Chelsea dominated the ball and had some moderate success playing against Southampton’s high pressing and forcing them deeper later in the half. However, Chelsea had problems creating shots and were punished for this when Takumi Minamino put Southampton ahead. Chelsea equalized through Mount early in the second half but were unable to break down the […]
Ajax had nearly 65% possession and limited Lille to only three shots in the entire match. As one of those shots resulted in a goal, Lille seemed to sneak away with the win, despite an average performance. A little help from the referee put Ajax on track to equalize and even snatch the win in […]
Real Sociedad have one of the best defenses in LaLiga, but their pressing and high defensive line was blown away by the speed of Manchester United’s counterattack. United dominated the first half hour with an unexpectedly well-executed pressing trap game plan. After their first goal, they stepped back, defended deeper, and picked off la Real […]
Arsenal initially controlled possession quite well and showed some promising approaches when breaking the Benfica midfield press, yet were unable to find the finishing touch against the Portuguese back five. Benfica grew slowly into the game and took the lead through a Pizzi penalty, but things were immediately levelled by Saka’s reply two minutes later. […]
Based on the form book, Borussia Dortmund’s prospects could not have been bleaker. Yet, despite going down early, their rampant intensity on the break against a sluggish Sevilla outfit made the difference in a superb showing. Tactical analysis and match report by Emmanuel Adeyemi-Abere. Borussia Dortmund find themselves in a sporting crisis. Sacking Lucien Favre […]
A fervent 4-4-2 medium block, replete with well-timed pressing and counterpressing sequences helped Porto dictate play out of possession. The home side earned a much deserved victory over a Juventus side that was passive, slow, narrow and unimaginative. Tactical analysis and match report by K.T. Stockwell. With only one loss in the group stage, which […]
The overarching storyline involving Julian Nagelsmann and Jürgen Klopp aside, this was a game made for the tactically-minded football fan. While goals from Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mané sealed a morale-boosting win for the Merseyside club, it was in fact the details of how the teams exploited the other teams’ weaknesses that resulted in a […]
Barcelona took the lead through a Lionel Messi penalty, but were punished for an unstable man-oriented defensive scheme, with the first two goals conceded through wide spaces created by defensive weakness between fullback and winger. Mbappé menaced throughout and was able to complete his hattrick late in the game on the counterattack after Kean’s contribution […]
Leeds came to the Emirates Stadium with their characteristic man-marking approach. However with some smart play from the forwards, Arsenal were able to overcome Leeds’ defensive scheme to take the lead early on, and extend it to 4-0 just after half-time. Leeds threatened a comeback in the second half with two goals, but Arsenal were […]
Paris Saint-Germain’s aggressive buildup formation exposed Nice’s 4-1-4-1 medium block in the first half, allowing a heavily rotated side to coast comfortably through the first 45 minutes. In the second half Nice made slight adjustments, which made them far more potent on the counter and threatened PSG’s cosiness. However, Moise Kean saved the day again […]