3-4-2-1 Formation

Burnley hosted Manchester United in Gameweek 21 of the 2025/2026 Premier League season, and the match ended with an entertaining 2-2 draw that does not serve the Red Devils that much. Manchester United’s sudden change of head coach and appointment of Darren Fletcher as an interim coach suggests that a...

Aston Villa hosted Manchester United at Villa Park and were able to beat the Red Devils with a 2-1 final score. Aston Villa continue to climb the Premier League standings thanks to this win, now holding third place with 36 points, only three points behind the top team. Unai Emery's team are...

The Bundesliga title race is rather dull, if we are being honest; Bayern Munich and Vincent Kompany are already running away with the title. Behind FC Bayern, there is a vast power struggle about who is number two in German football at the moment. The three key players in this...

Looking back ten years to the 2015/2016 season, Eintracht Frankfurt were in deep trouble. After conceding a late goal against Werder Bremen on the last matchday of the season, the club dropped to 16th in the league and had to participate in the relegation play-off. With the club on the...

Manchester United faced AFC Bournemouth in Gameweek 16 of the 2025/2026 Premier League campaign, and it was one of the most entertaining games of the season, ending in a 4-4 draw. It was, however, not so entertaining for both teams’ players and managers, especially for Manchester United, who were winning...

Manchester City defeated Crystal Palace 3-0 in Gameweek 16 of the 2025/2026 edition of the Premier League. With a brace from Erling Haaland and a stunner from Phil Foden, the Cityzens secured the all-important points to maintain second place, as Aston Villa chase them with just a point difference. The...

In the Bundesliga, 1. FSV Mainz 05 have had a very weird trajectory in the last couple of seasons. Between being caught in the relegation battle, historically bad seasons and European outings, the club has longed for consistency for years. After a bad start to the season, the team fired...

Celtic hosted AS Roma for the UEFA Europa League sixth fixture at Celtic Park, and the match ended with a convincing 0-3 away win for Roma. Celtic’s change of manager and playing system made things a bit complicated for the team, mainly because they faced a very organised team with experience...

Will Lankshear (born 2005) is an English striker who has made a name for himself with a sharp eye for goal, clever movement, and a mentality that thrives on taking chances when they come. Currently on loan at Oxford United from Tottenham Hotspur, Lankshear is the kind of forward who...

The 13th fixture of Serie A ended with a decisive narrow 0-1 win for Napoli against Roma in the Derby del Sole. It was one of the most important editions of Derby del Sole, as the match came at a time when both teams were at the top of the...

Arsenal defeated Tottenham Hotspur 4-1 in gameweek 12 of the 2025/2026 Premier League season. A thoroughly dominant display from the Gunners saw them go six points clear at the top of the league table. Meanwhile, Spurs stay at ninth place. Eberechi Eze found the net three times in a scintillating display...

Olympique de Marseille succeeded in getting a very important away win at the Allianz Riviera, beating OGC Nice 1-5 in the derby. The win helps Les Olympiens pile additional pressure on PSG in the title race. The fact that they were able to win by such a large scoreline away to...

Currently, players born in 2007 are in their second year in the U19s and therefore still play at the youth level. Among Bundesliga clubs, only one player born that year is already getting consistent minutes: Karim Coulibaly at Werder Bremen. But for VfB Stuttgart, one of the most promising midfielders in...

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...

When Sandro Wagner was appointed as manager of FC Augsburg this summer, expectations rose very quickly. It looked like a perfect match. For the club, it was the opportunity to finally shake off its image as the 'Plain Jane' of the Bundesliga. Augsburg have played the same season on repeat...

Juventus met Sporting CP for the fourth fixture of the UEFA Champions League in a game that ended with a 1-1 draw. The draw can be considered positive for Sporting CP, as the Portuguese side was able to secure one point from a complicated away game, despite being capable of...

The DFB-Pokal has its own set of rules, which is a very popular saying in Germany. While in the Bundesliga, only one or two teams typically compete for the championship, the German Cup has been open to everybody over the last couple of years, with four different teams winning the...

Sunday Bundesliga games are reserved for teams that play in European competitions, so the league's best teams typically play on Sundays. This Sunday, VfB Stuttgart hosted 1. FSV Mainz 05 for the last game of the eighth matchday this season. VfB Stuttgart and their head coach, Sebastian Hoeneß, have been...

PSG faced Strasbourg at the Parc des Princes for the eighth fixture of Ligue 1, and the game ended in a very entertaining 3-3 draw that does not help anyone except Olympique de Marseille. After winning their match against Le Havre, they can benefit from this draw and move closer to the...

People often obsess over formations and forget that it is the personnel and the actions behind the structure that determine whether a formation becomes functional or not.  The numbers on paper are just a base or a reference point.  What matters is how the system breathes, how players interpret their...