Skip to content
TOUCHLINE
Fri 16 Oct
Section

Tactics

How matches are actually won, explained with the data.

Illustration for the Tactics article “Luka Modric and the deep-lying playmaker role against England”: an AI-generated editorial illustration showing an empty training ground at dawn with cones and markers laid out, with the headline set over it. Illustrative only, not a photograph of a real event.
Tactics
Luka Modric and the deep-lying playmaker role against England

Luka Modric is Croatia's central reference point in midfield. He drops deep, receives…

4 Oct 2026 · Tom Whitfield
Illustration for the Tactics article “What tactical problem do Spain and Czechia set each other?”: an AI-generated editorial illustration showing a scene illustrating the subject of the article, with the headline set over it. Illustrative only, not a photograph of a real event.
Tactics
What tactical problem do Spain and Czechia set each other?

The core question is how to stop wide isolation. Spain build short to free their wingers…

4 Oct 2026 · Tom Whitfield
Illustration for the Tactics article “Spain v Czechia: what happens when possession meets a compact block”: an AI-generated editorial illustration showing an empty training ground at dawn with cones and markers laid out, with the headline set over it. Illustrative only, not a photograph of a real event.
Tactics
Spain v Czechia: what happens when possession meets a compact block

The Spain–Czechia meeting is a tactical contrast. Spain build attacks through patient…

3 Oct 2026 · Tom Whitfield
Illustration for the Tactics article “Analyse Croatia v England: A Guide to the Tactical Matchup”: an AI-generated editorial illustration showing an empty training ground at dawn with cones and markers laid out, with the headline set over it. Illustrative only, not a photograph of a real event.
Tactics
Analyse Croatia v England: A Guide to the Tactical Matchup

Croatia v England sets a side that values control of the ball against one with more…

3 Oct 2026 · Tom Whitfield