Heading into the 2021/22 Championship campaign, the vast majority of prediction tables were identical in personnel when it came to the teams expected to finish from 1st to 4th: Bournemouth, Fulham, West Brom and Sheffield United. But whilst the table’s top end is accurate for three of the league’s seemingly superior foursome 17 games into…

The Jupiler Pro League (Belgian first division A) has largely been dominated in recent years by just a handful of teams. You would have to go back to 1997 to find a champion whose name isn’t Club Brugge, Gent, Genk, Anderlecht, or Standard Liege. If you travel all the way back to 1935, you enter…

Since replacing Claude Puel as Leicester City manager on February 21, 2019, Brendan Rodgers has led the Foxes to the FA Cup and FA Community Shield and back-to-back fifth-place finishes. Under Rodgers, Leicester have emerged as one of the most tactically flexible teams in Europe, often displaying high-tempo electric football and defensive solidity.   Ole…

In their final match before the November international break, Manchester City thrashed Manchester United 2-0 via an early own goal from Eric Bailly and a goal from Bernardo Silva on the cusp of halftime. It was a scoreline that simply did not tell the full extent of City’s dominance, and a performance that leaves Ole…

Antonio Conte is, no doubt, one of the best innovators in the modern era. This makes his move to Tottenham Hotspur not only exciting but a true test to the genius of Conte. Spurs, for too long and since the peak Mauricio Pochettino days, have lacked a true tactical identity that can take them to…

It has been a tough start to the season for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Manchester United. After the acquisition of veteran defender and World Cup winner Raphael Varane most of the side’s defensive woes seemed to be a thing of the past but it hasn’t gone according to plan with the Red Devils only keeping…

The irresistible force paradox is perhaps the most famous of its kind. So famous, in fact, that it’s one of the first questions presented to young students when they begin to learn how to critically think. The paradox is quite simple – what happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object?    The reason…

After eleven games played, Erik Ten hag’s Ajax sit first in the Eredivisie with 26 points and a staggering +35 goal difference. Since taking over in December 2017, Ten Hag has established a dominant and exciting style of play at Ajax, winning two Eredivisie titles and two KNVB Cups.   Whilst perhaps their ‘peak moment’…

Every cloud has a silver lining. After their 3-0 humbling to Manchester United, Spurs’ silver lining revealed itself on Tuesday morning, with the announcement Antonio Conte would be replacing Nuno Espirito Santos as the club’s manager. Conte is viewed as a serial winner from his time at Juventus, Chelsea and Inter. But can he transform…

Bayern Munich’s 5-1 battering of Leverkusen, RB Leipzig’s stuttering start to the season, and Dortmund’s unruly Erling Haaland reliance have all combined to make the 59th Bundesliga season one of the driest title races in recent memory. With the Bavarian giants set to retain their 10th consecutive Meisterschale, it is time to visit the Zweite…