🔴If can't defend - do not just sit back and expect numbers to work in your favour
🔴England press reset button at half time and go for the jugular
🔴Gareth's faith in Kane - Justified!
Shevchenko turned what is a lightweight but proactive Ukrainian side into a low block 5-3-2 side. These players lacked the natural instincts and familiarity with the set up to make it work.
England had men who go inside and outside - Spain take notice of how to beat low block.
After the first goal, Walker did not get forward enough which did enable Ukraine to frustrate us in the first half as it allowed their defence to stay more compact.
Shame they failed to do this with the first goal..
Despite outnumbering England by a massive margin in the defensive third, Ukraine's non-defensive instincts were exposed by an underlapping run by Shaw which allowed Sterling to cut inside and find Kane (who was facing 1 v 3 outnumbered in the centre).
The only uncomfortable moments that came in this game involved Kyle Walker. He had one of those games where his concentration is not quite there and Ukraine overloaded down his side.
Hopefully just a little blip.
The third goal was England in full flow. They countered at breakneck speed, Mount drove at a broken and nervy Ukraine who kept backtracking and inviting England on to them.
Another brilliant run by Luke Shaw - take that Jose.
Gareth - massive kudos yet again. Hard to fault any of his team selections and not a single player has been out of position.
Great team spirit too.
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5 KEY DIFFERENCES we’ve observed since Arne took the post.
A Thread 🧵
#LFC #LiverpoolFC
We touched upon this previously but it seems super fast starts to rattle the opposition are Klopp’s bread and butter whereas Slot tends to want to digest the action before unsheathing his sword…
Klopp prior to his last season and his reluctant attempt in trying to bring in Thiago aside generally used his midfield as a way of winning the ball and efficiently getting it to the flanks.
Slot likes his side to really use the midfield to build up play, his side creates more authoritative sexy passing combos in central regions of the pitch and you’re more likely to see deep lying playmakers thrive in a Slot system hence the chase for Zubimendi than in Klopp’s OG Liverpool side.
Klopp used energy of the crowd to win the first 15 minutes and ride the momentum for remainder of game whereas Slot prefers surgical approach first before loosening handbrake.
A THREAD (w Data)🧵
Due to the small sample size, we looked at Slot time with Feyenoord to see if this was a coincidence or if this is a deeper principle he has always abided by. The numbers shocked us…
Feyenoord definitely stepped it up more second half compared to first half…
We then wanted to see how prime heavy metal football compared. So we look at 2018/19.
It seems sides do increase their attack in second half, due to the need to get a result and tiring legs but what we did observe was a big difference between how intense Slot is in 2nd half.
The sale of Jaap Stam. Jaap was the world’s best centre back during the treble season but a season later he was sold (not quite in his prime but still operating at a world class level).
Early in the 2001–02 season, Stam was controversially sold to Lazio in Italy after Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson was reportedly upset by allegations Stam had made in his autobiography Head to Head about the club. Stam made numerous statements in the book about his views on opposing players, and alleged that Ferguson's approach to buy him was done without the permission of PSV. Later, Simon Kuper reported that contrary to initial belief, Ferguson had noticed that Stam's tackling numbers were declining and simply assumed the defender was past his playing peak.Laurent Blanc was signed as his replacement.
In 2007, however, Ferguson described the decision to sell Stam as an error: "At the time he had just come back from an achilles injury and we thought he had just lost a little bit. We got the offer from Lazio, £16.5m for a centre back who was 29. It was an offer I couldn't refuse. But in playing terms it was a mistake. He is still playing for Ajax at a really good level."
The sale of Eto’o and signing of Zlatan Ibrahimovic… letting go of the ideal striker for a tiki taka fluid style of play and bringing in a relatively tactically static target man type.
Ibrahimovic arrived at Barcelona when they were at the top of the mountain, and there was only one place for them to go. Yes, Barcelona won La Liga again in 2009-10 – they were one game away from an unbeaten season, only losing to Atletico Madrid – but they were to face disappointment in both the Copa del Rey, where they lost to Sevilla in the final due to away goals, and the Champions League, eliminated, famously, by Mourinho’s Inter in the semi-finals.
Ibrahimovic played sporadically, particularly by his standards; in La Liga, he was left out of the matchday squad on five occasions and was benched twice. He did not take it lying down.
The Swede later claimed that he was “a Ferrari being driven like a Fiat” in his book as he was limited to 23 league starts, and was substituted off in both legs against his old club, Inter.
He provided 34 goal involvements throughout the season, but the team simply didn’t seem to function as well with him as the focal point; Guardiola’s tiki-taka style did not require a bruising frontman, instead a light touch with flexibility and swift interchanges. Lionel Messi and Pedro were trusted to do that; it appeared that Ibrahimovic was not.
One thing you’ll realise about most of these wing pairings is this uneasiness of an alliance, great wingers are by nature quite selfish and used to being the star player of their side from a young age and want to ball hog so having to share the limelight with another can be quite a emasculating process.
Whilst Robben and Ribery to the outside observer was an unreal wing pairing and full of chemistry, in truth they set up camp on opposite flanks demanding that they get the lions share of possession - fortunately their team mates did a wonderful balancing act and allowed them to hit a zenith in football that they wouldn’t have been able to do without each other.
Robben, a left-footed right winger, was known for his trademark move of cutting inside from the right flank and unleashing powerful shots with his left foot. His incredible dribbling, pace, and finishing ability made him a constant threat. Ribéry, a right-footed left winger, brought creativity, agility, and exceptional ball control. His ability to beat defenders and provide precise crosses and key passes complemented Robben’s direct approach perfectly.
Together, they helped Bayern Munich win numerous titles, including multiple Bundesliga championships, DFB-Pokal trophies, and the coveted UEFA Champions League in 2013. That season, they were pivotal in Bayern’s historic treble-winning campaign, which also included the Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal titles.
Probably the best looking duo in this list… Giggs was United’s original pin up boy and he had already forged an unreal wing pairing with Kanchelskis which has tortured the Premier League.
Unfortunately that never really got the chance to dominate Europe and it was the introduction of David Beckham which truly took United beyond domestic dominance to European mastery.
Two incredibly polar opposites in terms of style… Giggs was like the Welsh Gento, all directness and pace, weaving in and out and at times twisting himself in knots as well as the opposition whereas Beckham was all about laser precision, graft and using his ball striking to do the talking rather than his rather non existent ball carrying.
Together they wrecked the best defences in Europe and if it wasn’t Giggs jinking his way and attracting defenders down his side, Beckham perhaps wouldn’t have had the space to finish teams off with his unbelievable deliveries.
Together, Giggs and Beckham helped Manchester United win numerous trophies, including six Premier League titles, two FA Cups, and the UEFA Champions League in 1999. The 1998-1999 season was particularly notable as United won the historic treble (Premier League, FA Cup, and Champions League), with both players playing pivotal roles. Beckham’s crosses and Giggs’s runs were crucial in many key matches, including the famous Champions League semi-final against Juventus and the FA Cup semi-final against Arsenal, where Giggs scored his legendary solo goal.
🔴What strengths does he bring?
⚪️What would he improve?
🔴How does he fit?
⚪️What does he not bring to the table?
A THREAD 🧵
Strong in the air, Calafiori has duelled with the likes of Osimhen and lived to tell the tale so in terms of a combative POV he should handle the physical tussles of the Premier League…
He also brings an air of composure in the build up phase so more assured than a Kiwior on the ball, and if he makes the shift to CB, better press resistance than Gabriel. Does he have the progressive passing to complement this daring style?
What strengths does he bring to Manchester United? What would he improve? How does he fit? What does he not bring to the table?
A THREAD 🧵
#MUFC
I have likened him to a Gattuso/Kante style of CM, he’s a rabid ball winner who seeks and destroys. If given a role where he can be freed up to hunt for the ball, he can be a menace… one of Europe’s leading ball winners statistically whilst at Lisbon
He’s not really a positional CDM. Someone who marks space well and holds his position. So the opposite to a Makelele, and that can cause issues when the team loses the ball because he isn’t always clued up as to how to cover for team mates and protect the back 4