Thomas Frank is one of the best defensive coaches in the SPORT! He also sets special standards, both on & off the pitch 🤯

Spurs' identity is about to change - his team will be a nightmare to play against.

Below, I reveal Frank's tactical ideas from start to finish.

THREAD! 🚨 Thomas Frank did an absolutely unbelievable job at Brentford.

The evolution epitomised common sense.

Early on in the Premier League, Brentford almost exclusively played a 3-5-2 / 5-3-2 which was ultra compact and aggressive in every phase with physicality in every area.

Rodrygo, Arsenal.

Let’s talk about it 🔻 Rodrygo is an advanced iteration of Martinelli.

Martinelli plays rushed. He does not play with the ‘pausa’ of the elites (like he has time on the ball).

Martinelli focuses on things that are subconscious for Rodrygo.

It gives Rodrygo splits second advantages that are decisive.

An in-depth thread on Manchester United's summer and their future under Ruben Amorim:

🔺 Cunha with Mbeumo would be exceptional business,
🇵🇹 Bruno Fernandes staying is a mistake led by Ruben Amorim,
🔐 Kobbie Mainoo's role,
🤯 United's squad is criminally underrated..

A thread. Cunha is basically Kudus except with more 'pausa' to dictate attacks.

That is nothing short of a special player.

How many players can dictate to break down a low block whilst being a huge threat in transition thanks to their unstoppable ball-carrying and ball-striking/passing?!

Benjamin Šeško vs Viktor Gyökeres 🔴⚪️

It is the question on everyone's lips: who should Mikel Arteta, Andrea Berta and Arsenal Football Club sign?!

In an in-depth thread, I ANSWER that question! I guarantee that you will not expect to read what you do below 🤯

MEGA-THREAD! 🚨
I'll be honest, guys.

Šeško and Gyökeres have been dominating my thought process.

In the last days, in an attempt to identify who is the most suitable #9 for Mikel Arteta's Arsenal, I broke down both players in full, so let's apply that analysis to the environment at Arsenal 👇

Viktor Gyökeres guarantees goals. No matter what way you spin it, 67 goal contributions in 52 games is ELITE output 💯

For that reason, he is on Mikel Arteta & Arsenal's list.

Below, in an in-depth thread, I reveal how his profile and MENTALITY makes him undeniable!

THREAD! 🚨 I write this thread with a sense of urgency. A sense of fire. A sense of anger.

Viktor Gyökeres has been disrespected quite heavily in recent weeks on X.

Not that this matters in the grand scheme because EVERYONE with attention on them gets criticised, but it has been too much.

Bryan Mbeumo is the closest profile to Mo Salah.

Physically, technically, tactically, mentally... you name the parameter & he EXCELS there.

Not only that, but he is PL proven, 25 years young & will only cost £50m. It's ELITE business from Amorim & Manchester United!

THREAD! 💥 Mbeumo epitomises everything that Manchester United have not been since the good ol' days.

He is direct, lightening quick, works as hard as possible and is not afraid to take on big responsibility on the pitch.

That alone should be enough to excite Manchester United fans!

Benjamin Šeško has the potential to become the best #9 IN THE WORLD 🤯

We are talking about a 6'4 speed demon. Someone who is unstoppable in transition. An elite ball-striker. Oh, and he can dribble. Šeško is an ALIEN!

The exact profile Mikel Arteta's Arsenal need..

THREAD! 🔴 Imma be real with you.

When I watch Benjamin Šeško, I can barely sit still.

I watch football every day. Every damn day. I love it, but at times you become desensitised to it, like anything.

But with Šeško.. man. This ain't some 'tactical spin', either. The guy is pure quality.

United play the same way ALL of the time so to reach damning conclusions based on the loss to Spurs in the Europa League final does not make sense.

The likelihood of winning long-term is all that will ever matter for any football club.

Amorim’s idea has been flawed since day 1. Tactically, the back 5 struggles to get pressure on the ball in open play, the goal kick structure with the centre back inverting into midfield doesn’t work, the system is rigid and easy to prepare to face and United play with 7 defensive-minded players in conservative positions.

The harsh reality of the situation regarding Bilbao-United is that Ernesto Valverde's team dismantled Ruben Amorim's side with & without the ball until the red card.

This does not matter so much in the short-run, though, because United are likely to reach the final now.

Thread. In the long run, though, we cannot ignore many of the issues that are abundantly clear in Amorim's system.

From the goal kick or via back passes, the issues are extremely clear regarding the middle centre back inverting into midfield.

But it is also VERY predictable to press...

Some thoughts on Ange and Spurs, centering around verticality, both with and without the ball 👇

The lack of 'pausa' is their biggest problem, both on and off the pitch.

Spurs were 'fun' last season, but that 'fun' has evaporated..

We can attribute that to Ange's philosophy 🛑 As a pure tactician it is actually quite difficult to criticise Ange, even from a defensive perspective.

However, a lack of respect to defensive principles is where Spurs go wrong.

Too many forward thinking players, not enough emphasis on defending the space and not pressing.

A tribute to Arsenal's historical performance at the Bernabéu.

Every player gets a mention before we talk about the man at the helm.

The man who is responsible for this special moment in Arsenal history. The man who constructed a game-plan from heaven, Mikel Arteta.

THREAD! 🔴 David Raya, your ability to assess the press to play short & use the overload in the build-up OR go long against Madrid's man-to-man press & play pinpoint passes deep into Real's half demonstrates braveness beyond comprehension. Not to mention how you claim crosses. Mental giant.

Real Madrid are going to make the Arsenal game not-so-tactical.

They do this because of their collective quality.

Like City vs Madrid match-ups, control is not reliably achievable because Madrid can play through all types of pressure and have beyond elite quality in attack.

🧵 Real Madrid supersede tactics.

It is why they have dominated the Champions League for the last decade or so.

Their press is not bulletproof & they always suffer in moments against good teams because Vinicius/Mbappé don't defend much.

But their mentality/quality bails 'em out..

Mikel Arteta's Arsenal blend 'Positionalism' with 'Relationism'.

A tactical analysis on the entirety of their special style.

🔻 Positionalism vs relationism - a constant debate in the tactical sphere.

Arsenal blend both ideas together.

Positionalism.

Triangle on the left, triangle on the right 👇

The smartest teams press with players in 'half' positions.

PSV are set to play short, but oftentimes teams who come up against man-to-man pressure play over the press & into the top of the pitch.

As such, Nwaneri and Timber are 'half and half.'

In other words, ready for both.. If PSV play short, both Nwaneri and Timber can jump aggressively to their respective men.

If PSG play long, both Nwaneri and Timber are not too aggressively positioned so they can recover and provide Arsenal with an overload to deal with direct play.

A very, very smart approach

Mikel Arteta has elevated Arsenal to a level BEYOND tactical familiarity.

Forget physicality, technical quality & the 'will to win'. It is obvious Arsenal have these qualities.

What is often forgotten is their collective INTELLIGENCE, all of which stems from Arteta.

THREAD! 🔴 The first goal is a prime example of Arsenal's tactical intelligence.

Here we see Arsenal press in zonal fashion with Akanji being the spare man in the build-up.

Stones tries to find him, but Trossard takes the situation into his own hands & jumps to press Akanji.

1-0 Arsenal.

A little bit of Pep,

A little bit of Klopp,

And a little bit of Ancelotti.

A thread on Arne Slot's philosophy and tactical approach at Liverpool. Liverpool's press can be exploited at times because they prefer to stay zonal as opposed to jumping man-to-man, but when they get it right it is the optimal way of pressing.

Why?

They apply near max pressure on the ball whilst maintaining a +1 in defence.

SO hard to beat that.

Arsenal were pressing with Timber pushed onto Spence and Sterling pressing Gray all game.

It was an incredibly brave and aggressive man-to-man idea.

But for the goal Ødegaard orchestrated Arsenal's press differently..

He told Timber to stay & took the press into his own hands. Gray passed to Spence & Sterling remained passive positionally to manage him, but to prevent the easy pass into Bissouma & the pass back to Gray, Ødegaard started half way between them so he was in a position to press both.

Partey was also aggressively positioned to back him up.

Martín Zubimendi profiles like Jorginho, but he's better, so much so that he has potential to develop into an İlkay Gündoğan-type.

For now, though, he is a specialist #6 - one of the very best in the game.

Below, in an in-depth thread, I break down his move to Arsenal.

THREAD! Zubimendi is a more advanced iteration of Jorginho.

Jorginho could always dictate, but Zubimendi's operation speed, agility, and mobility is superior.

He can wriggle in and out pressure and isn't slight in contact.

He can speed up the game by accelerating when he dribbles.

Mikel Arteta is getting a lot of criticism, so much so to the point where people are genuinely questioning his ability as a manager.

Let's assess Arsenal tactically, then - from top-to-bottom.

Let me show you exactly why Mikel Arteta is an *ELITE* coach..

A MEGA THREAD! 🚨🔴⚪️ Let's start 'out-of-possession' first.

Because, after all, all top teams are great defensively and it gives them the platform to play with vibrancy and energy when they have the ball.

Philosophically, Arteta is an aggressive pressing coach (somewhat contrary to popular belief).

Andy Robertson: “Arne Slot tweaks our role in every single game. Tactically he is unbelievable!”.

Liverpool's fullbacks are the key to their success, with Trent Alexander-Arnold being the creative hub.

Let's assess how Slot uses Liverpool's fullbacks.. 👇

A Tactical THREAD! 🚨 Here we see Robertson and Bradley in low-lying fullback positions against Real Madrid.

Ancelotti's team defended in a 4-4-2 and it was the role of their wide midfielders to get pressure on Liverpool's fullbacks.

When they did, Liverpool had clear solutions to bypass the press.

To solve Arsenal's 'attacking problems', Mikel Arteta has implemented a new tactical shape.

Let's review it.

A thread 👇 Arsenal's new shape has been coined the 3-diamond-3.

Instead of a fullback inverting into the pivot, the emphasis lies on Ødegaard to connect the defence and attack together as he drops from high to low.

His movements trigger others to occupy different lanes in the front 5.