Not many Argentinian-Italian players have represented the Italian national team with success. Yet, some remarkable names can be mentioned when talking about players born in Argentina who had a significant impact on the Azzurri. These names include Mauro Germán Camoranesi (one of the 2006 World Cup winners), Gabriel Paletta (former...
Set pieces are becoming increasingly important, attracting the attention of coaches, analysts and fans worldwide. This has led to the emergence of several concepts related to blocking or hindering the opponent: the “block” and the “screen”. Here, we define each term: 1) The block involves an attacking player positioning himself...
Set pieces are becoming increasingly important, attracting the attention of coaches, analysts and fans worldwide. This has led to the emergence of several concepts related to blocking or hindering the opponent: the “block” and the “screen”. Here, we define each term: 1) The block involves an attacking player positioning himself...
Not many Argentinian-Italian players have represented the Italian national team with success. Yet, some remarkable names can be mentioned when talking about players born in Argentina who had a significant impact with the Azzurri. These names include Mauro Germán Camoranesi, who was one of the 2006 World Cup winners, Gabriel...
"The best playmaker in the world". No, we're not talking about Johan Cruyff, Michel Platini or Diego Maradona. According to Jürgen Klopp, it is, in fact, counterpressing. Thus, in this tactical analysis piece, the best playmaker of the current European champions, Spain, will be scrutinised, as well as Luis de...
There we have it. The 2024 UEFA European Championship has come to a close, with Spain emerging as the eventual victor. They have impressed many fans and pundits alike with their dazzling performances throughout the competition, and several players have boosted their stock thanks to stellar performances. Luis de la...
The Olympiastadion will soon open its doors to another prestigious occasion—the awaited UEFA Euro 2024 Final between Spain and England. This venue has previously hosted the 2015 UEFA Champions League Final between Juventus and Barcelona, as well as the 2006 FIFA World Cup Final, which saw Italy beat France, among numerous...
The semi-finals of big tournaments like EURO 2024 are usually fought out between the four strongest teams. This year, however, the second semi-final features two teams facing off who have had some struggles over the last couple of weeks. For the Netherlands and Ronald Koeman, there have been a lot...
On Sunday, the Euros come to an end as the eagerly anticipated clash between two titans, Spain and England, takes place at the Olympiastadion in Berlin. This preview will solely focus on both teams from a set-play perspective to discover how they might be able to score the decisive goal...
The Allianz Arena played host to one of the most exciting matches of the European Championships thus far on Tuesday night, with Spain emerging victorious over a disappointing French side. Having reached their first major tournament final since the culmination of their ‘golden generation’ in 2012, Luis de la Fuente’s...
Major international tournaments can always be relied upon to provide anticipation and excitement, with them allowing fans to watch some of the best players around lock horns in the search for glory and allowing clubs to scout potential future targets, with a number who have featured at Euro 2024 the...
There’s no hiding that England’s performances in the Euros this summer have been sub-par for much of their time in the tournament – although they showed a slightly stronger attacking impetus in their quarter-final victory over Switzerland. A focus on the negatives has been a constant theme for England fans...
Talk about a contrast in styles. Spain's victory over Germany provided one of the most entertaining matches of the tournament. It was an exciting blend of attacking and defensive tactics leading to the thrilling overtime victory. The Marc Cucurella handball controversy simply added to the intrigue. France’s shootout victory over...
England face a formidable opponent in the UEFA Euro 2024 quarter-finals as they will have to beat one of the best-ever versions of Switzerland to progress to the semi-finals, where they will need to take on either the Netherlands or Türkiye. England’s journey in the competition has been successful so...
So far, EURO 2024 has been a very emotional tournament for many people, but fans of two nations were still attracting even more attention than others because of their passion. Now, these two teams, Türkiye and the Netherlands, are going to meet in the quarter-finals. Both teams have had varying...
As we come down to the final stages of EURO 2024, games will potentially become even tighter, with teams seeking to avoid defeat instead of hunting for the win. Blocks may move deeper, become more compact, and be incredibly difficult to break down. This certainly won't be the case in...
The way teams evolve their tactics to utilise playing with two holding midfielders, or a “double pivot”, is a tactic that undergoes constant tweaks at the elite level. Historically, one midfielder would simply occupy one half of the pitch and the other the opposite half. In this year’s European Championship,...
On Friday night, the Volksparkstadion will play host to one of the most eagerly anticipated fixtures between two of the tournament’s favourites heading into the summer. France and Portugal will go head-to-head in a crucial EURO 2024 quarter-final tie, with both sides yet to display their true potential and fill...
Euro 2024 has provided plenty of shocks and surprises as the group stages and Round of 16 matches have gone on, with major names struggling for performances and lower-ranked sides proving that they are not simply there to make up the numbers. However, two teams have stood out throughout the...
As the quarter-finals of the 2024 UEFA European Championship approach, we have had our first real taste of an upset as defending champions Italy were dumped out of the competition by Switzerland. Murat Yakin led the Swiss to a second-place finish in Group A, winning one and drawing two. Their...
