In a repeat of the 2018 World Cup final, France took a win by moments of technical brilliance and intense effective pressing, while they let Croatia dominate possession for significant periods. The guests appeared tactically prepared and ready to take advantage of France’s weaknesses in their experimental 3-4-1-2 formation, but a few mistakes in the […]
Gareth Southgate made the decision to experiment with a 3-4-3 system for this match against Denmark. However, England ran into problems as they struggled to outplay Denmark’s pressing and were lacking in creativity from central midfield. Tactical analysis and match report by Josh Manley. Denmark started this Nations League campaign with a defeat against Belgium on […]
Unable to solve tactical questions posed by Italy on the left flank through Lorenzo Insigne and Leonardo Spinazzola, the Netherlands were the worst team for the full ninety minutes. Italy’s smart setup took the home side by surprise and, subsequently, the Netherlands didn’t manage to turn it around with some tactical manoeuvres. Tactical analysis and […]
The matchup between Iceland and England primarily ended up in the home team’s half of the pitch. But from their resolute 4-4-2 defensive shape, the hosts limited their opportunities to few chances despite their control of the ball. However, England pulled through in the final moments, surviving a late scare to seal a successful start […]
Staying defensively compact and making continuous runs without the ball during buildup was not enough for Sweden against a star-studded France team. Efficient high pressing and a solo attempt to beat half the opposition from Mbappé were enough to give Didier Deschamps’ team the three points. Tactical analysis and match report by Thanos Chelas. The start […]
Portugal began the battle for prolongation of their Nations League title with a convincing well-rounded display. The array of attacking talent at their disposal overwhelmed Croatia. The combination of their dynamic front players with the support of their marauding fullbacks proved too much. Their organized defensive shape was also enough to stifle Croatia’s ball progression […]
Against Bosnia-Herzegovina’s low defensive block, Italy had to find a way to score without losing balance in the defensive transition phase. Italy’s head coach Roberto Mancini gave the keys of the offense to Lorenzo Insigne but saw his team unable to maximize the potential of the rest of the forwards. The tactical adjustments in the […]
With the teams lining up in systems which saw them matched up man for man when pressing, much of the first half revolved around who could get the upper hand against the man-marking of the opponent. Spain grew into the game well in this respect but were punished by Germany for not capitalising as Timo […]
Vladimir Petković’s Switzerland were full of tactical intrigue in this surprisingly energetic first semi-final of the UEFA Nations League. Switzerland’s plan in midfield enabled them to intricately pick holes in Portugal’s shape, which resulted in them generating countless great attacking moments. Most of them fizzled out into nothing, however, giving Ronaldo the chance to take […]
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 […]