UCL 2020/2021: Zenit St. Petersburg v Club Brugge – tactical analysis

UEFA Champions League football made a return on Tuesday night, with Zenit St Petersburg hosting Club Brugge in the early fixture. Last season, neither side made it out of the group stages, with Zenit finishing bottom of their group and Brugge going through to the Europa League. While Brugge were unable to win a game, they did produce a memorable display away to Real Madrid in a 2-2 draw.

With the likes of Borussia Dortmund and Lazio in the group, both sides would have seen this game as probably their best chance at getting points on the board. Brugge were able to return to Belgium with three points with a dramatic late winner.

This tactical analysis will look at how a hard-fought game between two even sides was won and lost. The analysis will look at how Zenit’s tactics changed from the first to the second half, as well as how they were unable to penetrate the Brugge defence. Finally, how a moment of quality decided the game will also be analysed.

Lineups

Russian champions Zenit went for a 4-3-1-2 formation, with Mikhail Kerzhakov in goal. Dejan Lovren and Yarsolav Rakitskiy were the centre-back partnership, with Vyacheslav Karavayev and Danil Krugovoy as full-backs. Wilmar Barrios, Magomed Ozdoyev, and Daler Kuzyayev made up the midfield three, while Sebastian Driussi was further forward, in behind the strikers. Artem Dzubuya and Sardar Azmoun were the usual Zenit strike duo.

On the other side, Club Brugge went with a 4-4-1-1. Ethan Horvath was in goal, replacing the regular number one Simon Mignolet. Brandon Mechele and Federico Ricca were the makeshift centre-back partnership, flanked by Clinton Mata and Eduard Sobol. Mats Rits and Ruud Vormer were initially the midfield two, with Hans Vanaken operating more on the left. Dangerman Krepin Diatta was on the right-hand side, while Charles De Ketelare was playing in behind Emmanual Dennis.