Bundesliga 2019/20: RB Leipzig vs Schalke 04

After travelling to London to defeat Tottenham in the UEFA Champions League, RB Leipzig travelled to the Veltins-Arena in Gelsenkirchen to take on Schalke 04 in the Bundesliga. Julian Nagelsmann’s squad looked to earn their third win in a row with a win over Schalke 04, who had drawn their last three games. While Schalke has been historically strong at home this season, this match was all RB Leipzig, with Nagelsmann’s team putting five goals past the team from Gelsenkirchen while maintaining a clean sheet.

This tactical analysis looks to better understand the tactics used by both Nagelsmann and David Wagner in their Bundesliga match. The analysis will look to understand how RB Leipzig and Schalke utilized their tactics that led to RB Leipzig’s dominant result.

Lineups

David Wagner started Schalke in a 3-4-1-2 with Alexander Nübel in goal. In front of him was the trio of Omar Mascarell, who played as the central defender with Matija Nastasic to his left and Ozan Kabak on his right. In the midfield for Schalke were Suat Serdar and Weston McKennie, who primarily toiled in the centre of the pitch while Jonjoe Kenny was out on the right side and Bastian Oczipka worked on the left side. Amine Harit played in front of them as the “10” with Benito Raman and Rabbi Matondo pairing as Schalke’s strikers for the day.

Julian Nagelsmann technically lined up in a 3-5-2, but RB Leipzig’s tactical flexibility allowed to change throughout the match, with a definite switch to a 5-3-2 at the half.Péter Gulácsi was the man in goal for RB Leipzig. In front of Gulácsi were Marcel Halstenberg, Dayot Upamecano, and Lukas Klostermann; Upamecano played centrally while Halstenberg played on the left and Klostermann on the right. Konrad Laimer played as the holding midfielder, providing cover for Christopher Nkunku and Marcel Sabitzer, who played in front of him in the centre of the pitch. Angeliño was tasked with controlling the left flank while Nordi Mukiele worked down the right side. Timo Werner and Patrik Schick were the striking partnership for today’s match, a growing trend that has seen the Leipzig side continue to score goals at an impressive rate.