Football Tactics
Tactical analysis: How Manchester City broke their Anfield curse with a fantastic victory over Liverpool
It was that time of year again – it was time for the big one. Two of English football’s most rampant and successful teams in the last few years, who had formed an elite century-nearing or even – in the case of Manchester City in 2017/18 – century-completing duopoly. This match was always a title-decider in the last few years, and it had the potential to be just that once again. With the chasing pack stuttering and stumbling (Manchester United drawing late on to Everton and Leicester’s blank against Wolverhampton Wanderers), City were almost running away with the league, as they went into this match two points clear with two games in hand. 13 (non-penalty shootout) wins in a row in all competitions represented their best-ever winning streak, while over 450 minutes without conceding a league...
Tactical analysis: Thomas Tuchel’s first win as Chelsea’s manager
After that possession-filled 0-0 draw against Wolverhampton Wanderers, Chelsea’s second match (and the first with proper preparation) under Thomas Tuchel saw them face notoriously successful bus-parkers Burnley, a side who were sure to test the German tactician’s possession-based style of play. They went one better tonight, as the ex-PSG boss got his first Premier League win. In this analysis, we will take a look at the changes he made after the Wolves match, and how exactly they functioned: Line-ups Tuchel doubled down on his 3-4-2-1, while also continuing with Édouard Mendy in goal. César Azpilicueta, Thiago Silva and Antonio Rüdiger made up the unchanged defence as Callum Hudson-Odoi continued at right wing-back, but Ben Chilwell was replaced by Marcos Alonso on the oppos...
Coping without Kane: A few systems Tottenham Hotspur could use in the absence of their star striker
It is that time of year again. We are in January, and Harry Kane has picked up another injury. This time, it doesn’t appear to be so bad – the England international is only expected to miss a few weeks of action as opposed to a number of months. But, with the football coming thick and fast, Spurs’ star striker could miss over eight matches, including key Premier League clashes against Chelsea and Manchester City where Tottenham’s fading title aspirations might face a final test. With the league’s top-provider out, José Mourinho’s counterattacking brand of football is under serious threat, as this might affect Son Heung-min’s performances too considering the fact that the South Korean international has combined with Kane for 13 of his side’s 34 goals, benefitting on nine occasions. So,...
Tactical Analysis: How Manchester City narrowly avoided a huge upset against Cheltenham Town
The FA Cup produced yet another cracker as Premier League title contenders Manchester City visited the Jonny-Rocks Stadium (sadly without John Stones) to face League Two side Cheltenham Town. Pep Guardiola’s side were expected to coast home and advance with ease, but the side with the meanest defence in the fourth-tier last season proved to be a tough nut to crack. Cheltenham battled hard in the first half and went into the break level, before opening the scoring through Alfie May in the second half. City did survive the scare in the end, though, as late goals from Phil Foden, Gabriel Jesus and Ferran Torres saw them come away with a 1-3 win. But, the Robins pushed the Mancunian giants further than even some Premier League teams, so here is an analysis of their spirited performance, C...
Tactical Analysis: How Carles Cuadrat’s Mistakes Played Into Mumbai City’s Hands
The match between Bengaluru FC and Mumbai City was being built up as quite a big one, where the Blues were looking to bounce back from a disappointing run of two straight defeats, while the Islanders wanted to keep their winning streak going. The game itself, however, wasn’t a great battle in any way, as Mumbai dominated it and came away with a convincing 3-1 victory. In this analysis, we’ll take a look at why the match was such a walkover for the Islanders: Bengaluru’s Confusing Defence Bengaluru FC fielded a 4-2-3-1 on paper, but the defended in a 4-5-1 (or at least they tried to). The attacking midfielder and wingers collapsed into the midfield line out of possession, as you will see below: Carles Cuadrat said that a high press would almost always get punished against Mumbai City, so he...
Tactical Analysis: How Manchester City Breezed Past Chelsea
The Premier League match between Chelsea and Manchester City was being built up as quite a big one. Prior to the match, the Blues only had one win in their last five Premier League games but were nearly back to full squad strength as Hakim Ziyech made a much-awaited return from injury. City, on the other hand, were unbeaten in their last six Premier League matches, but with the likes of Ederson, Kyle Walker, Gabriel Jesus, Ferran Torres, Aymeric Laporte and some others missing due to COVID or injury, their squad was looking fairly depleted, so much so that Pep Guardiola named only eight substitutes including three EDS (Elite Development Squad) players. The match, however, proved to be a simple stroll in the park for City. They breezed past Chelsea with unmatched effortlessness and a perfor...
Analysis: Manchester United disappoint in goalless draw with Chelsea
Manchester: Manchester United and Chelsea played out a drab 0-0 draw in dire conditions at Old Trafford on Saturday. The rain lashed onto the pitch as neither side was able to breach the other’s defences. The draw meant that United have now failed to win any of their first three home games into a new league campaign for the first time since the 1972-73 season. Chelsea will perhaps return home happier with a point secured away from home but Frank Lampard’s expensively assembled attack have their work cut out to prove that they can indeed challenge for the title this season. Line Ups United: De Gea; Wan Bissaka, Lindelof, Maguire, Shaw; McTominay, Fred; Mata, Fernandes, James; Rashford Subs: Henderson, Tuanzebe, Pogba, Matic, Van de Beek, Cavani, Greenwood United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer...
