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 […]
Flamengo won thanks to a ridiculous piece of skill by Gabigol, even though their game plan might have been a lot worse than what Santos had drawn up. The tactical side of this match supported a well-known thesis about Brazilian football. Tactical analysis and match report by Erik Elias. Number one versus number two is […]
After years of suffering from unrealistic expectations, Inter have put their faith in Antonio Conte. There is plenty of hope around the club to make the step Suning Holding Group has been chasing for years. In this piece, we analyze how Conte has sculpted Inter to resemble his ideas. Written by Kareem Bianchi. Eight years […]
The remarkably star-studded managerial class of this season’s Campeonato Brasileiro recently lost its most famous member in Luiz Felipe Scolari. Big Phil was sacked when Palmeiras sat third in the league and had some of the best defensive statistics in Brazil. A look at the numbers reveals an extreme case of flawed decision making. Written […]
The fourth meeting in eleven months between the Netherlands and Germany yielded six goals and yet another fun game. Before half-time, Germany were in control of the match, having scored the opener and wasting several moments to double their lead. They would rue their wastefulness, as it gave Koeman the opportunity to alter his tactics, […]
Juventus dominated the entire first half, with Higuaín scoring a highlight goal that seemed to break Napoli’s will. Ronaldo appeared to have sealed the victory in the second half, but Napoli fought back through set pieces and the brilliance of Zielinski and Lozano. Just when the game looked destined to end in a draw, Koulibaly […]
Real Betis were able to take the lead early on at the Nou Camp in one of their few attacks throughout the game. Barcelona initially found it tough to break down a compact Betis side, who defended increasingly deep once they were ahead. Eventually Barcelona found a way through with two Antoine Griezmann goals either […]