Tag: Raul Jimenez

Bruno Lage – Wolves – Tactical Analysis

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

After the departure of Nuno Espirito Santo at the end of last season, Wolverhampton Wanderers hoped their next manager would have the gusto to turn the club back into a Europa League challenging team. While Bruno Lage wasn't the flashiest of appointments, the Portuguese manager has surpassed fan expectations, turning Wolves into one of the best defensive units in the league. Despite scoring just 14 goals in 19 league games, Wolves sit 8th place in the table, on 28 points. That in large part is due to the excellent tactical balance of Bruno Lage's team, their sound defensive structure, and the fact that every single player has completely bought into his ideologies. Here is a tactical analysis all about Bruno Lage's Wolves.

Advertisement

Wolves 0-0 Chelsea – Tactical Analysis – Bruno Lage’s Defensive Masterclass

by Rhys Desmond, posted in Coach Education, Formations, Managers, Masterclasses, Match Analysis, Premier League, Team Analysis

A little over a year ago, Thomas Tuchel made his managerial debut for Chelsea, dominating 80% of the possession in a stale 0-0 draw. Sunday's encounter between the two teams saw many parallels, especially in Wolves' defensive appetite and Chelsea's failure to convert. However, it was a vastly different affair, with Wolves putting on a defensive masterclass, completely stunting Chelsea's progress and limiting them to just 1 shot on target. So with that, here is our tactical analysis of how Bruno Lage's team stopped Chelsea in their tracks, and secured another important 0-0 draw.

The Longball – Premier League Preview Show – Wolves

by Rhys Desmond, posted in Most Recent, Podcast, Premier League

On this episode, John and Declan are joined by Dave Azzopardi of Talking Wolves to discuss everything going on in Wolverhampton. The lads discuss what to expect from new manager Bruno Lage, the legacy of Nuno, and what the wandering Wanderers will need to do to climb back up the table this season.

CONCACAF Best XI in 2021 – TMS Podcast

by Rhys Desmond, posted in Most Recent, Podcast, Premier League, The Mastermind Site Podcast

In the history of the World Cup, not a single CONCACAF nation has ever reached the final, let alone won the competition. We are just under five years away from a CONCACAF-led World Cup in 2026, with all of these nations developing long term plans to do their best damage when the time ultimately comes for the competition. So with the present state of the CONCACAF scene, Rhys and Sam create their CONCACAF best eleven's and debate over some of the best players currently playing the game right now from North America. Be sure to tell us who would make your best eleven, and vote for who has the better team at themastermindsite.com.

How Wolves Have Struggled Without Raul Jimenez – Tactical Analysis (2020-21)

by Rhys Desmond, posted in Coaching, Most Recent, Premier League, World Football

Since losing Raul Jimenez to a horrific head injury in November 2020, Wolves have picked up just 8 points in 11 matches. They've stumbled down the table to 14th, and they look a far cry from the side that finished 7th in previous back to back seasons. Without Raul Jimenez and a sudden abandonment of their back-three mantra, Nuno Espirito Santo's side look like a team that lack a clear identity to win football matches. This comes as a surprise, given that Wolverhampton had one of the clearest identities in the league two seasons in a row before this one. After their toothless performance in the second half against West Bromwich Albion, leading to a 3-2 defeat, we take a look at what's gone wrong for the Raul Jimenez-less Wolverhampton Wanderers in 2020-21.

Top 100 Male Footballers of 2020 (100-81)

by Rhys Desmond, posted in German Bundesliga, Most Recent, Premier League, Serie A, Top 100 Footballers, UEFA Champions League, World Football

2020 was a strange year for everyone in the world, not just footballers. But the COVID-19 pandemic has meant that we haven't gotten as much football as we might have done otherwise. That said, there were still plenty of matches played across the year, and some surprise performers and performances along the way. As always, TheMastermindSite.com will now count down the top 100 footballers in the world for the year. This list takes into account a player's form in 2020 as it's primary mechanism, with reputation, club and national team success playing a role as well. So with that in mind, here is TheMastermindSite's Top 100 Male Footballers in the World for 2020.

How to move like a world class striker

by Rhys Desmond, posted in Coach Education, Coaching, Masterclasses, Masterclasses, Most Recent, Player Education, Striker

It's practically undeniable that a striker's number one role in a team is to score goals. But the actual art of scoring goals is so much more complex than many think. It comes down to far more than just finishing ability and instinct. Movement, particularly movement done off the ball, is so important to a striker's ability to score goals. The very best are masters of the art. Some are incredibly adept when it comes to movement in deep and linking up play with others lower on the field. But this article will explore those that are particularly adept at timing their runs into the box to perfection and scoring goals from their stellar movement off the ball. Here are 7 different movement patterns the world's best strikers often use in games to score goal after goal, game after game.

Nuno Espirito Santo – Wolves – Tactical Analysis (2019-20 Edition)

by Rhys Desmond, posted in Coaching, Formations, Managers, Most Recent, Premier League, Team Analysis, World Football

Wolves finished last season in 7th place, an admirable finish for a team who had just come up from the EFL Championship. This season they've fared even better and as things stand have a real shot at securing European football for another year. Portuguese manager Nuno Espirito Santo has been absolutely essential to their success since taking over and deserves an immense amount of credit for everything that he has brought to this team since 2017. Despite being in the Premier League for over a season and a half now, Santo has won over 50% of his games as Wolverhampton Wanderers' manager. This is a Tactical Analysis of the wonders of Wolverhampton Wanderers and their manager Nuno Espirito Santo.

Top 100 Male Footballers 2019 (100-91)

by Rhys Desmond, posted in German Bundesliga, Most Recent, Premier League, Serie A, Top 100 Footballers, UEFA Champions League, World Football

It's almost the end of the year, so it's only fitting that we count down the top 100 footballers of 2019. Check out the start of the list (100-91) right here.