By appointing Francesco Farioli as manager last summer, FC Porto signalled their intent to evolve, not just change leadership. After a period of domestic stagnation, Dragões now seek a renewal of identity, characterised by a sharper tactical framework, greater control of matches, and a return to proactive football. Farioli, aged...
The FIFA Club World Cup 2025 in the United States delivered far more than entertainment; it provided a competitive stage where established stars and emerging talents showcased their quality against the world's best. While the headlines were dominated by Chelsea’s tactical discipline and PSG’s attacking flair, the real story of...
The 2025 FIFA Club World Cup group stage served as a captivating tactical analysis case study, particularly through the performances of Brazilian clubs Flamengo, Fluminense, Botafogo, and Palmeiras. This report provides a detailed Club World Cup data analysis examining how these teams navigated difficult groups and delivered some of the...
The FIFA Club World Cup 2025 marks a historic shift in the tournament’s structure, transforming it from a brief annual competition into a fully-fledged international tournament, modelled on the format of the traditional FIFA World Cup. This expanded edition, set to be hosted for the first time in the United...
Sérgio Conceição's arrival at AC Milan is a big deal for the club. He's known for being practical and flexible and has loads of experience. His approach is all about making the defence strong and being able to go on the attack quickly. After Paulo Fonseca got the boot, his...
The possession-dominant teams featured in our high xG shot creation tactical analysis often make the game look easier. While there is beauty in simplicity, and they pull it off well, a certain degree of quality is necessary to execute attacking sequences with those levels of precision. We certainly won't assume that any...
In Porto, the dragons usually roar so loud that you can hear them throughout Portugal. FC Porto have been one of the most successful teams in the country, having gained the most points out of all Portuguese teams in the top flight and won the second most championships in Liga...
In world football, there is only one constant: change. These past few years have seen a drastic change in the way the game is played. If you compare today’s game with the game in the 90s or early 2000s, it is barely recognisable. One position that has seen the most...
What Is ELO Rating? The 2024/25 UEFA Europa League campaign of 36 clubs presents an intriguing competitive landscape when analyzed based on their current ELO ratings. ELO rating in football is a method for calculating the relative skill levels of teams based on their performance. In this data analysis, ELO...
Yesterday, it was reported that Goncalo Borges of FC Porto is being linked to Premier League clubs Everton and West Ham. We first identified Borges in March 2022 and felt he was ready for regular Tier 4 minutes. As the season progressed, we revised that to Tier 3, then to Tier...
South America has produced some phenomenal and out-of-this-world talents who, over the years, went to the Portuguese league, like Ángel Di María and James Rodríguez or, more recently, Enzo Fernández and Luiz Díaz. Besides their exceptional technical quality, these South Americans also brought their aggressiveness and passion to the European...
Wednesday evening saw Atletico Madrid vs Porto in the UEFA Champions League. We've broken down all the key stats for you to digest in this tactical analysis and provide insights around; * shot maps * pass flow * heatmaps * defensive actions * average positions and much more! We also...
22-year-old João Mário Neto Lopes, known as “João Mário”, is the latest player to establish himself within the first team after coming up through FC Porto's academy. Having left hometown club A.D. Sanjoanense to join the Portuguese champions at the age of nine. João Mário has represented his club and...
Saturday night saw Porto vs Sporting in Liga Portugal. We've broken down all the key stats for you to digest in this tactical analysis and provide insights around; * shot maps * pass flow * heatmaps * defensive actions * average positions and much more! We also try to answer...
Paris Saint-Germain have a new manager. Christophe Galtier, after just spending one season at OGC Nice, has replaced Mauricio Pochettino as the manager of the French champions. The French coach is also the man who guided Lille to their title in the 2020/21 season, beating PSG. The first signing of...
It has been a summer of change for Eredivisie champions Ajax. Argentine international defender Lisandro Martínez followed manager Erik ten Hag to Manchester United ; meanwhile German giants Bayern Munich picked up right-back Noussair Mazraoui and promising midfielder Ryan Gravenberch. Top scorer Sébastien Haller also went to the Bundesliga, joining...
Chancel Mbemba’s exit created a void at centre-back for FC Porto. Despite some internal options, the northern Portuguese side has opted for one of their neighbours’ bright young talents, signing David Carmo from Braga. Carmo, who turns 23 on 19 July, is a physically imposing and towering presence, standing at...
Like many South Americans, Evanilson moved to Portugal to prove himself in European football, with Portuguese giants Porto FC. Portugal has provided the opportunity to many South Americans to prove themselves before moving usually into one of the top 5 leagues. Recently we have seen Luis Diaz, Eder Militao, Ederson,...
Who Is Vitinha? Talent residing from Portugal has always been on the radars of clubs across Europe, and Wolverhampton Wanderers are notorious for their recruitment policy, finding the best young talent of Portuguese descent or from within the Primeira Liga. This trend began in 2016 while playing in the EFL...
Luis Díaz (1.8m & 73 kg) has been mightily impressive this season for FC Porto and has attracted a lot of attention from some of Europe’s biggest clubs. Díaz, age 24, is now in his third season with FC Porto, and this is by far his most impressive. Diaz started...
