UEFA Champions League 2020/2021: Lazio vs Borussia Dortmund – tactical analysis

The new season in the Champions League started with some intriguing games, one of which was the meeting between Lazio (Serie A) and Borussia Dortmund (Bundesliga).

Simone Inzaghi managed to outwit Lucien Favre with the help of the players who successfully executed his tactics on the pitch. Relying on solid pressing strategy and defensive awareness, Lazio were able to block Borussia’s creativity in attack.

The German side were overcommitted to their forward actions which cost them a lot defensively, leaving huge gaps that Lazio didn’t hesitate to expose in a smart manner by counter-attacking whenever possible.

This tactical analysis examines how the Biancocelesti kept their opponents away from the goal and how they took advantage of Borussia’s lack of clear tactical approach to get the 3:1 win in their first 2020/21 Champions League encounter.

Line-ups

Both managers didn’t experiment with their set-ups. Inzaghi relied on his favoured 3-5-2 with Thomas Strakosha on the goal, who turned out to be their saviour in this game, compensating for Lazio’s defensive mistakes.

The three-man defensive line consisted of Francesco Acerbi, Luiz Felipe and Patric who were all responsible for the team’s solid defensive performance and a great supporting system for Strakosha.

In midfi