There was once a time, when fullbacks were considered the worst player on the team, with a limited influence on the game from an attacking viewpoint, whilst having one main job – stop the opposition wide midfielder. Jamie Carragher once famously quoted that fullbacks were either failed wingers or failed centre-backs. However, Over the past…

The clock has just ticked over 20 minutes and Real Madrid’s centre back partners Sergio Ramos and Raphaël Varane are finding themselves in a rapid whirlwind of calculations. Kevin De Bruyne and Bernardo Silva had both been positioning themselves within reach for quite a while, but it was only now that City were able to…

After a tumultuous decade for AC Milan, which saw them suffer their longest trophy drought since the 1940’s and go through 11 different managers, things are looking up for the Rossoneri. Stefano Pioli’s side currently sit atop the Serie A table with 43 points — just two points above Inter — whilst they are set…

On January 6, Manchester City eliminated Manchester United from the EFL Cup semi-finals, taking a 2-0 victory at Old Trafford via two goals from set-pieces which were converted by John Stones and Fernandinho, and booking their ticket for the Final at Wembley against Tottenham Hotspur. Three weeks later, Manchester United lost at home to bottom-dwellers…

As Eibar’s goalkeeper Marko Dmitrović fired a penalty past Jan Oblak, many seemed to forget it was only the 7th goal Atlético Madrid have conceded this season. Diego Simeone’s momentous mix of tactical preparedness and sheer willpower has Atlético renowned for their defensive strength, but averaging 0.41 goals conceded per game this season is beyond…

On January 25, Frank Lampard was sacked as Chelsea manager 18 months after being hired on a three-year contract; one day later, former Paris Saint-Germain manager Thomas Tuchel replaced him and took charge of the West London club on an 18-month contract. The abrupt dismissal comes after a torrid run of form for Chelsea, who…

On Friday, January 8, Bayern Munich squandered an early 2-0 lead to lose to Marco Rose’s Borussia Mönchengladbach, a match which saw the defending European champions lose their first match in all competitions since September 27. Bayern looked to bounce back from their defeat five days later, when they paid a visit to Holstein-Stadion to…

18 months after being fired by Valencia, Marcelino García Toral has returned to management, replacing Gaizka Garitano as manager of Athletic Club de Bilbao. The fixture list after his appointment provided a fantastic opportunity for the Spanish manager to win over the faith of the Athletic Club supporters with massive matches in La Liga against…

Perhaps the most significant rule change within recent times in football was the adaptation to the static goal kick. As of 2019, outfield players were given the license to touch the ball inside their 18-yard box from a goal kick, rather than having to wait until the ball exited the box. This alteration added a…

The concept of verticality is often mentioned positively when discussing teams’ style of play. Typically, this is in reference to progressive verticality which seems intuitive considering the end goal of reaching the optimal destination to score, generally deep in the opponent’s half, wherever that may be contextually. However, progression is not linear. Sometimes to reach…