Soccer Analysis

Jose Mourinho has never walked into a club and not provided an immediate boost. This United job has been different and he needs to make it work, at least for a while, as a kind of cosmic résumé-bolstering exercise. Read more »

Atleti are seemingly fighting three battles this season: against their opponents, against success and expectations, and against a stylistic evolution. On the other side of town, Real Madrid are discovering yet new ways they can win. Read more »

As other South American countries try to find short-term solutions, Uruguay have discovered success through Oscar Tabarez's steady hand, defensive and midfield intensity, and match winning moments that can only be provided by Luis Suarez's combative instincts. Read more »

Fernando Santos has emphasized his simple fundamentals of a strong defense and a midfield press that takes advantage of the youth in that position. Santos side not only won their first senior international trophy last summer but also built the foundation for success at 2018 and 2020. Read more »

For all the underlying statistics of pressing and running we associate with Roger Schmidt's time at Leverkusen, results are the single number that matters. Read more »

With Romelu Lukaku, it's not a question of goals as he's proven he can score: it's about whether he can add that extra bit, the ability to create out of nothing, or if it’s too late. That variable determines Lukaku's overall ceiling. Read more »

The charm of Leicester City is in their small, tight knit squad. But like a small business rapidly expanding to meet demand, there are concerns of how that character would scale across multiple competitions. After their win over Copenhagen, Ranieri emphasized the Champions League over domestic play. Read more »

Despite his penchant for the dramatics, Sergio Ramos' value is told in the organization, the leadership, the way he handles criticism, and the little things that don't necessarily win or lose a match as obviously as giving away penalties or scoring off headers, but are essential in keeping a backline and team moving forward throughout an entire season. Read more »

Las Palmas' entertaining style and goals have won them newfound accolades and attention. The fact that they do so on a budget reopens the age-old debate of buying players versus developing them. Read more »

Early this season, we're beginning to see the player Mauro Icardi can become, not just as a poacher but a captain who inspires his teammates. It's already been a long and interesting path for a 23-year-old. Read more »

It is significant Diego Simeone stayed to bridge the eras in club history. After all, Simeone cannot manage Atleti forever, but the memories will sustain for decades in their new stadium. For now, the Champions League is the only trophy that eludes him and his side. Read more »

Sevilla will be entertaining to watch in a way that experiments with equal chance of large success or brutal failure often are. Read more »

Maybe a grassroots overhaul wasn't necessary for Brazil after all. Combining the steadiness of Miranda and Casemiro with the dynamism of Neymar and Jesus, Tite put together an effective blueprint heading into the next two years of World Cup qualifiers. Read more »

Inter spent over $120 million in overhauling their attack while also bringing in Frank De Boer to see if his success at Ajax can translate into Serie A. Read more »

Whereas Pep Guardiola waited halfway into his first season before revealing this wrinkle at Bayern, he wasted no time in showcasing this style in the opening match with Gael Clichy and Bacary Sagna moving to center midfield in the build up phase. Read more »

While Zinedine Zidane hopes to continue building upon his success after taking over in January, Luis Enrique's challenge will be integrating the youth and energy of his summer signings into the Messi framework. Read more »

On how we expect Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Dimitri Payet, Jamie Vardy, John Stones, N'Golo Kante, Paul Pogba, Eden Hazard, Kevin De Bruyne, Granit Xhaka and Toby Alderweireld to impact the EPL season. Read more »

Transfer season is a portrait of the starving sports fan. We enjoy the games so much that we have decided, in the sleepy summer months, to become fascinated with game-adjacent activity that resembles stock trading more than it does any sport. Read more »

The roster Pep Guardiola inherits at City bears little resemblance to the sides he managed at Barcelona and Bayern, beginning with the lack of ball playing center midfielders. If the English game is characterized by directness and a 4-4-2, one could expect his style to be a combination of addressing that physicality and his positional play. Read more »

The difference in talent between that Bayern team and this current Liverpool side highlights the counter press as an effective tool to bridge the gap in both on field quality and off field financial power. The emphasis on fitness is a significant step closer to seeing a true Jurgen Klopp side at Liverpool. Read more »