Football tactics
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Merrick’s merry men maul Melbourne, with McGlinchey and Burns running riot
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Opponents have worked out how to find space between the lines as the Asian champions struggle with league and cup
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Michael Cox: Mark Sampson’s midfield diamond showed promise against Germany and Jordan Nobbs was excellent, but England’s left side was often overworked
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Michael Cox: Both sides are suffering from key absences and a lack of defensive organisation that is undermining their prospects of challenging for the title, and maybe even the top four
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Richard Parkin: A new role for Broich unleashes Brisbane, but Newcastle Jets’ coach needs to look to his ownperformance
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Kate Cohen: If Wellington can couple their defensive strengths with pace and creativity they could well return to finals football
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Michael Cox: Swansea and Arsenal were evenly matched but the pace of the Ecuador winger turned the game in favour of Garry Monk’s men
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Richard Parkin: The Glory have started impressively, but Kenny Lowe will need to find balance if his team is to mount a genuine title challenge
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Michael Cox: With a man advantage over United and natural wingers to exploit the space, Manuel Pellegrini will wonder why his side failed to kill off their opponents
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Michael Cox: Variations in pitch size should not really have an impact, yet attacking sides do thrive on large grounds and more defensive teams favour smaller surfaces
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Michael Cox: Louis van Gaal won the tactical battle with his protege when Manchester United took a point from undefeated Chelsea on Sunday
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Michael Cox: Arsenal were uncertain in possession and found themselves increasingly stretched, but mustered a remarkable turnaround
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Richard Parkin: Pacy wingers such as Sergio Cirio are key to United’s 3-4-3 system, as they look to transition quickly
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Michael Cox: Liverpool may have won but Harry Redknapp outwitted Brendan Rodgers, ensuring that QPR dominated for long periods at Loftus Road
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Kate Cohen: All eyes were on David Villa but it was another foreign star who was able to get in behind the Sydney FC defence
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Michael Cox: Jamie Vardy was the ace in Leicester City’s diamond as they dealt Manchester United a stunning tactical defeat
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After the drama of transfer deadline day, how will the Premier League’s latest recruits fit into their new sides when the domestic action returns this weekend
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Michael Cox: England looked more lively after the captain was substituted and when Danny Welbeck and Daniel Sturridge played upfront with Raheem Sterling in the No10 role
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Mario Balotelli and Daniel Sturridge acted as facilitators rather than goalscorers and Spurs were hurt by Liverpool midfielders breaking past forwards
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Paul Wilson: Goodwill is not infinite and crashing out of the Capital One Cup at MK Dons after a dreadful start to the season must have convinced the United manager that now is the time for change
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Michael Cox: David Silva’s masterclass gave Manchester City the edge over Liverpool in the 3-1 victory
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Michael Cox: Manchester United’s system designed to get the best out of Juan Mata, Wayne Rooney and Robin van Persie backfired at Sunderland
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Michael Cox: Manchester City’s tactics in their 2-0 win at Newcastle were highly familiar to anyone who watched the team which won the title last season
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Premier League 2014-15 previews Premier League tactical preview: how teams have changed since last season
Michael Cox: A team-by-team guide to the likely starting line-ups in the Premier League, and how they compare to each team’s best XIs last year -
Michael Cox: As the Premier league’s big kick-off approaches, a quick look at what has changed at the 20 clubs and what to expect on the pitch
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Michael Cox: World Cup finalists did their best work on opposite flanks but had little to show for it until Mario Götze broke the deadlock
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Sportblog Germany wary of Lionel Messi counter threat in World Cup final
Jonathan Wilson in São PauloJonathan Wilson: Germany’s swashbuckling semi-final performance against Brazil is sure to be curbed on Sunday to factor in Argentina’s singularly minimalist enforcer -
Michael Cox: Coaches’ fear of Lionel Messi and Holland’s Arjen Robben dictated cautious tactics for World Cup semi-final that lacked spark for 120 minutes
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Michael Cox: This World Cup semi-final was billed as a clash of Brazil’s physique and Germany’s technique but in the end the victors had far far too much of both
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Michael Cox: Luiz Felipe Scolari must completely rethink his team’s approach after suffering the huge setback of losing their star forward Neymar
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Michael Cox: Germany’s coach, Joachim Löw, had resisted pressure to move Lahm from midfield to right-back but he did against France in the World Cup quarter-final – and it worked a treat
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Michael Cox: Argentina struggled to break down an organised and disciplined Switzerland side and do not look like an intelligent, cohesive team
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After both Holland and Mexico started with a three-man defence the Dutch coach changed to a back four creating width on both flanks which he was able to successfully exploit
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Michael Cox: Edinson Cavani will revert to his favoured position in the last 16 but the Uruguay coach may employ the tactics he used at the last World Cup and introduce another destructive midfielder
Sportblog Liverpool’s selection fails to find the right place for Steven Gerrard