West Ham's only major departures came in defense in Angelo Ogbonna and Ben Johnson, and as such, the Hammers have invested heavily to reinforce their backline with Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Max Kilman making the move to Stratford.
-Lost to Manchester City in the Champions League quarterfinals
-Lost to Freiburg in the DFB-Pokal quarterfinals
-Won their 11th straight Bundesliga title on the final day courtesy of a win vs. Köln and a late collapse from Borussia Dortmund
After a somewhat disappointing campaign in Bavaria, Bayern Munich need a strong transfer window as they look to back Thomas Tuchel with reinforcements.
@SweeperKeeperMN analyzes Bayern's start to the window and their biggest priorities: https://t.co/GwpOiNPUuJbreakingthelines.com/transfer-analy…
Apr 25, 2023 • 8 tweets • 10 min read
This weekend in the EFL Championship:
Another game, another goal for Carlton Morris. He scored his 20th goal from the penalty spot to complete Luton Town's comeback 2-1 victory against Middlesbrough, moving four points above Middlesbrough.
May 25, 2019: Valencia beat Barcelona 2-1 in the Copa del Rey Final, capping off a season that would see them finish fourth for a second straight year and reach the Europa League semifinals.
June 2, 2019: Lens lose 3-1 to Dijon, missing out on promotion to Ligue 1.
Four years later, Lens sit third in Ligue 1, five points above Monaco, and they look set to return to the Champions League for the first time in 21 years.
Valencia, meanwhile, are in grave danger of dropping down to the Segunda for the first time in 37 years.
Apr 24, 2023 • 5 tweets • 4 min read
Since the tournament's inception in 1991, the FIFA Women's World Cup has set the stage for players like Marta and Mia Hamm to shine and helped increase the popularity of the women's game.
@Sportscasmm takes a look at the history of the Women's World Cup:
breakingthelines.com/womens-footbal…@Sportscasmm The first World Cup would see the U.S. triumph over Norway in the final, with Norway avenging their defeat by beating the USWNT in the semifinals before winning 2-0 against Germany, whilst 1999 would see the U.S. beat China on penalties to claim their second title on home soil.
Apr 24, 2023 • 9 tweets • 6 min read
Aston Villa were 14th when they hired Unai Emery -- six months later, they sit sixth and are fighting to return to Europe for the first time in 13 years.
One player who has been vital in Villa's turnaround under Emery is Ollie Watkins.
@tabuteauS: breakingthelines.com/player-analysi…@tabuteauS Born in Torquay, Watkins came through Exeter City's academy, winning the EFL Young Player of the Year for his performances in League Two before moving to Brentford for £1.8 million, scoring 10 goals in his first two seasons in the Championship before enjoying a breakout 2019/20.
Apr 24, 2023 • 9 tweets • 6 min read
Indonesia looked set to host this summer's U-20 World Cup until Bali Governor Wayan Koster called for a ban on the Israeli national team's presence at the tournament.
@AlarSebas takes a look at the drama surrounding the 2023 FIFA U-20 World Cup:
breakingthelines.com/investigation-…@AlarSebas Argentina have been selected as the new hosts, with the Albiceleste failing to qualify ahead of Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, and Uruguay but nevertheless receiving hosting privileges via Indonesia's expulsion.
One of the newest rivalries in the NWSL is the one between San Diego Wave and Angel City. Today, these two teams will battle it out for dominance in Southern California.
@statsandedits previews the match between San Diego Wave and Angel City:
breakingthelines.com/womens-footbal…@statsandedits San Diego Wave opened their second NWSL campaign by beating Chicago Red Stars 3-2 and North Carolina Courage 3-1 before losing to 1-0 OL Reign via a 95th-minute goal.
Angel City lost 2-1 to Gotham FC, beat Orlando Pride 2-1, and drew 2-2 to Racing Louisville.
Apr 22, 2023 • 8 tweets • 6 min read
West Ham are through to a European semifinal for a second straight year, but they nevertheless sit just three points above the drop and are in danger of ending an 11-year spell in the Premier League.
@WilfMacdonnell on the Hammers' rollercoaster campaign: breakingthelines.com/premier-league…@WilfMacdonnell "West Ham fans have been on a ride they’ll never forget since 2019 under David Moyes. Despite arriving to a massively underwhelmed fan base, Moyes steered West Ham clear of danger in the 2019/20 season during his second spell at the club."
Giorgio Chiellini is 38. Leonardo Bonucci is 35. It is clear that Italy are in need of a new leader in central defense.
Enter: Atalanta's 19-year-old defender Giorgio Scalvini.
@dharnishiqbal takes a look at Scalvini's impressive form in Bergamo:
breakingthelines.com/player-analysi…@dharnishiqbal Born in Chiari, Italy, Scalvini joined Atalanta's academy in 2015, making his debut on October 24, 2021 and registering 18 Serie A appearances in 2021/22.
He would make his Azzurri debut on June 14, 2022, coming off the bench in the second half in a 5-2 defeat to Germany.
Mar 1, 2023 • 6 tweets • 4 min read
Despite losing key players like Cheick Doucouré and Jonathan Clauss in the summer, Lens sit fourth in Ligue 1 and are chasing a return to Europe after 21 years.
One player who has been vital to their success is Salis Abdul Samed.
breakingthelines.com/player-analysi…@OGUNNIYIABAYOM1 Whilst Loïs Openda has filled Arnaud Kalimuendo's void in attack, Samed has filled Doucouré's vacancy in midfield following the Malian's departure to Crystal Palace, slotting into the center of the pitch alongside Ivorian international Seko Fofana.
breakingthelines.com/player-analysi…@PhilTalksFooty Born in Santo Domingo, Ecuador, Caiced joined Independiente del Valle's academy at the age of 13, making his professional debut on October 1, 2019 and impressing for the first team, prompting Brighton to sign him for £4 million on a 4.5-year contract on February 1, 2021.
Feb 28, 2023 • 5 tweets • 4 min read
Utilized by Marcelo Bielsa in Leeds, Marseille and Bilbao, the 3-1-3-3 formation makes use of pressing traps to win the ball back, launch quick counters and create goal-scoring opportunities.
@keepIT_tactical analyzes the 3-1-3-3's pressing traps: breakingthelines.com/tactical-analy…@keepIT_tactical "Man-oriented pressing traps are designed to put pressure by having one or more players closely mark their opponent, while the rest of the team provides cover and support.
When the opposing player receives the ball, the player marking him will immediately close down the space."
Dec 22, 2022 • 10 tweets • 8 min read
Marcus and Lilian Thuram are the first father-son duo to appear in a World Cup Final, but they're far from the only two who have made an impact at the game's highest level.
@__He___ takes a look at the history of father-son duos in world football:
breakingthelines.com/historical/the…@__He___ "Mexican duo Luis Perez and Mario Perez kick us off, having played at the 1930 and 1970 World Cups. Following them are Luis Regueiro Pagola, who played for Spain in 1934. He finished his career at America in Mexico, which meant his son, Luis Jr., represented Mexico in 1966."
Dec 20, 2022 • 13 tweets • 6 min read
Romania reached the World Cup knockout round three times in the '90s, with their best-ever result seeing them advance to the quarterfinals in 1994; they have yet to reach a World Cup in the 21st century.
breakingthelines.com/historical/the…@__He___ "Popularized by English and American workers in the oil industry, one of the first club sides founded in Romania was United Ploiesti in 1909.
In the following decades, regional championships gave the country the best teams, which faced off in a playoff to decide the champions."
Dec 20, 2022 • 12 tweets • 8 min read
The World Cup is over, but club football is just around the corner. @RichDPike89 takes a look at the state of play in European club football and what's on the horizon for 2023:
breakingthelines.com/news/the-curre…@RichDPike89 "Arsenal lead the Premier League table and are five points ahead of Manchester City after 14 matches. This dynamic is further enhanced by the fact that Arteta himself served as Pep Guardiola’s assistant for the first two of his Premier League title wins in 2017/18 and 2018/19."
-Mainz (#6) thrash 10-man Köln (#10) 5-0
Eighth-placed RB Leipzig found themselves down 3-0 within 64 minutes at Augsburg (#12), only for Iago to receive his marching orders one minute later.
Leipzig would proceed to score 3 goals in 18 minutes via André Silva, Christopher Nkunku and Hugo Novoa to secure a point.
Oct 22, 2022 • 8 tweets • 4 min read
Arsenal are flying high at the top of the Premier League, and one of the biggest reasons has been the form of William Saliba in central defense.
@__Kachi_ on Saliba’s breakthrough in North London: breakingthelines.com/player-analysi…
Arsenal shelled out £27 million to snap up the 18-year-old from Saint-Étienne in 2019, with Saliba spending loan spells at ASSE, Nice, and Marseille before returning to the Emirates and solidifying a starting spot alongside Ben White, Gabriel Magalhães and Oleksandr Zinchenko.
Oct 22, 2022 • 7 tweets • 4 min read
At 17 years of age, Désiré Doué has emerged as a reliable game-changer off the bench for Rennes with 3 goals in 502 minutes for Bruno Genesio's side this season.
@LiamScahill takes a look at Rennes' latest teenage prodigy: breakingthelines.com/player-analysi…@LiamScahill Doué became the youngest ever Rennes goalscorer in European competition when he scored an 89th-minute winner in a 2-1 victory against Dynamo Kyiv on October 6, before scoring in a 3-0 win against local rivals Nantes in the Derby de la Bretagne. breakingthelines.com/player-analysi…
Oct 21, 2022 • 7 tweets • 4 min read
Arsenal find themselves four points clear of Manchester City and Tottenham atop the Premier League table, and one of the biggest catalysts has been the form of Gabriel Martinelli in attack.
@Jlloyd2000 on Martinelli's breakthrough under Mikel Arteta: breakingthelines.com/player-analysi…@Jlloyd2000 "Primarily responsible for holding the width on the left-hand side of Arsenal’s attack, Martinelli regularly combines and rotates with the left central midfielder (Xhaka) and the left back (Tierney/Zinchenko) to create goalscoring opportunities."