Author: Joe Soriano

FC25 snubs Vinicius Jr. in favor of Manchester City star
26Aug By Joe SorianoNo Comments
Features, LaLiga

FC25 snubs Vinicius Jr. in favor of Manchester City star

Real Madrid left winger Vinicius Junior had himself another fantastic year, winning LaLiga and the Champions League for the third and second time in his career, respectively. The fleet-footed Brazilian has become the main creative and secondary goal-scoring threat for Real Madrid, providing the Merengue club with his best performances in the Champions League. This past season, Vinicius Jr. scored 6 goals with 4 assists in 10 Champions League appearances, averaging exactly a goal contribution per game in world football's premier competition. He also averaged 3.7 dribbles completed, 1.9 key passes, and 1.4 fouls drawn in the Champions League, adding a further 15 goals and 5 assists across 26 LaLiga appearances (22 starts). It was a banner year for Vinicius Jr., whose sheer qualit...
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Barcelona’s highest-rated players in FC25 are an absolute joke
25Aug By Joe SorianoNo Comments
Features, LaLiga

Barcelona’s highest-rated players in FC25 are an absolute joke

EA Sports's offering of the football video game FC25 will become available next month on Sept. 27, and the player ratings are being leaked, with Barcelona fans, like any other fanbase, wondering just what in the heck the powers that be over at EA are thinking. It often seems like they aren't watching the games when they come up with the ratings, frequently biasing their evaluations towards aging players who are declining, failing to account for their slip in standard while, on the other hand, not rating up-and-coming superstars properly. Barcelona right winger Lamine Yamal was the best player at the European Championships and was arguably Barca's best player in the 2023/24 LaLiga season at the age of 16, yet he is only rated 81 despite already being a world-class winger. Meanwhile...
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Carlo Ancelotti provides update on transfer listed Real Madrid star
25Aug By Joe SorianoNo Comments
Features, LaLiga

Carlo Ancelotti provides update on transfer listed Real Madrid star

Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti responded to his team's disappointing opener against Mallorca in LaLiga last weekend, as Fede Valverde and the substitutes orchestrated a three-goal second half to take care of a returning Real Valladolid. The three points for Real Madrid came after Ancelotti remarked that he had found the solution to the club's issue after just one match, and the second-half attacking outburst from the Merengues makes it seem like all is indeed well at the Santiago Bernabeu. But as Real Madrid gear up for tougher matches than Real Valladolid and Mallorca in LaLiga, Madridistas have been wondering about the futures of a few talented young players sitting on the periphery of the squad as backups. Goalkeeper Andriy Lunin is chief among those standouts, as the Ukra...
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Chelsea get intriguing Victor Osimhen transfer update
25Aug By Joe SorianoNo Comments
Features

Chelsea get intriguing Victor Osimhen transfer update

Chelsea have been linked to Napoli star striker Victor Osimhen on and off again throughout the summer 2024 window, and it appears the links to the Nigerian No. 9 may be heating up in the days before the window ends. That's largely been the strategy taken by Chelsea and London rivals Arsenal, who are also keen on the 2022/23 Capocannoniere winner as a proven goal-scoring upgrade to help both sides reach their goals. Arsenal believe they are a great scoring 9 away from winning the Premier League, while Chelsea may legitimately be a player like Osimhen away from returning to title contention in their own right. Chelsea already put six past Wolves with Nicolas Jackson bagging a brace and Noni Madueke a hat trick, so imagine what they could achieve with a full-strength Osimhen leading ...
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FC25 did Barcelona star dirty with low rating
25Aug By Joe SorianoNo Comments
Features, LaLiga

FC25 did Barcelona star dirty with low rating

Barcelona are used to having the highest-rated players in world football, as evidenced by the fact that no club has had more Ballon d'Or winners in history than the Blaugrana. From Lionel Messi and Neymar to Andres Iniesta and Xavi, Barcelona have long had the most coveted players in the world and, likewise, the players who were the mostly highly-rated in FIFA video game franchises. But this year, it feels like Barca's best and brightest are being undervalued by FC25, and their very best player ended up being arguably the most underrated of those players by the upcoming game release. Lamine Yamal had a sensational first LaLiga season for the Blaugrana and was even better at the European Championships, shining for eventual winners Spain with a historically great showing throughout ...
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The 3 biggest winners from Real Madrid’s 3-0 win over Valladolid
25Aug By Joe SorianoNo Comments
Features, LaLiga

The 3 biggest winners from Real Madrid’s 3-0 win over Valladolid

Real Madrid had one of the most disappointing performances of any big club in Europe last weekend when they could only muster a 1-1 draw against Mallorca, struggling on the road against the island club. There was pressure on Real Madrid to get back to their winning ways as the defending champions of Spain and Europe, and Real Valladolid, newly promoted back to LaLiga, were deemed the perfect opponents for the Merengue club to rebound. After one half, Real Madrid were still tied 0-0 with Valladolid, leading to concerns that the Merengues would stumble to more dropped points and that the new-look attack was failing to gel without Toni Kroos behind them. But Real's new No. 8, Fede Valverde, stepped up with a monstrous effort from long range on a free kick, fooling the goalkeeper and ...
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One thing needs to happen for Jadon Sancho to join Juventus
25Aug By Joe SorianoNo Comments
Features

One thing needs to happen for Jadon Sancho to join Juventus

Manchester United superstar winger Jadon Sancho hasn't had a future at the club since falling out with manager Erik ten Hag, and the Red Devils finally admitted the situation was untenable when they loaned the English winger to Borussia Dortmund. That was where Sancho first made a name for himself before joining Man United, as Sancho was one of the best players in European football during his time with BVB, recording double-digit assists in three separate seasons. Now, Sancho is headed for a permanent move away from Old Trafford after shining with Dortmund in the second half of the 2023/24 season, heroically leading BVB to the Champions League Final after outshining current Real Madrid superstar Kylian Mbappe in the semifinals vs. PSG. Juventus are the club showing the most intere...
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25Aug By Joe SorianoNo Comments
Features

Enzo Maresca is already pushing a Chelsea forward out the door

Chelsea left Matchday 2 of the 2024/25 Premier League season as the biggest winners, with hat-trick hero Noni Madueke and superstar Cole Palmer ruling the pitch against Wolves in a refreshing xG overperformance that yielded a 6-2 victory. Even Pedro Neto got involved off the bench against his former employers, as he assisted fellow incoming Portuguese star Joao Felix in the 80th minute to put the cherry on top of a dream showing for Enzo Maresca following Matchday 1's difficult defeat to Manchester City. It was a banner day for the Chelsea attack, with Madueke scoring three and assisting one, Palmer bagging a goal and a hat-trick of assists, and even striker Nicolas Jackson nabbing a brace on the road. However, left wing Mykhaylo Mudryk was the odd man out, as he was the lone atta...
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Fabrizio Romano provides encouraging update on Eddie Nketiah transfer saga
25Aug By Joe SorianoNo Comments
Features

Fabrizio Romano provides encouraging update on Eddie Nketiah transfer saga

Arsenal striker Eddie Nketiah is a homegrown talent of the club and one of the better strikers in the Premier League, which he proved during a successful spell of starts in the middle of the 2022/23 season after starter Gabriel Jesus suffered an injury. However, Nketiah isn't quite up to the Arsenal standard as a pure goal-scorer, and the Gunners already have a couple of well-rounded types at the center forward position in bigger names Jesus and Kai Havertz. So that has made Nketiah expendable. After selling Emile Smith-Rowe to Fulham for more than 30 million pounds, Arsenal are hoping to get similar value for Nketiah on the transfer market. But they have been met with roadbloacks. Marseille were interested but unwilling to submit a serious financial offer, possibly because most L...
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Chelsea considering swap deal for Manchester United superstar
25Aug By Joe SorianoNo Comments
Features

Chelsea considering swap deal for Manchester United superstar

Chelsea set the Premier League ablaze on Sunday with a statement-making 6-2 win over Wolves, outperforming their xG for a change as Enzo Maresca's masterplan is seemingly coming together after a preseason full of forceful criticism of his tactics. Noni Madueke made the strongest statement of them all, responding to transfer rumors with a hat trick and an assist, while 2023/24 Premier League Player of the Season candidate Cole Palmer continued his brilliance with a goal and a hat-trick of assists. Nicolas Jackson scored a brace to hint at a bigger sophomore season at Stamford Bridge, while new acquisitions Pedro Neto and Joao Felix even got into the act, combining for a sweet goal in the final minutes. Despite the new attacking acquisitions, including phenom Estevao Willian next su...
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