1) 5-3-2, the counter-attacking formation-du-jour
Ever the tactical trendsetter, Chelsea’s Antonio Conte has done it again. Last season’s switch to 3-4-2-1, that inspired a title-grabbing 13-game winning run, was shamelessly copycatted across the Premier Division; most notably by London rivals Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur. Continue reading
1) Klopp suffers the fate of his former employers
Wembley has witnessed Mauricio Pochettino’s counter-attacking 5-3-1-1 system before. On September 13 of this year, Tottenham Hotspur, configured in that very shape, absolutely destroyed Peter Bosz’s gung-ho Borussia Dortmund in the channels. On Sunday, Liverpool’s Jurgen Klopp, once of the Dortmund parish, met the very same fate. Continue reading
Tottenham Hotspur exorcised their Wembley demons, and added to Borussia Dortmund’s, by taking full advantage of this thriller’s defining characteristic. Continue reading
Mauricio Pochettino followed up a shrewd first-half tactical shift with a disastrous piece of half-time tinkering to seemingly hand victory to Pep Guardiola. But Manchester City’s familar defensive vulnerability, coupled with some poor refereeing, salvaged a fortunate point for Tottenham Hotspur. Continue reading
A double positional error from Eden Hazard, one either side of half-time, saw Chelsea concede the same goal twice — ending their 13-game winning run, and reopening the Premier Division title race to Tottenham Hotspur et al. Continue reading
Pinned back initially by Tottenham’s high press, Chelsea’s wing-backs took full advantage of some poor defensive transitions in wide areas to convert a woeful opening 44 minutes into a seventh consecutive league win. 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
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
High pressing
This game was a Premier League rarity – one in which both sides came to play with a high block; holding a high defensive line and attempting to close down the opposition in their own half. Manchester City attempted 16 tackles in Spurs’ half, completing 9 of them. Spurs attempted 10, completing 6.
Both sides’ opening goals came from this avenue. Aguero’s opener stemmed from Erik Lamela losing possession to Bacary Sagna in the final third. Similarly, Eriksen’s equaliser arrived as a result of Fernando losing possession at the hands of Ryan Mason in front of his defence. Continue reading
Tactics Truck v2.0 