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 […]
Belgium were handed their wake up call after it was too late. Issues in the middle of their 5-2-3 shape were exploited by the Italians, who attacked with fluency and panache, from out wide to inside. The renaissance under Roberto Mancini continued in inevitable style, as the semi-finals now beckon. Tactical analysis and match report […]
Many novel trends at the turn of the 2010s have become more mainstream concepts as the years have passed. For better or for worse, one such idea is defending with five men at the back. In this piece, we explore the trends and variants associated with this basic setup at EURO 2020. Written by Emmanuel […]
Germany had some good moments to start off with, but eventually England’s man-oriented pressing and stability in possession brought them game control, especially with Germany falling into quite a passive defensive stance. The game drifted somewhat for long periods due to the stability focus of both teams, but England eventually broke through in the second […]
The clash of two methodical setups on a mild afternoon in Copenhagen gave the impression that Spain’s match with Croatia would be a terse affair. But, the contest could not have gone any more differently. In a matchup of needless excitement, blunders from the back and suspect game management gave way to one of the […]