Amid the hype and hubbub generated by Arsenal’s audacious move for Vinícius Júnior, Christos Tzolis was quietly making a good first impression for his new team. Signed from Club Brugge for £34m, the Greek winger scored on his Gunners debut against Girona, demonstrating why the Premier League champions were so keen to land him in the first place.
Tzolis certainly isn’t at Vinícius’ level. The Brazilian would have had a case for being the most spectacular signing in Premier League history had he joined Arsenal over signing a new six-year contract with Real Madrid. Vinícius would have immediately elevated the standard of Arsenal’s forward line.
In contrast, Tzolis is more of a project. At 24, the Greek international isn’t the youngest, but he has yet to scale the peaks of European football after a meandering career to this point, which has included stops at PAOK, Norwich City, FC Twente, Fortuna Dusseldorf and Club Brugge. His elite potential hasn’t always been obvious. Norwich fans must be confused by Tzolis’ rise.
For Club Brugge, though, Tzolis developed into a genuine difference-maker. The winger registered 17 goals and 23 assists in 36 league appearances last season, also charting three Champions League goal contributions for good measure. These sort of numbers surely had several big European clubs looking.
Tzolis for Club Brugge last season
Arsenal’s need for a new left winger was clear, especially after Leandro Trossard’s departure to Beşiktaş. Only eight players played more league minutes for the Gunners last season than Trossard who produced a number of important goals in a season that saw the North London side compete on all fronts.
Tzolis offers many of the same things Trossard did over three years as an Arsenal player. Even in pre-season, his work rate against the ball has been notable. Like Trossard, Tzolis likes to cut inside on to his right foot off the left wing. He also plays in the half-spaces between the lines and crashes the box whenever possible.
“I’m very pleased with him,” said Mikel Arteta when asked about the impact Tzolis has made for his new team in pre-season ahead of the 2026/27 campaign when Arsenal will defend their Premier League crown. “First of all, the way he has adapted to the club, to the team. The connection he’s already generated with the boys. I think you’re going to love the player.
“He’s a very direct player. He’s got the ball between the eyes. I think really good at linking up. He has a lot of similarities with Leo in a lot of the things that he can do and the spaces he can occupy. And then the work ethic that he has. He’s a boy that comes with so much hunger as well and wants to prove it. It’s a dream for him and we are here to help him.”
Tzolis player traits compared with similar players
Last season, Arsenal’s defence was the thing that made them Premier League champions. The Gunners kept more clean sheets (19) than any other team and conceded a total of just 27 goals in 38 goals. They were the strongest defensive unit anywhere in Europe’s Big Five leagues.
To take the next step, though, Arteta must find a way to add more creativity and attacking threat to his team. Vinícius certainly would have done that as one of the best left wingers in the world right now. The Brazilian scored 16 league goals for Real Madrid last season while Gabriel Martinelli and Trossard only scored a combined nine.
It could be the case that Arsenal remain in the market for another left winger. Vinícius might no longer be on their radar, but other options could be available. Bradley Barcola has been linked with an exit from Paris Saint-Germain while Rafael Leão is expected in some quarters to leave AC Milan at some point this summer.
In Tzolis, though, Arsenal already have a left-sided option capable of making a positive impact on the Premier League. Physically, the Greek international will be able to handle himself in the English top flight and his Champions League performances suggest his technical level is also up to the standard.
Arsenal have done a lot to bulk up their squad in recent times. This process will continue with the addition of Bruno Guimarães when Arteta already has Declan Rice and Martin Zubimendi as a starting double pivot. The Gunners boss recognises the importance of depth when his side is expected to compete on multiple fronts every season.
Christos Tzolis has scored and assisted in his last two games for Arsenal after joining this summer! 😮💨🇬🇷
He also got an assists in a behind-close-doors friendly against MK Dons. Already looking like a top signing! 🔥 pic.twitter.com/BYJHrMgWtt
Even if Tzolis ends up starting most games on the bench, precedent suggests he will have his moment – or two – over the course of the campaign just as Trossard did before him. His performances in pre-season have been a preview of what the Greek will bring to the Emirates Stadium.
(Cover image from IMAGO)
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Few clubs in the history of the game have been as dominant as Johor Darul Ta’zim are in Malaysia right now. Their CEO Luis García spoke exclusively to FotMob as the Southern Tigers prepare to go for their 13th-consecutive top-flight title in the 2026/27 season.
Expect to hear about Johor Darul Ta’zim a fair bit in the coming weeks. Chelsea fans will certainly come across the Malaysian giants when the Blues turn up in Johor for a pre-season friendly in the first half of August. More importantly, though, the Southern Tigers will have 21 August marked on their calendar as the date they can etch their name into global footballing history.
JDT matched the 108-match men’s record of unbeaten domestic top-flight matches in the 2025/26 season when they completed yet another invincible season with just one draw and 23 wins en route to a 12th-consecutive league title. They went on to seal a fourth-consecutive domestic quadruple, winning both cups and the Charity Shield as well.
What makes their dominance all the more impressive is the fact that JDT had not won a single major honour prior to their first league title in 2014. Based in the southernmost state in the Malay Peninsula, the club was founded as PKENJ FC in 1972 and later rebranded to Johor FC in 1996. However, it was in the early 2010s that their fortunes underwent a dramatic turnaround thanks to royal backing.
Soon after being appointed as the President of the Johor Football Association, the Crown Prince of Johor Tunku Ismail Idris began undertaking a restructuring of the state’s flailing footballing setup. With most clubs struggling financially, he decided to channel focus into the renamed Johor Darul Ta’zim, which now stood as the region’s leading club.
With significant financial backing, JDT were able to quickly assemble a superstar squad by Liga Super standards. They established themselves as serious contenders in almost no time, and even went on to win a continental honour as soon as 2015 in the AFC Cup (the secondary Asian competition at the time). They have not looked back since.
The big names in Johor Darul Ta’zim’s ranks aren’t just on the pitch; they can also be found in the boardroom. Former Spanish international Luis García, whose club career includes names like Barcelona, Liverpool and Atlético Madrid, became their CEO in 2025. Speaking exclusively to FotMob from their pre-season training camp in Spain, he revealed some of the secrets to JDT’s success.
“I think the key is having His Royal Highness behind it. His leadership is key for the success of this team. His standards are very high. He is a person really determined to leave a legacy in Johor, in Malaysia, with a team that beats all the records,” García said, referring to Tunku Ismail. He added, “When you’re winning 10 or 12 times the domestic league, the most important thing is to have someone who says, ‘No, no, it’s not enough’. We need to continue going. I think we’ve got a fantastic group that believes in those values.”
Of course, none of this would have been possible without the work of the people involved behind the scenes at the club. “If you have a look at our staff, they are top class. They control exactly everything that happens to the players, what they need. We try to give them the best of the best. We’ve got the best nutritionists, we’ve got the best fitness coaches, we’ve got the best rehab.”
In Xisco Muñoz, they now also have a coach who is experienced at the highest level of the game, having previously led Watford to the English Premier League. García and Muñoz had previously crossed paths as opponents in their playing days, but as they now work together, the former spoke very highly of his fellow countryman. “He’s a fantastic, fantastic guy. He’s so humble.”
“He’s been at the highest level and that gives you that composure in the right moments. In the tough moments when you need to be more calm, when you need to analyse exactly what is happening, he does so well. That’s why last year we were so successful in all competitions.”
Indeed, 2025/26 was a historic season for JDT not just because of what they achieved on the domestic front, but also because of their historic run to the AFC Champions League Elite quarter-finals. While they may be utterly dominant in Malaysia, this is where they are really tested to the limit as they face sides with significantly greater budgets. Last season, for instance, they were knocked out by Saudi side Al Ahli, who went on to win the trophy.
García revealed that the ACL Elite is the club’s biggest target currently. “We want to compete. We want to at least be there and challenge the mighty Saudi Arabian teams.” He added, “We are making the team every year more competitive, stronger in every line and we’ve got a fantastic coach that is bringing the best of his knowledge.”
While JDT continue to enjoy success almost everywhere they go, they have also entered a cycle which has made their financial and on-field dominance almost entirely unrivalled in Malaysia. This isn’t ideal for the health of the league, and the state of the national team isn’t at its best either, particularly after the naturalisation scandal (involving some JDT players as well) that rocked them last year.
JDT, for their part, can only focus on themselves. They certainly can’t be faulted for a lack of ambition or hard work, which has continued into this pre-season. Setting up a match with a team of the stature of reigning Club World Cup champions Chelsea is a reflection of just that. “Of course, people are very excited. Chelsea are coming to Malaysia and to Johor, something that never happened before. I’m sure that they’re going to enjoy the stadium, the facilities and we are going to try to welcome them,” Garcia said. “We know that it’s a tough team and it’s going to be difficult, but for us it’s a really good test”.
Thereafter, all efforts will be focused towards August 21 and beyond. JDT take on Kuching City in the Liga Super Malaysia season opener, when they will have the chance to break ASEC Mimosas’ world record.
“Passing the 108 [match] unbeaten streak in a domestic league, that’s something really special for us,” García concluded. “After that, the challenge will start with the league once again, where we know that we are going to compete against big teams, stronger, and again, with the mind on repeating and going to Saudi for the [ACLE] quarterfinals.”
(Images courtasy of Johor Darul Ta’zim)
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It was always likely that Xabi Alonso would be back in management this summer, although not many predicted Chelsea as his next destination. Indeed, Liverpool was widely seen as the natural next step for a figure so revered on Merseyside his name was sung by Reds supporters at matches towards the end of last season.
Chelsea beat Liverpool to the bunch, hiring Alonso to reshape a team that staggered to a lowly 10th place finish in the Premier League. There were less challenging jobs Alonso could have taken, but Chelsea’s upside is clear and the former Bayer Leverkusen and Real Madrid boss might be the figure to realise it.
12 months ago, Alonso was preparing for his first season at Real Madrid. His brief in that job was similar to the one he has been handed at Stamford Bridge. Alonso wasn’t hired by Los Blancos purely because of the silverware he won in the Bundesliga, but the way he won that silverware.
Alonso tried to give Real Madrid a new identity for the modern game. Ultimately, though, his players and Florentino Pérez lacked the patience for such a project and are no further forward for giving up on Alonso so quickly – see how Real Madrid’s 2025/26 season unravelled on and off the pitch.
This is where Chelsea can learn from what Real Madrid got wrong, and their transfer business so far this summer suggests they are building around Alonso in a way the Spanish giants never did. The Blues are seemingly intent on recycling Alonso’s Bayer Leverkusen blueprint.
Two transfers in particular hint at this. First, Morgan Rogers’ club-record transfer from Aston Villa which gives Alonso a second number 10 to deploy alongside Cole Palmer. Rogers, who registered 16 goal contributions in the Premier League last season, has been signed to perform the role Florian Wirtz was so impactful in for Alonso’s Leverkusen.
Second, Marco Palestra’s arrival from Atalanta was surely orchestrated to give Alonso a right-sided option that makes his favoured back three viable. The Italian international has the skill set to perform the role Jeremie Frimpong operated for Bayer Leverkusen when they won the Bundesliga.
Chelsea are also attempting to replicate the age profile of Alonso’s Leverkusen squad. While the former midfielder was integral in developing a number of youngsters including Wirtz and Frimpong, Alonso had a good deal of experience within his dressing room. It was a balanced squad in more than one way.
Potential Chelsea starting XI under Alonso – build your own with the FotMob lineup builder
With this in mind, Chelsea’s targeting of Jordan Henderson and Danny Welbeck makes sense. The former is a former Premier League-winning captain while the latter is still productive at a high level having played no fewer than 15 seasons in the English top division. Henderson and Welbeck’s know-how will be valuable even if there aren’t more years left in their legs.
“I’m sure that from today to the last day of the transfer [window] there will be a lot of links, a lot of rumours, so to be commenting on all of them, it’s going to be a hard task,” said Alonso when asked about recent links to Henderson and Welbeck. “But for sure, we need proper balance in terms of qualities, in terms of positions, in terms of balance. We want to have a complete squad and we want to make a good team.”
Alonso needs even more in the summer transfer window to complete his Chelsea rebuild. The confirmation of Maxence Lacroix‘s signing just last night is once more hinting at the intention to play a back three with wing backs. The French international thrived in a similar system under Oliver Glasner at Crystal Palace.
There is a question mark over the central midfield unit. Will Reece James be used as a right-sided centre back or right wing back? Or will the England international retain his spot in the middle of the pitch next to Moisés Caicedo? Where will Enzo Fernández slot in if Palmer and Rogers are the first-choice attacking midfielders? Could he play as part of the double pivot?
While many have written off Alonso’s failure at Real Madrid on the basis of how the Spanish giants struggled even after he left, the Spanish still has a point to prove as a manager. Can Alonso replicate his Bundesliga success in the Premier League or was his Leverkusen tenure a glorious one-off?
Last season made clear that Chelsea had lost their way as a team and a club. Their recruitment strategy led to a mish-mash of a squad and a series of ill-fated managerial appointments. Alonso won’t be a one-man antidote, but this summer’s activity suggests the Stamford Bridge club might be on the road to recovery.
(Cover image from IMAGO)
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The 2026/27 Scottish Premiership season begins this Friday as Dundee United host Rangers at Tannadice and if it is anything like last season, then we are in for another cracking campaign.
Celtic and Rangers have established a duopoly of the Scottish title since 1986, yet Hearts were minutes away from ending that drought on the final day of last season.
Led by the shrewd leadership of Derek McInnes (more on him later), Hearts only needed a draw at Parkhead to win their first league title in 66 years. Ultimately, Celtic won the game 3-1 and shattered the dreams of thousands of Hearts’ fans across the country.
Last season’s final table standings
While the final couple of weeks were marred by refereeing controversies in matches involving both Hearts and Celtic, there was no doubting the champions’ mentality in the end.
It’s hard to believe ten weeks have passed since that dramatic finale at Parkhead. A World Cup has come and gone in the meantime, but thoughts now turn back to domestic matters, as the Premiership returns this weekend.
Will Celtic win a sixth consecutive title? How will Hearts cope having lost McInnes and a slew of players? Can Rangers offer a sustainable title challenge in what is yet another new era for the club?
All these questions – and plenty more – will be discussed in this in-depth preview of the new campaign. Lets hope it’s every bit as entertaining than the last one.
Celtic chasing six in a row
Martin O’Neil led Celtic from the brink of a crisis to a domestic double, but will he replicate that feat this season?
The wily veteran signed a one-year contract to lead the Parkhead side once more, although the situation behind the scenes is far less comfortable than it appears.
At the time of writing, Celtic’s incomings so far consist of Colombian forward Camilo Durán, who joins from Qarabağ, while Kasper Høgh, the scrouge of Inter Milan and Atlético Madrid in the Champions League last term, arrives from Bodø/Glimt.
In contrast, a total of nine players have left the club, including crowd favourite Daizen Maeda and O’Neil must reinvigorate the squad should he wish to lead Celtic into the group stages of the Champions League.
New Celtic signing Kasper Høgh
It feels like Déjà vu. Every summer the same concerns arise ahead of a new campaign. Despite Celtic’s annual turnover for the 2024/25 campaign estimated at £143.6m, the club saw a revenue gap of nearly £120m compared to Hearts over the same period.
Why then, are the club struggling to be competitive in the transfer market? Michael Nicholson, Celtic’s Chief Executive, has previously stated that it has been “difficult” to lure new signings to Parkhead due to competing with an abundance of riches down south.
Durán and Høgh add plenty of Champions League experience having scored ten goals between them in the competition last season. O’Neil, however, is running out of time to bring in more players before the transfer window closes.
There is no doubting O’Neil’s status as a deity in the east end of Glasgow. Should Celtic get off to a poor start amid the lack of signings combined with the unrest between supporters and the board, it might well be an unhappy ending to this fruitful relationship.
The pressure is on.
A new, new era beckons at Ibrox
We’ve been here before, haven’t we? Each summer since 2021 has seen Rangers begin pre-season with a brand new manager.
A total of two trophies have been won in that period. Derek McInnes is the latest man to take over at Ibrox and perhaps this appointment is the most logical one since Giovanni van Bronckhorst five years ago.
McInnes is a former Rangers player, thus knowing the pressure and expectation expected at Ibrox. Being in the dugout, however, brings a different sort of pressure, but McInnes has earned his opportunity.
He was minutes away from leading Hearts to a stunning title triumph, but it always seemed inevitable that the Scot would be targeted as Danny Röhl’s replacement the moment he departed for Austrian giants RB Salzburg.
McInnes’ first job was to raid his former club for striker Lawrence Shankland, who will add plenty of firepower to the squad.
With a solid core now in place, McInnes will look to add another signing or two before the end of the window to give his side that extra bit of quality.
Rangers ended pre-season unbeaten and although the team are a work in progress, the onus is on McInnes to enjoy a productive start to domestic matters. Last season, Russell Martin failed to win any of his opening five Premiership matches and his tenure ended as swiftly as it began.
McInnes simply cannot afford a poor start, especially given how desperate Rangers are for success.
A win at Dundee United on Friday evening could set the tone for a positive campaign, especially as the games come thick and fast before the first international break in September.
McInnes deserves this opportunity. Now all he needs to win over the Ibrox support is to lead the club to silverware, any silverware, this season.
A summer of change at Hearts
What might’ve been for Hearts had they held on to win the title last season. Would McInnes, Shankland and Devlin all have left? It’s hard to say, but the club are significantly weaker without that influential trio.
Wouter Vrancken is the man tasked with leading the Jambos out of McInnes’ shadow, yet the early signs have been far from ideal.
A spot in the second round of Champions League qualification was secured after finishing runners-up last term, but Hearts have already been knocked out and it isn’t even August.
Austrian champions Sturm Graz eased to a 6-0 aggregate victory over a shellshocked Hearts side and it could turn out to be a long season ahead for Vrancken and his men.
That result drops the Tynecastle side into the Europa League, with a clash against either Benfica or St. Gallen awaiting in the third qualifying round.
Hearts have a busy early season
Domestically, ties against Aberdeen, Dundee United and Falkirk present a tricky opening to the Premiership season and a poor start could place the manager under pressure.
Following the news that Tony Bloom secured a £9.86m deal to buy a 29% stake in the capital club in June 2025, the Brighton owner claimed that Hearts were going to be a “significant factor in Scottish football right here, right now and for the long term.”
Last season offered a glimpse of what the future of the Premiership could look like with Hearts challenging for the title.
Bloom’s long-term vision of the club is admirable, but given the scale of turnover in both the squad and staff this summer, another title challenge feels unlikely.
Aberdeen, Hibs and Motherwell eyeing third place
Hearts’ challenge last season should inspire the likes of Aberdeen, Hibs and Motherwell that splitting the Old Firm is possible.
The Dons finished eighth last term, winning just nine of their 38 league matches. Robinson worked wonders at St Mirren, securing multiple top-six finishes and winning a League Cup with the Buddies. The pressure is different in the northeast, though, that’s for sure.
Motherwell enjoyed an excellent campaign under Jens Berthel Askou, but that success came at a price as the Dane departed for the ambitious Ligue 1 side Toulouse in May.
Alfred Johansson is the man tasked with replicating that fourth place finish, although he will be without players such as Elliot Watt and Elijah Just, who have joined Samsunspor and Swansea respectively.
Hibs finished fifth last term and were overshadowed by the exploits of city rivals Hearts, winning just one of the four Edinburgh derbies played.
David Gray has been in charge since June 2024 and this stability is key should Hibs wish to challenge for their second third-place finish in three seasons.
A dismal loss to Kosovan side Malisheva in the first leg of their Conference League qualifying tie, however, is hardly the most encouraging start and things must improve heading into the opening weekend of the Premiership.
Elsewhere, Dundee and Dundee United will be hoping for better seasons this year as both finished outside the top six. St. Mirren preserved their top flight status thanks to a playoff victory over Patrick Thistle, while Kilmarnock looked revitalised under the leadership of Neil McCann during the second half of 2025/26.
John McGlynn was named manager of the year after leading Falkirk to a top-six finish in their first Premiership campaign for 16 years. While hopes are high for another good season, finishing tenth or higher will surely satisfy most supporters.
Finally, St. Johnstone return to the top flight after spending a season in the Championship. Simo Valakari will be determined to be competitive on their return to the Premiership.
With Hearts unlikely to offer another challenge, the chasing pack could take advantage in a bid to split the Old Firm this season.
The title will end up in Glasgow once more, though. While previous seasons have featured Celtic as the heavy favourites, things could be a lot more unpredictable this time around.
Strap in, folks, as there could be plenty of twists and turns along the way in what promises to be another exciting Premiership season.
(Cover image from IMAGO)
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John Stones’ contribution to England’s run to the semi-finals of the 2026 World Cup will be remembered, and not just because of his dressing room dance moves. The 32-year-old was one of Thomas Tuchel’s most trusted players at the tournament, starting crucial matches against Croatia, Norway and Argentina all without a club.
Stones departed Manchester City at the end of last season, bringing to a close a glittering 10-year period at the Etihad Stadium. After starting only five Premier League matches last term, there were questions over the centre back’s ability to perform at the elite level at this advanced stage of his career.
John Stones’ trophy record at Man City
Those questions were answered during the World Cup and several clubs in the Premier League and across Europe were clearly watching. Arsenal and Chelsea were both linked with Stones before Inter Milan emerged as frontrunners to sign the 32-year-old as a free agent in the summer window.
Inter looks like being a good fit for Stones. The England international will fit into the Nerazzurri’s back three alongside Manuel Akanji and Alessandro Bastoni with Stones already familiar with the former having played next to him in the Manchester City defensive line.
Tactically, Stones will slot into a team that plays a different style to the one he became accustomed to over so many years at Manchester City. Inter operate on the rapid counter-attack, gearing their game towards moving forward through the lines as quickly as they can.
Cristian Chivu asks his team to play with a much lower defensive line than Pep Guardiola did over 10 years as Manchester City manager and so Stones will be expected to defend his own penalty area more forcefully. He won’t find himself camped on the halfway line quite so frequently.
This isn’t to say Stones’ natural ability on the ball won’t be utilised. In fact, the Englishman’s technical ability is surely one of the things that attracted Inter who rely on their defenders to construct attacking moves from deep. The addition of Stones will give them better balance as a possession side.
John Stones’ passing stats for England at the World Cup
Bastoni is crucial to the way Inter get out from the back as their left-sided centre back and Stones could give the Italian champions a similar quality as the starting figure on the right side of the back three. There is logic behind Inter’s move for the 32-year-old following his exit from City.
A move to Chelsea would have made sense for similar reasons. Xabi Alonso is expected to recycle the Bayer Leverkusen blueprint that worked so well for him in the Bundesliga with the Blues predicted to line up in a back three. Stones would have been a good option for them in the defensive line.
On top of this, Stones would have provided some much-needed experience and leadership in the Stamford Bridge dressing room. Chelsea need mentors for their young players and the former Manchester City defender, and six-times Premier League winner, certainly would have fit the bill in this respect.
Arsenal’s interest was also logical, albeit for slightly different reasons. The Gunners require defensive depth with William Saliba expected to miss the start of the new season through injury and Stones would have been an economical addition for the Premier League champions to make.
One wonders if Manchester City made a hasty decision to move on Stones when the 32-year-old could have helped bridge the gap to the next generation for the Etihad Stadium outfit. Enzo Maresca will need players he can count on to hit the ground running as Guardiola’s successor and Stones is reliable.
Of course, Stones’ recent fitness record can’t be ignored. The defender missed a large portion of last season through injury. Three different injuries, in fact. First it was a muscle injury. Then a thigh problem followed by a calf strain. It was almost impossible for Stones to build any sort of consistency or momentum.
This was reflected in the way Tuchel used Stones at the World Cup. The England manager had to be careful in how he deployed the 32-year-old, taking him out of the lineup for the matches against Ghana, Panama and DR Congo. By the latter rounds, though, Stones was ready to go.
At 32, Stones could still enjoy a successful final phase of his career. His reading of the game is sharp enough to sustain him at the top level for years to come. Stones also has the technical ability to mask some of his fading physicality, especially in Serie A where the pace of play is sometimes slower. The World Cup might have offered a hint of what more is to come.
(Cover image from IMAGO)
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MLS has returned on the back of the USA and Canada hosting the World Cup alongside Mexico, and all eyes are on how the league will capitalise on soccer fever following the tournament.
While that may not be able to be properly assessed until a later date, there is plenty of enthusiasm in the stands and on the pitch.
This was helped by several big names joining the league this summer, and while the biggest name of them all, Lionel Messi, is not yet back from his post-World Cup break, there has been plenty to look out for as the league resumes.
Lewandowski not yet firing for Chicago
Chicago Fire’s transfer of Robert Lewandowski raised a few eyebrows this summer, not just because they were signing one of the best centre-forwards in the history of the game, but also because they already had the league’s in-form striker and top scorer on their books.
Hugo Cuypers topped the MLS scoring charts as the league went into its World Cup break on 13 goals, one ahead of Messi.
Aside from the odd blip, the Fire were looking like one of the better teams in their conference along with Inter Miami and Nashville, sitting third in the East.
Their hire of former USMNT head coach Gregg Berhalter in a combined head coach and director of football role was starting to make more sense as they looked like they were on course for their best season since 2017.
Then, Cuypers was sold as a result of Lewandowski’s arrival, and the Polish forward has struggled to make an impact in the two games he has been involved in so far.
The Fire have lost both games since the return to action, with Lewandowski barely involved. The most recent defeat came against an impressive New York City FC side that looks poised to overtake them in the league.
Chicago will hope Lewandowski’s slow start and these defeats are just another blip, and not a sign of things to come.
Suárez still scoring as Casemiro makes Miami debut
As MLS resumed, Inter Miami are without Messi, who, along with Argentina and Miami teammate Rodrigo De Paul, remained on an extended break following participation in the World Cup final.
That doesn’t mean they are without familiar star names, as Luis Suárez has been joined in the Inter Miami lineup by new signing Casemiro.
Suárez scored twice in the first game back, a 3-2 win against Chicago last week, and scored the only goal in this weekend’s game against Montréal, converting a penalty with a Panenka to give Casemiro a win on his debut.
Griezmann’s Orlando magic
It’s been a summer of big-name signings in MLS, and Antoine Griezmann’s arrival in Orlando might end up being the most effective but of business.
Orlando City’s season looked like it might be over before it had even begun as they ended the pre-World Cup stage of the campaign with just four wins from 15 games.
They weren’t the only uninspiring team at the start of the 2026 campaign, though, and in MLS there is always a chance to recover and make the playoffs.
Griezmann’s arrival seems to have spurred them on, in terms of ambition and expectation more than anything else.
The 35-year-old scored on his debut in a 4-0 win against one of the most impressive teams in the Western Conference at the start of the season, San Jose Earthquakes, and they followed that up this weekend by defeating the team that sits at the top of the Eastern Conference, Nashville SC.
This Nashville win was inspired by a player at the other end of the age range, as a great assist from 18-year-old Justin Ellis set up Tyrese Spicer for the game’s only goal.
Wins against these teams should give Orlando the confidence they can beat anyone with their new star on board.
“You can see his overall quality, the experience, the level he’s been playing at for a long time,” said Orlando defender Robin Jansson.
“On the other side, the type of person he is. He’s fantastic, such a great guy. Good for the locker room, good for the younger kiddos and the elders like me.
“A great addition to the team and super happy to have him.”
Hell is Real is real
Rivalry matches in a relatively young league like MLS can be hit and miss.
The league often sets up rivalry weeks that are a group of fixtures between teams it thinks should be rivals, but these can very often feel manufactured for marketing purposes.
Columbus Crew versus FC Cincinnati is not one of those. Despite being less than ten years old, this fixture, which could also be called an Ohio derby, has emerged organically between two of the state’s big cities.
Even its name was created by fans from a religious billboard seen on the road that connects the two cities.
Screenshot
This most recent Hell is Real derby was particularly feisty on the field, culminating in a red card for FC Cincinnati’s Gerardo Valenzuela, who blatantly kicked Taha Habroune to the ground in the final minutes.
The aftermath saw plenty of scuffles, which continued into the tunnel after the game.
The small matter of the result saw Columbus pick up a win that helps them begin to push from the wrong end of the table towards a playoff spot.
“Wins like this can be season-changing, especially in a rivalry,” said Crew goalkeeper Patrick Schulte.
“It’s massive for us. It gives us momentum going forward, and we’ll enjoy it tonight — Ohio will be black and gold for a bit — but we focus on Miami [next week] now.”
(Cover Image from IMAGO)
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Once again, at the 12th attempt since 1966, it wasn’t to be for England at the World Cup. For the second time in three World Cups, the Three Lions crashed out in the semi-finals. But would they have won it anyway? Let’s investigate…
By Tom Hancock
Were England even that bad at the 2026 World Cup?
“I still think we can show how good football players we are,” said England boss Thomas Tuchel after the deeply frustrating semi-final defeat to Argentina – when the Three Lions led, only to sit far too deep and invite pressure which ultimately paid for their great rivals, who turned the game on its head late on. “I think that is still in us as I see it in training and in every camp.”
For all Tuchel’s belief, and for all the evidence of how slick this England team can be under him, the Three Lions were rarely at their fluid best during the 2026 World Cup – until they let the handbrake off in the third-place play-off against France (a sign they had, up to then, been playing under intense, perhaps internally stemming, pressure?).
England had the fourth highest xG at the tournament
But for all their lack of fluidity, England were, on the whole, one of the most potent attacking threats in the tournament. Only five teams finished with more Expected Goals (xG) per game, with England going along at an average of 1.78 across their eight matches – and, even if we ignore the anomaly of the third-place play-off, only two other teams who made it as far as the semis (France and Argentina) scored more goals per game than the Three Lions (2.0).
And, scoring 20 goals from 14.3 xG overall, England were statistically the most clinical side in the competition. Their star duo of Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane rose to the occasion as one would expect, finding the net seven (the most by any England player in a single World Cup) and six times respectively. Their combined output made history: never before had multiple Three Lions players scored four or more goals at the same World Cup.
Creating and finishing chances wasn’t the issue for England; the issue was how difficult they made it for themselves by giving them up at the other end.
England’s top scorers and creators at the tournament
Tuchel’s side gave up 9.3 xG (the most at the tournament outright) at an average of 1.17 per game – placing them joint 18th out of 48 teams on that metric. They faced 12.38 shots per game, ranking 25th.
England were porous, keeping only two clean sheets – in the group draw with Ghana and win over Panama – and conceding at a rate of just over a goal a game up to and including the semi-final loss to Argentina. Twice they let in the first goal (albeit they battled back to beat both DR Congo and Norway 2-1 in the last 32 and quarter-finals respectively) and three times they surrendered a one-goal lead (twice in the opening 4-2 victory over Croatia and once more, ultimately to far greater cost, against Argentina).
That evident defensive vulnerability both vindicates Tuchel’s decision to shut up shop against Argentina and justifies the intense criticism of it.
No one conceded more xG than England
On the one hand, Tuchel had seen his side hold out for one of England’s greatest wins with a brilliantly resilient, backs-to-the-wall job against Mexico at the Azteca in the last 16 – playing with 10 men for most of the second half, no less. England enjoyed similar success in the quarter-finals as they completed their comeback from 1-0 down to lead Norway 2-1 early in extra time then shut up shop to see the game out. An integral figure in both triumphs was new Three Lions cult hero Dan Burn, who was thrust into the action to put his body on the line once more in the semi (though he eventually found himself playing as a makeshift target man after it had all gone horribly wrong in Atlanta).
Two one-goal leads successfully defended in two very different sets of circumstances – so why wouldn’t Tuchel do the same after Anthony Gordon had fired the Three Lions in front against Argentina?
Well, for starters, despite the positive outcome on both occasions, England had ridden their luck to hold on in each of the previous two rounds. And it should have been obvious Argentina – who had mounted an epic recovery from 2-0 on 79 minutes to beat Egypt 3-2 in the last 16, inspired by a typically talismanic Lionel Messi – would throw far more at them than Mexico or Norway.
And so it proved as Enzo Fernández and Lautaro Martínez made England pay for their negativity. Tuchel said after the game that controlling possession was “not in our DNA like it is in the Spanish DNA or the Argentinian or Brazilian DNA” – but to have only 12% of the ball between Gordon’s deadlock-breaker and Fernández’s equaliser took things to an opposite and catastrophic extreme.
“We were not active enough,” Tuchel lamented when asked about the move to sit in a low block. “We just became too passive, and Argentina, by the way, found another gear and they found the total flow.”
England might at least have come close to finding that “total flow” themselves if Tuchel had taken different decisions both in that game and throughout the tournament – not least making much more use of Bukayo Saka, who had Three Lions fans tearing their hair out as to why he’d seen so little game time – despite, by his own admission, being fully fit – with a hat-trick against France. In Bellingham and Kane, England had two of the world’s very best in their respective roles at the sharp end of the pitch – think what more they could have done with Saka consistently in support.
But we could analyse and scrutinise from now and England’s next shot at glory, Euro 2028. Let’s answer arguably the biggest question of the moment.
Would England have won the 2026 World Cup anyway?
Even if everything had gone perfectly – the right-back position hadn’t been seemingly cursed; Tuchel had been able to settle on his best line-up to a greater extent; they’d pushed on against Argentina – and England had reached the final against Spain, would they have won the World Cup? In a word: no.
And the reasons are twofold: first, Spain proved themselves this summer to be on another level, dominating their way to a second World Cup crown, conceding a solitary goal along the way and restricting their opponents to a mere 10 shots on target.
Second, even in its most ideal and settled state, this England team is still flawed. It’s a work in progress (though to be fair, it has been for the last 60 years). Now, it’s about building on the positives and learning from mistakes ready to do it all again in two years’ time. That desire to end the hurt never goes away – and that’s got to count for something eventually, hasn’t it…?
(Images from IMAGO)
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In the entire 96-year history of the World Cup, only four men have been responsible for scoring the solitary goal in a 1-0 final that brought home the trophy for their country.
Ferran Torres is the latest to earn that legendary status, slamming home Spain’s extra-time winner against Argentina in the 2026 final on Sunday. He joins fellow countryman Andrés Iniesta (2010), as well as German duo Mario Götze (2014) and the late Andreas Brehme (1990).
“There’s no way to describe it,” Iniesta said at the time. This summer, Götze, 23 when it happened to him 12 years ago, told The Athletic the goal changed “the attention, the expectations, everything.”
Even if the 26-year-old Barcelona forward does nothing else in the sport, he will dine on that one moment for the rest of his life and no one can ever take it away.
A difficult 18 months at Manchester City was compounded by a slow start to his Barcelona career. But Torres has had two strong years leading up to the World Cup and enjoyed his most prolific season to date in 2025/26 by netting 21 goals in all competitions. Still, he was dropped from Spain’s World Cup starting XI into a substitute role after the frustrating opening game against Cape Verde and the final winner was actually his first goal of the tournament. It’s ‘clutch’ in the truest sense.
Torres referenced straight after the final whistle in New Jersey the criticism that has been directed his way, but added “destiny gives beautiful things to those who deserve it.” On the strike itself, the player said: “I didn’t think too much. I just saw the ball coming to me and I just shot with the power of all the Spanish people.”
Under Armour say the boot is “built for agility, crafted for control.” Torres had to move swiftly when the ball was floated towards Williams at the far post, with five opponents between him and his teammate as it came over. He was then quickest to react to the bouncing ball and struck it so cleanly, making the shot look straightforward. A lack of control and it could easily have cleared the bar.
The Shadow Elite 4, complete with carbon support and a full-length plate for explosive launches, is considered the brand’s most innovative boot yet. And while Under Armour traces its origin to the gridiron game, it is establishing a growing presence in football.
Torres wasn’t the only player on the winning team wearing Under Armour on his feet. Spain right-back Pedro Porro, someone else who has had to deal with a lot criticism but played a significant role in his country’s success this summer. Barcelona’s Fermín López is another Spanish star signed up and was expected to be part of the squad until breaking a bone in May.
Now, thanks to Ferran Torres, Under Armour is directly and forever attached to the greatest thing any footballer can ever hope to do.
(Images courtasy of Under Armour and IMAGO)
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That’s it. The 2026 World Cup is in the books. We know Spain are world champions for the second time – but what else did we learn from the first 48-team World Cup, the biggest edition of the tournament yet?
By Tom Hancock
A healthy element of surprise
There were understandable fears that increasing the number of teams in the World Cup from 32 (as had been the case since 1998) to 48 would dilute the quality of the competition and lead to major disparities between certain opposition. But did those fears come to pass?
One way to assess this is to look at how many upsets there were. To do this, we need to quantify what constitutes an upset – and while the FIFA World Ranking is not a perfect science, for ease of analysis, we’re classifying an upset as any instance of a team beating a side ranked 10 or more places above them.
Paraguay upset Germany
Per the above, the 2026 World Cup produced seven upsets. Germany (ranked 10th at the start of the tournament) were on the receiving end of two of them, losing 2-1 to Ecuador (23rd) in their final group game (albeit having already clinched top spot) then, much more monumentally, 4-3 on penalties to Paraguay (41st) after a 1-1 draw in the last 32.
After Paraguay’s win over the Germans, Norway’s 2-1 last-16 victory against Brazil was statistically the most notable upset of the tournament as 31st in the world beat sixth.
But we’d be remiss not to take into account shock draws, too – and there was none more unexpected than 67th-ranked debutants Cape Verde (every neutral’s new favourite team) holding eventual winners Spain (2nd) to a 0-0 draw in their opening match. The Blue Sharks also picked up a point by drawing 2-2 against Uruguay (16th) and, most memorably of all, took holders, eventual runners-up and number one-ranked Argentina to extra time in last 32, eventually losing 3-2.
Cape Verde keeper Vozinha
Special mentions must also go to Ghana (73rd), who drew 0-0 with fourth-ranked England (we did say the FIFA World Ranking wasn’t a perfect science), and Cape Verde’s fellow first-timers Curaçao, whose ranking of 82nd proved insignificant as they held Ecuador (23rd) to the same scoreline.
Including wins and draws, there were 25 upsets at the 2026 World Cup, working out at an average of one every 4.12 games – a slight drop-off from one every 3.55 games in 2022 and one every 3.76 games in 2018 but a marked increase on one every 7.11 games in 2014.
This year’s four World Cup debutants were the most since eight countries qualified for the first time in 2006. None of them managed to win a game, though it’s worth noting only one of the previous four tournament newcomers had done so: Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2014.
On the whole, there weren’t too many stark mismatches, with only six 11-vs-11 games being won by four goals or more – and only two by five goals or more: Germany 7-1 Curaçao and Portugal 5-0 Uzbekistan.
No goal difference – no great difference
For the first time since the previous World Cup in the USA in 1994 – which was also the last 24-team World Cup – finishing third in the group could be enough to advance to the knockout stage. In 1994, the four best third-placed finishers out of the six groups went through; this year, it was the best eight out of 12.
And with as few as three points being enough to progress (as Senegal found), there ought to have been greater jeopardy in the final round of group games. FIFA, however, changed the rules for 2026, using head-to-head record as the first tiebreaker rather than goal difference.
The highly competitive Best third place table
As such, five sides were eliminated with a game to spare: Haiti, Türkiye, Tunisia, Jordan and Panama – accounting for 10.41% of the total teams in the tournament, a 4.16% decrease from 2022, when only two countries were knocked out before the final round of group matches.
Go back to 2018, though, and it was a different story, with eight out of 32 teams (25%) crashing out after two games. In 2014, four out of 32 sides (12.5%)suffered the same fate.
The switch to separating teams on head-to-head record before goal difference didn’t have a dramatic impact as far as keeping things alive for the duration of the group stage, then.
Goals galore
The 2026 World Cup final may have come perilously close to being only the second goalless World Cup final ever, but goals were not at a premium during the tournament as a whole. With an average of 2.96 goals per game – up from 2.66 across each of the previous three editions combined – this was the highest-scoring World Cup since 1970.
We were treated to a whopping 22 games featuring five goals or more – one very 4.72 matches, meaning they came more frequently than at any World Cup since the expansion from 24 teams to 32 in 1998.
12 teams averaged at least 2.00 goals per game at the tournament
On top of that, nine games saw more than five goals go in, culminating with England’s wild 6-4 win over France in the third-place play-off – the highest-scoring World Cup match since Hungary demolished El Salvador 10-1 in 1982.
There was also a welcome lack of stalemates. Just six of the 104 games at this World Cup finished 0-0 – fewer than at the 2022, 2014, 2010 and 2006 editions, all of which produced seven goalless draws.
That means less than 6% of this summer’s World Cup matches ended goalless, the second-lowest proportion since 1998 (the 2018 tournament produced a solitary 0-0 in 64 games).
FIFA’s decision to make the World Cup bigger than it had ever been was not universally popular, but it’s hard to argue the entertainment this summer’s tournament provided hasn’t vindicated that move.
Speaking ahead of the final, legendary former Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger, who is now FIFA’s Chief of Global Football Development, said: “That [expansion] was questioned before it started. We found that it was ethically needed to give a chance to everybody or to more teams to represent football. And, overall, I am convinced it was the right decision and it was a great success.”
Not long ago, talk of expanding the World Cup even further would have seemed absurd, but on the evidence of what we’ve seen over the last five weeks, it would certainly be worth a try. And could it happen as soon as the next edition in 2030?
“These are all issues that we will be examining after the World Cup,” Infantino told Swiss broadcaster Blue Sport when asked if the tournament could grow to 64 teams. “When organising a World Cup, it’s important to organise it for the whole world – not just Europe and South America but effectively the entire world. Every nation should be allowed to dream of participating in the World Cup.”
(Images from IMAGO)
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After 103 matches (including the third-place playoff), the 2026 World Cup will be decided by a single match showdown between Argentina and Spain in what has the potential to be a spectacular conclusion to the tournament.
Argentina are just one win from successfully defending the title they won in Qatar with Lionel Messi just as influential as he was three-and-a-half years ago. Indeed, the 39-year-old has pushed La Albiceleste all the way to the final after inspiring Wednesday’s semi-final comeback against England.
Spain produced their best performance of the entire tournament by beating France, dominating and limiting Kylian Mbappé and co. in a way that barely looked possible ahead of the semi-final meeting in Dallas. The European champions will control a lot of Sunday’s match in New Jersey.
Messi will face the country where he spent the majority of his club career at Barcelona while Lamine Yamal will come up against the icon many consider him to be the natural heir to for the Catalans. Both players are critically important to their respective national teams.
There will be plenty to draw the eye in the first-ever meeting between the reigning European and South American champions in a World Cup final. Spain might be the strongest collective unit at the tournament, but Argentina already know what it takes to lift the biggest prize in international football.
Key players
World Cup finals are for big-name players and Sunday’s encounter will serve up plenty of them. In fact, the 2026 World Cup final will feature a Ballon d’Or winner on both sides with Rodri integral to Spain’s playing style and overall approach.
The Manchester City midfielder was at his best in the semi-final win over France, controlling the game in the centre of the pitch. Alongside Rodri, Spain also boast Fabián Ruiz as someone capable of playing forward into the final third.
Spain have conceded just once in seven matches with Marc Cucurella and Pedro Porro key to the approach of the European champions, giving Luis de la Fuente some much-needed mobility in the wide areas.
Yamal, however, is the attacking difference-maker Spain will surely need to win their second World Cup. The Barcelona teenager has yet to find top form at this World Cup, but remains a critical figure.
It’s easy to pinpoint Messi as Argentina’s key player. Indeed, the 39-year-old is the tournament’s joint-top scorer (at the time time of writing) having notched eight goals in just seven appearances. Argentina’s entire approach is designed to get Messi into good positions.
Enzo Fernández gives Argentina a goal threat from central midfield while Leandro Paredes and Alexis Mac Allister are the pace-setters at the base of the midfield. Scaloni’s midfield unit provides protection and service to Messi.
Defensively, Cristian Romero generally produces his best football for Argentina with Lisandro Martínez an important part of how the defending world champions play out from the back. There will be quality over the pitch on Sunday.
Team news
De La Fuente has no significant injury concerns to handle ahead of Spain’s second-ever World Cup final with Yamal getting closer to full fitness after injury curtailed his 2025/26 campaign.
Argentina escaped any injuries and suspensions in the semi-final victory over England, meaning Lionel Scaloni will have a full squad to choose from for Sunday’s final at MetLife Stadium.
Prediction
Spain have shown the kind of defensive fortitude that it takes to win major titles, and we have a feeling that the European champions will be too strong for Argentina to stage another one of their inspired comebacks. And remember, only two teams have ever won back-to-back tournaments (Italy in 1934 and ’38, and Brazil in ’58 and ’64): Spain 2-1 Argentina
(Cover image from IMAGO)
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