After a disappointing World Cup, Belgium began the new era with a triumphant performance against Sweden. It was a game of two halves, but Belgium were clinical, with Romelu Lukaku scoring a hattrick to seal an impressive victory on their travels.  Tactical analysis and match report by Rahul Madhavan. Belgium were dumped out of the 2022 […]

Sweden showed some interesting aspects in their compact 4-4-2 shape in the first half but were unable to break through against Czech Republic. The away side were somewhat awkward in their 3-4-2-1 system but managed to make things difficult enough for Sweden. After a poor second half which drifted by without much happening, Sweden finally […]

How do you crack a disciplined, determined 4-4-2 block? In the ultimate form of attack versus defense, Sweden forced Spain to grapple with this task once more. What followed was a low scoring but intriguing affair between two of the most organized outfits on the national circuit, setting the stage for a divisive figure to […]

Failing to break down Sweden at the EUROs, Spain hoped to make amends this time around. But a quick start proved to be false hope. Frail at the back and impotent upfront, a familiarly flawed display handed the home team a window of opportunity that they could hardly refuse. Tactical analysis and match report by […]

Spain’s matchup with Sweden pitted two sides on either end of the tactical specturm. Spain notoriously thrives on the ball, while Sweden is renownedly resolute without it. In a ninety minute drill of attack versus defense, only one team looked likely to score for the most part. But in the end neither outfit could muster […]

Staying defensively compact and making continuous runs without the ball during buildup was not enough for Sweden against a star-studded France team. Efficient high pressing and a solo attempt to beat half the opposition from Mbappé were enough to give Didier Deschamps’ team the three points.   Tactical analysis and match report by Thanos Chelas. The start […]

Once Sweden settled into a comfortable shape, Spain struggled to break the hosts down. Predictability in attack, coupled with lingering issues in defensive transition, plagued Spain throughout the evening, as the visitors were lucky to escape with a point against a resolute Swedish side. Tactical analysis and match report by K.T. Stockwell. Heading into Tuesday […]