Bundesliga 2021/22: How RB Leipzig hit four to crush Dortmund’s title dream – tactical analysis

The Bundesliga top-four clash between Borussia Dortmund and RB Leipzig was played on Saturday, it was very good for Domenico Tedesco’s side as they beat their opponents 4-1, which might be slightly unexpected considering the hosts were placing second in the league. However, tactically, Leipzig were impressive because their pressing was well-drilled to limit the threat of the opponents. They were willing to give the ball to the opponents while using smart and clever pressing to trigger counter-attacks in the game.

This tactical analysis will explain how well did Leipzig manage to keep Dortmund’s threat minimal.

 Lineups

After an unsuccessful first half against Köln with a back four, in this game, Marco Rose went for a 3-4-2-1 formation. Marius Wolf was given a chance again to prove himself as he started ahead of Giovanni Reyna and Julian Brandt, he supported Erling Håland with Marco Reus. With a back three formed by Emre Can dropping into the right centre-back position, Rose might want to have more numbers in the centre but that was not effective in this game.

Leipzig were experiencing a small injury crisis in the midfield positions as both Tyler Adams and Amadou Haidara were unavailable for this game. Tedesco opted for a 5-3-2 formation which was slightly different from the 5-2-1-2 he used before – Dani Olmo was deployed as an 8 instead supporting the striker as a 10, and this minor tactical tweak achieved good strategical advantages to help the team without possession.