The Set-Play Chess Match Between Julian Nagelsmann’s Germany & Luciano Spalletti’s Italy – Set-Piece Analysis

After two thrilling legs in the UEFA Nations League quarterfinals, Germany advanced to the next stage, overcoming Italy 5-4 on aggregate.

As we all witnessed, the tactical battle between Luciano Spalletti and Julian Nagelsmann was intense throughout both matches, making it the exciting encounter we anticipated.

However, there was another tactical battle throughout both matches that often goes unnoticed: set-pieces.

In both matches, set plays led to crucial goals and dangerous chances.

Set-piece analysis has become a crucial aspect of match preparation, followed by focused training on the planned strategies to achieve the best possible outcomes.

Analysing set pieces is a tactical confrontation and a battle between coaches, with reactions from both sides throughout the two matches, much like any other aspect of the game.

For example, the attacking team exploits the opposing sides weaknesses in the first leg, prompting the latter to adjust their strategy to address them in the return leg.

Consequently, the attacking team must then modify their tactics to remain effective, following the same loop as in other aspects of the game.

In this tactical analysis, we will examine the set-piece battle between Nagelsmann and his set-piece coach, Mads Buttgereit, against Spalletti and his assistants.

Germanys Attacking Corners

Starting with Germanys attacking corners, Italy defended corners with a man-marking defending system.

In the photo below, Italy defends with two zonal defenders (yellow), two green edge-of-the-box players for the rebound (one of them defends short corners), and six-man markers.

After explaining Italys defending scheme, lets start with Germanys most effective routine.

This routine targeted the area ahead of the near post and led to the winning goal in the first leg.