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Analyzing Vincent Kompany’s Anderlecht
It’s nearly been two full seasons now since Vincent Kompany took the full management role at Anderlecht after transitioning from the unusual job as player-manager. RSCA have been a formidable beast on the continent, having qualified for at least the preliminary rounds of the UCL/UEFA Cup 59 years in a row (1956-2018). They’ve won…
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Tactical Analysis: Persija Jakarta vs. Persib
On Matchday 28 of the Liga 1 Indonesia season, a huge clash between the two most popular teams in Indonesia took place between Persija Jakarta and Persib Bandung. The fully confident Persib Bandung had a strong run of form in the last 5 matches with 3 wins and 2 draws, while on the other…
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Tactical Analysis: Leonardo Jardim’s Monaco
Leonardo Jardim’s career has been defined by scouting and enhancing the resources at a club in order to push it to greater heights and achieve milestones that the club would never have thought about. The Portuguese coach never played professional football. He entered this arena as an enthusiast who decided to learn the craft…
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Tactical Analysis: Napoli vs. Barcelona (Second Leg)
Thursday night’s tie between Napoli and Barcelona saw the latter put on an absolute clinic in attack. It was a performance that pressed the rewind button, reminiscent of the philosophy which made Barcelona one of the most dominant teams of the 2000s. What were the dynamics behind this? Tactical Mechanics Early in the game,…
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Tactical Analysis: Brentford’s Throw-ins
In their first season in the Premier League, Brentford have impressed with their direct, aggressive style of football which has seen them sit comfortably above the relegation zone. One rather unique aspect of their approach has been their use of long throw-ins. As this graphic from @utdarena on Twitter shows, Brentford are in…
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Tactical Analysis: José Bordalás’ Valencia
Asked to name a managerial villain from the Iberian peninsula, the casual European football fan would likely name Diego Simeone. A master of the dark arts, dressed in an entirely black getup and often responsible for football that even his admirers would call pragmatic. More regular observers of La Liga will know that…
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Tactical Analysis: Inter Milan vs Liverpool
Wednesday’s UEFA Champions League tie saw an intense matchup between two of Europe’s best. Tactically, it was a game of two halves characterized by moments of suffering and promise by both sides. In the end, it was fine margins that saw Liverpool take a 2-0 lead against Inter, putting them in prime position to…
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Tactical Analysis: Wayne Rooney’s Derby County
Many of you will remember a time in the not-so-distant past when Derby County was a club, to the point of social media ridicule, referred to as Frank Lampard’s Derby County in wider football circles, and that mantle of a high-profile ex-player in management was soon passed over to Wayne Rooney when he took charge…
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Tactical Analysis: Jürgen Klopp’s Borussia Dortmund
After spending the start of the decade in the shadow of the Premier League and La Liga, German football enjoyed a resurgence in the mid-2010s. 2013 saw an all-German Champions League Final between Jürgen Klopp’s Borussia Dortmund and Jupp Heynckes’ Bayern Munich, whilst the following year saw Joachim Löw’s Die Mannschaft write their names into…
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Manuel Pellegrini’s Real Betis: Evolution, Not Revolution
Holder of the highest ever win percentage at four different clubs in LaLiga – Villarreal, Real Madrid, Malaga and now Real Betis – Manuel Pellegrini wears his crowns lightly. With the exception of his time in Madrid, where being thrown out is in fact the norm, the Chilean arguably has hero status at all three…
