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3 Manchester City stars who are clearly finished at the top level

3Mar

By Joe SorianoNo Comments

Analysis

3 Manchester City stars who are clearly finished at the top level

Although Manchester City have picked things up domestically after a busy January transfer window with clean sheet wins over Newcastle and Tottenham - and an FA Cup victory over pesky underdogs Plymouth - their recent resounding defeats to Real Madrid and Liverpool are a sobering reminder that the squad still needs an overall in order to return to the very summit it reached in 2023 as treble winners. There are some big names in the Manchester City squad who were once among the world's best but are now struggling to prove that they can still be key players for a team that aims to win the Premier League and Champions League. Here are three of them. Kevin De Bruyne It is sad to see how Kevin De Bruyne has fallen in 2024/25, as injuries have accelerated an inevitable decline that may not e...

The X-Factor Barcelona need in order to win LaLiga

2Mar

By Joe SorianoNo Comments

Analysis

The X-Factor Barcelona need in order to win LaLiga

Barcelona must like their chances of winning LaLiga this season a lot more after watching Real Betis completely dominate a Real Madrid side bereft of the midfield trio of Dani Ceballos, Fede Valverde, and Jude Bellingham while Barca themselves thoroughly dispatched Real Sociedad 4-0; the same side Madrid only beat 1-0 at midweek in the Copa del Rey. Although Barcelona have been frustratingly inconsistent in periods this season, there is no question that the Blaugrana field the most exciting attack in world football with attacking trio Raphinha, Robert Lewandowski, and Lamine Yamal already breaking goal-scoring records this season. But the trio really could - and should - be a quartet, as Dani Olmo reminded world football fans on Sunday afternoon with a brace of assists against Real S...

The only Manchester United player left to believe in

2Mar

By Joe SorianoNo Comments

Analysis

The only Manchester United player left to believe in

Manchester United truly and undeniably stink. The Red Devils turned in yet another putrid performance this weekend, falling on penalties in the FA Cup to Fulham, sealing their elimination in a tournament they somehow won last season amidst a sea of rotten displays domestically. Now, Manchester United don't even have the FA Cup to hang their hats on, as they remain inexplicably in the bottom half of the Premier League table despite a new ownership, an offseason filled with high-profile signings across all levels of the squad, and even a new manager appointed at midseason. With injuries continuing to derail the team's young talents, the result against Fulham was a reminder that there is only one player on this team capable of consistently delivering at the Manchester United level - a l...

Who is the best current center back in world football?

5Feb

By Kevin ParviziNo Comments

Analysis

Who is the best current center back in world football?

Defenders often don't get their due in world football, and it's a conundrum that has impacted the position, especially the center back position, for several decades; it's not a new phenomenon. Fabio Cannavaro, Franz Beckenbauer, and Mattias Sammer are the only defensive players to have won the Ballon d'Or. In addition to just being underrated in general, defenders are hurt by the fact that defensive output and impact are much more difficult to measure objectively and statistically than attacking impact. Even the new-age analytics often do a poor job of adequately evaluating or contextualizing the value of defensive performances. As Paolo Maldini liked to say, the best defenders often don't have to make an intervention at all. Virgil Van Dijk was worth the record transfer fee at cent...

4Feb

By Kevin ParviziNo Comments

Analysis

LaLiga is falling behind

We can all remember a time not long ago when LaLiga was THE league to watch in world football. Yeah, the Premier League had the viewership numbers, the gaudy TV rights deals, and the most hot-button punditry, but when the bright lights were on and Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi were playing, THOSE were the games you wanted to pay to see and THOSE were the games that got everyone at the water cooler talking. Even behind the beloved - or, in equal parts, despised - superstars of Real Madrid and Barcelona, there was so much captivating football around the Spanish top flight. Valencia, Sevilla, Villarreal, and Athletic Club were all worth a watch, producing players like Ever Banega and Dani Parejo that remain cult heroes to Spanish footballing loyalists to this day. And at some point ...

How Antony will fit Real Betis: Analyzing his best position in lineup, playing style, and expectations

20Jan

By Joe SorianoNo Comments

Analysis

How Antony will fit Real Betis: Analyzing his best position in lineup, playing style, and expectations

Manchester United spent nearly 100 million euros to bring Antony from Ajax to Old Trafford at the behest of Erik ten Hag, who coached the Brazilian forward in the Dutch Eredivisie. Despite high expectations and no shortage of individual skill, Antony failed to make an impact at Manchester United since joining in 2022 and was phased entirely out of the starting lineup, even by Ten Hag, who had given his signing every chance to succeed. Now, Antony is out, as Manchester United have a new manager in Ruben Amorim and were able to find a landing spot for the 24-year-old, jettisoning him to LaLiga side Real Betis. According to Fabrizio Romano, all parties involved have reached a verbal agreement to a loan deal that does not contain a buy option, which means Antony will be back at Manche...

Mohamed Salah and 3 stars who cost Liverpool the most in 1-0 loss vs. Tottenham

8Jan

By Joe SorianoNo Comments

Analysis

Mohamed Salah and 3 stars who cost Liverpool the most in 1-0 loss vs. Tottenham

Liverpool lost 1-0 to Tottenham in the first leg of the League Cup semifinal, and their performance can only be summed up as putrid. Here's who's to blame. Mohamed Salah The buck stops with Mohamed Salah as the superstar of Liverpool and the best player in the world this season. If anyone is entitled to have a day off, then it is Salah, who has come up with the goods in crunch time for the Reds so many times this season. But Wednesday night's loss to Tottenham simply wasn't one of those times, as the Egyptian icon came up empty in the goals and assists column, barely creating chances for his teammates in what was a frustrating and isolated night against Spurs. Djed Spence, of all people, pocketed in the former Premier League Player of the Season winger, who carried very little goal...

2024/25 Serie A Team of the Season at the halfway point

1Jan

By Kevin ParviziNo Comments

Analysis

2024/25 Serie A Team of the Season at the halfway point

With the halfway point of the campaign nearing and a new year already underway, let's take a look at the 2024/25 Serie A Team of the Season so far. A seriously thrilling Serie A title race awaits fans in the second half of the campaign with reigning Europa League winners Atalanta, a resurgent Napoli, and defending champions Inter Milan all within a point of each other at the top of the table. There have been so many surprises beyond those three, too, with Fiorentina rising into title contention and Lazio chomping at the bit while an undefeated Juventus and a struggling AC Milan are trying to prove they still belong in the Scudetto race. Since most teams in the league are gearing up for their 18th or 19th match of the campaign and the calendar already at 2025, it's time to deliver ...

31Dec

By Kevin ParviziNo Comments

Analysis

2024/25 Serie A Midseason Awards

Let's hand out some 2024/25 Serie A Midseason Awards with about half the campaign left to go in 2025 and a truly enthralling title race on tap with just about no way of separating the myriad of contenders thus far. Although Serie A remained entertaining in the 2022/23 and 2023/24 seasons with Napoli exorcising their Scudetto demons of the past and Inter Milan returning to the summit whilst Bologna wrote a fairytale script in the background, it's been a bit since we've seen a truly compelling title race in Italian football. The 2024/25 campaign is shaping up to be a different beast entirely with reigning champions Inter, a rebounding Napoli, and a high-flying Atalanta all within a point of each other at the top of the table. Behind them, Lazio, Fiorentina, and Juventus are also leg...

2024/25 Premier League Team of the Season at the midway point

30Dec

By Kevin ParviziNo Comments

Analysis

2024/25 Premier League Team of the Season at the midway point

Understandably, the 2024/25 Premier League Team of the Season at the midway point is dominated by a dominant Liverpool, but which other big clubs landed multiple players in this XI? Liverpool have been dominating the 2024/25 Premier League season thus far with a six-point lead over second-placed Arsenal - and a game in hand - as new manager Arne Slot has taken the Reds to new heights after Jurgen Klopp brought them back to contention status last season. So the Liverpool players will predictably dominate a best XI made up of Premier League players to this point in the season, but there are other clubs in the top four - and even outside the traditional contenders - who populate a team comprising the best of the best in the English top flight. Here is a 4-3-3, with a classy No. 10 in...