Pep Guardiola began his ninth season in English football, and once again, kicked off the campaign with three points. Although his side wasn’t at their most clinical best, Guardiola’s tactical tweak, particularly in the first half, created significant problems for Enzo Maresca’s Chelsea. Ultimately, the difference came down to the effectiveness of the approaches between […]
Erik ten Hag deployed a very similar blueprint to the one that clinched the FA Cup from their inter-city rivals. Manchester United may have been minutes away from another derby victory, but the same dynamics are still present that made the rest of last season a dismal watch. Tactical analysis and match report by Joel Parker. […]
Manchester United were underdogs here, but they arrived with a gameplan to stay compact and hit Manchester City on the counter-attack in their 4-2-2-2 system. This plan was executed perfectly, and two United academy products in the form of Alejandro Garnacho and Kobbie Mainoo were able to score the decisive goals. Tactical analysis and […]
Manchester City flew into an early lead in this game and dominated play throughout. The first half saw an aggressive 3-4-3 diamond structure which stretched West Ham’s midfield resources, while the second half saw a more reserved approach with Pep Guardiola reinforcing the rest-defense to secure the three points. Tactical analysis and match report by Josh […]
The proverb goes that the enemy of my enemy is my friend. Here the Premier League posed an extreme enigma. Spurs’ sacrifice of any aspirations to end up in the Champions League would contribute to the charge of the champions to a fourth top tier title in a row— at the expense of their local […]
Joško Gvardiol made a decisive impact with a brace, but it was Manchester City’s supremely technical midfielders that stifled Fulham, limiting them to just one shot on goal. Despite a slow start in the first ten minutes, during which City adjusted to Fulham’s shape without the ball, they controlled the proceedings and were efficient when […]
Arsenal claimed the top spot on Tuesday. The following day, Liverpool suffered a massive setback, prompting Manchester City to respond, which they did in impressive fashion. City’s midfielders stole the show this time, as they were able to counter Brighton’s aggressive approach with multiple solutions. A convincing 4-0 victory reflected both in terms of result […]
Manchester City had the majority of the ball in this game, but were not at their best, able to be contained by Chelsea’s compact defensive scheme. Chelsea looked dangerous in transitions too, and were arguably the better team overall. However, they did not finish their chances, and were made to regret it late on when […]
Welcome to Santiago Bernabéu, where dreams come to die. Pep’s pursuit of control was central to his choices before kickoff, but even he cannot keep the chains on European royalty for the full ninety minutes. Cue another affair for the ages that has left spectators no closer to a victor. Tactical analysis and match report […]
The future belongs to Phil Foden. Careful cradling of Manchester City’s darling has fought to foolproof his fate. However, he again asserted how he is a man for the here and now. A treble of strikes slaughtered the guests to grab three more points in the race for the Premier League title. Tactical analysis and […]