Eze's Hat-Trick, Olise's Magic, and the Crisis at Anfield

Hello everyone,

The final international break of the year is finally over. With no national fixtures until March, we are moving into a period that will start to give us answers about key performances. During the weekend, several moments and storylines caught our attention, and we’ve gathered our favorite ones. Let’s get started!

Burnley 0-2 Chelsea

Chelsea continued their winning streak away from home in the opening match of Week 12. Keeping three consecutive clean sheets on the road is a huge boost for the team’s defensive performance, especially ahead of a tough schedule in the Champions League and the Premier League. That was Enzo Maresca’s 50th Premier League match in charge of Chelsea and the Italian manager secured his 27th victory. The technical staff gave Moises Caicedo a rest, who only returned on Thursday after international duty, calculating that they would need his dynamism for the upcoming Barcelona and Arsenal matches. With Dario Essugo and Romeo Lavia also sidelined due to injury, Enzo Maresca gave the opportunity to young Andrey Santos, and he did a pretty good job. The standout performers for Chelsea were Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, who assisted the first goal, Oluwatosin Adarabioyo, who won 8/10 duels in defense and played with a 93% pass completion rate, Pedro Neto, and Enzo Fernandez.

What did Enzo Maresca Say?
“I’m very happy since I joined the club, not just at this moment. When you are Chelsea manager, you know that when you lose one game it’s a crisis, and if you lose two it’s a huge crisis, so you have to be aware of that. But I really enjoy it because I also like to learn. Today we expected a Burnley back five, and they used a back four, so after 20 minutes we needed to change the plan, and the players adapted. I learn things, so I’m very happy.”

Figure 1: Tosin Adarabioyo clearances, tackles & progressive passes over 20m vs Burnley

Bournemouth 2-2 West Ham

Ün-believable! Bournemouth earned a late draw with a goal from Turkish international Enes Ünal, in a game where they recorded an xG of 4.08. It was Enes Ünal’s second appearance since returning from an ACL injury. The match statistics heavily supported the high xG value, such as passes in the final third (250 vs 57), final third entries (94 vs 49), and penalty area entries (68 vs 18). More impressively, Bournemouth delivered this performance without their key player Antoine Semenyo. Their stats tell the story, but Alphonse Areola kept West Ham in the game.

He was an absolute wall, making 10 saves in total, recording a goals prevented value of 2.85, and making 8 saves from inside the box. Additionally, he has made the assist for Wilson’s goal. What a performance mate! 🎩 West Ham showed a style of play very similar to Nuno Espirito Santo’s Nottingham Forest so far, they have been doing very similar things. Bournemouth will travel to Sunderland next week; in my opinion, this is one of the best underdog games of the week that should not be missed.

*Goals Prevented Explanation: This metric is based on the ratio of goals conceded compared to the expected number of goals based on the quality of shots (xGOT) the goalkeeper faced. Areola’s value of 2.85 means he prevented 2.85 more goals than an average goalkeeper would have been expected to concede.

Figure 2: Alphonse Areola’s performance against Bournemouth

Brighton 2-1 Brentford

Brighton managed to come from behind to win for the third time in the Premier League this season (Manchester City, Chelsea, and Brentford). They are literally the masters of the comebacks. Another excellent goalkeeping performance of the week came from Dutch keeper, Bart Verbruggen. The young keeper was the architect of the victory, saving Thiago’s penalty in the 90+4th minute. Other notable statistics:xG 1.23 vs 1.95, final third entries 74 vs 39, penalty area entries 34 vs 22, shots inside box 8 vs 7.

Liverpool 0-3 Nottingham Forest

Things are going poorly for Liverpool. With six defeats in their last seven league matches, the team is in a freefall. They appear vulnerable defensively, set-piece drama continues, lack control in midfield, and they offer nothing in the final third. Liverpool are in a mess, and they deserve a detailed analysis which we’ll do later. Next two games for Liverpool: Psv Eindhoven, and West Ham. Okay, the PSV match will be really entertaining.

What did Arne Slot Say?
‘’If things go well or things go bad, it’s my responsibility; we weren’t able to create enough’’. I tried to adjust a few things, but it didn’t work out. We were unable to score a goal. In a few days, we have to play in the Champions League again and then play three Premier League games in a short space. Keep your head up and work incredibly hard. We are trying every single day.

Newcastle United 2-1 Manchester City

Before Newcastle opened the scoring in the 64th minute with Harvey Barnes’s goal, both teams had wasted several good opportunities. At the half-time break, the two teams had created a total of seven clear chances (four for Newcastle, three for City) and generated a combined xG of 2.59 (Newcastle 1.18, City 1.41). However, the scoreline somehow remained 0-0. The second half was more decisive and Newcastle deserved to win with a more aggressive style. If Arsenal wins on Sunday, the point difference at the top will increase to 7 points. (indeed, it happened) Newcastle’s next game is away against Marseille, while Manchester City will host Bayer Leverkusen at the Etihad.

Barcelona 4-0 Athletic Bilbao

After a two-season absence, Barcelona returned to Camp Nou from the Estadi Olímpic, which they used during the €1.5 billion stadium renovation. While the attack has been prolific, the Catalans have failed to keep a clean sheet in their last 10 matches (7 La Liga, 3 Champions League). This poor run, fortunately, ended on the opening night of the renovated Camp Nou. Under Hansi Flick, the team have now managed to score goals in each of their last 33 LaLiga games, accumulating 85 in total. You have to go back to February 2019, under Ernesto Valverde, to find a better scoring streak: 37 matches and 99 goals. Speaking about the game itself, Barcelona fully deserved the victory, producing 2.08 expected goals from 19 shots compared to Bilbao’s 0.75 from 13 attempts, with their superiority in the final third driven by Torres’ finishing and Yamal’s brilliance.

Borussia Dortmund 3-3 Stuttgart

Niko Kovac may feel he got robbed, going for a draw in a match where Dortmund accumulated 2.99 xG compared to Stuttgart’s 1.55 xG. Deniz Undav, with an xG value of 0.90, scored a hat-trick, proving just how lethal he is in the box. Since Dortmund has failed to win in their last three competitive matches, they will be looking for a victory when they host Villarreal in the Champions League on Tuesday evening. On the other side Stuttgart will travel to Go Ahead Eagles in the Europa League on Thursday evening. Bundesliga would be more fun if Dortmund had two more Guirassy and two more Adeyemi. Do you agree?

Bayern Munich 6-2 Freiburg

Manuel Neuer returned to goal after recovering from injury, but Bayern had to play without national team captain Joshua Kimmich. Freiburg gave a cold shower to Bayern, taking a 0-2 lead within 17 minutes with goals from Yuito Suzuki and Johan Manzambi. Their set-piece dominance is getting serious. Both goals came from corners against Bayern Munich as well. However, Bayern’s young star Lennart Karl quickly answered back and just before halftime, Michael Olise equalized, assisted by the 17-year-old Lennart Karl. Dayot Upamecano, Harry Kane, Nicolas Jackson, completed the impressive victory. We should speak more about Micheal Olise and his incredible skills. If you do not watch Bundesliga, do yourself a favour and watch him in the midweek against Arsenal in Champions League. Yes, in midweek!

Figure 3: Michael Olise, Harry Kane and Lennart Karl performances against Freiburg

Köln 3-4 Eintracht Frankfurt

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Figure 4: FC Köln vs Eintracht Frankfurt goal timeline

Leeds United 1-2 Aston Villa

Leeds United is facing a brutal fixture: Manchester City (A), Chelsea (H), and Liverpool (H) are the next three opponents. Losing at home just before entering this challenging period is a bit concerning. Daniel Farke has previously stated that he believes six more wins, combined with a few draws, will be enough for Leeds United to avoid relegation. The salvation could be more competitive this season, so this mathematics could fail. Let’s check this in late April again.

On the Aston Villa side, Morgan Rogers was the key difference-maker, showing individual brilliance with two goals, including a superb free-kick. Rogers’ performance comes shortly after he signed a new deal during the November break, keeping him at Villa Park until 2031. This renewal, alongside those of John McGinn and Matty Cash, boosts the mood around Villa Park following the team’s impressive form. Another standout for Aston Villa was goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez. His crucial saves in the final minutes made the difference in the victory. Unai Emery’s side, had a turbulent start to the season and failed to win in their first five weeks, have now secured their sixth victory in the last seven matches, lifting them into fourth place in the league table.

Arsenal 4-1 Tottenham

With both Manchester City and Liverpool dropping points on Saturday, Arsenal had a golden opportunity to extend their lead at the top of the table. They are now sitting seven points clear of M. City and eleven points ahead of Liverpool. At halftime, they had a comfortable 2-0 lead. The team dominated the second half from start to finish, with Eze completing his hat-trick, sealing a derby victory. While Tottenham were missing key players like Dominic Solanke, James Maddison, and Dejan Kulusevski, their squad depth should still be sufficient to avoid such a poor performance. Manager Thomas Frank could perhaps have fielded a more offensive team; conceding four goals while playing a five-man defense is certainly not a convincing performance. Arsenal now face a tough week, with a CL game against Bayern Munich midweek, followed by an away PL fixture against Chelsea. Tottenham also face a difficult week, traveling to face the past Champions League winners, PSG, before returning to league action against Fulham.

Figure 5: Arsenal vs Tottenham match stats

Cremonese 1-3 Roma

Roma wrapped up their Sunday with a solid 3-0 win, three quality goals, and a confident performance, leaving them free to enjoy the Milan derby later. Matias Soule continues to be a delight to watch; his left foot is a real rocket, and he scored the opening goal once again. It was also a good day for Evan Ferguson, who scored his first Serie A goal. Wesley and Zeki Çelik were other standout performers for the team. Roma now faces a very entertaining fixture list: Midtjylland (who are currently leading their Europa League group) and then Napoli at home.

Inter 0-1 AC Milan

AC Milan won the derby 1-0, moving above their rivals and climbing to second place. Massimiliano Allegri’s team is playing a highly compact and dynamic football, which has certainly increased the entertainment value of Serie A as the weeks progress. The harmony and form of Rafael Leão and Christian Pulisic, the aesthetic brilliance of Luka Modrić, and the dominance of Mike Maignan in goal (his save of Hakan Çalhanoğlu’s penalty was the turning point of the match), and the relentless energy of Fofana are all great reasons to watch Milan. Inter will visit Atlético Madrid away in the Champions League midweek, while Milan will rest midweek and then host Lazio at home at the weekend.

Figure 6: Mike Maignan touch heat map and saved shots against Inter

Leipzig 2-0 Werder Bremen

It was an emotional match for Ole Werner as he faced his former club, Werder Bremen, where he spent nearly three and a half years and led them back to the Bundesliga. Building on the experience he gained at Bremen, Werner is now applying his vision at Leipzig. Everything is going well so far, the team is in a highly competitive position, sitting just six points behind Bayern Munich, and have maintained a perfect record of five wins from five home games. More importantly, with a major squad overhaul and a hectic transfer period behind them, the season could have been a complete transition phase.

In the Sunday fixture, Leipzig were clearly the better side, taking control and dominating the majority of the game. Yan Diomande, whom we highlighted in our pre-season analysis, delivered an outstanding performance. Similarly, Assan Ouedraogo, another talent we focused on in previous weeks, played a fantastic game. The collective performance of players like Johan Bakayoko, Yan Diomande, Antonio Nusa, Assan Ouedraogo, and Romulo (who was injured and could not play this week) is the kind of football that makes you feel your time was well spent, rather than leaving you to regret watching the full 90 minutes. Especially when Assan Ouedraogo and Yan Diomande are in action, that’s pure joy. If you have time to watch Leipzig, you’ll like this team a lot!

Figure 7: Leipzig’s rising stars Yan Diomande and Assan Ouedraogo radar charts

Lille 4-2 Paris FC

Despite dominating in crucial metrics such final third entries (63 vs 38), penalty area entries (34 vs 22), total passes in the final third (152 vs 87), Lille struggled to break down a resilient Paris FC back line and get past experienced goalkeeper Kevin Trapp. The match remained locked at 1-1 for a long period, but the goals that finally brought relief to Lille arrived in the final 15 minutes. Veteran striker Olivier Giroud scored twice and a stylish Panenka penalty from Marius Broholm killed the game. With both Strasbourg and Lyon dropping points, Bruno Genesio’s side has climbed up to fourth place in the league table, profiting from their rivals’ stumbles.

Elche 2-2 Real Madrid

It was a brilliant game from start to finish, delivering tension, excitement, and a late equalizer. The Elche coaching staff clearly did their homework, analyzing Real Madrid exceptionally well. They successfully closed down spaces and made life very uncomfortable for the Madrid players.

Elche’s left-back, Germán Valera, delivered an assist for the first goal to Aleix Febas is one of the top five assists of the season, watch if you missed it. I really liked the physical presence and dynamism of Uruguayan Álvaro Rodríguez at Elche despite playing the last 10-15 minutes he impressed with all skills. He’a a Real Madrid academy graduate player who’s becoming mature in the recent seasons.

Elche is far from an easy opponent and will cause a lot of trouble for any team visiting their ground this season. Despite being a team that has not won in six matches, I believe that in the long run, they are one of the most interesting teams in the league, playing genuinely good football. The highest praise must go to manager Eder Sarabia for his tactical setup and the team’s performance.

That’s all for this week! Enjoy the Champions League, Europa League, and Conference League football and catch you up soon!

Cover Photo: Sven Hoppe/dpa