It's time for our Monthly Magazine of December 2021! In this month's edition of Fox in the Box, we explore the Team of the Season Halfway Through, recount and recall our most popular analyses of 2021, and answer your end of year questions. Subscribe to our monthly subscription for $1.00 per month or login to your account, to view the magazine.
Tag: Virgil Van Dijk
Centre Back of the Year – Interactive Vote (Top 100 Footballers 2021)
The end of year is almost here, and that means it's time for our annual Top 100 Footballers list. This year, you, the readers of our website, will get to have your say. Just simply see the list of nominees below, and rearrange the list to suit your preference of first to last in each position. When we rank the Top 100 Footballers of the Year, we take into consideration a player's form throughout 2021, their club and national team success, difficulty of league, and their reputation + performances in the year prior. You can rank based on any criteria you desire! Below is our poll ranking the best centre backs in 2021.
West Ham United 3-2 Liverpool – Tactical Analysis – How Moyes’ Men Claimed Victory
Following a fantastic 2020-21 campaign, few expected West Ham's form to carry over into the 2021-22 campaign to the same extraordinary extent. But David Moyes' men have gone from strength to strength this season, playing some of their best football in decades. The Hammers are now all the way up into third place, ahead of Liverpool, after a hard-fought 3-2 victory over the Reds this weekend. Here is our analysis of the match!
Should Klopp consider a back-three in 2021-22?
For much of Jurgen Klopp’s Anfield reign, Liverpool have favored a 4-3-3 shape. In this system, the Reds have enjoyed defensive solidity, offensive prowess and become one of the most dominant forces in world football. The results speak for themselves regarding the effectiveness of this shape, with the well-rounded formation taking Liverpool to Champions League and Premier League success. While the Reds weren’t always ruthless in their title-winning season, few can deny that they were efficient. But is it time for Klopp to freshen things up? Well, he may have the chance to try something new in 2021-22.
What would Ibrahima Konaté bring to Liverpool? – Player Analysis
According to multiple sources, RB Leipzig's Ibrahima Konaté is set to join Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool, as the club look to end their search for a new centre-back. The French defender broke onto the scene with Leipzig at the start of the 2018-19 campaign, making 28 appearances in the Bundesliga as Die Roten Bullen finished third. Since then, Konaté's found minutes on the pitch difficult to come by, appearing in only 12 league fixtures in 2020-21 and 8 in 2019-20. In Liverpool's Round of 16 match-up against the Red Bulls in the UEFA Champions League this season, the Frenchman was absent for both fixtures. Upon hearing this you might be wondering...did they get the wrong man?
Futbol Masterminds – UEFA Champions League Quarter Final Predictions
Ahead of the upcoming UEFA Champions League quarter final matches, Kausty, Russell and Rhys break down their predictions for each enthralling match-up. After the panel give their predictions, chaos ensues as Russell forgets the recording is still live and goes on a tangent about Virgil Van Dijk and Erling Haaland's dad. Follow @futbolmasterminds on Instagram to see more of the show and subscribe via Itunes and Spotify!
Previewing the international break (March 2021) – Netherlands, Germany and Canada
The first international break of 2021 kicks off an exciting spring/summer in the world of football with three major tournaments: the Euros, Copa America and Olympic Games - taking place in a few months' time. All three tournaments were supposed to take place in 2020, however due to the COVID-19 pandemic they were pushed to 2021. Here we will highlight a few teams and storylines to keep an eye on this international break.
