Page 189 – The Pulse of Football

Aug

2024

Spurs are looking to the future with a youthful injection to Postecoglou’s squad

There were points during the last six weeks or so of last season when it might not have felt like it, but one of the key achievements of Ange Postecoglou’s first season as the manager of Tottenham Hotspur was that he made them fun to watch again. This is a club now far removed from the existential angst of the late stage Conte era.

By Ian King

No small part of this enthusiasm that is carrying into Postecoglou’s second season is stemming from the younger players that are now fleshing out the first team squad. Arguably the biggest signing of their summer could have been to secure a three-year contract–the maximum allowed–with Mikey Moore, the sensational winger who reached the broader consciousness thanks to his spectacular meandering runs for England at the Under-17 Euros.

Moore alone is a good reason to be enthused, but he’s just the start of a list of four or five young Spurs players who’ve shown the potential to go to the very top. Midfielder Tyrese Hall signed a five-year contract with the club in May and made his debut against Manchester City in the same month, marking a positive end to what had otherwise been an injury-interrupted season.

Elsewhere in attack, 18-year old striker Will Lankshear scored 25 goals in 26 games for the Under-21s last season, while attacking midfielder Jamie Donley made four appearances in the first team last season and ran up 17 assists in 23. There’s also Alfie Devine and Ashley Phillips, who are expected to join Donley out on loan this season. The Spurs academy has been producing strong results, of that there’s little question.

But there has also been something of a lean into younger players in the transfer market, too. Lucas Bergvall’s options included Barcelona when he was shopping around while playing for Djurgården in Sweden, but he was eventually persuaded that he had a better pathway in the Premier League at The Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. They paid £8.5m for him.

And their second biggest summer signing after Dominic Solanke is a substantial investment in youth. Archie Gray cost £30m from Leeds United. That’s a lot of money for an 18-year old, which in itself speaks volumes for the esteem in which he’s held as a player.

At the risk of making him sound like livestock, Gray has got a very strong pedigree. Both grandad Frank and great uncle Eddie played under Don Revie in the great Leeds United team of the 1970s. He can play at right-back or in midfield.

There are others whose relatively youthful years are half-forgotten because they’re already well established in the first team squad. Destiny Udogie and Pape Matar Sarr are both 21 while Brennan Johnson, Dejan Kulusevski and Mickey van de Ven are 23.

Over the last couple of years, there’s been a steady transformation of the makeup of the team. Older, more established players such as Harry Kane, Hugo Lloris and Eric Dier have left, as well as Emerson Royal, Ryan Sessegnon, Bryan Gil and Pierre-Emile Højbjerg, either permanently or on loan.

If youth is always a gamble, such a policy would fit right in with a Spurs team that was set up in tactical formations that bordered upon reckless at times last season. In the latter stages, when they were conceding thirteen goals in four matches against Newcastle United, Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool, it felt as though that gamble was failing. These clubs, it can be more than reasonably argued, are expected to be Spurs’ contemporaries.

The defensive cracks exposed last season don’t seem to have even papered over, either, if dislocated performances such as that seen in their last friendly against Bayern Munich are anything to go by. Where cracks were papered over at the end of last season was in scrambling to fifth place and a spot in this year’s Europa League.

That was enough to keep Daniel Levy happy, but it overlooks the fact that Spurs had ended the season needing a win to cling onto fifth place when for much of the winter they’d been chasing a Champions League place. Spurs are another of those clubs, like Wolves, who need their form from the end of last season to not carry over into the next.

As so often seems to be the case with Spurs, there’s a brittleness to the current squad which raises questions over whether significant improvement upon last season is possible. Youth development is a good thing. Any club will always be healthier for having smart young recruits and academy products coming through and into the first team.

But there are few indications that much has been done to address the defensive problems they had, so while the future may be bright, the present may continue to perpetuate familiar problems for Spurs this season.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

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

Aug

2024

Preview: Leicester City vs. Tottenham Hotspur

A newly promoted side against a giant of the league is always a bit of a nervous contest, especially if they take each other on in the first game of the season. That is exactly what will happen when Leicester host Tottenham on Monday evening.

By Kaustubh Pandey

Tottenham have signed Dominic Solanke, Wilson Odobert and Archie Gray, fixing holes in the squad that needed fixing. Ange Postecoglou needed that, more than anything, as he looks to step into the second stage of the team’s revolution.

While there might still be room to fix other areas of the squad, they come up against a side that is undergoing a stylistic change, as they go from having Enzo Maresca in-charge to having Steve Cooper as manager. Leicester lost both Kelechi Iheanacho and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall but only the new Chelsea signing was seen worthy enough of replacing, with Blues youngster Michael Golding having arrived.

Spurs have generally had a big upper hand in the fixture, having won four of the last six contests and ex-icon Harry Kane had a terrific goalscoring record against them. But Spurs still have Son, who has scored nine times in 14 games against the Foxes.

Leicester themselves aren’t short of players who have played in the Premier League before, with one being Harry Winks, whose exit from Spurs still disappoints many Lilywhites fans. But Patson Daka, Wilfried Ndidi, Hamza Choudhury, Bobby Reid, Wout Faes, James Justin, Jannik Vestergaard and Ricardo Pereira are recognisable figures who could start.

Jamie Vardy is out injured, which could see Stephy Mavididi make the starting XI. Abdul Fatawu should also start, having joined the club permanently after an initial and impressive loan spell at the King Power.

For Spurs, Dominic Solanke should play from the off and so could stars like Son, James Maddison, Micky van de Ven, Cristian Romero, Dejan Kulusevski, Pedro Porro and Rodrigo Bentancur.

And unfortunately, Postecoglou’s side will have too much for Leicester to deal with. History is also against them, as Spurs have only failed to score against the Foxes twice in the 21 games played between the two clubs over the last decade, and this Tottenham side, on their day, can be as good an attacking unit as any of their peers.

Cooper’s side will have to be alert on the counter as Spurs’ defensive shape off the ball was an issue last season and it will be interesting to see how Postecoglou has worked on that over the summer. But that potential weakness should be enough to give Leicester some hope.

(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.

Aug

2024

Preview: Mallorca vs. Real Madrid

Real Madrid start their La Liga title defence away to RCD Mallorca just a few days after Carlo Ancelotti’s team beat Atalanta in the UEFA Super Cup.

By Graham Ruthven

Kylian Mbappé scored on his much anticipated competitive debut for Los Blancos with the French forward deployed through the middle in a frontline that also included Vinícius Júnior, Rodrygo and Jude Bellingham.

Victory at Son Moix on Sunday would set the tone for what could be another impressive season for Real Madrid after a 2023/24 campaign that saw them ultimately run away with the Spanish title.

Mallorca enter this season on the back of a 15th place finish that saw the Balearic outfit take a step backwards from an impressive top half finish the season before. However, an historic run to the Copa del Rey final made up for regression in La Liga.

Javier Aguirre departed Son Moix at the end of last season and has been replaced by former Osasuna boss Jagoba Arrasate. Besides this, though, there hasn’t been a huge amount of change at Mallorca over the summer.

Last season, Real Madrid notched 87 goals in 38 league games and with Mbappé now part of the frontline there’s a good chance they will be even more dangerous in the attacking third of the pitch this term.

Los Blancos were just as strong at the back, conceding just 26 league goals all season. Their Expected Goals (xG) amounted to less than a goal a-game (35.4), also keeping 21 clean sheets – and this was without Thibaut Courtois who has since returned from a long-term injury.

On the other hand, Mallorca struggled for attacking firepower last season, scoring just 33 goals in 38 games. It should be noted, however, that they underperformed their xG by 7.5 goals. A better season beckons if Los Piratas can take more of their chances.

It’s possible Carlo Ancelotti could rotate his starting lineup having played Atalanta in Warsaw only a few days ago. However, Madrid have a full week between Saturday’s game in Mallorca and their next fixture at home to Real Valladolid. Ancelotti might prefer to build chemistry between Mbappé and his new teammates by running out the same XI.

Madrid won both league matches against Mallorca last season by a scoreline of 1-0 and it’s difficult to envisage the island team changing this trend on Sunday. The Mbappé era has started for last season’s Spanish and European champions and there might not be anyone who can stop them.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

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

Aug

2024

Preview: Chelsea vs. Manchester City

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

By Karl Matchett

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

(Cover image from IMAGO)

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

Aug

2024

FotMob Reaction: United start with a win

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

By Graham Ruthven

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

(Cover image from IMAGO)

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

Aug

2024

Profile: Palace’s Adam Wharton ticks all the boxes

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

By Matt Smith

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

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

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

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

*Defensive stats, Premier League 2023/24*

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

(Cover image from IMAGO)

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

Aug

2024

Preview: Ipswich Town vs. Liverpool

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

By Karl Matchett

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

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

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

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

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

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

(Cover image from IMAGO)

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

Aug

2024

Preview: Genoa vs. Inter

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

By Nathan Evans

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

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

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

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

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

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

(Cover image from IMAGO)

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

Aug

2024

Preview: Barcelona start the new campaign at Valencia

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

By Nathan Evans

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

(Cover image from IMAGO)

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

Aug

2024

Preview: Arsenal vs. Wolves

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

By Ian King

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

(Cover image from IMAGO)

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