Sevilla and Borussia Dortmund were expected to display attractive football and put on a show in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League Round of 16 meetings. And that’s exactly what happened. Borussia Dortmund got back on track after a few disappointing performances lately and got an important 3-2 away win against a Sevilla team that have been impressive in LaLiga this season.
Borussia had actually listened to the critiques and changed a few things in their strategy that helped them stop Sevilla’s best performers in attack. On the other side, the Julen Lopetegui side didn’t show the needed creativity that could’ve brought them a step closer to the next round.
Despite conceding twice, the Germans displayed an outstanding defensive performance which was the key to their final success. Additionally, the excellence of the youngster Erling Haaland, who scored two of their three goals underlined the success of their smart approach.
It seemed like the Spaniards had control over the game (or at least that’s what the possession data shows) but it was actually Borussia who navigated Sevilla’s movement through their defensive actions. While the Spaniards had more of the ball, they didn’t manage to break through the BVB efficiently and ended up on the losing side.
In this tactical analysis, we explain both teams’ tactics and how BVB’s intelligent approach helped them stop Sevilla’s experienced squad.
Line-ups and formations
Sevilla started the game in more of a 4-2-3-1 formation out of possession used a back-three in their build-up Bono covered the goal, while Sergio Escudero, Diego Caros, Jules Koundé and Jesús Navas supported him upfront. In midfield, Fernando and Ivan Rakitić had the main responsibilities in the build-up, while Joan Jordán moved to the more advanced areas. The attacking line consisted of Papu Gómez, Youssef En-Nesyri and Suso.
The Spaniard had more of the ball throughout the game, constantly pushing forward and trying to break through Borussia’s block. This turned out difficult to them despite their experienced attacking players. The club’s leading goal scorer En-Nesyri didn’t manage to place well in the advanced areas and failed to provide the needed explosiveness in attack, despite the team’s frequent crossing efforts. After conceding, the team started playing more aggressively but their lack of creativity in attack stopped them from exposing BVB’s defence. Their overcommitment there though caused them some trouble against BVB’s young and pacey attacking players who were looking to use the gaps that Sevilla leave very smartly.
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