Newcastle United – Liverpool 1:0
Another loss for Liverpool. This time an interesting tactical idea from Brendan Rodgers failed to have any (positive) impact.
Manchester United – Chelsea 1:1
The Portuguese tactician meets his Dutch mentor. A battle of football giants. Jose Mourinho nearly took all 3 points against Van Gaal in Manchester after Didier Drogba scored his Premier League opener. Robin Van Persie managed to save his team a point with a last second goal off of a set piece.
Barcelona – SD Eibar 3:0
Barcelona played one of their best games of the season against a team who has been causing other top Spanish clubs trouble. Eibar managed to defeat Sociedad as well as draw against Villarreal and Athletic Club.
Crystal Palace – Chelsea 1:2
Chelsea (1st place) and Crystal Palace (16th place) played a half of 11 vs. 11 and then decided that was too boring. Instead, each team received a red card before halftime and played 10 vs. 10 in the second half.
Counter- or Gegenpressing
Gegenpressing has been a buzzword in football tactics for the last five years and has garnered more and more attention in the media recently. Because of the success of FC Barcelona and Borussia Dortmund, gegen- or counterpressing has been brought up as one of the main reasons for their titles.
Schalke – Borussia Dortmund 2:1
Schalke 04 picked up the next three points in a week and celebrated an important victory as they beat local rivals Borussia Dortmund 2-1 in the Revierderby. The next winless game gives Jürgen Klopp worry lines.
Arsenal – Tottenham Hotspur 1:1
Wenger hasn’t finished beneath Tottenham in the English Premier League in 18 seasons and looks to extend his record. New Spurs manager Pochettino looked to give his team their 50th win in the league against Arsenal in his first North London Derby.
The Half-Spaces
This article will delve into an oft-neglected area in tactics theory: the half-spaces.
Barcelona – Athletic Bilbao 2:0
Athletic Club looked to get a result away at the Camp Nou and Barcelona sought to continue its run as the only team in La Liga to have a 100% record. Barcelona celebrated the 300th National Day of Catalonia (September 11th) and wore the Senyera kit to commemorate the event.
In-depth analysis: Alfredo Di Stéfano
He is regarded as one of the first “total” football players, considered the grand master of his playing style and the prototype of a leader; playful, tactical, psychological. His name is Alfredo Di Stéfano – and he influenced generations of footballers.