🔴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.
➡️ Yamal sat deep to great effect 1H
➡️ Enrique gambled with Hakimi positioning
➡️ Thus Rashford had acres of space BUT
➡️ Martin brutally exposed by Hakimi/Barcola gangbang
➡️ Vitinha initially quiet but held firm v Pedri
DEEP DIVE👇
Starting XI's... Barca with a 4-2-3-1, PSG with a 4-3-3.
Notably no Dembele, Doue, Kvara, Marquinhos and Neves... away from home, and beating a pretty strong Barca side is impressive.
Barcelona fans can console themselves that there is still other midfield options they can toy around with, Lewa and Balde not in the side, or Joan Garcia.
So ultimately more of a feeler out game rather than both sides at full full strength.
First tactical choice which really stood out was Yamal's positioning in this game. He sat deeper, almost sucking in Mendes as a marker and used his passing to bring his team mates into the game.
This left Pacho exposed to runs in behind and because Yamal can suck in multiple defenders, he was finding his team mates who were now in acres of room. This included Torres running in behind and Kounde on the underlap driving from deep.
Giovanni Leoni - ULTIMATE Scout Report (Video v Data)
Big, physical, proactive and a real presence inside the box but can he play ball or is he an Italian De Ligt? I was taken aback by what I saw.
Let’s break down what he brings and what he doesn’t - for Liverpool 👇
#LFC
Aerial Ability (Eye Test)
💪 6ft 4 at age 18 allied with an explosive spring, strong shoulders, on paper complete package aerially.
⚡ Quick off the mark, inside the box - can make the first step and get in ahead meeting the ball first
🔍 Reads trajectory EXTREMELY well and adjusts positioning
Summary: Premier league ready in terms of aerial ability. He would relish a battle with a forward who is a brute inside the box... and if Liverpool are defending deep, facing a bombardment of crosses at the death - holding on to a lead... Leoni is an asset.
Aerial Ability (Data)
📈 64.5% aerial duels won
🥅 0.07 headed goals per 90
✅ Outperform - Araujo, De Ligt
Summary: High win rate makes him reliable in defensive set-piece scenarios AND adds attacking threat at corners which could prove valuable for Liverpool in tight matches away from home where set-pieces decide games.
➡️ Ideal foil for Slot system
➡️ Trivela pass from LIF = tap in by Mo
➡️ Can drift deep & rotate with Mo
➡️ Becomes 4321 with Salah CF IP
➡️ Encouages LFC to dominate territory
➡️ Fast combo with Wirtz edge of box
A THREAD 🧵
#LiverpoolFC
1️⃣ Telstar Index Breakdown
✅ A high-level carrier
✅ A high-level connector
✅ A natural provider
This makes him perfect for Salah. He drops deep, feeds runners, links play.
Mo shifts from wide support to central finisher… the ideal foil in a two-man frontline.
2️⃣ The 4-3-2-1 Shift
A 4-3-2-1 rather than a 4-2-3-1 could make Salah more efficient in terms of pitch coverage. Saves his ageing legs - not that there is any sign of slowdown yet.
With Frimpong + Robertson holding width, Salah finally plays inside, not stuck wide like with Trent.
Ekitike can also take up LIF position which allows Liverpool to go diamond, put another body into midfield and make their attack even more unpredictable.
Club World Cup Preview [Thread]
Is this a lopsided competition dominated by Europe or can we find some hidden gems in the global game?
Are Messi's Inter Miami overrated? And which Minnows can win the tournament?!
Let's use ELO to answer those questions 📊
by @sjatfkb
What is ELO? 🤔
Imagine every team has a ‘strength score that ticks up or down after each match—unexpected wins move the needle more.
Created by Árpád Elo, it’s great for tracking who’s hot or cold. It's commonly used in chess but we can apply it to Football
So what does the ELO landscape look like?
As you'd expect the Big 5 leagues lead the way in terms of overall league strength. But what becomes apparent is that certain leagues have outlier teams punching above their weight - and several are heading to the CWC.
- Regardless of formation, he should feature centrally
- With freedom to roam wide, deep and in behind
- Why him?
- Post Salah, he becomes the spinal figure...
- This another VVD/Alisson moment - core component
A THREAD 👇
#LFC
If we look at Liverpool's chief creators outside of Trent, and even Trent for that matter we can see there is no one who truly masters creative play in the efficient or pure volume sense.
Salah, Mac Allister, Szobo have elements but it is a collective excercise.
Through balls in particular, Liverpool don't really use them super precisely to open up sides.
Wirtz on the other hand is a master of killer passing. He's a chance creation machine whose looking to slide balls in and unlock defences. He is a true 10 and a throwback maestro who takes it on himself to supply his team mates.