The majority of Europe’s leagues have come to a dramatic conclusion over the past week, with some even drawing to a close this very weekend.
One of those leagues wrapping up over the coming few days is the Danish Superliga.
Denmarks top flight has been a breeding ground for some of the finest talents on the continent, as well as a handful of superb coaches, including Brentford’s Thomas Frank and the Danish national teams head coach, Kasper Hjulmand.
It may seem like an elementary statement, given their historical success in Denmark.
Still, FC Copenhagen are the best side in the Superliga right now, sitting top of the table and on course to retain their title.
The managerial change that occurred early in the season made this even more impressive.
Having been assistant manager to Jess Thorup in the previous campaign, 35-year-old Jacob Neestrup is the man leading the Danish giants to glory this time around after Thorup was dismissed following a rough start to the campaign.
But there is much more to The Lions’ success than having excellent players and a lovely blend of youth and experience.
Neestrup’s tactical flexibility this season has made for enjoyable viewing, especially for tactics nerds like us.
This tactical analysis piece will deconstruct the most intriguing elements of Jacob Neestrup style of play, as employed by the fourteen-time champions, to understand why they are on course for back-to-back titles.
As a disclaimer, it’s worth noting that F.C. København have been massively successful from set-pieces this season, but this was dissected in-depth in a recent set-piece analysis on the TFA site.
We will, therefore, focus solely on their tactics, both in and out of possession, for this one.
Jacob Neestrup pressing Tactics
Before taking a look at Jacob Neestrup tactics this season, it’s important to note Neestrup’s formation choice in games.
During his stint as Thorups number two in the previous campaign, Copenhagen rotated through various formations.
The most prominent structures were the 4-4-2 and the 4-2-3-1, which are essentially the same.
However, Thorup had no qualms about using a shape the team wasn’t overly familiar with in games, whether it was a 3-5-2 or even a 4-2-2-2.
Under Neestrup, there has been a little more consistency in the formation selection.
The 35-year-ol
