Manchester City’s positional play was pivotal in the champions latest victory – despite Everton creating a number of chances from set-pieces. Both İlkay Gündoğan and Kevin De Bruyne were key to City’s buildup on the flanks, as both teams had opportunities to take all three points. Tactical analysis and match report by Joel Parker. Pep […]
Pochettino needs time in an environment where time is a luxury.
Monday night Premier League football saw a clash between Aston Villa and West Ham United. These two sides provided an absorbing back-and-forth contest throughout, despite the 0-0 scoreline. Tactical analysis and match report by Julian Chingoma. Dean Smith sent the hosts out in a 4-3-3 formation. There were two changes to the starters from their […]
Marcus Rashford’s early penalty was all that separated the sides in a game where both teams were energetic but neither was able to make many breakthroughs. Both teams defended in relatively narrow starting shapes, forcing much of the attacking play into wide areas. Leicester got stronger as the game went on and put United under […]
Everton dominated the first half with a good plan in possession to exploit Wolverhampton’s problems against the ball. However, the guests’ direct attacking play created chances as well, meaning they trailed the game by only one goal at half-time. Both teams then could not hold on to their performances of the first half after the […]
Arguably the two most offensive sides of the opening Premier League weeks produced a feisty affair at Carrow Road, with four goals scored in the first thirty minutes. Both teams impressed going forward, but the defensive woes continued. Tammy Abraham’s second of the day punished Norwich’s poor defensive transition and proved to be the winner. […]
Unai Emery, already known for his tactical experiments in big games at Arsenal, once again attempted to pull a rabbit out of the hat in this weekend’s big-six clash. Instead, what he pulled out was, yet again, nothing. The application of an untried diamond system proved costly, albeit survivable thanks to Liverpool’s relatively cautious approach. […]
Aston Villa secured their first points of the season in an intriguing Friday night football affair. Building rapid attacking transitions was the key to unlock Everton’s defense. Marco Silva’s team, once again, showed problems in their buildup, as they struggled to handle a relentless, fast-paced Villa. Tactical analysis and match report by Joel Parker. Not […]
A solid game plan by Ole Gunnar Solksjær got undone by a wonderfully crafted set-piece goal by Ruben Neves and a penalty miss by Paul Pogba in Molineux as the teams shared the points. Manchester United looked very much in control, despite not creating many chances. United found the opener with a nicely worked goal, […]
In a game of two halves, Chelsea’s attacking blitz on Leicester had them clinging on for dear life, but time took its toll as the home side’s intensity gradually faded, as did their ability to control events. The away side’s ‘lightbulb moment’ was minor but made all the difference to provide their second half flourish. […]