Category: Planet Football

There were many issues with Frank Lampard’s management at Chelsea, but the trust he put in Mason Mount was not one of them, as new boss Thomas Tuchel will attest. It’s just over a week since the German coach succeeded Lampard in the dugout, and already there are marked differences in how the Blues are playing, but Mount […]

Read More… from Mount is a special player under any coach – as Ndombele found out

When Football Manager 2011 was released back in November 2010, Manchester United were on course for their 19th Premier League title. United also had an exciting crop of young players at the club at that time, with their Under-18s winning the prestigious FA Youth Cup. FMScout.com earmarked eight wonderkids at United in that year’s edition and here’s how things turned […]

Read More… from Revisiting Man Utd’s eight FM 2011 wonderkids, 10 years on

Jose Mourinho failed to hide his frustration with Eric Dier during Tottenham‘s Premier League clash with Chelsea on Thursday night. Spurs have struggled for form under Mourinho in recent weeks and were made to look sluggish in the first half by a Chelsea side enjoying a resurgence following the appointment of Thomas Tuchel as Frank Lampard’s successor. Dier […]

Read More… from Watch: Exasperated Mourinho reacts to Dier blunder for Spurs

Super-agent Jorge Mendes and his company GestiFute have, as usual, brokered some of the biggest transfers of the season. Mendes was behind Ruben Dias’ move to Manchester City and Diogo Jota’s switch to Liverpool, and he also helped bring James Rodriguez to these shores. But the powerful businessman has also squeezed fees out of clubs […]

Read More… from Ranking every Jorge Mendes transfer of 20–21 by outrageousness

The use of VAR continues to cause controversy in the Premier League – but which clubs have been affected most by its use? Thanks to the excellent work of ESPN, we’ve ranked every Premier League club from who has benefited most to who has had the most decisions go against them when VAR has overturned an on-pitch decision. Note: The […]

Read More… from Ranking PL clubs by who’s been most affected by VAR in 20-21

From David Beckham’s goal against Greece to Roberto Carlos’ stunning strike against France, there are few things better than a well-taken free-kick. ESPN have looked at the nine players with the most direct free-kick goals in Europe’s big five league since the start of the 2016-17 season. An unsurprising name is top of the list, by quite […]

Read More… from The nine players to score the most free-kicks in Europe since 2016

Judgements are formed incredibly quickly these days, but those writing off Antoine Griezmann may need to be revised after the forward continued his fine form in 2021 by rescuing Barcelona in their frantic 5-3 victory over Granada. Influenced by the blossoming of social media from a cute accessory to an all-consuming monster, people everywhere are quick to […]

Read More… from Griezmann’s assist the hallmark of a man already taking 2021 by storm

Everton fans will have fond memories of the 2008-09 season in which they made the FA Cup final – but one of the most memorable goals of that campaign was never even seen by many. The Blues got to the final the hard way, seeing off Premier League opposition in every round from the fourth onwards, with […]

Read More… from Remembering when ITV missed a Merseyside Derby winner

We’ve all dreamt of having control over our team’s recruitment strategy. Just think about it: keys to the safe, a contact book full of agents and sporting directors. All you need to do is pick up the phone and turn on the charm. For a heady few weeks at the end of 1997, fans of […]

Read More… from The Brazilian free-kick wizard auctioned off by phone-in