Latest headlines from The Conventional Playmaker, covering football, football, with clear attribution and direct links to the original publisher.
It was a long time coming. After the saga of last summer that saw neither party seek their desired outcome, Manchester United have now signed Carlos Baleba. United, and Brighton & Hove Albion, eventually came to an agreement on the fee, with United coughing up £65m, with £5m in potential add-ons. Baleba is a another … Continue reading What Carlos Baleba brings to Manchester United’s midfield
Jude Bellingham’s galloping run, followed by outwitting Maxence Lacroix, and finishing tidily in the penalty-area to boot, capped off an absolute goal fest, as England beat France 6-4, to earn third place in the 2026 World Cup. Bellingham offered a superb 11 minute cameo, completing 5 dribbles, as well as scoring. This was also Bellingham’s … Continue reading Jude Bellingham cements his place as one of England’s greatest
June 24th 2018, Colombia beat Poland 0-3 in a World Cup group stage tie, where Juan Quintero was excellent, playing disguised passes, combining with James Rodriguez. Eight years later to the day, Quintero impressed against DR Congo, once again showing off his creativity. For many years, Quintero has been the understudy to James in Colombia’s … Continue reading Juan Quintero’s passing opens up DR Congo’s defence
For 60 minutes, Ivory Coast were the better side in their match against Germany, leading 0-1 as a result. But as Germany made necessary substitutions, the game swung in the European sides favour. Deniz Undav scored twice to seal a 2-1 comeback, in doing so highlighted what he is good at, and what Germany had … Continue reading Germany eventually outwit impressive Ivory Coast defensive scheme to complete comeback
Whereas Germany, and Argentina, were both praised for their close combination play in their opening group stage matches, there were often large gaps between Portugal’s players when they had the ball, which in this case, did not help in their attempts to break down a sturdy DR Congo defence, especially as the encounter went on. … Continue reading Portugal’s routes to goal may need to change
Even before the World Cup has kicked off, the summer transfer window has been ignited by Barcelona agreeing a deal to lure England winger Anthony Gordon from Tyneside to Catalonia for £69.3m, on a five-year contract. Though it is a large fee Barcelona are paying Newcastle United, beating Bayern Munich to the punch in the … Continue reading Versatility, chances, pressing, and the system: Why Anthony Gordon to Barcelona makes sense
The Champions League will include Manchester United for the first time in three seasons, following a 3-2 win at home over rivals Liverpool. It was also another match against a “big six” side, where Matheus Cunha contributed either a goal, or an assist, all whilst defying expected goals metrics, and playing on the left. Albeit … Continue reading Analysing how Matheus Cunha defies expected goals, and his role on United’s left flank
On April 15th, Bayern Munich played out what was the game of the season against Real Madrid to ensure a place in the Champions League semi-finals. On Tuesday, that match was eclipsed as Bayern, this time on the losing end, faced off against Paris Saint-Germain in a 5-4 thriller. It was a goal fest, with … Continue reading Runs and passes in behind aid PSG and Bayern’s dribbling-fuelled goal fest
Champions League knockout matches generally provide the best entertainment football can offer. This season’s matches continued that trend. Not that other competitions provide little to no entertainment value, but especially this season, Europe’s premier cup competition has offered more moments seeing players devise their own solutions on the ball, which lead to chances, and even … Continue reading Bayern Munich and Real Madrid invited players to devise their own solutions
Benjamin Sesko scored his third goal off of the bench since Michael Carrick’s return as Manchester United’s interim manager, to seal three points in a cagey, but well-fought 0-1 win away from home against Everton. This was the second goal scored by Sesko having come off the bench, which proved the winning goal in a … Continue reading Benjamin Sesko has been making an impact when it matters most
