The NWSL is back! This season, TheMastermindSite.com aims to bring more coverage to the NWSL and the women's game, including tactical analyses, player profiles, and as much as we can pull off within the scope of all the other exciting football around. So with that, let's kick off the NWSL season in style, with our match analysis of the very first fixture in this league for Angel City FC, as they secured a fashionable win over the NC Courage.
Gerrard remains a relatively inexperienced manager, but with a clear sense of tactical knowhow, the former Liverpool legend appears to be long for this world. Gerrard's won four from his first ten in charge, and added his first draw to the mix this past weekend against Manchester United with an extraordinary comeback. New additions in Lucas Digne and Philippe Coutinho have also entered the frame, providing the perfect time to take a look at how Gerrard has settled into life at Villa Park so far. Here is our tactical analysis of Steven Gerrard's Aston Villa in 2021-22.
On Serie A's Matchday 19, mid-table Empoli faced off against title hopefuls AC Milan at Carlo Castellani Stadium. Despite AC Milan being heavy favorites, Empoli gave themselves every chance to come away with all three points, further proving their recent statement win against Napoli was no fluke.Â
After a long, thirty-four game season, New England Revolution have won their first ever MLS Supporters' Shield. For anyone unfamiliar with the MLS' bizarre structures, that is the equivalent to winning a league title in any other league around the world. In the MLS, all it means is that New England have the best seed heading into the Playoffs, where they will hope to claim glory for good. But despite the insignificance of something that should be very significant, New England need to be commended for their incredible 2021 MLS season. The Revs lost just 5 of their 34 league games, scoring 65 goals in the process. Through it all they played some intriguing football, in a unique 4-3-1-2 system. Here is our tactical analysis of Bruce Arena's New England Revolution in 2021.
After weeks of succeeding with narrow 1-0 wins in a 4-3-3 formation, Nuno Espirito Santo decided change was needed. To be fair to Nuno, without the injured Heung-Min Son and Steven Bergwijn, change likely was needed. But unfortunately the Portuguese manager adapted in the completely wrong way, and Crystal Palace, yes Crystal Palace, tore them to shreds.
Borussia Dortmund are heading towards one of their worst seasons in years, and it is in large part due to the tactics of their new manager - Marco Rose. But quite confusingly, they continue to grind out wins. Rose has set his team up to play in a diamond midfield formation, that suits one single player in the squad, and nobody else, yet somehow they've escaped complete desperation two weeks in a row. The Black & Yellows currently sit second in the table as things stand, three points off the top, but they are very lucky to be anywhere near that.
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