Every year when UEFA run the draw for the Champions League Group Stage, we try to pinpoint the ‘dark horses. Infact, we generally categorise teams into the ‘Favourites’, ‘Dark Horses’, ‘Underdogs’, and then, more loosely, the ‘write offs’. The teams that consider being in the prestigious competition an achievement on
Tag: Manchester City
30+ Footballers; Where Age is a Burden and Where it Succeeds
Comparing Manchester City’s centurions to Klopp’s juggernaut – Why weren’t Liverpool able to break the 100 points barrier?
Usually, the break preceding the commencement of a new season is filled with football fans on social media complaining about the lack of football and whining about their club’s inactivity in the transfer window - but this year is different. Following the resumption of football after the lockdown, matches have
Podcast Episode 7 – FPL 20/21 launch – Initial pricing reactions
FPL's new player price values have been released for the upcoming Premier League season and our in-house FPL experts Anirudh Shenoy and Samson Baretto shared their first reactions to the newly released figures. Listen in as they crunch the numbers and give their predictions for the forthcoming season! Club rundown - Arsenal
Podcast Episode 6 – Young and Emerging players in the Premier League
Kicking off with EADF ❗ NEW ❗ Ep 6 Emerging players in the PL | Guests - Anubhav Sarker & Rohit Suresh 1.57: Mount, 3.52 Lamptey, 6:42 Neto, 8:30 Cantwell, 12: 15 Foden, 15.40 Greenwood, 20:05 Tomori, 23:36 Douglas Luiz, 27: 00 Sakalicous, 31: 17 Eric Garcia, 35:48 Obafemi, 38:08 Vroom Vroom, 42:38 CHO. 45:13 Captain America, 48:57 Connolly, 51:43 SARR, 56: Reece James, 59:01 Brandon Williams, 1:02:24 Ramsdale, 1:07:51 Gabrieeeeeel, Join
Could 20/21 be the most difficult Premier League ever?
With Liverpool's stunning runaway victory of the Premier League title last season, some pundits and fans wondered if England had become more like France or Germany. Were we now seeing a separation between the league's best teams and those around them? The gap between 2nd placed Manchester City, and 6th placed
Looking back at the career & life of one Africa’s most divisive players – Emmanuel Adebayor
For many, Emmanuel Adebayor represents the epitome of a modern-day mercenary in the world of football. And maybe that is understandable, considering the Togolese 36-year old has represented 11 different clubs since the beginning of the 2000s, three of them alone within the borders of London. Always with an exceptionally
Two sides to every coin – Football and the case of perspective
Embracing the ‘new normal’ will take time
The lockdown, due to the pandemic, has brought about the true sentiment behind the well-known axiom, 'you don't know what you have until it's gone'. While people are subconsciously aware of life and its sudden and frail nature, the virus has seemingly brought these feelings of trepidation to reality. People from
FPL Scout Report 26 – Which teams to target?
FPL Scout Report 25 – Double-gameweek 30+ Chip Strategies
FPL Scout Report 24 – Players to consider for double-gameweek 30
With just two days remaining for the GW30+ deadline following Project Restart, we start off with a Double Gameweek with rearranged fixtures for Manchester City, Arsenal, Sheffield United and Aston Villa. The fixtures in GW 30 for these teams are as follows – Manchester City – Arsenal (H) Burnley (H) Arsenal – Manchester
FPL 19/20 Report 23 – Four key points to help you navigate the remainder of the season
Potential bargain of the summer – Malang Sarr
Can England’s Young Lions lead them to victory at Euro 2021?
Who will replace Leroy Sane?
The making of Leroy Sané – The German speedster coming of age
FPL Scout Report 22 – Players Watchlist And Captaincy Picks For Gameweek 28
Manchester City’s Ban and Financial Fair Play – Is It As Fair As It Could Be?
Battle at the Bernabéu – Real Madrid vs Manchester City tactical preview
Understanding the differences in Manchester City’s and Liverpool’s 4-3-3
The game’s new boardroom masters – How directors of football are pulling the strings off the pitch
The FPL revolution which changed perspective all around
Oh, Fantasy Premier League! You can’t bear the stress it brings every week. But you can’t live without it! Ever since coming into prominence, the FPL frenzie has collided with the social media boom to result in an addictive combination. Currently, more than 2 million users are registered, including certain Premier
Patrick Roberts – Still hope for a player once lost in the ruthless loan system
FPL Scout Report 21 – Players Watchlist And Captaincy Picks for New Years GW21
Guardiola seeks major changes at Man City in order to continue his services at the club
FPL Scout Report 20 – Players to watch out for GW19 and Captaincy Picks
FPL Scout Report 19 – Captaincy options for Gameweek 14
FPL Scout Report 18 – The watchlist ahead of GW 14
The Blueprint – How City played without the ball vs Chelsea
FPL Scout Report 17- Gameweek 13 Review (Part 2)
FPL Scout Report 15 – Captaincy options for Gameweek 13
We’re back with the Captaincy Article ahead of Gameweek 13. We’ve picked three players and a differential who we expect to do well and do justice to their owners as captaincy options this week. Sadio Mane Sadio Mane enters gameweek 13 as a strong captaincy candidate as Liverpool travel to a struggling
FPL Scout Report 14 – Analysing the teams with a promising fixture run-in
Premier League 2019-20 Top 3 Teams (With Odds)
Liverpool vs Manchester City – Super Sunday Battle at Anfield
The Northern Rivalry: Manchester City vs Liverpool
Photo by Jack Hunter // CC0 1.0 The North West cities of England punch above their weight when it comes to football. The teams of Liverpool and Manchester have a success rate better than that of rivals in London, despite the capital city being significantly bigger. These northern teams have gone through different phases over
FPL 2019/20 Scout Report 13 – Captaincy Options ahead of Gameweek 10
We’re back with the Captaincy Article ahead of Gameweek 10. With easy home matches, Manchester City and Liverpool players dominate the captaincy options this week. A Manchester City Player (Aguero/Sterling/KDB) Manchester City come into gameweek 10 having one of the best fixtures attacking wise among any other team which makes the likes
Here’s to you, Vincent Kompany, City loves you more than you will know.
FPL 2019/20 Scout Report 12 – The Watchlist
FPL 2019/20 Scout Report 10 – The Watchlist ahead of gameweek 9
We're back with the weekly FPL Watchlist ahead of Gameweek 9 where I’ll provide you with players who we expect to do well in the upcoming gameweeks along with a differential pick to help you climb up the overall rankings. So let’s get started! Ricardo Pereira (DEF: LEI 6.2m)/Caglar Soyunchu (DEF: LEI
FPL 2019/20 Scout Report 9 – Captain bonanza
LONDON, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 22: Mohamed Salah of Liverpool runs with the ball during the Premier League match between Chelsea FC and Liverpool FC at Stamford Bridge on September 22, 2019, in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images) Written by Samson Baretto Sergio Aguero The Argentine has been in red hot
FPL 2019/20 Scout Report 8 – The Watchlist for gameweek 7
FPL 2019/20 Scout Report 7 – Downsizing at the back?
LONDON, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 22: Andrew Robertson of Liverpool battles for the ball with Marcos Alonso of Chelsea during the Premier League match between Chelsea FC and Liverpool FC at Stamford Bridge on September 22, 2019 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Dan Istitene/Getty Images) Written by Anirudh Shenoy It's been an
FPL 2019/20 Scout Report 6 – Captaincy options for gameweek 6
City’s transfer approach and the effect it had on its overplayed defensive woes
Written by Anaamaya Mishra Manchester City's modus operandi vis-a-vis their transfer business indicates that they have shot themselves in the foot, now more than ever. After losing Aymeric Laporte and John Stones to injury, the champions have been rattled, rather uncharacteristically for the first time in months. They find themselves in a
FPL 2019/20 Scout Report 5 – The Watchlist
Can Man City hold onto their status as goal kings of the division or will they be dethroned?
FPL 19/20 Scout Report 4 – Assessing Captaincy Options For Gameweek 5
Are England’s Jewels gleaming ahead of the 2020 Euros?
There can be no denying that the 2018 World Cup saw a tremendous change in attitude from England after a disastrous Euro 2016. The atmosphere in and around the team was overwhelmingly positive, acting as a catalyst to England's best World Cup finish since 1990. The semi-final defeat to Croatia was hard
FPL 19/20 Scout Report 3 – Assessing captaincy options for Gameweek 4
Written by Samson Baretto Manchester City and Liverpool players are clear front runners in the captaincy race for Gameweek 4. Raheem Sterling Raheem Sterling appears to be in the form of his life as he bagged his fifth goal of the season in only his third PL game against Bournemouth. Being a Pep favorite,
FPL 2019/20 Scout Report 2 – Players you MUST have for the upcoming gameweeks
Ebbs & Flows – The life and career of Mario Balotelli
Impact of VAR on the Premier League so far
Although the VAR system has already been used in European leagues, the Champions League, the FA Cup, and the Women’s World Cup, this is the first season that VAR will be fully implemented in the Premier League. After two weeks, there have already been several controversial decisions and high-profile calls
Squad depth supreme – Manchester City and their staggering bench strength
Written by Peter Lynch It’s a well-known fact that Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City boast the strongest squad in the Premier League, with perhaps only Real Madrid and Barcelona only slightly ahead of them in the entirety of European football. The Spanish giants both invested heavily in a busy summer of restructuring,
Making Moves – The 10 most promising transfers of the Premier League this summer
The understated value of the modern winger
Written by Tiki Taka Style Unpredictable forces, wizards of the dribble, electricity personified. Wingers have traditionally been seen as a lovable commodity and the primary source of entertainment for football romantics. A museum piece. Capable of lifting thousands of fans from their seats and making the whole crowd roar with a
FPL 2019/20 Scout Report 1 – Assessing budget options & differentials with high potential
A deep dive into football’s affinity with versatility
Written by Srinivas Sadhanand Not many would be better attested to paying an ode to the power of versatility in football than Ryan Bertrand. In the wake of the seasoned Florent Malouda’s hamstring strain against Blackburn Rovers, the then Chelsea sensation was thrown in at the deep end of debuting in
The feint that changed everything – Manchester City, Aguero and that Goal
Written by Ayushnav Sarker Background In the complex and often murky world of financial markets, there are what is called ‘Black Swan’ events every few years. Events that change the relationship of the market with its participants, and drag the rest of the economy with them too. Right from the time of
The 4v4+3 Rondo – The most effective training drill for positional football
Positional football has evolved at an astounding rate over the years. Most teams have adopted positional football as the pivot around which their respective individual game models are based. Positioning oneself efficiently with respect to the space, the ball, the teammates and the opponents throughout the course of 90 minutes
What Tottenham Hotspur must do to end the Manchester City and Liverpool domination
A Cocktail of Color, a Potpourri of Persona: The Modern Football Manager
Yaya Toure -“Putting Manchester United ‘in the shadow’ is my greatest Manchester City achievement”
The blue moon shines bright over Manchester – Can City pass the final hurdle?
The last few years have been a rather interesting era in the Premier League. We’ve had our fair share of drama, slip-ups and last minute winners. We’ve seen clubs lift the much-coveted trophy using philosophies as diverse as the managers themselves. We’ve witnessed an Italian manager who won the title
Bruno Fernandes – Sporting CP’s midfield metronome hot on the radar of Europe’s giants
Written by Vinayak Manoj & Srinivas Sadhanand Born in a small town in Portugal near Porto called Maia, Bruno Fernandes’ humble beginnings were at local club, Infesta in the youth league in 2002. However, Fernandes’ move to fellow regional club, Boavista kicked his career into gear. A central midfielder by trade,
The Raheem Sterling Story – From public enemy to people’s Champion
Fernandinho – Manchester City’s smiling assassin and Guardiola’s tactical fouler-in-chief
Since Sheikh Mansour bought the club back in 2008, Manchester City have been blessed with exceptional talent in the shape of Sergio Aguero, David Silva and countless others. 1.3 billion pounds and nearly 70 signings later, only a few have remained as influential as Fernando Luiz Roza, better known to
Manchester City’s Mahrez conundrum – Stats masking a genuine problem. Can Riyad Mahrez turn it around?
How Bernardo Silva has become virtually irreplaceable in Pep’s starting XI
Newcastle United vs Manchester City – Match preview, team news, expected lineups and prediction
Written by Anaamaya Mishra Competition – Premier League; Game week 24 Venue – St. James’ Park, Referee – Paul Tierney Timings – Wednesday, 30th January, 20;00 PM GST;1:30 AM IST Title challengers Manchester City travel to St. James’ Park to salvage three valuable points against 17th placed Newcastle United. It is the first time
Young Lions – Jadon Sancho
History suggests that the notion of English footballers departing to greener pastures abroad in the pursuit of blossoming on the biggest stages is somewhat of an anomaly. While sizeable names such as Gary Lineker, Steve McManaman and David Beckham instantly spring to mind, it is important to note that each
The underappreciated genius of Edin Džeko
Kevin De Bruyne shines in FA Cup triumph – Manchester City player ratings vs Burnley
Young Lions – Phil Foden
We are kick off our first series -'Young Lions - The Future of English Football' with an in-depth look into Manchester City's Phil Foden, one of England 's brightest midfield talents. Resident writer Udhav Arora gives us a lowdown on the "Stockport Iniesta". “Balance and a left foot you can’t believe” is
Memorable FA Cup finals revisited
Racism in football – An on going problem that needs to be dealt with a zero tolerance approach
Etihad Stadium set for tectonic title showdown – Building up to City vs Pool
Ranking Premier League teams by Expected Goals
The Premier League title race is on
Last year, Manchester City cruised at a canter to the summit of English football, racking up a century of points and finishing 19 points above their neighbors, Manchester United, the second place team. Scoring an astonishing 106 goals, City were from another planet and it seemed very likely that this
