The 3-2 build-up structure entails having a consistent back three with two players ahead. This typically manifests itself either in a 3-4-3, where the three centre-backs and two midfielders ahead form the shape, or in a 4-2-3-1 where one full-back adapts his positioning to create the back three, while the double-pivot forms the midfield two. …

After a two month-long break due to the COVID-19 outbreak, the Bundesliga has finally returned. On Saturday, Dortmund defeated Schalke 4-0 to go within one point off Bayern Munich in second place. On Sunday, Union Berlin welcomed Bayern Munich for Matchday 26. Bayern had to win to maintain their four-point lead with eight league games…

Over the years, Barcelona’s traditional Tiki-Taka brand of football has disappeared, much to the dismay of the Blaugrana faithful. However, after just twelve games in charge, Quique Setién has gained instant popularity at the Camp Nou by making Barcelona an attractive side to watch again. This article will look into why this could be the…

Before the COVID-19 outbreak caused Europe’s major leagues to halt their seasons, Paris Saint-Germain led Ligue 1 with a commanding 12-point lead over André Villas-Boas’s Marseille. On April 30th, they would be crowned champions of Ligue 1 for the seventh time in eight seasons.   The Parisians being top of the French first tier has become…

Before the 2019/20 season was suspended, football fans around the world had the luxury of following one of the most interesting editions of La Liga in the past years.   Not only was there a nail-biting title race between Real Madrid and Barcelona, but the European spots were also being tightly contested between several teams.…

On May 12, 2019, Liverpool missed out on the Premier League title by one point to Manchester City.   They accumulated 97 points, a total which in any other season (aside from 2018/19 or 2017/18) would be more than sufficient to win the title, but toppling over a Pep Guardiola dynasty is never an easy…

German football has often emulated German culture. There is a priority on the system, on fluidity and smoothness, on the collective mattering above all else. In a country that brought the term “expressionism” to the fore in 1920’s cinema, there is a distinct lack of expression allowed in German football. The team comes first so…

Something unique is happening at Stamford Bridge this season. For the first time in the club’s history, Chelsea were forced to deal with a transfer ban, which prohibited them from replacing their best player in Eden Hazard. They replaced outgoing manager Maurizio Sarri with club legend Frank Lampard, a far cry from the more proven…

The Clássico between FC Porto and Benfica is by far the biggest game of the country. The two teams have been almost the only contenders for the Portuguese title in the past 10 years and are not only the best teams on the pitch, put also in terms of their club administration and structure. The…

The UEFA Champions League has given us some memorable nights in recent memory but few group stage matches have had anywhere near the madness, thrill and all-round quality that was on show when Frank Lampard’s high-flying Chelsea took on Erik Ten Hag’s league leading Ajax at Stamford Bridge. A game that began as usual at…