Bundesliga 2019/20: Borussia Monchengladbach vs Bayer Leverkusen- tactical preview

The pick of this weekends Bundesliga fixtures comes in the form of an interesting stylistic matchup, with Borussia Monchengladbach taking on Bayer Leverkusen at an empty Borussia Park. Both sides picked up where they left off following the break, with both sides registering sizable wins over Frankfurt and Werder Bremen respectively. The fixture is a key one in the Bundesligas Champions League race, with the sides separated by just two points in third and fifth place. The match is also an excellent stylistic match up, with Peter Boszs possession style system now coming up against Marco Roses high-intensity vertical football. In this tactical analysis, I will look to preview the tactics both teams have used throughout the season, what tactics they may use in this game, and how both teams may interact with each other throughout the game.

Leverkusens 2-4-4 and other build-up structures

Although on paper Boszs side usually lines up in a 4-2-3-1 or 4-4-2, in reality, Leverkusens shape usually becomes a 2-4-4, with the full-backs pushing higher while the central midfielders remain slightly deeper. The aim of this structure is to allow fluid movement with many players occupying the opposition back line, with Leverkusen usually prioritising the use of the half-space, with Kai Havertz often occupying Leverkusens right half-space. We can see in this image below, the full-backs provide width to stretch the second line, allowing access to the final line. In the first meeting, Gladbach played a back five, and similarly to Schalke last weekend, relied on one of their centre backs to step out to retrieve the ball and mark the player in the half-space. Solving this half-space problem is something I will discuss later in the article. Jonas Hoffman also seemed to man-mark Kai Havertz for the majority of the game.

We can see an example of this structure being used again below, in their most recent game against Bremen. The central midfielders remain deep and central, causing a dilemma for the man markers behind them, as if they push higher they risk space both behind them and to the sides in the half-space. As a result, when they dont press, the midfielders have time and space between the lines. Where they are then able to progress play.

Leverkusen can then access the third line, which i