Group I’s first set of matches pitted two of last year’s big-story-nations – Belgium and Russia – against each other. In an affair that saw Belgium rule over Russia with their individual quality, Roberto Martínez’s tactical tweaks partly helped his side escape a troubling start. Tactical analysis and match report by Peter M. As both […]
More often than we fans would like to admit, the result of a game of football has very little to do with which team actually played better. This Nations League match between Germany and the Netherlands was a prime example of that. The Dutch left Gelsenkirchen with a fully undeserved, but nonetheless crucial point against […]
Gareth Southgate’s side displayed fluid rotations and movements that enabled England to pull apart the Croatian midfield throughout the first half. After they failed to convert those chances, once again, set pieces saw them home and dry in the second half. Tactical analysis and match report by Peter M. Compared to their last UEFA […]
Italy’s possession game outplayed a conservative Portugal in the first half thanks to the efforts of the Jorginho-Verratti-Insigne triangle. In the second half, Portugal defended more aggressively to successfully stifle Italy’s attack. Tactical match report by José Perez. Roberto Mancini was handed the unenviable task of restoring Italy after their historic failure to quality for […]
World Cup winners France showed passiveness on and off the ball, which was thoroughly exploited by the Dutch team. Trailing, France’s strategy looked especially ineffective and incoherent. In a remarkable change of events, the Dutch team is now slaying big teams one at a time, making this truly feel like a new dawn for Dutch […]
Zlatko Dalić’s flat 4-5-1-0 shape perfectly managed to frustrate Spain’s 4-3-3 formation. The match changed when the visitors transitioned into a back-three, as Luis Enrique’s tweaks helped Spain to create numerous big chances. They might well have taken all three points, if it weren’t for a dramatic late winner by Croatia. Tactical analysis and match […]
Joachim Löw surprised with a new system that outplayed the World Champions in their own stadium. After an early lead for Germany, Didier Deschamps’ adjustments brought France back in the game and, with some fortune, France managed to win the game. Despite the defeat, however, there are finally reasons to be optimistic about Germany. Stepping […]
England’s forwards put Spain’s defense to the sword in the first half, giving England a three-goal lead. After the break, England stood strong against Spain’s attack for the most part, although they may have been slightly fortunate to hold their lead. Luis Enrique could barely have hoped for a better start as Spain manager. He […]
Russia continued their excellent post-World Cup run thanks to some tremendous motivation, physical intensity and focus. Also key, the inspiration of their attackers: Golovin, Dzyuba and Cheryshev. Turkey, on the other hand, struggled to ‘click’ and display a well-defined offensive plan. The Russia of Stanislav Cherchesov has a relatively simple game plan. But it is […]
Poland tested Italy’s build-up with an interesting starting formation, determined to block off access to the center. Italy soon found a way around this, upon which Poland responded with an efficient formation change. This evened out the game but wasn’t enough to prevent Italy from snatching victory with an injury time winner. With Portugal leading […]