In only their second ever Bundesliga season, 1. FC Union Berlin managed to improve upon their already impressive debut season and qualify for European football. Coach Urs Fischer has done a remarkable job with the East German club and earned what is probably his greatest managerial achievement through very good coaching. In this article, I…

Passivity as a concept can be applied microcosmically or macrocosmically. Since this article is referring to a very particular manoeuvre which can occur in games, the difference is in reference to a sequence, contrasted with holistically, and in fact, the approach discussed in this article often requires opposition cooperation through playing a higher line while…

This article will attempt to provide a holistic analysis on the way Barnsley pressed Chelsea in the FA Cup in January, whilst also focusing on how Chelsea combated this by altering their build-up structure.   During the opening 15 minutes, Barnsley pressed aggressively with a high level of engagement. They pressed in a 5-2-3 which…

Diego Simeone showcased his class once again by clinching the La Liga title beating Real Madrid and Barcelona. Even though they lost their 13 point lead temporarily, they showed resilience in the last few fixtures and got the much-needed victories.   It’s undoubtedly one of the hardest jobs in the world to compete against the…

After a unique season that seemingly progressed infinitely, European club football concluded with the Champions League final on Saturday with Thomas Tuchel leading Chelsea to their second European crown in a resounding five-month turnaround since his arrival at Stamford Bridge. Throughout the knockout stages of the Champions League, in particular, Chelsea looked the most prepared…

There are very few teams in women’s football that have the preeminent history of Olympique Lyon both domestically and in UEFA cup competitions.  Lyon are the most successful club in the history of French D1 Feminine, winning a total of 19 league titles since being introduced as the female counterpart of the club in 2004. …

On March 13, 2021, Manchester City traveled to Craven Cottage stadium to meet Fulham, beating them 0–3 thanks to the written names on the score sheet, John Stones, Gabriel Jesus and Sergio Agüero.   Fulham’s Man-Oriented Approach Against Manchester City   The locals had a plan to stop the Citizens as they formed in a…

Another big English football club, another post-José Mourinho salvage mission. The Portuguese manager’s time at Tottenham Hotspur was probably his worst overall as a manager, as his 86-match stint was the shortest since his União de Leiria days in 2001 and 2002, and this was also the first time he failed to lead a club…

The 5-3-2 formation is known to be composed of 5 defenders, 3 midfielders and 2 forwards. That’s just a general way of putting it. A more football-related description would be 5-3-2 when out of possession and 3-5-2 when in possession / building up phase. The 3 center backs consist of 2 man-to-man markers and one…

As Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City prepare to take on Thomas Tuchel’s Chelsea in the Champions League Final in Porto, it shows the reign of positional play as both managers have established the style of positional play in their team.   But to stand out among a wide range of teams using positional play these managers…