Bundesliga 2022/23: How Marco Rose got revenge on Dortmund in dream Leipzig start – tactical analysis

Hired in December, and fired in September. Domenico Tedescos tenure at RB Leipzig came to an end after back-to-back 0-4 and 1-4 defeats against Eintracht Frankfurt in the Bundesliga and Shakhtar Donetsk in the UEFA Champions League opener respectively. When Tedesco took over from Jesse Marsch last season, he led Leipzig to a historic season, reaching the UEFA Europa League semi-finals and clinching the clubs first ever major title  lifting the DFB-Pokal.

Despite it still being early in the season, the 36-year-old was relieved of his duties after a poor start to the campaign saw him manage only one win in five league games.

In came Marco Rose, the former Borussia Dortmund, Borussia Mönchengladbach and RB Salzburg manager. Originally a Leipzig native, and having worked in the Bundesliga and in the Red Bull model, the board decided to hand over the reins to Rose to become the clubs third head coach in just two years.

114 days after his dismissal from Dortmund, Rose lined up against his former club  whom he guided to a second-place finish last season. It was a Rose-y return for the German manager as he oversaw a 3-0 victory over Edin Terzic’s side,  who went into the game as joint-league leaders with 12 points.

This tactical analysis provides insight into how Saturdays spectacle unfolded. The analysis highlights the key aspects and tactics that were on display throughout.

Lineups

Tedesco gave focus to possession-based play and utilized a 3-4-1-2 formation for the majority of his spell at the helm. Leipzigs summer transfer strategy did not align with Tedescos style of play. The club brought back Timo Werner from Chelsea while also signing David Raum and Xaver Schlager, with the former Wolfsburg midfielder barely featuring under Tedesco. Werners strengths rely on pace and having space to run into. His game does not suit possession-oriented teams against low blocks, as was seen throughout his time at Stamford Bridge.

Rose had only 72 hours to prepare for the game, but according to the 46-year-old, the solution had been actually simple — Leipzig needed to go back to their footballing roots. He shifted to a 4-2-3-1 formation, moving Christopher Nkunku to the right and restoring Emil Forsberg to the starting eleven for the first time this season in the place of Dani Olmo. Schlager came in for Kevin Kampl in midfield.

With the absence of Karim Adeyemi, Donyell Mallen, Thorgan Haz