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  • Tactical Analysis: Finland vs. Russia

    Zenit’s Krestovsky Stadium bore witness to one of Europe’s many “Rye Bread Derbies”, this time, a showdown with historical precedent, Finland vs Russia. Despite Finland being the ones with momentum on their side, the consensus was that this 90 minutes would follow the dynamics of the Winter War of 1939-1940, where a superior Russia would…

  • Tactical Analysis: Italy vs. Switzerland

    Before a ball had been kicked, EURO 2020 looked like it could be a tournament for the dark horses. Yet, on a day when a heavily-tipped Turkish side were seemingly written off for good, it was another of the more serious outsiders who really underlined their evermore genuine aspirations to go on and win the…

  • Tactical Analysis: Turkey vs. Wales

    Within 15 minutes of the first matchup between Turkey and Wales since 1997, the tone had been set. Burak Yilmaz eagerly pressed the Welsh defence, only to see his teammates fail to join him. His scream of fury summarised Turkey perfectly; promising, but incoherent.   Wales were on top of their opponents throughout the opening…

  • Tactical Analysis: Hungary vs. Portugal

    A rare sight in these recent Covid times, the Ferenc Pukas stadium in Budapest saw over 60,000 vociferous Hungarians in attendance, the only venue to be allowed at full capacity during the tournament. However, Portugal grabbed a vital win with three goals in the final ten minutes as Cristiano Ronaldo became the European Championships all-time…

  • Tactical Analysis: France vs. Germany

    France have entered EURO 2020 as overwhelming favorites for the trophy, and if Tuesday was an appetizer for what’s to come from them, expect to be served the grandest of main courses in approximately a month. They, alongside Germany, Portugal and Hungary make up what most have been quick to label the Group of Death,…

  • The Ultimate Euro 2020 Matchweek 1 Review

    The sun is shining, summer is here, and the European Championships are in full flow, what more could you ask for? With the first round of fixtures at the delayed Euro 2020 out the way, here at Breaking the Lines, we thought we’d analyse who’s impressed from the get-go, and who will need to get…

  • Individual and Systematic in-Possession Considerations When Recruiting a Goalkeeper

    In recent years, as football moves to more possession-orientated philosophies and approaches to the game, goalkeepers’ roles go far beyond just shot-stopping. In the ‘modern’ game, goalkeepers have to be adequate with their feet in possession, often used in the build-up and they have to ‘sweep’ more often, coming further off their lines as teams…

  • Tactical Analysis: Spain vs. Sweden

    In a tepid tie between two sides that began the match with an average age of 25.1 for Spain and 29.6 for Sweden, it was players aged 18 and 21 that shone by far brightest for their respective sides. For Spain it was the next in a long line of midfield maestros, Pedri, and for…

  • Le Meilleur – France Primed for European Glory

    Not content with winning the 2018 World Cup on home soil, Didier Deschamps’ France side are set to be crowned European Champions next month, when they win the Euro 2020 final. That is according to Casumo. The bookmaker used a supercomputer to predict the tournament’s winner, top goalscorer and Team of the Tournament among other…

  • Manchester City Tipped for Champions League Revenge in 2022

    Online betting sites have released odds for the 2021-22 Champions League campaign, and despite still being in search of their first European honours since 1970, Manchester City have the shortest odds to lift the trophy next year. Pep Guardiola’s men were also favoured last term, and were odds-on to beat Chelsea in the final but…