Tactical talking points from Matchday 1

The new season has sprung upon us, enlisting a host of exciting tactical tweaks to explore. Some things might not last more than a match, and that's all part of the fun of the first round of fixtures. Here is what stood out to me from Matchday 1.

How Michael Carrick’s Manchester United could look in 2026-27

After a string of successive failings at Manchester United, Michael Carrick brought a breath of fresh air to the club at the start of the year. The Red Devils lost just two of their seventeen matches with Carrick in charge, winning twelve and drawing three. We'll never know what might have been possible had he been in charge from the start of last season. But now we'll get a chance to find out all that is possible in 2026-27. The next few weeks will now be Carrick's time to prepare the squad for all the continued harmony they witnessed from January to June. Integrating Youri Tielemans and Andrey Santos will be important puzzle pieces in that quest. And as they do, Carrick just might found out whether or not he still needs to find a like-for-like replacement for Casemiro.

More than a feeder club: Strasbourg’s youth-led blueprint

When Strasbourg stunned FSV Mainz to advance to the semi-finals of the UEFA European Conference League, they did so with an average age of 22.2 years. They surpassed Mainz with a list of unknown names apart from Ben Chilwell, who stood as the only player above 25 years old in the entire first eleven. He's … Continue reading More than a feeder club: Strasbourg’s youth-led blueprint