Latest articles by Thore Haugstad
FFT100 2018: No.19, Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool)
FFT100 Chuckles were barely stifled when Liverpool spent £75m on the Dutchman in January. Now he's arguably the best centre-back on the planet – and nobody's laughing any more
Tottenham vs Liverpool preview: Why Wanyama could struggle to replace Dembele's influence
Premier League The Belgium international remains banned for the visit of Jurgen Klopp's charges. As Thore Haugstad explains, his drive and composure in the engine room will be sorely missed...
Analysed: Why Liverpool boss Klopp prefers mobile Firmino to static Benteke
Stats Zone The Brazilian was labelled a "real centre-forward" by his manager on Sunday, pushing his ex-Aston Villa team-mate down the pecking order. Thore Haugstad considers why the Belgian is struggling for playing time...
Cazorla vs Ozil: Which playmaker will seal a spot in Wenger's best XI?
Stats Zone Thore Haugstad analyses the potential battle between the German genius and the Spanish schemer for a first-team berth...
Year Zero: The season that made Fernando Torres (Atletico Madrid, 2002/03)
Year Zero Once, he was an unknown kid suffering relegation – then became the hottest young striker in Europe. This is how the 2002/03 season changed the life of this young Spaniard forever
Why Mauricio Pochettino is masterminding his biggest achievement yet at Tottenham
Tottenham Hotspur No signings, injuries to large swathes of his squad, major stadium delays and more. Unlike Jose Mourinho, the Argentine has battled through it all to break more records at Spurs
The Casemiro conundrum: how much should Real Madrid value grit over quality?
Casemiro He may not be as glamorous as some of his superstar team-mates, but Thore Haugstad explains why the defensive midfielder will be vital at the Camp Nou...
Why Brendan and Jose's latest face-off could be their most fascinating tactical battle yet
Stats Zone Thore Haugstad weighs up the intriguing prospect of Rodgers' daring 3-4-3 against his old colleague's 4-2-3-1 ahead of their League Cup clash...
Why Real Madrid’s thumping win at Atletico has cast doubt over a BBC future
Stats Zone The results aren’t lying, writes Thore Haugstad: Zinedine Zidane’s side are doing better when Bale, Benzema and Cristiano aren’t on the pitch at the same time
FFT100 2018: No.2, Cristiano Ronaldo (Juventus)
FFT100 Had it not been for Luka Modric steering Croatia to a World Cup final, CR7 would surely have taken his sixth Ballon d'Or title. He turns 34 in February – not that it seems to make a blind bit of difference...
How much is Pep Guardiola actually to blame for Manchester City’s woes?
Pep Guardiola A crushing 4-0 defeat at Everton has left the Catalan’s new club 10 points adrift of Chelsea, and City fans bitterly disappointed. But is Pep the only man to point fingers at? Thore Haugstad discusses
Ada Hegerberg: why the world's best female footballer won't be playing at the Women's World Cup
Women's World Cup Her ongoing dispute with the Norwegian Football Federation continues, as she misses yet another major competition for her country. Thore Haugstad explains why
5 things from Atletico 1-0 Bayern: Simeone's side do their thing again
UEFA Champions League Thore Haugstad was at the Vicente Calderon to analyse the Colchoneros' defeat of the Bundesliga champions with Stats Zone...
How Branislav Ivanovic became one of Chelsea's greatest ever signings
Stats Zone Thore Haugstad analyses the Serbian's transformation from domineering middle man to marauding full-back...
Why Ozil was always destined to become the top flight's most productive playmaker
Mesut Özil The German has been recording some superb assist and chance creation statistics this season, but Thore Haugstad explains why such form has been a long time in the making...
5 reasons why it has all gone wrong for Ronaldo at Euro 2016
Cristiano Ronaldo Despite his country advancing to the latter stages of Euro 2016, it hasn't been the Portuguese attacker's summer so far. Thore Haugstad investigates where it's gone wrong for the superstar…
Analysis: Amid the gloom, Chelsea are improving – and here's the proof
Stats Zone The Blues have been buoyed by Champions League success as they face high-flying Leicester, but Thore Haugstad notes their displays have been improving for a while...
How the Clásico was won: 5 things from Real Madrid 0-4 Barcelona
Stats Zone Thore Haugstad was in the Bernabeu for FFT to analyse a thumping win for Barça which plunges Rafa Benitez into yet more trouble...
How Lionel Messi finally became the player he was expected to be (no, really)
Barcelona The Barcelona superstar has filled many different roles over the years, but it’s only recently that he’s taken on the position many expected him to play from the start – and become even better. Why did it take so long?
What on earth has happened to James Rodríguez, then?
James Rodríguez Once a World Cup golden boy and €80m player, the Colombian is struggling to get into Real Madrid’s team for the matches that matter. Madrid-based Thore Haugstad looks at why…
Arsenal vs Liverpool preview: will Klopp's 'gegenpressing' prove too much for Gunners?
Premier League Arsenal take on a Liverpool side feeling the benefit of a full pre-season with Jurgen Klopp in their opening 2016/17 Premier League fixture. Thore Haugstad explains how the Gunners are shaping up…
