“Welcome to the latest edition of The Alternative Premier League Table, where each week, The Athletic analyses the entire division through a specific lens. Dribbling is back in fashion in the Premier League. With teams going more direct, opportunities for isolating defenders and contesting individual duels in the attacking third have increased. The pace, power and technical quality these players possess, especially in wide areas, makes it a valuable tool to progress play. So, this week’s Alternative Table will rank the league in terms of take-ons (also known as dribbles) attempted per 90 minutes across the pitch and successful take-ons in the box. Key takeaways include. …”
NY Times/The Athletic
The Alternative Premier League Table: No 22 – Dribbles
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Morocco’s goalkeeper Yassine Bounou makes a crucial penalty save against Nigeria Morocco’s goalkeeper Yassine Bounou makes a crucial penalty save against Nigeria
“It was a bolt from the blue. Xabi Alonso’s position as Real Madrid head coach had been in danger for some time, but the brutal manner of his sacking on Monday evening still shocked. Almost nobody knew it was coming. Players and staff were not told to expect the club’s announcement — nor were the communications team. One figure involved every day at Madrid’s training ground found out when reading the news on his phone in the supermarket. Alonso’s time at the Bernabeu has been incredibly short. The former Madrid, Liverpool and Spain midfielder was only hired in May, but by December there was real pressure on him — before a series of victories seemed to buy him some breathing space. Sunday’s 3-2 defeat by Barcelona in the Supercopa de Espana final followed five wins in a row, including a 5-1 success against Real Betis in La Liga the previous weekend. …”
Didier Drogba leaves the presidential palace in October 2005 after a ceremony to celebrate World Cup qualification
“At last, Morocco have arrived at the tournament they are hosting. For four games they had played scratchy, crabbed football. Finally, in a spiky, ill-tempered quarter-final, there was something more like the Morocco that reached the semi-final of the World Cup two years ago. If the game wasn’t fluent, that was largely Cameroon’s doing as they spoiled and delayed and sought treatment for injuries. But the hosts, for the most part, retained their cool, protecting a lead earned with verve in the first half with maturity in the second. …”
Iliman Ndiaye netted his first goal at Afcon 2025 to send 2021 champions Senegal into the last four
“The Supercopa de Espana, Spain’s equivalent of the English Community Shield, kicks off with Barcelona’s semi-final against Athletic Club on Wednesday… in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. For six of the past seven seasons, the Supercopa has been held as a four-team mini-tournament in the Gulf nation. Saudi Arabia has a contract to host the event until 2029, although The Athletic reported on Wednesday that the Spanish football federation (RFEF) is considering 
“Nigeria outclassed Mozambique to set up an Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) quarter-final against Algeria or DR Congo. The Super Eagles were runners-up in 2023 and, while they were always likely to beat outsiders Mozambique, this performance and their form so far in Morocco suggest they will take some stopping. They won all three group games and were dominant in Fes on Monday, with Ademola Lookman opening the scoring, Victor Osimhen netting twice and Akor Adams also on target. …”
“Harrison Reed hardly gets on the pitch nowadays. The Fulham midfielder is often left on the bench or out of Marco Silva’s Premier League matchday squad altogether. Prior to coming on in the 92nd minute against Liverpool on Sunday, Reed had amassed a meagre six minutes of action across two top-flight appearances in 2025-26 and has been an unused substitute on 10 occasions. …”
“Speaking to the sporting press in Agadir last week, a calm Hossam Hassan, coach of the Egyptian national team, expressed his distaste for holding the Africa Cup of Nations in four year cycles. The 59-year-old’s words were strong, albeit in a much calmer demeanor than what Egyptian football fans have come to expect from him: ‘Can you change the European system? You can’t. I’m not speaking in my capacity as the Egypt national team coach, but as an African player. God willing, we will fight for our rights.’ His words were uncharacteristically lacking self-recognition, referring to himself as ‘an African player.’ Just an African player, as if to blend with the myriad players who belong to this illustrious continent and its rich footballing history. …”
“The connection between sport and politics is implicit, particularly in African football. The beautiful game has long functioned as a site of resistance, liberation, identity, and togetherness. These politics surface at every level of the game: from the federation to the team, from players to fans. But, then there is Bafana Bafana. The South African men’s national football team exists in a curious parallel universe. Despite football being the country’s most popular sport, the national selection can shrug off political codes in a way others cannot. This is uncharacteristic, especially considering how the country’s affinity for political discourse permeates elsewhere. …”
“Ahead of South Africa’s final group match against Zimbabwe, Bafana Bafana head coach Hugo Broos sat down with a gaggle of South African journalists, and in a moment of candor sparked a debate that has since rippled across the African footballing world. ‘In the Ivory Coast and in Gabon, every second of the tournament you felt that you were in a tournament,’ Broos said. ‘When we went by bus to training, people were waving flags, running alongside us. Here, you see nothing. There is no vibe. There is no typical AFCON vibe. I don’t feel it here.’ The remarks proved divisive. Some echoed Broos’ assessment, while they angered others. Those who agreed with him drew comparisons between the ongoing 2025 Africa Cup of Nations and the 2023 edition in Côte d’Ivoire, arguing that the current tournament lacks some of the spontaneity, warmth, and energy that defined the last AFCON. …”
“In the words of Jon Bon Jovi, we’re halfway there. Woah! As we enter a new year, the Premier League reaches the halfway mark, a perfect time to assess how each team has performed in their first 19 games of the season. We asked The Athletic’s writers to send in their report cards. Here, they grade each team and tell us what the biggest surprises and disappointments of the campaign have been so far. …”
“Bing-bong. Happy New Year, the winter transfer window is here! Congratulations to all who celebrate. To mark the re-opening of the market, we thought we’d revive an article which generated such an incredibly warm reaction in the comments section last time around; yes, ranking the impact made by all 155 Premier League summer signings! We did it in September, we did it in October, and if you didn’t think we were going to do it in January, well, you really don’t know us that well at all. Basically, it’s the 155 signings made by the 20 Premier League clubs in summer 2025, judged on their impact. …”
“Leeds United have ended Liverpool’s run of three successive Premier League wins with a goalless draw at Anfield that was as frustrating for the home side as it was satisfying for the visitors. Daniel Farke’s team, unbeaten in the league since November, controlled and frustrated Liverpool for much of the game — and went in 0-0 at half-time thanks to some diligent defending. The second half followed the same pattern with Liverpool struggling to carve out clear-cut chances. Leeds momentarily thought they had taken the lead in the last 10 minutes, only for Dominic Calvert-Lewin — who had come on as a substitute — to see his neatly-taken goal disallowed for a narrow offside. …”
“Senegal underlined their TotalEnergies CAF AFCON title credentials with a commanding 3-0 victory over Benin in their final Group D encounter, in an entertaining contest played in Tangiers on Tuesday evening. The former African champions made a purposeful start and were rewarded in the 38th minute, when Abdoulaye Seckrose highest to power home a header from Krépin Diatta’s well-delivered set piece, giving Senegal a deserved lead at the interval. Benin showed greater urgency after the restart, testing Édouard Mendy through efforts from Aiyegun Tosin and Junior Olaïtan, but Senegal remained well organised at the back and clinical in their attacking play. Senegal doubled their advantage in the 62nd minute, with star forward Sadio Mané turning provider, slipping a neat pass into the area for Habib Diallo, who made no mistake with a composed left-footed finish from close range. …”
“Cameroon and defending champions Côte d’Ivoire shared the spoils in a pulsating 1–1 draw in their second Group F fixture at the TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), Morocco 2025. At the end of 90 minutes, neither side could find a decisive edge in a gripping encounter in Marrakesh. Junior Tchamadeu’s deflected effort midway through the second half cancelled out a moment of brilliance from Amad Diallo, whose stunning opener had put the Ivorians ahead in a contest rich in quality, intensity and goal-mouth action. The opening exchanges were tight and tactical, with both sides showing caution. Cameroon came close to breaking the deadlock after 20 minutes when Christian Kofane rose highest to meet a cross from the left, only to see his header crash against the crossbar. …”
“For more than four decades, Nigeria has lived inside a carefully constructed narrative of greatness. In the years that followed the civil war, successive governments turned to soft propaganda in an attempt to rebuild national confidence. Slogans such as “Giant of Africa, Africa’s most populous nation, and Good People, Great Nation were promoted as unquestionable truths. …”
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“It has long been accepted fact that football’s richest league resides in England. The Premier League was not immediately a financial behemoth when it was formed in 1992 but today, 33 years and billions of pounds later, there is no doubting where the money lies. That is borne out every few months when a new transfer window rolls around, and the English clubs splurge like no others. Wage bills, too, are dominated by Premier League sides. In 2023-24, the most recent season for which we have a full dataset, teams from England occupied nine of the top 20 spots in the list of European football’s highest payers. …”
“Liverpool edged past Wolverhampton Wanderers 2-1 on an emotional afternoon at Anfield that saw both clubs pay tribute to Diogo Jota. For much of the first half it looked like Liverpool’s dominance of the ball was not going to translate to the scoreline, with the visitors putting in the sort of dogged defensive display that so nearly frustrated Arsenal earlier in the month. However, two goals in the space of 89 seconds from Ryan Gravenberch and Florian Wirtz (the German’s first for the club) put Arne Slot’s side in what looked like complete control as half-time approached. …”
Sofyan Amrabat of Morocco challenged by Lassine Sinayoko of Mali during the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations AFCON match between Morocco and Mali at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat, Morocco on 26 December 2025
“Nigeria got their AFCON campaign off to a winning start, but they were made to work by Tanzania. The two nations have met once before at AFCON, in 1980. Nigeria won that game 3-1 and went on to win the tournament, their first. Nigeria head coach Eric Chelle will be hoping the goals from Hull City’s Semi Ajayi and Atalanta’s Ademola Lookman will equally send his side on a successful run at this year’s tournament in Morocco. …”
“A packed domestic schedule means we are never far from the next Premier League game during the festive period. Narratives can shift quickly, the league table can shuffle, and it may be challenging to keep track of the relative importance of every game within the broader season. Fear not. Allow The Athletic to catch you up on some trends that have emerged from last weekend’s fixtures, and how that might shape future weeks. Is Aston Villa’s winning run sustainable? Can any stop Leeds United’s set-piece threat? Is Manchester City’s attacking evolution now rubber-stamped? …”
“The 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, known in short as the 2025 AFCON or CAN 2025and for 
Ayoub El Kaabi scores an incredible goal for Morocco
“There is something stubbornly anachronistic about the pitch. A rectangle of grass, marked out with chalk or paint, governed by rules that are simple enough to learn when you’re young and serious enough to demand a lifetime’s attention. As the old saying goes, ‘of all unimportant things, football is the most important.’ Time on the pitch is not optimized or personalized, but is shared. Ninety minutes pass whether you are ready or not, and nothing can be paused, rewound, or skipped. Bodies gather, not to curate an experience, but to submit to one whose outcome cannot be known in advance. For all its compromises, football remains one of the few mass rituals left in public life that still insists on collective presence—on being there, together, in the same place, at the same time. …”
“Pep Guardiola was only six months into life as Manchester City coach when he declared, on the second day of 2017, that ‘the process of my goodbye has already started’. Members of the club’s hierarchy spoke in similar terms in those days. They didn’t imagine he was there for the long haul. They were just determined to enjoy it for the length of his initial three-year contract. Anything beyond that would be a bonus. As much to his own surprise as anyone else’s, Guardiola has stayed for almost a decade. He has led City to six Premier League titles and has won the FA Cup twice and the League Cup four times, as well as adding the Champions League, the European Super Cup and the Club World Cup in that glorious year of 2023. But now, 
“How do you properly assess, evaluate, and explain Manchester United’s 4-4 draw with Bournemouth without descending into well-worn football verbiage (‘Football, bloody hell!’) or frequent repetitions of the word ‘chaotic’? Ruben Amorim’s men entered Old Trafford on Monday on the precipice of change. The upcoming Africa Cup of Nations (which begins on December 21) will see him lose two of his best attackers in Bryan Mbeumo and Amad. Earlier in the day, The Athletic reported the head coach had spent a significant amount of 
“Welcome to the latest edition of Inside Barcelona, our weekly series to follow throughout the 2025-26 La Liga season. Every Monday, we will bring you information and analysis on the biggest talking points, cutting through the noisy world of all things Barca with reporting you can trust. The information contained in this article reflects multiple conversations with various sources at the Spanish champions, all of whom wanted to speak anonymously to protect relationships. …”
“Welcome to The Briefing, where every Monday The Athletic discusses three of the biggest questions posed by the weekend’s 
“Liverpool’s game against Brighton & Hove Albion was always going to be centred around Mohamed Salah. Whether he was going to be involved or not, though, it was unlikely any definitive conclusions were going to be drawn about what happens next. Exclusion from the squad may have pointed towards an exit, but the fact he was included leaves the door for reconciliation open. 
The opening ceremony for the 1994 World Cup took place at Chicago’s Soldier Field.
“‘So many times we are creating more than we concede, but the end result has been far too many times that we lose a game of football,’ Liverpool head coach Arne Slot told BBC’s Match of the Day highlights show after their 1-1 Premier League home draw against Sunderland just over a week ago. Slot has a point. Using 
Mohamed Salah, Unai Emery and Thomas Frank have already experienced highs and lows
“Emiliano Buendia crashed home a stoppage-time winner to stun leaders Arsenal and end their 18-match unbeaten run. Trailing at half-time to Matty Cash’s opener at Villa Park, Arsenal were far from their best but looked set to take a point thanks to substitute Leandro Trossard’s 52nd-minute equaliser. But Villa were not to be denied, with Buendia coming off the bench to hammer a shot beyond David Raya following an almighty scramble. …”
“Paulie Gualtieri wanted to know why Tony Soprano was a quiet and sullen presence at dinner. The goomahs in attendance were having to listen about the good old days, a time when many of them weren’t even born; a beach house booked on the Jersey shore, the summer of ’78, the hippie kid who mysteriously drowned during a party. … On the morning of the World Cup draw on Friday, a photo from the restaurant of the FIFA hotel went viral. It showed the coach of Uzbekistan and Italy’s last World Cup-winning captain, Fabio Cannavaro, sat round a table with Christian Vieri. Behind them were Francesco Totti, the original Ronaldo, Marco Materazzi, Roberto Baggio and Vincent Candela. ‘Once upon a time in Serie A’ should have been the caption. …”
Scissors Kick 