5-4-1 Formation

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...

The Republic of Ireland kept their FIFA World Cup 2026 qualification hopes alive following an unprecedented performance and result against a very tough team, Portugal. This win comes at a crucial time for the Irish as it allows them to play their chances until the end for trying to snatch...

Olympique de Marseille hosted Atalanta BC in Gameweek 4 of the UEFA Champions League at the Stade Vélodrome, and the game resulted in a crucial win for the Italian side. Thanks to their single goal of the match, Atalanta secured their second win in this phase, following victories over Club Brugge,...

Aston Villa defeated Manchester City by a slender margin of 1-0 in round 9 of the 2025/2026 Premier League. The result saw Unai Emery's Villa close the points gap to just one, leaving City in fifth place. Meanwhile, the hosts are now in eighth, just behind Liverpool on goal difference....

Real Madrid faced Juventus for the third game of the UEFA Champions League group stage, and Los Blancos won three points to join the four leading teams of this phase with nine points each. Real Madrid did the job and secured the win, but their performance was not that satisfying...

With four wins and two draws, Belgium has moved much closer to qualifying for the 2026 World Cup after beating Wales in Cardiff following a complicated away game that ended with a 2-4 final result for the Belgians. Belgium are actually at the top spot of their group J with 14 points, one point...

Keith Andrews tactics are shaping Brentford's identity after his promotion to head coach. He’s been promoted internally to replace Thomas Frank, who was a brilliant coach and has now moved on to Tottenham Hotspur. While maintaining some of Frank’s principles, Andrews has already stamped his own identity on the side. This...

Last season was St. Pauli's first in the German Bundesliga in over a decade, and they performed pretty well. They lost the famous Fabian Hürzeler before the season started and had one of the cheapest squads in the league. Nevertheless, under the leadership of new coach Alexander Blessin, St. Pauli...

We began this series intending to dissect Manchester City's in-possession approach for 2025/2026. First, we explored the build-up, analysing the ideas of Pep Guardiola and his new assistant Pep Lijnders, particularly against man-marking high-pressing schemes, which is a common trend these days. Then, we examined their progression phase and the...

After a season that fell short of their usual dominance, Manchester City approached the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup with a refreshed outlook, both on the pitch and in the coaching setup. The club reinforced their squad with several additions, most notably Rayan Cherki from Olympique Lyonnais, Rayan Aït-Nouri from...

After two seasons in Serie B, Cremonese secured their promotion to Serie A following a long and gruelling 2024/2025 campaign, which saw them defeat Spezia in the play-off final. It is essential to emphasise that Spezia were ahead of Cremonese in the standings by five points. Still, despite this, Cremonese managed to...

Massimiliano Allegri has been officially appointed as AC Milan’s new head coach following last week's negotiations. I Rossoneri started their summer reconstruction phase to try to fix what went wrong last season by hiring Igli Tare as the sporting director. This was an attempt to avoid the mistakes made last...

This tactical analysis explores Vasco Matos' work at CD Santa Clara during their outstanding 2024/2025 Portuguese League season. After winning promotion as champions of Liga Portugal 2 in the previous campaign, Santa Clara made an immediate impact upon returning to the top flight, finishing in a remarkable fifth place and securing qualification...

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...

After a long and thrilling campaign, the Premier League season is nearing its end. The champions have been crowned, and the three teams relegated to the EFL Championship have been decided. But the excitement of the English Premier League is not over yet. The race for the top four is still...

Welcome to part five of Total Football Analysis’s throw-in series. In the previous four parts, we have presented all the variables necessary to understand the unique nature of throw-ins and the factors that influence throw-in strategies for different teams and coaches. We have also conducted a two-part interview with the expert throw-in coach, Thomas...

On December 9th, Columbus Crew defeated LA Galaxy. He won the MLS Cup in a season that amazed everyone with this team's performance, characterized by continuous striving for initiative and attack. Their team is considered the most potent in MLS this season, with 79 goals. To understand the reason for this,...

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...

Breaking down a low block is something that top sides around the globe can face on a weekly basis. The reason opponents engage in defending in this way is to reduce the opportunity of being caught out and ensure they remain organised, stay compact, and consequently reduce space for the...