Analysis of the match
Monchengladbach vs Leipzig 1st half
I am focused on finding the principles in the game flow and proposing applicable solutions for coaches and analysts
I analyzed this match as if MGB was my team and Leipzig was the rival
In the 1st half, Leipzig puts high blood pressure as always
with high pressure from the ends.
And the ends sometimes put pressure on our centers
We lost the ball.
Again, the high pressure of the 4 rival attackers
We lost the ball.
But, once we got out of the rival pressure,
and we arrived in the middle of the field,
We got the opportunities to exploit the bands because the rival ends still remain high, defending the area
Again, we got out of the rival’s high pressure
and when we arrive in the middle of the field,
rival gangs become vulnerable
Again, coming out of high blood pressure,
and attacking the gang
So the key in attack is how to get out of the Leipzig pressure
So, I’m going to suggest a couple of solutions
1. Centrals play inside
Ginter is dragging Forsberg in
Positioning inside the center goes well when the rival winger presses high
Also, the Leipzig centrals are positioned inside to drag in to our ends
But to do this move, we need detailed training that I explained in my other video.
So, I suggest another solution that can be applied in the middle of the game
2. The advance of the sides
When the 1st Leipzig line is high,
our sides just go up
to get a numerical advantage in between
The forward winger does not have to receive the ball but can go higher for the 2nd ball
Now we will see the Leipzig pattern in his attack
Leipzig plays directly with two forwards, opening
Especially Werner, one of the fast forwards in the league
As soon as they win the ball,
they play long the two forwards
Werner continues to attack our gangs
This movement confuses us
When the Leipzig ends close, our side can’t jump to press due to his back
This gives us numerical inferiority in the middle
Simply put, the two rival strikers grab our 4 defenders
Let’s see this in the game
The numerical inferiority in the middle
Our winger can’t jump to pressure because Poulsen is putting a threat on his back.
So the two Leipzig forwards are grabbing our 4 defenders, running down the wing or half-space
Again, the numerical inferiority of the medium,
because the positioning of the two forwards is grabbing our 4 defenders.
To minimize confusion, our defensive midfielder and winger need a simple start.
When the rival winger closes, our defensive midfielder marks it,
and the lateral protects his back, watching the movement of the rival striker.
On the other hand, when our side jumps to press,
Our defensive midfielder blocks the passing lane inside so that our center guard only the space behind
It is about communication between players.
There are two closed ends that should have been marked by our flyers.
But Leiner jumped to pressure the rival closed end.
Werner opens from behind Leiner
Look at it again
Other times, the rival ends are closed
So all he has to do is protect his back.
Now it’s chaotic due to some transitions in between.
But don’t forget in our beginning
Where are the rival extremes?
They are inside with our flyers.
So all our lateral player has to do is protect his sword from the rival striker!
Now let’s see the Leipzig counterattack
The most important thing is how the rival strikers move and how we put them under control.
Look at it
Werner moves in the space where he left the side near the ball.
Werner goes up from there
This leads to 1vs1 situation in the center
Again, our left side is going up,
one of our centrals is dragged out by Werner
This creates 1vs1 in the center
One of our centrals is dragged out by Werner
Therefore, although our midfielders lag behind in attack phase, they cannot help our defense if the rival plays direct like Leipzig
So I suggest a simple solution
Instead of these 4 players (2 centrals & 2 defensive midfielders)
I would put these 4 players (2 central + 1 Defensive midfielder + 1 far side of the ball) before the Leipzig counterattack
to protect the central area
So far, we have seen the 1st half, but in football the 2nd half is a totally different game.
In the second half, let’s see how the coach’s decision changes the game.