In this dramatic Copa del Rey semi-final first leg, Valencia were masterful in exploiting Betis’ man-marking, yet also inconsistent in their defending of their opposition’s inside attackers. Betis on the other hand simply seemed to lack the experience to cope with different game states, as they massively hampered their chances of progressing to the final […]

Barcelona took a risky approach in possession against Valencia’s counterattacking threat, and found themselves 2-0 down just over thirty minutes in. Valencia’s brave possession structure kept Barcelona’s backline busy, hurting them with well-executed quick breaks. A moment of individual quality from Lionel Messi was required – again – to find a way past Valencia’s compact […]

Real Madrid calmly gained an advantage over a listless Valencia side, before securing the result on the counter-attack when Valencia decided to become more proactive. Tactical analysis and match report by Om Arvind. Expectations for Valencia coming into the 2018/19 season were very high, given their strong fourth place finish in the previous campaign. They […]

Breaking into Valencia’s defense is not an easy task, but once Juventus got an opening goal, the match never seemed out of control for them. Thanks to their controlled possession and great defensive organization, Juventus saw the match out with minimal effort as they cruised towards Champions League knockout phase qualification. Tactical analysis and match […]

Manchester United may not have lost this match, but José Mourinho’s side looked second best for significant spells of the game. Valencia exploited United’s man-marking system but couldn’t find the finishing touch in the final third. Meanwhile United’s possession game was – once more – slow and lacking in ideas. Manchester United’s current poor form […]