-
1 month ago | 
nytimes.com | Mark Carey |Ahmed Walid
It is a staple of English football. Despite the progression in modern football tactics, it is remarkable how many managers point to a specific part of the game in their pre- and post-match interviews. "I thought, 'It's OK, second ball. OK. But really, you have to adapt to the second ball, and the third ball, and the fourth," said Guardiola in 2016. "I never before was focused on that, never. "Here, you have to control the second ball. Without that, you cannot survive.
-
2 months ago | 
nytimes.com | Ahmed Walid |Liam Tharme
The Premier League 's broadcast partners certainly didn't as they made their five picks for live TV from the 10 matches in this latest round of fixtures. Sky Sports and their TNT counterparts choosing to leave the Vitality Stadium clash in the Saturday 3pm slot, behind English football's longstanding television 'blackout', means only viewers outside the UK will be able to (legally) watch what could be one of the matches of the season as it happens.
-
Jan 16, 2025 | 
nytimes.com | Ahmed Walid
Before Omar Marmoush was racking up goals and assists in the Bundesliga, he was figuring out how to use the washer-dryer and prepare his own meals. As an 18-year-old, the transition from Cairo, the vast capital of his homeland Egypt (population: 10million), to the small German city of Wolfsburg (pop: 125,000) wasn’t the smoothest.
-
Dec 16, 2024 | 
nytimes.com | Ahmed Walid
Just last week, Manchester United 's head coach Ruben Amorim said his centre-backs must be more aggressive on the ball when the opportunity arises. "We are in the beginning and the focus is don't lose the ball with sloppy passes, and they are trying to do that," said Amorim after United's 3-2 loss against Nottingham Forest. "They have to have more confidence - not just to take the ball, but also to put the ball between the lines.
-
Dec 12, 2024 | 
nytimes.com | Ahmed Walid
A clear aspect of how Enzo Maresca wants Chelsea to play revolves around the use of his wingers. In the Premier League this season, Chelsea have mainly played in a 3-2-4-1 shape on the ball, with the widest players deployed as 'proper' wingers.
-
Dec 11, 2024 | 
nytimes.com | Ahmed Walid
In the Premier League 's recent set-piece boom, there have been two successful ways to approach corner kicks. The other, more complicated approach, is a variety of routines, which are chopped and changed from game to game - or even within the same match - to attack specific weaknesses in opponents and play to the strengths of the squad. When thinking about the latter, Arsenal are the team that immediately comes to mind.
-
Dec 4, 2024 | 
nytimes.com | Ahmed Walid
If you try to picture Brentford's style of play since their first Premier League season in 2021-22, specific images come to mind. Solid defensive organisation is one, man-to-man pressing and innovative set pieces are others, and that vision surely includes long balls to Ivan Toney. Their occasionally direct tactics were so successful that they overshadowed Brentford's attempts to play out from the back when the opportunity arose.
-
Dec 3, 2024 | 
nytimes.com | Ahmed Walid
"Sometimes when you start a game with a good save, with a good feeling, you can feel that."That was David de Gea to MUTV seven years ago, on December 2, 2017, after producing one of the best goalkeeping displays in Premier League history when Manchester United beat Arsenal 3-1 at the Emirates, in a fixture they play again this week. De Gea felt unstoppable in north London that day, and his 14 saves remain a Premier League record since Opta started collecting this data in 2003-04.
-
Dec 2, 2024 | 
nytimes.com | Ahmed Walid
Scoring two goals in the same game isn't really Joshua Zirkzee 's thing. Throughout his senior career, the Netherlands forward had only done that on five occasions - four times with Anderlecht and once with Bologna - before scoring twice in Manchester United's 4-0 victory against Everton on Sunday. Zirkzee's two goals will be a much-needed confidence boost after his form dipped towards the end of Erik ten Hag's United tenure.
-
Nov 28, 2024 | 
nytimes.com | Ahmed Walid
But despite his side creating multiple chances in the first half, he was able to tweak a few things in search of an improvement. And since the start of the season, Liverpool have been noticeably raising their level after the break - with the 2-0 victory against Madrid just the latest addition to the list of impressive second halves. That tweak guided Liverpool to victory, and another half-time tweak against Madrid brought Slot's team closer to reaching the Champions League 's round of 16.
