Author Archives: Philippe Stengel

ManOnMonday010 We are so used to textbook roles that players are supposed to fulfill when they play in specific positions. Most would inherently prefer their wingers to play on their weaker-footed side so that they can cut inside. Our ideas of full-backs and wing-backs dictate that they should constantly overlap those wingers. But there isContinue reading “Cool players in cool roles that you should pay attention to this Premier League season“

Man On Monday 009 You can feel that Arsenal are moving in the right direction.  Despite their failure to qualify for the Champions League, Edu and Arteta have already managed to secure the signatures of players that address immediate issues. Gabriel Jesus, Fabio Vieira, and now Oleksandr Zinchenko each bring something the club specifically needed.Continue reading “Arsenal: Signing Zinchenko will take pressure off Tierney and Xhaka”

Man On Monday 008 Things had to change. PSG simply have too much money and talent on their hands to still have nothing to show for it in the Champions League. But this summer, rather than continuing to accept the outcomes of the last few years, PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi shook things up. He firstContinue reading “Christophe Galtier will do what many international sides are doing to win major cup competitions: implement a back-three”

ManOnMonday007 In the recent international “break” that saw star players like Kevin De Bruyne and Virgil van Dijk complain about its purpose after a grueling season, several larger nations struggled. The two most notably poor performances came from England and France, arguably the two favorites for Qatar 2022. England looked stagnant and lost twice toContinue reading “Analyzing the reaction to the June Nations Lague games “

On April 19th, Thiago and Mo Salah were on press conference duties after Liverpool’s 4-0 thrashing of Man United. Many of you probably saw the interview when it circulated on social media, mainly because Salah had said “they made our lives easy” (He cleared this up afterwards by claiming he had been referring to hisContinue reading “Is Salah a striker or a winger? It doesn’t actually matter”

ManOnMonday004 Last season, Guardiola unearthed a gem in Joao Cancelo, who played a variety of roles in his Man City side, most notably as an inverted left back. This move saw him regularly move into midfield in possession, alongside Rodri or Fernandinho. It gave Ilkay Gundogan license to move further forward, leading to a club-highContinue reading “The unmatched versatility of Bernardo Silva”

ManOnMonday003 By now, it should be a known fact that the integration of data analytics has been a positive for football. Data plays a crucial role in analyzing team performances, scouting opponents, and, most importantly, seeking out potential transfer targets.  Basically, everything that you see happen on a football pitch can be ticked off andContinue reading “There isn’t a binary answer for everything, but stats will help you become better at watching football.”

ManOnMonday002 In a time where society seems to have forgotten (or has a strong desire to forget) about the coronavirus, Eddie Howe oversaw his first match as Newcastle manager from a hotel room. The coach had received a positive COVID-19 test in the buildup to the game against Brentford, leaving assistant Jason Tindall in chargeContinue reading “With rags or with riches, Eddie Howe will make Newcastle fun.”