The Premier League sells itself as football at its most unforgiving. Not just in speed, but in the way mistakes are multiplied by tempo, spacing, and the frequency of high-stress actions. Players who arrive with reputations from elsewhere often discover that the same decision-making cycle is little help. Todd Boehly...
Ligue 1 and Ligue 2 have produced many fantastic exports over the years that have gone on to have great careers. N'Golo Kanté and Riyad Mahrez come to mind, who were directly scouted from Ligue 2 and went on to be a famous pairing in one of sport’s greatest achievements. ...
Conor Gallagher came through the Chelsea academy system with very high expectations. People thought he could be the future of the England midfield once he picked up momentum in 2022 after going on loan in 2019 to Charlton, Swansea, West Brom and Crystal Palace. After two seasons in the Chelsea...
FC St. Pauli are far from Bundesliga regulars. The 2025/2026 campaign saw Kiezkicker start a second consecutive season in Germany’s top-flight for the first time since 1996/1997. Therefore, it won’t come as a surprise that they find themselves well and truly in a relegation fight this term, with the Hamburg-based...
In modern football, a midfielder's value is not measured solely by the number of goals or assists, but also by their ability to control the tempo of the game and maintain the balance of the team throughout their various phases. Santi Comesaña, the Villarreal midfielder, exemplifies this type of player...
Back in September, it was announced that the 2025/2026 campaign would be RC Strasbourg’s last with Emmanuel Emegha leading the line, with the Dutch forward set to join fellow BlueCo side Chelsea the following summer, where he’ll now link up with ex-Strasbourg boss Liam Rosenior, who made the same move....
Rubén García remains one of Osasuna's most creative playmakers, boasting significant experience and a consistent role within his team's tactical system in La Liga. The 32-year-old left-winger is a playmaker who doesn't rely so much on speed or physical strength. Instead, his game prioritises intelligence, quality ball control, and good...
Tarik Muharemović has been an important figure in Sassuolo’s defensive department for their 2025/2026 campaign. After earning promotion to Serie A, Sassuolo's clear objective was to avoid relegation; they are on the right track with 23 points from 20 games. The Bosnian has started in 17 of those games, helping...
Semih Kılıçsoy is a Turkish attacker who moved to Cagliari last summer on a one-season loan with the option to buy, coming from Beşiktaş. The Türkiye international has been settling in progressively better, scoring two goals so far, with the latest goal particularly beautiful, highlighting his exceptional dribbling skills and...
Quilindschy Hartman was one of the most admired young full-backs/wing-backs in Europe two years ago when Total Football Analysis last scouted the Dutchman. Hartman was a key part of Arne Slot’s Feyenoord side that won the Eredivisie in 2022/2023 and won the KNVB Cup in 2023/2024. The left-back was heavily...
In the 2025/2026 La Liga season, Iván Romero has emerged as a striker whose impact cannot be measured purely through goals and assists, despite contributing four goals and one assist across 13 league appearances. In Levante's attack, think of Romero less as a finisher and more as a central hub. ...
It’s been a bit of a rough season for Liverpool. The Reds were coming off a Premier League title and spent €482.9m on transfers during the summer window, only to be fighting for fourth place at the halfway point in the season. There has been a ton of drama around...
The Bundesliga has been a very fun league to follow so far this season, despite FC Bayern already running away with the title race. We have seen a lot happening so far: coaching changes after just two matchdays, a historic start to the season by Harry Kane, a very tight...
Axel Disasi joined Chelsea in the summer of 2023 for a €45m fee, but has not been able to make the impact Chelsea fans, owners, or even himself were looking for. Disasi started off quite well in his first season at the club, playing 31 Premier League matches and 2,581...
In an era in which goalkeepers are evaluated as much for their involvement in the build-up phase as for their ability to prevent goals, Bruno Antúnez has established himself as one of the most interesting profiles in the position within the Uruguayan First Division. At just 22 years of age,...
Over the past couple of weeks, Total Football Analysis has brought out in-depth player analysis articles on two of the best up-and-coming holding midfielders in the world today: Aleksandar Pavlović at Bayern Munich and Chema Andrés at VfB Stuttgart. Aged 21 and 20 years old, respectively, the pair of midfielders...
AS Roma have been missing a reliable striker, other than Evan Ferguson, to provide a heavier presence in the box and help finish the team’s chances with consistent efficiency. It will be very important for the Giallorossi to sign a striker during this transfer window in order to continue competing for the top...
Japan’s rise as a developer of technical midfielders has felt inexorable for a decade, and the J.League pipeline keeps delivering. The case studies are already familiar. Kaoru Mitoma left Kawasaki Frontale for Brighton, and Takefusa Kubo has played for two of the biggest clubs in Spain. Ao Tanaka, 27, belongs in...
Last week, Total Football Analysis published an article on Chema Andrés at VfB Stuttgart, who has generated plenty of well-deserved hype around himself in the 2025/2026 season so far. Andrés isn’t the only young holding midfielder in the Bundesliga with a bit of buzz around himself at the moment. Another...
Werder Bremen were rather busy this summer, overturning their entire identity and style of play. Long-time head coach Ole Werner and the club decided to part ways, which led to the club hiring Horst Steffen as their new head coach. This also meant that the team's entire style of play...
