Spain suffered in the first leg and saw that their struggles were no coincidence in front of their home fans. Even though the balance of play tilted their way in this fixture, there was nothing to split the sides after 210 minutes, relying on the precarity of a penalty shootout to find a victor. Tactical […]
Spain still are the side to beat in Europe. However, the first leg of a Nations League clash came close to demonstrating their mortality. Ronald Koeman cobbled together a prudent plan to catch the favorites on a poor day, putting the tie in the balance ahead of a trip to the Mestalla. Tactical analysis and […]
Germany’s tactical superiority was evident in their UEFA Nations League match against the Netherlands. Julian Nagelsmann’s side applied relentless high pressing, stifling Dutch attempts to build up play. Continuing the trend, Koeman depended on half-time adjustments to find a way into the match. Overall, this game showcased an intriguing tactical battle, shaped by pressing patterns […]
The Nations League gives us very interesting fixtures, and this edition of Netherlands – Germany was no exception. In a match with a very high level of play, both on an individual level and from a tactical perspective, it was a classic structure versus transition battle that ran out to a balanced score line. Both […]
England had to come from behind after Xavi Simons’ early strike, but were able to control the game with midfield overloads in the first half. Ronald Koeman found a change in order to tighten up his midfield, but Gareth Southgate’s late introduction of Ollie Watkins proved decisive, as his strike sent England to the final. […]
The final EURO 2024 quarter final was by some distance the most open. It had an abundance of energy, excitement and it offered an emotional comeback win. Türkiye clearly dominated the first half with a smart tactical plan, but fell short defending their narrow lead in a deep second half block. Tactical analysis and match […]
Out to take revenge for their previous game, the Dutch team got their act together and showed just how attractive they can play. Romania’s brave high press faded after the opening goal, and a rather one-sided match was mostly tense because the Dutch kept missing chances. Tactical analysis and match report by Sander IJtsma. We […]
Austria defeated the Dutch with a well-executed modern football game plan that targeted the exact issues that were on display earlier. Overloading a mostly man-marking midfield gave them a serious upper hand on the ball, and neat execution on the ball proved the key to victory. Offensive transition moments nearly covered it up, but the […]
Without Kylian Mbappé, this turned out to be a strange affair. An extreme off-the-ball Dutch game plan led to sustained French possession spells, but uncharacteristic turnovers and missed chances allowed the Dutch a foothold in the game. A debatably chalked off goal even led to a short Orange underdog winning sensation. In the end, both […]
In the most interesting match so far, both teams held hopes for a positive result. Both were far from flawless from a tactical point of view, but that may have only added to the excitement level for most viewers. Ultimately, substitute Wout Weghorst pulled a result over the line which roughly respected the flow of […]