Since taking charge of the club two years ago, Ralph Hasenhüttl has taken Southampton from the throes of the relegation zone to a fight for European football. Saints currently sit 7th in the table after 14 matchdays, just three points off second-placed Leicester City, and on the back of Hasenhüttl’s energetic, high-pressing 4-4-2 formation, Southampton…

Assuming that Manchester United persist with the 4-2-3-1 formation that has become part and parcel of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s time at the club, which is looking likely due to Bruno Fernandes’s immense form in the #10 position, replacements for Paul Pogba, who has shown no signs of extending his contract past its current expiry of…

It would be an understatement to merely say that Marcus Rashford has “been in” the headlines in recent months. Rather, his off-the-field work, helping 3 million impoverished children gain access to free school meals, has seen him headline the front page of multiple newspapers, on multiple occasions- quite the achievement for a footballer.   In…

Much has been said about Harry Maguire’s form this season. Links between Maguire’s summer antics and lack of ability to play for Manchester United Football Club burgeoned as a result of United’s catastrophic start to the season.   Criticism of Maguire was tainted by hyperbole. Beleaguered displays in merely a couple of performances did not…

Recently, when Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp was bombarded with questions on Roberto Firmino’s diminishing goal-scoring record, he said:   “I don’t have to say one word about Bobby Firmino and how important he is for us, I don’t waste time with that. He was in so many games the difference-maker without scoring maybe, I’m not…

When Bayern Munich completed the signing of 17-year-old winger Alphonso Davies from Vancouver Whitecaps for a base fee of $13.5 million, there was plenty of skepticism and curiosity surrounding the deal. However, in fewer than two years, Davies has already established himself as one of the best left backs in Europe, playing a leading role…

When Didier Deschamps announced his 23-man France squad for the upcoming 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, many eyebrows were raised. Alexandre Lacazette was not included in the squad following a season that saw him register 17 goals and 5 assists for Arsenal. Neither was Anthony Martial, who provided 11 goals and 9 assists for…

From Victor Osimhen to Kalidou Koulibaly to Wilfred Ndidi, Belgium’s Jupiler Pro League has produced a treasure trove of elite talents in recent years. In this article, we will analyze three of the highest-rated right backs in Belgium’s top flight: Genk’s Joakim Mæhle, Antwerp’s Aurélio Buta, and Gent’s Alessio Castro-Montes.   Issa Kaboré (19) has…

Over the last 3-5 years, public football analysis has, as a field, become increasingly oriented around expected goals (xG). The metric now gets regularly cited by older pundits as well as young, and in general the trend has been positive. It’s an easily accessible way of understanding game-over-game performance (even if it’s more applicable over…