Ligue 1 2021/22: How Sampaoli’s Marseille dominated spaces between Strasbourg’s lines to reach the UCL – tactical analysis

The final day of Ligue 1 2021/22 was very exciting. Even though PSG claimed the title very early, the second place in the league was not decided until this game. Monaco gained an upper hand with a +4 goal difference advantage, with both teams sitting 68 points.

In week 38, Jorge Sampaoli’s side faced a strong side as Strasbourg performed quite well this season, picking up 63 points and also having an eye on the European seats under the leadership of Julien Stéphan. Although things really got out of hand, Marseille were able to put four past against the opponents, not only leveling the goal difference but also climbing into second as Monaco were unable to beat Lens.

Despite this being a 4-0 win, it was not easy and the scoreline was not a fair reflection of the margin. This tactical analysis examines the positional structure and attacking tactics used by Sampaoli to explain the dynamics of the game.

Lineups

Marseille mostly played with a back four recently, but Sampaoli shifted to a back three as suggested by the team sheet above. But everything on paper was just a reference, as this Marseille team showed a very good grasp of the coach’s principles of play and this was the foundation of the attack, as we would explain how they played below.

Strasbourg came with a 5-3-2 formation, which also varied to 5-1-2-2 or 5-2-1-2 without the ball and during the defensive phase, especially when the midfield three were given the license to press.