🔴Sterling a world-class talent when in the mood
🔴3-4-3 pinned the Germans back
🔴Low's leaky backline bites again
🔴Grealish Game-Changer
🔴Back 5 helped English midfield (options)
Starting lineup thoughts, the Saka decision was brave and the correct one as he can penetrate space inside and outside. Perfect for a counter attack set up.
Abit too perfect as its effectiveness ended up pushing the Germans back...
As we can see the beauty of the 3-4-3 is that by matching the German formation, England went man for man and the Germans were forced to match them.
This freed up Saka and Sterling from double marking and they were dangerous in the 1st half. Germany got caught out several times.
Germany dropped off and played with a back 5 in an attempt to stifle Saka and Sterling. It worked to a degree.
Kane who was off the pace struggled even more when this happened. He was surrounded with no passes being made into him. His own lack of movement was also a problem.
The only German chances came from transitions and they were not really of a high quality. England generally managed it quite well although there were some scary moments on the far post due to Kimmich and Gosens connecting once again.
Lets also give praise to Gareth's front foot pressing tactic. We mentioned it in our preview but a 3-4-3 allows you to press high up the pitch and England matched the Austrians, Czechs and Swiss by doing this.
It disrupted the Germans rhythm and Kroos struggled to influence.
What a sub by Gareth to bring in Grealish who had a hand in both goals. It pushed Sterling to the right and that is where Sterling was able to make an impact.
Nothing tactically amazing about this, just a great run by Sterling who drove at the space left behind Kroos...
Very few players have the ball mastery of a Raheem Sterling. So good in tight spaces and can eat up yards too.. the English Hazard.
For City he too often passes the buck or flops the finish in the elite games but for England he takes responsibility.
Kane still worries me. He got a goal which is great but it was after the game opened up. Against smaller sides who will shut up shop, he needs to be sharper and move more. Still one to keep an eye on and not get carried away.
Subs are so important in this tournament. The sheer number available and the quality of the benches this year means the momentum of a game can shift like crazy. Tactical versatility highlighted by Tuchel’s recent impact is becoming more and more important.
The comparison between Sven v Gareth is intriguing.
Sven would shoehorn as many stars into a side as he could to not hurt egos and Gareth seems intent on pissing off as many stars as possible.
At least he is focused on what he thinks will win him the game.
With Amorim looking to cut Rashford, we look at transfers where managers took bold action, wielding the axe on big names they saw as cultural roadblocks—resetting team dynamics and steering their clubs back to success.
⚔️🏆
[A THREAD]
Pep Guardiola's Cultural Reset: The Birth of Tiki-Taka and the Rise of Messi
Ronaldinho, a Ballon d’Or winner, was a magician on the pitch but had fallen victim to complacency and off-field distractions. His brilliance was now overshadowed by late-night parties and waning fitness. Deco, an equally gifted playmaker, was also seen as emblematic of the squad’s fading focus. Guardiola’s decision to part ways with both was met with skepticism. How could Barcelona survive, let alone thrive, without these talismans?
But for Pep, their exits weren’t just tactical—they were symbolic. Their departures sent a message that no one was bigger than the team and that a new era would prioritise discipline and hard work over reputation.
In their place, Guardiola turned to players who embodied humility and dedication. Chief among them was a young Lionel Messi, whose prodigious talent was matched by an unassuming demeanor. Alongside Messi, other homegrown talents like Xavi Hernández, Andrés Iniesta, and Sergio Busquets formed the backbone of the team. These players weren’t just technically gifted; they were steeped in the club’s philosophy, having been groomed at La Masia, Barcelona’s famed academy.
This new group of “choirboys,” weren’t about the flash of the individual but the harmony of the collective. Under Guardiola’s guidance, they would come to redefine football itself.
Guardiola’s cultural overhaul bore fruit almost immediately. In his first season, Barcelona won an unprecedented treble: La Liga, the Copa del Rey, and the UEFA Champions League. Their style of play was mesmerising, dismantling opponents with precision and fluidity. Ronaldinho and Deco’s brilliance was soon a distant memory, eclipsed by the systemic dominance of Guardiola’s tiki-taka machine.
More importantly, Guardiola had re-established Barcelona’s identity. The club became synonymous with elegance, discipline, and a commitment to nurturing homegrown talent.
Sir Alex Ferguson’s Drinking Revolution: Selling McGrath and Whiteside
By common consensus, the turning point came with a Mark Robins header against Nottingham Forest at the City Ground on Jan 7, 1990.
Within Old Trafford, however, the recollection is different. The Robins goal provided a launch-pad but, according to Bryan Robson, the boil had actually been lanced six months earlier, during summer of 1989.
“When the manager sold Paul McGrath and Norman Whiteside, he was getting rid of big fans’ favourites and it was a really big decision,” Robson recalls.
“A lot has been said about the manager not being happy with their lifestyle, but I think the major factor with both Norman and Paul was their injuries and the manager felt he couldn’t rely on their fitness anymore.
“What the manager proved by selling Norman and Big Paul, however, was that he would take the tough decisions, no matter how big or popular the player. He has since proved that time and time again. He knows that you cannot allow cracks to develop and affect a dressing room, so he will make the big calls and that’s why he has been so successful over 25 years.”
The cultural reset initiated by Ferguson began to bear fruit in the early 1990s. The 1990 FA Cup victory, often credited with saving Ferguson’s job, was the first major success of the new era. It marked a turning point for the club, instilling belief and laying the groundwork for the dominance that would follow.
United went on to win their first league title in 26 years in 1993, ushering in an era of unprecedented success under Ferguson. The tough decisions of the late 1980s, including the sales of McGrath and Whiteside, proved instrumental in creating the culture that underpinned this golden age.
➡️ Silva was City's deepest mid? Pep has lost the plot
➡️ Fired up Trent, dominates passive Szoboszlai's zone
➡️ Van Dijk humbles Haaland + dominates set pieces
➡️ City no vertical penetration in wide areas
➡️ Akanji positioned too high
As we can see from City's position/pass network, that there is zero width down the right. Everything seems geared to getting the ball to Nunes... but why is Pep treating an out of position B2B as his new Eden Hazard?
A bizzare move which proves he's not in his right mind atm.
With regards to Liverpool, they mostly built up through the right with Trent, Gravenberch, Szobo and Salah creating squares and parallelograms, running City's left side ragged with their sharpness and moving the ball around quickly.
➡️ Walker is finished - STOP STARTING HIM!
➡️ Pep's OOP Structure is abysmal, no CDM??
➡️ Kulusevski bullies Gvardiol by making him defend
➡️ Haaland needs to trust his right foot
➡️ In possession City did look slick but lost confidence
City started well but for me Haaland's lack of willingness to use his right foot meant that some great opportunities were squandered and this then allowed Spurs to stay in the game.
He refused to use his first touch to push the ball into space in front of him and kept working it back onto his left which allowed Spurs time to get back in and make blocks.
Kyle Walker can someone explain this misguided loyalty angle from Pep? it is usually a sign of a manager who has lost his hunger when he starts making basic errors like this from a selection POV.
Pep needs to recover his ruthless streak. Son an old man winger was made to look in his prime, and kept tearing him down the line.
Maddison was also given so much freedom to operate and ghost into the box as none of those City midfielders were able to track back and physically bully him.
➡️Pentagon Press (3 forwards, 2 CM) backed by WB
➡️Ugarte unleashed as ball hunter
➡️Feed Forward - CF centric service plan
➡️Rest Defence (5-4-1)
Full Video:
#MUFC
[A THREAD] 👇
Amorim presses in a very structured manner. It is called a 'pentagon press' where he uses a 5 man unit to hunt for the ball... the CF supported by the two inside forwards, which is then supported by a second wave of two midfielders who vacate the space in midfield. It can lead to potential gaps between midfield and defence.
The near side wing back also supports the press whilst the other side moves back to form a back 4.
If the press is bypassed, Amorim likes to drop off into a back 5.
The midfield 4 still act as a unit, moving to the side where the ball is and looking to shield the backline but also squeeze the ball back from that side by using the touchline to pin opponents in.
What happens to those who follow greatness? Some crumble under the weight of expectation, others thrive. A rare few step out of the shadows to forge their own legacies.
Shadow Managers - A thread🧵
𝐑𝐨𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐭 𝐂𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐥 – Sunderland
Campbell followed Tom Watson, Britain’s first great football manager. Watson turned Sunderland into a powerhouse, known as the “team of all talents.” He elevated the manager’s role from administrative to visionary.
When Watson left for Liverpool, Campbell stepped in but couldn’t maintain Sunderland’s dominance. He left with no titles, forever overshadowed by Watson’s legacy.
𝐂𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐥 𝐏𝐨𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 – Huddersfield Town
Potter had an unusual background: battling for promotion with Derby, playing cricket for Hartlepool, and working as a dairy farmer in Sussex. Yet, he was chosen to replace the great Herbert Chapman at Huddersfield.
Huddersfield had won back-to-back league titles under Chapman. Potter completed the three-peat but left soon after due to poor health. A brief but brilliant chapter.
➡️ Cucurella seems to have Saka's number?
➡️ Gusto's best defensive performance?
➡️ Odegaard invisible but decisive, Palmer the opposite
➡️ Caicedo stepped up as defensive shield
➡️ Raya swept to perfection
➡️ Rice at LCM is too vanilla
Arsenal erred today by using Rice as a LCM off the ball, which meant he couldn't get to grips with Cole Palmer who arguably had his best big match display this season in terms of 'involvement'.
Having said that, Cole Palmer didn't make the most of it with some poor decision making in key moments but it was overall a step in the right direction as he didn't ghost but tried to impact the game.
His rival Odegaard had returned from injury and he was a ghost for the most part. Very little involvement but then when the key moment came, he managed to make it count with a great ball to Martinelli who put it away despite a torrid display prior to it.