Manchester United headed into the pivotal Champions League clash with the aim of bettering PSV’s result while Wolfsburg knew a draw or better would secure them a place in the knockout stages.
This article attempts to tactically analyze the performance of Real Madrid and Barcelona in the Clasico last Saturday and determine the key zones on the football field where the match was won and lost.
Pep Guardiola took an archaic formation with no meaning in the late 1800’s and turned it into a wonderfully rehearsed orchestra.
The writing on the wall was very clear from the second half of the 2014-15 season of the English Premier League when Chelsea just managed to drag itself over the finishing line to win its first EPL title in five years. The victories became hard fought and post match analysis of Chelsea’s performances by football pundits also became dull and disappointing. Chelsea’s struggles started becoming evident with a dip in performances of key players like Nemanja Matic and Cesc Fabregas, which should have set alarm bells ringing loud enough for Jose Mourinho to prepare his title defence the following season. Yet Chelsea find themselves in an unenviable position as they fight to recuperate from their worst ever start to an EPL season after 8 games since 1978-79. A below par summer transfer window, where Chelsea failed to secure the services of targets John Stones and Paul Pogba, was followed by a poor pre-season campaign, where Chelsea won just one match. […]
The Great Wall of Chelsea, Nemanja Matic, may not be a goal scorer but he is the one who acts as a team player and a connecting link between the defence and the attack.
Chelsea’s loss to Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League Round of 16 would have raised doubts in the minds of football pundits and fans alike over Mourinho’s ability to win the Champions League with Chelsea. While his Porto and Inter stints both fetched a Champions League medal each, his 3 years at Real Madrid and hitherto 5 years at Chelsea have been a dead ringer when it comes to European glory. Mourinho’s character will not let him mull over the losses and it is a given that the Portuguese manager would already be working on the reasons behind that failure. Mourinho has been a successful manager for Chelsea with 3 premier league titles, 3 League Cups, 1 FA Cup and a Community Shield in 2005 but has only reached the semi final stage of the Champions League, albeit thrice. Given Chelsea’s relative success with and without Mourinho at the helm, it is doubtful there could be a better combination to bring Europe’s most prized trophy back to […]
THT Guest Author Rohit Roy takes a look at team India' s opponents in the 2018 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers
THT Guest Author Archak Sengupta reviews the 2014/15 season for Mohun Bagan who won the I League after a gap of 13 years
THT Guest Author Bhargab Sarmah reviews the 2014/15 season for Royal Wahingdoh who finished third under the tutelage of Santosh Kashyap
THT Guest Author Rohit Roy analyses the 2014/15 season for East Bengal which proved to be a below par one for the Kolkata Giants
