Breaking into Valencia’s defense is not an easy task, but once Juventus got an opening goal, the match never seemed out of control for them. Thanks to their controlled possession and great defensive organization, Juventus saw the match out with minimal effort as they cruised towards Champions League knockout phase qualification. Tactical analysis and match […]
The free-roaming forwards Cristiano Ronaldo and Paulo Dybala never gave United’s midfield a moment’s rest, whilst the ever-brilliant Rodrigo Bentancur continued to shine, this time in a more rigid, advanced role. Despite their dominance, in the most un-Juventus of ways, Max Allegri’s side managed to surrender their one-goal lead inside the final ten minutes to […]
For the second time in two weeks, Ajax and Benfica prove to be very evenly matched teams. Where the first meeting between these two sides was an end-to-end, dynamic affair, the return-leg in this crucial Champions League group stage game was more of ‘a tale of two halves’. In the two weeks since their first […]
The group to watch in this season’s Champions League edition is definitely group C. Liverpool’s shock defeat away against Crvena Zvezda – two hours before PSG and Napoli kicked off – only made things more interesting, as Liverpool were held on their point tally of six. Going into this match, Napoli had collected five points […]
It turns out Borussia Dortmund can score just fine without their scorching hot striker, Paco Alcácer. Lucien Favre’s decision to start Marco Reus as a defensive number ten behind Mario Götze disrupted Atletico’s buildup. Dortmund’s wing speed more than negated Diego Simeone’s fullback tactics, as Achraf Hakimi put in a man of the match performance […]
Barcelona’s new “Arthur-system” passed a difficult test by dominating Internazionale even without Messi, as Barcelona showed both defensive stability and an intelligent attack. Inter shifted from its more conservative first half game plan to a high press in the second half, without being able to make a dent in Barcelona’s defense. FC Barcelona’s manager Ernesto […]
PSG manager Thomas Tuchel takes a fascinating path in his aim to win the club’s first Champions League title. For the third time this season, PSG deliberately gave up possession to test themselves in a defensive setting. Napoli largely dominated the first half as a result and took the lead. The game tilted PSG’s way […]
Manchester City showed great flexibility in their build-up patterns and managed to control this game from the get. Once the first goal was in the net, the game was effectively over, as Shakhtar could not manage to keep City from entering their penalty area. In the second half, it was interesting to see that City […]
Despite all the pre-printed headlines of Cristiano Ronaldo’s return to Old Trafford, Paolo Dybala was the standout performer in this match. Juventus manager Max Allegri put on a clinic in a cruelly comfortable win for Juventus. Their domination of the ball and control of central areas never gave United a moment’s rest, as the movements […]
This was a truly entertaining, international-level game between two clubs who are not from one of Europe’s ‘Big Five’ competitions. Ajax’s young right-back Noussair Mazraoui turned out to be the unlikely hero of the night, with his deflected long shot in the 93rd minute deciding a very tight, hard-fought game in the hosts’ favor. Make […]