In a match where both sides played aggressively throughout, it took two (incredibly fortunate) goals from Iñaki Williams to separate the teams. It was a battle of two high pressing defensive units; the duels in midfield were especially intense, to the point where players were hardly afforded the time to take a second touch. Tactical […]
Exciting relegation battles seem to be the norm across Europe’s big leagues this season. Whilst the Premier League’s nine-team scrap steals a lot of the spotlight, the battle at the bottom of the Bundesliga is not much less tense. The 28th round of fixtures kicked off with a huge six-pointer between the bottom two, with […]
Napoli were effective up until the final third but the Osimhen-shaped missing piece of their jigsaw was too obvious to ignore. Whereas AC Milan’s use of Rafael Leão in a rest-attack role paid dividends in the winning goal. Tactical analysis and match report by Nick Smoothy. It was an all-Italian affair in this Champions League […]
Real Madrid secured a rather comfortable victory in the first leg of the quarter-final. Madrid’s positional interchanges and their ability to stretch Chelsea’s three-man midfield proved to be the difference at the Santiago Bernabéu. Tactical analysis and match report by Rahul Madhavan. The Champions League nights are back, and with it, two of the recently-crowned champions […]
Manchester City’s latest attempt to add a missing honor to their cabinet brought their manager head to head with two sources of regret. The first hour of the clash threatened to produce more pain, but this iteration of his project wields new tools that might finally end the barren run. We decided to make this […]
Arsenal’s composed play in possession and high pressing dominated Liverpool in the first half as Jürgen Klopp’s experiment with a new possession structure faced difficulties. The second half saw momentum swing Liverpool’s way against a more passive Arsenal side though, and Liverpool were able to claw back the two goal deficit of the first half […]
Lazio reinforced their second place after a hard-fought game, showing superior determination and attacking quality for longer spells of the match. Juventus remained competitive and found more courage and intensity in the final stages of the match, but a change in formation ultimately proved too late to salvage a draw. Tactical analysis and match report […]
Paris Saint-Germain came away from OGC Nice with a comfortable scoreline in an uncomfortable game. Second best for much of the match, this was a victory that was needed more than it was earned. Tactical analysis and match report by Nick Hartland. Paris Saint-Germain visited OGC Nice with their Champions League hopes dead for the […]
In a match that showcased excellent winger play, Samu Chukwueze rose above Vinícius Júnior as the most impactful player on the pitch. The Nigerian scored two goals and was key in creating the third, and was responsible for all of the good done by Villarreal in the final third. Though Real Madrid pulled ahead twice, […]
Sean Dyche was forced to change his hand, but the switch to the 4-4-2 formation did not go well. Manchester United had routes through and over the top against a frantic Everton defense, before the axis was changed in the second period. Tactical analysis and match report by Joel Parker. In years past, games between United […]