West Ham and Eintracht Frankfurt played out a fun first leg in London, with the hosts’ tactical tweaks working fairly well but not reflecting on the scoreline. Tactical analysis and match report by Neel Shelat. David Moyes’ buoyant West Ham had blown their bubbles all the way to a European semi-final, which meant that they […]
A clash that ought to have taken top billing at the end of the campaign revealed why neither club fulfilled expectations. Where one outfit could not turn their dominance into hegemony, the other was too frail in all aspects of the game to be their equal anywhere but on the scoreline. Tactical analysis and match […]
The first half of the match saw Villarreal defending deep in their compact 4-4-2 system and frustrating Liverpool. However, Liverpool’s pressure paid off early in the second half with two quick goals, and the game was relatively easy from there as Villarreal did not have the tactical facilities to chase the game. Tactical analysis and […]
Battling the odds to reach the semi-final, Real Madrid required more than luck to compete with what might be the best outfit in Europe. The ninety minutes of action produced an epic evening where one outfit will rue their profligacy, and the other owe a debt to their talismanic forward. Tactical analysis and match report […]
Internazionale continued their rise up the table with a convincing win against José Mourinho’s AS Roma. Roma’s twelve-game unbeaten streak in Serie A was snapped, whilst Inter went a point ahead of city rivals AC Milan, with five games to go. Tactical analysis and match report by Harshal Patel. After suffering a bit of a […]
Chelsea dominated possession and territory in the first half but lacked cutting edge. More attacking intent from West Ham in the second half helped raise the tempo of the game, which ultimately benefited Chelsea. After a missed penalty and West Ham red card, Chelsea eventually got a winner from substitute Christian Pulisic. Tactical analysis and […]
It took extra time and penalties for Manuel Pellegrini’s Real Betis to overcome a steadfast Valencia side. Valencia’s conservative approach (and the woodwork) kept them in the match, though a miss from Yunus Musah in the penalty shootout would end up being the factor that saw them fall short of the title. Tactical analysis and […]
Knowing that they needed just a point to seal the Ligue 1 title, Paris Saint-Germain welcomed European challengers RC Lens to the Parc de Princes. The match certainly was not the most entertaining of affairs, but PSG just about did enough to win their tenth-ever French league title. Tactical analysis and match report by Neel […]
Behold the Premier League’s greatest rivalry. Football is nothing like it was twenty years ago and neither are these two teams. But chaotic defending, errors and refereeing decisions always offer fun. Though not on top form, Arsenal was still superior to their opponents in turmoil. Tactical analysis and match report by Joel Parker. Ambitions between one […]
Real Sociedad posed a challenge to Barcelona with a high tempo start to the match, although the away side went ahead and were able to gain some control over the game thanks to their structural adaptations. Sociedad came on strong again in the second half and forced Barcelona to defend deep, but Xavi’s side were […]