Rossa McDermott’s Post

Today (30 November) sees the final of the Copa Libertadores - the South American equivalent of the UEFA Champions League - taking place at River Plate’s Monumental de Núñez stadium in Buenos Aires. Happily it is an afternoon kick-off in Argentina so in the UK you can watch the full match live on BBC 3 or the iPlayer from 20.00. Hosts Argentina will be a neutral bystander today, as the two finalists are once again from Brazil. Rio’s Botafogo and Belo Horizonte’s Clube Atlético Mineiro. This is Atlético-MG's second shot at the South American title, having captured its first Libertadores title in 2013. For Botafogo de Futebol e Regatas it is a Libertadores final for the first time. It is the fourth all-Brazilian CONMEBOL (Confederación Sudamericana de Fútbol) Libertadores final in the last five years, and ten of the twelve clubs to have disputed the final since 2019 have been Brazilian. Argentina’s River Plate was the last non-Brazilian club to win the competition in 2018. Rio’s Fluminense is the current champion.

For the first time in their 120-year history, Botafogo de Futebol e Regatas claimed the CONMEBOL Copa Libertadores title - despite being down to 10 men from the opening minute! In our latest blog, we analyze the tactics, key battles, and standout performers from their 3-1 victory over Atlético Mineiro using Wyscout data. Click the link to read the article 🔽 #Botafogo #CopaLibertadores #Wyscout #Data #Tactics

Top tips from @keithprowseuk, partners of Edgbaston Stadium and The Kia Oval - Surrey County Cricket Club on how to get the most out of cricket hospitality: https://lnkd.in/epJGqNp3

Good morning to all my sports enthusiasts friends from around the globe! Wanted to share a few thoughts about the #CopaLibertadores final that was played last night, a huge game that usually goes under the radar! A quick summary: Botafogo de Futebol e Regatas won the game and are on a path to secure their national trophy. Losing Gregore who was sent out early in the game didn’t prevent them from scoring 3 goals that secured their first international trophy. But this isn’t the story here. During the last 5 years the Brazilian teams restored their hold over the continent with 5 out of 5 international trophies spread over 4 teams (Clube de Regatas do Flamengo, S.E. Palmeiras, Sport Club Corinthians Paulista and Botafogo de Futebol e Regatas), mainly due to the huge amount of money invested by American owners that took hold of almost half of the teams in Brazil. Looking at the lineups for both teams, European fans can identify multiple players that rejoined their native teams or came back to Brazil in search of glory and playing time. Hulk, Alex Telles, Paulinho, Thiago Almada and Lyanco are the main names here. This shows that the #Brasileiro really knows how to pull back players from all over the world back home. The South American football calendar is almost over, with a few games left in each league before calling it a season. And I can’t wait to see which teams will win their national championship. Looking forward for more interesting games like the one we experienced yesterday 😊 #internationalfootball #soccer #southamerica

Player to Watch #37 ROGER MARTÍNEZ Roger Martínez is a 29 year old forward from Colombia who plays for Racing Club of Argentina. His contract is up at the end of 2024, and there are already rumors of his potential exit. Martínez is not your conventional #9. He truly operates best in a striker duo, or even as a winger or attacking mid. I would personally love to see him in the MLS. Let’s see what makes him so special. The following rankings are amongst forwards (at least 1,250 minutes) who have played in the Argentine Primera Division in the last 365 days. He ranked in the top 20% for non penalty goals, while over performing his expected goals by .15, ranking in the top 5%. He also ranked in the top 20% for goal conversion rate. Even more impressive are his numbers in creation. He ranked in the top 15% in key passes and passes + crosses into the box. He also ranked in the top 25% in shot assists. In possession, he ranked top 10% for successful dribbles and touches in the box. He also ranked in the top 30% for progressive runs and received passes. These numbers highlight his mobility and well roundedness as a forward. On top of his numbers, he is known for his exceptional pace, agility, dribbling, and flair. Transfermarkt values him at $1.8 million. Atletico Nacional of Colombia were recently linked with him. He would be a great asset to any club in the Americas, and teams should be looking out for him. I created the pizza plot below to depict Martínez’s percentile rank amongst other forwards from the Argentine Primera Division with at least 1,250 minutes played in the last 365 days for some of the metrics mentioned above. All data is from Wyscout, is on a per 90 minute basis, and includes all competitions. #soccer #football #socceranalytics #footballanalytics #datascout #technicalscout #fútbol #futbolsudamericana #rogermartínez #racingclub #fernandolopez #agency #wyscout

Missed Millions: Ferdinand Omanyala & Noah Lyles Fail to Qualify for Diamond League Final Ferdinand Omanyala and Noah Lyles, two of the world’s fastest sprinters, are set to miss out on substantial prize money after failing to qualify for the Diamond League Final. Their… #FailtoQualifyForDiamondLeagueFinal #Ferdinand Omanyala #NoahLyles >>> Read more

🌟 Dominik Greif: Rising Star of RCD Mallorca 🌟   Dominik Greif, the goalkeeper from Slovakia, has emerged as a key player for RCD Mallorca as they prepare to face a crucial challenge in the Spanish Cup Final. Born on August 6, 1997, Greif began his journey in professional football with Slovan Bratislava in his native Slovakia. Standing tall at 197 cm, Greif possesses an imposing figure. 💪⚽   In January 2023, Greif made a bold move to RCD Mallorca, a club competing in La Liga, Spain's top tier of football. With his agility, bravery, and ability to make crucial saves under pressure, Greif has played a pivotal role in Mallorca's journey to the final. 🛡️🔥   Now, as RCD Mallorca prepares to battle for glory in the Spanish Cup Final, all eyes are on Greif to deliver another crucial performance. With his steely resolve and unwavering focus, he stands ready to confront the challenges that lie ahead and lead his team to triumph. 🏆👀   #RisingStar #SpanishCupFinal #DominikGreif #GoalkeeperAnalysis #FootballInsights #SportsAnalytics #GoalkeeperPerformance #GameAnalysis #FootballStrategy #AthleteAnalysis #SportsPerformance #GoalkeepingTips #SoccerAnalytics #MatchReview #GoalkeeperSkills #AthleteDevelopment #TacticalAnalysis #FootballTactics #GameStrategy #SportsData #PerformanceAnalysis #FootballStats #SoccerStrategy

Viktor Gyökeres: Europe's Most Underrated Goal Machine? 🔥 After an incredible 2024, Viktor Gyökeres is THE player who could transform any of Europe's biggest clubs. Starting the year with 29 league goals as Sporting Clube de Portugal cruised to the Portuguese title, Gyökeres has gone from strength to strength. In the 2024/25 season, he has already netted 11 goals in his first 8 league games, not to mention his first Champions League goal in his debut. 🏆 With 37 goals across all competitions in 2024, Gyökeres is currently the top scorer of the year, outperforming global superstars like Haaland and Mbappé... 🎯 Not to mention an impressive 80.5% pass accuracy and a dominant physical presence up front. A transfer window went by without a major move for him, but is 2024 the year where Europe’s elite come calling? Viktor Gyökeres could be the missing piece for any top club looking for a proven goal scorer. Will he be the next big signing? 🚀 #Football #Gyökeres #TopScorer #TransferMarket #SportingCP #ChampionsLeague #FutureStar

After Turkey 🇹🇷 in the previous fcbusiness Magazine, we bring you to Czechia 🇨🇿 Explore how football on the Vltava has evolved into a true #Bottom49 success story, climbing to the top ranks of UEFA . Stay tuned for more insights with our #PitchSideMonitor and Global ⚽️ dynamics!

𝗡𝗮𝗽𝗼𝗹𝗶'𝘀 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗨𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗔𝗻𝘁𝗼𝗻𝗶𝗼 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲 🇮🇹 Since his appointment in June 2024, Antonio Conte has revitalized Napoli, bringing them back to the top of Serie A after a challenging season in 2023-24. Having gone through 3 managers and failing to secure European qualification in 10th place, the 2023 winners suffered the worst-ever Serie A performance for a reigning national champion. We analysed Napoli’s Club Level development—available in our 𝗰𝗼𝗮𝗰𝗵 𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁—to have a better understanding of Antonio Conte’s impact since his arrival. The Club Level index ranks football teams by their playing strength based on match results. Points depend on team strength, opponent strength, and home advantage, with tougher matches offering more points than easier ones. 📈 Since there are only 5 points separating 1st and 6th place, it may be too early to tell if a title is on the horizon, but there is certainly an improvement from last season. Currently sitting on top of the Serie A for the first time since their championship season, Conte has revitalized the team with fresh tactics, switching between his favoured 3-5-2 formation and 4-2-3-1 formation. This new system has seen players such as Khvicha Kvaratskhelia shine in attack once again, while the new signings of David Neres and Scott McTominay have provided squad depth and new energy. ⚡️ So far we have seen solidity from Napoli in all areas of the pitch so it seems like all of the elements are there to win some silverware this season, but in a highly competitive Serie A anything can happen. Tell us what you think down below. Could a second Scudetto in three years be on the horizon? What’s your take on Conte’s impact at Napoli? Can he maintain this momentum? #FootballAnalysis #Napoli #AntonioConte #SerieA #FootballCoaching