3 AFCON Players To Watch Every two years, just as Europe’s December calendar peaks, the Africa Cup of Nations reminds the world where so much of its footballing talent comes from. AFCON has a habit of delivering drama. Ivory Coast’s 2023 win came after they barely squeezed through the groups...
The opening weeks of the 2025/2026 Premier League season have showcased the growing influence of African players across the division. From clinical forwards to dynamic wide attackers and progressive full-backs, many sides have benefited from standout performances delivered by their African contingents. This rising prominence, however, comes with an inevitable...
Sunderland have taken the Premier League 2025/2026 by storm. The newly promoted Black Cats haven’t just come up to survive in the league; they are competing for European qualification and fear no one, as demonstrated by their brave play and determination in duels. It cannot be overstated just how significant...
Sunderland could not have dreamed of a better start to their Premier League season. The Black Cats currently sit fourth in the table after their 2-1 stoppage time win over Chelsea, making it three wins in their last four matches. It’s an incredible rise considering in October of 2020, they...
Who Is Nordi Mukiele? Nordi Mukiele (187cm/6’2”, 84kg/185lbs) has become an integral part of Régis Le Bris’ Sunderland tactics in the Wearside club’s mission for Premier League survival. The 27-year-old former France international arrived at the Stadium of Light from European champions Paris Saint-Germain last summer for a €12m transfer...
For any club arriving in the Premier League, the question of how to stay there can be reduced to one word: stability. That stability begins at the back, and at the very core of the defensive unit is the goalkeeper. In recent years, most newly promoted sides have chosen to...
After eight years away—four of which were spent in England’s third tier, EFL League One—Sunderland will return to the Premier League in 2025/2026. Régis Le Bris’ side defeated Chris Wilder’s Sheffield United 2-1 in the EFL Championship Play-Off Final at Wembley Stadium on Saturday to secure their return to England’s top flight....
On Saturday, 24th May, two of northern England’s most storied football clubs, Sheffield United vs Sunderland, meet in what is called the most expensive game in football: the EFL Championship Play-Off Final. Promotion to the Premier League is at stake, along with a financial windfall that can reshape a club’s...
As the regular 2024/2025 EFL Championship season finishes, all eyes now turn towards the highly anticipated Championship Play-Offs. The four teams competing for the last remaining spot in the 2025/2026 Premier League are Sheffield United, Sunderland, Coventry City and Bristol City. All of the sides come into the season-defining fixtures...
Jobe Bellingham is following in the footsteps of his older brother, Jude Bellingham, starting off in the EFL. Many eyes are on the youngster across Europe, looking to sweep him up and hope he will be just like Jude Bellingham in a few years. Born on September 23, 2005 and...
The Premier League is a league of global talent, with scouts searching the European and South American markets for the next breakout stars. These regions have become grounds for unearthing players who, with the right development, can be moulded into high-potential players before being flipped for sizeable profits. However, while...
Total Football Analysis Breakout XI for 2025 includes eight ‘alternates’ / ‘bench players’ who almost made the cut for a full scouting report in the magazine. Those players will still be covered with a mini-data analysis. Next up is sub-centre-mid Chris Rigg. Not just in the Championship but across the EFL,...
Youth development has always been a critical pillar in the growth and sustainability of football clubs worldwide. However, the real testament to a club's commitment to nurturing talent is the actual playing time afforded to young players. Developing youth prospects is not simply about bringing them into the club's academy...
Youth development has always been a critical pillar in the growth and sustainability of football clubs worldwide. However, the real testament to a club's commitment to nurturing talent is the actual playing time afforded to young players. Developing youth prospects is not simply about bringing them into the club's academy...
We are six game weeks into the 2024/25 EFL Championship season, and we have already seen some typical championship madness with Plymouth Argyle AFC securing a last-gasp winner to end Sunderland’s perfect record and Chris Rigg’s brilliant backheel goal. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4OWvbaeN-IM&pp=ygUmQ2hyaXMgUmlnZ-KAmXMgYnJpbGxpYW50IGJhY2toZWVsIGdvYWw%3D Come the end of May, there will have been many...
We are six game weeks into the 2024/25 EFL Championship season, and we have already seen some typical championship madness with Plymouth Argyle AFC securing a last-gasp winner to end Sunderland’s perfect record and Chris Rigg’s brilliant backheel goal. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4OWvbaeN-IM&pp=ygUmQ2hyaXMgUmlnZ-KAmXMgYnJpbGxpYW50IGJhY2toZWVsIGdvYWw%3D Come the end of May, there will have been many...
Who Is Régis Le Bris? Régis Le Bris is currently in his second role in senior football management at Sunderland, following an interesting two-year stint with Lorient in Ligue 1 from June 2022 to June 2024. The 48-year-old coach has taken his next challenge in the EFL Championship to keep developing...
Have you ever wondered which tactical style is the best for the EFL Championship? We’ve seen an array of tactics and approaches throughout the EFL this season, and England’s second tier is a good advert for tactical variety. We have possession-dominant sides like Southampton, aggressive pressing sides like Preston North...
Unless you’re Ipswich Town or Coventry City, your club has one game remaining in the 2023/24 EFL Championship season, and the relegation battle is seriously heating up. Rotherham United’s fate has been sealed for some time now – they’ll be playing League One football next season, but who will be...
Following a surprise finish in the playoffs in the EFL Championship last season, Sunderland had hoped that the club could push on and continue to challenge for promotion. Whilst the campaign started brightly, it soon became inconsistent. Nonetheless, despite the inconsistencies, the dismissal of Tony Mowbray was still considered a...
