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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…
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How Red Bull Salzburg’s Academy Revolutionized Austria’s National Team
On 19 June 1990 at the Stadio Artemio Franchi, Andreas Orgis and Gerhard Rodax scored two fine goals against the United States to win their first and only game of that year’s World Cup in Italy. After losing to the hosts in the opener and then to Czechoslovakia, this saw two teams who had…
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Tactical Analysis: Borussia Dortmund vs. Wolfsurg
In what was VFL’s Wolfsburg’s first home match behind closed doors, title challengers Borussia Dortmund came to town and secured their sixth consecutive Bundesliga victory. Lucien Favre’s side are now in a perfect position going into Tuesday’s Der Klassiker, but to say this was a dominant victory for the Swiss would be too harsh on…
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Tactical Analysis: Borussia Mönchengladbach vs. Bayer Leverkusen
On the Bundesliga’s second weekend back after the two-month break, it brought with it another fantastic fixture featuring managers Marco Rose and Peter Bosz. Borussia Mönchengladbach and Bayer Leverkusen have made plenty of noise this season via their performances and tactics, with both teams competing for the Champions League spots over the course of the…
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Tactical Analysis: Bayern Munich vs. Eintracht Frankfurt
After for the first time in two months last weekend, the Bundesliga resumed play for Matchday 27. In the earlier kick-off, Bayern Munich’s nearest title challengers Borussia Dortmund continued their scintillating form with a hard fought 2-0 away win at Europa League hopefuls Wolfsburg. Thus, it was up to Bayern to maintain their four-point…
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Scouting Report: Sandro Tonali
Since being promoted to Italy’s top flight last year, Brescia have struggled to make the step up in Serie A, with Le Rondinelle currently bottom of the table, sitting nine points away from safety. However, despite their woes, they have the most exciting young midfielder in Italy: Sandro Tonali. The young Italian was a crucial part…
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Identifying Chelsea’s Next Left Back
Since the departure of club legend Ashley Cole in 2014, Chelsea have spent over £80 million on left backs of varied profiles and ages in an attempt to replace him. However, none of them have managed to hold down a spot in what has been Chelsea’s problem position for six years. In fact, it…
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Tactical Analysis: Leipzig vs. Freiburg
With the Bundesliga resuming this week after a two month break, RB Leipzig took upon Freiburg at the Red Bull Arena. Both sides lined up in a 3-4-3 formation, but Leipzig’s shape on the ball kept changing throughout the game. Leipzig came into the game as favourites and had to win the game to…
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The Strengths and Weaknesses of a Man-Oriented Back Three
In this piece, I will discuss the advantages and pitfalls of a man-oriented back three, but to start, I should clarify what is meant by the phrase “man-oriented.” Rarely is full man-marking seen in the modern game because of its susceptibility to being dragged out of position by the opponents’s movement. Man-oriented back threes are…
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Player Analysis: Milot Rashica
Milot Rashica is a 23-year-old winger playing for Werder Bremen in the Bundesliga. Although his club is currently struggling in 17th place, nine points away from automatic safety, Rashica has impressed – registering 10 goals and four assists in all competitions for Bremen. Since joining from Vitesse in January 2018, the Kosovan forward has gone…
