đšđ»âđŒđŹđ Expected ClichĂ©s, Matchweeks 5-8
Must-win games already? Farke finds form. Postecoglou's final "mate".
This article is part of the Expected ClichĂ©s series, where Iâll be statistically analysing the use of classic British football phrases in Premier League managersâ press conferences during the 2025/26 season.
If youâre wondering why this exists, start with my post: âIntroducing: Expected ClichĂ©sâ, where I explain the project a bit more. You can also explore all of the data for yourself at: expectedcliches.com.
Overview: Must-win games, already?
When does a football match become a âmust-winâ?
Apparently, this season, you can be a newly promoted side â performing above expectations, playing decent football, and sitting mid-table â and still be asked the question just seven games into the campaign. That was the fate of RĂ©gis Le Bris last week, when he was quizzed about the âmust-winâ nature of Sunderlandâs upcoming home fixture against winless Wolves.
Last season, âmust-win gameâ appeared only four times across all press conferences in my dataset. This season itâs already up to six, after only eight rounds of fixtures.
Last season was also much less urgent regarding how soon in the season the phrase appeared. It didnât get its first mention until February, when Enzo Maresca was asked whether Chelsea had to beat Southampton. In this setting, âmust-win gameâ feels completely devoid of meaning. Plenty of football clichĂ©s are actually quite poetic, neatly encoding football stories and emotions into a few short words. âMust-win gameâ is not one of them.
Without context, it leaves far too much to the imagination: what happens if that must-win game is lost? Does the club dissolve? Does the manager have to enter a witness protection scheme? (Admittedly plausible if your boss is Marinakis.)
Other uses, although somewhat more justified, still feel pointless. On 16th May 2025, with Fulham sitting 11th after 36 games, needing two wins (and a complex combination of results elsewhere) to sneak into Europe, a journalist said: âIn the race for Europe now, this is a must-win game, isnât it?â
Factually correct, yes. Useful? Not really. This is a question better suited to a calculator than a football manager. There are only so many ways Marco Silva can politely restate âyes, weâd prefer to winâ.
And it seems Iâm not the only one getting disproportionately irritated by this. After thorough VAR review of the six mentions this season, I discovered that four of them occurred in Daniel Farkeâs pre-Burnley press conference. After being asked whether it was a must-win game, Farke proceeded to repeat the phrase in increasingly exasperated fashion three times during a 30-second outburst. See for yourself.
Still, even this recent âmust-winâ pandemic hasnât been enough to dethrone the current clichĂ© champion. âAt the end of the dayâ remains top of the table with 10 mentions, up from six after the opening four rounds.
âPoint to proveâ has also fallen off slightly after a strong start, just one appearance this time around, from a journalist asking Farke (again) about Joe Rodon.
Rankings: Farke me
It might seem like Daniel Farke has already received a lot of attention here, but itâs for good reason.
A solid 2.34 clichĂ©s per 10,000 words (C/10k) saw his Leeds side sitting sixth after four games. Four press conferences, 12 clichĂ©s and roughly 26,000 words later, heâs stormed into top spot with a staggering 3.56 C/10k.
Given that heâs a non-native speaker, I find it genuinely touching to see him rattle off classic British clichĂ©s in such metronomic fashion. Unlike most other managers who seem to go through short bursts of rattling off clichĂ©s for a bit, Farke has shown steady week-on-week growth. Leeds, therefore have got to be strong favourites to claim the ClichĂ© Title this season, provided Farke keeps his job long enough.
Hereâs a compilation of his clichĂ©s so far (excluding the âmust-winâ instances shown earlier).
Highlights: Amorimâs system, and a tribute to Ange
While these articles are dedicated to pure clichĂ©s, I wanted to end with two phrases that donât quite fit that category â but have become just as telling. Some expressions maybe arenât clichĂ©s in the traditional sense; but theyâre recurring clues to how a manager thinks, deflects, or defends.
Given that my code can dig up any phrase across the transcripts, I thought Iâd use this editionâs highlights section to spotlight a couple of managers whoâve dominated the press over the past four matchweeks.
First up is Ruben Amorim. His steadfast refusal to abandon his beloved three-at-the-back system has become a journalistic obsession. It pains me to admit it (especially after that win at Anfield on Sunday) but perhaps his stubbornness is finally starting to pay off.
Since arriving at Manchester United last season, the âsystemâ has been mentioned 29 times in pre-match press conferences alone. Hereâs a compilation of (most of) those references.
Then thereâs Ange. His approach to press conferences is, in its own way, just as systematic â a consistent pattern of deflection, gentle humour, and the word mate.
During his short-lived stint at Nottingham Forest, which sadly came to an end on Saturday, he managed seven âmateâs across pre-match press conferences. Six of them came in the cheerful optimism of his unveiling; the seventh arrived weeks later, a lone, weary âmateâ in his final press conference on Friday.
Because of this, Iâve chosen to end with a small tribute to Angeâs time at Forest. Youâll be missed, mate.