Last four of EURO 2020, finalists at the 2021 Nations League, another Nations League semifinal beckons in the summer of next year. Luis Enrique has revitalized Spain as a beacon of stability. Yet, in the making of that consistency are flaws that have capped their ceiling too. This preview sharpens the lens on one big […]
Back after an eight years absence, and fresh from an outright disappointing EURO 2020, the Dutch have refurbished themselves. In his third stint as national manager, Louis van Gaal has returned to a formation all too familiar from the 2014 edition that ended in a third place. This tactical preview has been written by Sander […]
Coming to Qatar 2022 with a consolidated squad, Denmark aim to progress to the latter stages of the tournament. As their history suggests, they performed at their best when coming from well outside of the radar of the potential favorites. Would they now be able to confirm the status of authentic threat, using their spirit […]
Generally, going into a tournament as the defending champions is a good thing, but that is perhaps not the case in the FIFA Men’s World Cup. In each of the last three editions, the holders have been knocked out in the group stage, and France themselves suffered this fate the last time they were in […]
Fifty-six years have passed since their one and only World Cup win, the famous 1966 trophy won on home soil, and just a year since finishing as Euro 2020 runners up. Gareth Souhgate’s England are in it to win it, but may need to manage their risk taking a bit different than before. This tactical […]
After their shock success against Italy in one of the European playoff semifinals, North Macedonia had yet another massive hurdle to overcome if they were to realize their World Cup dream. Though North Macedonia put up a brave resistance initially, the hosts were able to comfortably prevail in the end. Tactical analysis and match report […]
Wales captain Gareth Bale was the undoubted hero of the night in Cardiff, as he scored two superb goals to take his side through to the World Cup qualification playoff final. Wales are now just one game away from making it to their first World Cup since 1958, and whilst Austria had their moments in […]
The odds mandated the Italians make their way into the playoff final, but the fates had more pain in store for the European champions. A lack of incision in the final third paved the way to a stunning climax that barred the revival of the Azzurri from reaching its natural endpoint. Tactical analysis and match report by […]
International breaks are typically relatively quiet periods in the footballing world, but there was no rest this time around as the last few spots for the 2022 World Cup were up for grabs. In Europe, one of the playoff semifinals saw Portugal face Turkey, with the winner set to meet either Italy or North Macedonia […]
Sweden showed some interesting aspects in their compact 4-4-2 shape in the first half but were unable to break through against Czech Republic. The away side were somewhat awkward in their 3-4-2-1 system but managed to make things difficult enough for Sweden. After a poor second half which drifted by without much happening, Sweden finally […]