Bundesliga 2019/20: The Bundesliga Preview Part 2 – tactical preview

In this set of three analyses, I am giving a brief tactical analysis of all 18 teams in the Bundesliga.

I teamed up with Zoltan Toth, an excellent data analyst who also writes for the site, and he created these fantastic graphs to highlight every team’s performances based on the same set of metrics.

The yellow in these graphs shows possession and this is based on a team’s overall possession percentage along with the amount of passes they play per 90. The dark blue part of the graph represents a team’s direct play, combining the amount of long passes and progressive passes a team plays per 90. The green, individual progression, also shows the amount of 1v1’s and progressive runs a team makes per 90. The light blue, showing a team’s final third threat, shows the amount of touches a player on that team takes before shooting on average, as well as their expected goal minus their expected goal chain. And finally the red, which shows pressing efficiency, combines their PPDA along with their defensive duel success percentage.

In this, part two, I will give an analysis of the tactics used by Fortuna Düsseldorf, Freiburg, Hertha Berlin, Hoffenheim, Koln, and Mainz.

Fortuna Düsseldorf  Direct passes, width in attack, counter-attacking

Düsseldorf are currently sat in 16th place, meaning should they stay there, they will be involved in a relegation play-off with the team that finishes third in the 2. Bundesliga. 

They are on 22 points, and have the lowest expected points of any team in the league with 21.7, suggesting that on form they should be very worried about the run in to the end of the season.