Matchday one offers Champions League spectators the chance to reevaluate their perspectives about clubs across the continent. But most will have learned little new about both teams from this fixture. Italy’s cream of the crop have it all to prove in this tournament, while Arsenal are one of the best outfits in Europe— and their […]
For the second season in a row, Diego Simeone came out with a defeat against Liverpool at Anfield. Transitions and high turnovers were Andoni Iraola’s side’s main weapons to threaten Atlético Madrid. On the other side, Simeone’s team found solutions to loosen Liverpool’s high press via manipulation, wide and central overloads, and runs in behind. […]
José Mourinho’s Real Madrid opened their Champions League campaign against an Inter side that enjoyed greater possession and midfield control. Madrid’s compact structure closed the central spaces before using selective pressing triggers and quick transitions to exploit weaknesses in Inter’s build-up, producing two early goals. Inter responded through wide overloads and sustained pressure, while Madrid […]
After several rounds and spending almost the entire year at the top of the Brasileirão, Palmeiras finally paid the price for their negative run of results and performances by drawing with Botafogo, who are also going through a difficult spell, on Matchday 26. In a very physical match, it was possible to see the weaknesses […]
River’s persistence paid off to seal the win against Rivadavia. After a hard fought end to end first half, River’s advantage helped them to sustain pressure in the second half. This gave them the room to score the third goal, however, Rivadavia’s poor defending gave room for River’s players to enjoy a bit too much […]
Chelsea took an early lead through Morgan Rogers and looked to keep the tempo high at the Emirates Stadium. However, Arsenal were able to expose weaknesses in Chelsea’s defensive line with their right-sided attacks, before Ødegaard sealed the deal in the second half, giving Arsenal a 2-1 win. Tactical analysis and match report by Josh Manley. […]
Borussia Dortmund created numerous tactical tensions for Hoffenheim’s defence throughout the first half. However, it was the home side that took the lead after effectively breaking Dortmund’s man-to-man pressure, which was rare. Hoffenheim doubled their lead early in the second period and looked in the driving seat, but they let it slip quickly after multiple […]
Real Madrid suffered their first defeat of the new Mourinho era as Real Betis combined an aggressive high press with a disciplined second-half low block to secure a one-nil victory. Madrid created enough opportunities to win the match, but their problems in possession and their lack of defensive awareness repeatedly exposed the structural weaknesses of […]
The Scudetto was impressive, but Cristian Chivu still has a point to prove in managing the big games. One victory will not resolve these questions, especially in the crazy context of this result. However, Internazionale has still shown enough to prove that they are the foreseeable force of Serie A football. Tactical analysis and match report […]
The Parc des Princes awaited a celebration that would never come. It was meant to be the game where Paris Saint-Germain woke themselves up from their slumber and reasserted their dominance. Instead, AS Monaco would come from behind to take all three points and sit top of the Ligue 1 table for another weekend. Tactical […]