Articles
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Player Analysis: Federico Valverde
At 22 years of age, Federico Valverde has become the latest talent to emerge from the small South American country of Uruguay (population: 3.5 million) and establish himself on the world stage. Born in the capital city of Montevideo, Valverde began his development at local club Estudiantes de la Unión before joining one of the…
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Tactical Analysis: The Netherlands’ 5-3-2 Formation at Euro 2020
The 5-3-2 formation is known to be composed of 5 defenders, 3 midfielders and 2 forwards. That’s just a general way of putting it. A more football-related description would be 5-3-2 when out of possession and 3-5-2 when in possession / building up phase. The 3 center backs consist of 2 man-to-man markers and one…
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Mohamed Lamine Soumah: Guinea’s Diminutive Playmaker
Mohamed Lamine Soumah was born in the West African nation of Guinea on 7 July 2002. Despite his young age, he has been a regular starter for AS Kaloum in the 2020/2021 Guinean Championnat National (Guinea’s top division). Soumah has had a meteoric rise at the international level having played for Guinea’s Under 17’s, Under…
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Roy Hodgson: The Most Disrespected Mind in the Game
After managing sixteen different clubs and four national teams, over a staggering 45-year career, Roy Hodgson has announced he will retire from management at the end of the season. The 73-year-old will lead Crystal Palace out at Anfield on Sunday, in what will be his final time in the dugout. He’ll be keen to…
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Dušan Vlahović: Fiorentina’s Serbian Sharpshooter
Of course, there is a certain Norwegian number nine with the world at his feet who is and will be the talk of the town when it comes to the transfer market for a few windows to come, like a stretched out Netflix series, the Erling Haaland saga will go on as he is paraded…
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Dynamic Space Occupation: A Tactical Theory
As Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City prepare to take on Thomas Tuchel’s Chelsea in the Champions League Final in Porto, it shows the reign of positional play as both managers have established the style of positional play in their team. But to stand out among a wide range of teams using positional play these managers…
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The Rise and Fall of Bernard Tapie’s Marseille: Part 1: L’homme d’affaires
This is the first installation of a six-part series on Olympique de Marseille. You can read “Part 2: La Nuit Les Projecteurs Se Sont Éteints,” here. You can read “Part 3: Nuits Blanches Et Thés Frelatés,” here. You can read “Part 4: La Balance,” here. You can read “Part 5: Les Retombées,” here. You can read…
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The Rejuvenation of Manchester City
Last week, Manchester City won the Premier League for the third time in four years, without even kicking a ball. Leicester’s 2-1 win against United set in motion that trophy’s return to the Etihad in a matter of weeks. With the Carabao Cup and the league secured, much of the attention has turned to the…
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Tactical Analysis: Inter Milan and Defending in a 5-3-2
This article will investigate the 5-3-2 more abstractly, and subsequently use Antonio Conte’s Inter as a case study of the shape. Inter are the highest quality team currently operating with the shape and therefore can highlight its advantages to the greatest extent and reveal why playing in such a way is viable for runaway champions;…
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Gaziantep: The F1 Car That Turned Into a Tractor
“I left a Formula One car to him and he’s driving it like he’s a tractor. He’s a novice.” Those were the words of former Gaziantep manager Marius Șumudică, who was dismissed from his post in January due to disagreements with the club’s board, prior to a match between Gaziantep and Çaykur Rizespor on…
