What initially appeared like simple technical mistakes turned into a worrying trend that slowly sucked Juventus out of the game, into Barcelona’s grasp. A stale offense could not threaten Neto’s goal, while, repeatedly, a chaotic defense was effortlessly pulled out by the visitors, who only have themselves to blame for not scoring more. Tactical analysis […]
An exciting first half featuring goals and attacking flair gave way to a slower second period which suited Real Madrid perfectly. After Ansu Fati cancelled out Federico Valverde’s opener, it was Barcelona who looked the sharper of the two sides. However, a resurgence of the defensive solidity that brought Real Madrid their title saw them […]
Ronald Koeman’s impatience pegged Barça back more than anything, as the successful tweaks applied in-game were tweaked once again but this time prematurely. Contrastingly, José Bordalás’ regimented approach consistently made the most out of every man-to-man duel. Tactical analysis and match report by Peter Munnelly. The away side, in all of Getafe’s first four games this […]
Julen Lopetegui’s Sevilla put on a mighty fine display at Camp Nou to avoid defeat, and also lay down a marker for their ambitions of the title as an outsider. Two early goals were followed by an otherwise goalless encounter, yet it was hard not to become engrossed in the away side’s fluency offensively and […]
After a convincing start to their new domestic campaign, Barcelona found Celta Vigo’s 5-3-2 block a tough outfit to crack. But despite several setbacks, the visitors managed to rack up the goals and seal a second win under their new manager. Tactical analysis by Emmanuel Adeyemi-Abere. Celta Vigo have made a steady start to the […]
With Ronald Koeman at the managerial helm, this was the beginning of a new Barcelona chapter. A dazzling Fati performance highlighted the cohesive left flank of Barcelona’s 4-2-3-1 formation. From the support from Alba and De Jong to the central connections being constantly available, Barcelona’s left caused plenty of danger. Villarreal failed to deal with […]
The fourth meeting in eleven months between the Netherlands and Germany yielded six goals and yet another fun game. Before half-time, Germany were in control of the match, having scored the opener and wasting several moments to double their lead. They would rue their wastefulness, as it gave Koeman the opportunity to alter his tactics, […]
Both sides took a lot away from Portugal’s win over Switzerland. The Netherlands attempted to mirror certain aspects of their setup, whilst Fernando Santos adapted his side’s defensive setup to the exposure in midfield. Many other factors played into Portugal’s growing control, including their coach’s inventive defensive shape, which allowed for constantly successful attacking transitions. […]
This Nations League semi-final proved to be a bad advert for playing out from the back, as center-back errors from both sides defined the scoreline. However, while Matthijs de Ligt’s error looked pretty much as a one off within an overall successful buildup by Netherlands, John Stones’ errors were representative of England’s problems throughout the […]
Germany obliterated the Netherlands in the first half as their two-and-a-half attackers were a constant menace for the Dutch defense. After a change of system, the Netherlands clawed their way back into the match, and the game was level after sixty minutes. Even though this is a new era for Die Mannschaft, one of their […]