Action in Brazil’s Serie A was in full swing during the international break. This meant that some notable names would miss this clash between Internacional and Santos. Internacional would look to bounce back from a horrid run of results that culminated in the departure of Odair Hellmann as manager. Jorge Sampaoli would bring his charges […]

First would clash with fourth as the Brazil Serie A leaders Flamengo hosted Internacional. With both sides coming off multiple-game win streaks, this promised to be an entertaining battle and it certainly did not disappoint. Attacking football and some game-changing red cards highlighted this match.  Tactical analysis and match report by Julian Chingoma. Jorge Jesus […]

Transitional defending, covering passing lanes and a compact team shape proved vital as Athletico Paranaense won their first ever Copa do Brasil. Internacional controlled the ball, put their poor passing structure and overcommitment towards the end of the game resulted in the hosts looking vulnerable on the break. Tactical analysis and match report by Joel […]

For all of Cruzeiro’s seemingly incisive buildup play – dragging Internacional’s midfield and defense in all different directions –they came up empty-handed. Playing mostly from controlled possession play, it was Cruzeiro that began to make erroneous decisions, as opposed to their sitting opponents. Tactical analysis and match report by Peter M. Almost a month ago, […]

Flamengo’s first half performance was superior in nearly every way to the host’s, both in terms of keeping the ball and defending against it. However, the second half’s change in momentum came down to Internacional chasing the tie, leading to some scrappier, uglier and especially disjointed periods of football. Tactical analysis and match report by Peter […]

Internacional and Grêmio drew in a Porto Alegre derby that was heavily influenced by their tight schedules, with both sides using mostly reserve elevens. Internacional dominated the first half, nullifying Grêmio’s chance creation mechanisms while threatening them with direct attacks. In the second half, Grêmio tried to improve by using a more direct approach themselves. […]

Paranaense found dominance in this match through their diagonal threat and sustained pressure off the ball. Internacional seemed far too reluctant to keep the ball down and, rather, pumped hopeful balls into the channels time and time again. As the game ebbed away, it took a little more than what both sides had been doing […]

After conceding from a set piece early on in the match, Internacional were forced to chase the game for over seventy minutes. For a host of reasons, they could not create any chances against a resilient and efficiently organized Palmeiras, meaning they have started this season’s Brasileiro with two losses from three matches. Tactical analysis […]