A team that I found fascinating from both a tactical perspective and to watch at their sublime passing and technique was the Argentina team from the Copa América in 2007. Favourites to win the tournaments and players of the best football there, on paper it shouldn't have worked. Look at their midfield, which reads Cambiasso, Mascherano, Verón and Riquelme. Where's the pace? Who is going to get beyond the midfield and break into the box? Two destroyers? But it did work, and beautifully,...

This is generally the shape that the Ireland team takes in qualifying under Trapattoni. It is nominally a classic 4-4-2 with two wide men, a mobile central unit in midfield and two strikers. Howevew in pracitce it is different. Ireland tend to start at a high tempo, attacking through the wings and attempting to get an early goal. Later in the match it becomes quite defensive, with Robbie Keane dropping into midfield at times to make it 4-5-1, Doyle being left as a lone front man,...

This is generally the shape that the Ireland team takes in qualifying under Trapattoni. It is nominally a classic 4-4-2 with two wide men, a mobile central unit in midfield and two strikers. Howevew in pracitce it is different. Ireland tend to start at a high tempo, attacking through the wings and attempting to get an early goal. Later in the match it becomes quite defensive, with Robbie Keane dropping into midfield at times to make it 4-5-1, Doyle being left as a lone front man,...