El Derbi Madrileño was characterized by a gargantuan number of fouls, plenty of yellow cards, and a minimal amount of chances. While that sort of environment has favored Atlético Madrid in past encounters, this time around, it was Real Madrid who showed greater ruthlessness in front of goal and emerged victorious. Tactical analysis by Om […]
In this dramatic Copa del Rey semi-final first leg, Valencia were masterful in exploiting Betis’ man-marking, yet also inconsistent in their defending of their opposition’s inside attackers. Betis on the other hand simply seemed to lack the experience to cope with different game states, as they massively hampered their chances of progressing to the final […]
FC Barcelona and Real Madrid played a Clásico that was intense, but will not go in the books as an extraordinary performance. After Real Madrid were dominant in the opening twenty minutes and scored the opener, the match stabilized, becoming even tame at times. A draw leaves all possibilities open when the second leg takes […]
Barcelona took a risky approach in possession against Valencia’s counterattacking threat, and found themselves 2-0 down just over thirty minutes in. Valencia’s brave possession structure kept Barcelona’s backline busy, hurting them with well-executed quick breaks. A moment of individual quality from Lionel Messi was required – again – to find a way past Valencia’s compact […]
FC Barcelona’s adventurous central midfielders wreaked havoc against Girona’s backline. Their constant rotations on the left side created openings time after time, and helped to maintain control. However, the simple-but-effective targeted long ball approach deployed by Girona was key to their nearly successful attacking strategy. The dismissal of Bernardo Espinosa swung the match in Barça’s […]
Real Madrid played with an unmatchable intensity in the first half, but created little against an organized and disciplined Sevilla defense. Not much changed in the next forty-five minutes except for the volume of Madrid’s long shots, which proved to be enough to push Solari’s men over the line. Tactical analysis and match report by […]
Athletic Bilbao were very strong with their intense pressing and runs in behind, which caused Sevilla’s defensive line all sorts of problems. The away side struggled to get into dangerous areas with their possession and completely failed in their direct approach on the wings, which meant Bilbao picked up a much-needed three points. Tactical analysis […]
Quique Setién declined to return to a back five after drawing with Sociedad, allowing Real Madrid to cause mayhem with their high press and counterattacking skill. Things swung Betis’ way in the second half, before one of their former stars came back to snatch their souls at the death. Tactical analysis by Om Arvind. There should […]
The match between FC Barcelona and SD Eibar leaves you thinking about the philosophical side of football. Even though Eibar has players of far lesser quality, they took the game to Barcelona and pressed them vigorously. If all teams tried to do that, wouldn’t football be a more fun game? Or was this a naïve […]
The early goal changed Real Sociedad’s game plan into a more reactive one, and despite initial struggles, they improved in the second half and managed to disorder Real Madrid’s chaotic defense. Despite Vinicius’s best efforts, Real Madrid’s rigid and predictable attack failed to get past an outstanding Rulli in the opposing goal. Solari’s woes as […]