Defending Ligue 1 champions Lille travelled to face Marseille in the headline clash of the weekend in French football. An early red card heavily shaped this match, as Sampaoli’s possession-based approach tried to breach Lille’s two banks of four, with mixed results. Tactical analysis and match report by Neel Shelat. Last week had been unpleasant […]
A chaotic crowd produced a raucous atmosphere befitting the tradition of Le Classique, but the action was much milder. Marseille may have had a cuter approach to their play on the ball, but neither side could deliver a decisive punch, giving the Parisians further leeway at the summit. Tactical analysis and match report by Emmanuel […]
Jorge Sampaoli’s excellent beginning to life in Marseille continued, as 21-year-old Bamba Dieng’s brace proved enough to defeat a floundering Monaco side. The away side also kept their first clean sheet of the season so far in a very encouraging performance. Tactical analysis and match report by Harshal Patel. Niko Kovač and Monaco have started […]
Nice’s 4-3-3 shape managed to expose Olympique Marseille’s weaknesses. With time passing and Jorge Sampaoli making the necessary tactical changes, the guests took control. A careless mistake however led to a second Nice goal and the end of Marseille’s chances to win. Tactical analysis and match report by Thanos Chelas. In a season in which their […]
A team with an already established style of play faced an opponent in search of identity. As a result, different formations, ways to press and buildup approaches were on full display. Stade Brestois dominated for long periods of time, however their lack of quality in the final third, Olivier Dall’Oglio’s risks and Jorge Sampaoli’s tactical […]
Lyon and Marseille did their best to undermine each other’s hopes for progress this season. Both sides plodding through ninety unfocused minutes on their way to an undeserved single point. A grand total of three shots on target was indicative of how wayward both offenses were, especially when considering the porous defending and petulant behaviour […]
Athletico Paranaense dominated the early portions of the game with high pressing and direct attacking from the wings. However, unable to maintain their intensity Paranaense’s game dropped off, leaving space for Santos to find holes in their defense. From this point on, both sides evened themselves out and Paranaense escaped 1-0 winners. Tactical analysis and […]
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 […]
Flamengo won thanks to a ridiculous piece of skill by Gabigol, even though their game plan might have been a lot worse than what Santos had drawn up. The tactical side of this match supported a well-known thesis about Brazilian football. Tactical analysis and match report by Erik Elias. Number one versus number two is […]
A late VAR call that resulted in a penalty gifted Santos the deserved equalizer, in a game they dominated from start to finish, with the exception of ten decisive minutes. The draw left them two points behind Serie A leaders Flamengo, whom they will encounter in their next fixture. Tactical analysis and match report by […]