After a disappointing start to the Belgian Pro League season, and with the club sitting in the relegation zone, OH Leuven parted company with their manager, Marc Brys, after just over three seasons in charge.
After a protracted search, Leuven finally found their man, appointing 50-year-old Spaniard Óscar García as their new manager.
The Spaniard has been out of a job since being sacked by Ligue 1 side Stade de Reims at the beginning of last season but has plenty of high-level managerial experience, making this somewhat of a coup by the Belgian side.
This tactical analysis will look at how the Spaniards tactics and style of play may take effect with Leuven. He is now tasked with clawing Leuven up the table and away from any potential threat of relegation.
Óscar García Style Of Play
Because the Spaniard came through Barcelonas famous La Masia academy and played for the club at senior level in his playing career, many would tend to think that the 50-year-old manager plays a very Barcelona-esque style of football.
However, this is not necessarily the case, with García opting for a more direct, vertical attacking approach during his recent spell in charge of Ligue 1 side Stade de Reims.
This is not to say the Spaniard will not look to progress the ball through phases of holding possession and attempting to dominate it; it is just not his preferred style.
The data viz graphic above shows Stade de Reimss pass map from the 2021/22 Ligue 1 season under García.
As the graphic shows, the majority of the French sides possession-based football occurred in the defensive third of the pitch. Reims looked to quickly get the ball into the attacking third by, more often than not, playing directly from the goalkeeper off of goal kicks.
Reims finished the 2
