Newcastle’s gameplan in and out of possession made them deserved winners of this match. However, Villa’s insistence of playing a high defensive line without the required engagement on the ball changed the potential narrative of this game from “opening day away loss” to “statement home victory”. Tactical analysis and match report by Nick Smoothy. The […]
Aston Villa continued their charge up the Premier League table under Unai Emery with a win over Leeds United. The visitors certainly put in an improved performance relative to their recent run of results, but it should be noted that the tactical pattern of the match suited them as Villa were happier to keep more […]
How long does it take for a tactical aspect to become vintage? Perhaps Liverpool still doesn’t control games like they used to, but they can rely on its right-sided flexibility to unlock super compact opponents. Aston Villa brought a ball-sided approach, but Liverpool’s adaptations caused them to untangle. Tactical analysis and match report by Joel […]
The pressure has not ceased for Xavi, but at least he got some respite. His men made light work of a tricky task to set the preparatory tone for what will be a crucial fixture in their campaign. Tactical analysis and match report by Emmanuel Adeyemi-Abere. High expectations put on pressure as soon as plans […]
It was another disappointing outing for Unai Emery’s Villarreal, and they made it very clear that they are nothing without Gerard Moreno. Real Sociedad looked lively throughout the match, and once they weathered down Villarreal’s defense in the first half they never looked back. Tactical analysis and match report by Charlie Tuley Imanol Alguacil’s Real […]
Two students of the game faced off in a match that was always going to be characterized by meticulous strategies. Sevilla took an early lead before the two sides cancelled each other out for large periods of the game. With attacking quality at a premium, it took a bold first-half substitution from Unai Emery to […]
In a wasteful performance from Villarreal, they threw away a number of quality chances that easily could have earned them two or three goals on another night. Real Betis were not much better, though they were able to put one past Villarreal’s elite defense and see out their well-earned lead to vault themselves back into […]
For the first time in the sixteen matchups between Unai Emery and Diego Simeone over the course of their careers, Emery took all of the points off of the legendary Atlético Madrid manager. Both sides approached the match in their usual fashions, and though Atlético Madrid and Villareal both created the shots to win the […]
Though Barcelona controlled much of the match, Unai Emery’s Villarreal were lethal on the counterattack, making Barcelona pay for throwing numbers forward in attack. Goals from Alfonso Pedraza and Moi Gómez were more than enough to get Villarreal across the line, though Barcelona’s lack of urgency (and motivation) late in the match played a heavy […]
Villarreal started off in excellent fashion, thanks to their aggressive and compact approach. They were able to bring the tie level thanks to this, but became a bit more passive in the second half, which was enough to let Liverpool back into the game and for Jürgen Klopp’s side to secure their place in the […]