29 January 2025 , 13:35
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The promotion-chasers who can’t win at home, the sinking ship who keep scoring and the goalkeeper who sets up goals.
Magdeburg’s unhappy hunting ground
Magdeburg were joint-top of the table in the 2.Bundesliga before their 1-1 draw with Eintracht Braunschweig at the weekend. If they really want to reach the top flight for the first time in their history, though, they will need to turn around their home fortunes. Their fans are yet to see a home win this season. Despite sitting just two points off top spot, Magdeburg have the worst home record in the division, having collected just seven of their 32 points at home. Even bottom-of-the-table Jahn Regensburg have picked up more points (10) in front of their own fans.
Sinking Spurs are still scoring
Spurs have collected just 24 points from their 23 games this season, which is a huge disappointment considering they had 26 after 10 games last season. Their recent form has been disastrous. Over the last 11 games, only Southampton (two) have earned fewer points than Tottenham (five) in the Premier League. Three of those five points were earned at St Mary’s, where Spurs eased to a 5-0 win. The one upside is that Ange Postecoglou’s team are scoring plenty of goals. Only two clubs – Liverpool (54) and Manchester City (47) – have scored more than Spurs (46) in the league this season. Their goal difference (+9) is pretty good too – it is better than eight of the clubs above them in the table, including third-placed Nottingham Forest (+6).
Southampton’s season to forget
Southampton are on course to break the record for the worst ever season in the Premier League. They have picked up six points from 23 games, an average of 0.26 per game. If they continue at this rate, they will finish with 10 points – one fewer than Derby managed in the 2007-08. However, they are creating chances – their xG of 27.15 is the 16th best in the league, and is better than Rayo Vallecano (24.95), who are seventh in La Liga. Southampton just cannot finish their chances; they have lost more games (19) than they have scored goals, which makes for grim reading.
A rare moment of joy for Southampton fans. Photograph: Matt Watson/Southampton FC/Getty Images
Sporting’s defence misses Amorim
Sporting are still top of the league in Portugal but they’re not quite as dominant as they were under Ruben Amorim. Nine of the 14 goals they have conceded this season have come in the eight games since Amorim moved to Old Trafford. Relegation-threatened AVS Futebol SAD have been tighter at the back than Sporting in recent weeks. Amorim’s departure has badly affected their form in the Champions League though – Sporting were second in the table when he left after four rounds of games. Now, three straight defeats later, they are down to 23rd.
Ederson’s assists for City
Robert Sanchez will not want to remember Chelsea’s 3-1 defeat by Manchester City – the goalkeeper has now committed five errors leading to an opposition goal in the Premier League this season – but it was a better day for Ederson, who provided his second assist of the campaign. It was his fifth assist in the Premier League – no goalkeeper has more – and it means he has set up more goals than Marcus Rashford, Jack Grealish, Alejandro Garnacho and Mohammed Kudus this season (one each).
Manchester City’s mixed results in defence
Speaking of Manchester City, Abdukodir Khusanov had a testing debut at the weekend. His mistake led to Noni Madueke’s opening goal and he was hauled off at half-time. That said, it’s hardly a surprise given his youth. Born on 29 February 2004, Khusanov only celebrated his fifth birthday last year, having been born in a leap year. It was a better game for Josko Gvardiol, who scored City’s equaliser. It was his fifth league goal of the season. Not bad for a defender. Manchester United may want to look away now; Gvardiol has scored as many league goals as strikers Rasmus Højlund and Joshua Zirkzee combined this season.
Ederson, Abdukodir Khusanov and Josko Gvardiol were pivotal in City’s win against Chelsea Photograph: Michael Regan/Getty Images
Schmeichel’s clean sheets for Celtic
Even after their game against Dundee was postponed, Celtic sit 10 points clear at the top of the Scottish Premiership with a game in hand on second-placed Rangers. Celtic have been superb going forward, scoring 64 times in 23 matches – a rate of 2.78 goals per game. At the other end of the pitch, Kasper Schmeichel has proven an excellent replacement for Joe Hart. He has kept more clean sheets (17) than he has conceded goals (11) for Brendan Rodgers’ side.
Goalshy Inter
The final round of Champions League games is upon us, with only Liverpool and Barcelona guaranteed a place in the last 16. Inter, who sit fourth in the table, are all but through as well – despite the fact they have only scored eight goals in their seven games. For context, that is the same as RB Leipzig in 30th, two fewer than 26th-placed Dinamo Zagreb, while Red Star Belgrade, who are 32nd and whose European adventure ends this week, have scored four more goals (12) than the Serie A giants. It’s a good thing Inter have only conceded one goal in those seven games.
Lindstrøm’s finishing
Jesper Lindstrøm was hot property when he joined Napoli from Eintracht Frankfurt for €30m in the summer of 2023. But his time in Naples was a disaster. The attacking midfielder made 29 appearances for the club but did not score a goal. Napoli sent him on loan to Everton at the start of this season and, 21 games later, he still hasn’t scored. In fact, Lindstrøm hasn’t scored a goal for club or country for more than a year. Everton fans will hope he can end that run sooner rather than later.
Westerlo’s goalscoring centre-back
Westerlo are having a tough season in Belgium. They are in the relegation zone in the Pro League. One saving grace, though, has been the performances of 17-year-old centre-back Luka Vuskovic. The Croat, who will be moving to Tottenham in the summer, is Westerlo’s joint top-scorer with six goals to his name. No centre-back has scored more goals in Europe’s top leagues this season.
Standard Liège shine despite goal issues
Staying in Belgium, Standard Liège are in the European places even though they have the worst goalscoring record in the Pro League this season. They have scored just 16 times in 23 games. Only six of their players have found the net, with striker Andi Zeqiri responsible for half their goal tally.
Standard Liège fans have not seen many goals this season. Photograph: Bruno Fahy/Belga/AFP/Getty Images
Goals are like buses for Almere City
It’s only a matter of time before Almere City are relegated from the Eredivisie. They are adrift at the bottom of the table, having picked up just 10 points from 19 games. Their travelling fans have really been through it this season. Almere have not won an away match and have only scored two goals on the road – and both of them came in the same game. They scored twice in two minutes in their 2-2 draw at Sparta Rotterdam in October and haven’t scored since. For a brief moment, though, away goals were like buses for Almere City.
Watertight Burnley
Burnley and Leeds played out a drab goalless draw on Monday night, with the spoils shared in a game some couldn’t wait to end. Leeds remain top of the Championship, three points above Burnley, who have one of the strongest defences in Europe. Scott Parker’s side have conceded just nine goals in 29 games this season, the fewest in the top four tiers of English football. They have kept seven successive clean sheets, the current longest record in Europe.