Page 146 – The Pulse of Football

Dec

2024

The Etihad Campus should fuel any rebuild at Man City

Manchester City’s demise this season couldn’t have been more stark. Since the start of November, only Southampton have won fewer points in the Premier League than the defending champions. City have won just one of their last 13 games in all competitions and have lost six of the last nine in the league. Far from being title frontrunners, they’re in relegation form.

By Graham Ruthven

It’s now clear that Manchester City have reached the end of a cycle with a rebuild required. Countless theories have been put forward to explain such a dramatic drop-off, but most agree the ageing profile of City’s squad has been a factor. Kevin de Bruyne, Bernardo Silva and Kyle Walker, for example, are all over the age of 30.

City must get younger to once again handle Pep Guardiola’s high-risk, high-energy approach. It’s just as well then that the Etihad Stadium club boasts one of the most productive academy systems in English football. The grassroots could help Manchester City grow their next great team.

The examples of City academy graduates succeeding at the elite level are plentiful. Cole Palmer has exploded since leaving the Etihad Stadium for Chelsea, registering an incredible 34 goals and 17 assists in just 51 league appearances. Guardiola surely regrets letting Palmer leave even if the Premier League’s Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR) were a consideration in the sale.

Michael Olise was once part of the Manchester City academy, but departed to find first team football at Reading before moving on to Crystal Palace. Now at Bayern Munich, the 23-year-old is a French international and considered one of the best, most productive wide attackers in the Bundesliga.

Liam Delap left City permanently for Ipswich Town in the summer and has since proved himself as one of the best young strikers in the Premier League, scoring six goals in 16 games for The Tractor Boys. Then there’s Morgan Rogers who exited City last year and is now Aston Villa’s creator-in-chief and an England international.

Roméo Lavia, Brahim Díaz, Taylor Harwood-Bellis, Tosin Adarabioyo and Jamie Gittens all learned their trade on the training pitches at the Manchester City academy with Jadon Sancho another notable graduate. After losing his way at Manchester United, the winger is now flourishing at Chelsea.

All of these academy graduates would improve the current Manchester City squad which has been depleted by injuries this season. There is no way for City to correct past mistakes (although they may have buy-back clauses on some of their former academy players), but it’s important they learn lessons from them.

Guardiola has demonstrated more of a willingness to integrate academy talent over the last two seasons. Rico Lewis has started 14 league matches for Manchester City this term while Oscar Bobb was set for an important role before suffering a leg injury that has sidelined him for the past four months.

Jahmai Simpson-Pusey is another homegrown youngster who has been given an opportunity in the first team this season, as is James McAtee. Guardiola’s hand might have been forced by injuries, but the imprint of Manchester City’s academy on the first team has been clearer than in past seasons.

Guardiola has spoken of his wariness in throwing inexperienced youngsters into City’s current situation. “In the period we have, I’m going to make it the responsibility of the senior players,” said the 53-year-old, but he must also recognise the need to anchor his team with the academy set-up.

In the PSR age, City’s academy could be a real advantage to them. It has already has been, but only as a method to balance the books and facilitate more expensive transfers. Palmer, for example, was sold to Chelsea for £45m in the same window that Joško Gvardiol arrived from RB Leipzig for £77m.

Many times, though, the players City have let go have been better than the ones they have signed. Palmer clearly should have been part of the succession planning for the phasing out of de Bruyne and Silva. Delap should still be at the Etihad Stadium learning from Haaland and giving Guardiola a rotational option in the centre forward position. Harwood-Bellis would have eased the recent injury crisis in defence.

“We are building a structure for the future not just a team of all-stars,” reads a quote from Sheikh Mansour on the wall of the reception area at the Etihad Campus, underlining Manchester City’s commitment to creating the next generation, not just buying it. The facilities are also an indication of this intent.

Now, however, it’s time for City to make good on that promise. It would be unrealistic to expect the club to unearth its own ‘Class of ’92,’ but Guardiola must evolve his team to compete for the biggest trophies in English and European football again and the academy could help him achieve this.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

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

Dec

2024

Preview: Leaders Liverpool go to West Ham

Flying clear at the top of the Premier League, Liverpool seem to have everything positive going their way heading into the new year.

By Karl Matchett

One last challenge for 2024 remains, though; one last test of Arne Slot’s side – and in West Ham United that’s a much tougher game than it might have seemed even a month ago.

Skewed history

Once in the Premier League past, this might have been seen as a fairly close-call fixture. From 1994 to 2000, from 13 top-flight meetings the Reds won four, five were draws and the Hammers claimed the other four. Of late, that isn’t quite the same: of the last 17 in all competitions, Liverpool have won 14. Jürgen Klopp definitely had the edge over David Moyes – as well as Slaven Bilić and Manuel Pellegrini – and earlier this term, Arne Slot continued the recent tradition with a 5-1 League Cup win over Julen Lopetegui. It was looking bleak for the Spaniard for a period after that, but much has changed.

West Ham’s uptick

The aforementioned cup defeat came in a run of one win in seven and Lopetegui was linked with a swift departure more than once. But a corner appears to have been turned: it’s just two defeats in eight now and West Ham are undefeated in four. Eight points in that run has lifted them to 13th, above Manchester United and only six points off Newcastle in fifth – the margins remain fine, but they’re in the upper-mid-table group for sure.

That improvement will give Slot pause for thought and he’ll know this is a different team to the one Liverpool trounced in September. Still, his own team haven’t lost since that same month and the league leaders have put together back-to-back wins around Christmas after successive draws beforehand. In all competitions it’s 11 wins in the last 13 and they hold a six-point advantage at the top.

Team news

Goalkeeper Łukasz Fabiański is out due to concussion protocols and Tomáš Souček is suspended. Michail Antonio is out for the foreseeable future and Max Kilman is a doubt for West Ham. For Liverpool, Dominik Szoboszlai is suspended and Ibrahima Konaté remains injured. Conor Bradley is the only other expected absentee for the Reds.

Key player

Cody Gakpo’s form has been immense on the other flank and he’d be our choice – but there’s an amount of rotation to consider and Luis Díaz didn’t play against Leicester so that might be one swap. It’s Curtis Jones therefore who could dictate Liverpool’s fortunes here; he scored on Boxing Day and will be the No. 10 again with Szoboszlai suspended. On a per 90 basis Jones ranks 91st percentile for xGOT, 97th for passes, 98th for dribble success and 100th – the best of all in his role – for pass accuracy. He’s the team’s press monster, instigates play from deep and has great movement around the box.

Prediction

Could be a bit of a slog, given the Hammers’ recent upturn and the rapid turnaround between winter fixtures, but an away win all the same: West Ham 1-2 Liverpool.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

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

Dec

2024

Preview: City travel to Leicester for Guardiola’s 500th game in charge

Manchester City may be on a bad run of form at the moment, but Leicester City are in the bottom three. Who shall yield?

By Ian King

City’s notoriously bad run

Manchester City were as insipid as they have been at any stage over the last two months on Boxing Day, extending their bad run to one win in thirteen. A slide is gathering pace. One point and goal difference separate them from 9th place. They’re as far from Liverpool (1st) as they are from Crystal Palace (16th).

Leicester, meanwhile, don’t appear to have appreciably improved under Ruud van Nistelrooy, with their defence an ongoing issue. They’ve only kept one clean sheet all season, and that was at the start of October. Defeat in the fog at Liverpool on Boxing Night was their third in a row, with ten goals conceded.

Pointers from history

Leicester’s 3-1 win at Manchester City in February 2016 really sent out the message that the eventual fairytale champions really had a head of steam building up. But recent form has been patchier. Leicester’s last win against them came in the 2021 Community Shield at Wembley. Manchester City have won all four of their meetings since.

Key players

Questions are starting to be asked of Erling Haaland, who’s scored just four goals throughout this thirteen game run. He’s missed half as many penalties as he’s scored, and while much has been made of the loss of Rodri since his season-ending injury, it has felt at times as though Haaland has been just as absent, and he’s been on the pitch. Is it merely a supply issue? Is it fatigue? Something isn’t going according to plan.

For Leicester, the key question is how much more can they wring out of Jamie Vardy, who’s now a fortnight off his 38th birthday yet still playing with the energy of a man who runs on pure taurine alone. With six League goals already this season but with Leicester’s defence one of the division’s most porous, they need him fit and scoring more than ever.

Team News

Manchester City carry the same long-term losses, though there were no fresh injuries from the Everton match. Jack Grealish and Kyle Walker missed that one and may return, as could Kevin de Bruyne from the start. Jamie Vardy should return for Leicester after missing their trip to Anfield. Facundo Buonanotte and Harry Winks may also return.

Prediction

There’s been little to suggest that Leicester have been significantly revitalised by their new manager yet, despite taking the lead at Anfield and holding it until first half stoppage-time. But for Manchester City, this remains a test. Throughout their recent poor run, there’s been an expectation that they’ll just click back into gear and all this will be forgotten, but there have been few signs of this yet, and it’s starting to feel as though the rot may run deeper than injuries alone. We’ve been waiting for them to bottom out, but it hasn’t come yet. In the expectation that this can’t go on forever, I’m going City to nick this 2-1, giving Pep Guardiola a win on what is the occasion of the his 500th game in charge of the club.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

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

Dec

2024

Premier League Preview, Matchday 19

As Davina McCall used to say when presenting Big Brother in the UK: “Do you fancy another one?”.

By Sam McGuire

Matchday 18 has only just come to an end yet matchday 19 is already upon us. The Boxing Day round of fixtures did not disappoint. The games on the 27th were a little underwhelming.

Still, the fixtures across the New Year period have the potential to deliver at both ends of the table. So, with that in mind, here’s a look at what’s ahead.

Manchester City’s freefall continues

Across the last five Premier League matches, Leicester have as many wins as Manchester City do. Both teams have won one match during this period. They face off at the King Power Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

The champions could only draw against Everton on Boxing Day. They couldn’t hold onto an early lead, courtesy of Bernardo Silva, and Erling Haaland missed a second half penalty as the hosts had to settle for a 1-1 draw at the Etihad.

Pep Guardiola‘s side are 14 points off the top having played a game more.

The Foxes have lost three on the bounce after a bright start under Ruud Van Nistelrooy. The former Manchester United assistant claimed four points across his opening two fixtures in charge but things haven’t gone to plan since. They’ve conceded 10 in those three defeats and scored just a single goal, that arrived against Liverpool in a 3-1 loss at Anfield on Thursday night.

A win against the struggling champions would, momentarily at least, lift them out of the drop zone.

A Hammer blow for Liverpool?

West Ham have managed to turn things around recently. Julen Lopetegui‘s side are unbeaten in four and have taken eight points in these matches.

They take on league leaders Liverpool on Sunday evening, but they’ll be without a host of players.

Tomáš Souček and Guido Rodríguez are suspended, Łukasz Fabiański, Carlos Soler, Max Kilman and Michail Antonio are missing through injury.

Liverpool are also without a few players. Ibrahima Konaté and Conor Bradley are missing with injuries sustained in the win over Real Madrid over a month ago while Dominik Szoboszlai picked up his fifth booking against Leicester City after coming off of the bench.

The Reds can still name a fairly strong XI though and currently possess the best player in the world in Mohamed Salah. The 32-year-old has 27 goal involvements in 17 matches this term. He had a decent record against the Hammers too, scoring 10 and assisting three. However, he’s scored just once in his last six outings against this weekend’s opposition.

Is his poor run of form against West Ham going to continue or is he going to make it 11 consecutive matches in the Premier League with at least one goal involvement?

The Alexander Isak show rolls on

Newcastle United travel to Old Trafford on Monday evening looking to make it four wins on the bounce in the Premier League.

The Magpies are in fine form right now. They have scored 11 and conceded zero goals during this climb up the table.

Key to this has been Alexander Isak. The Sweden international has nine goals in his last five appearances and his tally for the campaign now stands at 11 in 16.

Only Cole Palmer (12), Erling Haaland (13) and Mohamed Salah (16) have more goals.

The 25-year-old will fancy his chances of adding to his total against the Red Devils. Rúben Amorim‘s men have lost three on the bounce across all competitions following their 2-1 win over Manchester City in the derby.

They have failed to score in their last two outings and are currently in 14th place in the Premier League, just eight points clear of the relegation zone.

The hosts will be without their skipper for the game too following Bruno Fernandes‘ dismissal against Wolves on Boxing Day.

How brittle are Arsenal?

Following Arsenal’s 1-0 win over Ipswich Town, a result that lifted them into second position, Mikel Arteta confirmed that Bukayo Saka would miss a minimum of two months following surgery on a hamstring injury.

The Gunners struggled without Martin Ødegaard earlier in the season. How are they going to cope without their best player?

Saka is the only Arsenal player into double figures for goals and assists (15).

They’re up against tough opposition on New Year’s Day as they travel to Brentford.

The Bees have the joint best home record in the Premier League having taken 22 points from a possible 27 on offer.

They’re not in the best form having lost three of the last five in the English top flight, including a loss at home to Nottingham Forest, but it is still a tricky fixture for the Gunners.

Especially when you consider they don’t travel too well. Arteta’s side have only won four of their nine away matches, conceded 10 in nine too.

It’ll be interesting to see the type of performance the visitors put in without their No. 7.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

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

Dec

2024

Premier League Team of the Week: Boxing Day Matchday 18

Once again, we have a fairly varied FotMob Team of the Week with seven teams represented in the starting XI. Who made the cut though and why did their performance justify a place in the team?

By Sam McGuire

Goalkeeper: José Sá

Sá put in an impressive showing between the sticks for Wolves in their Boxing Day win over Manchester United. The 31-year-old shot-stopper made four saves and faced efforts with an xG on target value of 1.06. he played his part in Vítor Pereira‘s side keeping yet another clean sheet as they climbed out of the relegation zone.

Right-Back: Aaron Wan-Bissaka

The West Ham right-back was brilliant during the 1-0 win over Southampton. He completed 81% of his passes, created three chances, one of which was a big chance, as well as completing the most dribbles (three) of anyone in the match. The former United full-back also won 100% of his tackles and 100% of his ground duels, but that is expected given he’s renown for his defensive dominance.

Centre-Back: Dean Huijsen

This feature could soon be renamed Huijsen and friends. The Bournemouth centre-back is once again included in the FotMob XI following yet another impressive performance for the Cherries, this time against Brentford.

He completed the most passes (71) and found a teammate with 93% of his attempts, the highest success rate of anyone on the pirch. He won the most tackles (five) and the most duels (11).

Centre-Back: Murillo

The Nottingham Forest centre-back played his part in the 1-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur. It was a win that kept them in the top four of the Premier League. Murillo made the most tackles (four), won six of his nine ground duels and 100% of his aerial duels at the Forest Ground. He also completed 100% of his dribbles and made a total of 10 clearances.

Left-Back: Miles Lewis-Skelly

Arsenal started their match against Ipswich Town with four senior left-back options on the bench. Mikel Arteta instead put his faith in 18-year-old Lewis-Skelly. And he was vindicated. The teenager earned an 8.1 rating and the Emirates, the joint highest of the match. He completed a remarkable 98% of his passes and created two chances. He also completed two of his three dribbles and won two of his three tackles as well as eight of his nine ground duels.

Midfield: Alexis Mac Allister

The Liverpool midfielder claimed two assists as the league leaders came from behind to beat Leicester City at Anfield on Boxing Day. He also completed 90% of his passes on the night and involved himself in 17 duels in what was a fairly dominant showing, with and without the ball.

Midfield: Joelinton

A goal, an assist and a yellow card for Joelinton. He was at his brilliant best against Aston Villa as Newcastle romped to a 3-0 victory to move into fifth place in the Premier League. The Brazilian completed 94% of his passes and had five shots. He made five recoveries and two interceptions, and won 75% of his aerial duels.

Attack: Mohamed Salah

Salah’s appearance in the FotMob Team of the Week is becoming a bit of a regular occurrence, isn’t it? The Premier League’s leading scorer added to his tally against Leicester City to take his haul to 16 for the campaign. He also created two chances at Anfield and completed two of his three attempted dribbles.

Attack: Matheus Cunha

This is shaping up to be Cunha’s best ever season as a professional footballer. His goal against Manchester United, straight from a corner, was his 10th of the season. At the rate he’s going at, he’ll soon eclipse the 14 he finished last season with. He also claimed an assist against the Red Devils while completing the most dribbles (four) and winning the most fouls (five) in yet another eye-catching performance.

Attack: Cody Gakpo

Gakpo had big boots to fill having replaced Luis Díaz after his impressive showing against Spurs. The Dutchman delivered. The 25-year-old scored and had another ruled out. He also assisted the Salah goal, created two chances and found a teammate with 92% of his attempted passes. The left-winger completed 100% of his dribbles and was a nuisance for the Foxes throughout.

Attack: Alexander Isak

Another match, another goal for Isak. He’s now scored nine in his last five Premier League outings for Newcastle following his strike against Aston Villa on Boxing Day. It was an all-round impressive showing from the Swede as he had four shots and created four chances at St James’ Park. He also attempted five dribbles on a day he put on a clinic for a modern day centre forward.

(Images from IMAGO)

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

Dec

2024

Cody Gakpo is becoming the success story everyone knew he could be under Arne Slot

With Arne Slot officially announced as new Liverpool head coach in May, there was plenty of time before his work formally got underway to predict who would benefit most from working with the man from Zwolle.

By Jack Lusby, ThisIsAnfield.com

A major factor in the club’s decision to bring him to Merseyside from Feyenoord was his ability to coax the best out of the players already at his disposal, in a system similar to that used by Jürgen Klopp, but there would always be players better suited to his vision than others.

Chief among those was Cody Gakpo – a player Slot was familiar with not only from watching the Dutch national team, but also from their brushes with each other in the Eredivisie.

Gakpo came up against Slot’s sides on four occasions while at PSV Eindhoven – once against AZ Alkmaar and then three times against Feyenoord – and the latter two of those meetings showed his sheer power as a devastating left winger.

He scored both goals for PSV in a 2-2 draw at the back end of the 2021/22 season, before scoring one and assisting the other three in a 4-3 victory early into 2022/23.

A stunning display in the latter came during a phenomenal first half of the campaign that preceded his £37 million move to Liverpool, shining under Ruud van Nistelrooy as he scored 13 and assisted 17 in 24 games – a goal or assist every 65.3 minutes – before three more goals in five games for the Netherlands at the winter World Cup in Qatar.

It was clear from his displays at PSV that Gakpo was an elite-level prospect on the left wing, but he found himself a utility man under Klopp; he played up front 49 times, in midfield for seven games, on the right wing for another seven and in his natural role only 14 times.

There should have been no surprise that his output dropped, with 23 goals and nine assists in 79 appearances – a goal or assist every 153.1 minutes – for Klopp, who himself admitted his mistake in relying upon the tall, dominant attacker as an emergency midfielder.

“I went to speak to Ruud just after [Gakpo] first got to Liverpool and he was struggling a little bit,” Gary Neville recalled on an episode of Stick to Football back in July.

“And I said to him ‘what about Gakpo?’, because obviously United were looking at him.

“He said ‘he’s a left winger, that’s it’. So when Klopp was playing him like false nine or centre-forward or a bit deeper in midfield at times, Ruud said he had him there at PSV and was absolutely a left winger.”

Who were we to judge the tactical acumen of Jürgen Klopp, one of the most successful and revered managers in modern footballing history – and certainly at Liverpool – but the use and performances of Gakpo since Slot took the reins underlines the flaw in Klopp’s approach.

Speaking in August, Gakpo confirmed: “I spoke to [Slot] and obviously he sees me as a left winger.” The 46-year-old, once again Van Nistelrooy’s adversary after his arrival at Leicester, firmly agrees with the former Man United striker.

It is not hard to see why, either, with Gakpo playing almost exclusively as a left winger in his 26 appearances for Slot so far, resulting in 10 goals and four assists – averaging a direct goal contribution every 97.6 minutes.

“I think the main difference maybe is that the setup from the front three was a bit different [under Klopp] than the setup now,” Slot explained after his No. 18 scored one and assisted another in Liverpool’s 3-1 win over Leicester on Boxing Day.

“We expect a bit more from our wingers, to keep it wide, to try to get them in one-vs-one situations. Cody has done this really well.”

Slot’s wingers – namely Gakpo, Luis Díaz and Mohamed Salah – have been directly responsible for 40 of Liverpool’s 63 goals so far this season (63.5%) compared to 54 of 142 goals in Klopp’s final campaign in charge (38%).

While there are a number of factors behind this, not least the irrepressible form of Salah as his contract nears its expiry, it is evident that a change of emphasis towards attacking from the flanks has benefited those regulars out wide.

Under Klopp in both 2022/23 and 2023/24 there was a focus on funnelling chances towards the centre-forward, with the £85 million signing of Darwin Núñez demanding the manager change his system to accommodate his new No. 9 – and to his credit, Núñez netted 18 times in Klopp’s final season, as Liverpool’s second-top scorer.

But a change in the dugout has brought a welcome refresh in the final third, with the Reds moving closer to the setup that made them one of the most devastating attacking side sides in Europe at their peak under Klopp.

*Gakpo shot map, Premier League 2024/25*

With a deep-dropping, selfless No. 9 – formerly Roberto Firmino, now most effectively Díaz or Diogo Jota – there was and now is more opportunity for those out wide to flourish.

And knowing that Liverpool boast Arjen Robben on steroids on their books, with an ability to cut inside on his right foot and blast in from range with regularity despite it being the most predictable move in his locker, that has been one of Slot’s early masterstrokes.

It is certainly a credit to Gakpo himself, but also of a coach who shows a clearer understanding of the player Liverpool signed at the start of 2023.

As for all his obvious merits, Klopp’s persistence with Núñez as his focal point saw him overlook the talents hidden in plain sight.

(Images from IMAGO)

To keep up to date with everything Liverpool, make sure you click follow on the team profile in the FotMob app. Download the free app here.

Dec

2024

Jesus Navas Superstar

The time has come again. Millions of people across the globe have gathered with their loved ones to give gifts, indulge, and commemorate the birth of a mysterious carpenter. In the city of Seville, however, they have been celebrating two Jesuses this year.

By Alex Roberts

Jesús Navas has called it quits on his long an illustrious career at the ripe old age of 39. He leaves the game a Bonafide Sevilla legend, helping his boyhood club win four Europa Leagues, two Copa del Reys, a UEFA Super Cup, and a Spanish Super Cup.

Born in Los Palacios, 15 minutes south of Seville, a small skinny boy first walked into Sevilla’s training ground in 2000, dreaming of simply being good enough to represent the club he loves. The stadium in that very same facility is named after him now.

He made his debut in November 2003, two days after his 19^th birthday, in a 1-0 defeat to Espanyol in LaLiga. He may not have won the game for Sevilla in the end, but his immense talent was clearly evident.

Sevilla hadn’t won a trophy in 50 years at that point and the club were in danger of falling into further irrelevance. By the time Navas left, he had played the second most games in the club’s history, with 393, 27 behind Juan Arza Iñigo in first with 419, and emphatically ended their trophy drought.

The winger had scored in a Copa del Rey final and won two UEFA Cups, the competition that Sevilla would soon become synonymous with. Unfortunately, their success on the pitch didn’t translate to success off it.

Chelsea courted him back in 2006, but he couldn’t bear to leave his beloved Sevilla, turning them down, citing anxiety attacks due to homesickness as the reason.

In the most romantic version of this story, Navas would have spent his entire career at Sevilla, but modern football has no time for such things. In 2013, ten years after making his debut, the club were in dire financial straits, and he reluctantly accepted a move away to help.

Man City came calling and Navas made the move from sunny Seville to not so sunny Manchester. The Premier League club’s vast wealth helped keep the lights on at the Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán stadium but at the cost of the club’s very soul.

Navas enjoyed his time in Manchester, adapting his game and becoming a wing-back after initially struggling to contend with the more physical Premier League defenders. He would go on to become a key player for Manuel Pellegrini, winning his first league title, along with two League Cups.

Three years flew by before Pellegrini was eventually replaced by Pep Guardiola. The legendary coach persisted with Navas for a season, but he soon become surplus to requirements when Kyle Walker was signed from Tottenham in the summer of 2017.

The Spaniard left City as a free agent with 183 appearances, eight goals, and 35 assists under his belt. He may not have been prolific in front of goal, but his industry and never-say-die attitude endeared him to the Etihad faithful.

As soon as he left, Navas had his heart and mind set on a return to Sevilla and to his city. It finally materialised on August 1^st, 2017, signing a four-year deal, and he hasn’t looked back since.

As age caught up with him, things got harder for Navas. He has an arthritic hip that causes him pain whenever he plays, trains, or even walks. Still, he played through it, sacrificing his body for the club he loves.

By the end of his first season back, he had overtaken Iñigo to become the club’s record appearance maker, helping them secure a Europa League spot and a place in the Copa del Rey final, which they ultimately lost 5-0 to Barcelona, all done under three separate managers.

The next season was relatively successful too. Sevilla made it to the business end of Spain’s domestic cups, once again falling to Barcelona in a cup final, although this time it was 2-1 in the Supercopa de España.

Navas would go on to captain Sevilla to three consecutive top four finishes, securing Champions League football and much-needed funds under Julen Lopetegui but the proverbial cherry on top of the cake came in the form of the 2022-23 Europa League trophy.

Sevilla didn’t have an easy run to the final, they would have to beat PSV, Fenerbahce, Man United, and Juventus before facing José Mourinho’s Roma in Budapest.

The Italians took the lead in the 35^th-minute through Paulo Dybala before a Gianluca Mancini own-goal levelled things up. Full-time came and went, so did extra-time, the final would have to be decided by penalties.

What followed was arguably the worst set of spot-kicks from a single side in a major European final. Roma missed two penalties, and it ended 4-1 to Sevilla, earning them a record seventh title, with Navas being named the Player of the Tournament.

From the highest of highs come the lowest of lows, and things have soured at Sevilla since their last Europa League win. Lopetegui was sacked in October 2022, and the club have finished 12^th and 14^th in the two seasons since.

Losing their most successful player is the latest in a long line of blows for Sevilla, but it was the right thing to do.

Few opposition players have received a standing ovation from the home support at the Santiago Bernabéu and now Navas can count himself alongside the likes of Ronaldinho and Diego Maradona.

Navas left the pitch in tears, not because Sevilla had lost 4-2, but because it was the end. Long live the second most successful Jesus in Spanish history.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

You can follow every game from LaLiga on FotMob – featuring deep stats coverage, xG, and player ratings. Download the free app here.

Dec

2024

Analysis: LaLiga promises an open three-way title race in 2025

Three points separate La Liga’s top three as we end the calendar year, so we are sure to get an exciting title race in the second half of the season. Atlético Madrid, Real Madrid and Barcelona all have their issues, making them quite closely matched so far.

By Neel Shelat

Atlético Madrid’s smash-and-grab win over Barcelona this weekend saw them jump to the top of La Liga’s standings for the first time this season, while neighbours Real Madrid followed them into second place with a win over Sevilla. With these results, the last round of fixtures in 2024 has set us up very nicely for a thrilling title race between the usual suspects.

Atlético Madrid: Defence still Simeone’s key to success

Atlético Madrid’s summer transfer business was quite eye-catching. They spent big on a couple of star attackers, underscoring a shift in approach away from the typically dogged and defensive Diego Simeone side. The challenge for the Argentine tactician then became to find the right formula to get the best out of a top-heavy side.

Initially, Atléti faced various problems. Simeone started the season with a back three formation, though he was reluctant to put Antoine Griezmann, Julián Alvarez and Alexander Sørloth all in the same starting line-up. Perhaps due to the new additions, the attack didn’t quite click immediately, but the breaking point probably came at the other end.

Los Colchoneros seemed to forsake their defensive department amidst their heavy attacking spending, especially leaving it thin in terms of quality. They no longer had absolute rocks at the back, so a 4-0 thrashing at the hands of Benfica in the Champions League caused Simeone to switch his approach. After a bit of experimenting, he reverted to a good old-fashioned 4-4-2 and has stuck to it since.

By choosing to drop into a solid low block out of possession, Atléti have managed to shore up their defence. They have conceded the fewest goals and lowest xG tally in La Liga so far and certainly look like the best defensive side in the division.

As for the attack, Simeone has found an interesting formula whereby Griezmann and Alvarez start most matches in the front two, while Sørloth makes an impact off the bench. The Norwegian striker has not started a league game in over two months but has scored five of his eight goals in that period, including three game-winners. In fact, Atlético’s substitutes have registered 22 goal involvements in the league between them this season – a figure more than 11 teams’ total goal tallies!

After winning just four of nine LaLiga and Champions League matches in which they started with a back three, Atlético are on a 12-match winning streak right now. Clearly, Simeone has found the right formula for this side.

Real Madrid: Los Blancos finally firing?

Defending champions Real Madrid might have been expected to improve even further following the arrival of Kylian Mbappé, but that has not proven to be the case. They long struggled to get their rejigged attack to click, while existing defensive issues were exacerbated in the tighter matches.

Finding the right role for Mbappé has been one of their biggest challenges as the French forward is not an out-and-out striker but cannot be shifted too far out to the left to ensure Vinícius Júnior remains unhindered. With both of their biggest superstars favouring the left side, Los Blancos have also become a little too unidimensional at times.

Even so, there have been some promising signs in recent games. Although injuries have prevented Mbappé and Vinícius from starting too many matches together, they showed some nice link-play against an admittedly weaker Pachuca side in the FIFA Intercontinental Cup. The French superstar’s subsequent performance against Sevilla was quite encouraging too, with Ancelotti himself stating that “His adaptation period is over.”

Jude Bellingham also seems to have sufficiently readjusted into a more connecting midfield role after being the team’s chief goal threat last term, while Rodrygo has chipped in with some handy contributions from the right. Even if they are far from their very best, this Real Madrid squad simply has the irresistible individual quality to seriously compete in this title race. If they further improve in 2025, they could even run away with it.

*Real Madrid goals + assists, LaLiga 2024/25*

Barcelona: Wheels falling off for Flick’s side?

Barcelona were fastest out of the blocks at the start of the season as Hansi Flick’s side won 11 of their first 12 league games, racing to a nine-point lead. Even at the time, though, analysts warned that they would struggle to sustain such a level of performance throughout the season, and their premonitions have come true perhaps even earlier than expected.

Barça have picked up just five points from their last seven league matches, losing to Real Sociedad, Las Palmas, Leganés and Atlético Madrid in that period. While some of those results were unfortunate, many of Barcelona’s issues were exposed in those games.

Most evidently, their extreme defensive approach is starting to get punished as opponents are now regularly breaching their insanely high defensive line. Barcelona have conceded the eighth-most goals in LaLiga, but their underlying numbers are even worse.

Injury issues have not helped their cause, though they only have themselves to blame for their lack of squad depth. That can also be cited as an issue in their attack, as they have inadequate backup for the ageing Robert Lewandowski and 17-year-old Lamine Yamal. The Catalan giants’ financial situation is not going to get any better anytime soon, so they are reportedly set to face squad registration issues once again in the January window.

The one positive for Flick’s side is that they still have the best underlying numbers in the league thanks to a free-flowing first-choice attack, Unless they improve in other respects, though, they will surely find it difficult to win the league with just that.

*The FotMob xG table AKA ‘Justice Table’, based on expected goals stats*

(Cover image from IMAGO)

You can follow every game from the Intercontinental and Club World Cup on FotMob – with deep stats, xG, and players ratings. Download the free app here.

Dec

2024

Preview: Arsenal aiming to do a job on the Tractor Boys

Arsenal sat third going in to Christmas, not a terrible position on the face of it for an Arsenal side expected to be one of three teams capable of challenging for the title.

By Karl Matchett

Following the Boxing Day games however, the Gunners have slipped to fourth and as ever, context is king: they’re now nine points off the pace, while those above them include last year’s distant third-placed team and two sides who weren’t even in the conversation.

Job No.1: Staying in touch

Manchester City’s dramatic fall from grace should, in theory, have presented Arsenal with an opportunity – but their own decisions on and off the pitch, more pragmatic and with solid rather than spectacular transfer work, have seen them fall away too. If ten winless games throughout the Premier League season is effectively a cut-off point for title race involvement, the Gunners are 80 percent of the way there already. Most games are now must-win for them, especially home to newly promoted sides such as Ipswich Town. All Arsenal can aim for, for now at least, is to do exactly that and trust to hope that another opportunity to overhaul the teams above them will roll their way.

Staying in touch isn’t just the message at the top though. Ipswich are three points adrift of safety, 19th in the table – but probably somewhere about where they expected to be after promotion and signing for the future in the summer. That’s not to say they don’t want to try staying up, but they don’t need it to be done by the new year. Keeping in contact with those above them is all important, such as the win over Wolves recently, not defeats to Newcastle last time out or potentially at the Emirates. Their quality in attack means they cannot be dismissed but they’ll target mini runs against Everton, Brentford and Leicester, not the Magpies, the Gunners and Chelsea.

Good runs and bad runs

Being off the pace can make it feel Arsenal are in a bad run, but they’re not right now – seven wins from the last nine in all competitions, four wins in the last six in the league. It’s just that for the title, margins are so fine, but they are scoring and winning, netting eight in two matches against Crystal Palace in the past week.

Even if winning matches against bigger clubs isn’t the absolute key, the Tractor Boys do need to keep nicking points here and there. Four defeats from their last five isn’t sustainable either, and they have only two victories in all competitions all season. They’ve only kept one clean sheet, too – back in September.

Team news

The biggest loss is the biggest news: Bukayo Saka’s absence for “weeks” through a hamstring injury means Gabriel Jesus must really step up in productivity and consistency, and Mikel Arteta needs to find an alternative threat from Saka’s position on the right flank. Ipswich are without suspended Sam Morsy, injured George Hirst and sidelined Chiedozie Ogbene.

Key player

Gabriel Jesus has come into the side of late and immediately rediscovered his scoring touch – Mikel Arteta is desperate for that to continue. It also makes a mockery of him playing 266 league minutes before last week. If he can now play more but keep averaging 3.84 shots and 8.2 touches in the box per 90 minutes, they have another dangerous forward to rely on.

Prediction

Arsenal won’t – can’t – have any trouble seeing off strugglers at home if they are to rebuild any sort of momentum at the top into the new year: Arsenal 3-1 Ipswich.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

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

Dec

2024

Preview: Everton out to add to Manchester City’s misery

Manchester City will kick off the Boxing Day fixtures by hosting Everton, though there might not be too much festive cheer around a side that has lost nine of its last 12 games.

By Neel Shelat

City showing few signs of ending the slump

Even as Manchester City started a streak of losses in November, few could have believed that their form would remain just as dismal at Christmas time. Worse yet, their performances have not looked much better either.

Pep Guardiola’s side have shown signs of promise on occasion, but they have struggled to sustain a decent performance for the full 90 minutes. Their dramatic loss in the recent Manchester derby exposed their sudden inability to see out a lead, but last weekend’s defeat to Aston Villa was arguably even more concerning as City simply looked second best.

Villa, for their part, contrived an excellent game plan that precisely targeted the defending champions’ weak spots. They were happy to drop back defensively and let City circulate possession, exposing a rather toothless attack. After turnovers, they ran straight at the visitors’ back line and cut them open on counterattacks. They were even able to deal damage with settled possession, baiting Manchester City’s disjointed press before slicing through it with slick passing.

This relatively straightforward blueprint has suddenly become effective against Guardiola’s side, as the former Barcelona tactician has changed little despite such poor results and injury issues. Once again, he will have to fashion a makeshift defensive unit for this match after John Stones suffered a recurring issue over the weekend while Rúben Dias remains out with a calf injury. Rodri, of course, is out for the season, and Matheus Nunes is unlikely to be an option in midfield either. Goalkeeper Ederson also did not make the squad last weekend and remains a doubt.

Everton aiming for a fourth-straight clean sheet

It has been far from smooth sailing for Everton for most of the season as they have struggled to string together a good run of results, largely hovering around the relegation zone. However, they seem to be turning a page heading towards the new year.

The Toffees have lost just one of their last six games, keeping clean sheets in all five others including their latest fixtures against Arsenal and Chelsea. Indeed, their defence has been excellent as they are among the top half teams for both goals and xG conceded in the league, while they have the joint-most clean sheets.

Given City’s attacking struggles, another shutout could well be on the cards.

Could Everton stage another upset?

Everton have lost 13 of their last 14 matches against Manchester City, so they will be happy with any sort of points from this fixture. The Toffees have gotten the better of Pep Guardiola’s side once, though – all the way back in 2017, when they won 4-0 at Goodison Park.

Everton have the league’s second-worst attack this term, making a similar result all the more unlikely. Six of their 14 goals have come from set-pieces, so deal ball situations might just be their only scoring hope.

Prediction

Despite everything, Manchester City should be backed to grind out a win against Everton.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

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