Vesper

omg I cannot unsee this! curse you to hell!!!!!!

Why is this Spurs’ worst season of shooting since data began? https://theathletic.com/1907729/2020/07/06/spurs-tottenham-shoot-kane-son-mourinho-jose-xg/ With their Champions League hopes on the line against Sheffield United last Thursday, Tottenham were expected to throw everything at their opponents. Instead, they quickly ran out of ideas and managed just one shot in the second half — Harry Kane’s 90th-minute tap-in. It was a dismal return but it was no aberration. Spurs are shooting less than in any season since Opta began recording the data in 1997-98. They are averaging just 12.1 shots per game, which is comfortably below their previous lowest of 12.4 in 2005-06. In the Premier League this season, they have posted the 11th-highest number of shots, below Brighton and Aston Villa, and just above bottom club Norwich. Shooting more often does not necessarily equate to success — Thursday’s 3-1 winners Sheffield United are bottom of the metric this season for example — but it’s revealing that the most frequent shooters in the Premier League are the same clubs that currently occupy the top five positions in the division. As the legendary ice hockey player Wayne Gretzky put it: “You miss 100 per cent of the shots you don’t take.” And Spurs’ average of 12.1 shots per game this season represents a steep decline from a few years ago. From 17.2 in 2015-16 to 17.6, 16.4, and 14.1 in the three campaigns prior to this. During this season, they averaged 12.5 per game under Mauricio Pochettino, and are averaging 11.8 per game under Jose Mourinho. Part of this is to do with waiting until being in better positions before shooting, as demonstrated by Spurs’ shot conversion rate of 13.2 per cent being their best since the data began being collected in 1997-98, and the fifth highest in the Premier League this season. But it also speaks to a less threatening attack, and is representative of a team that dominates games far less. That extremely high figure of 17.6 shots per game in 2016-17 was the season Spurs finished second with 86 points and were able to overwhelm opponents with wave after wave of attacks. A lot has changed since then. A major reason Spurs struggle to create chances is the absence of Christian Eriksen. He had his critics towards the end but, excluding Gedson Fernandes, who has played just 60 Premier League minutes, Eriksen has the best chances created per 90 minutes ratio of any player for Spurs this season, despite not being at peak level. Without his guile and skill at unlocking defences, Tottenham often find themselves running into blind alleys or not being decisive enough in the final third. Even as recently as Boxing Day when Eriksen was on his way out of the club, he retained the ability to carve open a deep-lying defence. On that occasion he produced a sumptuous pass to help set up Dele Alli’s goal in the 2-1 win over Brighton. Contrast that with Erik Lamela’s attempts against Sheffield United at Bramall Lane, and his struggles against Manchester United last month when he misplaced numerous attempted through balls. In the below example Lamela makes a good run through the middle of the Sheffield United defence but can’t make his mind up about which pass to choose. Eventually he tries to play in Lucas Moura, who is by this point only a few feet away and not anticipating a pass. The ball bobbles back to Lamela but he now has three defenders around him and they can hack the ball away. Against Manchester United it was a similar story, and the below example is instructive. Son makes a run in behind the opposition defence and requires a lofted ball over the top to be sent clean through on goal. Instead Lamela waits, dribbles forward and then misdirects a pass that sails straight towards Harry Maguire who can easily clear. It’s a pass you would back Eriksen to make with either foot. Giovani Lo Celso is capable of that kind of creativity but when Spurs play with three forwards off Kane, as they have done in every game since the restart, he is stationed deeper. Playing with a system that allows him to play higher up the pitch could help Spurs be more incisive in the final third. As would Tanguy Ndombele finding form and fitness — but perhaps that’s a discussion for another day. Returning to the present, another problem for Tottenham is that they often struggle to take advantage of promising counter-attacks. In the next example, Sissoko makes a good run from deep but by the time he approaches the Sheffield United box, he appears to panic. After ignoring Son Heung-min and running into Steven Bergwijn’s space, he is too close to the Dutchman by the time he plays the ball and his team-mate is rushed into attempting a return pass that’s intercepted. A more structural issue is the team’s reliance on Serge Aurier to provide width and an attacking threat from the flanks. Aurier is adept at getting forward and finding space, but often his final ball is poor and doesn’t lead to goalscoring chances. Against Sheffield United he attempted six crosses, only one of which found a team-mate and even that was uncomfortably behind Son. None of the six were defined as “good crosses” by Opta. The first image below sees Aurier overhit a cross, while the second is underhit and easily headed clear. Often his crosses are fired in low, and with varying degrees of success. Having so many low crosses does also partly explain why Spurs are shooting less — you can have a dangerous cross fizzed across the box that doesn’t lead to a shot but is still a decent opening. Though against Sheffield United this was not the case, with the below illustration of an easily cleared low cross at the near post a typical example. Given Spurs’ other full-back Ben Davies is instructed to play as a third central defender when the team is in possession, there is a huge amount of responsibility on Aurier to create chances. At the moment, given how few shots Spurs are managing, it’s a system that doesn’t seem to be working. Another major reason for why Spurs have become so shot-shy is because Kane is shooting much less often. As explored by The Athletic earlier in the season, it’s hard to know whether Kane’s output is lower because Spurs have declined or vice versa. Their recent histories and fortunes are so intertwined. In any case, Kane has gone from averaging 5.4 shots per game in 2017-18, which is frankly far too many, to almost half that with 2.9 this season (his lowest since breaking into the first team). Part of this is to do with Kane taking up much deeper positions than previously, as demonstrated by him having more touches in his own box than the opposition’s against Manchester United. Kane’s touch map against Manchester United in June Against West Ham and Sheffield United, Kane was able to get more shots away but when he does drop deep, Son and Lucas Moura have struggled to find space in behind opposition defences. Son has also been guilty on a few occasions this season of over-elaborating and not getting a shot away when the opportunity has presented itself. Son’s injury, coupled with Kane’s absences this season, are also partly responsible for Spurs’ reduced shooting, but it’s been a downward trend for the last few years now. Broadly the decline speaks to Spurs’ lack of dominance and control in matches. They may have ended up beating West Ham when the two sides met last month, but it was tough to disagree with Michail Antonio’s pre-match assessment that: “One thing I noticed (from their draw against Manchester United) is that they are not that free-flowing, attacking team they used to be. They sat back quite a bit and played more on the counter.” Much has been made of Tottenham’s defensive deficiencies, but starting tonight against Everton they must rediscover their attacking verve if they are to stand any chance of an unlikely late push for the top five.

xGreenwood: Is most lethal forward in PL overperforming, or will run continue? https://theathletic.com/1909843/2020/07/05/mason-greenwood-manchester-united-bournemouth-double/ Witnessing Mason Greenwood score his seventh and eighth Premier League goals up close, it was impossible to escape the feeling that the conviction in his finishes was markedly at odds with the actual quality of the chances. Clearly, both openings were obvious shooting opportunities, but at the feet of a typical Premier League striker anticipation of the net bursting back may have been measured. Already though, a different expectancy is emerging around Greenwood. Once with his left and once with his right at an empty Old Trafford, Manchester United’s 18-year-old forward made the ball look and sound like it had been fired from a cannon, living up to the song that describes him as dynamite. On social media after United’s 5-2 win over Bournemouth Greenwood posted an emoji stick of explosive to celebrate his first Premier League brace, and while that may have been a bit of fun it does point to a developing truth. Because the power and placement Greenwood can get in his finishing explains why, at the moment, he has the best ratio of expected goals (xG) to actual goals in the Premier League. Opta have analysed more than 300,000 shots to calculate the likelihood of a goal being scored from a certain position on the pitch during a particular phase in play. It takes into account several variables including the style of assist, whether it arrives at head or foot, and the angle and distance from the goalmouth. The database builds a statistical probability of a goal being scored, and ultimately enables analysts a deeper assessment of action on the pitch. This Opta map shows the places Greenwood has taken his 31 total shots from, the probability of each resulting in a goal, and which actually went in. Greenwood’s eight goals have come from an xG of just 2.4, meaning he is outperforming the norm at a rate of 3.3 (goals divided by xG). Of the 28 players to score eight or more Premier League goals, Kevin De Bruyne has the next best ratio. His 11 goals have come from an xG of 6.8 — a ratio of 1.62. It is clear the proportion by which Greenwood is exceeding expectations far surpasses any other player in the Premier League right now. A large caveat comes from the small sample size — Vardy’s 21 goals are proof of consistency — so the question is whether Greenwood can sustain such a run. One of the reasons that Expected Goals is such a useful metric is because it’s more predictive of how many goals a player is likely to score in the future than the number of goals they’ve actually scored. In a small sample of shots, a player may look like an excellent finisher or an awful finisher — even Lionel Messi recently had 18 shots over three games without scoring — but over a larger sample their goal tally usually falls in line with the quality of chances they’re getting. Consider Teemu Pukki, who earlier this season had six goals from an xG of 2.3 — a ratio of 2.6. By the time the Finnish forward had his eighth goal his ratio had dipped to 1.66 from an xG of 4.8. Now his ratio stands at 1.02 with 11 goals from an xG of 10.7. His goalscoring is now practically in line with his xG, and an example of why strong finishing at times is due to small sample sizes blurring the lines between skill and luck. Tammy Abraham had even better numbers at the start of this season. He reached seven goals from an xG of just 2.7 – a ratio of 2.63. But he too was unable to maintain such overperformance. His eighth goal came at an xG of 4.5 — a ratio of 1.79 — and he now has 13 goals from an xG of 14.7, a ratio of 0.88. Realistically, that tells us Greenwood’s finishing should move more in line with his underlying xG in future. The xG figure itself is a measure of getting into good shooting positions, but not necessarily about the quality of finishing itself. Although there’s little research that suggests it’s true, logic tells us that shot power and placement are two of the few ways a player can be an above-average finisher — both are raw materials possessed by Greenwood. Additionally, being comfortable shooting on either foot means there are fewer positions and angles that are uncomfortable to shoot from compared to a more one-footed striker. Two excellent two-footed players are good examples of this: since 2015-16, Spurs’ Son Heung-min has 51 non-penalty goals in the league from an xG of 35.4. Eden Hazard also has 40 non-penalty goals since 2015-16, from an xG of 24.8. Greenwood is also adding clever movement to his game, which combined with incredible balance is a nightmarish prospect for defenders, as he showed against Bournemouth on Saturday. For his first goal, he engineers an extra yard of space away from right-back Adam Smith by stepping towards Bruno Fernandes in one instant then bending back sharply in the next. Smith goes with Greenwood’s initial movement so, by the time Fernandes releases the pass, a gap has opened up. Greenwood’s lightening feet position the ball quickly and the sheer heft of the shot is too great for Adam Ramsdale. Greenwood’s second begins when he receives the ball from Nemanja Matic with his back to goal. But as Bournemouth’s players shout “don’t let him turn,” Greenwood has the equilibrium to twist on the spot, shift the ball from one foot to the other, and unleash another ferocious shot, this time from an improbable angle. The 18-year-old is able to get such power because both feet are off the floor just after the moment of impact. Though he is as effective with either foot, it was actually his first Premier League goal using his right. With the job done, Greenwood was replaced. He went to sit in the stands, chatted to Brandon Williams and Scott McTominay, and sipped a supplement drink of the same milk-bottle appearance as the one Fernandes was handed after coming off against Brighton, which aids recovery and sleep after a game. Greenwood certainly deserved a rest because while he comes alive around the box, he is increasingly getting involved in deeper situations. In the second half, he helped Aaron Wan-Bissaka defensively, carried the ball 42 yards, then offloaded to Paul Pogba. It brought to mind his run from a similar position for his goal against Watford. On that occasion, he reached the penalty area, got the ball back off Fernandes, and whipped in another finish of tremendous pace. His shot against Newcastle carried the same whiplash dynamism, and by now it is obvious that if Greenwood picks up the ball anywhere outside the box he will inevitably drive forward and go for goal. His goals against Everton and Norwich came that way. On both occasions his immediate intention was for shooting, but rather than power these finishes showcased his precision. Each one passed through the legs of a defender — Yerry Mina and Grant Hanley respectively — and into the bottom corner beyond dives from Jordan Pickford and Tim Krul. While shooting between opponents’ feet does come naturally to Greenwood, it is something Ole Gunnar Solskjaer mastered, and tips have been given to all players on the training ground. Solskjaer used to do the same with Wayne Rooney. Warren Joyce, who coached United’s reserves alongside Solskjaer, tells The Athletic: “You could see Ole coaching Wayne Rooney on how to shoot through people’s legs. The timing, the positioning to off-balance the defender, into this corner because the goalkeeper can’t see. Even when he was reserve coach he would go across and talk about that level of detail. “They are the kind of conversations that went on all the time in every position throughout the club on a regular basis. Then it was coming up in practices and training sessions where people would have to make those decisions. At the end of the journey, your brain is like a computer, seeing the pictures, flicking through again and again. Which is the right one to select? That is the thing we tried to do with the players, so you are creating experienced heads on 19-year-old bodies.” Not 19 until October 1, Greenwood has areas to improve, of course. Heading is one aspect being worked on, while getting across the near post to crosses from Wan-Bissaka and Luke Shaw is another. Greenwood nearly reached a low Wan-Bissaka cross in the first half against Bournemouth. Greenwood’s first Premier League goal came via that route, a tap-in to Marcus Rashford’s perfect delivery away to Sheffield United. Greenwood sensed the chance, beating Phil Jagielka to the ball inside six yards. It was one of only three “big chances” created for Greenwood in the Premier League this season, giving another reason why his goal-to-xG ratio is so high. (He failed to score with his other two.) Classed as “a situation where a player should reasonably be expected to score, usually in a one-on-one scenario or from very close range when the ball has a clear path to goal”, the idea is for Greenwood to get more big chances as he develops even greater understanding with his team-mates. The simple fact though is that he can create chances for himself. Against Brighton, he received Wan-Bissaka’s pass 33 yards from goal. But drove at Lewis Dunk, finding space through two stepovers, and eventually shot from level with the penalty spot. It is not trite when Solskjaer says “the sky is the limit” for Greenwood. Only three players 18 or under have scored more in a Premier League season than him — Michael Owen (twice), Robbie Fowler, and Wayne Rooney — and football’s postponement has enabled him to gain extra improvement in his debut campaign as well as more time to challenge for a place in Gareth Southgate’s squad for the European Championships. As Rashford became United’s first academy graduate to hit 20 goals in a season since Paul Scholes in 2002-03, it is not too fanciful to think Greenwood might be able to replicate. He needs five more and United could have 11 further matches should they reach FA Cup and Europa League finals. Martial included, it would mean three United players reaching 20 goals in a season for the first time since 1964-65 when Denis Law (39), David Herd (28), and John Connelly (20) all reached that marker. It is a big ask for a teenager but, as current statistics show, xGreenwood can score from even the most minimal chance.

I notice that since Petr Čech has been back here the bozo buys have stopped. Hats off to the big man!!

I just want the dippers to be blocked from 100 points and a new win and points record and new wins in a season record to get there it is us and Arse, we need to beat them and Arse needs to draw or beat them with us drawing or winning 2 draws leaves them on 100 even, so tied with Shitty, but does block the most wins in a season that can then used to bash those cunts (as it would mean a really big collapse the last third or so of the season) I also LOVE LOVE LOVE the fact that COVID-19 (one of the ONLY good things that shit has done) has destroyed their celebrations best year for them to win the league (if it had to happen) this was the dippers last great game over FIVE months ago they were shit or bleh in 11 of the next 12 (Only played well v Palace 2 weeks ago) that is a massive falloff from where they were sitting after that SOTON crushing and 5 of the games were bad, 'dippers being outplayed badly' losses Watford (that started the fall) Atleti twice Chels wooooooot and the pasting by Shitty

and not even remotely close to dominance of 2015/16 PSG they won by 31 points!! and then........ along came Mbappe and Monaco https://www.skysports.com/ligue-1-table/2015

not this year (COVID-19 break probably helped) he has freed up Pogba and Bruno to a large degree

CIES Football Observatory n°303 - 06/07/2020 Values Top transfer value increases with one more year of contract https://football-observatory.com/IMG/sites/b5wp/2019/wp303/en/ The 303rd edition of the CIES Football Observatory Weekly Post presents the big-5 league players whose transfer value would increase the most if their contract with the club of belonging was extended for an additional year. The most positive gap overall was recorded for Jadon Sancho (+€43M), ahead of Kylian Mbappé (+€39M) and Lionel Messi (+€35M). With two years of contract remaining, the transfer value of Jadon Sancho according to the exclusive CIES Football Observatory algorithm is currently just above €180M. A one-year contract extension would drive this figure up to €223M. If Kylian Mbappé extended his contract with Paris St-Germain from June 2022 to June 2023, his estimated transfer value would increase from €242M to €281M. Lionel Messi leads the table among players with only one year of contract remaining ahead of Georginio Wijnaldum and Ferran Torres. By renewing their contracts for an additional year, their transfer values would increase from about €80M to €115M for Messi, from €44M to €64M for Wijnaldum, as well as from €42M to €61M for Torres. Transfer value increases for one year contract extension (€ million) Big-5 leagues players, 01/07/2020

Not everyone with a very high IQ is going to do something that falls into a 'working to save the world' category, or is even capable of it. Many ultra-intelligent people are absolute sodding cunts in fact. Lamps is fine where he is at.

(Video): Jeremie Boga’s highlights from exceptional season https://www.chelsea-news.co/2020/07/video-jeremie-bogas-highlights-exceptional-season/

An IQ level of 150 (and above) is more than possible with the majority of tests. I have never seen or taken one that stops at 130. That doesn't mean they do not exist, but a 130 cap is definitely out of the mainstream. Also, not every astronaut is a genius. This is a myth. The 16 Smartest People On Earth https://www.businessinsider.com/smartest-people-on-earth-2012-10?r=US&IR=T

Reconsidered: Just how good was Xavi in Barcelona’s 6-2 win at Real Madrid? https://theathletic.com/1908016/2020/07/05/xavi-barcelona-real-madrid-6-2/ This is a series re-assessing the most famous individual performances of the modern era. Some will be legendary displays by established world-class players, others will be once-in-a-lifetime cameos that have nevertheless gone down in history. It’s easy to look back on historic displays through rose-tinted spectacles, or to revise our memories of particular performances based upon what came afterwards. A second look at these games from a greater distance can be revealing. This week, we’re looking at a fixture from 2009 — Xavi’s performance as Barcelona won 6-2 against Real Madrid at the Bernabeu. Why this performance? This is generally considered to be Xavi’s most dominant performance during this incredible era of dominance for Barcelona and Spain, although realistically you could also choose the 2-0 at the Bernabeu the next season, Spain’s 1-0 victory over Germany at World Cup 2010, or almost any big Champions League knockout match during this period. Nevertheless, four assists in the biggest fixture in European club football does elevate it to a different level. What was the context? Pep Guardiola was in his first season as Barcelona coach and had created something truly special. Before the campaign was over, people were talking about this Barca side as among the greatest of the modern era, with the front three of Lionel Messi, Samuel Eto’o and Thierry Henry attracting most attention. But the midfield wasn’t bad either. Xavi and Andres Iniesta had starred in Spain’s Euro 2008 victory and while that duo would come to be regarded almost as one, it was Xavi who exerted more influence upon matches that summer. He’d deservedly been named UEFA’s Player of the Tournament, and then arrived back at the Nou Camp to find that his idol and former team-mate Guardiola was now in charge. Strange though it might seem, Xavi hadn’t proven himself as a truly world-class performer at club level. In his early days he had suffered from being at the same club as Guardiola, a similar type of player, and he was often deployed in the deepest midfield role, which didn’t entirely suit him. He wasn’t in the starting XI for Barcelona’s European Cup final victory in 2006, partly because of fitness concerns, while the next two campaigns had been underwhelming. When Xavi was named in the top five of the Ballon d’Or for 2008, one British newspaper famously captioned a photo of him, Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Fernando Torres and Kaka with “the best players in the world — and Xavi”, which was a curious decision at the time, and looked all the sillier over the next four years, during Barcelona and Spain’s period of dominance. It’s also worth pointing out that Xavi was 29 by the time of this contest — his peak, like that of other deep playmaker of this era, came very late. This match felt like a proper title decider. With five games to go, Barcelona were four points clear, had trickier remaining fixtures, a Champions League semi-final away to Chelsea in midweek, and the Copa del Rey final on the horizon too. A victory would clinch the title. A defeat could prompt a Bayer Leverkusen-style collapse on all fronts. Was he as good as we remember? Probably better, considering this game is largely remembered for one of the most decisive tactical innovations of the modern era — Guardiola deploying Messi as a false nine in a big match. He had briefly played there at the start of the campaign, but Guardiola then saved this particular move for Barca’s run-in — and matches against Real, Chelsea and Manchester United. While everyone was focusing upon Messi, the real star of the show was Xavi. Starting in his usual right-of-centre midfield role, he drops back to become Barcelona’s deepest midfielder when Yaya Toure pushes on, from where he receives time to conduct play. Equally, Xavi also pops up in more advanced positions than you would expect. Indeed, for all the focus upon Messi pulling Real’s centre-backs up the pitch — because Barca’s coaching staff had specifically highlighted the fact Fabio Cannavaro and Christoph Metzelder got dragged around too easily — it’s Xavi who summarises Real’s weakness best. On two occasions he receives the ball between the lines, and the heartbreakingly hapless Cannavaro finds himself miles out of position trying to close him down, without ever getting close to the ball. The greatest victim of Xavi’s brilliance, though, is Real’s left central midfielder Fernando Gago, who is outplayed to the point of embarrassment. Xavi repeatedly acts like the Argentine simply isn’t there — easing past him after receiving the ball without bothering to control it, performing pirouettes in midfield by constantly shifting the ball away from Gago, who is left looking like a dog chasing its tail. In an era when pressing wasn’t a fundamental part of top-level football compared to today, the midfield battle is slow and patient, and Xavi is by far the game’s most influential player. He barely attempts a spectacular pass, aside from one wayward ball in behind intended for Henry, and simply keeps things simple in midfield. His passes are laced with information about what the recipient should do next — slow passes when the player has time, quicker balls when they have an opponent on them. Xavi plays the ball into a player’s path when they can drive forward, or plays it behind them when they need to distribute it backwards. It all sounds simple, but Xavi’s team-mates have complete trust in the nature of these passes because he gets them right so consistently — it’s not simply that Xavi never misplaces a pass so it doesn’t reach a team-mate, it’s that he never misplaced a pass so the team-mate does the wrong thing with it. The first assist is for a Carles Puyol header at a set-piece, a goal that would provide inspiration for a similar Puyol header in the following year’s World Cup semi-final. The second assist is a tackle — Xavi pushes high up, dispossesses Lassana Diarra as Real are trying to play out, and slips in Messi. In truth, Xavi probably expected a return pass, but Messi scores anyway. The third is a pass in behind for Henry, so perfectly weighed that it tempts Iker Casillas miles out of his goal to close down the angle — he doesn’t get there, and Henry easily slips it past him. There’s also a brilliant reverse pass to Messi midway through the first half, that should have created a one-on-one but for Messi’s poor touch. Instead, Messi collects the ball near the byline and nearly chips it into the far corner. What was the highlight? Xavi’s fourth and final assist is outrageous. On one hand, it’s what you might reasonably consider a playmaker in his position to do — receiving the ball between the lines, in an inside-right position, and slipping it through the defence for Messi to finish. Nothing unusual about that. On the other hand, it’s a great bit of centre-forward hold-up play from perhaps the smallest man on the pitch. Messi knocks the ball into his feet, and Xavi lets it run across his body on the turn, then spins away from Messi’s run, which takes both Gago and Cannavaro with him, then he touches the ball a second time to bring himself back around into the right direction. And then Xavi does exactly the right thing: playing the “easy” pass into the feet of Messi — rather than inside Gabriel Heinze, which would become Barca’s default pass in these situations. Playmakers are often tempted to play that difficult through-ball — it feels better; it looks better — but Xavi was the master of playing the simple pass at the right time. What might we have forgotten? Xavi was a top-class player because of his brains rather than his body, but his physical qualities shouldn’t be overlooked. While certainly not the quickest over 20 yards or so, Xavi’s speed off the mark in tight midfield situations constantly allows him extra time to pick a pass. Yes, this is partly because of his anticipation skills and his ability to read the game intelligently, but he’s also quick-footed and can change direction swiftly. Similarly, his ability to shield the ball effectively constantly buys him extra time — he knows how to protect the ball, and how to use his body to hold off opponents. This feels particularly useful for Xavi, as players are generally shielding the ball with their back to goal. While other great playmakers of this era were determined to play forward passes, and therefore don’t want to be in situations where they’re being forced into deeper positions, no one used backwards and sideways passes as effectively as Xavi. What happened next? Barca defeated Chelsea in midweek to progress to the European Cup final, where they beat Manchester United 2-0. After a nervy start to the game, Barca were comfortable in the final stages, killing the game easily by dominating the midfield zone after United had effectively gone 4-2-4 and left themselves overrun in the centre. Xavi was the key man. Xavi had a similarly strong influence upon Barcelona the next season, was outstanding at the 2010 World Cup despite being used in a No 10 position which didn’t really suit him, continued his good form at club level for another couple of seasons and then played a starring role in Spain’s Euro 2012 triumph. That marked the end of Xavi’s dominance, and Spain’s of international football. Xavi was still around for Barcelona’s treble in 2015, before leaving for Qatar, where he has started his managerial career. Barcelona approached him about taking charge at the Nou Camp midway through this season — and while that offer came too early, you suspect Xavi will be back one day, to continue the legacy of Johan Cruyff and Guardiola, in the dugout as well as on the pitch.

Lampard's Chelsea Star Frank Lampard Alleged To Have Genius IQ https://www.goal.com/en/news/9/english-football/2009/03/05/1139982/chelsea-star-frank-lampard-alleged-to-have-genius-iq Like the kid at school that is an outstanding achiever in all facets of life, Frank Lampard has combined weighty brain power to his playmaking, ball-pinging, goalkeeper-slaying and net-bulging form. It is rare that intellectuals and footballers are paired together in the same sentence because education is sometimes over-looked in favour of honing skills at tender ages, but a Chelsea club doctor has confirmed that Frank Lampard has an IQ that could be considered genius. A-grade magnet Lampard - who turns 31 this summer - recently took an intelligence test along with several other Blues and is believed to have recorded a score that exceeds 150. Fellow Englishman John Terry also scored highly and was placed third, but Lampard stole top honours. Dr English is quoted by Eurosport as saying, "John Terry was in the top three but Frank Lampard scored one of the highest sets of marks ever recorded by the company doing the tests - higher than me!" A score of 150 would rank Lampard in the top 0.1 per cent in the country, which would be enough to secure the international a place in respected high-IQ society, Mensa. Lampard obtained 12 GCSEs while at school in Essex and is even alleged to have secured an A* in Latin.

Why comparing Pulisic to Hazard is right… and wrong https://theathletic.com/1909691/2020/07/05/pulisic-hazard-piece-christian-eden-chelsea-lampard-usa/ Tammy Abraham spent much of his 14 minutes on the Stamford Bridge pitch against Watford growing increasingly exasperated with Christian Pulisic. Keen to impress Frank Lampard with a goal off the bench, Abraham sprang into action whenever Chelsea poured forward in numbers in search of the third goal Ross Barkley would eventually find in injury time. Pulisic, however, was eager to cap a man-of-the-match performance with a goal of his own, and his eyes lit up as soon as he caught sight of Ben Foster’s goal. When the American had a shot blocked in the final minute with Abraham in space through the middle, the young Chelsea striker threw his head skyward in frustration, stretching his arms out in front of him to signal where he had wanted the pass played. The moment, easy to miss in the final minutes of a match relatively light on drama, was memorable not because Abraham’s frustration was anything hugely significant; attacking team-mates remonstrate with each other all the time when a promising move is undone by the wrong decision. It was memorable because of the man with whom Pulisic, blossoming with every Premier League game he plays, is being compared. In his seven years at Chelsea, nobody ever had a go at Eden Hazard for not passing to them. “They can both go by players and are great to watch,” Lampard said in response to a question that mentioned Hazard and Pulisic in the same breath. “Eden did it here and was sensational. I don’t want to quite get on that comparison, but at the same time, I don’t want to take anything away from Christian. What he’s showing is a real natural ability, a balance, speed to dribble with the ball. “The next step for him is a better end product, more goals, more assists. But since the restart, he’s already shown that, which is great. He’s had injury problems this season but he’s a good one, a really good one. I’m very happy with him.” It’s easy to understand where the comparisons come from. Pulisic has taken Hazard’s old position on the left of Chelsea’s attack and is similarly tasked with using his speed and dribbling to panic defenders into mistakes and create space for team-mates. They contribute to the game in many of the same areas. Just look at Pulisic’s touch map from the Watford game… …and compare it to Hazard’s touch map from last season’s corresponding fixture, which also ended in a 3-0 Chelsea victory. Some of Pulisic’s movements are even slightly reminiscent of the Belgian and he is quickly becoming every bit as adept at winning penalties. Etienne Capoue’s foul for the spot-kick that doubled Chelsea’s lead before half-time was one of the clumsiest of the season, running full speed into Pulisic like a FIFA glitch. Part of the reason it looked so hapless was Pulisic’s spectacular control of pace and direction, first to dart towards the byline and then to craftily flick the ball inside when he sensed Capoue rushing towards him. West Ham defender Issa Diop, fooled by another lightning feint and a sharp turn in the penalty area at the London Stadium on Wednesday, would surely sympathise. The ability to commit multiple defenders with speed or guile, or a combination of the two, is a rare gift that made Hazard invaluable to Chelsea in matches against teams like Watford – opponents happy to sit deep, compact the spaces between their defensive lines and challenge their opponents to conjure some magic. Pulisic is the only man in the current squad to consistently exhibit this ability and it makes him the most important player Lampard has for the games that have tripped Chelsea up so often this season. “Eden was incredible for Chelsea and is a world-class player, so I’m not going to try to compare myself to him,” Pulisic said afterwards. “I’m just going to try to be my own player and hopefully the fans like that guy. I feel confident in my game right now and I’m happy to be on the field to help my team. I’m just going to continue and keep my confidence high.” Pulisic shouldn’t be expected to say anything else, but he also happens to be right. For all the similarities between he and Hazard, the differences are just as evident. He does not yet have the Belgian’s muscular frame, ensuring that each of the four fouls he won from Watford defenders on Saturday prompted a wince. Their respective running styles are also different: Hazard tended to glide as he slalomed between defenders, but Pulisic surges past them with an industrious sprint. Chelsea’s former talisman played Premier League football at the pace of his choosing, slowing down and standing up opponents before leaving them in his wake, while their current one approaches every contribution to the game with a relentless intensity drilled into all players made at Borussia Dortmund. Ultimately, the fundamental distinction between Hazard and Pulisic is one of mentality. Hazard goes on to the pitch with the mindset of a showman, eager to entertain the people watching by demonstrating just how much better he is than everyone else. Pulisic is a pure assassin. In his seven years at Chelsea, nobody ever had a go at Hazard for not passing for two reasons. First, he was so clearly the best player. Second, he always did pass. Hazard’s natural unselfishness exasperated every manager he had at Chelsea to varying degrees. He had to be pushed year-on-year into becoming a more assertive presence at the heart of the team’s attack. Pulisic has no such conflict: he is already averaging more shots on goal (3.5) per 90 minutes in the Premier League than Hazard (2.9) managed in his final, and most prolific, scoring season at Stamford Bridge. Pulisic’s attacking role at Chelsea is much more focused in its scope. He averages around 20 fewer touches (59.7 compared to 82.4) per 90 minutes this season than Hazard did in 2018-19, yet makes more touches in the opposition box per 90 minutes (7.9 for Pulisic, 7.4 for Hazard). He also attempts 35.2 passes per 90 minutes to Hazard’s 56. In the latter years of his Chelsea career, giving Hazard the ball essentially became Chelsea’s entire attacking system. There is no need for Pulisic to assume such playmaking responsibility in Lampard’s team. He has plenty of talented midfielders capable of feeding him the ball in positions where he can immediately turn and drive at goal. It’s understandable, therefore, that he averages half as many key passes (1.5) as Hazard (3) did per 90 minutes in 2018-19. Pulisic is an intelligent passer in the final third, but Lampard has encouraged him to be aggressive in seeking out goalscoring opportunities and hunting for his own shots. He ranks fourth in the Premier League for shots per 90 minutes (3.5) among players with more than 1,000 minutes to their names, behind only Sergio Aguero, Gabriel Jesus and Mohamed Salah. Abraham averages 3.4 shots per 90 minutes, while Timo Werner has averaged 3.9 per 90 in the Bundesliga this season and Hakim Ziyech has averaged 4.9 in the Eredivisie. It will be fascinating to see what kind of balance Lampard’s attackers strike next season, but there seems no reason why Pulisic should willingly take a back seat. The numbers suggest he is a good finisher. His expected goals on target (xGOT) rating, which takes shot quality into account, is 9.56, which suggests he has been slightly unlucky only to score seven goals in the Premier League this season. He has converted 36 per cent of his 11 big chances and has a healthy overall shot conversion rate of 18 per cent. Pulisic still has a way to go to reach the level of Hazard, who was exceptionally efficient last season. His 16 Premier League goals had an expected goals (xG) value of 10.53, boosted by his spectacularly accurate finishing up to an xGOT rating of 15.24. He converted 27 per cent of his shots and a remarkable 55.6 per cent of his 18 big chances. He may not have shot as often as he could have or even should have, but when he did, good things happened for Chelsea. Good things are happening for Lampard now that Pulisic is back fit, back in his team and back to his best. He is not the same as Hazard and he will not follow the same path, but there are already very promising signs that he can be every bit as valuable to Chelsea in the long term.

Manchester United and England legend Gary Neville added a non-footballing title to his impressive list of honours today (Friday 18 July) when he was awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of Salford. The England coach and Sky Sports pundit received a doctor of science award from Salford Business School

swap Jorgi to AC Milan for a time machine and retro rights to hell, he still looks good from last summer

Pau Torres had a very meh game tonight but he had horrid help in the back 4 the very much washed up soon 35yo Raúl Albiol was his CB partner, and was just trash he needs to retire or go cash in in the MLS or in the Middle East, he clearly is done for at top level embarrassing that a club fighting for CL is reduced to starting pure dregs like that

£57m and sold that makes it break even minus salary he is 29yo in December, this is the last big cash in window for him

a Colin Wanker team is horrid company to be in

I could easily see Arthur and Jorgi playing in the same lineup for Sarri

the fact Paredes was playing in Russia (and even more so at Zenit) makes me think it was an Arkadiy Abramovich targeting