Selim Ben Hmida

Malen's missed option is the runner beside him. Mora offers a pass to his left as Cagliari close around the ball. Selim Ben Hmida highlights the decisions that limited Roma before their late winner. tacticalfootballanalysis.com…

Croatia made Lamine Yamal play backwards without retreating into their box. Perišić and Vlašić dropped into midfield, keeping the lines close and cutting off his forward options. How Croatia disrupted Spain, and why it didn’t last: tacticalfootballanalysis.com…

Inter kept watching Malen. Koné scored twice. Roma occupied defenders with their striker, then attacked the space behind him. Dybala’s quick deliveries punished the hesitation. The pattern behind Roma’s goals in the 2-2 draw: tacticalfootballanalysis.com…

Cucurella’s protection depended on Vinícius tracking back. At 2:32, Diouf has room to run at him. At 40:56, Vinícius engages Diouf while Cucurella covers inside. How Madrid paired that deeper defending with a press that produced both goals: tacticalfootballanalysis.com…

John Stones joins Inter Milan with the versatility to operate as a centre-back, libero or defensive midfielder. @mrziguen assesses his defensive strengths, playmaking value and possible role under Cristian Chivu. tacticalfootballanalysis.com…

John Stones move to Inter Milan is one of the most interesting transfers of the summer. He can play centre-back, libero or step into midfield. The question is which role Chivu actually uses him in, because Akanji is already there and they solve similar problems. Stones' playmaking from deep is what separates him, though. The passing range to operate as a libero in Serie A is already there. Full scout report 👇 tacticalfootballanalysis.com…

Yan Diomande led the entire Bundesliga in successful dribbles last season. Even ahead of Olise. 12 goals, 7 assists, 143 progressive runs and a 67.1% dribble success rate at RB Leipzig. Real Madrid paid over €100m for a reason. But Mourinho wants structure, discipline, defensive responsibility first. Diomande's best work comes in transition and half-spaces where he has freedom to carry and create. That's a genuine tension. Full scout report breaking down whether Mourinho's system suits him or limits him 👇tacticalfootballanalysis.com…

🇦🇷 Cristian Romero to Inter Milan 🇮🇹 Romero to Inter Milan solves a squad problem. Darmian and Acerbi are gone, and Bisseck and Akanji alone aren't enough for a three-competition season in a back-three system. His long-passing profile fits #FCIM's setup, he's used to being the first outlet for the goalkeeper and hitting vertical balls into runners. One concern is discipline. His aggressive tackling has cost him before, and that tendency to bail out late with a foul instead of positioning is something Inter is trying to fix. Full scout report below by @mrziguen tacticalfootballanalysis.com…

Arthur Atta has joined #ACF from Udinese in a €25m-plus-bonuses deal, choosing La Viola's project over reported interest from #ACM and the Premier League. @mrziguen examines his attacking traits and his fit under Fabio Grosso. tacticalfootballanalysis.com…

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 England vs 🇦🇷 Argentina — How Tuchel Lost Control — A few tactical observations from @mrziguen 1️⃣ Argentina's plan was physical, not passive Scaloni sent his side out to defend high and provoke England into duels, using powerful midfielders alongside a disciplined presser like Simeone. The logic: Scaloni knew Argentina's backline struggled in aerial duels, so defending deep and inviting crosses would be far more dangerous than fouling and pressing high. 2️⃣ Double marking neutralised England's wide threat England's overlaps down both flanks looked promising, but Argentina consistently applied double and sometimes triple marking on the ball carrier. Bellingham was tightly shadowed even when dropping deep, creating a disconnect between England's midfield and attack that they couldn't solve centrally. 3️⃣ Kane's dropping movement unlocked the opener Kane retreating into midfield forced Fernández to track him instead of holding position, letting Rice advance into the box unmarked and occupy Romero. That chain reaction left Gordon in space against a passive Molina, and he anticipated the cross well enough to finish clinically. 4️⃣ Tuchel's defensive gamble backfired After going ahead, England dropped into a five-man defensive block and surrendered possession, removing Rice, Gordon, and James rather than keeping attacking outlets like Eze, Saka, or Watkins on the pitch. Without any counterattacking threat, Argentina had all the time they needed to probe England's low block without consequence. 5️⃣ Marking errors gifted both Argentina goals Messi drifted right to avoid triple-marking, and England's passive approach to shots from distance proved costly: Anderson left Fernández unmarked while doubling up on Messi for the equaliser. The winner followed a similar breakdown, with Lautaro Martínez left completely free between Konsa and Stones as Messi crossed from the right. tacticalfootballanalysis.com…

🇫🇷 France defeated 🇲🇦 Morocco 2-0 in the World Cup quarter-finals to set up a semi with Spain, ending Ouahbi's side's impressive run. @mrziguen examines France's smart attacking performance. tacticalfootballanalysis.com…

🇦🇷 Argentina survived a scare, coming from behind to beat 🇪🇬 Egypt 3-2 in the Round of 16, Hossam Hassan's side exposing defensive frailties before fading late in Atlanta. @mrziguen examines Egypt's attacking plan and matchup problems. tacticalfootballanalysis.com…

🇧🇷 Brazil Vs 🇳🇴 Norway [1–2] — Selecão's Tactical Collapse — A few tactical observations from @mrziguen 1️⃣ Norway's Counterattacking Efficiency Through Numbers-Up Transitions: Norway systematically exploited Brazil's defensive vulnerabilities by immediately transitioning into organized counterattacks that outnumbered Brazilian defenders consistently. The key to Norway's success was their ability to maintain defensive shape while launching quick attacks—Ødegaard's through pass to Sørloth, followed by a cutback to Berg who finished unmarked, exemplified perfectly orchestrated transition play with multiple options available in dangerous areas. What made this pattern devastatingly effective was that all three Norwegian attackers (Berg, Ødegaard, and Nusa) were completely unmarked inside the box, demonstrating Brazil's failure to reorganize defensively after losing possession. This rapid transition advantage allowed Norway to punish Brazil's high pressing, which left excessive space behind the defensive line for counterattacking runners to exploit. 2️⃣ Brazil's High-Pressing Aggressive Intent Created Transition Vulnerability: Although Brazil's high-pressing plan combined with a very high defensive block helped them create dangerous situations where they won a penalty, this aggressive approach simultaneously exposed them to devastating counterattacks whenever possession was lost. Rayan's high recovery—reading and anticipating Norway's passing lane—triggered Brazil's penalty-winning action through Martinelli's intelligent movement inside the box and through Guimarães' precise passing. However, this extreme aggression in the final third meant that when turnovers occurred, Brazil had insufficient defensive numbers to reorganize, leaving unmarked attackers in space to punish them clinically. 3️⃣ Haaland's Aerial Dominance & Passive Brazilian Defensive Marking: Erling Haaland scored twice in this match, with his exceptional abilities in aerial duels and movement creating consistent mismatches against Brazil's centre-backs, particularly Gabriel. Brazil's defenders looked remarkably passive in these situations, leaving Haaland completely unmarked in dangerous areas with no one attempting to advance quickly to prevent him from shooting or close down his space. As Haaland received the ball unmarked, he controlled it without any Brazilian defender getting close enough to intercept or disturb his possession, then proceeded to shoot from distance with freedom. Brazil's failure to advance quickly or block his potential shot trajectory revealed either a passive tactical instruction or a fundamental defensive discipline breakdown against the Norwegian threat. 4️⃣ Brazil's Clinical Finishing Deficit Despite Chance Creation: Brazil created several goal-scoring opportunities yet failed to capitalize on them, illustrated most starkly when Endrick received the ball completely unmarked inside the box with space to finish but his lobbed shot lacked accuracy. The fact that Endrick had an unmarked shooting situation in the box and still failed to finish effectively highlights Brazil's striker issues and finishing quality—this is a player with clear talent unable to execute in a decisive moment. Brazil also benefited from Ødegaard's wayward pass before Guimarães played a vertical pass to Júnior, leading to Endrick's outside-of-the-foot key pass, yet failed to extend this advantage into additional goals. Multiple chances created without corresponding clinical execution represented a serious vulnerability in Brazil's attacking execution. 5️⃣ Norway's Defensive Organization vs Brazil's Tactical Solution Failure: Norway's compact, organized 4-3-3 defensive structure effectively neutralized Brazil's technical superiority despite Brazil's possession advantage, forcing the Selecção to circulate laterally around the perimeter without generating genuine vertical penetration. Gabriel Magalhães failed in his primary marking assignment against Haaland throughout the match, leaving the striker consistently underpressured and free to operate. Brazil's high-pressing line, designed to compress space and prevent build-up play, paradoxically created the exact conditions for Norway's counterattacking success—wide isolation for attackers like Søroth and numerical advantages that Brazil's passive defenders couldn't address. This represents a fundamental tactical mismatch where Brazil's aggressive approach, intended to dominate proceedings, actually enabled Norway to exploit transition space and execute with clinical precision. tacticalfootballanalysis.com…

🇪🇬 🇦🇺 Egypt advanced to the Round of 16 after defeating Australia on penalties, securing their first World Cup victory. @mrziguen examines Egypt's attacking variations against Australia and weaknesses they must address before facing Argentina. tacticalfootballanalysis.com…