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…

Google is one of the world’s most valuable companies, with an unquestionable hold over the search  engine market, and influence in many other areas. There are many stats that show just how big Google  is, but this hardly seems like something that needs to be proven. Everyone knows Google!    When you ask Google a…

There are no two ways about it: Chelsea Football Club has had an all-time great transfer window. Club director Marina Granovskaia has managed to sign Timo Werner and Kai Havertz—Germany’s two hottest commodities—in addition to Thiago Silva, Ben Chilwell, Hakim Ziyech, and Malang Sarr. All told, Roman Abramovich has shelled out roughly £200 million in…

Manchester United fared variably in the Coronavirus-affected 2019/20 season- with the season-long squad overhaul resulting in inconsistencies due to injuries and certain underperforming individuals getting significant minutes (think Andreas Pereira). But despite stringent spending and lethargy in the transfer market, the outlook on the 2020/21 season should be positive.   United have already established a…

The 2020/21 Eredivisie season kicks off on September 12 when Willem II visit Heerenveen, and as such, it gives us a chance to reflect on the top breakout stars of last season. In Part 1 of this series, we focused on the top U-21 defensive midfielders of the 2019/20 Eredivisie season, but in Part 2,…

The role of a defensive midfielder in a game of football is often termed as a sitting role, meaning the players who play in this position sit in front of the team’s defense and screen the passes (and of course do a lot more than that).   A defensive midfielder usually plays in a double…

With the transfer rumours linking Jadon Sancho to Manchester United intensifying, how he would fit in at Old Trafford is fast becoming one of the most relevant questions in world football. This question gains further weighting given that the agreed transfer fee is likely to be north of £100 million.   For a fee that…

When Manchester United completed the signing of Portuguese international Bruno Fernandes during the final hours of the January transfer window, they found themselves in desperate need of a playmaker who could awaken a team that had been sleepwalking through the first half of the season.   Paul Pogba, United’s chief midfield creator, had missed the…