Erling Haaland. Ryan Gravenberch. Eduardo Camavinga. The list of young players who broke out in 2020 was a truly star-studded one, with these three imperious names only scratching the surface when it comes to fresh faces in leading roles. So who’s next? Who will be 2021’s Haaland, Gravenberch or Camavinga? With the help of the…
This has been the season of many things. It’s been the season of an ever-changeable title race landscape. It’s been the season of vastly changing fortunes, with dips and rises for Mikel Arteta, Frank Lampard, and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. And it’s been the season where a still-quite-young Aston Villa left-winger has broken out and looked…
Football is and forever has been perpetually evolving, but things have really sped up over the last decade. Previously, roles were defined by positions. Everyone had a rough idea of what to expect from each area of the pitch. Now, though, one position can be, and regularly is, filled by a number of players all…
When it was revealed that Luis Suárez would be leaving Barcelona at the end of the 2019/20 campaign, many expected to see him plying his trade in MLS for the foreseeable future. However, much to the surprise of, well, everyone, he remained in Spain and is now spearheading Atlético Madrid’s title challenge. The 2-1 victory…
It’s often implied that the sign of a good defence is the number of clean sheets they keep. Yet it’s a stat heavily reliant on luck and one that doesn’t necessarily tell the whole story. For example, a team could be peppered with shots throughout the match but due to poor finishing and goalkeeping exploits,…
Has there ever been as much interest in football stats as there is now? Sky Sports, BT Sport and Match of the Day have all embraced the new offerings while banter accounts on social media now dabble in them, if only to antagonise a fanbase. This is both a positive and a negative. The more…
It’s penalties galore in the Premier League this season. We’re into matchday 17 of the 2020/21 campaign and, on average, we’re seeing four penalties every weekend in the English top flight. Prior to this, the highest was 2.76 during 2016/17. Previously, seeing multiple penalty awards in a single match was a rarity, yet it’s happened…
Standing out in a saturated market isn’t ever easy. Especially not when those in the market are becoming more knowledgeable. We’ve already covered how social media users are becoming banner blind, but potential bettors are now used to seeing big odds being pushed in an attempt to capture their attention and ultimately gain their custom. …
In the first feature of our Game State series, we focused on player behaviour. We explained why Liverpool sit a little deeper after taking the lead and how this directly impacts the threat of Mohamed Salah. This time around, we’re going to take a look at how game state impacts a player’s mentality. We often…
It’s that time of the year again. With the Bundesliga now on a winter break, we’re able to review the previous 12 months to come up with the Team of the Year. However, unlike others, we’re looking to make ours as practical as possible. This isn’t about getting the most popular players into a starting XI.…