PSG have won their first prize of the season. After Rennes’ sturdy 5-3-2 defense took some time to overcome, PSG equalized early in the second half, before a beautiful Ángel Di María free kick decided the match.  Tactical analysis and match report by Simon Piotr. China hosted the Trophée des Champions to kickstart the French […]

For all that was at stake for the home side, their performance was very disappointing. Bordeaux’s fluid, yet structured, possession-based approach trumped Caen’s midfield and facilitated for complete control, relegating Caen to Ligue 2 in the process. Tactical analysis and match report by Peter M. With their safety already assured, the Bordeaux players could be […]

An intense relegation dogfight between two teams in a 4-4-2 formation ultimately went Monaco’s way. This stretched, back-and-forth encounter made for some intriguing end-to-end attacks. It was very clear that these two teams have shortcomings in their game, and sit at the bottom of the league table for a reason. Tactical analysis and match report […]

The talent in Lyon’s squad is well known, and it helped them to a 0-3 win over Marseille. They were aided by a relatively low tactical level from Marseille though, as Lyon were able to exploit their man-marking midfield to get the first goal. Lyon were then also helped by a Marseille red card, which […]

Lyon enjoyed over sixty percent of possession, yet Lille succeeded in making this a game of few chances. Goals from rare mistakes and circumstantial deflections led to a high scoring draw. Tactical analysis and match report by Siddarth Ramsundar. A fair criticism of Ligue 1 as a competition is that it misses a stable of […]

PSG’s 3-4-2-1 formation was super dominant in the opening half hour of the Coupe de France final, constantly finding openings against Rennes’ 4-4-2 shape. It led to two goals, after which it looked extremely unlikely this game would be decided by a penalty shootout. The fact Rennes fought themselves back into the affair was both […]

Saint-Étienne dominated this game almost from start to finish, using healthy combination play to regularly bypass Reims’ aggressive defense. While Reims did create some chances, they had trouble imposing themselves for most of the game. Tactical analysis and match report by Siddharth Ramsundar. This game between two top-half Ligue 1 sides presented a clash of […]

Sunday’s match saw a battle between the two most attack minded clubs in Ligue 1, with attacking cores which are capable of scoring goals in buckets. What unfolded certainly lived up to its billing, as Lille produced a shock result and made PSG put their title celebrations on hold, after coming up with a scintillating […]

What, in all truths, felt like a smooth Bordeaux win was actually a much closer-fought contest. Bordeaux’s persistence with their direct and effective long-ball strategy paid dividends as the inside forwards were given a lot to work with. The same could not be said for Marseille, despite some moments of encouragement, particularly from Florian Thauvin. […]

It is fair to say that Stade Rennais against Olympique Lyonnais is one of the most intriguing clashes in Ligue 1 this weekend. Both are interesting sides to watch, with innovative and free-flowing styles of play, but severely contrasting levels of organization. This showed in today’s game, as Rennes operated from a well-drilled and compact […]