A match so painfully short of effective attacking mechanisms that neither team pushed on to be the dominant force, as both sides mostly mirrored each other’s defensive shape. The most that could be said on the invention front was Ole Gunnar Solskjær’s various tweaks throughout, which were positively reactive but equally limiting at times. Tactical […]
In a match filled to the absolute brim with high quality chances, it is a bit of a mystery how there was only one goal prior to the eightieth minute. In the leadup to a devastating end, Adi Hütter’s approach was as clever as it was naïve, given the subsequent gap in quality in each […]
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. […]
What might have seemed like an intriguing opening day fixture not so long ago quickly turned into something out of last season’s script. Arsenal’s struggles to penetrate compact defenses away from home proved to be a tough a test again. Were it not for Newcastle’s own structural problems, the visitors might well have come away […]
For forty-eight minutes, the Europa League Final was a fairly dull affair, with both Chelsea and Arsenal’s pressing games suffocating each other’s buildup. Then, Giroud scored and the floodgates crashed open, allowing Chelsea to capture the Europa League trophy by the half hour mark. Tactical analysis and match report by Om Arvind. Judging causality in […]
Game states and a fantastic Arsenal striker constantly getting in good scoring positions were the largest factors in this Europa League semi-final. Initially, Valencia applied themselves well to this match, and managed to score the opener. However, they failed to maintain the efficiency of their early attacking, and fell victim to an onslaught. Tactical analysis […]
Valencia manager Marcelino surprised by deviating from his usual preferred formation for this Europa League semi-final. Rodrigo Moreno was the focal point of Valencia’s attack in a lineup packed with nominal central defenders. Initially Valencia dominated the home team, but the attacking prowess of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette helped Arsenal seize the day in […]
Arsenal’s defensive woes continued in a defeat at the hands of Wolverhampton Wanderers. Despite having the balance of play in their favor for the majority of the game and dominating possession, Arsenal saw themselves three goals down by half-time. They ended up losing three important points in the top four race. Arsenal were poor at […]
Although chances to score were few and far between, these two European heavyweights still managed to play out an intriguing, evenly fought contest, which saw Arsenal crowned victors. Napoli’s early threat might have provided a doorway back into the tie but a lacking clinical edge cost them, as it did at the end of the […]
A goalkeeping blunder, a Troy Deeney elbow and a whole host of system changes. All of this made for quite the matchup when Champions League hopefuls, Arsenal, were pitted against Europa League hopefuls, Watford. Both managers chopped and changed their team’s outlook, for better and for worse, but it was the visitors who held out […]