Tag: tactics

Arsenal tactics: How Mikel Arteta could respond to defeat at Brighton
9 October 2026 Off

Arsenal tactics: How Mikel Arteta could respond to defeat at Brighton

By Total Football News

Arteta’s response to Brighton, starting when they host Leeds on Saturday (12:30 BST), will be another chapter in his team’s evolution – one that is both proactive and reactive.

This season we have seen Arteta encourage more asymmetrical and fluid play too, particularly down their right – a phenomenon worth its own deep-dive.

Kai Havertz has consistently moved over to the right touchline. White has arrived high up the

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Tottenham tactics: Should Spurs be worried about their attack this season?
29 November 2025 Off

Tottenham tactics: Should Spurs be worried about their attack this season?

By Total Football News

Set-pieces are central to Frank’s side as they were for old club Brentford. This season Spurs have scored six times from set-pieces, the fifth most in the league.

Their 3-0 win against Everton is perhaps the best example of their quality and reliance on them.

Frank’s men ended the game with a lower xG than their opponents and 1.04 of their 1.72 xG came from set-pieces, with Spurs scoring twice

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The tactics behind Sunderland’s impressive Premier League start
3 November 2025 Off

The tactics behind Sunderland’s impressive Premier League start

By Total Football News

Le Bris’ tactical variety is evident in Sunderland’s out-of-possession play this season. Though they have been difficult to break down defensively, that hasn’t only been by defending deep.

Sunderland tend to begin aggressively. Le Bris instructs his players to press high, often in a man-to-man fashion, and their ability to execute this has been impressive.

Newly promoted teams are reluctant to defend in this way because getting it wrong leaves

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Hugo Ekitike: Liverpool new striker signing shows Arne Slot may be shifting towards Jurgen Klopp tactics
23 July 2025 Off

Hugo Ekitike: Liverpool new striker signing shows Arne Slot may be shifting towards Jurgen Klopp tactics

By Total Football News

Along with Wirtz and the two new full-backs, Ekitike points to a different Liverpool set-up.

In 2024-25, some 47 of Liverpool’s 86 goals (55%) were scored or assisted by Mohamed Salah, who ran the right wing almost on his own as Alexander-Arnold drifted inside.

By contrast, Frimpong is a very attacking, very wide right-back. That should take some of the pressure off Salah, but it might also see the Egyptian

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Football tactics: Corner chicken & Rory Delap 2.0 – what’s the future?
14 April 2025 Off

Football tactics: Corner chicken & Rory Delap 2.0 – what’s the future?

By Total Football News

There isn’t enough deception in football tactics.

There are the ‘dark arts’ of defending, the dummy and the no-look pass. But where are the Trojan horses, the tactical decoys?

Players are getting more versatile all the time and (most) managers are too, regularly changing formation between matches and within them. In fact, a lot of managers these days would reject the idea of the formation.

But there are still basic

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Man City: Why Pep Guardiola’s tactics stopped working amid rise of rapid football
22 February 2025 Off

Man City: Why Pep Guardiola’s tactics stopped working amid rise of rapid football

By Total Football News

During City’s ongoing crisis Guardiola has taken to musing on tactical problems during press conferences, and a few weeks ago he hit on something particularly insightful.

Citing Bournemouth and Brighton, he said: “Today, modern football is not positional. You have to ride the rhythm.”

As the forefather of ‘juego de posicion’, the ‘positional play’ that has dominated world football since his Barcelona side won everything 15 years ago, this is

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Manchester United players will ‘step up’ to Ruben Amorim’s tactics, says Andre Onana
6 November 2024 Off

Manchester United players will ‘step up’ to Ruben Amorim’s tactics, says Andre Onana

By Total Football News

United host Greek champions PAOK on Thursday, looking for their first win in this season’s Europa League.

Leny Yoro, a £52m signing from Lille last summer, participated in full training on Wednesday after fracturing his foot in August.

The Frenchman is yet to make his competitive debut for the club.

“He’s been managed very well after his injury in pre-season, obviously we knew it was going to be a long

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Ruben Amorim tactics: Man Utd winners and losers under new coach – analysis
1 November 2024 Off

Ruben Amorim tactics: Man Utd winners and losers under new coach – analysis

By Total Football News

As Manchester United supporters prepare to welcome a highly-rated and talented coach from outside of Europe’s ‘big five’ leagues who has analysts swooning, they may be worried that it all sounds a bit familiar.

But in Ruben Amorim, they can be certain that in one crucial aspect he won’t be anything like Erik ten Hag.

The defining complaint about the sacked Dutchman was that after two-and-a-bit seasons the football was

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Mikel Arteta defends Arsenal’s tactics during 2-2 draw with Manchester City
24 September 2024 Off

Mikel Arteta defends Arsenal’s tactics during 2-2 draw with Manchester City

By Total Football News

David Raya, Jurrien Timber, Riccardo Calafiori and Gabriel Martinelli all went down with cramp during the second half at the Etihad, leading to accusations of time-wasting.

But Arteta says the Gunners will be without injured players for Wednesday’s EFL Cup tie against Bolton.

“I always prefer the facts to words, or supposing things,” said Arteta.

“Let’s see who’s available tomorrow and then we can talk about dark arts or these

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