Latest news with #tactics
Daily Mail
a day ago
- Sport
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Sergey Lapin reveals exclusive details about Oleksandr Usyk's forensic training camp as champion prepares to deliver even more precise punishment in Daniel Dubois rematch
Oleksandr Usyk is preparing to dismantle Daniel Dubois all over again and this time, his team insists the punishment will be even more precise. For Team Usyk, victory is not just earned in the ring, it's built long before - through hours of video analysis, breaking down body mechanics, and a relentless pursuit of tactical upgrades. 'There is a lot of planning that goes into Oleksandr Usyk's training,' says Sergey Lapin, Usyk's long-time friend, camp manager, and one of the most trusted minds in his corner. 'We will spend days planning and analysing video. We watch fights and break them down. We break down the technique and the tactics. 'Then once we have all of that information, we put it into training. The next training session after watching the analytic video is inspiring. Oleksandr looks sensational.' In this camp, data is gospel. Every movement Dubois has made in recent fights is poured over by a team of specialists, roughly ten in all, who are tasked with dissecting and decoding their opponent in granular detail. It's not enough to know what Dubois throws. They want to know when, why, and how he moves his legs while doing it. 'I have made a special video for this camp,' Lapin explains. 'It's all of Daniel's mistakes. It's his mistakes from previous fights and also from the first fight with Oleksandr Usyk. The video also includes mistakes for Usyk that we have improved. 'It has mistakes from around five or six of Daniel's fights. We have about 10 different people reviewing all of the footage so we are picking apart everything about his style. We see how his legs work, how his punches are thrown, we see everything. And it's clear Usyk will beat him again on July 19.' But watching footage is only the beginning. The unique aspect of Team Usyk's methodology is how that information is translated into action. They don't just observe. They respond. 'We also have special training sessions, we call it analytic training,' Lapin says. 'Sometimes the boxer is involved and we break everything down. 'Sometimes it's just us going through things ourselves. It helps make Oleksandr Usyk great. It is one of the many reasons why he will be better than Daniel Dubois again.' The fight may be a rematch, but for Usyk, the approach is entirely new. Nothing is repeated. No formula is reused. Even the location of the training camp has changed, chosen deliberately to help stimulate growth, sharpen focus, and avoid complacency. 'We have decided to train at a new location this time,' Lapin reveals. 'We like change and we like upgrading our training. We are upgrading every day. View this post on Instagram A post shared by READY TO FIGHT (@rtfight_com) View this post on Instagram A post shared by DAZN Boxing (@daznboxing) 'It's like when people buy an iPhone and then the model changes to something better so you change to that. That is what we are doing with Usyk's camp. 'We are taking it to a new level every time. We are upgrading Usyk's training, we are upgrading Usyk's location, we are upgrading everything about him constantly. That's why, Usyk will be even better in the rematch than the first fight.' This evolution - constant, deliberate, and data-driven - is what Lapin and the team believe will separate Usyk from Dubois again when they meet on July 19.
CNA
a day ago
- Sport
- CNA
Alonso's tactical shift sees Real Madrid top Group H with comfortable win over Salzburg
PHILADELPHIA :New Real Madrid manager Xabi Alonso introduced a bold tactical change as his side defeated RB Salzburg 3-0 on Thursday to finish as Group H winners and set up a mouth-watering last 16 tie against Juventus at the Club World Cup. Alonso, who arrived at Real with a reputation for innovative tactics following his trophy-laden stint at Bayer Leverkusen, fielded a five-man defence for the first time since taking over. The system, featuring three centre backs and aggressive wing backs, marked a significant departure from the traditional 4-3-3 formation used by predecessors Carlo Ancelotti and Zinedine Zidane over the past decade. The change evoked memories of Vicente del Bosque's 2000 Champions League-winning side, the last Real Madrid team to adopt such a structure. "We're taking it step-by-step," Vinicius Jr told DAZN. "Of course, we can't fully adapt to the coach's ideas so quickly, it takes time. But today was a good game for that, especially in the first half." Alonso had utilised a four-man defence in Real's earlier group matches, a 1-1 draw with Al Hilal and a 3-1 victory over Pachuca. On Thursday Aurelien Tchouameni was deployed between centre backs Antonio Ruediger and Dean Huijsen, with Trent Alexander-Arnold and Fran Garcia operating as the wing backs. Jude Bellingham and Arda Guler played as creative midfielders with Federico Valverde in a holding role, while Vinicius Jr and Gonzalo Garcia led the attack. The tactical shift paid dividends as Real Madrid dominated proceedings. Bellingham and Guler consistently found Vinicius in dangerous positions and the Brazilian opened the scoring in the 40th minute, weaving past two defenders before firing into the bottom-right corner. He then assisted on Valverde's goal in first-half added time with a deft back-heeled pass. Forward Gonzalo Garcia sealed the win in the 84th minute, lobbing the Salzburg keeper to cap a swift counter-attack. The performance was a marked improvement from Real's earlier group matches, where they appeared unconvincing at times. "The first half was serious. We played patiently, knowing that we couldn't win in 10 minutes and that we had to be mature to find our opportunity," Alonso told reporters. "We started the second half well and, with the score at 3-0, I'm happy with the lads." Real Madrid next face Italy's Juventus in the round of 16 on Tuesday, when Alonso's tactical approach will come under greater scrutiny. He is expected to have forward Kylian Mbappe available after the Frenchman missed the group stage due to illness. "Let's wait and see, I don't want to get ahead of myself. We thought Kylian would be ready for this match, but it wasn't to be," Alonso said. "Now we have four days. I want to be optimistic, but also cautious."
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Two Key Players Struggling To Adjust As Cristian Chivu Changes Tactics At Inter Milan
Two Key Players Struggling To Adjust As Cristian Chivu Changes Tactics At Inter Milan Federico Dimarco and Henrikh Mkhitaryan are particularly struggling to adjust to the tactical changes Cristian Chivu is making at Inter Milan. Today's print edition of Milan-based newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport, via FCInterNews, note how neither of the pair quite fit into the 3-4-2-1 formation that the new coach has been experimenting with. Advertisement Cristian Chivu has been Inter Milan coach for a couple of weeks now. Therefore, the Romanian has had a number of training sessions to put his stamp on the team. Moreover, Chivu has been on the bench for two Inter matches so far. He has coached the Nerazzurri in Club World Cup matches against Monterrey and Red Diamonds. Meanwhile, the Nerazzurri have one more group stage match to go in the tournament. Watch Inter Milan vs River Plate for FREE with DAZN on any device! These matches have presented an invaluable opportunity to observe how Chivu will try and change the team. Sometimes, the 44-year-old has stuck closely with the 3-5-2 shape that Simone Inzaghi had virtually always used. Advertisement However, Chivu has also tested out a 3-4-2-1 formation. That was the starting formation for Saturday's clash with Urawa Red Diamonds. Dimarco & Mkhitaryan Struggle To Adapt As Chivu Tests Out Change In Shape At Inter PASADENA, CALIFORNIA – JUNE 17: Henrikh Mkhitaryan #22 of FC Internazionale Milano warms up prior to the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 group E match between CF Monterrey and FC Internazionale Milano at Rose Bowl Stadium on June 17, 2025 in Pasadena, California. (Photo by) A big question with this change in formation has been how certain players would adapt. Inzaghi's 3-5-2 formation had gotten the best out of a number of players in the squad. And there are some early signs that certain players in the squad aren't nearly as comfortable in a 3-4-2-1 formation. Wingback Federico Dimarco had been one of the big success stories under Inzaghi at Inter. The Italian international had an enormous amount of freedom on the pitch, and particularly in the final third, under Inzaghi. Advertisement On the other hand, in the 3-4-2-1 Dimarco has to stay wider and deeper. This is because, with two attacking midfielders, it is harder for the 27-year-old to drift infield without stepping on other players' toes. Meanwhile, Henrikh Mkhitaryan was another of Inzaghi's most-used players. The Armenian was the player who brought balance to the left side of Inter's team. But the role that Mkhitaryan really thrived in under Inzaghi was on the left of the midfield trio. The 36-year-old doesn't quite have a natural position now, either in the midfield double pivot, or as an attacking midfielder.
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Like George W Bush did in Iraq, if Israel breaks Iran it will end up owning the chaos that could ensue
Israelis are good at tactics, poor at strategic vision, it has been observed. Their campaign against Iran may be a case in point. Short termism is understandable in a region that is so unpredictable. Why make elaborate plans if they are generally undone by unexpected events? It is a mindset that is familiar to anyone who has lived or worked there. And it informs policy-making. The Israeli offensive in Gaza is no exception. The Israeli government has never been clear how it will end or what happens the day after that in what remains of the coastal strip. Pressed privately, even senior advisers will admit they simply do not know. It may seem unfair to call a military operation against Iran that literally took decades of planning short-termist or purely tactical. There was clearly a strategy of astonishing sophistication behind a devastating campaign that has dismantled so much of the enemy's capability. But is there a strategic vision beyond that? That is what worries Israel's allies. It's not as if we've not been here before, time and time again. From Libya to Afghanistan and all points in between we have seen the chaos and carnage that follows governments being changed. Hundreds of thousands have died. Vast swathes of territory remain mired in turmoil or instability. Which is where a famous warning sign to American shoppers in the 80s and 90s comes in. Ahead of the disastrous invasion that would tear Iraq apart, America's defence secretary, Colin Powell, is said to have warned US president George W Bush of the "Pottery Barn rule". The Pottery Barn was an American furnishings store. Signs among its wares told clumsy customers: "You break it, you own it." Bush did not listen to Powell hard enough. His administration would end up breaking Iraq and owning the aftermath in a bloody debacle lasting years. Israel is not invading Iran, but it is bombing it back to the 80s, or even the 70s, because it is calling for the fall of the government that came to power at the end of that decade. Iran's leadership is proving resilient so far but we are just a week in. It is a country of 90 million, already riven with social and political discontent. Its system of government is based on factional competition, in which paranoia, suspicion and intense rivalries are the order of the day. Read more:Putin says 'Ukraine is ours' and threatens nuclear strike After half a century of authoritarian theocratic rule there are no opposition groups ready to replace the ayatollahs. There may be a powerful sense of social cohesion and a patriotic resentment of outside interference, for plenty of good historic reasons. But if that is not enough to keep the country together then chaos could ensue. One of the biggest and most consequential nations in the region could descend into violent instability. That will have been on Israel's watch. If it breaks Iran it will own it even more than America owned the disaster in Iraq. Iran and Israel are, after all, in the same neighbourhood. Has Israel thought through the consequences? What is the strategic vision beyond victory? And if America joins in, as Donald Trump is threatening, is it prepared to share that legacy? At the very least, is his administration asking its allies whether they have a plan for what could come next?
Sky News
7 days ago
- Politics
- Sky News
Like George W Bush did in Iraq, if Israel breaks Iran it will end up owning the chaos that could ensue
Israelis are good at tactics, poor at strategic vision, it has been observed. Their campaign against Iran may be a case in point. Short termism is understandable in a region that is so unpredictable. Why make elaborate plans if they are generally undone by unexpected events? It is a mindset that is familiar to anyone who has lived or worked there. And it informs policy-making. The Israeli offensive in Gaza is no exception. The Israeli government has never been clear how it will end or what happens the day after that in what remains of the coastal strip. Pressed privately, even senior advisers will admit they simply do not know. It may seem unfair to call a military operation against Iran that literally took decades of planning short-termist or purely tactical. There was clearly a strategy of astonishing sophistication behind a devastating campaign that has dismantled so much of the enemy's capability. 3:49 But is there a strategic vision beyond that? That is what worries Israel's allies. It's not as if we've not been here before, time and time again. From Libya to Afghanistan and all points in between we have seen the chaos and carnage that follows governments being changed. Hundreds of thousands have died. Vast swathes of territory remain mired in turmoil or instability. Which is where a famous warning sign to American shoppers in the 80s and 90s comes in. Ahead of the disastrous invasion that would tear Iraq apart, America's defence secretary, Colin Powell, is said to have warned US president George W Bush of the "Pottery Barn rule". The Pottery Barn was an American furnishings store. Signs among its wares told clumsy customers: "You break it, you own it." 0:36 Bush did not listen to Powell hard enough. His administration would end up breaking Iraq and owning the aftermath in a bloody debacle lasting years. Israel is not invading Iran, but it is bombing it back to the 80s, or even the 70s, because it is calling for the fall of the government that came to power at the end of that decade. Iran's leadership is proving resilient so far but we are just a week in. It is a country of 90 million, already riven with social and political discontent. Its system of government is based on factional competition, in which paranoia, suspicion and intense rivalries are the order of the day. After half a century of authoritarian theocratic rule there are no opposition groups ready to replace the ayatollahs. There may be a powerful sense of social cohesion and a patriotic resentment of outside interference, for plenty of good historic reasons. But if that is not enough to keep the country together then chaos could ensue. One of the biggest and most consequential nations in the region could descend into violent instability. That will have been on Israel's watch. If it breaks Iran it will own it even more than America owned the disaster in Iraq. Iran and Israel are, after all, in the same neighbourhood. Has Israel thought through the consequences? What is the strategic vision beyond victory? And if America joins in, as Donald Trump is threatening, is it prepared to share that legacy?
