In knockout football, having a manager that can successfully change the tactical approach is a superpower. Even more so over the course of a four-week major tournament, where the quality of managers is lower than in club football on average. In this article, we look at the top five tactical switches of the tournament; unsurprisingly, […]
Wembley Way, a fanatic home crowd, and an early goal seemed to put England on their way to banish the demons of the past. Alas, winning a game of football means being in the fight for the long haul, and the Italians pulled through to deal their opponents the cruelest of blows. Tactical analysis and […]
Staging the FA Cup Final, Wembley Stadium has given many an immortal status in the game. Roberto Mancini knows this only too well: etching his name into the history books in 2011 with Manchester City, his success was the first of many to follow. What can England do to prevent another trophy for Mancini in […]
England started the game with purpose, but went behind to Mikkel Damsgaard’s free-kick as Denmark grew slowly into the game. England soon equalized though, and as the game went on they reclaimed dominance as Denmark faded into a more passive stance. England eventually claimed a deserved win, albeit with a slightly fortunate penalty. Tactical analysis […]
The reignition of an age-old rivalry promised a spectacle between two advocates of a new school approach. But amid over two hours of entertainment, old habits died hard. The masters gave a lecture of the highest caliber, but conceding the stylistic battle, the pretenders won the war. Tactical analysis and match report by Emmanuel Adeyemi-Abere. […]
Northern Europe always spoke a similar football language. 4-4-2’s, higher pressing with incredible directness. Come the semi-finals of EURO 2020, the tactical frameworks of England and Denmark are a lot more modern than one would expect. Match preview by Joel Parker. The tactical conundrums that had loomed over the England setup before EURO 2020 had […]
Everyone remembers the EURO 2012 final, where the Spanish golden generation won a third trophy in a mere four years. But as one mission came to an end, another had begun. From then on, Italy swore itself to a path of vengeance. Antonio Conte would engineer a 2-0 victory four years down the line to […]
Three games left and we will know the winner of EURO 2020. In this article we zoom in on the offensive patterns and habits of the four semi-finalists, who have all demonstrated they have mastered more than one way to create chances. Written by Ahmed Walid. During the group stages, doubts were raised about three […]
Eight minutes in, Spain looked well on their way to slide into the last four of EURO 2020. But dominance of the ball and territory alone does not win games. A familiar lack of penetration around the Swiss box and the fierceness of their opponents kept the door ajar for two hours of action, another […]
Raheem Sterling set up Harry Kane to earn England an early goal, which allowed England to play a cautious possession game against a passive Ukraine side. A system change from the opponents threatened later in the first half, but England’s goals early in the second half saw them advance with relative ease. Tactical analysis and […]