Having won the Swiss Super League title by 31 points during the 2020/21 season, BSC Young Boys manager Gerardo Seoane was snatched up by one of the Bundesliga’s most historical and exciting clubs – Bayer Leverkusen.
Unsurprisingly, the former head coach was taken to a top-five league.
It became almost inevitable during his reign due to the exciting brand of football on display at the Wankdorf Stadium and the success that ensued, lifting three league titles consecutively in just as much time.
Seoane was always going to be a tough act to follow.
Still, given the gargantuan points difference between Young Boys and second-placed FC Basel, nobody would’ve expected such a worrying drop-off in just one season.
The former Huddersfield and Schalke boss David Wagner was handed the reins, but by the time of his dismissal in March, the champions were 15 points adrift of FC Zürich.
His permanent replacement was the former Basel manager Raphaël Wicky, who was most famous for beating José Mourinho’s Manchester United and Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City in the same UEFA Champions League campaign in 2017/18.
Wicky has completely turned it around in the current season, as Young Boys sit top of the table by 15 points, boasting the best attack and defence in the division by a considerable margin.
In this tactical analysis piece, we will take a look at Raphaël Wicky tactics he is using in Bern to guide the Swiss giants back to the top.
BSC Young Boys Formation
Throughout his tenure at the Wankdorf Stadium, Seoane advocated for the 4-4-2.
According to Wyscout, the conventional structure was the most utilised shape during his reign in Bern.
Out of possession is where this showed the most.
Once Wagner took charge of the three-peat champions, he wasn’t going to be the one to shake things up drastically.
The American-Germans maintained their faith in the 4-4-2, which was used in 63 percent of Young Boys’ matches during the 2021/22 campaign.
If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
It wasn’t broken when Seoane left, but it certainly was by the day of Wagner’s dismissal.
Upon arrival at the club, interim boss Matteo Vanetta continued with the 4-4-2, which had mixed results.
