A healthy dose of grit and passion made up for a lack of pure quality in this Basque derby. After scoring early through a quick counterattack, La Real contained their arch rival well, overcame some ul...

With a ticket for post-winter Champions League football on the line, Atalanta set up smartly in a 5-3-2 / 5-2-1-2 shape that frustrated Ajax for the entire game. The Dutch were unable to crack the cod...

Unable to solve tactical questions posed by Italy on the left flank through Lorenzo Insigne and Leonardo Spinazzola, the Netherlands were the worst team for the full ninety minutes. Italy’s smart setu...

Mikel Arteta went for the same formula that got the best of Manchester City last season: some pressing, some great buildup play and a whole lot of defending in a deep 5-4-1 formation. Though losing a ...

After keeping Bayern at bay with some smart pressing, PSG missed the chances they created in the first half. The second half was a lot more even and eventually tilted Bayern’s way, as PSG could never ...

The world’s most watched competition is back, with a splendid series of knockout matchups. In this piece, we preview the first two ties of the most important tournament in club football: the Champions...

In a clash of interim managers on their last day of duty, Everton and Arsenal put together a bad match of football. Neither team deserved the win, and a 0-0 draw might be the only fitting outcome for ...

Without seeing his team play brilliant football, José Mourinho got what he was looking for in his first match as Tottenham Hotspur manager: three points. Dissecting a narrow win, Spurs’ 3-2-4-1 buildu...

In yet another shellacking of Borussia Dortmund at the Allianz Arena, interim manager Hansi Flick’s tactical choices paid dividends for Bayern Munich.   Tactical analysis and match report by Erik Elia...

Two evenly matched sides delivered a high-energy game with few genuine chances. The match was defined by the way both teams pressed and it titled Chelsea’s way late, as Michy Batshuayi scored a late w...