David de Gea, Jonny Evans, Phil Jones and Danny Welbeck showed stunning displays of maturity in the Champions League draw with Real Madrid … It was a spine – goalkeeper, central defender, defensive midfielder and forward – handed great responsibility in this opening Champions League last-16 leg by Sir Alex Ferguson. They were to blunt Madrid’s attacking […]
Tag Archives: Tactics
Who are the dirtiest team in the EPL?
Several teams in the Premier League have been branded as ‘dirty’ teams over the years, but which teams actually deserve the title of ‘dirtiest’ this season? We take a look at which teams have committed the most fouls this season, as well as which teams have received the most yellow cards. We have also looked […]
Everton: How David Moyes has reinvented the club
For a team that worked so hard at winning their reputation as the Premier League’s slow starters, the table makes healthy and refreshing reading for Everton and manager David Moyes. Too often in recent times Everton and their supporters have examined the final standings in May and been left wondering what might have been had […]
Blurring the lines between defenders and midfielders
A recent tactical trend is to field midfielders at centre-back, an approach favoured by Barcelona’s Pep Guardiola and Tito Vilanova, who have refused to buy a “traditional” central defender despite needing back-up for Carles Puyol and Gerard Pique. Instead, they’ve converted Javier Mascherano, Alex Song and Sergio Busquets into defenders, with varying levels of regularity […]
Corinthians leave Chelsea singing the Blues
James Young from the Independent gives us his verdict on how Corinthians were able to defeat Chelsea at the Club World Cup final in Japan. … While Chelsea had their moments, those who have watched Corinthians over the last couple of years will know that “bend but don’t break” is practically the team motto. Theirs […]
From Superman to Supersub – The fall of the No.9 in the EPL
Everton’s Nikica Jelavić and Aston Villa’s Darren Bent used to score for fun but are now suffering after their managers have demanded a more patient approach. Here’s why the classic number nine has gone from superhero to supersub… The transformation of English football in recent years has been as swift as it has been profound. Changes off the […]
Analysis: City vs United
Match Report: BBC. City 2 United 3 Robin van Persie’s injury-time winner sent Manchester United six points clear at the top of the Premier League after a stormy derby win against Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium. …Van Persie, who City manager Roberto Mancini admitted he wanted to sign before his £24m summer move from […]
Pretty football and the Nash equilibrium
Ignore Barcelona. Ignore Spain. Ignore 1982 Brazil, Total Football Holland, and the Invincibles. What if the real footballing lesson about aspiration and beauty lies not in art, but in economics? This I have learned from John Forbes Nash, the Nobel Laureate depicted by Russell Crowe in A Beautiful Mind. In the movie version, Crowe/Nash advises […]
Tactics Board: QPR 1-3 Southampton
Queens Park Rangers can’t turn a corner and they can’t defend one either. As Southampton won the game branded ‘El Sackico’, one of the themes of the season – zonal marking – was present and incorrect. But, more to the point, so was another: Rangers’ ineptitude. …Southampton’s first is a case in point. QPR opt […]
Sir Alex continues to confounds the opposition and even his players
In continuation of our recent post regarding The Football Philosophy of Sir Alex Ferguson in the 2012/13 Season, we try to make sense of Fergie’s ever-evolving strategy which has launched Manchester United back up to the top of the Premier League table. Although United’s current position is a familiar sight, the way the wily Scot […]
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