Tag Futebol

Football works in mysterious ways, and with the majority of players having numerous clubs during their careers, there’s a good chance some will come back to haunt their former sides.

From scoring important goals or regularly being a thorn in their ex-club’s side over the years, we’ve seen it on multiple occasions on the biggest stages.

Anthony Elanga recently came back to bite Manchester United, who will surely be regretting selling the winger in the summer of 2023, particularly with Nottingham Forest now miles ahead of their midweek opponents, who were beaten by the Swede’s special winner at the City Ground.

Here, we’ve taken a look at 11 stars who have haunted their former clubs.

The 10 fastest title wins in Premier League history

Liverpool have looked like champions for a while, but whose footsteps are they following in?

ByStephan Georgiou Mar 31, 2025 1 Anthony Elanga Nottingham Forest v Man Utd

Anthony Elanga has been something of a revelation since his move to Nottingham Forest, with the Reds benefiting from the Swede being unable to find a home during his stay at Manchester United.

The winger has often been in electrifying form, but showcased his talents to his former employers with a superb solo run before scoring an eventual winner in their recent Premier League clash.

With Forest set to finish in the European places, the move has certainly worked out for the 22-year-old.

2 Robin van Persie Man Utd v Arsenal

Robin van Persie made what was a controversial move at the time from Arsenal to Man Utd in 2012.

The Dutch striker was the Gunners captain and star striker at the time, so to swap the Emirates for Old Trafford was a high-profile deal and all eyes were on the first meeting between the two sides months later.

Just three minutes into his first appearance against Arsenal, Van Persie scored for the Red Devils in a 2-1 win and netted again at the Emirates that season, helping Man Utd to another – and his first – Premier League title.

His and United’s fortunes dwindled after that, but he scored in their next meeting in late 2013, this time celebrating fully.

3 Robert Lewandowski Bayern Munich v Borussia Dortmund

Polish striker Robert Lewandowski is one of the greatest goalscorers of the modern era, netting 103 times for Borussia Dortmund before leaving the club for rivals Bayern Munich in 2014.

Lewandowski would go on to spend eight years as a Bayern player, netting a remarkable 344 times in 375 games and winning 19 major honours.

He would regularly come up against Dortmund in the Bundesliga and in various cup competitions, and scored 27 times in 26 games against BVB for Bayern – more than any other club in his career.

Wins

19

Goals

27

Assists

3

Hat-tricks

2

The 12 best free transfers of all time – ranked

No need to fret just yet if your team didn’t get who they wanted in the transfer window…

ByRoss Kilvington Feb 3, 2025 4 Emmanuel Adebayor Man City v Arsenal

One of the most memorable instances of a player haunting their former club came back in 2009, when Emmanuel Adebayor decided to run the length of the Etihad pitch to celebrate a goal for Manchester City in front of the Arsenal fans.

The striker swapped the red of north London for the sky blue of Manchester that summer and was suspended for two games and fined £25,000 by the FA for his celebration.

At the time, Adebayor’s reasoning for the celebration was: “I was being abused by people who six months ago were singing my name. The abuse was for no reason. It wasn’t my fault I left, it was Arsene [Wenger] who wanted to accept the offer for me.”

5 Cristiano Ronaldo Real Madrid v Man Utd

Cristiano Ronaldo’s move from Man Utd to Real Madrid in 2009 remains one of the biggest in history, so it was always going to be huge when the Portuguese superstar came up against the Red Devils for the first time.

It took four years for Madrid and United to cross paths in the Champions League, being drawn against each other in the last 16 in 2012/13.

Ronaldo scored the equaliser in a 1-1 draw at the Bernabeu in the first leg and then netted what proved to be the winner at Old Trafford.

The top 12 goalscorers in the Champions League group stages

Who performs the best in the early stages?

ByRobin Mumford May 14, 2025 6 Mohamed Salah Liverpool v Chelsea

Many didn’t think much of Chelsea’s decision to sell Mohamed Salah on a permanent deal to Roma in 2016 after the winger scored just twice for the Blues in 19 appearances.

However, following his return to England with Liverpool a year later, Salah has gone on to star in the Premier League for the Reds, scoring more than 200 goals and registering over 100 assists on Merseyside.

Salah has faced off against Chelsea on a regular basis over the last eight years, helping beat the Blues in the final of the FA Cup, EFL Cup and UEFA Super Cup.

The Egyptian has also scored five times and registered four assists against Chelsea for Liverpool, including a stunner back in 2019.

7 Kevin De Bruyne Man City v Chelsea

Another player who Chelsea let go too soon was Kevin De Bruyne, who has starred for Man City years over the last 10 years.

De Bruyne made just nine appearances for the Blues before they and Jose Mourinho decided to sell the Belgian to Wolfsburg in 2014. After starring in Germany, the attacking midfielder returned to England 18 months later and has gone on to win everything at the Etihad.

He scored a crucial winner for City at Stamford Bridge in 2017, helping Pep Guardiola’s side reach 100 points that season, while he netted four times in five appearances against the Blues between 2019 and 2022.

8 Zlatan Ibrahimovic Milan v Inter

Iconic forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic played for multiple European giants during his career, including both Milan and Inter.

The Swedish striker had three successful years with Inter between 2006 and 2009, and after a two-year stint in Spain with Barcelona, he returned to the San Siro, with the Rossoneri.

In his first Milan derby, Ibrahimovic earned and converted a penalty for Milan, an effort which proved to be the winner and helped his side to a Serie A title. He’d go on to score seven more times for Milan against Inter.

9 Ronaldo Real Madrid v Barcelona

Brazilian striker Ronaldo is well known for his time scoring for fun at the Bernabeu for Real Madrid between 2002 and 2007, but he also played for rivals Barcelona prior to his time as a Galactico.

Ronaldo scored 47 goals in 49 games in all competitions for Barcelona in 1996/97, winning the FIFA World Player of the Year award at the age of 20.

The forward moved to Inter in a world-record transfer but returned to Spain with Madrid, where he would come back to haunt Barcelona on numerous occasions.

In total, Ronaldo scored in four separate El Clasico matches, two of which came at Camp Nou, and every time he scored against Barcelona, Madrid never lost.

The Top 11 El Clásico Goalscorers This Century

Who has scored the most often in El Clásico since 2000?

1 ByBarney Lane May 10, 2025 10 Frank Lampard Man City v Chelsea

It’s easy to forget that Frank Lampard spent his final year in the Premier League as a Manchester City player.

The Chelsea legend left Stamford Bridge in 2014, and after penning a pre-contract with New York City, he joined Manchester City for the 2014/15 season, where he would come up against Chelsea.

It was written in the stars for the attacking midfielder to make an impact against the Blues. Lampard scored his first City goal late on against Chelsea in September 2014 to end his former side’s winning start to the season.

Netherlands take the spoils, but the local fans steal the show, even as the cheering stops

Firdose Moonda04-Jun-2024There are an estimated 15,000 Nepalis living in Dallas and there was room for less than half of them at the Grand Prairie Stadium, but they turned up to form a sea of blue and red and staged some of the eeriest silences the tournament has heard. Don’t get this wrong: there was cheering and lots of it, and there happy smiles and handwritten signs expressing pride in the Nepal national cricket team, but when Kushal Bhurtel was given out lbw in the fourth over, or when Max O’Dowd hit the six that put the Dutch the three runs away from the win, the sound was sucked out of the arena like a vacuum.Think back to the Ahmedabad crowd at the ODI World Cup final and imagine a similar passion a world away, among a much smaller group of people with seemingly much lower stakes. Or not. This is only their team’s opening game of the tournament, but it is perhaps the most important. Of the sides they would face in Group D – among them South Africa, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh – Netherlands and Nepal would have looked at each other and identified the opposition they must beat to stay relevant in the event. And unlike Amstelveen, Rotterdam or Kirtipur, where they have met most often in the past, they would have to do so in almost completely unknown conditions.All they had to go on was the tournament opener two days ago, which was high-scoring and saw the USA chase down 195 inside 18 overs against Canada. Only eight wickets fell in that game, and just six to the bowlers, and the weather was different this morning so perhaps that match was not a good measure of what to expect, especially today. There was early rain on Tuesday, and the match was delayed by 30 minutes, Netherlands got “a bit of a read of the wicket,” as Scott Edwards said at the post-match presentation, and the bowlers responded beautifully.Vivian Kingma found swing straight away and bowled his full quota of overs upfront, albeit with no reward. What he did, though, was sow the doubt in the Nepal batters’ minds that the bowlers at the other end could reap benefit from. Tim Pringle, the left-arm spinner, flighted the final ball of his opening over, Aasif Sheikh tried to make room and got a thick edge to short third. Pringle got a second in the over after Kingma finished when Anil Sah fetched a delivery from outside off to sweep and top-edged. By then, Logan van Beek had already removed Bhurtel and there had been three stunned silences.Rohit Paudel, Nepal’s captain, was a fan favourite all match long•ICC/Getty Images”I’m not sure whether we are in Nepal or Dallas,” van Beek said at the halfway mark, but he was referring to the noise the Nepal fans made, mostly for their captain Rohit Paudel. At 21 years and 276 days old, he is the youngest captain at any T20 World Cup and on the evidence of his 37-ball 35 (the highest score for Nepal), among their most mature. He blamed himself for not cashing in a little more, even as he recognised the difficulties of batting first. “The overhead conditions were really challenging,” Paudel said. “Credit must go to Netherlands bowlers and as a batting unit, we could have done better, especially me, after getting a start of 30-35 balls. I missed out. But there were no partnerships and mini-partnerships in between.”Nepal’s highest stand was 25 between Paudel and Shah, after which they lost 8 for 66. They were unable to contend with the seam movement from van Beek and Paul van Meekeren, and were disappointed with the total they put on the board although they showed heart in trying to defend it. Their seamers troubled the Dutch, who went into their shells and scored slowly. Edwards admitted that “ideally we would have got that a little bit quicker”, but “it was a trickier wicket than we were expecting”.Related

• Kathmandu or Dallas? Nepal's fans are showing their strength at the T20 World Cup

• Paudel: Sri Lanka are under more pressure than us

• T20 World Cup: Rohit Paudel to lead experienced Nepal squad

• Netherlands vs Nepal – the one match neither team can afford to lose

• India and Ireland break new ground in New York

In the end, the real difference was in the fielding efforts. Van Beek, O’Dowd and Kingma held onto chances of varying difficulty in the deep, the result, van Beek said of an “awesome” training session on Monday and him being “on the guys of late that out-fielding must improve”. On the other hand, Nepal missed three clear opportunities. O’Dowd could have been run out 16 but the throw from short fine was wide and Abinash Bohara could not collect and release accurately enough. He went on to bat through and anchor the innings with an unbeaten 54. Later, Sompal Kami put down Vikramjit Singh on 19 and Paudel spilled a chance from O’Dowd on 40 in the 18th over at long-off. “That was crucial,” Paudel said. “If I had taken that catch, things would have been different.”It may have been too late because Netherlands still had Teja Nidamanuru and van Beek to come but Paudel’s willingness to accept responsibility is admirable. As was his near-permanent smile from the time the toss took place to the end of the game, which widened when he was asked about the crowd. “I want to thank all of them. It felt like we were playing in Nepal,” he said. “As a team we are very grateful to them. Thank you so much for supporting us.”The volume returned to their voices with that acknowledgement and they cheered once more.The Nepali diaspora were drawn to Dallas for the strong job market and possibilities in education, and have established organisations such as the Nepali Association of Texas and the North Texas Nepalese Society, to serve as touch points for their community. Few things would have brought them together like seeing their national cricket team in action, albeit in a losing cause, because this is the only time they will see them. Nepal move to Florida and then Saint Vincent, and it’s unlikely many of the Dallas locals will be able to follow them. At least, they’ll always have today.

If the decision needs to be made, it could come down to how short or long term the selectors want to look at

Andrew McGlashan27-Sep-2022Alyssa Healy
Healy may be one of the next players of this great Australian team to bring an end to her career, but she would perhaps be a shorter-term option to take the captaincy if there was a thought that Lanning could return or if the selectors just want to get through the T20 World Cup and the Ashes next year.”She’s probably going to hate me saying this, but I think it would be [an easy transition],” Rachael Haynes said when she had announced her retirement. “She’s obviously done a little bit of an apprenticeship in state cricket. I think they’ve got lots of different options they can choose from. It probably just comes down to what direction they want to head in – whether there thinking short or long term.”Related

Perry sees 'silver lining' from bowling lay-off as new challenges await

Coach Nitschke's inbox: Haynes' replacement, new leaders, and more

The new 'Invincibles' add more glory to their extraordinary era

Beth Mooney
A fulcrum of the batting across all three formats, Mooney is a senior player, and at 28, should have a significant number of years left in her international career. When she was just 20, Mooney captained Queensland to the T20 Cup title – the precursor to the WBBL – in 2014.Two years ago, when the Brisbane Heat captaincy needed filling following Kirby Short’s retirement, Mooney said the timing wasn’t quite right for her. She has since moved to Perth Scorchers and Western Australia for her domestic cricket, but does not captain either side. The other factor for Mooney is that she could follow Healy as the team’s wicketkeeper which, while certainly not meaning captaincy has to be be off the table, would add to the workload.Ash Gardner
It very much feels like Gardner is a captain in the making; it might just be a question of whether this cycle – if it emerges – comes at the right time for the 25-year-old. Her leadership credentials already stand out – particularly her role in promoting Indigenous culture and history. As a 20-year-old, Gardner captained the Aboriginal squad to England to mark the 150th anniversary of 1868 tour.”I really love being a leader and I love leading in whatever team I can,” she had told cricket.com.au in 2021. “That’s something that I think I’ve learned later in life; those things do come naturally as well the more mature you get and the older that you get in certain squads. But it’s something that I’ve obviously tried to do given the opportunity to captain teams. That’s something I really aspire to do later in my career as well.”Jess Jonassen is among those who leads at state level•Getty ImagesTahlia McGrath
After a stunning return to international cricket where she has become one of the leading players in the world, McGrath shapes as another long-term option for the captaincy. She is a key player across all formats, and captains Adelaide Strikers in the WBBL. Like a few in the current Australia set-up, she has worked with Belinda Clark, the former Australia captain, on leadership.”I would have never seen myself as a leader, and it was never something that I thought about,” she had told ESPNcricinfo ahead of the ODI World Cup this year. “Then a few opportunities popped up through some [South Australia] Scorpions stuff and Australia A. [That] caught me by surprise, and I found enjoyment from it – especially leading the Strikers last year was an experienced I absolutely loved.”Jess Jonassen
Another senior player in the current set-up, Jonassen is someone Lanning has leant heavily on on the field over the years, and is known to have a calm presence under pressure. Having taken over from Short, Jonassen currently captains Queensland and Brisbane Heat, and has previously cited the composure of her former team-mate.”That’s something that I’d like to take from her – just this element of calmness, regardless of the situation…just being able to do [something] that gives around you a little more confidence, and helps keep them calm as well,” she had said in 2020. “I never will be – and never have been – someone that enjoys people what to do; I’d rather show them the way or walk with them along the way.”Sophie Molineux is currently out of the side but is highly-regarded as a young leader•Getty ImagesMegan Schutt
Could there be two fast-bowling captains in the Australian game? Schutt was named captain of South Australia as a 25-year-old and has continued to do the role when available. She is a key part of Australia’s ODI and T20I sides but was left out of last year’s Ashes Test, though the selectors said that was with an eye on the World Cup.At 29, there should still be a good amount of time left at international level, depending on how long Schutt wants to play for. When she was first appointed at South Australia, Schutt was asked what sort of captain she would be. “Firm but fair. I like to get things done and I’m pretty blunt sometimes about how I want to do it, but at the same time I like to think I’m very fair.”Sophie Molineux
Molineux is not currently in the Australia team, having picked up an injury last season before losing her central contract in April, but the 24-year-old is highly regarded as a developing leader. She led Melbourne Renegades to their first WBBL final last season and took over the Victoria captaincy when Lanning stepped down earlier this year. Like McGrath, she has worked closely with Clark.”It’s got me thinking about different things going into the season,” she had told cricket.com.au last year. “There’s so many different parts to captaincy I never really thought about. I’m learning a lot. BC is really big on different ways of communicating, and we’ve been going through different situations and role-playing different scenarios that could play out. And that’s really valuable.”

How the West Indies allrounder turned up late at IPL 2020 but made an instant impact

Hemant Brar02-Nov-2020Jason Holder wouldn’t have been in the UAE had Mitchell Marsh not hurt his ankle. He might not have featured in the playing XI had Kane Williamson’s thigh injury not forced a rejig of plans.But here he is and, though he may not have taken IPL 2020 by storm, he has made enough important contributions in a short time to keep the Sunrisers Hyderabad alive in the tournament.Over the years, the Sunrisers have been a bowling team. But when Bhuvneshwar Kumar was ruled out because of a thigh injury and Siddarth Kaul failed to step up, their fast bowling resources seemed bereft of experience. Although Sandeep Sharma swung the new ball and T Natarajan nailed the yorkers at the death, the Sunrisers lacked the glue to keep their seam attack together.That aside, the Sunrisers problems were manifold. In the absence of an experienced Indian batsman, their middle order was looking shaky. That meant Williamson could not be dropped. With David Warner, Jonny Bairstow and Rashid Khan being shoo-ins for the other overseas spots, Holder had to wait on the sidelines.At the very first opportunity he got – as a replacement for the injured Williamson against the Rajasthan Royals – Holder made an impact. Playing his first IPL game since 2016, Holder picked up three wickets and effected a run-out as the Sunrisers restricted the Royals to a below-par 154 for 6, which Manish Pandey and Vijay Shankar helped chase down with ease.Before the IPL, Holder had a successful outing in the Caribbean Premier League where he led the Barbados Tridents. Although the Tridents finished second from last, Holder was their best player with 192 runs at an average of 21.33 with a strike rate of 140.14 and ten wickets at an economy of 6.63. But having not been bought at the IPL auction, Holder had other plans: when he was called up as a replacement for Marsh, he was on a vacation.ESPNcricinfo Ltd”I left a vacation to come here and play, I left the missus,” Holder to the IPL website after the Royals game. “It was hard enough making the decision to come over and play. I am glad I did, and to get the opportunity tonight and making use of it, it is a pleasing feeling.”In the next match, against the Kings XI Punjab, he again made telling contributions. Using the slower ball to good effect, Holder picked up the wickets of Chris Gayle and Chris Jordan and, suddenly, the Sunrisers seemed to have found the leader of their pace attack.Even though the Sunrisers lost that game chasing a paltry 127, the team management quickly understood Holder’s role was important: he provided balance and experience in both the bowling and batting departments.When Williamson returned, the Sunrisers made room for Holder by replacing Bairstow with Wriddhiman Saha. Leaving Bairstow out was a gamble, but Saha’s 87 off 45 balls ensured it paid off as the Sunrisers beat the Delhi Capitals emphatically.Before Holder came into the side, the Sunrisers were forced to save Sandeep Sharma’s two overs for the backend of the innings. But with Holder and Natarajan now sharing the responsibility at the death, Warner could use Sharma and his swing for three overs upfront. That resulted in the Sunrisers picking up the most wickets (41) by any team in the second half of the tournament, with Holder, Sharma and Rashid Khan leading the way with eight scalps each and Natarajan just behind at seven. They also have the best average (21.00) and best economy rate (7.23) in that period.Against the Royal Challengers Bangalore, Holder proved his worth with the bat as well after registering figures of 2 for 27. The Sunrisers were playing with only four established batsmen and all of them were back in the hut at 87 for 4 in a chase of 121. The scenes of their botched up chase against the Kings XI would have flashed in front of their eyes but, valuing his experience, the Sunrisers promoted Holder ahead of Abdul Samad.

On November 5, Holder will turn 29. An advance birthday celebration would be helping the Sunrisers make the playoffs by beating defending champions and title favourites Mumbai Indians in the final league match on Tuesday

Holder used his long levers to smash three sixes and a four in an unbeaten 26 off ten balls and, with calmness, took the panic-stricken Sunrisers home.”It has been a while since I played in the IPL,” he said after the victory. “For me, I was just longing for another opportunity and I got an opportunity this time. So just trying to make the most of it.”In the 2020 IPL auction, Holder had listed his reserve price at INR 75 lakh but, despite being consistently ranked among the top two allrounders in Test cricket, a format in which he is the West Indies captain, Holder didn’t attract any bids.This is his second stint with the Sunrisers – he played for them in 2014 as well. But having come in without any expectations this time, he has become an unexpected key performer for them.The pitches in the UAE have offered bounce and pace to seamers, which has worked in Holder’s favour. He has also been tasked with playing cameos in the lower order, which he is more than capable of. With eight wickets in four games and a decisive knock with the bat, Holder has definitely made the most of his chances.On November 5, Holder will turn 29. An advance birthday celebration would be helping the Sunrisers make the playoffs by beating defending champions and title favourites Mumbai Indians in the final league match on Tuesday.

علّق المدير الفني لمنتخب بلجيكا، رودي جارسيا، على قرعة بطولة كأس العالم نسخة 2026، والتي تم سحبها مساء يوم الجمعة في مركز “جون كينيدي” في الولايات المتحدة الأمريكية.

وتستضيف كل من الولايات المتحدة الأمريكية، كندا والمكسيك نهائيات النسخة المقبلة من بطولة كأس العالم، في الفترة بين 11 يونيو و19 يوليو.

وتُعد تلك هي النسخة الأولى من بطولة كأس العالم، بعد استحداث نظامها، حيث سيشارك فيها 48 منتخبًا، سيتم تقسيمهم على 12 مجموعة، ويتأهل متصدر ووصيف كل مجموعة إلى دور الـ32، بالإضافة إلى أفضل 8 منتخبات في مركز ثالث.

اقرأ أيضًا | طريق فرنسا إلى نهائي كأس العالم 2026.. جنون مطلق

وحسبما كشفت القرعة، تواجدت بلجيكا في المجموعة السابعة والتي تضم كل من: مصر، إيران ونيوزيلندا.

وقال رودي جارسيا، في تصريحات نشرتها شبكة “sporza” البلجيكية: “كانت قرعة مثيرة للاهتمام، نحن نعرف مصر جيدًا كواحدة من أفضل المنتخبات الإفريقية، من الرائع مواجهة محمد صلاح، لأنني دربته في روما”.

وأضاف: “لم نلعب ضد المنتخبين الآخرين بعد، لذلك لا نعرفهما جيدًا، لكننا نعرف ما ينتظرنا، كأس ​​العالم قد بدأت بالفعل الآن”.

وواصل: “سنبذل قصارى جهدنا لإنهاء المرحلة في المركز الأول، نريد حقًا ذلك لأن هذا هو السيناريو الأمثل لبقية البطولة، لم أدرس بقية البطولة جيدًا بعد، ولكن المتصدر سيلعب ضد فريق احتل المركز الثالث، سيكون ذلك مثيرًا للاهتمام”.

 

The Kansas City Chiefs and Royals will likely stay in Missouri after the state's House approved a stadium incentives package on Wednesday. Missouri governor Mike Kehoe will need to sign the plan, which he is expected to do.

With the package, which passed 90 to 58, will "pay for up to 50% of new or improved stadiums for the Chiefs and Royals using tax revenue generated by the teams toward payment of bonds," via the .

There have been rumors for quite some time of both professional teams jumping across the border into Kansas. The state of Kansas was expected to pay up to 70% of the stadiums.

The result of the vote is a controversial one as many Missourians saw both sides, mostly for financial reasons. The state would've lost revenue from the teams moving out of Missouri, but now the state will pay a big chunk of change to keep the teams.

However, it's important to note that neither the Chiefs nor the Royals have confirmed their intentions to stay in Missouri. There still may need to be local support in the Kansas City area to provide more funding for the teams.

If the Chiefs stay in Missouri, the plan is to renovate the team's current home, GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. The Royals, however, have looked into leaving Kauffman Stadium, which shares its parking lots with Arrowhead, to move to another part of the city.

The step up from the Championship to the Premier League is a difficult one to make, as Leeds United have found out so far this season with 11 points from 11 games.

Joel Piroe is a player who perfectly illustrates the gap between the two divisions. He was the top goalscorer in the second tier with 19 goals last season, yet he has no goals in five Premier League games and has been an unused substitute five times, per Sofascore.

As Daniel Farke learns more and more about his players in the top-flight, other stars from the 2024/25 campaign may end up losing their place in the starting line-up, as Piroe did.

Club captain and starting defensive midfielder Ethan Ampadu has started all nine of his appearances in the Premier League this season, but he is not undroppable.

Why Ethan Ampadu is not undroppable for Leeds

The Wales international has been a fantastic player for the club since his move from Chelsea in the summer of 2023, leading the Whites to the title as captain last term.

Ampadu is not undroppable, though, as some of his performances in the number six position for Leeds in the Premier League have left a little bit to be desired from, most recently against Nottingham Forest.

Minutes

90

Pass accuracy

76%

Possession lost

15x

Tackles won

1

Ground duels won

3/7

Aerial duels won

1/2

Fouls committed

3

Dribbled past

1x

As you can see in the table above, the Welsh midfielder lost the majority of his ground duels and was dribbled past as many times as he completed a tackle, which shows that it was a bit too easy for the Forest midfielders to get the better of him.

Per FotMob, Ampadu ranks within the bottom 40% of midfielders in the division for being dribbled past (four times) and the bottom 39% for aerial duel success rate (50%). This shows that his issues against Forest were not isolated incidents.

With this in mind, Farke could improve the robustness of his midfield by ruthlessly dropping the skipper to unleash Anton Stach in a new role as the number six.

Why Leeds should play Anton Stach over Ethan Ampadu

Per Transfermarkt, all of the German midfielder’s starts in the Premier League this season have been as a central midfielder or as an attacking midfielder. That is despite the fact that he has more starts in his career (138) as a defensive midfielder than in any other role.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

AllLeedsTV presenter Oscar Marrio, who claimed Stach “was cooking” earlier in the season, recently noted that the 6 foot 4 star “excelled” for Hoffenheim as a number six, earning him a comparison to Arsenal star Declan Rice.

Stach’s defensive output as a central midfielder in the Premier League so far this term suggests that he does have the potential to offer more security in front of the defence than Ampadu has.

Tackles won

23

15

Duels won

39

49

Duel success rate

57%

60%

Aerial duels won

8

17

Aerial duel success rate

50%

85%

Dribbled past

4x

1x

Fouls committed

16

14

As you can see in the table above, the £17.4m signing from Hoffenheim has outperformed the Welshman in duels, particularly in the air, and has been harder to get past for opposition midfielders.

These statistics suggest that Stach, who has scored one goal in the Premier League this season, could be well-suited to sitting in as the number six in Farke’s 4-3-3 system to provide a physical presence in front of the back four.

Ampadu’s struggles aerially and in allowing players to dribble past him as the number six have been evident, which is why dropping him from the line-up to unleash Stach in a new role, albeit one he has played a lot elsewhere in his career, could be a good move.

That also does not mean that the captain has to completely lose his place in the team. Farke could play the former Chelsea man as one of the two midfielders ahead of Stach, to see if that is a more successful dynamic.

Big DCL upgrade: Leeds have "unstoppable" £40m talent on "their radar"

Leeds United are keeping tabs on a star who would be a big upgrade on Dominic Calvert-Lewin.

ByDan Emery Nov 14, 2025

Arsenal are the best team in the Premier League right now. Four points clear at the summit, Mikel Arteta’s squad are so steely in defence, so well organised and so well oiled across the park.

However, they don’t have Erling Haaland at the front of their system, and the Manchester City centre-forward seems set on challenging the Gunners almost single-handedly for the league title this season.

But this is an elite outfit, and no mistake. Arsenal also sit second in the Champions League, four wins from four and the only side left in the competition to have maintained an impregnable defence.

But Arsenal have an unfair reputation, in a way. They are not just strong protectors of the goalmouth, but among the most dynamic and intelligent when on the ball too.

Premier League 25/26 – Through Balls

Club

Position

Stat

Arsenal

1st

40

Liverpool

8th

36

Man United

7th

35

Man City

2nd

33

Aston Villa

6th

30

Data via FBref

No team has played more successful through balls than the Emirates side in the Premier League this season, and this underrated progressiveness stems from the centre of the park, with Declan Rice proving – again – that he is the main man.

Why Declan Rice is Arsenal's main man

When Arsenal paid West Ham United a club-record £105m fee for Rice’s signature in 2023, some felt it was excessive. For sure, that’s a lot of money. But Rice has repaid the faith and finances invested in him.

You might even say he’s spearheading Arteta’s side in their bid for the Premier League title, having been described as “the best of the best” by statistician Statman Dave.

A big improvement he has made this season is his accuracy in progressing play, not only with his body but his feet too. As per FBref, Rice actually ranks among the top 10% of Premier League midfielders for progressive passes, the top 18% for shot-creating actions and the top 5% for touches made per 90.

He also ranks among the top 1% for progressive carries per 90, unsurprisingly, and has notched seven goal contributions across all competitions, his ability to produce a show-stopping strike as firmly intact as it has ever been.

Many players comprise a brilliant team in north London, and Arsenal absolutely have what it takes to lift that elusive title this season. Rice is the cream of the crop, though, the driving force in the centre.

However, having finished as runners-up for three years in a row, it was crucial that technical director Andrea Berta got it right this summer, and he has succeeded in bringing in a player who is now rivalling the Three Lions superstar as the best addition in recent years.

The best Arsenal signing since Rice

Rice was once a centre-back. He has also played plenty of football in a deep-lying midfield berth, but a roaming, off-the-leash midfield role is where he finds his most fruitful form.

That’s where Martin Zubimendi comes in, welcomed in July to sit at number six and organise Arteta’s ball-playing vision. The Spain international arrived with a weight of expectation, and he has not let the club’s fanbase down thus far.

Arsenal signed Real Sociedad’s Basque star for about £60m. He rejected Liverpool last summer, but was won over by the Londoners’ vision, and made the move to England, where he has since been thriving at the heart of a title-challenging project, hailed as the club’s “signing of the summer” by content creator Adam Keys.

It is perhaps a marker of Rice and Zubimendi’s connection in the middle of the park that captain Martin Odegaard has now missed four Premier League matches (and more across tournament fronts) due to the knee injury sustained against West Ham United in October, and yet Arsenal remain

That’s good coaching, but it’s also an illustration of the effectiveness of the midfielders. Each Premier League manager has an understanding of how he wants his team to play, but the symbiosis between coach and player doesn’t always click in a fluent manner.

The 26-year-old is among the most intelligent deep playmakers of his generation. In this, he is “world-class”, as has been acknowledged by Spanish football writer Alexandra Jonson.

Zubimendi is not a player who is defined by statistics, but he has still shone on the data front at Arsenal this season, dominant in the air and composed and active on the ball, at the heart of the Gunners system.

Sofascore record that he has actually won 67% of his aerial duels thus far, completing 89% of his passes and averaging 1.9 tackles per game.

It is the deeper meaning behind Zubimendi’s role that suggests he is the best signing in recent years. His influence and control in the centre of the park has seen him occupy those spaces and feed through those surgical passes, which have added a dimension to Arteta’s tactics, keeping things fresh, maintaining progression and evolution.

The likes of Eberechi Eze and Viktor Gyokeres are welcome additions to a high-flying Premier League team. But neither has enjoyed the same impact as Zubimendi across the past several months.

Perhaps we should draw attention to David Raya, or maybe Mikel Merino or Riccardo Calafiori. Fantastic players, the lot of them. But if Arsenal manage to get their mitts on the Premier League title this season, with Zubimendi orchestrating from the middle, the loudest praise must surely fall onto Zubimendi’s back.

Related After Saka & Rice: Arsenal can hand Tuchel the "biggest talent in England"

The incredible Arsenal gem could become a bigger star for England than Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice.

Posts ByJack Salveson Holmes Nov 14, 2025

أعرب ممدوح عيد، المدير التنفيذي لنادي بيراميدز، عن سعادته بعد التتويج بجائزة أفضل ناد في قارة إفريقيا 2025.

وقال عيد، خلال حفل جوائز كاف 2025: “الحمد لله، أشكر المملكة المغربية على الاستضافة الرائعة، وأريد أن أشكر موتسيبي رئيس كاف لاستقبالنا وجمعنا، وشرف كذلك لممدوح عيد أن يكون رئيس فيفا متواجدًا معنا، وأن أتواجد في هذا المكان اليوم وتحقيق إنجاز أفضل ناد للعام”.

طالع.. عاجل | كاف يعلن أفضل لاعب داخل إفريقيا 2025

وتابع: “شيء استثنائي بعد العمل الجاد الذي قمنا به في فترة طويلة، أشكر كل من كان جزءًا من رحلتنا، وأشكر فريقنا وكل لاعبينا وكل إدارتنا، وأشكر كذلك مدربنا على العمل الاستثنائي الذي قام به، وكذلك أشكر حارس مرمانا على مستواه الرائع الذي قدمه في البطولة”.

وأكمل: “الكل في مصر ساندنا وشجعنا لكي نبلغ هذا الهدف، نشكر كل من نافسنا ولعب ضدنا كي نبلغ هذا المستوى، لأنه دون كل خصومنا ما كنا لنبلغ هذا المستوى”.

وأتم: “أتمنى أن تكون رحلتنا رسالة صبر ومثابرة، نحن نعمل لمدة طويلة قدر المستطاع بكل ما لدينا من إمكانيات، وأنا شخصيًا فخور بالانضمام لقارة إفريقيا”.

 

 

 

 

Jamie Carragher has sent Liverpool manager Arne Slot a warning about the “dangerous” game he is playing tweaking the Reds’ system following back-to-back defeats against Crystal Palace and Galatasaray.

Slot admits Liverpool must "find answers" to form

After spending around £400m in the summer, many expected Liverpool to look better than ever under Slot, who switched his system to work new signings into his side. So far, however, they’ve looked at their most vulnerable and, Hugo Ekitike aside, it’s fair to say that a lot of their fresh faces are yet to get going.

How Liverpool perform without Alisson as Arsenal title race advantage shared after new injury

The Brazilian is set for another spell on the sidelines.

By
Tom Cunningham

Oct 3, 2025

Last weekend’s defeat against Crystal Palace looked on the cards since Liverpool’s 4-2 victory over Bournemouth on the opening day and a second-consecutive defeat against Galatasaray didn’t do anything to ease concerns. Now, Slot has admitted that his side must “find answers” after recent results.

One of the most disappointing aspects about Liverpool this season has been the form of Florian Wirtz. The £116m midfielder has looked a shadow of the midfield star that the Reds signed from Bayer Leverkusen and hasn’t been involved in a goal since the Community Shield.

Carragher wasted no time before taking aim at the German in midweek and the Liverpool legend has now doubled down on his criticism whilst firing Slot a “dangerous” warning.

Carragher sends Slot warning

Writing in his column for The Telegraph, Carragher warned Slot of the “dangerous” nature of persisting with a faltering system. He believes Slot’s plan was to replace Trent Alexander-Arnold’s creativity with Wirtz, and the manager now has a choice to stick with it – possibly with disastrous consequeneces – or pull the plug until the team has settled back to form without the German.

Carragher wrote: “He (Wirtz) is yet to add what Liverpool are missing without Alexander-Arnold, while at the same time the team has lost the intensity which made them so difficult to play against.

“It means Slot has a dilemma as he tries to defend the title going through a transitional phase that might take longer than many thought. He must decide whether to regroup and temporarily revert to the strategy of last season, accommodating Wirtz in a different role or leaving him out entirely until he is up to speed with English football.

“Or he might persist with his vision believing more short-term pain might be necessary until it clicks. The latter would be dangerous because even with all the credit in the bank from his title win, there is immense pressure to keep winning, especially when you have spent a combined £230m on two players who are supposed to be ready-made to take a championship-winning side to the next level.”