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All Andy Brassell posts on WhoScored.com Articles RSS

Player Focus: Ligue 1’s New Young Playmakers Come to the Fore

by Andy Brassell at Tuesday, Aug 26 2014 11:36
Player Focus: Ligue 1’s New Young Playmakers Come to the Fore For Ligue 1 watchers who enjoy a classical playmaker, it’s been a tough couple of months. It began back in late March when the most richly talented and enigmatic of them all, Yoann Gourcuff of Lyon, was the victim of a brutal tackle from Saint Etienne’s Renaud Cohade. In between aggravat...
Categories: Player Focus

Team Focus: Jardim Already Under Pressure as Monaco Slip Up Again

by Andy Brassell at Monday, Aug 18 2014 15:12
Team Focus: Jardim Already Under Pressure as Monaco Slip Up Again “I’m not worried.” Leonardo Jardim’s verdict after another chastening Monaco defeat, against Bordeaux on Sunday night, may have aimed to bring calm to a shocked environment. It did, however, leave him in a minority of one. The Portuguese coach, who did a stellar job to guide ...
Categories: Team Focus

Match Focus: Bielsa’s Marseille Caught Out by Makélélé’s Bright Bastia

by Andy Brassell at Monday, Aug 11 2014 14:48
Match Focus: Bielsa’s Marseille Caught Out by Makélélé’s Bright Bastia As Marseille’s tracksuited players enjoyed the traditional pre-match pitch walk on the turf at the Furiani, they looked like they were without a care in the world; enjoying the warmth of the Corsican summer, and the calm before the storm. Then, they were suddenly snapped out of their comfort, ...
Categories: Match Focus

Player Focus: 5 Top Value Buys of the Transfer Window so far

by Andy Brassell at Monday, Jul 21 2014 17:00
Player Focus: 5 Top Value Buys of the Transfer Window so far It is said that there’s no such thing as transfer value during a World Cup year, but that’s not true – clubs just have to look for it a little harder. Here are five of WhoScored’s best value deals of the summer so far. No loans or free transfers are included, for clarity. Ton...
Categories: Player Focus

Team Focus: Who Are Germany's Main Rivals For Euro 2016?

by Andy Brassell at Tuesday, Jul 15 2014 11:21
Team Focus: Who Are Germany's Main Rivals For Euro 2016? If Germany were fourth favourites for the World Cup behind Brazil, Spain and Argentina at the start of the tournament, then they are unlikely to occupy a similar position in the stakes for Euro 2016 – and not only due to the absence of the South American pair. Joachim Löw had not only the...
Categories: Team Focus

Team Focus: Dutch Must Repeat Group Stage Gameplan to Defeat Argentina

by Andy Brassell at Tuesday, Jul 8 2014 14:24
Team Focus: Dutch Must Repeat Group Stage Gameplan to Defeat Argentina First impressions last. That has certainly been the case for the Netherlands in this World Cup, and it is entirely understandable. The jaw-dropping 5-1 victory over Spain was less than four weeks ago, but already feels like it is part of the competition’s legend, given both its style and its c...
Categories: Team Focus

Team Focus: Lahm Return to Right-Back Would Restore Germany's Balance

by Andy Brassell at Wednesday, Jul 2 2014 11:03
Team Focus: Lahm Return to Right-Back Would Restore Germany's Balance As Brazil could tell you, favouritism creates a certain type of accelerated expectation. Ostensibly, it seems misleading to call Germany’s struggles against Algeria a close shave. They were never behind in the game, and had a competition-high 28 shots at goal. Yet it wasn’t comfortable a...

Player Focus: Hulk – Brazil Asset or Flat-Track Bully?

by Andy Brassell at Tuesday, Jun 17 2014 11:03
Player Focus: Hulk – Brazil Asset or Flat-Track Bully? When Hulk pulled up in Brazil’s training session on Sunday, holding the back of his left thigh, there was none of the dread that accompanied Neymar’s scare in the warm-up before their opening World Cup match, against Croatia. If the Zenit Saint Petersburg forward were to miss out on the ...
Categories: Player Focus

Team Focus: What's Portugal's Plan B without Cristiano Ronaldo?

by Andy Brassell at Wednesday, Jun 4 2014 11:45
Team Focus: What's Portugal's Plan B without Cristiano Ronaldo? Cristiano Ronaldo's left thigh hasn't quite gained the same repute as David Beckham's fifth metatarsal did all of a decade ago but it's heading in the same direction - at least in Portugal. The country's talismanic captain should be fit for their opening World Cup group match against Germany (to quo...
Categories: Team Focus

League Focus: Ligue 1 2013/14 Review

by Andy Brassell at Monday, May 19 2014 11:26
League Focus: Ligue 1 2013/14 Review As Paris Saint-Germain closed their season in typical style with a 4-0 win over Montpellier, it seemed like an eternity since the reverse fixture on the opening day of the season, when La Paillade had held Laurent Blanc’s side to a draw at the Stade de la Mosson.It was also an extraordinary fe...
Categories: League Focus