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Opinion National Interest PoV 50-Word Edit

ThePrint On Camera Videos In Pictures

Society & Culture Around Town Book Excerpts Vigyapanti The Dating Story

More Judiciary Education YourTurn Work With Us Campus Voice

Sorry, sprinters! It’s midfield generals who are running the show this Champions League 

From Messi to Ronaldo, the Champions League has been a stage to display brilliance. This year, the midfield reclaimed its status as a facilitator of the game.

The high-tension UEFA Champions League quarter-final is over, and true football fans can sleep in peace because this year the midfield game is back in play. Apart from delivering intense drama, the Round of 8 this year marked a tactical shift in the gameplay — from the flanks to the midfield.

From Lionel Messi to Cristiano Ronaldo to Robert Lewandowski, the Champions League has long been a stage to display individual brilliance. But this year, the midfield, often dubbed the “engine room of a football field”, reclaimed its status as a game facilitator. 

The teams that dominated the midfield over the two legs qualified for the semi-finals. The European competition has witnessed successive years of vertical high-speed flank domination. Transitional football — quick passes to wide players, high-speed overlaps, and direct attacking from the flanks — became the norm for most teams. And the engine room or the midfield was reduced to feeding the flanks or covering the defenders.

But this year, all coaches resorted to........

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