It is probably the most powerful derby in European football: Borussia Dortmund vs. Schalke 04 – a fixture with lots of tradition. And, it is that time again: On the matchday 5 of the Bundesliga season 2020/21, there will be the prestigious Revierderby between Borussia Dortmund and FC Schalke 04. Kick-off is at 6:30 pm CET in the Signal Iduna Park in Dortmund.
The signs ahead of this match could hardly be more different. While Dortmund is ranked on place 3 with 9 out of 12 points in 4 matches, Schalke could only get one point out of 4 matches. After two matches, former Schalke coach David Wagner was fired. New head coach Manuel Baum could only get one point out of two matches.
But, the current form of Borussia Dortmund is not that good as it looks like. They only lost one match in Bundesliga, but also lost the Super Cup final against their big rivals FC Bayern and the first match against Lazio in the UEFA Champions League. Adding to that, in a derby, everything is possible and fans from all over the world will look forward to this match.
This tactical analysis will look at both sides’ attacking and defending tactics, all with the aim of finding their strengths and weaknesses. The analysis will also look at which line-ups both sides could use.
Possible line-ups
Dortmund´s struggle against compact shapes
Since the arrival of Favre as head coach, Dortmund have massive problems against teams with a compact shape. Favre is well known for his playing style based on combination play. Therefore, he does not like to see his team playing on the wings. But, he rather wants his team to play through the centre. With Emre Can, Mats Hummels, Axel Witsel and Jude Bellingham, Dortmund have quality players who can build-up the game from the back. However, especially against deep-lying opponents, they struggle to find the right solutions.
This issue appeared in Dortmund´s last match against Lazio once again. In the situation below, Bellingham is in possession trying to build-up Dortmund´s game during an offensive transition. He passes the ball vertical to bring it into an advanced area on the pitch as quick as possible. However, Lazio tightened up space in this area and could intercept this pass. As a result, Lazio could start a counter-attack immediately. The better option would have been a horizontal pass to Meunier to use the whole width of the pitch and to play on the right wing instead of through the center.
