A year or so ago, the idea that Barcelona’s current side was the best to have ever played the game was pretty popular. The ball was passed from world-class player to world-class player as Barca would patiently strangle the life out of opposition teams. One tricky season later and it seemed we had been caught…
We have reached the penultimate side on the list, and we are now in the rather odd position where the team we have named second best in history would probably be beaten by every team that came before it in the series. The problem with judging teams from different eras is that it is near-impossible…
It’s amazing the changes that can happen in a decade. At the start of the noughties, minidiscs were the way forward for music, only to end up replaced by the iPod. The internet has helped fuel the rise of mp3, but most people who tried to use it at the turn of the century will…
Barcelona are well known around the world for their impressive attack, but their defence is worth examination as well. This post presents the key facets of the team’s defence – what the team does when they lose possession and how the team gets the ball back, based on the analysis of the games against Arsenal…
Over the past 12-18 months a Spanish striker has emerged from the ashes of the beautiful Catalan tiki taka from the fields of La Masia. He came and saved Spain from themselves, from their almost ridiculous need to play possession football and not bother sticking it in the mixer. Every right-minded English media presence could…
The most exciting tie in the fifth round of the Copa Del Rey didn’t turn out to be quite as entertaining as some may have hoped, but it remained an interesting tactical battle. Villarreal lined up in their usual 4-2-2-2, which has been outlined in a highly recommended analysis by Tim Hill. Valencia manager Unai…
Plenty of people that Barcelona’s incredible 5-0 El Clasico win over Real Madrid had little to do tactics, and they had a point: when teams go out with a similar gameplan, it comes down to who can execute it better, but saying that makes it sound as if the Catalans are untouchable. They aren’t, and…
