Michael Cox – Page 4 – Football Scout

Arsenal have two strikers, Chelsea have none, and neither system is working

Chelsea’s Olivier Giroud believes playing Arsenal will be special but he feels frustrated by the lack of playing time he has had at Chelsea since Maurizio Sarri took charge.

Midway through an intriguing Premier League season, arguably the most two tactically interesting sides meet this weekend at the Emirates.

Neither Arsenal nor Chelsea are challenging for this season’s Premier League, and have stuttered in recent weeks after promising starts under Unai Emery and Maurizio Sarri respectively. Assessing how the sides have adjusted to the new regimes, though, has been fascinating.

Neither Emery nor Sarri appeared a perfect fit: Emery is a tactical tinkerer, joining…

Premier League will lose its most unique player when Mousa Dembele leaves Tottenham

Dembele’s skills as a disruptive, creative and aggressive central midfielder probably won’t be found in the same player again.

Promising young footballers are regularly compared to a current or former great and it’s usually based upon a couple of attributes: the new Thierry Henry, the new Lionel Messi, the new Ronaldo. They rarely live up to the billing, but it’s a useful shortcut for describing their style. It’s difficult, though, to imagine anyone being an accurate “new Mousa Dembele” not because the Belgian was so magnificent that no-one could possibly come close, but because Dembele is unlike anyone else before or…

Samir Nasri shines to show Unai Emery and Arsenal what they’re missing in attack

Samir Nasri assisted on Declan Rice’s winner as West Ham defeated Arsenal at home for the first time since November 2006.

English Premier League: Declan Rice (48′) West Ham 1-0 Arsenal
If, before Saturday’s 1-0 win over Arsenal, you had informed a West Ham supporter that Samir Nasri and Marko Arnautovic would be substituted together after 70 minutes, they probably would have imagined a very different storyline. Nasri was seemingly lacking match fitness and making his first league start for the club. Arnautovic was said to be unhappy, having recently declared his intention to leave.
But, somewhat surprisingly, the pair departed to great acclaim. West Ham were 1-0 up courtesy of…

Manchester United’s Rashford, Tottenham’s Kane different versions of the new English striker

The FC crew share their thoughts on Ole Gunnar Solskjaer reportedly naming Marcus Rashford a starter at the No. 9 position over Romelu Lukaku.

Referee expert Peter Walton shares his thoughts on VAR’s decision to rule Tottenham’s Harry Kane onside against Chelsea in the Carabao Cup.
Once upon a time, English football used to develop a particular type of striker. He was big, tall, strong and a perfect target for long balls and crosses.
Look through England squads at major international tournaments over the past 15 years and you’ll find Peter Crouch (2006), Emile Heskey (2010) and Andy Carroll (2012). In 2014, there was Rickie Lambert, who actually specialised at linking play from deep, but by virtue of coming from the lower leagues, he was automatically considered a target man…

Why Pogba will improve but Hazard won’t in the second half of the season

Steve Nicol and Craig Burley discuss whether Paul Pogba’s recent form deserves all the acclaim he has received.

Shaka Hislop weighs up the latest transfer rumours involving Eden Hazard, Aaron Ramsey, Christian Eriksen, Miguel Almiron and more.
Which Premier League players are over-performing and under-performing this season? Who has been flattered by their assist tally and who is likely to push on under a new regime? Here are three players who could improve in 2019, plus three who could fall back.

Three who could thrive

Gabriel Jesus, Manchester City

By now, many expected Gabriel Jesus to have displaced Sergio Aguero as Manchester City’s first-choice striker. The Brazilian is younger and more adaptable, and Pep Guardiola therefore…

Arsenal bounce back from Liverpool shame with emphatic victory over struggling Fulham

LONDON — Arsenal began 2019 with three precious points as they swept aside Fulham 4-1 at the Emirates. Here are three quick thoughts from their New Year’s Day win.

1. Arsenal bounce back with big win

This felt like an important victory for Arsenal. Their 5-1 defeat to Liverpool last time out was, by a distance, their worst defeat of Unai Emery’s reign thus far. As a side with a reputation for lacking mental toughness under his predecessor Arsene Wenger, the big question here was how Emery’s…

Manchester City’s title defence is showing signs of strain: Here are five reasons why

Less than a month ago, Manchester City enjoyed a two-point lead over Liverpool in the Premier League table and also boasted a superior goal difference of 15. Suddenly, they’re seven points behind the Reds, who are also now level on goal difference, and City aren’t even in second after Tottenham overtook them by a point on Boxing Day.

City have endured a disastrous few weeks, losing three of their last four matches having previously remained unbeaten. But what’s the cause of their sudden slide?…

Man United’s decision to hire Solskjaer may be the most surprising appointment in Prem history

Craig Burley outlines the five steps that new caretaker-manager Ole Gunnar Solskjær needs to take to turn around Manchester United’s fortunes.

From a trophy-filled first season to disaster and an inevitable sacking, relive Jose Mourinho’s tumultuous stint in charge of Manchester United.

Managers from the top Premier League clubs reacted with surprise, sadness and praise after learning Jose Mourinho had been dismissed at Man United.

Mark Ogden breaks down what makes Mauricio Pochettino the perfect candidate to succeed Jose Mourinho at Manchester United.
By this summer, Manchester United will have appointed five managers in the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era: David Moyes, Louis van Gaal, Jose Mourinho, caretaker Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and another, as yet undecided, permanent boss.
Each time, the debate about the identity of the new manager has focused upon the identity of the club. Do they understand the traditions? Do they get the club? Is the new boss “a Manchester United manager”?
This week, the emphasis upon “getting Manchester United” is starker…

Torreira, Fabinho, Jorginho and Fred defining their clubs’ seasons

Check out every goal scored in the Premier League this weekend including Xherdan Shaqiri’s brace, Christian Eriksen’s winner and more.

The boys from Exploding Heads bring you everything that happened from the Premier League weekend in a tidy 90-second (plus stoppages) package.

In the summer, no fewer than four of the Premier League’s Big Six signed potentially game-changing South American central midfielders.

Arsenal landed Sampdoria’s Lucas Torreira of Uruguay, Liverpool captured Brazilian right-back-cum-midfielder Fabinho from Monaco, Manchester United bought Shakhtar Donetsk’s Fred, another Brazilian, and new Chelsea manager Maurizio Sarri brought Brazilian-turned-Italian Jorginho across from his old club Napoli. Their experiences thus far have summarised their…

Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson usurps De Gea as Premier League’s No. 1

Virgil van Dijk praised his Liverpool teammate Alisson Becker after his late save denied Napoli a goal to ensure the Reds progressed into the knockout stage of the Champions League.

Alexis Nunes and Stevie Nicol predict this weekends Premier League fixtures, including a heavyweight match up between Liverpool and Manchester United.

Stewart Robson previews Manchester United’s trip to Anfield where they look to end league leaders Liverpool’s unbeaten run and gain ground back on the top four.
There has never been a Premier League goalkeeper as dominant as Manchester United’s David De Gea.
Yes, there have been more successful goalkeepers: De Gea, who was named the world’s best keeper in the ESPN FC 100, has won just one Premier League title. He also has only one “Golden Glove” award for the highest number of clean sheets in a season — last season, incidentally — and over a dozen goalkeepers have kept more clean sheets.
But these figures are largely dependent upon the quality of De Gea’s…

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