After a near-two-year absence, the Champions League knockouts returned to Signal Iduna Park. Borussia Dortmund tasted defeat last time out against English opposition in Manchester City, and were obviously looking to avoid a repeat whilst hosting Chelsea. They were able to succeed, but only at the end of a very close match. Tactical analysis and […]
Elimination from the Round of 16 in the Champions League would represent a black mark on both clubs’ campaigns. But only one outfit flew out of the traps with the aggression to control their destiny. The passivity of the Parisians was decisive, and a figure who could have solved this problem caused his former employers […]
Only a few loose ends remained ahead of the final round of group stage fixtures. Group E was one of those, pitting together two contestants vying to end up best of the rest and reach the knockout stages. In this open exchange of blows, the individual quality of the Italians produced a scoreline by the […]
It was a decisive night of Champions League football in Group F. On the final day of the group stage, Shakhtar Donetsk and RB Leipzig faced off in what essentially was an elimination match before the knockouts as the winner would get a berth in the Round of Sixteen. In the end, the German side […]
Spurs defended deep in the first half and Marseille were able to establish dominance, combining in wide areas and forcing Spurs’ defense to work. The home side eventually went ahead, prompting a change in mentality for Spurs, from passive to proactive. This benefitted Spurs, and they were able to make a second half comeback to […]
Benfica extended their unbeaten run to twenty games and have knocked out Juventus on their path. Roger Schmidt’s side dominated Juventus and secured the victory despite a late scare in the closing stages. Tactical analysis and match report by Rahul Madhavan. Benfica have certainly been impressive under the guidance of Roger Schmidt. The Portuguese giants have […]
Barcelona’s pressing in the previous match between these two teams was their best aspect, but this time the decisive moments in the game saw Bayern beat the press to go ahead in the first half. From there, things were fairly simple for the away side, as Barcelona were unable to break them down. Tactical analysis […]
It was the penultimate matchday of the Champions League’s group stage, and we had a crunch fixture in Group B which saw Atlético Madrid take on Bayer Leverkusen, with both sides needing a win to stay alive in the competition. Ultimately, neither team got their way, but the action that led to that result was […]
Borussia Dortmund have routinely found a way to shackle their visitors, yet always ended up empty handed. This game followed past patterns but busted the hoodoo to satisfy both camps. Tactical analysis and match report by Emmanuel Adeyemi-Abere. Manchester City again have thrown their hat in the ring to be the best in Europe. While […]
Luciano Spalletti’s Napoli once again stole the show with some breathtaking attacking football. Along with their high pressing and counterattacking threat, the Italian side defeated Ajax by four goals to two and have qualified for the next round of the Champions League. Tactical analysis and match report by Rahul Madhavan. Napoli and Ajax are two […]