What makes Union Bundesliga’s over-achievers, how Baraja has stopped Valencia’s free fall, why West Ham want Kudus and Abel Ferreira’s tactics
Good morning tactics fans and welcome to the #TFIFriday newsletter – full of analysis, scouting and tactics. Fill up on your football knowledge – follow the Total Football Analysis page and be part of the squad that want more than just a match report.
Today’s TFA Talent is Soma Szuhodovszki of Kecskemét in Hungary, ready for a Tier 2 move – xGOLD first highlighted Szuhodovszki when we were looking for midfield options for a client and we’ve kept a close eye on him since. He is one any Tier 2 club should be looking at.
Union Berlin are fast becoming Bundesliga’s consistent overperformers – Luis Kircher takes a close look at their approach to this season to understand what they can achieve this campaign.
Valencia have been in free fall for some time but, suddenly, there might be some semblance of stability at Mestalla. Sakhu Mpofo looks at what Ruben Baraja has done to turn things round.
Joel Asoro leaves Djurgarden and joins Metz for €2m – xGOLD first identified the winger back in July of 2022 and we have tracked him since on a watchlist for a client, believing he could have an impact at a Tier 2 team. Is Metz a step too high?
Luke Le Roux of Varbergs BoIS has signed for FC Volendam – we scouted Le Roux for a client back in March 2023 and felt he was ready for a club in Tier 2 like the Eredivisie.
Is Matthias Braunoder on the move from Austria Vienna to Hertha Berlin? xGOLD first identified Braunoder in August 2022 as a player of interest and we’ve kept a close eye on him for the last year believing he is ready to make an impact in a Tier 1 team.
Bayer Leverkusen’s Piero Hincapie is said to be interesting Liverpool this window – we scouted Hincapie earlier this season and had him on a Premier League watchlist for a client.
Marseille are closing in on Inter’s Joaquín Correa as they seek to strengthen their squad in a bid to battle rivals PSG this season. Correa was hot property back in 2020, which we explained in this vintage scout report focusing on the Argentinian attacker at Lazio.
Amid intensifying links to West Ham United, Mohammed Kudus bagged a hat-trick last night to help Ajax defeat Ludogorets 4-1 in the first leg of their UEFA Europa League playoff tie; after the game, the Ghanaian declared he feels it “was [his] final game here at Ajax”. Before joining the Dutch giants, the Right to Dream academy product stood out with Nordsjælland — read about why he caught our eye with the Danish side in this classic player analysis.
Palmeiras earned a 4-0 win over Deportivo Pereira in the first leg of their Copa Libertadores quarter-final clash, as they aim to win a third South American crown in four seasons! Read about coach Abel Ferreira’s tactics that helped his side become the first to win back-to-back Libertadores titles since Boca Juniors managed the feat 20 years before in this tactical analysis.
That’s it for this week – we are back at the same time on Monday. Spread the word!
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