In a past interview, Nuno Espírito Santo explained his defensive philosophy: “I think, but maybe I am the only one, that the defensive process can take care of the game. Why is that? Because teams wait to defend. If you create something where you go to defend, to steal the...
For the longest time in Bundesliga history, there was only one club that played every single possible matchday in the German top flight, Hamburger Sportverein (HSV). The club has managed to win numerous titles throughout its history, particularly in the 1980s. Overall, HSV can look back at six Bundesliga titles,...
Liverpool Montevideo have been one of the incredible sensations in Uruguay and, indeed, all of South America this year. After a complicated 2024, following a historic 2023 that saw them crowned Uruguayan champions for the first time in their history, the team failed to qualify for continental competitions. However, the...
Birmingham City is a club that's been through a lot in recent years. While the club played in the Premier League for most of the 2000s, 2011 proved to be a turning point. Despite heavily investing in the squad and even winning the EFL Cup, beating Arsenal in the final,...
Bournemouth have been one of the major positives to begin the 2025/2026 Premier League season. They are currently in fourth place with 10 points. Since the 4-2 loss on the opening day to Liverpool, the Cherries have allowed only one goal in their last four Premier League matches. Not only...
Formed just over a decade ago from a merger of two modest local sides, Cypriot club Pafos were never expected to trouble Europe’s elite. What began as a quiet project to consolidate senior football in the touristic Paphos district, harmlessly floating between the top two divisions, quickly became one of...
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...
For the longest time, the footballing power in Hamburg was rather easily settled. Hamburger SV was the city's biggest club, while FC St. Pauli was the little brother that no one really believed in. Despite having a fascinating history and a fair bit of success in the 2. Bundesliga, St....
Club Bolívar is the sensation of Bolivian football right now, especially on the international stage. The good results achieved in the Copa Sudamericana invite optimism, with four victories in four matches, after entering the competition by finishing third in their Copa Libertadores group. Scoring 10 goals and conceding none against...
While everything seemed to be going well on the pitch, there was turmoil off it at Nottingham Forest. After a historic season that saw Forest spend a lot of time in a UEFA Champions League place but eventually finish seventh, Nuno Espírito Santo’s job was in question. Tension was building...
Olympique de Marseille will return to play in the UEFA Champions League after two seasons without doing so. A second-place finish in last season’s Ligue 1, which Les Phocéens had not achieved since 2022, brought them back to Europe’s top competition. After a turbulent path within the locker room, Roberto...
Bradford City have long been one of the biggest ‘fallen giants’ in English football. Last appearing in the Premier League in 2000/2001 when they finished bottom of the table, the Bantams spent the last six seasons in EFL League Two before finally managing to earn promotion to the third tier...
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...
In this tactical analysis, we will explore the five types of off-the-ball movement that Marcelo Bielsa identifies and teaches as the foundation for generating passing lines, sustaining ball circulation, and breaking defensive structures. For Bielsa tactics, the game is not limited to the ball possessor; the active and conscious participation...
In the 2020s, the Swedish Allsvenskan has been very competitive overall, but in the end, the result stayed the same for most years. Over the last couple of years, Malmö FF have won four out of five Swedish top-flight titles, with only BK Häcken being able to win one in...
In our previous Pep Guardiola and Pepijn Lijnders analysis, we began exploring Manchester City’s in-possession tactics by focusing on their build-up. The phase in which Pep Guardiola’s side demonstrated tactical flexibility and diversity in their game plan, adapting based on the starting personnel and showing resilience against the opposition’s high-pressing...
Hannover 96 have been in the news in Germany for many different reasons over the last couple of years. Investor Kind attempted to undermine the 50+1 rule in German football, but the fans strongly opposed this move and began boycotting the club. Since their relegation in 2019, the club has...
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...
