Manchester United Women: Can they compete on four fronts?
Whilst the World Cup has understandably been the primary focus for many fans during the last couple of months, attention in the women’s game is quickly turning back to the domestic calendar, with several of Europe’s major leagues getting back underway during the coming weeks and the prospect of the title battles to come causing [...]
Marseille: Why they are finally ready to challenge for the Ligue 1 title
The last time Marseille enjoyed that trophy-winning feeling came over a decade ago when they won the now-abolished Coup de la Ligue in 2012. To find out when Les Phocéens last took home the Ligue 1 title, we have to go back to the 2009/10 season as club legend Didier Deschamps guided OM to their [...]
Bruno Lage
Bruno Lage Tactics At Botafogo 2023 – How They Are Running Away With The Brazilian Série A
Bruno Lage Tactics At Botafogo Botafogo are running away with this year’s Brazilian Série A. This was almost unthinkable at the start of the year, but at the time of writing, Botafogo have just won the symbolic Primeiro Turno, the first half of the league, sitting 13 points clear at the top of the table. [...]
Premier League 2023/24: Promoted Player to Watch – Luton Town’s Jacob Brown
Luton Town are in the Premier League this season, which means they will have to step up their game on and off the pitch if they are to beat the odds and stay in the division for at least one more season, and that is not going to be easy — especially given their financial weight. [...]
La Liga 2023/24: Is this Pablo Barrios’ time to shine for Atlético Madrid?
Atlético Madrid have had an excellent 2023 so far. After a disappointing start to the 22/23 season, Diego Simeone’s men gathered some form towards the end of 2022 and started this year strongly to finish the season in third place. One of the players who was involved regularly during this run was Pablo Barrios. Barrios [...]
Lee Kang-in
Ligue 1 2023/24: Can Lee Kang-in Be A Regular In The PSG Starting XI?
PSG have had an interesting summer so far. Not many could have predicted the events that have transpired at Paris Saint Germain throughout the summer. The team at Paris looks utterly different to what it was last season, with several changes on and off the pitch. One such change is the signing of Lee Kang-in [...]
Giacomo Raspadori
Serie A 2023/2024: What To Expect Out Of Giacomo Raspadori’s Season at Napoli? – Data Analysis
Despite losing some key pieces from the title-winning 22/23 season, including their manager Luciano Spalletti, Napoli were able to retain Victor Osimhen and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia – two of their stars from last season. In addition, they have always been prepared to lose their key pieces by planning ahead and making necessary signings for the long term. [...]
Analysis
Deniz Undav Scout Report At VfB Stuttgart 2023/2024
Brighton & Hove Albion have recently recruited some of the top talents from around the globe. Several of their signings have been hugely profitable both on and off the pitch. One of their signings includes Deniz Undav from Belgian side Union Saint-Gilloise in January 2022. The forward is now on loan at VfB Stuttgart for [...]
EFL League Two 2023/24: Promoted Player to Watch – Wrexham’s Thomas O’Connor
Wrexham are back in the English Football League after 15 years, and it has not been an easy ride for the club owned by Hollywood royalty Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney. The Red Dragons finished top of the National League with 111 points, scoring 116 goals and conceding just 43. Part of this fantastic season [...]
EFL League One 2023/24: Promoted Player to Watch – Northampton Town’s Kieran Bowie
Northampton Town are back in League One after a 2-year-gap. The Cobblers won automatic promotion after finishing third in League Two in 2022/23. Integral to their season was Kieron Bowie, who was on loan from Fulham. The 20-year-old has once re-signed for Northampton on loan for the 23/24 season. Bowie was integral to Northampton’s promotion [...]
EFL Championship 2023/24: Promoted Player to Watch – Ipswich Town’s Leif Davis
Ipswich Town are one of the most talked about clubs in English football right now after an impressive League One season that saw them promoted to the Championship. Kieran McKenna’s men could not have asked for a better start to life in the Championship, winning 2/2 games and sitting at the top of the table [...]
Al Ahly: Their set piece weaknesses explained
Al Ahly have won the Egyptian Premier League title with a 10-point difference from their closest competitors, Pyramids, having the best attack line in league with 63 goals and the best defence in the league, conceding only 13 goals. Al Ahly also won the CAF Champions League Final against Wydad Athletic Club, and they defeated [...]
RB Leipzig: How will their attacking dynamics look this season?
RB Leipzig are coming into the new season looking like a completely new, refreshed side compared to last season. After losing the likes of Joško Gvardiol, Dominik Szoboszlai and Christopher Nkunku, RB Leipzig could be considered much weaker, but they look to have invested their funds wisely. The front four of Timo Werner, Szoboszlai, Nkunku [...]
In Possession: Different rhythms in build up and how these could be coached
“Rhythm” is a term that many football fans have heard, with commentators, pundits, coaches and players using it in many contexts, whether it is used to describe an individual's game, interactions between a couple of members of a team or the squad or the state of the game in general. The difficulty surrounding buzzwords in [...]
Viktor Gyökeres
Who Is Viktor Gyökeres? Negotiations between Coventry City and Sporting CP seemed to slow down this summer, but early performances suggest Viktor Gyökeres was worth the wait. A Swedish international with 14 caps to his name, Gyökeres made a name for himself at the 2017 UEFA European U19 Championship. Though Sweden finished last in the [...]
Estefanía Banini: How she can build on her WWC performances
Estefanía Banini delivered some outstanding performances during the latest Women’s World Cup, helping Argentina a lot from a playmaking and attacking perspective as she was the one making the difference with her impressive dribbles, passing and penetrations, in addition to being incredibly effective against Italy despite her side’s loss; she was also impactful against Sweden [...]
Gian Piero Gasperini
Gian Piero Gasperini: How His New Recruits Will Help Atalanta Challenge For Europe
Atalanta had a busy summer underlined by a few significant transfers in and out of the club. The manager Gian Piero Gasperini has the difficult task of completely rearranging the team and adjusting to the personnel change for the upcoming 2023/24 season. The 20-year-old Rasmus Højlund, who scored nine goals last season, joined Manchester United, [...]
Thomas Berntsen: The mind behind a decade of recruitment success at Sarpsborg
In his own words, Thomas Berntsen had an unremarkable playing career that could be seen as remarkable relative to his talent. In his post-playing career, he spent over half a decade in management before moving into the world of sporting director, where he’s honed his craft since initially taking the role with Sarpsborg 08 in [...]
Tactical Theory
The Modern Game: Why Press-Resistant Midfielders Are So Valuable
"In all things of nature, there is something of the marvellous." — Aristotle One of the most paramount proficiencies in football lies in retaining possession. Hence, players adept at maintaining control and manoeuvring within confined areas enjoy a distinct advantage in a game where inherent talent is notably constrained. Particular midfielders can dictate the flow [...]
Rui Modesto: An under-the-radar gem at wing back
In the vast world of football talent, there are those who shine brightly under the spotlight and those who operate in the shadows, waiting to be discovered. Rui Modesto, the 23-year-old Portuguese-Angolan right wing-back, unquestionably belongs to the latter category. Despite his exceptional performances at AIK Solna since his arrival in January 2023, his brilliance [...]
Analysis
Edson Álvarez Scout Report At West Ham United 2023/2024 – The Declan Rice Replacement?
The transfer saga surrounding Declan Rice finally concluded this summer, with the highly-rated defensive midfielder switching West Ham for Arsenal in a deal believed to be worth £105m. The Hammers may be disappointed to lose such an influential player, but it was inevitable, and they have proven their preparation for such inevitability by bringing in [...]
Analysis
AC Milan Recruitment Analysis 2023/2204: How Will The New Signings Impact Their Scudetto Dream?
With a disappointing fourth place in last year’s league campaign, AC Milan were pushed to improve their squad, and in this precise transfer window, they spent around €110.50m. Generally, in a 4-2-3-1 system, AC Milan’s head coach, Stefano Pioli, had two major tasks: replacing the departures of Sandro Tonali and Brahim Díaz. Tonali’s departure significantly reinforced [...]
Analysis
Viking FK Tactics 2023/2024 – The Key Tactical Points That See Them Top Of The Eliteserien
In recent years, the Eliteserien, one of the most interesting tournaments in Scandinavia due to the amount of young talent and variety of playing philosophies, has been dominated by Molde FK and FK Bodø/Glimt. When one wins, the other takes second place. However, this year, that could change: Morten Jensen and Bjarte Lunde Aarsheim's Viking [...]
Juan Miranda: Betis’ brilliant left back analysed
In the last few years, the first choice left-back of the Spain national team has been Jordi Alba, who had a lot of experience for his club and country, but the former Barcelona man also joined Lionel Messi at Inter Miami, maybe Luis de la Fuente had to look for other options in this position. [...]
Ousmane Dembélé
FC Barcelona: Using xGold To Find Ousmane Dembélé’s Replacement 2023/2024 – Scout Report
Perhaps somewhat unexpectedly, Ousmane Dembele ended up swapping Barcelona for Paris Saint-Germain and will continue his career in Ligue 1. It comes as a surprise mainly because he was the centrepiece of Xavi’s tactical identity and the player meant to be the leading figure in the coach’s project. Alas, he is in La Liga no [...]
Alex Pastoor
Alex Pastoor Tactics At Almere City & How He Can Keep The Black Sheep In The Eredivisie
Looking at the teams that were promoted from the Eerste Divisie last season into the Eredivisie, the top tier of Dutch football, names like PEC Zwolle and Heracles are familiar, as they are two teams who recently competed in the Dutch top flight. However, many might not have heard of the third team that was [...]
Lazio: Can they challenge for the Scudetto again this season?
Maurizio Sarri was appointed Lazio manager in the 2021/22 season, finishing fifth while implementing a significant change in their football ideas and how they manipulate the ball. Last campaign, they improved their game massively, finishing second behind Napoli — their best position since the 1999/00 season, when the Rome team won the league. After the [...]
Hidden Talents: Which young players are standing out in Scandinavia?
While most leagues around Europe have only just started their long journey towards the end of the 23/24 season, there are a selection of leagues that have continued through the summer months. While the top 5 leagues pause over the summer, the Scandinavian leagues continue, and as they do so, they provide a true hotbed [...]