Matchday five of this season’s UEFA Champions League was upon the teams as many heavyweights were looking to secure qualification for the first knockout round. Among those teams were Atlético Madrid, who were looking for three points against Bayern Munich at home to secure their spot in spite of RB Salzburg. Because Salzburg finished their […]

Real Madrid did just enough to win, as Inter did not pose the slightest threat for the visitors. Zidane’s team cruised through the game as they did on the field, playing down the halfspaces and slowly breaking Inter’s feeble structure down bit by bit.  Tactical analysis and match report by Kareem Bianchi. Blessed as the […]

A flurry of formation changes to start the second half eventually swung the moment in favour of Leipzig. The visitor’s possession numbers ballooned, as Paris defended in a deep 5-3-2 low-block. It was onlythe visitor’s lack of cutting edge that an early penalty from Neymar Jr. proved enough to salvage a PSG victory.  Tactical analysis […]

A lack of midfield creativity stunted Paris Saint-Germain’s buildup and left it at the mercy of a Leipzig press, which increased in confidence and efficacy as the match progressed. A missed penalty in the first half from Ángel Di María was the last true opportunity PSG generated on goal, as a poor second half was […]

A match relatively even, Real Madrid generally had the better of the first half, as Inter played deeper and looked to draw Madrid onto them. The home side went 2-0 up, but a more aggressive, resurgent Inter eventually pulled it back to 2-2. Madrid substitute Rodrygo had the decisive moment though as he scored the […]

What initially appeared like simple technical mistakes turned into a worrying trend that slowly sucked Juventus out of the game, into Barcelona’s grasp. A stale offense could not threaten Neto’s goal, while, repeatedly, a chaotic defense was effortlessly pulled out by the visitors, who only have themselves to blame for not scoring more. Tactical analysis […]

Leipzig largely dominated the territory in this game, with and without the ball. However, United’s compact defensive shape made it difficult for them to make breakthroughs, and United were clinical at the other end of the pitch in transition situations. Julian Nagelsmann made adjustments after going behind in the first half which increased his teams’ […]

Mönchengladbach’s compact block and intense pressing provoked many problems to Inter’s buildup, but with the time passing and a tactical plan leaning on the likes of Lukaku, Antonio Conte’s team managed to improve and create many chances. The fruits of their offensive effort were almost nullified by two mistakes that led to the guests’ goals; […]

Bayern’s midfield overloads proved unsettling for Diego Simeone’s side, as they surrendered a little too much. But, ultimately, each side’s finishing qualities proved to be the deciding factor; while Atléti’s inability to score showed itself as tame and tepid, Bayern racking them up was sparkling and sensational.  Tactical analysis and match report by Peter Munnelly. In […]

Ajax made some tweaks to their usual system to deal with the threat posed by Liverpool. Their 4-3-1-2 arrangement against the ball was fairly successful in limiting Liverpool’s attack, but they conceded through an unfortunate Nicolás Tagliafico own goal. Going forward, Ajax were much more direct than usual, and the quality of attacking game deteriorated […]