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 […]
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 […]