3-4-1-2 – Holding Midfield

Goal Analysis: Robert Lewandowski – Bayern Munich 2-2 Hertha Berlin 16/8/2019

August 24, 2019August 24, 2019 by Joshua Askew

Joshua Askew

Robert Lewandowski opened the scoring in Bayern Munich's 2-2- draw with Hertha Berlin, making the space to score for himself. Lewandowski dropped deep to pick up a throw-in from David Alaba, drawing Niklas Stark up the pitch following him. Lewandowski drops back to receive a throw-in. Stark follows him up…

Gian Piero Gasperini’s Atalanta

June 14, 2019June 14, 2019 by Joshua Askew

Joshua Askew

Long time followers of Serie A will know about Gian Piero Gasperini from his time in charge of Genoa, but the new-found interest in his work from elsewhere might come as something of a surprise. He took Genoa from Serie B to the top half of Serie A and into…

Case Study: Chelsea 4-1 Arsenal 29/5/2019

May 31, 2019May 31, 2019 by Joshua Askew

Joshua Askew

What should have been the peak of both finalists' seasons ended up overshadowed in the run-up to this game by off-field factors. Difficulties in even making it to Baku meant that neither team managed to sell their paltry ticket allocations, while Henrikh Mkhitaryan opted not to travel due to concerns…

Case Study: Tottenham Hotspur 3-0 Borussia Dortmund 13/2/2019

February 16, 2019February 16, 2019 by Joshua Askew

Joshua Askew

Having scraped their way through a tough group, Tottenham found themselves drawn against Bundesliga leaders Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League's last sixteen. Trying to keep pace in the Premier League title race while wrestling with an injury crisis and still failing to make any additions to the squad, the…

Case Study: Arsenal 4-2 Tottenham Hotspur 2/12/2018

December 5, 2018 by Joshua Askew

Joshua Askew

A North London derby between two sides in similar boats at the moment. Arsenal have fallen away in recent years and Unai Emery faces a tough job to get them back to the top, while Tottenham Hotspur have failed to invest in a squad that has performed superbly under Mauricio…

Case Study: Liverpool 5-2 Roma 24/4/2018

April 25, 2018April 26, 2018 by Joshua Askew

Joshua Askew

Neither team really looked favourites to be here going into the quarter-finals, but here they are. Liverpool thrashed Manchester City and held strong in the second leg, while Roma staged an incredible comeback against Barcelona to fight their way through to the semis. The home side lined up in their…

Case Study: Chelsea 1-0 Manchester United 5/11/2017

November 7, 2017November 7, 2017 by Joshua Askew

Joshua Askew

This one seemed a bit more interesting in the build-up than an away trip for a Jose Mourinho team against a bigger side should be, due to Manchester United's surprisingly attacking display at Old Trafford in April. Mourinho's lack of ambition beyond grinding out goal-less draws in the away games…

Bilardismo: Argentina at the 1986 World Cup

October 12, 2017October 12, 2017 by Joshua Askew

Joshua Askew

As Jorge Sampaoli prepares for a must-win game away in the altitude of Ecuador with Argentina's World Cup hopes in the balance, questions arise of what his team must do to get to Russia. Sampaoli's name was built on exciting football at Chile and Sevilla, but should he be willing…

Retrospective: Lazio 4-4 AC Milan 1999

October 6, 2017 by Joshua Askew

Joshua Askew

Italian football has a reputation for being defensive born from its more methodical style of play and the country's general ability in defending, having a particular respect for the art in much the same way the Spanish put passing on a pedestal, yet if there was ever a time the…

Retrospective: Milan 0-1 Juventus 2005

October 13, 2015July 9, 2017 by Joshua Askew

Joshua Askew

It may have taken the extreme depths and European embarrassments we are currently seeing for everyone to catch on to the fact that the Premier League is pretty terrible at the moment, although it's lacked real quality since 2011, but there's little greater evidence of quite how far it's fallen…

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