UEFA Nations League 2020/21: Ukraine vs Germany – tactical analysis

Going into the UEFA Nations League Group A4 clash on Saturday night, you perhaps would have been forgiven for believing that Germany would effortlessly triumph over Ukraine at the Kiev Olympic Stadium.

However, the hosts were, in fact, sat above Joachim Löw’s side in their group table having won one and lost one of their opening two matches whereas the Germans had drawn against both Spain and Switzerland in their previous two group games.

Furthermore, Die Mannschaft were without a win in three international matches having drawn 3-3 with Turkey in a friendly on Wednesday earlier in the week.

While Ukraine sat above Germany in the Nations League Group A4 table, they came into the tie following a humiliating 7-1 defeat in a friendly against France on the same night in which Germany were held by Turkey.

With neither side coming into the clash in preferable form, Löw’s side showed their dominance in the clash but were only able to find the back of the net on two occasions as they claimed a 2-1 victory over Ukraine.

This tactical analysis will look at the key tactics which were deployed on the night and use analysis explain how they influenced the match’s outcome.

Lineups

For the clash with Germany at the Kiev Olympic Stadium, Andriy Shevchenko deployed his side in a 4-1-4-1 system which remained unchanged from the hammering against the French. Serhiy Sydorchuk sat as the deepest of the central midfielders in the holding role and Roman Yaremchuk led the line as the lone striker.

Germany also opted for an unaltered formation from the midweek friendly and they lined up in a 3-4-3 starting formation. As will be explained in the tactical analysis, this lineup was key for the way Die Mannschaft played and it allowed them to dominate the game. While the Germans scored just two goals, they enjoyed 71% of the possession and completed a whopping 764 passes compared with Ukraine’s 239.