Real Sociedad and Real Betis played out a game where pressing structures, build-up manipulations, and transition moments constantly shifted control from one side to the other. Real Sociedad’s positional mechanisms allowed them to bypass Betis’ pressure for long stretches, but the aggressive nature of their attacking structure also exposed them to the exact transition attacks […]
Last-minute VAR fiascos are not just exclusive to crucial Premier League fixtures. Dreams of the Champions League looked dead when Parma went into the lead with three minutes left, only for an incredible stoppage time to catapult Roma back into the conversation. Tactical analysis and match report by Joel Parker. The oldest coach in Serie […]
There was undoubtedly one highlight fixture of the Bundesliga weekend – Bayer Leverkusen’s visit to Stuttgart. After a surprise victory against RB Leipzig in the prior weekend, Leverkusen entered the run-in for Champions League qualification heading into the final two league games. Meanwhile, that was the same weekend when Stuttgart dropped points after a 3-3 […]
Palmeiras stumbled after drawing at home against Santos, one of their biggest rivals, on Matchday 14 of the Brasileirão. In the derby, Neymar was rested after refusing to play on the mixed synthetic pitch due to injury risk concerns. Without their star, Santos started Rollheiser as the playmaker and saw him deliver a footballing masterclass […]
Borussia Dortmund mathematically secured the runners-up spot in the Bundesliga with a resilient 3-2 victory over Eintracht Frankfurt at Signal Iduna Park. Despite falling behind within the first two minutes, Niko Kovač’s side demonstrated the tactical flexibility that has defined their season, overturning the deficit before halftime. While Albert Riera’s Frankfurt side showed flashes of […]
Aston Villa produced a scintillating second-leg performance at Villa Park to overturn a first-leg deficit and dismantle Nottingham Forest 4-0. The most successful Europa League manager Unai Emery’s side secured a 4-1 aggregate victory to reach the Europa League final, ending Forest’s continental fairy tale in ruthless fashion. On a night where the Midlands atmosphere […]
After producing one of the best games in history, Bayern Munich hosted Paris Saint-Germain for the second leg. With a one-goal cushion, PSG were slight favorites, but given how much the first leg ebbed and flowed, spectators understood the result was far from decided. However, Ousmane Dembélé’s early goal increased the deficit, which Bayern could […]
The pragmatic portion of the Champions League semi-final pitted together a traditional defensive bastion with a club reborn in that image. There would be a sprinkling of Hale End magic from Mikel Arteta to appeal to the twelfth man on the evening, but the foundation for his side’s success remained a resolute rearguard against an […]
Manchester City dropped points in the title race in their game against Everton as Jeremy Doku’s last minute equaliser rescued a point for the Sky Blues. It was a seesawing affair in the second half at the Hill Dickinson Stadium which ended level as City dropped a crucial two points after Arsenal went six points […]
Independiente’s ability to break down San Lorenzo’s defensive line gave them the edge to ride on from early on in the game. An early goal gave Independiente momentum, but they were able to withstand San Lorenzo’s late pressure in the game to seal the win. Tactical analysis and match report by Ebuka Ogoegbunam. Gustavo Álvarez […]