The Bundesliga campaign 2019/20 features several coaches with interesting tactical concepts. And it is even more interesting if two of these managers play against each other. Former RB Salzburg coach and current Borussia Mönchengladbach coach Marco Rose faced the 32-year-old Julian Nagelsmann who just joined RB Leipzig in the summer.
The following tactical analysis depicts the tactics of either coach at their new clubs and in this specific game.
Lineups and formations
Gladbach lined up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in the defensive phase. To the surprise of many, Rose lined up Breel Embolo on the playmaker position. In possession, right-winger Fabian Johnson often tucked into more central areas. With one of the double pivot moving into a more advanced area, Gladbach’s midfield shape then resembled of a diamond at times.
In possession phases, the wide players of the midfield four tucked inside while the striking duo consisting of Timo Werner and Yussuf Poulsen positioned themselves a bit wider.
Gladbach’s asymmetrical attacking approach
Marco Rose’s team set up, as already mentioned, with a diamond in midfield. However, Rose did not deploy a typical striking duo in front of that but tasked attacker Marcus Thuram (White #19) with providing width on the left wing. This caused an asymmetrical shape with two players on the left wing and only right-back Stefan Lainer (White #18) attacking down the right.
The idea lying behind this was to create overloads on the left side to either break through or switch sides to their high right-back.
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