Despite struggling to break down Bosnia & Herzegovina’s mid-block pressing, Italy were able to take the lead early in this game. Things turned after Alessandro Bastoni’s red card though, and Italy were left holding on for dear life against a barrage of crosses into the box. They eventually conceded the equalizer and went on to […]

Italy had plenty of possession in the first half of this game against a 5-4-1 low block from Northern Ireland but struggled to create chances with their right-side attack and rotations. Eventually, Sandro Tonali’s half-volley from the edge of the box put them ahead though, and it was comfortable for the Italians after that, with […]

Italy scored early and seemed in control in their 3-5-2 system against a passive Norway press. However, Norway became more aggressive in the second half and gained momentum against a fading Italy side, before Erling Haaland left Italy reeling with two goals in two minutes. Tactical analysis and match report by Josh Manley. We decided to […]

In a rollercoaster of emotions and defensive mistakes, Italy secured a decisive victory to keep their hopes alive for a spot in the next World Cup. Beyond the three points, this match should raise more than a few question marks about the system and some of the players deployed tonight, in order to avoid further […]

What has become in recent years the fiercest rivalry in Ligue 1 demonstrated its latest offering as Olympique de Marseille visited Olympique Lyonnais. The atmosphere in the Groupama Stadium was notably flatter than on other occasions as Marseille supporters were banned from traveling to Lyon and the home side controlled an affair that has often […]

In what was the best game of the weekend in France, Olympique de Marseille and AS Monaco demonstrated perfectly why neither team looks certain of claiming a Champions League berth this season. Marseille were gifted a golden opportunity to heap pressure on an inconsistent Monaco side when their visitors received an early red card but […]

As expected, the match between sides coached by Gennaro Gattuso and Diego Simeone ended up being a physical, intense battle with a fair bit of controversy. Despite Gattuso’s Valencia executing a solid press and structured buildup, they could not break down Atlético Madrid’s final line of defense, and they were not able to beat Atlético […]

In a battle of matching 4-2-3-1 shapes, a balanced contest was played out. Despite some issues in their press, Napoli stifled much of the Milan chance creation while Insigne and company grew into the game. This gave them the platform to capitalize on the counterattack and see out a victory. Tactical analysis and match report […]

Gennaro Gattuso’s buildup ideas combined with a sloppy Juventus press helped Napoli start the match better and create some important chances. In the second half, Juventus’ press became more intense as Napoli started finding less and less solutions. The periods of Juventus’ dominance were characterized by wing play and lots of crosses that did not […]

Lazio started aggressively and quickly took a deserved lead, leaving Napoli with scraps to feed off. Gattuso’s stale side thus fell into the hosts’ trap as they could comfortably sit back against a stale opponent and put pressure in due time.  Tactical analysis and match report by Kareem Bianchi. Serie A’s gap to the top is […]