Harry Kane is well known for starting seasons poorly and finishing them in fine goalscoring form, but how do his hot streaks and dry spells compare to other strikers? We have looked at all current players in England’s top four divisions, who score at a rate of 10 or more goals per season, to see which of them tend to go on scoring sprees and which of them can go for months without scoring at all.
With the second international break of the season already upon us, plenty of top-flight managers will be crossing their fingers their stars are returned to them unscathed. Some will be luckier than others, however, and we’ve crunched the data from the previous 10 seasons to see who is due a bit of good fortune.
Those who picked up a copy of FIFA 19 when it launched on Friday have probably already begun to master the gameplay, but the Ultimate Team market is a whole other game in itself which – if you play it right – can give you a huge advantage. We’ve analysed the priciest players in each league, along with some likely bargains, and also translated their worth into real money to give you clarity when managing your budget.
Ipswich may be at the wrong end of the Championship table, but they are rated a value bet to beat Middlesbrough, judged on our Trueform chart. The Tractor Boys have only lost one of their last four matches and are unbeaten in five league games at Portman Road this term.
Stoke have struggled to adapt to life in the Championship but are fancied to prove a cut above Rotherham, judged on our Trueform ratings. These teams were in the Premier League and League One respectively last season, so the hope is that the Potters are still a class apart at this stage.
Across Europe, certain clubs have built up a reputation for bringing through players who go on to shine elsewhere. We’ve analysed every current top-flight club in England, Spain, Italy, Germany, France and Belgium over the last decade to see how many of the players in those divisions this season have passed through their ranks.
Bristol City are regularly tracking above Wigan on our Trueform chart and even impressed in Tuesday night’s 4-2 Championship loss at West Brom. However, the likeable Latics are unbeaten in four home matches this term, picking up 10 points out of a possible 12 at DW Stadium.
QPR have recovered well from a poor start to the Championship campaign and are fancied to maintain the momentum by beating Millwall. Steve McClaren’s side have picked up seven points from their last three games and achieved a high Trueform rating for Saturday’s triumph at Bolton.
Stoke were slow to adapt to life in the Championship but are now enjoying more good days than bad and are fancied to see off Swansea. The Welsh outfit have produced several poor Trueform ratings of late due to struggling up front and lost twice to the Potters in the Premier League last term.
Blackburn and Aston Villa are very closely matched on our Trueform ratings over the last four rounds of Championship fixtures. Both teams are in mid-table with nine points and looking to bounce back from suffering heavy defeats prior to the international break.
We’re continuing our series of analytical summaries for the EFL, covering three teams from each of the Championship, League One and League Two. Rather than starting alphabetically we’ve selected clubs at random and identified their top three strengths, weaknesses, goalscorers and creators.
Leeds and Middlesbrough are joint-top of the Championship table after five rounds of fixtures but United have been more impressive so far. New manager Marcelo Bielsa has brought high-tempo tactics to Elland Road and that can give them the edge over the more pragmatic game-plan of Tony Pulis.
Romelu Lukaku’s first-half miss against Tottenham on Monday night continued the Manchester United striker’s frustrating scoring record against the north London side. The Belgium international has netted just one goal in 863 minutes against Spurs in his Premier League career. But what other hoodoos persist in English football? We’ve looked back … Read more
Nottingham Forest have yet to taste defeat in the Championship this season and look in better shape than Birmingham at this early stage. The Blues have failed to score a goal since an opening 2-2 draw with Norwich and that has seen their Trueform ratings slump.