Real Madrid landed in Barcelona with one mission in mind, which was to delay Hansi Flick’s side’s La Liga win celebration. The first part of the game was lackadaisical for different reasons on both sides. In the second half, Vinicius Junior found his true self in the left half-space, with the help of Gonzalo Garcia […]
Atlético Madrid returned to scoring form with a commanding 4-2 victory over Espanyol, overturning an early setback through intelligent positional play and ruthless exploitation of wide areas. A needed boost for Simeone’s men after three straight games in La Liga without scoring. Tactical analysis and match report by Sebastián Parreño. Espanyol arrived at the Metropolitano with […]
This was a tough game for Barcelona, with Espanyol’s compact 4-4-2 shape initially hard to break down, and the home side’s direct attack causing problems. Hansi Flick was able to change the shape of the game in the second half through his substitutions though, earning more midfield control before Fermín Lopez provided two excellent assists. […]
Leganés secured a valuable victory over Espanyol in LaLiga. The Madrid side’s high press and overloads in central attacking and defensive areas were too much for the visitors. Espanyol regrouped after a poor first half and responded through set-pieces, but their late comeback fell short. Tactical analysis and match report by David Pugh. Leganés entered […]
A Robert Lewandoski brace, along with two goals from Alejandro Baldé and Jules Koundé crowned Barcelona LaLiga champions with four games to spare. Xavi’s side established absolute dominance since the kick-off whistle, with their crosstown rivals showing little resistance. Tactical analysis and match report by Huu Trung. “We want it today” Barça’s official Twitter account […]
It was not the resounding win that Barcelona fans were hoping for in Xavi’s first match as manager, but they did snag all three points against their cross-town rivals. Despite losing, Espanyol were solid defensively throughout the match, and they nearly grabbed an equalizer multiple times late on. Tactical analysis and match report by Charlie […]
Atlético Madrid started the match off slowly, going down to a Raul De Tomás goal late in the first half. Diego Simeone’s half-time substitutions would end up making the difference in the match, as they opened up this Espanyol side and were able to play through their tight defensive structure that had repelled Atlético Madrid […]
For decades, the British isles have been thought of as the home of directness, long balls and the 4-4-2 formation. However, in 2020, teams in LaLiga seem to be using these tactics more than teams in the English Premier League. Written by José Pérez. Spanish teams now implement 4-4-2 blocks and other formations with two […]
Espanyol genuinely made life hard for Barcelona at Camp Nou by playing in a very compact and well-functioning 5-3-1-1 formation. Only past the midway point of the second half did the home side find a way to score and this essentially ended the game, after what had been a very interesting, yet one-sided seventy minutes […]
An initially conservative Espanyol changed their approach after Messi’s first brilliant free kick goal. However, Barcelona’s fire power of Suárez, Dembélé and a stellar Messi still came out on the top in the ensuing battle of pressing systems and defense-to-attack transitions. The second half saw Espanyol unable to change this dynamic from the bench. Tactical […]