Belgian First Division A 2021/22: How Dominik Thalhammer has improved Cercle Brugge – tactical analysis

Cercle Brugge had a promising transfer window in the summer bringing in plenty of players who have become regular starters for the side. Jesper Daland, Rabbi Matondo, Alex Milian, Sousa, Edgaras Utkus, and Boris Popovic all joined the club, with Cercle expecting great success this season under Yves Vanderhaeghe, but the opposite was true. Though he was brought in near the end of last season and saved the side from relegation, he was destined to bring them down this season. At the time of his sacking on the 28^th of November, the club sat 17^th place in the table, which is the relegation playoff place in Belgium.

After parting ways with Vanderhaeghe, Cercle decided to bring in 51-year old Austrian Dominik Thalhammer from LASK Linz. Since his arrival at the end of November, Cercle have been flying. Through his six matches in charge, Thalhammer has five wins, with the sole loss against league leaders Royale Union-Saint Gilloise, who they played close. Included in one of those wins as well was a 2-0 win over fierce rivals Club Brugge. Thalhammer has consistently stuck with a 4-2-3-1 formation since coming in, switching it from the usual 4-4-2 that Vanderhaeghe used. This tactical analysis will look at what Thalhammer has done tactically to improve the side, and an early look at his philosophy and ideas his is trying to implement with his new side.

Compact defensive shape

One needed switch in tactics that Thalhammer has implemented is a more compact defensive structure, with him looking for his side to instead sit deeper and invite pressure, but making sure they defend as one in a compact unit. This has also been more prevalent in the stats as well, with Cercle Brugge holding only, on average, 42% of the possession in all of Thalhammer’s matches in charge so far. Under Vanderhaeghe, this number was 50%. Also, Cercle have only conceded six goals in six matches so far under Thalhammer, a number that badly needed to be improved.

Here is an example of this compact defensive shape in the derby against Club Brugge. Though the match has just kicked off, the Cercle Brugge players keep their 4-2-3-1 shape, with the defensive and midfield lines staying tight and compact, meaning the only option for Club to attack is down the flanks. The attacking midfielders also drop into the defensive third to press from behind, hoping to force a mistake from the player in possession. This leaves Matondo free up top to keep the defensive line honest and pinned back. This compact shape defensively has helped them to only concede six goals in Thalhammer’s six matches in charge, with three of those goals allowed coming against league leaders USG.