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Arda Guler quietly set a Champions League playmaking record

25Feb

By Joe SorianoNo Comments

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Arda Guler quietly set a Champions League playmaking record

Arda Guler is almost silently putting together an incredible season for Real Madrid as a provider, and according to statistics by Squawka, the Turkish international's 25 chances created in the current Champions League campaign are the most ever by a player younger than 21 to start the season in the history of the competition. This season, Guler has registered four assists in the Champions League with a robust 2.8 key passes per game, meanwhile, the attacking midfielder is also having a stellar La Liga season with 7 assists and 2.2 key passes per match in a highly defensive league. Initially a right winger at the Santiago Bernabeu, Guler has found his home as either a deep-lying playmaker or an attacking playmaker, thriving with the intelligence of passing that we haven't seen out of ...

Manchester United’s fastest players in 2026: Bryan Mbeumo, Benjamin Sesko take the cake

24Feb

By Joe SorianoNo Comments

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Manchester United’s fastest players in 2026: Bryan Mbeumo, Benjamin Sesko take the cake

Manchester United look like a much more dangerous team in the 2025/26 Premier League season under Michael Carrick and suddenly look like good bets to make it back to the Champions League, and it is a speedy, dynamic attack that is the heart of it. Unsurprisingly, last season's 20-goal hero at Brentford, Bryan Mbeumo, has been the star of the show and the most important forward for Man United, but in the last few weeks, high-priced young striker Benjamin Sesko has looked like a star, too, and the best striker Man U have had in ages. Both are wicked fast, too, usurping young Amad Diallo as the fastest players on Manchester United. But who is No. 1 and who else makes the list? Here are the top four fastest players based on peak recorded times in kilometers per hour during the 2025/26 Pr...

Inter Milan publicly address Diego Simeone rumors

24Feb

By Joe SorianoNo Comments

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Inter Milan publicly address Diego Simeone rumors

Inter Milan have been linked with a move for Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone, but president Giuseppe Marotta has publicly rubbished the rumors, speaking to the media prior to the Champions League games pitting Atleti against Club Brugge and Inter against ultimate underdogs Bodo Glimt. Simeone survived his underdog scare against Brugge, dominating the Belgian side in the second leg to skate into the Round of 16 of the Champions League, and we will have to see what happens to Inter after their 3-1 loss to Bodo in the first leg. Atleti are not in the La Liga title race, though. Meanwhile, in his first season at the club as a manager, Nerazzurri manager Christian Chivu, who was a top midfielder for the Serie A giants in the preceding decade, has Inter clear frontrunners in the leag...

Kylian Mbappe isn’t the only new Real Madrid injury concern vs. Benfica

24Feb

By Joe SorianoNo Comments

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Kylian Mbappe isn’t the only new Real Madrid injury concern vs. Benfica

Per top French news outlet L'Equipe, French superstar Kylian Mbappe is a doubt for Real Madrid vs. Benfica in the second leg of the Champions League playoffs, and now Spanish newspaper MARCA is reporting that center midfielder Federico Valverde also isn't 100 percent for the clash. The stakes couldn't be higher for Real Madrid on Wednesday night in the Champions League. They barely survived Benfica in the first leg, with Vinicius Junior's moment of individual brilliance, overshadowed by Gianluca Prestianni's infamous face-covered (almost certainly racist) remarks to the Brazilian superstar, being the lone difference in avenging Madrid's putrid league phase loss to Jose Mourinho. Now, Real Madrid are behind the eight ball, because if Mbappe is out or not at his best, they will be miss...

Michael Carrick is phasing out Manchester United’s worst player

24Feb

By Joe SorianoNo Comments

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Michael Carrick is phasing out Manchester United’s worst player

Manchester United have improved by leaps and bounds since firing Ruben Amorim and replacing him with former midfielder Michael Carrick, who has wasted no time in banishing the club's least impressive player, Manuel Ugarte. Since taking over on January 13, Carrick has not started the overpriced Ugarte, one of many high-profile transfer busts for Man United over the years, in a single Premier League game. In total, he's appeared in just three games in league play since Carrick became Manchester United manager, totaling 28 minutes in those three appearances with his most playing time in any one game coming against Fulham on Feb. 1 when he played 16 minutes off the bench in a 3-2 win. Manchester United are a team revived under Carrick, who has gotten the most out of the talented forwa...

Trent Alexander-Arnold set to get big opportunity for Real Madrid vs. Benfica

24Feb

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Trent Alexander-Arnold set to get big opportunity for Real Madrid vs. Benfica

Real Madrid are set to face Benfica in the second leg of the Champions League playoff round on Wednesday night, and in their latest starting lineup prediction, Diario AS have Trent Alexander-Arnold as the starting right back in the XI. TAA starting for Real Madrid is no surprise, of course, and he needs to be a regular in the lineup going forward now that he's healthy. Although a time share with legend Dani Carvajal seemed likely when the season started, Real have to be switching gears after watching the 34-year-old get embarrassed over the weekend by academy graduate Victor Munoz in a 2-1 loss to Osasuna at El Sadar. Real Madrid have a 1-0 advantage on Benfica, but after losing to them in the last game of the league phase, there is no margin for error for the Kings of the Champions ...

Thibaut Courtois said what every Real Madrid fan thinks about Jose Mourinho’s Vinicius Jr. comments

24Feb

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Thibaut Courtois said what every Real Madrid fan thinks about Jose Mourinho’s Vinicius Jr. comments

Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois is a leader in the locker room for his club, and like the rest of his teammates, he has publicly come to the defense of Vinicius Junior, who was likely racially abused by Benfica's Gianluca Prestianni in the Champions League playoffs. Benfica manager Jose Mourinho tried to claim that a racist incident could not happen because Eusebio, one of the greatest Black players of all time, played for Benfica, and the former Real Madrid manager also disappointed many by claiming Vinicius Jr. provokes racism by the way he celebrates his goals, dancing. Courtois was not having any of that. Via Fabrizio Romano, the Real Madrid icon expressed his disappointment with Mourinho for his comments on Vincius Jr., stating that while he understands managers have to ...

Alejandro Balde on the verge of losing his starting spot at Barcelona

24Feb

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Alejandro Balde on the verge of losing his starting spot at Barcelona

Although Alejandro Balde has been one of the best young left backs in world football, the Barcelona man's performances have slipped in recent seasons, and with Joao Cancelo back in Blaugrana colors, a change could be coming for Hansi Flick. As Gabriel Sans of Mundo Deportivo notes, Flick has now left Balde out of the starting lineup in back-to-back games. Meanwhile, Cancelo was the best player on the pitch in Barca's most recent La Liga encounter, a 3-0 win over Levante. In that game, Cancelo assisted once and registered three key passes with three combined tackles and interceptions and three combined dribbles completed and fouls drawn in a great all-around performance. Cancelo was previously at Barcelona and just joined them again in the winter transfer window, signing on loan fo...

Viktor Gyokeres is close to breaking a little-known record under Mikel Arteta

24Feb

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Viktor Gyokeres is close to breaking a little-known record under Mikel Arteta

New Arsenal No. 9 Viktor Gyokeres is beginning to hit his stride in more games than just Champions League outings, as the big Swede put two past Tottenham Hotspur over the weekend to bring his season tally up to 15 goals in all competition, placing him within three of setting the record for most goals by a striker under Mikel Arteta. Since taking over for Arsenal in 2019, Arteta has been known for defensive solidity and control of the midfield, not prolific goal-scoring. He even got rid of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang after inheriting one of the Premier League's most talented striker partnerships in ex-Ligue 1 duo Alexandre Lacazette and Auba. Laca's 2020/21 season, to this point in time, was the most prolific goal-scoring season by a striker under Arteta's rule with 17 goals in all com...

Bayern Munich lead Real Madrid, Manchester City in 2025/26 attacking trio goal chart

24Feb

By Joe SorianoNo Comments

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Bayern Munich lead Real Madrid, Manchester City in 2025/26 attacking trio goal chart

Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, and Manchester City are regularly among the favorites to win the Champions League, and that is the case this season. But when it comes to having the best group of attackers in world football, Bayern stands head and shoulders above their two European rivals. Sofascore is one of the best sites on the web for keeping track of football analytics, and they tabulate goals for attacking trios in European football. Bayern's vaunted triumvirate of Harry Kane, Luis Diaz, and Michael Olise has been on a tear this season, and their goal totals back up the notion that they usurped Real Madrid and Barcelona as the best attacking trio in world football. Here are the rankings for the top five trios in Europe in terms of goals scored in all competitions, not just league pl...