Many talented players of European football were born in May and most of these players play for top clubs in Europe's top 5 leagues. Most of the players born in this can have a market value of more than 50 million euros. The chart below shows some of the most valuable players born in May. Which of these players do you like the most for the 2022/23 season?
The most valuable Xi players born in May and their 2022/23 stats. Goalie:
Thibaut Courtois (16 clean sheets).
Defender:
Marquinhos (2 goals), R. Dias (1 goal), J. Cancelo (3 goals and 10 assists) and Gaya (1 goal and 3 assists).
Midfielder:
Tonali (2 goals and 9 assists), F. De Jong (2 goals and assists) and F. Wirtz (4 goals and 8 assists).
The attacker:
P. Foden (13 goals and 7 assists), Gakpo (19 goals and 19 assists) and Ousmane Dembele (8 goals and 7 assists).
Phil Foden is the most valuable player born in May. The Manchester City forward has a market value of more than €100 million but his appearances under Pep Guardiola have dwindled significantly in the 2022/24 season. However, most of these players born in May are currently among the most productive players at their respective clubs, while some of them are currently at the top of the charts or European Cup competition.
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The former Manchester United defender described Jürgen Klopp's new 3-2-5 formation as a 'first aid' solution in Liverpool's win over Tottenham Hotspur at the weekend.
It's no secret that Liverpool have had a dismal campaign over the past year. The Red Devils will end the season without a trophy in the coming weeks, despite showing real form last month, unbeaten in their last five.
Indeed, the Anfield side have won four consecutive Premier League games - scoring plenty of goals in the process - and the improvement stems from a change in tactics. Ever since Jürgen Klopp encouraged his players to adopt a new 3-2-5 possession formation, Liverpool seem to have changed a lot. The new form involves right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold becoming a makeshift midfielder by performing midfield reversals to play alongside Fabinho. Andy Robertson slipped into his left-back to play at centre-back alongside Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konaté, with Jordan Henderson and Curtis Jones stepping up in the final third.
This arrangement allowed Liverpool to establish a greater degree of control in the engine room, thanks largely to the presence of four Red Devils players forming a box in midfield. It provided Alexander-Arnold with a platform to run the proceedings and breathed new life into Mohamed Salah.
However, despite the influence of the 3-2-5 system, Gary Neville seemed unconvinced. While commenting on Liverpool's thrilling game against Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday afternoon, the Manchester United legend described the shirt as a 'first aid' solution.
The Sky Sports pundit doesn't like what he's seeing, saying:
"You expect Konaté to play right-back and right-back; that's too much to ask. It's doable, I've got Jaap Stam and Rio Ferdinand, world-class defenders who can do it, and quite often me and the other full-back will go forward and they will play two against two, with a midfielder in the back."
It remains to be seen exactly why this is "too big" for a player of Konaté's caliber. Only 23 years old, the French player is one of the most comprehensive defenders on the continent with a remarkable speed despite being 1.94 m tall. He's one of the best when it comes to tough opponents in isolated situations. Liverpool adopted a new 3-2-5 formation when holding the ball against Arsenal on Sunday afternoon
Liverpool adopted a new 3-2-5 formation when holding the ball against Arsenal on Sunday afternoon
Jamie Redknapp also commented on the 3-2-5 scoreline inside the Sky Sports studio, saying he "didn't like" it. The system is unusual, and when it comes to testing it's reasonable to say it's quite experimental, but that doesn't mean it can't be effective.
Manchester City and Arsenal have both used a 3-2-5 formation throughout the season, and both are vying for the top spot in the Premier League. Pep Guardiola and Mikel Arteta have lost a total of eight of the possible 65 games this season, with much of their success stemming from their tactical composition.
If there's one thing that Manchester City and Arsenal have shown, it's that to play with a 3-2-5, you have to control the ball and dominate possession. If the procedure is downhill and chaotic, the unorthodox squad could turn out to be a bit of a mess, which is probably why Konaté sometimes proved vulnerable against Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday afternoon.
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