Although Olivier Giroud’s late header earned his Arsenal side a scarcely-merited point, Arsene Wenger’s undue preoccupation with possession – at the expense of penetration – resulted in the Frenchman’s 12th consecutive failure to inflict defeat on José Mourinho. Continue reading
Ronald Koeman’s disastrous decision to field a three-man defence for the first time since August 20 helped Chelsea to inflict upon Everton one of the most one-sided thrashings of the 2016/17 Premier League season. Continue reading
Tom Heaton’s heroics, paired with the dismissal of Ander Herrera, limited the impact of Manchester United’s second-half tactical rejig, ensuring that José Mourinho’s side paid for yet another anaemic first-half performance by dropping two points to Sean Dyche’s Burnley. Continue reading
Mauricio Pochettino’s obsession with controlling the central midfield battle against fellow pressers Bournemouth rendered his attack completely toothless and cost Tottenham Hotspur the opportunity to top the Premier League. Continue reading
Manchester City’s new-look 3-2-2-3 formation survived the effects of an ingenious half-time tactical switch from Everton’s Ronald Koeman to emerge with a point. Continue reading
Out-pressed in the first-half by a relentless host midfield, Liverpool survived Mike van der Hoorn’s incredible injury-time miss to complete a second-half turnaround against a spent Swansea City. Continue reading
Paul Pogba starred in a better-balanced Manchester United midfield three, as José Mourinho’s side ended a two-game losing streak with a first-half demolition of champions Leicester City. Continue reading
Manchester City survived José Mourinho’s second-half tactical copycatting and a catastrophic debut from goalkeeper Claudio Bravo to translate their first-half pre-eminence into Pep Guardiola’s maiden Manchester derby victory. Continue reading
After a first-half in which Jurgen Klopp’s side out-pressed Tottenham, a familiar lack of control saw Liverpool squander their half-time lead. Continue reading
Writing this piece just minutes after a turgid encounter between last season’s top-two finishers, it’s difficult to escape the suspicion that this season’s edition of the English Premier League is going to be a tough watch. Continue reading
Tactics Truck v2.0 