Liverpool scored twice in under fifteen minutes through Fabinho and Mohamed Salah, putting the game out of reach of a Manchester City side who had played well despite the scoreline. In the second half, Sadio Mané added to the advantage and encouraged Liverpool into a more attacking and expansive game plan. City eventually came back […]
In the French Classique, the first half was enough to leave Marseille for dead. The abundance of Parisian offensive talent punished André Villas-Boas’ risky tactical approach with four goals before half-time. After a much calmer second half, this also turned out to be the final score. Tactical analysis and match report by Simon Piotr. Despite […]
In this second leg of the Copa Libertadores semi-final, Grêmio improved their pressing game with a reworked midfield trio. However, Flamengo found several solutions to overcome the press, especially from the boots of Filipe Luis, and ultimately dominated the game. In the second half, one early goal led to Grêmio’s collapse and an avalanche of […]
Argentine power houses Boca Juniors and River Plate clashed once again in the second leg of this huge Copa Libertadores semi-final matchup. Boca would need to take control early in their world-famous La Bombonera stadium and grab the goals needed to progress. In the end, Boca proved unable to produce the offensive prowess needed to […]
Two evenly matched sides delivered a high-energy game with few genuine chances. The match was defined by the way both teams pressed and it titled Chelsea’s way late, as Michy Batshuayi scored a late winner. Tactical analysis and match report by Erik Elias. The appointment of Frank Lampard as Chelsea manager was greeted with […]
The Premier League seems days away from seeing the next managerial sacking. Everton’s abysmal start to the Premier League season has increased the pressure on Marco Silva. In this piece, we analyze the tactical issues Silva must resolve if he wants to save his job. Written by Joel Parker. Regardless of a manager’s personality or […]
After early goals for both teams in the opening minutes, England struggled in buildup play against Czech Republic’s man-oriented pressing. In the second half, Gareth Southgate changed to a more familiar system, which helped England gain slightly more control. However it was not enough to secure a result, as the Czech Republic scored a late […]
Antonio Conte and Maurizio Sarri fought in a close chess match during which the latter demonstrated his flexibility in a display of modern football on both sides. Inter now fall one point behind the new league leaders Juventus, in a title race that has every ingredient for an exciting ride. Tactical analysis and match report […]
Tottenham started the game playing brilliant football but lost the initiative when they rolled back their press. Bayern capitalized on this thanks to the brilliance of Serge Gnabry and Robert Lewandowski rather than through particularly great collective play. Tactical analysis and match report by Om Arvind. Much of what was said about Tottenham only a […]
For spells in the game, neither team were at their best, but Liverpool were able to get in front with two goals from set-pieces in the first half. A common theme for both teams was to seek direct routes to beat the opponent’s press. As the game progressed, Liverpool began to defend deeper, which allowed […]