Fighting for their last chance at a semi-final berth, Porto put up a genuine fight in the opening half hour, constantly playing in and around Liverpool’s penalty area. Their fighting spirit and tactical plan were both commendable, but this was an uphill battle from the kick-off – one Liverpool managed to win easily in the […]
Despite very brief hope for Manchester United with a promising first five minutes, Barcelona would go on to completely dominate this second leg. Two first half goals from Lionel Messi gave Barcelona a comfortable cushion, and they went on to give a lesson in controlling a game with possession. Tactical analysis and match report by […]
Ajax dominated large portions of the game thanks to their mastery with and without the ball. If their final pass would have been slightly better, they might have blown Juventus away. Instead, Cristiano Ronaldo kept the game alive and put his team in front before Ajax equalized. Tactical analysis and match report by Om Arvind. […]
Manchester City were nowhere near their accustomed attacking flair as Pep Guardiola’s choice of a double pivot led to a lot of unambitious possession play. Tottenham successfully stifled City’s midfield, and despite losing their talisman, they managed to capitalize on Manchester City’s weak link and get an important first leg victory. Tactical analysis and match […]
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 […]