With Leao on the pitch, the Rossoneri have generated 1.70 xG (Expected Goals) per game so far, compared to 2.16 xG without him. It must be noted Rafa has missed seven games against lower-quality opponents: Cremonese, Lecce, Bologna, Udinese, Verona, Bologna and Parma.
At Inter, the distance between the strike pair - usually Lautaro Martínez and Marcus Thuram - is consistently very compact. That proximity is crucial in a two-striker system because it allows synchronised movements: one drops, one runs in behind; one pins the defender, the other attacks space.
Carrick, who is set to be appointed as the Red Devils' interim head coach, previously enjoyed 12 years at Old Trafford, winning five Premier League titles, as well as the UEFA Champions League in 2008. Mainoo, seen as United's next big midfield talent, has been frozen out under former boss Ruben Amorim, but that now seems to be a thing of the past, given Carrick's past comments on the Stockport-born midfielder.
When England welcome China to a sold-out Wembley Stadium on Saturday afternoon, it will mark the sixth meeting between two nations who have been on different trajectories in recent years. The marketing has focused on the clash of continental champions England as the holders of the European Championship and China as the winners of the 2022 Asian Cup but there has since been a change in fortunes between the two. The widening gap was evident the last time they met, at the 2023 Women's World Cup, when England put six past the Steel Roses to progress to the last 16.
