Pep Guardiola – Manchester City – Tactical Analysis (2019-20 Edition)

Other than a rocky performance against Norwich City, things have been business as usual for Pep Guardiola and Manchester City so far this season. The 2019-20 season has gotten off to a great start for the man and team who seem to never settle for anything shy of perfection. All the key players are firing on all cylinders and City look well on their way to breaking more records. Here is The Mastermind's Tactical Analysis for Pep Guardiola and Manchester City so far in 2019-20.

Matteo Guendouzi – Tactical Analysis

One of the more impressive Premier League players this season and just about the only Arsenal player who's made an impression, Matteo Guendouzi is enjoying some of his best football at the moment with Arsenal. The 20-year old French midfielder certainly has his best days still ahead of him, but already looks to be a … Continue reading Matteo Guendouzi – Tactical Analysis

Brendan Rodgers – Leicester City – Tactical Analysis (2019-20 Edition)

Leicester City have had an exceptional start to the 2019-20 Premier League season, losing just 1 of their opening 7 matches. If it weren't for the all-star cast and crew of England's top two teams, the Foxes could very well have found themselves in a similar position to where they were at this time back in 2015-16 when Claudio Ranieri led Leicester to a league title. Brendan Rodgers has done an incredible job since taking over as Leicester manager for Claude Puel back in late February and has turned the Foxes back into one of England's top sides after a couple of years of nothing more than mid-table success. Here is The Mastermind's Tactical Analysis of Leicester City so far in 2019-20 under Brendan Rogers.

Antonio Conte – Inter Milan – Tactical Analysis (2019-20 Edition)

Since Antonio Conte's arrival at Inter Milan, the Italian giants have completely transformed into the most effective side in all of Serie A. Conte's start to life at San Siro has gotten off without a hitch and I Nerazzurri have won all six of their matches to the start off the league campaign. In that time, Conte's men have scored 13 goals and conceded only 2, maintaining the second highest passing accuracy and fifth highest amount of possession per game in the league. Players like Romelu Lukaku and Kwadwo Asamoah have been able to turn their careers around again, while the likes of Marcelo Brozovic and Stefano Sensi are practically developing into the best in the world at their positions. This is The Mastermind's Tactical Analysis of Inter Milan so far in 2019-20.

Managing Different Personalities on a Sports Team

Every athlete is different. Every athlete has a unique set of characteristics, behaviours, dispositions and traits that make them who they are and can directly affect their ability to perform. Managing these different personalities can be a daunting task for any sport manager, coach or leader, particularly in a team setting where twelve to eighteen conflicting personalities may require managing.

La Pausa – Tactical Analysis

La Pausa - Spanish for 'The Pause' is a fantastically useful skill for players looking to fool their opponents. La Pausa is a skill whereby players in possession pause on the ball, drawing in defenders and enticing them to make a movement toward the ball. After the defender makes a movement toward them, the player in possession will often quickly speed up play or then make their pass or movement in a direction that exploits the fact that the defender has approached them.

Counter Attacking and the Death of Tiki-Taka Football

For a while, tiki taka, highlighted by the intricate triangles created in Spain's Xavi-Iniesta years, prevailed as the dominating tactic of the beautiful game. However, with Spain's struggles in recent tournaments and the much talked about "possession without purpose" that has haunted many teams in recent modern day matches, I pronounce the death of tiki taka.

Best Formations for 9v9 (Part 2)

Along with the growing popularity of the 9v9 game in youth soccer, is a growing popularity of the examination of different 9v9 formations. We pretty much covered it in Best Formations for 9v9 (part 1), but there are so many formations out there, so might as well explore some of the other best options in this part 2 of Best Formations for 9v9. Enjoy!