Gareth Southgate once again tried to manage risk with a back three focused on stability. However, a lack of solutions when it came to ball progression meant that England struggled to threaten the Italian defense as the home side ran out 1-0 winners in a cagey affair. Tactical analysis and match report by Josh Manley. England […]
Germany were hosting Italy exactly 10 days after their last meeting on the first matchday of the new Nations League campaign. That game ended in a 1-1 draw, but this one went slightly differently as the scoreline suggests. Tactical analysis and match report by Neel Shelat. Germany’s Nations League campaign had been less than ideal […]
Ahead of kickoff, the odds were firmly on a German victory. In the end, the contest did not align with what many expected. Hansi Flick’s men might have startled their youthful hosts but soon ran into several problems to which their individual quality could not find solutions. Tactical analysis and match report by Emmanuel Adeyemi-Abere. […]
The odds mandated the Italians make their way into the playoff final, but the fates had more pain in store for the European champions. A lack of incision in the final third paved the way to a stunning climax that barred the revival of the Azzurri from reaching its natural endpoint. Tactical analysis and match report by […]
Windsor Park was the perfect stage for the Italians to correct the errors of 2017 and bag a place in the World Cup. Or so it seemed. Mancini’s maneuvers in a 3-1-3-3 shape backfired, leaving his men to confront the horrors of the past in their totality via the playoffs. Tactical analysis and match report […]
Italy and Switzerland remained level on points at the top of Group C in the European section of the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers, as Silvan Widmer’s goal was cancelled out by Giovanni Di Lorenzo to give both teams a share of the points. With only the group winners going through to next year’s tournament, […]
Italy edged past their visitors the last time the two outfits met but were not so fortunate this time around. Thanks to a twist on an old ploy and an aggressive high press, Spain proved that there are chinks in Italy’s armor after all. Tactical analysis and match report by Emmanuel Adeyemi-Abere. In a game […]
Wembley Way, a fanatic home crowd, and an early goal seemed to put England on their way to banish the demons of the past. Alas, winning a game of football means being in the fight for the long haul, and the Italians pulled through to deal their opponents the cruelest of blows. Tactical analysis and […]
Staging the FA Cup Final, Wembley Stadium has given many an immortal status in the game. Roberto Mancini knows this only too well: etching his name into the history books in 2011 with Manchester City, his success was the first of many to follow. What can England do to prevent another trophy for Mancini in […]
The reignition of an age-old rivalry promised a spectacle between two advocates of a new school approach. But amid over two hours of entertainment, old habits died hard. The masters gave a lecture of the highest caliber, but conceding the stylistic battle, the pretenders won the war. Tactical analysis and match report by Emmanuel Adeyemi-Abere. […]