Ligue 1 2020/21: Nice vs Lyon – tactical analysis

Following the game between Lille and PSG, Lyon are level on points with Lille at the top of Ligue 1. Lyon have now won 4 of their last 5 games in the league. If they keep this up, they will surely secure a UEFA Champions League spot for next year.

On the other hand, Nice are in thirteenth place which is quite worrying, seeing as how last year they qualified for Europa League. In the league, they have lost two and won one game in their last three but the saddest moment of the season happened in the Europa League. Here, they ended last in their group, which was not expected as they supposedly have a better quality team than some of their opponents. Nice really need to pick their game up or their season could be disastrous.

The game ended in a 1-4 win to Lyon, with Nice trying to play out well from behind and Lyon specialising in making destructive counter-attacks.

In this tactical analysis, we will observe both team’s tactics and how they changed throughout the game. In this analysis, we will check how they pressed, their build-up, and their attacking options.

Lineups

Nice started in a 3-4-3, with Alexis Claude Maurice, Amine Gouiri, and Rony Lopes leading the attack. The midfielders were Khéphren Thuram and Hicham Boudaoui while the wing-backs were Jordan Lotomba and Hassane Kamara. Then, the three centre-backs were Stanley Nsoki, Robson Bambu, and Flavius Daniliuc.

Lyon played in a 4-3-3. The back four were Maxwel Cornet, Jason Denayer, Marcelo, and Léo Dubois. The three midfielders were Houssem Aouar, Bruno Guimarães, and Lucas Paquetá. Lastly, the wingers were Karl Toko Ekambi and Tino Kadewere, with Memphis Depay as a striker.

Nice build-up

If used well, the 3-4-3 formation can be perfect to play the ball out well. This is because you will usually have superiority in the initial stage with your three centre-backs. This is because teams usually play with one or two strikers.

The time when they would not be in superiority would be when the opponent has three attackers, as in a 4-3-3 formation, and they decide for every attacker to mark a centre-back. Even though Lyon did play in a 4-3-3, they did not do this.