The holders were not seamless in their work against Valencia in this game. Yet, their display offered enough signs for Carlo Ancelotti to be quietly confident ahead of the weekend’s final. Tactical analysis and match report by Emmanuel Adeyemi-Abere. Tumult continues to reign on the southeastern coast of Spain. Gennaro Gattuso is the fifth man […]
Real Madrid wished to assert their leadership of LaLiga, but an old occupant of their rivals’ dugout sought to upset their plans. A high press, clever work in buildup, and a decisive duel on the wings swung the tie in favor of Villarreal. The reign of their new manager is well underway. Tactical analysis and […]
Bayern Munich entered the game with an aggressive style of play, and their high defensive line looked like it might be exploitable early on. Once Bayern got into their pressing game though, they steamrolled Barcelona, who gave up easy turnovers in their own half. Barcelona’s defensive play was similarly shambolic, allowing Bayern to rip through […]
The score line was all Barça needed, but the performance that came along with it left much to be desired. While Napoli’s own spells of possession and control of the ball at times put Setién’s side, who are normally renowned for such, to shame, theirs was just as ineffective through large stretches of the encounter. […]
Dominating the early stages of the game, Barcelona raced into an early lead with a once again successful 4-4-2 diamond shape. But while they controlled the first half, the visitors also struggled to turn possession into chance creation. And after fatigue hit them hard in the second half, Barcelona encouraged Valladolid forward, leading to a […]
As the scoreline shows, Quique Setién’s men made relatively light work of Javi Calleja’s Villarreal. Impressive fluidity and synchronization between teammates was at the core of Barcelona’s successes going forward, despite some nervy moments still creeping in down their own end. Tactical analysis and match report by Peter Munnelly. Having won five of their previous […]
Quique Setién’s latest buildup experiment featured Riqui Puig at the tip of a midfield diamond and fullbacks used as wingers. While this helped Barcelona protect themselves against Atlético’s counterattacks, it failed to disorder Atlético’s defense and win a game with few open play chances and no major tactical changes during the second half. Tactical analysis […]
Inconsistencies in Barça’s actions and a lacking intensity to their execution left them in a sorry state against a well-drilled Athletic side. However, persistent pressure paid off as the visitors could not escape the clutches of Quique Setién’s unrelenting men, who played off of their own wrongdoings to win the match. Tactical analysis and match […]
The laundry list of issues plaguing both Sevilla and Barcelona was on full display on Friday night. The two Spanish heavyweights traded few chances and in the end delivered a tepid performance. Above all, both teams lack the form and the force to deliver in the final third. Tactical analysis and match report by K.T. Stockwell. […]
LaLiga is back with Real Madrid and FC Barcelona neck and neck at the top of the table. Football’s suspension has given both teams a chance to restock, but the new format will complicate both team’s approaches and influence the final result. Written by Siddharth Ramsundar. It has been many years since LaLiga had a […]