Performance – Inside World Football

‘You’re getting sacked in the morning’. 75% of top tier coaches fired within a year

Paul Nicholson — Wed, 23 Apr 2025 10:44:03 +0000

April 23 – New research from the CIES Football Observatory has revealed a striking lack of managerial stability across world football, with exactly 75.3% of current top-flight head coaches having been in their role for less than a year.

The study, which spans 65 leagues worldwide, highlights that only one in four coaches have held their position for a full season or more, with some of the world’s most high-profile competitions mirroring the global trend of short-term managerial tenures.

Rangers’ patience runs out and part company with Philippe Clement

Paul Nicholson — Mon, 24 Feb 2025 00:54:21 +0000

February 24 – Scottish giants Rangers have sacked under-fire coach Philippe Clement in the aftermath of back-to-back home defeats, the latest being Saturday’s 2-0 setback against St Mirren.

Clement, 50, had been facing mounting pressure throughout a dismal campaign and the Scottish Premiership club have now put the Belgian out of his misery after less than two years in charge.

“Rangers Football Club can confirm it has tonight parted company with men’s first-team manager,

Ranking highlights top U23 targets in transfer window

Paul Nicholson — Wed, 15 Jan 2025 06:00:23 +0000

January 15 – The CIES Football Observatory has unveiled the top U23 players outside Europe’s big five leagues who appear most prepared to take the next step in their careers, based on an index that evaluates a variety of data.

Sporting Lisbon’s Belgian defender Zeno Debast (87.5 – pictured) leads the ranking. A relatively unknown entity compared to some of the names on the list, the player is gathering interest from Spain this window,

Scouting report identifies world’s fastest developing talent

Paul Nicholson — Mon, 23 Dec 2024 09:19:46 +0000

December 23 – The stars of tomorrow are already making waves today. A scouting report by the CIES Football Observatory and Wyscout has identified the best-performing footballers born in 2004 or later across 65 leagues worldwide.

Using a performance index calculated across six key areas- ground defence, aerial play, distribution, chance creation, take-ons, and finishing – the rankings offer a detailed look at young players lighting up the global stage. The index, scored on a 100-point basis,

Koundé tops ranking of most used players, Van Dijk is second

Paul Nicholson — Thu, 19 Dec 2024 10:26:10 +0000

December 19 – FC Barcelona defender Jules Koundé has emerged as the most-used outfield player in world football, according to the latest CIES Football Observatory report. The French international clocked an extraordinary 5,872 minutes across 69 matches, showcasing both his durability and importance to club and country.

Hot on his heels are Fluminense’s Colombian John Arias (5,599 minutes) and Real Madrid’s utility midfielder Federico Valverde (5,573).

The next three places are occupied by players over the age of 30: Dutchman Virgil van Dijk (33.4),

Belgium’s Cercle Brugge keep faith with Austrian recruitment policy

Paul Nicholson — Fri, 13 Dec 2024 02:40:05 +0000

December 13 – Belgian club Cercle Brugge have named Ferdinand Feldhofer (pictured) as the successor to Miron Muslic. It’s the third time in a row that the club have put their fate in the hands of an Austrian manager.

Brugge are fighting relegation in the Belgian league and following the exit of Muslic the club have chosen to trust the 45-year-old Feldhofer to rescue them from the drop. After 17 match days, Cercle are lingering in 17th position with 16 points,

French women’s leagues partner with Pixellot for performance analysis

Paul Nicholson — Wed, 11 Dec 2024 03:05:31 +0000

December 11 – The French Women’s Professional Football League (LFFP) has taken a significant step to enhance performance analysis across its Arkema Premier League and Second League clubs by partnering up with Pixellot. The deal will see the introduction of Pixellot’s advanced AI-powered cameras, a cutting-edge technology designed to revolutionise match analysis.

As part of its ongoing efforts to support clubs in optimising performance, the LFFP has equipped every club in the Arkema Premier League and Second League with Pixellot cameras.

Robbie Keane in market for return to US as a coach

Paul Nicholson — Mon, 09 Dec 2024 03:55:46 +0000

December 9 – Robbie Keane’s Irish heart was smiling this weekend as one of his 11 former clubs lifted the biggest title on offer in his former home of America. Keane, who spent five seasons in Los Angeles with the LA Galaxy winning three MLS Cups was on the sidelines as they won their sixth all-time title beating the New York Red Bulls 2-1 at Dignity Health Sports Park.

Keane completed his UEFA Pro coaching license in 2020 and has made no secret of his desire to become a head coach in Major League Soccer (MLS).

Are Argentina’s evergreens at the end of their term?

Paul Nicholson — Thu, 05 Dec 2024 04:45:48 +0000

December 5 – The CIES Football Observatory has unveiled a potential Achilles heel for Lionel Scaloni’s Argentina, which have fielded one of the oldest average line-ups of any team in the world across the past 12 months.

The report shows the World Champions rank 12th out of the 144 teams surveyed, showing a warning signs for the side which regularly featured and relied upon ageing stars such as Leo Messi (37) and Angel Di Maria (36).

Alderweireld’s panic attacks forced him to retire

Paul Nicholson — Tue, 19 Nov 2024 09:21:27 +0000

November 19 – Former Belgium international defender Toby Alderweireld has revealed that he decided to end his international career after thinking he was “going to die”.

The 35-year-old, who still plays for Royal Antwerp in the Belgian league, quit the international scene in March 2023 after winning 127 caps.

The former Tottenham Hotspur was part of the so-called ‘Golden Generation’ of Belgian players who finished third at the 2018 World Cup and also played in the 2014 and 2022 editions.

Amorim’s Sporting Lisbon top shot-taking ranking. One League Man Utd could win?

Paul Nicholson — Fri, 15 Nov 2024 11:56:39 +0000

November 15 – Manchester United-bound Ruben Amorim’s Sporting Lisbon side tops a new shot-taking ranking by the CIES Football Observatory, suggesting that the Red Devils have gained a real attacking asset by getting the Portuguese coach.

The study shows that Amorim’s Sporting take an average 9.09 shots inside the ‘danger zone’ (the central rectangle of the penalty area) each match, whilst conceding only two.

It’s been a key reason why the Portuguese side have won every league game this term (11/11) and stylishly beat Manchester City last week in the UEFA Champions League,

Kitman expands into Saudi Pro League with Al-Hilal deal

Paul Nicholson — Wed, 13 Nov 2024 02:27:21 +0000

November 13 – Sports performance intelligence platform Kitman Labs has entered into a partnership with Saudi Pro League’s Al-Hilal, one of the country’s most decorated football clubs.

Armed with an impressive trophy cabinet, Al-Hilal will now utilise Kitman Labs’ advanced iP: Intelligence Platform to monitor player health, wellness, and performance across both its Men’s and Women’s First Teams. Though the deal comes a little too late for Brazilian Neymar who is injured again having only managed two appearances as a sub after a long spell out with injury.

Jewel in Barca’s crown, La Masia, has production line at full capacity

Paul Nicholson — Thu, 07 Nov 2024 07:06:23 +0000

November 7 – During the 2010-11 season, FC Barcelona was the greatest team in world football. Under the guidance of La Masia graduate, Pep Guardiola, and prompted by the GOAT, Lionel Messi, another product of the famed academy, the Catalans were unstoppable, but then, the production line faltered.

This season the club’s hallowed youth academy is back!

The first team is nine points clear in La Liga after just 12 games having recently thrashed their greatest rivals Real Madrid 4-0 on Madrid’s own turf.

Yamal value rockets to €180m in young player ranking, 26 EPL players in top 100

Paul Nicholson — Wed, 06 Nov 2024 08:32:55 +0000

November 6 – The CIES Football Observatory has unveiled its latest rankings of young players with the highest transfer values, with no surprises at the number one spot.

Topping the list is Barcelona’s teenage sensation, Lamine Yamal, with a staggering valuation of €180.9 million, significantly outpacing rivals like Manchester United’s Alejandro Garnacho (€114.8 million) and Paris Saint-Germain’s Warren Zaïre-Emery (€109.0 million). Sávio Moreira from Manchester City also broke the €100 million mark, with a valuation of €101.0 million.

Benfica ranks as world’s best player development club

Paul Nicholson — Thu, 31 Oct 2024 08:16:52 +0000

October 31 – Portugal’s Benfica has been unveiled as the world leader in player training, according to stats generated by the CIES Football Observatory.

The CIES’s latest report ranks football clubs and academies worldwide on their ability to develop top-level talent, with Benfica (academy pictured) leading the way.

The Portuguese giants ranked highest both in the number of players trained and in the ‘training index’ a metric that accounts for the competitive level of these players.

Respect? Petulant Real Madrid snub Ballon d’Or over Rodri beating Vini Jr to top gong

Paul Nicholson — Tue, 29 Oct 2024 12:09:36 +0000

October 29 – After a stellar season that saw him pick up silverware with both club and country, Manchester City and Spain midfielder Rodri won the men’s Ballon d’Or award on Monday but the entire occasion was overshadowed by Real Madrid boycotting the prestigious annual event in Paris.

Real won the club of the year trophy and their manager Carlo Ancelotti was the winner of the men’s coach award, but there was no-one from the club present to receive the prizes.