Articles
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Fulham’s Man-Oriented Approach Against Manchester City
Man-orientation is relatively common when pressing, but not in consolidated defensive play. However, it can appear via a mix of man-orientation and zonal marking, depending on the location of the ball. For example, a defensive backline may become man-oriented against an opposition front line when the ball is being progressed forward, with the aim of…
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The Complete U-21 Euros Group Stage Review
In just 7 days, the U-21 European Championships group stage has come to a close, a tournament whose peculiar scheduling and lack of preparation haven’t taken any of the spectacles away. In the 24 group stage matches, we witnessed captivating individual performances, fluent midfield dominations, and more than enough goalkeeping errors. Though many of…
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Player Analysis: Alexis Mac Allister
In terms of pathways to professional football, it was almost a foregone conclusion Alexis Mac Allister would become a professional footballer. The young Argentinian comes from a footballing family. His father, Carlos, and uncle, Patricio played professionally. Such pedigree seemingly laid the pathway for not only Alexis but his brothers Francis and Kevin, who play…
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Player Analysis: Emil Riis Jakobsen
On 1 October 2020, Emil Riis Jakobsen signed a four-year deal with EFL Championship side Preston North End. Having joined Danish Superliga side Randers at the age of 14, a club literally on the doorstep from his hometown Hobro, Riis showed off his ability within the space of two years, becoming the top scorer of…
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7 Zone-Model and the Importance of Establishing Connections
Thomas Tuchel uses the methods of positional play to achieve this optimal possession positioning, which @la_notice_ details here: What is Positional Play? – Breaking The Lines. The crucial element to take away however is the use of vertical corridors to dictate positioning whereby the wide centre backs when possession is central sit in their respective…
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A Masterclass in Pressing: Red Bull Salzburg
As they close in on their eighth consecutive Austrian Bundesliga title, Red Bull Salzburg continue to draw more and more praise for their promising young players such as Patson Daka and Mergim Berisha, in addition to a unique, domineering style of play. Case Study: Jesse Marsch’s Red Bull Salzburg They can be most recognised…
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The Best Performers From the 2021 Under-21 European Championship Group Stage
The group stage of the 2021 Under-21 European Championship has drawn to a close, with the Netherlands, Germany, Spain, Italy, Denmark, France, Portugal, and Croatia progressing to the knockouts. Many of the world’s top talents, including the likes of Eduardo Camavinga, Jules Koundé, Callum Hudson-Odoi, Emile Smith Rowe and Francisco Trincão were featuring, but many…
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Why Frank Lampard Should Be England’s Next U-21 Manager
In the wake of their second straight disastrous U-21 European Championships campaign, England manager Aidy Boothroyd is facing stern criticism from the football world. With a youth squad containing an embarrassment of riches and players featuring in the Premier League on the regular basis, it was simply not good enough for England not to advance…
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Player Analysis: Romain Faivre
Ligue 1 has a habit of producing these footballing gems who seem to fly under the radar for no other reason than the excuse that the competition is “a farmer’s league.” That belittling comment couldn’t be further from the truth, and arguably every team has a player capable of competing in European competition with relative…
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A New Dawn in Milan
Following months of speculation and ambivalence, the new ‘I’ and ‘M’ graced the Inter Milan crest in what can be seen as a radical logo rebrand. There was speculation this change won’t happen until the club was about to mark its 113th anniversary in March and Nerazzurri hierarchy duly delivered with this new revamp being…
