In this frantic affair, Liverpool unsurprisingly displayed the most composure. FC Porto’s seemingly-uncontrolled and direct approach – while giving themselves more than a few problems – exploited some shared vulnerabilities, but after a quick two goal lead, a home win was never really in doubt. Tactical analysis and match report by Peter M. Seen […]
Bruno Génésio’s Lyon went for an ambitious man-for-man approach in the second leg of their tie with FC Barcelona. Because of Lyon’s poor execution of the matching system and the clear division in individual quality, Barcelona were able to comfortably wipe aside the French underdogs. Tactical analysis and match report by Peter M. Barça boss […]
Juventus completed a spectacular comeback against Atlético. In the first sixty minutes of the game, Juventus players executed Allegri’s masterplan to perfection, overwhelming Atlético with crosses and winning second balls. Simeone evened out the tables in a cagey final half hour in which both teams mostly nullified each other, but a late penalty allowed Ronaldo […]
Both teams played to a decent tactical level, albeit with a large gap in player quality. Before Marcus Rashford’s penalty, the key moments in the game came in the form of individual errors which went on to decide the tie in the favor of a resolute United side. Tactical analysis and match report by Josh […]
A youthful Ajax side stole the hearts of many football fans around the world by putting up a brave performance, and getting rewarded for it this time. In a perfect storm of events, Ajax quickly ran out to a two goal lead, which put them in the driver’s seat for the remainder of the game. […]
While Dortmund will probably argue they deserved much, much, more from this game, they did not take advantage of their opportunities in the first half because of good goalkeeping from Hugo Lloris as well as bad luck. After scoring the opener, Tottenham easily defended the lead and casually walked into the quarter-finals. Tactical analysis […]
Atlético deservedly won the first leg of their tie against Juventus by following the classic Simeone playbook: outstanding defensive organization, good attacking transitions, and a decisive set-piece game. Juventus did not create scoring chances and Allegri and his players did not react well – both tactically and emotionally – to Atlético’s superiority. Tactical analysis and […]
All the traits that got Schalke in the Champions League last season – passionate and disciplined defending paired with quick counterattacks and dangerous set-pieces – made life difficult for Manchester City. Guardiola’s side was not capable of creating many goal scoring opportunities with their center-focused approach. To win, they needed a free-kick goal and the […]
Isn’t this the best time of the year? The winter cold slowly fades away, to be replaced by the thin and hopeful sunlight of early spring. Club football enters its decisive phase, with lots to play for in every competition. After a set of very enjoyable Champions league ties last week and a double goalless […]
The incessant attacking flow of this game was in no way comparable to the final scoreline. However, a lot more of the open attacks fell in favor of the visitors, whose exploits in every third of the pitch were superior to Lyon. The weaknesses within Lyon’s deep block were plain to see but Barcelona could […]