Question: which team has the highest average height and which team has the lowest in the Premier League? Is there a pattern of this having an effect on their set-piece defending or aerial duels?
And in the same sense, would it effect dribbling capabilities (lower centre or gravity). Would it really matter tho? If your fullbacks and wingers are incredibly small, your avarage might be low, but they're not the ones in aerial duels
I don't have any data to back this up, but I don't think that height as an effect on defending set pieces. City are the best example. None of their players (not even the centerbacks) are particularly tall, yet they conceded only one goal from set pieces compared to Liverpool's seven (remember seeing those stats on last week's episode of Monday Night Football). They also scored two from set-pieces against Leeds on Saturday, so I don't think that there is necessarily a connection, it's more about the shape and positioning of the defensive or attacking unit.
You could just imagine this on some late night slot on a Freeview channel in the 20s, with a cult following, wondering when it's going to be brought into the mainstream, but also hoping it doesn't go into the mainstream so it stays your little secret, even though you don't want it to stay your little secret because it's fantastic.
Question: James Ward-Prowse is a great player, but how good is he actually compared to the midfielders at the top clubs in the PL? And is he really one of the best CMs in the league when you don't look at his set pieces?
Dogs would need a simple 442 Great Dane in goal. Greyhounds at full back. Centreback pairing of Alsatians and Doberman. Border Collie left wing Mental labradoodle right wing Midfield would be Rottweiler alongside golden retriever play maker. Up front I'd have St Bernard target man with a Jack Russell poaching.
Can't believe you're having the dogs play a 442! I'd go pretty similar but a 433, replace the Jack Russel with a Springer Spaniel and shift it to DM, and have a Lurcher up front for the St. Bernard.
Question: The last couple of years seem to underline that the best teams in the world (City, Liverpool, Bayern, Chelsea to an extent) have idealistic managers who play brave, attacking football with high pressing (Guardiola, Klopp, Tuchel, Nagelsmann, Flick, maybe Ten Haag) whereas the mid 2000s were dominated by pragmatic managers like Mourinho, Benitez and Ancelotti. Can you explain what or who the biggest factor(s) were for this evolution ? And since the aforementioned "pragmatic" managers seem to be on the decline (despite Ancelotti winning the league a few days ago), how can they bounce back ? Is it possible that in terms of tactics we could see the comeback of rigid, cautios, low-block defendig on the highest level (not teams like Burnley) ?
I think you can be a lot more tactically flamboyant when you've got a top top team. With so much more money now the biggest teams have far more amazing players than the biggest teams of the past. Think of man city's current squad versus sir Alex's final man utd title winning squad. Don't know if this genuinely is the reason, but maybe a valid point/factor?
@@georgeb9067 but then what about Ancelotti's Milan between 2002 and 2006/07 where he had one of, if not THE, best overall squad that ever existed. Shevchenko, Kaka, Crespo, Inzaghi, Redondo, Rivaldo, Rui Costa, Seedorf, Pirlo in midfield and attack; Maldini, Nesta, Cafu, Costacurta and Stam in defence. Yet they played pretty cautiosly. The only attacking teams I can remember from that era are Rijkaard's Barcelona and the Arsenal invincibles.
Question: Why players like Milner for example can play well in almost every position and system, but some other players, like Lukaku, work only in certain set ups?
Just an idea but maybe the fact that one is a midfielder who runs a lot and is very fit whereas the other is a striker with a lot less versatility in not only position on the field but tactical understanding.
Question: what happens to the dedicated journalist when a team is relegated, do they get assigned a newly promoted team and how do you decide who gets what team?
Question: Erling Haaland has been having knee and muscle problems while playing in Germany this year. He has a slightly unique running style and movement which is part of what makes him a great goalscorer. Could he potentially become more and more injury prone in future years? Much like a Michael Owen or Brazilian Ronaldo or Micah Richards, players that burst onto the scene but then were blighted with injuries!
I love the amount of care and effort that goes into making this look like it was thrown together in a few minutes by an amateur. When going for that "so rubbish it's charming" aesthetic it's so easy to end up with something that's genuinely rubbish, but the editing and VFX work on this very much lands in the "charming" category and I know it's much much harder than you guys make it look. Also having a lot of fun with the "characters"(?) of Joe = someone a bit too delighted to be on the show and on a bit of a power trip; JJ = as the guy a little bit too enthusiastic ; and Alex = the guy who can't bring himself to reach the energy level of the room. It's great fun. Finally, this is the only show I actually stop to read all the credits. Question: do you think we should broadcast the referee's microphone (and the VAR referee) as a matter of course instead of keeping it secret?
Fellow Newcastle fan here; to simply answer your question: no, he doesn't. He's average or below average for goal creation compared to all wingers/midfielders in the top 5 leagues. HOWEVER, ASM ranks 99th percentile or top 1% in shot-creating action via dribbles (0.76 successful dribbles leading to a shot attempt per 90 from fbref). In terms of output, he isn't very good but he does offer something really important. Progression of the ball. He is ELITE at progressing the ball. Literally one of the world's best at doing so and on Understat it shows ASM has the second-highest xA/90 and fifth-highest xG/90 in the squad so he's definitely vital for this Newcastle team (at the moment). So basically he's got minimal end product compared to his peers in the top 5 leagues but for this Newcastle team this season he's one of our main creators and orchestrators. Here is a link to ASM's complete scout report on FBRef, most of this will not be a shock but what is almost a shock is HOW good he is at dribbling. You'll have to scroll down to "Possession" to see what I'm on about. fbref.com/en/players/2b16cb1a/scout/365_euro/Allan-Saint-Maximin-Scouting-Report
Question: Statistically speaking players from which leagues adapt and perform the best in the Premier League? I'm under the impression that players from Portugal and France seem to fit in easily whereas players from Italy, Germany and Spain, it's a bit of a mixed bag with them.
Question: Is there statistical evidence that Chelsea are the most prone to losing against teams who before the fixture, had been on a significant losing/winless run?
I like this one. You need good ball playing full backs so TAA is a must at right back/wing back, Tierney would be good on the left. Pickford in goal for the distribution, VVD and Rudiger would be my centebacks for coverage and pace to protect against obvious counters from risky forward balls. You are bypassing the midfield in the main so a good holding midfielder like Kante would be a must to screen the defence. I'd then play a playmaker in the middle with an attacking midfielder alongside him to arrive late in the box and get on the end of knockdowns from the big lads up front, I'm thinking of a pair like, say, de bryne and Mason mount but this is the most flexible positions for me. Up front we want a front 3 big, fast men with good feet. I'd pick Victor Osimen, DCL and Erling Harland. 4-3-3 with wide forwards for formation and Dyche for Manager. Also I'd buy an absolute shin kicking terrorist of a midfielder, probably from the Serbian second division, if we start to get over run in midfield he comes on for De Bryne and just stops the opposition wanting to be anywhere near the area he prowels, forcing them wide and into our strongest defensive areas of crosses to big, covering centre backs.
in the wake of ivica osim's death this week you could make a piece on him. a legendary coach in austrian football who was one of the pioneers of the attacking style we know today as counter attacking. won 5 trophies with sturm graz, even reaching the knockout stage of the CL as the first austrian team ever, winning their group against monaco, rangers and galatasaray.
The whole video is absolutely brilliant as always but 9:41-10:11 is what sets Tifo apart as the kind of content providers you adore but will have a hard time explaining to some of your friends, leading to potential social exclusion and related mental health deterioration. But hey - at least we've been answered! (Probably)
In case they never answer it, this is something I randomly find interesting. There's a bunch of ways clubs get their names. A really common older one was clubs based around factories / workplaces would get that name. Woolwich Arsenal (now just "Arsenal") are the most famous example of this, but most of these clubs don't play at the top level any more. Sheffield Wednesday originally started at a sporting club who met on Wednesdays, because the afternoon factory workers got off. So - according to legend - they started as the "Wednesday Cricket Club". (It wasn't uncommon for old English football clubs to be cricket clubs first, who played football during the cricket off-season.) It's similar with names with "Athletic" at the end: Charlton Athletic refers to a defunct athletics club that used to be based in Charlton, where the team would have been founded. "Rovers" and "Wanderers" (e.g. Blackburn Rovers & Wolverhampton Wanderers) referred to clubs without a home ground. Before the establishment of the football league some clubs would largely play by touring the country. The "United" name refers to when multiple clubs or other interests unite to create a club. Manchester United were "Newton Heath LYR" (named because it was founded by workers at a railway depot with that name) until they got deep into debt. Several local businesses banded together to save them and the "United" part of the name refers to that. On the other hand Newcastle United were a merger of Newcastle East End FC and Newcastle West End FC. And many clubs are simply named for the place they represent and originally would have drawn players from. Leicester City are the club belonging to the city of Leicester, so that's how that name came. "Town" works the same way for clubs based in towns instead of cities. (Of course, if a town later becomes a city the name of the club doesn't necessarily change, although I can't think of any cities with a club named "... Town" in them.) The name "Albion" refers to an archaic name for Britain, so that's sometimes seen in English team names.
Can i just say I watched United play Brighton at the Old Red Lion today and had the absolute best time. The staff are lovely and the vibes are immaculate
Question: how good is zlatan ibrahimovic? Both at the moment, and roughly where he sits in the all time ranks. Lots of people seem to hold him up as one of the top 10 ever, but I'm not so sure
Thiago does what Modric did for Spurs and currently does at Madrid. Doesn't assist or score directly that often but helps the team manipulate the space to create chances. top player.
Is the new manager bounce real? If so, is there a correlation between the length of time the departing manager was at the club and the improvement under the new one (e.g Burnley now Sean Dyche has departed)?
QUESTION: What formation and tactical setup can be used to combat the dominant and overused 4-3-3 system (wide touchline hugging wingers, inverted fullback, holding midfielder, and 2 box to box midfielders). Well known examples Xavi's barcelona, liverpool under jurgenn klopp, pep guardiola with manchester city. As I have noticed this trend from previous analytical videos done by JJ BULL.
I would say 4231 with a defensive but creative 10 who will try to prevent the holding midfielder from controlling the game steal the ball back and launch counter attacks.
Question : Should we change the format to the carabao cup it’s a bit boring a pointless and everyone prefers the FA cup. IMO we should do what the Brazilians do and have a state championship (or for our case a county’s league) so we can get all the Yorkshire teams competing every season The London teams etc. Then after every county has a champion have a cup winners cup to then decide the carabao cup winner.
As a brasilean: It won't work, doesn't work that well here, most states receive very little because they don't have big teams, some have the same team winning for decades among other problems, alot of people (specjally players) want to end the state championships because it make's a very large number of games in the season
Question: what would be the best team of 11 footballers you could make with the same name. Could be first or last name, such as reece James and James tarkowski
Two part question. Firstly, how much do premier league teams actually pay for players in terms of wages? I.E if, lets say, De Gea is on £350k a week, is that what the club pays and the players deals with tax? how much tax? how much tax does the club have to pay? what kind of bonus' are typically involved and how do signing on fees and loyalty payments usually work? what is the total sum cost of paying a premier league footballer and how much does that footballer usually take home with him after all the rigamarole. Second part. Why do we state wages per week? it seems a mostly european/UK thing but why don't we say players get £20m a year or £12.4m per annum and we boil it down to per week? is it an accepted standard from the press trying to highlight how much players get paid? surely clubs don't actually pay these wages weekly? Do they get paid all 52 weeks of the year? Great video, great show!
Question: With Liverpool going for the quadruple as on 1st May 2022 and the media going all in on it, why has is been so difficult over the years to ever do it? Is it purely about fatigue or does it have something to do about the tactics, squad, and other intangible factors?
Question, could Alex please explain the newly formed New Zealand National League and how the structure works? How will it affect positive change for NZ football? Thanks
Ethan Ampadu is 100% not leaving, he's been the best player consistently at Venezia showing high versitility and physicality in the games playing at CDM,CB & RB. With this great exodus of players he's definitely staying at Chels
I would say Crystal Palace having currently the same points as they did this time last season has more to do with how other clubs in that area of the table have also improved and become more competitive on their own ways, which means that when they play against each other they give Palace a hard time and don't allow them to take all the points. Last season they were getting more losses than draws, and this season they're getting more draws than losses. So by the end of the season they should at least have a few more points than last season. That being said, they still need to do some work to turn some of those draws into wins, and some of those losses into draws, but they're certainly a better team under Vieira.
Question: If, IF Everton survive in the premier league this season, is Lampard the right man, given a preseason and a few transfers, to rebuild them into something actually good?
Question: How do sports channels know what formation a team is going to play? Formation is always shown together with squad names. Are the managers obliged to reveal this just before the kick off?
The other comment was partially right... Teamsheets are announced before games, containing a list of the starting 11 and bench The TV analysts take a best guess at the general formation based in who's playing, it's generally pretty reliable but they do get it wrong sometimes! Teams aren't required to say in advance what formation/s they'll be using
Question: What are some features or "tricks" in stadium designs that place away teams at a disadvantage? Which stadium is the most welcoming to visitors in the PL? Which is the least? I remember going on a tour to Anfield and being told there were no heated seats for the away side, the away side dressing room is underneath the loudest stands in the stadium so that they can hear the Liverpool fans, the Liverpool dressing room even had special light that helped their eyes adjust easier to bright lights on the pitch. Maybe it's obvious to people who live in England but as an Australian who has only been to one stadium in the off season, this was astounding.
Question for the experts! What explains Chelsea's topsy-turvy form over the last month (losing to Brentford, Real Madrid -> beating Southampton, Real Madrid, Crystal Palace -> losing to Arsenal -> beating West Ham -> drawing with Man United -> losing to Everton)? Pinning it down to individual mistakes seems too simple, although they are one of the main reasons for the conceded goals. What does Tuchel's system lack at this point, and how can it be fixed?
Question: A few years ago you’d seen teams with “luxury players” that wouldn’t be burdened with defensive duties or the requirements of the system they play in, instead having the freedom to let their individual talent shine through - but with the recent rise of teams like City and Liverpool that play as a cohesive unit - is the time for these luxury players up? Or can teams still get anyway with having 1-2 luxury players with a team to support them?
Question: If Mourinho, Klopp, Ferguson and Guardiola could choose their own ideal XI (past and present players), who do you think would win a) the premier leg and b) a one off game?
I met a date round Angel once, we popped into the Old Red Lion for a drink. Little did I know, Bayern Munich were playing Tottenham in the Champion's League. I spent most of the data cheering on Serge Gnabry as he decimated them. Great pub, ok date.
On Chelsea - Dujon Sterling has been having a great season at Blackpool and is wonderfully versatile, playing right along the defensive line. Thought he might be a great replacement for Azpilicueta's versatility.
Question: A lot of the most successful teams currently; Man City, Liverpool, Barcelona also Celtic, morph their formation in attack into what is very reminiscent of the classic WM or WW formations. Can you see any other Old Fashioned formations, tactics, positions etc. making a glorious return in modern football?
Question: Could you analyse Liverpool's offside trap with and without Virgil van dijk to see if he affects the success rate of their tactic or if it is brilliant drilling and awareness across board and also give an insight into the psychological affect of the offside trap and when the past that being one on one with Allison for opposition strikers? ("There would have been two thoughts in Chris Woods mind when running onto an Allan Saint maximan pass, am I onside and can I beat Allison? The answer to both, negative.")
Question: We hear a lot about the "if only they could turn those draws into wins" situations, but Which Premier League teams have the most draws, and which have the most scoreless draws ? is there a link between how a team plays and how many draws they accumulate ?
Question: Liverpool tend to play with the highest intensity between minutes 45-60 when they are loosing. They tend to turn games around the period with the same shape; pushing fullback higher with minimal passes in the center of the pitch, a 2 man midfield next to 2 defender. Why don't coaches set up a mid-low block of 4-5-1 to deal with this and exploit the half spaces which provide a higher probability of playing the ball forward?
Question: Right before most matches, stats around how the meetings between the two teams have been historically are talked about much. Do these really stats matter? Do they impact the players in any way? I mean, if a team A is in a good run, they can beat the other team B irrespective of the fact that they might not have been team B in the last 5 or 10 tries.
Can you do an end of season 'vibe' table? I think the idea came up in one of your podcasts. Something based on season performance relative to hopes & expectations? Here's mine before the last couple of games. I assume Leeds are going down but if they survive that changes things: Man City Liverpool Arsenal or Tottenham Wolves Crystal Palace Brentford Brighton Arsenal or Tottenham West Ham Chelsea Newcastle Leicester Villa Southampton Burnley Watford Norwich Everton Leeds Man Utd
Question: Just watched the excellent video about positions and roles, focusing on full backs, defensive midfielders and number 9's. But what about centre backs? Are they not all the same?
Question: Much has been made of Lukaku’s failure to integrate into Tuchel’s system, but it doesn’t seem that any of his attacking players truly excel within his rigid, largely defensive system. I guess I’m asking, do the underlying numbers back up this impression of a system meant to stifle the opponent above attacking considerations?
Owned by the city and not the teams. The teams would need to buy land in the city / close to the city (Which is expensive) as well as making a new stadium.
Question: Would players and football benefit from scrapping mid-season qualification games and replacing them with a festival of qualification in the summer, similar to the group stages of the Euros or World Cup? I know I'd prefer it, and I'm certain the TV stations would love it. You could use the traditional international break weeks to rest players, and only have them playing international football for two-ish weeks per summer. And we'd all get lovely International football, every summer :)
Question: does Harry Maguire deserve the current level criticism and if so, why? I don’t often watch Manchester United but every time I’ve seen him for England he has been a solid player.
Which of Arsenal/Spurs will be more affected by missing out on top 4? Also, how far into the competition would each expect get in the Champions League with their current squad?
Protest: JJ Bull is a decent lad with interesting responses, I call on Joe Devine to let him express his opinions freely and without judgement. #FREETHEBULL!
Question: Are there any new metrics that highlight the skills of a player like Thiago (or Ødegaard)? For example, how often were they involved in the final 3-4 passes that led to a goal or an expected goal? Surely over the course of a season, metrics like these would point out impactful players? An aside: And now, imagine if that was integrated into Fantasy!
I know in football there are certain expectation and norms, but I am wondering when facing a "parked bus" if any coach or team decided to defy those and simply ordered his team back into their own half and refused to engage until the parked team crossed somewhere into opponents half with the ball. Feel like teams that been practicing parking the bus would be in unfamiliar territory when forced to actually have a ball and trying to do something with it, while teams that excel in pressing would have easy picking of forcing turnovers and quickly countering into space or forcing teams to foul and picking up yellow and possibly red cards.
