, we’ll be focusing on the unlikely title race in LaLiga, where once again, Girona will be playing catch up when they head to Celta Vigo.

They sit one point ahead of Real Madrid at the top of the table but with Carlo Ancelotti’s side in action on Saturday, the pressure will likely be on Girona to respond. They did just that last weekend, thrashing Sevilla 5-1 after Madrid had rescued a 3-2 win against bottom side Almería earlier that same day. But the league leaders were upset in the week, when they lost a Copa Del Rey quarter-final at Mallorca.

Celta Vigo were also involved in that round, where they went down to a 2-1 defeat to Real Sociedad on Tuesday. Rafa Benítez might just be glad to see the back of them having watched his side also lose to Real Sociedad in the league last Saturday! Celta currently sit two points above the relegation zone but were on a decent run of form before that double blow.

🇩🇪 Bundesliga: Bayer Leverkusen vs. Borussia Mönchengladbach

To Germany now, where another unlikely side are looking to claim what would be their first ever top flight title. Bayer Leverkusen saw their lead in the table drop to four points following the playing of Bayern’s game in hand during the week, but with their unbeaten start still in tact, they should be confident going in to Saturday’s meeting with Rhine rivals Gladbach.

In fact, it’s a weekend full of local (and local-ish) rivalries in the Bundesliga. Bayern travel to Bavarian neighbours Augsburg, and with Schalke currently absent from the top flight, Borussia Dortmund play Bochum in the Mini-Revierderby.

Going back to Leverkusen though, Xabi Alonso’s side have won their last five competitive games, coming through tricky ties against Augsburg and Leipzig in the two rounds played since the winter break. And back in Round 2, in August, they were 3-0 winners at Gladbach, a game in which top scorer Victor Boniface scored twice.

Gladbach come in to Saturday’s game sat 12th in the table, and with one win in their last five league games. Their manager this season is Gerardo Seoane, the man who Xabi Alonso replaced at Leverkusen with the club then sat second bottom of the division in October 2022. Something that should add a little more spice to this derby fixture!

🇮🇹 Serie A: Fiorentina vs. Inter

In Serie A, fourth meets second on Sunday evening as the Viola meet the Nerazzurri. Both sides were in Supercoppa action last weekend, a tournament that Inter won for the third season in a row following Monday’s victory over Napoli in the final, with Napoli having beaten Fiorentina in their semi-final.

Inter’s absence did allow Juventus to leapfrog them at the top of the league table, but only by a point, and the two do, of course, meet in what looks like a particularly important Derby d’Italia next up, over the first weekend of February.

But ahead of that potential title decider, Inter must be wary of a Fiorentina side who looked inspired during the first half of the season. They have won just one of their last five competitive games but they were unbeaten in eight before that, and they also topped their group in the Europa Conference League.

Simone Inzaghi’s Inter have lost just once in the league all season and just once in their last 22 in all competitions. They are also the top scorers in the division, averaging 2.5 goals per game, and conceding just 0.5 goals per game at the other end.

Plus two suggestions from the ongoing international tournaments, as their respective knockout stages begin…

🏆 AFCON 2023: Nigeria vs. Cameroon

Running roughly one day ahead of their Asian counterparts, the Africa Cup of Nations reaches the Round of 16 on Saturday. And it’s the second of the day’s two games that will take most of the attention; the clash between West African neighbours and continental heavyweights, Nigeria and Cameroon. The Super Eagles vs. The Indomitable Lions.

The group stage of the tournament was one for the ages, but where so many of the favourites failed or faltered, these two have at least made it through. Nigeria went unbeaten and look steady, but not spectacular, scoring just three goals as they beat Ivory Coast and Guinea-Bissau (both 1-0), and drew with Equatorial Guinea (1-1). Cameroon looked shakier. They started with a 1-1 draw against 10-men Guinea and were then beaten soundly by reigning champions Senegal. Trailing 2-1 against Gambia, they needed a late own-goal and a stoppage time winner to get the points they needed to progress as the runners-up from their group.

🏆 Asian Cup 2023: Australia vs. Indonesia

In the AFC’s flagship tournament, the Round of 16 gets going on Sunday. And we’ve picked out the meeting between 2015 winners Australia and Indonesia, who have reached this stage for the first time, in what is their fifth appearance at the finals.

Ranked 146th in the world to Australia’s current status as FIFA’s 25th best international side, Indonesia are the rank outsiders. But in scoring against both Iraq and Japan, and beating Vietnam to progress, they have shown some potential for causing an upset.

The Socceroos have done what has been expected of them, but they have perhaps lacked a cutting edge having only put two past lowly-seeded India and one past Syria in their two group stage wins. Their last result was a disappointing 1-1 draw with Uzbekistan.

If you want to follow any of the games mentioned above, click on the relevant link and tap the bell icon to receive all the key match updates.

Or join our new WhatsApp Channel for updates on all the important football going on this weekend!

Cover Image from IMAGO

Jan

2024

Asian Cup Group Stage Review: Favourites Stumble, Minnows Make History

Although the AFCON made headlines all over the world for an unforgettable group stage, the Asian Cup was not to be outdone, as it also had its fair share of drama. There were some major upsets in Qatar too, and although none of the favourites crashed out of the group stage, a fair few sides earned a knockout spot for the first time ever.

By Neel Shelat

Group A: China crash out, debutantes Tajikistan shine

Just a few years ago, Chinese President Xi Jinping announced his ambition of making China a ‘soccer superpower’ by 2050. That project might already be considered a failure, as they crashed out of their Asian Cup group without scoring a single goal. There are a lot of factors behind this disastrous result, but a big one has to be the downfall of the Chinese Super League after its COVID-induced financial crisis.

This edition of the Asian Cup had just one debutant, Tajikistan, who made sure of capitalising on such a golden opportunity. They booked an immediate knockout berth by finishing second thanks to a matchday 3 turnaround against Lebanon. Signs of encouragement were there right from the opener against China, which they drew but could easily have won. A one-goal defeat to Qatar was not a result to be ashamed of at all, so they should not be taken lightly in the knockouts.

For all their pre-tournament instability, Qatar absolutely turned up at this Asian Cup. They dispelled the demons of the disastrous World Cup with a perfect group campaign this time, winning all three games without conceding a single goal. Tintín Márquez deserves a lot of credit for coming in and instantly putting together a cohesive system, which hinges on the playmaking quality of Akram Afif.

Lebanon were never among the favourites to progress, but they should be a little disappointed to watch Tajikistan advance ahead of them. They were outclassed by the hosts on the opening day, and although they put in two spirited displays thereafter, they just could not get the job done.

Group B: Syria sneak into the knockouts

The big story in Group B was Syria’s success, as they qualified for the Asian Cup knockouts for the first time ever. They started off with a resolute defensive display to pick up a point against Uzbekistan, before only going down by a goal against Australia. That set them up for a decider against India, which they won thanks to substitute Omar Khribin’s 76th-minute strike.

Australia were the clear favourites in this group, and they got through it quite comfortably. However, they were rather unconvincing as Graham Arnold attempted to implement a possession-dominant style against more defensive opponents but made some inappropriate selection decisions, leading to the team often looking stuck in the final third. Their defending was very solid, though, so Mathew Ryan is among the least busy goalkeepers in the tournament.

Uzbekistan were not as good as expected either, as the absence of veteran striker Eldor Shomurodov seemed to impair their attacking play. They did manage to put three past India though and more than held their own against Australia, so they could yet be dark horses in the knockouts.

As expected, India bowed out without causing much of a stir. There were some encouraging elements in all of their performances – they defended well against Australia to keep it goalless at half-time, showed some flashes of attacking threat against Uzbekistan and gave Syria a real run for their money – but they failed to string everything together and left pointless and goalless.

Group C: Palestine make history

Palestine were almost universally supported by fans at the Asian Cup, by local Qatari supporters as well as the travelling contingent from nearby nations as all showed their solidarity amidst the war on Gaza. Football can hardly be thought of as a priority for them, but they looked to be in for a tough tournament when Iran put four past them on Matchday 1.

The players showed incredible resilience and determination to fight back thereafter, earning a thoroughly deserved point against the UAE before beating Hong Kong on the final day to secure a knockout berth for the first time in the nation’s history.

After that fantastic opening performance, Iran seemed to take a bit of a step back as they only just got the better of Hong Kong and the UAE, but a perfect record of three wins in three games is not to be sniffed at. They should really back themselves to go all the way in the knockouts.

The United Arab Emirates were slightly disappointing too. A 3-1 win in the opener against Hong Kong got them off to a good start, but their performance was far from convincing. The subsequent results reflected that, as they very much held on for a draw against Palestine before losing to Iran. They will not be entering the knockouts in the best of form.

Hong Kong performed significantly better than their FIFA ranking of #150 might lead one to expect, as they took their games to all three opponents with a troublesome press above all. They leave Qatar without having picked up a point, but that hardly tells the story of how well they performed.

Group D: Iraq steal Japan’s thunder

Japan were almost unanimously considered the pre-tournament favourites going into the tournament, but they had a much tougher time than anticipated in the group. They survived a big scare against Vietnam in the opener with a 4-2 win, but then suffered a first defeat in over ten matches against Iraq. The Samurai Blue did seal second spot by beating Indonesia, but they failed to keep a single clean sheet in their three matches.

Iraq, then, were the stars of Group D. Their youthful attack including the likes of ex-Manchester United youngster Zidane Iqbal and locally-based starlet Ali Jassim looked very dangerous in all of their matches, but it was 27-year-old striker Ayman Hussein who dealt most of the damage in terms of goals. It is far too early to talk of a repeat of their 2007 triumph, but they certainly have the potential to tear through any defence.

Indonesia lost both of their matches against the top two with a 3-1 scoreline, but they were rewarded for their positive intent with a one-goal win over Vietnam. Thanks to other favourable results, that just about proved enough for them to advance to the knockouts for the first time in their history.

Vietnam should be disappointed to leave without a point, but they should go to the airport with their heads held high as they gave Japan a real scare by taking a lead in that game and only lost the other two by a slender margin.

Group E: South Korea stutter, Bahrain bounce back

Like their near neighbours and fierce rivals, South Korea also had a tougher time in their group than expected. They started by beating Bahrain 3-1 in a match where they got a warning shot in the shape of a conceding an equaliser, which they only really overcame thanks to the individual brilliance of Lee Kang-in. The Taeguk Warriors failed to win both of their remaining matches, needing a stoppage-time equaliser against Jordan and conceding one past the 100-minute mark against Malaysia. They do not look in the strongest of shape going into the knockouts.

Jordan might have finished third, but they were arguably the most impressive team in the group. They started with a 4-0 thrashing of Malaysia, before giving South Korea a real scare in a match they could easily have won. As we predicted, the brilliance of Musa Al-Taamari made the difference for them in the final third, so it was no surprise to see a heavily-rotated side struggle against Bahrain without him. Losing first place in the group is not a terrible result at all, though, as it means they have avoided Japan in the Round of 16.

Bahrain did a fantastic job of bouncing back from the loss to South Korea in their opener, as they registered two solid 1-0 wins to ultimately shoot up to the top of the group. That does not give them the most favourable of draws as aforementioned, but they will go into the Round of 16 very high on confidence.

Malaysia recovered well from their terrible start against Jordan as Kim Pan-gon rectified many of his mistakes, such as fielding Arif Aiman at right wing-back. They failed to get anything against Bahrain nevertheless but their performance was much improved, so the eventual point they earned in dramatic fashion against South Korea has to be thoroughly deserved.

Group F: Saudi Arabia look unconvincing

Saudi Arabia, like most of the big-hitters, did not look overly convincing in their group. They also had some pre-tournament turbulence as some senior players were left out of Roberto Manicini’s squad, but their problem on the pitch proved to be a lack of intensity. A dramatic late turnaround got them past Oman, they seemed very content with a small win against the nine men of Kyrgyzstan and then failed to get the better of Thailand. If they continue to perform at such a level, they are sure to disappoint in the knockouts.

Thailand exceeded expectations the most in this group as they beat Kyrgyzstan 2-0 to start the tournament and then held down second place with two goalless draws. Their solid defensive record, combined with some individual quality up front, could have the potential to trouble some stronger teams in the knockouts.

Oman and Kyrgyzstan showed good defensive resolution in their first two matches to stay in contention on the final day, but then they rather ended up tripping over each other. A win might have placed either as one of the best third-placed teams that make the knockouts, but they drew 1-1 and let Indonesia sneak by instead.

Looking ahead: Round of 16

Owing to the favourites’ underwhelming performances, the knockout bracket looks nothing like what everyone was expecting pre-tournament.

Two heavyweights are already colliding in Saudi Arabia vs South Korea, while some of the underdogs have a golden opportunity to reach the quarter-finals in ties such as Iraq vs Jordan and Uzbekistan vs Thailand. Perhaps the biggest of the lot, though, is Qatar vs Palestine, which is a match that is sure to have a much wider impact than just on the pitch.

(Images from IMAGO)

You can follow every game from the Asian Cup, with deep stats and players ratings, on FotMob. Download the free app here.

Jan

2024

FA Cup Fourth Round Preview

The FA Cup returned with a bang last night. The fourth-round kicked off on Thursday evening with Bournemouth facing off against Championship side Swansea City. The Premier League team ran out 5-0 winners, putting on a first-half finishing clinic to progress to the next round. Here’s hoping the rest of the fixtures are filled with just as many goals.

Here’s our FA Cup fourth-round preview.

By Sam McGuire

Stamford Bridge showdown

There are a number of games on Friday night.

One of the standout ones is Chelsea playing host to Aston Villa. The Blues, rather emphatically, booked their place in the Carabao Cup final after thrashing Middlesbrough in mid-week. Villa, meanwhile, haven’t been in action since January 14th. This could be both a blessing and a curse. Unai Emery’s men could be fresh after a mini-break or a little sluggish after almost two weeks without a match.

Heading into this match, Mauricio Pochettino’s side are actually the form team having won four of their last five. By comparison, across all competitions, Villa have just one win in their last five. So while the visitors might be 12 points better off in the Premier League, the hosts are going to fancy their chances in this tie.

A big test for Manchester City

We’re being spoilt on Friday evening. The second big clash of the night sees Manchester City travel to London to face off against Tottenham Hotspur.

Despite their dominance under Pep Guardiola, City haven’t been able to dominate Spurs. Across the last 10 matches between the two sides in all competitions, the reigning FA Cup holders have managed to defeat Tottenham on just two occasions. Guardiola’s side have actually lost half of these match-ups, with four of these losses coming away from home.

With the return of so many key players, Ange Postecoglou’s side have looked a little more like their old selves over recent weeks. They will fancy their chances of causing an upset. However, City have the difference-maker back in the shape of Kevin De Bruyne and you simply cannot plan for what he’s capable of.

It has the potential to be a blockbuster match-up.

A proper FA Cup clash

Ipswich Town are flying high in the Championship this term. The Tractor Boys are second, just seven points off the summit, and they recently held leaders Leicester to a 1-1 draw. Their form over the past few weeks hasn’t been great, though, with Kieran McKenna’s side winning just one of their previous five matches in the English second tier.

But they are going to be confident heading into their FA Cup clash as they welcome National League South (England’s sixth tier) side Maidstone United to Portman Road for the early Saturday afternoon kick-off.

The semi-professional team are fourth in their league and are managed by former Wolves defender George Elokobi. There is no real pressure on them so this is essentially a free hit. This dynamic could make for an all-time classic.

Friends reunited at Anfield

Norwich City travel to Anfield on Sunday afternoon looking to cause an upset against the Premier League leaders. Liverpool are still in contention for all four trophies this season but this might not be the case come Sunday evening.

The Reds have injury issues and having played on Wednesday evening, Jürgen Klopp might have to heavily rotate his side ahead of the upcoming mid-week game against Chelsea. A weakened team against a motivated Norwich City side could result in an upset.

This tie also pits Klopp against one of his best friends, David Wagner. The Norwich boss isn’t under intense pressure at Carrow Road but they’re eighth in the Championship, a positive performance here could give him a little breathing space over the next couple of months.

Pressure on Manchester United

On paper, this should be a banker for the Red Devils. The Premier League side travel to Newport County on Sunday afternoon. For those unfamiliar with the club playing host to Manchester United this weekend, they are currently mid-table in League Two and only eight teams have conceded more goals than them this season.

The Welsh side beat Eastleigh, of the National League, in the last round to set up this historic clash.

One thing to note here though is that Newport have been on a decent run over the past couple of weeks. They are unbeaten in over a month and claimed a 1-0 win over high-flying Wrexham in their last outing. So, they’ll be as confident as they possibly can be heading into this game against Man United.

It is one of those old-school FA Cup games. The underdog has nothing to lose so could fly out of the traps and make life difficult. If United can’t weather the storm, it could make for an interesting tie. If they score an early goal, however, it could be a very long day for the hosts. The first 10 minutes could set the game up nicely.

Ewood Park welcomes Hollywood

The final match of the fourth round sees Blackburn Rovers play host to Wrexham on Monday night.

The hosts have been in freefall since mid-December. They have won just one of their last eight matches in all competitions and that was a 5-2 win over Cambridge United in the FA Cup. They have lost five of their last seven in the Championship and now find themselves in 17th position. Earlier in the campaign, a play-off push looked likely.

By comparison, League Two side Wrexham are flying. They fell to defeat in their last outing but remain second in the table. They’re scoring goals and they managed to defeat League One side Shrewsbury Town in the last round.

If they were able to knock Blackburn out though, that would be some upset. And they probably will be confident of a result at Ewood Park.

(Image from IMAGO)

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Jan

2024

Will Still and Stade Reims’ sensible transfer policy is aiding their push towards European qualification

Just 15 years ago, Stade de Reims found themselves in the third tier of French football, still struggling to recover after the club was liquidated back in 1991.

By Nathan Evans

During that campaign and despite their best efforts, the outfit who were later reformed as Stade De Reims Champagne, suffered judicial liquidation that resulted in the stoppage of the club’s activities before their final match of the same season. With a long and illustrious history in the sport, which included two appearances in the European Cup final in the 1950’s (which both ended in defeat to Real Madrid), it was an unthinkable moment for the club based in France’s famous wine-producing region.

The following season, the side were reborn and even though all aspects of their former club were auctioned off as they played in the amateur divisions, they’ve eventually developed into a serious Ligue 1 outfit once again. It’s testament to the hard work of those who cared most about their team. And now in early 2024, Reims find themselves with an outside shot of Champions League qualification under current boss Will Still.

It’s fair to say that it’s been a slow and steady rise for Reims since their darkest days, but they now have a strong case for being recognised as one of Europe’s best run clubs. Much of their recent success – which included an appearance in the 2020/21 UEFA Europa League – has been built on the solid transfer policy of targeting younger players who the club can buy for lesser sums, before aiding their development, and then selling on for sizeable profit. The other prong of that policy is to find talent from leagues outside of Europe’s top five who can provide instant quality for the club.

That’s been particularly apparent since Will Still has managed the club after taking the reins in mid-October 2022. Since then, the Champagne-based side have surprisingly outlaid just shy of €70million in terms of incoming talent. That sum has been headlined by the arrivals of Joseph Okumu from Gent, Keita Nakamura from LASK, Junya Ito from Genk and former Football Manager wonderkid Mohamed Daramy from Ajax who have all joined for fees worth €10million or over.

That influx of talent has helped Reims to climb the Ligue 1 standings this campaign. As of mid-January, they sit sixth and just five points shy of surprise-package Brest, who currently occupy third spot, and the final guaranteed UCL group stage qualification position.

At first glance, with just a +1 goal difference through 18 league outings, it may be difficult to understand why Reims are doing so well this season, but a deeper delve into Still’s tactics and style of play highlight his apparent ability to get the best out of what he currently has at his disposal. That’s something that nearly led to a move to Championship side Sunderland during the festive period, a club that he would have almost certainly helped to further improve given his track record so far plus the Black Cats own recent transfer policy of finding young talent to help flourish.

Back to Reims though, and this season they’ve found plenty of joy in the way that they’ve been set up to play. Whether operating with two centre-backs or three, as Still both trusts his players and seems happy to drift between separate formations, the two full-backs are encouraged to take up attacking positions out wide with the sole purpose of giving Reims width. Then in the middle of the park, the central midfielders are positioned along different lines in order to create space amongst opposition players and to ultimately aid ball progression at every given moment. In essence, the whole system is based on a player having a number of different options when looking to play a pass, whilst also having positional freedom to move around the pitch, if desired, and needed to achieve that.

That seems like a simple idea, but ultimately it’s dependent on how well drilled a team is from their collective learning on the training pitch, an aspect of the job where Still thrives. The semi-viral video showing the 31-year-old seamlessly switching between English and French is part of that.

Elsewhere from a tactical stand-point, there’s other aspects to consider, like that of Still asking his left-back in particular to invert when needed, or for one of his central midfielders to drop deep for the ball to then move possession forward when possible. Both of those aspects are additionally used to create options all across the field when in possession.

The system has brought the best out of plenty of Reims’ star players as a result. For example, across Ligue 1 this season, no player has created more big chances than Ito’s nine, whilst he also ranks fifth for progressive carries (70).

Elsewhere on the field, Teddy Teuma has particularly shone in this system after joining the club from Union Saint-Gilloise in the summer as through 16 Ligue 1 matches, he’s netted five goals from midfield. He in particular has enjoyed receiving freedom from Still which goes a long way to understanding why he ranks in the top 10% of all midfielders in the division for attempted shots (29) and chances created (22) but also for successful tackles (25) and times winning possession in the final third (16). His overall FotMob rating of 7.50 also ranks him in 13th spot this campaign in France’s top-flight, such has been his impact on his new side.

And as mentioned before, younger players at Reims are also enjoying the guidance given to them by their manager. Not least Daramy who, as of January 22nd, has a joint-high seven direct goal contributions in Ligue 1 as he looks to re-establish his career after a failed spell with Dutch giants Ajax.

Those players represent just three cases of how Will Still is proving to be one of Europe’s most talented up-and-coming managers, and how he’s potentially helping Reims return to the continent’s premier competition.

(Images from IMAGO)

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Jan

2024

AFCON 2023 Team of the Group Stage

The 2023 Africa Cup of Nations has so far been one of the most entertaining in the tournament’s history.

What we witnessed in the past couple of weeks might be one of the most entertaining group stages of any tournament.

By James Nalton

Defending champions Senegal have been the only team to really live up to expectations, winning all three of their group games.

Some other bigger names on the continent such as Ghana, Tunisia, and Algeria are already out, while hosts Ivory Coast only just scraped through to the knockout rounds as one of the third-place teams.

Aside from Senegal, the best teams in this tournament have been Cape Verde and Equatorial Guinea.

And this isn’t just a romanticising of the underdog — these teams have been genuinely good.

There have been other underdog stories, too. Namibia and Mauritania have both won their first-ever games at an AFCON during this group stage and qualified for the knockouts on the back of those wins.

The third-lowest-ranked team at the start of the tournament, Angola, topped a group that included the much higher-ranked Algeria and Burkina Faso.

Amid all of this have been players putting in some heroic performances and catching the eye during a dramatic 12 days.

Here is a best XI from the group stages, based on regular standout or consistent performances.

Goalkeeper: 🇬🇶 Jesús Owono

Equatorial Guinea’s opening game against Nigeria, in which they survived a barrage of attacks from their opponents to draw 1-1, gave them the platform from which to go on and win the group.

They could not have done this without Owono who made six saves and faced an xG on target of 2.60, allowing just one goal.

Despite barely featuring in La Liga for his club side, Alaves, he is proving himself one of the best goalkeepers at this tournament for the second edition in a row.

Right-Back: 🇲🇦 Achraf Hakimi

Edging Krepin Diatta of Senegal, Hakimi shone in all three of Morocco’s group matches, assisting a goal in a 3-0 win against Tanzania, and scoring in the 1-1 draw with DR Congo.

Even in the game against Zambia when he didn’t register a goal contribution, he was still one of the best players on the pitch.

Centre-Back: 🇦🇴 Kialonda Gaspar

Gaspar’s all-round performance against Burkina Faso earned him the official Man of the Match award and helped his side finish top of the group.

He finished that game having completed 41 out of 47 passes attempted (87%) and having made 15 defensive actions.

In the 3-2 win against Mauritania, Gaspar won a remarkable 13 of 13 aerial duels he contested.

Centre-Back: 🇨🇻 Logan Costa

Costa has been a steady, solid presence at the back for the standout Cape Verde side, contributing in and out of possession.

His displays in defence helped them top the group unbeaten, and has played all three games—a mainstay in the backline even among rotation around him in the final game against Egypt.

Aged 22, the Toulouse centre-back may attract attention from across Europe on the back of these performances.

Left-Back: 🇨🇩 Arthur Masuaku

Masuaku was a consistent presence and often a threat to the opposition as DR Congo qualified for the knockout stages thanks to three draws in the group stage.

He performed well against Morocco’s strong right side in their important 1-1 draw with the group winners.

Ali Abdi also showed up well in this position despite Tunisia’s early exit.

Midfield: 🇲🇷 Omaré Gassama

Gassama has been one of the standouts for a Mauritania team that won their first game at an AFCON, against Algeria no less, qualifying for the knockout rounds in the process.

He displayed more quality on the ball in the defeats to Angola and Burkina Faso, but his defensive work has been noticeable throughout the group stage.

Midfield: 🇲🇦 Azzedine Ounahi

Marseille midfielder Ounahi has been one of the most eye-catching players in this tournament so far, putting in notable performances in each of Morocco’s group stage matches.

The 23-year-old has shown some tidy passing even in more advanced areas, and boasts a pass success of 94%. He is up there with the tournament’s best chance creators with five, and an xA of 0.6.

Midfield: 🇲🇱 Kamory Doumbia

Doumbia stood out in Mali’s 2-0 win against South Africa, assisting one of the goals. He followed it up with another promising display against Tunisia where he also registered an assist in a 1-1 draw.

The 20-year-old has good all-round ability thanks to technique and quickness of thought and looks like he could play in any midfield position.

Mali coach Éric Chelle has so far used him in a more attacking role as a No. 10, which has worked well.

To address the Lion of Teranga in the room, all of Senegal’s midfielders were close to making this XI, and no doubt many of them will be present in any best XI come the end of the tournament.

Right Wing: 🇬🇶 Iban Salvador

While Owono contributed greatly in goal, Salvador nabbed the goal against Nigeria which gave Equatorial Guinea the platform to go on and win the group.

That first game, in which he also created two chances, was his standout performance, but he has contributed in and out of possession to his team’s progress, offering defensive support throughout.

Left Wing: 🇲🇷 Aboubakary Koita

Koita was a vital outlet down the left wing for Mauritania as they upset the odds in Group D.

He has been one of the players most eager to take on his marker, and often beats them, boasting a dribble success of 91.7%.

This go-forward helped drive Mauritania out of defensive positions against Algeria and contributed to their memorable win and progress.

Striker: 🇨🇻 Emilio Nsue

Nsue goes into the knockout stage of this tournament leading the goalscoring charts with five.

He gets into the XI ahead of Mostafa Mohamed of Egypt who scored in each of his team’s group games.

Nsue’s performances were one of the stories of the group stage. Against Guinea-Bissau, he scored the first hat-trick an AFCON tournament has seen since 2008, before going on to net a brace in a shock 4-0 win against hosts Ivory Coast.

Not bad for a player who spent most of his club career playing at right-back.

(Images from IMAGO)

You can follow every game from the Africa Cup of Nations, with deep stats and players ratings, on FotMob. Download the free app here.

Jan

2024

AFCON Group Stage Review: Logic-Defying Drama as Giants Crash Out and Minnows Advance

The group stage of this AFCON was perhaps the most dramatic and entertaining round in the tournament’s history. Every single team managed to get on the scoresheet, every single game until the final day had at least one goal, and the results could not possibly have been predicted by the boldest of fans.

By Neel Shelat

Group A: Emilio Nsue takes over, Ivory Coast survive a scare

Of course, anyone could have predicted that 34-year-old Emilio Nsue – who plies his trade for CF Intercity in Spain’s third tier – would be the top scorer at the end of the group stage ahead of the likes of Victor Osimhen and Mohamed Salah.

His incredibly clinical finishing enabled Equatorial Guinea to surprisingly top Group A, where the big story was the fate of the hosts.

The Ivory Coast’s tournament got off to a good start as they defeated Guinea-Bissau in the opener, but a subsequent loss to Nigeria left them needing at least a point in their final group match to be sure of reaching the knockouts. Instead, they got thrashed 4-0 by the group winners, putting themselves in real jeopardy.

For the next three or so days, everyone had their calculators out as the Elephants needed a specific combination of results to go through as one of the best third-placed teams. It went right down to the wire, but they just about survived. Before that, though, the federation made the decision to sack Jean-Louis Gasset, so Emerse Fae will take interim charge in the knockouts.

Nigeria had some concerns going into the tournament which were not eased by a 1-1 draw against Equatorial Guinea on matchday 1, but José Peseiro’s decision to switch to a back-five thereafter proved to be a masterstroke. The Super Eagles got the better of the hosts and Guinea-Bissau, keeping a clean sheet in both matches.

Guinea-Bissau, for their part, showed some glimpses of quality, but could not string it all together for a full match and ultimately went home not only winless but also pointless.

Group B: Ghana sent packing, Egypt escape

For the third consecutive major tournament, Ghana failed to make it past the group stage. We took a closer look at some of their overarching issues in a special feature, but in summary, they looked quite disjointed on the pitch and had issues both in attack and defence. Even so, they were on course for the knockouts until a stoppage-time collapse against Mozambique which saw them throw away a two-goal lead.

Egypt were far from comfortable as well. They started off with a disappointing draw with Mozambique only thanks to a stoppage-time penalty, before sharing the spoils with Ghana as well. That left them needing something in their final group game, in which they were in trouble for a while. Even after taking the lead in stoppage time, they conceded even later to only manage a draw, but Ghana’s disastrous end saved their blushes.

The big story for the Pharoahs was Mohamed Salah’s injury issues. Some analysts argued they might actually look better without him as the likes of Omar Marmoush, Emam Ashour and Trézéguet enjoy greater freedom and responsibility, but all the drama regarding whether Salah would recover with the national team or back at Liverpool surely could not have helped the squad’s focus.

Cape Verde were the deserved group winners, and indeed the first team to book a knockout berth in this AFCON. The island nation, whose squad contained several diaspora players including a LinkedIn recruit, were tactically sound and collectively well-drilled, so they could stage yet more upsets in the knockouts.

Mozambique did quite well to hold their own against the big hitters in Egypt and Ghana, but their big defeat to Cape Verde in between those matches rather sealed their fate.

Group C: Senegal star, Cameroon scrape through

Defending champions Senegal put out a statement of intent in Group C as they won all three matches with eight goals scored and just one conceded. Aliou Cisse did not make too many changes to the title-winning set-up, but one key addition was 20-year-old midfield starlet Lamine Camara who thoroughly impressed in his two starts.

As we predicted in our tournament preview, Cameroon’s talented squad was massively held back by tactical and off-field issues under the turbulent tenure of Rigobert Song. They failed to win their first two matches and were in serious trouble in their final match against the Gambia, but two very late goals somehow saved the day for them.

Guinea effectively got the job done in their first two matches with a draw and a win respectively against Cameroon and the Gambia. They looked alright – neither too good nor glaringly bad.

The Gambia left as the only other pointless team alongside Guinea-Bissau, but they should be very proud of their performance. Their spirited comeback against Cameroon almost took them through to the knockouts, which would have been an incredible result in the circumstances as the squad suffered a near-death experience en route to the Ivory Coast.

Group D: Algeria exit winless again

The pressure was on for Algeria and Djamel Belmadi after the disappointment of the group stage exit in 2021 as well as the failure to qualify for the 2022 World Cup. Their first-half performance against Angola was sensational, but they never got anywhere near that level again and ultimately failed to win any of their matches. The head coach made some bold calls but also quite a few questionable decisions, which ended up costing him his job as Algeria crashed out.

Mauritania were the ones who profited the most from the 2019 champions’ struggles. Their final group match-up was billed as a must-win for Algeria, but instead, it was the Amir Abdou’s side who registered their first-ever AFCON win at the ninth attempt and snuck into a knockout spot in the process.

Angola were the surprise group toppers, as they managed to beat both the other qualifiers. They might not have any big-name stars, but just like Cape Verde, they played some very solid and effective football which no opponent will fancy facing.

Burkina Faso have made a habit of overachieving at recent AFCONs, so their second-place finish in this group should not be considered much of a surprise. Their recent knockout pedigree means they too could stage an upset or two.

Group E: Tunisia fail to turn up

After all the matchday 3 drama in the above groups, Group E was quite a let-down as it threw up the first goalless draws of the tournament,

The chief culprits for that have to be Tunisia. They were the Pot 1 team in this group but seemed far from convincing going into the tournament as we highlighted in our preview. Jalel Kadri could be accused of adopting an excessively negative approach as the Carthage Eagles scored just one goal in three games despite possessing some pretty talented attackers, so his departure on the back of this exit seems justified.

Namibia made the most of this by registering their first-ever AFCON win against Tunisia on matchday 1, after which a mutually beneficial goalless draw against Mali on the final day set up their knockout debut. They did get thrashed by South Africa between those two matches but were rather hard done by the scoreline, so the Brave Warriors should not be completely written off in the Round of 16.

South Africa marked their return to AFCON by booking a knockout berth again, although their performances fluctuated a bit. They were rather outplayed after missing an early penalty in the opener against Mali, but then thrashed Namibia before comfortably getting the job done in a draw against Tunisia.

Largely thanks to the lack of threat from the other teams in this group, Mali managed to cruise through even without getting into top gear. They can take a good deal of confidence from an unbeaten record and two clean sheets, so they should aim to kick on in the knockouts.

Group F: Morocco save the hosts

Group F had a somewhat similar dearth of quality, although Morocco gave a decent account of themselves. Their right-sided triangle of Hakim Ziyech, Azzedine Ounahi and Achraf Hakimi looked particularly threatening when they got going. Partly thanks to the threat of that trio as well as their defensive solidity, the Atlas Lions should certainly be placed among the favourites.

DR Congo somewhat flattered to deceive. They looked quite threatening in some spells but rather disjointed in others, while some questionable selection calls such as Sébastien Desabre’s refusal to field Braga striker Simon Banza seemed to hold them back. Three draws were enough for them to advance, and they seem to have the potential to be tricky customers in the knockouts.

Everyone in the Ivory Coast was praying on Zambia’s downfall in the last group stage kick-off as they were the final team standing between the hosts and a knockout berth. A draw – like they managed in their first two games – would have been enough, but they put out a pretty flat performance and fell short against Morocco.

Tanzania were arguably the worst team at this AFCON even though they picked up two points. They created the lowest xG tally and never really looked threatening on the pitch, although their mid-tournament coaching change could not have helped. Adel Amrouche first got an eight-match touchline ban from CAF for his comments after the opener against Morocco, after which the federation decided to suspend him anyway.

Looking Ahead: Round of 16

All the drama in the group stage has produced a brilliant bracket, as we have some incredibly spicy ties lined up in the Round of 16.

Senegal vs Ivory Coast has to be the headline-grabber as the hosts will look to make the most of their second chance against the defending champions and favourites, so that could be a blockbuster. Nigeria vs Cameroon, a West African derby, could be another cracker.

Meanwhile, many of the minnows and knockout debutantes have a golden opportunity to continue their memorable runs. Angola vs Namibia and Cape Verde vs Burkina Faso are the two ties that stand out in this respect, but watch out for Equatorial Guinea as well.

The group stage of this AFCON was perhaps the best we have ever witnessed, so let us hope the knockouts can live up to that billing.

(Images from IMAGO)

You can follow every game from the Africa Cup of Nations, with deep stats and players ratings, on FotMob. Download the free app here.

Jan

2024

Where has it gone wrong for Ghana’s Black Stars?

For the third consecutive major tournament, Ghana have been dumped out of the group stages. The Black Stars’ disappointing performances have been riddled with clear issues which they are yet to address.

By Neel Shelat

Between the last two editions of the Africa Cup of Nations and the 2022 FIFA World Cup, Ghana have won just one game, lost five, and picked up just six points altogether in nine matches. That is quite a drop-off for a team that reached the semi-finals of each AFCON between 2008 to 2017, as well as the 2010 World Cup quarter-finals.

Unsurprisingly, then, the Black Stars have fallen from breaking into the top 15 of the FIFA rankings in 2008 to outside the top 60 at the moment. They have particularly slumped in the last five years, which they have spent around the #50 mark.

Sometimes, such a drop-off at the international level can be explained by a talent/player quality deficit. This can especially be the case for nations with smaller populations, but Ghana cannot be classified as such. If anything, one might argue that their overall squad and XI quality has gone up in the last decade or so.

To illustrate that, let us take a look at a couple of line-ups. Here is the XI that fell short on penalties against Uruguay at the 2010 World Cup (pre-FotMob ratings).

And this is their last line-up which suffered the shock AFCON 2023 elimination by conceding twice in stoppage-time against Mozambique.

Of course, it is very tough to properly compare teams across decades, but it is also worth noting that the second line-up does not appropriately illustrate the quality of the squad and talent pool. The bench had names such as Ernest Nuamah and Iñaki Williams, while the likes of Tariq Lamptey, Kamaldeen Sulemana and Thomas Partey did not make the squad.

Meanwhile, 34-year-old striker André Ayew – who was without a club for a good part of 2023 – appeared in two of their three matches at this AFCON including the disastrous second half against Mozambique. These are some very questionable selection decisions, but even accounting for them, it can still be said that Ghana’s near 50-place-plummet in the FIFA rankings cannot be chalked up to any major drop-off in player quality.

So what does explain this? A very big part of the answer has to be the head coaches. Ghana have been led by a new coach in each of their last three major tournaments. Milovan Rajevac oversaw the winless AFCON 2021 group stage exit, Otto Addo managed to register one win but still watched his side bow out of the World Cup group stage, and it was Chris Hughton at the helm this time.

From a tactical point of view, all three of them have suffered big problems in the same department – the midfield. The first two were guilty of being too top-heavy in their line-ups and neglecting the midfield, which made the team quite disjointed in possession as the defence and attack were not sufficiently connected. In addition to that, they would also be very susceptible to counterattacks as the back line had very little protection.

This is illustrated by the fact that Ghana had the fifth-worst xG conceded per match average at the World Cup – even worse than hosts Qatar. The only stat in which they topped was clearances, which just goes to show how often they were forced to defend deep due to an almost non-existent midfield at times.

Chris Hughton would have closely noted Ghana’s issues at the World Cup because he was their technical director at the time, and his next decision was to sack the head coach and appoint himself in his place. The ex-Brighton manager stuck to the 4-2-3-1 formation and a very similar squad for this AFCON, but his fault was perhaps overcorrecting the aforementioned issues.

As opposed to giving his midfielders too much license to move around, Houghton restricted his double pivot into very deep positions even when the team had the ball. The full-backs and wingers were instructed to stay quite wide on the wings, meaning that there was acres of space left in the middle for just one man to work with. Granted, that player was perhaps their most dangerous and talented attacker in Mohammed Kudus, but pinning all attacking responsibility to just one individual is not a prudent approach to take with a team of Ghana’s quality.

So, Ghana lost the first match against Cape Verde which Kudus was not available for. He did bail them out with a brilliant brace against Egypt (who can also be said to have similar issues of overreliance on one individual), but could not save the day against Mozambique.

That final match highlighted another one of Ghana’s issues – outright poor defending. Although they had some pretty solid individuals in the side such as Salis Abdul Samed and the centre-back pairing of Alexandre Djiku and Mohammed Salisu, the team looked quite panicked when they dropped very deep (which is what they did with a lead in all their matches) and these players then made some uncharacteristic mistakes.

On the whole, Ghana conceded the third-highest xG tally in the AFCON 2023 group stages. They say defence can win titles, so the Black Stars were missing the most fundamental ingredient to success.

Unsurprisingly, Hughton and Ghana’s entire technical team have been sacked on the back of this latest disastrous result. They clearly have the squad player quality to do much better than they have done in recent years, so the Black Stars must start from scratch in terms of their administrative structure.

Ghana must aim to build a set-up that can maximise the talent they have at their disposal. Their selection processes and tactical decisions are in need of a refresh, so the decision-makers at the GFA need to ensure that they do not repeat the mistakes they have previously made in order to put an end to this rotten run.

(Images from IMAGO)

You can follow every game from the Africa Cup of Nations, with deep stats and players ratings, on FotMob. Download the free app here.