UEFA Champions League 2021/22: Domination of half-spaces help Shakhtar beat Genk – tactical analysis

Shakhtar Donetsk faced Genk in the third round of UEFA Champions League Qualifying 2021/22  they were one-nil down in the first half but came back within 20 minutes. Tetê and Alan Patrick contributed to the goals that led to the triumph.

Tactically, the game was an interesting one as Roberto De Zerbi’s team played a good match in the way required by the Italian coach. The playing style of this Shakthar has shown similarities to Pep Guardiola’s Bayern Munich or Manchester City, and the flexibility of several players were impressive too. This tactical analysis will give a detailed look at De Zerbi’s tactics to dominate the half-spaces away from home.

Lineups

Genk lined up in a 4-2-3-1 formation with only two changes after the loss to KV Oostende during the weekend. Mark McKenzie and Angelo Preciado were replaced by Jhon Lucumí and Daniel Muñoz in the defence.

Shakhtar also had some changes after testing different players in the first two league games. Taras Stepanenko stepped down to the bench as Maycon partnered Marcos Antônio in the midfield. Another notable change was the defenders  Marlon moved to the left centre-back, Vitão made his first start of the season while Mykola Matviyenko was played left-back. Both Ismaily and Viktor Kornienko started on the bench.

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