Generally, going into a tournament as the defending champions is a good thing, but that is perhaps not the case in the FIFA Men’s World Cup. In each of the last three editions, the holders have been knocked out in the group stage, and France themselves suffered this fate the last time they were in […]
Fifty-six years have passed since their one and only World Cup win, the famous 1966 trophy won on home soil, and just a year since finishing as Euro 2020 runners up. Gareth Souhgate’s England are in it to win it, but may need to manage their risk taking a bit different than before. This tactical […]
The final round of Bundesliga fixtures before the winter break kicked off with a battle of the Borussias, as Dortmund visited Gladbach. Neither of them were not where they would have liked to have been at this stage of the season, and midweek defeats certainly did not help their respective causes. Both teams’ inconsistency meant […]
Barcelona fans were among those celebrating Rayo Vallecano’s win over Real Madrid on Monday night, not just because their arch-rivals were defeated but also because it meant they would end the round of fixtures at the top of the table. Just a day later, they faced a tough test to consolidate their new table position […]
High tempo and routes through pressure were characteristics associated with Graham Potter’s Brighton and Hove Albion. Yet his Chelsea team were ill-equipped in stopping such qualities from shining, to reward Roberto De Zerbi with his first win as a Premier League coach. Tactical analysis and match report by Joel Parker. The season of Brighton began […]
As we crossed a third of the way in the 2022/23 season, two sides that were exceeding expectations faced each other to kick off the thirteenth round of fixtures. Second-placed Lens hosted newly-promoted Toulouse, who started this game in the top half of the table. It was by no means an easy victory for the […]
Benfica extended their unbeaten run to twenty games and have knocked out Juventus on their path. Roger Schmidt’s side dominated Juventus and secured the victory despite a late scare in the closing stages. Tactical analysis and match report by Rahul Madhavan. Benfica have certainly been impressive under the guidance of Roger Schmidt. The Portuguese giants have […]
Barcelona’s pressing in the previous match between these two teams was their best aspect, but this time the decisive moments in the game saw Bayern beat the press to go ahead in the first half. From there, things were fairly simple for the away side, as Barcelona were unable to break them down. Tactical analysis […]
Adaptations behind the first line of pressure saw two attacks cancel each other out, but how frantic final minutes can see law and order crumble. Graham Potter made a pivotal first-half substitution to blunt the visitors’ control, Erik ten Hag made a curious second-half change to stop the hosts in the transition. Nevertheless, smart coaching […]
The pressure has not ceased for Xavi, but at least he got some respite. His men made light work of a tricky task to set the preparatory tone for what will be a crucial fixture in their campaign. Tactical analysis and match report by Emmanuel Adeyemi-Abere. High expectations put on pressure as soon as plans […]