3-4-1-2 Formation

Werder Bremen were rather busy this summer, overturning their entire identity and style of play. Long-time head coach Ole Werner and the club decided to part ways, which led to the club hiring Horst Steffen as their new head coach. This also meant that the team's entire style of play...

Napoli faced AC Milan in the Supercoppa Italiana semi-finals recently and beat them to advance to the final against Bologna. After winning the title last season, I Rossoneri failed to repeat the feat this time, as Napoli were more determined and crucial in both the defensive and attacking phases, ensuring a positive result...

Napoli hosted Juventus for the 14th fixture of Serie A at Stadio Diego Armando Maradona; the game ended with an entertaining Napoli win that keeps them in the title race. Napoli have looked great since the international break despite numerous injuries limiting the team's options, especially in midfield. Those injuries...

At just 20 years old, Rodrigo Mendoza has quickly emerged as one of the most promising midfield talents in Spanish football.  Born in 2005, Mendoza is a technically gifted, tactically intelligent, and highly versatile central midfielder who has already become a key figure for Elche CF.  He demonstrates tactical intelligence...

Raffaele Palladino was recently appointed as the new head coach of Atalanta, following the sacking of Ivan Jurić, with La Dea occupying the 13th spot in Serie A, having won only two games, drawn seven, and lost two out of 11 games. Despite achieving results in the UEFA Champions League, it appears that Atalanta’s management was not satisfied...

AC Milan beat AS Roma by a narrow margin in round 10 of the 2025/2026 Serie A. The result saw I Rossoneri overtake I Giallorossi in the league table; both now have 21 points, with Milan ahead on goal difference. Although Roma had the lion’s share of possession, they were...

Atalanta recently hosted AC Milan in Serie A gameweek nine, resulting in a draw that suits neither team on paper. In fact, a draw places La Dea ninth in the standings at the end of this gameweek, with 13 points, and the gap between them and the top five positions...

For the longest time, the footballing power in Hamburg was rather easily settled. Hamburger SV was the city's biggest club, while FC St. Pauli was the little brother that no one really believed in. Despite having a fascinating history and a fair bit of success in the 2. Bundesliga, St....

On Saturday, August 30, 2025, Werder Bremen faced off against Bayer Leverkusen at the Weserstadion, for Matchday 2 of the new Bundesliga season. Both teams had hired new managers in the offseason: Horst Steffen for Werder and Erik ten Hag for Bayer 04 Leverkusen. Yet both teams had started the season with defeats and were...

Born in Haifa, Israel, to an Arab-Israeli family, Anan Khalaily was raised in a footballing environment. His father, Majdi, a former goalkeeper and youth coach, played a central role in his development. At the Neve Yosef Academy, under his father’s guidance, Khalaily burst onto the scene with 25 goals in...

Filippo Inzaghi has led Pisa to their first promotion from Serie B to Serie A in 34 years, a massive achievement for the club and their fans. Before this, Inzaghi did not have very successful periods with the clubs he coached after he retired from playing football. He coached Milan,...

Wolfsberger AC have been a mainstay in the Austrian Bundesliga ever since earning promotion by winning the 2. Liga title in 2012. This was the first promotion to the top flight in the club's 81-year history and the biggest honour the club had ever won. Until this year, that is,...

Below, we examine six patterns of play that can be utilised in the 3-4-3 formation and similar formations, including 3-4-1-2, 3-4-2-1, and 3-5-2. Four patterns of play are designed for wide penetration, while the other two are intended for central penetration. If you coach the 3-4-3 system or participate in any high-level coaching courses, such as the UEFA...

RB Leipzig and VfL Wolfsburg met on Wednesday night at the Red Bull Arena in Leipzig. Both sides went into the game motivated to reach a cup semifinal and needed a pick-me-up, as both were not in the best form in the Bundesliga. Leipzig had won only two of their last nine league...

The UEFA Champions League provided another fascinating matchday, with three huge Italian sides crashing out in the Round of 32. Whilst each of Milan, Atalanta and Juventus all lost to relative underdogs, Gian Piero Gasperini was left perplexed as the reigning Europa League champions were dismantled at the hands of...

Red Star FC is a club steeped in history. It is one of France's oldest football clubs and plays its home games at the iconic Stade Bauer. Plus, the Paris-based team was actually one of the founding members of Ligue 1 — spending 19 seasons in the top flight. 1975...

After a terrible start to the 2022/23 Belgian Pro League season, when the club sat bottom with only one win from its opening nine matches, Austrian Dominik Thalhammer was sacked by Cercle Brugge. His replacement came from within, with Thalhammer’s assistant and compatriot Miron Muslić, who had been promoted from...

The 2022/23 season was a historic one for Monza before it even began. After a fantastic Serie B campaign last season, I Biancorossi were set to play in the Serie A for the first time in the club’s history. The road to the top was far from easy, though, and...

After a disappointing 21/22 campaign, VfL Wolfsburg moved quickly to appoint Niko Kovac as the man to take over from Florian Kohfeldt. The Green-and-Whites have appointed the former Bayern Munich and Eintracht Frankfurt head coach on a three-year deal until 2025. The Berlin-born manager, who is Croatian through his family,...

Who Is Jon Dahl Tomasson? Jon Dahl Tomasson has recently been appointed as the new Blackburn Rovers head coach. Following a successful period in Sweden with Malmö FF, winning back-to-back league titles before leaving in December 2021. Tomasson is ready for his next opportunity and has taken the role with the...