Briefly discussing aspects observed from three of last weekends games… Spurs 3-1 Fulham A noticeable feature of Spurs’ home win against Fulham was the way in which they were able to create and exploit space for wing-back Trippier on the right-hand side. Spurs used a 3-5-2 with Alli and Eriksen as #8s, which was seen […]
Ajax eased their way past a disappointing Sturm Graz side in this week’s Champions League Qualification. Ajax dominate One of the first notable things about Ajax’s possession phase, particularly in the first half an hour or so, was their asymmetric structure. Ziyech, nominally the right winger, usually drifted between the right halfspace and centre, behind […]
England’s World Cup journey came to an end at the semi-final stage against a spirited Croatia side. Battle of the aggressive #8s England, as they did throughout the tournament, stuck to their trusted 3-5-2 with very advanced positioning from Lingard and Alli as the #8s when in possession. The positioning of the #8s in particular, was key […]
Southgate seems set to go with a 3-5-2 in Russia next month. Here is a look at how the system played out in the recent friendly games against the Netherlands and Italy. This isn’t a comprehensive team analysis so much as an analysis of how the system interacted with that of two different opponents. Possession […]
With the title already secured for Barcelona, Real Madrid came into Sunday’s El Clasico looking to end Barca’s season unbeaten run. Madrid’s defensive shape Real Madrid defended with plenty of man-orientations, and took on different formations in different defensive phases. For example, in higher pressing, they could take on their nominal 4-3-3 shape, with man-orientations […]
Two teams among the favourites to lift the World Cup this summer met in an international friendly last month. Spain’s fluid possession game As one would expect from a midfield containing Koke, Thiago, Iniesta, Isco and David Silva, Spain’s midfield was very fluid, with players rotating through different zones when in possession. This, along with […]
With passivity against the ball, and a poorly structured possession game, Manchester United crash out in the Champions League Round of 16. Deep defensive line Some of the aspects to be discussed in this piece have been touched upon previously on here, such as United’s deep defensive line. United also primarily used opponents as the reference point […]
Sunday’s top of the table clash between Barcelona and Atletico Madrid may have been the focus of attention in La Liga last weekend, but elsewhere two tactically strong teams with very different styles met – Qique Setien’s possession-focused Real Betis side visited Marcelino’s direct and defensively strong Valencia. Valencia’s pressing game Defending and pressing are […]