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Tactical Analysis: RB Leipzig vs. Mainz
After going winless in three games, RB Leipzig took on relegation-threatened Mainz on Matchday 27 in a must-win game to keep their title hopes alive. After Dortmund and Bayern put on convincing displays a day before in their wins against Wolfsburg and Eintracht Frankfurt, the pressure was on Leipzig to deliver. They did it in…
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“A Cesspit of Lies, Treachery and Whispers”: How Real Madrid’s Dressing Room Transitioned from Ferrari Boys to Galácticos
If it isn’t raw feeling, football fans don’t want to know. Corporatism, footballers who don’t like football outside of their professional lives, empty stadiums, players not celebrating goals – all are treated with undiluted contempt by a hopelessly romantic footballing public. But the game can be a dispassionate pursuit. Though their supporters might expect…
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Tactical Analysis: Bayern Munich vs. Borussia Dortmund
This was the most highly anticipated Der Klassiker in recent memory, with Dortmund having the opportunity to cut the gap on league leaders Bayern Munich to 1 point with a victory. The unprecedented tension and circumstances surrounding the match itself added fuel to the fire, as football fans salivated over the first major match-up since…
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Valeriy Lobanovskyi: Football’s Forgotten Pioneer
When we look at how Barcelona, Manchester City, Ajax, even Sheffield United play, our minds invariably go back to the Total Football of Rinus Michels and Johan Cruyff. The high press, positional rotations and pursuit of space preached by the Ajax, Barcelona and the Dutch national sides of the 1970s have come to define how…
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Osvaldo Ardiles: English Football’s First Cult Hero
From Pelé and Diego Maradona in the last century, to Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo in this one – each generation produces a handful of players that are truly elite. These are the superstars of the sport whose on-the-field displays can confound even the sharpest analytical minds. Even though these are the players that frequently…
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Charlton Athletic: Fraud, Funerals and the Football League
From Gary Neville to N’Golo Kanté, it appears just about everyone in England has voiced their opinion on ‘Project Restart’ – feasible, irresponsible, or a self-interested money grab. The stakes are, in one way or another, life and death: players risking their lives to play football in a nation that has amassed nearly 40,000 COVID-19…
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The Evolution of the False 9 Role
The “False 9” is without question one of the most renowned tactical innovations of the 21st century, as its implementation led to tremendous amounts of success for teams in both club and international competitions. From Lionel Messi to Roberto Firmino to Kai Havertz, several dominant teams in modern times have been built their attack around…
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Scouting Report: Hichem Boudaoui
Club football on the African continent is largely dominated by North African clubs like Al Ahly, Zamalek, and Espérance Sportive de Tunis. At the national team level, Egypt hold the record for most AFCON wins (7 titles), with their last coming in 2010. Five editions later, and the trophy would return to Northern Africa, this time…
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How Dortmund can upset Bayern with a win in Der Klassiker
On April 6, 2019, Bayern seized control of the 2018/19 Bundesliga title race with a 5-0 demolition job against rivals Borussia Dortmund at the Allianz Arena. A watershed moment in the season, Bayern would go on to be crowned champions despite trailing BVB at the end of the Hinrunde (the first half of the Bundesliga…
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Scouting Report: Julian Brandt
On May 22nd, 2019, Borussia Dortmund announced two signings within five hours of each other. The first, Thorgan Hazard, has proven to be an important signing for the Black and Yellow since joining from Borussia Mönchengladbach. The second signing, Julian Brandt, arriving from Bayer Leverkusen, has proven to be one of the best signings in…
