Himannv................................................................................................................................BIG DUNK
..........VS...........
Team Himannv (J. Giles dropped for J. Wouters)
Tactics
This is a take on Nagelsmann's 4-4-2.
Nagelsmann Tactics Overview
Nagelsmann's team actually play multiple formations, ranging from 3 at the back to 4-2-2-2 to 4-4-2. This is a take on his 4-4-2 formation. The following image (figure 1) is how they line up currently for most part.
Figure 1: Current RB Leipzig Formation
As you can probably guess from Figure 1 and your own experience of watching them, this roughly involves the following:
Attack
- Counter attack normally starts from wide areas.
- Wingers mostly cut inside on offensive phases, making it a 4-2-2-2 in attack.
- At least one of the CFs will drop deeper and he'll be pacy.
- Both CFs are mobile.
- Two men up front is a must to maintain depth when one drops deep.
- Only one flank gets overloaded at a time.
- Leipzig are a pressing team and the CMs are key to this so they have to have high energy.
- Both CMs are theoretically DMs
- The team in general is possession-based with short passing the key aspect.
Defence
- CBs should be able to play out from the back.
- Defenders who can defend. Leipzig do not concede many.
- High defensive line.
- Fullbacks move forward only one at a time and are the primary width providers when wingers cut in.
Let's go into the above points in more detail in the following section.
How Nagelsmann's Tactics Compare to Mine
Attack
Figure 2: Pressing to push the ball wider
- Suitability: Leipzig have a great variety for how they score their goals. Last season, 20% of their75 goals have been scored via set-pieces, while 9% have been scored through counter attacks directly after winning possession in their own half. They’ve also scored the most number of penalty kicks that season with 5. But the majority of their goals, as should be the case for any top-level team, come from intricate combinations and open-play.
Leipzig love to attack down the wings. They have a highly talented cast and crew of players, who are very capable of taking players on 1v1 and creating chances through individual skill. I feel Houseman and Rep are perfect fits for this system. Houseman, when playing on the left, constantly cuts in - he's better with his right foot although he can use his left as well. Rep regularly cuts in from the right, he's almost like Robben in that regard and perfect for the system.
The way Leipzig press is to push the opposition wider and then exert pressure to win the ball in wider areas (see figure 2). This will be a key tactic in this game considering the opposition and we're set up nicely to take advantage of winning possession in wide areas with Houseman and Rep.
Werner is the key player for them. He drops deep and gets involved in deeper areas of the pitch, while also being a threat upfront. He's also very quick and uses his pace to his advantage. Keegan is the player I associate with this role the most. Mighty Mouse is lightening quick, an insane dribbler, a force of nature, and naturally gravitates towards the ball and to deeper areas. He's about a perfect fit as it gets. Poulsen or Schick partner him up front and they're both somewhat similar players; mobile, good finishers, and good in the air. Dalglish plays this role in my team and, if you notice, most of the goals he scores and the positions he gets to are ones you would see from a typical striker.
- Differences: The aerial duties up front are shared by both Dalglish and Keegan in my system, so that is slightly different to only Poulsen/Schick playing that role.
Defence and Midfield
Figure 3: Playing out from the back
- Suitability: As you can see in Figure 2, the CBs are a key aspects of this team. Their role will be to create from the back, step forward into spaces and attack when on the ball.
Nagelsmann’s talented team are quite adept at keeping possession and playing through the thirds. Similarly to Dortmund, they like to play a one-two-touch passing kind of game, advancing the ball quickly and vertically. But they also tend to favour direct balls along the ground into their forwards or wingers, who will drop to show for the ball. Their central midfielders are not frequent outlets during moments where the team are attempting to play out from the back. They instead hold their positions, allowing Leipzig to have a clogged midfield should they lose the ball. Upamecano and Klostermann will often shift the ball left to right, looking to play in a striker or a winger at the right moment. The young Frenchman has completed the ninth most passes per game in the Bundesliga last season (70.3), highlighting his importance to the team when playing out from the back.
Wouters and Szymaniak have high energy and workrate, and both will be great at pressing and short passing and holding their defensive shape, while allowing the CBs to play their game. they're both well suited to a pressing system.
Hulshoff and Blankenburg, as you already know, are no strangers to having the ball at their feet and creating from the back. The systems they played in demanded that they were technically proficient and able to play as creative options when required. They are ideally suited to this system.
- Differences: The main difference is my fullbacks. Both Sansom and Armfield are perfect fits defensively but they are not going to be as offensive as typical RB Leipzig fullbacks. They will step forward (never both together) when in possession to overload one flank as per the Leipzig system and they will deliver the occasional cross, but the emphasis will be more on defense and ensuring the opposition don't get too much of a foothold in our defensive phase.
Other
- Oblak is an upgrade here in almost every way as I don't think that highly of Gulasci. His large frame gives him dominance inside the penalty area on high balls and a great reach for shots high or into the corners; add to that his fine reflexes and ability to spread himself and it's clear why he's such a tough goalkeeper to beat. He'll be a great addition to this team.
Team BIG DUNK (K. Deyna dropped for Z. Boban)
PLAYING STYLE:
A counter attacking 4-3-3, built upon an assured defensive spine, creative heart and lethal attack. Compact when defending, but looking to the wings when we attack. Our wingforwards will cut in, allowing the fullbacks to overlap and provide additional width and attacking support. The midfield three and Bergkamp will form our very own magic square: able to break up play, recycle possession and execute quick direct attacks given the game tempo or circumstance. With positional specialists who work between the lines, with no fixed position, we will aim to stretch our opponent's back line, penetrate spaces and pull defenders out of position: our movement will encourage direct vertical attacks, overlapping, underlapping, shooting from range, cutting in from the wings and late runs in to the box.
DEFENDING (a solid tenacious platform to break up play and deny space):
In the heart of my defence is Roberto Perfumo, regarded as Argentina’s greatest pure defender. His partner in crime is my stopper-centreback Guido Buchwald, one of the toughest man-markers of his era and all-time. His most notable defensive performance being his efficient marking job of Diego Maradona in the 1990 FIFA World Cup final. At the base of my magic square is Luis Fernandez, a tactically superb defensive midfielder, while still possessing the technical skills of a playmaker, and the raw energy and bite of a box-to-box dynamo. Luis Fernandez brings a combative element to the team, added more balance, power, shape and workrate to the square. Alongside Benetti and Boban, Luis Fernandez will boss the game. He will add steel to the back four: covering spaces from our attacking fullbacks, doubling up on attackers and breaking up play. His industry and bite made him a prototype, a model midfielder and a vital midfield general. He is crucial in freeing up space for Benetti and Boban to move forward and work the space. My box-to-box midfield enforcer role belongs to Romeo Benetti. "Nicknamed Panzer (tank), El Tigre (the tiger), and the Roccia (rock), Benetti was a tenacious, mobile, athletic, and complete midfielder, who was known in particular for his physical strength, stamina, charisma, determination, consistency, and leadership as footballer. His hard-tackling style of play in this role epitomised the catenaccio tactics made famous by Italy during the 1970s." At right back is Jorginho, the highly skilled Brazilian right-back was one of the most respected two-way fullbacks of the 90s: possessing excellent technique, pace, solid defensively, offering high workrate and accurate delivery from the wing. Gordillo will provide endless energy down the left flank, famous for his sharp and tough slide tackles, and impressive strength with and without the ball. Luis Fernandez and Benetti's expert positioning and ferocious defensive cover allow both Gordillo and Jorginho the licence to attack down their respective wings. In goal is the greatest goalkeeper of all time, Lev Yashin.The Ballon d’Or winner will be a vital piece in how I want my team to play. "Yashin revolutionised the role of goalkeeper like no other before him, by always being ready to act as an extra defender and by starting dangerous counter-attacks with his positioning and quick throws.” Boban possesses a competitive determination, tenacity and bite to his play to contribute with the defensive workrate higher up the pitch too.
PLAYMAKING (a team brimming with vision and creative outlets):
Technical maestro Zvonimir Boban was one of the most gifted playmakers from the 90s - his vision, passing range, long range shooting, set-piece excellence, dribbling skills and silky ball control, combined with his vocal presence, determination, strength of character and tenacity made him a stand out performer for club and country. Given Boban's tactical versatility and positional intelligence, the 'Balkan Zorro' can confidently play the Mezzala role here (central playmaker drifting right). Boban can spring counter attacks from deep (finding both Bergkamp, Heynckes and Bene), stretching play to the wings (Gordillo and Jorginho), or help retain possession with his accurate ball distribution (aided by midfield enforcers Benetti and Luis Fernandez). Such was Jorginho's ability on the ball, he enjoyed moving inside as a creative inverted wingback, which will complement both Boban's and Bene's movement. Dennis Bergkamp is my technical genius, playing in a deep-lying forward role: linking up play, operating between the lines, able to hold the ball up for his wingforwards/attacking fullbacks/central midfielders, take on centrebacks with his worldclass control and dribbling skills, thread inch perfect thoughballs to my two wingforwards Heynckes and Bene, or being a clinical finisher himself from a direct counter attack or well-timed passing phase. Heynckes and Bene are not just prolific goalscorers, they were highly involved in build up play too. Bene will be encouraged to dribble. Additional support and passing comes from the wings through our fullbacks Rafael Gordillo and Jorginho. One of the best attacking fullbacks/wingbacks from the 80s, Gordillo was a gifted footballer, enjoying great success in La Liga for Betis and Madrid, and with the Spanish national team. Very tough, yet so skillful, Gordillo will offer me plenty of width, endless workrate, penetrating runs and deliveries from the left flank, overlapping Heynckes. "Jorginho was brilliant going forward, so dangerous and capable of scoring fantastic goals. He was the kind of player fans would pay to watch, but he was also solid in defence and played brilliantly against Italy in the 1994 World Cup Final. He never let anyone down.” "He's a proper attacking full-back – very solid defensively and extremely intelligent". Luis Fernandez also possessed a delightful touch, accurate passing and a panoramic vision in reading the game, influential in connecting the defence to the attack. "Romeo Benetti possessed good technique and distribution, which enabled him to function as a deep-lying playmaker at times, and start attacking plays and create goalscoring opportunities after winning back the ball."
GOALSCORING (lethal one-on-one, intelligent movement, pace and space penetration):
Our three-pronged attack is potent, creative and fluid. On the left, one of the finest wing forwards of all time, Jupp Heynckes. 'Jupp' was a complete forward: versatile (able to play on either wing, central or in a withdrawn role, cut in from the flank, get in behind or work the channels), deadly on the counter (possessing pace and deadly one-on-one with a goalkeeper), predator in the box (his reactions, positioning and goalscoring instincts were world-class, matched by his excellent striking technique and ability with both feet and head), creative (enjoyed being part of the build up), his movement and workrate were highly valued (his intelligent movement on and off the ball made him a headache for defenders). Between 1972 and 1975 he recorded Gerd Muller-esque numbers, scoring 130 goals in 139 games. Prolific. A technically brilliant forward, Ferenc Bene was deadly on the right wing or centrally. A skilled dribbler who was just as likely to bamboozle a fullback with his feints, agile turns and tricks or lose his marker in the box with a perfectly timed run. A prolific goalscorer who was undoubtedly one of the most feared forwards/outside rights in the mid to late 60s and early 70s. I feel Bergkamp’s vision and passing will maximise both Heycknes’ and Bene’s relentless workrate, link up play, intelligent movement and clinical finishing in the last third. Despite being a predominately defensive-minded player, Romeo Benetti was also known for his goal-scoring ability from midfield, due to his powerful and accurate striking ability from distance. Boban was both a set-piece specialist and long-range marksman with his powerful accurate shots. Gordillo also chips in from the left flank, with his screamers from the flank or his intelligent late runs into the box. Not utilising a natural #9/target man will draw our opponent's centrebacks out of their line defensive line (high and wide) creating pockets of space for our attack/midfield to exploit, and help us to out-number our opponent in key areas out wide and in central areas. Moreover, our opponent’s fullbacks will need to second guess themselves when attacking higher up the field and leaving spaces behind on the flanks.
Good luck @Himannv @BIG DUNK!
