United: The Juanfield game.
CL: Bayern v Barca 12-13
International: France v Spain 2006, Italy v Belgium in Euro 2016
CL: Bayern v Barca 12-13
International: France v Spain 2006, Italy v Belgium in Euro 2016
your favourite 'tactical' victories of all-time?
- Thread starter Irwin99
- Start date
Mourinho against Ajax in the EL final.
Zidane 2nd half vs Juventus in Cardiff.
Zidane 2nd half vs Juventus in Cardiff.
One recurrent theme in this thread is Jose. Whether it's with Us, Chelsea, Porto, Inter etc, he knows how to do whatever is needed to get the victory.
Do tactical fouls count? Valverde taking down Morata in the 115th minute and then winning on penalties still makes me laugh 
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Benitez got the better of him in 05/07. And I recall him losing to a 10 man PSG. Also Sevilla...
Was that the 4-3? Insane match
Not against Sevilla.
And how is the Ajax final mentioned? Didn't we physically bully them off the pitch?
That was not peak Barcelona
Ovrebo vs Chelsea
Ok, I didn't mean he has never lost any games. It didn't always work out. By the time he left us it was a trainwreck. I meant there are several key games where he manages to nullify the opponent, even with an inferior team.
Good call actually. I think it was Schweinsteiger and... Maritinez??? (was that his name, used to play for Athletic Bilbao i think?) just dominated Barca if i remember correctly. I think the headlines were that this was the death of Tika Taka or something along those lines.
There was a Bayern-BVB game were Pep played Martinez as AM behind Mandzukic, lobbing lots of long balls over Dortmund's high pressing for about an hour. Then subbing in Götze and Thiago, finishing them off the 'regular' way when Klopp's team started to wear out physically.
Real Madrid vs Manchester United at Old Trafford in 2000 when Keane scored the own goal.
We were firm favorites, they completely schooled us.
We were firm favorites, they completely schooled us.
Germany beating us in the 1974 world cup final. The day we should've realized the goal of football is winning, not making it look pretty.
Us vs Barca over the 2 legs in 2008. Nothing was getting past us.
Vs Ajax in the Europa League final.
Inter vs Barca in 2009 over both legs but the second leg especially.
Vs Ajax in the Europa League final.
Inter vs Barca in 2009 over both legs but the second leg especially.
I love how people always bring up Mourinho's defensive shite as 'tactical masterclasses' in threads like these. As if parking the bus and praying for something on the counter
is in any way impressive. Inter were second best against Barca, but got lucky. Just as they were in the final. But sure, 'masterclass' indeed.
If not for a shite ref Hiddink (I'm drunk) would've achieved the same against Pep's Barca with the same tactics a year before Mourinho did. And his Chelsea deserved to win over the two games way more than Inter did.
is in any way impressive. Inter were second best against Barca, but got lucky. Just as they were in the final. But sure, 'masterclass' indeed.
If not for a shite ref Hiddink (I'm drunk) would've achieved the same against Pep's Barca with the same tactics a year before Mourinho did. And his Chelsea deserved to win over the two games way more than Inter did.
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Okay then pre peak barca by a season or 2, surely you understood my pointThat was not peak Barcelona
Essien man marking Gerrard. Hiddink masterclass.
Not really because that Barcelona was nowhere near as good as people think. They finished 18 points behind Real Madrid and had a horrible season by their standards. Even though United won, I don't think they needed to park the bus against a side that had won 1 in 10 in La Liga.
Does the Milan barca ucl final count?
I think no one expected milan to come out all guns blazing considering their track record beforehand, it was mesmerizing.
A more classic defensive example would be red star Belgrade against Marseille, perhaps even a textbook showcasing of such a tactic.
Depends on the definition of it as well but the 86 final seemed to fall in line with the more defensive mindset approach the other posts have gone for, they seemingly played for the penalty shootout and it worked.
I think no one expected milan to come out all guns blazing considering their track record beforehand, it was mesmerizing.
A more classic defensive example would be red star Belgrade against Marseille, perhaps even a textbook showcasing of such a tactic.
Depends on the definition of it as well but the 86 final seemed to fall in line with the more defensive mindset approach the other posts have gone for, they seemingly played for the penalty shootout and it worked.
My first thoughts were Inter vs Barca and the Mourinho wins against Chelsea/Ajax with United
This reads as salty and diminishes all of Jose's technical prowess to luck. The guy knows how to win games as good as anyone even to this day: his issue is connecting with the modern generation of footballer.
BFS and Javi Martinez playing behind Mueller and Mario Gomez (
) with Robbery on the wings
Any amount of smash and grab defensive displays that could be names and already have. I like when teams just go all out and win.
Utd battering Roma 7-1.
Bayern hammering Barcelona.
I really enjoyed Germany destroying Brazil at lthe WC. Just blew them away, delightful stuff.
Utd battering Roma 7-1.
Bayern hammering Barcelona.
I really enjoyed Germany destroying Brazil at lthe WC. Just blew them away, delightful stuff.
Denmark vs Germany 1992?
Can’t remember much of how that game went but I remember it being a huge upset.
Schmeichel made some great saves that i still remember.
Can’t remember much of how that game went but I remember it being a huge upset.
Schmeichel made some great saves that i still remember.
Norway beating England 2-0 during the WC qualifiers in 1993. Ended up topping the group ahead of Netherlands, England, Poland and Turkey
It was good tactics from Jose and the players executed it well. Felleini did dominate the midfield. I remember Ajax doing a lot running and passing the ball nicely among themselves but they didn’t threaten much.
Mourinho for Inter against Barca was very overrated. Barca were robbed, Bojan’s goal should have stood at the end of the game. In that case, nobody would have remembered Mourinho’s lucky smash and grab, which would never work in 90% of games.
the tactical instructions for that game literally was defend and force it to penalties. Whenever Red Star got the ball, they were to immediately pass it back to OM so they could get back to defending Painful as it is, the 09 CL final was not only a tactical masterclass by Guardiola but the birth of a new era in football. This is a Rooney-Tevez-Ronaldo-Berbatov-Giggs-Scholes-Carrick-Ferdinand-Vidic team we are talking about that got absolutely schooled.
Many defensive games here, what about Barca 5-0 Madrid?
It was Jose's start at Madrid. They were unbeaten, flying start, 1 point ahead of Barca. Jose had beaten Pep with Inter a few months ago. Ronaldo, Benzema, Ozil were in scary form on the counter attack, and the defense looked solid.
I was looking forward to Barca, Pep, and the flowery words written about their football being tossed in the bin again with a Jose defensive special or a counter-attacking rampage. Ronaldo running past Pique to an Ozil through ball, Ronaldo towering over Puyol for a di Maria cross, Alonso's long passes bypassing Barca's press, wily old Carvalho stopping Messi like Inter had just done.
I think they had maybe 2 half-chances? It wasn't a particular tactic for that game, but the culmination of Pep's style over 2+ years, and a definite clash of styles.
It was Jose's start at Madrid. They were unbeaten, flying start, 1 point ahead of Barca. Jose had beaten Pep with Inter a few months ago. Ronaldo, Benzema, Ozil were in scary form on the counter attack, and the defense looked solid.
I was looking forward to Barca, Pep, and the flowery words written about their football being tossed in the bin again with a Jose defensive special or a counter-attacking rampage. Ronaldo running past Pique to an Ozil through ball, Ronaldo towering over Puyol for a di Maria cross, Alonso's long passes bypassing Barca's press, wily old Carvalho stopping Messi like Inter had just done.
I think they had maybe 2 half-chances? It wasn't a particular tactic for that game, but the culmination of Pep's style over 2+ years, and a definite clash of styles.
Oh, forgot Bilbao vs United in the EL. Suicidal pressing worked against a team that couldn't adjust over two legs.
2-1 and 3-2, but it could have been much much worse.
2-1 and 3-2, but it could have been much much worse.
It worked, didn't it?
Juanfield?
First half of that match was best I've seen United playing at Anfield.
First half of that match was best I've seen United playing at Anfield.
I thought tactically away to Inter Milan we were excellent in 2009. They barely got a kick, we'd so many chances, no idea how we didn't win. We were very well set-up too vs Madrid before the Nani red.
Our worst tactical performance was probably the 2011 Champions League final and to the contrary, Pep's tactics were flawless that day (with far better players tbf)
Our worst tactical performance was probably the 2011 Champions League final and to the contrary, Pep's tactics were flawless that day (with far better players tbf)
Well I do hate the cnut with a passion.
This is the type of game I’d pick. Don’t know if I ever seen anything like it.
My memory needs refreshing but the CL semifinal in 2008 was quality too, Hargreaves playing on the right side of midfield was brilliant and if I remember correctly, he also scored from a direct free kick.
FA Cup 6th round win vs. Arsenal with this team:
VDS
Brown
Smalling
Vidic
Evra
Rafael
Gibson
O'Shea
Fabio
Rooney
Chicharito
There wasn't anything revolutionary about the tactics deployed, more that some of the players didn't necessarily look like a good fit for them considering other options in the squad and it potentially looked weak in midfield. Yet it worked and worked well.
VDS
Brown
Smalling
Vidic
Evra
Rafael
Gibson
O'Shea
Fabio
Rooney
Chicharito
There wasn't anything revolutionary about the tactics deployed, more that some of the players didn't necessarily look like a good fit for them considering other options in the squad and it potentially looked weak in midfield. Yet it worked and worked well.
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I think United were denied one of Fergie's best tactical victories with that stupid and ridiculous Nani sending off in 2012/13 against Real Madrid. Ferguson didn't talk to the press for a week afterwards for good reason, that was set up to be a crowning moment on a great career and was ruined by a shit decision.
Mourinho then himself in term did a clinic in how to beat 10 men with the subs and tactical changes he made as soon as Nani was sent off.
Mourinho then himself in term did a clinic in how to beat 10 men with the subs and tactical changes he made as soon as Nani was sent off.
Motta shouldn’t have been sent off, so these decisions cancel each other.
What Inter did against Barcelona, you can’t discredit that, can’t expect anything more than that from any team ever against that Barcelona, people forget how good they were.
They’ve made every team they played to look like a Sunday league side, utter and unheard of domination.
Did you expected them to outplay them? Good luck with that, no team in the history of the game could’ve outplayed that Barcelona team.
“Lads, its Arsenal”.