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Mon 19 Oct
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Tactics

How matches are actually won, explained with the data.

Illustration for the Tactics article “What makes Côte d'Ivoire v Ghana such a tactical test?”: 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
What makes Côte d'Ivoire v Ghana such a tactical test?

Two neighbouring West African football nations meeting in Africa Cup of Nations…

24 Sep 2026 · Tom Whitfield
Illustration for the Tactics article “What makes Germany against the Netherlands a landmark fixture?”: 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
What makes Germany against the Netherlands a landmark fixture?

It is a meeting of neighbours whose federations built contrasting football cultures:…

24 Sep 2026 · Tom Whitfield
Illustration for the Tactics article “How do you defend without the ball against a team like Spain?”: 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
How do you defend without the ball against a team like Spain?

Henry's point is that defending is not the absence of football. Against a side that…

24 Sep 2026 · Tom Whitfield
Illustration for the Tactics article “How does Man City's 650,000-player database actually work?”: 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
How does Man City's 650,000-player database actually work?

BBC Sport reports that Manchester City's data department, working from a database of…

24 Sep 2026 · Tom Whitfield