The Bulgarian resistance seemed a worthy match for England’s slower approach, which looked to gradually chip away at them. We might even have had a tighter finish on our hands, irrespective of the result, had it not been for the visitors laying it all out on a plate for the hosts. Tactical analysis and match […]
The fourth meeting in eleven months between the Netherlands and Germany yielded six goals and yet another fun game. Before half-time, Germany were in control of the match, having scored the opener and wasting several moments to double their lead. They would rue their wastefulness, as it gave Koeman the opportunity to alter his tactics, […]
Athletico Paranaense dominated the first half with a variable possession game, overcoming the two-goal deficit of the first leg, with the second goal coming right after half-time. However, the hosts were not able to score the third goal after Grêmio were decimated to ten players, meaning this game was decided on penalties. Tactical analysis and […]
For all of Cruzeiro’s seemingly incisive buildup play – dragging Internacional’s midfield and defense in all different directions –they came up empty-handed. Playing mostly from controlled possession play, it was Cruzeiro that began to make erroneous decisions, as opposed to their sitting opponents. Tactical analysis and match report by Peter M. Almost a month ago, […]
The game at the Gillette Stadium grew from a Toronto-dominated affair to an end-to-end tussle that resulted in split points. It was a true spectacle, involving 29 shots in total, controversy, constant changes of formation and a last minute goalkeeping error. Tactical analysis and match report by Tom Quartly. The MLS season is coming to a […]
In a not so brilliant, yet very important game, Marseille managed to be solid enough to get the best of Saint-Étienne and win the game 1-0. Benedetto scored on Marseille’s first and only real chance after half an hour of play, which was enough to seal the game. Tactical analysis and match report by Simon […]
Everton dominated the first half with a good plan in possession to exploit Wolverhampton’s problems against the ball. However, the guests’ direct attacking play created chances as well, meaning they trailed the game by only one goal at half-time. Both teams then could not hold on to their performances of the first half after the […]
Uncharacteristically poor penalty box defending from Atlético left them 2-0 down within twenty minutes. It took Atlético a while to finally break through the Eibar defense as their game relied somewhat on directness, even though they often created the structures for more intricate play. Diego Simeone made changes in the second half, including the introduction […]
In a post and crossbar fest, Lazio stood out as the better team in a match that had little worth of notice, besides the problems that have been tormenting Roma for the last two years. A Kolárov penalty was cancelled out by Luis Alberto’s equalizer, as only an offside call saved Roma from losing to […]
Juventus dominated the entire first half, with Higuaín scoring a highlight goal that seemed to break Napoli’s will. Ronaldo appeared to have sealed the victory in the second half, but Napoli fought back through set pieces and the brilliance of Zielinski and Lozano. Just when the game looked destined to end in a draw, Koulibaly […]