UEFA Nations League 2020/21: Switzerland vs Germany

Switzerland faced Germany in what was each team’s second UEFA Nations League fixture as they both looked to bounce back from disappointing results in their previous games. Vladimir Petković’s side were beaten 2-1 by Ukraine but were largely poor throughout that game. Meanwhile, die Mannschaft suffered an agonising 1-1 draw to Spain where they conceded in the final minute thanks to a goal from José Gayà.

This tactical analysis will examine the tactics used by both Switzerland and Germany in this UEFA Nations League match. The analysis will highlight how Breel Embolo helped Switzerland dominate early on, how the Swiss failed to take advantage of crossing scenarios and will also touch on Germany’s struggles in the build-up phase.

Lineups

Switzerland set-up in a flexible 5-4-1 formation. Yann Sommer started in goal with a back five of Loris Benito, Ricardo Rodríguez, Manuel Akanji, Nico Elvedi and Silvan Widmer. Arsenal star Granit Xhaka partnered alongside Djibril Sow in midfield with Renato Steffen and Breel Embolo on either side. Haris Seferović started as the lone striker.

Germany began with a similar set-up as they did against Spain with a 3-4-1-2 formation that they used for the majority of the fixture. Joachim Löw opted for a back three consisting of Antonio Rüdiger, Niklas Süle and Matthias Ginter. Robin Gosens and Thilo Kehrer started at wing-back with an experienced double pivot of İlkay Gündoğan and Toni Kroos. Julian Draxler started as the attacking midfielder with Timo Werner and Leroy Sané starting as the front two.