3-4-2-1 Formation

When Niko Kovač took over at Borussia Dortmund in early February, his side was 11th in the Bundesliga and appeared likely to miss out on European football in the 2025/2026 season. Even as we reached the end of March, Dortmund had hardly moved an inch in the standings, as they still occupied a place in...

Crystal Palace had arguably the club's most successful ever season in 2024/2025. An 12th-place league finish was accompanied by a historic FA Cup victory over Pep Guardiola's Manchester City. As a result, the London side has reimagined their ambitions, and this summer's transfer window could be crucial in solidifying Palace's future...

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...

Now it’s finally official: Carlo Ancelotti’s second stint as Real Madrid manager has come to an end, and former Real Madrid midfielder Xabi Alonso will replace him. It has been an open secret for over a year that Florentino Perez wanted his former player to be the next Real Madrid manager. With the current season...

It has been quite the season in the Premier League. At the summit, a fight to secure UEFA Champions League football in the next campaign broke out, lasting right up until the final day. For the second consecutive year, the three teams promoted last summer were relegated back down to the Championship....

Álvaro Carreras is the latest player to be linked with Real Madrid. The 22-year-old Spaniard currently plies his trade with SL Benfica. However, he's reportedly being lined up to join Xabi Alonso at the Bernabeu this summer. The youngster came through the Manchester United Academy and played on loan at...

Tottenham Hotspur have lifted the UEFA Europa League trophy following a 1-0 win over Manchester United. In addition to the silverware, this win grants Tottenham participation in next season’s UEFA Champions League despite finishing in the 17th spot in the Premier League—a remarkable achievement for the team this season. In...

Tottenham Hotspur will host Manchester United in the UEFA Europa League Final on Wednesday, May 21, 2025, at the San Mamés Stadium in Bilbao, Spain. The Europa Final will be a perfect occasion for both teams to salvage their disastrous Premier League seasons and miraculously reserve a precious spot 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,...

As the regular 2024/2025 EFL Championship season finishes, all eyes now turn towards the highly anticipated Championship Play-Offs. The four teams competing for the last remaining spot in the 2025/2026 Premier League are Sheffield United, Sunderland, Coventry City and Bristol City. All of the sides come into the season-defining fixtures...

Football is an ever-changing sport, with no two seasons ever being the same, and the game constantly evolving. As each year passes, new players are discovered, teams alter their appearances, and emerging coaches seek to add their stamp to the game. The other aspect that changes year-on-year is the tactics...

If we are talking about the most important and historical clubs in Spain, we are obviously talking about Real Madrid, Barcelona and Atlético Madrid, but also about Valencia. The club from the southeastern Mediterranean coast of Spain has had many great squads and managers in its history. Their peak was...

Last week, AS Roma’s 2024/25 European journey came to an end. Despite having met Athletic Club in the first match of the 'League Phase' of this season’s UEFA Europa League and finishing the match with a 1-1 draw, the Giallorossi failed to win in the Round of 16 against the...

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...

It is safe to say that Manchester United have been a slow burner under Ruben Amorim so far. The team shows some signs of adapting to his wing-back tactics but struggles for overall form. As a result, they have picked up just four wins from their 21 Premier League matches...

At the beginning of the 2022/23 season, Serie A welcomed a new team—a first-ever participation for AC Monza in the first division. They earned an 11th-place finish that season under Raffaele Palladino, which was quite impressive in their first campaign. At the time of writing, they sit 12th under the...

After the weekend that brought some interesting results in Serie A, Monday night football in Italy was opened with the duel between Verona and Roma. Sharing the last-place spot and gasping for air, the home team desperately needed a win against José Mourinho’s side and opened the game with a...

After losing three key players in the summer, finishing in seventh place for the second year running and missing out on European qualification by only four points, you could have forgiven the RC Lens supporters for thinking their period of progress was ending and for being a little pessimistic ahead...

MK Dons gained considerable attention last season under Russell Martin for their easy–on–the–eye, fluid, possession-based football style. The team finished thirteenth in the League One table last season, and Martin was subsequently poached by Swansea City in the Championship after Steve Cooper resigned. While results may not have been overly impressive, MK Dons were clearly progressing in...