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ACHRAF @lamdarhriachraf.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

Manchester United high press really looks primitive. The team cannot close off passing lanes. Carrick usually wants to maintain the numerical superiority at the backline, which means that the team is overloaded somewhere on the pitch.

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ACHRAF @lamdarhriachraf.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

What surprised me (shocking) when rewatching Manchester United games is the lack of some basics that really hinders the team either in progression or in the final third. The decision making is really below the average. The first touch isn't clean, players are chasing their first touch.

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ACHRAF @lamdarhriachraf.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

The positioning of Manchester United double false nines around the opponent's midfield and the asymmetrical fullbacks generate regular 1v1 situations for the wingers. However, Man Utd don't have wide players who can provide qualitative superiority, bar Amad Diallo & to some extent, Marcus Rashford.

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ACHRAF @lamdarhriachraf.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

Real Madrid problems reside in the players & the coach at the same time. Some players ability limit the team's ceiling, others impact negatively the balance of the team.

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ACHRAF @lamdarhriachraf.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

This is exactly how Hürzeler set up Brighton against Arsenal. They prevented them from playing their game, especially in the early phases, by applying a well-coordinated and intense high press. It's safe to say Brighton "Iraola"ed Arsenal.

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ACHRAF @lamdarhriachraf.bsky.social · 27/03/2026

Chema Andrés does similar things to Rodri. Anticipation, proactive, clean way of tackling (to retain the ball), reads the situation well to mop up loose and second balls, aerial threat offensively & defensively.

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ACHRAF @lamdarhriachraf.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

Brighton are extremely good at pulling apart opponents vertically. Really nice deeper movements from Kostoulas to drag Konsa & find that access pass into the space BTLs.

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ACHRAF @lamdarhriachraf.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

During Manchester United's periods of passivity, Brighton resorted to backward passing to break down United's shape. Baiting the front and midfield line & pinning the backline created a hole BTLs for Brighton to find that pass into the gap generated.

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ACHRAF @lamdarhriachraf.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

I used mygameplan.ai physical data and broke it down into out-of-possession and in-possession sections. Manchester United's off-ball stats are so worrying. It's no wonder Manchester United arrives late when pressing or when retreating. The physical, technical, and tactical sides impact one another.

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ACHRAF @lamdarhriachraf.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

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ACHRAF @lamdarhriachraf.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

Manchester United got into a positive game state and then went totally passive against the ball by sitting deep with zero transitional threat. 2-0 is just a tricky result. You concede the first goal, and then the opposing team gains momentum.

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ACHRAF @lamdarhriachraf.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

In the Premier League, Brighton tend to concede more goals in the first 15 minutes of the game. They conceded three goals. Nice goal from Man Utd, gathering play on the left, quick passes to switch & isolate Lacey on the right.

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ACHRAF @lamdarhriachraf.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

Max Dowman lives off disguise. He keeps the ball very close to his feet, a good reaction to the defender's step-up. I like, specifically here, how he stops and then gets into the space behind the CB (Kipré). And then finished on the opposite side of where the GK went. Extremely unpredictable.

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ACHRAF @lamdarhriachraf.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

Reasons leaving Real Madrid open to variance: —Giving up possession (Real Madrid ended the second half with 40%); —Defending in a passive way, no compactness; —Going long without having a target or having a plan for the second balls; —Playing at a fast tempo; —Squandering chances;

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ACHRAF @lamdarhriachraf.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

Used mygameplan.ai reports to look at Real Madrid's attacking corners. Real Madrid hasn't scored a goal yet from a corner, but they have generated some quality shots, especially from corners delivered into the center (at the edge of the 6-yard box).

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ACHRAF @lamdarhriachraf.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

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ACHRAF @lamdarhriachraf.bsky.social · 13/09/2026

The same can be said about Manchester United against Manchester City except there wasn't any underlapping run from Dorgu that was dangerous.

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ACHRAF @lamdarhriachraf.bsky.social · 13/09/2026

The same can be said about Manchester United against Manchester City except there wasn't any underlapping run from Dorgu that was dangerous.

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ACHRAF @lamdarhriachraf.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

Jérémy Jacquet was a standout player against Atlético Madrid. The weight & quality of his line-breaking passes, and I would say the quantity, is so unique. He can as well interpret those diagonal lanes (out-in entries).

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ACHRAF @lamdarhriachraf.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

Atlético Madrid playing with two false nines in Alvarez and Lee Kang-In give them the overload around one of Liverpool double pivots when the other peels off wide.

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ACHRAF @lamdarhriachraf.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

Mourinho giving up possession is not gonna end well for Real Madrid on the long term in a regular basis. You defend deep against high quality teams means that you concede more shots, more corners, more chances and high probability to concede more goals.

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Jon Mackenzie @jonmackenzie.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

My Did You Notice? video this week is on Christos Tzolis and how he's helping Arsenal generate left-hand side threat. Enjoy!

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ACHRAF @lamdarhriachraf.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

These are the areas Manchester United players and the team as a whole need to improve, especially in the final third: processing what's happening around them before taking action. In countless situations, players shoot or play a forward pass when they could move the ball into higher-quality areas.

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ACHRAF @lamdarhriachraf.bsky.social · 06/09/2026

If you see Havertz positioning diagonally between two Arsenal players, it's highly likely something will happen. Either he will set the third player via a shadowpass (Ødegaard goal) or he'll get rid of his marker via a flick-on.

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ACHRAF @lamdarhriachraf.bsky.social · 06/09/2026

Manchester United found solutions to break down Everton first and midfield lines. But, once MNU gets into the final third, there was nothing outside Luke Shaw underlapping Rashford. Rushed decisions, early shots, there isn't a plan made to create chances on regular basis,...

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ACHRAF @lamdarhriachraf.bsky.social · 05/09/2026

There are few CBs in the PL who can carry through high presses and break down defenses sliding zippy passes: Calvin Bassey is one of those CBs.

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ACHRAF @lamdarhriachraf.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

My scouting report on Yan Diomandé is crying in the corner because you haven't read it yet. FIX this tragedy.

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ACHRAF @lamdarhriachraf.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

With how Manchester United's transfer market ended & how the team played at the start of the season, many question marks are looming: —How MNU will operate/evolve without the ball; —Does the team have the ability to create quality chances regularly; —Can MNU alternate between different rhythms...

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ACHRAF @lamdarhriachraf.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

Think that if there is something Xabi Alonso is good at is that his teams can create high-quality chances via different roads: dead ball situations, through settled pos, direct attacks, counterattacks, turnovers. We have already seen Chelsea score from all these situations in two games in the PL.

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ACHRAF @lamdarhriachraf.bsky.social · 30/08/2026

Manchester United game model doesn't allow the team to create high-quality chances, generate high quality shots. You see players take early shots, cross to an underloaded box, etc

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ACHRAF @lamdarhriachraf.bsky.social · 29/08/2026

Nico Gonzalez accurate, well driven, weighted switch, diagonal long pass to Dedic reminds me of Toni Kroos diagonal deliveries when he noticed Dani Carvajal running on the right. They land in a perfect zone to cross or to take a touch inside against the momentum of the defender.

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ACHRAF @lamdarhriachraf.bsky.social · 29/08/2026

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ACHRAF @lamdarhriachraf.bsky.social · 29/08/2026

It's important to close off the right player & space in relation to teammates OOP. Arriving at the duel zone in time & stopping (decelerating) to be able to adjust or change direction are prerequisites & set the foundation to win contests. I think this is part of Liverpool's problems rn as well.

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ACHRAF @lamdarhriachraf.bsky.social · 29/08/2026

Was watching @distancecovered.bsky.social & @jonmackenzie.bsky.social video about Andoni Iraola and Liverpool High press dynamics against Como. The video was about Szoboszlai & Gravenberch roles & how Liverpool tries to cover that space between the back & pressing unit.

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ACHRAF @lamdarhriachraf.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

What's fascinating about Diomandé is not the threat he generates from carrying, because he's already in the same bracket as Lamine Yamal, Cherki & Doku. It's more about his passing that increases the probability of the team creating danger in the near future. Graph: @skillcorner.bsky.social

Expected Possession Value (EPV) measures the probability of each team scoring in the near future, defined as within the next 30 seconds or before the next interruption in play.

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ACHRAF @lamdarhriachraf.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

ICYMI, I analysed in detail Yan Diomandé profile, where he thrives, where he needs to improve. I did a positional projection for how Real Madrid might integrate him and what type of players to maximise him on the pitch.

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ACHRAF @lamdarhriachraf.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

Countermovements were Fulham's key to unlocking and getting behind Chelsea's backline.

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ACHRAF @lamdarhriachraf.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

These were my simple thoughts on Nico Gonzalez before Manchester City bought him. Newcastle United secured a real good midfielder.

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ACHRAF @lamdarhriachraf.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

An Excerpt about Ayyoub Bouaddi.

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ACHRAF @lamdarhriachraf.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

Enticing Chelsea jumps & creating those gaps between defs was a really good solution for Fulham to get in behind. Castagne peeling off wide from a high & inverted position pulled out Colwill, with Bobb pinning Hato stretched that gap between LWB & CCB for King to run late.

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ACHRAF @lamdarhriachraf.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

Both Arbeloa and Alonso came up with good solutions to both teams' defensive structures. Chelsea generated passing lanes by inviting vertical jumps from the front line to play that line-breaking pass, and by exploiting late lateral shifts from Fulham mids to find that pass inside.

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Jon Mackenzie @jonmackenzie.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

The first Did You Notice? of the season is live and it's all about Liverpool and rest defence

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ACHRAF @lamdarhriachraf.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

King goal is a pure from Alvaro Arbeloa book and he sets his teams out wide. Them wide connections of his teams: one offering the "below" option, other providing the "through" and the third offering the "beyond" connection. I'm enjoying Former Real Madrid's head coaches.

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SCOUTED @scoutedftbl.com · 24/08/2026

Nathaniel Brown to Bayern. Marco Palestra to Chelsea. The full-back meta has ebbed and flowed through history like waves lapping against a shore; this summer, it's moving again. 🌊 CHANGING TIDES, by Caleb Gearty:

scoutedftbl.com

Full-backs are evolving again

Throughout history, coaches have used full-backs to solve problems and push the meta forward. This summer, the tides are changing again.

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ACHRAF @lamdarhriachraf.bsky.social · 23/08/2026

There is something wrong with the Newcastle and Liverpool game. Too many available spaces inside for Liverpool. And there is too many vulnerable spaces for Newcastle to hit on the counter especially between the CBs & the midfielders.

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ACHRAF @lamdarhriachraf.bsky.social · 23/08/2026

At some point, I expect Mourinho to play Mbappé as a SS behind Carlos Espi. Espi, with his lay-offs, can set up Mbappé in good shooting positions. Mbappé can run off Espi's shoulders and get in behind. Espi can push backlines deeper & generate space for Mbappé to arrive late.

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ACHRAF @lamdarhriachraf.bsky.social · 22/08/2026

The ever-present problem of Real Madrid is defending crosses. It stems from: Lack of pressure from the source; Average structure to protect the key zone (far & front post zone, the center, the zone around the penalty area); Lack of urgency & awareness from the defenders;

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ACHRAF @lamdarhriachraf.bsky.social · 22/08/2026

Guardiola used to encourage the players to have more passes, calm down the rhythm & gain territory after conceding a goal. The target is always to score & return on the game. But it's beneficial to kill the opposition team momentum & avoid conceding again while you look for the goal to draw.

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ACHRAF @lamdarhriachraf.bsky.social · 22/08/2026

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ACHRAF @lamdarhriachraf.bsky.social · 21/08/2026

The Making Of Yan Diomandé's Game An in-depth scouting report of Yan Diomandé: his tactical role, athleticism, his stats, dribbling, carrying, runs, creating, shooting, pressing, recoveries, playing on both flanks, weaknesses, & more lamdarhri.substack.com/p/the-making...

lamdarhri.substack.com

The Making Of Yan Diomandé’s Game

An in-depth scouting report of Yan Diomandé: his tactical role, athleticism, his stats, dribbling, carrying, runs, creating, shooting, pressing, recoveries, playing on both flanks, weaknesses, & more

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