3-4-3 – Holding Midfield

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s Manchester United

January 19, 2020January 23, 2020 by Joshua Askew

Joshua Askew

A year ago Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was made manager of Manchester United after yet another collapse in Jose Mourinho's third season at a club. Appointed as caretaker until the end of the season, Solskjaer was a simple choice to curry favour with supporters: a club legend and reminder of good…

Case Study: Wolverhampton Wanderers 3-2 Manchester City 27/12/2019

December 28, 2019December 28, 2019 by Joshua Askew

Joshua Askew

After Liverpool beat Leicester City to extend their lead at the top of the table the previous evening, Manchester City came into this game knowing their margin for error is rapidly dwindling. Pep Guardiola set up his team in a 4-2-3-1 shape, whereas Nuno Espirito Santo opted for a 3-4-3…

Case Study: Monterrey 1-2 Liverpool 18/12/2019

December 19, 2019December 19, 2019 by Joshua Askew

Joshua Askew

Just 20 hours after a weakened Aston Villa side and a weakened Liverpool youth side tried to kill off the League Cup for good in what actually turned out to be an entertaining match, a weakened Liverpool side kicked off their Club World Cup campaign against Monterrey. Changing back to…

Case Study: Liverpool 5-2 Everton 4/12/2019

December 5, 2019December 18, 2019 by Joshua Askew

Joshua Askew

For quite some time, Everton appear to have had a mental blockage when it came to the Merseyside derby. No matter the two teams' form coming into the game, Everton had a habit of folding when they met their local rivals - their sole win over Liverpool in the last…

Newcastle’s defensive set-up against Tottenham Hotspur

August 30, 2019December 18, 2019 by Joshua Askew

Joshua Askew

After just two games, Steve Bruce’s position as manager of his boyhood team Newcastle was already under question by some. In response, he goes and secures a superb win over Champions League finalists Tottenham Hotspur with a well-organised, disciplined defensive performance. The game doesn’t really merit a match report –…

Gian Piero Gasperini’s Atalanta

June 14, 2019December 18, 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…

Goal Analysis: Virgil van Dijk – Newcastle 2-3 Liverpool 4/5/2019

May 5, 2019December 18, 2019 by Joshua Askew

Joshua Askew

Liverpool's gameplan appeared to be to keep their midfield deep and stretch them out across the pitch, hoping to pull Newcastle's forward and open up gaps between them to play passes through to their forwards between the lines. Newcastle didn't take the bait though: they were disciplined and kept their…

Case Study: Southampton 1-3 Liverpool 5/4/2019

April 6, 2019December 18, 2019 by Joshua Askew

Joshua Askew

After Manchester City won against Cardiff, Liverpool once again needed to win to go top of the league. Southampton have pulled away from the relegation zone under new coach Ralph Hasenhuttl yet still haven't guaranteed safety. Jugen Klopp went with his usual 4-3-3 formation, but switched out James Milner and…

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

December 5, 2018December 18, 2019 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: Wolverhampton Wanderers 1-1 Manchester City 25/8/2018

August 26, 2018December 18, 2019 by Joshua Askew

Joshua Askew

Manchester City looked to maintain their 100% record as they defend their Premier League title, while Wolverhampton Wanderers are still looking for their first win in the top division after storming their way to the top of the Championship last season. Nuno Espirito Santo set up his side in a…

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