Category: Premier League

Moisés Caicedo – Player Analysis

by Rhys Desmond, posted in Central Midfield, Defensive Midfield, Most Recent, Player Analysis, Premier League, World Cup 2022

Around this time last year, Brighton & Hove Albion made a stunning swoop for Ecuadorian midfielder Moisés Caicedo, who at the time, was playing for Independiente del Valle in the Ecuadorian Serie A. They swiftly sent him on loan to Belgian First Division side Beerschot for the beginning half of the 2021-22 season, where his success in Belgium prompted the Seagulls to immediately install him in the heart of their midfield for the remainder of the campaign. Now an Albion regular, Moisés Caicedo has been one of the Premier League's standout midfielders since his re-arrival in the Prem, as an up-and-down 'Shuttler' capable of covering ground all over the pitch. Here is our analysis of Ecuador's supreme midfielder Moisés Caicedo.

Manuel Akanji at Man City – Tactical Analysis

by Rhys Desmond, posted in Centre Backs, Coach Education, Masterclasses, Most Recent, Player Analysis, Premier League

Even at the cut-price of £15 million, many unaware football fans were skeptical of Manchester City's move for Manuel Akanji. The thought was that he was an unreliable defender, who frequently made critical defensive errors leading to goals. This happened a few times in Akanji's early days at BVB, and painfully for us as fans, most crucially in the lead-up to Dortmund losing the title in Favre's first year. But what many failed to recognize despite my constant banging of the drum last year - Akanji had grown into one of the best defenders on the planet in his final two seasons at the club. Here is our analysis of Manuel Akanji's start to life at Manchester City.

Analyzing Liverpool’s tactical concerns in 2022-23

by Charlie Ellis, posted in Most Recent, Premier League, Team Analysis

It's not been the most incredible start to a Premier League season for Jürgen Klopp's Redmen, and in fact, statistically, his worst on record. The 9-0 flurry against Bournemouth and the hard-fought clean sheet to Guardiola's City serve as reminders that Liverpool are still a force to be reckoned with in the Prem. But as Arteta's Arsenal surge into form and the likes of United and Chelsea gain traction under new management, Liverpool are slowly falling behind in the top four race. With that, we break down the tactical concerns behind Liverpool's start to the 2022-23, and provide suggestions for Klopp's men moving forward. Here is our analysis!

The multiple layers of Trent Alexander-Arnold

by Rhys Desmond, posted in Coach Education, Fullback, Masterclasses, Most Recent, Player Analysis, Player Education, Premier League, Wing-Back

Trent Alexander-Arnold is one of the best right-backs in the world of football, and possibly one of the greatest the Premier League has ever witnessed. So for all the extremities that he accomplishes in attack, it becomes very normal for fan-bases across the globe to try and poke holes in his game and conjure up reasons that go against his greatness.

Why Erling Haaland scores so many goals

by Rhys Desmond, posted in Coach Education, Masterclasses, Most Recent, Player Analysis, Player Education, Premier League, Striker

Let's not get overly simplistic about this. Erling Haaland is the best footballer in the world at the moment. But how he scores so many goals can be scrutinized in far greater depth than simply saying he's an alien. So with that, here is our latest analysis on the great Erling Haaland, and how he scores so many incredible goals.

How good is Scott McTominay? – Player Analysis

by Rhys Desmond, posted in Central Midfield, Coach Education, Defensive Midfield, Masterclasses, Most Recent, Player Analysis, Premier League

Throughout the past five to ten years of watching Manchester United, I had thought of myself as one of Scott McTominay's biggest fans. The Scotsman is often over-criticized when he doesn't play well, and under-praised in the big matches where he's always a central figurehead. But then out of nowhere, at the height of Scott McTominay's resurgence, a fairly well established Twitter account tweeted about the glory of Scott McTominay, causing quite the stir among the tactics and analytics community. . So with that, I analyze just how good Scott McTominay actually is, and whether or not we should be thinking of the Scottsman along the lines of @EBL2017, in line with the outrage sparked from the tweet, or somewhere in the middle. Here is my analysis of how good Scott McTominay might just be.

Game of Numbers #6 – Lucy Bronze as a Floating 8

by Rhys Desmond, posted in Coach Education, Game of Numbers, Masterclasses, Match Analysis, Player Analysis, Premier League, Women's Football

FC Barcelona Femení had a slow start to their first match of the season, initially struggling to find avenues forward in Tenerife's 5-4-1 defensive block. UD Granadilla Tenerife compacted the lines both vertically and horizontally to stunt Barcelona's progress forward, but in an abnormally high-line that spurred Giráldez's team to hit long passes over the top. They were caught offside from these attempts time and time again, particularly in their quest to spray in behind for Geyse's speed. But then, everything changed.

Potter’s first match at Chelsea – Tactical Analysis

by Rhys Desmond, posted in Managers, Match Analysis, Premier League, UEFA Champions League

In my entire existence on this website, I have never received so many questions about the same topic in a span of less than twenty-four hours. What, on earth, were Chelsea doing on Wednesday? What formation were they playing? What was Sterling? What was Cucurella? How did it all come together in such strange fashion? I'm paraphrasing, of course. But the point stands; and it's a question that arises once again from Potter's incessant desire to be very fun.