Category: World Football

UEFA Euro U19 Stars: Martin Adeline – Player Analysis

by Charlie Ellis, posted in Attacking Midfield, Central Midfield, Most Recent, Player Analysis, World Football

Many of England's starlets have been achieving much deserved acclaim after their impressive tournament win, but an underappreciated star of the competition comes in the form of Martin Adeline, France's exceptional midfield destroyer. The 18-year-old left PSG just two years ago to grow his career elsewhere, and after playing 8 games this season in Ligue 1, he looks to have boosted his reputation a step further at the Euros this summer in Slovakia. The dynamic midfielder showed much promise for France at the competition, helping lead his team toward the semi-final stage of the tournament. Here is our analysis of Martin Adeline, and his performances at the Euros.

UEFA Euro U19 Stars: Carney Chukwuemeka – Player Analysis

by Charlie Ellis, posted in Attacking Midfield, Central Midfield, Most Recent, Player Analysis, Premier League, World Football

Following a Premier League campaign that featured his first two starts for Aston Villa, the young Lion has utilised the UEFA Under-19 European Championships as an opportunity to stake his claim for a spot in Steven Gerrard's first team squad next season. If not for Gerrard's team, there may even be a chance for a loan move to develop his trade, before the inevitable moment in which he will become an elite level Premier League midfielder.

Where should Premier League clubs sign players?

by Rhys Desmond, posted in Data Analysis, Most Recent, Premier League, World Football

Ahead of the start of the 2022-23 season, we endeavoured to answer the question - where should Premier League clubs sign players? In the process of doing our Premier League Transfer Tax study, we've identified a series of trends that existed within Premier League clubs last season, that can help to inform the business of teams moving forward - including questions of where to sign players. Here is our final piece to this four-part puzzle.

UEFA Euro U19 Stars: Yusuf Demir – Player Analysis

by Charlie Ellis, posted in Attacking Midfield, Most Recent, Player Analysis, Winger, World Football

A rollercoaster of a year for Yusuf Demir can end with his head held high after a tournament full of pride with Austria's Under-19's. Not reaching the semi-finals will feel like a major disappointment for Das Team, but the Wien local boy looks to have found the reinvigorating form that earned him a move to Barcelona at the start of last season. Things never quite panned out for Demir at Barca, and his contract was terminated after just six months. Since returning to Rapid, his performances have been up and down, but his evident technical quality still brings promise for what could become of the 19-year-old in the future. This Euros tournament has been all about regaining the confidence that sent Yusuf Demir to Camp Nou in the first place, and many top European sides will now be on red alert for his signature. Here is our analysis of Demir at this summer's U19 European Championship.

Carlo Ancelotti – Real Madrid – Tactical Analysis

by Rhys Desmond, posted in UEFA Champions League, World Football

Carlo Ancelotti has long been a legend of the game. But despite managing for over 20 years, now at the age of 62, Ancelotti has continued to update his tactics and methodologies to serve the modern era. That has now transferred into a fourth UEFA Champions League title for the manager himself, his second at Real Madrid. Los Blancos have been exceptional this season under the influence of Ancelotti, winning La Liga by thirteen points, and beating both of England's top two clubs en route to a Champions League triumph. With that, we take a tactical glance at how Carlo Ancelotti achieved miracles in 2021-22.

Homophobia in football, and the lack of openly gay footballers

by Rhys Desmond, posted in Most Recent, Women's Football, World Football

In October 2021, Australian footballer Josh Cavallo came out as gay. Cavallo became the first openly gay footballer since February 2013, when Columbus Crew's Robbie Rogers came out. After the American's retirement in 2017, the men's football scene was without an open member of the LGBTQ+ community for four years. Cavallo's bravery paved the way for 17-year-old Jake Daniels, a Blackpool youth product who came out as gay in May 2022. With hundreds of thousands of professional players worldwide, the fact of the matter remains that more LGBTQ+ members of the footballing community remain in the closet, unwilling to come out.

Washington Spirit 1-1 Chicago Red Stars – Match Analysis

by Rhys Desmond, posted in Match Analysis, Most Recent, NWSL, Women's Football, World Football

As often happens in a tightly contested affair, Washington Spirit's encounter with the Chicago Red Stars saw one team outperform the other in the attacking third, and the other come out in wonderfully matching that intensity in the defensive third. Washington should have claimed victory, having hit the bar twice and dominating much of the play, but Chicago held their own, accumulating chances to put the game to bed themselves.