The play-off round of the new Champions League format has conjured up some mouth-watering ties. None more so than Real Madrid vs Manchester City. The last two winners of the competition will have been disappointed that they did not automatically qualify for the Round of 16. This fixture was an...
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...
For Liverpool fans, the 2024/25 Premier League season has been one of mixed feelings. On the plus side, the appointment of head coach Arne Slot as Jürgen Klopp’s replacement has proven to be a masterstroke. The team currently leads the English top flight by seven points and has advanced to the Champions League last...
Juventus defeated Inter Milan 1-0 on Sunday in a crucial and decisive match in both teams' Serie A campaigns. This result saw Napoli take sole possession of the league's top spot with 56 points, two points ahead of Inter, while Juventus climbed to fourth place with 46 points. Inter Milan put...
As we go into the middle of February, TSG 1899 Hoffenheim are hovering just above the relegation zone in the Bundesliga, four points clear of 1. FC Heidenheim who occupy the relegation play-off berth, with just thirteen games left this season. With just 18 points accumulated, it's the lowest points...
This week marked the start of the UEFA Champions League’s highly anticipated Round of 32, with an emotional match at Celtic Park providing excellent entertainment. European nights at Celtic are always full of passion, with the electric atmosphere providing Brendan Rodgers’ side with the belief that they could potentially snatch...
An important page in the 2024/25 La Liga story has been written, with points shared at the end of the latest Madrid Derby in Los Blancos’ Estadio Santiago Bernabeu. This was the Spanish top-flight’s second Madrid Derby of the season and the second to end with the score tied at...
Everton’s 1-0 defeat at Bournemouth might not have been the greatest surprise, given the campaigns both teams were having at the time. However, it would surely have given many visiting fans a sinking feeling that this might finally be the season their time in the Premier League ended after a...
Below, we look at 6 patterns of play you can use in the 4-2-3-1 formation. We will use tactical analysis and coaching to identify 4 patterns of play. These include wide penetration, while the other two are for central penetration. If you are coaching the 4-2-3-1 system or participating in...
Following a disappointing showing at this past summer's Copa América as tournament hosts, Gregg Berhalter was relieved of his duties as the United States men's national team manager. This ended his second tenure in the position at just shy of the one-year mark. With the 2026 FIFA World Cup looming,...
Who Is Daniel Farke? After more than a year at Leeds United, Daniel Farke has already built a recognisable team in the EFL Championship. He knew the tournament well after five years at Norwich City, where he was promoted to the Premier League and relegated twice. Ten years ago, he...
Who Is Hansi Flick? The Barcelona season resembled a soap opera in 2023/24, with on-the-pitch struggles compounded by hierarchical uncertainty, which left them unable to defend their La Liga title. After a positive end to the season, a soured relationship between head coach Xavi Hernández and club president Joan Laporta...
Over in the Süper Lig, Turkey’s most decorated club, Galatasaray, are vying for a second successive league title under the leadership of Okan Buruk tactics, who has transformed the club’s fortunes after their record-low in 2022. As of late, things have been much more promising, setting up an eagerly anticipated...
Despite finishing ninth in Ligue 2 last term, FC Sochaux-Montbéliard were relegated to the third tier, Championnat National, for the 2023/24 campaign after owners Nenking failed to demonstrate the financial capacity to remain in the second tier. A hectic summer saw former Club President Jean-Claude Plessis complete a takeover and scramble together the necessary...
At the beginning of 2023, a bleak picture was painted for former Real Madrid star Isco Alarcón, with his footballing future in turmoil. After public disagreements with Sevilla's higher-ups, he was left without a club, and his contract was terminated only six months into his tenure in Sevilla. Despite many...
Arne Slot is the latest star in the Dutch managerial sky after impressing greatly at AZ Alkmaar since taking charge in July 2019. Under his leadership, AZ are second in the Eredivisie and progressed to the last 32 of the Europa League by finishing second to Manchester United. These results,...
Who Is Sebastian hoeness? In recent years, German football has seen its fair share of clubs falling short of expectations and teams surprising observers by performing much better than anticipated. For example, this season in the Bundesliga, Xabi Alonso’s Bayer Leverkusen are leading the way at the top of the...
In a matchup that few people were likely to follow closely during matchday five of the UEFA Champions League, Shakhtar Donetsk managed to overcome Antwerp 1-0 in Germany, keeping their knockout hopes alive. At the same time, Antwerp were sent out of European competition altogether with this result. As a result, Mark van Bommel has yet...
Aged just 31 years old, Will Still is the archetypal new breed of football manager. A serial tactician and clear communicator, Still has belied his age and made an instant impression in France’s Ligue 1 as the head of Stade de Reims. As early as 2017, Still was handed the...
Soccer has always been a dynamic sport, and it has become even more fluid as managers push the envelope of tactical possibilities. The last few years have seen the emergence of new phenomena like inverted fullbacks and false nines, as coaches seek new ways to gain an advantage over the...
