Analysis

Casemiro subtly emphasizes Manchester United’s strategy in summer transfer window
8Mar By Joe SorianoNo Comments
Analysis

Casemiro subtly emphasizes Manchester United’s strategy in summer transfer window

Casemiro was written off as finished not too long ago, with even former Liverpool icon Jamie Carragher famously imploring the Brazilian to leave the football before the football left him. But the Manchester United defensive midfielder has come roaring back, and if he can help Michael Carrick and the Red Devils complete the turn around to resuming business as usual as a Champions League team again, then he will have become not just a Real Madrid icon but also a Man United one, too. He remains highly effective in the 2025/26 season, and if you now count Bruno Fernandes as an attacking midfielder again after the replacement of Ruben Amorim with Carrick, then Casemiro is by far Man United's best pure midfielder. There is such a huge difference between how Man Unitd play with Casemiro ...
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2026 Champions League Power Rankings: Updated predictions approaching Round of 16
8Mar By Joe SorianoNo Comments
Analysis

2026 Champions League Power Rankings: Updated predictions approaching Round of 16

The Champions League Round of 16 will begin on Tuesday this week, and it feels like there are only a handful of teams of the 16 with a great chance at winning it all this year. That being said, there is also no clear favorite. One of last year's finalists, Inter Milan, were already knocked out, while Real Madrid, Liverpool, and PSG are all in bad periods. Here is a ranking of the top eight teams (the proverbial top half) of the 16 heading into the Champions League Round of 16 action this week. 8. Chelsea I don't think anybody seriously buys Chelsea as top contenders, as they recently lost to rivals Arsenal in the Premier League and even struggled with Wrexham in the FA Cup this weekend. But you know what? When Joao Pedro and Cole Palmer are healthy and playing together, this tea...
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Chelsea have only one Tosin Adarabioyo solution now
7Mar By Joe SorianoNo Comments
Analysis

Chelsea have only one Tosin Adarabioyo solution now

Chelsea were able to prevail against underdogs Wrexham in the Fifth Round of the FA Cup on Saturday, but even though the score line read 4-2, the Blues were agonizingly close to getting sent packing. There were several terrible performances from a Chelsea perspective, but nobody drew stronger criticisms than center back Tosin Adarabioyo, who has been a liability all season long. Tosin is now the poster child for Chelsea of free agent signings gone wrong and a reminder that just because someone is free in world football, it does not mean you should sign them. Because for Chelsea, the cost of being saddled with a well below average center back who has to start significant games is huge, and while Liam Rosenior should never be starting him at this point, he has little choice with the...
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Arsenal have to stare down an uncomfortable Riccardo Calafiori realization
7Mar By Joe SorianoNo Comments
Analysis

Arsenal have to stare down an uncomfortable Riccardo Calafiori realization

Arsenal defender Riccardo Calafiori is one of the most talented players in that left back and center back hybrid role in European football, but the Gunners faithful are going to start having some difficult conversations about his long term value soon. Since joining Arsenal from Bologna, Calafiori has been as advertised in terms of his technical quality on the ball as a passer and progressor with his ball carrying, though his defensive work has recently been overshadowed by another new addition to the team this summer, Piero Hincapie. The Ecuadorian international has seemingly usurped Calafiori as the preferred option for Arsenal. Calafiori just returned from an injury, but it was not until Mansfield Town in the FA Cup that he actually started a game, with Hincapie ostensibly Wally Pi...
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Pedro Neto is giving Mykhaylo Mudrydk a run for his money
7Mar By Joe SorianoNo Comments
Analysis

Pedro Neto is giving Mykhaylo Mudrydk a run for his money

Purchased for a total package of 100 million euros, talented winger Mykhaylo Mudryk was once the player Chelsea had to have, spending massively to sign him ahead of rivals Arsenal after the Ukrainian made a name for himself against big opponents like Real Madrid during the Champions League nights. But Mudryk turned out to be a monumental bust, a symbol of excessive spending, selfishness on the field, and a lack of a fit in the grander scheme of things at Chelsea. Even though Pedro Neto began his career at Chelsea as a polar opposite after being the workhorse for Wolves, Neto has slowly become what he was not - and he is now the enemy for many Chelsea fans. Neto has been abhorrent this season, holding back an otherwise effective Blues attack as the clear weak link when he is in the...
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There is only one manager worth Manchester United snubbing Michael Carrick
7Mar By Joe SorianoNo Comments
Analysis

There is only one manager worth Manchester United snubbing Michael Carrick

Manchester United continue to be linked to various managers on the market this summer, but it feels like all the momentum and fan support are fully behind interim coach Michael Carrick. Honestly, Carrick checks off so many boxes for Man United. Beyond being wildly successful since taking over for Ruben Amorim and righting the sinking ship immediately to push Man United into Champions League contention again, Carrick symbolizes what Man United is supposed to be about. Unlike Erik ten Hag and Amorim, Carrick played for Man United and was a wonderful, cerebral midfielder who was unselfish and a coach on the field. He has brought the same unselfishness and understanding of the club's values to help support the players, putting them before his own ego or ideas. There are so many manage...
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Gabriel Jesus’s Arsenal future could not be clearer
7Mar By Joe SorianoNo Comments
Analysis

Gabriel Jesus’s Arsenal future could not be clearer

Arsenal managed to survive an upset bid from Mansfield Town in the FA Cup Fifth Round, taking down their far less illustrious opponents 2-1 in a match that showcased future stars like Max Dowman. But maybe the biggest talking point was just how poorly Gabriel Jesus played at striker. It is remarkable to think that there were some Arsenal fans pining over Jesus, wanting him to start over high priced summer signing Viktor Gyokeres. Of course, the more reasonable fans already understood that, even though he is only 28, Jesus is finished as Arsenal striker. He just does not move effectively enough, and though he is not yet 30, all the years of injuries and workload for Manchester City and Arsenal have caught up to him. Jesus could not dribble, create, or getting into scoring situation...
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3 players who saved Chelsea from humiliation vs. Wrexham
7Mar By Joe SorianoNo Comments
Analysis

3 players who saved Chelsea from humiliation vs. Wrexham

Chelsea nearly looked like they were going to lose to underdog Wrexham, but they managed to turn things around in extra time and win 4-2 to advance past the Fifth Round of the FA Cup. Here are three key players who bailed them out. CF Joao Pedro All the superlatives deserve to go to Joao Pedro for the season he is having at Stamford Bridge after many Brighton fans did not even value the Brazilian center forward properly. He has been the signing of the summer among the big Premier League attackers, and his all around play was evident again for Chelsea. He was a massive upgrade over the horrendous Liam Delap, killing off the game with a clinical finish. AM Alejandro Garnacho Stumbling upon a rich vein of form, Alejandro Garnacho provided a delicious finish and even better run off the ...
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3 players who nearly screwed over Chelsea vs. Wrexham
7Mar By Joe SorianoNo Comments
Analysis

3 players who nearly screwed over Chelsea vs. Wrexham

Chelsea barely survived their FA Cup Fifth Round battle against Wrexham, needing extra time to prevail 4-2. Here are three key players who nearly doomed the Blues to an upset defeat. AM Pedro Neto Rubbish, utterly rubbish. Chelsea cannot sell Pedro Neto soon enough, and the man makes it all worse by suffering from main character syndrome, which was on full display against Wrexham with key players like Cole Palmer inexplicably not even options to come in and save the day. Chelsea did not end up needing saving by the Icy One, though it is telling that the Blues ultimately prevailed when Neto left the pitch. Everything Alejandro Garnacho is accused of can be applied to Neto with none of the upside. CM Romeo Lavia Romeo Lavia is Mr. Theoretical. Theoretically, he is one of the most tale...
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Adam Wharton has what Liverpool are missing
5Mar By Joe SorianoNo Comments
Analysis

Adam Wharton has what Liverpool are missing

Liverpool had one of the best midfields in the Premier League last season as they waltzed to the title, but what a team did last year has little bearing on a fresh season - and that has been proven in 2025/26 with the Reds well off the title pace. Ryan Gravenberch and Alexis Mac Allister have regressed badly in the current campaign, and while Dominik Szoboszlai is better than ever with fellow former Bundesliga superstar Florian Wirtz crushing it in the No. 10 role, Liverpool continue to badly miss a deep lying midfielder and true tempo setter with vertical passing. While Gravenberch did keep playing ticking last season as a quality No. 6/8, he has been unable to find those killer balls from deep or truly own the passing game for the Reds in 2025/26. Adam Wharton can make Liverpool m...
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