Tag: 2020-21 Premier League Season

What Nuno Espirito Santo will bring to Tottenham Hotspur – Tactical Analysis

by Rhys Desmond, posted in Premier League

After months of searching for the perfect manager, Daniel Levy and Tottenham Hotspur ultimately settled for former Wolves boss Nuno Espirito Santo - who left his post at the end of the 2020-21 season. The Portuguese's departure from Wolves was a slight surprise, having led them to the Premier League to begin with, followed by two back to back 7th place finishes in 2018-19 and 2019-20. But Levy snatched up the opportunity to take on another Portuguese manager, and he will be hoping Nuno fares better than his predecessor - Jose Mourinho. Here we analyze Nuno's potential tactics at Tottenham, and the chances of the manager and club working harmoniously together as one.

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Manchester City – 2020-21 – Tactical Review

by Rhys Desmond, posted in Masterclasses, Premier League

If you’ve read anything on TheMastermindSite.com over the past few years, you know very well that the focus of the site has centered primarily around analysis and tactics of some of the best teams, players, and managers around the world. As a result, it was only fitting that we released our first ever tactical ebook! This series takes each section of the Ebook available for our premium subscribers. If you are interested in becoming a paid subscriber, learn more here. For premium subscribers, login to view the full tactical review of Manchester City!

Premier League Tactics 2020-21 – Ebook

by Rhys Desmond, posted in Coach Education, Coaching, Formations, Masterclasses, Premier League, Subscriber Exclusives

After analyzing each and every single Premier League team this year, we now share all of our insight on the 2020-21 season in the form of this book. But the book is far from just a copy and paste of what can already be found on the website. In fact, there are very few things in the entire 72 pages that you will find on our site. The book features a breakdown of each and every single club in the league, including their system and style of play, their personnel, their strengths, weaknesses, key players and more. It does not attempt to be an exhaustive list of every single thing about each and every Premier League team this season, rather an overview of the most crucial tactical features to their success or lack thereof in 2020-21.

Premier League 2020-21 – Most Underrated XI

by Rhys Desmond, posted in Premier League, World Football

After the season that was, we pick our 'Underrated XI' for the 2020-21 season, in contrast to the PFA Team of the Year, and our Team of the Season.

How Chelsea’s two game blip went unpunished in the top four race – Tactical Analysis

by Amelia-Toni Adejobi, posted in Premier League, UEFA Champions League, World Football

In Thomas Tuchel's first twenty-two games in charge, the Blues lost just two games. It's safe to say, things were going swimmingly in Chelsea's quest to finish in the top four. After an incredible two-leg performance over Real Madrid to reach the UEFA Champions League final, the Blues travelled to Manchester and turned heads with their 2-1 victory over the eventual champions, in a preview of the final to come. Just as the Blues reached their highest point under Thomas Tuchel, they quickly reached their lowest.

Who Should Replace Jose Mourinho at Spurs? – Manager Analysis

by Rhys Desmond, posted in Premier League, UEFA Champions League, Managers

In the midst of discussions surrounding the European Super League, Jose Mourinho's sacking from Tottenham Hotspur came at a surprising time. The Portuguese manager was set to take on Manchester City in the Carabao Cup Final that very week, a game in which Tottenham ultimately lost under the management of Mourinho's temp - Ryan Mason. Mourinho has moved on in the blink of an eye to AS Roma, while Spurs are still stuck on aspirations of finding their next dream manager, when no dream manager appears to be available. With that, we take a look at some of the potential candidates, what they might offer Spurs both professionally and tactically, and make a final verdict of who should come in to replace Jose before things get very, very desperate.

Futbol Masterminds – Top Four Race Heating Up

by Rhys Desmond, posted in Podcast, Premier League, UEFA Champions League

Leicester City spent the entirety of the 2019-20 season in the top four, only to miss out on Champions League football on the final day with a devastating defeat to Manchester United. With Leicester's recent 3-2 loss to West Ham United, the Futbol Masterminds examine the Champions League football race that appears to be tighter than ever before, with the Hammers and Foxes competing with the likes of Liverpool and Chelsea for a spot in next season's competition. The panel also discuss whether clubs should spend money on transfers or youth academies, what's been missing for Brighton & Hove Albion this season, and the upcoming Champions League fixture between Dortmund and Manchester City. Submit questions and follow the show @futbolmasterminds on Instagram, or on themastermindsite.com. 

Picking the PFA Team of the Year (2020-21)

by Rhys Desmond, posted in Premier League, World Football

The 2020-21 Premier League season has certainly been one of the most unprecedented in the history of the competition. Due to the state of the outside world and the novel coronavirus pandemic, very few players and very few teams were able to gain any sense of consistency over the course of the season. Some of those "very few" aforementioned players fall under the star-studded Manchester City umbrella, and were able to escape the heavy storm relatively unscathed. But a few other stars from around the league consistently performed to high levels, and certainly the Citizens can't claim to have the best player of the season in each and every position. With that, here is our Premier League Team of the Year, as though we were the players picking the team ourselves.

Are Haaland & Mbappe the new Messi & Ronaldo? – Futbol Masterminds Podcast

by Rhys Desmond, posted in German Bundesliga, Match Analysis, Podcast, Premier League, Serie A, UEFA Champions League, World Football

As requested by virtually everyone, the Futbol Masterminds panel discuss whether or not Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe have officially dethroned Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo in the quest to be the world's best. The panel also discuss the big moments from the North London derby, the La Liga title race and Chris Wilder's unfortunate sacking from Sheffield United. Follow @mastermindsite and our new Instagram @futbolmasterminds to submit your questions every weekend before the show.

Sam Allardyce – West Bromwich Albion – Tactical Analysis

by Rhys Desmond, posted in Managers, Premier League, Team Analysis, World Football

At the time of Sam Allardyce's arrival at West Bromwich Albion, the Baggies looked dead and buried with no hope of survival. Four months on from that, Allardyce's side still look as though they have no hope at all of survival. Allardyce's perfect record of staying alive in the league without ever suffering relegation appears to be over, unless he somehow gets himself sacked before the end of the season and saves his record for another year. But although the Baggies look destined to drop down into the EFL Championship, Allardyce has changed West Brom's fortunes to an extent, with some decent performances against the likes of Wolves, Manchester United and Brighton. His rigid 4-1-4-1 system and the recent additions of the likes of Ainsley Maitland-Niles, Okay Yokuslu and Mbaye Diagne have inspired a better spell of form, with some sense of stability as the final third of the season approaches. Had these players started at the club at the beginning of the season, it's very likely that Big Sam's team would be far closer to Fulham right now than they are. So with that, here is a Tactical Analysis of Sam Allardyce's West Bromwich Albion since his arrival in December 2020.

Is Bruno Fernandes the Most Transformative Player in Premier League History? – Futbol Masterminds Podcast

by Rhys Desmond, posted in Match Analysis, Podcast, Premier League, UEFA Champions League, World Football

Rhys, Russell and Kausty answer your questions this week - including whether or not Bruno Fernandes is the most transformative player in Premier League history, following Manchester United's 2-0 win over Manchester City. The panel also discuss their predictions for the upcoming Champions League fixtures, whether or not Fulham can survive relegation after their impressive 1-0 victory at Anfield, and Arsene Wenger's proposed offside rule change. Follow @mastermindsite to submit your questions every weekend before the show.