Wembley Way, a fanatic home crowd, and an early goal seemed to put England on their way to banish the demons of the past. Alas, winning a game of football means being in the fight for the long haul, and the Italians pulled through to deal their opponents the cruelest of blows. Tactical analysis and […]

Staging the FA Cup Final, Wembley Stadium has given many an immortal status in the game. Roberto Mancini knows this only too well: etching his name into the history books in 2011 with Manchester City, his success was the first of many to follow. What can England do to prevent another trophy for Mancini in […]

England started the game with purpose, but went behind to Mikkel Damsgaard’s free-kick as Denmark grew slowly into the game. England soon equalized though, and as the game went on they reclaimed dominance as Denmark faded into a more passive stance. England eventually claimed a deserved win, albeit with a slightly fortunate penalty.  Tactical analysis […]

Northern Europe always spoke a similar football language. 4-4-2’s, higher pressing with incredible directness. Come the semi-finals of EURO 2020, the tactical frameworks of England and Denmark are a lot more modern than one would expect. Match preview by Joel Parker. The tactical conundrums that had loomed over the England setup before EURO 2020 had […]

Three games left and we will know the winner of EURO 2020. In this article we zoom in on the offensive patterns and habits of the four semi-finalists, who have all demonstrated they have mastered more than one way to create chances. Written by Ahmed Walid. During the group stages, doubts were raised about three […]

Raheem Sterling set up Harry Kane to earn England an early goal, which allowed England to play a cautious possession game against a passive Ukraine side. A system change from the opponents threatened later in the first half, but England’s goals early in the second half saw them advance with relative ease. Tactical analysis and […]

Germany had some good moments to start off with, but eventually England’s man-oriented pressing and stability in possession brought them game control, especially with Germany falling into quite a passive defensive stance. The game drifted somewhat for long periods due to the stability focus of both teams, but England eventually broke through in the second […]

Everyone remembers that Trezeguet goal in the Euro 2000 final, but prior to the left footed finish there was a brilliant solo move from Robert Pires who assisted the winner. Gliding past Demetrio Albertini, before pinning Fabio Cannavaro to the ground with a fake dribble inside then going outside to cross the ball. Written by […]

England’s switch to a 4-2-3-1 system seemed to pay off in the first half, impressing with a fluid attacking setup featuring Jack Grealish, Bukayo Saka and goalscorer Raheem Sterling. His goal ended up being the winner, as England tailed off a bit after a promising opening period, but were still able to hold onto their […]

Scotland’s 5-2-1-2 shape against the ball posed a puzzle for England’s 4-3-3 system, and they were unable to solve it for the most part, lacking the movements to combine through midfield. England were able to force Scotland a bit deeper in the second half, but continued to lack creativity and were unable to play at […]