Many novel trends at the turn of the 2010s have become more mainstream concepts as the years have passed. For better or for worse, one such idea is defending with five men at the back. In this piece, we explore the trends and variants associated with this basic setup at EURO 2020. Written by Emmanuel […]
Germany had some good moments to start off with, but eventually England’s man-oriented pressing and stability in possession brought them game control, especially with Germany falling into quite a passive defensive stance. The game drifted somewhat for long periods due to the stability focus of both teams, but England eventually broke through in the second […]
The clash of two methodical setups on a mild afternoon in Copenhagen gave the impression that Spain’s match with Croatia would be a terse affair. But, the contest could not have gone any more differently. In a matchup of needless excitement, blunders from the back and suspect game management gave way to one of the […]
An unpredictable EURO 2020 needed a truly unpredictable moment to make its mark. It arrived last night, and the football world stood stunned. The variance of international tournaments makes upsets very likely, but few predicted that it would be France who fell victim to fate. And few would have predicted it should come in such […]
Portugal have failed in their attempts to hold onto the crown. When asked to move out of their attritional style, attempts in breaking through an open Belgium fell flat on its face, as their buildup issues were aggravated. Belgium got the job done, but the same questions failed to be answered. Tactical analysis and match […]
A determined Czech Republic team decided to press man-for-man against the Netherlands. The Dutch responded with a lot of long balls, which made this an even game with plenty of duels in midfield and few chances. The game still scoreless, a 55th minute red card for Matthijs de Ligt tilted the match, as the Czechs […]
Italy’s streak of comfortable outings was put to a grinding halt as they were given their toughest test of EURO 2020. Franco Foda’s Austria side strained the Italians early on with well-structured possessional control. And as Italy eventually grew into proceedings, the stubborn Austrian defense made Italy work extra-time to break through. Even then, Austria […]
Wales started the game with some promise but faded after the first ten minutes after Denmark’s switch to a back four gave the Danes control of the game on both sides of the ball. Wales meanwhile had big weaknesses on both sides of the ball and largely deserved the magnitude of their defeat. Tactical analysis […]
What a difference two weeks can make. Coming into EURO 2020 under the tag of dark horses, Italy’s group stage displays have raised the expectations of what this team can achieve to a new level. As the odds stack up against Austria, this preview looks to explore some of the issues this side will have […]
Everyone remembers that Trezeguet goal in the Euro 2000 final, but prior to the left footed finish there was a brilliant solo move from Robert Pires who assisted the winner. Gliding past Demetrio Albertini, before pinning Fabio Cannavaro to the ground with a fake dribble inside then going outside to cross the ball. Written by […]