It took until the final day of the Premier League season, but Chelsea secured UEFA Champions League football for 2025/2026. They followed that up with a UEFA Conference League trophy, coming from behind against Real Betis to win dominantly with a 4-1 scoreline. The Blues' path to the 2025 FIFA...
Red Bull Salzburg are currently enjoying the welcome distraction of the lucrative FIFA Club World Cup, which comes off the back end of another disappointing season for the club in domestic and European competitions. For the first time since the Red Bull takeover in 2005, Salzburg have gone back-to-back years...
Matheus Cunha officially became a Manchester United player after the Red Devils paid the £62.5m release clause that Wolverhampton Wanderers had set. Reports also suggest that United are interested in adding Bryan Mbeumo as their second new attacker this summer, and that the player is willing to move to Manchester. Last season, Cunha...
Jack Grealish’s fourth season at Manchester City has shown a conspicuous decline in playing time, raising questions about his place within Pep Guardiola’s squad. Each passing year seems to erode his role further, culminating not only in his omission from the starting XI but, at times, from the matchday squad...
Many football fans will recall when 16-year-old Angel Gomes made his senior debut for Manchester United. In the final match of the 2016/2017 Premier League season, Gomes entered the pitch in the 88th minute, replacing Wayne Rooney during a 2-0 win against Crystal Palace. This appearance put his name in...
Listen to this article free on the Total Football Analysis Podcast. Available on Spotify, Apple Podcast, or RSS. As the club's historic era comes to an end, with manager Xabi Alonso likely heading to Real Madrid, it's time to look forward to the future for Bayer Leverkusen. They look set to embark on a new journey under former...
Brentford currently sit 11th in the Premier League table, just three points adrift of a UEFA Europa Conference League qualification spot. Since their promotion in 2021, Brentford have defied expectations by establishing themselves as a regular in the top flight, with an average league finish of 13th. This stability has...
For Leicester City, relegation from the Premier League has been a case of “when” and not “if” for much of this season. Despite a positive campaign in the Championship last time out, in which they secured another second-tier title, they have struggled to replicate that form on their return to...
This post is shared with permission from Billy Carpenter's Substack. Please follow and subscribe to his Substack if you enjoyed this piece. The spotlight rightly hovers over players and managers. They’re who we pay to see. But the architects of sustainable footballing projects often operate away from the floodlights, even...
The departure of Trent Alexander-Arnold from Liverpool will be a seismic shift for the club tactically. From academy graduate to generational talent, Alexander-Arnold embodies Liverpool’s identity. A local lad and a Scouser, he has redefined the full-back role in modern football. His ability to dictate games from deep areas, passing...
Liverpool find themselves at a crossroads regarding their left-back options. Andrew Robertson turned 31 this season, and his contract is set to expire in 2026. His understudy, Kostas Tsimikas, will be 29 by the end of the campaign and remains under contract until 2027. Both players may have passed their...
Many Arsenal fans will want to retain a sense of optimism as the 2024/25 Premier League season draws to a close. However, even the most ardent of them will know that the weekend’s 1-1 draw with Manchester United has severely dented and likely ended their hopes of lifting the top-flight...
That's right, this is Part 2. The initial article, "Rebuild or Ruin: A data analysis on transfer overhauls," debuted on Total Football Analysis in October 2022. As we near 2 ½ years since the original analysis, it's time for an update. The one difference from the previous data analysis to...
The winter transfer window is usually filled with teams scrambling to sign players who can instantly contribute to their respective team’s overall aspirations, whether that relates to a bid to stay in the division or potentially challenge right at the top. We have also seen some top European clubs find...
The search for an elusive goalscorer is often the priority for clubs during transfer windows. Centre-forwards are the most in-demand players in any league. To find a striker who is available at a reasonable price is rare. Fans of all clubs will often demand that the best possible option is...
Scotland is proving to be the perfect breeding ground for footballers making the move to Europe. Over the past five seasons, many of the league’s most exciting players have been acquisitions from outside Europe. Automatically, people think of the Japanese contingent who have been vital to Celtic’s recent success. Many...
Celtic have a tough decision to make. Celtic academy product Kieran Tierney is set to leave Arsenal this summer. His contract expires at the end of the season, and he’s been heavily linked to a move to The Bhoys. Many consider it an easy choice to bring him back after...
Rangers have had a turbulent season, to say the least. After failing to win crucial games at the end of last season, their rivals Celtic won their third title in a row. Having changed manager three times since Rangers won the Scottish Premiership under Steven Gerrard, the Teddy Bears have...
At every youth game worldwide, there are young people who dream of becoming professional footballers. The privilege of waking up every day to do what they love most will remain just a fantasy for the vast majority. Only a minute number of players achieve what so many crave. Only 0.012%...
FC Köln are what’s called a "Fahrstulmannschaft" in Germany. Fahrstuhlmannschaft, translated into English, means "elevator team", describing a team that constantly alternates between the Bundesliga and the second division, the 2. Bundesliga. With seven relegations, Köln have the third most relegations in Bundesliga history, but their six promotions are also...
