When establishing a style of play, all top-level managers face the same pragmatic questions: How will positional defenders become functional attackers (and vice versa) as changes in possession occur? Where is the balance between earnest advancement and cautious reserve? And how is that equilibrium expressed, implicitly and explicitly, on the team sheet?
North Macedonia entered their first ever major tournament as clear underdogs. Before this, the only player of North Macedonian origin who had played in the European Championships was Blagoje Vidinic, a goalkeeper for the Former Yugoslavia in 1960. Unfortunately for North Macedonia, they failed to progress past the group stage, and floundered to the bottom of Group C. Despite that, they never looked as though they did not belong. Here is our tactical analysis of how they performed at the European Championships.
After a fantastic midweek win in the CONCACAF Champions League against Club Leon, Toronto FC looked beaten and battered before the whistle even blew on Major League Soccer's opening day. The Reds looked lackluster throughout the match, struggling to put up a fight against a Montreal defense full of mistakes. This is our tactical analysis of Montreal's 4-2 win over Toronto FC on the opening round of the 2021 Major League Soccer season.
Guts, gusto and gifted talents galore: Eintracht Frankfurt's clash with VFL Wolfsburg was a seismic occasion in the race for third place, and did not disappoint - not even for a second. Not only was it a seven goal thriller, but you'd do well to find a match with more energy, heart and determination than this electric fixture. Both teams were full of spirit right from the very first whistle, and never slowed down. This is a Tactical Analysis of Eintracht Frankfurt's important win over VFL Wolfsburg on Matchday 28 of the 2020-21 Bundesliga season.
One of the main problems facing big teams nowadays is the deep-block, because of the lack of capabilities of most other teams by comparison. Smaller clubs often resort to the deep-block as a solution in their matches against the big teams, and therefore, coaches need to find a solution to this dilemma that they face in many matches.
Since Antonio Conte's arrival at Inter Milan, the Italian giants have transformed into the most effective side in all of Serie A. Other than disappointments in the UEFA Champions League and losing last season's Europa League final, Conte's start to life at San Siro has gotten off without a hitch. I Nerazzurri narrowly missed out on the title to Conte's old side Juventus last season by one single point, and this season they look favourites to finally dethrone the Old Lady from securing another crown. But the results and the performances are not the only impressive components about Antonio Conte's functional Inter Milan. The Italian manager's tactics have been remarkable as they have been throughout his career, and so many players have taken their games to new heights under the influence of the former Premier League winner. Here is a tactical analysis all about Antonio Conte's Inter Milan in 2020-21.
After a rough couple of months, Edin Terzic finally has Borussia Dortmund back on track, with the Black & Yellows now keeping three clean sheets in their last four Bundesliga matches. It was another routine performance for Dortmund on Saturday, with the club in cruise control for the entire match. Here is TheMastermindSite's tactical analysis of Borussia Dortmund's 2-0 win over Hertha Berlin on March 13, 2021.
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