Neel Shelat
banner
shelatneel.bsky.social
Neel Shelat
@shelatneel.bsky.social
Devotee of the religion of football

Freelance Journalist/Analyst/Consultant covering the game around the globe. Featured on Al Jazeera, Forbes.com, FourFourTwo, Analytics FC, FotMob, World Soccer, The Blizzard, SCOUTED, The Transfer Flow, Gløry & more
Pinned
Sunday's Milan derby was far from the most entertaining, but Milan's win propelled them up to 2nd in the Serie A standings. So, I took a look at whether they can go the distance in the title race for @thetransferflow.bsky.social:

www.thetransferflow.com/p/defensive-...
Defensive football brings AC Milan back to the top of Serie A
Can Allegri’s haramball keep the Rossoneri in the title race?
www.thetransferflow.com
Portugal are the Under-17 World champions! A hard-fought 1-0 win over fellow first-time finalists Austria — who had only conceded one goal all tournament — has led them to create history in the first 48-team edition of the tournament. #PORAUT

#Footy-Live
November 27, 2025 at 5:56 PM
Reposted by Neel Shelat
Max Allegri has brought his brand of haramball back to AC Milan... and it's working

www.thetransferflow.com/p/defensive-...
Defensive football brings AC Milan back to the top of Serie A
Can Allegri’s haramball keep the Rossoneri in the title race?
www.thetransferflow.com
November 25, 2025 at 2:21 PM
Yeah these are quite clearly the two best teams in the world right now. #ARSBAY

#UCL-Live
November 26, 2025 at 8:38 PM
Reposted by Neel Shelat
New podcast! @patrickbvs.bsky.social and @shelatneel.bsky.social recap a huge weekend.

• City's overreliance on Haaland
• What Eze has brought to Arsenal
• Can Slot fix what ails Liverpool?
• A massive Milan derby

www.youtube.com/watch?v=bnwX...
City's Overreliance on Haaland is a BIG problem | Ep. 143
YouTube video by The Transfer Flow
www.youtube.com
November 24, 2025 at 7:36 PM
Sunday's Milan derby was far from the most entertaining, but Milan's win propelled them up to 2nd in the Serie A standings. So, I took a look at whether they can go the distance in the title race for @thetransferflow.bsky.social:

www.thetransferflow.com/p/defensive-...
Defensive football brings AC Milan back to the top of Serie A
Can Allegri’s haramball keep the Rossoneri in the title race?
www.thetransferflow.com
November 25, 2025 at 2:25 PM
Back on @thetransferflow.bsky.social podcast this week to talk through the weekend's headline action, including standout results for the Premier League's top three and the Milan derby:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=bnwX...
City's Overreliance on Haaland is a BIG problem | Ep. 143
YouTube video by The Transfer Flow
www.youtube.com
November 25, 2025 at 11:18 AM
Manchester City's attacking reliance on Erling Haaland is at a level that we have never seen before in the big five leagues. How sustainable is this approach? I took a look for @thetransferflow.bsky.social:

www.thetransferflow.com/p/manchester...
Manchester City's over-reliance on Erling Haaland is crazier than you think
City are the top scorers in the Premier League this season, but only one of their players has found the back of the net multiple times.
www.thetransferflow.com
November 22, 2025 at 5:19 PM
Back when I was getting into football analysis I thought it probably wasn't a good idea for Nigeria to play four forwards and Alex Iwobi as one of the two midfielders.

Fast forward many years, and Nigeria are STILL playing Iwobi in midfield. And I STILL don't think it's a good idea. #NGAGAB
November 13, 2025 at 4:53 PM
Reposted by Neel Shelat
A year after winning the Champions League, Vitinha is putting up even more outrageous numbers.

Where does he rank among the best midfielders in the world?

www.thetransferflow.com/p/vitinha-ha...
Vitinha has morphed into one of the world's best midfielders
The Champions League winner keeps getting better.
www.thetransferflow.com
November 11, 2025 at 5:51 PM
Vitinha is right up there with the very best players in the world right now, so I took a look at what makes him so good for @thetransferflow.bsky.social:

www.thetransferflow.com/p/vitinha-ha...
Vitinha has morphed into one of the world's best midfielders
The Champions League winner keeps getting better.
www.thetransferflow.com
November 11, 2025 at 5:12 PM
Manchester City and Liverpool are set to face off for the first time this season in just under an hour in what promises to be a pivotal match for their title hopes. Preview for @fotmob.com:

www.fotmob.com/topnews/2386...
Preview: Title chasers Manchester City and Liverpool face off in a pivotal clash
Two of the Premier League’s top three are involved in this weekend’s headline fixture, which could well determine the next twist in the title race.
www.fotmob.com
November 9, 2025 at 3:39 PM
North Korea are now the outright most successful team in U17 Women's World Cups after comfortably defeating the Dutch debutantes today. Report for Forbes Sports:

www.forbes.com/sites/neelsh...
North Korea Defeats Netherlands To Defend FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup Title
2024 champion North Korea retained the Under-17 Women's World Cup crown with a comprehensive win over the Netherlands in the final.
www.forbes.com
November 8, 2025 at 8:59 PM
Bayern's record-breaking start to the season has come to a halt at 16 straight wins, but a stoppage-time equaliser means that Union have failed to record their first-ever win over the Rekordmeister (in 13 attempts). #FCUFCB

#Footy-Live
November 8, 2025 at 4:31 PM
Reposted by Neel Shelat
New podcast! @patrickbvs.bsky.social and @shelatneel.bsky.social talk UEFA Champions League.

• Bayern make a statement against PSG
• Is Vini Jr. out of Madrid's plans?
• Chelsea and Barca turn in shockers

www.youtube.com/watch?v=dYDe...
This team just became Champions League favorites | Ep. 138
YouTube video by The Transfer Flow
www.youtube.com
November 6, 2025 at 7:46 PM
Really enjoyed making my debut on the @thetransferflow.bsky.social TransferFlow Patreon, on which we had a great chat about clubs building talent pipelines in certain regions/markets (including various examples) and I had my football scores app addiction diagnosed:

www.patreon.com/posts/video-...
(Video) How Clubs Build (and Break) Their Talent Pipelines + Football HOT TAKES | Ep. 3 | The Transfer Flow
Get more from The Transfer Flow on Patreon
www.patreon.com
November 7, 2025 at 5:21 PM
Agreed to get back on the @thetransferflow.bsky.social podcast this week only because we talked about a team that is NOT top of the Azerbaijan Premier League (among other UCL participants):

www.youtube.com/watch?v=dYDe...
This team just became Champions League favorites | Ep. 138
YouTube video by The Transfer Flow
www.youtube.com
November 7, 2025 at 10:58 AM
I wonder who'd noticed how good Foden had been this season before tonight...

www.thetransferflow.com/p/phil-foden...
Phil Foden is getting back to his best in a new role for Manchester City
He might not be scoring, but he's making things work in midfield.
www.thetransferflow.com
November 5, 2025 at 9:22 PM
Reposted by Neel Shelat
Tonight's Bayern-PSG match might be the best of this Champions League stage.

Harry Kane, Luis Diaz and Michael Olise are in outrageous form. Are the Bavarians real CL contenders?

www.thetransferflow.com/p/are-bayern...
Are Bayern Munich serious Champions League contenders?
We should find out just how good they are when they face PSG tonight
www.thetransferflow.com
November 4, 2025 at 2:04 PM
Bayern Munich have gotten off to an incredible start this season with 15 wins out of 15. Their domestic dominance is no surprise, but do they have the juice to go the distance in Europe? I took a look for @thetransferflow.bsky.social:

www.thetransferflow.com/p/are-bayern...
Are Bayern Munich serious Champions League contenders?
We should find out just how good they are when they face PSG tonight
www.thetransferflow.com
November 4, 2025 at 3:44 PM
Signe Gaupset opened the scoring as Brann clinched the Toppserien title yesterday. She certainly has been the standout star of the season, but it's a league full of talent, as I explored for @analyticsfc.bsky.social:

analyticsfc.co.uk/blog/2025/10...
November 2, 2025 at 11:11 AM
Tottenham and Chelsea's London derby headlines this weekend's Premier League action. Match preview for FotMob:

www.fotmob.com/topnews/2370...
Preview: Spurs and Chelsea meet in London Derby
Bitter London rivals Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea meet in this weekend’s headline Premier League fixture, with three points and six places between them.
www.fotmob.com
November 1, 2025 at 2:04 PM
WAFCON qualifiers were the highlight of this international break, and they did not disappoint. Roundup for The Cutback:

open.substack.com/pub/thecutba...
WAFCON 2026 qualifiers: Cameroon miss out again, South Africa battle through
Newcomers Cape Verde and Malawi join familiar faces among 12 teams competing at next year's tournament in Morocco
open.substack.com
October 30, 2025 at 9:48 PM
Quite a day of WAFCON qualifiers as the second legs of the final round are almost all done. So far:

- 🇨🇲 3x runners-up Cameroon missed out again
- 🇿🇦 2024 champs South Africa needed a stoppage-time winner to beat DR Congo
- 🇲🇼 Malawi have sealed their debut
October 28, 2025 at 7:05 PM
Reposted by Neel Shelat
🌍 Market Analysis – Norway’s Toppserien

@shelatneel.bsky.social looks at one of Europe’s more youthful elite women’s leagues and showcases some of the exceptional talent to be found there

analyticsfc.co.uk/blog/2025/10...
Market Analysis: Norway’s Youthful Toppserien - Analytics FC
Neel Shelat looks at Norway's Toppserien, a market with real importance for elite-level recruitment and the promise of its youth development
analyticsfc.co.uk
October 25, 2025 at 9:15 AM
Looked at some numbers to not merely board but absolutely get on top of the Arsenal hypetrain Mumbai local style. For @thetransferflow.bsky.social:

www.thetransferflow.com/p/you-may-no...
You may not like Arsenal, but this is what peak performance looks like
Arsenal are now four points clear at the top of the Premier League and certainly look like the best team in the division.
www.thetransferflow.com
October 28, 2025 at 3:40 PM