barcelona vs valencia.

 barcelona played valencia at the nou camp . barcelona had three main signings in terms of offensive players after neymar left . they had dembele,coutiniho and griezman to fill that void that neymar had left . now last year kiki setien was incharge but greizman wasnt playing regularly even when barcelona had payed a staggering sum to sign him . while another of the big signing coutiniho was send out on loan to bayern and dembele has injury issues . under setien the main criticism of the team was that it was messi centric . the reason being that as soon as the ball crosses in opponents half it would be all messi . he would be the one who would be the instigator,creator and finisher . other players in the team didnt see much of the ball . it was as if every other player in the team was just in the supporting the role with messi in the lead role . come this season both griezman and coutiniho have got a fresh start . i think this was game where on koeman gave them the chance to shine and gave them the ball to prove their worth as to why they should be start or even that they should be at the club. to be honest after watching this game i dont that they are bad on offense . if he makes some adjustments and most importantly he needs to change and chop his squad . i dont think that both coutiniho and griezman can warrant their place in the starting line up they are just not that good to start in the team . 

barcelona started the game with 4-2-3-1 formation while valencia started the game with 4-4-2 formation .the game started with very familiar note with valencia sitting back and barcelona in the ascendancy . valencia had a definitive plan in mind with them sitting back and hitting barca on counter . while defending they were also very compact and they were just defending the 18 yard and they had given the wide spaces to barca . in the first half barca were not bad but they had one main flaw . they didnt had a definite no.9 around who they would play . secondly only two players were involved in the play at the time and there wasnt a lot of movement from the players . 

in the first half i think griezman and mainly coutiniho was given the chance to show their class on the ball . the main criticism from last two seasons had been that messi is the one that is dictatating everything . other players were really not comfortable with that .they thought that they didnt get the chance to show their ability on the ball and influence the play . here i think koeman might had instructed messi to let coutiniho start things and play according to him. in the first chance coutiniho had a lot of ball touches but he couldnt make it worth most importantly he was poor on the ball and didnt looked like the played who would cost 100 million plus . similar can be said about griezman who too looks poor on the ball . even for the first goal when the won the penalty he was lucky cause elsewhere he would had been carded for simulation . barca were poor in their movement . they were afforded time and space by valencia who were contend to defend their box when they lost the ball . the perfect example of barca's poor movement can be seen on alaba's crosses . barcelona were getting spaces on the flanks and their fullbacks were able to move forward especially alaba who was delivering crosses in the box . none of the crosses could find the desired target . the reason being that there was no movement from coutiniho and griezman who were the players leading the charge and were supposed to be at the end of the cross . on the other hand just look at valencia on gaya's cross . you have to be the first  on the ball or that you have to find space where on the ball can reach you . barcelona just didnt that . their players seem arguing about the quality of crosses . while alaba was telling them to make some movement and be available for the ball . bacelona were just poor in the first half . 

in the second half koeman changed the things . he had realized that he didnt had a proper no.9 who can operate upfront . so he changed thngs and got braithwaite to play as no.9 . messi is the default no.9 but he keeps on dropping deeper so at that time i think its griezman's opportunity to get in that position and show his true worth . messi has lost his speed although the ability is still there . he keeps on dropping deeper and in this formation the players are not that good that they are able to play around him . instead i would want him to stay upfield and let the play roll around him . the big problem for barcelona is defense who are sixes and sevens whenever the ball comes upfield they seem  to be sleeping and wait for the ball to come to them instead of them being proactive and try to get to the ball first . for the first goal barcelona were in 3-2 situation and araujo or mingueza should had told dest to get to cheryshev quickly . he should had closed him down early making it hard for him to cross . barcelona defense just keeps on forgetting their positions . they are not good at tracking and koeman has to organise them better or else had valencia finished better they would had been out of sight in the first half . 

 

MY TAKE ON THE GAME BETWEEN SPURS VS MAN CITY .

 spurs played man city in the premier league . day by day i think that the gaurdiola bubble is flattening and unless and untill he reinvents himself he may become untouchable since he kind of budget he works with cant be financed by many a teams in europe . i think that this season he has the worst team that gaurdiola coached in a good league . what he thinks on paper is not been able to put it into frutition . its like he had been theorotical than practical . he has a good plan but to bring that plan to reality and most importantly tweaking it real time in the real matches rather than in practice is very important . planning is one thing and executing is another one .also while making plan he should think about the flaws and the shortcoming that he has and the way that the opponent can exploit his system and the way that he can cover them up . while gaurdiola is struggling mouriniho is flying high and i think that he has done a very good business in the transfer window . i think this is the team that can deliver mouriniho the title . 

man city started the game with 4-3-3 formation but he would bring cancelo in the midfield to make up numbers in the midfield so that he can send silva upfield to join attack . while mouriniho's team started with 4-4-2 . both the managers have a preffered playing style while gaurdiola like to dominate possession and play with width . mouriniho likes to sit back and play counter attack . gaurdiola likes to stretch the opposition and try to explore those spaces that he thinks the opposition will leave . the most intriguing thing that i found about gaurdiola is that he just believes in his own plan and just doesnt tries to see as to whethere there is flaw in opposition's formation and how he can exploit that flaw . there was certainly a flaw in spurs formation and i think that gaurdiola didnt do enough to exploit it even though he had a player to exploit it . he has de bruyne who he could had told that there was a space between hoiberg and sissoko and he could had told him to take position over there and exploit that space that was there to offer . there were certain things that gaurdiola team did correct . where on after losing possession they pressed a bit which is necessary because what it does is that it stops that immediate counter attack . the opposition has to pass the ball back and when pressured enough the opposition has to go for a long ball or a punt and you can win the ball back . if after losing possession you back track instead of pressing then you had left spaces which the opposition will explore and you have trouble . the other thing is that he was playing torres and mahrez in the wide position . garudiola wants to stretch the opposition so that de bruyne and silva can explore those spaces but i think his team lacks the cohesion that is needed to explore these spaces . one more important thing that i think is that they are playing way too wide because whoever plays football knows this that 10 yard pass comes quickly than a 15 yard pass . for me the space between his players is way too wide and it is more than 15 yards . by playing this wide i think he is trying to get space for his players so that they can run on opposition but while doing so he is not taking in consideration the oppositions formation and players . the other thing about being too wide is that when the ball is passed the opposition player who is marking can close you down quickly and at time force into going on the wrong side . the other thing is that the opposition can close down spaces and you can loose possession . the other thing that had been missing from gaurdiola's team is the intricate one touch tiki taka play that had made him famous . instead his team look like the argentinian team where on everybody with the ball looks to drive on the opposition and do the job single handedly . i think he need to look at his tapes as to what he is doing wrong and how the opposition are milking him and when and what he needs to do as to improve his team . 

i take in to account the two games that city had played . now michael owen was analysing the tactical side at what led to the spurs goal in the first half . before i cross michael owen and try to put my own opinion in both the matches gaurdiola 's team played a high line for the first 20 min and then they dropped back . in the both the matches the opposition was able to that space that was left between the back line and goalkeeper . i really dont understand the logic of playing the high line when the opposition is playing on a counter since they have obviosuly prepared for counter attack . secondly man city dont do a high and tight pressing no more then what is the use of playing a high line . atleast they can start dropping back as soon as the ball is in their half . 

now to analyse the goal which was explained by michael owen . first off laporte is correct in coming out of the defense and trying to close down kane since he is in laporte zone and it has to somebody from either dias or laporte has to close him down . consider this that either laporte or dias dont come out of their position and hold their position and allow kane time and space on the ball . he can run these defenders and in process he can release either bergwin or son or can even shoot himself . the thing is that laporte is not wrong in coming out of defense but it is cancelo who is sleeping and not reading the situation . when laporte came out of defense at time cancello should had moved inside and closed that gap between him and dias . atleast he should had stopped son's direct central run . fine he would had given him space on the right but then the angle on right is much acute than the central one and the goal keeper has a better chance of it . it is not laporte's fault it is cancello's fault . 

mouriniho has set his team up very nicely and this is the team with whom he has the chance to win another title . 

MY TAKE ON THE BAYERN MUNICH VS ATH MAD GAME .

 bayern munich played ath mad in the ucl . this is the first game in the group so everybody wants to make an impression . bayern  started the game with their usual 4-2-3-1 formation while ath mad as always play a 4-4-2 or 4-6 combo . first off this was luis suareaz's first game for ath mad in the ucl . messi had made his disgust known public about the way suarez was hauled off at barca . this was the game where on suarez needed to show the kind of player he is . first off form is temporary and class is permanent . class is not limited to the age it will always be there . suarez failed to redeem himself . sometimes a striker can misfire in a game but his game knowledge and his ability on the ball is always there . first off suarez's positional knowledge is poor as a striker you should know as to where the ball can come or where the pass can be played . you should know as to how much time you have on the ball and whether you need to pass the ball or you can shoot . secondly his passing ability is absolutely hopeless . he should realize that he is top man on the pitch and any loose pass from his or loose play from his will result in his team loosing the possession or getting crammed and that may result in loss of possession or the move may have to reset . he was absolutely hopeless . offside countless time . he should remember that they play a counter attacking system and the ball comes very quickly to him that he may want to that he would anticipate . most importantly good strikers create chances for themselves . they know how to read a position and they try to position themselves that the ball can be crossed to them or that they can receive the ball . 

the game started the very much anticipated notes . ath mad would sit back and try to absorb the attack and then hit bayern on the counter . most of the ath mad attacks were from the left side because both carrasco  and lodi are good dribblers and have good pace . the game had the usual notion about it with bayern pressing and ath mad hitting on the counter attack . i think that when simeone looks at the game and analyses it he would say that at time they would play theball just because the move needed to be moved forward while at times it would had been better to hold off the ball and play it around and try something different . ath mad just tried to play forward football trying to take advantage of bayern munich players caught upfield . 

suarez's position in the box for carrasco's cross . he cannot expect the ball to ball to come to him when they are so deep and the back four and goalkeeper would just let it roll .

he needs to here in the box trying to be as close to pass as possible .

this post is mainly about what suarez should had done and what he lacked . he was poor in positional approach his link up play as well as his finishing . a player of suarez's experience should really have a great knowledge about the positional aspect of the game . the one moment that i particularly wanted to point is when carrasco had the ball and he was giving a hard time to pavard , muller and kimmich . he was very good . had suarez got his positional sense right then both of them could had made the difference for ath mad . for this i have made the diagrams . when the ball the comes in to box the back four tries to get to the ball and tries to get the possession back or just clear it . they cannot let the ball get rolled over in the box and expect the ball to go out of play . they have to be the first to the ball when it is in their zone . the thing is that when the ball is crossed in the box the striker needs to make himself available so that the ball reaches him . he needs to calculate as to where the ball can reach him . secondly at times he is the ones who needs to engage the back four so that the others can find the space in the box . he has to calculate at every moment of the game . he cannot think that the ball will evade defenders and reach him because the defenders too are thinking like him . they too are thinking as to where the danger is and from where the ball can be crossed and how they can reach there first or at least try stop  the cross . suarez for me was hopeless in his positioning and finishing and it would be better for siemeone if plays somebody other . 

MY TAKE ON THE WEEKEND GAMES .

 liverpool played everton in their home . everton are top of the league and many of them had started predictions that this may be the blues year . this was an important game as to how everton approaches it and whether they are good enough to win the league . well i dont think so . leicester had been in the similar position and they had won the league . but let me tell you leicester were playing way better football than what everton are doing . if everton are to improve then they need to do improve drastically on both the fronts . they are having deficiencies on both ends and they need to address that and if they can address that then they stand a chance of having surprising many and if others keep on dropping points then may be they have a chance . 

everton started with 4-5-1 formation while liverpool start with 4-3-3 formation . the game had high energy to it . everton were trying to play on the counter attack while liverpool too try to do the same they try to break at pace as soon as they get the ball . everton were sitting back and were trying to play on the counter attack . most of the liverpool attack were from the wide because everton had three in the midfield . while liverpool had the ball they tried to play through salah who having the better of digne in the physical match up while on the left side robertson was causing everton all sort of problems . now the trouble with everton formation on defense is that rodriguez is not a hard worker and he was suppose to mark robertson who is a willing runner . everton didnt had three in the middle in the same line instead gomez and dacoure are higher up the pitch trying to press liverpool midfielders while allan is more of a sweeper who tries to read the play tries to win the possession back and start the attack . 

the trouble started when liverpool spotted that rodriguez wasnt tracking back robertson and i think that he isnt fully match fit or is not a hard worker . the thing was that dacoure was trying to press thiago while mane had moved inside so coleman couldnt go out and press robertson since that will leave mane free and create problems . the other thing was that robertson wasnt that wide as the fullbacks usually are . he was quite inside so what that does is that the pass that he makes reaches the players faster compared to the pass from the wider areas . thirdly because of firmino the back four couldnt come out and mark mane . while back four were trying to defend the six yard box and firminiho allan was the only player who was present in front of the back four and so there was a lot of space on his left and right to exploit and thats what mane did . he found the space between the lines and score . the thing is that ancelotti should had made sure that as soon as the ball comes upfield then atleast one of the two midfielders should be along side allan . so that he can step up and be assured that there is somebody who is marking the space that he is leaving . liverpool kept on exploiting this space for the entirity of the match . in the second half ancelotti read this and ancelotti had made the changes . he changed the system from 4-5-1 to 4-4-2 and made dacoure go mark robertson but as soon as everton saw that liverpool were exploiting the spaces in the middle they got dacoure in the middle . liverpool should had seen that change and should had told robertson to exploit that freedom again . 

whenever everton has the ball they should have a plan a,b and c since it may be possible that the intial plan may not work . everton when they had they the ball they had only one play they were trying to play the ball to calvert lewin . the obvious problem with everton's formation was that both james and richarilson were wide . secondly they were trying to go direct and they were trying to release calvert beyond the back four but liverpool could read that . most importantly when everton had the ball in the first half they just didnt know as to how they need to take the ball upfield . when a player spends time on the ball that means that either he has too many targets to choose from or has none . in terms of everton the players were not in cohesion with each other . secondly when calvert was played the ball he didnt had anybody behind a no.10 to roll the play . there was nobody who was there to go beyond calvert so that he can play him and that threat can create the space for calvert . both rodriguez and richarilson who are threats were wide and by the time they would come in liverpool would have players in defensive positions . so everton has to learn to keep the ball and pass it around as calvert has shown that he is an aerial threat and digne is a superb crosser . for me rodriguez looks out of shape . he has the quality and has the eye for the pass and can thread a defense splitting pass but he needs to take control when everton have the ball and he need to work harder . most importantly ancelotti needs to create an offense which can suit rodriguez who can be a real gem . 

i think the injury to van dyke was the most important thing that happened . untill vasn dyke was there calvert wouldnt get time and space on the ball . he cannot out jump or say he would get the space to jump as freely as he did for those two headers that he had in the box . van dyk would be tighter to him and can read the game better to joe gomez . joe gomez allowed van dyke time and space on the ball . he was ball watching and allowed him to jum freely and score . he should had got the warning in the first half when calvert miss a similar chance in the first half from a similar cross . gomez should had been tighter to him . most importantly when liverpool loose the ball they play with one intent of trying to win the ball back and that can back fire since the team can just play out and when the ball is in the box they dont have that disciplined approach as like the other team have to keep the formation and try to defend their zones and keep tight disciplined unit . this thing can be their down fall and if teams can exploit that then they can have problems . 

there were two other games that were played on saturday . arsenal played man city while the other was the milan derby . arsenal lost against man city . there was only one goal scored and the reason for that was that arsenal just allowed man city to play . arsenal were pressing man city . the goal that was scored was because when arsenal were pressing man city teirney who was pressing maharez allowed him time and space on the ball . had teirney not allowed maharez time and space on the ball then i think the goal could had been prevented . there are two things first off teirney was afraid that maharez would turn on him and he would leave his back four collegues exposed so backed off a little . but also there is another angle to it . maharez is far off from the goal . even he had turned then teirney has the pace to catch maharez . the others when  seeing the danger would had rushed off and would had brought more arsenal players on defense . for me arsenal just allowed man city too time and space on the ball . they might had been scared of city's ball playing ability or the players possessing pace . arsenal should had backed themselves . the only arsenal player that impressed me was young saka who looks good at this time . 

the other game that was played was the milan derby . a substandard game with old horses . conte should had seen the game and analysed it . what did he find . after looking at the game what did he find . looking at the team didnt he remember of the argnetina team . everybody playing for themselves . he should look at the team and see at how much his team was undisciplined when they had the ball . they just wanted to the heroes and were not ready to play their team mates . while nothing great can be said about milan they were equally or say more hopeless than their counterparts . juventus already had the league in the bag . 

MY TAKE ON LEICESTER VS MAN CITY .

 now man city played leicester at home in the epl . i had been reading all the headlines in the english media about the game . even in the match commentary there were too many things about the project restart . gaurdiola had accused the other team of not playing and just sitting back and not coming out to play football . what does he expect that the opposition should match him while he purchases the best player in the world and the opposition should play as he wants . to be honest this is the type of team that i wanted him to coach and lets see as to how he manages to get the result . to be very honest the football that is played right of now is very hopeless . they are devoid of any creativity while trying to open the opposition defenses . i havent seen a team which has good cohesion and is playing a good football and players have a proper plan when they are going forward . bayern who were playing good football had been not that good after the restart . now about gaurdiola this team hasnt got a flair player . earlier they had silva who was very good in passing the ball as well using the spaces himself and could tick the team around him . there is only player in the team who is good but he is more useful on the counter attacks or crossing the ball but not in playing those intricate one two passes in the close cordons. graham souness had already said that liverpool will have the trophy not because they are good but because the opposition is very poor . 

city started the game with their 4-3-3 formation while leicester started it with 5-4-1 . city had sterling in the no.9 role while leicester had 3 at the back and they were very compact and rodgers had drilled them very well and they worked in tandem with each other . now there is lot that is made about city's defense . yes that a point but the real point is the city's offense . in the entire game city didnt created a single chance from open play . they were poor . for me the real problem was not city's defense but city's offense . the team wont come out and play if they are afraid of the opposition and its offense . city started sterling in the no.9 position . the idea to start sterling in the no.9 position is theorotically very good but the trouble is executing it . the three leicester centre backs were very compact and they tracked the runs from players very nicely . 

the game started with leicester sitting back and city in the asendency . leicester played deep knowing that any space that they offer behind back four can be exploited by city . since there was no space in the middle city had to get the ball wider to the fullback positions in trying to stretch leicester . the idea was correct but the thing is when you are trying to execute you need to do it correctly . city were taking the ball wide but they were not able to bring the ball inside . leicester should be commended for their defensive effort . the real reason that i blame gaurdiola is he  should had read the situation . they were not able to string four passes together near . they were hurrying on and were crossing the ball to sterling who i dont thing can win an aerial duel against any leicester's  centre backs . city were not able to work there passes in an around the leicester's defense or between the lines . just look at the crosses that were coming to sterling they were coming from atleast 20-25 yards and leicester's defense could see the danger coming . city should had been able to put four passes together in between the leicester's lines . they should had played the passes crisply . most importantly when you play sterling as a no.9 you cannot play off him . city were just too monotonous and one dimensional in their offense . they were just kept on crossing the ball from wide areas. they should had tried to control they should had moved the ball around and done more passess in and around the box . didnt you see the movies where on the coach tell them to make atleast 5 passes before you take the shot . city were not able to string three passes together inside the box which it should because the leicester had good shape to their defense and they wouldnt be penetrated or peircsed  by just two pass moves . while it can be  claimed leicester's good defensive effort but at the same time its city's poor offense . just tell as to how many chances did city create from open play and how many saves did schmichael had to make . 

most importantly  while trying to stretch leicester city over stretched themselves . the distance between two players when playing a ground game matters . if the distance between two players is more that 8-10 yards then the ball takes a bit more time to reach the player and that time can be used by the opposition to close down the player or can make adjustments to their shape . for me the distance between two city players was a bit too much and city should had played a more closed game which would had allowed them to make crisper passes and open leicester defense . secondly they should kept the ball instead of crossing and city's fullbacks should had been instructed to not cross the ball and keep the ball passing and rolling trying to stretch leicester's defense . city's crossing the ball after few passes made it easier for leicester to defend .somebody had watched the first 30 minof this game then they would had thought that city were just going to roll  over leicester . but i think rodgers had a good plan in mind . he knew that the pressing eventually would get laxed and that they can play the ball out after 30 min . most importantly the confidence that mendy got after he turned over to  pass barnes was the game changer because teilmens is a very good player but he wasnt getting the support from mendy . but once mendy got that confidence over the ball leicester looked like a different side and i think that was the key moment in that match . at times i think barnes spend too much time on the ball and i think rodgers need to make him aware of the moment and not waste that because it can  cost them in other games . 

barcelona are playing tonight and i wont be surprised if they get a reality check . they are just playing the same thing that they were doing last season and the same formation and the same players . they were lucky against villareal but if celta vigo can play correctly then they can pose a problem for barcelona . 

MY TAKE ON CHELSEA VS LIVERPOOL.

 now chelsea played liverpool in epl . before the game i dont know what do these so called pundits see . i read some comments on kai havertz that lampard has to find the best possible position for him in the chelsea setup to get the best out of him . to be honest he played for 45 min for whatever time he played he was the best player on the pitch for me . his touch on the ball decent one . his understanding of his position and his passing was way better than his compatriots in the team . his ability to get his head up and see mason mount and instead of trying to be solo he passed the ball to him knowing that he was in better position than him and had better chances of scoring or having a better angle to the goal than him . he was thrust up against fabiniho and van dyke who are definitely stronger than him . on the floor he was better and even his link up play and technically he is way better than his chelsea teammates . to be honest when i see the technical shortcomings of these proffesional players i am astounded . the difference between a good team and a bad is not the way it operates or the formation or anything but the technical ability of its players . just look at the difference between the liverpool players and chelsea players . whatever system you want to employ or the way you want to operate you want the players to technically competent . good in one on one situation and most importantly the players should seize the moment and should know when to pass or keep the ball . to be honest of most of the these so called proffesional players i see them punting the ball whenever they are in pressure and dont just realize that they have time to take a touch and get their head up and can play the ball out . this punting not only results in loss of possession but also brings back the pressure back on the team . i was disappointed in chelsea for me they had spent too much but there work is cut off and lampard needs to get hisplayes to gel together and most importantly he needs to get them technically way better if he needs to make his team competitive and get something out of the season or his head will be on the choping block . 

chelsea and liverpool started the game with 4-3-3 formation but the way both operate is way different .  chelsea sat back since they knew that they cannot go on chasing liverpool since they are very good on exploring spaces . most importantly salah and mane are the two best players in one on one situation . i had written many times about how liverpool operate . the question was how was chelsea going to operate and counter the liverpool pressing . i think lampard had the general idea that liverpool are going to press so he wanted to play around and try to beat the press . but to be honest you cannot just put players on the field and tell them operate and expect them to do the things by themselves . i had already pointed out that technically chelsea were poor . when you have to beat the press then you need to have a plan A as to how you are going to counter that press and then go on improvising as the game progress because the opposition will figure out as how you operate and will try to stop you . the chess game starts there as to who can figure each out better and get the better out in the contest. i was not impressed by lampard as i would be animated the way my players were performing . there touches on the ball were not clean . they were spending time on the ball while they should be passing the ball around since with each pass the attack of angle changes and new avenues open up and the defense has to adjust themselves to stop the offense . 

chelsea were trying to play out from the back and were trying to attract liverpool press . there plan was to play around liverpool press and try to exploit that space behind the back four since liverpool were playing a high in trying to congest chelsea . liverpool were not going that all out in pressing chelsea . they were seizing there moments and they knew when to press hard and when to just step back a little and see where the offense and were not over committing . chelsea were just flat in their line ups . the three upfront were just flat three upfront while they should criss crossed in each other zones and try to combine with each other . when the opposition is pressing you then there are two things important . most of the teams hard press when the ball comes into midfield  and when the opponents are not able to work that ball upfield then they tend to press high . so when you are pressed then  all the three lines need to work in tandem with each  . football is all about how you work in tandem each other both on offense and defense . when pressed and midfield cant have time and space on the ball then the back four especially the centre backs and the goal keeper need  to pass the properly and find a player upfield who has time and space on the ball from where the attack can start . chelsea looked like a team which short of cohesion . some may argue that it is clearly early days but to be honest its a sign of thing that the manager is not clear in his ideas as to how he wants his team to operate . 

pundits like carragher were talking about kai havertz position but to be honest i think the kid has a great future compared to his german compatriot werner who lacks that proper decision making skills . lampard needs to make him understand and improve his positional as well as his decision making skills . if i am to point out then i think that there were three players in general who were just hopeless technically and they just couldnt understand that they needed to keep the tempo up so that the opposition cannot press them and that they should move the quickly . for me both the fullbacks were bad particularly bad . since the midfield was going to be congested then the ball obviously going to moved through flanks . so they have very good on the ball . their touch needs to be good . most importantly they need to identify as to when they can pass the ball and can pick the player upfield . if they make too many touches then they slow down the game allowing the opposition to close them down or bring players back to defend . for me both alonso and james were poor in their decision making and technical skills . the one player that would point out that was the worst was jorginiho . he is one that is directing the play . he is the pivot for all the things that chelsea do . he is one that has to identify the danger as well as he is one who starts the attack with a tempo and keeps it flowing . for he was poor on the ball . never comfortable on it . when the things are not going as planned then he can consult the coach and the coach too should ask him as to what he needs to improvise on . both lampard and jorginiho failed each other . jorginiho's touch was erractic and was poor on the ball . when he has the ball he should had made the decision as to whom he is going to pass the ball and how he going to conduct the offense . i would repalce him with kante . 

the most important moment of the game was the red card that christensen received . i think he made a foolish decision of bringing mane down . had he let mane take the shot and and even if he had scored then i think that chelsea would had been with eleven players and they would have had a shot . now my objection is not about the decision making but the positional understanding of the players especially the centre backs . liverpool are known to release mane and salah behind the back four or try to get the ball to them and let them exploit that situation and get in a one on one situation with opposition . lampard should had already instructed his centre backs of the possible counter attack through mane and salah  . just look at zouma's position when the ball is played to mane and he is released behind christensen . he and christensen should always on the toes knowing that the ball can come and that they can be found wanting . lampard should had studied this and he should had instructed his centre backs about that . i think he is  found wanting in big games and he needs to do some brain storming and study the opposition better as well gel his team better to get some better this season . 

last but not the least i think that man utd need to fire solksjaer and they need to replace him with carlos queiroz . secondly they need to have a good defensive midfielder and stop playing mctominay . i think they missed out on allan who signed for everton . they are linked with khadeira who can be decent but i would like a better alternative and if possible sale pogba who is hopeless . man utd need to have a good midfielder and a good striker and most importantly a good coach . i had watched the game between sevilla and utd and i think solskjaer should had resigned over there itself . he just cannot change things around and i think its time utd bring in somebody who knows how to coach . 

MY TAKE ON PSG VS BAYERN MUNICH.

 psg played bayern munich in the ucl cup final . this was the game between two german coaches and their teams . both the coaches had a good players at their disposal and it was interesting to see as to who comes at the top . before i write anything about the game let me tell you the difference between a good player and a great player . di maria ,neymar and mbappe are good players but messi,bergkamp and maradona are great players . the reason being not that they are good dribblers but the great players just know when they can take an extra touch and set the ball up and fire it up . while the good players just like to take  in one go which reduces it chances . great players are able to compute as to how they can use the spaces and the players around them . this game was just about how each coaches sets their team up and how they try to improvise during the game . just look the difference between two managers . flick was instructing his players throughout the game while tuchel was trying to be beilsa sitting on coffee ( i know his leg is broken but i think his mouth was ok considering he was chewing the gum whole time . ) . the reason me commenting was as to how much are you aware of the situation and how are trying to improvise the things . the opposition will always try to stop you and its you study and depth of the game that allows you make changes and try to get the better of the opposition . 

now bayern started their game with the usual 4-2-3-1 formation while psg started with their usual 4-3-3 formation . bayern made one change with koman coming in for perisic . now here was chess match that was going on . bayern play a high line and there coach drilled the team as to how to implement it . bayern first congested the midfield so that psg would take the ball wide . once they took the ball wide they just kind of pressed them in that zone and either had the possession back or made them play some desperate moves . there are some advantages of playing a high line and this is where the chess match begins . as like in chess the midfield is congested so the teams have to find a route through the flanks or they have to go long since they are getting pressed . the purpose of playing a high line is to congest the other team and make it play in compact spaces . 

now here is the trap at times the opposing team when they see a high line they try to release a player behind the back four and if the team playing the high line can read the opposition correctly then they can either catch the runner offisde or can intercept the pass . second thing about trap is that when the team plays a high line it can do a very good press to the opposition and this press is genreally in the midfield and upfront . teams rarely go for a full press unless they can find a good moment where on they can press the opposition . so when they are pressing the oppostion cant find a space to pass and move the ball upwards and they have or try to play a long pass ( 30-35 yards pass) and try to release somebody behind the back four and if the teams can read that then they can again intercept the pass or can  read the play and take proper measures . 

to the game bayern play a very high line . on the other hand psg are predominantly setup for counter attack . they keep mbappe and neymar high up the pitch so that when they can get possession they can release either of them behind the back four or try to get the ball  to since both are good dribblers and fast . here is the thing that i was intrigued about psg . bayern were never ever going to give them space in the middle of the pitch and were not going to give neymar time and space on the ball . so psg were kind of forced to move the ball through the flanks . they mostly moved the ball through right side ( through di maria bayern's left side ) . when they were moving the ball there were only three three players that were involved into the offense . neymar and mbappe were stuck to their positions . may they were told to do so because they can distract players with their positioning can create that space where on di maria, and kehrer can operate . but here is the trouble time and time they were stuck again in that channel and they were not getting the ball near the box . when the system is not working you have to change it . you have to atleast get the ball near the box to atleast create a threat . when you are getting stuck in a move change the things . try neymar to make a diagonal run or make mbappe come inside . most importantly they were overwhelmed because of the numbers . psg only had di maria,herrera and kehrer operating in a triangle . touchle should had changed the things when  he could see that things were not working for him and they were getting bogged down . bayern were sixes and seven's whenever psg could the ball near the box . 

the reason being first a defender never likes to come out of his zone because once the shape or geometry gets distorted then he kinds of get suspect and in the running play you can always exploit the gaps that  get created by the play . for me psg were just one gear team trying to get play a forward play game . they never tried to draw bayern in and never tried to control the tempo . most importantly at times they should had just played the ball around but with a purpose . i had seen teams playing the ball around but without a purpose the latest being conte's inter in the uefa cup final . touchle had not been able to do that . he is just predominantly a counter attacking man. most importantly he is sitting there on the water basket for that only to instruct his team as to what they need to do. compare that to flick who looks to be in control of his team and knew exactly as to what his team should do . 

now bayern's goal came because of the psg's shape . i think di maria was instructed to drop back and help the midfield but he was doing so when davies was coming up . the goal is just common communication  and positional error made by the back four . the centre backs were definitely going to look after lewandowski and they should had told kehrer to look out for coman since he is his marker . defending is not an easy job . kehrer lost his positional sense and the goal was conceded . i mentioned di maria because if he had been there then he would had been a handful there giving kehrer the should since he is the one who is covering kehrer . most importantly this what happens when you have insufficient numbers in the midfield since psg only had three in there had they had four then one of them could have been near kehrer and could had been helpful . 

i think i can help mention but one player in the match and that is groetzka . he isnt that good a technical player but he has got a very serious engine and most importantly he will keep things simple and follows his coaches words to the letter . i liked his energy and the way he closed psg and was always there along side thiago and covering him and doing simpler things and getting up and down the pitch with ease . such players are a handful to a coach who may not be that much technically great but will put on a shift and do a defensive job perfectly . 

up untill now i had seen just a handful of coaches who really know as to what their team should do in the final third . to be honest flick and kloop's team know better as to what they need to do in the final third . these two are the ones at par with gaurdiola and really know as to what they are coaching . i have watched football for a long time now and i can say that except for arsenal under wenger when they played a good flowing football and man utd in 07-08 with carlos queiroz as assistant were the teams that were good and pleasent to watch . 

MY TAKE ON PSG VS RB LEIPZIG

 now PSG played leipzig in the ucl s/f . the result was already decided . it was just to be seen as to with how many PSG would win . how would they dominate the game and create chances at will . it didnt turned out  to be that . leipzig gave them a good game and had their manager made some finer adjustments then i think they could had sprung out a surprise . i think what led to leipzig's downfall was that they overdid things and had they kept it simple and then improvise it then i think that they would given PSG a good game . 

psg started the game with 4-3-3 but di maria would drop back to make it the middle four . leipzig started the game with 3-4-3 formation but they were 5-4-1 with almo and nkunu dropping besides kampl and sabitzer . i just wanted to see as to how leipzig can stop the front three and on the other hand how the front three of psg combine . the game started with leipzig sitting back and  psg controlling the possession and tempo .even though psg were in the asendency . even with the possession psg just couldnt create chances at will . leipzig defended very well . once they lost the possession they would go for back four and middle and they would work hard to deny psg player whenever they come forward . the trouble with psg is that they just couldnt get the ball to neymar and mbappe . 

now leipzig were playing on the counter attack with poulson upfront . whenever leipzig regained the possession they didnt went direct as they  should had . they believed in the game that they had been playing against ath mad . what i thought of the leipzig game is that they made one too many passes and that invited pressure . they should had gone a bit direct and should tried to put the ball in the box more . trying to play one too many passes invites pressure because the opposition can read the game inbetween . secondly it allows the opposition to bring players behind the ball . the other thing that i think bothered me was that poulson was playing upfront . when the ball was played to him he was trying to press against thiago silva . instead i think what he should had done is that he should had tried to peel off thiago silva and make him come to you to press instead of viceversa . when you press to him your weight doesnt remain stable and that allows the marker to intercept and most importantly you are just giving him the chance to dispossess . there are these little things that make or break the game and i think with time nagelsman will learn the importance of it . the the other thing was that  when leipzig had the possession and passing the ball they didnt tried to take the ball deep in the oppositions half and then try to cross or score . they just kept on passing on the edge of the box and i think they need to work on their passing given the kind of opposition they were against . 

while leipzig were playing their own game . psg were trying to kind of giving leipzig the possession because when they were losing the possession psg were countering them . they were trying to release neymar and mbappe behind the back line . since leipzig were coming in opposition half . it was leaving space in their own half and psg were trying to exploit that . the one thing that didnt liked about psg were that they were not able to create chances in open play which they should had . i think that even if psg win the ucl i think that their manager may get the axe.

MY TAKE ON BARCELONA VS BAYERN MUNICH.

 yesterday barcelona played bayern munich which ended in a humiliation for barcelona . this defeat brought back memories of brazil's humiliation at the hands of germany . i would say that this was even worse for the reason that barcelona just didnt had a game plan other than going wide and trying to whip the ball inside . offense is the best defense and vice versa is true in this game barcelona just didnt had any offense and the middle players were struggling to pass the ball . the reason they were struggling was just not from bayern press but because there was no movement in the front to pass the ball or shall we say that barcelona just dont to  play other than playing the ball to messi .they really couldnt pass the ball around just because they just didnt know how to operate . barca midfielders just made one too many touches on the ball allowing the bayern players to close them down. bayern played a high line and messi,suareaz and even vidal stayed just high up the pitch instead of dropping deep. the most important thing was that setien didnt instruct messi or suarez to drop into the hole and then try to release other . both messi and suarez were flat in line and even if one was released bayern could close them down easily. 

now barcelona started the game with 4-4-2 formation . while bayern started the game with 4-2-3-1 formation . barcelona started the game with 4 midfielders in the middle while bayern had two in front the back four the three upfront would drop in the midfield and even lewandowski to press . bayern from the very start started to play a very high line . the reason being that bayern coach may had saw that even though there is messi .bayern back four have a decent pace and they can catch any runner even if he is free in the space .secondly they wanted to press and wanted to give barcelona the very medicine which barcelona gives to others . barcelona had four in the middle of the park . they wanted to congest the game because they must had studied  bayern tactics . bayern just turn the screw as soon as the ball reaches the final  third  and they play some good intricate football .  lewandowski drops deep to release the wide players beyond the back four .  he not only a good goal scorer and header of the ball but also a good passer of the ball .

the most intriguing thing that i observed was that bayern's   game revolve around  thiago and none of the barcelona idfielders or  forwards made a slight effort to keep   a tab on him . this is where i am very critical of setien .his job is to spot things and change things . he needs to tell his players as to where they need to improvise and what they should and most importantly he needs to have guts to take any player out of the game who is not performing . he should had seen that thiago is the one through whom the bayern game flows . yes bayern's front players combine very well but its tiago who supplies them with the accurate passes . he is one who spots them in the spaces . even though bayern have two midfielders but goetzka is more of a runner where he is good at getting in the box and scoring goal .his forte is not passing or controlling the game which is thiago'sforte  .i was amazed that for the whole game setien didnt tried to atleast hassel thiago . he is one that control's the game and tempo and i think for that i would blame setien.

 in the first 15 min i thought that barcelona were going to tear bayern apart even after barca had  conceded a goal the reason being that  barcelona may had altered their tactics .  when messi released semedo in the space beyond the back four he didnt wait for messi to get involved instead he crossed for suarez . barcelona were going to let others combine and messi was going to be the provider . messi even showed alaba as to why he is the best player in the world . alaba tried to take ball off messi and he just left alaba red faced . he released suarez who should had scored . there after barca just couldnt get messi in the game . barca just couldnt work the ball in the middle of the park even when having basically six players in there . the four midfielders and two forwards . this again setien's lack of coaching . he should had been coaching as to how they would operate without messi . they just couldnt pass the ball around and get the ball to the front line .there best line of attack was to pass wide and then cross inside . in the second half i thought they would give a game to bayern since they started pressing and started to bring the ball from back to front quickly and exploit those bayern cracks when they press . but again they got themselves in that slow rhythm and lost the tempo which they had initially at the start of the half .  

i had just heard some pique's statement and he had offered to quit the club to rebuilding . setien made a mistake by starting both alba and pique . i mean just look that goals that were conceded by barca . the first goal where on alba going circles around muller . second goal in the box the centre back has to be like the centre forward and he should try to get to the ball first and thats what lenglet lacked which muller to score . the reason i mentioned pique was that just look at his decision making and the number of goals that were conceded from his half . the one that he commands . barca let 7 goals because of pique's incompetency . just look at what he did when perisic scored . he should had gone with perisic when he scored the second goal . his most comical defending can be seen in the fifth goal . davies got the better of semedo who should had never got into that  wingchun stance while defending . from that stance you cannot run quickly . fine when davies got the better off semedo . pique is the covering defender for semedo who had stepped up and gone forward to cover davies run . what he does is that he is does is a shame . he is not even covering the straight line which he is supposed to do  .he is dilly dallying . please see bayern goals to see as to how hopeless pique is and he should be the that needs to the first  one to go .

ATLANTA VS PSG .

 atlanta played PSG in the first Q/F of the ucl . this is the first knockout tournament . the game can be summed up in one sentence that the team playing better football lost to the team who had better individual players . although atlanta lost the game but gasperini's stock had rosen quite well . gasperini's team showed the way ball needs to be played and the style that led to their rise was the reason for their downfall but all and all they believed in their system and they stuck to that note for the full 90 min gasperini's only mistake that the some subtle changes that he needed were not done by him . when the game was in the last quarter at that time he needed to just change the gears because the way they were operating was going to cause them problems but then it was a good match . 

atlanta started the game with their usual 3-4-1-2 formation while psg started with 4-3-3 formation but sarabia kept on dropping leaving neymar and icardi upfront . in my last post i had talked the space between the lines and the understanding between the players . atlanta displayed that perfectly . the differene between their lines was not more that 12-15 yards . the players seem to know their roles and they even played better in one on one situation coming out on top in that one . atlanta play a very compact game which allows them  to press whenever they loose the ball but because of which they have to play a high line just so that they can apply a proper press to the opposition . now this can work both ways you can recover the ball and deny opposition the space but at the same time when the opposition can somehow beat the press or there are players like neymar who can dribble past players with ease it gives them spaces beyond the last line to exploit . 

the game was nothing but full atlanta team against neymar . psg's who offense depended on neymar getting the ball and then taking on the whole atlanta team . touchel was asked the other day by somebody as to why psg not scoring enough goals . i think the answer lies in the fact that the who offense depends on neymar and how well he can do against the opposition . i think touchel wants to recreate what  gaurdiola created for messi at barcelona  . the difference is the understanding by the players and the player himself . the education that gaurdiola gave messi in that time had helped messi to be the player he today is .  also the understanding of the situation and what he should do and the spaces that he can operate and the way other team mates would position themselves around him made that team special . here touchel has a player neymar who has messi's dribbling qualities but touchel hasnt been able to teach him the proper decision making process as to what the team should do and how they should help neymar operate better as well teaching neymar to how he should operate in various formations and situations . neymar was doing things alone but he and the other team mates didnt seem to be on the same page . in the first half he just tore atlanta apart by his dribbling skills but lack of finishing skill kept psg blank . 

atlanta just played their game . they played compact game . the reason that i said  they should had taken a different to the game in the second half was that .in the second half psg changed the approach with neymar coming deep and trying to release mbappe and others beyond the last line. in the first half itself neymar had shown that he can beat them in the foot race . so mbappe is a notch better than neymar in the foot race . when mbappe came atlanta had changed their approach and had gone conservative by substituting gomez for a defensive midfielder but they kept on playing a high line and trying to congest psg . instead they should had dropped deep let neymar and mbappe come on them and then try to contain them instead of trying to win ball off them . i had already written as to how deal with such good dribblers in my earlier posts . you have to be patient . against good players and if you make a mistake then they will punish you . 

why i laud about gasperini was that in the second half after taking the lead the italian in gasperini got awaken and he went conservative . but this approach was backfiring because zapata was all on his own upfornt  and he didnt had any support and psg kept winning the ball back easily off him . so he again changed the approach and brought muriel in support of zapata and changed to two upfront . this did change some things and they could keep and move the ball better . his tactical acumen is good and had a good brain for the game . while on the other hand i dont think touchel will be in his job for long .his tactical acumen is stupid and i dont think he has a good game sense . how can he keep his mouth shut and chew gum when he should be instructing his players as to what they need to improvise . 

BARCELONA VS NAPOLI .

 barcelona played napoli in the ucl  round of 16 . i had done barcelona ganes before and i dont think that anything has changed but i expected a fight from napoli . i dont know about gatusso but i dont think he had watched barcelona's game's much . the italian's are called the masters of tactical football but i didnt find any great tactical understanding from gatusso because he just couldnt gauge the length of pitch and the distance between his lines . 

both the teams operate with 4-3-3 formation but they can change depending upon the situation of the game . first off napoli with the team that gattuso selected barca knew that they couldnt get in the running game against napoli .secondly with the front three off insigne,mertens and callejon they knew that they couldnt play a high line to they dropped back deep and got numbers behind the ball whenever they lost the ball . barcelona played a patient game when they lost the ball and didnt went chasing trying to win the ball back . there things that i was disappointed with gattuso's napoli . they knew that they didnt had height in the ball and barca had dropped deep to deny them space behind the back four so they needed to change the way they tried to get the ball in the box . if you had watched the game closely then you would had seen that the distance between the lines was way more than 12 yards which gives the defender to take proper actions .it is very natural the bigger the distance between two players the more time the ball takes to reach to  the intended player and in that time the defense can take necessary actions . the distance between the midfield and front three should had been narrower that between 8 to 10 yards which would had enabled a slick passing game. secondly napoli were just not slick on the ball . the trouble with napoli is that barcelona could sense the danger and could take evasive action . 

the reason i am disappointed by gattusso is that the way barcelona operate . they are just messi and messi . the game just flows through him . griezman played in this game and i was reminded of oscar in the brazilian team  who use to play around neymar . his job was to fill in the blanks . he will go wide if neymar comes inside and if he stays wide then he stays in his midfield position . the reason barcelona lost the la liga this season was that they just couldnt offer anything new . it was just messi and messi . he operates from the right side and there is no left side offense from barcelona . there is no offensive build up from the left side . if messi needs to be effective then barcelona need to play like the way they played for their 2nd . barca build up from the left which left messi in a 1 on 1  situation with his opposite number. that is what they did when they won the treble when neymar was there . 

 

i think messi is mid 30's and i think he should have a game sense and he needs to let others share the ball and let them  combine . there were two instances in the game in the first half where on semedo and de jong made the runs deep in napoli's half . but they halted there runs just because first reason messi wasnt there and the second reason being that barcelona are not coached to exploit such situations . whenever you see somebody free up then you need to coach then as to how you can exploit that position . how do you exploit spaces and who will make runs and support the runner and how will they do it .  yes i know that messi is one of the best players and this little man is the best passer of the ball and most importantly even if he surrounded by two players then he knows how to work the space between those players and how to negotiate with them but then he too should realize that football is a team game and if needs to be effective then he needs his teammates to be effective . most importantly barcelona dont let anybody from the midfield to get beyond suarez and messi .secondly they need to let griezman and suarez combine which in turn will only help messi .

i was disappointed by gattuso because let me tell you i dont know what he was telling  to his players or what his instructions was he passing .most importantly what he should had realised at the half time ( which he should had realized earlier . had he done that we would had a better game ) that the game that he had set up the team wasnt  working . secondly he hasnt got any height in the box . he should have had bought milik earlier than later . the impact he had on the game could be seen .there was  a target man in the box at the end of the cross because of which the fullbacks couldnt cross the ball and when they tried to work the ball inside they were not getting successful . i was diappointed in gattusso for not changing earlier which he  should had done . 

THIS WEEK I WILL BE BACK

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-YEG9DgRHhA

MY VIEW ABOUT THE ELCLASSICO .

on sunday  real madrid played barcelona at the santiago barnebau . after the game the first thing that i read after the game was that of piques comment that this was the worst real madrid side that he had played . to be honest this is the game where on my criticism of pique that he is the weak link in their team was confirmed . there are many a questions that are left unanswered by this game . first off did barcelona got the right man in the form of kiki stein as their manager because i dont see real changes in the game play . now winners are not questioned and since real have won so zidane wont be questioned . but the way they played then i thought that they were looking for a draw . there is no game plan other than counter attacking .even on the counter attack they dont have a proper cohesion . if there is one player that i am so disappointed then it is  isco . isco had the best shot in the open play on barcelona's goal but to be honest there are several instances in the game where on he is found wanting .his positional understanding as well as decision making was absolutely hopeless and at times hopeless . isco is playing in the number 10 position  and he is given the freedom to move anywhere . so when he has the ball he should be talking to the players telling them as to where he does he wants them and also play himself in . he needs to talk with his coach about the tactics .most importantly he needs to be available for pass all the time in the attack . to be honest i am not at all satisfied with his positional intelligence . barcelona had one chance in the game at goal and it fell to griezman . now can a striker like griezman miss a shot like that but the answer lies in the barcelona's tactics . 
this is game from where i am going to divert from tactical to tactical positional analysis . i want to take some examples and since pique is the big mouth i want to show as to how he is responsible for the goal . the centre backs are considered to be the team organiser on defense and they are the one who have the command as who needs to do what and so lets take his example . here in the first thing kross has the ball and the positions are as shown . here pique should be readind as to what kross can do and the empty spaces that his team is leaving and he should be giving a  should to either braithwhite or semedo to drop a little deep because there was a big space between him and semedo and this is where pique comes short .he should had realised the danger and should had given the call to semedo in particular because it is his zone or he could had moved a bit more towards semedo so that he could had narrowed the space in which kross released vinicius so that he wont have got that space and time on the ball to get the start and made things difficult . another instant is of the second goal that real scored here too umtiti went out wide to closed down mariano who turned on  him . here pique should had read the danger and should had shown him the outside and most importantly he should had gone quickly to close mariano down . while doing so he should had shouted to his other players to close down the gaps and look out for runners who would come at the end of the pass that the player that pique is closing  . this is how pique is .

there is another thing i want to talk about and this time i am able to show it in the pics . isco released vinicius in the space with benzema in support .now vinicius was surrounded by three to four players . now this is what intrigued me . instead of getting near vnicius and tryin to have some interplay he pulled away from vinicus leaving him to deal with those players surrounding him .now his thinking is trying to get in a goal scoring position but then there are lot of variables come into play . first off can vinicius deal with them .secondly the air time or the time the ball travels is the most important thing because the longer the pass the more time the opposition gets to do something and take preventive measures . now instead of going wide if he stays in close proximity to vinicius then not only there can be interplay but half of the players gets benzema's attention which in turn gives vinicius to do something . coaches need to creats such plays and they need to teach their players as what they need to do .they have to take moch drills teaching them as to how they can work these situations and get something out of it .

MY TAKE ON ATH MAD VS LIVERPOOL

ath mad played liverpool in the first leg of ucl round of 16 . i was reading the headlines and the news and i was not surprised . before writing this article i was watching bhau torsekar's video on journalism and when i was reading the news about this game i can see as to why the journalist are sold out . did the journalist saw the same game  saw . every other journalist had lauded ath mad and sort of criticized liverpool . well if i am jurgen kloop then i would be holding my head high after this performance .this match showed as to why liverpool are the best team in europe and how they outplayed,outclassed and totally dominated one of the best team in the europe . if i am jurgen klopp then i will show this game as a case study of how you play and dominate your opponents . now about simeone if i am simeone then i will not cherish this win instead i will do a brain storming as to why was i outclassed and outplayed and what should i do so that this will not happen again . i will not criticize him for his tactics but then when you deploy them then you have see that they are effectively deployed . most importantly when you see that your tactics are working then you need to tweak them . the fact about coaches like simeone , mouriniho that they are so rigid that just dont change .
liverpool started the game with their usual 4-3-3 system while ath mad started with their patented 4-4-2 formation . the game started with the usual story like . the players are fresh especially ath mad's who like press francitcally at start of each half . in this frantic pressing liverpool conceded a goal . but after the chaotic 10 min the game settled to its real script . ath mad started to sit back and absorb the pressure and hit liverpool on the counter . ath mad play a very narrow defense so liverpool moved the ball from flank to flank and trying to gauge the response and the movement of the players as well trying to see the opening in the ath mad' defense . although liverpool dont need it since liverpool with their ball movement can create that space . most importantly liverpool dominated the who half . they just knew when to up the tempo and when to slow the game down .most importantly they just strangled ath mad in their own  half and there is a reason for that . most importantly liverpool a little impatient with their shooting and taking shots . i am delighted by liverpool's performance and if they remain patient with their shooting and try to take their shots just a bit deeper in opposition half then they can be more potent . 
ath mad like to play on the counter attack . i wont criticize them for that . even liverpool like to play on the counter attack . now when you play on the counter all the components in the system need to work in tandem . ath mad for the major part of the match were poor on their execution of counter to liverpool's offense. first off i disagree with the shape that ath mad adopted . ath mad like to have all players behind the ball so the ath mad's front two will be in front of the opposition back four . so if the ball is passed they likely to be pressed and no opposition will give time and space on the ball and give the chance to have the counter on them . so ath mad had to move the ball very crisply . the forwards needs to understand that any time spent on the ball gives defense an edge in pressing them . most importantly the forwards that they have the responsibility of not only starting the counter but also of keeping the possession . they first need to keep the possession and then try to start to counter because both the ath mad forwards were not in tandem . they were flat . secondly i was disappointed by ath mad's midfielder's . the decision making by these midfielders was poor . they were trying to release the forwards or pass it to them where they were better off keeping the ball and passing it around trying to beat the press and then see the opening and make  a move . whenever ath mad moved the ball and made more than 3 passes in a move they pushed liverpool back and had they had a better coaching they  could had done something better with the ball .
 i am disappointed in simeone and his style of coaching . i think with time he hasnt evolved just like mouriniho who just struggle with the offense . if i was the ath mad coach then i would have had lost my voice after the match for the mistakes that his players were making . he removed lamar at half time and i dont know why but moratta stayed on . to be honest i would be  shouting my lungs out for his misadventures . most importantly when you are playing on the counter attack then the forwards should be ready to receive the ball and start rolling . i found and moratta and correa wanting . also the midfield they should be supporting the front players and only feeding them when it is possible . the reason why i said then is flat is because they were standing like midfielders while they need to be taking where on one is ready to make run behind the back which keeps their attention getting the other forward the time and space on the ball . they were just flat . when simeone will see the tapes i hope he corrects his mistakes . but all and all i would be disappointed if liverpool dont reach the next round .

MY TAKE ON GETAFE VS BARCELONA

barcelona played getafe at getafe's home .getafe had been high flying in the league and they had been playing some good football . spanish press love for high line continues because getafe's high line is the highest in the la liga and it is widely reported . while writing about getafe i am going to take their two matches into consideration .  getafe 's game against barcelona and valencia . getafe like's press high up and it looks like they have barrowed a page out of ariggo sacchi's tactical book . they play a 4-4-2 system but it more like 4-6 since all the men get behind the ball and try to help press . getafe played two different teams and two different tactically team's . most importantly they like to play on the counter just like liverpool where on they like to take advantage of the spreaded team .
the reason that getafe's plan worked against valencia was that valencia play similar to getafe . they too play a 4-4-2 system . so getafe could read as to what valencia were going to do when they have the ball and take proper actions . they limited valencia's ball movement in one zone and they successfully could strangle them in that zone . most importantly valencia's midfield just couldnt support their front players and parejo just couldnt cope with the pace of the game . barcelona's coach must had watched this  game and he knew what he needed to do . he knew that he needed to break that strangle hold that getafe applies in the midfield . getafe first bring all the players behind the ball .secondly they play shape in the middle of the park denying the space for the opposition so they have to go wide to move the ball . now it even more easier for getafe to press because on the flanks they cannot use the whole pitch and the number of players that get  imvolved in the play are limited so you can successfully press .against valencia this startergy worked .most importantly valencia played a very bad game and their player's just couldnt show their quality their on the ball . now barcelona knew what they needed to do .
  most importantly the system that barcelona deploy's makes it difficult to press . plus most important thing is the quality of players that barcelona  have got which are extremely important and the most important thing that nobody bother's to give credit is the quality that ter stegen possess . first bacelona's system they have three in the midfield plus messi too drops deep to get involved in the build up . most importantly once the ball gets to messi it gets very difficult to press because there is only one winner in one on one with him and once he beats his marker the defense had scramble to stop . so when this happens the whole defense can fall apart . still what getafe tried to do was they tried to make it difficult to get the ball to messi .they really worked hard and tried to press high up the pitch .but in this barcelona had one ace who deserve equal praise like the rest of the team and that is ter stegen . 
when you are pressed at that time the back four's distribution becomes   very important and there ability to pick  pass to a player who had time and space on the ball and can relive some pressure on the press . but when even the back four is pressed then at that time the goal keepers ability to  pass the ball and pick out of the back and pass perfectly becomes a very rare commodity . ter stegen has that i dont have the stats to show but he was absolutely hit .his ability to pick out a guy upfield is a very handsome quality he possess . his ability makes barcelona playing with 12 man on the field because the opposition cannot over commit for the fear of being hit back and ter stegens ability to pass is just the most important thing in that barcelona team .
getafe just couldnt over commit .first they couldnt bring the back four out of position because that would had let been disastrous . the other thing that barcelona did very good was barcelona pressed hard as soon they lost the ball they pressed getafe which was not what getafe expected and because of this getafe conceded possession many times . the thing is when you are so compact to press it is a boon as well as a curse because the opposition can give the same medicine to you which are trying to give it to them . most importantly i was not impressed by arrambari and maximovic who gave the possession cheaply many times . they should had the confidence and move the ball quickly cause they should read as to what barcelona were doing and should had tried to evade the press .  getafe's coach likes jurgen style of football but then kloop's team has a very distinct style of playing football and there offense is one of the most perfectly coreographed thing . each and every player in the play knows his role and they play to perfection so if getafe are to go anywhere it is the offense which has to be bettered that what is . barcelona just stopped them in the first half and only in the second half because of pique's idiocracy that getafe could have had a chance .
last but not the least but i am disappointed in barca coach's tactics . the team is not playing the flowing football that barca known for and most importantly there is over dependency on messi . i think that after 15 min once he guages the opponents as to what they are doing and their players he should try to improvise . they still are playing slow offense where on they are confused as to what to do next . most importantly if setien is a man's coach then he should tell messi that he needs to share more of the ball with other team members .for his team's sake and even for messi who would want to more of a threat the the other players need to combine because messi will always be a ace on the field but when others will combine then he will have that time and space on the ball and then he can do what he does best .