Tag: Match Analysis

Game of Numbers #13 – Guerreiro as a ’10’

by Rhys Desmond, posted in Game of Numbers, German Bundesliga, Masterclasses, Match Analysis

With both Julian Brandt and Marco Reus out for the all-so-crucial Revierderby against FC Schalke, many Dortmund fans wondered what Edin Terzic would concoct. The logical solution would have been to play Jude Bellingham further forward in that '10' slot, utilizing his powerful dribbling further forward. But Terzic opted for a more natural 'creative' outlet, shifting Raphaël Guerreiro into the '10' slot. The move worked like a stroke of genius, with the Portuguese full-back scoring a beautiful goal and assisting the other, against Dortmund's bitter rivals. He was far and away the best player on the pitch, and did all he could to help his team achieve victory, despite BVB ultimately falling short come the final whistle.

Borussia Dortmund 2-1 RB Leipzig – Match Analysis

by Rhys Desmond, posted in Coach Education, German Bundesliga, Masterclasses, Match Analysis, Most Recent

Borussia Dortmund have been slowly creeping up the table, knocking at the door of league leaders Bayern Munich as they slip away and fall victim to their own fallacies in 2023. Now with a commanding performance and signal of intent against RB Leipzig, the Black & Yellows currently sit top of the table with Bayern still to play this weekend. Here is our analysis of how Dortmund beat Leipzig.

Game of Numbers #12 – Erik Ten Hag’s Positional Play Masterclass

by Rhys Desmond, posted in Coach Education, Game of Numbers, Managers, Masterclasses, Most Recent, Premier League, Team Analysis

Erik Ten Hag has deployed brilliant implementations of positional play all season long, putting on an absolute masterclass of how to confuddle the opposition into oblivion against Leicester City.

How Sean Dyche’s Everton beat Arsenal – Match Analysis

by Rhys Desmond, posted in Masterclasses, Match Analysis, Most Recent, Premier League

I've long been a defender of Sean Dyche's intensive and defensive, "long-ball" style. But there's perhaps no greater victory in his entire career than starting off at Everton with an absolute bang, beating the league leaders in Arsenal, who had previously only lost a single league game. Everton themselves had not won under Frank Lampard since October. But Sean Dyche would have relished the challenge of his first match, and would have taken all the pressure off his players to perform on the opening day. It showed in their performance, with the Toffees achieving a shock 1-0 win over the current title favourites. Here is how Sean Dyche's Everton beat Arsenal.

Argentina *3-3 France – World Cup Final – Match Analysis

by Rhys Desmond, posted in Match Analysis, World Cup 2022

Wow. What a final. The 2022 World Cup showed quite a bit of promise for having a tournament halfway through the season, and the final lived up to expectation as one of the best in years. Argentina came out flying on all cylinders, with France looking shell-shocked for the entire first half. But through the efforts of Mbappé and a few others, they eventually clawed their way back to force the game into extra time, and then penalty kicks. Here is our analysis of the 2022 World Cup Final between Argentina and France.

France 3-1 Poland – Match Analysis – 2022 World Cup

by Rhys Desmond, posted in Match Analysis, World Cup 2022

Even despite six of their potential pre-tournament starters now missing, France continue to be one of the most electric sides at the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Supercharged by the vibrancy in attack of Kylian Mbappé and masterfully supported by Antoine Griezmann and Olivier Giroud - France's front four quartet work together wonderfully to bring out the best in one another. The French put on a dominant display on Sunday, rolling to a rollicking 3-0 win over the Poles in the Round of 16. Here is our match analysis.

Reflections from Canada’s loss to Croatia – 2022 World Cup

by Rhys Desmond, posted in Match Analysis, Most Recent, World Cup 2022

After taking a few days to reflect on Canada's disappointing loss against Croatia, I have been able to take away many positives from the performance. Kamal Miller won't get much in the way of praise after being hung out to dry at the end of the game, but he had another brilliant performance at the back. Alphonso Davies meanwhile bagged the nation's first goal at a Men's World Cup inside just two minutes of action, waking my neighbours up as I yelled of joy. But in dissecting the game further, it's clear to see that Croatia operated at a higher level, with their fanciful one-touch triangulations causing chaos for Canada every time they had the ball. For what feels like the first time ever, a few things will need to drastically change from a tactical standpoint heading into the next fixture from John Herdman's team. Here are my reflections on Canada's 4-1 defeat to Croatia.

How Ecuador beat Qatar – World Cup 2022 – Match Analysis

by Rhys Desmond, posted in Match Analysis, Most Recent, World Cup 2022

The 2022 World Cup in Qatar has officially kicked off, with Ecuador rocking Qatar's world and walking to a 2-0 win. Boasting 53% of the possession and outclassing the hosts every step of the way, Ecuador were utterly dominant from start to finish, against the shaky Qatar defense that looked perplexed and out of solutions in handling the energy from Gustavo Alfaro's men. Here is our analysis of the opening match to this 2022 World Cup in Qatar, and how Ecuador easily beat the tournament hosts.