It was a decisive night of Champions League football in Group F. On the final day of the group stage, Shakhtar Donetsk and RB Leipzig faced off in what essentially was an elimination match before the knockouts as the winner would get a berth in the Round of Sixteen. In the end, the German side […]

Knockout football can be brutal; something that is now also know to any AS Monaco supporter. They threatened on transitions, controlled vast amounts of the match and outshot their opponents by 18 shots. But Shakhtar Donetsk held on and advance to the Champions League by virtue of one of the cruelest of own goals. Tactical […]

A dominance of possession came to nothing as structural issues in attack surfaced for Shakhtar Donetsk. Inter’s stern 5-3-2 defensive block proved to be impenetrable for the toiling Shakhtar outfit. Inter’s high press caused Shakhtar into buildup errors which the Italians ruthlessly capitalized on, to claim a win that never looked under threat. Tactical analysis […]

A versatile buildup system and exploiting FC Basel on the transition rewarded Shakhtar Donetsk with the third Europa League semi-final in the club’s history. Their central focus overwhelmed their opponents, while Basel’s own passing structure lacked the balance or the bite to get themselves back into the game. Tactical analysis and match report by Joel […]

Wolfsburg began the game with intent, pressing from their 4-4-2 shape to force Shakhtar Donetsk into uncomfortable situations. However, the hosts grew into the game, showing how powerful dribbling is as an offensive tool to take apart their opponents in the dying embers of the game. Tactical analysis by Emmanuel Adeyemi-Abere. Shakhtar Donetsk entered this […]

Manchester City showed great flexibility in their build-up patterns and managed to control this game from the get. Once the first goal was in the net, the game was effectively over, as Shakhtar could not manage to keep City from entering their penalty area. In the second half, it was interesting to see that City […]