Analysis News and Analysis

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...

28Dec

By Kevin ParviziNo Comments

Analysis

2024/25 Premier League Midseason Awards

With the Premier League back in action after the Christmas break and 2025 right around the corner, every team in the English top flight has played at least 17 matches and the true first half of the season (19 games played) is almost complete. So now is as good of a time as any to take stock of the 2024/25 season thus far and hand out some Premier League midseason awards to individuals around the league. No surprise to see that Liverpool dominate the pack! Best Manager There is no question that Arne Slot deserves the honor as the best manager of the Premier League so far this season. He stepped into a difficult situation as the new man in charge of the club after Jurgen Klopp resigned, as Klopp is a club legend who rebuilt the Reds from perennial underperformance back into a European gian...

5 stars who never should have joined Real Madrid

4Dec

By Kevin ParviziNo Comments

Analysis

5 stars who never should have joined Real Madrid

There has been heavy criticism of new Real Madrid signing Kylian Mbappe since his dream move to the Santiago Bernabeu, and although some have tried to label the move as a mistake already, the reality is that Mbappe hasn't been as poor as the media perception would have you think. Yes, he's had some awful performances, including against Barcelona and Liverpool in the Champions League, and it would be fair to assert that if he were not such a big superstar, he wouldn't even be starting for Real Madrid over other players. But Mbappe has been far from the only player underperforming at Real Madrid this season, and even at his worst, he is still one of the better forwards in LaLiga with 8 goals in 13 games and an impressive 2.7 dribbles completed per game. So while Mbappe has been a di...