River Plate’s dominance in all phases of the game was evident in the scoreline. The aim of dominating with the ball and suffocating Belgrano without it made it a one-sided affair. River’s tactical setup led to constant final entries, making it harder for Belgrano to deal with these situations. Belgrano had no answers and paid […]
The score line barely scratches the surface of this contest. River Plate’s brilliant performance was undone by Lanzini’s quality strike early in the first half. River Plate’s possession structure paved the way for fluid rotations, but they lacked the clinical finish in front of goal. Vélez’s early strike gave them a lead to protect, as […]
River Plate dictated almost every phase of this match, yet left Rosario with a point. Through superior structure, spare-man access, and relentless counterpressing, they controlled both possession and transitions. The problem came where it mattered most: the final third. A night of dominance ended without reward. Tactical analysis and match report by Ebuka Ogoegbunam. River […]
Before his first game as Internazionale coach, Cristian Chivu talked about maintaining the principles, whilst improving and adding to them. Three games in and we can notice these tweaks, but will this better the Italian giants in time? Tactical analysis and match report by Joel Parker. Level on four points, Inter and River Plate went […]
During the first half, River nullified Flamengo’s offense through a compact and intense pressing block while also being efficient in scoring one of their few chances. Flamengo made better use of the wings during the second half to overcome an increasingly tired River press but struggled to score, until Gabigol punished two mistakes by River […]
Argentine power houses Boca Juniors and River Plate clashed once again in the second leg of this huge Copa Libertadores semi-final matchup. Boca would need to take control early in their world-famous La Bombonera stadium and grab the goals needed to progress. In the end, Boca proved unable to produce the offensive prowess needed to […]
This match had everything one would expect from an encounter of this magnitude: crunching tackles, a boisterous atmosphere and a red card, as the two inexhaustible opponents went head-to-head in one of the game’s greatest rivalries. However, it was the scintillating play of River’s front four that set the tempo for the match and gave […]
Transparent midfield bases were at the core of both teams’ defensive problems, although neither side could raise any troubling questions with their narrow formations. Tactical analysis and match report by Peter M. Having met merely a week ago in the first leg, many spectators would have been hoping for an alternative score line following last […]
In this match, River Plate were just not able to make their deliveries stick. They controlled the match and found themselves in countless good crossing positions. Up until that point in each attack, they were cantering through Cruzeiro’s defense using expansive wide play, without stinging. Eventually, the visitors’ second half performance seemed to tip the […]
River Plate came back to win the Recopa Sudamericana thanks to a more compact and aggressive pressing game. River heavily dominated both halves, preventing Athletico from coming out of their own half of the pitch and thus outshooting them. After 90 minutes of pressure, Athletico’s defense finally collapsed during injury time. Tactical analysis and match […]