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…

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…