Whilst the first half was all about West Ham’s measured resistance, and how the visitors tried to wear them down, the second period was much more about Liverpool’s coping of the host’s inevitable response. Despite finding a few regular ways to exploit each other, it was in transition where both teams looked at their most […]
Pep Guardiola experimented with an unorthodox interpretation of a 3-4-2-1 system as City hosted United in the EFL Cup. Although City dominated the early proceedings, United opened the scoring through Nemanja Matić, after which City showed some nervousness in their play and made some clumsy errors. Nevertheless, City were still the overall better team in […]
In the Ligue 1 clash of the week, Tuchel’s side dominated Lille. Despite an interesting level of intensity, Neymar’s performance and PSG’s solidity were enough to inflict the hosts their first home defeat in the league this season. Tactical analysis and match report by Simon Piotr. In a crazy January month, wherein PSG had to […]
Napoli’s diligence finally gifted Gattuso his second Serie A win against the most esteemed of opponents. Juve’s second half performance had nothing to do with Sarriball, and while Juve experienced a small identity crisis, Napoli swiftly took the lead to run away with a deserved victory. Tactical analysis and match report by Kareem Bianchi. When […]
Another weekend of FA Cup action saw Championship side Brentford play host to Premier League outfit Leicester City. Leicester emerged from the clash with a narrow win but Brentford certainly did not make it easy for them. Tactical analysis and match report by Julian Chingoma. Brentford had previously eliminated Stoke City to make it to […]
Schalke 04 provided a brief guide on how not to play at the Allianz Arena, as the Champions obliterated their disorganized opposition. David Wagner’s 4-4-2 diamond did not match well against an expansive Bayern Munich team, whose versatile passing system ran through the visitors with ease. Tactical analysis and match report by Joel Parker. Another […]
In their second LaLiga game under new coach Quique Setién, Barcelona once again dominated the ball but struggled to penetrate due to an inability to stretch their opponents through width and depth when in possession. Barcelona improved in the second half with midfield runners getting more involved in attack, but a Jordi Alba deflected own […]
Nice put on one of their best offensive performances in the first half against Rennes. However, an adept Julien Stéphan made several key adjustments at half-time and in so doing the visitors were able to turn the fixture on its head and force a draw through a Flavien Tait marker in the 81st minute. Tactical […]
In a match that featured plenty of chances but very little fluidity, Roberto Firmino’s 84th minute strike proved the difference as Jürgen Klopp’s Liverpool emerged as the winners after a testing battle against Nuno Espírito Santo’s Wolverhampton Wanderers. Molineux has made a name for itself as one of the toughest away grounds for a top six […]
The midweek Premier League action saw a slumping Leicester City host a struggling West Ham United side. The home side were able to put in a commanding performance against an opponent that showed little adventure going forward. Tactical analysis and match report by Julian Chingoma. Leicester came into the game off the back of two […]