TITUS MAXWELL

Real Madrid suffered their first home UCL knock-out defeat since 2009 from Pep Guardiola's Manchester City. It was the first team City has defeated Real Madrid in UCL.  Kevin De Bruyne celebrating with teammates after converting his penalty. Image: Evening Standard.  Both teams lined up in a 4-3-3 formation but with different approaches. Real Madrid used a 2-4-4 tactic when in possession and a 4-4-2 during defensive mode. Guardiola and his men went for a 2-3-5 with possession and dropped into a 4-4-2 formation in their defensive shape. The teams played with a lot of fear in the first  half as Guardiola and Zinedine Zidane tried to invent tactics. During the first 15 minutes, Real Madrid were in total control of the match but without any shot on target. Manchester City seemed to be studying Real Madrid's tactics during this phase.  Tactics Used: Both teams played with high defensive lines .  Real Madrid and Man City p...

Chelsea hosted Bayern Munich at the Stamford Bridge for the UEFA Champions League last 16 tie. This game involved a lot of tactical flexibility. First let's see how the teams lined-up.   Bayern Munich players celebrating. Image: Getty Images.  Frank Lampard's Chelsea lined up in their 4-3-3 formation with Olivier Giroud, Mason Mount and Recce James lead the attacks. This was more of a 3-4-2-1 formation as Marcos Alonso and Recce James mostly played as flying wing backs.  On the other hand, Hansi Flick's Bayern Munich used a 4-2-3-1 formation with Joshua Kimich and Thiago Alcantara taking total control in the midfield. During attacks, Bayern Munich lined up in a 3-2-5 and defended in a 4-1-4-1 formation.  Since the begining of the match, both teams intentions were displayed during kick off. Bayern attacked as Chelsea waited to hit them on quick counter-attacks.   Why Chelsea Lost: Disorganized pressing. ...

On form Leicester City hosted Manchester City at the King Power stadium. Leicester City had wonderful defence as they conceded the fewest goals per match in the league during their last 11 EPL matches.   Manchester City attacking trio celebrating Gabriel Jesus goal. Picture: The Guardian.  Leicester lined up in a 3-5-2 formation on paper but kept a normal 4-4-2  on the ground with Jamie Vardy and Kelechi Iheanacho as the only strikers. On the other hand, Man City used their traditional 4-3-3 formation but shifted to a 2-3-5 when in possession and 4-1-4-1 without the ball.  Tactics Used: Leicester City's Long Balls tactic.  Manchester City always like to play with a high defensive line and Leicester City took advantage on this tactic. With an electric paced Jamie Vardy in front, they won most of the 1st balls easily and Iheanacho won the 2nd balls and attacks were launched. But City neutralized this tactic in the 2nd h...

Chelsea faced their London rivals, Tottenham Hotspurs at Stamford Bridge. This match for the second time included The Manager (Jose Mourinho) versus his student (Frank Lampard). Lampard was lucky as his Blue side won both home and away versus Mourinho's men.  Chelsea's striker Olivier Giroud celebrating after scoring against Tottenham in a hot London derby.  Photo:Chelsea (Facebook).  The Blues lined up in a 3-4-3 formation but shifted to a traditional 4-4-2 without possession. On the other hand,  Tottenham Hotspurs lined up in a 3-5-2 formation but this was actually 5-4-1 without possession. As expected, Chelsea dominated the match in terms of possession and attacks while Spurs sat back and waited to hit The Blues on transitions and counterattacks. Reasons Why Spurs Lost: Disorganized Pressing.  Spurs had problems when it came to pressing. Mostly, the defence did not help the entire team when it came to pressing. ...

It was a fascinating match as Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool locked horns with Diego Simeone's Atletico Madrid in Wanda Metropolitano stadium. The Champions struggled to break Atletico Madrid's defence but all was in vain.   Atletico Madrid players appreciating home fans after the final whistle. Image: The New York Times. Atletico Madrid lined up in their traditional 4-4-2 formation with Alvaro Morata and Angel Correa leading the attacks while Thomas, Lemar, Koke and Saul were in charge of the midfield. On the other hand, Liverpool lined up in their normal 4-3-3 formation with Salah, Mané and Firmino leading the attack. Fabinho, Henderson and Wijnaldum  steered of the midfield.  It was clear from the start of the match, Liverpool went on an attacking mode while Atletico Madrid sat back and waited to hit Liverpool on transition.  Atletico Madrid's intact 4-4-2. Atletico Madrid is one of the best teams when it comes to stickin...

Chelsea lost to Manchester United in a match filled with VAR drama. Frank Lampard's men were in total control of the match at the Stamford Bridge despite losing the match.  Manchester United players celebrating a goal. Picture: M. E. N Chelsea lined up in their normal 4-3-3 formation with N'golo Kante, Jorginho, and Mateo Kovačić were in charge of the midfield. Kanté was substituted during the 12th minute because of an injury and Mount came in. Due to Tammy Abraham's injury, Mitchy Batshuayi stepped up to take his place as the main striker. This was a 4-1-4-1 formation on the ground.  Manchester United on the other hand, lined up in 3-4-2-1 formation which shifted to 4-5-1 on the field. Also, Manchester United missed their striker, Marcus Rashford who is still injured.  Why Chelsea lost: 1. Chelsea were not clinical in front of the goal. Chelsea wasted many chances which later haunted them. Mitchy Batshuayi blew away 2 clear goalscoring chances. Chelsea made...

Mbwana Ally Samatta completed his move from Genk to Aston Villa for £10 million this summer. He is the First Tanzanian to play in the Premier League and the second in East Africa after Kenya's Victor Wanyama.   Mbwana Ally Samatta signed for Aston Villa from Genk during the January transfer window of 2019/20 season.  During his time in the Belgian League, Samatta scored a total of 42 goals in 75 matches. This shows he is a threat in front of the goal. His impressive form in the UCL saw him scoring 3 goals in 6 matches . He scored one against Liverpool. In his 27th birthday, Samatta has won several awards as best African Player of the year  and earning a spot on the Africa XI. Also, he has captained Tanzanian National team, Taifa Stars in the AFCON championships.  Mbwana Samatta scoring a header against Liverpool in 2019/20 UCL group stage campaign. Source: The Telegraph Why he might shine at Aston Villa: Making late runs in th...

It was a fantastic match to watch as long-term manager rivals, Jose Mourinho and Pep Guardiola faced each other in an EPL debut. Mourinho was lucky to win his 6th  match versus Guardiola after a game which involved VAR drama.  Sterling raising a penalty claim. Image: M.E.N Tottenham lined up in a 4-2-3-1 formation on paper but this was a diamond 4-4-2 formation with Son and Moura leading the attacks and Dele Alli sitting just behind them on the tip of the diamond structure. On the other hand, Man City lined up in their normal 4-3-3 formation and shifted to various formations during possession. While in possession, they used a 3-3-4 formation with either Walker or Zhinchenko sitting back to defend while one helps in the attack. Man City's Build-up: During the build up phase, Rodrigo dropped in between the Centre-backs to receive the ball while Zhinchenko and Walker added up numbers in the wide zones. Gundogan and Kevin De Bruyne  and this led to a 2...