Analysis News and Analysis

A certain West Ham transfer gamble is starting to look more appealing to Liverpool

1Mar

By Joe SorianoNo Comments

Analysis

A certain West Ham transfer gamble is starting to look more appealing to Liverpool

Liverpool dominated West Ham 5-2 with striker Hugo Ekitike playing the starring role with three goal contributions, but the struggles of winger Mohamed Salah was just as big of a storyline. And perhaps with Cody Gakpo and Salah struggling to win on the outside, the Reds could look to that very Hammer side for a solution out wide in Crysencio Summerville. There is no shame in losing to the reigning Premier League champions, but with each passing defeat, West Ham draw closer to the relegation zone - a threat that has been palpable for years now. With more than 100 million pounds in losses already, relegation could quicken a financial crisis that has already been brewing for the Hammers, necessitating high profile sales of star players with transfer value. Though most of the conversa...

Abdukodir Khusnov makes Manchester City’s defense truly elite in one simple way

1Mar

By Joe SorianoNo Comments

Analysis

Abdukodir Khusnov makes Manchester City’s defense truly elite in one simple way

Manchester City only get stronger and stronger with each transfer window, adding two world class players from within the Premier League to drive up their title hopes in Antoine Semenyo and center back Marc Guehi, but the big X-Factor is still the great center back they signed last year. Abduokodir Khusanov was the best center back in the world in the first half of the 2024/25 season for Lens, and while that fact may have flown under the radar to your Average Joe who only watches the Premier League Big Six, the astute scouting department at Manchester City knew the Uzbekistani player was a can't miss signing. Since stepping foot at the Etihad, Khusanov has shown that playing for the richest club in England was not a step too soon, and the now 22 year old central defender is a vital pl...

Manchester City quietly get the Rodri boost they were waiting for

28Feb

By Joe SorianoNo Comments

Analysis

Manchester City quietly get the Rodri boost they were waiting for

The 2023/24 Ballon d'Or winner, Manchester City defensive midfielder Rodri has had a long road back to full recovery from an ACL tear, but against Leeds United on Saturday, we all saw the true Rodri of old dominating on the pitch. It was a close result, just a 1-0 win over a lower level team in the Premier League, but these are the kinds of hard fought victories that champions are made of, and Man City suddenly look every bit as likely to win the league as Arsenal despite still being a few points down. Rodri was no nonsense and impervious again in that holding midfield role. He attempted a whalloping 124 passes in the clean sheet victory, cleaning house defensively while aggressively driving the ball forward with four fouls drawn and 10 of 15 long balls completed. The technical qu...

Liverpool fans are all thinking the same thing about Hugo Ekitike

28Feb

By Joe SorianoNo Comments

Analysis

Liverpool fans are all thinking the same thing about Hugo Ekitike

Liverpool striker had a whale of a ball game for the Reds in their 5-2 blowout win over West Ham United in the Premier League, scoring once and assisting twice for his first assists of the calendar year 2026 in the kind of all around perfomance that the club envisioned when they signed him this past summer transfer window. Of course, Ekitike was the first of the top strikers Liverpool inked in the window, bagging the young star from Eintracht Frankfurt before spending even more money on Newcastle United's Alexander Isak. While the jury is still very much out on Isak at this point, Kopites are unequivocally smitten with Ekitike, and, at this point, every single fan at Anfield has to be looking at all the big money strikers who got signed this summer at other clubs and feel like despit...

Pedri now has more world-class company in the Barcelona midfield

28Feb

By Joe SorianoNo Comments

Analysis

Pedri now has more world-class company in the Barcelona midfield

Pedri had another phenomenal performance for Barcelona in a 4-1 blowout win over third-placed La Liga side Villarreal, but he wasn't the only top midfielder in that win, as Fermin Lopez delivered two assists in another monster class in the middle of the park. At this point, anyone who disputes that Pedri is one of the best players in the world and a beating heart for Barca of nearly equal importance to Lamine Yamal just does not understand ball or is a supremely salty Real Madrid fan. But I am willing to go as far to say that if you don't think Fermin Lopez is already a world-class midfielder, then you are behind the curve and too slow to recognize the incredible work the Spaniard is doing this season. To be honest, Fermin has always been great, hence why multiple Premier League c...

This is the new normal for Mohamed Salah

28Feb

By Joe SorianoNo Comments

Analysis

This is the new normal for Mohamed Salah

Liverpool had their way with West Ham United as an attack on Saturday afternoon, destroying the East Londoners 5-2 in yet another key victory for the Reds in the Premier League. But Mohamed Salah was conspicuously absent from the proceedings. In fact, it was the record, for him personally, 10th Premier League game in a row that the Egyptian legend has failed to score a goal. He also failed to assist in this matchup with the Hammers, registering no dribbles completed, fouls drawn, or key passes while directly losing the ball four times. It was a rare disasterclass from a superstar player in which his team scored five goals. Now, we have already seen that, somehow, Liverpool are a stronger team with Salah involved than when he sits on the bench, but, at the same time, you can see why A...

Barcelona have another obvious Marcus Rashford decision to make

28Feb

By Joe SorianoNo Comments

Analysis

Barcelona have another obvious Marcus Rashford decision to make

As Barcelona close in on the permanent transfer of Marcus Rashford from Manchester United for 30 million euros with just a few loose ends left to tie up, the Blaugrana may need to consider an even bolder but just as obvious decision: the decision to start the England international. No, not on the left wing. Raphinha is a must start in any universe for Barcelona and right there with Pedri and Lamine Yamal as one of the biggest superstars on this team. At striker. Rashford needs to start at striker. Although he is a better left winger than a striker in terms of his playing style and skill set, Rashford at striker, despite being suboptimal, is still a much better solution than Ferran Torres at the No. 9. Once again, Barcelona eviscerated an opponent in La Liga, defeating Villarreal 4...

Cody Gakpo gets too much hate, but he’s still a goner

28Feb

By Joe SorianoNo Comments

Analysis

Cody Gakpo gets too much hate, but he’s still a goner

Liverpool are finally starting to wake up and just had a dominant offensive performance against relegation candidates West Ham United, winning 5-2. And despite all the criticism levied at him this season, Dutch left winger Cody Gakpo played a crucial role in the win. Gakpo scored his sixth goal of the season as part of the Liverpool romping of their hapless East London counterparts, giving the forward a two goal cushion ahead of right winger Mohamed Salah in the season goal charts. And beyond the goals, Gakpo, as usual, had a nifty creative role with a trio of key passes, standing out as one of the several Liverpool players who had their way with a West Ham defense filled with gaps. Chance creation has never been the issue for Gakpo, and against weaker opponents like West Ham that...

Real Madrid are about to make another top prospect a regular starter

26Feb

By Joe SorianoNo Comments

Analysis

Real Madrid are about to make another top prospect a regular starter

Real Madrid produce the highest volume of starting-caliber young prospects in European football, and they have already found another one in Thiago Pitarch. According to a report from MARCA, manager Alvaro Arbeloa is considering starting him in the coming matches, and Pitarch is expected to become a regular starter in the XI soon. This season, Real Madrid have already made 18-year-old playmaker Franco Mastantuono, striker Gonzalo Garcia, and right back David Jimenez key parts of the team, not wanting to miss out on the likes of Nico Paz and Alex Jimenez who are shining in other European leagues (and now Endrick, too). Victor Valdepenas is another player who has started for Real Madrid and even earned keen transfer interest from another elite European club in Arsenal over in the Premie...

Real Madrid’s real star vs. Benfica wasn’t Vinicius Jr. (or Fede Valverde and Aurelien Tchouameni)

26Feb

By Joe SorianoNo Comments

Analysis

Real Madrid’s real star vs. Benfica wasn’t Vinicius Jr. (or Fede Valverde and Aurelien Tchouameni)

Aurelien Tchouameni won the Man of the Match. Vinicius Junior scored the goal that sealed the game. Federico Valverde had two assists. But Real Madrid's real hero against Benfica was Thibaut Courtois. Even though he didn't get a clean sheet in the second leg as in the first leg, Courtois was arguably even better in the decisive second matchup against Benfica in the opening round of the 2025/26 Champions League knockout stages. Courtois was impeccable, making stupendous save after save to prevent Real Madrid from getting caught out on the break. He could do nothing about the opener that Benfica scored and steadied Los Merengues from there on. It is so easy for the goalkeeper to get overlooked on a team like Real Madrid where you have stars like Vinicius Jr. balling out and even mid...