Loading posts...
  • Analysing Sérgio Conceição’s Porto 

    When Sérgio Conceição took charge of FC Porto in the summer of 2017, Porto had just lost the last four league titles to Benfica. He put a stop to that in his first season, restoring Porto’s dominance and ending a five-year trophy drought. Since then, he has added two more Primeira Liga championships, one Taça…

  • Tactical Analysis: How Barcelona Edged Napoli to a Place in the Champions League Quarterfinals

    Napoli faced off against Barcelona in the 2019/20 UEFA Champions League Round of 16, with the two sides drawing 1-1 in the first leg in Italy. The second leg took place six months later due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with Barcelona winning 3-1 via goals from Clement Lenglet, Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez. Barcelona would…

  • Tactical Analysis: Paulo Fonseca’s Lille

    It has been three years since Lille edged Paris Saint-Germain to the Ligue 1 title on the final day of the season, claiming their first championship in a decade under Christophe Galtier. They did so on the basis of a French-Portuguese connection, with sporting director Luis Campos crafting a young squad featuring Portuguese players like…

  • Tactical Analysis: Roger Schmidt’s Benfica

    Since leaving PSV in the summer of 2022, Roger Schmidt has settled in at a different red & (somewhat) white club, none other than Benfica. The German has led ‘As Aguias’ to a Portuguese title and a Supercup in only one and a half years at the capital club. It has been a difficult run…

  • Tactical Analysis: How Marcello Lippi’s Italy Won the 2006 FIFA World Cup

    The mid 2000s oversaw a dramatic shift in European football’s power dynamics as the once-dominant Italian clubs collective crowns started to slip. A combination of ageing squads, the infamous Calciopoli scandal which tarnished the league’s formerly gleaming reputation and the subsequent expulsion of Juventus, Fiorentina and Lazio, who were the best teams in the country…

  • Striving to Reclaim a Sense of Self – The Quest for Total Football in Barcelona

    A 97′ penalty sealed a much-needed 2-1 road victory for Barcelona against Celta Vigo in the latest installation of La Liga’s weekly opera. It was a welcome three points that allowed marginal breathing space between themselves and the imposing figure of Atlético Madrid in fourth position. But it was yet another goal conceded in a…

  • Can Bayer Leverkusen Win Their First Bundesliga Title Under Xabi Alonso?

    Having won each of the last 11 Bundesliga titles, Bayern Munich’s dynasty is under threat with Bayer Leverkusen pushing for their first-ever league title under Spanish manager Xabi Alonso. They are the sole team in Europe who have yet to suffer defeat in all competitions, and they sit five points clear of Bayern in first…

  • Manchester United’s Woes From Set-piece Situations

    Manchester United entered February in ninth place after a chaotic start to the campaign both in terms of gaining points and quality of play, but today, they find themselves sixth in the table, five points behind Aston Villa and six behind Tottenham. Erik ten Hag’s team is very dependent on the match scenario – against…

  • Analyzing the Intricacies of the Christmas Tree Formation

    In the kaleidoscope of life’s pursuits, football, like a well-strung carol, resonates with the rhythms of passion and strategy. As we embark on this seasonal odyssey, let us unravel the peculiar allure of the Christmas tree formation—an emblematic display of tactics that mirrors the intricate dance of baubles on a festive fir. In the symphony…

  • Ipswich Town – The Championship’s Surprise Package

    Playing second-tier football for the first time in five years, Ipswich Town are a team catching the eye of football purists all over the globe following their promotion from League One in the 22/23 campaign. With a former Manchester United coach who graduated from the school of Fergie at the helm, it’s clear to see…