Ali Tweedale

Maybe Nobody Can Fix Tottenham, But Igor Tudor Definitely Can’t | Opta Analyst Tottenham are sinking towards relegation and, after a disastrous night at Atlético Madrid, are all but out of the Champions League.

Maybe nobody can fix Spurs, but Igor Tudor definitely can't.

theanalyst.com/articles/tot...

Igor Tudor Has Improved Results Wherever He Has Gone – Can He Save Injury-Hit Spurs? | Opta Analyst Igor Tudor is the man tasked with saving Tottenham from relegation. He has a good track record in Italy, but can he turn things around in north London?

Igor Tudor was perhaps a surprising option to be tasked with helping Tottenham avoid relegation.

@alitweedale.bsky.social has taken a look at the Croatian's record and what impact he might be able to have in north London.

#THFC

theanalyst.com/articles/igo...

Been a long time since I’ve worked on some #dataviz for the site. A small scrolly for a piece by @alitweedale.bsky.social 🛩️

Thanks!

Thomas Frank Sacked: Why Tottenham Had to Admit This Appointment Was a Terrible Mistake | Opta Analyst Tottenham have sacked Thomas Frank after sliding towards the relegation zone with a dreadful run. However, the writing has been on the wall for months.

On a miserable mistake which, after today, needs to be left firmly in the past.

theanalyst.com/articles/tho...

Is it a Problem That Spurs Score So Many Wondergoals? | Opta Analyst Tottenham have caught the eye consistently this season with impressive goals. We look into why that is the case when they aren’t generally a high-scoring team.

Why do goal-shy Spurs score so many wondergoals?

theanalyst.com/articles/spu...

The Staggering Stats You (Didn't Realise You) Need to Know About James Milner's Premier League Career | Opta Analyst With James Milner set to equal the Premier League appearance record, we look at the stats surrounding his career so far in the English top flight.

An absolutely sensational piece from @jrcooper26.bsky.social here. No idea how he even came up with the idea for most of these.

The stats you didn't realise you need to know about James Milner: theanalyst.com/articles/jam...

Chelsea's Box-Crasher: Enzo Fernández Makes the Most Valuable Runs in the Premier League | Opta Analyst Enzo Fernández completed a historic comeback win for Chelsea at the weekend after a goal following a run from deep, the type of which is increasingly becoming his trademark.

Happily, we can use Opta Vision data to identify and measure the quality of Enzo Fernández’s box-crashing runs for Chelsea (analysis via @alitweedale.bsky.social for @optaanalyst.optajoe.com)
theanalyst.com/articles/enz...

Does Champions League Fixture Difficulty Carry Too Much Weight in 36-Team Format? | Opta Analyst Following the conclusion of the league phase of the Champions League 2025-26, we ask whether the draw has too big an impact on the competition.

PL teams dominated the top eight in the CL this season, and I think that's in part because some of them had easier fixtures.

Here's one simple solution that could help level the playing field in the 'new' league phase.

theanalyst.com/articles/cha...

Tottenham’s Champions League Position Cannot Save Doomed Thomas Frank | Opta Analyst Tottenham’s underlying numbers are as bad as their Premier League position suggests. There is little reason to believe Thomas Frank can turn this around.

There's no two ways about it: Tottenham have been terrible under Thomas Frank.

The warning signs were there way back in October, when they were third in the PL but had dreadful underlying numbers.

Now 14th in the actual table, there's no saving Frank.

theanalyst.com/articles/tot...

Conor Gallagher Will Improve Tottenham’s Midfield, Even if He Doesn’t Fix It | Opta Analyst Although Conor Gallagher probably doesn't address Tottenham's most obvious needs, the England international could plenty to Thomas Frank's team.

Really nice piece here from @rbenson92.bsky.social on what Conor Gallagher will bring to Spurs... and what he won't.

Far from the perfect signing but there are some things to be positive about. Frank wants his team to press more: Gallagher + Solanke might allow that.

theanalyst.com/articles/con...

Is Mikel Arteta Right: Are Arsenal Better With Viktor Gyökeres? | Opta Analyst Viktor Gyökeres was brought to Arsenal to score the goals to fire them to the title. He hasn't done that, but his manager insists he is improving the team.

Mikel Arteta insists Viktor Gyökeres makes Arsenal better.

They are six points clear at the top of the table, but the 'natural goalscorer' they signed in the summer only has three non-penalty goals in 18 PL appearances.

So, what's the truth? Is Arteta right?

theanalyst.com/articles/vik...

Micky van de Ven’s Record-Breaking Strike and the Longest Runs For a Champions League Goal | Opta Analyst Micky van de Ven ran the length of the pitch to score one of the great Champions League goals this week, but where does it rank among the competition’s longest such runs?

Micky van de Ven's 67.7m run last night was the longest ball carry ending in a goal ever in a Champions League game in Opta's record books.

Hard to say whether it was better or worse than Son's, but it was nearly 5m shorter.

theanalyst.com/articles/mic...

Three Shots, 0.1 xG: Just How Bad Were Spurs Against Chelsea? | Opta Analyst Against Chelsea this weekend, Tottenham posted one of the lowest expected goals totals in Opta’s Premier League record books.

Piece on Tottenham's woeful performance on Saturday and what their pitiful xG of 0.1 means.

They would have needed to carry on playing (at this exact rate) for 10 matches to score a single goal.

theanalyst.com/articles/spu...

Tottenham’s Progress With the Ball Makes Newcastle Defeat Easier to Take | Opta Analyst Tottenham were knocked out of the EFL Cup by Newcastle on Wednesday, but there were signs from their performance of some crucial improvement under Thomas Frank.

silver linings, etc. theanalyst.com/articles/tot...

Monster Throw-In Delays and Less Football, But Better Competition: Is Set-Piece Craze Good for the Premier League? | Opta Analyst Set-piece goals are up across the board in the Premier League. Plenty of people are moaning about this latest trend. But could it actually be good for the league?

Is a timer needed for throw-ins?

Each PL game is being delayed by 11 mins, 21 secs this season purely for throw-ins - an increase of 2m, 31s on last season.

I took a look at how this season's set-piece 'craze' is affecting Premier League football.

theanalyst.com/articles/pre...

Frank Lampard and Coventry City Can Turn Dreams of a Top-Flight Return Into Reality | Opta Analyst Coventry City are top of the Championship and they deserve to be there. Is this the season they finally end their 24-year absence from the Premier League?

Coventry City are on a five-game winning run. They have NEVER won six league games in a row in a single season before.

Maybe 2025-26 is going to be special...

theanalyst.com/articles/cov...

Why Are Premier League 90th-Minute Winners at an All-Time High? | Opta Analyst The Premier League in 2025-26 is witnessing more late goals and winners than any other season in the competition's history.

This season, fewer goals are being scored than in most other Premier League seasons...

...but we're seeing the highest ever rate of 90th-minute goals AND 90th-minute winners.

I had a go at trying to work out why this might be

theanalyst.com/articles/pre...

all contributing factors for sure. Hard to say which is most significant but having both VDV and Romero certainly helps

Fourth in the Premier League, Unbeaten in the Champions League, But Thomas Frank's Tottenham Are Flattering to Deceive | Opta Analyst Tottenham's bright start to life under Thomas Frank has lost momentum already. Is there any reason to worry about the poor performances?

Last night, Spurs passed the ball to Richarlison just seven times all night. Five of those passes were made Porro, Danso or Vicario.

*All* of their midfielders found their CF twice in total.

There are real problems for Thomas Frank to deal with.

theanalyst.com/articles/tot...

Premier League Goals Have Dipped Dramatically After Years of High Scoring Rates – But Why? | Opta Analyst It’s still early days in the new season, but goals are being scored at a remarkably low rate in the Premier League. We ask: will this surprise trend continue?

𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐞𝐫 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐠𝐮𝐞 𝐆𝐨𝐚𝐥𝐬 𝐎𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐃𝐞𝐜𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞?

It's too early for sweeping declarations and drawing conclusions.

But, Premier League goals are significantly down this season...

Here, @alitweedale.bsky.social asks if this is likely to continue or just an early-season quirk:
theanalyst.com/articles/pre...

Crystal Palace are in sensational form. Currently on a 17-game unbeaten run, they could equal their all-time club record sequence this weekend.

Is this the best that they've ever been? @alitweedale.bsky.social analyses their qualities ahead of their game vs Liverpool: theanalyst.com/articles/cry...

includes this stat to help illustrate the difference in their passing:

Ederson got as many assists in 26 Premier League games in 2024-25 (four) as Donnarumma has created chances in 412 games in all competitions in his entire career for Milan and PSG.

From Ederson to Gianluigi Donnarumma: Pep Guardiola's Choice Shows Role of Goalkeeper is Changing Again | Opta Analyst Pep Guardiola and Ederson revolutionised the role of the goalkeeper in the Premier League, so is Manchester City signing Gianluigi Donnarumma a sign of things to come?

A deep dive into the Donnarumma vs Ederson debate, how much worse GD's passing really is, and what it all means for the role of Premier League goalkeepers.

Pep has revolutionised the role once, but is he following a trend this time around?

theanalyst.com/articles/gia...

There's some logic to that, but Spurs clearly want a dribbler - both Eze and Gibbs-White are. Spurs have too few dribblers, hence signing of Kudus and chase of Savinho. I think a dribbler who can pass is wanted as a 10 rather than a passer who can dribble.

Late Kick-Offs, Long Breaks and Two-Hour Delays: Club World Cup Hints at Problems for World Cup 2026 | Opta Analyst There were numerous issues at the Club World Cup this summer that suggest the 2026 World Cup may not run entirely smoothly.

- Kick-offs up to seven minutes late
- a half-time break of 24 minutes (even though the show was only 10 mins)
- weather delays of more than two hours
- matches lasting longer than any of Europe's leagues

Was this what next summer's WC will be like?

theanalyst.com/articles/clu...

Tottenham’s Son Heung-min Dilemma: Cash in or Keep Club Legend for One More Year? | Opta Analyst Son Heung-min didn't have the best season on an individual level, and he turns 33 next month. With one year left on his contract, is it time for Spurs to wave goodbye to a club legend?

𝐓𝐨𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐡𝐚𝐦’𝐬 𝐒𝐨𝐧 𝐇𝐞𝐮𝐧𝐠-𝐦𝐢𝐧 𝐃𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐦𝐦𝐚

Spurs won just one of the 14 Premier League games their captain didn't start in 2024-25.

But towards the end of the season, he looked far from the player he once was.

So, what should they do with him this summer?

theanalyst.com/articles/son...

Should Spurs Sack Ange Postecoglou? The Case For and Against Wielding the Axe | Opta Analyst The debate over whether Tottenham should stick by Ange Postecoglou in the wake of Europa League glory is a polarising one. We look at both sides of the argument.

Data vs vibes: the big Ange debate.

Should Spurs sack Postecoglou? Here I make the case for sacking him, and the case against it.

theanalyst.com/articles/spu...

Angeball Has Gone, But Does it Matter? | Opta Analyst Tottenham are no longer playing the football that Ange Postecoglou had insisted he would never veer from, but his new pragmatism has them on the brink of Europa League glory.

Big piece on how Ange Postecoglou has gone from a focus on progress and the journey to a whatever-it-takes-to-win-the-next-game approach.

What does it mean for this week and beyond at Tottenham?

theanalyst.com/2025/05/tott...

Ah good shout but nothing on there that would work unfortunately! Thanks though