An early Karim Benzema goal caused Granada to self-destruct, enabling Real Madrid to take a 2-0 lead at the half. Luka Modrić extended the advantage before Granada attempted a late comeback starting with a mistake from Areola. Substitute James Rodríguez scored a late decider to secure the three points and prevent an embarrassing Real Madrid […]
An encounter defined by pressing shapes from one side and buildup techniques from the other did not result in the extremes of an absolute stalemate or a high-scoring affair. Instead, Betis’ ability to break down their opponent’s press was what made them the superior outfit, even if the scoreline does not suggest the same. Tactical […]
In yet another risk-averse Madrid derby, Real and Atlético came to a goalless draw that showcased both teams’ offensive problems. In the first half, Real failed to break down Atlético deep defensive block, in no small part due to their return to a more conservative midfield structure. In the second half, the substitutions of both […]
Getafe tried to press with a high defensive line against Barcelona. The away side had some success in outplaying this, but the game still ended up being a somewhat scrappy affair at times, which suited Getafe. Barcelona were not at their sparkling best and they conceded a couple of chances in the first half, but […]
In their 3-5-2 formation, there were a large amount of tactical details that Betis tried to use to their advantage against Villarreal, without too much avail. After equalizing early in the second half, Betis allowed for a Villarreal goal fest, as manager Rubi will be left scratching his head at some of the meek defending […]
Led by the free-roaming Arthur and Frenkie de Jong and an energetic Ansu Fati, Barcelona quickly took down a Valencia team that was visibly shaken by the recent firing of their coach. During the second half, Griezmann’s increased interventions in the game and Suarez’s entrance produced even more goals for the home side. Tactical analysis […]
Diego Simeone switching Atlético Madrid back into a 4-4-2 formation has made the team an effective pressing side. However, Real Sociedad countered that by pulling players out of position, breaking lines, and relying on a certain Martin Ødegaard. Tactical analysis and match report by Joel Parker. The derby defeat to Athletic Bilbao left a sour taste […]
Uncharacteristically poor penalty box defending from Atlético left them 2-0 down within twenty minutes. It took Atlético a while to finally break through the Eibar defense as their game relied somewhat on directness, even though they often created the structures for more intricate play. Diego Simeone made changes in the second half, including the introduction […]
Barcelona continue to struggle without Lionel Messi, but can the dilemma be too much for even Messi to fix? Osasuna’s switch between intense pressing and a compact low block A low block refers to a team that retreats deep in their own half out of possession, generally only disrupting their opponents around their own box. […]
In a Basque Derby between two opposing styles of play, Athletic forced a technical, possession-based Real Sociedad side into playing long balls, causing aerial duels and fighting over second balls, which is exactly the game Athletic wanted. Despite Real’s substitutions and tactical changes to adapt to this tactical context and become more direct, Athletic still […]