-
![]()
A Deep Dive into Barcelona’s Set-Piece Success This Season
It has been nothing short of a sensational start to the Hansi Flick era for FC Barcelona, who find themselves atop the LaLiga table with 34 points from 14 matches. Their set-piece profligacy has been a major factor in their success — between corner kicks and indirect free kicks, the Blaugranas have scored 13 goals…
-
![]()
All Hale Marco Silva
Marco Silva – in his fourth season at Craven Cottage – has seemingly finally unearthed a system which has transformed Fulham from a mid table to bottom half, ‘safe’ piece of Premier League furniture into a free flowing, easy on the eye outfit with potential European ambitions. This has largely gone under the radar with…
-
![]()
Amorim’s United Blueprint — Part 3: The Future: Short and Long-term Needs
In the previous installment we looked at how the Manchester United squad will fit into each position and role for Rubén Amorim’s system and had a quick look into the squad depth in each of those positions. In this post I’d like to give my overall thoughts on the strength of the squad, what kind…
-
![]()
Osasuna: Analyzing the Biggest Surprise of the 2024/25 LaLiga Season’s Opening Weeks
After a 2023/24 season that saw them regress from seventh to 11th in the table, Osasuna parted ways with Jagoba Arrasate after a six-year spell. Arrasate left the 2022/23 Copa del Rey finalists for the 2023/24 Copa del Rey finalists in Mallorca, with Osasuna appointing ex-Mallorca manager Vicente Moreno. Bryan Zaragoza: Analyzing Osasuna’s New…
-
![]()
Amorim’s United Blueprint — Part 1: The Vision: Implementing a New Tactical Identity
With Rúben Amorim set to take charge of his first game in just over a week and scheduled to lead his first training session on Monday morning, the Portuguese manager has likely spent the past week doing the same thing as us football fans: planning. He will be mapping out his best starting eleven, determining…
-
![]()
Amorim’s United Blueprint: Part 2: The Audit: Planning out the Squad
In this second chapter of this three-part series looking at how Rúben Amorim ‘s appointment as Manchester United manager, we will look at how each role and position fits into Amorim’s tactical philosophy which we covered in the first part of the series. We will be going in depth on what each position and role…
-
![]()
Another Failure, or the New Special One? A Deep Dive into Ruben Amorim’s Move to Manchester United
Manchester United announced the sacking of Erik ten Hag as manager on October 28. It started with a bang, a 3rd place finish and EFL Cup. Sadly, it finished with a whimper, ETH left United adrift in 14th, having scored the 3rd fewest goals in the league and frankly looking lost. Given ETH was…
-
![]()
The Phoenix and the Theatre: Ruben Amorim’s Quest to Revive United’s Soul
What does it mean to play for Manchester United? In truth, the answer is a story, not a statement. It’s a story rooted in ideals of resilience and ambition, held together by the memories of triumph and tragedy. It’s something woven into the identity of the club itself—a spirit that has persisted through eras of…
-
![]()
Two World Wars, One World Cup, and a German to Save England: Why Thomas Tuchel is Exactly What the Three Lions Need
It’s the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, and an Englishman, in an MTN commercial, is teaching his son the proudest anthem of them all, “Two World Wars and one World Cup, England, England!” with the kind of gusto only the English can muster. Then, just as they step into an elevator filled with…
-
![]()
Why Manchester United Continue to Struggle Under Ten Hag
In the summer, Manchester United’s new sporting management renewed Erik ten Hag’s contract until 2026 and showed their faith in the specialist by spending more than €200 million on new players. But United still do not show a stable game, and currently find themselves in 14th place. After the games against Porto and Aston…
