Tag: Manchester City

Ranking the 10 best strikers in 2023/24: Inter Milan duo join Barça’s Lewandowski, Bayern’s Kane
25Oct By Kevin ParviziNo Comments
Champions League, Features

Ranking the 10 best strikers in 2023/24: Inter Milan duo join Barça’s Lewandowski, Bayern’s Kane

Nobody generates more headlines than the players who score the goals. Most clubs with aspirations of winning trophies require a man up top who can consistently find the back of the net, with very few exceptions existing in the history of world football. But who are the best strikers on the planet right now? Let's rank the top 10, based on a combination of pedigree and performance in the 2023/24 season, more heavily weighing recent performances. Because sport is a "what have you done for me lately?" business. Note that only out-and-out strikers were included, so players like Antoine Griezmann and Kylian Mbappé who share time between positions or players like Vinícius Júnior who are wingers playing as left-sided forwards did not count. 10. Marcus Thuram, Inter Milan Marcus Thuram ...
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10 best Premier League transfers so far: Tottenham dominate, Arsenal get 2, Crystal Palace’s bargain
26Sep By Joe SorianoNo Comments
Features, Premier League

10 best Premier League transfers so far: Tottenham dominate, Arsenal get 2, Crystal Palace’s bargain

Premier League clubs were busy wheeling and dealing in the last summer transfer window, making full use of an influx of cash from the Saudi Pro League buying up veteran players. The English top flight continues to lap the competition in European football when it comes to spending, signing some of the most talented footballers in Serie A and the Bundesliga, for example. Which signings have already paid off thus far after six Matchdays of action? Let's take a look at the 10 best signings of the season to this, very early, point. West Ham CM James Ward-Prowse Known as the finest free-kick specialist in all the land, James Ward-Prowse is earning a reputation as an even more impressive footballer for West Ham United. The Hammers raised eyebrows by spending 30 million pounds on the ...
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Ranking the 10 best right backs in men’s football right now in 2023
1Jul By Joe SorianoNo Comments
Features

Ranking the 10 best right backs in men’s football right now in 2023

The right back position may be one of the most overlooked in world football, but just ask clubs like Chelsea, Manchester City, Real Madrid, and, most recently, Napoli what having an elite right-sided defender can do for a team. An elite right back can rule an entire flank with composed defending, quality passing in the build-up, supportive runs for the attackers, and game-changing assists via their crossing. So in honor of the right back and many of the unsung heroes who ply their trade at this position, let's take a closer look at the best players in the world who man the right side of the formation. 10. Malo Gusto Malo Gusto joins Christopher Nkunku as another top young talent headed to Chelsea this summer. The 20-year-old will not be the starter in every match, as the Blues alre...
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Ranking the 10 best attacking midfielders in men’s football right now in 2023
30Jun By Joe SorianoNo Comments
Features

Ranking the 10 best attacking midfielders in men’s football right now in 2023

Although the modern game has seemingly phased out the No. 10, there are still plenty of footballers finding ways to make an impact in the attacking midfield, either playing there in a scheme with two flexible attacking mids or moving up into that area of the pitch from a 4-3-3. And even still, there are a few 10's getting to play in that traditional CAM role regularly, such as Bruno Fernandes, or in certain systems based on opponent, such as Paulo Dybala. So in honor of this wonderful position and the creators who inspire us to try out some killer through passes on our local community pitch, let's rank the best attacking midfielders in world football right now. We'll leave out players who primarily play as an 8 or on the wing and stick to only players who have frequently earned mi...
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Ranking the 10 best forwards in men’s football right now in 2023
29Jun By Joe SorianoNo Comments
Features

Ranking the 10 best forwards in men’s football right now in 2023

No players are more coveted in world football than the forwards who score the goals, take the defense on, and create the chances that win matches. Every elite club needs an elite forward - and really two - in order to compete at the highest level and truly be an elite team at the Champions League level. So let's take a look at the 10 best forwards in the game, focusing on strikers and wingers whose primary job is to score the goals and create the assists that win their teams' matches. Many of these players are strikers and inverted wingers, because those are the positions that make the biggest difference on the score line in the modern game. 10. Christopher Nkunku Christopher Nkunku will head to Chelsea for the 2023/24 season after being the best Bundesliga player over the last three ...
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Manchester City vs. Inter Milan Player Ratings for the 2023 Champions League Final
10Jun By Joe SorianoNo Comments
Features

Manchester City vs. Inter Milan Player Ratings for the 2023 Champions League Final

Pep Guardiola and Manchester City have done it. After years of close calls and hearing all the talking points about how they could not do it on the big European stage, the Citizens defeated Inter Milan 1-0 in a tense 2023 Champions League Final in Istanbul. Inter came agonizingly close to scoring on multiple occasions in the second half, and you have to give all the credit in the world to Simone Inzaghi for once again having the perfect gameplan to maximize the opportunities for his players to win. But ultimately, the Nerazzurri could not finish, which had been a massive issue for them throughout the season. Here are the player ratings from a defining Champions League victory for Manchester City over Inter. Manchester City Player Ratings GK Ederson, 8.5 - His heroics were crucial t...
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Final 2022/23 Premier League Team of the Season
29May By Kevin ParviziNo Comments
Features, Premier League

Final 2022/23 Premier League Team of the Season

Now that the 2022/23 Premier League season has officially come to a conclusion, it's time to take one final look back at the season's top individual performers at every position. Here is the Premier League Team of the Season, utilizing a 3-5-2 formation that is highly attacking because the four players in the attacking midfield and at striker absolutely HAD to make a list like this. GK Bernd Leno, Fulham: Alisson and David Raya also merited consideration here, but Bernd Leno has to be the pick in goal for the 2022/23 Premier League Team of the Season. Leno was second behind Alisson in post-shot expected goals prevented per 90 at +0.26 to Alisson's +0.27. Meanwhile, he was second in save percentage at 77.2 compared to Raya's 77.4. Whichever way you spin it, Leno was the most consis...
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Ranking the 10 best wingers in world football for 2023
21Apr By Kevin ParviziNo Comments
Features

Ranking the 10 best wingers in world football for 2023

Some of the most important players in world football are wingers. They are entrusted with creating chances, scoring goals, stretching the pitch horizontally, testing defenses with vertical runs, easing pressure off strikers, manufacturing space for teammates, progressing the ball as dribblers, and completing take-ons to destabilize the defense. The best wingers in world football are capable of changing games on their own while also being a consistent thorn in the side of the defense. Let's rank the 10 best wingers in the world right now in 2023. 10. Manchester City RW Riyad Mahrez Riyad Mahrez has cooled off a bit, and there are a number of quality wingers at Manchester City. Yet Mahrez's technical class and accomplishments over the years mean that he must be considered one of t...
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Ranking the 10 best defensive midfielders in the world in 2023
7Apr By Kevin ParviziNo Comments
Features

Ranking the 10 best defensive midfielders in the world in 2023

As teams look to get more tactical and reinforce their defensive structure, maintain possession, and consistently progress play with quick decisions in set patterns of play, the defensive midfield position is becoming an increasingly coveted and demanded position in modern football. Look no further than the fees Chelsea paid for Enzo Fernández and Real Madrid spent to sign Aurélien Tchouaméni, who shows up on this list. Who joins him? Where does he rank? Here are the 10 best defensive midfielders in the world right now. 10. Aleix García, Girona Aleix García has been one of the sensations of the 2022/23 season, and he isn't the only breakout star who finds himself on this list of the best defensive midfielders in the world. The Girona leader's numbers have to be seen to be bel...
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Ranking the 10 best center backs in the world for 2023
18Mar By Kevin ParviziNo Comments
Features

Ranking the 10 best center backs in the world for 2023

The center back position is one of the most difficult to evaluate in football, because much of what makes the best center backs so effective is what they do off the ball. Paolo Maldini was famous for being able to shut strikers out of the match without even having to make a tackle, famously remarking that this was a sign of a great defender.  Yet at the same time, the best center backs in world football need to show they are capable of making decisive interventions when called upon. And there are even other central defenders who have the responsibility of pushing higher up the pitch to win the ball, particularly for possession-based, pressing teams like Bayern München. So here are the 10 best center backs in football today, ranked based on a combination of current play in the 2...
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